by Flacco, Jack
“Search the area.” Sergeant Baskins ordered his men, as he exited his jeep.
One team invaded the cottage, the other sneaked to the rear. The first team scoped the entire room inside and found the consumed pop cans. They headed to the bedroom where they then found the dead zombie corpse in the bathroom with its brains blown everywhere.
“Sergeant.” Private Witham hollered after he saw the mess from the gunshot.
When Baskins arrived, he noticed the dead corpse, the stains on the wall and the spent shell on the floor.
“What’ya think, Sarg?”
“I don’t know what to think. Someone was here. Don’t know who, though. It could have been anybody. But I’ll tell ya, whoever it was they’re armed and are not afraid to use their weapons.”
“What are your orders, sir?”
“Right now?” Baskins didn’t want to say he didn’t know what to do. The head scratching should have given the other soldiers the hint, at the same time he didn’t want to appear weak. “Everyone back in the vehicles, we’re doubling back to Provo.”
As he stepped from the cottage door to the outside, Private Norris brought him a note.
Baskins read it carefully and read it again to make sure. “This communication is dated an hour ago.”
“Yes, sir. Communication had broken off earlier in the day and we just restored it.”
Witham kept his eye on Baskins, “What is it?”
“It says here an SUV and a red Camaro were spotted in and around Temple City.”
“Wasn’t there a red Camaro in the showroom of that dealership?”
“Yeah. What are the odds that it’s the same car?”
“Do you think it’s Morrow?”
“I don’t know. We’ve got to investigate every lead, though.”
Without waiting for the Sergeant to order him, Private Witham clapped his hands and ordered everyone back in the trucks. Before all the soldiers could take their seats in the vehicles, a horde pushed from the woods opposite the cottage and flooded the road where the trucks revved their engines. Soldiers including the sergeant who hadn’t stepped into their Humvees opened fire on the undead. Bodies dropped fast and blood gushed generously. It took under ten seconds for the last of the limb stalkers to die.
“Now,” Sergeant Baskins said, as he closed the door to his jeep, “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
Chapter 16
Ranger stood five feet from where the little girl stared at him in the middle of the spent minefield. Randy had an assault rifle pointed at Private First Class Nolan. Matty leaned on the SUV while Charlie ventured in and around the military vehicles searching for anything interesting to take with them. The military called it confiscation. In real terms, it was stealing. If Charlie found anything, he’d confiscate it much like the military did.
The one person not preoccupied with anything going on around him was Jon. He had his eyes on the little dark-haired girl with the big black eyes. Other than Matty, she was the only other girl he’d ever seen since the change. That is to say, if he didn’t count the undead women. To Jon they were not women. They were monsters. Monsters filled with evil and hatred toward his kind.
In the silence between Ranger and the girl, Jon strolled over wanting to listen to the conversation. He didn’t fear the snipers. The girl fascinated him, and when he had arrived to stand by Ranger’s side, he stared at her. She did likewise, although it might have been for a different reason.
Noticing their locked eyes, Ranger nudged Jon from his spot to shake him from his trance. It worked, Jon smiled at her, but she didn’t return his friendliness.
“We need help gettin’ back home.” Ranger said.
“I can’t help you.” She said.
“I think the army’s after us.”
“Like I said, I can’t help you.”
“Hold on. You’re responsible for all this?” Jon asked, panning his head from one side of the debris field to other. “I find that hard to believe.”
“Believe what you want.”
Ranger placed both hands on his hips as if he coached a football team. “If you didn’t want to help us then why did you come out here in the first place?”
“I didn’t want to see you killed trying to make that jump.”
The muscles in his jaw began to tighten. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted over the girl, “Is there anyone else in that building who can help us get home?”
“No one’s there to help.”
By this time, had someone thrown water on Ranger’s face, his anger would have reduced it to a cloud of steam. He turned his back on her and said under his breath. “Why is it that all the girls in my life want to drive me crazy?”
