Cindy shook her head, closing her eyes for a second before replying. "I'm so sorry for your loss, what a horrible thing to witness. Please, have Travis drive and try to go easy on the details for her sake."
Harry nodded and sighed as he looked up toward the sky. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I've been practicing what I would say all the way here and there's really no way to make it easy on her. Their deaths were gruesome and painful; the only comfort I can give her is that it was fast."
"Concentrate on that then, and spare her the other details, that should help. If she really wants more she'll ask."
"Good idea," he replied. He glanced over at Bitsy waiting with Travis at the other truck. "Guess we'd better head out then. We'll follow you out."
"Sounds good," Cindy said with a nod as she turned to get into the truck.
Within moments they were headed back to town to fuel up Harry's helicopter and get it in the air before dusk.
As she drove, Cindy told Judith and Mark what Harry told her about Bitsy's parents and his wife.
"That's awful," Judith said with a shake of her head. "So many people have lost so much, we're lucky to have some place to go that's safe."
"At least for now," Mark said in a low voice. He was sitting alone in the back and when Judith turned to look at him and Cindy gave him a quick glance through the rear view mirror, he held up his hands.
"Hey, it's the truth. We have no idea how safe we really are and we have no clue how many zombies are out there, either."
"I see what you're saying," Judith remarked. "The way I like to look at it is the farther we can drive them away or outright kill them, the better it is and right now as far as we know the closest zombies are in Harris."
"And our teams are busy cleaning up Harris, too," Cindy said with a smile.
"Well, I hope you ladies are right because I've had enough of zombies to last several lifetimes."
"Amen to that," Cindy remarked while Judith nodded in agreement.
They were silent for a moment before Judith glanced at her watch then turned toward Cindy. "How long has it been since you heard from Mick? I just realized I haven't heard from Charlie for over two hours now."
"We've been so busy I haven't even thought about it, but I haven't heard from Mick, either."
"I'm hoping they're back, how long does it take to check on a few patrols?" Judith said as she settled back against the seat.
"Knowing those two, all day," Mark interjected with a chuckle.
Chapter 10
Once everyone was briefed, they began to brainstorm on the best way to handle Malcolm and his men.
"Malcolm says his men will be back around dusk, so obviously we need to move before then if we're going to do anything to rescue his hostages," Captain Sears said as he walked back and forth. "However, he will be expecting that, and it does put the hostages in extreme danger."
He stopped and faced the men. "Ideas?"
Mick stood up from the MRE box Sean gave him to sit on. "I haven't told you yet, but Charlie has a little surprise for Malcolm, and at my signal he will put it into effect."
The captain raised an eyebrow. "Really? When were you planning on sharing this little bit of information?"
"I wasn't sure we would need Charlie, but it looks like we may have no alternative." Mick swallowed hard, so many people staring at him made him nervous, even Jimmy looked surprised.
"Charlie has a flash-bang strapped to the inside of his calf; he said they would probably miss it there and sure enough they did."
"So what is the signal Charlie will be waiting for?"
"We were watched closely so talking was nearly impossible, but we managed to formulate a quick plan. We got lucky that we weren't caught, but Malcolm likes to talk a lot. When he wasn't paying close attention, we saw our chance and took it."
He glanced around at the men, who were watching him intently. "We need to honk twice," Mick said nervously. "Was the only thing we could think of that wouldn't unduly alarm Malcolm."
Captain Sears nodded. "Okay, easy enough. Is that all?"
"After my honk, Charlie will wait thirty minutes before setting off the flash-bang. So if that will help, your men should probably be in position when it goes off. Hopefully everyone will be disoriented and we can get Brooke and the others out safely."
"We can do that," Sears said thoughtfully. "We can send some men through the meadow and the rest around the perimeter until everyone is in place, then we can give the horn on one of the supply trucks a couple taps."
