Gloria noticed that Wilson was carefully watching every last thing as they entered through the gate. I should have steel plates put over the bars in case we get a shooter near the gate. What else am I missing? Gloria wondered as she tried to see things through the major’s eyes.
“Lieutenant, let’s see your armory first.” Why do I feel like it’s an Operational Readiness Inspection and I was the last one told? The door to the armory was steel plated and a window had been cut through the concrete walls with bars inserted so no one could get through. There was another door on the opposite wall.
“We do personal weapons issue through the hallway window and vehicle-mounted weapons through the back door.” Gloria stuck her head by the barred window, “Corporal Snyder, request access to the armory for myself plus one. I will vouch for the major.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Snyder answered before opening the door and stepping to the side.” Wilson did a quick estimate and figured there had to be 300 carbines on the shelves. The number of ammunition cases had him speechless since he never really worked around any small arms other than carrying a 9mm when flying combat or exercises; even then life support personnel issued the weapons to them inside the squadron.
“Will ten ammo boxes tide your people over, Major Wilson? That’s ten thousand rounds.” Gloria asked.
“Um, sure, we’ll also need .50 cal ammo for the heavies, they burn it up pretty fast.” Wilson answered, taken by surprise. Gloria felt like the major was almost human with his surprise.
“Sir, how many fifties do you have?” Snyder interjected.
“We have two vehicle mounted and three setup for area defense. Snyder nodded and walked to the back of the room. A hand cart was already loaded with ammo cans.
“I have forty cans, each has a hundred rounds, sir. That’s four thousand rounds. If possible, can you have your personnel police the links after firing? It doesn’t look like we’ll be getting any links in the near future to belt the ammo.” Wilson figured he’d made a haul and looked over the remaining weapons and ammo, sorry there wasn’t more ammo available. Gloria saw a look of disappointment with the amount of ammo in the room and decided not to explain, yet, that it was only part of the ammo and that tons more were in the airbase’s ammunition storage bunkers.
“What else can I show you, Major? We have a dining facility, four dormitories, a church, a supply room, and mixed offices.”
“That’s good for now, I’ll come back tomorrow to discuss assuming command. How many civilians do you have here now?”
“There’s a little under three hundred at this time. We’re still going out to find people every day.”
“So how many problems have you had for keeping them fed and housed? How many have managed to escape?” What the hell? Gloria thought immediately.
“We’ve all worked together pretty well. No one goes hungry. The walls are to keep the infected out, not the people in. They can leave any time they want.” Gloria replied exasperated.
“The problem you’re going to find is that when you start farming like we have, a lot of people don’t want to carry their loads and have to be given a more firm hand. When I assume command tomorrow, I will bring a captain and two lieutenants. Since I’m comfortable with them, that will put you number five in the line of command. You can be my administrative officer.” The information felt like a punch in the gut to Gloria, Wilson was using people as slaves.
“How many are we looking at, as far as beds and mouths to feed, Major Wilson?” Gloria tried her best to sound professional and neutral, resisting the urge to draw her pistol and shoot him where he stood.
“I have a hundred workers and thirty assorted personnel as part of my guard force. It’ll be nice to mix our guards together so the workload will be less, but then I forgot you have almost three hundred so that’ll be interesting. I’ll probably cut loose some of mine before tomorrow. I have some senior citizens I can’t do a thing with, worthless eaters. I’ll see you tomorrow, Lieutenant.” Wilson called over to the sergeant, “Sergeant Snyder, if you want to wheel that cart out to my truck that would be appreciated.”
“What meal time will you and the additional personnel arrive for, Major? I’d hate to feed you MREs or make you wait for your meals.” Gloria tried her best to sound like she was brown nosing.
“There’s not much we’ll be bringing materially, so I’d say about 1100 hours. There should also be space for our vehicles. I don’t like the thought of them being on the wrong side of the fence. I’m bringing in six trucks and a couple semis. The semis are where I keep our labor force, nice and safe.” Wilson grinned at his statement while Gloria tried not to shudder in revulsion. Gloria helped Snyder as he loaded the ammo in the back of the truck.
