Infected Zone (Book 1): Survivors of New York

by Kempf, Shaun

  “So, you didn’t get our messages then,” she said it more as a factual point than a question. Ben could see that as she said it her mind wondered to another thought.

  “No, I’m sorry.”

  “How did you send your message out?” Ben asked.

  “Our scavengers were able to locate a working radio. We’ve been sending out multiple messages on a daily basis ever since. That was almost six months ago.”

  “Do you think we might be able to take a look at your radio?” Ben asked.

  “Of course. Jacob,” Julie called out and one of the guards came in. “Jacob here can show you where it is.”

  Ben leaned over to Static and said quietly, “Go take a look and see what they’ve got. Maybe we can make some necessary tweaks and make a call out.”

  Static nodded and followed Jacob out through the door.

  “Well, if you didn’t hear our messages then fate has brought you to our door. We are all excited to get out from underneath this city and back into daylight. We’ll be willing to do whatever is necessary to assist.”

  “We’re not here to rescue you,” Captain Perret said flatly.

  “Well, I’m sure that wasn’t your original mission that brought you to us, but surely now that you’re here,” Julie left the rest of the sentence unsaid.

  “I’m sorry, Madam Mayor. Our mission has top priority. We’ll be sure to notify our superiors of your situation and location once we’ve made it back to base.”

  “Captain,” Ben was speaking before he even realized it. “There’s no reason why we can’t attempt to help these people.”

  Captain Perret turned on Ben and his stare burned with anger, but he kept his tone even and calm when he spoke.

  “Lieutenant, I appreciate your concern, but there is nothing we can do at this time.” Captain Perret turned back to Julie. “With your permission, my team and I would like the chance to get some rest in your ‘city’ and perhaps negotiate about getting some supplies. We find ourselves a little short on food and water.”

  Julie finally sat down in the chair behind her desk. She rested her forearms on the desktop and folded her hand over the other. “Yes, of course,” is all she said.

  Matt scoffed and said something under his breath, which Ben was pretty sure sounded like ‘typical’. Apparently, the Mayor heard it too and shot him a dirty look. If the Captain heard it, he didn’t indicate it in any fashion. Ben couldn’t help but internally agree with Matt. If this was his mission they’d already be making plans to get these people out of here.

  The rangers filed back out of Mayor Brooks’ office. Ben quickly pulled Standing Bear to the side. He asked him to find the team a place to make their camp and then go around and see what help they can offer the people living down here. Standing Bear nodded and got the rest of the team moving. As the team made their way into the Chamber Ben approached Captain Perret.

  “Captain, a word please.”

  “What is it, Lieutenant?” Captain Perret sighed.

  “I’m afraid that I have to repeat myself; why can’t we attempt to help these people? Shouldn’t they be our mission too?”

  “Our mission was to recover and rescue anyone on that plane who was alive and get them back to safety.”

  “And no one was alive on the plane, and now we still have a chance to make this a rescue mission. I mean we’ve got to find a way out anyway. Why not bring them along?” Ben did his best to prevent his anger from taking over.

  “Take a look around Lieutenant. This isn’t some small group of survivors. We would be risking too much trying to lead all of these people to safety. What would happen if we got attacked again and we lost some of these people? Do you really believe that we would be commended for trying to help these people and losing some of them in the process?”

  “But this is what we do, Captain. This is what the Lone Ranger Squad is good at. It is why we were chosen for this mission.”

  “Keep this up Lieutenant and when we get back to base I swear to God that I’ll have you arrested and court-martialed for disrespecting a superior commissioned officer. Do I make myself clear?”

  Ben paused. Court-martialed. Those two words bounced around in his ear and buried themselves in his mind. He wasn’t exactly sure of what the punishment might be for disrespecting the Captain, but he was afraid that it might mean that the army would take away his rank and in turn his team over to someone else. He couldn’t lose his team. He had been responsible for them for so long that he didn’t trust anyone else to do it. The only reason he tolerated the Captain so far was because Ben believed this was the only mission they would be on with him and Ben was still here to look out for them.

  “Yes,” Ben finally said.

  “What was that?” Captain Perret stepped up to Ben and raised his voice. “I didn’t hear you, soldier.”

  “Sir, yes, sir,” Ben stated more firmly.

  “Don’t forget your place again, Lieutenant,” Captain Perret said before walking away.

  Ben stood there for a few minutes with his fist clenched before he was able to calm down. Finally, he let his hands relax. He removed his helmet, lifted his right hand up and ran his fingers through his hair and let out a large breath. He turned around and found Michael standing there.

  “What?”

  “You know this isn’t right, right?” Michael said.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be helping the others?”

  “I’m not letting you out of my sight down here.”

  “God damn it, Michael. I don’t need a fucking babysitter right now.”

  “What you need is someone to remind you why we joined forces with the army,” Michael said in an even tone. Sometimes Michael could really piss Ben off.

  “I don’t need you to remind me of anything.”

  “Then why aren’t we trying come up with a plan to get these people out of here. It’s not safe.”

  “I’m not in charge of this mission, Michael. We’re playing by different rules than we did before,” Ben started to walk past Michael, but he stopped him.

