Infected World Trilogy (Books 1-3): They Only Come Out At Night

by Guenther, David

  “Yes, ma’am, that would work. I’ll have a detail make the signs and get them out this afternoon. After the clusterfuck last night, I’d like to use our heavy equipment we have and build a better zone of fire around our area. I figure a quarter mile in all directions. Then we can use the debris to make walls too high for the Zs to get over. We can do it and incorporate entry control points at the same time to better secure our facilities here. A nice side bonus is the Zs we take out that are hunkered down near us, using the houses as lairs during the day. If we keep letting them get close to the school walls, I’m afraid something’s going to happen.”

  “Will we have enough fuel to do that and still have fuel for our vehicles to do patrol or in a worst case scenario, evacuate?” Gloria asked.

  “Ma’am, there are fuel trucks we can bring in. I’d rather clear an area out first and have them parked away from the buildings in the event of a fire, or an attack.”

  “Ray, I see three priorities for the near future then. Send a detail to block access to the contaminated areas around Camp Navajo and Flagstaff. Prepare the immediate area, as you suggested, for a quarter mile in all directions. I personally will mark the houses to be bulldozed and those to be salvaged before being bulldozed. Maybe even leave a couple that have swimming pools for our people’s recreation.” Gloria looked tired to the old NCO.

  “Ma’am, and the third item?”

  “We took losses last night. Today we honor them. Can you organize the funeral detail? Since we don’t have any bodies, I guess the eight man honor guard and a bugler. I’ll talk to Pastor Hilton about saying a few words.”

  “We also need to police all the infected bodies from last night, use the heavy equipment to transfer the bodies to the desert west of here to avoid disease and just the smell of them.”

  “Thank you ma’am, with everything going on, I didn’t think out that. I’ll get every free body we have for the ceremony. I’d like to suggest the center of the football field, it’s the nicest area and attendees can sit, especially the older folks.” I’ve been to far too many funerals.

  Gloria wished she had gone back to her apartment to get her blues. She felt conflicted since she didn’t know the lost men, but they had been hers. She looked at the formation of fifty troops; they were all now outfitted in the uniforms she had salvaged. An older uniformed retiree fought his way out of his wheelchair, bracing himself in the position of attention. Gloria’s shock at his selfless act of respect for the deceased was magnified tenfold as he began to play Taps, the mournful sound coming from the bugler tore at her heart as she tried to hold back tears. She silently cringed as she felt the tears begin to pour down her cheeks. The bugler’s last notes had barely faded when the bugler dropped heavily back into his wheelchair. Gloria felt a great weight overcome herself as well as she wondered who under her command would be next.

  “Lieutenant Alban, don’t think about it.” Gloria turned to Master Sergeant Hale and was surprised to see his eyes were misty. “The thing that’s bad about these funerals is that every time Taps is played, I’m in a snow-covered graveyard seeing my first boss being lowered into the ground, then to my own father’s funeral. He retired as a Staff Sergeant. Dozens of other ceremonies pop into my mind. My advice is embrace the suck, then press forward.

  “Thank you, Ray. I’m going to head out in a few minutes to mark the initial houses for either immediate tear down, salvage and tear down, or leave alone. I’ll put the mark on the front doors.”

  “Gloria, can I have a second?” Gloria looked at the Pastor Becky and knew it wasn’t going to be a second.

  “Thank you for officiating at the funeral ceremony this morning. What can I do for you, Pastor Hilton?”

  “You could explain to me why you’re tearing down the neighbors’ houses. That just seems to be wanton destruction when we have so many things to get done.”

  Gloria slipped into her ‘official voice’ from force of habit, when she answered the woman. “Padre, we lost two men we shouldn’t have. This will reduce our future risk from any unnecessary loss. It will also provide us the opportunity to get clothing, kitchen supplies, food, and some comfort items. I also plan to leave some of the houses standing that have pools. If you need my people to provide security for teams that are looking for survivors and resources, I’ll do my best to help. I also would like to start training a militia to support our people as well as provide security for your teams.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss, but I still want to check the fields for crops that were planted already, as well as plant our own crops. We need to plow under non-food crops and it will take effort and time. Your distraction here…”

  “My distraction here will provide safety for all of us and will also encompass the water facility we’ll need to water those crops, and for drinking water. I’ll be selecting houses to be salvaged and those to be torn down. It’s your choice if you want to salvage or not, my main worry is to tear them down to remove infected as a problem.”

