Government Z (Book 1): The Beginning

by Reid, Bryan D.

  We crossed into Ohio a little after one in the afternoon so we were behind schedule so Bruce drove through cars that were in the way to try and make up some time. About an hour drive into Ohio we were about ten miles south of Sandusky when Mike yelled down to Bruce to stop the truck and he had spotted something through the binoculars. Bruce pulled over on the side of the expressway. Mike woke Rus and I up and had us get up on the lift. Bruce and Don got out of the cab of the truck lit up a cigarette and asked what we saw. Rus looked through the binocular and I looked through my sniper rifle scope. Well it looks like a blockade was made on the interstate up a head Rus said. Is it zombies, looters, or a community? Bruce asked. None, it’s the army Rus answered. We could see two small army jeeps and about six soldiers patrolling a blockade that was made up of a metal and concrete barricade with a toll bar. What do you think is going to happen when we approach that blockade? Don asked. Well that blockade is about two miles away, so Rus and I will get off the expressway and walk pass the blockade and come up on the back side I said. Wait an hour before you drive up to the toll and that will give Rus and I time to get behind them and come up with a plan or a surprise attack if needed I said. So Rus and I left most of our weapons and took just our handguns and small knives as we walked down the exit ramp and followed under the interstate the two mile walk. It took us about forty minutes to get about one thousand feet behind the blockade. We found a few tents set off the expressway that we ran over to investigate. There was one guard patrolling the door of one of the tents. Rus pulled his knife out and when the guard turned back around to walk toward where we were he was met with a knife that went through the center of his neck. It filled his mouth and lungs with blood quickly so he was unable to scream before collapsing. Rus and I approached the tent and peeked inside. We saw a man sleeping on a cot so I approached and grabbed a belt I saw hanging from a hanger and I noticed a general suit hanging with it. I snuck up to the cot and wrapped the belt around the man’s neck and pulled it tight while Rus pointed his glock at the man who looked very similar to Rus. Why was a blockade set up and what is going on? Rus asked the general. I pulled the belt off the general’s neck so he could answer. My name is General Jacob Marrows and I have served the United States Army for twenty five years. That’s fucking special sleeping beauty but now what I asked Rus said as he back handed the general. This blockade has been ordered by the FBI to stop a group of mercenaries believed to have killed several agents in Michigan and possibly on their way to Washington D.C. to attack our commander in chief. I have done everything in my power to stop these men and or women at any cost. Just as the general finished his sentence his jaw opened up like those other zombie we had seen and Rus put a bullet in his head. Rus put that general suit on and throw your clothes in that duffle bag and hurry up. I went outside and striped off the patrolling soldiers uniform and put it on too. I pulled Rus’s knife out of his neck and smashed it through his skull just in case he walked away like the last person we shot in the neck. I ran in to the other tent and found it to be a small command center where I found some documents from the other blockades that gave the small patrol clearance to pass thru unquestioned by order of the FBI. Rus emerged from the tent dressed in the general’s uniform and I was in the private’s uniform. So what is next? Rus asked. I pulled the keys to a jeep that was parked next to the tents. Let’s go give the boys clearance to pass thru that blockade. Rus and I got in the jeep and jumped on the expressway where the boys just pulled up to the blockade as we arrived. I got out and ran to the other side to open the door for Rus. I shouted attention for a superior officer. The soldiers around the barricade came to attention and Rus approached the officer near the driver door and said what these soldier’s orders are? The soldier stuttered under the general’s question and ordered the soldier to return to his post. Rus went up to the door and said to Bruce stick your hand out like you are handing me papers. Rus pulled the papers I found out of his coat pocket and handed them back to Bruce after looking them over. Rus walked back to the patrol and said clearance has been authorized. The soldiers saluted the general who returned the salute and walked back to the jeep. They opened the toll bar and the truck passed through with no incident with Rus and me following them in the jeep. We drove for about thirty miles and abandoned the jeep off the nearest exit but Rus and I keep the new duds we had just acquired. We continued driving for another hour and pulled off the expressway to rotate locations. After stopping and grabbing a bite to eat we jumped back on the expressway and headed for the Pennsylvania border. We drove for four hours and entered the state of Pennsylvania near Enon Valley.

