“You seem bothered,” Dallas said to Roper as they walked along, holding hands with one hand and carrying their machetes in the other.
“Those zombies were all gathered at the dock, Dallas. From our experience, they go where the food is or stay where the food is. That leads me to believe other boats have pulled up here…even recently. We’re not alone here, and that worries me.”
“Well, we’ll find out shortly, won’t we?”
“And then what?”
Dallas shrugged. “Then we send them packing.”
They found more zombies in the homes used by the guards’ families when the prison had been a mini-metropolis. The apartments were all but condemned yet still standing.
This was where the rest of the horde waited.
“In there.” Dallas pointed with one hand while driving her machete through a zombie’s eye socket with the other. “Someone is in those apartments. Probably on the second floor since the eaters can’t do stairs.”
The zombie horde grew thicker the closer they got to the boarded up apartments, and they had to step apart to allow Yuzo full range of her swords.
“Yuzo? Would you do the honors?”
Akiko translated to Yuzo, who nodded once before stepping away from the group.
“Jesus,” Roper uttered, watching the ease with which Yuzo decapitated multiple zombies. “Does she even need us here?”
“She doesn’t, but someone does. They’ve been pinned in there.”
Yuzo took care of three-fourths of the horde while Roper and Dallas made their way to the main entrance of the apartments. Hunter dispatched those too far from the reach of the Katana’s sharp blade. All together, they put down three dozen man eaters waiting for whoever was holed up in the run-down housing project.
“Is anybody in there?” Dallas called out. “The exterior of the house is free now. You can come out, but do not, I repeat, do not come out with a weapon.”
They waited one minute. Two. Three.
“If we have to come in to get you, you might not live through it. You have one minute to show yourself.”
Ten seconds.
Twenty seconds.
Forty seconds.
She was just about to kick the door in when it finally opened to reveal a large young man with broad shoulders and a telltale, if poorly done, military haircut. He held his hands up in surrender position.
When he looked at who had just freed him, he blinked. “Ma’am? Is this...is this all of you?”
“If you mean are we the people responsible for killing these zombies, yes, we are. I’m Dallas.”
“Ryan, ma’am. Chief Petty Officer Ryan Adams of the United States Navy.” He stood erect as he saluted.
“Are you alone?”
“No, ma’am. There are fifteen of us, but three of my men were hurt pretty bad when we first arrived.”
Hunter stepped up. “You guys SEALs?”
Ryan nodded. “You guys have a doctor or someone who can help my guys?”
Dallas nodded. “We’ll need your weapons first.”
“Ma’am? We don’t have any weapons.”
Roper chuffed. “And I am Snow White.”
He shook his head. “Not a rifle between us, ma’am.”
“Sorry if we don’t buy that, soldier. The U.S. military isn’t one of our favorite groups, if you catch my drift, and we don’t trust you as far as we can throw you.”
Ryan thought about this a moment before turning to call to his men. “Civilians out here! They think we have weapons. Bring the guys out!”
Twelve men half-carried, half-dragged the other three men out to the lobby. They all looked haggard, bloodied, and far worse for wear.
“Any of them bit?” Dallas asked.
“No, ma’am,” Ryan replied. “That destroyer out there took out our boat. Blew us to bits. What you see here is what’s left of one hundred plus men.”
Roper and Dallas exchanged looks.
“What were one hundred Navy SEALs doing on a boat so close to the guard ship?”
Ryan hesitated. The rest of the men appeared uncomfortable.
Dallas had never missed Luke more than at this very minute. “Look, I don’t have time for military bullshit. Our country is about to be sliced and diced up by the Asian Nation and you want to play war games? Never mind. Take care of your guys yourself. We’ll take it without you.”
“The four of you?”
Dallas shrugged. “We’ve got more than you do.” She wheeled around and started to walk away. “But if you’d rather keep some silly code instead of saving your buddies, who am I to argue?”
