Entry 24

I have figured out how to be much safer. The other day I was considering barricading the whole apartment building to try and give myself space while making it more secure. Today, I had a similar but better idea. If I can remove the stairways I could empty out the bottom floors of supplies and abandon them. Then I could build a drawbridge like stairway or a ladder to get up and down. This way I could move throughout the upper two floors without any fear of them breaking through a barricade. I am pretty sure they could not climb up the walls. They could not physically get to me, making it safe!

Of course, it's a big plan and some parts I am not quite sure how to pull off. Getting to, and emptying the bottom apartments is a big problem. It is dangerous to get the supplies for the same reasons I wish to cut myself off from it. I am not sure how to do it without attracting any attention. I suppose I would not have to get those supplies before I took down the stairways. But afterwards it would be much harder to move anything large to the upper floors.

The whole point of removing the stairs is to isolate the upper floors without relying on barricades which the zombies could break through. The difficulty lies in how to take them down. There are two staircases which lead up and down the apartment floors. They are steel and concrete and attach to the walkways on the outside of the building on opposite corners. I have no idea how to take them apart, or if it is even possible.

Then comes the problem of building some way to get up and down from the second story that is zombie-proof. A ladder which could be pulled up is probably the simplest, but it is hard to carry anything up a ladder. A ramp would be easiest to carry goods up but would also be pretty hard to raise. A set of stairs would be complex and difficult to build. They would likely be very heavy so even if I figured out how to get the stairs down I could not lift them back up. All of this assumes I find a way to take down the existing stairs.

For the moment, barricading off the stairways might still be the best choice. Then once I make sure the apartments are clear on the second and third floors I will be able to move materials around freely. I will not need any more materials for the apartments so all the wood I find can be used for construction. With the stairs blocked off, I could safely get close enough to figure out how, or even if, I can take them down.

I believe my goal for the next few days will be to get enough wood and materials to barricade the stairways. I have to figure out how to do it quickly and quietly so they do not swarm me before the barricades are up. There could still be plenty of zombies on the second and third floors which could attack me from behind. Basically I have to take a big risk blocking the stairways. From then forward everything else will be much less risky.

I am going to have to go through more than apartments for the supplies I need. If I cut through the apartments in the opposite direction I have been going, I can reach the utility/maintenance room two doors down. To be safe I will move my bed and supplies next door and make the barricades work from both directions. This way I have an apartment to fall back into if things go bad in the next two apartments.

Knowing I will have a gun to protect myself makes me feel so much safer. If I can stop one with a spear, I should be very safe with the gun. It makes me not dread going into more apartments knowing I have it.

I have a plan now. Hopefully soon, the building will be safe. I can focus on gathering supplies without worrying as much about noise or barricades. If nothing else I feel better knowing I have a goal and a purpose. I finally have the drive to take control and start planning for the future.