Moonie had gained enough momentum and continued to shift gears as he gained enough speed, that we plowed our way through the next forty yards of sardine packed moaning zombies. I pulled up onto the cab and looked over the enormous horde and smacked Kot on her ass to get her attention.
“Start firing twenty yards in front of the Big Baby and help thin out our path, we are gonna start slowing down from the press of bodies,” I yelled up to her.
Kot gave me a wink and wicked little grin as she started firing her grenades up ahead. I turned around on the cab and checked out the rear and sides of our path. With the gaping hole we were leaving, the zombies were quickly closing up and pressing in on us. I dropped back down and hollered so the crew could hear me.
“Okay boys, we have been quiet long enough. Plow our sides and rear, I want nothing within a yard of us standing,” I pulled a box of belt-fed rounds to the center of the bed and prepared to reload the first gun as it emptied.
I had instructed the men earlier on how I wanted them to fire. I didn’t want to be stuck with three empty mini guns at the same time. I instructed them on using three second bursts and to rotate with only one gun firing at a time. All of that would go out the window if we had become stuck, or the Big Baby stalled. At that point, they were instructed to fire off all mini guns and melt the barrels if necessary. DP One started to my left, next Dead Eye, and then DP Two. The whole thing would start again, going in rotation. As DP One’s murderous fire erupted from his rotating barrels, they looked like a dragon spitting fire. Ranks upon ranks of zombies fell, cut down like so much wheat to the scythe. I told them not to just go for head shots, but blow holes in them, incapacitation was just as good and what I was going for.
Things were looking good as we moved through the hordes. I quickly reloaded the mini guns as they emptied and Kot’s MK19 with more grenades. I was pretty happy with our progress, that is until we started to slow, and my radio squawked in my ears.
“Dude, we got problems up ahead,” Nunzio yelled at me.
I pulled myself on top of the cab and was taken back by what I saw. The entire area in front of us was covered in zombies, like ants attacking a picnic. We were on a slight hill and still making progress, the MK19 still firing, but not making fast enough progress. I thought of my last second addition to our defenses and dropped down to initiate it. There had been a couple of propane and oxygen tanks that I had grabbed back at the garage. I pulled out a long oxygen tank out of its tie-downs and lifted it on the top of the cab along with a squat round propane tank.
I climbed up next to them and quickly duct taped two flares to each side of the tank. I ignited the flares on the propane tank and using every muscle in my jacked-up body, tossed the tank far ahead of us. Kot read my mind and as the tank landed, she fired off a grenade and nailed the tank. The explosion was enormous as the propane exploded outward and up. A mushroom cloud like one from a small nuclear explosion lit up the ground and the concussion blew down rows upon rows of zombies.
Kot took the initiative and littered the ground around the flattened zombies with grenades, assuring that they would stay down. I felt the Big Baby jerk as Moonie expertly shifted gears and revved the engine, dumping fuel and forcing the truck up the rise and over the ground we had just cleared for him. The coast looked clearer and he was able to coax more speed out of the truck as we reached flatter ground. Soon we were moving at a good clip, the mini guns quieted down as we left the large horde behind us. A thought came to me then as my eyes fell upon two flight line fuel trucks sitting nearby.
“Moonie see those two fuel trucks up ahead?”
“Yeah why?”
“Pull up and let me off, I want to set something up for the horde following us.”
“If you say so, you crazy bearded machine.”
The Big Baby stopped, and I dropped from the cab onto the ground, my SCAR appearing in my hands. I pointed behind us for the guys to keep watch of my rear. I had three little toys I carried in my bag for situations such as this. I took the blocks of off-white clay looking bars and molded them, around the valves of the big tanks on the fuel trucks. I stuck a radio-controlled device into them and then backed them up with simple chemical detonators. If, all went tits up, I could shoot these things and make them go boom. I jumped back on the truck, and pounded on the cab alerting Moonie that I was ready to go. I pulled a radio transmitter from one of my numerous packs on my belt and checked to make sure I had batteries in it before turning it on and checking for a green light. We drove a hundred and fifty yards away from the trucks, slowly letting the zombies see us and come toward us. I pounded on the cab again and Moonie stopped, letting the big engine idle.
