In the Lone and Level Sands

by David Lovato

  “Oh, did you steal it?” Jared said, eyes wide.

  “No, I was an EMT before this mess,” Stephanie replied.

  “Oh, interesting.”

  “I lost my partner back in the bathroom of the place.” Stephanie put a hand on the table. She felt Jason’s clutch hers gently, and continued. “We got away all right. We were in the Cardigan for almost a week before you showed up. We’re really lucky.”

  “You were in a torn-up wedding dress,” June said to Vanessa. “It must have been horrible.”

  “It was, but I try not to think about it too often. My husband was a good person, but I like to think he’s in a better place now.”

  “I’m so sorry,” June said.

  “There’s no need to apologize, but thank you.”

  “Where did you two come from?” Jason asked.

  “Wisconsin,” Jared said. “We were at a military base. There was an… incident.”

  “They shot Jared!” June said. “Not them, another soldier. They said it was just friendly fire… It was horrible!”

  “Some of the guys from Fort Knox were flying in to check up, and they said the place wouldn’t last another day, so they brought us all here. We were on the last flight out.”

  “Have you heard anything about what these things are?” Evan asked.

  “Nothing helpful,” June said. “From what I can tell, they don’t look any different than us. There’s just something horribly wrong with them.” She lowered her voice. “You know what I think?”

  “What’s that?” Cynthia said.

  “I think the military is behind this. Maybe it’s some biological weapon.”

  “Okay, this conversation just took a turn for the worse,” Daisy said. She rolled her eyes.

  “What else could it have been, then? If not the military’s deed, then whose? God’s?”

  “Look, let’s forget about who’s responsible for them,” Stephanie said. “We should focus on the present. Not the past. We’re safe now, this place is secure.” June and Daisy both nodded.

  “Thank you,” Eugene said. “Might’ve given me a headache!”

  “You got some meds for that?” Jason asked. “Cause I already have one.”

  The others continued eating, but Evan stared at his food. Something had made Mal sick. He wondered how secure Fort Knox really was.

  ****

  Sleep hadn’t been coming easily to Evan, so at nearly eleven o’clock, he went to the rec room to watch TV. There was nothing but snow on the screen until Evan inserted a DVD of Seinfeld. Evan had a laugh or two, and before long, Aimes found his way into the rec room.

  “Hey there,” Aimes said.

  “Oh, hi, Matt,” Evan said. “How are you?”

  “That’s a hard question, I think.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Never mind. How are you?”

  “I’m coping. I’m fine. Things are looking up.”

  “No pain?”

  “No, not really.” Evan noticed Aimes’s hands were shaking. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “How’s Clark?” Evan said. Aimes eyed him oddly. “Your friend?”

  “Oh… Hey, you seem like a level-headed man, Evan. Can I tell you something?”

  “Sure. What’s up?”

  “Last night there was a problem. It was bad.” Aimes’s eyes started to shine with tears.

  “Just tell me. There’s no need to drag it out.”

  “Clark and some of the other soldiers… We were messing around, drinking.”

  “Okay,” Evan said. “That’s not it, is it?”

  Aimes shook his head. “We were just trying to kill some of the guilt I guess, especially Bogart.”

  “Oh, Adrian. That’s the guy who was friends with the soldier who… Who shot me, right?”

  “Yeah. He had to have his stomach pumped. He drank so much, a lot more than Clark and I. Still, we had a little too much to drink. It was stupid of us. We heard some slamming on the door. Clark thought it might be survivors who needed help. He went and opened the door and let the things in.”

  “Oh my God,” Evan said.

  “There weren’t many, but three got inside.”

  “You killed them, I would hope, and shut the door?”

  “Yeah, but one of them got Clark.”

  “I’m… sorry. I’m really sorry.”

  “I just feel so guilty.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Evan said. “I’m not going to mince words. Alcohol was not a good thing to have so close to an entrance, but it’s a horrible thing that happened. It’ll be okay, though.”

  “It has to be,” Aimes said. “I still need to get back to my family.”

