“It’s okay darlin’. I know that you’re scared. We’ll figure out some way to make you feel better. Safer.”
◆◆◆
Jack got up before she did the next morning, presumably to get ready to go with Cam and the others. She needed to get them some breakfast started.
Running her hands through her hair, she rose and pulled on some jean shorts and a t-shirt. She would have to change into her cammies later for training, but for now she relished the coolness of the casual clothing.
She left her tent and started toward the grill, intending to use it to make some fried eggs and bacon for everyone.
She spotted Cam and Jack in conversation near the fire ring, each sipping on a cup of coffee. Good, that was one less thing she needed to do.
“Jess, come over here for a minute,” Jack called, patting his leg.
“What’s up?” she asked, perching on his leg.
She stretched, then pulled her hair up into a bun. It was just too hot to wear it down.
Cam glanced at Jack and raised an eyebrow in question. He must have received an answer from Jack because he started to speak. She was becoming apprehensive. It must be something important for Cam to be the one telling her.
“Jessica, I’ve decided that I want you to come along on today’s mission to get the boats,” he said seriously.
“What! I don’t want to go. I have stuff to do here, and I’m not ready to go out there yet!” she said, attempting to squelch the panic she felt.
“I think it’s best that you come with us. You need to practice your skills on a real mission and get a feel for how things work in a team. This is just a simple task. I don’t anticipate much contact. I wouldn’t take you along if I thought we’d be meeting any heavy resistance.”
“Babe, he’s right. You need the experience. Plus, it will make you feel better about being out there. I’ll be there with you,” Jack said, rubbing her back.
She really really didn’t want to go. She knew there was almost no way out of it though.
Cam’s demeanor made that clear. It was the price of being part of the group.
“Go get your gear ready. Pack your combat load, just like when we do training. Remember, that’s at least seven mags for the M4 and two for the pistol. Make sure you have food and water and some bladed weapon that you are comfortable with,” Cam ordered.
“I thought you said there wouldn’t be any danger!” she said.
“Always plan for the worst when you go out, Jess.”
Jack patted her back in a signal to get up. “Come on, let’s go get you ready. Cam will have Angie cook this morning. It’s about time that girl took on some of the cooking anyway,” Jack said.
“I’d rather be the one doing it,” Jess grumbled miserably before following him.
◆◆◆
They had eaten breakfast and left the island shortly after sunrise.
Jessica watched apprehensively as they neared the parking lot.
The day was overcast, and the water was choppy. They were going to drive to the marina in a couple of the Humvees and then Nick and Bradley would pilot two boats back to the island. It was going to be a simple run Cam said.
But she had heard that before.
Arriving at the mainland, Jessica didn’t expect to find a thick layer of rotting corpses on the shore. The stench was overwhelming and she almost vomited. She pulled her shirt up to cover her nose and mouth.
“Is that the sludge you guys were talking about?” she asked, her voice muffled.
Cam smiled, a glint in his eye, and said nothing.
They pulled up to the shoreline in a clearer area. Key word, clearer. There was still a disgusting layer of disease-ridden flesh to plod through. The others jumped down, and she followed suit.
Reluctantly.
Cam had Nick drive his Humvee outfitted with the fifty-caliber machine gun. Jack, Jessica, and Bradley took one without. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Actually, they were more like hawks. She felt almost nauseous with nerves.
Jack started the Humvee and they followed Nick and Cam.
Jess found her heart pounding as they pulled out onto the main road. She bounced her leg up and down, hoping to release some nervous tension. This was ridiculous. Why was she so anxious? They were only going a few miles down the road to get some boats. It’s not like they were going into town or anything.
She watched out the window, constantly alert for any signs of walking corpses. She saw nothing but trees and birds.
Five minutes later they were pulling into a gravel drive that would take them to the marina office and restaurant. She had been there once long ago with her parents. The food had been very mediocre, and way overpriced.
You were paying for the view and the drinks, not the actual food.
Gravel crunched under the tires and Jessica quadruple checked her rifle and magazines. She had plenty. Perhaps too many. The plate carrier, empty of plates, was heavy on her shoulders anyway. She only wore it so that she had easy access to her spare mags. Most of the others did as well.
She felt sweat trickle down her back and between her breasts, and she wished this was over already.
They came to a gate. It was closed and padlocked.
Nick jumped out with the bolt cutters and cut the chain. They drove through, pushing the gate open gently with the front of the vehicle. Jessica looked over at the restaurant on the dock, near the moored boats.
She remembered her parents sitting at a table outside under an umbrella. They had been recalling old vacations and laughing, not knowing the horror that was barreling toward them in the not-so-distant future.
The marina office was over to the left on a small grassy hill, overlooking the entire cove of the lake. It was a cinderblock building that had been converted to an office, and it was particularly gloomy looking up on that barren hill.
They exited the vehicles and Cam called for Nick, Bradley, and Jessica to pull security.
Cam and Jack ran up the hill and into the office.
She knew what to do in theory. She was supposed to just walk around looking for danger. So, she did it, taking the area that the others left for her. It also happened to be the easiest side to watch— the lake and the dock. Not much chance of any zombies trying to sneak up from there.