“Lieutenant, officers do not do manual labor. But thank you for the assistance. When I’m settled in, I’ll make it my personal responsibility to mentor you. Oh, and thank you for not taking off your hat on the road when we were introduced. You had me worried at first.” His attempt at a smile came out as a leer as he looked her up and down before getting into his truck. Gloria felt filthy for what she was doing and knew she had to have a meeting now.
“Attention on the net. This is Lieutenant Alban. There will be an emergency council meeting in fifteen minutes. This meeting will include all senior NCOs as well. Alban out.”
Her shirt felt drenched after trying to cleanup in the ladies room. She could feel the sweat pouring down her face as she entered the cafeteria. A table had been setup on the stage and members of the council were already there. Most of the community members were sitting at tables, looking confused. Her people had made a point to be up front instead of hiding in the back of the crowd. Here goes everything, Lord please give me strength and wisdom. She prayed silently as she walked up to the stage and stood behind a podium. She touched the microphone and many winced as it screeched out.
“Many of you may have heard I came into contact with another group of survivors. The man you saw me escorting around today was Major Ronald Wilson, United States Air Force. He informed me he will be here tomorrow to replace me as leader of the military detachment and will also assume the responsibility of running Sanctuary.” She stopped as if a live wire was loose as people did not even try to whisper amongst themselves their outrage at the idea.
“Quiet!” Gloria said in her best command voice without even having to raise her voice. “They have their own view of administering martial law. They have been finding survivors and forcing them into their own camp. All civilians in their camp are effectively slaves. It is his plan to continue the process once he gets here tomorrow. He keeps his ‘workforce’ of a hundred people locked in two semi trailers. It’s my responsibility to let you all know what going on.”
“Are you saying they’re going to be our new jailers?” An old man asked, then took a deep breath from his oxygen mask.
“No. I see it as one of three choices. First option is to capitulate. Second is to negotiate. Third is to contest his plan.” Gloria could feel her shirt was fully saturated now, she’d been on stage for less than five minutes.
“Ma’am, how do you define ‘contest’ in this particular case?” Master Sergeant Hale asked from the front row.
“My plan is to cut the head off the snake and see how many followers are worth saving and how many will be planted.” Over half of the NCOs jumped to their feet, shouting their support of the plan, many of the civilians jumped up and joined them, clapping their hands.
“We must negotiate with them. I will not have blood on my hands, nor will those of my flock.” Pastor Hilton said in a calm loud voice. Dozens of ‘Amen’s’ could be heard from the audience.
“I’m sorry, Pastor but our agreement for division of labor makes this my call. I wanted to let everyone here know what’s going on, so in the morning they can leave and find some place to hide in case things don’t work out, or grab a weapon and protect our home. There are no other options.”
Dozens tried to crowd her, to ask more
questions, as her NCOs made their way through the crowd, opening a lane for her, so she could escape. She went directly to her office. Master Sergeant Hale and Technical Sergeant Muller were just a few steps behind her.
“Ma’am, what are your orders?” Hale asked. She could sense his anticipation.
“You are going to setup an ambush for when they come. They have the same radios as us, and do monitor us, I found out. I don’t want to know any of the plans. I do recommend blocking roads so there’s only one approach to get here, and then attacking from side streets. Try not to shoot up the semitrailers; they’ll be full of innocents.” Gloria felt like she was saying goodbye to the two men she’d come to respect and care for.
“What will you be doing, Ma’am?” Hale asked, concerned.
“I’m going to cut the head off the snake.”
Chapter 32
Douglas City, Wyoming, April 8, 2029
Caleb was slightly frustrated that he couldn’t stick his elbow out the window as he drove the armored pickup truck through the city. Just drop off my pet, Zach the Z to the doc, then report to the general and take a swim and suck down some, uh, think I’ll stick to soda, he thought as he remembered the last twenty-four hours.
