The man let out a scream as he fell down to his knees dropping his weapon. Mike, not hearing the machine gun firing at them, came up with the rest of his squad. They all saw Bruce standing behind the man who had shot at them pulling his knife out. Then Bruce drove his knife in again making the man scream again. Mike was fixing to tell his team to move out when he saw Bruce, pull the man’s head to the side and lean down to his neck. Then Bruce yanked his head back and blood shot out of the man’s neck as Bruce let him go. The man fell to the ground screaming. It took a second for Mike to realize that Bruce had bitten a chunk out of the man’s neck.
Mike let out a yell followed by everyone else as Bruce spat the chunk of meat at the screaming man. Jumping up, Mike led his squad to their building throwing two flash bangs in, they waited till they blew and went inside, killing everyone.
Before turning around, Bruce shot the screaming man in the stomach and joined his team as they started clearing trailers. As Bruce pulled the SAW off his back, two women ran at them and Danny cut both down with a burst to the chest. Coming to the first trailer they threw a flash bang and rushed inside. A man was crawling on the floor as Buffy shot him as Jake followed Bruce down the hall. Bruce peeled off to the room on the left as Jake went forward. Entering the last room Jake found four women huddled together and opened up. When they were down he cleared the closet and backed out to rejoin the team.
Coming up to the last trailer, a large fifth wheel camper with its door open, Bruce motioned for the team to flank him, he would go in. Checking as much as he could before entering and not seeing anything Bruce rushed in. Leveling the SAW as he entered the door, Bruce didn’t see anything as he swept the trailer. Moving to the back with the SAW in front of him he kicked the door down to the bed room. Inside he found a group of about twenty women and some kids, huddled together. “Don’t worry, its okay. Kids outside, I’m checking the adults out,” Bruce said, seeing relief on the women’s faces as the kids ran out.
With his area clear, Mike met up with Willie at the main building. “How are we doing Willie?” Mike asked.
“Two wounded, minor, no other casualties. The buildings are cleared and I just saw Bruce enter the last trailer,” Willie told Mike as they heard suppressed machine gun fire coming from the trailer Bruce had entered. They turned to look and saw Bruce coming out with his group flanking him and a group of terrified kids with them.
“Get everyone ready to leave,” Mike told Willie as Bruce came over.
“Casualties?” Bruce asked as he stopped by them.
“Two minor,” Mike answered.
Bruce nodded as he looked around and saw three of Omega guarding a group of women where the choppers unloaded. “What are they doing?” Bruce asked.
“Guarding them, they were all just lying on the floor when we hit the main building,” Willie answered.
“What part of ‘no prisoners’ do you not understand? I got the kids out, so it’s a kill zone now,” Bruce stated.
Willie just looked at Bruce, “Bruce, they aren’t armed and haven’t put up any resistance,” Willie told him.
Bruce looked at the group as he spoke, “There is a tanker truck back there. Drive it by every structure and hose them down, then the docks and boats. You have ten minutes,” Bruce told him as Willie yelled for his squad.
“What are we going to do with them?” Mike asked pointing at the prisoners.
Bruce ignored him and asked, “Are the choppers ready?”
“Yeah, they refueled and are heading back now,” Mike answered.
“Ten minutes we leave,” Bruce told Mike as he headed toward the prisoners calling the guards over. The guards moved to him and as Bruce reached the group he lifted up his SAW and opened fire. A few tried to run but were cut down by Danny, Jake or Buffy.
Seeing nothing moving, Bruce looked up. “Jake, Danny take the three guards and get Ed and bring him here,” Bruce told them.
They took off running as Bruce looked around. The fuel truck had stopped at each building hosing it down with fuel and was moving to the docks. Mike walked over to him followed by his squad. When Jake and the team left the dock with Ed the docks and boats were hosed down.
“Thank you for letting me come Bruce,” Mike said as they heard the choppers coming in.
“You had a right to but I really didn’t want you to. One of us has to stay sane,” Bruce told him. If Mike’s face wouldn’t have been painted black Bruce would have seen the color drain from it as he keyed his radio. “Omega, rally point, we’re leaving. First son you copy?” Bruce called out.
