by Germann, Tom
Everyone agreed and Susie sat back down.
Tracy stood up and yelled out, “NO! I am not good with this!! I don’t want to be a soldier or learn how to use a gun! It’s not what I do! You’re just trying to make us all soldiers! We need to go to the city and go to the authorities. They have to…”
The hand on her shoulder turned her fast and she found herself looking up at Jimmy, he had moved fast for an older heavy set man.
Jimmy eyed Tracy coldly and lowered his hand. “Tracy, stop whining. So far, the only helpful thing you have done is prepare some food. All you do is open your damn fool mouth and complain. There are hundreds, or thousands or maybe millions dead and all you can do is whine. Everyone here wants to stay alive and go home. You just want us all to protect you and keep you safe from the bad whatever is out there. Grow up girl and start helping, everyone is going to have to pull their weight.”
Jimmy turned his back on Tracy and went back, lowering himself into his seat.
There was an awkward silence while Tracy blinked and looked like she wanted to cry. Everyone looked awkward and after a few seconds the Warrant carried on. “Steven, could you let everyone know what you found when you read the books?”
Steve stood up again, “You know I grabbed some books from the army base we were at. I do a lot of reading of technical writing and contracts so I know how to skim. I’ve been through three of the books so far, I’m going to keep this simple. We aren’t on our Earth anymore. America did not enter World War Two until the end of nineteen forty-five. The lend lease to Britain was pathetic and weak with very little assistance given except for food and medical supplies. This is NOT our America.”
Most of the others had expressions of disbelief or shock but not all of them.
Steven nodded and continued. “The history is not very detailed but the US government never gained strength here. Most of its powers were kept tied up by big business years earlier. It looks like this US was involved in World War One but the losses suffered there affected them deeply. As it stands there is just a little taxation which does not allow for a large standing full-time army or the equipment it needs to fight a modern war as we know it.” He paused. “Sorry I’m losing my focus here. America is Capitalism with a capital C. Russia is Communist with a capital C. The two sides hate each other. Communism won the war in Europe and mostly took over. Britain fell as well after a while. Today Capitalism rules in North and South America while Europe is Communist. Asia is up for grabs. Everything I’ve read makes it black and white, there is a VERY narrow grey line. There were some big holes in the information because the books are not dedicated to history but guides and information for people who know the basics. There is a lot of information I don’t have but the important thing here is, this is not our world or our Earth. There are big differences.”
Steve paused, considering what to say next. “If we meet people we need to be very careful what we say and do. Modern technology is what we have seen and seems to have stagnated a lot in certain fields. If we say the wrong thing then I would guess we could be seen as spies. Spies are executed, period. I think they are also tortured for information and they have specialists for that. Saying things about your freedom of speech won’t help much either. We are in a super right wing area where the government does not really have any say in the day to day business of the private sector. There are references to purges as well. I personally do not want to end up in one of the ‘camps’ I read about. If you are lucky you get re-educated. If not you get re-educated then shipped to whatever warzone exists and become almost slave soldiers for up to ten years.”
Steve stopped again and looked around at everyone. “I know most of you do not believe me. Fine. Just be careful what you say and to who. Tracy, I’m sorry but if you talk about rights and oppressive governments here… It seems like most of the diehard types would hold a quick trial then put you against the wall. Or if they are short of bullets they’ll just hang you.”
“On the positive side, most Americans are involved with the military in some way. It is considered a duty to sign up for five to ten years with the reserves or guard. I read up on the benefits. Pay is shabby but you are fed and get a ‘Patriot card’ which can give you up to twenty percent off at some stores. For our Canadian friends, these Americans did not like Canada until a few years ago. Now everyone is on the same page. The countries are still separate but are on great terms. I figure you six can still be Canadian soldiers and it will explain the accents and you should be accepted.”
“That’s sort of it for now. I’ve been through three books and one recruiting pamphlet and there is a lot more I need to know, I’m hoping we find a library we can borrow some books from in the city.”
