October 2019 NaNo Prep

Oct. 25: - Plot: Outline Revision #3

Willow has to leave the security of her house as she is running low on food and water. She has tried accessing the TV and radio to see if any form of communication exists, finding that the radio is still active. She hears about the factions being formed at schools and decides to make the trek to one near her. She arms herself with the weapons she has available at home: a baseball bat, knives, a heavy frypan. Luckily she still has fuel in her vehicle and is able to drive, but she doesn’t get as far as she wanted, as there are cars blocking the road so she has to go on by foot, which is slow and ultimately dangerous. She had heard on the radio that the zombies could not see their victims but instead were attracted to noise and when close enough, smell. She gets stuck and has to take refuge in a house near the school. Being in such a close vicinity to the school means that the house had already been raided for supplies. She successfully avoids getting mauled but is now trapped in the house.

The young man from the main faction notices the zombies that are usually milling around randomly have started to congregate at one house. He watches the house, studying it, trying to see what the commotion was that got the zombie’s attention and realizes that there is someone inside the house, from their movement he deduces them to be a survivor and not just a zombie that got stuck inside it’s home. He creates a distraction to attract the zombies away from the house and then collects Willow and takes her back to the main faction. Willow learns the new ways of the world at the main faction, learning that not everyone has good intentions. Life is no longer run by money but by the services and help you can provide. Anyone old enough to help is put to work, even if it’s just sweeping the dirt out of the hallway or stairwell. Children under 10 are far and few between, the pint sized terrors were easy prey; the same could be said for those over the age of 80 or those in poor health and with mobility issues.

When she first arrives Willow is taken on short ‘excursions’ around the immediate area to learn what they search for during a supply run and how to stay safe. She is taught how to wield bladed weapons and how to properly use a bow. The more silent weapons used meant the less they attracted the attention of the zombies or scared off possible meals they were hunting. Kangaroos become a major food source for the survivors as even though they are the national animal of Australia they are also considered pests because they reproduce fairly quickly in large numbers. Things such as chicken eggs, fresh vegetables, herbs and spices, and books become like currency when trading with other factions. Electronic devices are nowhere as important as they were before the outbreak.

Everything at the main faction seems to be going smoothly for a couple months, new survivors are found or brought to the faction every few days, building the work force but also adding more mouths to feed. The military faction has vehicles that can withstand a lot so are able to visit the civilian factions around the town, offering support and keeping the peace between all the factions. Most factions are run by small committees who take suggestions and discuss the best ways for the survival of the faction. A faction member who had not been with the main faction long starts to sabotage things around the school, but they first gain the trust of the faction committee and wait for several new members to join so they can shift the blame onto the newcomers. This faction member has been put in place by another faction trying to bring down the main faction so they can move into the large school grounds because their faction area is much smaller.