“Won’t need luck, mate,” he replied with that smug smirk on his face. “Take care of them, Eric. They’re good people.” He extended his hand and I shook it.
“So are you.” He laughed and shrugged.
“Good and bad don’t apply to men like us. We’re in that span of grey, where we can’t see the landing until we touch down. Besides,” his eyes grew serious, “I have no delusions about what I’m capable of.” He nodded and started walking toward the command building, where his team had their horses saddled and were ready to ride out.
Apparently, after three years, either gasoline goes bad or the vehicles it would fuel are too broken down from a lack of maintenance to be of any use. As I watched them ride off on horseback, I couldn’t help but laugh, knowing that bastard always found a way to impart his thoughts. In this case, even though Jessica and I had managed to find our humanity in a world that squeezed every ounce out of you, he chose to remind me of my actions in Austin. In some ways, the violence of that day felt like a dream and, in others, it felt like only yesterday. The fact that he had chosen those words, though, rang in the ominous category.
“Is everything okay?” Jessica asked, kissing my cheek as she walked up from behind. We stood outside the lobby of Katherine and Matthew’s apartment, the scope and safety perimeter of San Antonio having expanded for miles since our first arrival. It was crazy to think how different things had been.
“Yeah,” I smiled, pulling her close and letting her rest her head on my shoulder. “Any trouble on the horizon?”
“How’d you know?”
“My skills don’t just involve ways to bludgeon a zombie’s skull, you know. I can be pretty observant when I want to be.”
“Right,” she said dryly, “well, maybe you’ll show me some of those skills someday.” I rolled my eyes at her, but she didn’t wait for my sarcastic comment. “Lieutenant Murphy said they’re on a joint operation with Murray in the north, but he wants us to scout a city for outpost potential. Apparently, this place was hit hard by the bombings when it all started, so resistance should be scarce, but the population around here is getting harder to manage with all the survivors still being found.” I rubbed her arm, thinking.
“Since when is resistance ever scarce when we’re involved?” The question was rhetorical, and we both sighed in agreement as we went upstairs to get ready. Ten minutes later, we had our gear packed and our weapons ready to go, which left one thing on the to-do list before leaving.
I knocked on the door, the duffel bag of clothes and equipment slung over one shoulder with my M4 on the other. Kat answered the door, smiling until she saw the baggage.
“I’m guessing you don’t have board games in there for game night?”
“Not this time,” Jessica said, stepping in to hug Kat. I could tell she was upset, but Kat understood our reasons for going.
“Where to this time?” Matt asked from beyond the door, coming from the kitchen. He had matured a lot since that bar in Illinois, his voice deeper, and his features thinner. Despite my initial skepticism, I was proud to call him a part of the family.
“Northeast, so we’ll be in the snow for a while.”
“Sounds nice,” he said, shaking my hand. “Throw a few snowballs for us.” Kat wasn’t as amused, but she stepped back from Jessica and nodded anyway, hugging me next.
“Be careful,” she whispered.
“I always am,” I replied softly, knowing how much she worried. Still, it was nice to know my reasons for survival, and Kat was a big part of that, along with Jessica.
We finished saying our goodbyes and jogged down the stairs, leaving the hotel behind. I said San Antonio had expanded, with Harper managing to clear out several more miles of city and open up more real estate. While we had been there, I had taken Jessica downtown and enjoyed dinner together, going on an actual first date. It had been an amazing evening, and part of me didn’t want to leave the city, but I knew where I belonged.
“Are you sure you want to go? You have that look.” Jessica was standing in the street, staring intently at me.
“I’m sure, I’m just starting to think, you know? I mean, all of this, leaving in the first place, was because we had lost ourselves out there. I could just be grasping at straws, but maybe we’re finally finding our way back.” She grinned, the smile reaching her eyes, and kissed me.
“I love hearing you say things like that, Eric.”
“Why?” I asked, laughing.
“Because it means you have hope again, and I’ve missed that.”
