“Could you show them to their shelter. I want him to get as much rest as possible. He’s going to need all of his wits about him to deal with that herd of undead out there.” The tone of his voice remained steady.
“What’s your name?” Hank asked for the group.
“You can call me Wade.” Wade gave his first name which caught Eric off guard. Most of the soldiers had remained regimental and carried out their routines with military precision. This man had all of the characteristics of a hardened veteran but was the first soldier to show a softer side.
“What’s your rank?” Dana must have been just as curious as Eric.
“I’ve been retired for years now. I saw these kids could use the help and I’m only here as an advisor.” Wade looked impatient now. “Please follow Corporal Ross.” It made sense to Eric now. Wade had lost the weight since his retirement from the military. That was the reason his clothes no longer fit properly.
Corporal Ross led them through a beaten-down path deeper into the forest. Each soldier they passed had the look of exhaustion on their face. Some of the soldiers were pacing along the perimeter, keeping watch over the hide while the other tried to get some rest. Some of the younger soldiers looked nervous and fidgeted with their weapons or equipment while most of the older looking members slept or talked amongst each other. The most alarming thing that Eric noticed was the sparse number of soldiers were here. He knew they would be outnumbered. Now he was beginning to have serious doubts that they would be able to pull this off.
“Here we are.” The corporal pointed down into a deep trench. There were four worn, green cots laid out in pairs of two inside with sleeping bags resting on top.
“Thanks,” Dana said wearily.
“I hope it doesn’t snow,” Hank said, as he climbed down into the trench.
“Could we light a fire?” Eric wanted to keep Dana as warm as possible.
“Sorry, we can’t risk the smoke. The town is bustling with activity and we aren’t ready to be seen yet.” Corporal Ross apologized.
“Are there many more soldiers here?” Eric blurted out.
“Soldiers.” Ross paused. “I wouldn’t call them soldiers. There are other people willing to fight.”
“Who?” Hank questioned.
“People who are willing to fight for the Republic of Newfoundland.” The young corporal spoke with hope.
“Where are they?” Eric estimated less than fifty soldiers and didn’t see any other large groups of people anywhere.
“They will be with Warrant Smith when he gets back tomorrow. Wade will come by later to talk to you before you head out. For now get some rest and we will have some food for you later.” Without another word she left.
Dana sat on her bum and slid down cautiously into the deep trench. Eric jumped down beside her and helped her get into her sleeping bag. “Well, lets get some sleep. We could really use it.” Dana closed her eyes and drifted into sleep almost instantly.
“We are safe here,” Hank said. He slid into his sleeping bag.
Eric unzipped his sleeping bag and climbed inside. At first the lining felt cold against his skin, after only took a few moments, his body heat warmed the bag. Whatever material lined the inside it was designed for these frigid temperatures. It only took a few restless moments before Eric slipped into a deep sleep.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO:
AMMO
Smith led the way towards the door, which had been beaten down by the horde of zombies the night they had to flee the armories. Snow had drifted into the building and the wind had whipped the tents around, creating an obstacle course. The weapons vault was on the other side of the parade square. Thankfully, the door was still locked shut.
Urrnngg
Low moans echoed from the shadows. Smith held up his hand to stop the young privates behind him. He scanned the floor to see any signs of movements, the tangle of green tents hid the possible dangers from his view. “All right, keep close and we are going to hug the wall until we get to that corner.” The warrant headed along the wall, making sure he kept contact with it. The two privates followed closely behind, keeping Tina between them.
Urrrnnnngph hurrnggpppp
Tina’s legs wobbled with every step, the hidden moans pierced through the building from all angles. Once they reached the corner, Warrant Smith ushered her into the corner and formed a line in front of her. A staircase led up to the upper level to her right, but she couldn’t see a single zombie near the stair case. The soldiers spoke amongst themselves for a moment. “What are we going to do?” Tina asked, growing impatient.