“I copy Dad,” Steve answered.
“When we’re clear, you and your wing man lay waste to this place with everything you are carrying, then, come home. Copy,” Bruce told him.
“Copy Dad,” Steve replied.
The choppers set down and everyone boarded and the choppers left in single file with Bruce’s chopper leaving last. Looking back Bruce watched the Apaches dump their 2.75 inch rockets over the camp igniting the fuel. Black smoke rose up in a mushroom cloud as the Apaches started with their Hellfires and chain guns. Bruce turned around and saw Ed looking up at him so Bruce kicked him in the face breaking his nose.
The choppers landed back at the farm to a cheering crowd. When the choppers shut down Bruce jumped out and saw someone on an electric buggy. Bruce pointed at them, then in front of him. The man driving the buggy shot forward stopping beside Bruce as Jake pulled Ed to the door. With Jake’s help Bruce threw Ed to the back of the buggy. Looking at the driver Bruce said, “Follow me.”
Angela and Stephanie ran out of the house with all the kids heading toward Bruce. Kneeling down, Bruce caught the twins and Cade as Stephanie carried PJ with Angela beside her. “You did good Bruce,” Angela told him as she came over and hugged him followed by Stephanie.
“Thank you, let me drop Ed off and get him situated, then let’s eat,” Bruce told them.
They smiled and led the kids to the Center. Reaching the shop, Bruce set up Ed like the others. Then Bruce took out a ten foot piece of angle iron and run it under Ed’s back from his head to his feet under the cross section that held his arms. Strapping Ed’s feet to it Bruce turned Ed so he was just being held up by the long piece of angle iron. Then Bruce welded the long piece and the cross piece making an iron cross as Ed screamed from the heat. Next, Bruce did the same to the others, all of them screaming as Bruce welded their cross together. Taking off his welding gloves Bruce looked at them arching their backs off the hot metal crying.
“I told you we were going to hell for following Warren, Carl!” Ed yelled out.
“Not yet Ed, I get you first before you get off that easy,” Bruce told them as he left.
Walking into the Center, Bruce took off his vest and put it on the rack with his weapons. As Bruce sat down Father Thomas came over. “Bruce, that won’t bring her back, those people had surrendered. You can’t descend to their level,” Father Thomas told him.
“I’m not going to their level Father. I’m going to a level they could never begin to imagine,” Bruce told him.
Father Thomas gasped stepping back, “Bruce, what about the kids? They don’t need to bring this on themselves.” Father Thomas said.
“Their sins pass to me. You worship God. Me, I’m fixing to lay waste to any person that hurts others and the infected. I’ll show them pain and fear. I’m not talking to God so you can tell him to watch. I’ll show him a wave of obliteration,” Bruce told him as Millie sat down a plate.
Father Thomas stuttered as Bruce looked up, “Father, the only reason I’m sane now is because my kids at this table with Angela and Stephanie. He allowed the best thing to be taken from me. I don’t know the reason why and I don’t care. I’m going to show the world what total unbridled hate can do. My soul is forfeit,” Bruce said then started eating.
Father Thomas stumbled back. Looking at Angela and Stephanie for help but they were just nodding with Bruce as were the kids and everyone else. “I’ll pray for you
Bruce,” Father Thomas said and walked back to his table.
A kitchen worker came out and gave Bruce a jug of food for the prisoners. When he finished eating Bruce told the family to wait for him on the patio as he went to feed the four. Meeting up with the family Bruce led them in the den. Debbie was in a coffin that Marcus had made and placed on the coffee table. Debbie was cleaned up with ice bags around her.
The family had their visitation with Debbie and left leaving Bruce standing beside her. “I got the ones that did this. Only four are alive but only for a little while. Then I’ll protect everyone as I move out and kill everything that tries to hurt others,” Bruce said, turning around heading upstairs.
That night everyone cried themselves to sleep but Bruce, even PJ. PJ didn’t know what was going on and wanted Mama to get up and come upstairs but she wouldn’t. He would yell “Mama” and she wouldn’t hold him. When Angela put him in the bed he would run to the door to go to Mama. When Stephanie put him in the bed they had to hold him in it as he cried. Bruce just lay in the bed with them and put his arm over everyone and went to sleep.