“Hold onto your butts, boys and girls!” I squeezed the detonators switch and nothing happened.
“What are we holding our butts for Sasquatch?” Dead Eye yelled back.
I growled and shook the device and tried it again. Nothing happened. I grabbed Dead Eye roughly and spun him around. I ripped his sniper rifle from him and molded the stock against my cheek, using the scope to sight in on the back up detonators. I took in a breath, let it out slowly and ignored everything else around me. As I reached half a breath, I squeezed the trigger slowly when the rifle bucked in my hands, I knew I had done it right. The round ate up the distance in no time, connecting with the detonator and for a moment nothing happened. I was about to retry when the two trucks went up in an amazing display of chaos and flame. If the propane explosion had been amazing, when the trucks went off, it was apocalyptic. I had flinched but had not dropped into a ball to protect myself, unlike the three men and one woman around me.
I pounded on the cab again and Moonie got us moving, as meat, tissue, bone, and some kind of black fluid the zombies had in place of blood rained down all around us. The explosion halved the big horde, giving us time enough to get off the base, across fields, and toward the nearby freeway.
Fingers
Two Navy F-15s sat on the carrier’s deck loaded up with air to air missiles and thousand-pound bombs, as deck personnel connected them to the carrier’s catapult system. Elevators loaded with more aircraft sat waiting to offload them. Dan stood on the deck near the island and marveled over the potency of the air and naval power at his fingertips. This was his first step in fighting back against Ridder. He had aircraft all over the West Coast taking off fully armed and heading to Ridder bases and strongholds. He would make them all pay today for their continued attacks on the helpless. A flight out of a secret base in Nevada would be hitting Vegas soon. The planes leaving the deck of the Reagan would pound Seattle and the two Ridder controlled ships sitting in the Sound.
The USS Texas, his ballistic missile submarine loaded with Tomahawk missiles and torpedoes, was already preparing to hit the carrier USS Roosevelt, which guarded the entrance to the Sound. Dan didn’t want it obliterated, just out of commission, blocking the entrance and exit of ships to the Sound. With that, he would also strike Whidbey Island and Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Dan wanted to soften their defenses and ability to strike back.
A slight man named Goodrich stood nearby waiting for the President to acknowledge him. Dan finally turned and looked the man over. Goodrich snapped to attention as sweat poured off of him, saluting with slick hands.
“What is it Goodrich?” Dan sighed.
“There is a package for you on the bridge and a call from Chun sir!”
Dan shook his head slightly and saluted the young man. “Relax son, I am not going to bite your head off. Lead the way Goodrich,” Dan followed the young man back into the blocky island, as they called the large protruding structure on top of carriers, and up to the Bridge.
Langham stood by, her face as pale as a sheet. “Mister President, please follow me this way,” as she stepped to a nearby hatch and entered a compartment.
Inside sat Second Lieutenant Barclay, Holston, and Kuppers. They quickly stood and were halfway to saluting when Dan motioned them to sit. Barclay kept standing as the others sat down. Dan co
uld see she was visibly shaking, something was terribly wrong. A small white closed box sat in front of her on the table.
“Mister President, one of our FOBs, sorry that means Forward Operating Base, was approached under white flag by a trio of men identifying themselves as Ridder couriers. They delivered this box and advised that we quickly bring it you. The officer in charge of the FOB checked the box for a trap and opened it. Since it has been verified, and it holds…” Barclay swallowed hard and paled to an ashen color. She pushed the box in Dan’s direction. “I think maybe you should just look sir.”
Dan eyed her for a moment before looking down at the box. He was suddenly deathly afraid to open it. Dan reached his hand out and rested it on the box. He dragged it closer to him and stared at it, it felt like he couldn’t breathe. The edges of his sight became dark and a roaring sound invaded his senses. It was then Kuppers saved him, he placed his hand on top of Dan’s.
“Let me open it Dan,” he slid the box closer to himself and oriented to his eyesight. He lifted the top and stopped before Dan could see in. He sighed over the contents but kept the surprise and emotions off his visage.
