Brent Acuff - Undead Nation 01

by Outbreak

  "Shawn, head to the roof. You are going to provide cover for us. The rest of us," and Alex looked to each of the other men standing there, "are going across the street to that gun store." Pierce gave a visible shudder and the other two didn't feel much better.

  "Give me five minutes to get in place. I'll whistle when I'm ready." Shawn dashed up the stairs and was not being too subtle about his approach to the roof. An eternity seemed to click by as Alex and the others waited, when finally a soft whistle issued down the stairwell.

  "Okay, gentlemen," Alex said, breaking the silent prayers of his team, "this is where you earn your keep. Don't take any risks with your lives or mine. I plan on seeing my little girl tonight." As the three men stood there dumbfounded, Alex removed the barrier to the store front and pushed open the doors.

  -----

  A flare rose up through the darkness surrounding the colony of New Hope. Excited talking soon filled the farmhouse and gathering area as word that the foraging party had returned. The red flare signaled a secure entry and guards moved to their positions to let Alex and the others inside the perimeter. Their quiet excitement soon faded as they saw what was returning to them.

  The truck was covered in blood, the bed filled with supplies, and only Alex and Shawn were visible within the cab of the truck. Shawn looked exhausted; Alex looked furious.

  Sam and Dr. Cahn ran to meet the truck as soon as it had cleared a safe distance inside the perimeter to allow the frontloader to reposition itself and seal them in. "What in God's name happened?" Sam asked, struggling to comprehend exactly what he was seeing. "Where's everyone else?"

  "One body is in the bed of the truck," and Alex gestured with his head behind him, "the other two bodies are still in Canton." The door of the truck creaked as Alex forced it open, the deep gash in the front fender and the large dent new fixtures in what was a pristine truck upon leaving. "Don't bother checking, doc," Alex said to Dr. Cahn without looking. "He was dead before we could even get out of the Canton city limits."

  Everyone gathered around the truck, but few dared to even approach the grizzly site. Blood trails, almost black in the flickering firelight that lit the gathering area, streaked the sides of the truck. Drops of the gore still dripped from the tailgate and darkened the ground where they landed. Alex did not fare much better. He was covered from head to toe in gore, the blood still wet and making his shirt cling to his body.

  "What happened?" Sam demanded, his cry now being taken up by other citizens of the colony gathered near the truck.

  "We got all the supplies we were looking for and then some. Three men died. We move on." Alex continued walking past Sam and the others towards the farmhouse, not wanting to talk or look at anyone. Sam grabbed his arm and spun Alex around to face him. Alex's fist flew without warning, connecting with Sam's jaw and knocking him to the ground. "I said, we move on!" Sam was helped to his feet while Alex continued on his journey to the farmhouse. No one else dared to stand in his way.

  -----

  The story of Alex and Shawn's journey into Canton began to circulate throughout the colony over the next couple of days. Shawn had been injured as well, a gunshot wound through the right side of his abdomen had caused him to lose a lot of blood. Alex had not talked to anyone since returning and it was the account of Shawn that everyone heard.

  It was revealed that taking Pierce into the city had been the catalyst of a disaster awaiting the men. His nervousness and inability to follow simple commands had compromised the team from the beginning. The foraging of the first gun store had proven somewhat successful and they were able to find several cases of ammunition, but no additional weapons. The second gun shop had been a waste of time. The windows were completely smashed and the shop had been looted right down to the light bulbs.

  The team then attempted to find the clinics which Liam had given Alex some information about. This is where Pierce's incompetence began to cause problems. The first clinic was infested with zombies, but zombies who were easily encased behind sliding glass doors. The team of five men approached the building to reconnoiter the situation, coming dangerously close to the glass door entrance. As Alex turned away from the building, determining that it was too dangerous to enter, a zombie stumbled past the solid glass door. Pierce fired.

