Even Zombie Killers Need a Break

by Alex McHale

  The pallets went out first, off the back ramp. They would drop directly onto the port grounds, showing an IR beacon so we didn’t have to haul them from the Drop Zone. A slow turn back out over lower New York Harbor and the pilot lined up on our DZ.

  Over the rush of air from the slipstream and the droning engines, the Crew Chief yelled to me “THIRTY SECONDS!” I felt that icy knot build up in my stomach, happened no matter how many times I had done this before, and then the light turned green.

  Chapter 12

  One thing I loved about the Zombie Apocalypse, and I won’t deny it, was how dark it got at night. With very few places using electricity, you could see the stars burning in the night sky. They distracted me for a moment as I looked up to check my canopy. Then I looked down and counted chutes. We were dropping from 500 feet above ground level, and that ground came up awfully fast.

  One, two, three … I reached six. Dammit! Below me in the moonlight I saw a body plummeting towards earth, spread eagle, his chute a tangled mess. His reserve chute came out, but he still hit hard, with a sickening crunch I could hear from several hundred feet away.

  As soon as I was on the ground and had gathered up my chute, I jogged over to where the figure still lay prone. Doc was already bent over him, giving him a quick once over. Around me, the team gathered in a circle, pulling 360 degree security.

  “It’s Desen. Compound fracture of the right leg.” grunted Doc as he worked to cut off Desen’s pant leg. He untied his boot, then put on a rough splint. “We’re going to have to carry him.”

  He lay there groaning as Doc shot him up with some morphine. “Don’t worry about it, trooper. You just sit tight and we’ll get you out of here once we’re done with the scout.”

  Ziv came over and looked down at Desen, then turned to me.

  “If he compromises us, we kill him, yes?”

  In the darkness, I doubt he could see my expression, but I’m sure he could tell from the tone of my voice how pissed I was.

  “He’s my troop. I decide what happens to whom. Got it? Now get back to your position.”

  “Sure, boss. Whatever you say.” He shuffled back to his position in the circle. What the hell? Yeah, sometimes we had to do things that you wouldn’t consider in the old world. But you don’t freaking talk about it right in front of the guy. .

  “OK. Ahmed and Killeen, you two carry him, the rest, split up his gear. Let’s go.” Way to start off a mission.

  We set off towards the Northwest. In our NVG’s we could see the infrared strobe from the two pallets that had dropped down before us, directly onto the container yard. Brit led on point, stopping every few hundred meters to listen for any Zombie howls. The place was eerily silent, and I hoped it would stay that way. The day before, a US Navy destroyer, the USS Reuben James, had bombarded the other side of Staten Island for more than an hour with its 76mm main gun. Hopefully the noise had drawn off most of the Zs present. They were scheduled to provide Naval gunfire support if we needed it, but small caliber Naval guns didn’t have much effect on zombies. Rumor had it that the USS New Jersey, one of the old Iowa class battleships, was being refitted to fire 16 inch BB rounds. Last year we had scouted and raided the Watervliet Arsenal, with engineers stripping out all the machine tools and sending them back west. Meanwhile, we made do.

  Brit made it to the gate at the container yard without encountering a single Z and we quickly cut a hole in the fence. Each of us slid through, dragging Desen on a collapsible stretcher.

  “Brit, Ahmed, Red, you scout out the closest building. Clear it, and then report back to me. Killeen, Ziv, and I will go to the next closest. Doc, stay here with Desen, be ready to move to whichever we decide forts up best.”

  Brit and her team took off running towards a building that looked like it was the operations center for the place. We passed them just as Ahmed fired into the door lock with a loud cough and they piled into the first room.

  Our target building was a large garage. I didn’t expect much trouble there, but I wanted to keep an eye on Ziv and Killeen.

