In the monitor we watched Mark swerve around the mangled mass of creatures Chris had mowed down. He hit the same patch of snow we did as he hit the road. The trailer slid sideways, threatening to jack knife the vehicle. Mark slowed, allowing the trailer to stop moving before he accelerated.
Everyone quieted down as the bus picked up speed, each looking as if they said a silent prayer thanking whoever was listening that we had all made it out alive.
Almost all of us.
“Daddy,” Katie said quietly. “Can I try to see the tree?”
I nodded, lifting her up as I stood to go to the other side of the bus. We both peered through an open shooting port, the icy cold wind rushing past our faces as we pressed them against the corrugated steel. The farmhouse was swallowed up in a sea of rotting gray flesh, creatures spilling out into the road in a vain attempt to catch us.
“There it is,” Katie whispered to me, pointing toward the back of the house.
The willow tree waved in the wind, its branches swaying like ocean waves. The angle was wrong, and the distance was too great to see the hill, so we watched the tree get swallowed up by the horizon, tracking the branches as we rolled further away from the farm, until eventually they disappeared altogether.
“Bye-bye momm…mom…mo–.” Her shoulders hitched as Katie broke into tears.
So did I.
Chapter 11
“She’s as dead as everything else around here, Gunny,” Jeffries said as he wiped the oily grime from his hands onto his pants. He opened the passenger door, fishing out his canteen before leaning against the front fender of the dead Humvee.
“That was not the good news I was hoping for,” Jason said. “It can’t be fixed at all?”
“Didn’t say that,” Jeffries replied before drinking deeply. “I just don’t have the tools, time, or equipment to do it.”
“Any idea where we’re at?” Dunford grumbled as he walked around from behind the vehicle.
“Well,” Jeffries began. “We just passed Springview. So that means were pretty damn close to Mom’s Pie House.”
“Corporal,” Jason said, leaning against the white fence running along the side of the road. “I’ve lived here for years and never once heard of that town.”
“Sorry, Gunny. It’s actually in Julian,” Jeffries replied. “But Mom’s has the best pies in the area as far as I’m concerned.”
“I like pie,” Murphy said as he walked back from a line of trees Titan had spent the last fifteen minutes defiling. “What I don’t like is being this out in the open. There’s too many places around here for those meat sacks to come at us from.”
“It’s not far,” Jeffries said as he picked up his rifle.
“There’s a few houses between here and there,” Jason said. “Maybe some vehicles to commandeer too.”
“There’s a good chance of catching a face full of buckshot if we go knocking on doors right now,” Murphy said.
“Will Titan be okay with walking?” Jason asked. “He’s still got a hell of a limp.”
“Judging from the monster turd he just blessed us with, he’s healthier than all of us,” Murphy laughed. “No need to worry about him, he’s tougher than my granny’s meatloaf.”
“On that note,” Jason sighed, kicking off from the fence. “Gather whatever ammo we have left. Don’t load down with a bunch of bullshit either. I want to be light and mobile. We move in five.”
“Aye, Gunny!” Jeffries snapped. Dunford only grunted before following Jeffries back to the vehicle.
“I’m worried about those two,” Murphy said as he leaned against the wooden fence. “They’re too flighty, too easy to rattle. And something’s stuck in Dunford’s craw.”
“They’ve been through a lot in a short time,” Jason sighed. “But you’re right, as far as I know neither one of them have seen any real combat before all this. I don’t know how far they will get on their own.”
“They have families?”
“No idea,” Jason said, propping himself against the fence again. “I’ve never met those two until the first night. There were a few more of us then. Of course, that was after we were pretty much scattered. We were grouping together on the beach just trying to keep our asses alive.”
“You were at Del Mar beach?” Murphy asked in astonishment.
“Yeah. It was a shitstorm.”
“I know,” Murphy sighed. “I heard it over comms. How did you get out of there?”
“AAV. We were pushed backed into the ocean when we lost the beach.”
“AAV, huh?” Murphy said, shaking his head. “Thank the gods of armaments for assault amphibious vehicles.”