She took three more steps before Ryan called her back. “I’m sorry, ma’am. It’s kinda hard to trust civilians these days.”
Dallas looked over her shoulder. “Almost as hard as it is to trust the military.”
Ryan looked at his men. “Roger that, ma’am. We made a lot of mistakes in the early days of the virus, I’ll give you that.”
“And now?”
“Now we’re doing everything we can to fight this newest enemy.”
Dallas glanced over to Roper, who nodded. “What did you want with the destroyer?”
“We came to commandeer it, ma’am, and, one-by-one, either sink those goddamn battleships or die trying. We can’t fight what’s coming if they restrict our movements, so we’re aimin’ on showing the rest of the world that this dog ain’t done yet.”
His vigor made Dallas smile. “Thank you. I appreciate both your attitude and your honesty.”
“Now can you tell me what brought ya’ll here?”
“We want out. The Asian Nation has landed and we’re just tired of fighting.”
“Out, ma’am?”
“Yes. Out. If you guys aren’t down with that, then we can agree to disagree and part ways now. Jut rest assured, if you attempt to––”
“Ma’am, all we want is for our guys to have a fighting chance. If you got someone who can help them, we’d be obliged to help you any way we can.”
Dallas considered it a moment. “We have protocols to follow, so if you’re willing to follow our rules, you can come with us.”
Ryan licked his lips and nodded. “You got any food or water you can share with us?”
Dallas nodded. “How long have you been in there?”
“Eight days, ma’am. Three without water. One man went out to find some. He never came back. Feels like a lifetime with those things out there.”
“I’ll just bet it did.”
Roper walked over to the soldier. He looked all of fifteen. “Just so you know what you’re getting into, Dallas here is our leader. Has been our leader. Will always be our leader. Just because you guys wear uniforms and swing your dicks around doesn’t mean that’s gonna change. So the very moment any of you push back or challenge her decisions or leadership will be the last moment you take a breath. Understood?”
Ryan’s eyes grew wider with every word. “Ma’am, if you’ll let us, we can probably be more of a help to ya’ll than a hindrance.”
Roper nodded. “As long as we have an understanding.”
“We do, ma’am. You have an order to things. You save our men and we will fall in line with that order. You have my word as a man and as a SEAL.” He held his hand out for Dallas to shake, which she did.
“Come on, then. I have someone who might be able to help your guys.”
When they returned to the dining area, everyone was abuzz at the new guys added to their group. Some were in favor of keeping them. Others wanted to lock them in cells and to be done with them.
Zoe, Akiko, and Fletcher had gone hunting and brought back more than a dozen different birds. It had been easy pickings since the birds found so much easy meat to eat off the dead. A makeshift barbecue had been erected, and the scent of cooking meat filled the air.
“Protocol, Ryan, is for your wounded to be segregated from us until we are certain none of them have been bitten, scratched, or infected.”
“You wa
nt to lock them up? Oh, ma’am, I don’t think–”
“So your word is shit?” Roper said.
“No ma’am.” Ryan and his men placed the three injured on old mattresses brought them into the cell closest to the dining room. “I just don’t like having to lock my guys up. I’m sure you understand why.”
Once the three men were in a cell and attended to by Akiko and Yuzo, Dallas fed the hungry men and peppered them with questions while they ate.
“What’s the point of going after the destroyer?”
Ryan finished chewing before answering. “We need ships, ma’am. Our main dog in this fight is Hawaii. That’s where we’re stationed.”
Everyone stopped eating and listened closely.
“Hawaii.” It wasn’t a question.
“The zombies never made it to all of the islands, ma’am, and the boys beat the Asians back the first time they came at us. In the process, we lost the bulk of our fleet, a good number of men, and a great buncha ammunition. They backed off, having realized we’re not quite dead yet, but they’ll be making another run at Hawaii soon enough for the same reasons the Japanese bombed Pearl…it’s the best place to attack us from.”
Dallas grinned slightly at the Monty Python reference. “So, you’re telling me we still hold most of Hawaii.”
