Carson lifted his radio. “Command, come in. We have a problem.”
<><><><>
Galena, IL
The strange but pleasant and overwhelming smell of bacon was what woke Yates from a sound sleep. He caught the aroma while he slumbered in his small tent on top of the EPEV. At first he thought maybe it came from Galena, since they were parked right down the road, then he realized it was Zeus who was playing master chef on the exterior, pull out stove.
They arrived the night before, it was late, taking the rare chance and driving into the night. But there was a debate between the Eliminators if anyone was even in the town. Had they all died since they communicated with Center City?
Galena was, like Center City, located ideally for secluded survival. Nestled between a river and a large hill side, a huge flood gate, thick and high blocked the entrance where they had arrived. It was late, sure, but not past midnight.
They knocked, called out, and even beeped.
Not only did it not summon any dead, it didn’t summon a response from the town either.
Rigs placed a call to Center City Command in hopes they could find out, which included a call to Command in St. Louis.
St. Louis had been in constant communication with them and didn’t understand what the issue was that they weren’t opening the door. Especially since they knew the Flaming Saffrons were arriving.
Command, too, wondered if things fell apart.
It happened that way in towns, fast and furious.
Perhaps the dead were locked behind the gate.
Surely, someone would be on watch.
They discussed it for a while before all of them turned in. With the smell of bacon, Rigs knew it was time to get his wits and with the rest of the team, attempt to get into the town.
If Zeus made bacon maybe he made coffee, Yates thought. It was hard to tell. The smell of bacon drowned out all scents, and Rachel smoking like a chimney the night before doubled his normal morning stuffiness.
Chilled, Yates grabbed his jacket, crawled from the tent and climbed down the EPEV.
He jumped down the last two rungs of the vehicle’s ladder.
“You’re cooking woke me. Am I the first one up?” Yates asked Zeus.
“No, I am.”
“I mean … Rigs? Rachel? Kasper?”
“Kasper doesn’t really sleep.” Zeus paused in turning the bacon and used the tongs to point.
Yates looked and jumped..
Kasper just stood in the shadows staring.
“Fucking freaky,” Yates said.
Kasper laughed. “I knew it would get you.” He walked near Zeus. “Good call, Dude.”
“Asshole,” Yates said. He looked to the sky, it was starting to get light. “So, what’s with the predawn feast?”
“I’m hungry,” Zeus replied. “We all ate an early supper and I figured …” he started to put the bacon on a plate. “If there are people in there. They’ll respond once they smell the bacon.”
“Wait, are you … are you telling me the reason you’re making bacon is to lure the survivors of Galena?’
“Yep.” Zeus nodded. “Nothing carries like bacon.”
“That’s absurd,” Yates said.
“Dude, it’s a good idea.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Yeah, it is,” Kasper argued.
“Everyone loves bacon,” Zeus said.
“No. No they don’t.” Yates shook his head. “There are people who not only dislike it but hate the smell of it.”
“Who?” Zeus asked.
“I don’t know,” Yates replied. “People.”
“People love the smell of bacon,” Zeus said. “My idea will work. The smell carries.”
There was a squeaking sound and the side door to the EPEV opened. Rigs walked out. “Man, that smells good. Tell me you made coffee.”
“I did.” Zeus smiled and looked at Yates. “See, everyone loves the smell.”
“Oh my God,” Rachel groaned out as she stepped from the EPEV. “Why am I smelling bacon? I hate that stuff.”
“See?” Yates said.
“Still,” Zeus said. “Love it or hate it. The smell is waking people.”
“Dude,” Kasper said. “It woke you.”
“Yes, it did. But …” Yates swung out his arm, pointing to the closed flood gates. “No one responded last night. They’re all dead in there. So unless zombies suddenly acquired a love for bacon, those gates aren’t opening.”
The loud clanking sound precluded the long squeal of metal.
Yates turned his head to see the flood doors of Galena open.
A man sheepishly walked out. “Morning. Is that bacon I smell?”
Yates dropped his arm and looked at Zeus.
Zeus grinned widely.
<><><><>
Center City, WV
Liz knew it was an abuse of power, but she wanted to get started for the day. It was the anniversary of her family’s death, and she just wanted to get her work done then go back to her apartment and sulk.
Starbucks had just opened its doors and already the line was twenty people deep.
The sky was barely light and the golden glow of the lights inside of Starbucks were welcoming.
“Excuse me,” Liz said apologetically. “I am so sorry. Can I just … get up front. I have so much work to do.”
Everyone knowing that she was the president, graciously stepped aside so she could get her latte.
It was wrong.
She knew it.
She should have waited in line. But perhaps fate played a role in her selfish decision to ‘cut’ the line.
She received her vanilla latte and asked for a straw so her lipstick didn’t smudge.
Sipping the drink, she pushed the door, stepped outside and stopped.
The wet slurping sound caught her attention, and lips still encompassing the straw, Liz shifted her eyes to her left.
On the sidewalk, not ten feet from her, an undead dined on the midsection of what Liz figured was a potential Starbucks customer wearing a bright purple blouse.
Her reaction was a barely audible gasp, but in the early morning it was loud enough to draw the attention of the dead.
