by Lee Thomas
“Nimitz control, this is Sheldon again. Let the rescue team know that more infected are pouring into the area. I don’t want them to get here and then be overwhelmed.” I said into the radio. I knew by now that Bobby would have told Christian, and any other sailor that heard about it would have spread the story all over the ship that I was in danger. I dreaded getting back to Michelle and girls to face their wrath once more.
“Sheldon, its Bobby. No worries about the rescue team, they are in an armored personnel carrier we acquired from the Marine base nearby. They also took plenty of ammo with them. Christian says we can also deploy the chopper to make some noise to draw them away if necessary. How’s your situation so far?” the radio squawked.
“I’m fine Bobby. This home owner was apparently extremely paranoid and has steel core doors, as well as security bars on the windows. I have to say, I could’ve picked a much worse house to get stuck in.” I replied.
“That’s good to hear. Let’s get you out of there and back home safe, shall we?” Bobby signed off then after informing me of what channel the rescue team would be on. I switched channels then and waited for the team to get close. I made contact with the leader and he informed me that they were about four blocks away. They were already seeing a fairly large infected presence and had informed the ship. I switched back to the main channel and told Bobby to order the search teams out to return to the ship immediately. Once he confirmed that, I switched back to the rescue team. I was then informed that they found the street I was on and was turning down it now.
Moving back to the window, I could see the truck rolling down the street slowly. The engine noise started getting the attention of the infected, and some of them started moving towards it. I radioed the team and let them know they were in front of the house now and saw the truck stop. The leader told me to get down, and I darted back behind the door as I heard the gunfire start. They were obviously not just strafing the crowd and hoping for the best as the shots were not constant, and it didn’t seem like any of them hit the house yet.
“Sir, there are more coming, but the ones from the porch are all down. I suggest you haul ass out here now.” The leader spoke through the radio.
“I concur with that statement, I’m on my way out.” I confirmed with him. I unlocked the front door, locking the handle behind me and slipping the key in the deadbolt as I shut it. I turned it, pulled the key out, and turned to run for the truck as the gunfire started up again. I ran to corner of the house and peeked around to see at least fifty or so infected shambling around the corner, headed this direction. I bolted for the truck, jumping in as they threw the door open once I got close.
“Move, now.” I ordered as the door slammed behind me. The noise was almost deafening as the men fired at the approaching infected through the gun ports. The gunfire trickled off as we drove away, and ceased altogether once we turned the corner. I brushed aside a field medic who was trying to determine if I was injured or not, gruffly stating I was not. I then asked for the radio.
“Nimitz, this is Sheldon. I want a chopper prepped and ready to go by the time we get back. I want a birds’ eye view of this area and I want on that bird.” I didn’t even wait for confirmation, just handed the radio back. I knew the message was heard onboard, and knowing Navy efficiency, I knew the chopper would be ready. We rolled along, turning this way and that, heading in the general direction of the base. One thing I had noticed about the infected was that sunlight didn’t seem to bother them. Unfortunately for us, that meant that we did not have a safe haven at any time of day. The only thing they seemed to react to was fire and water, the latter being the reason I was designing the wall the way I was. If we could use water as a natural deterrent, that would mean less construction for us.
“We seem to be clear for now, sir, but there is no way of knowing if they are still following us.” One of the sailors watching out the back informed us.
“They are tenacious, they are following us, I guarantee it.” I replied. We rolled along in silence after that, keeping a watch out in all directions. Once we made it back to the gate, four men jumped out to move the car, waited for us to pass through, and then moved it back. As soon as they were back aboard, the driver floored it and we got back to the ship rapidly. The driver pulled straight up to the elevator and we then piled out, the rest of the men checking for spent casing and debris, checking for damage, and to make sure no one was hurt. I jogged up the stairs immediately, hoping to get to the flight deck without encountering Michelle or the girls. I just knew that they would have heard about my situation and would ready to beat me for making them worry. As it turned out, they were waiting just inside the hangar bay for me.
“You’re an ass, AGAIN!!!” yelled both Angie and Michelle. All four of them started moving for me as I crossed into the bay. They didn’t even take turns, just all of them hitting me together. After a minute or two though it turned into one giant hug. When I finally pulled away, everyone was wiping tears, and several others were standing around watching.
“I’m fine. I found a house that was really strong, and waited on the guys to come get me. I was never in any real danger, promise. I do need to go though, I want to go in the chopper and see how bad it is from the air. I’ll be back shortly.” I told them as I tried to pull away. They were reluctant to let me go as much as I was to let them go, but I had to think of the whole group, not just them. I managed to finally pull away and headed for the flight deck as quickly as I could. I didn’t even stop to toss my swords in my quarters, just went straight up.
Exiting the tower, the rotor wash hit me as the bird was already up and ready, just waiting on me. There were four men with guns, and two more with long range cameras, in addition to the pilot, co-pilot, and myself. Since we were in one of the two rescue choppers, there was plenty of space. I climbed up, sat down, and buckled up. I then reached over and tapped the pilot twice on the shoulder in acknowledgment and he spun up and we took off.
