Nurse Alissa vs. the Zombies | Book 3 | Firestorm

by Baker, Scott M.

  “What if they run into us?” Stratman asked the others. “Do we fight them? Run?”

  “Ignore them unless they engage you. If they do, tell them you’re passing through and are taking a break. See if you can get info out of them without sounding suspicious.”

  “And radio the rest of us the minute they leave so we can take cover,” added Carter.

  “What are we going to do about her?” Stratman motioned to the Chevy where Connie sat in the front seat. Dickson had left Diana and Brian back at the service station handcuffed to a radiator and took the girl along as collateral, warning Diana what they would do to Connie if she ran off.

  “Warn her what’ll happen to her mother and brother if she opens her mouth.”

  Stratman nodded and smiled.

  “Are we all clear on what we’re supposed to do?” Dickson glared at Nora.

  Everyone responded in the affirmative

  “Good. Let’s go.”

  Elaine and Williamson stayed at the Davis Path Trail parking lot with the cargo van. Joel stayed with them so they could keep an eye on him. Stratman took Rebecca to act as Connie’s mother and drove the Chevy to the far end of the zone, parking between Twin Mountains and the Omni Mount Washington Resort. Dickson, Carter, and Nora chose a scenic overlook for Mount Washington halfway between them. Once in place, the teams waited.

  And waited.

  And waited.

  More than four hours passed and the only sounds Dickson heard were birds chirping and Nora bitching. He lost count of how many cigarettes he had burned through, how many bottles of water he had drank, and how many times he had peed.

  Nora strolled through the park, reading the historical plaques about Mount Washington and the surrounding peaks for the umpteenth time, then raced back to the Hummer. She grabbed a bunch of napkins from the glove compartment and headed for the woods.

  “Be right back. I gotta take a dump.”

  Dickson waited until she stepped out of earshot. “If we’re lucky she’ll be eaten by a deader or a bear.”

  Carter chuckled. “Nice way to talk about your girlfriend.”

  “She’s a fucking pain in the ass. You know it as well as I do.”

  “Admit it. You have a thing for the new bitch Rebecca.”

  “Why not. She’s hot, she’s of use around here, and—”

  “She’s not Nora.”

  “Exactly.” Dickson laughed.

  “Williamson likes Nora. Let him have her.”

  “I like the kid too much to do that to him.” Dickson sighed. “Once we take over this new place and settle down, there’ll be some changes—”

  A familiar sound broke the stillness around them, sending birds scattering from the nearby trees.

  “Is that what I think it is?” asked Carter.

  “It is. It’s gunfire.” Dickson opened the driver’s door to the Humvee and picked up the radio off the dashboard. “We found what we’re looking for.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  As they had on previous days, Nathan took Kiera to their makeshift shooting range. Alissa and Miriam tagged along, ostensibly to engage in target practice although, in truth, they joined for a reason to get out of the cabin. Miriam hated the idea of bringing her daughter along when they left the compound, but they had no choice. They were short of personnel. Nathan wanted Kiera to become comfortable with weapons, which she had, and to be proficient in their use.

  Today Nathan trained Kiera on the FAL battle rifle. As he explained how it functioned and taught her how to use it, the two women stepped over to the end of the range and sat on a fallen tree, resting their Mossbergs beside them.

  “I know it’s not easy for you,” said Alissa.

  “The whole end of the world thing?”

  “No. Letting Kiera learn how to use firearms.”

  “I still hate the idea of it. But Kiera is old enough to handle a weapon and she needs to learn how to defend herself if she’s going to survive. I’ve gotten use to that. I hate to think this will be the rest of her life. And Stevie’s.” Miriam covered her eyes with her hands as the tears flowed.

  Alissa wrapped an arm around Miriam and pulled her in. “It’s okay. Let it out.”

