The Infected Dead (Book 1): Alive for Now

by Bob Howard

  I checked the controls and answered him that they were at the maximum setting and added, “I’m starting to be able to make out the shape of it, so it must be getting closer.”

  The Chief leaned closer to the monitor and said, “I see what you mean. Is there something kind of funny about the sides of that thing?”

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking, Chief. I’m not sure yet, but it’s starting to look like it might be a fishing trawler.”

  The Chief looked at me with a startled expression and asked, “With its nets out? Someone is stupid enough to be fishing out there?”

  The thought made me feel a bit queasy, but that’s what I was thinking. “Yes, Chief, someone is that stupid.”

  Jean and Kathy came in together and asked if we had spotted something. Both of us had left the sofa and gotten close to the monitor. We had our faces practically against the glass trying to get a better look.

  The Chief said, “Someone has gotten desperate enough to start eating seafood again.”

  The ladies made a collective sound of disgust and moved up close with us. Jean asked, “Are they coming too close to us?”

  “We’ll know in a bit,” I said, “but even if they do, we don’t really have anything to worry about.”

  Kathy said, “Ed is right. It may be a nuisance having them out there, but it’s not like it will hurt us.”

  Jean said, “What I can’t figure is how anyone can eat seafood with all of the bodies out there, or worse yet, how can you drag the nets without scooping up the infected, too?”

  All of us were in agreement that there was a likelihood that the net would have squirming fish, shrimp, crabs, and infected dead in it. It was ironically similar to catching a shark. You had to watch out for the teeth.

  We watched the ship get closer and closer for the next hour, and it gradually took on the shape that confirmed my first opinion that it was a trawler with its nets out. The spars on the sides that supported the nets were fully extended, and the nets looked like they were heavy with the catch.

  Jean finally asked the question that we were all thinking but couldn’t quite say. “Why aren’t they pulling in the nets?”

  Kathy said, “Good question Jean. They look so full that they are slowing the trawler’s forward speed.”

  “That would explain why it’s been taking so long to get here,” said the Chief.

  “It’s also coming in at an angle to Mud Island,” I said. “If it keeps coming in at that angle, I think it’s going to hit the southern jetty.”

  An hour later, our suspicions were confirmed. There was no living crew trying to steer the ship. There were a few infected dead walking around above decks, but the safety rails were too high for them to fall over board. We were also fairly sure that the trawler would not be able to miss the jetty at its farthest tip. If it would be just a few yards shorter, the drifting trawler would probably miss, but it looked like we were in for a show.

  As the trawler came closer, its momentum seemed to slow, and the starboard side turned toward to shore. We watched it moving almost broadside to the shore, and I saw that the ship would barely miss the tip of the jetty, but the starboard nets wouldn’t. The current at the tip of the jetty was more swift than it was further out, and it seemed to grab the trawler just as it passed the rocks, pulling it by even faster.

  With a spectacular jerk, the nets snagged the rocks of the jetty as if someone had thrown an anchor off the starboard bow. The entire ship seemed to turn on its axis and it rotated one hundred and eighty degrees until it was facing the other side of the jetty……but it didn’t stop there. The nets on the port side literally passed the ship, carried by the swift current and the slingshot effect created by the sudden stop of the ship’s forward motion.

  The end result was the trawler continuing to arc toward the beach on the other side of the southern inlet until it slammed into the bottom on the mainland side, causing it to slant its deck at a steep angle and dump its infected dead crew out onto the sand. At the same time, the net that had passed the rotating trawler followed the same arc and deposited its load on the beach.

  We had begun watching from the southern camera, so we had a clear view of the shipwreck, and we were all holding our breath. The net that had caught on the rocks was writhing as its catch tried to free itself, but the sandy area across the southern inlet from Mud Island was a mass of walking or crawling infected dead. There were sharks in the net that had their jaws around the infected that were still trying to crawl away.

  I broke the silence in the shelter and said, “I know they couldn’t get in here even if they had the combination, but I’m glad that happened on the other side of the inlet.”

  “Me too,” said Kathy, “but I can’t help but wonder how many times someone on land who thought they were safe had a boatload of those things dumped in their laps.”

  Jean reached over and took my hand. At first I thought she just wanted someone to hold onto it, but her tug on my arm was about like the trawler net getting snagged on the rocks. I was only vaguely aware of the Chief and Kathy watching as Jean towed me out of the room.

  Jean looked back at them and said, “I don’t know about you guys, but I need to have Eddy remind me why I’m so grateful to be alive. If not for him, we would still be out there. Besides, he’s also going to help me forget what’s happening out there, at least for a while.”

  We were almost to the next room when Kathy yelled, “Be sure to stop at the medical supply room for Uncle Titus’ private stock of optimism.”

  CHAPTER 5

  Dead World

  While we were having breakfast the next morning, I couldn’t help but notice the little grins Kathy was giving Jean. Chief Barnes also seemed a bit more cheerful even for him. When I made eye contact with Jean, I was happy to see the same little grin.

