Courtney finally wakes up, and we begin working on our plan to fortify the building. The two of them had been discussing throughout the week what they wanted to do, and fill me in on the details they have so far. Courtney had gone to the maintenance closet and found a sledge hammer. Which she used to get into the buildings main office. Where she found a filing cabinet. Inside was a folder for each apartment, listing how many people resided there. Including their names, ages, and a key to the unit.

Using this she went through each apartment on our floor. And floor eighteen above us, which is the top floor. She tells me it's really simply. Go in, check the file. If it says to there are four residents expect to find all four of them there. As the hospitals were shut down and the sick refused entry. So it's a quick four shots and your on to the next one. Kill a few zombies here. Take a few supplies there. Very simple, very routine.

I don't like the idea personally. I don't think I'll ever be comfortable killing these things. Zombie or not, they were human once. I suggest we try tying them down. Or finding some other way to restrain them. In the event that a cure is found I don't want their deaths on my conscience.

Courtney shows me the stack of files. There's way more than I realized. Then she starts listing off how many are in each unit. Four here, two there, another four there. It's simply too many to try and do it that way. Best to shoot them and be done with it. She says she can do an apartment in five minutes.

I continue to voice my concerns. Courtney says she will do all the killing and Germaine tells me she has other plans of me. She suggests removing the barricade set up in front of the main entrance. Says it might as well be a sign to raiders that there's someone here. I need to set up a new one inside. Then do the same to one of the side entrances. Once all that is done. I am too use the sledge hammer and destroy the stairs.

Court reminds me to use the rock that was propping the side door open. I get to the front and take a closer look at the barricade. Mostly benches and garbage cans. It wouldn't take much to get in if someone actually wanted too. I set them up beside the door. Arranged how I assumed they were before all this. Going back inside from the side door I make sure to place the rock back inside for future use.

Returning to the middle entrance. There are too sets of doors. I leave the outside doors and middle area clear. So it looks natural to passers by. The inside doors I block with anything I can find. Starting by visiting the maintenance closet Courtney had broken into earlier. Getting a chain and wrapping it around the handles of the door. Then pushing over three vending machines that were in the main lobby. I top that off with two benches. Anyone who finds this isn't getting through. I still worry that this would be a sign for raiders that we have something worth protecting. But it would completely stop any zombies. And that is our main goal at the moment.

Next I head over to the left side entrance. A solid door that opens into a staircase. There's no way too see in from there so all I need to do is make sure the door stays shut. There's nothing beside the door to chain it to. So I don't bother going back to the maintenance closet.

There's nothing in the staircase to barricade the door with. Searching the main floor hallway, checking the doors near the stairs. I find one unlocked. It's a laundry room. I pull a washing machine over and put it in front of the door. Then another sitting side by side. Then a third, I wanted to lift one on top on them but could not muster the strength. That's when inspiration hit me. I pulled over a fourth machine and placed it behind the first two with the third. the four of them making a square that now blocks the stairs as well.

There are three sets of stairs. One on each side where the doors are, and one in the middle. I need to use the sledgehammer to demolish the stairs from two of the cases and leave one open. Alternating every third flight. Again any human could figure it out. A zombie could eventually as well. But it would take them long enough that we would find them well before they could surprise us.

My plan is too have the first climable set of stairs be the ones on the left side. Where you'll need to climb over the washing machines to start out.

The left side stairs will be uses able on floors one and two. Right side for Three and four. Left for Five and six. Then middle for seven and eight. Left again from nine and ten. Right for eleven and twelve. Middle Fourteen and fifteen. Right again for sixteen and seventeen. And I'll be doing right side up to the eighteenth floor Because that side has roof access. If I were to stop at seventeen it would be too obvious that were on that floor.

One night, I am far from done finishing the stairs. When Germaine asks me to do another job. She's concerned about the bugs.

"What if they learn to fly?"

Germaine asks.

"I haven't seen them do it yet. I doubt they can."

Courtney replies.

"But they can adapt. What if they can tell we're here. With supersonic hearing or something. But they can't get up too us. Then they'll have to adapt and learn to fly."

"Does it even matter, they could just climb the walls up too our windows if they wanted too."

"Oh god, I didn't even think of that."

Germaine turns to me and continues.

"Stop working on the stairs and cover the windows. Find cookie sheets from the other apartments or something and make sure the windows are blocked. Check the maintenance closet for a blow torch, I can teach you how to use it."

Sure enough there was a blow torch. The windows get sealed up and I worry about Germaine. It's now been over two weeks since shes been outside and now she isn't even getting any natural light. She sits in the dark all day while Courtney and I work. Not wanting to waste the candles. I try to tell her I'm worried and offer to take her up to the roof for some fresh air, but she refuses and tells me to focus on getting the stairs finished.

I'm working my way along the seventh floor. Smashing away in the dark. I have a flashlight but I don't like using it. The door on the stairs above me, for the eighth floor, bangs open. A body rushes in and I can tell by the swearing as it falls down the stairs I just smashed, That its Courtney.

I click on my flash light and point it at her.

Her face covered in panic. The door bangs open again. I shine the light at it to reveal two zombies stumbling in. Chasing after Courtney. The first falls down the stairs and lands directly beside her.

"The hammer you idiot!"

She screams at me.

Coming to my senses I draw back And with one swing down on its head, It's completely flattened. The force of the swing causes me to lose balance and I fall down the crumbling stairs too. The second zombie right behind me. Lands on top. I push it off and struggle to my feet. Its dragging me down and has a hand on my hammer. I try to strike the zombie but can't get enough force to stop it. Finally I kick the zombie, who falls down the next flight of crumbled stairs. I stand at the top, hammer drawn back over my head ready to swing down. Watching this zombie struggling to climb the rubble up towards me.

Courtney mumbles.

"My damn gun is jammed."

While desperately trying to get to work, aiming at the zombie.

"I guess we're even then."

I say, as I bring the hammer down on the zombies head.