The pilot of the second chopper made a rational decision. "Lift this bird up," he said. "We need to leave before those things take us down as well."
"No!" Cassandra yelled. "We are not leaving Jake or David behind!"
"I'm sorry, miss, but there's nothing more that we can do. We have to get out of here."
Cassandra tried to leave the chopper, but one of the sailors held on to her, preventing her from getting herself killed. The chopper elevated away from walker's reach. They were leaving Portsmouth.
"God, be with them," the pilot whispered as they took off.
Jake, Miller, and the rest of the group made it to the rooftop, where they saw the undead devouring their only ride out of Virginia. They saw the other chopper flying away. Jake could hear Cassandra on that chopper screaming out his name. Jake and the rest started running towards the edge of the building in hopes of the helicopter turning around to pick them up. They started waving their hands and calling out for it, but the chopper didn't turn around. They had been left them behind. They were surrounded, and all they could do is watch their greatest chance of escape slowly disappear from their sight.
Chapter 8
The chopper was gone. Jake felt so much anger for being left behind. Everyone else on that building top felt the same way. They needed to stay focused, for they knew the undead were making their way up to them quickly.
"We're not out of this yet, boys," Miller reassured. "We know where they're headed, so let's get there so we can fuss at 'em!"
The group grabbed some ammunition and extra guns from the downed chopper and readied themselves to leave Hampton Roads. They grouped together and headed back down to the bottom of the building, eliminating every zombie that stood in their way. Once outside of the building, they started to fight back the onslaught, channeling their anger into pushing the undead back far enough to not be a burden. They needed enough time to at least find a working vehicle.
Matthew hot wired a work truck that was big enough to carry supplies, fuel, guns, and ammo, and still have plenty of room for everyone to fit in. Everyone piled up in the truck and Matthew drove to the armory first. While Brandon used his 30-06 bolt action Remington sniper rifle to pick off distant zombies heading their direction, Arnold, Jake, and David cleared the armory of zombies, grabbing as much explosives and weapons as they could carry. Matthew also drove to the mess hall, medical bay, and fuel dump. Everyone else did the rest, grabbing M.R.Es and first aid kits.
Within half an hour, the group was stocked up with more than enough supplies and equipment to last the five of them as long as they needed to. They also took the liberty of clearing most of the shipyard of zombies. Matthew then drove the group south bound. They were all leaving Norfolk, Virginia, and not one of them took a final glance at the place that used to be called "Home."
Grueling hours have passed by on the road, and everyone grew tired. Matthew had been driving on I-95 South for a while after getting on it in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. The group needed to find a place to rest for a while.
"We're not far from Fort Bragg, guys," Matthew stated.
"I wouldn’t take that risk," Brandon answered. "That place has been abandoned for about a week now. It could be overrun by now."
"It's worth a shot," Miller replied. "We just need to get off the road and lay low somewhere for at least a day."
Matthew got off the exit to Highway 24 and drove around Fayetteville, maneuvering past battery dead vehicles and totaled cars. The group eventually arrived at Fort Bragg. They drove to the Pope Air Force Base, where everyone would settle for a while.
The base looked deserted, but nobody was taking any chances. Brandon pulled out his rifle and took a long look at the layout of the base. There were no zombies staggering around the outside, which didn't mean they weren't inside. Arnold, Jake, and Miller readied themselves to bust inside the base. They suited up in their tactical gear and armed themselves with shotguns and a sidearm. They hurried to the main door.
Jake opened the main door. Lancaster went in first, with Miller following him and Jake following Miller. There were no zombies around, but everyone kept their guard up and kept skimming through every room.
The group made their way into one of the barracks. To their amazement, they had found a large stash of canned goods, bottled water, weapons, medical supplies, aligned in a pyramid formation. Jake walked up to the supplies to grab some of the bottled water.
"That's far enough!" Jake heard. He looked up to see a pistol pointed at his face. The person holding it was a man who looked to be in his mid-twenties. His finger was on the trigger.
"Drop your weapon!" Miller ordered as he pointed his gun at the man. Lancaster proceeded to point his shotgun at the man as well.
