January Siege of Tompson Mall
Introduction
Following the January Assault on Tompson Mall, the assault Zombie Horde dispersed to attack Western and Central Lockettside. As a result, Survivors were able to end-run the Zombies and retake and rebarricade Tompson Mall, and a siege is currently in progress between a small group of Zombies and an even smaller (but growing) group of Survivors.
Chronicle of Events
Please see January Assault on Tompson Mall for a full account of the action leading up to the current situation.
11 Jan 2006
Tompson Mall falls to an attack Zombie horde comprising of The Undying Scourge, Shambling Seagulls, Minions of the Apocalypse, and Da Shamblin' WAAAGH. By 0800 on 11 Jan 2006, three corners of Tompson Mall had been emptied and a few dozen sleeping survivors remained in the SW Mall. As most of its defenders were killed, Tompson Mall fell a few hours later. A few survivors in the SW managed to log on and run away before falling to the zombie hordes, although this should not be called an evacuation.
12 Jan 2006 to 13 Jan 2006
The attacking Zombie Horde begins to break up and assaulting the various buildings near the Mall in hordes of about a dozen Zombies (or less). Western and Central Lockettside were swamped in Zombies.
While speculative, it is almost certain that the organized Zombie Horde that assaulted the Mall had began or even left Tompson Mall at this point, leaving feral Zombies "in control".
14 Jan 2006 to 16 Jan 2006
Survivors end-ran the feral Zombies and retook Tompson Mall. Barricades went back up but there is a substantial feral Zombie force outside Tompson Mall. This has resulted in breaches during the 14th which are contained in size and dealt with by the small numbers of survivors.
On the 15th and 16th, the feral Zombies made multiple assaults on the Mall, especially in the SE sector. Survivors continue to be reluctant to fight in the sector, which gives Zombies the opportunity to stage from the sector should they breach in strength. As a result, a cat-and-mouse game developed where invading Zombies in singles or doubles will break through and spread out into the Mall on a sporadic basis, and the Survivors will sneak in behind the invaders to barricade the sector up to prevent a build up of Zombies.
Throughout this period, there were about 20 to 40 Zombies outside the SE sector of the Mall, vs. 1 or 2 Survivors within the same SE sector. The odds were not in favour of the Survivors, but the lack of organized assaults meant only small breaches were successful.
Appeals went out during this period to The 'Sards and Steam Thralls, whose old HQs are nearby. The 'Sards have recently retook their HQ and were willing to assist; the Steam Thralls took extensive losses during the initial Zombie blitz and were only able to send limited assistance.
17 Jan 2006 to 19 Jan 2006
The Survivors spent much of the 17th playing cat-and-mouse with invading Zombies. However, towards the end of the 17th, elements of The 'Sards and Steam Thralls started to deploy to the SE sector. This relieved the existing defenders and allowed the Survivors to establish a permanent Survivor picket line in the SE sector.
On the 18th, elements of the ZILF and Tompson Mall Irregulars arrived to assist the Steam Thralls and The 'Sards in the risky SE sector. With more Survivors in the threatened sectors, the risk of a breakthrough by Zombies is reduced and more offensive operations can be considered.
By the 19th, sufficient Survivors (of varied groups) are on the line in the SE sector such that only one major breach happened; 3 to 4 Zombies broke through the barricades to assault the pickets. It appears that the Siege would soon move into a new phase.
Late January
With more Survivors staged in the SE sector, the Mall is now secured. Sproadic attacks by Zombies are tapering off, with only occasional breaches which are easily repulsed. Recce outside the Mall shows decreasing or non-existent Zombies. With this, the seige of Tompson Mall can be considered lifted.
Analysis & Opinions
Note: This section is definitely not NPOV. There are opinions here, so please adopt the right attitude towards this section. Some of the opinions are undoubtedly questionable, but it is only fair for contributors to respect each other's opinion... even if we think it came out from a horse's ass. :)
Zombie Preference for SE Mall Sector
It is noted that there is a remarkable Zombie preference to assault the SE sector of the Mall. Why this is done is unknown, but the net effect is that Survivors are reluctant to spend time in this region.
This makes the SE Mall sector a remarkably weak point that the Zombies can and has breached multiple times. It is one area that needs to be shored up badly, to ensure Tompson Mall stays in Survivor hands.
Sources
- Personal Journal of Initial Author
- Eyewitness testimony of several zombies
