Moosehill Militia (Book 1): INFECTED

by Paul Christian

  The Moosehill Troopers did pretty much the same thing except they had two shield guys out of the eight they carried in each APC. Just in case any of the Infected got to close to the shooters they would smash into them with the shields to push them back to give the other Troopers time to aim or reload or whatever they needed to do.

  Both company's made it to Cherry Street and took a breather, continuing to pick off Infected who made an appearance. They soon continued on route 31, Mechanic Street, Elm Street and Temple Street.

  On Mechanic Street, a half dozen Marines came tumbling out of the house rushing down the stairs. Behind them boiled an infestation of Infected. Dozens if not a hundred walking, crawling, and some moving pretty fast from what he knew about them. The two M113A2’s that were in sight and in range opened up with their M60 gunners as soon as the Marines cleared the fire zone. Several hundred heavy caliber bullets later saw approximately one hundred Infected dead.

  The two company’s continued there advance south through the congested slums of Spencer. Periodic rifle fire rang out as the Marines and Troopers encountered Infected. It was a grinding kind of day for the Marines and Troopers No one else was lost or hurt to badly. It was great training for the two forces working together. They called it a day and withdrew from South Spencer center around five p.m., most of the Infected were cleaned out. Mac estimated they killed in the vicinity of eight hundred Infected in the course of the whole day.

  On the way back, about to turn down Paxton Road, Mac received a call from the base, that Mike’s team raid to Kahr Arms stirred up a hornets nest and they were heavily engaged with thousands of Infected and now a large swarm of the bastards was heading west on Route 9. There down around Route 9 by the Worcester line around airport drive. His is the only force that can intercept them before they hit Becker College at Leicester center.

  Mac called in. “Understood, Oddie we are already on Route 9 and we can be there in fifteen minutes.” He told the base.

  ***

  Rory Scannell former Police Chief of Leicester, now thought of himself as the Police Chief of Moosehill and its territory, was on Route 9 near Ludlow Street, with two of his men in a Humvee. Mike had assigned him a heavy platoon of forty former police from the Leicester, Spencer, Worcester and Paxton Police departments that survived, with Twenty SUV’s and Humvee’s outfitted the same as the MHM Troopers for all practical purposes. They were assigned police duties, patrolling the road that have been cleared, while eliminating any Infected they do come across. They also by increasing numbers find people looking for sanctuary almost every day.

  Today his team was a little further then they should be. Rory had heard all the shooting coming from Airport Drive and moved further east then originally intended. He stopped at Route 9 and Ludlow Street just over the town line into Worcester. From here you can look down Main Street to Airport Drive. What Rory saw scared the hell of him. All he could see was wall to wall Infected slowly moving west on Route 9 by the old Friendly’s ice cream shop by Goddard Memorial Drive. He couldn’t see the end of the line. From where he was he thought there was at least ten thousand or so, probably more.

  “Okay guys get in were moving back and calling this in.” He told the two patrolmen with him. As soon as they were in the Humvee, Rory called into Moosehill Base. They were using the Leicester, Spencer Police frequency’s now and hooked into their transmitters. For vehicles it was ideal, the range was somewhere in the fifty or sixty mile range or so. The police radios are also programmable and have the MHM tactical frequency's on them.

  “Leicester one to MHM base.” Rory called into Command. “Go ahead Leicester one.” He heard back immediately. “We have several thousand Infected advancing up Route 9 in the Ludlow street area.” He repeated his message a second time.

  “Copy Leicester One, fall back, keep us advised. We are formulating a response.” They told him. He turned to the other two in the vehicle. “That means they have to find Mac or call Mike. Mike’s crews were in some kind of fight back there on Airport Drive. He really kicked over a hornets nest. You two keep your eye’s peeled for those fast Z’s they could be anywhere around here.” As he was saying that a figure darted across the road a hundred yards ahead of them moving at a fast run or almost down on all fours.