Dan watched Kuppers for any indication but was offered none. Kuppers turned the box around and Dan dropped his eyesight down to the contents. Inside sat two human ring fingers, one male and one female. Above the fingers sat two pictures, one of Julie’s frightened tear streaked face, her right hand held up missing her ring finger. The other picture was of his father Eugene, who had no emotion on his face, was also missing a finger. Dan felt sadness overwhelm him, then fear invaded his mind, lastly, he felt cold creep into his heart. Ice cold anger washed over him, and his vision tinted in red. His breathing sped up.
Dan pounded the table in front of him with a closed fist till his knuckles split, trickling blood onto the table. He was angrier than he had ever been in his life. “Continue with the hit on Vegas but hold all other strikes. Launch Alice, I want more in-depth intel on Seattle,” Dan looked down to a folder in front of him and opened it up. He speedily read through a section and put his finger on what he was looking for. “Hold the Texas and prepare the ballistic missile sub Maine to launch a low yield tactical nuke on Seattle. I want that city wiped off the map. I will be in my office,” Dan clenched his teeth and turned on is heel and left the compartment.
All in attendance froze, staring at the retreating form of their President. Kuppers eyed Langham and Barclay. “You heard him,” Kuppers closed the box and stood. “Not a word about this is to be spoken outside this room, or to anyone else not present. If I hear anything about this I will hunt you both down and skin you alive,” and with that Kuppers left the compartment.
Alice
Twenty-four hours later, a sleek long gray futuristic jet flew at a hundred thousand feet, cruising at a speed of somewhere just below Mach 4. The single seat cockpit held no pilot, it was remotely flown by a newly perfected artificial intelligence designated Alice, designed at the highly classified and sometimes non-existence Area Fifty-One. Although the place had many names, the people who worked on this project called it “Ghost World”. The plane was flying well below its maximum speed, as its advanced cameras looked forward and recorded everything in its path.
As the plane came closer to Seattle, its threat receiver went off, alerting Alice that someone was tracking her on radar. Alice checked the type of radar and found it to be, an advanced F-22 Raptor. She ignored the threat and continued her reconnaissance mission. As she crossed over and into the congested airspace over Seattle, Alice slowed her speed even more and dropped her altitude to gain the highest contrast pictures she could. Her threat receiver went off again and she begin to track four FIM-92 Stinger missiles launched by the Avenger Air Defense system surrounding Seattle and nearby cities. Two more targets popped up on her radar as she detected the F-22 had fired its AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles. Alice ignored them all as she continued to record her data. As the missiles came closer, Alice’s threat responsive unit took over and she banked impossibly tight to the west, punching up her speed to Mach 6 and gaining altitude. She locked onto the F-22 with her new developed Laser response targeting system, which everyone thought was impossible due to its stealth design. They were wrong. She opened her bay and launched a missile half the size of the AIM-120, it sped across the sky in a flash and hit the Raptor just behind the cockpit, turning the entire plane into a fireball. All missiles fired at Alice flew all over the sky as they couldn’t lock on the high-tech aircraft. Alice’s systems traced back the flights from the FIM-92 missiles and fired a small missile at each one. In seconds, the Avenger Air Defense launchers that had fired the FIM-92s themselves, turned into balls of fire.
Alice changed directions again and lowered her altitude one more time but kept her speed at its current level. She flew over Seattle and out over the Sound, categorizing and painting all the ships in the water, with her Laser response targeting system. She changed directions three more times, as she ran her sensors and cameras over the water and known Navy bases. Her data was recorded onboard as well as transmitted back to her handlers at “Ghost World” in real time. That data was being dissected and gone over with a fine-tooth comb, then sent on to the USS Reagan, and finally to President Welko.
Alice fired two more missiles during her flight before she finally punched her speed up, gained a higher altitude and pointed her nose home. She had kept her stealth systems off as she was ordered to do so over Seattle, but now she engaged it and disappeared off all scopes. Someone wanted Seattle and Ridder to know they had been overflown and there was nothing they could do about it. If the new Coalition of Countries had more airplanes like Alice, the war would be over by now. But Alice was a one of a kind prototype.