  “I’ll form teams to reclaim items we can use. I know I want a new mattress, and more clothing would boost morale. Who else is selecting houses besides you?”

  “Padre, I’m the only one who can tell if an infected is in a house. If the infected are home, they get flattened. I’m not risking any lives clearing out houses.” Gloria headed for the door without looking back; she knew it’d be a long first day ahead of her.

  Stepping out of the school’s west exit, she was immediately assaulted by the smell of the bodies that were already being cleaned up. The small bulldozer seemed to tear apart as many bodies as it scooped up. The entrails hanging from the machine made Gloria choke back the urge to puke. She noticed the work crew was mainly civilian, all had bandanas tied to their faces, she didn’t envy the workers with flat shovels that were shoveling the small parts into piles for the bulldozer to clear. Most of the crew shouted out to her as she passed. She could feel the mix of disgust most were feeling towards the task at hand, and a sense of security when they saw her, as she walked off towards the houses.

  She walked through where the infected had knocked down the wall, and went to the front of the house through a side gate. She looked at the front of the house and tried to see if she could feel anything. When she didn’t, she opened the front door and shouted in, “Good morning, is anyone home? I’m Lieutenant Alban US Air Force.” Stepping into the house, the smell from the kitchen was strong of spoiled meats and food. The living room was decorated nicely with a huge flat screen on the wall, games and game controllers littered the floor. Moving on to the next room it appeared to be a family room. The walls were covered in pictures of family and exotic vacations. An entire wall was covered in books of every description. She pulled down one that was familiar to her, bound in black leather. She could not describe the feeling she received other than hopeful as she slid the Bible in her pocket. She walked through a formal dining room, noting the table had fourteen chairs, I guess someone really took the verse, ‘be fruitful and multiply’ to heart. She caught herself from laughing when she figured the family was most likely dead or infected.

  Walking up the stairs to the second floor, she noticed the walls were covered in different styles of crucifies and paintings based on the Bible. Entering the master bedroom, the motif of love and God was on all the walls except one. A huge oak gunrack dominated the last wall, she counted a mix of over twenty rifles and shotguns. She pulled open an oak cabinet, discovering the ammunition for the weapons. She went to the nightstand and found a pink 1911 Commander 45. She could not help but laugh as she went to the other side of the bed and opened the night stand. An ancient 1911 lay on top of the clutter in the drawer. Most of the bluing on the slide had been worn away with time, the brown checkered grip had a crack that had been repaired with glue. She picked up the old weapon, appreciating the weight of it. Removing the magazine, she was surprised it only held seven rounds. “You’re nice old timer, but I miss too often,” she whispered to the gun as she set it back in the dra
wer.

  She returned downstairs and headed for the garage, expecting to find a huge SUV for the family vehicle. The garage was instead empty of any vehicles. A huge tarp over a workbench drew her curiosity. Pulling back the cover, she was not surprised to see a pair of huge reloading presses, boxes of brass and other components neatly labeled along the wall next to the gear. I guess they really held on to their God and guns. I wonder what happened to them?

  Stepping out of the house, she pulled her can of spray paint and sprayed a huge ‘S’ on the door, feeling emotionally tired for the missing family. She felt the weight of the Bible in her pocket as she moved to the next house and noticed she was being watched from a truck in the street. She had not even sensed the person before now. The person was male and not sending off any signals other than contentment.

  He straightened up from behind the driver’s wheel when he saw she was walking towards him. She noticed he was wearing the same OCP uniform as her people, but that was no guarantee he was one of ‘her’s.’

  “Well, hello there. Nice day to just chill, isn’t it? What are you doing here?” Gloria noticed he had all the tags and tapes on the shirt. If it was correct, he was a specialist.

  “Ma’am, Master Sergeant Hale ordered me to keep an eye on you, and assist you if you needed any help, otherwise I was to fade into the woodwork.”