Mick jumped when without warning, Captain Sears began barking orders. There was a flurry of activity as they shouldered their weapons and backpacks full of what Mick figured was ammunition and supplies. He watched a soldier head toward the meadow and when he reached the edge, dropped down and began to crawl his way through the tall and very thick grass.
When he disappeared from view, Mick began to turn away but noticed a sudden disturbance in the grass and thought he heard a muffled cry. He gazed out over the open field and listened for a moment, but saw and heard nothing else. Shrugging, he decided to make himself useful and began grabbing the MRE boxes and stacking them next to one of the small supply trucks.
Jimmy wandered off with a few of the younger soldiers, he had mumbled something to Mick about helping them with some chore. He looked up and grinned as Scott and then Sean, joined him. They worked silently for several seconds, and when Mick tossed the last box into the truck, Sean pointed toward another truck further down.
"Dad, when it's time for us to move in, you're going to be in that truck."
At Mick's frown, he grinned and continued. "Don't worry, you're not being left out - trust me, you'll be busy enough." He quickly explained that Mick was the one who would signal Charlie and then he would have the task of monitoring any communications that came across.
"All right," Mick said somewhat reluctantly. He didn't mind his assigned tasks, but knew his sons would be out in the field and wanted to be with them.
Seeing he was less than enthusiastic, Scott gave him a grin and a playful shove. "C'mon Dad, you know how dangerous this is, Mom would kill us if anything happened to you. Besides, we really need someone to listen to their chatter and let us know what's going on."
"We know how you feel, though," Sean interjected. "We always want to see action and we barely get to. I think that Captain Sears is afraid to face the wrath of Mom if anything happened to us, but it doesn't mean we like it, either."
Mick sighed and nodded. "I see your point and I know you're right. I'll do my part as long as you two promise me to be careful."
"You got it," Scott said as Sean nodded. "The goal is to get all of us home safely."
"Yeah, so your Mom can kill me," Mick grumbled. As his sons laughed, he continued, "Seriously though, we do have what I believe is a good plan and with a little luck everything should go great."
"Think we'll need a more than a little luck, but I think we both agree with you," Sean replied as Scott nodded vigorously.
As he followed them down to the truck he would be staying in, he tried to believe what he just said, but couldn't help but worry. He knew from experience that things rarely go according to plan. As he hopped in the truck and gave his sons a thumb up before they turned and went to get ready for their mission, he realized that once again he had no real control over what was about to unfold and the thought terrified him.
****
"I think we're ready to go!" Harry said with a grin as he tousled his niece's hair. Bitsy laughed and stepped back beside Travis, who put his arm around her shoulders. Harry raised an eyebrow, which caused her to turn red. He chuckled and glanced at the Mark, who looked visibly nervous.
"Don't worry," he said as he clapped the sheriff on the shoulder and steered him toward the passenger side. "We won't go that high and I think you'll enjoy the ride."
"I hope so," Mark mumbled. He was always nervous before flying, but once up in the air he usually felt fine. "Let's get this show on
the road," he said with a brave, small smile as he climbed inside.
Harry gave him another reassuring pat and shut the door. He quickly jogged back to the other side and climbed in. Once they were buckled up with their headsets on, he started the engine. A small group once again assembled nearby, eager to watch the takeoff. Bitsy and Travis moved further back and waved along with the rest. She didn't want him to leave, until he explained to her what he was doing. She didn't like it, but realized it was important and that he'd be back soon.
Harry tapped Mark on the knee to get his attention. "Before we head for this lake on the mountain, can you show me where the patrols are? Cindy and Judith asked that we check on Mack and Charlie."
Mark laughed. "Sure, we can check on Mick and Charlie."
"Oh, sorry about that," Harry said in a loud enough voice to be heard. He chuckled. "Glad you corrected me on that."
"No worries," Mark replied jovially. "Mick's such a nice guy he would never take offense."
"Good to know," Harry responded as he began to lift off. Both men were silent until they were in the air.
