The Last Line Of Defense

Johnny Patton · **Posted:** Sat Feb 13, 2010 12:11 am

Play The Song [Trust Me, It Sets The Mood]
______________________________________
Every Dead Body That Is Not Exterminated Becomes One Of Them.
It Gets Up And Kills. The People It Kills Get Up And Kill
- Dr. Foster, Night Of The Living Dead
______________________________________
Note
Anything In Italics Is Something Johnny Is Thinking
______________________________________

"I can still remember when the first bombs fell from the sky like angry gods. We all thought they were nukes, but they were something much, much worse. After the United States and Soviet Union went to war nothing seemed impossible...but we were all surprised when the dead rose and began feeding on the living. It was something out of a George A. Romero film, and yet it wasn't. When the dead rose they didn't shamble about, rotting like a hunk of roadkill...no, they ran and didn't stop until you dropped 'em. I still have those images seared into my brain...the barricades breaking...my fellow Marines being consumed by the undead army...my best friends being eaten alive by their friends and family. All I wanted to do was wake up in my bed, a cold sweat washing over me...hell I'd even settle for laying in my own piss, but this was real; more real than anything I've ever been through. Fighting overseas in Soviet Russia, three tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq...none of it seemed real now, and I would prefer having my ass shot at. I guess the only speck of hope are the nukes the Russkies launched...to cover up their mistakes. Let's just hope it worked..." Johnny set down his pen and closed the small leather journal he had found on his way into the bunker. He laid his head back against the cold steel walls and fell asleep, he dreamed the same dream he always did. He drempt of the day the world he knew turned to a raging fireball.

[One Month Ago]

Johnny Patton stood behind a large barricade, made mostly of long two-by-fours than sat in a triangle base to hold it steady. The attempt was laughable to say the least, everyone on base knew those piles of tinder wouldn't stop and angry mob, undead or otherwise. What was really the deterrent was the massive amount of firepower Bravo Company was outfitted with. Behind the wooden barricade sat two Humvee trucks with large, imposing fifty caliber heavy machine guns. And behind that, several hundred guards. Several hundred feet ahead of the base sat a chain link fence with huge signs warning people to stay away, as they would be judged as undead.

Patton slung his M4 Carbine over his shoulder and dug through his large pockets for his cigarettes. After a few minutes of fidgeting he found one, which promptly found its way between his lips. "Ay Patton, how will we know when these fuckers are comin?" asked an overly excited rookie. "You'll smell 'em. They don't rot but trust me, the stink of death trails those nasty bastards," he replied as he lit the cancer stick. The Corporal stepped away from the wooden stoppers and made his way deeper into the base. It wasn't literally a base, but a large encampment of United States Marines consisting of a Battalion, Bravo and Alpha Companies totaling around seven hundred servicemen. It was set up shortly after New York became ground zero for the end of the world. The Marines stationed there were instructed to maintain order and to shelter any and all living member of society, but they were understaffed and had little to no room. The base soon became a haven that the living would run to in hopes that the Marines would dispatch the infected, which they did. It was comprised of several tents that housed everything from sleeping quarters to a large communications center. In the very back the Military had constructed three large bunker that could house all of the troops stationed there.

Johnny entered the communications tent and removed the hat he had been wearing. "What's our status Staff Sergeant?" he asked as he exhaled a large bloom of smoke. The man eyed a monitor that displayed a live feed from the Air Force's predator drone that was currently buzzing the skies above, "we are looking pretty good...not much on the radar." The man pulled a cigar from his pocket and jammed it into his mouth and began to chew. "Need a light?" "Hell no! That shit'll give you cancer!" Patton chuckled slightly. "As I was saying, not much to see except for the city breaking down into a port-o-potty on a hot summers day. Lots and lots of Zeds chasing people down, but the living are fighting back; apparently the assault weapons ban didn't affect New Yorkers," he said sarcastically. Johnny frowned as he watched a sedan full of people plowed through a group of undead, only to be stopped by another and torn to pieces. "Fuckin' A bro, the world's going to hell in a hand basket," Johnny said as he made his way out of the tent. As he cleared the flaps he heard the Sergeant yell, "mother fucker! Incoming!" Patton raced back inside and jumped behind the monitor only to be greeted by a huge group of the undead running, if not sprinting towards their location. The Staff Sergeant quickly grabbed a headset that linked to the drone's pilot to order a missile strike, but one was already in the works. Johnny ran from the tent as the large loudspeakers positioned around the camp sounded an alarm.