  The first door we tried was open, and we cautiously stepped into the deeper darkness. Through my NGVs, I immediately saw the softly glowing heat shapes of two zombies stumbling towards us, attracted by the noise. I sighted down my rifle to shoot, and my optics were suddenly obscured by the bright heat source of a warm, live body. I felt, more than heard, one of my team members run past me.

  I dropped my rifle barrel down to the floor and watched as Ziv rushed them and swung left, then right, knocking them both across their skulls with a three pound hammer. He spit on them and muttered something, then came stalking back to us.

  Ignoring Ziv, Killeen and I continued to sweep the rest of the building, coming up empty.

  “Outside, let’s go.” I kept my voice tight, but I was furious.

  In my ear, Brit’s voice crackled over the radio. “Building clear. Three Zulus down. Looks like a good place to fort up, over.”

  “Roger, be there in two mikes, over.”

  “Roger, out.”

  We stepped outside and I stopped Ziv.

  “Ziv, hang on a second.”

  He stood silently. Killeen kept walking, not wanting to be part of the conversation he knew was coming.

  “Let’s get something straight. We aren’t glory hounds. We’re not here to kill every zombie on earth. We’re here to scout. That means doing the job quick and at the least risk to ourselves. I know you have been living on your own, surviving for years now, but we are a team. Do you understand?”

  “Are you coward, Nick?”

  Was this guy shitting me? Coward? I took a deep breath.

  “No, Ziv, I’m not a coward. No one on this team is, but we have one job to do, and I want every one of us to come back alive. That means you work as part of a team, or I leave your ass here on Staten Island. Do you understand me?”

  He snorted, then sighed. “Yes, I understand. You Americans, such technology whores, so weak. But I will do as you say.”

  “Good. You’re a good fighter. We can use you, but go off on your own again, and I’ll put a bullet in you. True story.”

  “It’s been done before, and I am still here.”

  “Me too, Ziv. Listen, we need you, and the time for lone wolf is over. This conversation is done.” I turned my back and left him standing there.

  I keyed the mike to raise Brit. “Brit, take Red, get over to the pallets, get the supplies, see if you can get some transport running.”

  “Roger that.”

  “Ahmed, you and Killeen have overwatch. Ziv and I will be there in a minute to start forting up. Tell Doc to keep an eye on Desen.”

  I headed over towards the office building, not looking back to see if Ziv was following. In the East, the sky was starting to lighten.

  Chapter 13

  Sunrise brought a wind, like it always did. The air was full of pollen, and Brit started sneezing as she pulled up in a pickup truck, the back filled with supplies from the two pallets. We had included spare car batteries, a foot pump, Fix-A-Flat, gasoline, everything needed to get two or three vehicles running. She had found a fairly new Ford F-300 pickup with a winch on front. She knew what to look for.

  We quickly unloaded and started forting up the building. It was two stories, and we started by boarding up the windows with plywood and two by fours. The generator, running quietly with a special muffler, had sandbags around it to further dampen the sound. Doc ran an air-powered nail gun, tacking up the plywood. The sound of hammers would carry too far in the summer air. Ahmed ran a steel escape cable from the roof out to the nearest building while Red and Ziv worked on demolishing the stairway up to the second floor.

  On the roof, Killen sat in overwatch with Brit on the spotting scope, watching for Zs that might come stumbling into the yard. Occasionally a muted pop came from the end of Killeen’s rifle, and I could hear Brit calling out spottings. She leaned over and called down to me “Hey Nick, this guy really can handle a rifle. I think
I might like him to show me how he handles his gun.” I gave her a salute and she started sucking on her finger. Grrrrrrrr.

  We took a break at 1200 and sat down to figure out our next step. Our mission was to see what shape the container yard was in. From first look, it was a wreck. Next to some of the cranes, I could see the bow of a half-sunken freighter rising over the edge of the docking area. That we already knew about from satellite recon, and it was the Navy’s problem. Our interest was in the cranes themselves and the loading bays for the trucks. We had been tasked with getting a complete rundown on how workable they were, and I expected it to take about two full days. If we had the time.

