I couldn't fathom how calm she appeared after losing her oldest son and a best friend and knowing her husband was only feet away being operated on.
My gaze met Kira's eyes, and I winked at her and nodded encouragement. She said, "Thanks, Tom," and grinned weakly at me. Then I hurried out still appreciating the beautiful lady's warm attention.
Shooting finally stopped. I assumed the zombies were down and our invaders had been killed or run off. I looked through a south gunport and saw Nate cautiously raise his head to look around. Eerie silence pervaded as he got up on his knees and used the links in the chain-link fence to pull himself up with his left hand. I grabbed Jeff Tanka and Sam Williams and headed for the front gate.
On the radio I called Ed. "Ed, will you get the cleanup started until I get back? I also need someone to go to the southeast watch tower and open the gate so we can bring Nate inside. Then the people assigned to this shift's watch duty need to man the towers or have someone fill in for them. Tell them to stay low until we scour the woods for any lingering outlaws."
The three of us reached the gate seconds after the ten-foot high section began to slide open. Both of the burning military vehicles emitted dense black smoke that slowly rose and drifted to blot out the nearby line of trees.
Nate sheepishly approached us, a worried look and stooped posture evidence he was hurting more than just physically. Cuts and bruises crisscrossed his face. A swollen black eye and a large yellowish-purple bruise marred the left side of his face. He limped, favoring his right leg.
Sam said, "Oh oh. Two fast-runners are coming at us from the west through the alfalfa.” All three of us dropped to our knees, aimed and fired until the attackers dropped. Again, there were no warning sounds to announce their presence. That caused great alarm for our future.
I took Nate by the shoulder, and he flinched from the rough handling. I walked him through the gate to safety before signaling the tower for the gate to be closed.
We walked inside together. I told Nate, "Go to the dining room and wait for me. We'll decide then what I'm to do with you."
Nate opened his mouth to talk, "Tom, I'm—"
"Not now, Nate. I've got too many other things to attend to. Four people died, and at least two are injured that I know of. We'll talk later. If you're hungry, go to the kitchen and they'll get you something."
I called Ed to learn his location and told him I'd meet him where he was. Then I called John. "As we clear the woods, I'd like you to inspect the inside of the building and evaluate any damage you find. Later, when the woods have been cleared, you'll have to survey the outside damage and schedule repairs to be completed before rainstorms hit. If you want help, use Anthony Margherio. He's experienced in building maintenance."
Ed was overseeing the transfer of heavy weapons to the armory for cleaning and inspection before they'd be returned to the underground storage. I asked him to appoint a group leader over twelve people and have them sweep a fifty-foot wide line into the woods around our perimeter for any injured but live outlaws. I cautioned him to ensure everyone would be on the lookout for fast zombies that might be silently lying in wait to attack. He called Martin Radcliff Sr. to lead the party through the woods.
I got back to Ira and Marcie at the temporary clinic. He had taken his surgical mask off and was cleansing his hands and arms in a pan of water when I entered. Morgan lay in a bed across the room, and Verlie and his kids and grandkids were standing at the foot of the bed. Barney, the Halcom family patriarch, stood beside Morgan's bed. Morgan smiled weakly but threw me a thumbs up sign. Then he closed his eyes and let the sedative work. Verlie stood in the middle of her family members, so I knew she and Morgan would be okay. They'd lost a son and a close friend, but the family had closed ranks to support each other.
I noticed Janice's body had been removed from the room. It was time I found Shane and gave proper condolences for his loss.
People scurried through the upstairs hallways as I made a trip around the perimeter and looked down crossways. Bloodstains were being scrubbed from the floor and walls where our people had been gunned down and where Morgan and Kira were wounded. Two others refilled the ammunition storage boxes to be ready for the next unexpected siege that would surely come. I had no idea how many rogue outfits like William's were out there, but I guessed his wasn't the only one. Sadly, some people always became the aggressors and tried to intimidate others.
I didn't yet know how many attackers we'd faced but felt we were fortunate to have won without bigger losses. If the attackers were in fact well-trained, disciplined and experienced soldiers, our casualties could have been much greater. Eli didn't have family members with us, but he would be missed by all who had known him and appreciated his subdued sense of humor and easy going nature. Janice was another story. Her boundless energy and warm personality was a positive fixture in all of our lives. She would be sorely missed. I didn't yet know all of Morgan's family members intimately but mourned their loss.
At Janice and Shane's quarters, I knocked gently on the door. It opened and Andrea's red, tearstreaked face greeted me. Shane sat on the bed with his elbows on his knees and his head on his palms. Vivian sat in a chair next to him speaking softly as she held his hand. They looked up as I closed the door. Tear paths were visible down Shane's weathered cheeks. His breaths sounded shallow, his skin looked pale. I pitied him because I knew exactly what he was going through. My wife, Emma, had died an even more horrible and senseless death two years ago.
