by Dirk Patton
“Good evening. Mrs. Chase, right? Captain Roach. We met when you first arrived.” His voice was warm and friendly, a broad and welcoming smile on his face.
“Good evening, Captain. How are you?” Katie replied, turning to face the truck but not walking up to the passenger door.
“I’m fine. May I introduce my wife, Tammy? Tammy, this is Mrs. Chase. She made it here all the way from Arizona with a bus load of kids.” Roach was careful to use the name Synthia was going by, masquerading as her dead sister.
Katie stepped up to the truck and extended her arm through the window to shake Synthia’s hand. Roach kept the smile plastered on his face as he slipped his left hand into his pocket and withdrew a pair of hand cuffs. There was no one else around, and finding her out walking this time of night was a stroke of luck he might never have again.
All he had to do was lunge and slap one end of the cuffs onto her wrist and quickly lock the other to the steering wheel. This would give him time to jump out, run around the truck and subdue the trapped woman. He expected her to fight, but stuck halfway in a vehicle window with her wrist cuffed to the wheel, how much of a fight could she put up?
Synthia was reaching to shake her hand and Roach was tensed to make his lunge when sirens began blaring and bright lights on top of poles scattered across the base snapped on. Suddenly it was like daylight and Roach paused. It was just as well for him. When the sirens started Katie yanked her arm out of the cab, drew her pistol and moved away from the truck, looking all around the area for what was causing the alarm.
Roach knew this was the perimeter alarm, not air raid. Lights wouldn’t be coming on for an air raid, and there was a different tone to the sirens. There was a problem at the fence. Either it had been breached, or was about to be.
“What’s going on?” Katie shouted, pistol held in a two handed, low ready grip.
“Perimeter alarm.” Roach shouted back. “You need to return to your assigned barrack.”
He stepped on the gas and roared away, cursing whatever had triggered the alarm. A golden opportunity to get his hands on the Major’s wife and it was just snatched away from him. Once those sirens started and lights snapped on there was no way he was going to touch her and risk someone seeing him. Pounding the wheel in frustration he slid to a tire-protesting stop in front of his house, dashing inside. He had the woman’s blood on him, not much, but enough that it might be noticed.
Taking a 30 second shower he jumped out and dressed in a clean uniform without bothering to dry off. Telling Synthia to stay in the house and lock all the doors, he ran to the Humvee parked in the driveway and roared off. He had been briefed on where to report in the event of different alarms, but couldn’t remember where he was supposed to be. He was closest to the main gate, so that’s where he went.
Before he arrived he heard first one, then a second machine gun start firing. The Russians? Were they attacking? But that didn’t make any sense. They wouldn’t commit ground troops without first softening up their target with an aerial bombardment. That meant infected!
Screeching to a halt behind a phalanx of Hummers, all with machine guns pointed towards the gate, Roach hopped out and moved forward for a better look. There were dozens of bodies lying on the asphalt just outside the perimeter fence, but what drew his attention were the hundreds of infected that were pushing forward toward the chain link gate.
20
We kept driving east until I was reasonably satisfied that we were clear of the worst of the danger presented by the city. A sign ahead said we were five miles from a junction that would take us back to I-40. I had been wondering if anyone had sent a helicopter to look for us since we were now severely overdue, but with the state of affairs in Little Rock I expected everyone had bigger problems on their plate.
Rachel had played with the navigation while I drove and it was looking like she had found a route that would bypass the chaos behind us. The problem was that it took us way south of where we needed to be in the event the Colonel had dispatched searchers. I suspected he was getting pretty tired of sending out search parties.
The compromise I’d arrived at was to find a place for Rachel, Dog and me to shelter for the night. If by morning we hadn’t seen or heard any sign of a SAR flight, we’d take the new route and keep working our way west. Now the problem was going to be finding a safe place to spend the night. Not that the big Lexus with its cushy leather seats wasn’t comfortable, it was, but I really wanted to stretch out. I can, and have, roughed it with the best of them, and sleeping in the SUV could hardly be considered “roughing it”, but it still wouldn’t be as good as getting my exhausted body completely horizontal for a few hours.
