When Phillip saw the man go down under a pile of the infected, he knew they were out of time.
“Toss the stun grenade, then grab him!” He yelled at his friend, leveling his weapon and sweeping the barrel from left to right, dropping nearly a dozen infected.
Aaron nodded, pulling the black cylinder from his jacket pocket. He quickly pulled the pin and threw it towards where they’d seen the man fall. Reaching out, he pulled Phillip down and away just as the grenade exploded in a brilliant flash and deafening boom.
Serrano had woken up three days later in the old man’s apartment, filled with remorse over the loss of his teammates and the associated failure it reflected upon him. Even so, he was glad to be alive. It gave him a chance to avenge the death of his teammates.
When the three men found out he was a Navy SEAL, they looked at him with instant admiration and unwavering respect. To be a SEAL was to be the best of the best.
Correction: the best of the very best.
Their initial plan had been to simply head east, towards the mountains, but when they heard the radio announcement that San Francisco had been set up as a Protective Zone, their plans changed.
They were heading north.
Clearly, the government had a plan.
Whatever it was, they wanted to be part of it.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Mount Weather Operations Center, Virginia
Everything hurt.
Every inch of his body, from his shoulders to his ankles, was bruised.
Every muscle was sore from exertion, having been over tasked again and again. The micro fibers of each muscle had torn, and were still in the process of healing when they’d been torn again.
Blocking out the pain, he knew he had to continue.
He wouldn’t have it any other way.
Circling left, his left hand shot out, fast and accurate, heading directly for the other man’s temple.
It found nothing but air when it reached its destination.
A boot connected with his ankle, taking his feet out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground in a heap, leaving him with a mouth full of sand for his efforts.
“Dammit!”
“It’s all good, Sir. You’re getting better.”
Rolling onto his back, Doctor Jonathan Reed looked at the sky above, wondering if he was. “Yeah, right.”
Squatting down next to him, Staff Sergeant Ben McGhee, United States Marine Corps, extended his hand to help him up. “If it’s any consolation, Sir, you almost got me.”
Sighing, Reed took his hand and made his way to his feet, glad the day’s session was over. “It’s not.” He reached down and brushed his hands off on his trousers before extending his hands. “Thanks, though.”
The big Marine smiled as he shook Reed’s hand. “My pleasure, Sir. It’s not often that us grunts get to beat up on an Officer.”
Reed shook his head. “Well, thanks for taking it easy on me, at least.” He walked across the sand volleyball court where they’d been training in the sand to improve his speed.
‘Let’s be honest,’ he thought to himself, ‘it’s also to help soften the numerous falls you take at the hands of this Marine.’ Grunting, he reached over and grabbed his uniform top from the nearby picnic table. He pulled on his cover before making his way towards the gym, where he’d shower before heading back to the lab.
There, he’d meet with Andrew and Lisa and be brought up to speed on any new developments before the three of them would head to the DFAC for a quick lunch.
After lunch he’d spend fifteen minutes walking Steight, his German Shepherd, then he’d be back in the lab with them until 1500 (what he now called 2 p.m.) before Sergeant Mason would take him across the base to meet Sergeant First Class Jacobs for weapons training. They’d spend two hours running through the daily lessons he received on the Glock 9, shotgun, and, most importantly, the MP-4.
Following weapons training, he’d be driven back to his building, where he’d spend more time with his dog before cleaning up and meeting his fellow doctors for dinner. Then back to the lab for more analysis of their findings, working until sometime after midnight.
They’d struggled to make new headway, and it seemed unlikely that they would until they found someone who was immune, and unless that person ended up on the doorstep, it would be his mission to go to them, take blood samples immediately, store them securely, and bring the samples and the person back to Mount Weather.
His and his team’s top priority would be to ensure the person made it safely back to the base, but in the event that the person didn’t survive the journey, the blood samples would be a decent second option.
Waving at Staff Sergeant McGhee, he turned and headed towards the gym. As hectic as his schedule was, he didn’t mind. He had a mission and a purpose.
SEAL Team Eight had died to ensure he completed his mission in Los Angeles, and when the time came for him to complete his next mission, he’d be better equipped to succeed.
He had to.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Hesperia, California
“Well, I guess this is it.” Daniel shook his head, looking at the collapsed bridge in front of them. A hundred feet below, the burned out husk of a semi-truck that had been carrying some type of fuel laid on its side. Nearly a dozen cars lay on and around what remained of the truck.
“Dammit.” Serafina stated, looking left and right for other ways around the destroyed bridge. There weren’t any, meaning that their options were to climb down and hike across the valley or to backtrack thirty plus miles to find another way around.
Neither was appealing.
“Are the binoculars in the glove compartment?” Daniel asked, frowning.
“They’re in the center console compartment.” Serafina’s frustration was evident. Leaving their vehicles meant being exposed, both for the two of them and the girls, and for Logan and Paul, who were waiting in the truck behind the Jeep.
“Okay.” Daniel trudged back to the Jeep, opened the door, and retrieved the binoculars. Looking back towards the truck, he motioned for Logan to join him.
