Originally Posted By Shadowbody: Originally Posted By millerized: Almost off the radar....you still out there? More coming; settling into a new home (our first) and between writing fiction and painting walls. . .I retain marital bliss with the latter.

Well, at least you have something to look forward to every year

OK, we'll survive until you're ready...........



or not....

Could you bump the original thread with the beggining chapters, when I use the link it sends me to GD.

Ooops, sorry.  Checking for the originals....
www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=10&f=20&t=605564

BTT

BTT

Chapter 30
Clifton Shelter

It was the final few hours for the last of the recent survivors who had found the shelter to remain in quarantine and Lindsey was clearing them for general circulation.  They had past the 48 hours observation period and showed no signs of the infection. . .or virus.  Lindsey debated on how to classify it as she jotted down some notes in her log book.   She decided on virus and finished her entry, standing up as she placed her pen inside of the book.  There were only 2 people this go-round.  A middle aged gentlemen who had been an Olympic-contender track and field sprinter; and a housewife who had to watch her entire family die; and was still in mild shock.  She looked them both over briefly before she spoke.

“We’re through with the quarantine period and I’m releasing you into the general population here.  In the next few days if you start feeling odd in the slightest; I want you to come and see me immediately; understand?”

Both shook their heads in agreement and sat up from their cots.  Lindsey nodded to the sentry who was assigned to keep an eye on them and they were shown out.   It was 2PM and Lindsey was anxious to hear if there was any word from Ben and his team.  She walked out of the school room and down the hall to Frank’s office which was open; typically meaning that Frank wasn’t in.  Lindsey looked the room over to see maps sprawled over the desk; along with one or two which had been tacked up on a wall; yellow highlighter showing the route the scout team was taking down to the ferry.  

Lindsey walked over and traced a finder down the line; to a red push pen about three-fourths of the length of the route.  A red push-pen had been inserted to show where the team had bedded down last night.  Along the route were small yellow sticky notes which had been placed next to the path; with notations showing where potential hazards and obstacles would be awaiting them during their future exodus.

Turning back to the desk Lindsey also saw several notebooks which had lists scribbled onto them.  It looked to be a list of essentials which Frank had jotted down and was debating on what materials they would want to take with them.   Given the number of survivors the shelter had; and the finite space each school bus had to offer; cargo space would be at a premium.  Food, weapons, ammo and medical were being given priority over everything else.  Items such as cooking utensils, toiletries and other basic items had been jotted down but were then hastily scratched off.

It looked as if a lot was being left to chance.  Left to hope that the items they had become accustomed to having here would be able to be found on the island once they got there.  It was a risky gamble to make such an assumption, and she was very happy she wasn’t being asked to decide on what could and couldn’t be brought along.    She placed the notebook with the list of supplies being debated back on the desk and walked over to the windows which looked out to the baseball diamond.  Various tents and tarps were erected and had recently been cleaned up to make sure no person had too much space allotted to them.  

It was Frank’s idea to ensure they made the most of the space they had to ensure they could provide shelter to everybody.  Prior to the cleanup; some survivors who were alone had hundreds of square feet of space which they had laid claim to while large families were only able to claim the size of a hall closet.  Frank made sure everybody had room enough to survive, and little excess.  No one person or family had an inch more of space then what they needed; and it surprisingly had been working well.  

Lindsey watched as people outside talked with one another; visited and seemed to be coming to general terms with their new situation.  It almost seemed cruel to have to further disrupt them and have everybody readjust to an entirely new series of challenges.  It was something she was sure Frank had given a good deal of thought to.  The school grounds on this little plateau were too small to accommodate everybody who had gathered.  She was by no means a farmer; but even she doubted the amount of land they had would be enough to plant crops and also house so many people.  There was also the issue of the people living outside and what would happen once winter came.

The door to the administrative office opened outside of the principal’s door and Frank came into the room; looking down at a clipboard and carrying his mug of coffee as always.  He looked up to face Lindsey as he crossed the threshold into the office proper.

“Doctor?” he asked, stopping in his tracks.  “Everything alright?”  Lindsey nodded her head, trying to look less interested than she really was.

“I was just checking to see if we had any word from the Scout team?”  Frank twitched his lips a bit, which Lindsey wasn’t sure was a normal tick Frank had or if he was trying to suppress a smirk.  

“I’m just coming back from Louis’ room now.  He had a radio signal from them 20 minutes ago.  There was a little excitement from the harbor where they checked out the ferry boats.”  Franked walked around the desk and sat down in the chair, placing the clipboard on the table next to the window.  “Seems a small group of armed survivors didn’t take kindley to our guys being in the area.  There was a small firefight but nobody got hurt. . .none of our guys anyway.  They’re on their way back now.”