Steve finished up and sat back down. Everyone just sat there in shock.
Wagner stood up and moved to the side of the room near one of the posts. “Okay everyone I’ve got the final points then we can break and finish eating and rest up before some weapon handling. We are facing zombies. These are the movie type as they existed in the sixties and seventies. They are relatively slow but can pick up a bit of speed when they get agitated. Body shots do not seem to do anything but slow them down. A solid hit to the head which causes more extreme damage seems to ‘kill’ them. If you can’t hit the head go for the joints. A destroyed shoulder means they can’t use their arms. Smash a knee and they could still hobble along but a hip shot should greatly limit mobility and leave them crawling. Chest ain’t gonna do a thing.
“I’m guessing a bit here but they seem to get an idea in whatever they use for a brain and keep following it. I think they move about a mile an hour or a klick and a half per hour. They like to follow paths and they bite. They are infectious. That’s everything we already know about these zombies.”
Wagner crossed his arms and looked irritated. “I’ve watched lots of zombie and other horror movies. What I could never understand is how, in a zombie movie where you have evidence that the dead walk, and the only way to stop them is to destroy the brain, why does the civilization end up losing? Why all the stupid mistakes? I thought confusion and fear would be answers. Then a buddy of mine pointed something out. They have no experience with zombies. The problem has never existed for them in their fantasy entertainment world so they can’t figure it out until it’s too late.” He uncrossed his arms and straightened up. “I don’t know this for sure but I think we have something similar happening here. So, our biggest strength is going to be we know what is going on. Remember people who know what they are doing die in the movies when they get cocky.”
Susie put her hand up. “Excuse me. Are you saying we’re in a horror movie?”
Private Weibe answered, “It really seems like it with zombies walking around attacking people.” He flushed at having spoken out loud.
Almost everyone laughed which was a release of the tension which had been building. Ever since they had arrived here things had been wrong. The stress, pressure, and incredible heat wave they were dealing with was stretching everyone to breaking point. Now they were being told they were not on ‘their’ Earth and they were living in a horror movie. Laughter cracked the brittle shell their attempt to be ‘normal’ had created.
The Warrant stepped back and smiled. “So, with that cheerful note let’s break and get ready. We are going to sleep in the vehicles with the windows rolled up tonight. Tomorrow we get up, eat, pack up, and roll out for the city. We do everything we can to not get cocky. So, let’s stay on edge and survive for the sequel.”
Jimmy started chuckling and everyone else joined in for a second. Then they got up and moved off.
No one had wanted to get into the vehicles yet as they would be there overnight and the thought of being in a stinking, enclosed hot box for hours was not appealing.
While everyone else was quickly redistributing the load from the one questionable car to the other vehicles in the convoy Steven walked over to the Warrant and Sergeant. “Can I have a moment of you
r time? You both need to hear this.”
Sergeant Caisson shrugged. “Go ahead, we’re just trying to figure out stupid stuff like how to get everyone more time on the weapons we are giving them and how to get them to be good shots, when they can’t fire here. We can do dry runs but it isn’t the same when the weapon isn’t bucking and kicking. So, useless right now. What’s up?”
Steven leaned against one of the support beams and folded his arms across his chest. “I’ve been reading those military books since we found them. We are going to have a problem tomorrow. Or I should say you are going to have a problem tomorrow whenever we meet up with official survivors and government types.” Steven sighed and blinked a few times. “There is no easy way to say this. This US army is top heavy with officers. Officers do all the leading and most of the thinking. At least that’s my take on it. Their system is set up for officers to join and do all the scut work until they hit Captain, then they start focusing on officer stuff. Officer casualties are expected to be high in combat because they lead from the front. So, unless you are a much higher ranking Non-commissioned soldier they will just dismiss you and whatever you say. If you were an officer at the rank of Major, well they would pay attention to you. You know how we were talking about gut feelings just a little while ago?”
