I pushed myself up to a sitting position, allowing the blankets to slide down to the floor. I was in my boxers and felt free, almost human again. I stood up and felt good, like I had slept the sleep of the dead for three days. Instead, according to my watch, I had been out for seven hours. That was sleeping in, for a man like me. I went through some quick yoga stretches, limbering up my body and allowing my mind to fire on all cylinders.
“Now that is a sight to see first thing in the morning,” a woman’s voice sang out as well as numerous lyrical whistles.
I finished the pose I was in and turned to take in the gaggle of women audience I had attracted. Apache, Athena, Tess, Gillian, Kot, and the other female pilot whom I learned was named Stacie, stood at the entrance of the room watching me. They were all in different stages of undress. Mostly in shorts and shirts or in Athena’s case, her flight suit, though it was unzipped down to her navel. Her skin was puckered in goose flesh, marring her silky skin. I was fixated on her and had to remind myself I was gay in order to meet her eyes. She gave me a wink and blushed.
“Don’t you ladies have work to do?” I grumbled looking around for my trousers.
“Sorry Sasquatch, but can you blame us?” Apache ribbed me.
I ignored Apache as I kept looking for my clothes. They were completely missing. I rubbed the bridge of my nose as a small headache threated to take me over. “Would any of you know where my clothes are?”
“I suggested we burn them, but Cora instead took them along with our gear to wash them. It turns out they have running water and power here, along with washing machines. They should be back soon.” Answered Stacie.
“I see,” I shook my head. I guess I was going to be hanging out in my boxers till my clothes came back, providing entertainment for the women of my team. “Is the shower in this place working?”
“Surprisingly yes. Is the furry, swollen, wee Major requesting access to it?” Gillian asked pinning me with her piercing green eyes.
“He is.”
“Well Major, you will have to wait. The schedule shows we ladies are first. That is unless you want to join one or all of us? Would be more than happy to help you wash the places you can’t reach,” Gillian was really twisting that knife of embarrassment in my gut.
I marched straight to the ladies and moved past them and continued down the hallway to the restroom I had seen earlier. I opened the door and moved into the empty room. The women chased after me.
“Uhm, you’re not on the list Major. It is not your turn yet.” complained Apache.
“Rank has its privilege,” I closed the door on them and promptly ignored their pounds on the door and whining.
I took care of my pressing needs, it was wonderful to use a real working toilet again. I turned on the hot water and waited a moment. I didn’t actually believe we had hot water till steam bellowed up from the water. I climbed in and moaned in the luxury. I used the soap and hair products in the shower, quickly lathering up and letting the water ease and loosen the knots and bruises on my body. The door cracked open and I stuck my head out of the curtain. Athena froze in mid step as she crept in. I gave her a questioning look. She shrugged and held up two big cotton towels. I rolled my eyes and ducked back into the water.
“I’ll be out in a moment, thank you for the towel,” I called out to her. The curtain opened and Athena in all her glory entered the shower with me. “I told you I would be out in a…” I was interrupted as she pressed her lips against mine. I tried to resist, I swear I did, but soon I was doing things with her that I had found gross with any other woman. She rested against my chest as we recovered our breathing and composure.
“I couldn’t resist myself, ever since I first saw you, I felt our bond. We have shared something before. I can’t explain it, it just felt right,” she stretched up and kissed my neck bringing shivers down my back.
I reached back and turned off the shower. I couldn’t trust myself to speak at the moment. I just reached out and collected the towels. I placed one over my shoulder and used the other to dry her body. I was trying to buy time to find my words, collect my thoughts. She stepped from the shower and started dressing as I stood there like a wooden Indian outside a cigar shop. I watched her slide on her underclothes and slip inside her flight suit. She turned and regarded me.