All I could muster was, "I'm sorry."
Shane nodded. Tears flowed freely. "I know, thanks." He extended his right hand and we clasp hands and held the grip of close friendship for long seconds.
He nodded again when I said, "I have to go. There's still a lot to be done. You take all the time you need to mend. Ed, John and I will clean things up. I'll have Larry and Brittney brought up as soon as the woods are cleared, and all of the youngsters are released from the underground bunker."
Outside Shane's door, I leaned back against the wall with my head to the drywall and closed my eyes. We'd lost four wonderful people because some selfish idiots tried to push us out of our home. They didn't care that we'd have nowhere to go or that we mightn't survive against the undead that plagued us at every turn.
I pushed away from my wall of worry and set about seeing what remained to be done. John and Anthony were on the first floor and proffered a cursory damage report. "The worst damage we've seen is to the roof where Ed fired the rockets. Several shooters must have concentrated on that area when we slacked off the cover fire because several panels are riddled and will have to be replaced. Enough extra panels are stored at the barn to fix it."
Everywhere I went, crews had the situation under control. People knew what needed to be done and moved on their own, or Ed and John had given them direction. We had a competent, highly motivated crew. I went looking for Nate Robard. His family was gathered in the dining room with him when I found them. The fact that they were smiling looked like a good sign that he'd been welcomed back. He stood, apparently unsure if I'd welcome him.
I treated him in a friendly manner for his family's sake, but stayed reserved. "You've been gone almost a year and a half. What happened during that time?"
"Tom, I want to apol—"
"I'm not interested in your apology. What have you done since you left here? Start with the day after you punched your son and cussed your family and everyone here because you're a lazy slacker and wanted to get drunk."
Nate deflated. I wanted him to know right off that he wouldn't be cut any slack. He'd left his family and the people at Deliverance who had offered him a home, and he'd brought back a bunch of outlaws who tried to push us out. He had a lot of explaining to do.
Nate's hand caught my attention. The bloody rag that had been wrapped around it was gone. In its place was a professionally applied bandage. Ira must have seen him, took pity on him, and examined the hand.
As Nate's gaze met mine, guilt and shame s
hone through his expression. He glanced to his family and then back to me. I sensed that Vera, Mitch and Suzie wanted to speak but held back to let Nate stand on his own. "When I left here I went from town to town trying to avoid the zombies. I quickly ran out of food and fuel and was low on ammunition. I couldn't find much food, but there were enough small amounts left in various places to keep me alive. I mostly felt sorry for myself and stayed drunk most of the time. The only good thing about it was that I lost weight. Then I had to continually look for clothes that fit. Fuel was a problem until I went to an auto parts store and found a siphon hose and took fuel from abandoned vehicles. For ammunition I prowled through sporting goods stores and gun shops and then finally broke into homes until I found sufficient amounts to build a good supply.
"I wanted to come back and apologize, but false pride wouldn't let me admit I was wrong on all counts. I kept going and pretty much stayed drunk. Then I couldn't find any alcohol for a long stretch and took an involuntary drying out period. It was hell going cold turkey alone, and I don't ever want to go through it again. I quit drinking and I promise I won't start again.” Nate swallowed hard and paused for a moment before he continued.
"About a month ago, William's bunch found me and confiscated the Humvee. They had taken over a big house over by Cedar Rapids. They were a rough bunch, but they treated me okay when I first got there. They fed me and were friendly.
"Williams wanted to know how I'd existed on my own and I told them. I didn't mention being here, but last week he pushed hard and threatened me. I told them I'd left here, and when he learned Vera and my kids were still here he got really interested and wanted to know details. Some of the people who were the closest to him edged in and I saw looks I didn't like. While Williams and a guy they called Gunner beat on me I heard one of them tell another they planned to take your place over, keep the women and kill the kids and men. I thought you'd be badly outnumbered because I'd counted twenty-eight of them. Eventually, a big hateful brute, Gunner, hit me hard enough to knock me out. I woke when they threw cold water in my face. I was naked, and my forearms and hands were taped to the arms of a dining room chair. Gunner had the first joint of my right pinky finger in a pair of large wire cutters. He gave me a cruel grin as he squeezed the sharp edges down on the joint. I screamed from the pain, and he just laughed as he cut the end of my finger off."
Vera, Suzie and Mitch sat awestruck, and tears ran down their cheeks.
"I guess I passed out again because they threw more water on me and slapped me until I was awake. They did that twice more until I couldn't stand to take the pain anymore. They cut my finger clean off and said the one by it was next. At that point, I told them where your compound was and what I remembered from being here. They wanted to know everything: how many people were here and what ages."
