“It’s over this way,” Ford whispered. They stepped over some exposed tree roots and ran over a gravely area. But it wasn’t made of rock. Much of the soil had dried up like mud after a rainstorm. Dunn paused, worrying it was another form of environmental mutation. However, everything seemed normal.
Up ahead, Ford drew his tomahawk and plowed the blade through the forehead of a stray ghoul. Dunn sprinted to catch up, while Ford engaged a second one. Black droplets pooled over the ground from the corpse’s open head as he ripped it open. He looked around, seeing nothing in the immediate area.
“Here it is,” he told Dunn. They approached the small crevice. It was an empty creek, the bottom full of pebbles and dried plants. It was a short and easy climb, only descending about six feet.
“I’ll be best to set the charges on the opposite side,” Dunn said. “I’m gonna set the charges to detonate separately. The first will be loud enough to attract the bastards from the tower. The second will keep them coming. Then the third should continue drawing them over once they get near. Those in the back will end up pushing the ones in front into the pit.”
Ford turned on his heel at the sound of another snarling corpse. It strutted between two trees, the stained white t-shirt tearing as it brushed against the bark. Goatee hairs protruded from its chin like syringe needles as he lunged for the cowboy. A kick to its chest knocked it to the ground. Ford knelt to the left, finding a large chunk of rock from the edge of the creek. He lifted it high over his head, then slammed it down with all his might, flattening the ghoul’s head to the earth. As he backed away, another one strutted out from the maze of trees.
“Might wanna get to it before more of these things show up,” Ford said. Dunn lowered himself over the edge of the creek. With several edges to grab ahold, it was an easy climb down. He crossed the ten-foot gap in only two strides and jumped onto the opposite wall.
As he lifted himself up onto the other side, Ford rushed the approaching ghoul. He raked the tomahawk across its face, scraping its nose and other tissue from the bone. The ghoul staggered back from the blow, then turned its face back toward him. Cracked teeth dangled, their roots barely held in by the decomposed gums. They fell off completely, shaken loose by the force of the tomahawk smiting down the face.
Ford ripped the weapon free and watched Dunn rush several yards away from the creek. He placed one charge over the root of a tree and armed it. After he completed the task, he ran several yards out to set the second one. Ford spun to turn around, alerted by the snarls of another walker. This one was disfigured, its body disproportioned like a hunchback. Ford sucked in a breath, feeling his lungs beginning to burn. He waited for the corpse to draw close enough to lunge. It did, dragging tissue and fabric behind its feet. As the hands lashed, he sidestepped and shoved the blade of his knife through its left temple. The ghoul let out a horrid call, as though it were actually in pain. Then, like unplugging a computer, it ceased to function. Ford stepped away from it, panting heavily. Twigs cracked in the distance, bringing his attention back to the deep woods.
Across the crevice, Dunn set the final explosive atop a fallen tree. He inserted the triggering device and armed it. All three explosives were now placed. He stood up and ran to the edge of the creek.
Ford’s back was turned, his weapons raised. Ahead of him, Dunn noticed at least three of the undead bearing down on him at once. Dunn dropped to a firing stance. He raised the muzzle of his M4. He put his eye to the scope and hesitated, the red dot accidentally set on Ford himself. The world suddenly seemed to slow as he pondered previous thoughts. For what seemed like forever, he stared through the scope as the ghouls closed in on the group leader.
He was already engaging the nearest one, blades indenting the top of its forehead. Ford followed the actions with the barrel of his rifle, hesitant to make an action. The two others closed in. Ford ripped the blades free of the dead one and started swinging at them.
Dunn gritted his teeth and squeezed the trigger.
********
“Corporal, you have to wait,” Michele said. “We can’t go running off into the woods.”
Reimer was antsy. Several minutes had passed since the single gunshot echoed through the woods. It wasn’t loud enough to attract more than a few of the ghouls below, but it was enough to make him concerned, though he didn’t want to express why.
