Sunday, May 6, 2012

Storms

Over the last few days mother nature has decided to make us completely aware that we're now dealing with summer. Multiple and frequent thunderstorms roll in across the sky at random, and they've been constant enough that they've driven moving zombie populations this way.

With the bridges across the river destroyed in Franklin county, we don't have to worry about that from our eastern flank, of course. The west is quite enough all on its own. They come across the bridges from Indiana and Illinois, from Tennessee to the south, and because at least in this part of the state they have to use bridges, they come in big clumps. A few narrow passages across the rivers makes them tend to clump together. Which leads to swarms.

Which makes us unhappy. The folks in Louisville are reporting a vast increase in zombie movements this morning. Hundreds of them hitting the highways together as the storms overnight finally let up. Of course, many will disperse as they move along. Some will head this way, others toward the Louisville crew, some out into the wilds to search for animals that might be easier prey than men.

What this means for us in practical terms is the seasonal rise in combat, though we've already been hard pressed this year. Not an overwhelming problem if we're careful and manage our resources cleverly. But it's not our problems that have been the subject of an emergency meeting this morning. It's the Louisville crew that has to worry.

We've taken a lot of risks in going out to fight the New Breed as they gather in the countryside. Our folks do a masterful job of hitting them and running before the undead can bring in reinforcements to overrun them. Thanks to Becky and her chemistry skills we've got an effective and repeatable method of taking down a lot of them at one time, so we aren't freaking out over having to fight more.

But again, not about us. Because those initial victories against the New Breed wouldn't have been possible without the help of the Louisville people. And as you may recall, they've got a massive swarm of undead brewing there. The number of zombies gathering at the zoo isn't as bad as it could be thanks to the tireless efforts of the many small groups in Jefferson county, but they can't kill all of the stragglers coming in. Especially not in numbers like we're seeing cross the river now.

We're faced with two distinct problems. In the long term we have to make the choice between ease of travel and trade by deciding what to do about the bridges that connect Kentucky with the rest of the country. Yeah, our southern border isn't impassable due to running water, but that's the long way around for anyone trying to get here. Taking out the bridges all along the Ohio river, which represents the majority of our border, would eventually mean drastic reductions in zombies. Maybe, after enough time, we'd see the end of swarms as more people moved here to defend the southern half of the state and eliminate the undead as a threat.

Long term, that would be great. But it would essentially kill trade and travel, meaning we'd be cut off from most places. Not really an option.

Short term, this influx of zombies means our friends in Louisville are in serious trouble. We promised them help since they showed brave hearts when we needed theirs. They lost people in that fight, good folk who made the choice to aid their neighbors in a time of need. Now they're seeing hundreds if not thousands of zombies pour across the bridges, many of them following the scent markers that lead to the large group at the zoo. The numbers there will swell as they always do with swarms. Once it reaches critical mass, they'll move out toward any target they can find.

Our friends and allies are in trouble. They've sent out the call for help. What kind of friends would we be if we didn't stand tall with them as they did for us?

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