“I think it’s brilliant!” said Justin. “Let’s make it happen!” He hugged Beth again. “Hang in there, baby. We’re going home to rescue our friends soon.”
Billy gave a sad smile and turned back to the monitor. More responses to his post were popping up…
Alex Armstrong wants in! Point Dume is going crazy. Zombies are trashing the trailer park. Stay away from here. I’m bringing my sister and her friend. Got no guns, but will bring lots of food and my Hummer with extra cans of gas. Open the gate when we get there please, Brad. And Billy, I hope you’re not shitting us, dude. This really sucks! Out.
Miles Turner wants in too. Bringing food, gun, ammo and a short wave radio. OK?
David Baldwin will bring guns, ammo, food, a portable generator, and my girl, Linda. Let’s do this!
Amanda Steinbeck is with Brad now. He says go for it to all. Beware. Zombies on PCH. Billy, are you still there? Are you really coming? We are counting on you!
Billy didn’t know what to say. He had just helped to create a survival community composed of his own friends from high school. They were going to fortify a walled estate in the hills above Malibu, but they were all counting on him eventually coming to their rescue.
Billy Allen will be there with help but you are on your own for a while. If Miles brings a radio, tell him to listen and broadcast every evening after sundown. Not sure what channel to use, but we have all kinds of radios on this ship. We’ll try to keep in contact somehow. Keep posting on this thread as long as you have the internet at Brad’s house. We will also post news when we get it. Now get going and stay alive!
Justin patted Beth’s shoulder and changed the subject. “I found some heavy shit about this disease on the CDC website. I don’t understand all of it, so I’m going to print it out and give it to the captain, but they have a whole page explaining how to survive a zombie apocalypse.”
“Really,” said Mitch. “What’s it say?”
“Well, there’s a lot of stuff about survival kits. More about how the CDC would help prevent the spread of the zombie disease and how being prepared for zombies will also make you prepared for natural disasters like earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes.”
“No shit, Sherlock,” said Billy.
*****
Back in the media room, Scott had been joined by his wife Michelle and several close friends to watch more news on the big plasma TV. They were discussing the latest news with the TV on mute when Michelle pointed at the screen.
“Looks like a news conference or something. Isn’t that the President?” she said. “Turn up the sound.”
Scott reached for the remote and turned up the volume. Sure enough, the President of the United States of America had just begun to speak. As usual, he seemed to be relying on a teleprompter.
“…fellow Americans. This is a very tragic and terrifying time for our nation and for the world. But the outlandish reports of ‘zombies’ are patently false. There is a logical explanation for this outbreak of mass violence and I assure you that we will find it. I will not rest until we have a cure to the infection.
“Until then, I am declaring martial law and a total national curfew. No civilians, except for first responders, will be allowed on the streets at any time until this crisis is over. In the absence of Congress, which is in recess due to unrest in the Capitol, I will be issuing executive orders under the emergency powers of the President. As Commander in Chief, I have ordered the immediate return of most American forces deployed overseas to assist in Homeland Security activities. To that end, I have just signed a Presidential Order nationalizing the National Guard and suspending Posse Comitatus. All Guard and Reservists are hereby activated and should report for duty immediately. The regular military is now being deployed throughout the nation to defend you. Looters will be shot on sight. Acts of violence will be met with deadly force. The rule of law will be preserved.
“As your President, I assure you that your government will protect you. Just stay in your homes. Do not panic if you lose power or communications. Do not try to go to a hospital, even if you are bitten by one of the infected. Do not try to go shopping, even if you run out of food. You are safer staying at home. Help will come to you as soon as possible.
“For security reasons my family and I, along with close advisors and members of the media who are on board Air Force One, will not be returning to Washington yet. We will remain in the air, using in-flight refueling, to control the situation on the ground from this airborne command post. My advisors assure me that this will give us the best protection from infection and provide me with secure communications to direct the defense of the nation and command our armed forces at home and abroad.
“The greatest mission of my life will be saving all of you from this plague. I promise that as soon as we have a cure for this disease it will be provided free of charge to everyone in America and we will share the cure with the rest of the world as well. My administration will provide all of you with everything you need to survive this crisis and rebuild a better and stronger America.
“I will broadcast again in 24 hours to update you on our progress in combating this epidemic of violence. Until then, stay where you are. Trust in God and your government to bring you salvation.”
The scene of the President on TV was replaced with the Presidential seal and then Fox Rusher appeared in the GNN studio.
“That was the special Presidential address from Air Force One that we have all been waiting for. The President was clear and concise in his determination to save the nation from this crisis. To recap, he will not rest until a cure is found. The military is being deployed to defend us. We should all remain at home or wherever we are, unless you are a member of the armed forces. If so, you should report for duty…”
“Turn that crap off,” said Scott. “Have you ever heard so much B.S.? He’s safe on Air Force One, just like we are on this ship. But he’s telling everyone else not to do anything except stay where they are and wait for help? It sounds like he doesn’t know much more about what’s happening on the ground than we do. Less, if he doesn’t believe that we’re facing zombies, or something so close as not to matter. And if he really won’t rest until they find a cure, my bet is he’ll die of sleep deprivation!”