One gunshot? Only one? He knew it was an M4. The sound was embedded in his brain. He grew restless as he waited, hunched down with the others. Every fiber in his being wanted to run out after Ford and Dunn to find out what happened.
“I do hope they get back soon,” 57 said. “I’m about ready to piss my pants.”
“That’s because you’re sissy,” Jones remarked.
“You know? I liked you better back when I thought you didn’t speak English,” 57 said.
Reimer kept his eyes on the woods, desperately trying to spot any movement. He felt Gordon nudge him on the shoulder.
“Corporal, what’s up with you?” he asked.
“N-nothing,” Reimer said. “Just hoping they didn’t run into another horde of these things.”
Minutes passed with no sign of Dunn and Ford. Reimer’s heart battered the inside of his chest. He felt his hand beginning to quiver against the grip of his weapon. Waiting was driving him insane.
“I think I need to go out there,” he muttered.
“You do that, you’ll screw up the plan,” 57 said. “Corporal, this was all your idea, remember?”
“Yes, I know. But—”
“But what?”
“I’m not sure if they made it,” Reimer said. It was a partial truth he told; he wasn’t sure what had happened. But something else bothered him. His mind raced through all the possibilities in an attempt to convince him the worst hadn’t happened. Yet, all it did was make him more impatient. He propped himself up to his knees, slowly giving in to the urge to go after them.
“Wait,” 57 said. He pointed out to the left. “Look.” All eyes followed the tip of his finger and spotted the two men as they moved between trees, pausing every so often to avoid being seen by the horde.
It took a couple of minutes for them to reach the top of the crest. When they did, they were met with enthusiastic smiles and pats on the back. Reimer felt ten pounds lighter, relieved from the weight of concern as Dunn hunched down near him and Gordon.
“What happened? I thought we heard a gunshot,” Reimer asked.
“Yeah,” 57 chuckled. “Nervous Nelly was two seconds away from running after you.”
“Which would’ve been ridiculous,” Ford said. “Anyways, we were met with some, resistance, let’s call it that. I had some of the freaks trying to get at me, and he was across the creek. He’s a good shot, I’ll tell you that.”
Reimer nodded then glanced at Dunn. “He is.” The PFC didn’t offer any response as he dug the trigger from his vest. With a press of a button, the detonated the first charge. A loud echo rang through the forest, generating a shockwave that shook the ground.
All eyes went down to the horde. The collection of bodies turned to the direction of the echo. Groaning with curiosity, the horde started lumbering into the woods.
“It’s working,” Michele said. Ford raised a finger to his lips.
“Shh.”
Several bodies bumped against trees as they mindlessly lumbered into the woods. It took several minutes of patience for the whole group to clear the radio area.
“Okay, hit the second one,” Ford whispered to Dunn. The marine punched the button on the detonating device, triggering the second blast. The groaning from the horde grew more intense as their curiosity spiked. For them, it was the first unnatural sound they had heard in months. Their speed increased as they moved like a flood toward the creek.
Ford watched as the last of the group disappeared from sight. They waited several more minutes, while he and Dunn estimated the speed and distance. After waiting sufficient time, Dunn detonated the third charge.
&n
bsp; Beyond the trees, the explosion burst out, stirring grit and smoke throughout the creek area. The horde moved with greater intensity, rushing toward the edge of the crevice. A waterfall of bodies rained into the small ravine as they mindlessly stumbled into the trap. Those in the back pushed against the undead in front, unknowingly adding to the spill. In minutes, a mountain of bodies filled the section of the creek, serving as a bridge to the others as they stumbled across into the wall of smoke.
The remainder of the horde branched out as each ghoul marched through the forest in search of food.
CHAPTER 23
The group of eight lowered themselves down to the foot of the ledge. The ground below was flat, composed of dried mud. The surface was littered with the remnants of dead flesh that had fallen off the bodies that walked this area for months. Ears, toes, fingers, and teeth littered the surface, the earth beneath it discolored from the effects of decomposition.
“Will this thing even work?” 57 asked. He stared up at the wires connecting to the conductors high along the mast. “There’s been no power to this area…or anywhere, for over a year.”
