| Greetings reader, I trust you are safely secured behind a strong barricade as you read this article. Allow me to introduce myself. I am John Albrecht, a humble survivor living out a nightmare in this accursed city. I was approached by a contact from The Fortress, a paramilitary group that you may well have heard of. They are the largest that operates in the city, and I have witnessed their work before, helping to keep the city safe from the zombies. I was asked if I could keep a record of the state of Malton, writing of my experiences of the city and passing them on to a Fortress member once a month for use in a new publication. This publication, to be precise. Of course I agreed, and so here is my first piece, in which I shall try to give the clearest picture I can of how the city of Malton fares.
February has been an interesting month in Malton. With the passing of the cold weather, the last traces of snow melted into the thawed ground, the wild plants that grow up through the cracks in the roads and pavements have once again become a common site in the city – another sign that spring fast approaches. This winter has been a particularly hard one for survivors. Food has been scarce, and I have seen many a person curled up in a building, the barricades barely strong enough to stop the zombies walking in, yet the survivor being too weak to protect themselves. Of course I have helped where I can, but there is only so much a man can do for others when he must also look after himself. At the start of this very month, as I judge it, I found a survivor starved and cold, huddled under a bloodied blanket with the doors wide open, but I could do nothing to help, having not eaten myself for three straight days. Snow melt and the rain of the last month has ensured water is not of immediate concern, although knowing how to find uninfected supplies continues to be a concern.
Things are looking up for the survivor population, however. As always, the Necrotech Syringes continue to be effective in reversing the effects of zombiefication, even as far as bringing what should be dead back to life. At the start of the New Year much of the city was in ruins, and by all accounts, from both my own travels and what I have heard from others, most of the suburbs were classed too dangerous to occupy for any substantial length of time and in any large numbers. The fairer weather has helped the survivor cause, with travel across the city now made easier, and the worry of surviving a winter in a city with little power or heating starting to become another distant memory, at least until next year. From the bleak situation we found ourselves in at the start of the year, through the last month we have turned this around. Survivors have retaken much of the suburbs, restoring power and repairing the damage left by the wandering zombies.
From the last reports I have heard, little of the city remains truly dangerous, the suburb of Kempsterbank being perhaps the most hotly contested area. Situated near the centre of the city, many survivors pass through the area, and this large population density attracts zombies. St. Ferreol's Hospital, co-ordinates (57,72) for all of you with working GPS units, perhaps remains the most dangerous building in the city. A large horde of zombies hold the building, constantly attacking whenever it is retaken, the barricades often falling within hours. How these creatures seemingly organise themselves so well, a phenomenon that has become known as Horde Intelligence, still remains a mystery, as does the reason why they are attracted to this otherwise un-noteworthy building. What I do know is that despite several well organised, and for a time successful attacks, lead by numerous survivor groups often working together throughout February, the hospital still remains firmly in zombie hands. I passed through the area perhaps a week ago, and I would advise against visiting for the immediate future unless you are well prepared for a battle.
Other well known zombie hordes have continued their seemingly random movements across the city throughout February, leaving a trail of death and destruction. One particularly large horde, known to many of the survivors as the ‘MOB’, has caused particular trouble, and is another reason why Kempsterbank is particularly dangerous. They moved in from the west of the city, an area which has seen more than its fair share of zombies in the last month. While the survivors are now retaking the Western suburbs, the destruction the rampaging hordes caused harks back to the days when North-west Malton was nothing more than a ghost town, a place where few souls dared to scratch out a living. Fortunately the suburbs seem to be making a recovery, but for how long the barricades will last before once again falling to undead hands one cannot say.
And so reader, I leave you with a thought for the coming month. The key to the human spirit may lie in man’s broken heart, but the key to life is a simple as a jab of a syringe. Good luck, Godspeed, and keep on surviving.
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