Jon smiled at her once more, but she didn’t reciprocate. He got the message loud and clear. He pulled an about-face, then grabbed Ranger by the shirt and tugged his ear to him. “What’s the big deal with this girl anyway? Can’t you see she doesn’t want to help us? Let’s just go. For all we know, before coming after us that squad leader on his knees had called for others. We’ve got a head start, let’s use it.”
Ranger wouldn’t do anything of the sort. His gaze wandered across the field to where Randy stood holding the gun on Nolan. This gave him an idea. “Don’t worry I’ll get us the help we need.”
Jon mimicked Matty’s eye roll at Ranger’s stubborn behavior.
Flipping his attention to the girl, Ranger said, “I still don’t know why I’m talkin’ with you and not someone my height, but that’s beside the point. I’m going to trust my instincts here and tell you somthin’ others would kill to know.”
Jon pulled at Ranger’s shirt again, “What are you doing?”
“Trust me.” Ranger patted Jon on the shoulder.
The kid let off a moan of exasperation.
Ranger straightened to full posture again, “Have you heard of the name Randall Samuel Morrow? He’s the one holdin’ the gun. The army’s lookin’ for him. I don’t know, somethin’ about him being humanity’s savior.”
Nolan heard this and still kneeling, fell on the back of his feet. He found him.
“Well, he’s with us. If you help us, you’re helpin’ him get away. If the military gets their hands on him, no tellin’ what they’ll do with him. Something tells me it wouldn’t be a pleasant experience.”
The little girl didn’t say anything at first, choosing to examine Randy from where she stood instead. The words that came from her mouth, hit Ranger like a brick to the head. “No. Now leave.”
Ranger’s face crinkled into a sneer. He had had enough of her. “Why you little—”
“Wait!” A woman’s voice pierced from the door of the building.
“Momma, go back inside.” The girl said.
“Wait there,” the voice said, “I’m coming out.”
“No Momma, stay inside.”
The woman didn’t heed. She left the safety of the building, zigzagged through the field, and avoided the landmines to be where her daughter stood. She wore a scarf around her face except for her eyes, despite the warm weather that afternoon. Her dark hair, much like her daughter, fell gently on her shoulders. She wore a brown blouse and black jeans. All of her clothing fit loosely around her, giving the impression she had found them while being in a hurry.
“Hello. My name is Ranger.” He’d hoped by revealing his name, she’d do the same.
“I’m Olivia and my daughter’s name is Abigail.”
He flashed a quick smile. “You heard what I said?”
“I wouldn’t be out here if I didn’t.”
“I wouldn’t have imagined you would.”
“Do you know who we are?”
“You’re the army within the army—the Resistance.”
“Right. Then you’d know we’ve been looking for Randall as well.”
“I know. I wouldn’t have said so otherwise.”
“Of course.”
“But right now I’m interested in one thing, getting’ out o
f here. We have reason to believe the military blocked all exits to and from the city. We’re trapped and we need to get home.”
“Where is your home?”
“Arizona.”
“You’re right. They’ve blocked all the roads out of the city.” Olivia adjusted her scarf to ensure no one saw what lay behind. “We’ll help you—”
“Momma, that’s not a good idea.” Abigail said.
Jon stared at her with crossed arms. “Has anyone ever called you a pessimist?”
“I wouldn’t have thought you even knew what that meant.”
Olivia placed her hand on her daughter’s shoulder.
In the meantime, Charlie slammed the door closed to one of the Humvees having found a bag filled with grenades. He lifted his chin high, proud of his discovery, then tiptoed around the dead bodies and slipped passed Nolan to the SUV. Randy had his eyes on the conversation between Ranger and the woman, and Matty had turned her back for a second or two to check on Jon. As Charlie tugged and slipped the bag into the truck, Nolan shot to his feet and pounced on the boy. Before anyone knew what had happened, the leader grabbed a grenade from the bag and seized Charlie in a chokehold. The index finger of his free hand held the pin at the ready.
“Get back.” Nolan said. “Get back, all of you.”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Olivia said.
“Damn it.” Ranger said. “I was hopin’ we’d get some information from him before somthin’ like this would get in the way of things.”
Private First Class Nolan dragged Charlie from the SUV.
