Project Zomboid: Harper's Discovery

The end of October already!? And it's like 75 degrees outside 😐. Who else remembers having their Halloween costume 'ruined' because mom made them wear a jacket 😂?

Well, I've got some spooky things to share for the occasion: mainly my past adventures in Project Zomboid. This seems the perfect occasion to bring back the stories I have. Unfortunately I don't play with the person who set the servers up, so I've had to do some editing. The hope is to have a PC by the end of this year, which means I'll be able to play the game better than before (I've been running it on my gen 4 Surface Pro. It's honestly a miracle). Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy, and have a safe holiday 👻🎃🍬🧟‍♀️

Name: Harper Neuman

Age: 30

Occupation before: Park Ranger

The first snowfall of the year began while Harper sat in the office.

She looked up from her paperwork and watched the small flakes flutter outside the window. The nature reserve had been quiet the last few weeks. Harper hypothesized the dipping temps and forecasted snow kept most inside. But not everyone. Cold and snow didn’t mean she could neglect her rounds. Looking up at the clock, she figured it was around that time. Harper stood, put on her jacket, put her gun and knife in their proper place, and locked the office behind her. She stepped into the public area and through the double doors. She huffed into the cold and stayed on the covered porch for a moment. After scanning the initial pathway, Harper stepped into the light snow. Everything was powdered with a thin white coat. She left light footprints in the snow as she headed up on the path. The forest grew quieter as she walked further. There were a few other footprints in the snow, meaning there were those who enjoyed a winter venture. The whole atmosphere changed, however, when those prints started to turn bloody.

She followed the specks of red with a hurried pace. Someone could be hurt. The situation seemed to grow dire when drops turned to large blotches. The footprints turned to long drag marks. By now, Harper ran alongside the marks, hoping to be in time to aid in some way.  Nothing prepared her for the scene at the bottom of the hill. Three figures hunched over a fourth in the grass off path. 

“Hey! Is everything okay!?” Harper called, unknowing to what she’d started. The three lifted their heads slowly, causing her to recoil in horror. They were people… But… They weren’t. Dead eyes sank into their sockets. Their heads tilted back and forth as if too heavy to hold straight. The smell of blood hit Harper’s nose, causing her to force lunch back down. Nothing but primal groans came from the figures that now moved towards her. Without another thought, she turned and started to sprint back to the Welcome building. Her heart raced while her mind attempted to comprehend what she’d witnessed. She stumbled back up the stairs and into the public area. Thankfully, it remained empty. Gathering what other belongings she could carry, Harper dashed back out of the building and ran to her car. 

What in God’s name was that!? Who do I even call!? Were just a few thoughts in her mind as she raced out of the vacant parking lot. Harper continued to question the authenticity of what she’d seen, but it seemed too real to be a stupid prank or something. Her train of thought shattered when another car blew through the intersection, colliding with the front of her car. She spun several times, landing in a nearby ditch. With the car rendered useless, Harper reached for the driver door drowsily. A blood-curdling scream filled the air from the other car. It sat wrecked in the middle of the road. The crunched hood started smoking and threatened to catch fire. A bloodied woman struggled with the jammed seatbelt pinning her in place, while flailing her other arm at what once was the driver. Her companion, who died upon impact, now grabbed for her with the same horrid groans. Harper stumbled out of her car on all fours, then staggered to her feet. By the time she regained some composure, the woman’s struggle attracted more unwanted company. Harper knew, to get involved now meant certain death. So, she turned and began to sway into the nearby treeline.

When Harper emerged from the foliage again, she came across a vacant-looking house. She cautiously made her way through the lawn. There were no cars in the driveway, but closer inspection revealed the front door unlocked and ajar. She placed a hand on the gun in her holster and quietly opened the door further. The foyer remained dark, but Harper heard shuffling inside the kitchen farther back in the house. She unholstered her gun and quietly stepped forward. Dusk approached quickly, and she had little choice than to face whatever lurked in the kitchen. No daylight remained to find another place to stay, and she definitely did not want to spend a night unsheltered.