“Athena, I am not sure what our history is, or how I know you. You have done something no other woman has ever been able to do. You tore my walls down and laid me open,” I stopped speaking as she took my towel and dried my chest and beard. I stepped from the shower and took her hands in mine. I stared into her eyes and felt life, a shared life. One we had experienced together, in another time and place. I dropped my head and laid a kiss on her lips, not one of passion, far from it. This kiss was an answer. I couldn’t speak to a question that had never been asked. Am I making sense? Probably not, but that is the only way I can explain it. I took the towel and finished drying my body off and accepted the clean clothes she had brought in with her. As I dressed, she quickly brushed her hair and braided up on top of her head and slid on a Dodger’s baseball cap. She slipped out of the bathroom, as I pulled on my socks without another word. I cleaned up our mess and opened the bathroom door, to come face to face with Gillian.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the wee Major. Were you and Athena able to clean up and get dirty at the same time. Ya did?” she smirked knowingly. I had no words, I blushed. “Ah well, look at that, cat bit yer tongue he did, or was that Athena that bit it?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I tried to bull past her, but she sidestepped and looked up at me.
“Jaysus! Is everyone but me going to get their nether regions taken care of?” she read my face, turned and entered the restroom getting the last word in on the subject.
I quickly took off down the hallway and to the living common room. I collected my pack and weapons and hurried outside, to find most of my team packing up our supplies, doing maintenance on weapons, and seeing to the vehicles. I made a beeline to my Humvee and stowed my pack and SCAR into the rear. When I turned, I almost knocked over Apache as she balanced on her crutches.
“Woh, where are you in a hurry to get to, Sasquatch?”
“This big ass body needs fuel, little lady.”
She bowed on her crutches and then lifted one and pointed toward a tent. “Right this way Sasquatch. The kind people of Fort Resurrection have made us a going away feast.”
“Fort Resurrection?” I lifted an eyebrow at the name.
“Most of the people here are religious, they have been spending time with our own Jesuit priest and hearing his sermon. They named the fort after their own resurrection that we delivered unto them.” Apache kept up on her crutches.
I stopped her after noticing no one was within earshot. I lowered my voice and softened it. “How are you doing hun? I know I left you behind badly injured and all. I haven’t really had the time to think about what you are going through.”
“I am a woman warrior. If need be, I can throw these crutches aside and take on everyone in this fortress,” she lifted her crutch and poked me in the stomach. “Including your ass.”
I reached out and took her crutch and then took the other. I retreated five steps quickly and stared down at her. She stood on one leg and swayed for a second. “I don’t seriously think you could outrun a zombie right now, even if you tried.”
Apache tapped her sidearm and smirked.
“I believe I would just shoot the fuckers in the head, but yes, I get your point.”
I handed her back her crutches. She took them, and I believe thought about gutting me with her knife. Instead she hobbled on toward the mess tent, me in tow. I held her plate of heaping food as we took a table in the back. I was amazed to find bacon, eggs, potatoes, flat bread, and venison steaks. My plate was loaded to the top and took on the look of a small mountain. I pulled my fork out and prepared to attack it, when a line of girls ranging from six to nineteen came down the aisle a
nd stopped at my table. I put my fork down as the tent suddenly seemed over flowing with people. The littlest of the girls handed me a stuffed green frog, missing one eye. I started to tremble with emotion and had to fight to keep the tears in my eyes from falling.
“You killed the boogeyman, you have given us our lives back. Thank you, mister Sasquatch,” the little six-year-old with a bruised face delivered to me.
I stopped trying to hold in the tears and bent over. I tenderly cupped the little girls head and whispered in her ear. “No one will ever harm you again sweetie,” I kissed her cheek and she lifted her little arms attempting to hug me. She moved on and the next ten minutes were filled with many tearful “thank you”, hugs, and kisses. I was drained of emotion when they finished. Their mothers seemed like they wanted their turn, when Cora stepped up and shooed them away, so I could eat.
I wouldn’t need salt for this meal, as all the tears I shed would be more than enough. I ate on automatic and drank the brown hot liquid someone put in front of me. When the fork was empty that I tried to put in my mouth, I stopped and looked down at the empty plate. Apache had finished her plate and was watching in fascination.
