Brent Acuff - Undead Nation 03

by Revenge

  “Good,” Alex said putting the finishing touches on the last barricade between the ground and field house. “You and the others get some rest. Liam, Doc and I are on first watch.” Just as in times past, each man on the survey team immediately headed to their respective areas to rest and get refreshments. Donovan hung back.

  “So what’s going on with you and Liam?” Donovan asked.

  “We’re screwed,” Alex answered. “Liam and I are pretty sure that we’ve been found out. Just before we left the staging area, I got called to Commander Travis’. We had another package from our informant. Only trouble is, Commander Travis had opened it.”

  “Shit,” Donovan cursed. “What did he say.”

  “He knows something is up, but he doesn’t know just what.”

  “And you think he’ll find out?”

  Alex nodded. “If he does any digging, I’m pretty sure he’ll find out just about anything he wants. And to make things worse, I have a feeling that one of the airmen on that helicopter knows us.”

  “What makes you think that?” Donovan asked.

  “I don’t know,” Alex said. He shook his head and stared into the distance. “There was something that he said and the way he said it. I think he referred to me as Lieutenant Kemp, and when he informed us we were changing extermination zones, well,” Alex looked at Donovan with confusion across his face, “he seemed happy.”

  Donovan looked at Alex with a puzzled expression. “I’m not sure that proves anything, Alex.”

  “But you weren’t there, Donovan. Something wasn’t right.”

  A silence set in for a moment before Donovan spoke again. “It’s too bad you weren’t able to get a look at those papers…”

  “Oh I got those,” Alex interrupted and he removed the documents from his vest pocket. Donovan looked shock.

  “You looked at them yet?” Donovan asked. Alex shook his head. “Why don’t Hayden and I take a look at then while we wait for our watch. We’ll see if we can find anything useful.”

  “Appreciate it. Come find me if you find anything, and try to get some rest.”

  –—

  Four hours into the first watch a number of survivors had been located by Alex and his team. Few zombies had been seen in the area and none had been heard in the distance. So far, Terrell, TX was shaping up to be a cake walk. Alex pulled himself away from his binoculars when he heard someone approaching from behind. Donovan and Hayden didn’t look happy.

  “We’ve found a few things,” Donovan started. “There are some interesting stuff in here.”

  “Like what?” Alex asked, pushing himself up from his position.

  Donovan and Hayden knelt down next to Alex and passed him the papers. “By themselves, not too much,” Donovan said. “But considering everything else we’ve been talking about? I think Theresa might actually be onto something. See anyone you know?” he asked pointing at the top document.

  “Jonathan Hill,” Alex said to himself.

  “General Jonathan Hill,” Hayden corrected. “Looks like our friend here got himself promoted after the massacre of New Hope.”

  Donovan nodded. “And to make things way more interesting,” he pointed down the paper to the bottom signature. “That’s the signature of the second in command of the United States. Vice President Jackson Champion.”

  “‘I wake up a Champion every day….’ I remember the campaign slogans. And why is that significant?” asked Alex.

  “He survived,” Hayden snipped. “And he promotes Hill six months after the virus outbreak.”

  “Okay, but that doesn’t mean anything. Lots of people were lost after the initial outbreak, many of them military. It would only make sense that the acting President would promote people to fill any positions left vacant.” Alex studied the document, trying to put together the pieces.

  “Agreed,” Donovan said. “But there are other things that make it a little more interesting. Apparently General Hill was Vice President Champion’s security chief while in their safe zones.”

  “So, what? Hill and Champion are in cahoots?” Alex asked.

  Donovan shrugged his shoulders. “It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch, Alex. And look here,” Donovan shuffled the papers until he found the one he was looking for. “Here. Remember those vaccines Dr. Cahn was talking about? Here’s the executive order. Look who’s signature is on it.”

  Alex picked up the paper and studied it closely. “Vice President Champion,” he said under his breath. “So wait, what exactly are we talking about here? Are we talking about conspiracy?”