  “I think you should.”

  “Yeah. The other day, I talked to your wife and her friend. My wife Julie is pregnant. She and her sister Stacy are back in Wyoming. They’re staying at their parents’ mansion. I have to get back to them, but I have obligations to my country.”

  “Honestly, I find it very noble that you hold your country so dearly, but you’ve got to think about your priorities. I know it’s hard, but if I were you, it would be my family on the top of the list. It is for me. Do what you feel you need to do, but think about it. Okay?”

  “…You’re right,” Aimes said. “I think I’ll leave soon. Julie’s gotta be worried sick. That is, if she’s still okay.”

  “She is.” Evan put a hand on Aimes’s shoulder. “I’ll bet she’s sitting up in that big house, waiting for you. She must be worried. Believe me, that kind of stress on an unborn baby isn’t good. You need to get back to her and your child as soon as you can.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Don’t mention it,” Evan said with a smile.

  “Hey, about what I told you,” Aimes said, “I just had to tell someone. You won’t let people know about what happened last night, will you?”

  “I won’t tell a soul, but people will wonder what happened to Clark.”

  “Yeah. We’ve gone on a few supply runs since this started… It wasn’t hard to convince people an accident caused Clark’s death.”

  “Of course not,” Evan said. “It was an accident, after all.”

  “Thanks. And thanks for listening to me.”

  Evan smiled. “Don’t mention it. Hey, you like Seinfeld?”

  ****

  On Independence Day, two soldiers sat in the control room of one of the base’s docking points.

  “How long have they been gone?” Private McAvoy asked Lance Corporal Barry. They were waiting for a Humvee that had gone out on a scouting run.

  “Maybe a couple hours. They’ll be fine. They know what they’re doing.” Barry took a swig from a Mountain Dew can.

  “That seems like long enough to me,” McAvoy said. “It’d be easier if we had radio.”

  “Well, we don’t, and we’ll just have to accept that. Look, I know these guys. They’re tough, and they’ll get back okay.”

  “Hopefully soon.” McAvoy looked out through the small window of the control booth at the large, metal door to the dock. “And I hope we don’t have any more problems with that damn door.”

  “They will, and the door will be fine.” Barry shook his head. “It’s been fixed. Stop your worrying, McAvoy, okay?” He took another gulp of his soda.

  “I will. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. I know sitting here doing nothing isn’t helpful. You wanna play Speed, or something?”

  “Sounds fun. You got a deck of cards?”

  “Always,” Barry said. He reached into the breast pocket of his shirt.

  The two of them set up the cards. Pretty soon, the game had gotten their minds off of the Humvee, and they were enjoying themselves with little worry. Neither of them checked the camera feed during their game.

  A few games later, even over the faint moaning outside, McAvoy heard a large vehicle. “Hey, Barry, you hear that?”

  “I think so,” Barry said. “It must be them.”

&nb
sp; McAvoy looked at the screen and saw nothing but the outside of the dock. There were a few zombies in view, but no Humvee. “Nothing yet, but it sounds like it’s getting closer.”

  “Well, don’t open the door until we get a clear shot of them. We don’t need any accidents.”

  They set down their cards and listened. It wasn’t long before Barry and McAvoy saw the front bumper of the Humvee pull into view. They even saw the driver; he waved to the camera.

  “All right, I think we’re good to go,” Barry said. “Get ready.”

  “Okay,” McAvoy replied. He reached for a button. It clicked, and the door began opening slowly. It was squeaky as it rose. A few zombies ducked and crawled and hurried in awkwardly, but the soldiers inside picked them off.

  “What the fuck’s keeping the door?” the driver asked.

  “It was broken, but it should be fixed!” Barry said.

  More zombies rushed toward the door, which seemed to be slowing with every inch. One climbed onto the Humvee; it pounded on the exterior, growling loudly. Barry and McAvoy shot at the zombies running toward them. One in a jumpsuit, a child, an older woman. When there was a lapse, McAvoy looked beyond the Humvee.

