Republic of Merrimack (Apocalypse: 2012)

The Republic of Merrimack is a small sovereign nation located in the former state of New Hampshire. The nation, originally a small community of survivors, currently has influence over much of Hillsborough County, and the surrounding area.

Doomsday
When the call first arrived that nukes were on route to the United States mass hysteria broke out in the Boston area. Southern New Hampshire was stormed with refugees and people fleeing the east coast. In the newly constructed, local Merrimack Premium Outlets mall, news first reached the shoppers over television late December 21. The mall was heavily crowded with shoppers attempting to get last minute holiday shopping done, and when the news struck, and all-out panic ensued. At least two individuals were killed by cars speeding from the mall. Another shopper crashed into the Bloomingdale’s outlet. By late that night the highway was a virtual parking lot. The outlet mall, strategically placed off exit ten along the Everett Turnpike, was stormed by looters and desperate refugees fleeing the highway. Several shots were fired in the ensuing fighting, injuring at least five others. New Hampshire state police arrived off the highway in an attempt to establish order, stationing a dozen police officers near the Industrial Boulevard intersection. Fearing the worst, many chose to stay in the mall rather than face the chaos near Boston. Local shops inside the outlet mall were raided and filled with refugees, wall to wall. Others slept in the granite cliffside near the mall. Close to midnight the refugees huddled within the food court reported hearing several explosions miles away. After hours of anarchy and chaos, all was quiet.

Formation
Several hours of restless sleep ensued in the early hours of December 22. In the early morning several individuals were elected from the food court to scout the outlet mall remains. Several state police barricaded within Merrimack arrived into the mall, alerting the mall refugees that Nashua and Manchester had been hit, and possibly other sites. The city of Merrimack itself had sustained large scale damage during the night. Radiation poisoning spread rapidly through the south killing thousands more. As the day progressed individuals reemerged from the wreckage, rallying at the mall square. Later that night it became clear that no aid would arrive for quite some time, and that the mall inhabitants would have to establish a basic government to avoid falling into complete madness. Survivors met in the mall center on a patch of fake grass surrounded by children attractions, collecting votes on scraps of paper. After two recounts by several older inhabitants, Victor Schultz, retired retail buyer and church regular from Nashua was elected the first president of the newly proclaimed ‘Republic of Merrimack’.

Growth
Immediately after electing the first president, the townspeople also nominated a half dozen elders to serve on a legislative branch. The inhabitants then fell back to the food court where food was distributed evenly to each voter. During the next few days, President Schultz organized a small militia to restore order and reduce crime. Select stores were designated as sleep quarters, filling these quarters to the brim. The congested parking lot was looted. Cars were siphoned of gas to power heaters in the mall, and some are parked to block mall exits, creating a basic wall around the mall. The mall’s natural barriers and strategic location are used to the inhabitants’ best advantage. The mall, which rises several feet up from the highway below is surrounded by granite cliffs, helping to defend the settlement. The Everett Turnpike around Exit Ten is also barricaded. A steady flow of refugees trickled into the settlement over the next few days, filling the many sleeping quarters. Living conditions are low, and many already infected from radiation or disease add to the death count. Bodies are thrown off the granite walls into the forest below. On December 25 the inhabitants gathered once more in the center of the mall to celebrate Christmas. The event was a sad, yet uniting occasion, as the strangers gathered shoulder to shoulder around the small tables from the food court. President Schultz spoke to the people from the sidewalk in front of the Dairy Queen, urging the brave people of Merrimack to unite to remain strong. The inhabitants are handed out food looted from the mall and local stores, feeding many left hungry up until arriving at the mall.

Military
In the early days of the republic the military consisted entirely of militia from southern New Hampshire. As more equipment was looted from the Boston area the military was able to slowly be upgraded to a formidable fighting force. Consisting entirely of volunteers, many of whom former hunters, the army is noted for its effective guerrilla warfare and skirmish tactics. By late January of 2013 the army numbered about one hundred irregular soldiers.