In the Zone

In the Zone is the seventh chapter in the series and continues directly after the chapter 'A jolly good nuclear winter'. It is set in the wastelands of North America after the nuclear holocaust. The chapter continues to follow Staff Sergeant Daniel Callahan and the survivor’s journey through Oklahoma into Arizona as they struggle to survive against starvation and dehydration.

Story Late August, the 29th, 2014, Callahan and the survivors continue their long journey to the Green Zone in the Rocky Mountains region of North America. Their journey has costed them many lives and valuable supplies.

The survivors have managed to escape the nuclear-winter affected areas of Oklahoma and have passed through into the blue sky-sun lit areas of Arizona. However, quickly enough, they find themselves battling the intense heat instead of the unforgiving low temperatures of the cold.

Their route takes them through the barren wasteland through into a small abandoned town known as Pedley. Since their trek into Arizona, a horde of ZA1 infected track them down and approaches their position. The soldiers have been suspecting an attack by the infected but didn’t exactly estimate that they’d eventually be attacked near the Green Zone.

Infected intervention
With the weight of the affects of starvation, dehydration, lack of energy, and pale focus, the survivors’ sensors are somewhat impaired and the infected sneak up on them from the rear.

The lone soldier in the far rear is immediately killed with little to no chance of surviving the infected ambush. The gunfire alerts the rest of the survivors of the impeding threat of the infected. Callahan, suffering from the same exhaustions as the rest of the group, immediately focuses his sights on the rear as the unarmed survivors run ahead while the rest of the soldiers stand their ground.

The survivors are numerically inferior and their ammunition is scarce. The soldiers form a small skirmish line in hopes of controlling the situation and holding the infected at bay. They fight to the bitter end. Emptying magazine after magazine into the infected horde, killing countless infected.

However they quickly find themselves overrun and leapfrog back covering each team as they go. Although, in the physical and mental state that the soldiers are in at the present stage, some of them break out of coordination and find themselves fending for their own as the infected go after them.

As the survivors reach Pedley, they find themselves in immediate danger as the soldiers quickly die one by one. Eventually the situation becomes tangled up and everyone finds themselves fighting for their own lives in the mess.

Military intervention from F.O.B. Havenhel
Troops stationed at Forward Operating Base Havenhel in the Green Zone eventually arrive to assist the survivors after scout teams picked up on the survivors’ movements nearly a day ago. The survivors have been watched by the scouts and have constantly been discussed whether or not they should be eliminated for the safety of the government rebuilding in the region.

After several discussions between the government and Colonel Dallas Lionel commanding from F.O.B. Havenhel, they receive orders to retrieve and move the survivors to safety to F.O.B. Havenhel.

A small motorized team including a UH-1 Huey is dispatched to intercept the survivors and the infection. Eventually the motorized team reaches the survivors at Pedley and dismounts quickly, engaging the infected and hastily eliminating the infected threatening the survivors.

In addition to the soldiers being dispatched from F.O.B. Havenhel, an air strike has been ordered to pacify the remaining infected horde still catching up to the battle at Pedley. The battle comes to an end, after the air strike evaporates the remaining infected horde and the worn out survivors that had travelled from Oceanside City, Florida, are taken into safety by the government rebuilding in the Green Zone.