“Yes, ma’am, but we don’t know for how long. We can’t fight back unless we have ships and planes. The planes we have. The ships, we don’t. There were only a few in Hawaii when the virus broke, and those left with our important commanders on them.” He accented the word important with sarcasm. “Our commander believes if we can show our allies that we are worth saving, we might get some help from them.”
“We were under the impression we don’t have many allies left.”
“The alliance shift after the outbreak is unprecedented, but there are a few powerhouses that back us, England being one of them.”
“Then why aren’t they helping?” Einstein asked.
“No one will send their military into this hot mess. Unless and until we show we have a handle on the zombies and the virus, no one will come to our aid. No one.”
Roper squeezed Dallas’s hand, and Dallas leaned away from the conversation so Roper could ask the questions. “Are you aware that the people the A.N. sent to the United States are all gay?”
Ryan paused his chewing. “Ma’am?”
Roper leaned forward. “I love the country bumpkin routine, Ryan, but you know as well as we do that they are all gay. They’ve come to clean up the man eaters first. Then, they will collect the rest of us…the survivors. They are already using our people, or what’s left of us, to rebuild army bases.”
Ryan set his food down. “We are aware, ma’am, but it changes nothing about the way we are to proceed. They are the enemy, plain and simple, and we have a plan of action to fight back.”
“Did that plan include getting blown to bits?” Einstein grumbled.
“What was your plan once you secured the destroyer? To attack the others? Take it to Hawaii?” Roper asked.
Ryan shrugged and bit into a bird leg of some sort. “Our job, before we got blown to bits, was to secure that ship and head back to Hawaii.”
“And now?”
Ryan shook his head. “Now, I have no clue how to complete my mission. My men and I don’t want to be stuck on the mainland. The horrors…the––”
“Then maybe we can help.”
Ryan looked at the people gathered around. “I’m open to suggestions, Miss Roper.”
“We have two people who understand the language. They can give us intel unlike anyone else...position, intent, all of it. They look like they belong. Why not go for broke? We can help you grab that ship if you agree to take my people to Hawaii with you.”
Ryan put his food down once more. “We?”
Roper gave the floor back to Dallas.
“We can help you fight for that ship, Chief. The military alone can’t win this war. It’s going to take every able-bodied American. The people you see in this room are those people, and I say if we can grab that destroyer, for you, then the least you can do is get my people to safety.”
“Grabbing it is one thing, ma’am. Sailing them is another thing altogether. There are only twelve of my guys here healthy enough to do that.”
“Right now. What if we could help you? What if we could get control of the ship and get it out of the Bay? What would it be worth to you?”
Ryan tilted his head as he thought. “I suppose it’s worth a try.”
Dallas leaned back. “If you can get that ship under American control, then we can move on with our plans to get the hell out of here.”
Ryan wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Ma’am, I’m gonna need some time to talk this over with my men if you don’t mind.”
Dallas nodded. “Of course. Take all the time you need. Just understand that you’re not looking at some ragtag group of wanna-be warriors. You’ve only seen a fraction of what my people are capable of. We can kick some serious ass.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
As he started off, Dallas called him back. “Have you heard about that one ship in the Gulf that was blown to smithereens about nine months ago?”
“Everyone has, ma’am.”
“Well, that was us.”
Ryan tried not to smile, but was unsuccessful as he backed away from the table. “Seriously? You guys are like folk heroes or something.”
“Or something. Look, you go talk to your people. If you want help, great. If not, then we will move forward with our plans. But one way or another, we’re taking that ship.” Dallas and Roper left him to talk to his people so she could talk to hers.
“Let’s discuss this,” Dallas said, motioning for everyone to join her. She waited for everyone to crowd around before starting. “I know you all have questions, but there’s a method to my madness.”
