Moderator's Note: I have to say, if you've survived thus far you're probably going to make it to the nation stage. Since quite frankly, there's not much more I can do for most of you at this point, it doesn't seem very fair to go on in this format. Therefore, we're going to speed things up a little bit. Cover the next three months for your people and how they try to survive. We'll do a update for the three month period, and I encourage you to give things plenty of thought. Therefore the next update will be next Wednesday.
Chapter 3: Desperate Times
Outside in the cold distance
A wildcat did growl
Two riders were approaching
and the wind began to howl.
Pedro Cardenas: East of Mexico City, Mexico
As the country burned around them and the people of central Mexico grew more and more desperate, Pedro Cardenas and his closest friends and military comrades have grown proportionately brutal to their former companions. The young and old have been left behind, or simply put down with the rest of their family if they refused to abandon them. The non-military people have been strictly forbidden from carrying weapons and family members have been kept hostage for good behavior as they are forced to go out and scavenge for food. Strangely, even as the food supply shrinks for the group as a whole, the amount of labor for Cardenas has grown. Only the strongest men have been accepted into the ranks of the fighting cadre as they continue to round up more displaced refugees to gather for them. With over a hundred well disciplined fighters, they have managed to keep order at the moment, holding tightly onto the overall food supply and doling portions out like misers to those who work them. Desperate cannibals have begun preying on the growing column, which has proven to be one of the largest successful groups in the area, grabbing people while they sleep from the work force of Cardenas' people. Literally millions of refugees and would-be cannibals are surrounding the group as they struggle east, through the most heavily populated region in Mexico. Every day continues to be a desperate battle, as more hear of the group and are more and more driven to attack the feared force. (+241 Followers, +313 Food)
Ivan Hopkins: Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
The government of Tasmania has sent several new people to the Hopkins residence, urbanites to be given training in more "rural arts" by the local farmers and to serve as labor for any needs. The provisional government has also pledged to provide seeds when they determine a suitable growing crop for the Hopkins farm, according to the attached rationing supervisor sent to monitor the farm. So far, everything has continued to move smoothly for the Hopkinses, as the government has provided food to keep the other families fed for the time being as they continue the fight to maintain the island's stability through the Change. (+15 Followers, +15 Food)
Timothy Whitely: Odgen, Utah, United States of America
The ruins of Odgen have become an increasingly violent place, as the people who did not flee south now lay in a state of fear as raiding gangs and those desperate enough to turn to cannibalism prey upon all those who live in the area. Timothy Whitely and the few of his friends who remained, hiding in the ruins, were fortunate enough to find several composite crossbows more or less intact. They managed to ambush and kill a large group of raiders with a sizeable stockpile of food in the northern part of the ruins, and took their stocks. While they did possess canned and other pre-Change food items, a large part of the taken food, indeed the majority, consisted of meat of a dubious nature. As Whitely's odyssey to the north continues, the question is are they desperate enough to try this peculiar meat which could well be human remains. (+20 Food, Not including meat taken)
Mark Jamesfield: Cedartown, Georgia, United States of America
As the position in the suburbs of Atlanta became more and more untenable, the people of Jamefield's subdivision have rallied around him to flee their homes for a safer refuge. After a vicious battle at the gates, they proceeded to head east, finding nothing but burned rubble and looted stores for their whole journey. The hungry mobs of Atlanta had apparently already scoured the lands along with the leaders of the various refugee camps, which the assembled caravan skillfully avoided. They soon stumbled upon the first cannibals they came across, as the first hungry and very desperate attacked them, stealing away several people during the nights. At the end of the week the caravan arrived in the ruined community of Cedartown, where there still existed some running water from the local springs. For now they have made camp, but with food running shorter and shorter, the question is, "where to now?" (-33 Followers)
Alexis Gray: New York City, New York, United States of America