She patrolled her area, occasionally looking back to see where the others were.
As she was scanning the dock for the hundredth time in five minutes, she heard a word that made her stomach flip.
“Contact,” Nick said calmly.
She turned and saw several zombies walking out of the trees on Nick’s side. She felt adrenaline pour into her system, and her heart raced.
“Shoot them!” she said, watching Nick just stand there.
“No. It will draw in more. When they get a little closer, we’ll take them out with the hatchets.”
What?!
She looked at Bradley for support. He looked nervous but was nodding in agreement.
No freaking way!
“Jessica, get your hatchet ready. You take the small one. It will be easy. Just go for the head, straight for the eyes or mouth would be best. Less chance of it bouncing off the skull that way or getting stuck.”
Oh God, oh God, oh God!
She pulled her hatchet and gripped it tightly. She was waiting for them to get a little closer. She eyed her target, a very small woman, middle-aged— was a very small woman. Now, it was nothing.
She hefted her weapon and hesitated.
Nick and Bradley moved forward. Nick buried his hatchet into the back of the largest one’s head and it fell to the gravel, leaking black stagnant fluid into the rocks. Bradley took out one on the far side, whittling the small group down further.
There were three left.
Her legs were shaking fiercely, and she wanted to pull up her rifle and shoot them…or just run and get into the Humvee.
Nick took down another, expelling a gust of air with his blow. That left one more for her and Bradley.
/> For one terrifying minute, Bradley got his hatchet wedged into the thing’s skull and couldn’t free it.
The hungry corpse grabbed his neck with dirty, blackened fingers. Broken nails attempted to penetrate his skin. He yelled and jerked furiously one last time, freeing the weapon. He slammed it solidly into the things brain, stopping it instantly. He covered his scratch with his hand and winced.
“Come on Jess, you need to do this. It’s not hard, trust me,” Nick encouraged.
She stepped forward, her hatchet raised high and put all of her force into the blow. The hatchet buried itself vertically into the small shambling woman’s face and stuck fast.
The creature kept advancing, and Jessica scooted back and reached for the handle.
She couldn’t get it!
“Nick!” she said, horrified.
Nick stood there, ready to intervene, if necessary, but he didn’t help her.
She lunged forward and pushed the rotting thing to the ground. It fell to the side and scissored its legs uselessly.
She put a heavy boot on the side of its face and took the hatchet in both hands and pulled. It popped free with a hideous squelching noise, leaking brown gunk down the zombie’s face. She grimaced and raised the hatchet once more.
This time the blade destroyed the brain forever. She set the contaminated hatchet down in the grass and looked at the dead woman’s ruined face.
She actually did it.
She felt cold droplets of gore on her face and turned, sick. She threw up her breakfast, heaving until there was nothing left. She brought up a hand to wipe her mouth and saw specks of tissue and brain matter, so she lowered it back to her side.
A hand held out a clean bandana.
“Thanks,” she said.
She wiped her face, keeping the diseased particles well away from her eyes, nose, and mouth. She stood up and turned back to Nick and Bradley.
She felt a little shocked. She had never been so close to one before. She felt a bit lightheaded for a moment. She had killed a zombie.
She heard yelling and looked up.
“JESS!” Jack ran full speed down the hill, sprinting straight for her.
He saw the gore on her face and looked down at the corpses on the ground. He picked her up and ran with her over to the back of the Humvee. Opening up the door, he frantically felt inside for the medical kit.
“Jack, I’m okay!” she said, though she wasn’t one hundred percent positive that she still wouldn’t pass out.
He didn’t listen, only dug through the kit, and found some alcohol wipes. He forced her to sit in the grass while he disinfected her face and hands.
“Did you get scratched or bit?! Did you get any in your eyes or mouth or anywhere?!” he asked tensely.
“I didn’t get bit or scratched. I don’t think any got in my eyes or mouth,” she answered.
He looked at her carefully and then hugged her hard.
“Fuck! Jess, you scared the shit out of me!” he said angrily.
“I didn’t want to do it!” she assured him. “But Nick said I needed to learn how,” she started.
His face went hard, and she knew she made a mistake. She put a hand on his tense forearm. “It’s okay though, Jack. I’m okay. And Nick was right! I did need to do it.”
He glowered at her. “It’s not alright! It’s never alright for anyone to put you in danger like that!” he yelled before stalking off toward the rest of the team.
Jess jumped up, disregarding her dizziness, and ran toward Jack.
“Jack!” she yelled, covering her mouth as she watched him punch Nick in the stomach, hard.
Nick went down to the ground on his hands and knees, one arm cradled across his stomach. He gasped for breath, his face a violent shade of red.
“Don’t you ever expose her to needless danger again! I will fucking kill you! Do you understand me?!” Jack yelled down at him.
Cam finally intervened, forcing Jack to take several steps back.
“Jack, take Jess over to the Humvee. Get her some water, she looks pale. Go now,” Cam said sternly.
He came for her, taking her bicep in his hand. She kept her mouth shut. She had never seen him so angry or violent. She looked back as Bradley and Cam helped Nick up. Cam was telling them something and Bradley nodded.