“No shit,” Jason said, a smile cracking across his lips. His face suddenly went dark, the faint smile disappearing as his eyes fell to the ground. “Things went south in a hurry after that.”
“Brother, I’m not going to ask you to pick at old scabs,” Murphy patted Jason’s shoulder. “No need to relive it.”
“It’s fine,” Jason sighed. “There were seven of us then, but only two that knew enough about AAVs to keep it afloat. There were two Staff Sergeants, a Lance Corporal, and a PFC on board besides us.”
“That’s a hell of a mix,” Murphy said. “So you drew the ranking straw?”
“Yeah,” Jason sighed. “I was ordered to hold the beach until the last of the civilians and brass were wheels up. But there was nothing to hold. There were no lines, no fire teams. Just a handful of us with water to our backs and an army of those rotting shit sacks to our front.”
“How many made it out?”
“Two crews.”
“That’s it?”
“‘Fraid so. Just us and the other AAV.”
“What happened to them?”
“They went radio silent. Vanished in the water.”
“They sink?”
“Don’t know,” Jason said looking back at Murphy. “Wish I did though.”
“That MIA list just keeps growing,” Murphy exhaled, shaking his head in disgust. “How long were you guys out there?”
“Dunno. Hours it seemed like. Currents were strong though, we had to keep the engines churning the entire time. We finally got to the point that we had to either come back in or get swept out.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah,” Jason nodded. “I ordered us back into the jetty. Hoped we would find a hole where we could fuel up and get moving. We were on fumes when we hit dry land.” Jason grew silent. He chewed his lip for a moment before continuing. “There was a wall of them. We were barely off the ramp before they were on us. We went silent, shut down everything hoping they would forget us.”
“They never do,” Murphy said quietly.
“You got that right, Murph. The sun was almost up before we knew we had to do something. They couldn’t overturn us, but I didn’t want to run the risk of them damaging us to the point we couldn’t move. It was Jeffries that saw the Hummer.”
As if sensing Jason’s bitter mood, Titan walked over to him and nuzzled his hand. Jason scratched the top of the dog’s head. In return, Titan licked his hand before turning and sitting between the men. He lay his massive head against Jason’s leg, letting out a low whine.
“Your dog a therapist too?” Jason smiled.
“He’s a lot of things,” Murphy answered smiling.
“I ordered Robertson to punch through them. Just smash over those things and get us to the Humvee. Shock and awe and all that bullshit, you know?” Jason swallowed hard, reaching down to scratch behind Titan’s ears. “I thought we were in the clear. We plowed through the herd and got ahead enough to dismount as fast as possible and head to the vehicle. But it didn’t work. As soon as our boots hit pavement they were on us like stink on shit. We fired until our magazines were empty, but it just wasn’t enough. Four of us made it to the Hummer, three of us lived. Daniels died before we made it to the house. We had to–” Jason trailed off, unable to continue.
“I know, brother. No one made it out witho
ut having to do it. I didn’t know him, but I’m willing to bet he wouldn’t want to come back like one of those things.”
“That’s not it. I left Marines behind,” he spat through gritted teeth. “Two combat tours, never once did I leave any man behind. But in one night, I left three back there and put a bullet into another.”
“Brother,” Murphy stood, facing Jason. “You didn’t have a choice. They wouldn’t want you killing yourself getting them back.”
“I know that,” Jason shot back. “It doesn’t make the pill any easier to swallow.”
“No it won’t. It never will. But you keep going, or their sacrifice meant nothing.”
Murphy spun, drawing his sidearm as the sudden sharp crack of a rifle sounded from behind him. Jason shot up as well, his rifle at the ready.
Jeffries was on one knee next to the Hummer, sighting across the open field. Dunford stood next to him, his eyes locked down his rifle sights.
In the distance, three zombies weaved between the sparse trees, the dry grass crunching underfoot as they shambled across the field in their direction. A fourth creature lay on its side, sludge pouring from the hole above its left eye. The things snarled, their unearthly moans carrying across the silent field.