The headphones we had dulled the noise from the motors, but it was still loud. Luckily they had radios built in so we could still communicate. I directed the pilot to stay low enough to get the attention of the infected, hoping to draw them away from the base. I was surprised at the number of infected we could see milling about the streets. We did seem to get their attention as most of them looked up at us and started following the chopper. That gave me an idea for base defense that I would file away for later.
“Look at them all, where did they come from all of a sudden? We haven’t had a serious group of them in weeks.” One of them men said. Turner, I think it was, one of the two with a camera.
“I wonder if they are drawn to large crowds, like by scent or something. Some animals hunt like that, they can tell when a large group of prey is around.” Another answered him.
“That’s a good question. If that’s the case, we need to get that wall built even faster.” I answered. The chopper circled around about ten blocks out from the base, keeping the attention of the infected and drawing them away from the base. Per instructions, the pilot stayed low and headed more or less towards the ocean. The hope was that we could get the infected to follow us towards the water, and then be confused as where to go. Once we finally made it to the water, the chopper circled way out to sea and increased altitude so they wouldn’t hear it returning to land.
Back onboard ship, I headed to my quarters to put up my weapons and armor, then went to the galley for some lunch. Sandwiches was the menu for today, and I knew we would be going more and more throw together meals as our food supply dwindled. It was imperative we got this wall completed so we could start the next phase of surviving, which was starting our own crops, and hopefully livestock to raise for meat. If we could pull that off, I was confident we would survive, and hopefully even thrive.
“Dad!” My son Kenny yelled, jogging up to me as I walked through the hangar bay. I stopped and waited on him, giving him a big hug once he made it up to me.
“What’s up dude?” I as
ked him as I turned and kept walking, with him keeping pace beside.
“The girls told me what happened, are you ok?” he asked, concern clearly on his face.
“I’m fine. I had a safe place to wait on the rescue team, and it’s not the first time I’ve been stuck like that. How are you and Katelynn doing?” I replied. I hadn’t spent near enough time with him or my daughter, and I had promised myself once we got to the ship and safe I would do that. It was now time to keep that promise.
“She’s fine. She is still upset we couldn’t save mom, but Michelle is trying. When are you going to let me go with you?” he asked again.
“When you get enough sword training. If not with me, then with your uncle Roger. I’ll talk to your sister. I know it won’t help much, but she needs to know I’m here for her. You too, anytime you guys need me. I was just going to relax, sit and look at the bay for a bit, care to join me?”
“I promised Teddy I would meet him for a game of pool soon. Maybe later?” he replied. Even though he was turning 20 this year, he was still young enough for everything to be about his friends, and not about dad. I understood, but since I hadn’t had him or Katelynn most of their lives, since they had lived with their mom after we split, I was trying desperately to make up for it. It was a miracle I had found them in the first place. I messed his hair up, which earned me a grimace and a fake punch, after which he jogged off to find his friend.
The aft port side elevator had been turned into a diving board for swimmers and had been fitted with a cargo net as a ladder to climb back onboard. I knew the plans were to build or acquire a floating dock and attach an actual staircase to it to make getting back onboard easier, and also allow anyone who didn’t want to jump from the elevator deck to swim as well. Some people were scared of heights, or not good enough swimmers to go under as far as you did jumping off. Several people were there swimming now, mostly adults and a few older teens, which told me the younger ones were too afraid to jump. I decided to have the floating dock idea pushed up and have someone get it set up by the end of the week.
I walked up to an empty chair near the edge of the dock, and after motioning to it I was told no one was using it, so I sat. I could hear the laughter of the older kids swimming and just sat to enjoy the sound of laughter, the water sloshing, and the occasional sea bird cawing. For just a few minutes it was possible to forget the chaos and danger only a few hundred yards away. I made small talk again with several of the people climbing out of the water, just enjoying the company of others. I stayed there for probably an hour or so, and then decided to head back to my quarters for a shower and some sleep. I stopped by the bridge first to let them know, so if anyone came looking for me, I hoped I wouldn’t be disturbed.
Chapter 12
May 12th, 2018
When I finally woke up, it took me a minute to place where I was, the dream of being back in the hospital still clinging to me as I swung my feet out of bed. Shambling to the bathroom to splash water on my face, reality slowly sank back in. I finished with my morning routine and stepped back out to the living area. The clock said it was only around six-thirty in the morning, really early for me, but not for the sailors. Hoping enough of them were awake already, along with civilians, I made my way to the bridge to prepare an announcement.
“Good morning sir.” Brandon, who happened to be the OOD this morning, greeted me.
“Morning Brandon. How is the ship this morning?” I asked.
“Outstanding. We got some status reports from Engineering, there are some maintenance issues they are addressing, but nothing too serious. We also have an updated list from Personnel on bunk assignments, as well as a new inventory list, complete with food, ammo, and personal items. I sent Vasquez down to make some copies of them and consolidate them for you.” He informed me. He then motioned with his cup towards a coffee pot. Thanking him, I made myself a cup.