Lindsey nodded slightly at the news.  If their rate of travel down was any indicator; she thought they might be back up to the shelter just shortly after nightfall.   She put her hands into her labcoat pockets and straightened her posture a bit; attempting to exert the confidence she would always present when talking to a intern or a lab technician.

“I want to have them all checked out once they get back to the shelter. “  

Frank looked at the doctor standing in front of his desk for a brief few seconds and tilted his head to the side.  

“Ben isn’t somebody who would fool around with somebody being attacked by one of the undead; but all the same I agree with you.  Have them go through the standard check-in process we put all of our supply gathering teams through when they get back.”  

While all new arrivals and anybody having direct physical contact with one of the undead were put into a forty-eight hour quarantine for observation and to ensure they wouldn’t turn. . .people who exited the shelter were only given a brief physical check and if nothing unusual was found, were allowed into general circulation directly after.  It was a system which thus far had resulted in only 1 person coming back into the shelter infected.  The one man who had been on the very first supply gathering trip with Ben a few weeks ago.

Lindsey nodded and continued to stand in front of the desk.  Frank looked at her quizzically.  

“Anything else I can do for you Doctor?”  She shook her head and thanked Frank for his time.  She left and went back to the clinic where she wanted to start getting the instruments she and Tandi would need for the examination for the returning Scout team sterilized.   As she came into the clinic she could make out several  dark shadows through the frosted glass that sat inlaid of the door.  She walked inside to see 5 of the shelter guards standing around with their rifles held but pointed at the ground.  On the exam table off to the side sat a middle aged man in camouflage military clothing she didn’t recognize.  He looked dirty and tired, but otherwise didn’t appear to be hurt.  Tandi was talking to one of the guards, trying to hold her ground in some debate, but appeared to be losing.

“What’s the problem?” She asked, looking at Tandi and the guard she was talking to.

“Doctor. . .” both Tandi and the guard starting talking at once.  Lindsey held up a hand to stop them both.  

“Tandi. . .what’s the problem?”  Looking rather aggravated, the guard looked off to the side in disgust at having to yield to the young woman.

“They just brought in this man who they found to the south of the shelter.  I’m trying to explain to them that all new arrivals have to be taken to the old gym first for 48-hour quarantine; but these guys are saying we have a spy and he can’t be seen by too many people.”

The hairs on the back of Lindsey’s neck instantly stood on end as a cold chill ran down her spine.  Other than herself, Frank, Erin and Louis; the possibility of a spy hadn’t been news to anybody.  The fact that this new person was also talking about it had made what Lindsey consider to be rather paranoid delusions was now seeming more likely.  She looked over to the guard who had been arguing with Tandi.

“Go ahead.” She asked to the older man.

“Right. . .look Doctor, if we have a spy here in the Shelter with us and the Marines are coming to wipe us all out, we need to find out who that spy is and deal with them.  If the spy sees this guy here. . .he’ll know he’s in danger of being exposed and the shit will hit the fan in a real bad way.  Too many people are between here and the old gym that the chances of one of them being the spy are. . .” He was quickly cut off by the Doctor who again held up her hand.  

“You’re right.”  Curious looks were given amongst the guards who seemed not to expect this; who seemed to think the Doctor would have held onto the standard routines and procedures.  She turned to one of the guards standing near the door.

“I need you to. . .calmly and without looking too excited walk over to Frank’s office and bring him here. “ She emphasized the words calmly and too excited to make her point.  “Don’t breath a word of this to anybody you see.”

Lindsey looked to the middle aged man who was watching with confusion the exchange between herself and the crowded room.  He had on dirty fatuiges, and despite some caked mud on his boots and a few dirt stains; looked no worse for wear.

“Sir, can I have your name for my medical records. Despite what happens with how you will be processed, I need to make sure you’re not infected for the safety of the people here.”  The doctor took a pen out of her pocket and picked up her note pad.  The man sitting on the exam table nodded his head, understanding the point Lindsey was making.

“Major Pruitt, USMC.”

Glad to have you back.  Thanks for the new chapter.

Great update thanks.

thanks for the update!..

YES!!!!!!!!!

Sweet, was hoping to see more to the story.

Shadowbody exellent read can't wait for the next chapter.

When's the update?

I knew I shouldn't have started reading before the whole story was posted...

bump for more!..

ETA:


AH HUM, AH HUH HUM... not trying to bust your balls buddy, if i didn't like your work i wouldn't bitch. just saying...

BTT - Any updates close, Shadowbody?