“Of course I have hope. I’ve got two incredible women in my life to remind me of that.” I winked and the sentiment felt genuine. “Before this gets too steamy, though, we should probably head out.” Jessica looked like she had been about to say something important, but agreed instead. I try never to assume anything, but if it was what I thought, I didn’t know if we were ready for that, yet.
“Do you guys want some help?” Calvin asked, sitting on a bench outside the Alamo with Sampson beside him. The German Shephard was panting and wagging his tail, clearly enjoying his time in the city. I looked to Jessica, who had no problem with the idea.
“Have you ever rode a horse?” It would be a long trip either way, but being an experienced rider would ease the discomfort.
“I may have become an officer in California, but my roots are in Arizona, where my family owned a ranch.”
“Enough said.” I turned to Jessica, who noticed the devilish grin on my face.
“Please don’t,” she said, knowing whatever I was thinking was probably a film quote that would annoy her.
“I have to,” I pleaded, cocking my head. She shrugged her approval and I smiled. I couldn’t help it, having always wanted to say it and finding the situation oddly fitting. “Regulators, mount up!” Calvin and Mills both rolled their eyes, laughing.
We wrangled up three horses for the trip and enough supplies for them, planning a route to our destination. This far into the apocalypse, we figured it was faster to use the main highways, with vehicles and zombies being encountered more infrequently each day. The ride was still rough, going from the odd Texas heat to the freezing cold of the north once we crossed over, but after almost three weeks, accounting for stops along the way, we crossed into Pennsylvania. The sign had faded long ago, but I could still make out the “Welcome to Pennsylvania.”
Over the course of our journey, along with the months staying in San Antonio, we had gotten to know Calvin pretty well and come to find he was a good guy. He was younger, having only been on the force six years before the world fell apart, but he had common sense, which I guess is the only way anyone would survive this long.
The other half of his K9 unit, Sampson, was also a fantastic companion, because he was quiet, loyal, and extremely well-trained. He walked alongside Calvin, who would dismount every now and then to walk with his comrade. Man’s best friend, indeed.
Christmas in July hadn’t missed Pennsylvania, where snow was piled a foot high despite the sun overhead. Our orders were to investigate the cities for any resources or, if possible, identify suitable outpost locations, a common sub-objective lately. The orders were purposely vague, allowing us flexibility on time due to the lack of intelligence on the area after the shifting landscape.
Housing the major city of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania had been hit hard by the early bombings, the army’s first attempts to contain the outbreak, and it was evident in the haunting ruins. The wreckage of buildings, most barely standing if they weren’t reduced to rubble, loomed over the streets as distant shadows of their former selves. The metaphor landed close to home, reminding me of how much I had changed as well.
Sticking to our usual approach, we found a small store to break into, guiding the horses in on foot and leaving enough food for them to survive at least thirty-six hours without us. Calvin kept a close eye on Sampson, having trained him to detect decaying flesh and give stealth signals, which mostly consisted of laying on the ground if we
had company on top of the generic training he had. Like I said, a fantastic companion.
I brought along a metal rail from the store, using it as a walking stick as we set out for the heart of the city. So far, it was deserted and resources were probably plentiful from inhabitants fleeing or, worse, being wiped out, be it by infection, bombing, or each other. Assuming we found a section of the city with buildings still worth a damn, we’d have our outpost.
Plunging my rail into the snow for the hundredth time, I met resistance and glanced down. Withdrawing the metal with a jerk, a blackish red liquid coated the end, so I kicked my boots over the spot. The snow shifted and revealed a zombified corpse staring back at me, giving me a brief heart attack as I pulled back my leg. While it looked like the desiccation process had started, the paranoid part of me wondered if the corpse was preserved enough by the freezing temperatures to take a bite. For good measure, I pierced its skull with the rail and left no room for doubt.