“We are going to lure them out.” Warrant Smith explained. “Make sure you stay behind us and keep an eye on those stairs. If one of those freaks are up there you need to take them out.” Clarke and Keough started to tap the butt end of their rifles off the cement floor, a low thumping noise filled the confined space.
Hurrmphh unnnnggg
The noise had stirred the corpses from their catatonic state. Body parts started twisting and turning towards the banging sounds, drawing the stiff corpses from their hiding places. The starving zombies snapped their jaws with excitement, their deprived bodies desperate for a taste of flesh. Their rotten clothes hung loosely from their scrawny, frail frames that could barely support their weight. The first creature to shamble into view was in a sad state, its wrist bones protruding from the skin. The jagged bones covered in dried blood and torn up scraps of flesh. Its eyes sunk deep into its skull and its skin pulled tight over its face. Clarke raised his rifle and took aim.
“What the fuck?” Smith darted out and grabbed a hold of the soldiers collar, yanking him backwards. “We don’t need to waste a round on that creature. You’ll ring the dinner bell for the zombies outside and we are already desperate for ammo.” Smith snarled.
Thump thump thump thump
Tina could hear a slow, steady noise from the upstairs balcony but couldn’t see anything. The walls were lined with pictures of military members and various plaques, but from what she could see, the corridor was empty. Smith continued to argue with Clarke, his face bright red with anger as he chewed out the young soldier, his frustrations and temper flaring wildly. The young soldier clearly shaking in his boots.
Smith pulled out a bayonet and attached it to the barrel of Clarke’s rifle. “Now get over there and take it out.” Smith shoved the soldier towards the shambling creature. Clarke nearly toppled over as he tripped in his feet.
Keough held the bayonet in his hand and walked towards the green tents. Another decrepit soul shambled into view. The girl’s long hair frozen over her face with dirt and blood clumping it together.
Thump thump thump
Clarke thrust the bayonet into the zombies eye socket. The body went limp and fell forward into the blade. As the corpse toppled to the ground, Clarke lost his grip on the rifle and it smashed hard against the cement floor.
“Clarke!” Smith yelled furiously at the young private. The loud bang rattled off the walls of the armories, drawing out two more dead women. Keough had quietly put down the first female zombie, driving his blade straight into the zombies temple. He caught the body before she could collapse to the ground, easing her decent to the floor.
Thump thump thump BANG
A door burst open upstairs and a fat zombie appeared at the top of the stairs in an instant. The creature’s blood shot eyes locked onto Tina. His stubby outstretched arms barely reached past his massive gut. The zombie was dressed in a soiled white chief’s suit, the apron full of blood and food stains.
“Help.” Tina called out. Everyone was too distracted with the commotion taking place amongst the tents. There were now a dozen corpses making their way towards them from all angles and the soldiers were occupied with the threat in front of them.
Tina looked up to the top of the stairs just as the zombie teetered over the stairs, his small foot missing the first step sending the creature crashing down the narrow stairwell. The zombie’s limbs flailed around as
the creature tumbled head over heels, smashing hard into the floor. A surge of adrenaline propelled Tina forward, all of the fear left her body and she acted without thinking. She drove her foot into the creature’s skull, opening a gush of blood from its split cranium over her boot. For the first time since her encounter with Ted, she felt courageous.
Tina didn’t hesitate to join in the action. She rushed towards Clarke as he struggled to take out one of the zombies. The young man was locked in a tense embrace with a large dead corpse, barely able to hold back the creatures snapping jaws. Tina picked up the soldiers fallen rifle, yanking the bayonet out of the fallen zombies eye. She thrust the bayonet deep into the zombie’s skull, driving his head back with a loud snap.
Clarke let go of the zombie and the massive frame toppled over on the floor in a heap. “Thanks,” Clarke said, his voice trembling.
Tina stared at the young man’s arm, a wet stain oozing blood from his forearm. “Did you get bit.” Tina demanded an answer.