Celer Silens Mortalis
I sat on the cab of the Big Baby as Moonie and Nunzio refilled the diesel tanks with fuel. I had an empty mind, I felt rudderless. I closed my eyes for a second and the name Dan popped into my head. He felt sadness, fear and then a white-hot anger. It caused me to clench my jaw and grind my teeth, I used a breathing technique I had learned from my Marine days to stop myself from acting on the anger and lashing out. When I finally calmed down and opened my eyes, I was on the boat bobbing in the waves.
“I am terrified for Dan, Brian. He has slipped more into the darkness, I don’t know if I can rescue him,” Angel sat next to me tears falling from her eyes, shredding my heart.
I took her hands in one of mine. The other cupped her chin and tilted her head up to me, meeting her tear-filled eyes. “Use me as your rock, lash your hopes and fears to me. I will not let you down my little Angel. My brother Dan maybe in the dark and alone, but I will reach him. I will save him or die trying.”
Angel glowed a little brighter as she tilted closer and kissed my cheeks. “I have always loved you Brian. Since the day I met you, I’ve always put my trust in you and your undying love to Dan. You have followed him, led him, and sometimes carried him when he needed you most in a thousand life times, in a thousand stories.”
I didn’t understand her comment, yet somehow did. This was not my first life served by Dan’s side, and this would not be my last. I was somehow attached to Dan, more than by spirit. We were destined to be by each other’s sides through eternity. I was the only one who could reach him, but first I needed to find his Julie and his dad. I would not fail, I would walk through the fires of hell, destroy every demon and devil in my way, and save my brother. I would sacrifice everything I was for him.
“I pledge to you Angel, in front of the Creator and almighty God, I will save Dan. I will tear down everything to protect him.” I gave Angel my one and only oath.
She smiled slightly. “Brian, I have seen the future and it puzzles me. You will be faced with a heart wrenching decision. Your journey will be long as Dan spirals further and further. Stay to the course you are on. You will save so many on your journey,” and with that she turned into little Angel and climbed onto my lap. She wrapped her little arms around me, and I could feel her h
ealing my damaged soul.
“I love you little one, I promise you I will do everything I can.”
“I know you will Sasquatch. I love you,” she kissed my forehead and I was sucked out of the boat and slammed back into my body.
I opened my eyes and found tears falling down my cheeks. I took out my hankie, dried my face, eyes, and blew my nose. I thought about putting it back into my pocket shrugged and tossed it on the ground. It was not like some tree hugging hippie was going to chide me for littering. And if he did in my mood I would plug him and plant him in the ground. I found my team standing below me waiting for me to give orders.
I cleared my throat. “Are the guns cleaned and reloaded?”
“Yeah Sasquatch, all done,” answered Nunzio.
“The MK19 is also cleaned and has a new belt of grenades loaded,” offered Kot.
“My Big Baby is ready to continue. We should be able to get to I-5 in an hour, if we don’t hit any more roadblocks or hordes,” Moonie threw in.
“Excellent, move out,” I climbed off the cab and helped Kot get up behind her assigned weapon the MK19.
Moonie had left the engine idling as they refueled and ran through their tasks. We had done some serious damage to the minigun ammo supply, but I figured we would have enough for at least one more big engagement. We moved onto the highway and continued down the paved road, not many vehicles were on the road, but a good number had been pushed aside and now lined the emergency shoulders in both directions. Travis personnel must have cleared the highway for their convoys. We came upon small number of zombies, and stopped long enough to dispatch them using our rifles and scopes from a long distance. I was not taking any chances with my team’s lives.
As the next hour ended, I had Moodie stop about a mile from the I-5 interchange. Kot and I moved off together to recon the area and make sure no hordes existed before we stuck our nose into the fray. As we got closer to the highway, we could hear pops and small explosions as someone was firing up ahead. I pounded on Kot’s shoulder and pointed north, I took off at a run and she for all her glory stayed step for step with me. She would tire faster than I, as I had a longer stride. We came on a small rise and had a clear field of vision all the way to the skirmish up ahead. I pulled Dead Eye’s sniper rifle that I had borrowed for its ability to make long distance kills, up to my eye and looked down the scope. What I saw pissed me off.
Zombie Theorem: Dark Times Book Five Page 13