  “It’s not okay. Nothing will ever be okay again. You, me, Steve, Nathan. We’ll adapt. I can deal with that. What about my kids? Everything they’ve known is gone. No schools. No books. No movies. No games. How are they going to get an education? How are they going to learn to socialize? How are they going to date, fall in love, marry, and have families of their own? Is this their future? Hunting for deaders, foraging for food, scavenging for supplies? Maybe in the long run they’d have been better off if… if….”

  “You don’t mean that.”

  “No, I don’t.” Miriam sniffed and wiped her nose and eyes. “Everything seems so bleak right now.”

  “It is. But look on the positive side.”

  Miriam chuckled. “Now you sound like a mother.”

  “I’m serious. Not only are you and your family alive, you’re safe and in a secure location. Sure, things suck now. This outbreak won’t last forever. Someday things will return to normal. Well, at least to a life where we can go back to doing what we used to without having to worry about deaders.”

  “Do you really believe that?”

  “I have to otherwise I’d go insane. If I thought that everything I had to do to make it here, all the people I had to leave behind, merely bought me a few extras months before the entire world came to an end, I’d probably use the shotgun on myself.”

  The comment stunned Miriam. “I’m surprised to hear you talk like this.”

  “It’s true. There must be people still alive out there, good people like us who are laying low. Once we catch our breath and reorganize, we’ll take back the world from the living dead and rebuild society.”

  Miriam leaned over and hugged Alissa.

  “Gross!” Of course, the cry came from Kiera.

  “Are you two done for the day?” Alissa asked.

  “Yup. Uncle Nate says I’m becoming a crack shot, whatever that means.”

  Nathan patted her on the shoulder. “Since you’re getting so good at this, why don’t you take point and lead us back to the cabin?”

  Kiera took off into the woods with Nathan close behind. Miriam and Alissa pushed themselves off the log and grabbed their shotguns. Miriam reached out and gave Alissa’s hand a friendly squeeze.

  “Thanks. You’re a good friend.”

  The two women headed back to the cabin.

  * * *

  “What do you think?” whispered Carter. “Do you want to take them?”

  Dickson and Carter watched the group from behind a mid-sized boulder on a ledge above the shooting range. After hearing the gun shots yesterday, they had made their way into the woods searching for the source, but whoever fired had stopped before Dickon and Carter could find them. Both men walked the area for hours until they stumbled upon a clearing overlooking a ridge and filled with spent shell casings. Noting the location, they backtracked to the Hummer, rounded up the others, and returned to the service station for the night. This morning, he and Carter made sure they got here early and found a secure place to wait for the shooters. They had been here a while, freezing off their asses even though the temperature hovered in the mid-forties. As expected, the shooters — a man, two women, and a teenage girl — showed up and began target practice. At least, the teenager did. The women sat by themselves chatting. Dickson couldn’t help but notice the tits on the brunette.

  “Hey.” Carter tapped Dickson’s arm. “What do you want to do?”

  “Nothing yet.”

  “We can take them by surprise.”

  “Too risky. If they fight back, those shotguns could do a number on us.”

  Carter huffed. “Are we giving up the idea of taking their place?”

  “No. I want to follow them and get a better feel for it. We need to know how many are there and what their defenses are like. This
is probably our only chance of sitting out this fucking apocalypse in style and I don’t want to… get down.”

  The shooters finished target practice and headed back into the woods. Dickson and Carter waited until they out of sight before setting off after them.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Dickson had gathered the rest of the team during dinner to discuss his plans for tomorrow and rally the troops, as he liked to say. Stratman listened because he had to. He and Dickson had devised the plan earlier that afternoon, so he knew what would go down better than everyone else. And Stratman knew Dickson’s pep talks by heart. Shit, he had been listening to them since high school when Dickson would entice the others to get into trouble with him. Dickson stressed several times that, if each of them did what they were assigned, by this time tomorrow night they would be sleeping in comfortable beds, be well stocked, and would more than likely have better food to eat. He even mentioned that there would be some new pussy to try out, although he intended the suggestion to entice Williamson and Carter more than anyone else. Those two had already drank the Kool-Aid and believed whatever line of shit Dickson fed them.