“There it is, Zach. Your new home away from home. Be sure to keep on the doc about figuring out why you managed to beat the infection. I’ll help you find the doc.” Caleb pulled into a handicapped parking spot near the emergency ward entrance.
Zach almost had to run to keep up with Caleb. He caught up with him just as the elevator door opened and he hit the button for the third floor. Zach could not stand still, he was so full of nerves and energy. “I get the same way you are, now. What you want to do is go run, I mean, really sprint, as fast and long as you can. You’ll feel like a super hero.” The door opened and Caleb was off again, this time Zach stayed with him.
“Hey Doc, I have a present for you. This is Zach the Z. He appears to have been infected on Day One and woke up on the highway this morning with no memory for the last week. Check out his eyes. And my Z radar picked him up too. I told you I can sense when an infected is near me, didn’t I? Is the general still here?”
Captain Abrams, just looked at Caleb, amazed at so many things about the young man he was hard pressed for what to say. “Zach, I hope you are what I think you may be--the link for the infection itself. Besides Caleb, I have a senior citizen who also managed to beat the infection.” Abrams turned to Caleb, “The general is at his new facility. It’s north of the town. It was an academy for law enforcement. They have signs on the highway.”
“Thanks, Doc. Good luck, Zach.” Caleb was halfway to the elevator, leaving the two men just looking after him. Ahh, no more Z. Soon the general will know where his wife and kids are, and I can just check out the pool at the hotel and chill. Life is good after all, if you’re me, Caleb was thinking.
Jumping into the truck, he, fired up the engine and pulled out, smiling he reached down and turned on the radio. I’m on the top of the world, looking down on creation…”How the hell do you do that!” he shouted in frustration, quickly turning off the radio, preferring silence for the short drive. After heading west past his hotel, he turned north on Highway 59. Immediately he saw the sign ‘Pentagon West’ on the left, and turned to follow the road. The huge complex was a surprise since the hills around the building concealed it easily from any nearby roads. A triple string of razor wire encircled the complex. Driving up to the entry control point, the guard took Caleb by surprise.
“Well, there’s my hero. Rescue a girl and then leave her alone, no calls, no letters.” She looked mad, but Caleb could easily sense she was in a good mood. “Luckily for me, Asher wasn’t as bashful.” Caleb thought back to the last time he’d seen his best friend, as his friend boarded the plane to be evacuated from Peterson AFB and he stayed behind to cover the plane’s departure. Memories popped in his head of the two of them riding around in his truck, hunting for weapons and killing Zs.
“I’m glad the two of you were able to come together in the middle of all this. How is Asher?” Caleb asked, interested since he missed his friend, especially since he had so few now.
“They have him working with a bunch of Army types. He only says it beats sitting in the front of a monitor twelve hours a day. He’s almost done though and going to go back to his regular duties soon. What are they having you do now…Lieutenant White?” A1C Henrietta Hernandez gave him a big smile as she waited for an answer.
“They pretty much try to hide me, sending me off on jobs here and there. But it’s cool, gives me a chance to think. The bad thing though is it gives me time to think.” She didn’t laugh at his reply. Instead, she touched his arm through the window.
“Would you like to go somewhere and talk about it later?” Caleb felt the warmth of her hand on his wrist and remembered the promise the night he rescued her. Then he remembered the woman he had infected.
“Nice seeing you again, Henrietta. I have to move it; the general is waiting for me. Honestly!” He drove forward with her hand still on his wrist. That went well, Caleb. You were as smooth as ever, he thought to himself.
The guard at the front door demanded his CAC, then actually held it next to his face to compare the picture to him before granting him access. Just past the door, a desk was setup in the hallway. An older senior NCO was there with a young private.
“Can I help you, Lieutenant White?” The senior NCO asked after squinting to read his name tape. Must be one of the old folks they put back into uniform, he thought. Caleb fought to keep from laughing at the old man wearing an out of date dress blue uniform, but unable to button up the jacket because of his gigantic beer gut.