  “Some rules are worth breaking.”

  Without responding, Ben broke Michael’s grasp and headed back into the chamber. Michael was right on his heels. Before they got very far they saw the Mayor standing just ahead of them with her hands clasped down by her waist. She gave him a small smile. The smile reminded Ben of his wife, the way she had smiled at him the first time that they had met. He had to look away again.

  “Madam Mayor,” the words stumbled out of Ben’s mouth as they reached her. He had been caught off guard by the memory and by finding himself face-to-face with the leader of the refugee camp. He felt infinitely smaller than his six-foot frame.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name,” she offered his hand.

  “Lieutenant Ben Hassinger and this is Sergeant Michael Eastman,” Ben took her hand. “I’m sorry we have to take food from you and your people.”

  “Can I show you something, Lieutenant?” She had no anger in her voice. She was calm and amicable. Ben could see why she had been selected to be the leader of this group of survivors.

  “Of course,” Ben said.

  Without another word she turned and headed back towards the main chamber. Ben and Michael quickly fell into step next to her. One of the men that had been at the doorway to her office and living quarters followed behind by a few steps. The man following them walked casually, but Ben could tell that he was keeping an eye not only on Ben, but to their surroundings as well.

  As they made their way through the camp, Ben noticed Mayor Brooks glancing at him a number of times. He wasn’t sure if she was expecting him to say something or if she was sizing him up. Either way, it made him uncomfortable. He appreciated that they were walking side by side so that he could keep his eyes forward.

  “You’ve made quite a home for yourselves down here,” Ben finally said in an attempt to break the silence between them. After the words left his mouth he immediately double guessed himself fo
r speaking. Maybe he should have waited for her to speak; maybe he had been wrong to speak at all. He didn’t know what the proper protocol was for situations like this, then again there might not be any protocols at all because there hasn’t ever been a situation like this.

  “Thank you,” she said with sincerity relieving some of Ben’s anxiety. “We were lucky enough to find this space to take shelter in. Even more, luck that it hasn’t been discovered by the zombies.”

  “If I may ask,” Ben thought this was a much more professional way to begin asking questions about the refugee camp than just blurting out his questions and regained some of his confidence, “where are you getting the power for the lights?”

  “We had an engineer in the camp that created a type of water turbine that creates the electricity for the lights. He worked on the radio and other smaller devices we use. We’ve had to make some life changes living below the city, but we’ve made do.”

  Ben noticed that the Mayor had used the past tense when referring to the engineer, but refrained from asking about him. He had some good ideas of what might have happened to him and didn’t want this conversation to take that turn. No reason to bring up the past.

  “How many refugees live down here?” Michael asked.

  Mayor Brooks motioned for the men to turn to their right and they headed down through the middle of the makeshift homes of the refugees.

  “There are about two hundred of us at last count. There was only fifty to start with, but we’ve found more survivors and offered for them to join our community. Many agreed. Some decided to stay where they were. It’s been a while since we’ve found any survivors though.”

  Ben wanted to tell her how the world thought that there had been no survivors in the city and how the government had abandoned any attempts to clear the city of the infected. At first, it had been suggested bombing the city to the ground and starting from scratch, but at the time scientist were certain they would be able to find a cure and they would be able to retake the city without its destruction. That had been years ago and even though no cure had been found the government now had its hands so full the idea of leveling the city had been tabled, but for how long, no one knew. Ben guessed that they would revisit the idea if they were able to gain the upper hand in the battle against the infection.

  Instead of letting her know all the details that she and her people had been surviving in for so long, he kept his mouth shut, but stopped short. He looked around the chamber they were in. He hadn’t looked that closely previously just because he had been so overwhelmed with the idea of encountering a refugee camp in a city considered to be lost. There was no way it was possible that it held two hundred people. It held, at most fifty men, women and children.

  Ben turned to the guard that had stopped next to him. “This can’t be two hundred people.”

  “These people are our most recent arrivals, though I use the term ‘recent’ loosely. Some have been down here a year or more with us. Supplies are limited and those that came first got first dibs on materials. There are more sturdy shelters in the other chamber.”

  “There’s another chamber?”

  “This is just the train platform, there’s another chamber just around the corner that appears to be the main lobby or ticking area,” the guard who had stopped next to him stated. He pointed to a doorway off to their left that Ben could just barely see. Through the doorway were stairs that lead upward and out of sight.

  “Lieutenant,” Mayor Brooks motioned for him to continue to follow him. Ben glanced around again and then walked after the Mayor. He wanted to have a look at the other chamber, but that would have to wait.

  They came to a stop in front of a make-shift shanty using a battered blue tarp hung loosely over a wooden frame. Mayor Brooks knocked on the wooden frame and a faint voice from inside welcomed them in. She pulled back the tarp to reveal an elderly woman sitting cross-legged across from two children who sat so close together one might have thought they were conjoined. Ben bent down and entered the shelter. Michael stayed behind with the guard as the shelter was too small to accommodate everyone. It was a tight enough fit for Ben and Mayor Brooks to fit inside with the woman and children.