  “Shit! Did you see that Chief!” One of his old Leicester officers said to him. “That thing was moving as fast as I could run, I thought they were kind of sluggish.”

  “Yes I saw it, must be one of those fast ones they’ve been talking about. I hate to think what would happen if they all became fast like that. Did you notice something different other than its speed?” Rory said. The two former police officers looked at each other and one shrugged.

  “The Infected without exception attack, they always attack. That one looked at us and continued to run into the brush. That’s different, it was a scout I believe.” Rory got on the radio and reported to MHM Base what he deduced. They drove to their next observation point which was around 69 Main Street by McCarthy Ave, an old brick factory on the south side of Main Street, from the time of the industrial revolution that was born right here in the Blackstone River Valley which Leicester was the headwaters. The north side of the road had an eight foot stone wall then a hill climbing up toward Apricot Street which connects to Goddard Memorial Drive. It was a large hill. Rory had one of his units on top just east of South High in Worcester watching for any Infected climbing the hill that way. He doubted they would go up the hill, they always took the path of least resistance that is until these fast Infected. He didn’t know about them. He had one of his guy’s call that unit and warn them about the quick Infected.

  “Okay guys, stretch take a piss, keep an eye out for that fast one. I estimate the swarm will be at McCarthy Ave in about twenty minute at their present speed.” Rory told the two with him. He watched the road west and scanned his surroundings too.

  Mac and Jack Majors Company led the two mechanized company’s down Main Street toward Worcester he was on the tactical net talking to Rory.

  “Leicester one what’s your status over.” He called Rory’s call sign. The radio had some feedback then Rory came on.

  “Leicester One here. We can see this swarm, they are approaching McCarthy Ave. You need to do something Mac. If they get by this bottleneck down here they can spread out.” Rory told him over the air.

  “Understood, Keep you heads down support is coming by air and land.” He replied.

  Just then a flight of six Huey's with a door gunner on each side flew low over the column as it marched east at thirty miles an hour by Colliers Corner, maybe a mile and a half away Mac thought.

  “Actual Task Force Mac to MHM base. Where going to need more ammo have Charley Company bring all they can, I think we will need the support.” He called in. Mac rode in the commanders hatch of the third M113 in line there were ten more behind him of MHM Bravo Company and then US Marine Bravo Company with their borrowed thirteen M113A2’s all with gunners manning M60 or M240 squad automatic weapons from the gunners position next to the vehicle commanders hatch.

  They passed Auburn Street and could hear the steady bursts of the M60 Machine guns firing the 7.62 x51 mm NATO cartridge. Anywhere between six and twelve were chugging away not far ahead. That’s a lot of metal Mac thought. That wall of bullets had to be tearing up the Infected he thought, soon enough he’d know. The Huey’s were doing their job, thank God we have those Mac thought.

  Jack Majors Company had pulled up to Rory's Humvee which was sitting idling right at the intersection of Main and Locust St. Which turned left on the north side up a steep incline then ran parallel with Main Street about twenty feet above it with houses and a wall down to Main Street, some of the houses had stairs down to Main also. Jack directed his APC’s to line up starting at the wall past Locust Street and in front of 69 Main Street an old mill that stretched back quite a ways to the river in back of it. He lined the M113A2’s track to track with the front facing the advancing hoard which was about a hu
ndred yards away. Eight APC’s covered the entire road from the wall to the side of the Mill building. Each APC had a M60 on top and the Troops inside filed out and climbed up behind the gunners and waited for the order to fire.

  Mac directed Captain Deneke’s Company to drive up Locust Street and line the road with their vehicles between houses creating the perfect L shaped ambush, except the Infected could see Mac and his Troops laying it out and just didn’t care, who knows what higher brain functions were still operating in there.

  Mac was in the third APC from the wall on Main Street. A steady wall of Infected moved toward them up this road that was a bottleneck, he sent two of the spare APC’s not in the line down Gerald Court, a dead end that over looked the back of the mill and the river just in case.

