The wave exploded without warning, the walls caving in as it closed out in a massive thunderclap that shook the heavens and sent rain cascading down around me. The force was so strong that it drove me back toward shore, pushing me up onto a sand bar, before it retreated. The water grew calm again as a gentle rain began to fall over it. The stormy clouds that had appeared overhead parted and a ray of sunshine broke through, hitting the water and making it dance with sparkling light, like a golden blanket glistening in diamonds. Apache was simply gone.
“You okay?” Felicity asked.
I woke with a start.
“What?”
“You were kicking a lot in your sleep,” she laughed. “And mumbling too. What was it?”
“I was dreaming about surfing,” I remembered, trying to hold on to the images I'd just seen, as they faded like thin vapors of smoke curling into the air. “I think.”
“I'm surprised you two aren't out there right now,” Felicity teased. “Trying to get in one last session before the festivities begin.”
“We would be, but she'd never let him hear the end of it,” I said.
“Don't tell me that the big bad General Macnamara is afraid of his soon-to-be wife,” Felicity laughed.
“You know how scary she can be,” I reminded her. “Remember when we first met her?”
“I was never afraid of her,” Felicity insisted, working hard to sit up in bed. “I just didn't trust her at first. There's a difference.”
“Right,” I said sarcastically. I didn't feel like picking a full fight with her before breakfast. These days she was getting her way more and more, but I didn't mind.
Felicity started to get out of bed, and I jumped up to help. The blankets fell away revealing her swollen belly. Despite being only six months pregnant, she looked ready to burst at any moment.
“Let me help you,” I said, taking her arm.
“I can manage,” she argued, but held on to my hand anyway as I pulled her up to a standing position. I put my hand on her tummy, and felt a sharp kick from within.
“Looks like I'm not the only one doing some kicking today,” I teased.
“He's been tap dancing on my bladder all morning,” she grumbled.
It had been over six months since the big battle at the base had ended with General Helmer rolling up in a tank with the full might of the Unified Armed Forces behind him, and put an end to the military coup that Franco had started and John had tried to finish. The world as we knew it had changed once more, and this time for the better. It took weeks for Moto to heal from the near-fatal wound he'd received in the fight, and in that time he met with Helmer on countless occasions, giving statements about all that we'd been through. Felicity, Benji, and I were questioned as well. Even Sonya gave sworn testimony about her role in securing the Ibogaine and protecting the Project Files, which was the new official version of what had happened.
It was decided by the powers that be, that Moto had earned the rank of general for his leadership and bravery. An official ceremony was held in his honor. He gave a small speech and thanked the men who fought so bravely against those who sought to wield power against the defenseless and weak, and reminded us not to forget the brave soldiers who had sacrificed their lives for our freedom.
“Let us never forget the terrible price we have paid for our future,” Moto reminded us. “And honor them with the choices we make as we rebuild, forging a new destiny together for all of mankind.”
He could have been a great politician, I thought with admiration. Perhaps one day he will be. Who knows? He might even become President.
Eventually, trials were held for those who had participated in the insurrection. Zane and the few remaining Blackshirts who had survived both the firefight and the zombie horde that day were found guilty of treason and sentenced to death by hanging, along with Desdemona, who continued to insist on her innocence even after having countless witnesses testify against her, including me. As general, it was Moto's duty to oversee their executions, a grim burden he seemed reluctant to carry out. In the end, he decided it was best for morale to commute the sentences, opting instead to commit all the guilty parties to a life sentence in work gangs assigned to help clean up and restore shattered communities.
“It makes a lot more sense if you think about it,” Moto explained to those who objected to showing them leniency. “If we kill them, they're off the hook quick and easy. How is that fair? They are responsible for this mess. They should be forced to help clean it up, to see first hand the kind of suffering their selfish and immoral actions caused others. That's true justice, if you ask me.”
Ultimately, I believe he just couldn't bear to see anyone else hung, not after what we'd been through. I know I wasn't planning on attending any executions, including Zane’s or Desdemona’s, who some argued deserved nothing less. The truth was, we needed all the help we could get cleaning up what was left of the world.
A plan had been hatched to put the antidote into full production, with Kaya overseeing the entire process from start to finish. The labs had been cleaned out and transformed into full-blown reclamation centers, with scientists and doctors on staff to help save as many people as they could. There were even psychologists brought in to help with the mental distress of the newly resurrected, as well as some religious leaders and a barrage of spiritual healers for those without religious affiliation. Everyone was eager to chip in and help welcome back the former dead. Each new rebirth was like a small miracle, bolstering our spirits and strengthening our resolve to build a new world, a better one than we had known.
It was in that spirit that the military decided to start reclaiming portions of land as well. They started with special units embedded with Ibogaine specialists and doctors, many of whom had left Xanadu to join the armed forces in an attempt to help. First they took back Paradise City, running out the cannibals who fled without a fight, and knocking down a small zombie horde in the process. Moto put Benji in charge of the attack, and the whole mission was such a roaring success that it became the blueprint for retaking other lost cities, including Barstow. Everywhere they went, the opposition crumbled without putting up much of a fight. A few surrendered, but most of them simply hopped on their bikes and fled, leaving behind the spoils of their pilfered loot, and wide-eyed hostages grateful to be rescued instead of eaten or killed for fun. A new light seemed to be shining upon us, with order and peace being restored everywhere it landed. It was around this time that Felicity told me she was pregnant with our first child.
