"Stay here," Hobart whispered. Cautiously he continued down, keeping an eye on the windows as he descended, wanting to keep from being seen by the dead outside. Arriving at the bottom, he looked around the open area as he took cover behind a wall outcropping. While scanning the room, a thudding sound came from the window, and he quickly pressed himself back against the wall. Looking up at the others, he saw Connor holding up two fingers, indicating that there were two of them at the window.
"Did they see him?" Sara whispered as she slowly backed up the stairwell trying to stay out of sight.
"I don't think so, but I can't be sure," Jameson replied.
They got their answer a few seconds later as the two zombies moved slowly away from the window, continuing with their mindless search for living flesh.
Connor watched as the creatures moved on, so he motioned to Hobart letting him know they were no longer at the window.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Hobart nodded up to the young man and moved away from the wall. Still trying to keep hidden, he ventured out into the open area as he checked for any signs of trouble before bringing the others down to join him. Walking between the desks of the office area he moved cautiously hoping not to run into any former office workers who might now have a desire for human flesh. He laughed aloud as he thought about this, which helped keep the stress of the moment from overwhelming him. Making to the far end of the room he looked back toward the stairs and gave the others the thumbs up letting them know that it was relatively safe for them to come down.
The trio on the steps moved downward keeping a close watch on the windows as they proceeded. Once at the bottom, they quickly moved to join up with Hobart. They were about to continue their search when Sara let out a loud gasp, drawing everyone's attention to her.
Jameson moved to her, "What is it?" he asked clearly seeing the look of horror in her face.
"L…Look out there," she muttered, raising her shaking hand and pointing to the window.
Turning toward the window, they all saw the horrific sight that had her shivering in terror. A small girl, no more than ten years of age, was slowly stumbling by carrying an infant. She was ripping pieces of flesh from the baby, which to everyone's horror was still moving. "What the …," was all anyone could mutter as they stared at the child in utter disbelief.
Sara stared at the young zombie, unable to take her eyes off the horror she was seeing. She felt the scream begin to boil up from inside her and did everything in her power to keep it inside. Tears started to flow from her bright blue eyes, streaming down her cheeks as she stared at the unbelievable sight.
Connor was the first to look away, trying to get his mind back in the moment and off what had to be the most horrific thing he has ever seen. Grabbing his brother by the arm, he gave him a shake, snapping him out of his trance. "Come on, brother, you have to stop looking at it."
Jameson turned away, nodding his head at this brother. "Come on, Sara, let's get moving," he whispered to her, placing his hand on her shoulder and gently turning her away from the windows. He could see the horror on her face as the tears continued to stream down her cheeks. The shock of what she was seeing was more than evident to him, and he could easily tell that she was on the brink of a meltdown, so he leaned in, embracing her while turning her away from the window.
A shudder rippled through her body as Jameson grabbed her shoulder, turning her away from the horrible vision before her. She felt his arms go around her and pull her close, his hand coming up blocking the view of the window. She replayed the horror in her head as nausea washed over her. The contents of her stomach began to rise up. The only thing that kept her from allowing the vomit to spring forth was the overwhelming urge she had to scream out in horror.
"Sara, are you still with us?" he asked her.
Nodding her head, she silently answered him, afraid to open her mouth for fear of nothing more than a scream coming out. She reached down grabbing his hand and followed him as they all moved on heading farther into the building.
A short time later, the group came to a doorway marked Garage. Hobart grabbed the handle and looked back at the others making sure they were ready before he opened the door. Once he got the go ahead, he turned the handle and pushed open the door. "Maybe we can find new transportation in here," Hobart said as he stepped inside.
The room was completely dark, which aided in their heightened state of alertness as they moved inside. Connor fumbled around the inside frame of the door, searching for any type of light switch, praying to bring some light into the room. Finally locating a switch, he flipped it and was instantly thankful that the lights came on. He let out a sigh of relief when the large garage area came into view and free of the zombies that swarmed the outside.
Sara looked around the vast garage area seeing many vehicles parked inside, mostly large trucks for transporting the company product, but her gaze stopped and fixated on a fancy SUV parked on the far side of the room. "Hey guys, look," she said pointing over at the truck, "it should be large enough for us to all fit inside, and maybe we can get away from here."
"I think we can definitely all fit in that one," Carter said as he and his men stepped into the garage.
The four swung around startled by the voice from behind them and thankful when they saw the soldiers standing there,
Captain Carter looked at the truck and nodded to her, knowing it would easily hold them all. Walking across the room, he stopped next to the truck. Reaching out he grabbed the door handle for the passenger side door and pulled it open, stepping back in the process. As the door swung open, they all jumped, surprised by the body that fell from inside, landing hard on the concrete floor.
Connor was the first to react, drawing his weapon and racing up to the body. He cautiously took aim at the head of the female below him, watching for any sign that she may be one of the dead, prepared to finish off the creature if she rose. Staring down at her with his gun at the ready, his finger tightened on the trigger when he saw her move and heard her whisper, "Help me." Looking up at Carter, "What do you think? She can't be infected if she is speaking, right?"
