by Bonds, Javan
I broke back into the conversation with my usual asshattery. “You sure about that? That kind of language is something only a child murderer would use.”
He sighed. “What makes you think they are murdered?”
Damn. I just figured they’d be dead. Especially the first one, after being gone for so long. Dad knew I was more of a pessimist than he. “I just figured...”
My brother thankfully decided to discuss what was coming and end my embarrassing speculations before they could begin. “You know we’re getting closer to Mississippi. I think there are a few more locks on the Tenn-Tom before the last stretch to Columbus.”
That’s a good fucking estimate. In Easy’s world, 7000 is a few! That’s why I didn’t want to come down this damn river; we’d waste decades going through all the locks and dams.
The Protector continued. “We’re going to stop in Columbus and get off there. Me, Bradley, and The Phantoms will get off the boat to head to Tusc–”
The mention of the city brought something to my dad’s Alzheimer’s riddled mind. “Columbus! Benji told me a story about the Air Force Base there. I’ll have him over one night, and he can tell you about it. I think you are gonna need to go there.”
We just might need to, but I’ve always had trouble believing most of what my dad says he heard from someone else. It’s like going into the Alzheimer’s unit of a nursing home and hearing World War II stories from a man born in 1930. Yeah, he could’ve been in the Pacific theater in 1945. He might actually even believe with every fiber of his being that he is telling the truth, but without some other type of evidence, you have no proof, and he could just be a crazy old man babbling about shit he’s not sure of.
If what he’s telling you is not true, it’s not a lie because he would swear to God that it really happened. But, you could take it with a grain of salt. Talking to my dad about offhand, third-person knowledge is kind of like that.
I looked up in the dark, utterly cloudless sky. “Well, it looks like it’s about to start raining. We’re gonna have to let you go, Daddy.”
My brother spoke to me incredulously. “No it’s–“I threw up my hand.
“Roger. I’ll be sure to get Benji. Gray Fox. Over and out.”
☠☠☠
18
Memoirs Of Benji 2
THESE DAYS, IT was a rarity to come across survivors. It seems like I’ve done a million flyovers of Marshall County and the surrounding area. When we first started these searches, we would go a day or two between finding living humans. Now, it’s been longer. Burning fuel for these fruitless trips seems like a waste.
I should have realized this would be an eventful day when Devin volunteered to accompany me solo. Most trips where we had come up empty-handed, other crew members came along to gain some airtime. Bruce and Kelly, the two civilians rescued at the Huntsville international Airport, rode shotgun frequently because they wanted to become pilots.
My copilot was suited up and met me in the hangar as I approached the Cherokee.
“You think there’s anybody still alive out there?” I asked him.
He looked at me stupidly, as if I should already know the answer to that question. After all, he was accompanying me. My fellow Naval Flight Officer grinned knowingly. “Ah, we just have to keep looking. I’m sure there will be a reservoir of life somewhere.”
Reservoir? I was trying to think of another word for that when he continued. “There might still be a few more people out there.”
Then it hit me. Water tower! I knew what I’d be looking for.
My copilot, wearing the leather Ghost Rider jacket and accompanying chain, swung himself into the cockpit. I geared up as Indiana Jones, with bullwhip of course, and settled into my seat behind the stick. As much as we had been through, I felt almost invincible with Devin Landers at my side.
There weren’t that many water towers in the county, anybody standing on one of them would be easy to spot. Being mischievous in my high school years, I had climbed more than one water tower in the county. You’d think it’d be a pretty safe place to go from just a casual glance. It would take some investigating to realize that the ladders on most do not retract. If this was the classical zombie apocalypse featuring reanimated shamblers, that wouldn’t be a problem. In the real world, our zombies can vault up a fucking brick wall like monkey Spiderman!
☠☠☠
From the Guntersville airport, there was more than one of the traditional water towers along a southern route. When I say traditional, I’m talking about the ones I saw most as a kid. You know, a big tank on skinny legs, painted English pea poop green. But just a little further to the Southwest, there was one water tower of a different style. It was a big tank on a single center cement column. Lattiwood Tower. Being the only tower of its kind in the area, I had a gut feeling it would be the first place to look. Plus, it just looked like the backdrop for a movie. Sometimes my gut is right.
☠☠☠
As the plane crossed over one of the smaller, two lane state highways in the area, Lattiwood water tower was clearly visible even from the top of the mountain. As we sped toward our destination it was obvious we were in the place we were supposed to be.
“Holy fucking shit!” For hundreds of yards around the column, the earth seemed to be pulsating and moving like a living organism. I don’t think I have to tell you the active area was an ocean of pale blue.
We both knew there was nothing we could do from this distance. Even once we got close, there was no way in hell I was going to touch down anywhere around there. We would just have to take pot shots from our moving airplane.
Just like a scene from a movie, there had to be someone on the water tower. And they just so happened to be under attack by what looked like the entire remaining infected population of the county. By luck, a couple of heroes swoop in to save the day just in the nick of time. Are we nothing but marionettes being guided by a puppet master? If my copilot was to be believed, we don’t control our own fates.