“Stop shooting!” Murphy shouted.
Dunford sent another volley downrange despite Murphy’s order. A creature spun to the ground as the round punched through her shoulder, her light nightgown billowing as she fell. She returned to her feet, continuing toward them oblivious that her left arm had been rendered useless.
“I said stop firing!” Murphy growled as he approached the two Corporals. “They’re attracted by sound! Only shoot when you have no other choice! Three of them we can handle!” Murphy drew his shovel from the back of the Hummer, holding it up for everyone to see. “Close quarter weapons are your friends!”
“What did you do to your e-tool?” Jason questioned as he approached. “I’ve never seen one with a spike for a handle before. Looks like a half assed pick axe.”
“It’s a lob–. You know what, it’s not important. I read it in a zombie book. It’s surprisingly effective.” Murphy turned toward both Corporals. “We ready to go?”
“We’ve been ready.” Dunford snapped. “What about those three?”
“Leave ‘em,” Jason said. “We walk faster than those things move. No need to risk a bite and we need to conserve ammo where we can. Let’s move!”
“Aye, Gunny,” Jeffries replied. Dunford swore under his breath, still sighting his rifle downrange.
“Do we have a problem, Corporal?” Jason demanded, stepping up to Dunford’s face.
“They all need to die. We should end them now while we can!”
“I admire your tenacity,” Jason said. “It’s your intelligence I’m questioning. You shoot them, and suddenly every dead asshole within five miles hears that shot and comes running. Then what? We have no vehicle, no cover, not even enough ammo to wage war with a troop of boy scouts. You going to fight the area’s entire population of undead with Murphy’s pickaxe?”
“No Gunny,” Dunford exhaled through his teeth.
“Then get your head back in the game and let’s move!”
Without another word, Dunford hefted his pack from the road and started walking. Jason looked over to Murphy, shaking his head before lifting his own pack.
He cringed at how light his gear felt. They were critically low on supplies, they were fatigued, and they were on foot. It was the kind of situation where people screw up, and screw ups could get people killed. They needed a distraction, something to occupy their minds.
“Hey Dunford,” Murphy called out as if reading Jason’s mind. “Where you from anyway?”
“Oregon,” he called back. Dunford slowed to allow the other three to catch up. He continued to watch the trio of undead as he waited. “They’re following us.”
“Oregon, huh?” Murphy went on, ignoring Dunford’s warning. “I spent some time out that way. What part?”
“Redmond,” he answered simply.
“I know it well,” Murphy beamed. “Spent a lot of time at Lifeline Taphouse. Good selection of beer, and the smoked chicken wings were incredible.”
“I know it,” Dunford replied flatly. “I lived around the corner, 8th and Dogwood.”
“Well, how about that?” Murphy laughed. “We might have broken bread together and never knew it!”
“Doubt it.”
“It’s always a possibility. I looked a little younger back then!”
“Permission to speak freely, Gunny,” Dunford snapped. His shoulders hunched down, teeth clenched together.
“Dunford,” Jason started. “You better–”
“No, no,” Murphy interrupted. “I want to hear this. Go for it Corporal.”
“What does it matter?!” Dunford spun on his heels, glaring at Murphy. “Every asshole that drove through Redmond went to Lifeline. But what does that matter? You’ll never see it again! I won’t see my house again! My mom and dad, my two little sisters, they’re all dead!”
“Corporal–” Murphy started.
“And as if zombies weren’t bad enough,” Dunford interrupted. “Now we got smart, night vision alphas to worry about! So with all due respect, I don’t see the point in talking about something that doesn’t matter anymore!”
“That’s enough, Corporal!” Jason ordered.
“No it’s not!” Dunford raised his rifle, firing several rounds downrange and into the pursuing dead. Their bodies twitched as bullets punched through their decaying flesh. Blood sprayed outward in morbid fountains as one of the things fell to the ground. “Now it’s enough!”
“Are you out of your mind?!” Jeffries shouted.