  I expected the undead would start showing up tonight, so we had to hustle.

  “OK, we have two things to accomplish. Desen is stable, and he can shoot. He stays here. Killeen, he’s your teammate, you keep an eye on him. Ahmed stays here, so the two of you can provide rotating overwatch. Red is staying also.” He was currently up on the roof, keeping an eye out. “Start into shifts, Red and Ahmed, Killeen and Desen.”

  Doc spoke up. “I’m not sure Desen is up for it. I think he might have a broken rib, but I can’t be sure without an x-ray.”

  “I’m alright. I can fight.” said Desen, then started coughing. “Ow. Fuck, that hurts. Someone gimme a smoke.” Brit handed him a cigarette and he drew it down to the filter, then lay back and passed out.

  “Like I said, Desen is out of it.”

  “OK, then. Can you three handle providing overwatch on the gate area and cover us as we scout?”

  Ahmed nodded. “We can do that.”

  I turned to Brit and Ziv. “You two will be coming with me. First things first, the cranes. I’m not sure how we can tell if they’re working without any power, but we can inspect the cables and machinery. Ziv, do you have any engineering experience?” I wanted to bring him into the team. His loner attitude bothered me, and the more useful I could make him, the better.

  “In parachute regiment, we learn how to build things so we can blow them up. Mostly bridges, some buildings. Machinery, no.”

  “OK, well, if you see anything out of place, anything, let one of us know.” I turned to Brit.

  “Camera, pictures of EVERYTHING.”

  “You betcha, Chiefarooney.”

  Ziv barked out a laugh, short and harsh. Brit shot me a “sorry” look.

  “OK, check your ammo, make sure you have water, any extras you want to bring. SP is in fifteen mikes. Poop or piss or smoke, whatever you gotta do. Remember, we won’t be more than 500 meters from the fort. Stay away from the edge of the docks, I’m not jumping in after anyone. Again.”

  Chapter 14

  Doc jumped up and said “1200 BBC news!”

  Ahmed spoke up. “Can we get it on the SINCGARS down here?”

  “No, we would have to use the Harris radio if they were broadcasting on those freqs, but they aren’t. Brothe,r this comes courtesy of the US Navy, broadcasting on the AM radio. Just started last week, up and down the east coast. Lady and gentlemen, AM 890, WUSN!”

  He walked over to the pickup truck and turned on the radio. We gathered around just as he tuned it in.

  “…the BBCNews. The Allied Expeditionary Force launched its first area-clearing drive. British, Free French, and Spanish Exile army units started moving forward from Gibraltar into Southern Spain. Latest reports have them driving ten miles and establishing a defensive line. General Sir Richard Trask, Allied Forces Commander, said casualties had been light, and were on timeline to be in Madrid by September.

  A Russian nuclear submarine surfaced outside US territorial limits in Hawaii on Tuesday, requesting asylum. This is the third Russian Navy unit to sail to the United States after the fall of Vladivostok two months ago. The Russian government in exile has issued a general order for national military units to turn themselves into the nearest Allied military base.

  In Asia, United States surveillance satellites detected three nuclear detonations in the Himalayan Mountain region of southwestern China. All communication with official Chinese government sources have ceased since these detonations.”

  I watched Ziv’s face as we listened to the broadcast. His normal expressionless mask was turning into a deep scowl.

  “… merican Airborne troops have launched directly from securing the Mexican oil fields to an Airborne assault to secure the locks of the Panama Canal Zone. The 82nd Airborne Division, supplemented by elements of the 3rd Canadian Light Infantry Division landing by ship, are fighting their way through Panama City. Casualties are reported to be heavy.

  Other American forces are reported to be making progress in an effort to approach New York City, reaching the Military Academy at West Point. A rail line has been reopened between Albany and Buffalo.”