Even though I was sure the infected population had diminished over time, as the scientists had predicted, I had a sudden feeling of dread as we entered an intersection, where the few vehicles still intact were half-buried in snow.
“Ever feel like you’re being watched?” Calvin asked quietly, voicing my exact thought as I saw Sampson lay down in the snow.
Chapter 39
“Get down!” I shouted, reaching out and pulling Calvin to the ground with me. Gunfire erupted, kicking up snow all around us and creating a natural smoke cover. It worked both ways, though, preventing me from seeing the origin of our ambushers. Squinting through the white fog, I spotted Mills and started crawling toward her, noting a car protruding from the snow ten feet away.
“Where is it coming from?” Jessica yelled, trying to be heard over the seemingly endless hail of bullets pouring in. The rounds were pinging off of our cover, but I also saw snow being blasted skyward to both sides, which meant the intersection had been staged for the ambush.
“They’re shooting from all sides!” Calvin answered, tucking Sampson closer between him and the car.
“Not all,” I interrupted, nodding across the street. The building ahead of us was tall, at least twenty stories, but it didn’t look nearly as worn down as the rest of the square.
“You want us to take cover in there? It might collapse on top of us at the slightest nudge!” Jessica made a good point, but we couldn’t stay out in the open. The main gunner was just now reloading, the incoming fire quieting and slowing significantly, which confirmed my suspicions.
“That guy has an M249, which is going to make mincemeat of us once he can see our position through the snow. Even if he doesn’t, our flanks are too exposed and the shooters can’t be that unlucky. We need to get inside!” I saw the concern playing across Jessica’s features before she finally met my gaze and nodded.
“I trust you, I just really hate this plan.”
“Me, too,” I grunted, making a run for the building. Jessica and Calvin were close on my heels, with Sampson easily making the distance.
The front wall had been shattered long ago, allowing me to slide inside just as the light machine gun opened up again. I had expected it to be further away, but the sound was much closer, filling the streets as his accomplices joined in. The concrete to my right chipped away, sending rock shrapnel into the air and forcing me to get lower.
“We have to keep moving,” Jessica said as she dove inside, scrambling to her feet quickly and heading for the stairs beyond, marked by a dark sign deeper into the structure. I followed, making sure I was the last to move from the entrance and returning a burst of fire in the direction of the machine gunner.
I let the others go up the stairs and waited, listening intently as the gunfire suddenly stopped. They must have signaled a ceasefire, keeping communication silent or over radio as they moved on our position. I knew the sound of the Squad Automatic Weapon that had been raining fire on us, but I also recognized the sound of the weapons on both flanks, which meant trouble. With the world being in turmoil, it probably hadn’t been hard to load up on military-grade weaponry, but I had to wonder how much firepower these raiders had.
Regrouping with my team, I found Jessica posted near the window of the second floor, which was now a balcony from the bombings blowing out the glass. Calvin sat next to the stairs, watching the first floor for movement.
“See anything out there?”
“I think they’re wearing camo or something, because I haven’t seen anyone,” Jessica replied, shaking her head. “I jinxed us by thinking this city was empty.”
“Hey, none of this is your fault. We’re all gonna be fine.” I took a step toward her, but Calvin slumped to the floor behind me and I turned. “Calvin, talk to me. What’s wrong?” Sampson was next to him, clearly worried about his partner. The K9 officer reached under his ballistic vest and withdrew fingers covered in red.
“Shit,” he breathed, his voice shaky as he knocked over a chair trying to stand. Jessica ran over to him, digging a medical kit out of her backpack. “I’m okay, I just need to get up.” He braced his arm against the wall, but Jessica pulled it down gently and gave him a look to stay down.
“People inside the building,” a deep voice called out from the streets below, “we have you surrounded and outgunned. Come out now and relinquish your supplies, and you’re free to go. We wish you no harm as long as you cooperate.” I ran to the opposite wall and peeked around the corner, trying to spot the negotiator.