  “Jack you see those fast ones in that mess? Look closely and you’ll see fast Infected moving in and out of the slower ones.” Just then he was drowned out by the returned line of Huey’s heading west to east spaced about a hundred yards apart. As the Huey’s came over head they unloaded as much ammo into the mob under them as they could in there pass, then the next and the next and so on.

  The Mass of Infected recoiled and moved around any that were hit in the head, many were others took rounds in torso, shoulders or legs. They just kept coming or crawled. The road had to be slick with blood and gore.

  At a hundred feet or so Mac gave the order to fire.

  First the MHM Company opened up with their eight M60s along with the Troops on top with their M-4’s there 5.56 cartridge made a higher pitched crack as it fired vs the M60 which was a deeper baritone noise. The front ranks of the Infected were mowed down with the initial bust of gun fire. As Troopers and machine guns went to changing magazines or in the case of the M60 short bursts of fire. Too much prolonged firing of the M60’s and the barrels would burn out. The Infected from the rear pushed and the Infected advanced rather quickly for Mac’s tastes. The Marines on Locust Street were firing into the main body of the Infected now, hitting them from the flank. Hundred were going down not to rise, hundred’s more started to crawl up and move forward.

  Jack in the center APC couldn’t believe the how many Infected were advancing on them. If they made it to the APC’s, it’s possible their weight pushing might be able to move the armed vehicles like a rock being pushed by water in a stream, or if not they could pile up in front of them and go right over the top. That was a scary thought. He quickly got out of his commanders hatch and ran across the tops to Mac’s APC and told him his fears.

  “Mac I don’t think we’re going to stop them, when they hit the front of the APC’s they’ll start piling up and soon crawl right over the top of us.” He told him.

  “I have a plane. Delta Company is almost up to us. I just talked to Larry. They’re going to set up just like us but a hundred yards behind us. While Deneke’s company continues to hammer away at the main body from above. Just then two Huey’s came to a hover over the APC’s and fired balancing there rate of fire with the risk of burning out the barrels of the guns.

  The swarm of Infected reached the front sloped edge of his M113A2’s the M60’s were firing point blank into the Infected. The Troops were right up with the gunner shooting there M-4’s at a slower rate taking aim at heads. The Infected were piling up on the front glacier of the APC’s which was starting to look like some morbid Vincent Van Gogh painting, Jack was shooting just like the rest of the Troopers and it was up to him to decide when to button up and go dark as Mac called it. He wasn’t afraid to admit it scared the shit out of him to think what they’re about to do. He couldn’t leave it too late or they'd never get in and close up in time. He looked back and saw Delta company coming on line facing them. In thirty seconds they could take over he decided. Those thirty seconds were the longest he could ever remember. At the count of thirty he started yelling for everyone to get inside and button up now, He ordered.

  “Move, Move” he yelled over the rattle of gunfire from the Huey’s and the Marines on the hillside, the moaning and other noises from the swarm almost blotted out those more familiar sounds. He jumped down last from his APC and the ramp in back was already going up, he climbed in just as the other Troopers were doing in there APC’s.

  Captain Deneke, took a short break from shooting at the swarm to observe what was happening down below, earlier he decided to have a Trooper set up his video camera and record the events here today. I’m sure the Colonel back on Nantucket will be interested in today. He watched the last of Alpha’s Company’s men scramble into their APC’s the hatches up top were already dogged down from the inside and the Ramps came up to seal Jack Majors men in as the wave of Infected crested the front top of the vehicles. Jack looked to the rear and saw Delta Company finish setting up in the same fashion as Alpha Company had. He thought Mac’s plan was to slow them down with Alpha’s vehicles like a breakwater and Delta and his to finish them off. He wasn’t sure Delta could slow them down, and was damn glad to be on this hill above the wall.