When he returned to where Serafina stood, he used the binoculars to scan the valley floor. There was no clear path to be seen, so they’d have to forge through a lot of underbrush to get across. The other side also looked rocky and steep, so the climb would be a tough one.
He passed the binoculars to his wife. “Take a look.”
She quickly scanned the valley, then brought the binoculars back up to look at the far side of the bridge, where the road continued northeast, heading towards Victorville.
Still staring across the valley, she passed the binoculars back to Daniel. “Take a look on the other side.”
Daniel brought the binoculars up to his eyes and looked in the direction Serafina had indicated. There were nearly twenty cars stopped on that side of the valley, cluttering the road. Many were damaged, having been crashed into from behind or from the people who tried in vain to execute u-turns in too small of a space, but there were several that appeared intact.
“We can use those,” Daniel said, lowering the binoculars and handing them to Logan.
Accepting them, Logan asked, “Are you two talking about the undamaged vehicles on the other side?”
Daniel looked at the man, surprised. He hadn’t even raised the binoculars yet.
“How did you?”
“I used the scope on my rifle while I was waiting in the truck.”
Serafina looked over. “Not bad,” she said, nodding.
Daniel rested his hands on his hips, looking down at the valley. “So I guess we just gotta get across.”
“It’s gonna be tough, but we can make it,” Logan said, staring down towards the burned wreckage. He pointed. “If we stay close to the wreckage, we’ll have an easier route and won’t have to fight through the bushes.”
Serafina nodded in agreement. “That’ll help. Fire would have killed any infected that were in the cars.”
“I’ll go first,” Logan offered. “I went through BMMC.”
Daniel stared at the man, unwaveringly. “I guess you think we know what that is?”
“Oh, sorry. Basic Military Mountaineer Course, it’s taught at the Army Mountain Warfare School in Jericho, Vermont.”
Daniel grinned, breaking the tension. “See? Now that makes sense.”
“Wow. You two are both dorks.” Serafina turned and walked back towards the Jeep. “Lunch first,” she said, heading towards the back of the off-road vehicle.
The group ate their lunch sitting on the rocks near the side of the road, talking quietly amongst themselves. When he’d finished his peanut butter and honey sandwich, Daniel began sorting through the items they had in the Jeep. He’d already separated them by importance, but he wanted to double check everything.
After a few moments, Serafina joined him at the back of the Jeep.
“We knew it would come to this sooner or later,” she began.
“Yeah, I know. I just wish we could keep using the Jeep and the truck. Those cars over there aren’t nearly as capable, should we need to leave the road.”
“They could just be temporary until we find another Jeep, or maybe two.”
Daniel nodded, stuffing all the ammo he could fit into his backpack. “That would be good.” He slipped his arms into the straps of the backpack before turning to face her. “Ready?”
“Yeah.” She pulled her backpack on, then looked over at the group. “Alright, girls, coming get your packs. It’s time to head out.”
As Ashley, Brenna, and Isabella came over to the Jeep, Logan and Paul headed to the truck to get their packs. Logan pulled his pack on before reaching into the truck's interior and withdrawing his handgun and the AR-15 rifle he’d taken from the men they’d battled at the lodge in Big Bear. He stuffed the pistol into the back of his waistband before slinging the AR-15 over his shoulder. With that done, he began filling the cargo pockets on his pants with spare magazines.
Paul grabbed a handgun as well, but only bothered with two spare magazines. His preferred weapon was the bow, which had been given to him by Janice, who’d taught him and Brenna how to use the weapon with silent, deadly accuracy.
Brenna followed suit, taking a handgun and a pair of spare magazines, which she stuffed into her backpack. She admired her bow briefly before slinging it and her quiver of arrows over her shoulder.
Ashley grabbed her high-powered rifle and pulled the strap over her shoulder, reaching across her body to hold it in place. If needed, she could put her left arm through the strap, to secure it onto her back, but she wanted to be sure it didn’t bang into anything while they were hiking.
Next to Daniel, Serafina checked her Glock 9, making sure it had a full magazine before sliding it into the rear of her waistband. With that done, she put spare magazines into her pack before grabbing her collection of knives and strapping them onto various parts of her body. No matter what position she was in, a blade was close by.
Logan watched Isabella as her eyes tracked the group’s movements, wide in awe over the number of weapons the group loaded themselves with. Uncertainty and fear showed on the young girl’s face as she appeared to realize that the violence she’d been exposed to over the last week wasn’t an anomaly.
It was the new normal.
Logan strode over to her side and looked down at her. “You okay?”
The young Mexican girl looked up at him, eyes still wide in awe. “I...think so…”
“Hey, listen,” he said, smiling slightly. “All of this is to keep us - and you - safe. There are bad guys out there, and we’ll do our best to avoid them, but there might be times when we can’t.”
The girl nodded, looking away. “I know...like those men at the lodge.”