I'm really enjoying this one, and anxiously awaiting MOAR!

ANY NEW CHAPTERS PENDING?

Testing testing.  Is this thing on?

Please tell me this is still in action?

Chapter 31
En route to Clifton Shelter

Ben looked out the window as the convoy of trucks retraced the path they had taken to the ferries.  With all the obstacles identified and jotted down on the maps they were using, the group were making much better time, although they kept the speeds down to 50MPH to ensure they could slow quickly enough should something new crop up.  Ben’s team was in the rear, having just completed their shift as the lead car for the last 2 hours.  They were only an hour or so to the exit they needed to take to complete the trip back to the shelter.  It meant leaving the highway which had provided them with a relatively clear path of travel, and driving on the suburban streets which still were an obstacle course to navigate.   It would be there that speeds would be reduced to a trickle to ensure they didn’t get boxed in by the undead that could swarm a stalled vehicle with amazing alacrity.

The sun had just started to makes its way towards the mountains out to the west and combined with open truck windows which provided a nice breeze, the temperature was fairly comfortable.  Ben stretched his back in the chair; trying work out the tension he had and the knots which resulting from sleeping on a hard wood floor in the farmhouse last night.  He also knew there would be a lot of work to be done back at the shelter before they began preparations to evacuate.  More supplies would need to be gathered to help with the transition on the island and to supplement the gardens to be planted; along with the fishing which would help to lighten the burden.  He was fairly positive that Frank was going to want to take advantage of the revelation that Carl had electrical and solar panel installation experience.  That meant the very likely possibility to have a group head out and gather supplies that Carl would need to wire together the infrastructure for at least one or two locations to make advantage of power.  Most likely for the medical center and some communal area.  Individual homes would have to be a final priority; and then an order determined by a lottery system or something that would keep things fair.

It was a lot for him to take under consideration and he had to continue to internally remind himself that this was more Frank’s area to make decisions for.  He could offer his counsel, but it was best to let Frank keep the mantle of “leader” and to make the kinds of decisions which went along with the title.  Looking back ahead and the cars towards the front of the convoy, Ben saw they were at the exit they needed and now began the navigation of the roads and streets leading back to the shelter.  As was determined before, the truck led by Matthew which had an improvised plow welded on the front would take point to help shove any undead in their path out of the way.  The group had taken to unofficial calling it the “shamble shover.”

The cars all bunched up at the top of the exit and the men in the convoy piled up.  Ben motioned to everybody to gather around him and stood on the tailgate of the SUV to assure he could be seen.  The men stretched and pulled at their weary muscles while they listened to what he had to say.


“We’re about 10 miles away from home and will have to slow things to ensure we don’t get swamped along the way.  Matt and his team will be taking point with the cow-catcher and following the route we outlined before we took off yesterday.”
Matt nodded his head and held up the map with the routes highlighted. “Our driver committed the main route to memory; and I’ll be navigating if we need to take any of the alternate routes home.”  Ben thanked him and turned back to the rest of the group.
“I suggest you have your rifles ready and in your laps for this last leg of the trip.  If we have to stop or clear something out of the way; we’ll be using the standard ‘cover and address’ procedures we trained for.”  Ben saw a chorus of heads nodding and rifles being slung around necks.  Taking a deep breath, he cracked his knuckles.  “Alright, get the bathroom breaks out of the way now and we’ll start off in five minutes.”

A few of the guys walked over to the edge of the off-ramp and began to empty their bladders of the coffee and water they drank on the trip back home.  Two of the guys walk a couple dozen yards ahead of the stopped convoy to take their marks to keep watch while another two did the same at the rear; exactly as they had planned.  Ben took out the 2 extra mags he carried with him to ensure they were still ready to be used, and once satisfied they were combat ready returned them to his vest pocket.
With the five minutes up, the men piled back into their assigned vehicles and fell quickly into formation.  As they exited the off ramp the lead car quickly started a series of quick and erratic twists and turns to avoid the stalled cars which littered the roadways.  Much as had been the case elsewhere; rotting and bloated arms scraped at car windows from inside, the occupants having turned into the undead while still being belted in place.  Those who were outside and wandered freely, turned and lurched for convoy as they neared their listless paths.  The noise of the truck engines still managing to overpower the collection of moans from the scavenging ghouls, there seemed to be a rapid growth in population of the undead.

“You notice the direction they are heading before they turn to face us don’t you?”  Walsh asked to Ben, who already knew what was being inferred.

