Sitting forward in his seat he gazed at the young soldier and did not like what he was able to see in the dim light. The man's face was growing pale in color, and his eyes were turning the telltale gray color of the dead. Placing his hand on his sidearm he looked out the door down to a small town below, "Hey, check that out, not too many milling about down there." Out of the corner of his eyes he saw the soldier scoot forward in his seat toward the opening trying to see what he was referring to without getting too close to the open door.
"Yeah, I guess so. It kind of looks like all the other towns we have passed over," he said to Jameson. A shiver traveled through the young man's body as his temperature began to fall, and a coughing fit erupted sending bloody bile flying out of his mouth onto his chin and down the front of his black armor.
"Are you alright?" he asked knowing exactly what was occurring. He watched the soldier as he wiped the blood from his face.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just have a touch of the flu or something," he muttered as he went into another coughing fit. Grasping a blanket from under the jump seat he pulled it tightly around him trying desperately to warm his cooling body.
"Let me take a look at you," Jameson said moving over next to the young man but keeping him closer to the open door. Reaching up he placed his hand on the man's forehead and instantly felt the cooling skin beneath his fingers. Pulling his hand away he sat back in the seat knowing that the young soldier did not have much longer. He looked over at Sara who was now wide-awake and fully aware of what was occurring.
She was able to see the man's pale face and knew he was changing into one of the dead. If they were going to be able to make it back to the compound, they were going to have to deal with him soon before he changed completely and became a danger to them all. Leaning over closer to Munroe she whispered to him, "Is there anything we can do for him?"
Staring at the soldier he knew there was not a thing that he could do. He was going to change into a zombie, and the sooner they all realized it the better. Remaining silent he slowly shook his head letting Sara know that it was out of his control.
Turning her attention back to the young man she looked him in the eyes and fear surged through her. His eyes were now completely white and lifeless; the change was complete. "Jameson, he's one of them; do something," she yelled out hoping that he was able to dispose of the zombie before it became a problem.
Hearing Sara call out to him Jameson fully prepared for the coming change, unclasped the man's seat belt and shoved him out the open door before he could react. He watched as the man fell to the ground below, his body slamming into the hard ground, releasing him from a life as one of the living dead.
"Hey, what the hell did you do?" the pilot called out as she pulled her sidearm and started to turn toward him.
"He had been bitten on the roof of the lab, and changed into one of them," he replied holding up his empty hands. "I didn't think that you would want a zombie on board with us."
She looked at her three passengers all nodding their heads in agreement. "Sorry, just a bit jumpy with all that's going on." Turning back to the controls she passed along the information to the other helicopter pilot who was frantically calling to find out what happened.
A short while later as the town closest to Sheriffs Hobart's compound came into view, the pilot turned to inform them that they were now running dangerously low on fuel, and they needed to find a safe place to land.
"The compound isn't very far from here. How much farther can we go?" Jameson asked.
"Not far, we are extremely low, and the other bird is critical."
Looking out the open door he began scanning the horizon searching for the airport and fuel for the choppers. A small airport finally appeared in the distance, not far from where they were, "Hey, can we land there," pointing toward the airstrip. "They may have fuel for these things."
Following his finger she saw the airport and passed along the information to the other Blackhawk. "Alright, we are heading there. Be prepared for a fight. Those things will come running when they hear us land."
Jameson nodded to her and began checking all their weapons making sure they were loaded and ready when they needed them. "Sara, are you ready for this?"
"Yeah, I guess," she replied. The thought of landing in another area filled with zombies scared her, but she knew it was their only chance. Grabbing her AR-15 from the seat next to her she checked the magazine making sure it was fully loaded and then went through the other weapons nearby.
"Hey, take these cuffs off of me; I can help," Munroe said to her holding up his hands.
"What do you think?" she asked Jameson. "Do we trust him?"
Shrugging his shoulders, "Why not…? He has nowhere to go." Reaching in his pocket he pulled out the set of keys and unlocked the handcuffs before tossing him a loaded 9mm. "Don't pull anything, Doc, I will have no problem shooting you."
The Blackhawks began descending toward the tiny airstrip, and each of them started searching the ground below for signs of dead. As the ground approached, they all heard the engine on the other chopper start to lose power as their fuel supply ran dry. The Blackhawk descended at a quicker pace as the rotor slowed forcing it to hit the ground hard, causing a heavy amount of damage to the chopper.
"Blackhawk one-one, this is one-zero. What is your status?" the female pilot called out. She tried a few more times as she set the chopper down and had the same result. Turning to the back, "Alright, you two," pointing at Sara and Jameson, "find the fuel while the doctor and I check the other chopper for survivors."
Jumping out of the helicopter Jameson turned to help Sara out before the pair took off to search for the fuel. The pilot along with Munroe raced across the open space between choppers and went to work searching the wrecked helicopter for survivors.
Jogging around a building Jameson ran right into an unsuspecting zombie sending them both sprawling to the ground. Gathering himself he tried to hop to his feet, but the creature grabbed hold of his leg struggling to get close enough for a bite. Kicking at the thing with his free foot he tried to grab his gun, but it had flown out of his reach in the collision. As he continued to kick at the zombie, a shot rang out from behind him hitting the zombie on the top of its decaying head.
