Journal:James Ennis
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This story is part of the Malton Chronicles. This story is fan-made, and is not officially part of any background history for Urban Dead. |
Ennis's Journal
This is the journal of Private First Class James Ennis of the United States Army, 2nd Squad, 1st Platoon, Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 555th Infantry Regiment.
Private Ennis was airdropped into the Malton Quarantine Zone at roughly 2200 local time on the day of 4/14/07. He was separated from his squad on the way in, and never made contact with them again. After a few days in the Zone he began recording his experiences.
Entry Date: 4/16/07
The last two days seem like one never-ending nightmare. There are still moments when I’m sure that I’ll just wake up, and it will all have just really been nothing but a nightmare. But then I see another wounded person come in, and that snaps me back into reality.
I lost contact with my squad when we were dropped in. It looks like the plane screwed up and scattered us all over the place, but I may never know what happened to Sarge, Harry, Arthur, or the others. I haven’t seen any of them since I hit the ground. What I have seen and heard of is a lot of the same: military units that have broken up on contact with Them and are now forced to improvise their command structures.
When I touched down I cut up the chute and bagged it in case I needed the cloth. I wandered maybe four blocks looking for my squad. There were a few bodies on the ground, here and there. They looked gnawed on, and I figured they had been eaten by stray dogs or something. The supposed terrorist mobs had apparently worked the place over pretty badly. But then I ran into some of Them.
Zombies. That’s what They were. I didn’t believe it at first, but all those horror flicks I’d watched with my brother as a kid came back to me as I saw the two of them. Even then I just stood there, shocked, until I realized they were after a cop. I raised my gun and fired, emptying the clip into the chest of one of the monsters. It merely stumbled backwards for a moment and then kept after the cop, who was busy shooting at the other zombie. I reloaded and fired again, trying to hit the head. I know it sounds stupid, using tactics I’d seen in a bad horror movie, but what else was I supposed to do? But I was too badly shaken, too scared, and I’m still too green. I ran out of ammo trying to bring that one zombie down, and it kept coming. I ran for it. The last I saw of the cop, he was making a run for it as well. I hope he made it.
I made it a few more blocks, but shortly before dawn one of the bastards ambushed me in a park. I fought back with my fists and the butt of my rifle, trying to keep away from its teeth. But the thing still raked me with its claws before I escaped, badly wounding me. I patched myself up enough to keep going, but there was no doubt that I would need some help. I spent the 15th dashing from building to building as quickly as my wounds allowed, moving randomly and searching for survivors. I found quite a few. Some were civilians, some military, some roaming doctors, firemen, and cops. There were some scientists as well, apparently working to cure the zombies one-by-one. Eventually they gave me a map, and I found out where I was: Gibsonton. Apparently it’s actually one of the safer areas, which explains why I hadn’t run into many of the undead after that first encounter. And the map showed the way towards a hospital.
I arrived at St. Aidan’s Hospital a little after 0100 on the morning of today, the 16th. They patched me up very well, considering they work in an apocalyptic city. I’ve spent my time going out and searching for supplies. So far it’s two shotgun shells and some books, but no shotgun and no ammo for my own gun. I did pick up this journal, though. So I’m staying here for a while. They’re always glad to have another warm body helping out. Apparently St. Aidan’s is an entry point for a larger complex of heavily barricaded buildings that spills over into the next suburb, including a police station and at least one more hospital. I should be safe here for now. I haven’t seen any zombies since I got here. But they’re out there, and there’s no escape from the city anytime soon for me. I’ll run into them again.
I’ve never been so scared in my life.
Entry Date: 4/16/07
I’ve been doing some more searching, still trying to find some supplies, but so far I have no luck. The cop station would be a good idea, but it’s so heavily barricaded I can’t get in. I see some people running along the rooftops, but I’m not good enough to do that yet. I ran into my second zombie today. I didn’t panic like last time, just kicked the thing away from me and ran back to St. Aidan’s.
Entry Date: 4/17/07
Today went a lot better! I hung out at Grimmer Square Fire Station in Dunningwood today and picked up an axe for myself. Finally I’m armed again! Grimmer’s slightly outside of the St. Aidan complex, and nothing bad had happened yet, so I decided to do some scouting. I moved south until I reached the Club Osmonton. There I found a man named Siroh under attack by a zombie. Again, I managed not to panic. I think it was because I had a weapon. I hefted my axe and charged forward, coming up behind the zombie and swinging the bladed tool. It sank into the monster with a sickening sound, but the zombie crumpled and didn’t get up. I’d killed it! Well, as much as anyone can kill a zombie, I guess. And I saved that Siroh guy! Now, I’m holed hope in St Isidore’s Hospital, Paynterton. I’ve learned that They can be beaten, and that’s a great thought.
Entry Date: 4/19/07
Jackpot! I’ve spent the past two days wandering from safehouse to safehouse, doing my part to keep the area safe. Minor skirmishes break out between survivors and zombies now and again, and I try to help out as best as I can. But tonight I found myself in --- Police Station, and I hit the motherload of gear! Pistol clips, a shotgun to go with those shells I’d found, a radio to keep me up to date on what’s happening nearby. I’m fully armed now, and I’m actually better off than when I first landed in Malton! This first week in what looks to be a long tour of duty started off badly, but at last things are going right!
