The Ark Series (Book 2): The Ark of Attrition

by Scott Kotrous

  Martin confirms that the caravan is on its way to the house, so his men set up a perimeter around the house and as soon as it’s secure they bring Kristie out of the house. The sun beats down on them like a hot summer day while they wait, forcing everyone to remove some of their layers of clothing and going down to t-shirts. Peter’s fear of what he and Kelly have witnessed comes to fruition when a call goes out on the radio from one of Martin’s men.

  “Sir, I’ve got movement coming from what seems all around us. Does anyone else have a visual on what I’m seeing?” Peter looks at Kelly and her face blanches, they know what’s about to happen. Peter runs out to the front of the house with Dusty right beside him and scans up and down the street and he sees his greatest fear come to life.

  Dusty begins to growl just as Peter turns back to look at the multiple corpses scattered throughout the yard luckily covered by snow drifts and shaded by various structures. He looks up at Martin and John with a look of fear he knows is obvious. “How far out is the caravan? We need to get the fuck out of here and fast!”

  John looks down his scope and sees what’s alarming him, and he looks over at Martin doing the same. “Holy shit, are those fucking things coming to life?”

  Martin lowers his rifle and speaks into the radio. “Convoy, what is your position? We need an evac now, over.”

  Dusty’s barking is starting to make everyone nervous, and the group begins to panic.

  Peter checks his rifle and moves over to Martin and John. “This is not good, these things can and will come back to life. Kelly and I have seen it with our own eyes. Everyone needs to be locked and loaded and prepared for a fight.”

  John mouth gapes and then looks at Peter. “What the fuck are you talkin’ about, you’ve seen it with your own eyes? Are you actually saying you’ve seen these things come back to life?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m sayin’. I don’t have time to explain, but they will indeed come back to life. They were already dead so once they thaw out, they come back to life.”

  Martin gets on the radio and again says, “Convoy, we need a sitrep, ASAP, our position is compromised and need evac immediately. Over.”

  After a brief pause they hear, “Sir, we’ve encountered multiple hostiles. Our route to you has been compromised. I repeat our route has been compromised. Our ETA is delayed and we’re finding an alternate route. Do you copy?” The sound of gunshots in the distance puts Martin on edge with a quick radio confirmation and rifle check. “Alright people everyone back inside, our position’s been compromised.”

  Just as one of his men run up to say something, a gunshot rings out hitting the man in the back and sending him to the ground. Martin yells out, “Contact! Everyone down!” Everyone hits the ground as gunfire erupts from either side of the neighbors house. They try to return fire but no one has a visual on who’s shooting at them. Another call over the radio from one of Martin’s men confirms their shooters positions. Multiple hostiles from mainly the neighbors backyard, and only a couple in the front yard. Martin yells over the radio for cover fire and orders everyone to move inside. The gunfire intensifies but the bullets hitting the house slows down, and people are able to run inside. Maggie and Kelly pick up Kristie and try to stay low while moving as fast as they can toward the back door. Jen and the two younger girls are able to get inside but Peter, John, Kelly, Nate, Martin, and his last two men stay and fight.

  Martin yells out, “Kelly, John, Peter, Nate, on me. Move, move, move!” He throws a grenade toward the front of the house and turns to run and Kelly, John, Nate, and Peter are right behind him. The grenade goes off and suppresses the gunfire from the front yard. Martin’s men have concentrated their gunfire to the backyard, and just as Martin gets to the back porch, he throws his last grenade in the neighbors backyard and lays down cover fire that enables the rest of the group to get inside. Once the grenade goes off, he orders his men inside.

  Once inside the gunfire stops, and is replaced by yelling and screaming coming from over the fence. Maggie rushes downstairs and hits the button putting the house in lockdown mode, and the steel doors start to move, this time much faster then before. Martin tells the girls to get into the bunker, and orders his men, along with John, Peter, and Nate to set up defensive positions around the open window. Maggie comes running back upstairs and her and Kelly move Kristie downstairs, and closely followed by Jen, Mia, and Steph.

