RANGER
Page 22
Cass' heart rose as the strange words tumbled from her lips, rising to a screaming crescendo, and then… silence. The mysterious lights faded away with her words. The soldiers just stood there, unsure of what to do. Chavez knelt down by the captain's body and examined it. He was still dead.
He glared at Cass, "You've failed. Now we are all dead. Kill her."
Five weapons were raised and cocked as one.
Then the captain’s body stirred, gasping for air.
"Wait!" Chavez yelled, cradling the captain's head in his arms. "Captain, you’re alive, it's a miracle!" he rejoiced.
The captain’s eyes popped open in a burst, and he stared at Chavez for a moment. Chavez pulled his head even closer to his own chest, relieved beyond measure. Then, in an instant, the captain twisted his head, biting down on Chavez's hand, severing three fingers in the act.
"Shoot him!" The sergeant screamed, clutching his partially eaten hand.
The men looked on in confusion. Even though the captain had become a flesh-eating monster… he still outranked Sergeant Chavez.
From where she was standing ten feet away, Cass muttered the only words her terrified mind could process, "Holy shit!"
They all watched the captain spastically trying to stand up. Then a shriek pierced the stillness of the jungle, followed by another until a cacophony of agonized screams echoed through the night. All eyes turned to the ancient cemetery. A headstone toppled over, then another. A mausoleum burst open. Figures appeared in the moonlight, staggering at first but slowly gaining their balance, moving towards their position.
Cass began crawling away from the group. The soldiers were far too distracted by the apparently walking dead to even notice.
One of the men raised his AK-47 and fired into the oncoming mass. The resurrected bodies lurched from the impact, and then just continued toward them, perhaps even faster. The first wave or rotting bodies was on them then and leapt onto the soldiers, grabbing and biting ferociously. Cass saw three descend on Chavez, tearing him literally limb from limb.
A corporal tried to rally the men, "Shoot them in the head, I saw it on television!" He fired a burst directly into the face of an oncoming zombie. The bullets did exactly nothing to stop the oncoming ghoul. "Fucking movies!" The soldier screamed as the zombie sank its teeth into his neck.
Cass continued crawling until a weak, almost whispered voice stopped her.
"Cass," it said, "It's me".
Cass crawled toward the voice and froze. It was Talin's decapitated head struggling to speak. "I can help you." He whispered, only communicating with great effort.
"By this point she was almost lost the ability to be shocked. Somehow accepting that he was speaking at all, all she could do was ask, “But why aren't you a zombie?"
"The spirit protected my soul. Now pick me up and go to the hut."
"But those things are everywhere!"
"Trust me," He said. Wow, she thought, I don’t even want to think about the PTSD this is gonna bring on.
Cass scooped up Talin's head and staggered into the hut, slamming the flimsy door behind her. Automatic weapons fire and screams filled the air outside. Through the small window she saw a soldier dragged to the ground by a zombie tearing at his throat. Moments later the soldier rose again, this time pouncing on one of his comrades.
"Jesus, anyone who dies comes back as a zombie! At least the movies got that part right. So what do we do now?" Cass asked, fighting to maintain her sanity.
"That wicker basket is full of salt. Make a circle of it on the ground."
She groped around and found the basket. Grabbing handfuls of salt she formed a circle around the two of them. Some of the zombies bashed at the hut's flimsy door while others were reaching through the small window. The zombie's had their first meal surrounded.
"Ok I got it!" Cass yelled, completing an imperfect circle around them.
Talin invoked a voodoo spell in the ancient tongue. Cass's heart was racing. The door shook under the pounding fists, finally collapsing. Three zombies burst into the hut. Talin continued the spell as the zombie's locked hungry eyes on Cass.
"Done," Talin whispered, "Do not leave the circle."
The zombie's paused, staring in Cass' direction, but ignoring her as if she were invisible. Clutching Talin's head to her chest Cass watched the zombie's mill around the tiny room. Finding nothing to sate their hunger they turned and shuffled off.
Outside the screaming gave way to an eerie silence. Without leaving the magic circle Cass stood and peered out the window. She was relieved to see the zombies walking into the jungle. She sank back to the floor. Talin’s mouth looked dry and so Cass searched until she found a bottle of water. What the fuck was going on! This was beyond insane.
"They're leaving," She said, dabbing water onto Talin's lips. The thought crossed her mind that this wasn’t going to do much for his overall situation, but it was about she could duo for him now.
"I think they are looking for an easier meal – or whatever it is they are after, elsewhere."
"What the hell is happening? And oh my poor Talin! Look what they have done to you!” she cried to his upturned face.
Talin closed his eyes for a moment. "When Litha took control of you and cast that spell, it must have been so powerful as to raise all these dead souls, including mine. It is the strength of my spirit, and the support of those spirits I have served that is allowing me to come to you as the man you know, rather than as a zombie like the rest.”
"Yes, but look at you! And how could she allow all this to happen?"
"Well, metaphysically speaking, Litha is known for her deep passions…she is not a spirit to be crossed…so I would say it was no accident. You get on the wrong side of her and she can be one mean spirited bitch, if you’ll pardon the pun."