“Exactly. They were bad people, and we had to fight back to stop them.” He reached over and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. “Daniel was determined to save you and Serafina, and he did. Ashley and Brenna were part of it, as was Paul.” Moving in front of her, he squatted down so he could look her in the eye. “They’re going to take care of you. You know that, right?”
She nodded. Tears were forming in her eyes.
“I know,” she said, looking down again. “I just miss my Mommy and Daddy.”
Logan nodded, taking a turn at looking away. He took a breath, then looked back at her, holding her gaze. “I know, Izzie. I miss my fiancée, too.”
“What’s a fiancée?” She asked, tilting her head to the side.
“She was the woman I wanted to marry.”
“You did?”
“More than anything in the world,” he replied, his brow creasing as he frowned in sorrow.
“Did the bad things get her?”
“Yeah,” he said, not wanting to admit that she’d actually become one of the ‘bad things.’
“My Daddy became one of them. He killed my Mommy.” Isabella began to cry as the memories of the attack came back to her, flooding her with emotion.
Logan shook his head, reaching out to hold her shoulder again. “It wasn’t his fault, though. He was sick. The people who get sick don’t know what they’re doing. We have to remember that, okay?”
“I know,” the girl said, choking back tears.
“We - ” Logan began before Isabella lunged forward, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. She buried her head in his chest as tears flowed forth. Caught off guard, Logan slowly brought his arms around the girl and held her close to him, letting her tears moisten his shirt.
Looking towards the others, he saw them watching. Pulling his hands away briefly, he held them upward, indicating he didn’t know what to do.
Serafina smiled, nodding in encouragement, while Daniel simply gave him a thumbs up.
Feeling awkward, he held the girl close to him, offering the only thing he could: closeness.
Daniel took the lead as they climbed down into the valley in a single file line. Serafina followed close behind, reaching out on occasion to steady herself against Daniel.
Once they’d descended below the level of the road, the smell of burned fuel and tires assaulted their noses, and they’d been forced to wrap spare shirts around their mouths and noses, to make things bearable.
Daniel’s eyes remained focused on the wreckage as they walked downward, closing in on the wide blackened area around the remains of the truck and other vehicles. Though it would have been impossible for anything to survive a fire of such magnitude, he wouldn’t let his guard down for a second. He’d come way too close to losing Serafina, and he’d be damned if he’d let that happen again.
Stepping onto the charred ground near the truck, he forged a path between the empty shells that were once automobiles. The metal frames were all that remained, skeletons of what once had taken men, women, and children from place to place during happier times. Keeping his shotgun extended in front of him, he swiveled his torso from side to side as he walked, his boots crunching broken glass and small bits of burned underbrush as he passed.
Drawing even with the first car’s burned out interior, he saw blackened skeletons still inside. He figured the most likely scenario was that they’d fallen from above, been knocked unconscious at impact, and burned to death in the resulting fire.
What a terrible way to go.
As they drew closer to the cabin of the big rig, he saw something even more distressing. Skeletons were positioned in ways that indicated they’d been trying to get into the vehicle’s cabin when they were overcome by the fire. Bodies had been burned, still clinging to the sides of the truck, their arms and hands reaching upward towards the truck’s closed passenger door.
Had they been so focused on getting to the driver that they’d ignored the intense flames that consumed them?
He and his family had seen evidence of some crazy things over the last two weeks, but his one took the cake by far.
; When they reached the far side of the valley, they paused, gazing upwards at the steep incline that led up the other side. The face of the wall was primarily dirt and rock, with the exception of a few small, mostly brown shrubs. There was little to grasp during the climb, and a slip or fall would not only be painful, but would most likely lead to broken bones.
Sipping water, Daniel and Serafina looked over at Logan in exasperation.
Grinning, the man nodded. “No problem.”
“Seriously?” Serafina asked, looking at the man, then back at the steep wall.
“Seriously. Let me have the rope so I can secure it at the top.”
Detaching the thick nylon rope from his backpack, Daniel passed it to him. “You sure about this?”
“Absolutely.” With that, the man moved forward with confidence, reaching the base of the cliff. Using his hands and feet, the man moved upward like a spider, climbing with skilled grace and ease, pausing only to double check the integrity of certain hand- and footholds. Halfway up, he turned back and waved.
“Show off,” Daniel muttered, grinning as he did. He couldn’t help but like the guy, and he was glad they’d talked him into coming with them. After the adrenaline rush from the battle at the lodge had faded, the man had seemed to fall into a deep depression, avoiding contact and, when forced to interact, minimizing conversation. He was clearly hurting over the loss of his fiancée, and Daniel could only assume that the woman meant as much to Logan as Serafina did to him.
When Daniel approached him about joining them on the journey north, towards San Francisco, Logan had initially been reluctant. While he’d planned on heading north, towards his family’s old ranch forty miles from Sacramento, he’d planned on traveling alone. He was certain he needed time alone to deal with everything he felt.
With everything he’d lost.
Daniel sensed that the man had surprised even himself when he agreed to join them, but to Daniel, it actually wasn’t that surprising at all.
Surviving Rage | Book 2 Page 11
