Extinction Survival Series | Book 4 | Warrior's Fate

by Browning, Walt

  They did bring Lucas and his canine, Rex, with them. Having a dog was a big force multiplier. His nose kept them from walking into the infected. He’d lead their search.

  Camp Wilson was about a mile from the main base at Twentynine Palms. It housed the simulation training center for the mechanized Marine 1st and 4th Tank Battalions along with the training stations for Stryker and MRAP drivers. In its entirety, the base was the largest Marine Corps installation in the country. Unfortunately, most of the Corps had been lost in the early days of the viral infection. Now, the few remaining grunts had disappeared as well.

  Wilson was also the home of the Marines’ drone training facility. Most of the Corps’ unmanned craft were the handheld Ravens. The larger Shadows had been added just a few years before the Variants swept through the world.

  They decided to start here. This part of the base was more manageable to clear, and, most importantly, it was where the base’s radio communications had come from.

  Donaldson flared and landed on the base’s runway. The ramp dropped and the men hustled out and fanned into a circle as the Osprey lifted back into the air. Everly zipped overhead, reminding them that they had a guardian angel flying above.

  “All right. Let’s move,” Carver commanded.

  They formed a squad line, which was a long and shallow “V,” and advanced on the first hangar. The assault had been pre-planned, and each squad member knew their place. Their flanks had men carrying SAW machine guns. Their box-fed weapons could drain its 200-round magazine in less than a minute, although the barrel would need to be changed due to the incredible heat generated. Behind them, at each end, were Carver and Shader. Those two had leadership and were responsible for the men to their front. The rest of the “V” was a mixture of riflemen and grenadiers. The man at the tip of the arrow was Lucas, led by his war dog.

  Carver had been in that spot many times. Although it was the position most likely to encounter the enemy, it had the advantage of being out front where you could move without restriction.

  The landing strip was at the western edge of the base. Several SuperCobras sat idle on the landing pad nearby. There was nothing to their rear other than desert. All eyes were pointed forward.

  The sun was creeping into the heavens, and it promised to be another nice day. It was still midmorning, and the temperature was barely pushing sixty. It made wearing all their gear much more bearable.

  They got to the open hangar. A Shadow drone sat in the structure. Maintenance equipment was scattered on the floor. It looked like a tornado had run through the inside and scattered the tools and knocked over the electronics. Several blood trails led out the back doors of the large building.

  “Hold position,” Carver commanded before calling Shader. They both moved a few yards back. “Just like Mettler. I say we follow the trail. See where it leads.”

  “Agreed. It’s got to lead somewhere. I say we break up into two units.”

  “Bounding overwatch?” Carver asked. He already knew the answer.

  Shader just nodded.

  They returned to their positions and split the squad into two teams. Shader led the nine men on the right while Carver took the ones on the left of Lucas.

  “Lucas. You’re now point,” Carver said.

  “Right side. You’re now Blue Team,” Shader barked.

  “Left side, you’re Red Team,” Carver added, then continued. “Lucas, follow the blood trail. The rest of you, we’ll use bounding overwatch to advance. On your squad leader’s command. Do you copy?”

  Nineteen “Aye, ayes” returned.

  Carver nodded at his buddy, sending him first.

  “On my mark,” Shader commanded. “Point man, move. Blue Team, advance and support the point.”

  The squad pushed forward, following the bloody drippings that had stained the concrete.

  Another hangar sat across the desert floor, but the blood trail turned left and angled toward a cluster of metal buildings to the north. Massive air conditioners were stacked on top of each of the metal prefabricated structures. They were likely drone control stations. Large cables crossed between the buildings. It had been rumored that these thick fiber-optic lines could push dozens of terabytes per second. It was so fast that the entire Library of Congress and every Tweet ever created could be transferred in just over a second.

  The blood began to get more sporadic, but Rex had latched onto a scent trail once outside of the hangar. The dog pulled them forward. It never wavered as it tugged Lucas along. They moved past the drone control buildings and continued north. The dog kept pulling them further into the desert. They came to a paved road that both Carver and Shader had been on before.

  “That’s the way to the MOUT facility, isn’t it?” Shader said. Carver nodded his head.

  “What’s that?” one of the men asked.

  “MOUT stands for Military Operations in Urban Terrain. It’s a town they created in the middle of the desert. The damn thing is almost the size of downtown San Diego. The Marines used it to simulate a Middle East city. A lot of training happened up there.” Shader replied.

  The dog led them across the road and continued even deeper into the desert.

  “Lucas, hold your position,” Carver said. The squad stopped as Carver called Everly. “Viper One. This is Red One actual. Do you copy? Over.”

  “Send your traffic, Red One. Over.”

  “The dog’s taking us into the desert. I can’t see anything other than sand. Make a run straight north and tell me what you see. Do you copy? Over.”

  “Straight north. I’m on it. Viper One, out.”

  Moments later, Everly shot overhead and began a slow path across the barren land. Up ahead, a small mountain range angled in from the north to the east. It was about a mile away with nothing but a few roads and sand between them and the beginnings of the rocky hills.