  “Keep firing at them, don’t let up.” He yelled at his men. He noticed some of the Infected on their side of the street try and climb some of the stairs leading into the yards of the houses on Locust Street. They weren't getting far that way. The Huey’s were back in force all six hammering the main body below on Main Street in front of the Mill. They didn’t fire directly around Alpha Company's APC’s not wanting a lucky shot to find a weak spot in the APC’s armor.

  “Fire at the Infected going over the APC’s with the M-4’s no chance of them getting through the armor. Keep the M60’s on the main body.” He yelled at his men who took up the call themselves.

  Larry Evans had just got his APC’s set up the way Mac told him too, and he agreed with the plan, it was a good one. He was set up right at Locust Street and the Mariner building, his M113A2’s were lined up thirteen across facing front. Looking out he was astonished at what he saw, a wave of Infected rising over Alpha’s vehicles and rolling right over them. He didn’t know if they could stop this with his company. He got on the radio and called up more reinforcements to set up at Auburn Street. If he had to button up like Mac and Jack, then that was the next logical place to try and stop this between a steep hill and a ravine with a river in it.

  “Fire.” Larry yelled and put action to words as every Trooper started shooting into the swarm rolling over the top of Alpha Company. Larry’s company fought on for ten minutes firing everything they had into the advancing swarm of Infected that knew only to advance and eat. During all this Larry wondered why this large group was so determined to go against what they always have done so far take the path of least resistance they never went up hill if they could go down unless in the pursuit of food.

  It’s almost time, Larry determined. The swarm was up to and starting to push up the front of his APC. His gunner was firing point blank into the faces of men women, children that were someone’s family members three weeks ago, and barely Human now, he was crying and shooting. Mac yelled for him to button up. His men, all across the APC’s of Delta Company jumped down to the rear and into their APC’s as the ramps closed. Paul could feel and hear the moaning as the M113A2 rocked from the pressure of the hoard pushing against it. Soon they could feel them all around there vehicle as it felt like being in a washing machine as it rocked back and forth.

  “This sucks.” Someone in the rear of the APC said. The rest of the Troops in back broke out laughing. Paul called back. “You sick f$#k’s. But smiled to himself. Moral was still pretty good he thought as the APC rock and rolled.

  On the Hill Captain Deneke’s company continued to fire into the mob as it passed by him. Locust Street was steep enough that he didn’t think they would come up after his company.

  ***

  Mike and his three company's made it out of the airport in one piece locking up as they left, they knew they were coming back pretty soon. They left in the same arrangement they came in to make things simple as could be for his exhausted Troops. The trucks were in the middle a
s before. His column led by Bravo Company turned onto Marshall Street from Mulberry heading west. A group of Infected were milling about that corner. The men were so numb from Infected at this point they didn’t bother to even shoot them. If they happened to be in the way they just ran them down without a bit of remorse. They were getting ready to cross Route 56 and about thirty minutes from Moosehill. They received the call.

  “MHM to Six Actual.” Moosehill called Mike. He picked up the Mic. “Six Actual, go ahead base.” He replied.

  “We have a situation on Route 9 in Cherry Valley. It seems your activity’s riled up the natives and there advancing up Main Street. Mac and two companies are heavily pressed, down around 69 Main street right now. He doesn’t think they can hold and might have to button up and let them overrun them. Delta Company is backstopping them, but it’s doubtful they will be able to stop them either. Advise your company's, minus the merchandise, head down Route 56 to Main Street and set up in the area of Main Street and Auburn Street, another natural bottleneck with the hills on the north side and the river valley on the south.” Over.

  “I got it. Will do. Six out.” Mike called over to Dave Maddox, Sean Thornton and Dong Yee and apprised them of the situation. Mike exasperated, has had enough of Infected for the day. He led the three mechanized infantry companies south to another fight. His team turned east on Route 9 and were getting close. They pulled just past Auburn Street on Main Street. On the left or north side was a large new stone wall, he remembered the state highway building it a several years ago. He made some money doing details that year. On the right was Rejuvenation Salon, where it dropped off steeply behind it. He decided to set up fifty yards west of this location bottling up the road.