Monday, August 5, 2013

Here And Now

I don't know what my posting schedule is going to look like for the next week. To be honest there might not be much. Jess and K came back from their trip to our new home this morning. The original plan was to leave a handful of people there to guard the place and have the rest of us move out as soon as I was able. Instead, just the two of them returned.

A small swarm hit the place while they were up there preparing. Not anything our folks couldn't handle, but even a handful of zombies in that area is a bad sign. A major reason we picked that spot was its lack of population--it's mostly empty of human beings, dead or alive. Jess reckons a wandering swarm must have picked up their scent on the way in last week and followed it to our new place.

The fair weather over the last few weeks isn't helping things out. The lulls between swarms are slowly dwindling. We're in the worst part of storm season. And worst of all, beyond the destructive power of mother nature and the increasing movements of the living dead, is the news Jess and K brought back with them.

Many UAS, unhappy with the state of the war (or more accurately, the lack of it) have splintered off from the larger nation they supported. The central UAS leadership stands with the local units like the one integrating here; they want peace. The majority of them are trying to work with us. But the faction of their people leaving with anger in their hearts for both sides? Not a small number. Even ten percent is a potentially disastrous number of people to have out there, free and roaming, ready to attack at will.

Which is why Jess and K came back. One of those small splinter groups--thankfully a very small one--managed to find their way to our new home. They weren't soldiers, not really, just men who thought they were. Our people waited until it became clear violence was about to happen. Then, as all survivors must, they took care of the problem.

Without knowing how many UAS are out there, split from the community they knew and ready to fight about it, we can't risk waiting much longer. We're leaving as soon as possible, maybe even today if I can be ready that fast. K and Jess want to get ahead of anyone watching for us.

These splinter groups might be filling the void left by the amnesty. Marauder numbers never did bounce back after we gave them a choice. They still exist, but certainly not in force enough to threaten entire communities. I worry these UAS splinter groups are going to change that. It scares me not only because the bad old days where marauders were one of two huge primary concerns as far as survival goes might be here again, but also due to how well armed these people are. Granted, most marauders have to attack our fuel shipments to get anything done. Most of the gas from the old world is long since uselessly inert. These splinters will have the same problem eventually, but from what I understand, many of them are quite well provisioned for the time being.

Better armed and armored, and angry as hell. If these are the new marauders, it doesn't bode well for any of us.

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