"Take that, you rotten bastard," Sara yelled as the shot took the left side of the zombie's head off. "It's dead; now get off your ass," she said smiling at him.
Climbing to his feet he retrieved his weapon before looking up and seeing what they were looking for. "There," pointing at the fuel truck, "just what we need." Running across the paved runway he slowed and cautiously approached the truck wanting to be careful not to have another run in like earlier. He looked back at Sara making sure she was ready before he reached up for the door handle. She raised her gun aiming at the door and nodded to him to open it.
Taking a deep breath he grabbed the handle and pulled the door open. The empty interior of the truck relieved both of them, and they quickly jumped inside just as three zombies turned the corner of a hanger close by.
"Come on; let's go," Sara yelled seeing the dead lumbering toward them.
"Keys… I can't find any keys." Looking around the inside of the truck he searched for the keys to the truck.
Annoyed at his lack of ingenuity Sara pulled out the long knife she had sheathed on her hip driving the tip of it into the ignition and forcing it to turn. The engine sputtered to life bringing a wide smile to her face. "Old truck, easy start," she giggled. "Now, let's go; they are getting close."
He was amazed at how resourceful she was and liked her that much more for it, but before he had the time to admire her, he knew they needed to get moving. Slamming the gear shifter into position he let off the clutch, and the truck lurched forward running over the closest of the approaching dead. He drove the truck across the runway racing toward the Blackhawk hoping to get it fueled and airborne before more of the creatures arrived.
Pulling the truck to a stop near the chopper Jameson and Sa
ra quickly hopped out. Seeing the copilot nearby Jameson waved to the young officer but quickly noticed something was not right. The soldier stood motionless, staring at the pair as they approached. Bringing up his arm Jameson stopped Sara when he noticed the pale features of the man. "Hold on, Sara, I think we may have a problem," pulling his gun from the holster on his hip. "I think he is one of them."
Sara was about to respond when the copilot emitted a gurgled growl and began a slow charge toward the pair. Reaching for her weapon the loud crack of Jameson's pistol caused her to jump as the zombie's head erupted in a grisly explosion of brains, blood and flesh from the impact of the large caliber bullet. "Shit, you scared the hell out of me," she yelled at him, slugging him in the arm.
Smiling, he holstered his weapon, "Sorry, I had the shot and needed to take it. Come on; we have to figure out how to refuel this thing." Scanning the helicopter he saw a brightly labeled fuel fill door on the side of the black chopper. The pair was about to head back to the truck when more of the dead emerged from buildings around them forcing them to take cover inside the helicopter.
Munroe and the female pilot stepped away from the crashed Blackhawk after seeing the dead crewmembers inside. Looking to the young pilot Munroe was about to suggest heading back when he saw the zombies beginning to flood the area behind them. "We got trouble."
Turning, she started for the Blackhawk when she saw the fuel truck parked next to her chopper. Adjusting her course she ran toward it hoping to get there and hook up the fuel line before the dead overwhelmed the area. As she approached, she saw the headless body of her copilot lying in front of the helicopter bringing a sick feeling to her stomach, knowing that another one of her men and a friend had fallen victim to these things. Shooting a couple of the closest zombies she approached the fuel truck stopping long enough to grab the filling hose and flip on the trucks pump before continuing to the chopper.
"Look," Sara yelled over the deafening gunfire, "here they come, and she has the fuel line."
Jameson jumped out of the chopper and quickly flipped open the fuel door, so she had nothing slowing her way to attaching the hose. Firing a few more rounds at the approaching zombies he did his best to keep them as far away from the pilot while she fueled up the chopper.
Running past the two outside the Blackhawk Munroe hopped on board and took cover trying his best to hide from the dead.
The pilot looked at Sara, "Move to the copilot seat. I need you to start powering up the engine. We got to get the hell out of here." Watching her climb into the seat she gave her instructions on how to start things up while she continued to fight the dead along with holding the hose in place. Hearing the engine roar to life she yelled into Sara, "How much fuel do we have?"
Searching the instrument panel she quickly found the gauge, "Half a tank," she called out before firing a couple of shots out the open door at a nearby zombie.
Pulling the hose from the fuel port she tossed it back toward the truck and jumped into the pilot seat. "Help him keep them back while I get this thing airborne."
The rotor started turning, which signaled to Jameson that it was time to climb aboard. Firing a few more shots into the growing mass of approaching dead he hopped onto the Blackhawk just as it started to lift off the ground. A smile appeared on his face as he breathed a sigh of relief that they were escaping the airstrip until something latched onto his leg.
Sara looked over at Jameson just as he felt the hand on his leg and instantly knew there was something wrong. Hopping out of her seat she grabbed onto his arm as the assailant began to pull him toward the door. "Munroe, get off your ass and give me a hand," she screamed to the cowering man.
Slowly climbing up from his spot Munroe inched toward the open door as a queasy feeling entered his stomach when he saw how high they were. Looking out the door he saw the zombie dangling from Jameson's leg as it attempted to pull itself close enough to take a chunk out of him.
