Infected Zone (Book 1): Survivors of New York

by Kempf, Shaun

  By the time they reached the roof access the alarm clock was going off. Static grabbed the handle of the door to the roof and wasn’t surprised to find it locked. He had hoped, against hope, that the door would be open. He turned to hoping that the alarm clock would give them the time they needed to get through the door.

  John quickly got to work trying to pick the lock. They probably could have used their weapons to blow the door open and probably would have if they weren’t currently being pursued by zombies. Static wanted the door as intact as possible. It would be their last line of defense against the zombies as they tried to call for help from the roof top. As Static waited for John to work he stood ready, gun raised watching the stairs.

  “Damn,” John said in a whisper.

  “Not what I want to be hearing,” Static said nervously.

  “I almost had it,” John said, sweat dripping off the end of his nose.

  Both men paused as they noticed that the alarm clock had stopped ringing.

  “Better hurry,” Static said.

  John turned his attention back to the lock working as quickly as he could. A few moments later Static fired his first rounds as the Infected came into view on the stairs. Static could feel his heart pounding against his chest as he fired, but he did his best to take his time and not fire in panic. It was something that he had learned being part of the Lone Ranger Squad.

  It had been Michael and Ben who had taught him that if he could learn to remain relatively calm in these types of situations, to which both admitted was extremely hard, then you could focus on making headshots and thus be more effective.

  Their advice, for the most part, was working. Static was making mostly headshots, but he was still missing more than he would have liked. His nerves and the fact that the zombies were moving targets as they rushed up the stairs didn’t help. He hadn’t been counting his shots, but he knew that he had to be getting close to emptying his clip. He could feel a single bead of sweat roll down his back as he realized that he wouldn’t have time to reload when it happened. He would have to drop his rifle and pull his pistol. It would have to be a quick draw.

  A hand grabbed Static shoulder. In a moment of panic he wondered how the Zombies had gotten behind him, but before he could react, the hand pulled him out of the stairwell and onto the sunlit roof. Static was momentarily blinded by the bright light. He laid on the rooftop looking towards the door he had just been pulled through. He squinted and shielded his eyes and saw John leaning against the door smiling at him.

  “That was a close one,” John said. “Almost didn’t think we’d make it.”

  “Too close,” was Statics only response.

  “Before you go getting your radio all set up, think you could grab that board?” John tossed his chin off to Static’s left. Static looked in that direction and saw a 2 by 4 board that was perhaps three feet in length laying on the rooftop among some other random construction items and trash.

  Static scrambled to his feet, grabbed the board and raced to the door that was already starting to shake from the impacts of the Infected on the other side. He shoved one end of the board under the door handle and jammed the other end down against the roof. It wasn’t perfect or extremely secure, but it would help.

  “I got this,” John said, his smile gone.

  Static went to work getting the radio set up. Even though the radio which he had grabbed from the underground city was broken he had assured Lieutenant that he could get it to work. Or at least he had been pretty sure that he could. His plan was to wire his personal radio to the larger more powerful radio. It was, in reality, a long shot, but they didn’t have any other choice. Static worked as quickly as he could. He threw his helmet away wiping the sweat from his brow as he tried to focus on the work at hand and not the pounding coming from the door.

  He ran the wire attached to the antenna and attached it to the top of the door well as it was the tallest thing on the roof itself. He turned on the radio. The lights popped to life and static came through the speakers. It didn’t give him any pause. It didn’t mean the radio was actually working. He dialed what he last knew to be the army’s radio frequency in the area. He took a deep breath, pushed the button to talk.

  “New York Forward Operating Base, this is the 46th Army Rangers Squad, the Lone Rangers. Do you read me? I say again, this is the 46th Army Ranger Squad, the Lone Rangers. Do you read me?” Static let go of the button and heard only his namesake come out of the speakers.

  NINETEEN

  Colonel Tonn stood in his office, a strong drink in his hand, looking out the window at the base. Even before the outbreak things had been changing. It couldn’t be helped. The president changed, the previous general died or retired and policy always changed. Still, he never thought things would come to this.

  He sipped the whiskey from the tumbler. Had he known he wouldn’t have sent Ben to New York.

  The first time he had encountered Ben and his team was by word of mouth. Back when Colonel Tonn was stationed at a base in Western Wisconsin, just outside an Infected zone, his base started to get calls about survivors who needed pick up. It wasn’t uncommon for those stuck in an Infected zone to find their way to a radio and call for help. He had a team specifically for the process of scanning the radio waves just for that reason. This was different though. These calls came fairly frequently and from the same source.

  Each time new survivors were brought in, they told the same story. A group of civilian militia was out there in the Infected zone, not just surviving, but rescuing others. They were lead by a man his team referred to as Lieutenant. His legend within the base and among the survivors grew.

  They talked about how he would run into situations where the odds were against anyone, only to come out on the other side, not only safe, but with survivors in tow. They told stories how he faced down an entire horde of Infected by himself just to make sure everyone else had a chance to escape. In some versions, he ran out of bullets and started killing the Infected by hand.