  A minute later, he saw Everly hovering over a patch of desert.

  “Red One. This is Viper One. Do you copy? Over.”

  “Red One actual here. Over.”

  “You need to see this, Red One. It’s about five hundred meters to your north. I’ll stay on station. Over.”

  “Copy that, Viper One. We’re on our way. Red One, out.”

  They let the dog take them further. Rex became agitated as they approached the hovering craft. As they got close, Everly pulled up and took a position off to the left. His rotor wash dissipated as the team came up to the spot.

  Multiple footprints and puddles of blood surrounded a hole in the ground. Scattered human debris littered the area. A few buttons here and a shoe there. Other than that, there was no sign of the Marines.

  “This doesn’t make sense,” Shader said. “What the hell is it?”

  Carver bent over and looked into the cavern. It appeared to drop about ten feet down before bending north.

  It was definitely artificial with an almost perfectly round opening. Carver pointed his weapon down and turned on the mounted flashlight, shining it into the hole. A blast of air rolled out of the opening. The smell of rotted carrion almost made him throw up. The entire squad smelled the vile odor, and they instinctively backed away.

  “Variants,” Carver hissed.

  He moved back to the tunnel’s mouth, held his breath, and stared down again. He looked intently into the maw. Something wasn’t right. He stared for nearly a minute before he figured out what was off. It was the walls of the tunnel. They looked almost alive.

  The breeze continued to flow out of the hole. Carver put his hand up to feel the temperature. His skin began to tingle, almost like his fingers were hovering over a shorted-out light.

  “Shader,” he whispered. “Put a light down there and tell me what you see.”

  The old SEAL leaned over the hole, shining his own light into the opening.

  “It’s alive.”

  Red tendrils pulsated on the wall. The vines looked…agitated. They writhed, almost like a snake, as if searching for something to attach onto.
/>   “This is all kinds of fucked up,” Shader said. “What the hell is happening?”

  “It’s the Variants. They’re evolving.”

  Before he could turn away, a scraping sound started to trickle from the cavern. It grew louder with each second.

  “Back up!” Carver yelled. “Cover the opening.”

  Nineteen battle rifles and two machine guns pointed at the hole as they all backpedaled.

  “Hold position,” Carver yelled. They stopped about twenty-five meters away.

  It didn’t take long for the cause of the noise to appear.

  The screams were different from the old Variant horde, but it still froze the men. Multiple creatures rocketed out of the hole, leaping up after pivoting off the edge of the opening. They practically flew in the air and landed ten yards from the edge. The creatures were the color of the desert sand. They had thick vessels bulging on top of their ropey muscles. Their skin was taut, like a stretched membrane that could barely cover the creatures’ frame.

  They were fast and strong. Fortunately, the M4s’ bullets ripped through them, putting the vile things down.

  Several dozen assaulted the group before there was a lull in the fight.

  “Viper One. Can you close off that hole? Over.”

  “You need to back up some more, Red One. Then I’ll put a Hellfire right up their ass.”

  “Retreat!” Carver called. “Bounding overwatch.”

  Shader led his men back toward the airstrip. He stopped after a few dozen yards and turned to cover Carver’s squad as they retreated. Red Squad did the same, stopping twenty yards past Blue, then turning to aim back at the hole.

  Everly’s gunship unleashed a Hellfire just as more of the monsters popped up. The explosion ripped them apart as the tunnel was sealed.

  Carver advanced to one of the downed creatures. They were even more grotesque than the horde they’d eliminated the month before. Their bodies seemed designed to move in the tunnel they just collapsed.

  “They make tunnels,” Shader said.

  “We can’t fight this,” Carver said despondently.

  Shader saw his friend begin to shut down. He took control of the group and led them back to the airstrip. Donaldson was waiting for them while Everly continued to cover the collapsed opening. As soon as the team was on board, Donaldson lifted off and both aircraft flew back to Lost Valley.

  USS Freedom

  Pacific Ocean

  Between San Diego Naval Base and Catalina Island

  Carver leaned over the railing as the littoral ship cut across the ocean, Shader at his side.

  “We failed,” Carver said.

  Shader stood quietly. There was nothing he could say that would turn his friend around. It would just take time.

  “Is there no safe place on the planet?” Carver continued.

  “I think we’ll be all right,” the old SEAL replied. “There’s three thousand feet of ocean under our keel right now. Unless those things can tunnel three thousand and one, we should be fine.”

  Carver nodded but continued to stare out at the dark, grey water. As far as he was concerned, they’d just left the only home he’d ever made. His ranch in the high desert was the first place he’d ever purchased, and he and Hope had made a home for themselves at the boy scout camp. Their son had been born there, and they had left behind five years of work, along with the bodies of his two closest companions. Both Kinney and Shrek still lay under the tree back by the house.

  The entire enclave at Lost Valley was moving to Catalina Island. The other colonies had been contacted and were in the process of moving, as well. Twenty-six miles from the Los Angeles shore, it would buffer them from whatever Variant species nature could create. The water between the mainland and island was three thousand feet deep. There was a good chance the monsters couldn’t tunnel down that far.