The creature lifted its head, guts and blood dripped from its jaw. The poor woman who lay victim on the sidewalk was still alive. She turned her heard and coughed out blood.
“Help me.”
Liz would have had the undead creature not decide to stop mid meal and lunge for her.
Still clutching her latte, Liz spun and raced to the door. She flung it open and raced back inside.
She had no choice but to drop the latte and grab the door handle, holding it with all her might as the undead fought to get inside.
“Someone,” Liz shouted. “Someone, help!”
The door rattled, the independent acoustic sounding music played, and Liz held on. Eventually someone would help hold that door, because she knew it wouldn’t be long before she lost that battle and Starbucks would become a feasting ground.
FOURTEEN – MIDWEST UNREST
Galena, IL
Rigs found it amusing. He stood in his standard pose, arms folded, watching the back and forth between Zeus, Yates and the Galena man.
“Just one piece,” the Galena man requested.
Zeus would lift a piece of bacon and Yates would grab it and eat it.
“Just one tiny piece,” the man asked again.
And again, Zeus tried to give him one only to be intercepted by Yates.
“What is your problem?” Galena man asked Yates.
“My problem? My problem is we tried to get in here last night.”
“Yeah.”
“We yelled, we beeped, we radioed, hell, I even pulled out my guitar and played Hunka Burning love …”
“Good job by the way,” Galena man said.
“Why didn’t you answer?”
“In case you were marauders.”
“Are you kidding me? You’re kidding
me, right? Marauders. If we were bad guys would we have knocked? Played music.”
“Hey now, who knows what tactics the bad guys of today use.”
“You’re right.” Yates nodded. “And I am a bad guy because there are three pieces of bacon left and …” he swiped them from the plate. “You’re out of luck.”
“You’re in luck,” Rachel said brightly as she stepped from the EPEV. “I just checked supply. We have plenty. So no groveling to these assholes.” She extended two packs of preserved bacon.
Yates intercepted. “No. No, you don’t.”
“Yes, yes, I do,” Rachel said. “There are ten packs. Five of us means two packs each. I hate bacon so he can have mine.”
“Rigs.” Yates called his attention. “You’re commander, make the decision.”
“Technically, it’s the food person,” Rigs replied. “Zeus picked up the supplies he makes the call.”
“Then I say …” Zeus took the packs from Rachel. “Give it to him.”
“Yes!” The Galena man clenched his fist and happily took the packs.
Yates groaned. “Can we at least go and see your town?”
“No.”
“No?” Yates repeated.
“No, they said no strangers,” Galena man said. “Especially with one of those.” He pointed to Kasper.
Rachel gasped. “You bigoted dick. Discriminating against my friend.”
“Dude, you suck,” Kasper said.
Galena man gasped. “It talks? Holy shit.”
Again, Rachel gasped in offense. “It? It?”
Yates nodded at her. “And you freely gave up the bacon.”
Rachel reached for it.
“Can’t.” Galena man pulled back. “No give backs. And I’m sorry guys. Take the scientist. This not letting you in isn’t my call. I’d let you. It’s out of my hands.”
“Yes, it is,” Zeus took a step forward and grabbed the bacon. He moved closer to the man. “Try to get it off of me.”
“Aren’t you the bully.” Galena man shook his head. “Reiterating why we don’t let people in.”
“Okay.” Rigs waved out his hand. “Alright. Everyone on the EPEV. We’ll head out. Sir, if you could just hurry Miss Levine along …”
“Doctor,” the deeper woman’s voice corrected. “It’s Doctor Levine.”
Rigs turned to the woman walking toward the EPEV. She was middle aged, with long gray-blonde hair. It was wavy and wild. She had a stern face and didn’t smile. She carried a large duffel style bag over her shoulder and a silver briefcase that looked identical to the one Kasper had with his injection. It had to be medical. Stephanie Levine looked ready to go. She didn’t dress like a doctor, in fact, she wore those stretch pants that clung to her legs and a longer tee shirt to hide her apple shape. The first thing that crossed Rigs’ mind when he saw her was ‘thank God a woman who isn’t vain in the apocalypse’. He wouldn’t tell Rachel he thought that, surely she would call him her stock name of ‘sexist’.
“Can I help you with that, Dr. Levine?” Rigs asked.
“Thank you.” She handed him the duffle bag.
“Can I carry the case?”
“No. No. Thank you.” She clutched it to her chest, “I have this. Thank you.”
“The cure?”
“And recipe,” she replied. “Is this my transportation?”
“It is.”
“Very nice.” She walked to the door. “And you are?”
“Rigs. Jeremiah Rigs, the commander.”
“I look forward to meeting you all on board, Commander Rigs. Just please …” she looked over her shoulder. “Get me away from this place. Hopefully to someplace safe and somewhat normal.”
“Absolutely.” Rigs replied and watched her board the EPEV. If safe and somewhat normal was what she wanted, then Center City was about as close to normal as she was going to get and without a doubt, it was safe.
<><><><>
Center City, WV
What started out as one undead, turned into ten. All of them formed a wall, pressing against the window at Starbucks, their mouths gnawing at the glass as if they could actually bite those inside.