“Who is it?” Calvin asked weakly while Mills tried to put pressure on the wound. She peeled his shirt up, the blood sticking to the fabric, and I saw blood pour out from a gunshot in his side.
“I can’t find an exit wound!” Jessica shouted in frustration, knowing as well as I did that a bullet going in at that angle likely meant Calvin wouldn’t be with us much longer.
“We could give them what we have, maybe get him out of here in enough time,” I offered, but I had seen that type of wound too often to lie to myself.
“If you don’t come out with your hands up in two minutes, we’re coming in. I can’t make any promises about your safety if that happens,” the voice called out once more, bringing a wave of anger rushing through me.
“Who is it?” Calvin asked again, trying to focus on the situation outside to avoid the reality of his own predicament. I glanced over the edge again, looking down the street ahead and to the left from where I stood. I almost missed it, because Mills was right about the camouflage, but something moved out of the corner of my eye. There, coming down the street, was a man with an arctic coat draped over him and his AR-15 spray-painted white. I was about to answer Calvin when I caught the flash of metal on black from underneath the coat and stopped myself.
“Son of a bitch…” I exhaled. No wonder these guys knew about firearms and staging ambush zones. The one with the AR-15 continued to move up, joining a larger man, the SAW cradled in his arms, outside our building.
“What?” Calvin said, pulling himself forward despite the anguish on his face. I turned, knowing I couldn’t lie to a dying man.
“I think they’re cops, and I don’t think they’re waiting the two minutes.”
Chapter 40
“Sampson, go,” Calvin spoke with urgency, pointing his canine unit to the next room over as we climbed to the fifth floor. By this point, though, I was carrying most of his weight on my shoulders. “Make sure he’s safe,” he added to Jessica, who nodded while doing what she could to slow his blood loss. Calvin eased onto his left side, but his tanned skin was starting to pale.
After finding out who our attackers were, I had squeezed off three rounds toward the first floor, hoping to deter them and change their minds. They responded with fire of their own, forcing us to hit the stairs and head further up as it became evident we couldn’t contain them to the lower floor. It was also clear that they were keeping us on our heels, slowly climbing after us. Of course, with Calvin’s condition worsening, we wouldn’t be going any further as a grou
p, which he knew.
“It’s okay, Eric,” he said quietly, seeing the frustration and guilt on my face. “I know you can’t stay here.” I mulled over his words for a few seconds, feeling the anger boil to the surface.
“No, it’s not okay. None of this shit is okay.” I looked from him to Jessica, bursting into a short, heartless laugh. “What the hell was I thinking? We were fine in San Antonio!”
“Eric, you couldn’t have known this-” Jessica tried to comfort me, but I cut her off.
“You told me it didn’t always have to fall on my shoulders, that I didn’t always have to be the one to do things, and I didn’t listen. This is my fault.” I stared at Calvin, blood sticking to his side and soaking through his clothes, forcing the image into my memory. I don’t know if it was guilt or regret, or maybe a mental break, but my mind suddenly cleared. “We can stay here, and we will. We’re going to hold our position on this floor and wait for them to come up those steps, and we’re going to show them that they fucked with the wrong people.”
Calvin hadn’t seen me angry yet, so he blinked at my fury, but Jessica’s lips were drawn into a thin line. I could hear footsteps below us, the sounds of at least four men clattering up the stairs. Calvin’s head lolled back, but he forced himself back to consciousness.
“Sampson, come,” he called out, and the German Shephard dashed into the room, nuzzling Calvin’s leg. “Eric, come here.” He waited for me to walk closer before holding up his right hand. Calvin pet Sampson and pulled a bag of treats out of his cargo pants, handing them to me. “Put one in your hand and hold it out.” I followed the direction, holding a steak-shaped treat out in my palm, but Sampson didn’t move. Calvin returned to petting his partner, leading his nose to the treat and petting him when he ate it. “Eric, let him know he can trust you.”
A Broken World (Book 3): Fractured Memories Page 15