  We continued on our way toward Pittsburgh where we would change freeways and make our way for Hancock, Maryland from there. It would take us about two hours before we arrived in Pittsburgh where we were greeted by another blockade but this one wasn’t the army they looked like civilians and they were being attacked by zombies. Rus yelled down to Bruce and Don to wake them up as Mike sped up toward the zombies. Mike drove up to the blockade fast running over several zombies and when he came to a stop Rus and I jumped off the lift with our melee weapons drawn and tackled a small group of zombies. Bruce and Don jumped off the back of the truck. Don with his kamas and chain in hand and Bruce with two war hammers. Bruce’s war hammers were similar to the battle axes I wielded. They were three feet in length, had a four inch spike on one side, and a five inch by five inch hammer on the other side and looked like a meat tenderizer. Rus and I took out four zombies that we had tackled off the jump from the lift. Don swung his chain and wrapped the kama around a zombies neck that had grabbed one of the patrol guards and with one swift motion pulled and decapitated the zombie. Bruce ran over to help another guard that was pinned down by a zombie. He spread his arms out and swung his war hammers together making the zombies head explode like crushing a watermelon with a sledgehammer and sending off a high pitch sound as the hammers struck together. We helped the guards to their feet where one of the men approached us. My name is Jamal and I am the head of a small community run here in Pittsburgh. Thank you for your assistance Jamal said. What is your business here in Pittsburgh? Jamal asked. We are passing thru on our way to Washington D.C. from Michigan I said. We have made several discoveries and the signs point to answers we may find there Rus added. Please come with us so you can rest, eat, and we can talk at our compound Jamal offered. We accepted and followed them back to their community. It was two miles from the highway to a five story apartment building where turned over cars made a wall around the front entrance. There was also an underground garage where we parked our truck and went to the front entrance. We entered the front entrance where a ladder was lowered from the second floor since the staircase was destroyed and the elevator wires were cut. We climbed up to the second floor and followed Jamal to the fourth floor to which we assumed was a sleeping quarter and mess hall. We sat down to a simple dinner of chicken wings and fries. That was the best meal I have had in months Rus stated. You forget the simple things you miss while you are trying to survive everyday Jamal said. So what discoveries have you come across that is taking you so far away from home? Jamal asked. We told him about everything we had come to know during the past seven months over the next two hours. Everything you have told me makes a lot of sense now. We two have discovered garbage trucks from Ontario but we have never searched them and I wonder if they too have these toxic waste containers inside. Please go and rest now and before you continue your journey I would appreciate if you would help me investigate one of the garbage trucks? Jamal asked. We will go with you once we rest in the morning and then we will head for Washington I said. Jamal shook all of our hands and we turned in for the night. We awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs cooking around six thirty in the morning. We walked out in the mess hall area to find Jamal cooking a meal for the seven of us. Jamal prepared our meal like a local Italian deli in Pittsburgh. Jamal toasted to thick cut pieces of Italian bread stacking the eggs, bacon, two slices of tomato, and home fries. We ate ou
r breakfast and said thanks to the great hospitality the whole community showed us. We packed up got in the truck and followed Jamal and his team to the site of the garbage truck. We arrived at the site where Rus, Don and I started to investigate the garbage truck. Mike and Jon stayed in the truck since they were driving and Bruce stayed as a watch out from the lift. Stand back while I open the back Don said. Don raised the back end of the garbage truck and started to pour the contents on the street. A large wooden crate fell out the back of the truck and slide down the garbage pile onto the street. Open that crate you guys Jamal said to his crew. They started pulling the boards off the top of the crate and lifted the lid off. What do you see inside? Jamal asked. One of his men said I see four containers and a blinking red light. Bomb! I screamed. Rus, Don, and I ducked behind the side of the garbage truck. The bomb went off very quickly once we got around the corner. When we came back around the corner we saw the carnage the bomb had left. Jamal’s crew was completely blown to pieces. Where is Jamal at? Rus asked. There I said pointing behind a car as I saw his arm grab the hood. As we approached the car Jamal stood and turned around his face melting off cause it was covered in toxic waste. He said go get those motherfuckers in Washington as his face completely melted and he collapsed dead from his wounds. Let’s go I said. As we headed to the truck I looked down at one of the pieces from a barrel and saw the name DuKoppus again. That name now burning in my head. We got in the truck and I said let’s get to the Maryland border as fast as we can. We jumped back on the expressway and made our way toward Hancock, Maryland. We encountered minimum issues on the three hour drive across Pennsylvania. We never saw more than five zombies at a time and we just drove either pass or thru them as we approached the Maryland state line. We have about two hours before we are in Washington D.C. Rus said. Once we get close we need to stay on high alert and find a place to set up a base before scout a way into FBI headquarters I said. Here we come Don added.