Clarke shook his head, rolling up the sleeve of his jacket to reveal the nasty gash. Somehow he had managed to break his arm. The wrist bone poking out from beneath the flesh. “I wasn’t bit.”
“You need to get some pressure on that wound.” Tina bent down and tore a strip of the fat mans shirt revealing his grey belly. Tina tied the fabric around the wound on Clarke’s arm. He flinched in pain as Tina applied pressure.
“Let’s stick together now. We are going to check the vault.” Smith spoke as he yanked his knife out of a zombie’s skull, blood splattering over the floor from the wound.
“You all right there, Clarke.” Keough asked with a look of concern on his face.
“He’ll be fine.” Tina answered for him. Clarke had started to shiver. Shock was starting to set in. His skin was pasty looking and sweat dripped down his forehead in beads.
Tina helped Clarke walk towards the weapons vault, trying her best to keep him calm and on course. He was drawing in short, shallow breaths. “Relax. You’re going to be fine,” Tina said softly.
Smith put his key in the weapons vault and threw open the heavy metal door. The walls were lined with empty gun racks and locked cabinets. Smith walked over to a large, black vault that was locked with a large dial. He put in the combination, spinning the wheel left, right then back to the left. A loud clunk signaled the warrant had entered the correct combination as the lock dropped into place. He swung the door open and it was filled with cardboard boxes.
“That’s as good as gold,” Smith said as he opened the boxes to reveal the golden shells. “Keough, you come with me. We are going to load up the jeep with this ammo and get back.” Smith and Keough left the vault.
Tina closed the door behind them and turned back to Clarke. “Try to catch your breath. You’re safe in here.” Clarke looked around the room. The walls were made of thick cement and there wasn’t another way into the room. He eased himself down to the floor and leaned against the black cabinet. His breathing slowly steadied and a flush of colour returned to his face.
“We are going to be okay,” Tina said with a smile.
“I can’t believe how much this sucks,” Byrne complained as he lay down on his stomach in the snow. He had barely moved in two hours and was starting to get muscles cramps in his legs.
“You realize how many young privates would love to have the opportunity to fire this sniper rifle?” Doucette mocked him as he held the fifty caliber rifle in his hands.
“You’re going to let me fire it?” Byrne was hopeful. He had been trained on the weapon during his gunners course.
“Fuck no.” Doucette laughed. “The only reason I even brought you is for backup in case something happens to me. As long as I’m alive, I will be the one taking the shots.”
“This fucking sucks.” Byrne groaned. The two men had spent hours trekking through the snow. They had to go through the deep woods on foot and climb the treacherous mountain to gain the vantage point they needed over the town of Grand Falls. The freezing cold air dried Byrne’s lips and they couldn’t light a fire to keep warm because they would give away their position.
“Take another look and tell me what you see down there.” Sergeant Doucette ordered.
Byrne pulled the binoculars out from beneath his chest and scanned down below. Two bikers sat in makeshift guard house they had built on the highway entrance ramp into town. They had welded sheet metal together and used car doors for windows. They had kept a fire going in a barrel just inside the opening to the shack. Men paced around the perimeter of town in a planned route. All of them carried weapons and had bullet proof vest on over their winter coats. “Nothing has changed since the last time.”
“Perfect. When shit goes down we should know exactly where they are going to be. Make sure we know where the stragglers will be. Once we see that flare light up the sky I’m going to get started taking them down.” Doucette shifted his body weight. “Hold this, I gotta go and take a piss.” Doucette swung the butt of the rifle to Byrne. The gun swung in position resting on its tripod.
“No problem.” Byrne pulled the butt into his shoulder and rested his cheek against the scope. It only took a moment for Byrne to pick up the roaming sentries around town. He focused on the details of their route. They made a sharp left turn around the old gas station, which would leave them vulnerable and open to a shot as they walked the edge of the pumps every time they passed the building.