Mark pointed to the left. "We should probably start over in that direction."
"Gotcha."
Scanning the different patrol areas took less than twenty minutes. When they finished, Mark was frowning.
"I never did see the truck or any sign of either of them," Mark said as he lowered the binoculars strung around his neck. "I'm worried, especially since no one has been able to raise them on a walkie, either.
"Do you want to look again?"
Mark rubbed his chin, still looking at the ground. He suddenly looked up at Harry and snapped his fingers. "Damn! I think I might know where they are! If my hunch is right, we need to follow the dirt road up to the lake. I'll bet you anything they snuck up there!"
"Show me the way," Harry said.
"We're close to the road, keep going straight," Mark instructed.
Within a few minutes, Mark pointed. "There it is, goes about halfway up the mountain then turns into what is basically an animal trail, but we can keep following that until we get up to the lake."
Harry nodded and guided the chopper up the road. Both men were silent as they scanned the area.
"There's the truck!" Mark shouted. "Right before the road runs out, do you see it?"
"Sure do," Harry said with a nod. He once again scanned the area. "After what I've learned about this Connor group, I'm not too eager to just fly right into what could be the proverbial hornets' nest, so let's go slow on this."
"Whatever you say," Mark said agreeably. "Might be best to come up from the south then, so we need to go off to the left and then fly straight for about a mile, which should put us near the lower part of the lake."
Harry made a slow turn and as they continued to scan the area for any signs of life, Mark hoped Mick and Charlie weren't in any danger; he fervently wanted to find everyone safe and sound so he could ease Cindy and Judith's worries. He sighed and leaned back against the seat. Who was he kidding? Knowing them as well as he did, he knew his friends were most likely right in the thick of it, he could only hope he and Harry could find some way to help resolve this difficult and dangerous situation without anyone getting hurt, or worse, killed.
Chapter 11
Mick impatiently tapped the steering wheel and fidgeted in his seat. He hated waiting, especially when no one was keeping him updated on what was transpiring. He glanced at the walkie lying next to him on the seat. He wished there were some way to contact Cindy, he knew they'd been gone too long without checking in and she and Judith would be worried, but with radio silence still in effect he didn't dare chance a call. He almost jumped out of his skin when Sean popped up right beside him.
"Whatcha doin'?" his son yelled in his ear before stepping back and grinning.
"Oh, you're a hoot," Mick grumbled. Unable to help himself, he grinned back. "I'm sitting here trying to stay calm and you're not helping one bit, I almost had a heart attack."
"Sorry 'bout that, here ya go," Sean said in a muffled voice as he bent down and disappeared from view. When he reappeared he had a portable ham radio with him. "You're supposed to monitor the bad guys."
Mick reached through the window to retrieve the radio and carefully set it down on the seat next to his walkie. "At least this'll give me something to do."
Sean leaned forward. "Yep, if you hear anything at all, be sure to let us know immediately. You're supposed to contact us via the walkie on a certain frequency and only for really short messages." He thrust a small piece of crumbled paper at Mick. "Here, it's all written down."
"Thanks," Mick mumbled as he took the paper and smoothed it out on his thigh. He carefully placed it next to the radio, and then looked at his son. "Anything else I need to know?"
Sean nodded and looked down at his watch. "Wait for it..."
Mick was puzzled. "Wait for what?"
"Wait for it..."
Mick tilted his head and watched his son. Sean held up a finger for a few more seconds then pointed at Mick and yelled, "Okay, now! Honk the horn twice!"
Startled, Mick pounded on the horn without even thinking. He frowned. "You know, you could have told me it was time without all the theatrics."
"True, but it wouldn't have been as much fun," Sean quipped. "I have to get back now; Scott and I are supposed to be with Captain Sears, everyone will be moving in quickly now to get in place before that flash-bang goes off."
“Okay, but what about Jimmy, where is he?”
“He's fine, we have some guys keeping an eye on him, we should probably just leave him with them until this is over.”