“You are kind of worrying me big man. You asked if I was okay physically, now it is my turn, but more so, I want to know how you are doing emotionally.” Apache had intense sincerity in her voice.
I blew out a sigh and rubbed my dry eyes. “I have big shoulder’s Apache, let’s just leave it at that. I promise though, if I find I need help or can’t bear the weight anymore, I will ask for help.”
She pulled my head down to her and kissed my lips and forehead softly, like a caring sister. “You better, or I am going to shoot you in the leg and leave you for a zombie banquet.”
I took our dishes up to the front and worked my way to the Humvees as Apache hobbled along. The line of women reformed, blocking my way to my team. Athena directed a wave at me from behind the women. Cora was at the head of the line and stepped up to me. The poor little lady only came to the bottom of my chest. I dropped to my knees and gave her a hug, I knew I wasn’t getting out of here without going through this. The next forty minutes was spent with the team getting hugs and kisses. I checked the cupola on my Humvee and found it mounted with a sweet ass M134 Dillon mini gun. Someone had worked through the night to install this bad boy. I looked around till I found Cupcake. I motioned him to come over by cocking my head. He beamed up at the M134 and smiled as he strolled over.
“You like your new toy Major?”
“Where did you find it?”
“I went through their armory and vehicles. It was still in a crate and no one had opened it. The best part is I found a shit-load of rounds. I thought about installing it on one of the other vehicles in our convoy, but figured our famous leader would want it,” he reached up and patted the side of the weapon.
“Does it work? I don’t want to switch it on and try to fire it, just to have it explode in my face.”
“You should be fine Sasquatch. Just make sure to turn your head away when you fire it.”
“Okay, mount everyone up we got shit to do, and miles to go.”
Bored out of their minds
Kim stared at the video projected above her head, bored. She had taken this mission hoping for action. Since she had been there though she hadn’t shot at anything. Her and her team of six shooters spent their time walking around the secure lab and facility, bored out of their minds. Joseph had forbidden anyone from leaving the lab and going outside. He explained that they had plenty of food and entertainment in movies and tv shows that were stored on his server and available in the common room.
Before Aces and the majority of the other soldiers had left, they had freed the Zombies and allowed them to take back over Vegas. The entire city was packed with the dead stumbling around in and out of the hotels looking for the living to feed on. The lab was extremely secure, and the zombies would never be able to gain access.
Ridder had flown over Vegas numerous times, only finding the dead walking around and decided that nothing was alive there. They decided that Vegas held no military value and left it alone. The tactic of flooding the city with the dead worked better than any camouflage could.
Joseph had been working himself raw, only taking small breaks for food and cat naps as his computer ran simulations and recorded his progress. Joseph pushed himself away from the computer, removed his glasses, and massaged the bridge of his nose. His hair was a mess and his doctors coat was wrinkled. He looked like he was close to collapse.
Kim turned in her chair and took in the sorry doctor’s appearance. She finger-brushed her dyed blonde hair and pushed it into a ponytail tying it off with a rubber band, from her wrist. “Hey doc, you look like shit. Why don’t you take a nap? You are going to start making mistakes,” she gave him a tired smile.
“I have been working like this since I was in college. Believe it or not, I have had more breakthroughs being drawn out and close to collapse,” he returned Kim’s tired smile.
“I get that, but you are also much older now. Just do me a favor, eat something and crash out just for a while, at least.”
Joseph took his lab jacket off and sniffed it. Immediately he pulled it away with a disgusted look. “I tell you what, I will hit the common room, get something to eat, take a quick shower, and a nap. But promise when the computer is done with its current program, you will come wake me immediately.”
“I promise doc,” Kim stretched her arms and legs out. “I really need to get some exercise in, all this sitting around is going to kill me.”
“You know we have a gym, right?”
Kimberly rocket up to her feet. “You lie!”
“No really we do, follow me,” Joseph led them out the lab and down the corridor.
The computer ran the program Joseph had set before he left the room. A minute after they left, a window opened on the screen and a string of code flew by, then another. Data appeared scrolling fast on the screen and stopping with an audible ding. The words ‘Asclepius MK65.2 Success’ flashed across the screen.