  “I think we’ve got a big problem,” he said.

  “What?”

  “If we don’t get this thing in here and close the fucking door, we’ll have more than we can handle!” He pulled Barry’s arm, motioning for Barry to take a look.

  “Fuck!” Barry said, then turned to the driver. “Hey, why didn’t you tell us you were being followed? We’re screwed if we can’t get this door shut!”

  “I was hoping to be in already!” the driver said. He motioned to a soldier in the passenger seat. “What are you doing? Get out and shoot those bastards! You guys in the back, too! I’ve gotta get this bitch in!”

  The available soldiers opened fire on the oncoming horde. Dozens of zombies rushed toward the dock as the Humvee inched its way inside the base. The door was nearly open, but it sounded as if it would give out at any moment.

  “I’m going to get backup!” McAvoy said. Barry nodded. McAvoy dashed out of the dock and down a few corridors. It wasn’t long before he found some other soldiers. When they saw the bewildered, sweating soldier running at them, they stopped walking.

  “There’s been a…” McAvoy said. He stopped to catch his breath. “A breach. We’re being invaded at dock D! We need your help at the breach now!” They hurried off, and McAvoy went to gather others.

  He was able to get at least a dozen backup personnel and head back to dock D. More and more zombies made their way in. Many were killed, but some got past the fire and drew closer to the soldiers, eventually overtaking those closest to the door. Soldiers farther back shot the zombies off of their fallen friends. More soldiers entered the dock to help, but even more zombies entered the base.

  McAvoy was about out of hope, and then the Humvee finally cleared the door.

  “Close the door, McAvoy!” Barry said. “We’re clear!”

  McAvoy’s spirits lifted an inch as he ran to the control booth. He pressed a button, and the door began to shut. It did so slightly faster than it had opened, but still not fast enough. McAvoy heard the screams of his fellow soldiers, the screeching of zombies as they were shot.

  McAvoy’s heart stopped when the door did. It was as if the stupid thing had just given up. It was halfway open, and zombies were still running their way.

  He knew then that it was over, but not everyone had to die. The civilians had come to Fort Knox for safety, and they deserved a chance. McAvoy poked back into the control room and went to the P.A. system. He picked up the microphone, pressed a button, and addressed the residents of Fort Knox.

  “May I have everyone’s attention.” He was more scared than he had been in his entire life. “I regret to inform you that we have had a breach at dock D. We are doing the best we can to control the situation.”

  People all around the base stopped what they were doing when they heard the desperation in Private Robert McAvoy’s voice. In the mess hall, sandwiches dropped onto plates, spoons clattered to the tables. People in their rooms jolted from books and conversations.

  “The cause of the breach is a jammed dock door. We are looking at a possible end to Fort Knox. No one panic, please. Civilians, get everyone in your groups together, and find the nearest military personnel. Everyone, please remain calm, and everything will—”

  McAvoy saw zombies at the door to the control booth. He leaned in to shut the door, but the zombies jumped him. He screamed and tried to shoot, but missed and hit the control room window, shattering it.

  Evan and the others were in the rec room when the announcement came over the loud speaker, and so was Aimes. He had gone there to say his goodbyes.

  Mal began crying when she heard McAvoy’s screams over the speaker, and especially when she heard the ravenous moans of the zombies. Evan grabbed Mal and hugged her.

  “It’s all right, it’s all right.” He and Cynthia exchanged worried glances.

  “What the hell are we going to do?” Daisy said to Aimes.

  “How close are we to this breach?” Jason asked. “How close is dock D?”

  “It’s not far from here,” Aimes said. “But I have an idea. There’s an armory. The problem is, it’s right near dock D. We’ll be heading toward the breach, but we can get weapons, and we can head past dock D and take a Humvee out of dock C.”

  The survivors exchanged glances.

  “It’ll be dangerous,” Jason said.

  “So will leaving unarmed,” Evan replied.

  “Then we’ll just have to hurry,” Cynthia said. “Aimes, can you get us there?”

  “Yeah, but we need to go now.”