"It appears that is the case," he said, kneeling down next to the woman, checking for a pulse. "Well, from my experience over the last few days of this, these critters don't have a pulse, and thankfully, she does."
"Any bite marks on her at all?"
Checking over the unconscious woman, he carefully looked for any sign of bite but found none. Looking up at Connor, "Nope, she is clean."
Tapping the woman on the cheek Carter attempted to wake her, wanting to know how she had gotten where she was. Her head moved turning toward him, and her eyes began to flutter open, appearing as though she was just waking up from an afternoon nap until the horror of what was happening came back to her.
"Oh my God!" she yelped as she quickly pulled away from the two men. Sliding back against the side of the truck she started looking around the room shaking uncontrollably from the fear that raced through her. "Who are you people? Where am I?"
Carter stood up, "Well, miss, my name is Captain James Carter, United States Army, and this is Connor Myer," he told her. Turning to the others, "That's Jameson and Sara over there and Sheriff Hobart next to them," pointing to each of the others. How did you get here?"
The shaking calmed a bit as she listened to Carter and his introduction of the others. "I…I work here, but things went crazy in town, and I hid in the truck. The infected… Where are the infected ones?" she blurted out as her eyes began flashing around the room searching for the creatures.
"What do you mean?"
"There were a few infected people in here; that's why I was hiding in the truck."
"We got a few of them when we came into the building, but this room was clear of the things," he told her as he reached a hand out to her to help her to her feet. "You can trust us; we are harmless to the living, just not so much to those things out there." That comment had the desired effect as she let out a small laugh, grasping
his hand and climbing to her feet.
"Thanks," she said, quickly releasing his hand. "So we are safe in here?"
"For the moment… Those things do not know we are in here."
"Thank God," she whispered as she leaned back against the truck. "You wouldn't happen to have some food with you? I haven't eaten in a day or so."
Connor stepped forward, "We sure do," reaching into his backpack, pulling out a can of peaches. "It isn't much, but it is better than nothing." He watched as the young woman quickly ripped off the lid of the can and began to devour the contents. As he watched her eat, he looked more closely at her face and admired how beautiful she was, even after hiding in a truck for so many hours. Her long, flowing red hair was neatly done in a ponytail, her clothing still neat and tidy with the exception of the fruit juice that was falling on her white blouse as she ate.
"Oh, this is so good," she said between bites as she shoveled the sweet peaches into her mouth. Looking up from the can, she saw all of them staring at her, "What?"
Hobart laughed, "Nothing, miss, we were just waiting for you to finish."
"I'm so sorry; I didn't eat yesterday before work, and as you can see, I wasn't able to find anything while hiding from those things." She looked at the faces of the people around her and noticed the two heavily armed soldiers standing near the door, "Who are they?"
Carter lowered his head having lost so many. They were the only two remaining from his squad. "They are with us–the remainder of the team I was sent here with. So what is your name?"
"I'm Connie, Connie Fitzpatrick," she said chomping down the last of the peaches and then swigging down the juice from the can.
"Well, Connie, we are going to make a break for it and try to get away from this place. The sheriff has a ranch not too far from here that he says is remote and well protected. You are more than welcome to join us."
As they were talking, they all heard the sound of breaking glass, which halted them in mid-conversation. The noise had come from the large room just outside of the garage. "We got company and lots of it," yelled one of the two guards at the door.
Carter motioned to the men who opened fire on the swarm of dead now entering through the shattered window. "Everyone in the truck," he yelled as he jumped into the driver seat, happy to see the keys dangling from the ignition. Turning the key, the truck roared to life as the others climbed in. Sticking his head out the window, he called to the two guards, telling them to open the garage door and then get in.
Each of them watched as the two men raced across the open space to the garage door. One flipped the switch to open the door while the other kept shooting into the dead as they entered the garage through the smaller doorway. Sara sat back in the truck next to Connie and Jameson hoping they were able to get out of the building before the dead overran the room.
The two guards started for the truck as the large door was opening, but neither man saw the hundreds of dead waiting for them on the exterior. As the door slid to the side, the dead swarmed inside catching the two men off guard. Filing into the garage the creatures quickly jumped the two soldiers, hauling them to the concrete floor, and began to devour the men. The screams from the soldiers echoed throughout the garage, easily heard over the continuous moans from the dead as the creatures ripped them apart.
Connor, who had been standing outside the truck waiting for the men, witnessed their fate, having just enough time to shoot one of the men in the head before hopping into the truck. "Let's get the hell out of here," he told Carter. Staring out the window of the truck he watched as the swarm of dead moved away from the dead soldiers and started in their direction.
Putting the truck into drive the SUV lurched forward slamming into several of the creatures as it moved quickly toward the open door. Bursting out the open garage door into the now bright sunlight they all shaded their eyes as the truck raced through the crowded parking lot, dodging as many dead as they could but slamming into many. Aiming the truck at the parking lot exit, Carter pushed the pedal to the floor running through the dead, hoping to escape the sea of creatures before they were able to make a meal out of them.
