All in the garage

I have no vids this time. The only ones I can get are just a tiny fraction, and don't have much to show. But here's the latest stuff I saw.

Well, the feeds came back up. The tent reappeared, with just Lenny, about 13hrs after they went down last time. He didn't have much in the way of sound, at first, and he kept cutting out, but it settled a bit eventually. Still, we got a picture and a quote from Lenny that he seems to approve of:

Poor guy, he had no clue what was going on with anyone. He'd come back to try and save Vic by fighting the Infected, and somehow survived - but he blacked out and has no idea how.

Chatters remind him of his theory that the Infected were repelled by the weed smoke.

So Boosh reappeared, toting a bunch of munchies. Turns out he'd seen some of the Infected, climbed a tree to wait them but, and dozed off! The guy was so high, he just slept right through. Lenny and us chatters, we had to tell him what was going on, break the news about Maple.
They smoked some, talked some random stuff - recast the Matrix with stoners, compared zombies to terrorists and explained how getting high was fighing them, that sort of thing. There was dancing when a chatter turned up some music. Also in the tent Lenny and Boosh find out that Rose has slept with Peter despite being married to Renaldo, and also that they had kissed while Renaldo had been lost somewhere outside, and aren't sure what to do with the information.

A little while later the garage returned. They seemed to pop in and out of the chat a couple of times, but we got a live feed again, and they eventually made it back into chat too. Rose, Renaldo and Peter are all fine, asking about the guys ni the tent. Then they asked us to tell Lenny and Boosh to pack up and hightail it over to the garage where they'd be safer and the 5 of them would be together. So the two in the tend did that and headed out.

Over in the garage, they were trying to figure out plans but mostly butting heads as nobody can decide what to do.
They need food, water, fortifications, and a long-term plan. None of this is particularly forthcoming because none of them can focus enough. Whenever they start talking again, mostly Rose looks frustrated while Renaldo and Peter argue over what to do. Eventually Rose turns to chatters and asks them to help her make some plans, which we try to do.

Renaldo, meanwhile, is not looking good. He reveals he's an Iraq war vet, and he's struggled with PTSD ever since he got back. What he's had to do - killing the Infected, being under siege, everything, it's bringing it back again. Rose asks chatters to help, ut Renaldo doesn't really seem to hear - he's retreating into himself, shaking, and he won't sit still despite looking like he's about to collapse.

After Lenny and Boosh arrive, Rose and Renaldo head off to get water from the creek before it gets dark - but only after Rose swears to do exactly as Renaldo orders her to, if ther is any trouble.

Lenny and Boosh confront Peter about Rose, and Peter explains a little - Rose and Renaldo have an open marriage, Renaldo knows, etc. Nothing really gets resolved.

In the garage they find some rope and Peter goes outside to set a basic trap - to help keep the zombies at a bit of a distance.

Rose soon returns, but either Renaldo or any water.
Renaldo has snapped completely, she tells us: he thinks he's back in Iraq, and everyone but him is an enemy combatant. But still his last order to Rose was for her to run to safety, which she has done.

At this point we also discover that Peter has also vanished again.

Rose wants to go hunting for Renaldo but is repeatedly begged not to by everyone else - in the garage and on chat.

Lenny and Boosh ask her about Peter, and she talks to them honestly. They tell her PEter is not well liked and, trying to explain why, Boosh brings up an analogy of throwing someone under the bus. He thinks Peter would let someone die, or even throw them under the bus, in order to save himself - something backed up by actions of his so far.
Rose is unsure what to make of this and Boosh asks the chatters, who agree: Peter may try to help others, but he will always save himself first, at the expense of anyone else - even Rose.

A set of rules is also drawn up which they are supposed to follow to stay safe: No going outside alone, not going outside at night, always keep weapons handy, etc.

She listens to Lenny and Boosh as they explain their plans to escape the farm during daylight and seems agreeable.

Rose seems to accept that she can't go after Renaldo but spends a lot of time persuading everyone into the idea of letting her step outside, with Boosh and with weapons, for long enough just to look and shout for Renaldo and Peter, then dive back in.

As she refuses to give the idea up, eventually Lenny, Boosh and chatters accept that she will do it, and offer help for them all staying safe.