“Yeah, that was some scary shit,” said Scott’s friend Clint Murdock. “Martial law and curfews. Shooting looters on sight. Hell, if I was in LA right now without a gun, you better believe I’d do whatever it took to get one! How can he say they’re going to shoot people who are just grabbing what they need to survive, huh? Won’t shooting zombies keep them busy enough?”
“Uh-huh,” said Stan Welsh, who had known Scott since junior high school. “He might be trying to prevent a panic, might even think what he’s saying will save lives, but I’d say it’s too late for any of that. Instead of telling people to just hide and wait for help, he should be telling everyone to protect themselves any way they can! ‘Cause I don’t see the army and police doing too good a job of protecting anyone right now.”
“You’ve got that right,” said Scott heatedly. “But this president doesn’t think like that. There’s no damned cure yet, but he’s offering to give it away for free when he finds it! Isn’t that typical? Promising things that don’t even exist! The nation is self-destructing and he sounds like he’s still on the campaign trail! It’s nuts! He seems to think that simply ordering the military to take over is going to solve the problem. The man has no grasp of how bad this crisis is! Not to mention the logistics… How many cities have military bases next to them? Not too many. On the West Coast, I’d say San Diego will be best defended. We’ll see how well that’s working out when we get there. But most of the other cities are lucky if they even have National Guard or Reserve units, considering how many have been sent overseas lately. And how many of the Guard and Reserve are actually going to show up for duty, if it means leaving their family alone in the middle of all this? And speaking of the troops overseas, he’s ordered them all home n
ow, has he? And how long will that take? If it ever happens at all! Did you see the videos earlier? The whole world is crawling with zombies! England, Germany, South Korea, Japan? This is happening everywhere at once! How in the hell does he expect to redeploy our troops now? Either he just doesn’t get it, or he’s lying through his teeth. God help the people who lock themselves away and trust that help is coming!”
Not all of Scott’s friends shared his libertarian philosophy, but they all nodded agreement with his assessment that the President was taking the wrong approach to dealing with this crisis. Scott turned away from the television and went back to the serious task of figuring out what they should do to give the people aboard the Sovereign Spirit the best chance at living through this mess. He didn’t have the slightest faith in the ability of the President to do it for them and pitied the people ashore who did.
*****
At the next meeting of passengers and crew that evening Scott decided to make it short, if not sweet. As soon as it looked like everyone had arrived, he stepped up and presented his short term plan, starting with his reasoning behind it.
“Now that most of you have a better idea of what is going on in the rest of the world, I’d like to let you know what we will be doing to keep from suffering the same fate. As the captain explained earlier, the decisions will be his and mine to make, but we are open to suggestions. This will not be a prison ship. You are all free to go whenever and wherever you like, as long as it doesn’t involve stripping the rest of us of the tools and resources that we will need to survive. At the same time, I strongly suggest that we all stick together.”
George Hammer was scowling and looked ready to argue. Scott forestalled any outburst by raising his hand in a calming gesture. “Nevertheless, I have taken Mr. Hammer’s concerns and wishes into account and I am willing to drop him and his wife off in Cabo, if that is what they really want. I can make arrangements for anyone else who wants to join them too. But I’d like to take just a moment to express my own concerns for the safety of anyone who chooses to leave us there.
“First, Southern Baja is basically a desert. When the water system fails, if it hasn’t already, it’s a slow death sentence for almost everyone there. Secondly, since guns are illegal in Mexico, the only people capable of fighting these zombies effectively will be the army, police and criminals. The local hospitals are not very advanced either. So, if the infection is there, it is probably spreading quickly. You would have no way to defend against the infected maniacs, or the disease itself. You would also be surrounded, if not by zombies then by tens of thousands of panicked tourists, plus all of the locals who no longer have any good reason to care about what happens to a bunch of gringos. Soon they will all be fighting for supplies that won’t last long without resupply from the mainland. Finally, without a boat or plane, the only way out of there is a thousand mile drive up the wasteland of Baja.
“However, I am sympathetic to Mr. Hammer’s concern for his family waiting for him there. As I said earlier, we cannot afford to take them or any other refugees aboard until we are certain that they are not infected. And that includes letting Mr. and Mrs. Hammer back after they come into contact with anyone ashore. So that leaves us with something of a dilemma, because I can’t just abandon them there in good conscience either.” Mr. Hammer was about to speak up when Scott raised his hand again. This time it was accompanied by a sly smile on his face. That shocked Mr. Hammer long enough for Scott to get to his main point.
“Luckily, I think I’ve come up with a plan that might solve the problem and even help all of us in the long run. As Mr. Hammer knows, I keep a fishing yacht called the Expiscator in Cabo San Lucas Harbor. He’s even used it for a couple of fishing trips in the past.” George Hammer looked a bit perplexed as he nodded. “So, here’s my proposal, Mr. Hammer,” explained Scott. “I’ll fly you to Cabo and help you look for your family using the helicopter. If we find them, or you want to keep looking, I’ll drop you off and I’ll even give you a gun to defend yourself. Okay, so far?”