And then one
I pulled the convoy over near a small hamlet named Maytown, south of Olympia. As we moved north up the I-5, I had an intense feeling of foreboding that forced me to pull the convoy off the highway and into this very small town. I climbed from my Humvee and stood next to the fire station we had pulled into. I turned in a slow small circle listening for something, a voice I guess you could say. I felt as if that force or voice was pulling me toward the west, but on foot and into the bushes and trees behind the fire station. As I walked away, my team disembarked from the convoy and set up defenses. Mike, the male pilot I had saved from the B1, Athena, and Doc followed me, even though I hadn’t asked them to. As we had moved through Oregon battling small Ridder forces here and there and barely making it through an immense horde in Portland, I had become more and more withdrawn, feeling like someone was pulling and pushing me to keep going. My team rallied around me and followed me all the way here.
I entered the bushes and pushed through them moving south now. The smell of the dead hit us like a wall shaking me out of my dream-like state. I was confused and unsure why I was there, I snapped my SCAR to my shoulder. I felt like I had been shaken awake by an unseen hand and now was confused why I was brought there.
“You okay man? You seemed like you were sleep walking pardner,” Doc asked me quietly.
I tore my eyes off the trees in front of me and focused on Doc and the other two following my little journey. I was surprised to find them there.
“I don’t know how to explain it, I felt drawn out here. It was like a voice speaking in my ear”, I said bringing my attention back to the trees in front of us.
“Contact!” Doc shouted as he moved forward and pointed to the zombies breaking from the trees and coming toward us.
At first it was in ones and twos followed by groups of tens and twenties. Doc took the first shot on the fastest of the zombies as it moved toward us. H
is shot took the back of the head off of the zombie, in an explosion of blood, brains, and bone. Athena and Mike opened up with their suppressed M4s taking out the dead with each shot. I stood with the rifle to my shoulder, but I didn’t fire. A feeling hit me hard, like there was something in the bushes I had to get to. I slid my rifle to back and tightened the strap. I pulled the machete I had picked up earlier and the fire axe I lifted from a fire truck earlier in Portland.
“Cover me!” I yelled.
I heard Athena yell after me as I took off running into the horde. I chopped and slashed bodies as I flew past them. Sometimes the axe took off the heads, but mostly I was chopping limbs off as I went. A red mist came over my eyes as I fought my way through the horde. I stopped counting or registering the sex or damage to the zombies I was chopping my way through. I had a promise to fulfill.
I tore through the last zombie in my way and dashed into the trees and thick bushes. I pushed hard through branches and kept moving. Zombies ambled at me, but I tore through them like a pissed off linebacker with a free shot at the quarterback. I kept running and running, my lungs burned in my chest as I tried to take in a big lungful of air.
A female voice yelled within me. “You cannot slow, move faster now!”
I felt someone push me to my right and I went with it. I broke free into a clearing to find a man on the ground. One arm wrapped around something, the other fighting off three zombies with a cracked baseball bat. I stopped to take in what confronted me. It was Eugene, Dan’s father, he was bloody and in danger.
“Come get some!” I roared at the top of my lungs.
The three zombies turned and came at me. I examined my weapons, finding the machete’s blade cracked and broken from the abuse I had heaped on it. The axe was chipped in places. I dropped the machete and took the axe in both hands. I exploded in a rage that I had never felt before, I moved forward with a Viking warriors cry. I hit the first zombie in the head, the blade barely cut into the flesh of the zombie, but the power of the strike took the head off it. The axe slipped out of my hands from all the sweat and blood it was coated in. I twisted and grabbed the next zombie, a soldier dressed in full combat armor including a helmet. I struck out with my balled-up fist and connected with an audible bone crunching crack as the zombie’s jaw broke sideways. I raised my booted foot and kicked the soldier zombie back and onto the ground. Something grabbed me from behind and I felt teeth trying to bite through my straps holding my armor in place.
Zombie Theorem: Dark Times Book Five Page 25