What actually happens is that Lenny opens the door, Rose and Boosh step outside, and Rose sprints off into the night.
Lenny and Boosh spot that she has added her own addedum to the rules, ordering them to keep each other safe and apologising for what she's just done.

Lenny and Boosh, after they calm down, sit and try to make plans. They want to get off the farm, but without running into more trouble. Waiting until daylight, hoping some of the others come back to them, etc.

Peter returns and casually explains that he had walked down to a hole in the fence to check how easily repairable it was, for them to fortify the farm some more.

There is noise outside, both human and Infected.

The live cam is turned to the window where, Lenny lifting to covering, we can see Infected outside, but hear Rose and Renaldo at the door.

Peter opens the door a crack, Rose darts in, and the door is closed before Infected can enter.

Peter leans against the door and refuses to open it, for fear of letting something else in with Renaldo. He is too strong for Rose to drag out of the way.
At the window, Infected seem to be gathering outside, we can all hear them groaning.

Suddenly Renaldo begins to shout, as if being attacked. The tenor of his voice changes and he trails off into silence.
Rose tries again to get past Peter, who still refuses to move. She drops to the floor in tears.

Again, the feed cuts off. Nothing since.

Where Vic is? We don't know.
Cesar? We didn't get confirmation, but we think he's one of the Infected that Vic escaped from.
Jefe? Still nothing, no contact.
CQ? Other than being female and working there we haven't got any info about her either except that she's not been seen either.

Maple? We've seen nothing since Peter shot the video of her getting bitten.

There was a theory discussed that the weed plants may have contained the virus: that some were able to develop an immunit to that lesser strain, but others were susceptible and may have succumbed: these would be the first zombies. If any of this has been shipped elsewhere already, it could explain the wide range of outbreaks across the world.
If the strain of the virus, once taken hold of those who were susceptible, then mutated into something stronger, it could explain what's happening, and also why the weed smoke may repel them: the mutated strain could simply be incompatible with the weaker strain.

Research: still happening.
Governments: still publicly denying but privately working together to try and work this out.

Where am I with all this? Well, I think we need to test the thery of weed smoke repelling the zombies. When Rose darted out, she did so after having been purposely covered in smoke by Lenny and Boosh. Did that help keep her safe? They certainly seem to back off from it.

It's clear by now I don't like Peter so much. I think he will get more people killed than saved.
I love Lenny and Boosh, but I fear they aren't survivor material. So far luck and weed has been their guide though, so I hope it continues.
I really wish Vic would turn up again. She's tough, and I think they'll need her, especially if Renaldo is gone now.
Rose...I like Rose, but what she did - running off - even I was having trouble defending that one to the chatters and I've done my best so far to stay on her side, about Peter and everything.

Every time I try to throw my detachment back in place, I just drop it. I officially give up. I just want to find a way to keep everyone safe, and some way to fix this.

The Freeom Farm? I have no idea. I'm writing this while waiting for the feed to come back, having driven down to London and taken a stop for lunch with friends before I continue down to where my parents are.

My parents

Like I said before, I've driven down from Nottingham to London, stopped for some food with friends before I head out to get my parents.

They were on holiday, they missed whatever kicked all this off. They got back and I called and begged them not to go home, but they point blank refused. Even after they saw what was happening in places near them, they still said no - they wanted to be at home.

Last night, sometime before the feeds came back up, I heard from them telling me the infection has reached their little town. I asked them to get out - they said no, they wanted to hole up in their place and see what happened. They scoffed at me saying I'd come down, told me to stay put. I told them to text or call me, every hour, as long as they could.

So I waited. The Farm freds came back and I stayed with them, waiting. I got that text every hour. I got one phone call telling me the power was failing. I got nothing else.

I waited until daytime, figured they might have gone to sleep, they'd text me as soon as they woke up, and I'd tell them I was coming down - whether they liked it or not. But nothing.

Then those feeds went down again, Renaldo, everything...

Yeah, so I jumped in my car. Then I jumped back out again to pack some supplies and some weapons. Then I jumped back in. The traffic was awful. Going through some of the places I have to go through, I saw my first Infected up close and personal. I saw some things I really, really wish I hadn't seen and will not be describing here.

But I got down here. I was so hungry I was barely able to drive but fotunately my friends were here, holed up waiting for news. This far into London the infection hasn't reached yet, at least not this section of it.