  Chapter 15

  We passed two army barricades heading toward Washington D.C. but were easily passed thru as the others hid in the back of the truck and Rus and I were still dressed in the army outfits we had, plus we had the appropriate documents to also gain access closer to our goal. The blockades were forty miles apart and the last one was about twenty miles outside the capital. As we approached the city limits we pulled over so I could view the map again for the best route and while we scouted to see what may lie on the roads ahead. Rus and Don looked ahead thru their binoculars and scouted the road ahead. I don’t see anything out of the ordinary ahead so I think we will be in the clear to drive straight into Washington Don said. I think our best bet to scout before we start moving will be to cross into Virginia and follow the main expressway down to Theodore Roosevelt Island I said. We can park at the parking complex where we will take the bridge to the island and need to find a few row boats. After night fall we row down the Potomac River and under an overpass and set up at the Jefferson Memorial I said. Why can’t we park on the island? Jon asked. Because the only bridge to the island is made for walking and not for vehicles I answered. Why the Jefferson Memorial then? Jon also asked. Well it is just off the river, has a large lake in front of it, and if we can scale the monument we will be able to see several buildings including the White House I said. We need to see where we can set up camp, how the flow of the city continues to go, and where else we may be able to find answers I said. We turned southwest and headed toward the Virginia state line where we got on the George Washington Parkway and took that down to the parking lot of the Theodore Roosevelt Island. We unloaded our gear and Don took the CB and disassembled the satellite and then we made the truck look like it was abandoned. How are we going to carry all this gear? Jon asked. Rus pulled out the large army sacks and said, we load and carry it all. Once packed and ready we headed across the bridge with our gear and once we reached the island we broke off into two teams. Rus, Don, and Bryan will travel the north route around the island and Mike, Jon, and I will travel south Bruce said. If you find any boats call over the walkie talkies and we will meet at the southern point of the island Bruce said. Try not to draw attention to the island if you can help it and be safe Rus said. We headed north following the shoreline looking for any canoes or paddle boats we could use to get downriver. We had to wait till nightfall anyway so we took our time and walked the shoreline for two hours before we stopped to rest and get a bite to eat. We stopped across from what looked like the Kennedy Performing Art Center. So Rus checked things out through his binoculars and looked for anything he could see. Do you see anything? Don asked. Well from what I can see everything looks normal Rus said. I can see people working in offices, cars driving, people walking the streets, and to my surprise no one is carrying weapons or looks worried. Well I guess we better find some boats and I say we need to scout at least a week before we make a move into the city Rus said. We started walking down the east side shoreline heading south still looking for a boat. Come in Don, Bruce called over the walkie talkie. Go ahead Bruce, Don said. Well we found a pontoon boat and some paddles, so if we can’t find anything else it will support the six of us and our gear Bruce said. That will work great get it to the southern point and we will meet up with you there Don said. That won’t work right now in the daylight Bruce said. We will need to meet back at the bridge we crossed when we arrived at the island and I’ll explain everything Bruce added. We cut across one of the paths that may take us back to the west side of the island. We made it across the island and back to the west shoreline where we headed back north toward the bridge. We arrived first and called Bruce back on the walkie talkie. We could hear Don’s voice echo on the walkie talkie and looked to see Mike, Jon, and Bruce paddling the pontoon boat up the river. They pulled toward the shore where we tied the boat down and loaded it with all our gear. So what’s going on Bruce? Don asked. Well we approached where one of the bridges should have been to discover there was no bridge and a small army patrol on the Washington D.C. side of where the bridge should have been Bruce said. So if I had to guess I would say all the bridges are not accessible and the outskirts of the capital is patrolled by the army and that’s why the city seems to be functioning with no worries Bruce said. We waited until night fall before we attempted a move down river. Since they are patrolling the west side of the river we will have to hug the east shore and when we get