Wayne Gray

In addition to that whole “nice” aspect of being clean and taking care of ourselves, there’s also the underlying knowledge that “something” caused the fever in the first place. People can’t help but think of germs, and being filthy and unkempt is something they want to avoid. They’re not afraid of work involving sweat, mud, and more, but they also want to clean up after and feel human again - as you said. There’s also something therapeutic about getting pampered. It reinforces that we’re worth caring for - beyond what’s required for survival. And that’s just nice. Thanks, tim!

I agree with you. To go from fearing for their lives to relaxing under experienced hands providing a “nonessential service” is such a wild counterpoint. But I think without taking time for themselves, are they even living? So, yes - I do feel MaryAnne is doing more than cutting and washing hair. She’s helping people remember life before it all changed. Thanks, Dave!

July 25, 1993 Saturday, 415 PM I think we've got everyone settled enough for me to write a bit, so here goes. Early this morning, we got up and made a plan for our day. Buck, Mark, and I would head toward the smoke Lisa had seen yesterday, to the adjoining farm Buck thought was there. Garrett, Lisa, and Erin would remain here at the base. There was plenty to do, and each had their tasks they wanted to handle. Plus, it meant this place had eyes on it while we were out. So we loaded

I’m glad you found these little stories. I always wanted to show these snapshots of the campground, and I think they show off the purpose of the place. I hope you enjoy the rest of these stories too. Thanks!

I like them all but love the first one. It’s cute, whimsical, and yes tasks an important question. Summer’s coming! And looks like you’re ready! Nice pieces, tim!

They’ll need to use what they can scavenge. They’ve also got houses to loot in town for non-perishable food, clothing, and anything else they can find, so that’s a consideration as well. But town is where that huge horde had been headed, so we’ll see how that goes if they try. Thanks for reading and commenting. I’m liking this one more as I write, so it’s getting more fun for me. 🙂

They've each got their place in the group. Sometimes their talents cross a bit, but mostly each has their specialty. But I like how they all fit together and complement one another. As for the smoke, we'll have to see where that takes things. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment!

They're working as a team, and that's turning out to be critical to their survival. They've all seemed to have figured that out, thankfully. Those issues are hard, particularly when you're a guy like Mark. Shaped by rural Kentucky and hardened by the military and the hyper-masculine environment there. It'd be odd for him NOT to have issues. But yeah, that hurt Wayne. Luckily yes, they did talk through it, and Erin just didn't care. Well, other than to give the guys a little hell. hehe Garrett had been doing woodcraft and survival lore with his father and the scouts for years. His interests are absolutely in the natural world and what he can wring from what is around him. He notices when things change, and he sees signs where others don't. He might only be sixteen, but all of these interests which made him a bit of a dork in school have turned him into a huge asset. Erin is a good all-around person to have on your team. She's a country woman, capable, multi-talented, and unafraid of hard, dirty work. And Lisa. All we really know about her so far is she's a good climber, she has good eyes, and she prefers her machete. But we'll learn more about her as time goes on. And Mister Buck. I based him on my Ag teacher in high-school. I loved that big, sweet, super knowledgeable man. So he has an oversized place in my heart. Thanks for reading and commenting!

They're sorta killing it. I mean, when your life is on the line, and others depend on you, it'd be incredibly sociopathic to be anything other than attentive and cooperative. Good thinking concerning using the "hive mind" against the zombies. Maybe they group up out of some odd comfort? Or maybe the ones that group up tend to "survive?" A weird sort of evolution could be running at breakneck speed there, favoring those who like groups. But, yes. It could be used against them by a clever group. Mark and Wayne are figuring things out, while the rest of the group really doesn't seem to care. True, only Erin knows for certain about them, but the rest probably suspect. And nothing has changed in how they treat the guys. When you need people, you learn to accept them quickly. And they all need each other right now. Thanks for reading and commenting, kbois! See you next chapter.

It's a good question. Right now, nobody knows exactly what causes them to group up and move about the way they do. However, seeing or hearing a living person seems to short-circuit anything else. The bloodthirst comes out, and they attempt to kill anyone they come across. As for using what is on the zombies - these guys will probably have little choice there. Though I'd be a lot like Garrett, and not WANT to put on "zombie boots," it'd be hard to turn them down when your old set is falling apart. That's not happening yet, but it'll come. Thanks for reading and commenting. More to come!

Yay! I just ordered the first three Foxfires in print. There's just something about a physical book that can't be replaced, and writing this made me miss the ones I used to have. Nice links! I'll explore some of Sloane's stuff. And it's funny you'd link it because Wayne has a lot of knowledge from the Anarchist's Cookbook already baked in thanks to his interests and background as an engineer. Plus, if you remember from the first chapter, he was VERY distrustful of the government and the military in particular. So he has some knowledge that goes just a bit beyond what most regulatory agencies would consider strictly practical. 😉 Thanks for reading and commenting. And ... there's another chapter to go!

Wayne couldn't help but feel like Mark had assigned being gay such a terrible value that it outweighed a zombie apocalypse. That's a bit rough on someone just accepting the label himself. Plus, he has had a history of being discarded by men once someone better came along, so he was feeling a bit tender. But that's a good question. Has Mark come out? Or has he just made his connection to Wayne public? Maybe you're right, and they're creating a place where the labels don't matter and where love can just be what it's meant to be. The fact that they are allowed by their circumstances to wonder about any of this means they're doing all right for themselves. And they're all pulling together to make their home better and more secure. I think they're doing all right so far. Thanks, tim!