  “What’s your military occupational specialty, specialist?” Gloria asked, amused.

  “Ma’am. I’m a 92 Yankee. I maintain and support the general upkeep of supplies.”

  “Well, that’s convenient. That includes inventory as well, am I right?”

  “Yes, Ma’am.”

  “Good. I want an inventory of the firearms, munitions, and munitions’ supplies. I know the Padre will want all the reading material from the house as well. Others may lay claim to other things, but those are the two main ones for me with this house. I want you to follow-up with me when you’re done. You and I have a long day ahead of us. Remember I worked in an office before, I expect the ‘Ts” crossed and the ‘Is’ dotted. You may carry on.”Sergeant Hale, You’re a sneaky man, but I appreciate the thought. Gloria looked back and watched the specialist fumble with his carbine as the patrol sling snagged on the steering wheel. She turned away so he wouldn’t see her fighting back the laughter, until she thought of the young man having to fight the infected.

  Gloria gave the front door a quick hard knock; she hadn’t sensed anything from within. She immediately sensed a medley of emotions, fear, anger, and confusion. I guess I woke them up. I’ll have to remember I can’t sense them when they’re asleep. She sprayed an ‘X’ on the door and moved on, not wanting to think that she’d just given them a death sentence. She could sense even more infected in houses all around her, after waking those in the one house. I wonder if they can communicate with each other and I just can’t understand or hear them?

  The door in front of her was on the ground. She could sense someone inside, but wasn’t sure if it was an infected or normal. “Good morning, is anyone home? I’m Lieutenant Alban US Air Force.” The inside of the house had been torn apart, furniture and decorations were pell-mell with puddles of blood throughout the house. There was spent brass on the floor and bullet holes in the walls. A body lay on the stairwell face down, most of the head missing. She stepped over it, sensing someone was on the second floor, just not what is was. She could smell the bodies even before she turned the corner. The short hallway was three and four deep of bodies heading to the last room at the end of the hallway. The smell of the torn up bodies and their byproducts didn’t bother her the way it had earlier. The door was partly open with dozens of small bullet holes in it and a few holes that could only have come from a shotgun.

  “Hello, is anyone home? I’m Lieutenant Alban US Air Force.” There was still no change. Entering the room there were more bodies, one stuck out as it still held a shotgun, even in death. The woman’s skin was gray, her skin was pulled back with her mouth open, making it appear she was screaming. Her throat was torn out and an eye missing. She wore a white nightgown that buttoned from her ankles to her neck, it was ripped open in a half dozen areas where the infected had fed on her, leaving the gown more black from dried blood than white. She was sprawled over a stepstool; Gloria looked up and saw the door in the ceiling she had almost escaped to, and then the tiny red spot from blood that had leaked through the ceiling. Without thinking, she tore the ladder out from under the body and was climbing, she pushed the door aside and popped her head through, the first thing she saw was the barrel of a pistol pointing at her head. It was huge and behind it was a small girl that shouldn’t have even been able to lift the wheel gun. Her eyes were closed and her body appeared stiff, then Gloria heard a slight breath and the girl’s chest rise and fall slowly. Gingerly, she moved the gun to the side and reached for the girl, pulling her towards herself, she looked more dead than alive as Gloria pressed her to her chest and carried her down the ladder and set her on the bed. Her toe nail had been ripped off and still leaked through the gelatinous scab that was covering the wound. The girl was in a white nightgown, the same as her mother’s. Gloria moved it aside as she examined the girl for scratches and bite marks. The girl’s long black hair covered her neck and when Gloria moved it, she saw the necklace, a tiny silver heart with a caduceus engraved down its center. Gloria gently picked up the charm and turned it over and stifled a sob when she read ‘Diabetic.’ She picked up the unconscious girl and charged out of the room, nearly falling as she ran atop the bodies in the hallway. She jumped the last ten steps to avoid the body on the step and raced through the door. Outside, she looked around for a second and immediately ran for the specialist’s truck. Gently laying the girl in the bed of the truck, she got behind the wheel, relieved to find the keys in the ignition. She forced herself to drive slowly in order not to toss the girl around the truck bed. She still drove as fast as she safely could, holding down the horn as she approached the school’s gate, while praying for divine help. She held her head out the window, “Open all the way! I’m driving all the way to the clinic!” People on the side walk quickly jumped out of the way as she drove to the door of the makeshift clinic. Two people in white coats were already waiting.