As Patton reached the barricades he had his weapon drawn and ready for action. He watched as the group of Zeds made their way up the hill towards their location and as they drew closer a hellfire missile fell from the sky and landed square in the middle. Cheers rang out as bodies flew in every direction, but they soon turned to fearful hollering as the group continued forward, some were just torsos crawling along. "Open up on 'em!" Johnny yelled as he drew a bead on one of the undead. He gently squeezed the trigger and the sprinting beast fell before being trampled by its fellow Zeds. He began a sweeping pattern, dropping the undead from left to right, but it seemed that for every one that fell five took its place. Johnny cringed as the fifty cals opened up, ripping off limbs and cutting bodies in half. Patton's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as he realized they were only a few hundred yards away and nothing was stopping them. "Fall back!" he yelled as he turned and made his way away from the barricades. He ran as hard and as fast as he possibly could. He stopped once and turned to look back and saw what he never thought he would: the undead smashed through the barricades and consumed the soldiers behind them. "Fuck!" he yelled as he took a few pot shots at the undead. He then turned and ran towards the open door of one of the bunkers. Inside the Staff Sergeant was flicking on monitors and communication equipment. After he reached the threshold he spun and glared down his sights, watching as several Marines ran towards him. He fired a few shots into the horde as a few of his friends entered the steel building. He then watched in horror as the rest of the men were consumed by the mass of undead bodies. Patton quickly grabbed the large steel handle on the bunker's door and pulled it closed before sliding it down, locking it. He then fell back onto a long bench seat and gasped for breath. "Are you fuckin' kidding me?" the Sergeant said. "What is it sir?" Johnny asked, a new level of concern in his voice. "Just got word from NORAD, the Soviets just launched. Count your blessings men, the Zeds just saved your lives."

[Present Day]

"After the nukes were airborne they headed straight for our major cities, following the same flight plan as the missiles that carried the virus had. Just before NORAD got hit we learned that our missile defense system had taken out a third of what was coming our way...fucking pitiful. We all knew when they dropped, the earth shook and we lost our SATCOM. I can still remember the Staff Sergeant slapping the monitor as if it would suddenly awaken the men and women who were giving us the information we were receiving. That was before he stuck his Beretta in his mouth and pulled the trigger. I don't care what you say, we all thought about it at one time or another, we've been in this rat trap for a month now.

It isn't all that bad, though. We have a special restroom set up in the back corner that sucks our piss and shit out to God knows where and we have crates and crates of MREs, along with a water source that is independent of the mainline. But in the end, we have no communication with the outside world, just an occasional static filled message over the CP radio. We were lucky, you know? The bunker, like every other in America built after World War Two, was able to withstand a nuclear blast. However, we can't stay here forever and I'm putting it up to a vote to see who will come with me...

The vote passed, what a surprise. This will be my final entry for quite some time, as we are leaving the bunker and heading into...well, God knows what...God, there is no God. If there was someone up there and he was just sitting back and watching this happen, well I don't want any of that. As I said, we are heading out. The next time I write...if I do, will be after we have secured a new living space. To anyone who may be reading this, good luck." The hardened Marine closed the journal and slipped it into his vest before grabbing his M4 and raising to his feet. "Everyone ready?" he asked aloud. The men hollered a triumphant "hell yea" and readied themselves up. Besides Johnny there were four other men in the bunker with him. There was Private Ben Sherman, who was a genius when it came to computers and radio equipment, both big and small. Second was Lance Corporal Deandre Wallace, who specialized in vehicle repair, he grew up in Louisiana fixing up all sorts of cars and trucks with his dad in his auto body shop and claimed he knew everything was to know about anything with four wheels. Third was Private First Class Nate Cooper, who had been a cop in New York before shit went bad, he had a knack for shooting so he was appointed the team sniper. And last was Private Luis Carter, his specialty was explosives, he used to go out into the Mohave Desert and blow up old cars with homemade bombs, he then flunked out of High School and joined the Marines, they found his expertise very useful.

The five Marines had slipped on gas masks to avoid any further contamination to their bodies. As Patton reached for the large steel handle all that could be heard was the deep breathing coming from the masks' filters. Johnny slowly pulled the handle up and pushed the door open. It swung lethargically and came to rest against the exterior facade of the bunker. The Marines were greeted with a dark gray sky, ash swirled across the ground, it was ominously quiet. "Stay frosty," Johnny said as the men advanced from the bowels of their home, their guns at the ready. As they scanned the perimiter they found that the immediate area was devoid of any movement. "Nate, go check those Humvees, they weren't running when we ran for the bunker so the EMP shouldn't have fried their circuitry." Cooper nodded slightly before making his way to the vehicles. He started the first and it purred to life, its diesel engine sounding like a beacon of hope. Patton smiled as Nate killed the engine and made it to the second which, like the first, started right up. "Ok, good, we have transportation. Luis, Ben, go check out the supply tent, we need more guns and ammo. Deandre, go to the back and grab the supply truck, we can use that to carry all of our shit." The three men went to work gather up the essential supplies. Johnny and Nate made their way back inside the bunker and returned with a crate of MREs. "We should grab a few more and get whatever radio equipment we can," Patton said as they traveled back inside. A few moments later Deandre appeared behind the wheel of a small supply truck. He climbed out of the cabin and made his way to the back where he dropped the tailgate and began loading the crates of MREs. Luis appeared from a tent carrying several cans of ammunition and Ben returned with a few sniper rifles. After it was loaded into the truck with the radio equipment Johnny came forward. "Any other guns back there?" Ben nodded slightly, "a few Berettas." "Good, go get 'em, they'll come in handy if we loose out M4s." Ben smiled and ran off before returning several minutes later with five Beretta M9 pistols. "Everyone take one," he said as he snatched a pistol and shoved it into his leg holster. "Alright I want Deandre and Nate in one Humvee, while me and Ben take the other, Luis you take the truck." "Where are we going?" asked Cooper. Johnny shrugged as he lit himself a stale cigarette, "fuck if I know brother, fuck if I know." The men then took their respective positions in their vehicles and began the trek away from their base. Little did they know they were traveling directly into East New York, where the Undead had taken control.