“They’re all heading in the general direction of the shelter.”  Ben responded; straining to find at least one undead person in the distance who was pointed in the direction they were heading, unable to find any.  Ben did some quick calculations in his head; and even at their sluggish slow pace, and perhaps with a few stumbles and self-righting thrown in, he figured that masses of these hordes would start arriving at their shelter within 4 to 5 days.  As if their growing numbers weren’t enough, if the lack of supplies to sustain them running out wouldn’t cause them enough woes, the sudden onslaught of endless waves of undead would more or less force their hand to evacuate the shelter.

The group kept to their original planned route with only the need to slow down two or three times to navigate past a tight fit.  The “shamble shover” in addition to keeping the undead out of their path, was able to push aside cars and vehicles given their size wasn’t too large, and so long as there was room behind them to allow for shoving.  Rounding one corner they saw the familiar sign; welcoming them to  the city of Clifton and Ben let out a sigh of relief; it would only be a few moments until they were behind the large gates which separated the chaos of the outside world and the last Bastian of civilization he knew to exist.  Two sentries who sat atop a hill in their usual location waved at the convoy as they passed.  Ben saw one of the men pick up a walkie talkie and radio something in; alerting the shelter they were en route.  
The procedure would be to put all the men into a protective quarantine for 6 hours upon their return to ensure nobody was ill or showed signs of infection.  Anybody who had any direct contact with any of the undead would be stuck for a full 24 hours in the quarantine area to ensure they were not infected.  This would mean that Frank would need to come to Ben to get updated and to have the planning started to relocate the Shelter.  Ben had hoped for a more private meeting where he and Frank could chat without the others listening in; but this would have to do.

The lead car made the final turn off the road and onto the private drive that took them directly up to the large reinforced gates to the shelter.  As the last car in the convoy made the turn, he saw the gates being opened and the convoy heading up into the yard.
The line of vehicles drove up to the circle drive which ran around the front and the precession stopped at the front steps.  Ben saw Frank and a large number of the inhabitants who had gathered to get news of how the scouting mission went and how soon they could expect to make it to their new town and get back to somewhat normal living.  The men of the scouting mission got out of their assigned cars and began to toss their bags and gear out in front of them; waiting for the last car to park and for Ben to lead them all into the quarantine area where Lindsey would check them all over.

After putting the car in park, Ben got out and joined the others who were all at the base of the stairs; Frank and Erin stood a few steps up; notepads and clipboards seemingly ready to jot down the notes as they were in route to the gym where they would be housed for the return.  Looking around, he strained to see where Lindsey was. . .if she was out here she was being obscured by the taller people who had all gathered for news. . .any news of the outside world.

“Everybody alright?”  Frank asked, an odd look on his face which Ben couldn’t place.  He took a quick look over his shoulder, making a quick mental headcount to ensure all of his charges were present and accounted for.  Confident they were all tired but otherwise fine, he turned back to face the Shelter’s leader.

“We’re tired, but fine.”  

Frank nodded his head and looked off to his side; the men who had gathered to hear what news they had all raised their rifles, the sound of 40-50 safeties being flipped off sounding an ominous echo.  From next to Frank, Erin Hasser the shelter’s security chief unholstered her 1911 and took aim at the gathered scouting party in general.
“Sorry Ben” Frank said; the unfamiliar look still affixed to his face. “One of you is fixing to sell us all out.”

Finally!!!

Man...I was starting to think I'd been Swindle1984'd into waiting for it.......

Nice to see you're still alive and writing.
Yeah!!!!

Cool update.  I hope they get the traitor!!!!

Glad to see an update, OP.  Great story..............I was really enjoying it, alot.  I hope this means MOOOOOOOAAAARRRRRRR, and more frequently!

Thank you.

more please.

Of course the walsh guy is the traitor.  Kill him lol

It's been so long since I read this story I don't really remember the details of the storyline.

finally an update, thak you shadowbody!

more please!..

please?..

K.

the link for the first chapters does not work. can i get a correct link please?

nevermind i got it....

great story keep it up!

Ironic, how he asked about people posting and not finishing their stories. The author has become one of them

^^^^^
yup...

So this story has died, huh?

Bump.

This was a great story...

Bump.  Is this story dead?

We need more, Please

Yep we need more. I hope we haven't been swindled again.

WELL???

dude!!!!! please continue............. I just read it all last night to now.......been reading since 4:22a.m.





please.

Seriously I just started reading this a week ago..I did not read all the pages of the thread..now I get to page 6 and find out the OP has abandoned us?  

Nooo! Please come back. I just started reading this a couple days ago. This read is excellent! Keep us in the loop!

You've got to be fucking shitting me. This is quite possibly one of the best storylines I've read and the guy disappears?

he was too close to the truth so they took him...