Entry 30

I was happy to see the zombies had finally wandered away from the collapsed staircase. There were still a couple where I could see them but they were not even looking towards my apartment. I let it get a bit brighter outside, double checked the windows, got the gun, grabbed the tools, and headed out to the walkway.

I used the front door of 205 to get outside. It was the closest to the stairs and just in case the zombies were watching my apartment they might not notice me. I crawled along the walkway on my hands and knees. With the walkway concealing me, the couple still there could not see me even if they happened to look in my direction. Once I reached the corner I carefully peeked around and then moved towards the staircase when I saw it was clear. I checked the walkway where 208-215 were, which was also luckily empty, and crawled over to the stairs.

Once I reached the edge of the stairs I saw there were a couple of zombies only about thirty to forty feet away. They were simply staring at a wall and did not seem aware I was around. I considered going back, but I remembered seeing they had a hard time navigating stairs in the past. Even if I did alert them to my presence I would have plenty of time to get back before they could climb the stairs. I started to get to work, keeping an eye on them.

I began trying to disconnect the upper stairs from the lower stairs as I did last time. These actually came out quietly and without as much effort as I expected. The set which held it to the walkway were a far different story. Even with the long socket wrench I could not make a single one budge. I pulled and pushed and fought with every ounce of my strength and they held fast. I was considering giving up when I remembered I had some spray for loosening bolts. I left the tools and turned to head back and clumsily bumped a wrench.

I spun around and reached for the wrench as I saw it tilt over the edge, but I was not fast enough. Instead my failure was announced to all zombies nearby as the wrench clattered down several stairs. I scrambled away from the stairway assuming they would be coming. Once I made it around the corner I turned around and listened to see if they were coming. Remarkably, I could not hear them climbing the stairs and after a couple uneasy minutes they had not yet stumbled up the stairs. I was not quite sure what to do so I headed back into the apartment and locked up.

I am quite confused by the zombies. The stairway collapse seemed to attract them so it made perfect sense the wrench noise would also. Yet it seemed they had either not known its origin or simply were not interested in it. I paced about thinking it over and in the end I drew a blank. I decided it was worth the risk to go back outside and spray the stuff on the bolts. Getting that stairway down would be the biggest step I could make towards being safe.

After ensuring none were on the walk outside I carefully opened the door and checked the walkway. With none in site I headed back to the staircase. My heart felt like it was ready to burst from my chest as I neared the corner. When I finally looked around the corner it was empty. I moved along to the staircase and somehow it too was free of zombies. I quickly sprayed the bolts and moved back from the edge.

The thirty minute wait suggested by the can was uneventful. Waiting somewhere where you are vulnerable and unable to relax is pretty miserable. The minutes pass so slowly as I waited uneasily for something to happen. Nothing did happen. After another check for any zombies I set to the bolts again.

They were still horribly tight but slowly one after another came loose until I had only one left. This time even as I began to cautiously remove the last bolt the stairway did not simply collapse. I even tried to wiggle it and it seemed perfectly strong. With one last tug the final bolt was completely out and the staircase did not budge. I tried to move it away from the walkway, side to side; I even tried pushing with my feet. It seemed just as attached as it was with all the bolts. I could not risk taking out the lower bolts and being trapped when the staircase fell.

I shoved the tools back into my pockets and headed back to the apartment. There was a crowbar in the utility room which I thought might help. Once I had it and had dropped off the other tools I headed back. I spent another half an hour trying to get the stairs to come free. Finally, I gave up. I had no idea what to do. Short of getting a big hammer and turning the stairway into a giant dinner bell I had done everything I could think off.

What the hell could be holding the stairway? The first one fell to the ground before the last bolt was free. I figured this one would be a bit more sturdy but after all the pushing and prying I thought it would have at least budged some. I have no idea what to do now. Unlike the staircase, my grand plan has already collapsed.