“Yes, sir,” Hammer said with more than a little suspicion in his tone.
“Then, if you and your family can get to the Expiscator in the harbor, you can use it to get out of Cabo and rendezvous with the Sovereign Spirit. However, you and whoever comes with you will not be allowed to come aboard this ship until we are absolutely sure none of you are carrying the infection. It could take weeks before we are confident of that, but the Expiscator is fast enough to keep up with us and can comfortably accommodate at least a dozen people. In fact, if everything works out well, you’ll actually be doing the rest us a favor by bringing my fishing boat along. So, how does that sound to you, Mr. Hammer?” Scott concluded.
“That sounds great! And please call me George,” he replied with a newly hopeful attitude. “It’s a much better offer than I could have hoped for. And I’d like to apologize for being rude earlier. I’m just so worried about my family. Thanks for giving us a chance.”
“No problem, George,” said Scott. “It’s been a shock for all of us and we all have our own priorities. But I think we can take this case as a good example of why it’s important to keep our cool and think things through before running off half-cocked. If we approach every problem by using our brains, keeping in mind that they just became the preferred lunch special for all of those damned zombies, we should be able to come up with some good plans that will keep us all alive.”
*****
Interludes in Hell
El Segundo Water Tower: 6:26 PM, April 1
Carl was sitting atop a hundred foot water tower watching the world disintegrate around him. There was a cool breeze coming off the ocean, but he was pretty sure that the chills he felt were related more to the horrific events he was witnessing than any wind chill factor on this mild spring evening in Southern California. In fact, Carl was numb to most external stimuli at that point. He had spent most of the day watching a city die.
He watched helplessly as throngs of zombies pursued men, women and children up and down the nearby streets. Then he listened in silently as the screams of victims were overwhelmed by the ravenous moans of their killers, only to be joined by the moans of the victims when they rose again to become killers themselves. He had watched in shock as cars crashed and buildings burned. He had even seen airplanes fall from the sky. But the worst memories of that day were of watching a family – husband, wife, and three children – get attacked and devoured by at least a dozen zombies who surrounded them between the water tower and the abandoned ambulance. No, on second thought, the worst memory was when the partially eaten kids had come back as zombies a few minutes later and staggered back down the street, probably in search of more family or friends to convert to their new condition.
Now, as dusk faded into night he could see the glow of hundreds of buildings burning out of control across the city. He knew that there would not be any firemen coming to fight those fires. A few hours in the ambulance listening to their radio traffic had made that point abundantly clear. By mid-morning the dispatcher had ordered all surviving fire department assets to return to their fire stations. Those that could were encouraged to make their way to County Fire Headquarters, which was located on a hill next to the Sheriff Station in East LA. Although Carl was sure that 911 calls kept coming in, it became clear that nobody would respond to them. That, more than everything else he had seen that day, convinced Carl that he was really witnessing the fall of civil society.
He had heard sirens for most of the morning and into the afternoon, indicating that some emergency service personnel were at least still on the move. But even that had died out now. Nevertheless, in the growing darkness Carl could see the flashing red and blue strobe lights of numerous police and fire vehicles scattered across the city. Unfortunately they all appeared to be stationary. Carl had to assume that they were abandoned or overrun by now. The lights would probably keep flashing until all the batteries died. It was an eerie sight that might have been beautiful, if it hadn�
�t marked another nail the coffin of civilization.
The zombies that Carl had killed by the fence were still lying there, unmoving, so he had to assume that they were truly dead. Many other zombies had walked past the water tower that day, but none of them had lingered or tried to get through the fence. Nor had they shown any sign that they realized Carl was perched on the tower above them. This gave Carl a little comfort and confirmation that he had chosen one of the better places to hide in this neighborhood.
With nothing better to do, Carl decided to see what was inside of the ‘Search and Rescue Kit’ that he had snatched from the ambulance. Opening the backpack, he found a plethora of valuable survival gear. First out was a bundle of climbing pitons with a combination rock hammer and ice axe to go with the rope and rappelling harness tied to the outside of the backpack. Next he pulled out a compact first aid kit, then a waterproof LED flashlight with a hand charging crank, a small pouch containing a foil survival blanket, a box of dehydrated emergency rations, a coil of monofilament wire, two road flares, two signal flares, four chemical glow sticks, waterproof matches, a pair of binoculars, and last, but certainly not least, a handheld fire department radio in a carrying case that also held a headset and spare battery. Carl had never been a survivalist, but if he were, this backpack is what he would ask for from Santa Claus.
Carl was smiling until he thought about the things he wanted the most. At the top of the list, of course, was his wife, Pricilla. But he had come to grips with the fact that she was either dead or one of the monstrous living dead now. And that just made him want the other thing on his wish list more. A gun. Any gun. With lots of ammo.
01 Voyage of the Dead Page 5