“Don’t move,” Harper said firmly as she pointed the gun around the corner at the occupant in the kitchen. To her surprise, a regular-looking person jumped, dropping the snacks in his hand. The man turned to face Harper, hands up. 

“Whoa! Whoa!” He said with a slight panic in his voice. Judging by the disheveled clothing and nearby crowbar, she concurred he wasn’t the homeowner either. 

“Look man, I’ve been tryin’ to walk the straight and narrow for some time now, but some messed up shit happened today,” he began to explain himself, gun still pointed at his chest.

“The town’s goin’ downhill fast, it’s turning into a hell hole, please don’t take us to jail. There’s people… people eatin’ each other out there.” With that, Harper lowered her weapon, allowing the man to sigh with relief. 

“So… you’ve seen?” She didn’t need to go into much detail for the man to produce a grim nod. His explanation also sounded like her encounter in the woods wasn’t an isolated thing. 

“You say the whole town’s going under?” She asked the man. He nodded again.

“I wouldn’t recommend headin’ that way unless you’re prepared for a fight.” Harper re-holstered the gun and sighed. So… These are going to be the End Times…

“Name’s Dalton,” the man introduced himself and stuck out his hand.

“Harper,” she replied, shaking the hand awkwardly. 

“Considering all that’s happenin’ I think it best to work together,” Dalton got straight to the point. He bent down to pick up the dropped snacks. 

“Two’s probably better than one in this kinda’ situation right? And I’m bettin’ you won’t run into another person for a while.” Harper nodded in agreement after a few moments. It sounded like the likelihood of finding another live person dwindled with the passing hours. Having someone to watch your back right now could be the difference of life and death.

So, Harper and Dalton hunkered down in the abandoned home. Together they covered the windows, gathered all the edible food, and went through the house for anything valuable. Harper discarded her light uniform and replaced it with some sturdier attire. Despite the earlier wreck, her injuries were minimal. They took turns with rest through the night. By morning, the pair were seated in front of a low murmuring television, planning the next venture outside.

“Tracking down a decent car should be the move today,” Dalton said. He began to draw the area crudely on a sheet of scrap paper.

“We’re here. And if we head up this way, we should come across a gas station,” he explained as he pointed and scribbled.

“If we can come back with a car tonight, things will get easier.” Harper studied the makeshift map. She knew the area well enough to know where he meant. Though it meant running into the undead, the station remained far enough from town the fight should be manageable. 

They set out with plenty of daylight ahead. The weather remained brisk although the snow stopped. Harper kept her head on the swivel as the pair made their way towards the gas station. Dalton stopped at the guardrail near the road and crouched.

“There’s our destination,” Dalton said quietly as he pointed across the street to where a now vacant station sat. Cars scattered the parking lot in various conditions. The convenience store’s windows were shattered. Undead spotted the area with sluggish movements. 

“I’ll check to see if any are unlocked. You’ll have to watch my back,” Dalton looked back at Harper. She nodded reassuringly. Armed with a sturdy bat found in the residence, Harper crouched and followed behind. They approached the first few cars, only to be met with locked doors. A taxi’s driver door finally flung open. Dalton slid into the seat and began looking for keys while Harper kept alert. Unfortunately they hadn’t gone unnoticed. Two undead wobbled towards their location reaching out with decaying hands. Harper raised the sturdy bat she’d collected from the house.

“I’m goin’t have to hot-wire it,” Dalton concluded.

“Do it,” Harper took a step forward and around to draw the zombies away from the car. They slowly followed her. She white-knuckled the bat putting all focus into keeping herself calm. With one in range, Harper took the hardest swing she could. A gruesome snap could be heard before the body crumpled to the ground motionless. The other came running at her with a hideous noise. She shoved it back and took another swing. Looming over the withering body, she brought the bat down once more. The start of a car engine had Harper look behind her.

“Hurry up! Get in!” Dalton unlocked the doors, ready to pull away. Zombies obviously used sound as their primary sense, and more began their sluggish walk towards the car. Harper immediately swung open the back door, throwing herself and the bat into the back seat. Dalton began to speed away. The trip back took half as long, but meant fending off stragglers following the sound of the engine. 

“We’ll have to go back soon. The car needs gas.” Dalton stated once they were both inside. 