"How powerful was that spell then? I mean, did it affect just this cemetery, or the island?"
"I do not know," Talin replied, "All I know is that for the moment you are safe."
"But what about the resort? It is not that far with all the noise I’m betting those things will find them. And what about your body? Can’t we reattach you or something?"
"I imagine you are correct about the resort and perhaps something can be done with my body, but time is short. We can either try and save those people or see what can be done about my body."
"Well we have to do something to help him. We can deal with your body later." Cass said, "We have to help them."
"I was afraid you would say that."
Chapter 6
The aging local bus pulled to a stop just outside the resort's fence line. The driver studied his watch, and, at exactly the appointed moment, opened the passenger door. The load of peasants filed out silently. They were actually the Colonel's personal troops in disguise. Each man was well trained, totally loyal and armed to the teeth. They carefully made their way through the brush. Within minutes they were in position… waiting for the order to be given.
Inside the resort the Prime Minister was addressing the assembled guests. The audience did their best to feign interest, eager to get back to their drugs and debauchery. Colonel Marcos discreetly checked his watch. He would only have to endure two more minutes of this pointless speech before his plan sprang into action. The Prime Minister droned on about the economic opportunities created by the resort and how it would benefit the people. The Colonel knew all the construction was done by the Prime Minister's own company at reduced wages to workers and a huge markup to the client… so much for benefitting the people.
He glanced at Novia who looked exquisite, the elegant gown complementing her natural beauty. She was standing next to the island's first lady, an aging shrew waging an unsuccessful war against the ravages of time. The Colonel wondered how much of Tortura's national treasury was squandered on the first lady's breasts, ass, and lips? The speech mercifully ended, earning polite applause from the still captive audience. They quieted, hoping they could now get back to their debauchery.
The chaos provided a perfect distraction for his moment. Drawing his sidearm the Colonel confronted the Prime Minister, "As of this moment you will step down, officially surrendering control of the government to me."
The shocked Prime Minister remained defiant, "I will never grant you control of the island."
"If you do not surrender, your wife will be the first to die."
The Prime Minster glared at the Colonel, "You wouldn't dare!"
"No… I wouldn't," Colonel Marcos replied with a smile.
“But I would.” Novia drew a petite chrome plated .38 automatic from her Chanel handbag and casually fired a shot into each of the first lady's silicone enhanced tits. The grief stricken Prime Minster stared down at his wife's body.
"Don't blame yourself," The colonel said, "We were planning to kill you both anyway," and with that he put a man-sized bullet through the Prime Minister's head.
Novia looked on in awe as the Colonel shouted orders to his men. In her eyes he was like Alexander the Great and Caesar combined. Their carefully conceived plan was finally coming together. The Colonel's soldiers had not worn uniforms so the attack could more easily be blamed on "rebel factions" working against the government. The attackers would demand a ransom from the United States government for the surviving tourists. But Colonel Marcos would bravely step in, negotiating the American's release while putting down the rebellion. In the fog of war the press would declare him a hero and the United Nations would agree to him becoming the island's interim ruler as well. In this case "interim" would mean for life. The citizens wouldn't protest because the Colonel's men were already executing potential troublemakers.
The Colonel's men moved forward now in squads. They had orders to avoid excess gunfire but a scream from the nearby Jacuzzi alarmed one soldier. He turned, emptying his magazine into a pack of naked bodies. Two soldiers raced to the Jacuzzi, to check for survivors, and more importantly thick wallets and expensive watches. It looked like total slaughter until Fawn popped out from under two floating bodies.
"Please don't shoot me," She screamed.
The soldiers smiled. They had been ordered to hold themselves to the highest moral standards, but that, of course, was open to interpretation. Pulling the squealing girl from the water, a couple of them began to drag her around the corner for some privacy.
Chapter 7
Jack Godwin had slipped into the shadows when the first shots were fired. Under the guise of a travel writer he'd spent the past two weeks analyzing Tortura's political climate for the National Security Agency. Unfortunately the situation had come to a head much faster than the NSA had anticipated. He was hammering out a message on his iPad, which was in truth a highly classified cipher device, when he heard them coming. A second later two soldiers rounded the corner dragging a screaming young woman. Jack instantly recognized Fawn, the young porn starlet. He had strict orders to avoid any confrontation and to simply report the situation, but Jack knew what was about to happen to Fawn.
Jack shot forward, launching a straight punch into the first man's windpipe, dropping him instantly. The second man tossed Fawn aside… a mistake that left him wide open to attack. He tried to raise his rifle but Jack had already closed the gap, delivering a hammer fist blow down onto his nose. There was a soft crunch of cartilage, but the soldier still remained on his feet. He lashed out blindly until Jack grabbed him in a wrestling hold. Cradling the soldier's head in his arms, Jack twisted his neck sharply. With a sickening crack the soldier fell lifeless to the ground. The first man was still squirming on the grass, unable to breath. Jack didn't waste any time on him, knowing he'd choke to death within minutes.