  The glass in the door exploded into tiny fragments of broken glass, giving the trapped creatures a means of escape. Their moans filled the air as they jostled one another trying to get out the door. Flying glass covered the team, gouging deep wounds in some of the men. One of the creatures grabbed Mark and sank its teeth into his shoulder, tearing a large portion of flesh away as the man screamed and fought free. The team retreated to the truck and were able to easily outpace their pursuers. Mark begged to finish the mission, swearing he knew he was a dead man, but wanting to help the colony before he succumbed. Alex relented only after Mark agreed that he could be put down at any moment the team felt he was a danger.

  The second clinic proved more helpful, giving up some much needed medical supplies, while the third held some more. On their way out of Canton, the team stopped at the food store for what they hoped was the last delay before returning to New Hope. Mark could not get out of the truck.

  As Mark's legs gave out from the blood loss, Alex ordered Pierce to drag him from the beg of the truck. Pierce had refused, but finally did as ordered when Alex placed a gun to his head. Mark's eyes rolled back in his head as his body hit the ground and Alex quickly put a bullet in the Mark's head. Against the protests of Pierce, and with the gun at his head again, the remaining four men entered the grocery in search of food. Mostly empty shelves greeted the men, but there were some items that were still there and would be welcomed back at the colony.

  As Alex, Shawn, and James were loading a cart full of the food stuffs when shots rang out. One of the first bullets caught James in the temple, his brains and skull plastering the shelves behind him. Shawn cried out with the next couple of shots, grabbing at his side and yelling that he had been hit. He collapsed to the ground as Alex drew his pistol and began firing blindly in the general direction of the gunfire. Someone else cried out in pain and silence descended. Pierce lay on the floor at the end of the aisle, clutching his chest where the bullet had struck him.

  No one would ever know for sure if Pierce's intension were murderous or if he had generally made a mistake, too jumpy at being in the city and frightened at having wandered away from the group. His pleas were of such a mistake, but he would never be given the chance to have those pleas heard by any other members of the New Hope colony. Taking sets of bungee cords that had been found still on the shelves, Alex drug the man out of the store and tied him to the concrete pillars outside. Alex then helped Shawn into the truck who drove through the plate glass windows in order to load the supplies with greater speed. Alex also insisted on taking James' body back with them.

  As the two surviving members of the colonies' first foraging party drove out of the city, their escape was covered by the screams of Pierce being eaten alive.

  -----

  After the disastrous first trip away from the colony, the governing council chose not to send any additional parties out unless absolutely necessary. The food stores were well stocked and the ammunition sufficient to allow the colony to sustain itself for quite a while in their current state. Alex was relieved of his duties as strategic commander for the time he needed to recover from the foray, as well as Shawn who needed a lot of time to heal from the gun shot wounds he sustained. With two of the senior defensive members out of action, many of the other colonists had to work double shifts.

  Liam continued to consult with Alex every day, while Sam and Charles chose not to. After learning the details of their semisuccessful mission, no one blamed Alex for his unwillingness to talk about what happened. Nor did anyone really wish to speak to Alex about what he had done to Pierce. Some agreed, but many others began viewing Alex as a loose cannon which no one was safe from. When he did venture out in
to the open areas around the farmhouse, he was given a wide berth from everyone he met.

  The fallout from the Canton expedition soon began to fade. Shawn slowly fell back into his normal rotation, and Alex started back as strategic advisor. Although Alex returned, he still remained distant, talking to no one but his family, governing council and closest friends. Three weeks passed with relatively little excitement other than the occasional zombie or new colonist. New colonists started to out number the zombie sightings and the people of New Hope started to feel as if the worst of the crisis was past.

  "Contact," came the call from up top. Alex was joined by Liam at the base of the ladder to confirm the nature of the approaching threat.

  "How many?" Alex asked as his head cleared the roof top access.

  "Don't know, sir. Can't see bodies, just a dust plume." The man behind the rifle scope was Trevor, a solid veteran of quite a few zombie attacks both here at the colony and outside the stronghold.