“Sounds like a plan, thanks for getting him somewhere safe.”
Sean nodded. “No problem, talk to you soon!”
Mick watched Sean scurry down the dirt road and around a bend where the tree line obscured his view. Sighing heavily, he leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment to try and relax. Sean had startled him more than he cared to admit and his heart was still racing. The whole situation had him unnerved and he was ready for it to be over.
He glanced down at his watch, they had synchronized watches earlier and there were only twenty minutes to go. Like his son and many others, he'd taken to wearing one of his old watches again, since they no longer used cell phones to check the time.
To his surprise, he heard a faint crackle emanate from the radio. He really hadn't thought he would hear anything from Malcolm's men. He quickly reached over and turned up the volume. He froze, his hand still on the dial, as a voice came over loud and clear. He listened for a moment and once he realized what was being said, he felt the blood drain from his face and his heart began to race once again.
He grabbed the walkie and turned it on, quickly finding the correct frequency. He began shouting into the walkie and when he received no reply, fumbled for the door handle and almost fell trying to get out of the truck, but hurriedly righted himself. Without shutting the door or looking back and still shouting into the walkie, he ran down the road as fast as his legs would carry him.
****
Charlie was so lost in thought that for a moment he wasn't sure he heard the honks, but judging from the reactions of everyone around him, he knew they heard it. He noted the time on his watch and patiently waited another five minutes before standing up and waving in Bullfrog's direction.
Bullfrog glared at him. "What?"
"Need the bathroom."
Rolling his eyes, the big man heaved himself out of the metal chair he was sitting in next to the entrance. He waved Charlie over.
"Don't try anything," he growled. Grabbing Charlie roughly by the arm, he turned toward his younger cohort who was sitting on the other side. "Be right back, make sure you watch 'em," he said with a nod toward the group.
After receiving a nod in return, he grunted and shoved Charlie through the opening. They took a right and walked behind the tent past a large flatbed truck, then walked toward the tree line where a row of portable bathrooms
stood.
Charlie headed for the closest one and without a word, quickly went inside and latched the door. He sat down and pulled up his pant leg to reveal the flash-bang strapped to the inside of his calf. He jerked the strap free and stuffed the strap and the flash-bang into the inside pocket of his jacket. Right before they were caught, he tied the jacket around his waist and quietly slipped it on after hearing Mick's signal. Standing up, he eyed the toilet and then with a shrug, quickly relieved himself, no telling when he'd have another chance.
After slathering on hand sanitizer from the dispenser, Charlie opened the door and almost got a fist in the face. "Was just gettin' ready to knock, took you long enough," the burly man growled.
"Sorry," Charlie mumbled as he brushed past the man. He kept his head down and hurried along the well-worn path back toward the tent. Once inside, he noted that Malcolm was gone and decided to sit in the chair vacated by Mick. Now he was closer to Jenny, he wanted to let her know what was going to happen if he had the chance.
Fifteen minutes to go, he thought to himself after glancing at his watch again. He leaned forward a bit, trying to catch Jenny's eye. When she finally looked his way, he put a finger to his lips as he opened up his jacket to reveal the flash-bang in his inner pocket. Jenny's eyes widened with surprise as her mouth dropped open. He frowned and shook his head slightly. She quickly sat up and shut her mouth, still looking surprised.
Charlie looked around and certain no one was watching, he softly whispered, "Fifteen minutes, pass it on."
With a slight nod, Jenny eased back in her chair and leaned sideways toward Brooke and whispered in her ear. Charlie watched as her expression matched Jenny's when he'd shown her the flash-bang. Brooke nodded. Since Jake was in the back, there was no way to warn him, Charlie planned to run back and grab him as soon as the flash-bang went off. He was betting the doctors and scientists wouldn't stop him, then they could run back up and get everyone out with what he hoped was Mick and Captain Sears' help.
Zombified (Book 2): Shady Oaks Page 7