to the opening of the lake we will have to fight the current and get to the Jefferson Memorial I said. Once nightfall hit we started paddling down river hugging the east shore and as we came to the major bridge area where we needed to cross we could see a patrol watching over the river but we were far enough out of site or so we thought. Suddenly a missile was launched toward our position. Holy shit they’ve seen us Rus said. Grab the gear we are going to have to make a swim for it I said. We scrambled to grab the gear and suddenly I came up with an idea to help save the mission. Listen up I shouted as the missiles continued to fly near the boat exploding in the water. Get ready to jump in the water when I tell you and swim until you get to the Memorial I said. I turned the engine on and fired the double motors then floored the boat toward the patrol firing at us. Rus tell my wife I love her and find a cure for my children I said. We got halfway across the river when I shouted jump in. They jumped off the back of the boat so they wouldn’t be noticed and watched as I continued the boat toward the patrol avoiding missiles and rockets that were now flying toward me. I got about three hundred yards from shore when I turned the boat south down the river. The patrol jumped in their vehicles and followed the boat down river and I stayed close enough to the shoreline so they would not give up pursuit and return to their post. Rus, Don, Bruce, Jon, and Mike started swimming as fast as they could with all the heavy gear while I was giving them a chance. They made it just under the bridge to the shoreline where they could run the rest of the way to the Jefferson Memorial. They got up to the broken bridge and looked down the river to see a missile fly into the sky and come crashing down into the boat with a huge fireball explosion
. Rus, Bruce, and Don stood in shock as they saw the boat explode. Mike and Jon grabbed them by the arm and said let’s go it is what Bryan wanted us to do Mike said. They ran the little over one mile trip it was from the river to the Jefferson Memorial where they quickly scouted the area and set up camp before collapsing from exhaustion. I can’t believe he’s gone Bruce said. He did what he thought he had to do so we can find answers and hopefully a cure Mike said. Let’s get some rest and start scouting things tomorrow Jon said. Everyone passed out from exhaustion and sleep throughout the night.

  After getting some sleep everyone woke up and starting looking for a way to scout over the city. There was a large scaffold set up inside the monument that looked like some renovation was being done before they had to abandon before it was finished. Let’s move that scaffold outside and we can scout from just behind the front peak Rus said. I think we need to wait until night fall to climb to the top of the monument Don said. Well for know I’ll take the north, Don you take the west, Mike you watch the south, Bruce you take the east and Jon I need you to take notes from everyone so we can see if there is a pattern over the next several days Rus said. Also make sure you use your binoculars in the shadows or cover the top to avoid a glare or reflection that may bring attention to our presence Don said. Scouting throughout the day was much laid back compared to the normal day to day routine we had been following over the past seven months. Everything looked like Washington D.C. was operating like it was normal everyday life. People walked the streets with no concerns, cars drove from building to building, and shops ran their everyday businesses. This is so crazy those people are walking around like they have no idea what horrors lie outside the city and the corrupt FBI within the city Don said. Well maybe there is some sort of story they have told everyone as to why the bridges are out and the army is being patrolled Bruce said. Also that may explain why the President ordered all top army recruits to report to Washington D.C. Rus said. The day passed quickly with scouting a very busy looking city. Well I think it almost dark enough out to where we can climb the scaffold without being seen so let’s get on top of the building. Once on top of the memorial they set up a small camp at the highest peak so they could rest there and just to the lower part of the peak where there was a terrific view heading toward the White House so they would be able to monitor activities around the President. At night time we will monitor the ways we did earlier since it will be dark out otherwise we will be sitting ducks trying to scout in the day time with our dark clothes up against this white building. Did we bring a radio at all? Rus asked. Maybe we can find local station and see what lies like usual Washington is telling the citizens? Mike added. Yes we brought a radio with us but I’ll have to see if it’s dried out and still works Don said.