They have food, which I'm wolfing down as I type, and they've told me to bring my parents here. I don't know about that. They have two kids. I love those kids, and I don't want them stuck with more people if they need to move fast.

But I still haven't heard from my parents. So I'll take the offer and see what they say. When I get there.

Off in a few minutes, soon as my phone and laptop are charged. I hope mum and dad are ok.

If there's anyone out there near Furnace Wood, if you can tell me anything - please get in touch. My parents are Elena and Mick State. I have my phone and all, so comment here, email immerchar@gmail.com, tweet @TrudyState. Tell me anything, offer to help, whatever. I need to get to my parents and know they're ok.

Ep 1 - official update

We'll find them again, about 13hrs after the generators went down - Episode 2 starts 3pm PST/6pm EST/11pm GMT

The first sighting

The sound and quality of the videos is pretty awful, and some of the video didn't record at all, I think maybe it's the connection at their end. Sorry about the bad or lack of sound and the lack of anything at all in some cases, there's not much I can do.

One of the guys, Peter, when he saw Maple being attacked, he stopped and took a video on his phone. For what it's worth you may as well see it:

I admit I lost my cool somewhat at Peter for this. Not helping, not running, getting out your phone and recording...I didn't say half the things I was thinking but I said a few.
There's a reason I work freelance. Got fired from every journo job I ever got for letting my emotions guide my story - including abandoning it to help someone. Funny how the same people then buy my stories for a fortune...but that's not the point.
Point is - I can only remain so detached for so long. But I'm trying.

Somebody has to tell this story. The offers for exclusives are coming in and being turned down. Everybody needs to see this story. If - when - governments get involved, the more people watching the better they have to behave. More than that, there may be something in here that can help somehow. Even if not, it's important that the story be told. People are dying and that should never be left unseen, unsaid, unmourned.

In the garage,they mostly stuck to barricading, making weapons. Nothing can get in there right now.
Mostly it's been Peter, Rose and Renaldo. There's some...stuff going on between those three which I think is affecting what happens. Rose and Renaldo are married, but she and Peter are...close. Both of the guys are doing a certain amount of alpha male jealousy, while Rose tries to explain - including recruiting the chatters to try and understand.
But - that stuff may be affecting the behaviour of the two guys: their willingness to go into danger, etc. I hope they get that under control. But, that's the worst we've seen in there. They have makeshift weapons and barricades and are probably the safest people on the property right now, as long as they quit going outside,

In the tent, they're not so lucky.
Maple managed to get a quick camera shot (no sound) of one of the Infected outside, maybe trying to get in through the canvas. That was fairly freaksome to watch...

The last I saw of the folks at the Farm, Renaldo had appeared in the tent carrying the head of an Infected he killed. That's one of the bits where the recordings dropped out, but trust me - it was pretty gruesome.

He later bolted back out, we assume towards the garage where his wife Rose was with Peter.
Rose took some persuading but eventually stayed put instead of going to look for him, putting herself in danger not being what he would want.
Lenny had shot out of the tent, leaving Vic asleep, and one by one 3 Infected appeared. They wandered the tent, touched stuff, moaned, were generally very creepy. When Vic woke she managed, we think, to very quickly slide under the table when none of them were looking.

The feeds went down at this point and haven't been back up since.

So where are we right now? This thing, whatever it is, is spreading. The rumour mill is currently mostly exaggeration, for now, but some smaller places are starting to vanish off the radar. Whether that's just because things are going down or because there's no people left, I don't know yet.
What are the people who are supposed to be doing helpful things actually doing? Best I can tell,. running around after their own tails with no more idea of what's actually happening than we have. But their scientists are getting somewhere, here's what I got as of today:

Incubation period once infected can be up to a few hours before you become unrecognisable as yourself. It starts eating away at your brain a lot faster than that, but there' a point of no return where the infection hits the central primal system, and eradicated whatever memories or personality were left. That's when someone infected begins to get violent, and cross from Person into Infected.
Right now they don't have a cure, haven't found anything that even slows it down, and it looks like everyone may be susceptible.

There does seem to be some sort of basic communication between Infected - whether there's a hierarchy. an Alpha/pack system, don't know yet, but research is happening into how they work - and therefore into how they can be stopped, or people can at least remain safe.
There are some obvious things: no loud noises, if you see one run, don't engage unless you have to but if you must then something sharp into the soft section above the temple seems to work - as does crushing the same spot with something heavy. Destroying the remaining motor functions seems to stop them dead.