The people on the water tower needed our help. They were holding their own for the moment but we were not sure how long they could last. After a few passes we knew it would be suicide to land and fight our way to the tower. There had to be another way to rescue the survivors trapped on the tower.
Then an image flashed across my mind. BAE “Hang on! I got it.”
BAE was a military contractor with a large manufacturing facility headquartered at the Albertville Airport. I almost squealed when I happily remembered what they had been contracted for; upgrade and repair military helicopters. The Albertville airport was only a few miles south of Lattiwood.
There was no need to tell Devin what I just realized. It was clear he already knew after his next statement. “You take point and I will cover your rear.”
☠☠☠
Our little single engine came to a stop shortly after touchdown at the Albertville Airport. There wasn’t really a point in driving the plane to rest in front of the hangar. There would be no incoming enemy fire from which to take cover. I simply opened the door and stepped out, checking the action of my rifle. Devin sighed and shrugged before following. I don’t know why he kept pretending that every move taken wasn’t part of the plan.
There had been some air shows at this airport, featuring plane rides, airplane acrobatics, and even an A-10 warthog. I went to one of these events years ago and only remember the BAE building in passing. It was one large building with maybe a hangar. Or so I thought.
Maybe it had been added on to in recent years or I just hadn't paid attention before now. It was one huge ass building, another with a large hanger and then an office building. The largest building was at least the size of a football field; that had two giant bay doors opening to a massive hangar. The upstairs part of the building was filled with offices while the back was full of parts and machining equipment. If there were any helicopters at the airport they would be in that monstrous bay. Thankfully, we wouldn’t have to worry about any blunatics in th
at much of an open area... Probably.
“This place is bigger than my visions – I mean– bigger than I expected.” Devin barely kept the cat in the bag.
It was easy to see that one of the huge bay doors was open. Brushing off his basic admittance he had foreseen this, I looked at him. “We’re going in the big door, right?” I questioned as if his approval was required before any action could be taken.
He smirked. “What do you think?”
We both moved to stand in front of the gaping maw that was BAE. As I stepped toward the hangar, my copilot turned to face the smaller office doors on the front of the building, to his right. There was no time to stop and do the same thing. What Devin knew would occur happened. Why didn’t he just tell me before now?
A dark-haired teenage girl burst through the door and landed on the asphalt. She looked up, shocked to see living humans. Without knowing or asking who we were, she shouted at us. “Come help. Quick!” The girl stood and waited for us to start moving before she turned to face the open door she had just exited.
Before I could do anything more than grunt a questioning noise, Devin broke into a run and I was right behind him. The two of us had no idea what we were getting into. This could be a trap. But then again, Devin would have known that and wouldn’t have followed her. At least, I hope he wouldn’t.
This girl couldn’t have been more than fifteen or sixteen. She looked to have been athletic, but barely surviving for this long would wear the healthiest person down to almost nothing. I caught up with her much faster than I would have before May Day. “What’s wrong?”
“They’re here! And they’ve got my parents trapped in one of the offices. Are those things loaded?” She gestured at the weapons over our shoulders.
I grunted again and nodded. She ran back into the doorway she came out of and we followed. As she led us down a darkened hallway, I didn’t see a point in asking who ‘they’ were. Why the hell are these people in this particular building? Having survived for so long, you’d think they’d know it would be much safer to stay in a large building like one of the giant hangars in this complex!
Maybe the damn zombies had acclimated to the cavernous bay and it was just as dangerous. Like those peevies back at Columbus AFB. They sure didn’t mind fishing in the dark for Devin’s squad. Pushing my speculations aside, I ran on down the hall.
I questioned our leader. “So what’s your name?”
“Kyndle.”
I don’t know about anyone else, but I need someone’s full name when we meet. “Kyndle...?”
She sighed. “Tims!” I think I dated a girl in high school with a similar name. Come to think of it, they share a lot in looks!
We continued running as I asked her about the situation. “So what’s going on?”
This is the story Kyndle told me.
☠☠☠
Ken Tims walked through the open gate at the Albertville municipal Airport. “It doesn’t look like this place has been raided. Can’t hurt to try. Besides, we will only go through the hangars unless something looks interesting.”
His wife, Kel, opposed even entering the airport grounds. Alas, she was willing to follow her husband. “I still don’t think this is a good idea. There’s a gas station right down the road we can try.”
The Tims family didn’t consider themselves thieves. They were just taking what they needed to survive. Making it through the initial outbreak, they had learned how to avoid becoming blue. What seemed like years had been spent picking through the things left behind. Heading south, the family only stopped at locations which appeared to have remained unmolested. Marauders had become a common sight, but the family managed to avoid contact so far.
It was hard to believe the bands of miscreants hadn't yet looted any of the buildings at the airport. Could there have been a reason they steered clear of this location? Maybe the peevies were using this as some sort of headquarters. The Tims had seen some indescribably horrible acts committed by the blue monsters since May Day. It could only be imagined what they were doing here. Keeping the large bays full of immobile humans while they slowly cut them into pieces? There was no telling what deranged scene would be witnessed here.
Ken urged his wife to follow him to the monstrous BAE structures. “Come on!”
