Get Over Yourselves

[Post by Kincaid]

Hey. Been a while.

Josh is out of commission this morning. Don't worry, he's fine. Last night he tripped and fell. He didn't break anything, but he tore the stitches in his leg. Gabrielle has him off his feet for the day at the clinic. Promised I'd stop at his house and let everyone know what the situation is.

Dodger and I have been working like bastards to secure Haven. We're lucky that the worst of the zombie attacks have only been due to failures in the perimeter. People just don't listen sometimes when you tell them things, and we spent weeks explaining that the perimeter defenses weren't meant to stop huge swarms. Not stop them cold. But there you have it anyway, what happened a few weeks back. People felt safe enough to be outside of Haven's walls, got comfortable, then when the shit hit the fan they got dead.

Think I'm being too harsh? Sorry about that. You weren't the one who had to clean up their bodies and kill a few of them a second time to make sure they didn't kill you right back. I'm glad Josh is off today. I've wanted a chance to say this where people can see it for a while now.

Let me say it again, people: this is not a fucking game.

There's a war going on out there. It's far away for the moment, but we're the backup. We have to be ready to provide whatever support we can. To do that we have to be cautious. If we get comfortable and take risks, even just being outside the walls when it isn't necessary, we're being dangerously stupid. Selfish, even. We can't afford that. The men and women who rely on us to provide them with food and other supplies while they fight the UAS can't afford our mistakes.

You think I'm being disrespectful of the dead. You might be right. Maybe the dead should have been more careful. Their loss isn't catastrophic for the rest of us but it's pretty goddamn close. I came here as a criminal. I've done bad things in my time, things that still haunt me every night when I try to sleep. But I never let my people put themselves in needless danger. We had a proper fear of the world out there.

I get it. I really do. Most of you, original Haven citizens and immigrants alike, spent a lot of time and effort building something new. I've been a part of that. You've suffered just like the rest of us. Thing is, you've grown too used to things being easier. You're getting complacent in some ways. Though I'm sure to get flak for saying it, in many ways you're arrogant. You think you're ready to handle any situation.

I have dozens of dead bodies that say otherwise. I know it might be a little late to make this point since most of you already got it when the actual deaths happened, but I'll be damned if I don't take the chance to drive it home while I have it. Right here, right now, is not the fucking time to get lazy. If you lose sleep because your heart won't stop hammering with terror, then that's the price you pay for being ready. We can't any of us afford to lose that fear, not yet. You're a brave group of people, but you can't have bravery without being frightened, and I worry some of you have become too jaded to allow that feeling to overcome you.

If the deaths of all those citizens didn't do it, then my words probably won't either. But I've been losing sleep over it. Now that I've said it, I feel better. It's on you, now.