“I saw a threat and took care of it. That’s it!”
“And you disobeyed a direct order!” Jason snapped.
“An order from a deserter!”
Jason’s fist connected with the man’s jaw before the Corporal could blink. Dunford tried to retaliate with a short jab. Jason easily dodged the attack, stepping to the side and driving his elbow into the Corporal’s teeth. Dunford fell to his knees, cupping his bleeding mouth.
“Two combat tours! Two! All my years in the Corps and I have never once left my post! Never once have I ever turned my back on the Corps! I’ve given my life to the Corps! But the Corps is gone!” Jason fumed, hands balled into fists as he towered over Dunford.
“Gunny,” Murphy spoke up. “A word.”
Jason took a few deep breaths as he turned away from the Corporal. The struggle to keep himself from pounding his face into the road a few times was hard won.
“What?” Jason demanded.
“Look,” Murphy started. “That was a class one asshole thing for him to say, and I would want to beat his brains back into his head for saying it. But look at them. They’re kids. I mean, when I was a Corporal I almost shit myself the first time someone shot in my general direction, and we only had war to deal with. These kids are dealing with a bonafide apocalypse. And to be completely frank with you, you are leaving.”
“Not you too,” Jason sighed.
“Hey, don’t forget I was tuning into the world while you guys were busy playing hide and seek with the Z’s. I know better than all of you what’s waiting for us out there, enough to say I’m leaving too. But I’m also saying we shouldn’t let those two go off on some half assed mission to reconnect with units that are long gone or dead.”
“I’ve made the offer.” Jason turned away from Murphy, watching Jeffries help Dunford to his feet. “They don’t want to go.”
“That was before they got back out here and into the shit again. Before they saw the world had taken a huge dump on us. They might change their minds now. Either way, we can’t leave them alone, they’re our responsibility.”
Jason lowered his head, mulling over Murphy’s words. A light breeze blew against his face, the stench of death thick in the air. He watched Dunford press his filthy sleeve against his rapidly
swelling lip.
“Hey Murph,” Jason started. “Mind if I borrow your toy for a few minutes?”
“I want it back,” Murphy chided as he pulled his sharpened e-tool from his belt.
“I’ll see what I can do,” Jason replied. “Hey, Dunford! Let’s take a walk.”
The young Corporal looked at Jason for a moment before standing up straight and walking over. Murphy nodded to Jason before heading back over to Jeffries. The Corporal was trying his best to make himself scarce during the dust up, pretending to have his full attention taken up with scratching Titan’s head. The dog wagged his long tail as he nuzzled up against Jeffries, happily accepting the attention.
“Gunny–” Dunford started.
“It’s forgotten,” Jason interrupted. He held the strange weapon toward Dunford. “Murphy’s letting you borrow this.”
“I don’t get it. What for?”
“It’s like you said. You identified a threat. Let’s deal with it.” Jason turned away, walking toward the open field. He hopped the short fence before turning back towards Dunford. The man hesitated, turning the weapon over in his hands. “You coming?”
“Yes, Gunny.”
Jason waited until Dunford was over the fence before turning his attention to the two remaining creatures. They were teenagers, barely old enough to have started their first year of high school. The younger of the two wore nothing but boxers and socks, while the other one was dressed in jeans and a polo shirt. Thick viscous foam dribbled from their lips, trailing down their bruised and blistered skin.
Jason made his way across the plains with Dunford in tow. As they neared the monsters, the two separated from each other, encircling the dead in a two man pincer maneuver. The creatures followed suit, each splitting off and going after their own intended meal.
Dunford lashed out, launching his attack with a sideways arc. The finely honed e-tool blade imbedded itself deep into the monster’s temple. The creature froze, its arms and legs locked in place as its muscles tensed. Like a lone domino, the creature fell backwards, its lifeless body bouncing heavily on the ground. Dunford put his boot on the thing’s forehead, drawing the weapon from its skull as the familiar green sludge gushed from the open wound.
This Dying World (Book 2): Abandon All Hope Page 11