Requesting:
1. Ben Sherman - [NPC - Computer And Radio Specialist]
2. Deandre Wallace [NPC - Vehicle Engineer]
3. Nate Cooper [NPC - Sniper]
4. Luis Carter [NPC - Explosives Expert]
5. [2X] Humvees With Mounted .50 Machine Guns
6. [1X] Supply Truck Carrying:
6A. Extra Ammo
6B. Radio Equipment [Receiving And Transmitting]
6C. Several Crates Of MREs [Meals Ready To Eat]
6D. [2X] Sniper Rifles [You Decide]
7. [5X] M4 Assault Rifles [1 For Each Man]
8. [5X] Beretta M9s [1 For Each Man]
9. Critique
10. For This To Be Left Open

Hobbes · **Posted:** Sat Feb 13, 2010 1:28 pm

Alright, it's good to be back here grading some zombie literature.
Let me first say that your song was quite the little soundtrack. It worked perfectly with the journal piece and the rest of your intro while it lasted. Your grammar and vocabulary was pretty much spot on; my eyes couldn't catch any errors if there were any. Although the piece was solid, it was a little expected. I've been on this site for quite some time and I've read a crap load of solider-based characters and almost all of them have some kind of base-being-overrun plot line to it. And that's fine. The only thing I could say here is to push on some originality into the piece. But, for now, that's about it. Good job.

Alright, the second thing we must deal with is the whole American soldier thing. At the very beginning of this game (early 2008 or something, I'm not even sure anymore) there weren't very many Americans. This was due to the nukes hitting the States in a situation of complete surprise. To my knowledge, there weren't any organized military aside from the Russian death squads. But this may have changed since my absence, not to mention my memory is really foggy. But at any extent, we need activity, and we need some writers. You happen to be one of them. This is why I'll let the American base story go, unless YJ has anything to say.

Requests
1. Ben Sherman - [NPC - Computer And Radio Specialist]. Sure.
2. Deandre Wallace [NPC - Vehicle Engineer]. Mhmm.
3. Nate Cooper [NPC - Sniper]. Sure.
4. Luis Carter [NPC - Explosives Expert] Yes.
5. [2X] Humvees With Mounted .50 Machine Guns. Ok
6. [1X] Supply Truck Carrying: Read below for anything regarding supply truck.*
6A. Extra Ammo. *
6B. Radio Equipment [Receiving And Transmitting] *
6C. Several Crates Of MREs [Meals Ready To Eat] *
6D. [2X] Sniper Rifles [You Decide] *
7. [5X] M4 Assault Rifles [1 For Each Man]. Yeah, that’s fine.
8. [5X] Beretta M9s [1 For Each Man]. Read below.*
9. Critique. Done, hopefully.
10. For This To Be Left Open. Ok

Alright, this is for anything regarding the requests 6-6D and 8(*)

When Deandre returns with news from the supply truck he has good and bad news. The good news is that the supply truck is there. The bad news is that both fuel and supply is scarce. The fuel may be enough to drive the truck on for a dozen miles or so, but no more. Also, the supplies are limited. All forms of grenades have been taken, and pistol ammo is completely gone. Rifle ammo, however, is quite high. In consequence, you have pistols with only as much ammo as your men already had, if any at all; and a truck that will let out soon. What probably happened is that in your days hunkered down in the bunker (One month, I believe), survivors have raided the base, devoid of any soldiers left to guard it. This, however, can only be assumed. The fuel in both humvees were left alone though, so being creative with the fuel that you do have may be effective.

All short-wave radio equipment (that wasn’t destroyed) has been pillaged. There is a bigger radio transmitter that works. It has a main receiver and a functional out going station that may work for long wave communication, but it’s somewhat bulky and would work best if stationary.

For the snipers, only one was found, with three spare magazines. Nothing fancy

Any food or MREs that were outside of the base were taken. Anything inside the bunker is to your disposal regarding food and water.

If you got any questions just send me a PM.

The Last Line Of Defense

Who is online