“There’s probably some goods in the mart and stuff,” he continued as he sat in the living room. The TV sputtered about the state of emergency and evacuation while they opened canned food for dinner. Dalton continued to scribble out more of the map from memory. And together, the unlikely pair survived another day.

Weeks passed. Harper could only tell because she’d snatched a digital watch off a corpse. Survival started to outweigh morality. She found herself rummaging through the pockets of dead bodies often. Once the house failed to produce anything useful, she and Dalton moved on. The stolen car made it easier to cover more distance. Together they broke into abandoned houses and took anything practical. Dalton appeared less conflicted about their unlawfulness. His demeanor coupled with the rationality of staying alive was enough to help Harper sleep at night. They eventually traveled outside her area of familiarity in their house jumping. Dalton continued to reassure her, however she remained wary. He promised a small peninsula lay ahead. Harper couldn’t really protest; she had no idea how to hot-wire a car, and going to Dalton’s suggested location sounded better than being left behind. 

Sure enough, after a few days the car drove alongside a body of water. Soon, a single turn off towards the water could be seen. It led to a sizable plot of land seemingly floating in the water.

“As long as it’s just zombies, I think we can take it,” Dalton said as they came closer to the turn. About a hundred yards out, he pulled the car off the road and turned it off. 

“We’ve still gotta be smart about this.” Harper nodded in agreement. By now, the pair’s inventory considerably improved for the circumstances. They both wore durable clothing, and were equipped with numerous makeshift weapons. And while terrifying at first, the undead were slow and uncoordinated. Numbers were the only thing to be concerned about. Harper and Dalton slowly approached the turn on foot. A pile of mangled cars sat at the intersection. The area crawled with zombies. They began to pick them off one by one while inching forward. Harper figured they came from the ten car pile-up leaving the island, and knew it’d be a gruesome afternoon. 

The sun hovered high overhead before the two made their way up the street. They found a small building just before the fence and crept inside to welcoming silence. Heavy blinds still covered the singular window. Harper collapsed in the nearby chair with exhaustion. She discarded her spear to the nearby corner. The splintering wood and dulling kitchen knife were rendered useless. Dalton bolted the door shut and leaned up against it for a moment. He propped the nail-riddled bat against the wall. They both took inventory and began snooping around the abandoned security office.

“Here.” Dalton tossed her a cold bottle of water from the fridge that, surprisingly, still hummed with electricity. Harper never thought cold clean water would be such a treat. A paper carry-out menu turned out to be the only other thing useful. Dalton flipped the paper over, and a fairly detailed map of the island had a star where the restaurant once stood. 

“We can try to set up here,” he pointed to the landmark. It sat in a convenient location, not too far from the entrance. They could eventually clear the rest of the island, and bring vehicles to and from without much hassle. Once they agreed, Dalton added the menu to his collection of maps. Harper finished the water. She inspected her remaining spears, choosing what she felt would last longest. Dalton picked the bloody nailed bat from by the door. 

“Let’s get this done before nightfall,” Harper stood. She re-secured the bag on her shoulders. Dalton nodded and twisted the lock on the door. Together, they continued with the second half of their mission.

Not long after, the narrow street widened. Unattended buildings crawled with zombies. The noise of a fight continued to attract them out of their mindless wandering. The pair did their best to stay together, but found themselves separated not far onto the island. 

“Keep goin!” Dalton yelled when he saw Harper beginning to turn back. She stopped, hesitated a moment more, then turned forward. The fight continued, and she speared a path to the side door of the restaurant. After picking off the zombies who’d followed, she began her work on the banging coming from inside. Dalton followed the opening Harper left behind, ensuring they wouldn’t be followed once barricaded inside. He kept a good pace through the parking lot, hopped the guardrail, and defended the side-door. A familiar scene of carnage unfolded inside as Harper cleared the first floor. She tried her best to keep the bodies to one corner of the room. Meanwhile, Dalton shouldered his way through the door and started for the steps.

“Secure this floor. I’m goin’ on ahead,” he didn’t stop while saying this, and disappeared before Harper could respond. She had little choice but to finish exterminating this place herself.