  Chief Barnes cleared his throat and said, “I hate to spoil what is obviously a good mood, but I think it might be time for us to find out what’s happening on the other side of these walls, especially after the bazaar events with that trawler.”

  To everyone’s credit, no one let their mood be dampened by the Chief’s comment. Maybe we all wanted to know what was happening on the other side of the trees and swamps, too.

  “Are you thinking of going somewhere in particular?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I’m thinking there are plenty of big lakes in South Carolina where we can set down the sea plane. We can circle the lake first, see what’s happening around it, and if it looks okay, we land. I’m thinking we play it really safe.” The Chief looked at each of us one at a time for a reaction.

  I know it seems crazy to leave the safety of the shelter, but I think we all wanted to see what the world looked like. “When do we go?” I asked.

  “Tomorrow morning if no one has any objections. I want everyone to go. For one thing, we may need the fire power, and I don’t want someone to be sitting back here waiting and wondering. If something happens to the plane, I think four is a good number to move with.”

  We exchanged nods of agreement, and I was surprised to see Kathy was still giving those cute little ‘knowing’ looks to Jean, despite the serious decision we were making.

  We spent the day going over our plans. We agreed that we would leave at sunrise with M-16’s for the best firepower and a nine millimeter pistol each. We figured that we would be better off with the same weapons because we wouldn’t have to carry a wide variety of ammunition. The seaplane had a big enough passenger compartment, so we put together food and water packs, and left room for the inflatable life raft.

  Chief Barnes laid out some maps of South Carolina and showed us the first goal. “I figure we can try for Lake Moultrie first. If the weather is good and we don’t run into any problems, we might see what it looks like down here.” He put his finger on the map indicating a military installation that was labeled Naval Weapons Station. The Cooper River goes all the way up to here.

  “We can check out Lake Moultrie for an emergency landin
g area, then we can try for the Naval Weapons Station. I spent a lot of time in that area, and the Weapons Station was like a fortress. They have a military prison, bunkers for nuclear weapons left over from the Fleet Ballistic Submarine days, and a nuclear power training school. I’m willing to bet they were able to dig in at this base just because there was so much security in place already.”

  Once we had our supplies packed and a destination in mind, we had to admit our first goal had to be getting to the plane. We would know in the morning if Mud Island had become Infected Dead Island. Throughout the day there were plenty of the infected dead showing up within the view of cameras, but some would slip into the water and disappear. Others would wander to another part of the island only to be spotted on a different camera. By morning we wouldn’t know how bad it was until we went outside.

  We also decided that we had to clear our path to the seaplane as quietly as possible, and the armory had a good assortment of handheld weapons that didn’t make noise.

  Kathy suggested that we should all carry a machete, but she said she had learned at the police academy that it was intended as a tool for clearing brush. She said we should stay together in a group, be sure to swing outward if we got surrounded, and aim for soft body parts. She lectured us about remembering this was not a movie. She said a machete can get stuck in your target if you connect with solid bone, so don’t aim for the skull.

  Kathy also suggested that we should wear the heavy denim coveralls we had found in storage. She told us that she had noticed the material was think, and it would probably be hard to bite through. It was agreed we would all wear them as protection, even though we would look like some uniformed group of mercenaries.

  Jean looked me in the eyes and said, “Eddy, I had a close call with one of these things on the ship, and I have to tell you time stands still when one almost gets you. Just remember not to lock up. Time doesn’t stand still for them.”

  I had about a dozen different reactions all at once. Jean’s eyes were beautiful, it was the first time she had called me Eddy, she was sharing some deep feelings, and a bunch of other stuff.

  Chief Barnes said, “Hell, he’s locked up right now, Jean.”

  Kathy was laughing so hard she was crying. I was beet red, but I started laughing too. I don’t think my feelings were a secret to anyone, and I could tell Jean felt the same way.

  Our evening ended with supper because we all needed sleep to be at our best in the morning. This was going to be our first time out as a team, and if it went well, it wouldn’t be our last time. When we were done clearing the dishes, we started saying good night just as we all had been doing for the last month. We had gotten in the habit of giving each other affectionate hugs, and the Chief would slap me on the back or give me a knuckle bump. This time I hugged Kathy and knuckle bumped the Chief, but when I turned to hug Jean she took my hand and started in the direction of the master bedroom.

  The Chief said, “You guys be sure to get some rest.”

  ******

  Morning came around too soon. Kathy came into the bedroom and said something about saving something for when we got back. That was enough to get us moving. We had to show more self-discipline when we showered than I knew I had, and we found Kathy putting breakfast on the table for all of us. The Chief was watching the camera views to see if there was any activity, especially between the main door and the dock.

  “I’ve got some good news and some more good news,” he said. “It looks like a beautiful day out there, and if there are any infected, they learned how to hide.”

  “That’s good news?” Laughed Kathy. “If they start popping out from behind bushes, I’m going to need to pack spare underwear.”

  We were definitely in good spirits, and breakfast only made it better. When we were all done, I started to clear the dishes, and Kathy said, “Leave them for later, Ed, for good luck.”