Rachel and I had discussed my plan and she was in agreement. I think she would have agreed to any plan that let her get some sleep. From the corner of my eye I kept seeing her head slowly tilt forward until it suddenly tipped and she’d jerk herself awake. Dog was the only one of us that seemed alert, his head thrust between the two front seats, eyes bright and ears straight up.
We reached the junction and I slowed, reading the small forest of signs that occupied all four corners of the intersection. There were ads for tourist attractions, restaurants, truck stops, a strip club and motels. A motel would be the ticket! It looked like all of them were back along I-40, so I turned north and drove the short distance back to the Interstate.
When we reached the junction with the freeway, it looked like every other Interstate exit in the middle of nowhere across America whose sole purpose was to serve weary travelers. There were four gas stations, a large truck stop, three fast food restaurants and two motels. Everything was dark and as I pulled to a stop to survey the area I couldn’t detect any movement.
I gave it 10 minutes, sitting there idling and waiting. After the time was up there still wasn’t any movement. No infected males slowly stumbling towards us. No females pounding on the glass. No razorbacks slamming into the vehicle. This was about as good as it was going to get.
“Which one?” I asked Rachel.
“That one.” She pointed at the motel on the far side of the Interstate. It looked the same as the one that was closer to us, but I didn’t bother to ask her why. I’ve been married a long time. You learn when to just go with the flow.
Driving into the dark parking lot I steered the SUV in a semi-circle so the headlights would sweep across the front of the building. The motel was a local enterprise, not affiliated with any national chain, or at least not any chain I was familiar with. It was a one story building that formed an “L”, 25 rooms bracketing the parking lot on two sides. There were four cars sitting in the lot, only one of them with Arkansas plates.
At this point, four cars most likely meant a minimum of four infected. If we were lucky they had been killed before turning and there weren’t any infected to deal with, but I never count on being that lucky. I pulled the Lexus over so it was facing the office, which had a small extension behind it. The manager probably also lived at the motel, explaining the Arkansas license plate.
When I pulled up the headlights lit the interior through the glass door. Having already seen us, three infected females were pressed tightly against the glass. They were obviously a mother and her daughters, the two girls not even teenagers yet. Rachel caught her breath when she saw them and I muttered a curse.
“Let’s try the other one.” I said after a long, quiet moment of looking at the small family. I really wasn’t in the mood to shoot a couple of little girls, even if they were infected. Rachel nodded and I spun the wheel and took us back over the Interstate.
The other motel was part of a chain, Motel 6 if it matters, and they hadn’t left the light on for me. It had a lot more rooms and three stories. All of the room doors faced the parking area and I repeated my semi-circle with the headlights. Half a dozen doors standing open. An even dozen cars were sitting in the motel’s parking lot, all of them with out of state plates. There was a small road that ran around the back of the building and I sl
owly eased us around the corner to see what was back there. Dumpsters and a couple of old, beat up cars with Arkansas plates.
“What do you think?” Rachel asked, sitting up straighter and looking around.
“I think I’m rethinking the idea. I’m tired and not making good decisions, but if we go into one of those rooms and even a small herd of infected show up, we’re trapped. This is block construction and there aren’t any windows on the back side. The only way out of a room is through the front door.” I said slowly, looking around.
“But would we be easier to find sleeping in this? If we’re in one of the rooms and quiet, they won’t know we’re there. Just like the house we stayed in back in Atlanta. That big herd just passed us by.” Rachel said in a quiet voice.
I sat there thinking about it for a few moments, then decided she had a good point. I made another circle with the Lexus, scanning for anything approaching. Satisfied it was all clear I put it in reverse and backed up to the only open door on the first floor, getting our vehicle as close to the room as possible.