  Meanwhile, the guys proceed to turn the living room upside down moving the couch, chairs, and tables around in the shape of a horseshoe in front of the window. The kitchen and dining room tables are both dragged in and set on their sides to provide cover. They pile up guns and ammo strategically around the room and all get into their positions and wait.

  Martin whispers into the radio, “Convoy, what is your ETA? We are under attack by unknown hostiles and will probably soon be overwhelmed by undead. Over.”

  “Sir we’re having weapons malfunctions and defensive countermeasure equipment failures on both vehicles. We had to double back and find another route do to the emergence of numerous infected blocking our way. We’re down to the fifty cal and gun ports as our sole means of defense. Our ETA is unknown at this time, but I will update you as soon as we’re close. Over.”

  “Copy.” Martin drops his head and grinds his teeth. “You heard ‘em, men. We could be held up here for a while. Keep your eyes and ears open and your nose to the ground, this shit’s about to get ugly. It will be getting dark soon, and it seems as of now our attackers have retreated but for how long who knows. We will sleep in shifts and no one will abandon their positions. Do I make myself clear?”

  Everyone says “copy” and hunker down for what could be a while.

  Chapter 26

  Simon grabs his leg in an attempt to get it to stop shaking, but it’s of no use. His eyes dart to the door every time he hears a noise outside, but no one has come for them yet. He can tell Jason and Dave are getting annoyed with his erratic behavior, but he’s certain they understand. This is the longest time he’s spent away from his son, and he’s not handling it very well. Even though he knows his son is more than capable of taking care of himself, not knowing if he’s safe or not is taking its toll. He’s trained and prepared his son over the years for every possible outcome and scenario, but he never thought to prepare himself for this, losing contact with his only son and all that he has left.

  Just as Simon feels like he’s going to burst, the door opens and the Major comes walking in holding a folder. “Good Moring, gentlemen, I hope you slept well.”

  Jason nods his head and then looks at both Dave and Simon, neither of whom respond. “We slept fine.”

  “Well that’s good to hear. So, onto business. Have you boys worked things out, or are we going to have an issue with this?”

  This time Jason doesn’t look at either Dave or Simon before responding. “No, sir. We’re all on board and we’re ready, willing, and able to assist in this operation. Rest assure Simon’s come to the conclusion that finding his son is what’s best for not only the country, but the well-being and possible survival of the human race. We know we have your word that he will be brought in safely and not harmed in any way, shape, or form and will not be turned into some kind of test subject. As long as we’re all on the same page, I can speak for all of us that you’ll have our full cooperation.”

  The Major looks right at Simon. “That’s great to hear, Simon. I’m glad you came around and realize the importance your son may prove to be. That being said, you will not be accompanying us on this mission. Jason, you’ll be the only one going with us.”

  Simon looks at the Major sharply and goes to get up but Jason grabs his arm and stops him. “That’s not an option, sir. These are my men and my team, and I certainly don’t go anywhere without my brother. Not to mention you’re going to need Simon there in case he needs to coax his son from wherever he may be. He doesn’t know us that well and may need to hear the sound of his father’s voice to get him to peacefull
y come along. I feel that it is prudent to the success of this mission that my team is with me the entire time. And besides, if they don’t go I don’t go, it’s as simple as that.”

  The Major thinks for a moment. “You do know I have the authority to force you to go, you were once an enlisted man, and this is an order coming straight from the president.” He turns and paces back and forth. “But since I’m in a good mood, and Simon has most graciously agreed to assist in any way, I do see the importance to his presence. But they are your responsibility, Marine, and I will not tolerate insubordination of any kind. So if they somehow impede this mission in anyway shape or form they will be arrested and thrown in military prison for a very long time. Do I make myself clear?” He looks directly at Simon.