  Although Stratman would never admit it, not even to Dickson, he had a bad vibe about tomorrow. They needed to find a decent place to hunker down and get off the road, and this cabin seemed to provide an ideal opportunity. Not knowing what their defenses were like, how many people lived there, and what type of weapons they carried, the best plan was to lure out these people and capture them rather than a frontal attack that could get most of them killed. Under the circumstances, the plan he and Dickson had devised appeared the most promising.

  However, he didn’t believe they could pull it off with this bunch.

  The most reliable in the group were Carter, Williamson, and Elaine. Carter was tough, could hold his own, and had street smarts. Just as important, he followed orders and knew his place. The same could be said about Elaine. Williamson… well, he did what Dickson told him to and caused no problems. If Williamson stayed with him or Carter or Elaine, he’d be fine. If left by himself, Stratman doubted the kid would survive for long.

  Although reliable and loyal, Nora didn’t have the same experience as the others. Dickson had taken her as his girlfriend. Only Stratman knew that was a farce. Dickson had not been able to get it up for two years due to a testosterone imbalance or some such medical bullshit. Not that it mattered. It boiled down to Dickson’s relationship with Nora being a token to make him seem tough in the eyes of the others. Nora played the part to be spared from being a plaything for the rest of them and because she knew what would happen if she revealed the truth.

  Joel was fucking useless. His only contribution lay in being such a coward he’d do whatever they told him. Ironically, his girlfriend Rebecca had proven more of an asset. Stratman laughed to himself. He meant former girlfriend. The night Joel let the others have their way with her killed whatever relationship they might have had. Rebecca knew if she didn’t want to spend the rest of her life in the Chevy with Diana and the brats, she needed to make herself useful. So far, she had done a good job.

  Stratman had not given much thought to Diana and the kids. He had supported the idea of bringing them along to use as bait and to send into stores for supplies so none of them got hurt. Dickson made them ride in the bed of the pick-up, his way of showing them all who ran the show. Once they were all set up in the cabin and didn’t need the family anymore, he hated to think what would become of them.

  Dickson would be the most unpredictable factor. The two of them had been best friends since high school. Dickson had been a bit of asshole back then, bullying weaker kids, mouthing off to teachers, skipping class. After graduation, they had done a lot of shit that, if they were caught, probably would have landed them in jail or at least probation. Fortunately, they both knew when they were about to step over the line and had enough common sense to pull back.

  Well, except for that one time in Albany when Dickson let his anger get the better of him. Jesus, that almost became a clusterfuck. They were in town bar hopping with fake IDs when some assfuck banged into Dickson’s car and took off. Dickson tracked him down and forced him off the road, screaming at the driver about what he had done and demanding he pay to fix it. The altercation turned into a fight that ended with Dickson almost bashing in the driver’s head. Only the timely arrival of the cops prevented Dickson from killing the driver. They both would have wound up in jail except for the fact that the driver had hit and run, thrown the first punch, and happened to be a wanted sex offender who had skipped bail. The event had scared the shit out of Dickson and, for a while, he calmed down. However, with the world having gone to Hell, that uncontrolled friend from high school reared its ugly head.

  Dickson finished his pep talk. “Any questions?”

  Stratman doubted they would ask even if they did.

  “Then get some sleep. We have a big day ahead of us.” Dickson motioned for Stratman to walk with him.

  “Is everything set for tomorrow?”

  Stratman nodded. “Everyone checked their vehicles and their weapons.”

  “Good job. With luck, we’ll finally be able to settle down.”

  “That would be nice.”

  “Excuse me.” Rebecca approached cautiously, not wanting to piss off Dickson.

  “What?”

  “What about the leftover food? Can I give it to Diana and her kids?”

  Dickson thought for a moment. “Why not. After tomorrow night, we’ll have more than enough.”

  “Thank you.”