July 23, 1993 Friday, 750 AM We went to bed last night, and I think we were both just … processing, you know? And I'm lying there when Mark rolls toward me. "Do you think they all know?" I sighed. This muted horror was buried in his voice that maybe everyone thought he was gay. And … it just made me so sad. "No. I think Mister Buck was just messing with us." I rolled on my side away from him. "Goodnight." He rose up on an elbow. "What? What is it?" I tried to keep my voi

I don't know why, exactly, but I particularly like the second stanza. To me, it's like something you've had with you for a long time that you realized is poison, and you're finally shedding it. Nice piece, tim.

The one thing going for them, really, is that there's an incubation period where the person is sick (obviously sick) but not a zombie. At this point, all those still healthy are immune to the airborne version of the virus. So mixing populations of ill with healthy won't do anything to spread the virus. They'd have time to deal with sick people before they turned into monsters. It's just the folks in the bookstore didn't know yet what was happening to their friend, and were trying to keep them safe too. Thanks for reading this one. It's a fun story now that I've gotten to this stage of it. 🙂

I forgot to mention this … https://www.foxfire.org/about-foxfire/ The Foxfire books are a real thing. I have digital versions of volumes 1-5, and they’re fantastic repositories of knowledge. Pretty cool.

It sounds like you're hanging in there and figuring things out. That's good. you're worth spending time on, and you're doing that. My dad once worked at a site with a bunch of union welders (I like most unions, so this isn't a dig on them). He was self-taught, had no certifications, did a far better job, and worked faster than any of the other guys on the site. They complained about him repeatedly, and upon investigation, the manager realized they were pissed that Dad was showing them up. The manager asked if Dad could "just slow down a little." And Dad laughed in his face. "Instead of asking me to slow down, have your boys step it up." It's just amazing to me that people are threatened by competence. And as for those who are never pleased, no matter what? Well ... some folks base their personality on never being happy. That's not your problem, it's theirs. I know you do your best, and if that's not enough, then they don't deserve you. Happy Friday, molly.

You nailed it. They’ve regrouped, and now they’re making trips out into the world to gather supplies, survivors, and spread the word about their little fortress. They don’t want to be an island - they want to help others, and make their surroundings safer. They're turning into the hunters now. That’s definitely a different feeling. Thanks for reading!

Hehe. I commented to tim above about Buck’s sheets comment. He knew both Mark and Wayne from teaching their Ag course, so he has gotten to see them at multiple stages in life. And he has a familiarity with them most of the others in the story don’t. Hell, he will have that with most they find under the age of 30. So keep that in mind when reading him. Mr Buck is a bear of a man. 6’1”, 240 lbs and solid. He’s a silverback gorilla of the human world, and his presence alone makes those around him feel safer. He’s has a lot to contribute, and they’re lucky to have found him. Thanks for reading, Dave!

Lol. Ok. This is an apocalypse. Two guys bunking together doesn’t automatically mean they’re banging each other - they could just be trying to keep together for security. Mr Buck was mainly giving them hell over the proclivity for young guys to rub one out at a moment’s notice, and he was trying to lighten the mood too. But with how Mark reacted, now they might be wondering! And no - this will absolutely not be like TWD or any of its ilk. There will be people who see a chance to stir up trouble, but they’ll be outliers, not the norm. For the most part, people want to be included, safe with others, and they want to contribute. And that’s the truth of human nature. It’s what makes regular people run TOWARD danger to help others. And that’s who this story is about. 🙂 Thanks, tim.💚

Heh. I'm saying humans are flawed when it comes to perception of events. Wayne and Mark are trying to be dutiful narrators, but they're limited by their own perceptions and what they allow themselves to believe based on the information presented. They're not trying to mislead us, but ... they're not perfect. It makes writing this interesting. I'm not going to use it as a gimmick and trick the reader down the line. I'm just calling it out, so the reader doesn't accept everything as gospel.

I said it above, but yeah, I hated The Walking Dead for the portrayals of how awful humanity becomes when given the choice. The recipe didn't change - it was just the most savage rose to the top, and anything else was weakness. I guess once the shock value of zombies wore off, the story had to find new and more interesting challenges. If you can't make surviving zombies interesting, then I personally don't think you've got any business plotting a story. Wayne and Mark have had to learn and learn fast. We've got Mark who is a physical and strategic threat, then we've got Wayne who's trying to catch up a bit. But he's the guy who suspected something was wrong and set Mark and Elizabeth on edge in the first place. They were ready because of him. That Elizabeth got sick was bad luck, but that's how things go sometimes. I hope you keep enjoying it. Glad you're reading.

Thanks for taking it for a spin, Mike. Yeah. There's a reason I went with the first-person, diary format. I'm hoping the payoff at the end will be worth it, but we'll have to see. 🙂

Thanks, kbois! They’ve worked hard to get where they are, and they’ve put their necks on the line too. Yes, they’ve gotten lucky, but part of luck is having the willingness to seize it. So here they are - on the precipice of what might be a turning point in their struggles. And you have to keep in mind that Mark and Wayne are twenty-four years old. To them, 50+ is “pretty old.” I do not share their opinion! Lol

I somehow missed replying to this. Thanks, Danilo! I'm glad you are liking it. I hope you dig the latest chapter too.