What they want, what their motivation is - don't know. They don't seem to seek out people to bite, but they also won't back off once they see you so, again, just keep well away.

Got any more infos (actual stuff, please, rumours do nobody any good) - comment here, email, tweet @TrudyState.
Trying to make this a place for two things:
To show the bravery of those people up at the Freedom Farm, and to support them, and ask you to do the same.
To keep up with what's happening, as well as I can, with as much factual info as I can.
Join me, and maybe we can do something useful.

Reap day gone wrong

It should have been the day for the residents and workers of the Freedom Farm to reap their weed, smoke out, and relax. Instead they wound up hiding from...well, something.

Reports remain unclear and unconfirmed. I'm not going to say zombies. There MAY be a viral-type infection, spread by bodily fluid. As yet there are unsubstantiated rumours and sightings ONLY.

Up at the Farm, some people are unaccounted for, others have been seen looking infected.

People keep insisting on disappearing out of their safe places, usually on their own. Clearly these aren't the smartest stoners in the world. Some are currently missing after leaving alone.

I'm being sent tips, reports, all sorts. I'm being offered  articles, work, etc. For some reason no other journalists seem to be in this feed. I don't know why, or if they are and I just don't know. But I want what I'm seeing here, whatever it is, to be available to everyone - so I'm turning down all the work, and I'm gonna put everything I can up here.

Right now we have Lenny in the "party" tent, with Maple and Boosh who were there but left, separately and alone, and are currently missing.
A lady I've not met called Victoria is unaccounted for, as is another possibly called CQ.
In the garage is currently Rose and Renaldo, Peter was there but left on his own.

A little while after I got here, at almost midnight my time, so I guess 4pm their time over in California, Peter who had been out raced back in with some video of two of the workers looking infected.
The tent has seen some freaky looking shadows on the canvas, but nothing concrete.

4hrs into this now, I think. Some of the guys are getting punchy, some insecurities are coming out, there's a few friendly chatters though.

Trying to remain disconnected. It's hard, though. I know I have to, as a reporter and all, but I want these folks to be ok.

If I can help them or others by openly spreading the word, that's what I'll do. It's probably all I can do. Whatever this is it's real - there is something, I think - it's not zombies, but it's something.

Also - if the sightings/rumours/etc coming through the wire are anything to go by, whatever it is - it's not isolated. Not to the Farm. Not to California. Not to the US...

A few of my questions so far:
What is it? If it is, as seems most likely, a viral infection, can there be a cure?
Drugs seem unlikely, given the spread - but drug or viral warfare? Could that be a possibility?
I believe there are people dissecting and researching those who have already died. It seems that disrupting the motor functions by crushing the skull or stabbing into the forehead are workable solutions. It also seems certain that this thing acts like an aggressively fast and violent-causing form of alzheimers: removing memories, personality, leaving only the feral primitive.

All of this is hearsay, there is NOTHING CONCRETE yet about any of it. What caused it, where it came from, how it works, what it is, if there's immunity.
What's the incubation period? We don't know yet, nobody has started counting at the moment of somebody coming into contact with infected bodily fluid yet.

Got info? Got videos? Got news? Got tips? Email me: immerchar@gmail.com. Tweet me: @trudystate Or drop a comment below one of these posts.

Zombies? Really?

I keep hearing things about zombies at this Freedom Farm place.

Looks like those rumours are starting off in one place - some people calling themselves "Immerverse". They're posting stuff on twitter and on facebook, telling people zombies are taking over the place.

It'd be a funny joke if I didn't already have people telling me that they're losing contact with people up there. If people are dying, these 'Immerverse' jokes aren't just boring, they're tasteless too. If they know what's going on and are still aking these jokes, then I vote for doxing their crude little asses.

I don't know what's happening. People are losing touch with those they're sure should be there. People are hearing things which sound pretty bad. Nobody seems to be able to get close.

Send me info, let's find out what's happening over there!

Freedom Farm?

Rumours are reaching me of a place called the "Freedom Farm".
The rumours are telling me that something terrible is about to happen there.

I have created this blog because I believe those rumours, and I believe that a voice will be required, one that can speak up and tell the world what's happening.

Stay tuned. I'll be posting here with new info whenever I can.