  “I found the girl in an attic, she’s diabetic and has an injured toe.” She happily surrendered the girl, and any responsibility for her. She said another silent prayer as she walked back out to the truck. She’ll need her medicine, popped in her head. She unthinkingly stomped on the accelerator, leaving divots in the grass as she backed up to the gate. This time they were ready, and waved her through. She performed a high speed reverse y-turn then pushed the gas pedal to the floor. She tipped the truck on two wheels as she turned back to the girl’s street. The specialist was standing in the street and quickly jumped back to the sidewalk when he saw her coming. She aimed the truck for the front door and barely stopped in time.

  “Come with me, Specialist! Move!” She ran into the house and headed for the kitchen. She heard the young man enter the house and fight back the urge to retch.

  “I found a sick girl that’s a diabetic, help me find her medicine.” The specialist shot up the stairs while Gloria looked through the refrigerator for either bottles of insulin or an injector. Her excitement and the stench from inside the refrigerator made her turn her head and spew, then she was once again looking for the medication. The specialist opened the medicine cabinet and found dozens of bottles of medications. He forced himself to sit on the toilet and go through the bottles until he found insulin. Looking carefully, he read the labels until he was sure the medication ‘Metformin’ was what he was looking for.

  “Lieutenant Alban! I think I found it!” he shouted as loud as he could. She burst through the bathroom, forcing him to backup, fear painted on his face. He held out the bottle like it was going to bite him, or perhaps the lieutenant would. She snatched it and all the other medications that now sat in the sink, and ran from the room. He could hear her as she went down
the stairs, then as the truck tore up the gravel that made up the front yard. He looked at his hand and it was still shaking.

  I’m driving irresponsibly but I have to get back to the clinic ASAP! The gate guards saw her coming and opened the gate again as she only partially slowed down. Get it together girl! Gloria cringed as she thought back to finding Oliver’s lifeless body in the bed where he passed on while she slept next to him. Not again! I’m going to check out every house that has the infected still in them, and get all the medicine I can!

  Chapter 23

  Douglas City, Wyoming. April 6, 2029

  With the highway being the main hub between the occupied town and the airport, Caleb was still amazed at how dead everything was. Pulling into the parking lot of the hotel, he wondered how many of the vehicles were from the Zs and how many were for the current residents. He grabbed his bag containing the remains of his uniform and the folder with his keycard and hotel information. He glanced at the blanket covering his weapons and decided to leave them for now. He proceeded to the cargo bed and undid the tie down straps, only a spare tire and a few rags remained under the blanket. I didn’t need that crap anyway, he thought as he turned back to the hotel entrance. The door had a colorful sign that was hard to miss.

  Doors are locked one hour before sunset and unlocked one hour after sunrise. Room cards will open all main access doors and all community rooms.

  The main lobby was everything he thought it’d look like down to the rack of brochures for things to do in and around the town of Douglas. He opened the door into the hallway, following the sign to the elevators when he heard screams and shouting. The gun was in his hand before he was even aware of it as he raced down the hallway. A huge picture window separated the indoor pool from the hallway, inside he could see half a dozen women and a couple guys playing grab ass around, and in the pool. They all seemed to stop as one as they saw him on the other side of the glass brandishing his weapon. Pointing the 9 mil straight down he opened the door with his key card. “Sorry, everyone, I just got out of the hospital from Z hunting last night. Still a little on edge when I heard y’all screaming, well you can guess the story from there. I’m Caleb, I’ll be on the third floor. I better get my shit, I dropped it in the hallway when I heard the screaming.” The door was not closed behind him when he heard the first of a chorus of laughter. His face burned as he returned to pickup his possessions. He gave the decocker a quick flick before dropping the 9 mil back into the bag. Thankfully, he didn’t have to go by the pool again to get to the elevator. Nothing like making a first impression with the new neighbors, he thought and then laughed out loud. Somehow I don’t think I’ll be here long enough to worry about it.