Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2016 9:39:50 GMT -5
Crouched on a ridge, a lone figure peered across the joining of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers at the city skyline before him. It had been nearly two years since he had been here, and warmer. Snow fell with a muted silence around him as his breath came out in great clouds. Brad rubbed his hands together for warmth as he studied Interstate 35W below and across the river. It appeared to be passable, with only four of the five lanes choked with burnt out vehicles. He imagined the mass exodus out of Minneapolis as the city of 350,000 fled the terrors of the dead. Unfortunately, with St. Paul, Bloomington, and the population of the other suburbs, this area of roughly 500 square miles was tipping the 1 and a half million people mark. That was before death visited this place.
From his first trip back, Brad knew the city was a death trap. However, he had visited in the summer. As he walked back to the Rochester Police interceptor, he knew things would be different. Cold froze the dead like statues, making trips into big cities like this easier, especially above the snowline. He already confirmed these suspicions in Rochester. Formally a city of more than 100,000, he had only encountered thawed walkers in buildings and underground, where they were partially protected from the cold. And cold it was. February in Minnesota brought two temperature extremes. It could be as warm as sixty, or as cold as -30. Air temp today was hovering near the middle, around a balmy 15 degrees. Being from the state, Brad was well prepared, and enjoyed the cold. There was also about three feet of snow on the ground, which Brad bullied through leaving Fort Snelling. He rolled onto the windswept Highway 62, following it towards 35W. He looked to his left, checking out the remains of the airport as he passed. He could see most of it was burnt out by fire, as several jets had struck it back in the collapse. The air force base was relatively untouched, but Brad could see piles of spent shell casings everywhere, from what would have been an AC-130. Maybe they were flying sorties around the city during the fighting? Brad wondered as he hopped the ramp onto 35W, and cruised north towards downtown.
He progressed slower now, weaving in and out of vehicles and watching the tall structures above him. US Bank Plaza, TCF Towers, Accenture Tower, IDS Tower, all were burnt out skeletons. He could see the US Bank stadium had burned down, and the U of M TCF Field was a frozen cauldron of blood. No, Brad was looking for the Radisson Blue, a hotel in Downtown. He had gotten a tip from another survivor that a group cleared the building and tried to survive in it. They fell to disease from within, but they managed to seal all the doors before they died. Which meant Brad would only have to deal with a dozen or so walkers, instead of thousands. Just as he imagined crawling into a warm bed and having a good nights rest, Brad was in front of it. He stopped the interceptor and got out, peering upwards at the tall structure. He approached the front door and gave it a tug. It didn't budge. Of course it wasn't going to be that easy. So, he returned to his car and grabbed a crowbar, and started around the alley to see if he could break in to a side entrance somewhere.