  Brit jumped up and waved her arm in the air. “Hey, that’s us!!!! Woot woot, Zombie Killers in the house!”

  We all grinned at her antics, then Doc shushed us. “Shut it, you foolish woman!” he snapped as Brit continued doing a war dance around the truck.

  “…nited Nations Agricultural Bureau has forecast another year of food shortages, despite intensive planting in the Pacific Northwest of North America and the United Kingdom. UN estimates have placed the total world population at five hundred million, worldwide.This has been the World News from the BBC.”

  Ziv had walked away before the news ended and sat at the doorway. I walked over and sat down next to him.

  “Guess you haven’t had much news over the last few years, huh?”

  He sat smoking a cigarette, then taking a swig from a flask. Ordinarily I would have said something about the alcohol, but not right now.

  “It is all gone, no?”

  “Europe? Yeah, pretty much. England is OK, they took in a lot of refugees in. There were some pretty bad riots a year or so in, but they have it under control now. Some of the Scandinavian islands, parts of Denmark. Africa, is, well, Africa.”

  “Serbia?”

  “No one has heard anything out of Central Europe in two years. Did you have a lot of family there?”

  He nodded. “We Serbs have big families.”

  Standing up, he ground the cigarette out and capped the flask, then started checking his weapons.

  “Well, at least all those bastard Croats and devil Bosnian pagans are burning in hell now. I always thought I would go back and we would finish the job, but God has beaten me to it.”

  I had nothing to say to that. As far as I could recollect, the Serbs had as much blood on their hands as any of them, if not more. Whatever. That feud was ended, after a thousand years. Death and the Zombie Plague treated everyone as equals.

  Chapter 15

  In the end, the container yard was a bust. Not a Z to be seen, and our main objective, the cranes that lifted the containers from the ships to the trucks, sat mute. From everything we could tell, they seemed in good condition, but I couldn’t answer the Navy’s main question of whether they worked or not. I had brought up that specific point when we were getting our mission brief, but I was told to just do my best. Of course, when I reported this, they blew their stack.

  “Swabbie six niner, this is Lostboys six, over.”

  “Lostboys, use proper callsigns, over.”

  I ran my finger down the Signal Operating Instructions that I had taped to my forearm.

  “Ah, Rapier seven two, this is Lostboys six, over.”

  “This is Rapier six, you are sending unsecure, please authenticate, over.”

  Great, the frigging admiral in charge of the Navy Task Force was sitting off New York Harbor, and he wanted me to send different word codes to make sure I was really me. Who the hell else would be calling him? Plus, he was a jerk anyway, which I knew from personal experience.

  “Rapier six, I authenticate your daughter has a birthmark on her right breast, just below her nipple, over.”

  Brit shot me a dirty look. I grinned at her. “Hey, you weren’t the only one to have a good time in Bermuda last year.”
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  The radio stayed silent for a minute, then the fleet executive officer came on. “Roger, Lost Boys, this is Rapier five, I also can confirm. Send your traffic, over.” Ha ha, that would be Captain Reynolds. Fighter pilot, good guy, and man, could he drink.

  I gave them the quick lowdown on the terminal. The loading docks were all secure, buildings looked good, but we were unable to determine if the cranes worked without power, as we had said in our initial briefing.

  “Lost Boys, this is Rapier Six. What do you mean you can’t determine if they work, over?” He sounded pissed.

  “I mean without a massive generator to tie into the power infrastructure, there is no way to determine. They look functional, over.”

  Captain Reynolds came back online.

  “Lost Boys, what is your tactical situation, over?”

  “Rapier, we are secure at this time. When can we expect exfill, over?”

  “Twenty- four to thirty-six hours, unless your situation deteriorates. QRF is tied up in Philadelphia, over.”

  Great. Would have been nice if they could have come and get us right away.

  “This is Lost Boys, twenty- four to thirty-six, out.”

  I gathered the team around. Killeen was up on the roof, pulling overwatch.