“Good. Listen, I need a rundown of which others ships are useable. Preferably an LST, but I’ll take anything that has a landing pad for a chopper. I would like that this afternoon, please.” I informed Brandon.
“Yes, sir. I’ll get a couple of teams together to give them a quick once over and see which ones are seaworthy. I would think they would all be, but I’ll have an answer for you later.” He replied to me. I thanked him and then asked for the phone connected to the 1MC, which is the shipboard intercom system. Brandon showed me which switch to hit to activate it, and the button to hit on the phone to speak into. Thanking him for the lesson, I decided to wait a little longer before making my announcement. I didn’t want to wake everyone up like that, so I headed down to the galley for some quick breakfast and some more coffee first. I took my time eating and finally made my way back to the bridge around eight. Feeling it was now late enough in the morning, I went straight for the phone.
“Attention everyone, this is Sheldon. I would like everyone’s undivided attention for a few minutes. I apologize to the ones I am waking up with this announcement, but it is important. As everyone knows, I promised to get everyone here safe. I have accomplished that promise, and as you should be able to tell from the last few days, this ship will provide the safety and security I promised. I have new plans now for the survival of the group, and I am asking for the cooperation of everyone here once more. I am asking for the trust you showed me in Oklahoma, and on the road, to continue. Keeping the groups separated, civilians and sailors, is not my intention, as I want this venture to just be one big, cohesive group. I have placed several people in charge of key areas, and for the sake of the sailors I gave those people titles and ranks. My intention is not to run this as a military command, but again, for ease of transition, mixing a large group of civilians and military, I will adopt a simplified chain of command to make sure things run smoothly.
“The first order of business is building a wall to keep the infected from bothering us. After reviewing several options, the option we are going with is using the shipping containers. They will be set in place and then welded together, with viewports cut out, and eventually areas for guards to relax and hangout as well. There will be gates so we can still go in search of supplies and survivors. My hope is that the wall will be built within a week, and then the base cleared of any infected that may be here. Once that is done, we will have the ability and the space to start growing our own food. I also hope to catch and transport livestock here so we can replenish our meat supply. Food production is one of the utmost priorities we should have, right along with security.
“None of us are comfortable with our new roles, or are even sure what to do in this new world. We have been thrown off the top of the food chain. What we once knew is gone, maybe forever. We will survive, if we all work together. For those that think that I am going to sit up here in the bridge and run things from afar, I assure you that could not be further from the truth. I will be there on the fence line, helping build the wall. I will be there to help clear land for crops, or build livestock pens when necessary. I expect everyone to work towards the safety, security, and survival of this group. Some will help run the day to day; laundry, food, maintenance, things like that. Some will man the sniper positions to protect us, and others will go out in search of supplies and survivors. That doesn’t mean anyone’s job is more important than another, they are all necessary.
“One last thought and I will let you all go back to business. I want to thank everyone who stepped up and helped me in my goal of getting this group here. I couldn’t have done it without you all. I look forward to still getting to know everyone, and I plan on making it a point to personally meet everyone as soon as I can. That is all I have, but I would like all the volunteers for the wall teams to meet me in hangar bay 3 in 30 minutes. Thank you.” I finished my announcement. I replaced the phone on the cradle, nodded to the bridge crew, and then headed down towards the hangar bay. The next couple of hours was spent going over the planning of building the wall, then I had the teams head over to the container storage area to get set. I hoped
to have the first set of containers on the move by noon.
After dealing with the wall crews, I headed back to the bridge and had the flight crew notified that I wanted at least one of the choppers in the air, if not two of them, to provide noise distraction in an attempt to draw the infected away from the noise of building the wall. Once all those orders were complete, I made my way around the ship introducing myself to people, learning where everything was, and generally trying to acquaint myself with the ship again. I had requested status updates daily from the wall crew, and the next several days were spent in talking to people, reading those updates, going out with the security team a couple of times, and as always, continuing the search for other survivors.
The wall project progressed well, the teams were efficient in getting them from the pier to the road, getting them set in place, and the welders worked quickly on the outer sections so they could take their time on the inside welds. They also had cutters they used to cut the viewports, as well as cut openings in the ends of the containers to allow for passage along the entire length inside them. All the doors had been removed, so only one end of each container was solid and needed cut, and we could use the doors to build our gates, and also scrap if we needed to patch a hole. Things progressed quickly, even with the few small incursions of infected we had to deal with. Like I had hoped we would, the wall was mostly completed within the week. Some of the interior welds and cutouts still needed to be completed, but we had a solid wall from waterway to ocean. We opted on using chain link fencing from the end of a container out into the ocean until the water was deep enough to cover a full grown man’s head. A guard post was going to be added there so we constantly had eyes there, and since there was a hotel there, the plan was to put solar paneling up on its roof and use part of the building as the post. By the end of another week, all the welds had been done, the gates were in place, personnel assigned and guard rotations set. We had lost a total of six men to the infected, and also found fifteen new survivors. A memorial for the fallen was held, and the newcomers merged with us fairly seamlessly. I spent some time with my kids, met more of the people living here now, and made sure that the ship was in general running well.