The next day Bruce just fed Warren and sat with Debbie until the family service. The family was there along with the command group and others that they were close to on the farm. Bruce spoke to everyone and told stories about Debbie that made everyone laugh. Then Bruce had others come up to say a few words. It was dark when Bruce, Mike, David, Steve, Jake and Matt carried Debbie outside. The crematorium had been put outside beside the shop and that’s where the procession ended.
Placing her inside Bruce told everyone to file by and noticed a huge crowd. Bruce told them they too could come and say goodbye. Every man, woman and child walked by telling Debbie bye. Bruce just watched and when everyone was gone, he nodded to Joe and left.
The next day the clan had the mass service and Bruce wouldn’t speak no matter who asked. He sat there with Debbie’s urn in his arms. Carrying out her wishes he gave the cylinders of her ashes to those he was told to. When the service was over Bruce stood up giving the urn to Angela. “I have business now,” Bruce said and walked to the shop. The clan was still milling around outside after the service when the screams started.
Chapter 4
Seven days later the screams were still coming out of the shop. Crowds formed outside wanting to catch a glimpse of what Bruce was doing. Seeing the crowd on his monitor, Bruce pulled the overhead hoist over and connected the cross Scott was on up to it. Lifting him off the table, Bruce moved him to the bay door. When Bruce opened the door the clan could see the charred skin and various things shoved in his body. Many fell to their knees puking while others just ran from the sight.
When everyone left Bruce walked around to the machine shop giving Joe and Harry several projects he wanted done in a week. Then Bruce went to the Center, ate with the family, and then went back to the shop. Angela and Stephanie were allowed inside but Bruce would rush them out. It was the tenth day that Mike came in to check on Bruce.
When Mike walked inside he almost gagged from the smell. Looking at the tables, he saw Scott was now just a trunk, no arms or legs. Carl and Ed both had an arm and leg missing and Warren had two legs gone. All of them had IV fluids running into their necks and the tube still hanging out their noses. Bruce was standing over Warren running a knife on a sharpening stone, “Bruce, don’t you think you’re carrying this just a little far?” Mike asked.
“Nope,” Bruce replied running the blade over the rod.
Warren looked up, “Mike, please kill me, please! You’re a doctor, you can’t let him keep going,” Warren begged.
Anger flared hearing Warren beg. Mike yanked the knife out of Bruce’s hand and started cutting Warren’s fingers off one by one. The task required monumental effort because Bruce hadn’t finished sharping the knife. With Warren still screaming, Mike grabbed a torch and burnt the skin stopping the bleeding. Looking up at Bruce, Mike was covered in blood and sweat. “You can’t sharpen a knife for shit!” Mike shouted, throwing the knife on the table.
“Wasn’t trying to. If you would’ve noticed I was removing the edge to increase the pain,” Bruce told him with Warren still screaming.
“Well that’s okay then,” Mike said nodding and Warren was still screaming. “Five bucks you can’t make him shut up without killing him,” Mike challenged Bruce. Bruce walked over and whispered into Warren’s ear and Warren shut up.
“You owe me five bucks,” Bruce said walking to a chair and sitting down.
Impressed and not wanting to know what was said Mike nodded. “I just wanted to know why you have Joe and them working on a class A RV turning it into a tank. Then the other trucks a semi with a huge plow blade, a tanker truck and two semi’s with trailers,” Mike asked.
“So I can go into the wilderness with Omega and bring justice to the world,” Bruce said.
“How far into the wilderness you goin’?” Mike asked grabbing a towel wiping the blood off his face.
“Don’t know,” Bruce answered.
“Okay, well I demand one condition. You must come back every seven days so I can see my kids,” Mike stated.
Bruce just looked at him, “I was taking the kids off of Omega and putting them on Gamma,” Bruce informed him.
Mike scoffed, “Yeah, like that’ll happen. Bruce, they will follow you out of here on bicycles if they have to. I know Nancy already hinted to David, her baby, she wanted him to go back to Gamma. He refused flat out. I asked Nancy why she did that and she told me she wanted to take his place on Omega,” Mike told Bruce.