“That's great news,” Sonya exclaimed when we told her and Moto. “I'm so happy for you both!”
“Congratulations,” Moto said, slapping me on the back. “You're going to make an awesome dad. I'm sure of it.”
“Thanks,” I said, feeling slightly embarrassed by his display of affection.
“We've got some good news of our own,” Moto said with a smile.
“What's that?” Felicity asked.
“We're getting married!” Sonya shrieked, holding out her hand to show off a diamond ring.
“How wonderful,” Felicity said, beaming with pleasure for them both.
“Are you sure you're okay with it?” Sonya asked, looking nervously at Felicity.
“Of course I am,” Felicity said without any hesitation at all. “Why wouldn't I be? You're like family already anyway. This will just make it official.”
“Good,” Sonya replied, looking relieved, “because I want you to be my maid of honor.”
In the weeks that passed, time seemed to speed up. There was still plenty to do around the base. New recruits were flooding in daily, and I was now in charge of training them and getting them ready to ship off to the front lines. In addition to teaching hand-to-hand combat skills, I was also responsible for seeing that they were well acquainted with every aspect of military life. More than anything, Moto said he wanted to strip away what he called 'the new Joe smell' from the freshly enlisted, in the hopes that they'd be more readily accepted by
the long-term soldiers. It was grueling work that took up nearly all my spare time since most of them were far from being in shape in the first place, but I loved every minute of it.
Felicity went back to teaching as well. She had set up a school on the base, at Moto's request, and began to offer courses on everything from water purification to wound care, for anyone who showed up. She was an instant success, so much so, that she immediately began having trouble keeping up with her swelling class sizes. That's when I reached out to her old colleague, Jamie Friendly, inviting him to live on the base and help us out. After we left by train so long ago, Freedom Town was attacked by a massive coalition of outlaw forces, including both Alphas and Warriors. They broke through Batista's defenses with almost no resistance, and laid waste to everything in sight while searching of us. Batista's body was never recovered. There are even some who think he might still be alive, carted off kicking and screaming by the enemy. Those who survived the brutal onslaught had taken up residence at Edwards, waiting to move to a safe place. They formed a tent city away from the soldiers, and began to rebuild what they could of their shattered lives once again. Some of them, like Stanley the Stone, enlisted and joined the fight, while others drifted off in search of a new safe haven.
Jamie stayed behind to care for those with nowhere else to go. In fact, General Helmer was the first to tell me about his work, praising Jamie's dedication and commitment to helping others. I wasn't sure he'd be willing to leave his flock behind, or to forgive me for that matter. The way things had ended, I wouldn't be all that shocked if he wrote back telling me he never wanted to see my face again as long as he lived. Instead, to my surprise, he gladly accepted my invitation without reservation, sending word that he'd be able to start in less than a week.
“Ever since Freedom Town fell, I've been looking for a way I could help to make a real difference,” Jamie wrote back. “I’m glad you are able to put our differences aside, and I would be honored to join forces with you and your lovely wife to help bring about a better future for all of us.”
He arrived by train and I met him at the station, picking him up without ever telling Felicity he was coming. We surprised her as she was finishing teaching for the day, and for a moment I thought I might have gone too far. Felicity froze in shock, then dropped her books and ran to Jamie, throwing her arms around him and crying.
I'll never forget how it felt to make her happy, I thought. I'd do anything to see that smile on her face. It is amazing! She is totally worth it.
What I hadn't expected when I asked Jamie to come help us at the base, was that we would become such great friends. I never imagined we'd have that much in common, to be honest. I was just an average kid from suburbia who had dreamed my whole life of following in my father’s footsteps, and joining the military. Jamie was a world-famous celebrity, just like Felicity used to be. I just assumed they'd hit it off again and become closer than ever. Instead, by some odd twist of fate, Jamie and I had actually grown closer. With Benji gone off to the front lines, leading soldiers to battle against bikers and warlords and cannibals, and Moto busy with his new duties as the acting general of Port Hueneme Unified Armed Forces, I found myself hanging out with Jamie more and more, often turning to him for advice on Felicity. Soon, I stopped seeing him as a famous person like my wife had been, and began viewing him as a close friend and trusted adviser. In fact, it had been Jamie that insisted on teaching both Moto and me how to surf, after learning that one of our new recruits had been a board shaper for Channel Islands Surfboards prior to Z Day.
“I can't believe you've lived in California your whole life, and have never been surfing before,” Jamie said when I told him I didn't know how to ride. “You've got to let me teach you. It will change your whole life!”
He was right. Soon we were spending mornings in the break just off the base, and I found myself caught in a full-blown obsession with the ocean. Riding calmed me down more than even doing Tai Chi.