"You first!" another voice yelled out. Lancaster swung around to see a gun pointed at him. This person was a younger lady, probably in her late teens. Miller pulled out his sidearm. He was aiming the shotgun at the man holding Jake and his sidearm at the girl.
Arnold swung around and aimed his sidearm at an older man who was about to pull his gun out. "Whoa, sir," he asserted. "You don't wanna do that."
Another gun was pointed at Arnold. "I believe he does!" This man was a muscular black guy. Jake swung his shotgun around to where he was aiming at him. The old man pulled out his gun and aimed it at Miller.
This conflict escalated to a standoff. The man leading the group had a gun pointed at Jake. Arnold had a gun pointed at the middle aged man, who had his gun aimed at Miller. Miller had his shotgun aimed at the leader and his sidearm aimed at the girl, who had her gun aimed at Lancaster. Jake's shotgun was aimed at the black guy.
"Easy now, fellas," Jake started. "We don't want any trouble. Everyone just lower their weapons."
"No way!" the leader shouted. "We were here first! You lower your weapons!"
"Look, I think this was all a big misunderstanding. The five of us thought this place was abandoned."
"Five?!"
The girl looked up at the leader. "Jeez, Nick! Your head!"
There was a red dot on the leader's forehead. Peterson had his sniper pointing at him from an open field where he could spot the man through one of the windows the room had.
"Five!"
Stewart snuck into the room and had his gun pointed at the girl.
"How many of us do you think there are, friend?" another voice asked. A man who looked about as old as the girl snuck behind Matthew and held a knife up against his neck.
"Look, everyone just calm down!" Jake exclaimed. He turned to the leader. "The girl said your name was 'Nick?’”
"Who's asking?!" Nick asked.
"Listen to me. We’re friendlies."
"Sure got a way of showing it," the old man replied.
"Let me prove it to you guys then," Jake suggested. "I'm gonna wave to my friend that's outside, and he's gonna lower his rifle. That sound good?"
Jake waved his hand to Peterson in a lowering motion. The red dot immediately left Nick’s forehead.
"Now, I'm gonna lower my gun." Jake lowered his gun off of the black man. Nobody else budged, not even Nick.
"Now, can you please lower your gun?" Jake asked Nick. "I'm not asking for everyone else to lower their guns; just you, so we can talk this out man to man."
Nick hesitated, as he kept glaring at Miller's shotgun pointed at him.
"Don't look at any of my men behind me," Jake said. "They're already occupied. I'm sure that if you lower your gun, they're gonna draw their attention somewhere else."
Nick was still for a moment. Then, he slowly lowered his gun. Miller slowly took his aim off of Nick and focused his aim at the man holding a knife up to Stewart's throat.
"Now, let's see if we can meet somewhere in the middle," Jake suggested.
Suddenly, everyone heard shooting coming from outside. Nick peeked outside through the window and saw more people armed and firing.
Nick pointed his gun at Jake, and the standoff resumed.
"Thos
e people shooting outside! They're yours as well!!" Nick shouted.
"Look Nick," Jake pleaded. "They're not mine! I have never seen those people before in my life!"
"I say we kill them right now!" The girl suggested.
Brandon contacted Miller through the radio. "Commander, bullets are flying all over the place out here! These guys look heavily armed, and they don’t look friendly!"
"Raiders," Nick whispered. "Sam! I need you to get the others to cover!"
"Sure thing," said the man holding the knife. He lowered his knife away from Matthew's throat and ran out of the room.
Nick turned his attention back to Jake. "This ain't over yet, but if you help us drive off these raiders, you'll have gained a little bit of my trust."
Chapter 9
Jake and his group reloaded their weapons and readied themselves outside by some of the walls. Nick's group also took cover behind some walls and some vehicles. Sam took the other survivors to the mess hall where they took cover there.
The raiders took the first shot, killing one of Nick's men.
Pow!
Brandon started picking off the raiders one by one, while they were trading rounds with everyone else. Fighters were hitting the ground left and right.