The group crowded closer as she continued. “Taking the destroyer gives us a way out…a viable ride away from the mainland. We can protect ourselves from that ship. We don’t have to worry about getting shot out of the water, nor do we have to worry about trying to sail multiple boats across the ocean to Hawaii.”
“We don’t necessarily need the Marines to do it, though.” This came from Roper.
Dallas shook her head. “None of us know how to operate a ship like that, but these SEALs do. We need them. They need us. Together, we just might make it out of here in one piece.”
Einstein raised his hand and spoke to the group. “If we help take the destroyer, then those of us who wish to live out the remainder of our lives on the islands will be afforded that chance. Each of you can choose to stay in Hawaii or move on to Guam with the rest of us.”
Most of the group nodded.
“Hear, hear! I could live in Hawaii the rest of my life.”
“Any place but here,” someone interjected.
Several others agreed.
“Seems fair to me,” Roper said. “We deserve as much.”
“So, in exchange for helping them take the destroyer, we get to hitch a ride to Hawaii with them?” someone in the group asked.
Dallas nodded. “For those who wish to go.”
The crowd murmured among themselves.
“What about you? Will you go to Hawaii with those who want to go?” someone else asked.
Dallas took hold of Roper’s hand. “Roper, Einstein, Zoe, Akiko, Hunter, and I talked about it last night and we have decided we’d rather not be in the United States at all.”
The group was perplexed. “Wait. You aren’t coming with us?”
Shaking her head, Dallas said, “I’m afraid not. We’re going to grab that yacht we saw in the marina and make our way to south….maybe to the Polynesian islands or somewhere there’s a lot of small islands to choose from and no virus.”
There was a slight panic in the group, so Roper raised her hand to silence everyone. “We have gone together as far as we can go. It is time for each of us to choos
e our own way, much the same as Butcher did. You will all be safer in Hawaii. Dallas needs a break from leading, a break from being responsible for so many lives. This wasn’t a decision she made lightly. Our original family,” Roper nodded toward Einstein and Zoe, “needs rest. You’ll all be fine once you get to Hawaii. We’d just rather go some place a bit more…isolated.”
“What if we want to come with you?”
“As sweet as that is, it’s just not feasible for us to try to move this many that far in a yacht. You all will be much safer on the destroyer,” Roper said.
Dallas finished answering more questions as Ryan approached the group. “Ma’am? We talked about it and we think you folks would be a bonus. The truth is, we’re gonna need a whole lotta hands to operate this baby and get back to Hawaii before anyone is none the wiser, so I don’t see taking ya’ll a problem at all.”
Dallas extended her hand. “Then you have a deal, Chief.”
As Ryan shook her hand, Roper leaned over to him and whispered, “If you or your men renege on this deal, I will personally gut you like a fish.”
Ryan didn’t miss a beat. “And ma’am, I’d have it coming. I’ve talked to that one Japanese woman about my men. I think she may have saved their lives. We didn’t know Stinger had took a frag. She’s taken it out and he’s already looking better. You saved my men, so you won’t be gutting me, ma’am. I sure as hell hope to see you gutting the men on that destroyer.”
“Well sailor, you just might get that chance.”
“You got a plan, Ma’am? I mean, no offense and all, but we need something bigger than rifles if we’re gonna take on a destroyer.”
“You mean, like maybe a bomb?”
He looked at her.
Dallas chuckled. “I think I have just the thing.”
Stepping off the larger of the boats they’d come to Alcatraz in, Roper swung her rifle around front. “Gotta say, I can’t believe we’re doing this.”
Zoe nodded. “No shit. We’ve done some crazy things in the past, but this? This takes the cake.”
“It’s a great idea,” Dallas replied, pulling out her machetes. “Yes, it’s counter-intuitive to what we’ve been doing this past year, but it’s a brilliant way of disposing of the crew without ever having to fire a weapon. Those hazmatters knew what they were doing. We just need to improvise a bit and we might just be able to pull this whole thing off.”
Pedal to the Metal (Riders of the Apocalypse Book 4) Page 22