  Ben looked over the occupants of the shelter as he sat down on the ground. One of the children was a boy of perhaps nine or ten. He had dark brown hair that hugged his head. Next to him was a little girl of six or seven. Her hair was a lighter brown, closer to blonde than brown, but it was clear from her face that she was the boy’s sister.

  “This is Gail,” Mayor Brooks indicated towards the old woman. The woman smiled and held out her hand, which Ben took. It felt frail, almost like a relic that was ready to crumble. “She’s looking after Scott and Leah here. They were the last survivors we’ve found. That was almost six months ago.”

  “Looking after? You’re not their grandmother?” Ben asked as he let the old woman’s hand go.

  “I might as well be,” said Gail. “They were found alone, hiding in a subway car. Poor things were nearly starved to death.”

  “Their parents?” Ben was sure of the answer, but he found himself asking anyway.

  “Don’t know. They haven’t said a word to anyone. When they arrived they wouldn’t go near anyone. It took some time, but I eventually won them over. Now they stay with me and I look after them both. They remind me of my grandchildren.” Gail reached over and brushed the boy’s hair away from his eyes. “With my age, I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to care for them. You will be able to get us to safety so they can learn to sleep in peace at night, won’t you?”

  Gail looked directly into Ben’s eyes. Her eyes pleaded with all of her soul to rescue the children. Ben could feel that familiar knot forming in the pit of his stomach.

  The children’s eyes had never left Ben since he had arrived. He could tell that their muscles were tight and he thought that the little girl, Leah, was shaking. He slowly stood and took a step back. The children had obvious witnessed the horrific death of their parents, whether it was by a horde of the infected or by crazed scavengers, he couldn’t say and they may never find out. Not only had these children lost their parents, but they had been left to fend for themselves in a world that didn’t promise safety around the next corner. He couldn’t imagine being that young and having to try to survive without any adults to turn to help. Ben wondered how they had survived in such inhospitable conditions and how long they would have survived if they hadn’t been found.

  Ben didn’t know how to respond to Gail’s request. He quickly stepped out of the shelter. Michael was standing there and gave him a knowing look. He had heard everything since there had been just a tarp between him and the inside of the shelter.

  “I just wanted to show you some of the things we have to deal with hiding underground from those things that walk the city streets,” Mayor Brooks said as she stepped out from Gail’s shelter.

  “I’m well aware of the horrors this infection has brought,” Ben said softly.

  “Then help us get out of here.” Mayor Brooks pleaded.

  “I would if I was in charge. We’d be planning on getting you, all of you, out of here with a moment’s hesitation. But the Captain is in charge. He’s making the calls.”

  “Can you talk with him? Reason with him?”

  “I have to follow orders. It’s how it works. Look, we’ll send help. I’ll be sure that we do. Even if I have to come back for you myself.”

  “By then it might be too late.”

  “I’m sorry, I –“

  “No. I understand.”

  Ben wanted to say something more, but didn’t have any words left. Things were getting worse and it felt like there wasn’t anything that he could do about it. If they could just get out of this damn city and away from Captain Perret than Ben could have his team back and they could get things done the right way. He silently vowed that he would bring his team back here and get these people out of this horrible place. The Colonel was his friend. Surely the Col
onel could pull some strings and get them back here or at least he hoped so.

  “Lieutenant! Hey, Lieutenant.”

  Ben turned to see Static making his way through the shanties and people towards where he stood.

  “What is it, Static?” Ben asked once Static reached him.

  “I had the chance to look at their radio.”

  “And?”

  “It works, but it won’t send a signal.”

  “Then it doesn’t work, Static.”

  “Yes, I mean no it doesn’t. What I meant was that it has power and lights up and everything, but its modulator is damaged.”

  “Can it be fixed?”

  “Maybe if the electronics store was open and not crawling with the Infected.”

  “Damn. All right, let’s go find the others,” Ben turned to the Mayor. “Mayor Brooks.”

  “You’ll at least try speaking with the Captain?” Mayor Brooks asked.

  “Of course,” Ben said. She gave him a half smile then Ben turned and walked off with Static and Standing Bear. Ben was more than happy that Static had arrived when he did. It gave him a valid excuse to walk away from Mayor Brooks. Her presence made him nervous, but he couldn’t explain why.

  As they walked away, Ben noticed how unusually quiet Static was being. Normally he’d be talking a million miles per hour about how cool the radio that didn’t work was and would be if it was working or something along those lines, but losing a friend can change a person.

  It changed Ben. He hadn’t decided yet if it was for the better or worse. Before the outbreak, he was not a violent type of guy. He had held and fired a gun a few times before, but didn’t own a weapon of his own. Now, he was an army ranger in the midst of a war to save the human race as they knew it. He killed on nearly a daily basis. Well, shot the re-animated corpses of the infected. Still, it felt like it was more out of self-preservation than righteousness. And yet, on the other hand, his team’s main job was rescuing those individuals trapped in Infected Zones. He guessed it was all on how one looked at it. He just wanted to make sure the right being who was looking at him saw him doing more good than damage.