  “The bastards did it,” Hayden said, a little more forcefully than he expected. “Vice President Champion signed the papers to put the vaccines in place and some of those were designed to compromise specific secure locations so that he could assume command once the President was dead. Hill was his trigger man.”

  Alex stared at Hayden for a moment trying to sort him out. “Yeah, but all of that is pretty thin evidence.”

  “Not when you consider the Congressmen who were targeted and eliminated.” The voice startled everyone present. Dr. Cahn had snuck up on their conversation. Apparently he had heard quite a bit.

  “I’ve been thinking about the map we put together back in Tulsa, and all of the Congressmen who were compromised in the outbreak. Alex, as far as I can remember, most, if not all of those Congressmen, stood against the President and his administration for their policies and politics. It’s very possible that this,” and here Dr. Cahn spread his arms wide to encompass the entire area around them, “all of this, is nothing more than an attempt to gain power and eliminate one’s opposition.”

  All of the men sat silent, thinking carefully on what the doctor had proposed; no one wanted to think about the implications of what his suggestions would mean.

  “So if we are to believe what you have suggested, Dr. Cahn,” Alex said solemnly, “then the now leader of the United States, of the free world, has committed the greatest act of mass murder this world has ever seen.” Alex looked up at the doctor. Both of their eyes were stern, and both had come to the same conclusion.

  “Yes,” Dr. Cahn said, nodding in agreement. “That is exactly what I’m saying. There are too many coincidences to be just chance. I firmly believe that Vice President Champion is responsible for releasing the zombie plague upon this country.”

  Donovan shook his head, still not wanting to believe what he was being told. “But wait, what about other countries? Hasn’t this spread to other countries? If is has or hasn’t, does that change anyone’s beliefs about a conspiracy?” Donovan looked to each of the men in turn looking for an answer. “I’m not sure what I believe right now, and I’m just playing Devil’s Advocate, but what about it?”

  “I don’t think it would change my mind,” Hayden said, having set him mind on the guilt of General Hill and President Champion already. “I don’t see how the spread to other countries would prove or disprove anything. If the virus was contained to this country, then they would just say ‘Look at how well we contained this plague. We have saved every other country from dealing with this.’ Just makes them look better. And if it’s spread? That would just be counted off as a normal vector in this global economy. Any way you look at it, they’ve got their asses covered.”

  “Luke’s going to have a field day with this one,” Alex said under his breath.

  “So will Theresa,” Dr. Cahn reminded him. Alex’s eyes went wide and he nodded in agreement.

  “So where does all this leave us?” Hayden asked. Donovan shrugged, Dr. Cahn shook his head, but it was Alex who replied.

  “We do our job. That which we have been tasked to do for this time. We can’t come up with a plan if we still have doubts and missing information.”

  “I don’t have any doubts,” Hayden cut in quickly. “I’m not sure many of us will when they all find out about this.”

  Alex looked him in the eyes. “You may be right, but we can’t risk compromising us or our mission with the im
plications of all this. I’m going to ask each of you to keep all of this to yourselves and not tell anyone else what we have discussed. If anyone is off their game, none of us will make it back alive.”

  –—

  “They’ve breached the barricade!” Donovan yelled from behind.

  “Plug it!” Alex ordered. Immediately six team members turned on the breach and unleashed a barrage of gunfire. The dead stumbling through the breach dropped with each crack of their rifles, the numbers quickly piling up and plugging the hole. Once sufficiently achieved, the six returned to their original stations, desperately trying to thin the numbers of dead surrounding their location.

  “Where are the fucking helicopters?!” Alex yelled over the gunfire to Dr. Cahn and Martin Howard. The two men had been trying unsuccessfully to reach the Tulsa camp for some time.

  “No dice!” Martin yelled back. “We can’t get anyone on the wire! We’re stuck!”

  “Dammit!” Alex cursed and returned his attention to his line of fire. Two more pulls of the trigger dropped two more zombies.