  As Rebecca left, Stratman spoke softly no one else could hear. “Have you considered what you’re going to do with Diana and the kids once we take over the cabin?”

  “I hadn’t really thought about it.” Dickson mulled over the thought. “Probably let them go. The little girl is of no use to us and the teenager has a broken arm.”

  “What about the people in the cabin?”

  “They’ll get a choice. They’re welcome to stay if they do what we tell them. Someone is going to have go into buildings and get supplies, especially after we ditch the bitch and her kids.”

  “If there’s a lot of them?” asked Stratman.

  “We’ll keep the most pliable ones and eliminate the others.” Dickson paused and stared coldly at Stratman. “Do you have a problem with that?”

  “No,” Stratman lied.

  “Then why did you ask?”

  “If they fight back, I wanted to know if we needed them alive or whether they’re expendable.”

  “They’re all expendable.” Dickson smirked and walked away.

  Stratman watched him go and shook his head. He felt no better about tomorrow.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “No way.” Kiera shook her head violently. “Stay away from me.”

  “For God’s sake,” sighed Miriam. “All I’m asking is to cut your hair. You look like an anime character.”

  “That’s how I like it.”

  “Come on, Kiera.” Little Stevie lifted his head as his mother trimmed the back. Miriam pushed his head down. “If I have to do it, you do.”

  “You’re a kid.”

  “So are you.” Miriam chastised Kiera in her best mom voice.

  “I like it this way.” Kiera unconsciously pushed several long strands off her face and behind her ear.

  Miriam grinned. “Shake your head.”

  Kiera moved it an inch from side to side.

  “Really shake it.”

  Kiera did so. When she finished, hair covered her eyes. She quickly pushed it away from her face.

  “That settles it. You’re getting a haircut.”

  “Yay!” Little Stevie raised his head to cheer his sister having to share his misery. Miriam pushed his head down again.

  Alissa and Nathan entered after doing a check of the perimeter.

  Kiera waved her arms dramatically. “You gotta help me.”

  “What now?” joked Nathan.

  “Mom wants to give me
a haircut.”

  “You need one. You remind me of Moe Howard.”

  “Who?” Kiera asked.

  Nathan laughed. “Never mind.”

  “Alissa,” Kiera pleaded. “You have to help me.”

  “Sorry, kid. You’re on your own.”

  “Do you want me to look like Little Stevie?”

  “I doubt your mother would give you a crew cut.” Alissa glanced over at Miriam. “Would you?”

  “Of course not. My daughter is practicing for the Academy Award.”

  Kiera rolled her eyes. “My mother can’t cut hair. I’ll look like I had a bowl on my head.”

  Alissa circled around Little Stevie. “There’s nothing wrong with his haircut.”

  “Don’t listen to her.” Miriam put down the scissors. “I learned to cut hair after high school. I opened my own shop but had to give it up.”

  “Why?”

  Miriam brushed the loose hair off Little Stevie’s shoulders. When finished, he stood up and shook himself off. “The chemicals from the hair dye burned my fingers, even when I wore gloves. After two years I couldn’t take it anymore. I gave it up after I had Kiera, but I can still give a good haircut.”

  “Depending on how well you do on Kiera, I may ask for one myself.”

  “Great.” Kiera moved over to the table. “I’m a friggin’ guinea pig.”

  Miriam gently cuffed her daughter off the head. “Language, young lady.”

  Kiera plopped into the chair, knowing when she had lost.

  From outside the cabin, an unfamiliar voice yelled, “Hello? Is anyone there?”

  Nathan grabbed his FAL and headed for the door. Kiera joined him, staying low and gazing out the corner of the window, ready to use the other FAL if necessary. A woman walked up the driveway, approaching the cabin cautiously, moving forward a few steps and stopping. She appeared haggard, her long red hair scraggy and unwashed, her face and loose-fitting clothes caked with a layer of dirt. The woman had a genuine expression of fear on her face.