One of the raiders started shooting at the mess hall, attacking the survivors hiding there.
"I'm going for the mess hall!" Jake shouted. "I need some covering fire!"
Miller, Nick, Arnold, and Brandon started giving Jake covering fire as he dashed behind the man shooting up the mess hall. When he was close enough, Jake speared the man to the concrete floor and drove his blade in the back of the man’s head.
One raider had his eyes on the young girl. He aimed his rifle at her, about to pull the trigger. Arnold saw the man and ran to the girl, tackling her to the ground just as the raider fired. The bullet pierced through the brick wall behind him and the girl, barely missing Arnold. Arnold pulled out his sidearm and fired some kill shots at the raider.
"Are you alright?!" Arnold asked.
"No, I'm not alright!" the girl shouted. "You just tackled me to the ground!"
"Next time, watch your surroundings! That raider almost took your head clean off!"
Suddenly, a bullet flew by, puncturing Arnold in the head. Most of his right skull and his right ear splattered on the wall. The power from the mystery shooter's gun caused Arnold to whiplash, slamming what was left of his skull on the same wall, then toppling over on the girl.
When the girl started screaming, Miller looked to her direction to see the girl trying to push herself out from under Arnold's body.
"Riley! Stewart! Man down!" Miller shouted.
Brandon's adrenaline started rushing when he saw his friend Arnold fall to the ground.
Pow! Click-click! Chck-chck!
He shoots a man hiding behind one of his vehicles. His aiming was more precise, and his fire rate was much quicker. He takes a quick breath, nearly hyperventilating, and aims his sights at a raider that spots his position.
Pow! Click-click! Chck-chck!
Brandon hits the man in the mouth, and parts of his skull fly back as he nearly back flips into the grass.
While he was picking off the raiders one by one, Jake and Matthew gave covering fire so that Miller could run to aid the girl. Miller was then followed by Jake, who was then followed by Matthew.
Jake picked up Arnold's body with a fireman's lift. Miller and Stewart gave him and the girl covering fire so they could run to the medical bay.
Pow! Click-click! Chk-chck! Pow! Click-click! Chck-chk!
Brandon kept firing. Eventually, the raiders started falling back. Brandon aims his scope at a raider that fell behind as he was running away. Brandon takes one last, shuttering breath.
Pow!
The fleeing raider falls instantly.
Click-click!
Brandon pulls back the bolt on his rifle, releasing his last round. He then shoots up from the grass and rushes to the base.
Miller, Jake, and the girl finally made it to the medical bay. Jake laid Arnold down on one of the unoccupied beds. Arnold's body was still shaking and his voice was a light groan, indicating that he was still alive... and suffering.
"Just hold on, Arnold," Jake replied as he was holding on to Arnold's quivering hand. "You're gonna be ok."
Matthew got a towel that was nearby and applied pressure to Lancaster's head, which was gushing with blood. Miller assisted Matthew in applying pressure, and the young girl stood back with her hands cupped over her mouth.
Arnold's blood was flowing much less His body began slowing down, and he started getting colder.
"Arnold, don't you dare go!" Jake whispered to Arnold.
Arnold's eyes started dilating. His hand that Jake was holding started losing its grip and slowing down to a twitch. Then... Silence
"Dammit, Arnold, I'm giving you a direct order!"
"Jake," Miller whispered. "He's gone. I'm sorry."
Brandon made it to the medical bay. "Arnold?" he started.
Matthew looked up at Brandon with a sad look and just shook his head. All Brandon did was put his fist in his mouth, biting his index knuckle to hold back the tears. A moment later, he rushed out of the room and leaned against a wall a few yards away. As he slid his back against the wall, he covered his face with his arms and began to bawl his eyes out.
Miller removed Arnold's dog tags. He then proceeded to remove his wallet, but the girl stopped him.
"What are you doing?!" she asked intently.
Miller looked into her eyes. "What is your name?"
"Alana Lyons."
"Well, Alana," Miller continued. "This is memorabilia of a fallen brother."