  “Hey. We’re not totally abandoning the mainland,” Shader said. “Remember, those eggheads might want us to go out and capture one of those tunnel rats. You can’t believe the shit they think of.”

  “And that’s your idea of a good time, old man?” Carver chuckled.

  “Hey. It beats police work.”

  “Yeah!” Carver said, perking up. “Do I have to call you Officer now? Or Sheriff? What is it?”

  “Go ahead and laugh,” Shader replied. “You won’t think it’s so funny when we get to the island.”

  “Ha. Why not?”

  “We have a city council too, you know. I’ve already told them about you. They think you’ll make a great deputy.”

  “No way I’m taking orders from you,” Carver shot back, shaking his head.

  “I’m a good boss,” Shader countered. “In fact, I’ve got something for you.”

  Shader dug into his pocket and pulled out a shiny, metal star. “You’re to be sworn in next week. But it’s just a formality. Here’s your badge, Officer Carver.”

  “No shit,” Carver said, grinning.

  He took it and breathed hard on the metal, then buffed it against his shirt. It shone brightly in the sun. He rolled it back and forth, then looked up at his friend.

  “We’re a team. Like Starsky and Hutch.”

  Shader smiled and stared off at the distant island. “I was thinking more like Andy and Barney. You’re Barney Fife, of course.”

  Carver laughed for the first time in weeks. “All right, Andy. What are your orders?”

  “Enjoy the day.”

  Shader put his arm around Carver’s shoulder as they looked to the west. The brown-and-green island rose up from the blue ocean. Dozens of small boats had floated out of the harbor to greet their new citizens. Horns began to blare as the Freedom slowed to a crawl. A crowd materialized on the harbor’s edge with colored banners flying above over a dozen oceanside buildings.

  “You’ve grown since I was last here,” Carver said, noticing the merchants had opened shop.

  “Yeah. They’re good people.”

  Boats began shuttling passengers to the shore. Carver stood with his friend and watched the action. Hope and J.K. appeared next to them, along with Kyle and a pregnant Menily. Hope and Carver were going to be grandparents.

  Shader watched the Carver family gathered at the railing. Hope kissed Carver. He showed her his star. She smiled as if she was surprised, but she had already known. Shader asked her what she thought of the offer days before. She readily agreed that her husband needed a career and gave Shader her blessing.

  The old SEAL moved behind the family and put his hand on Kyle then stretched his other to hold Carver.

  “Well, guys, we’re here.”

  “It’s perfect,” Hope said. “It feels right.”

  “It should,” Shader said. “It’s home.”

  Epilogue

  USS Freedom

  Off the California Coast

  US Coast Guard Station Humboldt Bay

  Gavin Gringleman

  It had been a few months since moving to Catalina Island. Gavin was still working with the military as they rescued more colonies from the tunneling creatures. The island’s population was now over a thousand.

  There never seemed to be enough solar panels; simple things like nails, pipes, and basic building material were always in short supply. So the military continued to raid the mainland for provisions. They had success grabbing these items with a massive and rapid show of strength. They would swoop into an area with air power and a small company-sized group of ground soldiers. They’d be in and out in a few hours. So far, the tactic was working.

  The ship was sitting off the coast of northern California, next to Humboldt Bay and the city of Eureka. Several small enclaves had survived in the nearby forests. The ship was picking up over twenty more souls to bring back to the island.

  Gavin enjoyed his job. It was a rewarding gig, saving lives. He looked on with satisfaction as the Zodiac returned from the town’s Coast Guard station, carrying the last of the survivors.

  While staring out at the distant shore, Gavi
n’s mind wandered. He thought about all those he cared about and were still alive.

  He still shared a home with his brother. Both men had girlfriends, and those relationships were starting to get serious. While Gavin had continued to serve in the military, Gary had gotten a job with the scientists.

  The eggheads began training him for support work at first. He learned to run the island’s only CNC machine, cutting and shaping precision metal products for their various projects.

  That changed when he started asking questions about why he was making a certain design and then coming up with a better solution. Now, he was book learning. Physics, advanced mathematics, and logic had replaced the software manipulation training that came with the Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machine. Instead of learning to tell the computer-directed machines how to move and cut, he was learning the “why” to cut in the first place. He seemed to have found his niche.

  Brett Darden and Hanna had gotten married. They were working on their first child. Brett stayed with the military and Hanna went into their reserves, at least until the baby was born. Then she’d be back on active duty, kicking down doors along with her husband.

  Lucas Reedy was working with Dr. Maxwell at her Veterinary office. He had a knack with dogs that translated well to other animals. She was training him to take her place when she retired. In the meantime, he was a very capable assistant to help with the mundane chores that went with farming and animal husbandry. Just last week, Lucas bragged about successfully delivering a breech calf. Gavin could have done without the graphic descriptions, but his friend was genuinely proud of the work, so he listened to the entire story. All in all, he’d seen far worse during his time battling the Variants.