Just then, a knock at the door pulled my attention away.
“Come in,” I said, still holding my pregnant wife by the arm.
Jamie Friendly poked his head in with a smile on his face.
“Speak of the devil,” I laughed. “I was just thinking about you.”
“Good morning, love birds,” he sang. “Felicity, you look amazing as always.”
“I'm as big as a house,” she shot back testily, but Jamie just grinned.
“A house with leaky pipes,” I added, helping her to the bathroom.
“I hate to do this to you, but I need to borrow him,” Jamie pleaded, making a face. “One last final best man duty before curtain call. You know how it is.”
“Go on then,” Felicity said. “Take him.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“I'll be fine,” she assured me. “I'll see you at the wedding. Don't be late!”
“Give me five,” I told Jamie. “I'll meet you out front.”
“Got it,” he replied, vanishing as quickly as he'd appeared.
“You really don't mind me taking off with the boys?” I asked again. The last thing I wanted was to be accused of ditching my pregnant wife. Felicity's moods had become unstable as the pregnancy went on, with her snapping over small things one minute, then bursting into tears the next. She said it was just her changing hormones, but I didn't want to risk upsetting her any more than I had to, just in case. We'd been getting along so well
“Go enjoy your freedom,” Felicity teased me. “Once this baby comes, you won't be going out with the boys for a long time.”
“Thanks, babe,” I said, kissing her on the cheek.
I quickly dressed while she was in the bathroom and headed out, meeting Jamie in front of the building.
“What's the plan?” I asked.
“The bird is inbound as we speak,” Jamie assured me. “They should be touching down any minute now.”
“And Moto?”
“Follow me,” he good-naturedly commanded, leading me off and around the front of the base. He led me to where the gallows had been. A solid black hunk of obsidian stood there now in memory of all who had passed away, carved with the date of the battle and the names of those lost in the fight. Moto stared down at it. He was dressed in full regalia, with his hat in his hand.
“It doesn't seem fair,” he said reverently. “Does it? Us still being here to enjoy this beautiful day, when so many others can't be.”
“All we can do now is honor their memory,” I said with empathy as I walked up to him.
“What's this big surprise you've got planned?”
“Give it a minute,” I grinned.
Right on cue, the sound of a large military helicopter caught our attention from the east. Within moments it was in sight, the double whirring blades of the Boeing CH-47 Chinook drowning out Moto's objections as it passed over us and came to rest just past the gates.
“What's going on?” Moto demanded.
“We're taking a little trip off base,” I teased.
“Xander, we don't have time for this,” Moto objected.
“It's just for a few hours,” I quickly replied. “No one will ever notice you've left.”
“I'm the general in command,” Moto said, flabbergasted. “I can't just go missing, not even for a few hours.”
“Your second-in-command has already been made aware of your leave of absence,” I assured him. “He's going to oversee the base when you're gone. He's also agreed to take over the command at any point if you ever decide to take your new bride for a honeymoon.”
“I don't know, Xander,” Moto muttered, running out of excuses.
“Quit stalling already,” Jamie nudged him. “I went through a lot of trouble to arrange this, burned up a ton of favors. Now let's go for a ride!”
Moto shook with laughter. It was hard to tell Jamie no. He had an infectious enthusiasm that made people love him.
“Fine,” Moto relented. “But you’d better not make me late for my own wedding, guys – or
you'll have Sonya to deal with.”
We turned and walked over to the helicopter, laughing and boarding and taking our seats. When we were all strapped in I hollered out to the pilot, holding my thumb up to let him know we were ready for takeoff.
“Where are we going anyway?” Moto asked. “Can you at least tell me that?”
“We're going to get your wedding rings,” I sang out, the tail end of my words vanishing in the roar of the engines as we lifted off.
We rode along the coast, just out over the water, taking in the view of the land as we went. Even though I knew the military had been working overtime to reclaim as much ground as possible, I was still surprised to see all the bustling communities that had sprung up. It was overwhelmingly loud inside the helicopter, so we kept our conversation to a minimum rather than shouting to be heard, which was fine with me. We were headed to our mother's house in Pismo Beach, the one left to her by her parents when they passed. Mom and Dad met on the beach near where she grew up, but after they were married, my parents moved to Fresno so Dad could find work. I remembered childhood events like spending Easter and Christmas with my grandparents out at the beach, but all of that ended after my mom passed away. I stayed there with my dad during the time Mom was in the hospital. We'd continued living there for nearly six months after she was buried, my father not wanting to be away from her. Years later, I'd taken Moto there for the first time, after Dad passed away from a massive heart attack in the middle of the night. We buried him next to her just like he'd asked for in his will. Moto was already enlisted by then. He told me we should move there, just until we figured things out. He was worried about me finishing high school. He wanted me to go to college, but all I wanted was to enlist. A month later, Z Day hit. If I'd been back home in Fresno, chances are I'd never have survived long enough to see Vandenberg.
Zombie Attack! Army of the Dead (Book 3) Page 19
