Surge

We'll know in a day or so if our trap is going to be effective in putting off the undead heading this way, but for the moment our focus is back on the Exiles. Like, WAY back on them.

Our watchers reported that overnight, a flood of vehicles arrived at the fallback point. They came in with their lights off, but our people have some military hardware of their own. Cover of darkness loses to night vision technology.

All told, we estimate another hundred or so people have joined the Exiles. That brings their numbers to a dangerous point, one where attacking us wouldn't be the suicidal gesture you might think. We probably wouldn't be as worried about it if there weren't other things going on at the fallback point this morning that make us think an attack is in the works.

It's not that hard to decipher: the Exiles are outfitting vehicles with armor plates, attaching weapons to them, and forming up ranks out in plain view of our watchers. Will thinks they've been putting up with us for this long because they were waiting for this last group of allies to bolster their numbers, as well as for the supplies the new group brought with them. Which seem to be mostly weapons.

We now have every reason to believe that the Exiles are coming for us today, finally. I really thought that they'd continue to be more cautious, unwilling to risk an assault on us until they were in a vastly superior situation than us. I can see the reasoning behind choosing to do it now--we're still mostly cut off from allies, we're still furiously working on more defenses, and our leadership structure has just changed. If I were them, I'd see this as the best chance they'll have in the near future of dealing us a potential deathblow.

I can't say they're wrong.

Still, there's only one way they can be coming if they're going to hit us with any kind of speed, and that's across the remaining bridge carrying the interstate. We may not have to worry about the zombie swarm headed this way just yet, but it's looking like today is going to be a game-changer one way or another. I don't think I'm giving away any tactical secrets by saying that we'll have to try standing up to them at the bridge. It's a natural bottleneck, and they've got the advantage in firepower and numbers of people they can put in the field. We'll do what we can to hold them there, but I expect fairly high losses. No one in New Haven has any illusions about that. We'll fight hard, we'll use every dirty trick, but a lot of us are probably going to die today.

Unless they try to work their way around us, which would mean a few days of grace as they head toward another county to use other bridges. But that would leave us too much time to prepare or run, since we know they're coming. I think the Exiles are acting so openly because they're angry and want us afraid. We've been doing all we can to hurt them, but now they have a chance to return the favor.

It's almost a blessing that they took out all the other bridges. At least this way we know what they're planning on doing, where they're going to be. It's not much of an advantage, but we'll certainly take it.

Jess has asked me to stay here instead of joining the volunteers that will be staging on our side of the bridge. I've agreed, and only because she asked me to. I want to be out there with the others, doing what I can to keep my home safe, but in the event the Exiles make it past our lines and to New Haven, I want to be here to defend it. I started this refuge back when it was just called the compound, back when it was just my house. I'll fight till my last breath for it and the people I love. If I'm going to die, it's going to be on my own soil, next to the wife who has made this awful world worth the struggle.

Ah. Just got a call. Our people are ready. Thank god we've planned for this, had our vehicles ready and stocked up. The Exiles are coming. They've just started piling people into their vehicles.

I'll try to write again later today if I can...