  Finally, Colonel Tonn decided that he had to meet his man and his team. On the next call, he got on the radio himself and asked the Lieutenant to come in for a chat. He was denied. The legend said he had too much yet to do. It was not until three months later that the Colonel was able to gain a face-to-face and that was only because one of their own had gotten sick enough that he had to be flown out.

  The team stayed in their fallen man’s hospital room until his death. The man they lost, Colonel Tonn later learned the man’s name was Robert Hoover, had had cancer. He hadn’t known when the breakout happened. Not that it would have mattered. The cancer he had was apparently aggressive. Yet, he died with a smile on his face. He had been surrounded by friends, hadn’t been eaten by an Infected or become one of the Infected. All of which he gave credit to Ben for.

  Not until after the man had past did Colonel Tonn get the chance to speak with Ben.

  “All I’m asking is that you join us in our fight against the Infected,” the Colonel suggested.

  “I’m already fighting the Infect, Colonel,” Ben responded as they sat in the Colonel’s office. Ben holding a glass of water that he carefully sipped from as they spoke.

  “But you’ve been doing it out there in the Infected Zone without any help. You’ve been struggling out there,” Colonel Tonn waived his hand as if to indicate the area from which Ben and his team had come from.

  “I wouldn’t say struggling, sir.”

  “Fine, fine. Look, all I’m saying is that with us you would have access to all the weapons, ammo and gear you would want and probably wouldn’t be able to find in the field. Like laser scopes, night-vision goggles and high-powered rifles.”

  Ben laughed as he set his glass of water down. “You should have been a car salesman.”

  “I’m more of a talent scout and you and your team have talent.” Colonel Tonn leaned forward. “I haven’t heard of anyone else surviving as long as your team has out in the Infected Zone. Ben, you’re already out
there trying to save survivors. Let us help you. We’ll give you the weapons, you go make the rescue and then we’ll come pick you up. It’s a great deal.”

  “But we’ll have to follow your rules. Your orders,” Ben quickly responded.

  “Yes, but I’ll make sure you’re part of my command. I’d be willing to give you a little extra leash.”

  “You’d put your neck on the line for me?” Ben asked the Colonel looking at him out of the corner of his eye. “You don’t even know me.”

  “Something tells me you’re worth the risk.”

  “I’ll have to talk to my team.”

  After a few more meetings Colonel Tonn had won Ben over and Ben had, in turn, won him over. In the few months that they served together, they had grown close. Perhaps, not to the point of father and son type of relationship, but it was close.

  Colonel Tonn looked down at the ice covered by whiskey in his glass. The alcohol wasn’t hiding the pain in his gut. Those who still survived all had tales of loss. Colonel Tonn had avoided it for so long. His rank and through pure luck, he’s been able to keep his immediate family safe. Since the outbreak, he’s lost countless soldiers, but none like Ben. This fight lost someone special when Ben’s team was killed in New York.

  Colonel Tonn turned from the window setting his drink down on his desk as he sat. The worst part was that the higher ups had decided to wipe New York off the map. It had been being debated for the longest time, but the decision had finally been made to drop the bomb.

  New York, the iconic city. The city that so many had thought of when thinking of America. The city that so many immigrants had seen when they first arrived was going to be destroyed by the very country that built it. If this infect was ever bet and the zombies ever wiped completely out, no one would ever be able to live there again.

  He wondered if Ben had been successful in his mission if anything would have been different. It had been only a rescue mission, all be it a person of high importance. Still, he would have represented the first team to go to New York and come out alive. He smiled at the thought of Ben being surrounded by reporters or even the higher ups. Ben would have hated the attention. Worse yet, they would have given him a promotion. Perhaps it was better that Ben hadn’t made it.

  “To you Ben,” Colonel Tonn said as he raised his glass before taking a drink.

  There was a knock on his door just as he set his glass down. Colonel Tonn sighed. He had hoped to not be disturbed for a while, but he had known that until this was all over he would get no peace. “Enter,” he said with resignation.

  Sergeant Kyle Moeser stepped into the office, “Sir, Lieutenant Hassinger is alive.”

  “Sergeant?”

  “We’ve just gotten word that his radio man has called in from New York. He’s asking for air support as a boat pick up,” Sergeant Moeser answered.

  “They being sent?”

  “They’ve been denied. I assume that’s based on the recent decision to bomb the city.”

  “Get me the General on the line immediately,” Colonel Tonn said louder than he needed to.

  “Right away sir,” the sergeant left the room without even saluting.

  Colonel Tonn may have made a mistake in sending Ben’s team to New York, but he’d be damned if he didn’t make sure that they got out of that godforsaken city.

  “Lieutenant, I’ve got some good news and I’ve got some bad news,” Static said into the handset.

  “I’d really like to hear the good news first, Static,” Ben’s voice cracked through the radio speakers.

  “We’ve got incoming ships and birds that’ll clear a path once they arrive.”

  “And the bad news?”

  “It’s two hours before the boats get here,” Static said.

  “That’s not great news, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say bad. You did great Static. Thanks for calling us a ride. On the plus side, that gives you plenty of time to get down here,” Ben responded.