Entry Date: 4/20/07
I’ve been moving through Pescodside today, helping to down two more zombies and badly hurt another. Pescodside is part of the interior of a northern free zone in Malton, but is classified as Moderate in the local danger level. If I can help make P-side safe, then I’ve done my part to make NE Malton a better place for the survivor population.
I received news that Dunningwood has recently been classified as Moderate as well, so I’ll head back there now and again to help out.
More disturbingly, I’ve heard horror stories of a War in nearby Rolt Heights. Apparently a gang of survivors has been running around the Heights killing whoever they please. The last number I heard was these killers had claimed 241 lives. How, in this dangerous place where we all need to work together, can these people even think of harming fellow survivors!? I’ll have to be even more careful from now on, now that I know this kind of thing can happen.
Entry Date: 4/23/07
Things got really rough these past few days. My string of luck ran out, and I barely made it out with a pulse.
I was holed up in St. Josephine’s Church in the southwest of Pescodside a few nights back, finally getting some sleep. But that went out the door about when the zombies decided to come through. They tore down the barricades and burst in while I was still only half-awake. The mauled me badly and got several of the others. And I felt a burning sensation in my body, like I was on fire. I knew what it was from what veteran survivors had told me: I had been infected by the disease. Panicking, I fled north with my energy being sapped with every step taken. I ended up literally crawling into a hospital in Rolt Heights, St. Herman’s, and collapsed on the lobby floor. I woke up relatively patched up and without the burning feeling. The medics and doctors here did good work, and I was thankful for them. I don’t think I would have been able to survive going another block.
After I recovered enough, I fell back to Dunningwood and set up shop in the Skaring Row PD, part of the St. Aidan complex. I’ve been collecting supplies for another patrol, but I’m content to stick near St. Aidan for a day or two.
Entry Date: 4/26/07
I’m back on my feet and back to patrolling Northeastern Malton. I spent some time back in Paynterton before my scouting alerted me to some zombies in Eastern Dunningwood. I’m slowly moving in to investigate further and engage them if possible. With Pescodside reportedly safe now, Dunningwood’s the hottest spot in the interior of the Northern Safe Zone.
Entry Date: 4/28/07
I’ve gotten myself involved in a bit of a donnybrook on the very borders of Malton itself. If I went any further east I would apparently be shot. Pleasant thought. There’s currently a small pack of zombies attacking the Lord Boulevard Police Department, and I’m trying to help fight them off. I gunned down another one of Them with my pistol, bringing my total kill count so far up to four. Not bad, if I say so myself. I just hope we can hold on here and put Dunningwood back together. From what I’ve been hearing through the gossip train, Rolt Heights isn’t doing so well, and the areas on the borders of the Northeastern Safe Zone are looking pretty brutal. If that spreads into the Zone itself we’ll need to be ready.
Entry Date: 4/29/07
I had to fall back to the St. Aidan Complex due to lack of ammo and supplies. A little while longer and I’ll head back east. I just hope that the LBPD can hold out long enough. I’d hate to walk into a horde with no safehouses to retreat to.
Entry Date: 5/1/07
Well, I came pretty close to having my fears realized. I returned to find the LBPD ransacked and occupied by zombies. However, it appears as if the horde itself had scattered and many nearby buildings were still intact. Eventually, after fighting the zombies inside and around the PD, we retook and repaired it. No new kills for me this time, but I still did some pretty nasty damage. I think I’m becoming a better shot! There are still quite a few zombies wandering around the area, so Lord is going to be my home for a few days, or at least I hope so. It’s a shame there isn’t a hospital nearby.
Entry Date: 7/19/07
It's almost hard to believe that I spent two months in NE Dunningwood, in around the LBPD. It became almost normal to be there. One of the undead actually got me once, but the revivification services in Malton managed to patch me up quickly enough. Even the dying thing is normal now, once you see it happen enough. It's a rough life, but it's still almost routine.
I moved back to the Complex briefly, but it got overrun several days later. I got eaten again, but someone stuck me with a needle the same day. I've gone to ground in Gibsonton, waiting for my chance to find another safehouse. Who knows, I might head back to the LBPD. Or maybe I'll move to another suburb. Oh, and I've learned to revive the undead now, as well as kill them. Still, killing them is still my strong point, as I've bagged 41 of them so far.
Entry Date: 12/18/07 I almost completely forgot about this thing. The quick update is that I tried to form a survivor group around the LBPD, and gathered four other survivors around me. However, things didn't work out. A lack of communication meant that within a few weeks the group was scattered and I just didn't have the heart to return. I haven't seen any of the others since.
The depression got to me, and for a while I spent my days wandering from pub to pub drowning my sorrows. Turns out the survivors have been brewing their own alcohol for a while now. Harsh stuff, but it made me forget about everything.
But things made a turn for the better when I stumbled into the Buckrell Arms in Gibsonton. I joined a group there, the BAT, and now have a job as the bartender. The days are slow and easy, and the work simple. It's actually a good use of my time. Right now Christmas lights decorate the bar as I polish it, the snow tracked in from our last visitor melting on the floor. Life isn't exactly great, but it's still pretty nice.
