Survivor- Sarah

What? Another one on time? Crikey!

.. Pops had been dead a year before the outbreak, so his cabin had been empty for a year before I managed to get out of the city and reach it.

I had taken my car to his house, I had already planned the trip and was headed out of town when NY was ordered to evacuate, before the bridges were cut, before that happened to Manhattan. The car is still in the garage, it eventually ran out of gas, like everyone else's I guess. I was lucky, I got out before the motorways clogged, before the dead had really taken over the cities. So my drive was pretty clear, no walkers, not even any crazy traffic. I just drove along, Taylor Swift blaring through the speakers.

I hope she is ok....

So I got to Pop's cabin, it was exactly as he had left it. His favourite chair, his crappy oven, the head of that deer he shot when he was 17 mounted above the fireplace. Pops had been a hunter when he was young, but he never touched a gun after the war. He didn't talk about the war either, he would just get real sad on a few dates of the year.

I am glad Pops didn't have to see this world, he had fought his war a long time ago.

It had been a week or so, I was just living off of tinned food and the food I brought with me. Pops had kept his cupboards well stocked and he had a veggie garden out back- sadly the wrong time of year to harvest. I had plenty of firewood to keep warm, and plenty of books. I turned the radio on each day to check on the news, there wasn't much, it only took a day or two before it was just static.

Took a week or two before I saw my first roamer. I was out tending the garden, and it shuffled into the fence. I had heard the broadcast on what to do with them when they arrived, I got a garden fork and speared it through the head. It took a couple of tries, but I managed it.

Every day after that first roamer, more and more arrived. It was the zeds from NY off in search of food.

At first, it was easy enough for me to get rid of them. One day I was out checking the mailbox. To this day I couldn't say why I was checking it, who was going to send me mail? Who was going to deliver it? Old habits die hard I suppose.

I had turned to go back to the house, when ten or more of them were blocking my path. A growling, seething mass staring at me, waiting to take a bite.

I ran.

As fast as I could.

I tripped and fell onto some rocks, putting a gash down my forearm.

Luckily I hadn't been idle the past few weeks, I could still outrun them. Thankfully Pops didn't have any twinkies in his cupboards, only the healthy stuff!

I made it back to the house, headed to pops room and searched frantically for the medical kit. I knew he had one, was it in his room? I could hear them outside, they had reached the fence and were trying to push it over. I was sure that they would succeed in a few minutes.

I pulled his shirts out of the wardrobe, only to find a dark green case, with USMC 7485951 written on the top in yellow letters.

I opened it carefully to find a pressed army uniform sitting on top. I pulled it out, hoping for a medical kit. What was underneath was more interesting than any medical kit. It was a gun, a Thompson if my memory of Pop's stories was right. Beside it lay a big metal knife with Peleliu and Okinawa inscribed on the blade. The gun was clean, oiled and the magazine was full. Pops may not have gone hunting after the war, but he sure knew to keep a gun clean and ready.

Suddenly thankful for the shooting lessons I had as a little girl, I figured out how to load the magazine just as the zombies broke the fence down. Cocking the gun, I grabbed my orange sweater and the blade and headed downstairs to clear out the back garden...

Hey ho!

Another survivor done, and on time and everything!

Sarah comes from the Wargames Factory plastic kit, except for the Thompson arm which comes from the Perry Desert Rats boxed set- which was the actual inspiration for building this model, the arm was too perfect not to use for something, and so the idea for Sarah spiraled from there!

The colour scheme comes directly from my wife, who (probably to her frustration) I have started asking for clothing colour advice. She is way better at this whole dressing thing, so all credit to her for what I now think is one of my favourite survivors- big title I know!

Anyway, next week is another from the Wargames Factory sprues I think, I am enjoying building using them.

CP