  “I think we’ve been ditched!” Liam yelled to Alex. “I think you’re right; we’ve been had.”

  “I believe ‘fucked,’ was your expression,” Alex said jokingly. Neither of them laughed.

  Guns continued to crack as the Stryker team fought for their lives. No one talked and no one complained. Everyone worked like the machines they had trained to be and as people who were desperate to live. Minutes passed, then hours. Slowly the number of zombies thinned. Everyone just hoped that their ammunition would hold out long enough.

  “Clear!” Martin called from the south corner of the press box. “Clear,” called others as the Styker team cleared the perimeter of any immediate threats. Once all members of the team had checked in, everyone visibly relaxed before clearing their rifles and checking their equipment.

  “Ammo check,” Alex called. The numbers concerned everyone.

  Liam let out a low whistle. “Five hundred rounds? That’s not going to last us very long. Definitely not another fight like that one.” Heads nodded around the circle, and all eyes fell to Alex for direction. Alex stared at the ground, silent and lost in thought.

  “We have to tell them, Alex,” Hayden said. Alex’s head snapped up and he glared at Hayden.

  “We’ve been abandoned, Alex. They have the right to know.” Donovan’s look was stern and challenged Alex to go against him. Still Alex remained silent.

  “What are they talking about?” Theresa asked. “What aren’t you telling us?”

  “Commander Travis knows that we have been receiving sensitive information.”

  “JJ!” Alex yelled, stopping the doctor. He shook his head forcibly, but Dr. Cahn continued.

  “Travis knows something is up, but he doesn’t know what,” Cahn continued, never taking his eyes off Alex. “Yet. If he starts digging, he’ll find out.”

  “But worse than that,” Liam cut in. “Someone knows we’re from New Hope.” That revelation brought concerned murmurs from everyone. “One of the airmen from the helicopter that brought us in. I don’t know who he is or how he knows, but he does. And I’d be willing to bet that he is the reason we are still here.”

  “Where is our extraction?” Martin asked, a waver of fear in his voice. “I saw helicopters come in for the other Stryker teams. Where was ours?”

  “And where was the train, for that matter,” Jenero Croft added. “This whole mission went to hell pretty quickly after we landed. Do you think that it’s because of one guy thinking he knows who we are?”

  Alex nodded. “I do. If he was able to get word to someone with the ability to pull strings, then I think we have been abandoned here in the hopes we won’t make it back.”

  “How long have you known this, Alex?” Theresa accused. “Our lives were put in danger, and you didn’t think it important to let us know that we had been compromised?”

  “Knock it off, Theresa,” Donovan interrupted. “None of us knew anything until just a few hours ago. We decided, in the interest of keeping everyone focused on the task at hand, to keep the information quiet until we made it back to base camp.”

  “If we even made it back to camp,” Theresa sniped.

  “Then it really wouldn’t make a bit of difference, would it?” Donovan said with a touch of anger in his voice. “Nonetheless, we are here, without a way back, with minimal ammunition, and we’ve most likely been compromised. I think we’ve got more important issues than arguing about who knew what when.”

  “And just what ARE we going to do?” Jenero asked. “We can’t very well call in the cavalry or even a cab, and we can’t stay here. We have just enough food to last a couple days, and ammo for even less than that.”

  Alex smiled. “Anyone know where we can get a truck?”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Mutiny

  “Hey Alex,” Liam called quietly. The Stryker team huddled close to one another in the darkness, quietly surveying the fence encircling Camp Tulsa.

  “What?” Alex called back a little annoyed.

  “What’s that line from the Ocean’s Eleven movies? ‘You never pull the same scam twice. You go on to the next one.’”

  “Yeah. And?”

  Liam snickered. “Haven’t we already used a semi to get out of a tight spot before?” Alex rolled his eyes at his friend. Liam snickered again. “Just saying.”

  “Not funny,” Alex said trying to sound stern. His mouth cracked into a grin.

  Liam smacked Martin on the shoulder and whispered, “Funny, huh?” Martin rolled his eyes and shook his head before turning his attention back on the defenses ahead.