  "What do you mean, 'a dust plume?'" Alex grabbed the binoculars that were held out to him by the second lookout, John. He pointed to the northwest horizon and Alex looked through the binoculars. "What the fuck is that?" he said to himself.

  "What are you looking at?" Liam asked as he too joined the other men on the roof top.

  Alex stepped to the side for Liam to get a better view and handed the binoculars to him. "See for yourself, and let me know what you think it is."

  Liam looked in the direction that Alex was pointing. He pulled the binoculars away from his face with a surprised look. "Beats the hell out of me. Either it's a mess of zombies headed here or...shit I don't know." Liam gave Alex a puzzled look.

  "Keep an eye on that," Alex told the roof top guards. "Call us when you can see anything that'll let us know what's coming." Alex clapped the men on the back and headed down the ladder. He and Liam stayed in the farmhouse close to the guard post just in case.

  Another forty-five minutes passed before an excited call came down from above. "Contact, sir. We have contact. It's the army! It's the fucking army, sir." John could barely contain his excitement at the thought of seeing a military presence headed their way. With an unsure glance at one another, Alex and Liam scrambled up the stairs.

  Sure enough, when Alex peered through the binoculars, a convoy of military vehicles was headed their direction. Alex passed the binoculars and waited for Liam to see what he had seen.

  "What do you think?" Alex asked.

  "Looks like a whole bunch of military trucks to me." He winked at Alex. "I'll be damned...the cavalry did come."

  Alex winced at the joke and asked for the binoculars again. "I'm not sure about this, Liam. We need to keep our guard up and our eyes open."

  "Oh come on," the second lookout spat. "It's the fucking army. We're actually saved now." Alex and Liam exchanged a glance and both knew exactly what the other was thinking.

  "Come with me, man," Liam said, taking the mouthy lookout by the shoulder. "You need a break and Alex will take your place." A glare was sent at Alex from the man being removed and he was escorted down the stairs by Liam.

  Before Liam's head completely disappeared below the roofline, Alex leaned close and whispered "Send up the fifty's and ammo. Get everyone ready, just in case." Liam nodded his agreement and sank from view

  The camp burst into action almost immediately.

  -----

  It took the convoy of trucks another two hours to reach the outskirts of New Hope. A total of twenty-two trucks in all accompanied the military convoy with a total of three hundred soldiers in all. Cheers rose up from the colonists which was quickly replaced with anger when Alex refused to open the perimeter wall to let the troops in.

  "We can't just let everyone in," Alex argued. Sam and Charles were furious that their presumed saviors were not being given a warm welcome. Liam agreed with Alex. "We can't be sure that these guys are actual military or not. We've got to be sure before we let them into our safe area."

  "You are unbelievable, Alex," Sam shouted. "These men are here to rescue us, and you are treating them like the enemy. Get off your high horse and let them in, I order you, as a member of the governing council to let them through!"

  "I second that vote..." Charles said.

  "I don't," Liam said before his father could continue any further.

  "It doesn't matter," Sam said. "The votes stand two in favor or allowing them in and one against. You have to let them in." Sam smiled at his obvious coup, daring either of the men to go against.

  "No, Sam, we won't be letting them it. It does not matter if you have the votes or not. This is a security issue," and Alex paused to let the impact of those words set in, "and you yourself voted to give me complete control over the colony, its members and its resources when there was a security issue at stake. They will not enter here until we have confirmed who they are and what they want."

  Sam fumed at this decision, knowing full well that there was absolutely nothing they could do about it. Charles stormed off in anger and Sam soon followed. "I think I just pissed them off," Alex said looking towards Liam.

  "Huh, you think?" Liam smirked back at Alex then turned to look at the awaiting convoy of military vehicles. "Guess we should go and figure out what they want, don't you think?"

  "Guess so." Liam and Alex strode towards the only entrance into New Hope determined to get some answers about their new visitors.

  -----

  Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Hill was none too happy about holding a meeting outside of a secure stronghold when there were a number of zombies in the area. Alex insisted.

