Massacre at the Knoll

The survivors arrived at the staging area set in the courtyard behind Lind Hall. Unease hung heavy in the crowd. Most if not every person present had watched one of their friends succumb to infection, maybe even had to kill them. Still they gathered, despite the hordes wandering campus. A distress beacon was picked up by authorities and its location placed it near the Knoll Area. The gathered survivors were tasked with recovering and investigating the beacon in force, and formed up five abreast before the mission.

Coming across Church Street on Scholars' Walk, the militia encountered substantial numbers of infected and continued across to Vincent, where many survivors' nerves took over.

Cries rang out from the rear of the formation as a mob of infected charged.

"Oh my God, zombies! Fucking run!"

"Bail! Bail!"

Panic took over as the infected slammed into the survivors. No shots were fired as survivor after survivor fled the melee only to be chased down and mauled by other, more scattered infected. Those who hadn't given in to hysteria pushed forward and regrouped in the middle of the Mall Area on Scholars' Walk. The survivors pressed onward to Pleasant Street where again they were charged from behind, forcing a small run toward the objective, but the survivors were successful in repelling the attack.

With the objective in sight, the survivors crossed Pleasant Street and funneled into the narrow corridor between  Scott and Elliot Halls, where a horde lurked among the gardens. When the survivors were twenty feet from the beacon the horde charged from the left, causing a panic that forced HAVOC member Ryan out of formation where he was eviscerated while the rest of the survivors fought the onslaught. The slaughter continued until finally the survivors gained the upper hand when a man fired into the brutal combat, assisting the recovery mission.

The man brandished a chart of infection data and explained that he had been monitoring the infection. Hopefully, he explained, we could use this data to pinpoint the source of the infection and possibly develop a vaccine or cure.

Though the mission was successful the victory was bittersweet. The knowledge that has been obtained has come at a steep price. Many survivors were violently and swiftly cut down, severely diminishing our collective ability to outlast and survive the infection. I can only hope those remaining have what it takes to make it to the end, because we're going to need all the help we can get.

Many of the dead and missing have not yet been accounted for, and we'll most likely see the damage done at first light tomorrow. The count as of 2250 is as follows:

284 Healthy | 101 Estimated infected

Godspeed, survivors.