“I’m here to see General Peters. He was expecting me yesterday but I didn’t get back until today.” The old Master Sergeant looked over a list of phone numbers, and couldn’t find what he was looking for.
“Wanda, please escort the Lieutenant to the general’s office. If they say he has an appointment, let him into the office. If not, return him here.” The tiny Specialist rose from her seat.
“Yes, Master Sergeant. Please follow me, Lieutenant White. Caleb couldn’t help notice the Army Specialist had performed illegal modifications to her camouflage uniform so that it fit her like a second skin in a very complimentary manner instead of loose.
“Not many folks around here. Is it always this quiet?” Caleb asked. The specialist rewarded his question with a big smile. “There’s a cafeteria in the building, but the hotel is serving prime rib today, and it doesn’t come out looking gray and mysterious like from the other dining facilities.”
“Oh, I know what those are. Those must be from the Zs.” She started to laugh as she opened the door and just bit her lip and ushered him in without going in herself.”
“Ma’am, Lieutenant White to see General Peters.” The Sergeant stood up from behind her desk with difficulty and waddled to the General’s door. Caleb looked on incredulously.
“She’s going to pop any day now, but refuses to take any time off until she drops.” Caleb was taken by surprise. In the corner to his left, a Private sat quietly behind a desk, his M4 laying on the desktop.
“The General will see you now, Lieutenant.” The Sergeant said as she stood there holding the door open. He rushed to the door, afraid she might fall. She smiled at his effort and returned to her desk as he entered the office.
“I’m glad to see you made it back okay. How are my wife and boys, Caleb?” Caleb started to wonder if the change to the plan was a good idea.
“Sir, all are fine. We made a little change to the way things are, though. There’s a mansion not far from the airport with a bunch of metal buildings. One was large enough and secure enough, so I could drive a RV into it and then secure the building. Your wife has more room to move around in it, and your sons have a huge ass mansion. I thought you might want to move in with them. There’s plenty of room for staff or anyone you want to live on the grounds with you and your family.”
“Sir, it was Senior Airman Wetzel that came up with the idea. He gets all the credit. I just approved the idea.”
“You took the risk and made the decision. Who is this Senior Airman Wetzel?”
“Sir, he’s a SF that Captain Conrad assigned. He knew I was still recovering from my wound and wanted me to have a backup. Conrad trusts the Airman implicitly, and so do I.”
“Captain Conrad is a hell of a man. With you not being able to make our appointment two days ago or yesterday, I had him prepare the orders for you and Lieutenant Fotos. Your destination is the general area around Luke AFB in Arizona. You will depart on, or no later than, 10 April. You are authorized four vehicles; they will be two Joint Light tactical trucks, with .50 cals, one M1117 Armored Security Vehicle, and one heavy truck with .50 cal. You have a blank check for supplies, food, fuel, and ammunition, for your use and to supply to any groups you feel comfortable with. You are authorized up to fifteen personnel. My admin will need the names of everyone going by close of business today. I suggest you don’t waste any time in finding Captain Conrad and Lieutenant Fotos to get thing in gear. You’re dismissed.” Peters surprised Caleb by shaking his hand and patting him on the shoulder before he left the office.
That Senior Airman Wetzel will have to be on that mission also, so everyone who knows about my wife and kids is effectively able to be muted. I don’t need any loose lips spilling I have my ex, an infected, locked up nearby, Peters thought.
What the hell do I do now? Caleb thought as he left the office. Okay, back to the hotel, I’ll find Ann, she should have a better idea of what we should do. How do we find people? Motor pool should have the vehicles. Where are supplies stored now? Damn, my head hurts. Caleb made it to his truck, then decided to look over his orders. In the back of the folder was a list of phone numbers and locations for all the different organizations he’d need, plus Captain Conrad’s number was included. Ann showed as being in the same building he’d just left. He walked back in and asked for directions for intel and laughed out loud at the old master sergeant asked him for his CAC again. The specialist just laughed and asked who he was back to see.
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