  “Come on, Mal!” Evan said. “I’ll carry you!”

  “Daddy, don’t let the monsters get me!”

  “I won’t, Mal!”

  Evan picked her up and the group left the rec room and headed down the hall. Aimes led them with his handgun drawn. People ran past them, trying to get to an exit before the zombies hit them like a tidal wave.

  After what seemed like too long, they arrived at the armory. There were guns in racks, military shields, grenades. A few people were inside, stocking up.

  “Take what suits you, everyone! You need to be able to protect yourselves. I’ll get you to the dock, and that’s where we part ways!”

  “Wait,” Evan said, grabbing a handgun. “You’re not coming with us?”

  “I’m going to meet my wife at the estate. Consider getting you guys out safely my last mission.”

  “Of course. Thank you.”

  Jason motioned to a rifle. “How does this work?”

  “If you have to ask that question, take a different gun,” Aimes said. He grabbed a handgun, loaded it, then handed it to Jason, along with a few magazines. “Just load the clip into the bottom until it clicks. Make sure the safety’s off, and you’re good to go!”

  Jason nodded nervously, but accepted the gun. “I think I got it.”

  “We need to go,” Stephanie said.

  “Are you all ready?” Aimes asked. Everyone was, so they left the armory with the weapons and ammo and continued their trek.

  More people were rushing toward them, trying to find an exit. One of them bumped into Stephanie, knocking her down.

  “Hey!”

  “Get the fuck out of my way, bitch! You’re gonna get me killed!”

  “Don’t you fucking talk to her that way, asshole!” Jason said.

  “Jason, I’m fine, please—”

  The man turned around and flipped Jason off. Jason lifted his gun and fired. At the last second, reason got the better of him and he moved, sending a bullet into the wall inches from the man’s head.

  “Jason!” a few of them said. The rest, along with other bystanders, gasped.

  “Let’s go!” Jason said. He was breathing much heavier as he tried to help Stephanie up. She pulled away from him. “I’m sorry… It was just a snap re
action. I didn’t mean it, Steph—”

  “Just forget it,” Daisy said. “We need to get out of here!”

  Jason said nothing, but hurried alongside Stephanie. She said nothing as well, and didn’t even look at him. The group moved on.

  When they saw zombies running toward them instead of people, the survivors knew they had reached dock D. Eugene and Aimes each carried a shotgun, and they moved to the front of the group and opened fire. Evan ran with a crying Mal in his arms. Cynthia ran at his side, still as close as she could manage. The zombies kept coming, some knocked down by faster ones behind them.

  Eugene stopped to reload. A zombie grabbed his gun, another grabbed his arm and brought its jaws down on his skin. Eugene screamed out of fear, and then out of pain. Blood shot from his arm as the zombie dug deeper.

  Zombies filled the hallway ahead of them. Aimes reloaded.

  Eugene gave the zombie at his arm a hard shove, then looked at Evan for only a moment. Then, Eugene swung his arm at the oncoming zombies, splashing blood over them. All of their attention turned to him.

  “Hey, over here!” Eugene said. He ran off, away from his friends, and nearly all of the zombies followed.

  “Oh my God!” Vanessa said.

  “I’m sorry,” Aimes said. He and the others took out the remaining zombies, then pressed on with heavy hearts.

  The survivors passed the door to dock D. More zombies emerged from it, and some followed them. Vanessa was near the back of the group, and she ran as quickly as she could, but some of the zombies caught up. The first one, a man at least a foot taller than Vanessa, grabbed her hair with one hand and yanked. Vanessa screamed in pain. She struggled to get free. Daisy turned to help her, but Vanessa had come to a full stop, the tall man had bitten her arm, and several zombies had already passed her.

  “Just leave! You go ahead!” Vanessa said. The others reluctantly obeyed.

  They hurried into dock C and saw two Humvees. They almost seemed to shine. Zombies poured into the dock from the hall. Evan put Mal in one of the Humvees.

  “Stay in here!” he said. “We’ll leave soon, I promise!”