  Jason stands up and salutes the Major. “Sir, yes sir. You have our complete cooperation and look forward to assisting in this mission.”

  “Excellent.” He throws the folder on the table. “Review the mission details and prepare to move out at o’ nine hundred.” Without saluting back, he turns and walks out of the room.

  Jason grabs the folder off the table and begins to flip through it, and only quickly glancing up at Simon. “Are we set?” He throws the folder down and then puts his hands on the table and looks right at Simon. “Simon, are we set.”

  Simon hesitates, but then grabs the folder and leafs through it but doesn’t look at Jason. “Oh, we’re set.” He tosses the folder to Dave and looks right at Jason. “Don’t you worry about me, I know what to do.”

  Jason smacks the table with both hands and grins. “Oorah.” He turns and looks at his brother and nods his head.

  Dave looks up and nods his head. “Oorah.”

  About an hour later a soldier comes to the door and escorts them to another section of the base. The Major is standing beside a Humvee talking to a few other officers. They immediately stop talking and the other officers walk away once Jason, Simon, and Dave get close.

  “Gentlemen, nice of you to join us. We were just going over a few last details and we’re ready to move out. As you can see, we will have a convoy consisting of multiple armored personnel vehicles along with a number of Humvees to accompany us. Normally we would just take Apache helicopters for this mission, but since we’re still having problems with our avionics we’re forced to take land vehicles. Do you have any questions for me before we depart?”

  None of them say ‘yes’ and all just shake their heads. The Major escorts them to one of the Humvees and watches them get inside before walking off and getting into a different Humvee. The front three Stryker’s fire up, followed by the Humvees. They begin to slowly move up the ramp and follow a long corridor and eventually get to a large set of doors. Once the doors open, the convoy exits the base and drives out. They pass by hundreds of grounded commercial planes that haven’t been used in months, turning it into what looks like a plane graveyard. They make their way along Pena Boulevard for about a mile before gunfire from the lead Stryker erupts, quickly followed by gunfire from the rest of the vehicles. Jason can’t make out what they are saying on the radio, but it sounds like the undead have woken up.

  Chapter 27

  John wakes up to gunshots and barking just a few feet away from where he lays. He struggles to find his rifle in the dim light and muzzle flashes that briefly illuminate the room. The yelling is intense and he can’t quite make out where or from whom it’s coming from.

  Suddenly, someone grabs him from behind and yells in his ear that they need suppressive fire on the window; the undead are trying to get in. He can tell it’s Martin from the sound of his voice so he doesn’t bother to turn to look at him. He nods his head and then turns on his rifle mounted tactical light before leaning over the couch and aiming it at the window.

  All he can make out are faces, arms, and hands clawing at each other trying desperately to get in, but only met with an onslaught of bullets tearing them apart. Martin yells at him again for suppressive fire and this time John responds with a quick trigger pull. He tries to aim at heads but the amount of arms reaching in are so overwhelming that he abandons that approach and just resorts to firing off as many rounds as he can at the window opening and hoping they make contact with something other then a limb.

  He hears multiple commands but he can’t make out what they are, so he just continues to pull the trigger. Finally, someone turns on a light and he’s able to see exactly what’s going on, a steady flow of undead trying to get in. The amount of body parts piling up below the window is not only shocking but almost unbelievable.

  Someone yells out for a cease fire, and the gunfire stops. Not long after he sees two of Martin’s men run up to the window and one throws a straight kick that lands squarely on a forehead that pushes the pile back slightly. The second man immediately tosses something through the window and yells fire in the hole before they dive to take cover. John ducks down and a few seconds later can hear an explosion and can feel what seems like the house move and the foundation shake. The gunfire soon starts up again, so John changes his mag and then leans back over the couch and fires his rifle again, this time at a slower rate.

  What seems like less undead coming through the window doesn’t last long as more and more begin to pile on the window sill, quickly filling up the hole. The yelling from around the room intensifies making John more nervous because he still can’t make out what anyone is saying. Again someone grabs his shoulder and yells in his ear.