He picked up an AK and as many clips as he could quickly gather and turned to Fawn, who was cowering on the ground, knees drawn tightly to her chest, her mind overwhelmed. Jack knelt down, taking her hand. She looked at him with dazed eyes.
"You're safe now… everything will be okay," The calm tone of his voice registered enough to get her moving. Jack had lied… they were very far from okay. Hearing more soldiers approaching Jack pulled Fawn into the nearby dining hall.
Chapter 8
Scavenging through Talin's hut Cass found a wicker picnic basket, and quickly improvised a shoulder strap from a discarded rifle. She tucked Talin's head inside, hoping he could breathe… then wondering if decapitated head's needed to breathe anyhow. Within minutes she was barreling down the coast road as fast as the aging Vespa could go. About a mile from the resort she made out people standing in the road ahead.
Cass realized they were soldiers just as they opened fire. Bullets zipped past her as she veered off the road, dumping the bike in the soft sand. She felt dazed but otherwise unhurt. Talin's basket had come lose, and she crawled through the sand searching for him.
"Talin! Where are you?" She whispered.
"Over here," He replied, spitting out a mouthful of wet sand.
She brushed him off, then crouched silently, clutching the AK-47 she had picked up and brought along. Cass knew it was almost useless against the zombies, but holding it made her feel safer. The soldiers didn't come after them.
"They must think they killed me." Cass whispered, crawling towards the road for a better look. The soldiers were corralling a group of prisoners; innocent locals who'd been deemed "troublesome."
"Oh god no," Cass whispered, closing her eyes. She'd seen this type of brutality before.
Shots rang out as the first prisoners were executed. She heard other innocents pleading for mercy… and more gunfire. The begging ceased as the last body dropped. Their work complete, the soldiers did what soldiers do… lit cigarettes and chatted among themselves.
"Are those bodies going to turn?" Cass asked Talin.
"From what we know, I’d say probably yes … remember, this is my first zombie outbreak."
Screams rang out as the dead endured what was apparently the agony of resurrection. Moments later first wave of zombies crawled from where they had lain dead minutes before. The soldiers opened fire, pouring hundreds of bullets into the oncoming horde. It had no effect except in cases where the sheer volume of fire had severed limbs. Even then the zombies came on as best they could, with their severed bits doing left squirming in their wake. Within seconds the fighting was hand-to-hand.
Cass seized the opportunity. Pulling the bike upright she cranked the starter. It sputtered once, twice, "Come on baby, start for momma," and finally the engine kicked over. "Yes!"
"You can always rely on a Vespa," Talin added.
"Well right now I wish it was a Humvee!" Was she really having a conversation with a severed head?
Balancing Talin's basket in her lap Cass pulled out, steering the bike straight into the melee. "Hang on!" She yelled.
"With what?"
Good point, she thought. Cass weaved and skidded, maneuvering through attacking zombies and crazed soldiers alike. Everything was great until a zombie grabbed her leg. Cass tried to dislodge the creature but it was holding on for sheer afterlife. The extra weight was slowing the bike down and other zombies were closing in. Struggling to keep her balance Cass steered towards a soldier, veering just to his right as she passed. The clinging zombie struck the soldier hard enough to jar it loose and send the entangled pair tumbling. The much lightened bike quickly accelerated, leaving the carnage behind.
"Well at least those bastards got what they deserved," She shouted to Talin.
"Except now they will be zombies."
"Don't rain on my parade darling," she replied steering the bike towards the resort. "Hey honey,” she asked her lover’s head, “do we have… I don't know… a plan?"
"I was going to ask you that," Talin said. “You’re the one with the body.”
"Fan-fucking-tastic
."
Chapter 9
Novia watched the troops herding the American survivors. At a quick glance she estimated twenty five tourists were dead; a number which was well within their accepted parameters. Other soldiers were working their way through the resort buildings, executing any locals on the staff. Some dead islanders would help balance the score card for the international press, changing the headlines from "Americans slaughtered," to a more manageable "Innocents massacred." It was all in the wording. Either way, they were depending on the international outrage to propel them into power.
Novia stared down at the deceased first lady with satisfaction. This was actually the first time she had ever killed anyone, and she had rather enjoyed it. For years she'd suffered abuse from that highborn bitch. All the condescending looks down her surgically perfected nose. She'd even forbidden Colonel Marcos from marrying Novia, declaring her an embarrassing whore. Just as she was enjoying the site of the bitch dead at her feet, she did something unexpected… the first lady opened her eyes.
The dead woman lashed out with a manicured hand, grabbing Novia's ankle like a vice. Novia tried to pull away but lost her balance, tumbling to the ground. The dead woman crawled forward on her belly, saline leaking out of her chest with every lunge. Her Botox fattened lips were pulled back in a snarl, exposing veneer teeth that threatened to bury themselves in Novia's leg any moment.
Chaos erupted across the compound. The dead were rising, and they clearly had it in for the living. Naked, bullet riddled zombies crawled out of the Jacuzzi to savage the soldiers who had so recently cut them down. The soldiers opened fire, mowing down the living as well as adding holes to the zombie’s flesh. Innocent people were dropped down in every direction as the soldiers went into full panic.