We stepped out and I led the way, rifle up and ready, Dog by my side. He was quiet and calm, which reassured me, but I still took my time approaching the pitch black room. Dog stayed quiet and after a couple of moments of listening I clicked on my flashlight.
The room was small but surprisingly clean and the furnishings were moderately new. And it was empty. Dog trotted ahead of me, stuck his head into the bathroom then came back and sat down in front of me. If that’s not confirmation that there’s nothing to worry about, I don’t know what is. I still checked the bathroom. Just in case Dog was slipping.
My guess was the occupants of the room had left in a hurry. There were so many possible reasons that I didn’t bother to even think about them all. They had left their luggage and clothing behind, as well as all their toiletries on the small bathroom counter. I waved Rachel inside and retrieved our packs from the Lexus. By the time I made it back into the room and closed the door, Rachel was already in the bathroom with the door shut.
I heard her test the water, which was still on, then a minute later the toilet flushed and the shower turned on. I stood to go tell her to turn it off, afraid the water flowing through the pipes would make too much noise, but changed direction and quietly stepped outside. I couldn’t hear anything, took a quick look around and went back inside, bolting the door and wedging the back of a chair under the knob.
Taking the flashlight off my rifle I set it on one of the night stands, pointing at the ceiling and turned to its lowest power. It gave us enough light to see, but wouldn’t be visible from outside with the heavy curtains pulled tightly closed. I sat on the edge of the bed and slowly started unlacing my boots. I had briefly thought about getting in the shower when Rachel was done, but I was too damn tired. I just wanted to sleep. Wanted some relief from all the aches and pains that were the results of injuries over the past month.
A couple of minutes later I heard the water shut off. A few moments after that the bathroom door opened and Rachel appeared, completely nude. Water on her skin glistened in the light as she walked into the room, her long hair wet and dark. I caught my breath and stood up to meet her, staring like a teenager the first time he sees a girl without her clothes. Yes, I’d seen Rachel nude before, several times in fact, but it’s different when someone is naked because they want you to see them that way.
Rachel moved to me, not stopping until her body was only a few inches from mine. Smiling, she looked me in the eye and placed both her hands flat on my chest. Her eyes were huge, drawing me in so that nothing else in the world mattered. I was having a hard time breathing.
“I’m very tired, but I can probably stay awake for a few more minutes. Probably about long enough for you to shower and come crawl under the covers with me.” She went up on her toes, leaned her head in and gave me a soft, lingering kiss on the lips. I think I forgot to breathe for a few minutes.
My head was spinning with emotion and desire. First I hadn’t been breathing, now I was nearly hyperventilating. I was even hearing voices. Rachel was still smiling and starting to step back toward the bed when the voice spoke to me again.
“Dog Two Six, Boomer Three. Do you copy?” The signal was weak, partially cutting in and out, but I finally recognized Captain Martinez’ voice and remembered I still had my radio’s earpiece stuck in my left ear. Are you fucking kidding me? Now?
“Dog Two Six copies.” I said, my voice husky and filled with emotion. “Good to hear your voice, Boomer Three.” I lied, looking at Rachel with a sad smile.
She was still smiling, but now there was a sardonic quality to it as she turned and walked into the bathroom. She paused; giving me a good, long look at her body, then softly closed the door. Dog sat up and nuzzled my hand, got his ears scratched, belched and lay back down.
21
While I told Martinez where to find us, Rachel got dressed in the bathroom. I sat down on the edge of the bed, head still spinning at what might have been, and pulled my boots back on. Lacing them up I looked at Dog and realized that I had never had him on a helicopter. I would have to keep a close eye on him and make sure he didn’t get frightened and take off. I didn’t think he would, but you never know what’s going to trigger fear in a dog.
Rachel came out of the bath, walked over to where I sat and pushed in against me, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling my face against her chest. Tilting her head down, she kissed the top of my head, gave me a squeeze, then sat down on the bed to pull her boots on. Thank God we weren’t going to have to talk about it!