Bruce smiled at that then asked, “Mike, watch the girls when I leave okay?”
“I will, when do you think you’ll leave and what’s the hurry?” Mike inquired.
“The next week or so, I figure we’ll be out about ten days,” Bruce predicted. “Mike, I made a mistake trying to out guess the gang around here,” Bruce admitted pointing to the tables. “I was so certain they were to the southeast when they were right next to us to the southwest, just sixty miles away. I won’t make that mistake again. That was pride. I believed I was so clever and look what happened.”
With the smell starting to get to him, Mike nodded, “No Bruce, you tried. That’s all any of us can do,” he said and left as Bruce continued on the four. That evening before supper, Bruce gave Danny a silver tag with a picture of her and Matt engraved on it. For Mary he gave her one with a picture of her and Jake. Bruce had made them on the CNC engraver after he had made what Debbie had asked him to. Bruce made a gold dog tag with a Ranger emblem and Debbie’s picture.
On the morning of April the fifteenth Bruce rolled out of the shop with the boom fork lift. Hanging off the lift were four crosses with what was left of the four. Just stumps with heads that could only moan now. Driving out into the east field where Bruce had told the guards to pile up some logs, Bruce laid the crosses over the logs and got off the lift.
“I’m letting you go Warren. It has been a blast but now I have real work to do,” Bruce said. Warren just moaned, his mind was long gone. Bruce started the fire and drove off. None of the four could even really scream anymore as the fire started to burn them.
Angela and Stephanie ran out of the Center as Bruce drove by. Bruce just shut the lift off and jumped off hugging both. “Well that’s done. I really wish you two wouldn’t have come in so much,” Bruce told them.
“The only reason I’m not mad at you is because that’s what Debbie wanted,” Angela said.
“Did you ever punish that Kevin boy and his friend?” Bruce asked.
“No, not yet,” Stephanie admitted.
“Tell him to clean the shop and I mean spotless. They have until tomorrow morning,” Bruce said. “Tell Millie to make me a plate, I’ll be in soon. I want to take a shower,” Bruce added and went inside. Jumping in the shower he felt so much better when he got out. Getting dressed he noticed Debbie’s AUGs in her gun rack.
Buckling his vest and slinging his little SCAR, Bruce took the two AUGs. Since he had
converted both to selective fire he didn’t know which one was the one Debbie had the night she died, they were identical. Opening the bolt he could smell they had been recently cleaned also. ‘Oh well’ he thought as he headed to the Center.
Walking over to the girls, Bruce handed them the AUGs shocking many in the family. “Bruce, I can’t take that,” Stephanie said.
“Yeah Bruce, that was Debbie’s signature, like Nancy,” Angela added. Bruce reached in his pocket and handed them the note Debbie wrote the night she died.
“You have no choice,” Bruce said as Angela took the note and read it with Stephanie over her shoulder.
Before Angela even started reading, Stephanie looked at Bruce. “I’m sorry Bruce, thank you. I’m very honored,” Stephanie said as Angela read the letter.
When she was finished, Angela looked up tears running down her cheeks. “Thank you Bruce, can I see the tag?” she asked. Bruce lifted the tag he made, showing her and then everyone came over to look.
“Can you show me how to make one?” Stephanie asked. “Me too,” Angela added. Bruce reached into his pocket and pulled out two tags like the one he was wearing.
“It makes me feel good that you asked that,” Bruce said handing the tags over and hugging the two. Releasing them Bruce went down and loved on the kids. “Omega, we roll out in two days,” Bruce told them then looked over at Steve. “Son, you’re staying assigned to helicopter duty,” Bruce told him.
Steve threw his fork down, “Dad, that’s not fair. What’s wrong with me that you don’t want me to fight?” Steve demanded.
“First, your wife is almost six months pregnant, they like you close now. Most importantly, when your mother was pregnant with you, I was gone a lot and she told me later, that really hurt her feelings. I was around for the next two. Has nothing to do about your abilities as a fighter, just you’re fixing to become a Daddy,” Bruce told him.
“Yes sir, I’m sorry,” Steve replied, relieved with the response.
Blue Plague: Rage Page 4