Kel sighed and walked toward a guaranteed mistake. She was certain that they would find nothing good anywhere on this property. Albertville had been her home for a lifetime, but it was no longer the safe, quiet, small town she grew up in. Now, there were sadistic creatures committing disgusting, gut wrenching crimes around every corner. Today, the Tims family would witness the most disturbing terror they had ever seen.
☠☠☠
The family of three stood in front of the hangar. Everything was strangely quiet as was usual since May Day. Not counting the few times they had been in conflict with one of the former humans, Ken’s family had been extremely lucky thus far. He could only cross his fingers in hopes that the cards would continue to be dealt in their favor. They stood in the light, timid to take a step into the black unknown.
Finally, Ken made the first move into the shadow. His surroundings remained completely still. No tooth or nail assaulted him. At least this part of BAE seemed completely abandoned. He gestured for his wife and daughter to follow, growing more and more confident that they were alone. They came closer to the back wall, lined with tools and assorted equipment that couldn't be made out in the inky darkness.
Movement could be heard. Bare feet shuffling. A ragged female voice whispered. “Here they come again. Get ready!”
Hearing anything other than a snarling hiss gave Ken pause. Realizing his group could’ve been ambushed at any time by living humans that knew their location, he spoke loudly and clearly. “We are only survivors. We came here looking for salvage. We do not intend to cause harm in any way. Forgive us for intruding and we will be on our way.” He began backing up as he spoke.
The same tired female spoke. “You’re alive? I thought I heard boots. Come help us!”
Three battered, naked, unwashed women were trapped in the oil pit in the floor of the hangar. The undead had done nothing more than push heavy objects over the grate to prevent their exit. Zombies had been feeding them scraps to keep the women alive. They had remained prisoner for what seemed like years. Keeping them caged, the revenant’s must have been saving them for something. Ashamed, the now freed prisoners were reluctant to talk about their captivity.
☠☠☠
Of the three, Sheila was finally the only one willing to speak openly. All of them had been so abused mentally and physically, they seemed unsure of how to accept generosity. Ken, Kel, and their daughter Kyndle, tentatively avoided discussing the details of their imprisonment. If they had gone through what Ken suspected, it was too horrible to talk about.
There were a million questions running through all the family members’ heads. Ken told Kel he wasn’t even going to begin to speculate on why blood and saliva were infectious and semen was not. Everything about this situation was indescribably disturbing. Thank God the peevies ain’t here he told Kyndle just as he turned to face the sunlight beaming through the opening in the hanger.
The Tims patriarch blinked at the bright sun. A dark silhouette of a man stood alone and unmoving, casting a long shadow on the floor. The man had watched the survivors help the prisoners. Or at least, what used to be a man. The peevie’s growl grew in intensity until it let out a loud, echoing bark. The first move had just been made.
“José!” One of the confused rape victims turned with a giddy shout. “I didn’t want him to touch me. They made me. I swear. I’m only for you!” The demented woman pushed away from Kel and rushed at the peevie with arms spread.
She continued running and screaming, asking José’s forgiveness. Several other zombies appeared from behind José. As one, they began moving forward.
José naturally led the charging horde. Coming to the crying human, it didn’t expectedly bite. It only took
her head in its hand and pushed her violently to the side. The leader had a new priority. Its eyes were fixed on the defiant humans on the other side of the hangar.
Puzzlement only lasted briefly for the weak woman. Her head impacted the hard cement and ruptured. Brains immediately began oozing. Her brittle bones gave no resistance and her skull collapsed as easily as an egg shell. The peevies were in luck, this yoke already appeared scrambled. More than one of the infected beasts couldn’t resist a free lunch and hurried over to lap up the tasty buffet.
Ken, his family, and what remained of the newly rescued survivors ran into the attached building. The door opened to a smaller office building coated in a horrendous amount of black shit. Every surface was covered in layers of excrement. Swarms of flies were so thick they seemed almost solid.
Sheila pointed to a room to her left. “We can block the door with that desk!” She and the other rape survivor rushed into the room.
At the same moment, Ken noticed a room lined with filing cabinets. It looked easily fortifiable. With only a gesture, he and his wife headed into this room. They could only hope makeshift barricades would be enough.
At the rear of the group, Kyndle paused as both pairs separated. Before she could follow her parents, she looked over her shoulder to see the animals falling over each other. They came bounding around the corner and she continued running down the hall.
“Baby!” Kel screamed and tried to rush into oncoming doom to try and protect her daughter. With a heavy heart, Ken held onto his wife and shut the door.
☠☠☠
Devin and I followed Kyndle around a turn in the hallway. Stopping abruptly, we were face to face with at least dozens of blunatics. A few of them spotted us just as we spotted them. A bark let the others know there was new prey afoot.
We could see over the shoulders of the charging peevies that they had already gotten into one of the rooms. Obviously the room with both women, the screaming was nearly unbearable. Not slowly harvesting pieces, the damn zombies were literally ripping the women apart. They were relishing each digit, each appendage to the joints, and each ounce of gushing blood. The other room must have been better barricaded and was more difficult to get into.
