Zombie Dawn Read Online Free PDF Page B

I double checked the bulkhead door to make sure that it was fastened but I wanted to use that as an emergency exit so I left it alone.  There was an interior entry door at the bottom of the bulkhead stairs.  I beefed up the frame with some two by sixes, using four inch wood screws (the biggest I had) and attached metal L brackets, then put a couple of removable boards across the door into the brackets.  The door would be difficult to force from outside but we could still use it for an emergency exit. 
    Next, I checked the garage, which was not designed with security in mind, to say the least.  It had two large garage doors, three windows, and a steel entry door to the back yard.  Fortunately, there was a window in that door so we could see out.  I gave that door the same treatment as the basement door.  I covered up the windows with some plywood, leaving a two inch opening in each that we could see and shoot out of.  I needed to leave the garage doors operational so that we could get the cars in and out but I did bolt them closed. I drilled a couple of holes through the doors so that we could see out.
    I decided that the garage would have to be guarded at all times since it was such a vulnerable spot.  The back yard was fenced, which wouldn’t stop the zombies if they attacked in force but would at least give us some warning.  The front was covered by Mike, who had a good view across the front yard and down the driveway.  The west side seemed protected because the ground fell away on that side and the windows there were higher than a person could reach.
    I asked Bill to patrol the back yard and the garage and stationed Mary in the kitchen.  That wall had a glass sliding door, a major weak point.  I grabbed my last two sheets of plywood and screwed them onto the frame from outside, using the last of my four inch screws. I drilled a couple of peep holes to look through.
    That left me with only scraps to secure the front windows.  I slid over two bookcases to cover a couple of windows and used some spikes to nail them in.  I cut a couple of holes in each so that we could see out.  That left three vulnerable windows in front, plus the front door.
    I was out of lumber and screws, so I decided to pull up some of the boards on my new front porch.  The boards came up easily, and I was able to reuse the screws.  I decided to completely board up two windows and leave a firing slit in the third.  As for the front door, I decided to protect it by removing all of the deck and support boards in front of it.  Anyone trying to get in that way would come up the steps and fall three feet to the ground. Not much, but at least we’d get some warning.
    With the last boards, I beefed up the structure of the front door as I had with the basement and garage doors.  I kept a board to use as a bridge across the missing front porch.  If we had to, we could open the front door, throw the bridge down, and use it for a quick exit.
    I decided that, if we survived the night, Mike and I would dismantle the rear deck the next day and bring the wood inside to complete the barricades and build something to close off the upstairs stairwell.
    If the zombies got inside, we needed a place to retreat to and an escape plan.  I brought a roll of heavy duty chicken wire inside the house, without knowing what I might use it for.
    Kate had been busy as well.  She was a bit of a hoarder and we had lots of different supplies.  Kate had located candles and matches and placed a few in each room.  She lit a kerosene lantern and left it in the kitchen.  Each of the kids was threatened not to touch the lights or play with the matches.
    Naturally, all of our flashlights had issues and wouldn’t light.  Again, Kate had hidden supplies of batteries and even a few bulbs and was starting to put them out on the dining room table. She had asked Mary to put new batteries in and generally check the flashlights.  Mary had gotten two Maglites, two battery