It wasn’t long before Martinez radioed that she was two minutes out. I asked her to do a check of the area with FLIR before we exited the safety of the room. She sounded like she thought I was off my rocker when I asked her to also pay attention to any animals she spotted, but didn’t question why.
“Dog Two Six, you’ve got eight tangos about half a klick east of you on the freeway, and it looks like there’s two large dogs at the gas station across the street from your location.” I still didn’t hear a helicopter and guessed she was flying the Stealth Hawk we’d liberated from Kirtland AFB.
“Copy, Boomer Three. Those dogs most likely aren’t dogs. We’ve got a razorback problem. Got a door gunner with you?”
There was no reply for a few moments. Then, “Affirmative on door gunner, but we don’t know what a razorback is, Dog Two Six.”
“Big, dangerous, wild hogs. Trust me, you don’t want to meet one. Just do me a favor and light them up so we can get out of here.” I replied.
“Copy, sir. One pig roast coming up.” I could hear the grin in her voice. I was probably going to hear more comments about being a big, bad Green Beret, and how I was afraid of Miss Piggy. Hell, I used to watch the Muppets. Miss Piggy scared the crap out of Kermit!
Rachel and I had kept preparing while I’d been talking to Martinez. Now we were standing close to the door, boots laced up, packs on and rifles ready to go. A few moments later I heard the ripping sound of a minigun. It fired three bursts, then fell silent.
“All clear, Dog Two Six.” Martinez called.
“Copy. We’re coming out now.” I answered and pulled the door open.
I went out first, Dog tight to my right hip. Rachel was learning, and as I moved with my rifle up and to our left, she stayed right behind me with her rifle covering our right flank. We moved out from under the cover over the walkway and along the side of the Lexus. Now I could hear the Stealth Hawk, but it was a low thrum and about ten times quieter than a normal Black Hawk.
Pausing at the driver’s door of the SUV, I unlocked it, reached in and put the keys in the ignition then closed the door without relocking it. The vehicle had allowed me to find and save Rachel and Dog, and there still might be other survivors wandering around that were in need of transportation. I didn’t need it any longer, so I’d decided to make a deposit into the bank of good karma. Hey, it can’t hurt.
“Dog Two Six, do you see a clear area
for pick up? Don’t want to risk not seeing power lines.” Martinez called.
“Stand by,” I answered, looking around.
A Black Hawk needs a minimum of 50 meters of clear space to safely land. I assumed a Stealth Hawk would have the same basic requirements. The road to our front was wide enough, but a row of utility poles with both power and phone cables ran down the far side. No way was a helicopter coming in there without tangling its rotor in the wires.
There were small buildings and various types of obstacles in every direction I looked except for one. The truck stop, 400 yards down the road. Behind the main building was a massive parking area where truckers could stop and get some sleep. A couple of semi trucks with trailers were sitting dark and abandoned, but there was enough space for two or three helicopters to set down at the same time.
I directed Martinez to the area and when she acknowledged, turned to head back to the SUV. Why stay on foot, exposed to attack, when we could drive the short distance? I had just started to walk back to the Lexus when dog growled. I froze in place and pressed my eye to the scope, scanning for what he’d detected. Trotting through the breezeway that broke the building into two sections were five razorbacks. They were closer to the SUV than we were.
Rachel had frozen as well, standing close to me, but not so close that she couldn’t effectively use her rifle. Moving very carefully I placed a hand on Dog’s head to quiet him and keep him from charging. The breeze was blowing in my face, so we were downwind from the hogs, and hopefully they wouldn’t detect us and would go on about their business.
Removing my hand from Dog’s head I held steady aim on the lead razorback as the small group moved into the parking lot. I didn’t like our odds one bit if they spotted us. I’d seen how fast they were, and even with two of us I doubted we could bring down all five of them before they reached us. Rifle steady on target, I pivoted to maintain my aim. Without warning the lead hog came to an abrupt stop, the other four bunching up behind him.