  "Lt. Colonel Jonathan Hill of the 102nd Expeditionary Force of the US Army. Just who am I speaking to?" Lt. Col. Hill used his most commanding voice, attempting to instill as much intimidation as possible in the colonists. Alex and Liam had been through too much to be intimidated by someone in a clean uniform.

  "My name is Alex Kemp and this is Liam Beard. How can we help you?" Alex knew that his tone of voice was going to do nothing but infuriate the situation, but he could not stand the pompous air of this man. The colony of New Hope had survived for almost twelve weeks without help from anyone even claiming to be from the government, and they sure weren't going to just bow down to anyone at this point.

  "Mr. Kemp, Mr. Beard," Lt. Col. Hill said, nodding to each of them as he spoke their names. "I have come on behalf of the United States Government in order to rescue any American citizens left alive after the hantavirus outbreak and am authorized to provide any assistance necessary to ensure the safety of those citizens." Lt. Col. Hill puffed out his chest as he spoke trying to convey his important to the two men standing in front of him. Alex and Liam still were not impressed.

  Giving a sideways glance at Liam, Alex said, "Thank you very much for your kind offer, Lt. Col. Hill, but the colony of New Hope does not need rescuing. We've survived pretty well since the outbreak and feel that your services could probably be put to better use in another area." Alex crossed his arms and stared hard at the commander. "And, with all due respect sir, we all know that this is no hantavirus outbreak. If you really want us to believe and trust you, then I suggest we start with the truth. What can we here at New Hope do for you?" Alex forced a smile, but his voice carried the truth of his feelings. For some reason, Alex did not trust this man.

  The commander chuckled softly and turned to wink at his NCO, Command Sergeant Major Matthew Cuzman. The NCO's face was stone still, not even cracking the slightest smile when his commanding officer turned toward him admiring the inside joke. "Gentlemen," the commander began, "I can see that we are dealing with true American patriots. Hardworking sons-a-bitches that won't let anything stop them. Although I would say that your hospitality needs a little refining." Hill reached into the breast pocket of his uniform shirt and pulled out a cigar. Without a word, he turned to his NCO who had already produced a flame from which to light the cigar. Hill turned to look over his shoulder as if noticing the agitated sou
nds of the approaching zombies for the first time.

  "Tell you what, gentlemen. How about we go inside, just the three of us and we talk about just what is really happening out there? We just happen to make a pretty loud racket as we come through the countryside, and seem to have stirred up a whole hornet's nest. We go and talk, I'll have my NCO circle the wagons and take care of this little nuisance for you, and all of your...colonists, can have the first restful evening in a while." Lt. Col. Hill smiled a little too broadly. "What do you say, gentlemen?"

  "We accept." The voice boomed from behind them as Sam came striding up the back of the berm, Charles in tow. "It is an absolute pleasure to meet you, sir. My name is Sam Ingram and I am a member of the governing council of this colony. This is Charles Beard, also a member." Each of them held out their hands to the Lt. Col. and smiled their brightest smiles.

  "A pleasure to meet you, too," the commander said, taking each of their hands in turn and shaking it firmly. "Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Hill here, ready to relieve you." Sam and Charles looked as if they were ready to burst with joy over the sight of the commander standing on the wall of their makeshift defenses. "It seems as though there is a bit of difference in opinions here," Hill said as his eyes shifted between the four men.

  "Mr. Kemp here is a little overprotective of us all here in the colony. And really who could blame him," Sam said. "We've had it pretty hard here..."

  "I wouldn't necessarily say hard," Alex interrupted. "Considering what everyone else outside of these walls is having to deal with, I think we have it pretty good." Alex eyed Sam wishing that the man had stayed away and kept his mouth shut.

  Sam backtracked as quickly as he could. "Well, I guess if you want to put it that way. But things still haven't been easy. We've dealt with numerous attacks on this colony, some even from the living and we've been able to repel them all."