  “The grenade weakened the wall below the window and it’s not going to hold. Get the girls from the bunker, we need as much firepower as possible!”

  John turns to Martin and nods his head. He shoulders his rifle and then runs out of the living room. He bolts down the stairs taking three at a time and almost stumbles when he gets to the bottom from his momentum. He bangs on the bunker door and then hits the intercom button and yells into it. Just before he goes to activate the unlock sequence, the door open and Maggie, Kelly, and Jen are standing there already armed with rifles.

  He quickly tells them the situation upstairs and then tells Mia and Steph to stay behind and take care of Kristie. They fearfully nod their heads and then turn and run back into the bunker. He gives Maggie, Kelly, and Jen a few last orders before turning and running back upstairs with them right behind him.

  Just as they get to the living room, the shouting is so intense it forces them all to stop dead in their tracks and freeze. John almost drops his rifle from the sight of the wall bowing in and the thought of the inevitable sinks in. And just like that, the wall just below the window collapses and bodies fall on the floor. John can finally make out what someone is yelling because they have turned in their direction, yelling at them.

  “Suppressive fire goddammit! Fan out—fan out and give me suppressive fire on that hole!” Martin yells.

  He turns to the girls and tells two to go one way and one to stay with him. Maggie and Jen run around the room and Kelly follows him around the opposite side of the room and take cover. Once in position, they start firing at the numerous infected that are trampling the fallen bodies that are still reaching up and trying to get to them. It seems like just as one falls it’s immediately replaced by another clawing its way into the house, and the gunfire doesn’t seem to be stopping them, just slowing them down. Their erratic movements along with their stumbling make it almost impossible to get a clear shot, and it seems like they are only taking off limbs and not putting any of them down.

  With the pile growing larger and getting closer and closer to them with every passing second, John instinctively starts to move back in fear for his life. He’s about to yell for everyone to move back when he hears the faint sound of someone on his comms that are hanging from his neck. He pulls them back over his head and can hear the last of what they are saying. He’s not sure but it sounds like the caravan is getting close and they should get ready for transport. When Martin relays his message back, it confirms what he thought he heard. He can hear Martin informing the convoy of their situati
on and what they should do. He then hears Martin order John to his location, so he runs over to his side.

  Martin continues to fire as he yells in Johns direction. “Get Maggie and Jen and head downstairs to get the rest of them. Get the injured girl prepped for transport immediately, and be back up here in five.”

  John nods his head and then runs over to Maggie and Jen. He tells them what they need to do before they follow him downstairs to the bunker. After Maggie quickly unlocks the door, they dart into the room, startling Steph and Mia. Maggie carefully removes the IV before they lift Kristie off the bed by the transport board they left her on, then place her on the ground. They grab a few more supplies and Maggie and Jen grab the front end of the carrier board and John grabs the back, and they lift her up.

  They slowly carry her upstairs with Steph and Mia close behind. They get her up to the kitchen and set her down just in front of the living room entrance. The hole is so clogged with bodies that nothing is able to get in as they fall over each other desperately trying to get at their next meal.

  Just as John slings his rifle back around, he hears the sound of heavy weapons fire coming from outside, followed by the roar of the Havoc’s engine getting close. Moments later, they can see one of the Havocs plow into the mass of bodies outside, while also pulling numerous bodies out of the house with it—almost like a tsunami hitting a beach and washing everything away. The second Havoc follows right behind but this time makes a sharp turn just past the window, and then backs up and gets right up to the opening.

  Everyone in the house opens fire and finishes off the last of the still crawling, and they cease fire once no more movement can be seen. As soon as the dust clears, the back hatch opens up and armed men file out, weapons trained on the pile of bodies. The heavy weapons gunfire from outside continues, along with rifle fire coming from inside the Havoc, firing from every gun port on both sides.