Miller continued to remove Arnold's wallet. He took the seventy-five dollars out of the wallet, rolled it up, then placed the money in Arnold's chest pocket. He then proceeded to shut Arnold's eyes and covered his body with a sheet that was laying nearby.
After Miller saluted the corpse of Arnold Lancaster, he, Michael, and Jake left the room to check up on Brandon, who was sitting silent up against the wall. His cheeks were red from mourning. Miller walked up to him and reached out his hand to Brandon. After Brandon was pulled up, the two gave each other a brief, blank stare. Miller patted Brandon’s shoulder and nodded, then walked away. Michael did the same thing and walked off.
“You need anything?” Jake asked.
“Nah,” Brandon uttered. “I’ll live. I just need a minute, and I’ll be right behind you guys.”
“Sure thing.”
Jake patted Brandon’s shoulder and left the medical bay. Jake looked around and saw the aftermath of the invasion. White sheets with bodies under them were lined up next to a wall. Men, women and children were either dead or wounded. Many people mourned beside their lost loved ones. Parents were holding on to their children that were caught in the crossfire.
I gotta find Nick, Jake thought. These people can’t take much more of that. Gotta get them outta here.
Chapter 10
After searching all over the camp, Jake found Nick, who was helping Sam give aid to the survivors that were wounded in the mess hall.
"What do you want?" Nick asked. "Can't you see I'm a little busy here?"
"I came to help you out with some of these fellows," Jake answered.
"Well, you did help us out with them raiders. I guess I can trust you to bandage up a few wounds."
Jake proceeded to give aid to a child that took a bullet in the arm.
"That man that saved Alana... the guy that was shot... he a good friend of yours?"
"Arnold? Yeah, he was. Mainly Brandon's."
"Who?"
Jake chuckled a bit. "The sniper. By the way, sorry about what happened earlier. Me and my group actually thought this place was abandoned a week ago. We didn’t expect anyone here"
"Well, as long as you don’t try any funny business, you can stay. You're not gonna stay permanently though."
Jake turned his head to
Nick. "We were only planning to stay for one night. We were just passing through. Now, I'm not so sure. No offense."
Nick was confused. "What do you mean? If it's 'cause of the raiders, then I don't blame you. Honestly, I don't know of any other place that would be safe."
Jake was finished patching up the wounded kid, then handed Nick a map.
"You're in luck. Because I do. Me and my group are heading to Fort Benning, Georgia. They are taking in survivors."
"Yeah, right," Nick scoffed. "That place is also rumored to be overrun, just like everywhere else.”
Jake showed Nick his radio. "I've been keeping in contact with them."
"Military?” Nick responded. “I mean, I kinda figured with the uniforms and all.”
"Navy. So is David Miller, that guy with the eye patch, and Matthew Stewart. Brandon Peterson is a Marine, and Arnold Lancaster..."
Jake hesitated for a moment. "...Was SWAT."
Nick was finished patching up an elderly couple that was wounded.
"Look, Nick," Jake continued. "This place is not safe. Me and my group, we have quite a few supplies and a lot of firepower. You have supplies as well, and people that need to be some place that's a lot better than this. Come with us. We can form an alliance."
"No," Nick answered. "If we go out there, then there's a good chance that we'll be overrun by the undead."
"Nick," Jake persuaded. "I know this sounds blunt, but you have a much better chance out there with the undead than you do here if more raiders show up. If my group wasn't here today, then you would've lost a lot of more people, or everyone at that fact."
Nick thought about Jake's offer for a moment. "Let me talk with my people. Better yet, you tell them your plan. Me personally, I'm not comfortable with it. But I believe everyone deserves a say so when it comes to a big decision like this. I'm pretty sure that as a leader yourself, you know what that's like."
That night, Jake, Brandon, Matthew, and David went to Nick's meeting that he called. Nick, Sam, Alana, the older man, who everyone called Sean, and the black guy, who everyone called Jamal, were at the small meeting, along with a few others as well. The rest of the survivors were asleep. Nick called Jake to the middle to plead his case.
Z-Day Chronicles (Book 1): Genesis Page 4