"Shoot the damn thing!"
Raising his gun he aimed carefully and pulled the trigger. The bullet missed the zombie's head slamming into its decaying shoulder but doing enough damage to the appendage to disconnect if from the creatures body sending it falling to the ground below.
Pulling Jameson inside the chopper Sara saw the remains of the arm still firmly attached to his leg. Reaching down she grabbed onto the arm and ripped it off his leg tossing it out the open door. "Did it get you?" she asked him as she turned back from the falling arm.
"No, it didn't have a chance, thanks to you."
The pilot turned around to see what the commotion was, "Is everything alright back there?"
"Yeah, we just had an unwanted guest for a moment. It's gone now," Sara said as she latched on to Jameson, hugging him tightly.
CHAPTER 21 – BACK TO THE COMPOUND
The sleek black helicopter glided through the air riding high above the carnage below while those inside sat quietly, reflecting on the horror of the last few days. Cities, towns and villages were in ruins. The people that once inhabited them now roamed them in search of living flesh as one of the walking dead. Smoke billowed up in columns from the once thriving communities as the homes and businesses burned erasing the history of the once living. A tear appeared in the corner of Sara's eyes as they crossed her hometown, which was a shell of what it used to be and now filled with zombies.
Noticing where they were Jameson leaned into Sara and pulled her close imagining how she was feeling as she looked down on the remnants of the town. "I'm so sorry, Sara," he whispered to her.
Breaking away from the scene below she looked up into Jameson's eyes knowing that he meant what he was saying, and she loved him for it. There was not a thing any of them could have done to save the town, but the comfort he was providing her helped to dull the pain. Giving him a soft kiss on the cheek she turned back to what remained of her home, softly whispering a prayer to herself, hoping that her family and friends had been able to find a place to hide and were safe.
"Hey, is that the compound that you are talking about?" the pilot asked pointing off into the distance.
Jameson moved forward in the seat and could see the house come into view, "Yes, it is. There should be a large area behind the main house where you can land," he told her.
"Alright, we should be on the ground in a few minutes, but I should warn you that we passed over a large group of dead heading that way."
"How far back were they?" Jameson asked as he scanned the area outside the open side of the chopper.
"Back about a mile or so, and they were out the left side of the ship," she replied pointing over her shoulder.
He turned toward the other side sliding across the seat, bumping into a sleeping Munroe. Reaching for the handle, he quickly opened up the other door and instantly saw the frightening sight.
"What the hell!" Munroe yelled pushing back at Jameson.
"Why don't you get up and help us here," Sara yelled at the doctor. She had grown agitated with his attitude toward them acting arrogant and demanding almost as if they worked for him. "Listen, old man, either start helping us here, or I will push your ass out the door and feed you to those things. Got it?"
Staring up at her with disdain Munroe sat up in his seat, "What the hell do you want me to do, boss?" he sarcastically asked Sara while casting a dirty look in her direction.
"You may want to dispense with the sarcasm; take a look," she replied pointing out at the dead below. "They are heading for the compound, which is where we are headed, so you might want to start working on a plan to stop them."
"How do you think we are going to stop them?" he angrily asked her trying to hide how concerned he was with their predicament. He stared out the open door at the horde of dead attempting to count exactly how many there were.
Jameson listened to the exchange between the pair and had to laugh at how forceful Sara was toward the doctor. Munroe had acted like an entitled child during the short span of time they had been around him, and she had finally reac
hed the end of her patience. Looking away from the two he saw the heavy machine gun still attached to the side of the chopper, "Hey, we can use this to thin them out." Sliding over the weapon he called out to the pilot, "Circle back."
The pilot looked over her shoulder and saw him looking over the heavy machine gun. "Hold on," she yelled back as she slowed their forward progress and started turning back toward the mass of dead. "I will slow us down and take a few low passes, but we don't have the fuel to hang out for long."
Sara grabbed her AR-15 and made sure it had a full magazine before turning her attention to Munroe. "Well, Doctor, here is your chance to help," tossing him a loaded weapon.
Jameson flipped open a box of ammunition for the heavy weapon and made sure it was fully loaded and ready to go. Chambering a round he prepared for the first run as the Blackhawk descended toward the horde.
The pilot lined up for the first pass moving toward the dead while slowing their speed. Sara grabbed a handful of grenades from a box under the seat and prepared to toss them into the throng. The pilot yelled back, "Get ready," as she began their approach.
Lining up his shot Jameson pulled the trigger and let loose on the dead below. The heavy gun bucked wildly as it spewed hot lead down onto the zombies blowing apart the decaying bodies. A smile crept onto his face seeing the damage the weapon was causing, which only fueled his anticipation for their next pass.
Sara started pulling the grenade pins, dropping the explosives down into large groups of dead with similar results as Jameson. With each explosion, several of the creatures erupted in a grisly spray of bloody body parts raining down on the others. Between the three of them, most of the horde was eliminated with the others aimlessly stumbling around falling over body parts or slipping on the slick pools of blood that littered the field below.
"We need to break off the attack," the pilot yelled from the front of the chopper as she turned the craft back toward their destination.
Dead Strain Page 14
