Desolation

by Mark Campbell

  The soldiers quickly focused their fire on the approaching corpses, panicking as the horde’s numbers grew each passing second. Andrew kept his ears covered and watched in horror as the corpses stumbled closer towards the base and tumbled down the hill, trampling one another.

  He shook his head side-to-side and wrung his fingers through his hair, frozen by fear and disbelief.

  Witt emerged out from the alleyway next to him and lowered down on his haunches. He slapped Andrew’s shoulder.

  Andrew startled badly and gasped for breath. He looked over at Witt with wide-eyes. “W-what the fuck did you do?” Andrew asked in a fearful tone. Witt blinked.

  “Apparently saving your life,” Witt said. “What the hell is wrong with you?” “They were going to let me in, dammit!” Andrew exclaimed. Witt shook his head.

  “I don’t know what you used to be in Camp 6… A soldier I’m guessing by the way you’re acting… but those men in that base aren’t your friends. They’re dangerous deserters and–”

  Andrew grabbed Witt’s collar.

  “You ruined everything!” Andrew shouted. “I told you to wait for me back there! Where is Jerri?!”

  Witt pulled free of Andrew’s grasp and slapped the man across the face.

  Andrew, surprised, reached up and touched his reddened cheek, mouth agape. “Calm the fuck down!” Witt spat. “She’s already waiting for us over at the east entrance! Now get your shit together and follow me before the distraction I caused gets us both killed!”

  Witt pointed up the hill at the encroaching horde of the dead. They were almost at the gate despite the soldier’s ineffective gunfire. Andrew slowly nodded, still in shock. If someone were to strike him like that back in Camp 6 they’d be hung.

  “Follow me and get your weapon ready!” Witt said as he turned and ran down the adjacent alleyway.

  Andrew stood and ran after Witt as slung his rifle off of his shoulder.

  Behind them, the walking corpses started to trickle through the gate into the base through the breached entryway.

  The soldier’s screams were deafening and gut-wrenching as the dead made their way through their defensive line.

  Away from the carnage at the east gate, Witt, Andrew, and Jerri hid behind a derelict Tucson school bus parked near a smaller gatehouse. The sign above the smaller entrance read ‘Davis–Monthan Air Force Base – South Entry’. The nondescript southern entrance had been heavily guarded, but when the gunfire started and the alarm started wailing, most of the sentries abandoned their posts and ran towards the breached main east entry. Only three men stayed behind and their attention was focused towards the commotion on the other side of the compound.

  Andrew looked over at Jerri and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?” he asked gently.

  Jerri looked at him and nodded. In truth, she wasn’t okay; she couldn’t stop worrying about Jacob. His skin had an odd texture and she couldn’t wake him up. She was starting to think he was sick.

  “Is he okay?” Andrew asked as he looked down at Jacob’s exposed face with revulsion. He swallowed a knot in his throat and forced a smile as he looked up at Jerri.

  Jerri shook her head and frowned.

  “I think he’s… I think he’s sick,” she said, running the back of her fingers across Jacob’s cold cheek. Andrew cringed.

  “Perhaps you should cover him,” he carefully said.

  Jerri looked up at Andrew in confusion.

  “You know… to protect him from the elements,” Andrew explained.

  Jerri agreed and covered Jacob’s face with the shawl. Andrew was grateful that the dreadful thing was hidden away again. Witt was annoyed by the whole thing and couldn’t wait to be done with the both of them and their dead baby. Judging by the size of the militant force, he expected some real gems hidden away inside the base.

  “Come on,” Witt whispered as he chambered a round in his rifle. Before Andrew could answer, Witt stepped out from the cover of the school bus and brought his rifle to his shoulder, sighting-in on one of the three distracted soldiers who were standing on the catwalk above the closed south entry gate.

  Witt pulled the trigger.

  The side of the soldier’s head erupted in a geyser of blood and he tumbled over the side of the catwalk, landing hard against the asphalt. The other two soldiers, taken by surprise, fumbled with their weapons and aimed at Witt– Andrew emerged from behind the bus and quickly shot both soldiers, hitting one in the forehead, snapping the man’s head back, and hit the other soldier in the chest.