Nate’s eyes glinted with tears, and he wrung his hands. "I'm sorry I told them all of that, but the pain was horrible, and I couldn't take anymore." He looked to his family. "I'm sorry and beg you to forgive me."
I said, "Don't feel bad for caving in under torture. Anyone who doesn't is a serious nut case. A rational human can only stand so much pain. You tried to hold out and I respect that." I stood. "Now, what's your plan? What do you want to do? Your Humvee is destroyed, but we can give you some other transportation if you want to leave again."
"Tom, I apologize for being a butthole. I'd like a second chance to stay here and reunite with my family. I promise I won't be any trouble. I'll keep my mouth shut and do as I'm told. I'll do the exercise routines and I'll do all of the training as well as I can. I'll stay awake on watch and pull my own weight. I want my wife and kids to be proud of me instead of being ashamed of what I've done. If she'll have me, I'd like to work with Andrea in the kitchen. I'll work hard and do what she tells me."
"I'll accept you on those terms. You can talk to Andrea yourself. But if you backslide and turn into the problem you were before you left, out you go. I'll not tolerate the crap you pulled before." I turned to Mitch and Suzie and winked. "Keep an eye on him and don't allow him to backslide. You kids need and deserve a top notch dad." They needed positive assurance that their dad would get another chance. I hoped Nate meant what he'd said, but if he even started to slip one of my team would put a boot up his butt.
Martin Radcliff called my name over the radio. "Tom, we've finished scouring the woods for stragglers. We found three zombies and put them down and three of the military guys who attacked us were wounded. They were put down as well."
I called John and told him it was safe for him and Anthony to inspect the outside of Deliverance. Then I called Shana to tell her everything was secured and she could bring the youngsters out of the safe room. I met her and told her about Janice. She volunteered to escort Larry and Brittany Holescheck to their room where Shane was expecting them.
The outlandish attack and the loss of Janice, Eli, Morgan Jr. and Angie dragged me down to a melancholy mood. I wandered around Deliverance beating myself up for not having anticipated a major attack like we had endured. That would be a topic for a future leadership team meeting after we had time to recover. We needed to be even better prepared than we had been. The loss of life we'd sustained was unacceptable. I ended my half-hearted inspection of the facility near the armory. Ed was still cleaning and inspecting weapons. The two rocket launchers and the rest of the heavy armament lay on work tables or stood in the racks against the wall. Some were ready to go back into storage while Ed worked on the rest. Kira and Jesse Pitchford assisted Ed to learn from his vast expertise. Kira looked up and smiled. She gave me a coy wink then went back to watching Ed.
~*~*~*~
Even after four years, it still felt strange to not have a clue as to what the weather would be for the next week. The day was Sunday, five days since the attack. I'd made a late morning stroll around the complex inside and out while mentally lining up tasks that needed to be completed or begun on Monday. Burial of the deceased attackers and zombies had been finished the afternoon of the attack in a mass grave near the woods. I, Sam, and Anthony stayed up late Tuesday night making rough caskets and markers for our friends. Our losses were interred in our cemetery late Wednesday morning.
The roof panel replacement had been completed Saturday, and plugging bullet holes in the rest of the metal siding would be ongoing for several more days.
Satisfied that all our projects were complete or well underway, I walked up the northeast stairway toward my room. I'd recovered from the anguish of our recent combat event and was learning to accept the deaths on our side that it had caused.
Sweat made my body sticky from wearing too heavy a sweatshirt and I longed for a shower and some relaxed down time. My attention went to fast-paced footsteps coming up behind me. I stopped at the top of the stairs, and Kira stopped to stand beside me. As usual, she looked gorgeous and fresh and lively.
"Hi, handsome," she said through a flirty grin. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I suppose.”
She abruptly changed the subject. "It's about lunch time. You hungry?"
"Not really, but I probably should eat."
"Where were you headed before I stopped you?"
"My room. I feel like taking a shower and then kicking back."
"The kitchen is putting together a sandwich buffet for lunch. Let's grab some and then go take that shower."
My eyes widened, and I felt new vigor. "You and me, together, in the shower?"
"Yes, handsome. You need to unwind and let the bad stuff go. So it's you and me, soap and water, and nothing else. Is that alright?"
She grinned mischievously again. I put my arm around her waist and resisted asking anymore stupid questions.
- The End- of vol. 3
I hope you've enjoyed the third story in the OUTNUMBERED zombie apocalypse series published at Amazon.com.
To access additional volumes in the Outnumbered series follow the link to my book page at Amazon.
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There, you will also find my other horror stories and crime novels.
Thank you,
Robert Schobernd
OUTNUMBERED volume 3: A Zombie Apocalypse Series Page 6