Nick finally straightened, still holding his stomach, and looked over at Jessica.
“Sorry,” she mouthed silently to him, appalled at the damage she had caused.
He turned away without acknowledging her apology. His rejection made her sad.
Jack lowered her into the Humvee and reached for a bottle of water, removing the cap.
“Drink this,” he said shortly.
She drank.
“Did you guys find the keys?” she asked tentatively.
“Cam has them. We need to get the boats now.”
He gathered up his gear and she stood, shutting the door. He stalked back over to Cam, Bradley, and Nick. She followed, not looking forward to seeing the dismissal in Nick’s eyes again.
“Let’s get the boats and get back home. Nick, you okay to pilot?” he asked.
Nick’s face was hard and inscrutable. “Yes,” he answered.
“Brad, let me see your neck,” Cam said.
Brad lowered his hand and closed his eyes, awaiting news of his death sentence.
“You’re fine. It’s just a red mark, no blood.” He clapped Brad on the back.
His relief was palpable.
They formed up in a wedge and walked down to the docks. Many boats were moored there, some large and some small. There were even a few sailboats. She wondered what boats they would get.
She saw Cam studying the key fobs in his hand. He looked up and glanced around. Then his eyes stopped on a boat.
His eyebrows raised in surprise, and he looked back at his hand.
“Well hell…” he said, chuckling a bit.
Cam tossed the fob to Nick. “Here you go, bud. Live it up.”
Nick looked at the key, then over to the dock. Jess saw his eyes travel past several vessels, before settling on the largest at the very end.
“Whoooo!” he whooped, throwing a hand in the air.
It was a massive, customized houseboat. Jess knew it must have been worth well over a million dollars.
“Uh, Nick, can you drive that thing?” Bradley asked hesitantly.
“You bet your ass!” Nick said, grinning.
“Looks like we found our new home,” Cam said.
“Let’s clear that boat before we find the other one,” Nick suggested.
They walked in a file along the dock, making sure none of the boats were occupied. They didn’t seem to be, though they couldn’t be sure about some of the cabins on the larger ones.
They finally reached the almost monolithic edifice of the supersized white houseboat. They couldn’t see inside. The windows were blacked out.
“Everyone on me. Jess, you and Bradley are security. Nick, Jack, Let’s go.”
Cam led them into the unlocked cabin of the boat, and they stepped through the sliding glass doors. Jess glanced in and saw such opulence that her breath caught. She was astounded at the level of luxury some people could afford.
She wondered who had owned the thing.
“Clear,” she heard Cam yell from somewhere deep inside the boat.
She glanced back and took in the marble counters and exquisite tile of the full chef’s kitchen. It was an open concept room, and the adjoining living space was just as extravagant. She couldn’t wait to go through and look at everything.
Heck, she would be happy just sleeping on the floor in this thing.
A few short minutes later the others came back. Cam was even smiling, which was a pretty big deal. Jack, you stay and get this thing running. Show Nick the controls. Then come find me on the dock. Brad, let’s go find yours,” Cam said.
“Where should I go?” Jess asked him.
“Come with me,” he said and walked out.
/>
Jack frowned at Cam’s order but nodded at her to go. “Keep your eyes open.”
She followed Cam as he looked around for another boat to match another of the floating fobs in his hand. They scanned and scanned, and finally found a match.
Slip number thirty-four housed a small bowrider, obviously somewhat new. However, it would only seat about eight people and Cam nixed it.
They continued their search. Bradley’s eyes lit up when they found their next option. Even Jessica was impressed, though it was nothing as grand as the supersized houseboat Nick had been offered.
Bradley’s boat was a large sport cruiser, riding high in the water. The front deck rail was so high up that it was over Jessica’s head. They stepped onto the swimming platform in back and opened the door.
“Damn,” Cam said in appreciation.
The back opened up into a lounge seating area with a central table, large enough to seat eight to ten people. A small galley kitchen lined the left side and two booths on the right. She could see that the booths converted to sleeping spaces, complete with curtains. Further on was a very small bathroom containing a shower head and toilet.
In the very back, under the front deck, was a large sleeping cabin.
“Brad, let’s get this thing running. Jess, go keep watch,” Cam instructed.
She walked back through the cruiser and stepped back onto the dock. She heard the motor of the large houseboat idling nearby. She scanned around the area, looking for any more walking corpses.
Finally, Cam came back out and she relaxed a bit. She didn’t like being out here alone.
“Let’s go tell Nick what to do, then we’ll leave,” he said, patting her on the shoulder.
“Cam, wait!” she said.
“What?” he asked, puzzled.
“Let me pilot the bowrider back. We may need a smaller boat sometime, and I know I can do it. I’ve driven one before.”
She neglected to mention that she had only steered one for a couple minutes. She wasn’t afraid of taking a boat back. It was much safer on the water than on the roads.
“I don’t know. I mean, it’s a good idea…but what will Jack say? I need him to drive the Humvee back, so he can’t go with you.”
“He probably won’t like it,” she conceded. “But it’s not his decision, it’s yours. We really should have another smaller boat.”
Refuge From The Dead | Book 2 | Dead Summer Page 22