“There’s a generator hooked up to keep it working,” Reimer said. “It’s a high voltage generator. I just hope it has enough juice.”
“The gage is half-full,” Gordon said. He pulled the lever, roaring the generator to life like a truck engine. “Feel better?” 57 answered with a grin. The interior of the building began to power up. Computer screens flashed to life while static crackled through the receivers.
Reimer opened the door. Two ghouls roamed inside. They wore military outfits. Headphones dangled from their necks as they stumbled toward the door. Gordon and Reimer stepped back outside, luring the ghouls out of the building. Han and Jones waited outside the doorway, ambushing the ghouls with crowbars. With the threat neutralized, the marines reentered and began looking the equipment over.
The interns looked the bodies over. Both ghouls had a sidearm holstered to their hip. Han pulled one out along with the spare magazine. Content with the revolver he carried, he handed it off to 57, while Jones was happy to keep the other for himself.
“Take a look at this,” Michele said. She went to the far corner of the square-shaped room. Two M16s leaned against the wall near a few fully loaded mags. “At least this trip wasn’t for nothing.”
“Hells yes,” Han muttered. He picked one up and shouldered it as if he was a commando.
“You even know how to use that?” Reimer asked.
“I can show him,” Ford said. “I’ve shot these things a couple times.”
“Might want to test it now!” 57 called out. Ford, Michele, and Han rushed out the door. 57 rose his bat high over his shoulder as three ghouls stumbled out.
“No guns! You’ll bring the herd back down on us!” Ford hissed. Looking into the trees past the corpses, he could see a few marching bodies straying back toward the radio station. He glanced back to Reimer. “We’ll hold them off. You guys get to it!”
“Make it quick, why don’t ya!” Michele added. She rushed the corpses ahead of the others, striking one with her machete. Han and Jones ran past her and engaged the other two, while 57 and Ford awaited the strays that approached within the woods.
The three marines dipped back into the station. Gordon threw himself into the seat and started working with the knobs.
“I’m no radio tech, but this shouldn’t be too difficult,” he said. “What’s Border Command’s frequency?”
“Bravo-Two-Five-Charlie-Five,” Reimer answered. Gordon adjusted the frequency and connected the wires on the transmitters.
“Alpha-Four-Eight calling Border Command. This is an emergency transmission. We have the package. I repeat: this is Alpha-Four-Eight. We have located Dr. Stacy Hill. Our chopper is down and our team has multiple casualties. Request IMMEDIATE extraction.” Nothing but static returned through the receiver, sparking nervous anxiety in the Private. “Oh, no, no, no, no.” He started adjusting the frequency.
“Something wrong with the transmitter?” Reimer asked.
“I don’t think so,” Gordon said. “I’m not sure what it is. It might have something to do with the equipment.”
“Just what we fucking needed,” Dunn remarked.
“Calm down. Try again,” Reimer ordered. Gordon leaned into the transmitter and repeated the message. As he did, the Corporal glanced out the window. Several of the undead had wandered back. The five survivors worked diligently to fend them off. Blood and skin rained down on the already polluted soil as their decayed heads burst from various impacts. “Damn, we can’t drag this out much longer.”
Gordon was getting increasingly frustrated. He adjusted the knobs and made another call. “Border Command! This is Alpha-Four-Eight! Please respond! This is a Priority One assignment, and we need extraction!”
“This is Charlie-Five, responding to emergency transmission.”
Gordon threw his hands high, ecstatic to have gotten a response.
“That’s a chopper unit,” Dunn said.
“Good to hear from you, Charlie-Five. We’re in a highly contaminated zone in Montana and could really use your help.”
“Montana? What you doing there?”
“We’re on an extraction mission to get a government scientist,” Gordon said. “Might have the key to curing this virus. You might have heard of it.”
“No, never heard of such a thing. Where exactly are you?”
“The coordinates are Latitude forty-six degrees north, Longitude one-eleven west. Look for a big lake called Lake Cavern. You’ll find us in a houseboat on the northside. We’ll need to be picked up by long-line.”