  Both soldiers crumpled over the side of the catwalk and made a meaty-sounding smack as they struck the ground.

  The door to the gatehouse flung open and a man wearing a military police uniform ran out toting a pistol. Witt fired a three-round burst into the man and sent the MP tumbling forward. The MP skidded across the pavement and left a bloody streak in his wake.

  Andrew switched his fire-mode to full-automatic and held down the trigger, sweeping the rifle across the gatehouse’s large tinted windows. The glass shattered and the two MPs hiding inside danced to the tune of the gunfire as the rounds tore through their bodies. Both men flung backwards against the bullet-peppered wall and slid down to the floor.

  Witt whistled and nodded at Andrew.

  “Damn fine shooting,” Witt said, “I knew you were a soldier…” Andrew nodded and didn’t bother correcting him.

  Jerri stood in the back with her eyes squeezed shut. She had her hands covering Jacob’s ears. Witt ran towards the gatehouse’s shattered window and climbed inside. He dusted the glass shards off of the control panel and hit a large green button.

  The south entry chain-link fence slowly rolled open. A few infected corpses staggered out from the nearby buildings outside the base and hobbled towards the open gate, snarling, attracted by the gunfire.

  Andrew and Jerri ran through the open fence with the shamblers close on their heels.

  Witt pressed the red button, closing the fence behind them and keeping the shamblers at bay.

  The shamblers shook and rattled the chain-link fence, moaning and snarling.

  Safely inside, Andrew opened the gatehouse door and walked inside, coughing on the coppery stench of blood.

  Jerri followed behind him and rocked Jacob gently in her arms, shushing him.

  Witt looked around the decimated gatehouse and shook his head. “Something isn’t right,” Witt said. “I thought that the Air Force abandoned this place a long time ago.” He pointed down at the two corpses on the wall. “Look at their uniforms. They’re neat, pressed, and these men are well-groomed.”

  “Yeah, what’s so weird about that?” Andrew asked, trying to calm Witt’s suspicions. “Old habits die hard.” Witt shook his head, troubled. He picked up a green book marked Daily Log from the desk and threw it on the floor at Andrew’s feet.

  “Deserters don’t keep daily logs,” Witt said. He chuckled and narrowed his eyes at Andrew. “You knew that the military came back here, didn’t you?”

  Andrew sighed and shook his head.

  Jerri eyed both men with suspicion, cradling Jacob against her chest.

  “Witt,” Andrew explained, “they never left in the first place.” Witt crossed his arms over his chest and let his rifle hang off of his shoulder. “And you didn’t bother correcting my assumption?” Witt asked, narrowing his eyes. “You just let me waltz into a fully-staffed military base?”

  Andrew held his hands out at his sides.

  “What do you want me to say?” Andrew asked, exasperated. “I needed your help to find this place.”

  Witt scoffed.

  “You could have just asked me for directions,” Witt said, shaking his head.

  Andrew frowned.

  “I was just going to ask for directions,” Andrew explained. “But your offer of supplies was too good to pass up.”

  Witt held out his hand, angry.

  “Yeah well the offer has expired,” Witt said. “Give me my shit. I’m leavin
g. You can keep your fucking base.”

  Andrew didn’t move and simply raised an eyebrow. “We’re really past that point now thanks to you, Witt,” Andrew replied calmly. “Things were going great until you pulled that bullshit at the front gate. Now as far as the soldiers here are concerned I’m a raider. Now I need your help shooting my way through the base.”

  Witt closed his hands into a fist and stepped towards Andrew. “I wouldn’t have done that stunt if you had been honest with me! If I knew that this place was still operational then I wouldn’t even be here!”

  Andrew sighed and stepped back, holding his rifle with both hands, ready.

  “Now we’re arguing in circles,” Andrew said. “We’re here now and we have to deal with it.”

  Witt looked down, troubled. He shook his head and looked up at Andrew. “Why didn’t they leave when the army pulled out?” Witt asked. Andrew gave him a quizzical look and raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?” Andrew replied.

  “Why did they stay behind in a wasted city when all of the other troops left? What is so special here that they stayed behind to protect it?” Witt asked as he stared into Andrew’s eyes.