Byrne scanned the path again and picked up a fat biker who was almost waddling through the snow. His jeans were skin tight and his gut hung out of his jacket and flopped over his belt. “How does your gut not have frostbite you fat prick?” Byrne said to himself out loud. The scope was so powerful Byrne could see the curly hairs on his belly from one and a half kilometres away. The scope on this rifle was incredible and he couldn’t wait to see the weapon in action.
A strong gust of wind sent a swirl of snow spraying in Byrne’s face, momentarily blinding him as it raced up the hill. The town was obscured from view as the wind tore through the streets and picked up the snow from the roof tops, sending showers of the frigid white dust over everything. “Hey, you need to come see this.” Doucette called from the shadows. Byrne looked over his shoulders but he couldn’t see anything through the curtain of white. He had to wait until the wind died down enough. Doucette was waving at him from the edge of the cliff. “Bring those binoculars with you.”
Byrne got up from the prone position for the first time in hours. His back ached and his knees cracked as he got to his feet. The first few steps he took he nearly fell over; his legs muscles were cramped and stiff. “What is it that?” A disturbing black mass could be seen in the distance, it was so large it could have been mistaken for the forest.
“I think it’s the herd,” Doucette said as he pointed. “I heard it was big. I never could have imagined anything this size.”
The black mass was like a dense fog swallowing everything in its path. It crept slowly across the distance, moving like sludge oozing from a pipe. Byrne used the binoculars to get a better look at the swarm of zombies. “Jesus Christ.” Byrne couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The dead creatures were jammed packed together, shambling through the snow shoulder to shoulder. The corpses shuffled along a predetermined path set by sheer instinct, their movements all set towards a shared goal. “Here take a look.”
Doucette grabbed the binoculars and took a peek at the destructive gathering. “There are way more of those undead fucks than we thought there were.” His voice will filled with shock. He turned to look at Byrne, his jaw hanging wide open. “The whole population of the East coast must be down there.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it before in my whole life.” Byrne still couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It was so unreal. He watched as the black slick seemed to devour the snow covered earth below. Snowflakes started to fall straight down from the clouds above, their decent only briefly interrupted by the occasional soft breeze before resuming their free fall.
> “This is crazy. I think I’m going to let the bikers live a little longer. Let them waste their bullets on that hoard.” Doucette handed back the binoculars.
Byrne ducked his head and tucked the strap into the collar of his jacket. He didn’t want the edges digging into his neck again. “How far away do you think they are.” Byrne tried to gauge the distance, estimating them at just over five kilometres away.
“I’d say only four and half, maybe five kilometres away.” Doucette confirmed Byrnes estimate. “It looks like the swarm is nearly half a kilometre in diameter itself. We don’t know how many more of those shamblers are hidden in the forest.”
“What about the innocent people down in Grand Falls.” Byrne knew that anyone down in the town would have their bones picked clean by those filthy vultures. “They don’t stand a chance.” Doucette thought about what Byrne had said and remained silent as he walked back to his post, lying back down on the ground. Byrne joined him, disappointed by the Sergeants lack of empathy. “Isn’t it our duty to help them.”
“Shut the fuck up for a minute. I’m trying to think.” Doucette barked.
Byrne shifted his gaze back to the town of Grand Falls. Instead of studying the routes of the sentries, he took a look at the buildings. The school was full of people sitting at desks, working away at various projects. Some of the elderly were knitting warm clothes like hats, gloves, sweaters, and socks. Some of the younger adults were working in the old chemistry labs that had been turned into makeshift drug labs. The other adults were training in the old soccer field with rifles, learning how to defend themselves. The one thing they all had in common were they looked miserable. They were all prisoners to the Pelley’s and The Highway Hangmen. The cartel seemed to be keeping watch over everything going on and were the ones keeping sentry. At least the children seemed happy, playing games in the gymnasium.
Zombies On The Rock (Book 3): The Republic of Newfoundland Page 16