Reimer moved in beside him to speak into the transmitter.
“Charlie-Five be advised, the infection here has escalated differently than the rest of the country. What is the maximum altitude of your chopper?”
“With present weight, about twenty-thousand feet.”
“Proceed at that altitude. Do not descend until you’re above the lake. I know it sounds weird, but I’ll explain when you pick us up.”
“Roger that. Listen Marines, we’re coming up from another rescue mission and have very limited capacity available. How many are left in your unit?”
“Three marines,” Reimer said.
“And one VIP, correct?”
“One VIP, and six other survivors,” Reimer said. A few moments of silence followed. “Charlie-Five, how much capacity do you have available?”
“Only four seats,” the ensign responded. “I can try to alert Border Command, but as you found out, they’re having technical issues on their end. AGAIN! I can proceed to your destination, but I can’t get everybody on board.”
“Shit!” Reimer muttered. “No choice. We need to get the VIP out of here. She’s the priority.”
“Understood. We’re not too far out, so we should arrive at that destination in over an hour. Be ready.”
“Copy that. Thanks Charlie-Five. Alpha-Four-Eight, out.” Reimer stepped away from the radio and ran a hand over his face. He cursed under his breath as he looked out at the group.
Behind him, Dunn was as nervous as he had ever been. He was already pacing across the room, his face alive with several expressions.
“This isn’t good man,” he whispered. “I’m telling you, this is NOT good.”
“Dunn, I get it!” Reimer snapped.
“No, man, you don’t,” Dunn said. “That guy, Ford, he’s gonna think we’re bailing on him.”
“No, he won’t,” Reimer said.
“Yes, he will,” Dunn said.
“No…HE WON’T!” Reimer’s voice nearly rang into a shout. He took a breath and paced. “I just need to figure this out.”
“Figure what out?” Dunn said. “You heard the guy. They only have room for four people. I’m not staying here, I’m telling you that much.”
“Guys, relax,” Gordon said. “Let’s get back to the boat and discuss it with them. We’ll get Dr. Hill back then we can come
back and pick them up. If they stay on the boat in the meantime, they should be fine until a unit can get over here.”
“You think that guy will go for that?” Reimer said.
“I think so,” Gordon said. Dunn shook his head and stepped in Reimer’s face.
“Corporal, I’m telling you, he’s gonna think we’ve betrayed him. It won’t matter what we tell him. This will escalate, I assure you.”
“What would you suggest, then?” Gordon said.
“Maybe we can keep it to ourselves,” Dunn said. “Let’s say nothing. Wait for the chopper. Maybe we can get on board, make the other’s think they’ll get pulled up next, then fly off. No struggle, nothing.”
“I’m not abandoning these guys like that,” Reimer said. “They’ve helped us. They deserve our honesty. I’m with Gordon on this one. I’m gonna arrange with Command to get a rescue team out to get these guys.”
“Oh really? And who do you think they’ll send?” Dunn said.
“Oh, for chrissake…”
“They will send us, Reimer. By then, who knows what surprises this place will have waiting for us. I’m not keen on making a return.”
“You’re not keen on much,” Reimer said. “I’m not writing these people off. I gave these guys my word.”
“You give a lot of people your word,” Dunn muttered. Reimer lunged at him, grabbing ahold of him with both hands.
“The fuck you just say to me?!”
Dunn held both hands out, surprised by the Corporal’s reaction.
“Dude, nothing. I misspoke!”
“You implying I get people killed?” Reimer continued.
“No,” Dunn said. He kept his stance peaceful, not wanting to get in a physical fight with his friend. “It’s not what I meant. I mean, you gave your word to us too, and we want to get out of here alive.”
Reimer held tight for several more seconds and let him go with a small push. Dunn backed away, rubbing his hand over his chest where Reimer grabbed him.
“I’ll see to it they discharge you from service when we get back,” Reimer said.
Z-Level 10: A Zombie Apocalypse Novel Page 18