  Andrew glanced away briefly.

  “How should I know?” Andrew asked as his eyes found Witt’s again. “You’re lying to me,” Witt said, narrowing his eyes. He unslung his rifle and crawled up onto the console, sending glass shards chattering down against the floor. He crouched near the shattered window and peered out into the street, trying to make sure that the coast was clear. The corpses that been gathered outside had all shuffled away towards the gunfire happening at other entryway.

  “Where exactly do you think you’re going?” Andrew asked as he stared at Witt in disbelief.

  Witt turned towards him and shook his head in disgust. “Home,” Witt said with a scowl. “You can keep the supplies and shove them up your ass for all I care. I’m done with you.”

  Witt hopped out of the gatehouse and sprinted down the street towards a nearby alleyway.

  Andrew’s face seethed red with anger and his grip tightened around his rifle.

  Jerri blinked and looked over at Andrew. “Now what are we going to do?” Jerri asked, cradling Jacob’s putrid corpse. She caught a whiff of the child’s odor and quickly held him away from her face. After they were settled, she would change his linen and bathe him.

  Andrew shook his head as he paced in the gatehouse. He heard the shouts and screaming soldiers outside along with the haggard moans of the dead. The gunfire was tapering off. He knew that they had to get to the plane before it took off without them.

  He reckoned that only a skeletal crew remained. It would be risky, but not nearly as bad as it could be.

  Besides, Witt’s shambler distraction would help soften the numbers.

  “We have to keep going,” he finally said as he stared at her. He opened the gatehouse door and stuck his head outside.

  Three soldiers wearing heavy armor and helmets were running towards the gatehouse, breathing frantically.

  As soon as they saw Andrew they froze and raised their weapons at him.

  Andrew quickly ducked back inside just as the soldiers opened fire, chipping away at the wooden door frame.

  “I told you I heard gunfire this way!” one of the soldiers yelled in a gruff smoker’s voice.

  “Radio it in!” another solider shouted.

  “Control’s not responding,” the third soldier answered. “Fuck it!” the soldier with the smoker’s voice growled. “Just drop him!”

  “Get down!” Andrew yelled at Jerri as he dove on top of her, knocking her down onto the ground and covering her with his body.

  The three soldiers outside opened fire and swept their rifles sideto-side.

  The bullets punched through the gatehouse’s drywall and sent sparks flying as they shattered light fixtures. Andrew kept Jerri low against the ground, shielding her with his eyes squeezed shut. The bullets flew just inches over his body and peppered the control console.

  Jerri stifled her own screams and tried to cover Jacob’s ears as she trembled underneath Andrew.

  The soldiers stopped firing and dropped their empty clips on the ground. As soon as the hollow clips made their distinctive noise as they struck the pavement, Andrew hurried back onto his feet and grabbed his rifle. He bolted towards the door and leaned outside.

  The soldiers were creeping their way towards the gatehouse as they reloaded their rifles. As soon as they saw Andrew they froze– Andrew opened fire on the soldier standing in the middle of the group.

  The gunfire tore through the center of the man’s chest and created a fine mist of red behind him as the bullets erupted out his back. The slain soldier collapsed onto his knees and fell against the pavement flat on his face, dropping his weapon beside him. Andrew aimed at the next soldier and fired blindly. The burst of gunfire struck the soldier in the knee and he crumpled against the ground, screaming.

  The last soldier standing, the one with the gruff smoker’s voice, finished reloading a fresh clip and fired at Andrew. Andrew jerked back into the gatehouse just as a burst of gunfire struck the pavement where he was couched just seconds ago. His heart beat madly in his chest. He huddled against the dead console operator who lay on the floor.

  The soldier crept towards the gatehouse, rifle shaking in his hands. He stopped a few feet away from the door and keyed his radio. “Corporal J. Ramirez to Base Command!” the soldier said into his radio. “Command, we have a second breach! Marauders have breached the perimeter! Do you copy, over?”

  The radio crackled with static in response.

  Suddenly one of the dead console operators was flung out of the open door, limbs flailing.