Both the Sergeant and Warrant nodded agreement. Steven continued. “You can’t be Warrant Wagner anymore. You need to be at least Captain Wagner. Or from what I have read they’ll throw you and the rest of the troops onto a front line under a new junior officer. The rest of your troops need to be higher ranked as well as being specialists or they’re going onto a front line.”
Both soldiers stared at Steven then looked at each other.
Sergeant Caisson spoke first. “I’m an NCO and always have been and always will be. I don’t want to be an officer.”
Steven nodded. “You do have an option. The top ranked NCO in a company is the First Sergeant. If you are that rank you are considered the assistant to the Company commander. Of course, the company commander is usually a Major.” Steven sighed, “according to the book which could be accurate or completely off, a Captain would be the second in command and be ready for promotion. I had a chance to think about this a bit. My suggestion is the six of you are from a support company. You, Warrant are now Captain Wagner. A major should have all sorts of information and knowledge. A Captain as a second in command can be missing some. Sergeant Caisson can be First Sergeant for the company as a posted in member to get more knowledge of other trades which seems to happen a lot.”
Warrant Wagner and Sergeant Caisson both nodded agreement and Steven continued.
“The rest of the soldiers are ‘specialists’. Corporal Vajjer is now Staff Sergeant Vajjer. He can supervise troops and do basic leadership. The three privates would become corporals and can still be learning their trade. A Corporal can do basic soldier skills and just does what he is told and not much more.”
Steven paused for a minute and appeared to be thinking about something, then he slowly continued. “Civilians will either have been drafted into the military or sent off as refugees out of the line of fire. I am also going to suggest you ‘drafted’ us a while ago, voluntarily of course, and we all work together, with the civilians, me, and the rest, acting as assistants and helpers. It would keep us all together and make it less likely some of us get shipped away or drafted into an infantry company.” Steven stopped and looked at both men.
Warrant Wagner and the Sergeant nodded with Caisson answering. “Makes a lot more sense than having you guys get sent off to die because some sixteen-year-old Lieutenant feels like it.”
Steven still seemed to be hesitating then continued again after nodding at the Sergeant. “The biggest problem we are likely going to have is the ladies. Women are not allowed in the front lines. Women are to be protected. Now, if they were married, it would be doable as there are circumstances where men and women could be in the same area. Tracy and Sue are NOT married and as young ladies need to be protected from the rougher nature of fighting men. This means they sleep in officer country almost under guard. Given what we have seen, this place is like the 1950s, sort of. They are not going to appreciate the way either one of them acts. In fact, if Tracy starts talking about rights and down with the government then they could be labelled as Communists. That’s a firing squad no matter who you are. Or maybe worse, there are treatments listed for some women to help them understand the way things should be.”
Warrant Wagner shrugged. “We do everything we can to stay together. Sergeant Caisson, bring everyone back together quickly and quietly. We are going to go over our story and explain how this place sort of works. Tracy and Sue should dress a bit more conservatively and need to be briefed, I’m not sure how much more conservatively they can dress. Do they need to be in long ankle length skirts or dresses? Worst case scenario when we get there they were married young to one of us and become wives. And no, don’t ask me how it works out or anything else on that front right now. Let’s get the story straight, you and Corporal Vajjer can do weapon refresher training with our guys and the civvies then we rack out. What a bloody nightmare. Steven, could you please try to talk to Tracy? I don’t want to see her get shot or hung but if she loses it like she has been then as much as I hate to say it, I will. I’ll let them take her as a Communist and try to play it out as positive as possible so the rest of us don’t go down with her.”
Both the other men just stared at him.
Sergeant Caisson looked at the Warrant carefully. “Are you sure? We don’t just dump people. I mean I talk about it, but actually dumping her?”
Steven watched them both with a horrified look.