  “Don’t worry about us, we’re going to catch our own ride,” Static said.

  “Sounds good. Catch you back at base. Lieutenant out,” Ben said.

  Static put the mic down and walked over to the roof door that John was still leaning against to provide additional resistance to the zombies pushing on it from the other side. He added his own weight. The door jumped with each bang from the other side.

  “How long before the helicopter gets here?” John asked, not looking at Static.

  “Twenty to thirty minutes.”

  “Think the door will hold?”

  “I sure as hell hope so.”

  Lieutenant Hassinger looked at Annie and Standing Bear with his eyebrows raised and a small grin on his face. Annie rolled her eyes and focused again looking down the tunnel where they had just come from. Standing Bear only shrugged his shoulders.

  It wasn’t that they were excited with the news, they were. It meant that they at least had a chance to get out of New York, but they knew that Ben had decided on their current plan not knowing if they would get the help they needed. Of course, they knew if a message could get through to the Colonel it was much more likely that help would come, but it was still a long shot. Secondly, he was not showing off and they didn’t want to encourage him.

  “Two hours is a long wait,” Standing Bear said not looking at Ben, but also watching the way they had come.

  “Better than not at all,” Ben responded.

  “It’s going to be hard to keep everyone calm for that long,” Annie added.

  “What were you going to do if the boats weren’t going to show?” asked Standing Bear.

  “It doesn’t matter because they are.”

  “So you didn’t have a plan?” Annie said more as a dig than a question.

  “Thanks for the boost in confidence,” Ben said. Annie and Standing Bear smiled.

  They walked in silence for another twenty minutes before their radio crackled to life again. The Captain, who was helping to lead the group informed them that they had finally reached the opening. He let them know that there were more than a few Infected wandering around between them and the river.

  “Let’s get the gate ready to open. We’ll want to be on the move as soon as the path has been cleared.”

  “We’ll do our best, but were trying to make as little noise as possible. Don’t want to gain any un-needed attention. Otherwise, we’ll still be shooting out way out of the tunnels,” Captain Perret responded.

  “Understood,” Ben said.

  “Now what?” asked Annie.

  “Now we wait of course.”

  “That sucks,” Annie said crouching down to one knee, rifle pointing into the blackness.

  “Agreed. Stand Bear, find us some armed individuals to help us keep our backs covered. We’re going to be here a while and I’d hate to not give us a fighting chance.”

  Standing Bear nodded and did his best to start to make his way through the crowd of people now standing in the tunnel. Ben watched him go wishing he would move a little faster, but also knew he was impeded by the volume of people in the tight space. He looked back into the darkness of the tunnel. An hour and a half were still a long time to wait. Ben could only hope that luck would be on their side.

  TWENTY

  They heard the helicopter long before they saw it. Not that they had been looking for it of course. The men had been too busy doing their best to keep the door from bursting off of its hinges.

  The HH-60M Black Hawk helicopter quickly approached before hovering just above the rooftop. Wind and debris blew around Static and John as the blades turned overhead. The helicopter pilot maneuvered the aircraft until it was parallel the roof and just over the top. The airman who had been leaning out the door lowered himself down to the roof and ran to the men after unhooking himself from the line.

  “Let’s get you guys out of here,” the airman shouted over the dull roar of the helicopter's engines.

  “If we move, the door will give,” Static shouted back trying to see
the airman’s eyes through the reflective visor of his helmet. “We have a lot of Infected on the other side,” Static pointed as if the airman didn’t know where the door was.

  “One at a time then,” the airman replied. “Think you can hold the door by yourself?”

  “Guess we’ll find out,” Static said.

  The airman nodded and then grabbed John by the arm and guided him back to the line dangling down from the Medevac helicopter. The airman worked quickly to get John into the harness so they could raise him up. The airman stayed behind.

  Once John was off the rooftop, the airman raced back to help Static secure the door. They both watched in silence as John slow rose in the air to the helicopter. Another airman waited at the open door of the helicopter making sure the line didn’t get tangled and would assist John once he reached the helicopter.

  “How do you want to do this?” Static asked as John reached the aircraft.

  “I’ll run back and get myself harnessed. I can do that pretty quick. When I’m ready I’ll signal you and you start running like your life depends on it.”

  “Because it will,” Static added. The airman only nodded.

  “We won’t have time to get you harnessed in, so you’ll have to bear hug me. We’ll get covering fire from above.”

  Static nodded. He wasn’t excited about the idea of having to bear hug the airman as he hung thousands of feet above the ground, but it would save his life. He watched as the line was lowered slowly once again. In the time that it took to lower from the helicopter Static had come up with second thoughts about this plan to get himself and the airman off the roof, but he had not been able to come up with a good enough alternative.

  “Ready?” asked the airman.

  Static just nodded. The airman took off toward the line and quickly got to work securing himself into the harness. The moans and groans of the door that Static leaned against could be heard even over the roar of the engine hovering just above the roof. Static felt himself slide back a few inches as the door latch was starting to give. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could prevent the Infected from getting through the door. Static did his best to hold his ground and watch the airman who seemed to be taking too long to get himself secure.