  Ramirez, nearly jumping out of his skin, opened fire on the limp corpse as it struck the ground.

  Andrew’s distraction worked. He quickly stepped out from the cover of the doorway and opened fire on Ramirez. Ramirez convulsed as the bullets tore through his body. Gurgling on his own blood, he dropped his weapon, stumbled backwards, and collapsed on the ground.

  Andrew leaned against the door frame as his chest rapidly rose and fell. He wasn’t a trained killer and he knew he got lucky. If he had been out in the open he would have been killed for certain. He squeezed his eyes shut for a brief second and then opened them, trying to gather his thoughts.

  Across the way he saw what looked like a small cluster of dormitories that encircled a grass courtyard and a flagpole with a tattered American flag. Long, windowless buildings that looked warehouses surrounded the dormitory area, each of which were connected by a series of roads.

  On the road nearest to the gatehouse, a green military personnel carrier sped along one of the roads as it weaved back and forth. The cabin of the truck was engulfed in flames and the infected clung onto all sides of the vehicle like tenacious spiders. The infected bashed their closed fists against the windows and tried to pound through the sides, snarling like rabid animals.

  As the vehicle sped past the gatehouse, two infected soldiers lost their grip and tumbled out onto the asphalt just a few yards away from Andrew.

  The engulfed vehicle increased speed until it broadsided one of the aluminum warehouses. The vehicle erupted into a massive fireball and flung the flaming infected off in all directions.

  Andrew flinched and covered his eyes as the shockwave and immense heat struck his body, nearly taking away his breath. The two infected soldiers on the ground near him got onto their feet and started to shamble towards him with blood dribbling out of their mouths.

  Andrew quickly composed himself and fired at one of the advancing soldiers. ‘ CLICK’

  His rifle was empty.

  The soldier lunged at Andrew, swiping his arms in front of him.

  Andrew spun the rifle around and slammed the butt of the rifle square into the soldier’s face.

  The soldier, nose askew, stumbled backwards…

  Andrew dropped the rifle and drew one of his pistols. He quickly pressed the barrel agai
nst the soldier’s and pulled the trigger. The back of the soldier’s head exploded and slathered his companion behind him with gore. The shot soldier collapsed instantly. Andrew leveled his pistol towards the second soldier and fired twice. The first shot missed but the second shot struck the soldier in the throat and ruptured the man’s spinal cord. The soldier gurgled and fell on the ground, convulsing madly.

  Andrew walked up to the soldier and pointed the gun down at the man’s head. He pulled the trigger.

  The soldier’s legs flailed one last time and he lay motionless.

  Andrew holstered his pistol and ran towards Ramirez’s corpse and took the man’s military-grade assault riffle along with all of his extra clips.

  He heard clanging and moaning behind him. Andrew spun towards the closed gate and saw that the gunfire and chaos had attracted thousands of rotten corpses to the chain-link fence. They were pushing and pulling on the gate, desperately trying to get through.

  Jerri emerged out of the gatehouse and kept Jacob covered in his shawl. She looked over at the gathered mass of bodies by the gate and her eyes widened.

  The gate wobbled violently and the metal ties were starting to snap off as the structure started to break apart from the sheer numbers pushing and pulling against it.

  “Andrew…” she stammered.

  Andrew shook his head, mouth agape, and ran to her, grabbing her wrist.

  “We need to go NOW!” he shouted as he pulled her towards the base’s dormitory compound.

  As Andrew led Jerri away, the gate toppled down behind them and the massive horde shambled after them into the base. As Andrew crossed the street and got closer to the dorms, he couldn’t help but think of a college campus that had been ransacked. The barracks had their doors torn off of the hinges and most of their windows shattered. A few buildings burnt out of control. Infected meandered in and out of the buildings as they pleased, stumbling after the terrified fleeing soldiers who were half-dressed and ill-prepared for battle. For all the soldiers knew they were supposed to be evacuating later in the day; they did not expect a sudden fight with the undead. Open suitcases, scattered papers, and loose clothing littered the manicured grounds and surrounded the flagpole that sat in a circle of grass in the center of the courtyard and cement benches were situated around the expanse of the courtyard.