  Donovan crawled up next to Alex and Liam. “Do you think they’ll attack if we just walk in? I mean, now that we are here, how do we get back in, and do we even want back in?”

  “We don’t really have a choice about wanting to get in. We’re out of food and ammo. The only question is can we get in.” The trip back from Terrell, TX had taken over two full days and consumed most of their remaining ammunition. The trip had not been overly dangerous or hard, but traveling in these times took time and patience. As it was, Alex and the others had pushed the boundaries of safety in an effort to get back as soon as possible, but there was a fine line between pushing safety and being reckless.

  “Any bright ideas, funny man?” Alex could see Liam grinning like an idiot even in this darkness. He was probably going to do something stupid.

  “Just one,” he said. “Here, hold this.” Liam unclipped his rifle and tossed it to Alex. Taking his sidearm, he tossed it to Donovan. “Im going to go see how friendly they are.”

  Before anyone could say a word, Liam had pushed up from the ground and was out in the open. “Dammit, Liam. Get back here.” Alex cursed at the man, but he either couldn’t hear his whispered protest, or blatantly ignored it. Alex figured it was the second.

  “Unarmed friendly approaching,” Liam called. The clicks of soldiers chambering a round could be heard by everyone still under cover. Quickly the Stryker team spread wide and took aim at the multiple targets guarding the fence.

  “Halt there!” one of the men yelled to Liam. “Halt or we’ll shoot.” Liam did as directed, not wishing to provoke the men any more than he had.

  “I’m unarmed.”

  “Get on the ground! Get on the ground now!” Liam complied immediately, first kneeling, then lying face first on the ground.

  “Shit, Alex. One of them’s got a radio. Shit man, they’re calling us in.” Alex waived down Ronald’s concern while never taking his eye away from the rifle scope.

  A few long moments of tension passed as the Stryker team waited quietly to see what was going to happen. The Tulsa guard talked quickly into his radio, gesturing wildly with his hands. After what seemed an eternity, the lights of an approaching Hummer cut through the darkness. A uniformed officer stepped out of the vehicle before it had completely stopped and leaned close to get an update on the situation.

  Havin
g heard the necessary information, the officer approached the fence and called out to Liam.

  “Soldier, identify yourself.”

  Liam answered immediately and as loud as he could. “Sergeant Chad Orri, Alpha Stryker team, 3rd division. Serial number 2708-12377.”

  “And just what are you doing out here all by yourself, sergeant?”

  “The rest of my Stryker team is with me. I elected to come out to make sure we wouldn’t get shot.”

  A laugh greeted them from the Tulsa perimeter. “You just about did that very thing soldier. Before I ask the rest of your team to show themselves, please explain to me what you all are doing out there in the first place. We haven’t sent a Stryker force out in over a week.”

  “We were on that mission, sir,” Liam answered. “Position was overrun. We had to bug out, but couldn’t get back to the rendezvous in time for extraction.”

  “Soldier, that mission was down in Texas. How on earth did you get back?”

  Liam laughed. “That’s simple, sir. We drove.”

  “You what?” It was clear that the officer did not believe Liam.

  “We drove, sir. Procured a semi truck and trailer. Two and a half days travel.” The officer took a moment to consider what Liam had said before deciding what to do next.

  “Alright,” he finally said. “I’ll bite. Get on up out of the dirt and tell your buddies to come out, hands up, or we’ll have to defend ourselves. If you know what I mean.”

  “We do, sir.” Liam slowly pushed himself off the ground. He dusted himself off before turning in the general direction of the others and motioning for them to come out. Hands raised above their heads, the remainder of the Stryker team exited their hiding.

  “Come on up here to the fence,” the officer commanded. “Nice and slow if you wouldn’t mind. We’d hate to put you down.” the officer’s easy drawl had a calming effect on the members of the Stryker team. All of them believed what the officer said without question.

  “Now, just who is the leader of this rabble?”