Warrant Wagner looked at both men calmly. “Yes, I will. If we walk in and there are fifty soldiers and they come to take her because she is going off and sounding like a socialist and they want to shoot her? I am not going to risk everyone else’s life because she can’t play nice with the loonies. Sue or Chris or Jimmy or Steven. Each one of those people will try to fit in. I won’t risk anyone’s life because she is an idiot. We will brief her, but she should know the way it is. I don’t want to but I will. I’ll hate myself for it but if we face off against some of these extremists we are likely to run into? I don’t want most of us dead and the rest in lock up because we sheltered a communist. Just remember it may not be like that. Maybe all of humanity has come together in this time of need. But I’m not going to hold my breath.”
Sergeant Caisson nodded slowly then straightened. “Okay Warran—Captain, Sir. I’ll round everyone up and we can carry on. Personally, I am looking forward to some rack time.” He stepped off and started circling the barn tapping people on the shoulder and talking quietly to them.
Steven looked at the Warr… no Captain. He had to start thinking like the story now. A slip up would be bad. He started talking. “I understand what you are saying but do you think it will be as bad, Captain?” The hesitation was minor and Steven hoped it wasn’t noticeable.
As everyone started slowly wandering over to join the two men Captain Wagner looked at Steven and smiled tiredly. “It was bad when we realized what was going on. We are in way worse now. There are going to be tears later I promise you. No matter what we do this will all end badly for someone somewhere.”
Captain Wagner looked at everyone as they came over and had begun talking quietly explaining their ‘new’ history.
MORNING
T
he sounds of movement and the quiet opening of car doors distracted Captain Wagner from his thoughts. It had still been a long night. After telling the story three times they had quizzed everyone. Then First Sergeant Caisson had taken everyone through weapon handling for half an hour.
The back of the truck was re-organised turning up metal rank pins. They clipped onto the hats. Officer rank was much bigger than non-commissioned members and were shiny. It was a wonder any officers lived past their first twenty-four hours in combat as those rank in
signia made perfect aim points as far as he could tell.
Everyone was up and conscious, they had to eat and get going.
First Caisson did a quick weapon check while breakfast was being prepared, or rather a smaller cooler was opened and the items removed for eating. Every soldier had a rifle as did all the men. Sue had grabbed a shotgun and bandolier of ammunition as she was more comfortable with the set-up. She also had a forty-five tucked away. The others who had been issued forty-fives included; Jimmy, Sergeant Vajjer, First Caisson, and Captain Wagner. Every vehicle had a shotgun and spare rifle inside just in case. Everyone’s weapon would be unloaded for the trip just in case. Even with the night’s sleep everyone felt tired and worn out and the chance of an accidental discharge was felt to be too high to risk it.
The thought of a shotgun or large calibre round blasting someone accidentally was not a good one.
While everyone slowly ate the sandwiches, it was discussed what would be loaded into the small backpacks they had taken from the militia company building. Ammo, food, water, cleaning kits, changes of clothes, snacks, toilet paper and more were all discussed and debated.
Finally, after breakfast the bags were loaded. Eighty rounds of ammunition for the individual’s rifle or shotgun, twenty-four rounds for those with side arms, a day’s food, a change of socks and underwear, whatever personal effects they wanted, and a blanket strapped to the outside with rope.
Everyone was also handed a military style web belt which had also come from the stores. Everyone had two canteens, two magazine carriers and a large mess tin they would use when the fresh food ran out shortly.
Everyone also had the choice of grabbing onto whatever tool they wanted for a close combat weapon. Everyone already had something and it was either a hammer or shorter crowbar with Corporal Vajjer holding onto his fire extinguisher for “hot times.” Surprisingly enough Tracy had grabbed a small ball peen hammer and taken a few practice swings with it half-heartedly. Everyone had stayed well back as they didn’t want to take a flung hammer to the face and while it was unspoken, everyone was concerned about Tracy with a hammer.