Though she have incorporated gang thugs into her growing group, Alexis Grey has failed to acquire much more food over the course of the week. As she actively recruited more civilians and gangsters into her group, she soon found that food was running out quickly. Even after several small fights with other gangs which had not yet dissolved allowed Grey's gang to make a local monopoly, their supplies of food were almost out, leaving them distracted and hungry when fighting began. As the city was devastated by the fires and violence of the first two weeks, there was little left to salvage from the ruins. With many more mouths to feed from recruiting, there is much less to satiate the growing hunger that all are feeling. To make matters worse, some of Gray's new followers have disappeared into the night, as it is rumored cannibals gangs are active in the ruins. (+166 Followers, +18 Food)
Dr. Victor Hsiao: Fort Hood, Texas, United States of America
Attempts by the local military to preserve order in Texas have been met with miserable failure, as the population has grown too fast, leading to over twenty-five million refugees, as attempts to flee north have been turned back. Military units attempting to organize the mobs have simply disappeared in the mass of people and their supplies and rations stolen. Attempts were made to collect food, but unfortunately many were empty or well below capacity in this, the off season of agricultural harvest, and others were destroyed or the contained foods were tainted in the efforts. Policy attempts to create work crews failed miserably, as those who could work in the camps refused to leave their families in the increasingly lawless society of the camps. Desertions in the military units have reached a high, though food remains to be had by many. With no more food forthcoming from any sources, and grain elevators left ruined or already empty, the rabble continues to grow more and more desperate. Attempts to contain disease have also failed, spreading quickly through the populace, and increasing desperation and frustration as the people begin to see their hopes of survival dimming.
ChiefDesigner: while your math is impressive, I find it unlikely that the soldiers could or would do any of what you're telling them. With many of them likely missing their families elsewhere, you can bet that they won't stick around for very long either. Also, MY research says that March is the off season of agricultural production and perhaps the worst time of year to find ANY food in those silos, as I believe from the descriptions they were mostly constructed for temporary storage for export elsewhere or distribution locally. Much of that production you were talking about took place in the summer of 2009, this being March 2010, is likely already consumed, halfway around the world, or would have been looted/destroyed in the first two weeks of the disaster. Simply put, there's no way in hell that you could feed, much less organize, what's amounting to 20 million people.
Roger Martino: Estacada, Oregon, United States of America
The past two weeks started well for the community of Estacada and Roger Martino. With plenty of food to go around, the community government remains mostly intact, event after a small selection of suicides. Roger Martino and several others soon went out hunting and managed to continue to collect fresh meat and food for the community. Unfortunately, everything was not to remain peaceful, as all at once a large mob of refugees began coming through the town, thousands of people from the Portland area. The town's law enforcement was able to contain some of the activity of the mobs, but several groceries were robbed or looted, bringing the town's stockpiles to dangerous lows. The mobs' individuals stated that they had been driven out of Portland by gangsters and were desperately fleeing south, looking for any refuge. Estacada now seems very close to being overrun by the masses.
Simon Wales: Silent Valley Reservoir, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Faced with control by the Protestant LVF, the Flock and its leader, Simon Wales, disappeared after a brief struggle in the dark, fleeing out of Ulster with what food they continued to possess. With the LVF in heated pursuit all the way to the southeast County Down, the pursuit was called off as they returned home to organize the mess of the ruins of Belfast. Along with an increasing number of followers, the Flock was joined by those who had already set up a settlement around the Reservoir, attempting to maintain the station, with the local crews and facility members. At the time food seems relatively plentiful, as much of the fighting has been relegated to the urban areas. For now the flock seems in relative safety from the tribulations of the world.
Iceland
Government's all right, plenty of food, populace has calmed down. Everything is still boring. Continue as usual.
Iain Mac Gille Eathain: Ardgour, Scotland, United Kingdom
The people of Ardgour, Scotland received the grim news this week, belatedly after the rest of the world, with the burning remains of Fort William. As a local area it was obviously overrun by the chaos as mobs from the south fled north to possible safety. Due to its isolation Ardgour has failed to receive the masses and confusion, but it has become apparent that the Change is not merely a local phenomenon. Upon returning home, they returned to increasingly fortified community, and this seems to have been wise. Some desperate people may well have followed the explorers home, as new fires have been seen lit at night not far from the mostly peaceful community.