"Hold on," Carter called out swerving to miss a giant group of creatures, knowing that he would plow through the guard shack. Everyone in the truck covered up as the truck plowed into the wooden structure, which thankfully easily yielded to the SUV. As the guard shack disintegrated around them, the truck hopped the curb of the lot and skidded out onto the roadway. Carter yanked on the steering wheel trying to regain control, aiming the truck toward the edge of town, leaving the creatures behind.
Each of them finally relaxed as the SUV sped away from the factory, quickly putting distance between them and the zombies as they headed out of town.
CHAPTER 11 – THE RANCH
The SUV hurtled down the roadway moving farther and farther away from the town and the nightmare it contained. They assumed that the dead were everywhere now. The radio stations that had been giving them information all appeared to be off the air; static now filled their former spots on the dial. Zombies were scarce outside of the towns, giving them all a sense of relief, although they did still see a few stragglers here and there that reminded them of the ongoing crisis.
Hobart was pleased to see the navigation system in the SUV, so he quickly entered the information in allowing the system to provide him with the quickest route to his ranch. Looking back at his four passengers, he could see the exhaustion on their faces and the fear in their eyes. "Not too far from here, we can all relax and get some rest," he told them.
"So, Sheriff, how come this ranch of yours is a safe place to go…?" Carter asked.
"Well, Captain, I guess you can call me a bit of a survivalist. I have been preparing for something like this for years, although I didn't think the end would be because of the dead coming back to life."
"How secure is your place?"
Smiling at the question, he could not wait to answer, and even more so, he could not wait for them to see it. "I'm glad you asked. The ranch itself is several thousand acres in size, but an electrified fence line surrounds the main house, and there are several lookout posts positioned in intervals around the perimeter, along with a rooftop position on the main house."
"Where do you get your power from?"
"It comes from both solar power and gas generators, which should keep us safe for quite a while. I also have a wide variety of MRE's stored at the ranch, along with some canned goods and plenty of fresh water in storage tanks."
Carter was impressed. This small town sheriff really had it together when it came to surviving. "Well, Sheriff, I am looking forward to seeing the place; it sounds impressive, and your preparations may be what saves us."
"Well, I can't take all the credit. It was something my father started years ago during the ever present nuclear threat, but it sure will come in handy for this mess."
The group sped down the road for another hour, following the directions given by the GPS, until Hobart told Carter to stop the truck. They pulled to a stop in front of a heavy metal gate, which blocked a long dirt road. In the distance, they could see the fence line and the large building behind it, which they all hoped would provide them with some amount of safety for a little while.
"Stay in the truck; I need to go open the gate," Hobart told them, grabbing his AR-15 and hopping out of the truck. Walking up to the gate, Hobart set his weapon down on the ground and started to fumble through his key ring searching for the right key. A smile crossed his face. Finally locating the right key he slid it into the lock, unlocking the gate. Pulling the chain from around the fence, he abruptly stopped when he heard rattling of branches from the wooded area close by. He searched the area around him finding nothing out of the ordinary, so he went back to opening up the gate. Pulling the chain clear, he grabbed onto the gate swinging it open. He waved to Carter to bring the truck through, waiting to secure it behind them as soon as they were inside.
Swinging the gate shut, he started to sec
ure the entrance with the chain when he came face to face with one of the dead. The creature was no more than five feet from him, blood dripping from its gaping mouth and was starting to move his way. Reaching for his side arm, he realized he had left it in the truck, and his AR-15 was still lying on the ground on the opposite side of the fence.
Panic started to set in as the creature approached, so he prepared himself for a fight when a shot rang out from behind him. Stunned by the sound and shocked by the damage the bullet caused when it pierced the creature's right eye, exploding out the back of its head, taking a large chunk of brain with it. The zombie stood motionless for a moment as a thick, dark red liquid oozed out of the wound before finally falling to the ground.
"Are you alright, Sheriff?"
Turning back he saw Connor standing just outside the driver's door still holding the weapon at the ready, aiming at the spot where the creature once stood. Giving him a halfhearted thumbs us, he turned back slipping through the gate and retrieving his weapon from the ground. Stepping back through the open gate, he gave the dead man one last look before securing the gate behind him.
Climbing back in the truck, he looked back at Connor, "Thanks, kid." The truck started moving again, traveling up the long road toward the tall fence line and the house beyond it. Pulling the truck to a stop, Hobart looked down at his key ring and searched for the one he needed before hopping out to unlock the gate, not wanting to have another encounter like the last. Once open, he stood to the side as the truck drove through, following closely behind, securing the fence as soon as they were all inside. Everyone quickly climbed out of the truck, stunned at how big the house was and how secure the grounds were.
"Wow! Sheriff, you really know how to build a nice place," Sara announced, staring at the giant home.
"Well, I can't take all the credit for it, but thank you."
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