The door was barricaded and locked and Liz stood there watching.
It reminded her of the one time her son worked at Starbucks and they let Liz in early to get her drink. The customers lined up outside, that day, staring in the windows, angry that Liz was in there.
“Mrs. President.” A young barista handed her a cold, frothy beverage with whipped cream. “Here you go.”
“Oh, thank you Staven.” Liz excepted the beverage and took a drink of the frozen delight. “Wonderful, this is what I needed right now.” She turned from the undead at the window and faced the crowd in Starbucks.
They looked at her for answers and Liz just didn’t have any.
“Has anyone checked the back?” a patron asked, “Maybe we can get out that way.”
“No,” Liz said abruptly. “Leaving is not safe. It’s not safe for you or anyone that remains in here.”
“What happened?” someone asked.
“I don’t know. But we all knew this was possible. I wish …” Liz felt the vibration come from her handbag. She knew it was the satellite phone. “Give me a second maybe I’ll have answers now.” She pulled the phone from her purse and answered it. “This is the president.”
“Ma’am this is General Morrows.”
Liz walked to the window, out of earshot of the others. She knew they didn’t want to get anywhere near the window. “What’s going on? Talk to me.”
“The breach originally occurred at the thirty-eight street bridge. We got overrun. More than my men could handle,” Morrows told her. “They weren’t all from the holding center either.”
“How many are there?”
“There were a couple hundred.”
“Were, as in you have been taking them out?” Liz asked.
“We’re trying. But I have no idea where the other ones in town are coming from. We have the bridge ones, the river ones …”
“The river?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Morrows replied. “We have them coming from the river and there seem to be some that originated in town. Fresh, very fresh. We think someone turned last night and did some damage, you know how fast this thing moves.”
“Could … it have started at Dr. Stevens?”
“We thought that. We’ve just sent a man over there. He’s not answering. It’s early, he’s probably sleeping.”
“Do you know what you want to do?” Liz asked.
“Our plan is to corner the outbreaks and try our hardest not to destroy the town.”
“We’ve warned people to stay inside?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am, but …
“I know that. I just …” Liz sighed out then the undead man at the window caught her attention. He was fresh like Morrows had mentioned. His face had a huge gaping hole from his check bone to his jaw. His teeth showed, his shirt was saturated and his bloody hands squeaked against the window as he looked like he was trying to talk to her. But she knew, he was biting air. “You look familiar.”
“Ma’am?”
“I’m sorry, General. I’m at Starbucks. I’m trapped inside and we have undead blocking us in.”
“Shall I do a rescue?” General Morrows asked.
“No, concentrate on the hoards and block the source,” Liz replied. “Get ahold of the Eliminators that are in range. Pull them in to help.”
“Sweep teams as well?”
Liz paused before answering. Once again the undead man drew her attention. “Why do I know you?”
“Ma’am, I’m sorry, what are you talking about? I asked if you wanted Sweep teams.”
“They’re destructive so hold off on Sweep teams unless needed. I just … there’s a stiff before me. Half his face is gone and it’s hard to tell … Fuck! Fuck!” Liz stomped her foot.
“What’s wrong?”
“Forget about Dr. Stevens,” she said. �
��I found him. Suffice to say …” Liz stared at the revived and undead Dr. Stevens, “I think it started at his place. Go check on Fred the Eliminator there.”
“Roger that, Ma’am.”
Liz hung up. She was sad that such a good man like Dr. Stevens had succumbed to a violent form of the virus, but she was also angry and frustrated. Dr. Stevens worked hard on that virus, he was a source of hope for those who turned. Now that was gone, with any luck his research wasn’t. At least, The Flaming Saffrons were retrieving the brilliant Stephanie Levine. Hopefully, when she arrived, not only would she be able to make heads or tails out of Dr. Stevens’ research, but there would be a Center City left for her to work in.
<><><><>
Stephanie Levin, lowered the stethoscope, then placed it on the kitchen table in the EPEV. “Well, thank you Kasper,” she said. “For coming out of the shadows and letting me examine you.”
“I wasn’t sure how you would handle me.”
“Please. I’m a professional.”
“As a professional,” Rachel said. “What do you think?”
“He has a heartbeat, blood pressure, respiration, by all intents and purposes he is alive.”
“But still,’ Yates added, “dead-ish.”
“In a sense.” She looked at Rachel. “You said he gets injections.”
“Everyday, yes,” Rachel nodded. “I have a case, like yours actually, but it has his daily doses.”
“And you don’t know what’s in them?” Stephanie asked.
“No. I don’t. I just know he can’t go very long without one.”
“Then,” Yates said, “He’ll go from dead-ish to rather dead.”
“Dude.” Kasper shook his head.
“Unless,” Zeus said, “You cure him.”
“Yes.” Rachel smiled brightly. “We picked you up because Liz the president said you have a cure.”
“I have been working on one, yes,” Stephanie said. “Unfortunately, my cure doesn’t work on a virus caused by virus laden blood or saliva. It only works on the organic virus, the pure strain.”
The Eliminators | Volume 3 Page 12