  We gathered at the big vault door, and the Chief opened it without a sound. We had checked the camera view before leaving the living room, and the area had been clear. He leaned out and looked around then signaled with his hand to follow. We had worked out hand signals so we wouldn’t have to talk and draw attention to ourselves.

  One thing we had noticed while watching the infected roam around was a tendency to take the path of least resistance. Once they were on a path, they tended to stay on the path. We had seen more than one walk straight off the dock because there was nothing to stop them. We had even talked about building a berm on the beach and at the southern tip of the island. If they did as they usually do, the infected would follow the berms until they walked right into the water.

  We were counting on the infected either being on the path or not on the dock side of the island at all. Hopefully, none would have strayed from the path into the trees and brush on either side.

  The path to the dock was narrow and dark when I saw the island the first time. The foliage was thick and dark enough to almost block out the sun in some places. It was sinister then, but now it was frightening.

  The last time I had been out here, there hadn’t been any infected dead sharing the island with me……or at least none that I knew of. It could be I was just blissfully ignorant because I hadn’t seen any, and because I didn’t think there was any way for them to possibly reach the island.

  The Chief took the lead followed by Kathy. Jean was next, and I brought up rear, constantly rotating to make sure nothing came up from behind. We moved fast and quietly, trying not to let any of our gear get caught on branches.

  It was only a matter of minutes before we rounded the last turn and could see the big house boat looming on the sea side of the dock. The seaplane and the Boston Whaler were lined up on the other side of the dock. Straight ahead and at the very far end of the dock stood an infected dead.

  His back was to us, but you could always tell it was an infected dead instead of a live person even when they were standing still. They never could quite get their hips squared under them, and their shoulders were never even. This one also had at least four blue crabs hanging onto his legs. I hated to think of the number of times I had eaten blue crabs before this all started, and what they had been eating before they were caught.

  The Chief raised one hand signaling us to stop. He closed his fist while it was still in the air, so we lowered ourselves to the ground and would stay until he signaled for us to come forward. He pointed at his eyes and then left and right, and that was our signal to keep him covered in case he didn’t see something where the dock came ashore.

  He moved fast for a big man, and I couldn’t hear a single footstep as he quickly closed the distance between him and the infected standing at the end of the dock. I din’t think he was going to be able to stop once he had a full head of steam, but he lowered his right shoulder and connected with the unsuspecting dead man.

  There was nothing graceful about the way the infected dead fell, but this one was about as close to graceful as one would ever get. The Chief came to a full stop, but the dead man shot through the air and did a nose dive into the water. Since he couldn’t comprehend what was happening, he didn’t try to put his hands out in front of him. It was deep enough at the end of the dock for him to disappear from view, and I didn’t see his head bob back to the surface. We had reasoned a long time ago that some of them had less air trapped in their bodies, so they sank quicker than others.

  The Chief signaled for us to come forward, and we didn’t hesitate. We stowed our gear in the plane as quickly as we could, while Chief Barnes hopped into the Boston Whaler and did something under the dash where the ignition was located. Kathy and Jean boarded the plane followed by Chief Barnes as soon as he was done in the boat. I stood by ready to cast off the mooring line.

  The plane really was a beautiful piece of work, and according to Chief Barnes, it was extremely reliable and was a de Havilland DHC-3 Otter. It could carry up to ten people, so we had plenty of room for gear or heavy cargo. On the off chance we would run into a survivor or two w
ho was worth bringing back with us, it was at least a possibility.

  The plane was yellow and white with a single engine that wasn’t extremely fast, but it was powerful and got good range. It was known for its ability to do take offs and landings in a very short area. The side doors aft of the pilot’s door made it much easier to cast off from the dock while boarding. The Chief did a quick preflight check and turned the starter switch to the on position. The engine sprang to life without a single stutter.

  “Your Uncle Titus must have been a mechanical genius,” the Chief yelled over the engine. “This thing purrs like a kitten.” He had a broad, satisfied smile on his face as I pushed the plane away from the dock and climbed through the passenger door.

  Chief Barnes turned and looked back at me and said, “You realize, of course, we may have run all the way out here to find this thing was all just for show.”

  “I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing,” I said. “I did power up the plane once, but that was all. I thought about driving it around like a boat, but I was afraid I’d do something wrong and wind up having to swim back with the sharks.”

  It really hadn’t occurred to me that the plane would power up but not fly, but since the house boat wasn’t capable of going anywhere, I don’t know why I thought the plane would actually be functional.

  Kathy had situated herself in the front passenger seat and had found some headphones. She was connected to a radio, and she was already searching for signals.

  “Kathy, don’t transmit unless we know it’s safe. Once we’re in the air, we’re going to be a target for anyone with a gun. It isn’t easy to hit one of these things with the average rifle, but we don’t want to advertise our location,” said Chief Barnes.

  “Sorry, Chief. I didn’t think about that,” she answered. “I’ll scan for broadcasts, but I won’t answer.”