Chapter 3

I found out about it the same way everyone else in the world did, on the TV news. It started in central Africa. At first the reports indicated that an outbreak of the Ebola Virus was taking place and was spreading rapidly. Like most of the world, I was at first not concerned. The world was used to all sorts of bad crap happening in central Africa, and this was just one more example. Then things got more complicated, the virus started appearing in other places around the world, a lot of other places.

The UN and WHO team that had been sent in to investigate the original outbreak issued a very troubling report before they went off the air, never to be heard from again. Apparently, a well financed terrorist group had hired some former USSR bio-war scientists to create a devils’ brew of Ebola, rabies, aids, flu, and God knows what else, to infect the unbelievers of the world. It was designed to be spread by an exchange of body fluid, but the most dangerous characteristic of the virus was the fact that an infected showed no symptoms for about five days. Then they went mad, attacking anybody they could. With modern transportation, and the five day incubation period, this meant that an infected individual could be anywhere in the world before he became symptomatic.

The dumb asses who created the virus made two major mistakes; the vaccine they created to protect the faithful did not work, and when one of them, who had been given the vaccine, was bitten by a test subject and showed no symptoms, they thought they were golden. Five days later they found out that they were wrong, by then it was too late for them, and the world.

Like everyone else I was mesmerize as the story unfolded on the TV. The UN and national governments tried to convince the public that everything was under control, and that the situation would be cleaned up soon. They also tried to discourage the use of the term zombie when referring to the infected. Both initiatives went over like lead balloons. People, at least the smart ones, started to stock up with supplies and prepare to fort up. I realized that I was not paranoid after all; I was just ahead of the curve.

As the facts evolved, it was discovered that the infected moved slowly, were attracted by sound, and when attacking, issued a low moan that attracted any other infected in the area, and a bite from one of them would, in five days, turn you into one of them. It was also reported that destroying the brain was the only sure way to stop them. If zombie did not fit as a description for those creatures then nothing did.

I reviewed my preparations and decided that I was in fairly good shape. I did decide that the million I had in the bank was going to be worthless as soon as enough people realized that the manure had hit the air moving device, and that stuff was going to be much more valuable than a good credit line. So I went on another spending spree. I purchased more material to reinforce and supplement my defenses, and more survival food, much more. I also plowed and planted every square foot possible, and stocked up on seed.

I sat down one evening with a beer, thinking about what else I could do. Then two ideas struck me, I needed a core of people I could depend on to help man my redoubt, and I needed gear to enable me and others to move about in as much safety as possible outside the redoubt.

Ok, personal safety, the zombies were slow, attracted to noise, could be destroyed by brain damage, and their bite was infectious. So I needed protection from human bites, and a way to crack a skull close up with as little noise as possible. I would be packing some firearms but, shooting would attract more Zombies, sometimes stealth is better than firepower. Then it hit me, why reinvent the wheel. In the Middle Ages arms makers had figured out all the ways to crack skulls, I needed a mace! So I went to my workshop and made one, actually I made six.

With attack covered, I next considered personal defense. A suit of armor would work, but that would be heavy and restrict movement. It was also serious overkill as protection from a bite. Then it hit me, biker’s leathers. With boots, gauntlets, and a full face helmet, I would be well protected and mobile. I went on line and purchased two dozen of each item, in a variety of sizes. Did I mention that I was rich as well as paranoid?

My next task was people. I wanted people who were smart enough (paranoid enough?) to realize what a shit storm was about to hit the world, and to realize that I was offering a decent chance to ride it out. They also had to be fighters, not victims who just wanted to be rescued. I wanted people whose first reaction would be to smack a zombie upside the head and crack its skull, not to run and scream for help. I sat down with my address book and started a list.