Olivia said, “I’ll give you ‘til the count of three. Drop to your knees and you won’t get hurt.”
“You’re mistaken, lady. Look at me. I can blow all of us into the next life.”
“One.”
Nolan wasn’t going to yield to what anyone wanted him to do. He pulled the pin from the grenade with his free hand and held the timing clip with the other.
“Two.”
The nose of a rifle slowly protruded from the top window of the building.
“I’d listen to her.” Ranger said. “Look at what happened to all your friends.”
Nolan laughed. “It won’t matter what you think or what might happen. They’re empty threats. You can count to a hundred for all I care. You won’t leave this area alive. In a little while, all my friends will have this place surrounded, and Randall here will be my ticket to the good life. ”
“Three.”
The bullet from the top floor window penetrated Nolan’s head, dropping him on the spot. The grenade rolled from his hand and landed at Randy and Matty’s feet. The two scattered behind the SUV. Without thinking, Charlie threw himself on the grenade, covering it with his chest.
Ranger’s face crumpled. “Charlie, no!”
The boy knew the result of his actions would be the end of him. He knew if he hadn’t acted, the grenade would have taken the SUV and the lives of his friends. He wouldn’t have done it otherwise.
The grenade exploded under Charlie in a puff. He had absorbed the blast, saving everyone around him.
Ranger fell to his knees and covered his face. “No.” He kept repeating. “No. No. No.”
Matty and Randy raced to Charlie. Olivia and Abigail stood staring at the ground ahead not saying a word. Olivia didn’t mean for it to happen the way it did. She’d thought someone would have grabbed the grenade and tossed it to safety. She wouldn’t have suspected the boy would throw himself on it to save the others.
Crouching and sliding her hand under Charlie’s neck, Matty checked for a pulse. She tucked her head to her chin when she couldn’t find one. Randy rubbed his eyes with his right hand and laid his left hand on Matty’s shoulder. The same thought lingered in everyone’s mind. How could Charlie have died in such a senseless way? Couldn’t there have been another way to resolve the standoff?
Rising from his knees, Ranger swung his red-hot gaze at the woman and the little girl. He tried to advance, but Jon clutched the zombie killer’s arm, attempting to hold him back. No use, Ranger dragged Jon two feet before he shook him off. He didn’t get far. A shot from a window blew apart a mound of dirt where Ranger would have taken his next step. Fine, he thought, he’d stand there. He sucked oxygen into his lungs to calm himself, then opened his mouth, “I thought you were the good guys. I thought you would have had enough sense to know that if a bullet pierced a hostage taker’s head, it would have caused damage to everyone else. I wouldn’t have thought you were stupid enough to actually kill the sonofabitch. I wanted him kept alive for information.”
“That was our intention as well.” Olivia said.
“You didn’t do a good job of it.”
She didn’t say anything, but kept her eyes fixed on the zombie slayer.
“He was a young kid. He should have never died.”
“I understand that, but you also have to understand, we don’t deal with hostage takers.”
“I would have dealt with him myself.”
Again, she kept quiet, allowing Ranger his time to vent.
“He was a young kid.” Ranger repeated as he lowered his head in his hand. He still remembered the conversation he had had with Charlie in Perry Park, and how he had made him laugh. The memory lasted for a moment before he showed his face again, upset and determined. He said with a strained voice, “Here’s the deal, we don’t have time to waste. We have to leave but need your help to get out of this rat hole of a city. What do you need from us to make this happen?”
Olivia took it from there. She explained how something in Randy prevented him from changing into the undead. Big news there. Ranger knew that already and didn’t react to her grand reveal. It was the next part that took him by surprise. She needed a vial of Randy’s blood, and in return, the Resistance would provide an escort from the city. She went on to tell Ranger how the military had a bulldog on his tail who wouldn’t surrender until they had Randy in their grimy paws. Ranger asked his name and she simply answered, Sergeant Baskins, a twisted goon, the nose of a bloodhound, and General Grayson’s right-hand man. She said he’d track Ranger to the other side of the planet to get to the boy, if he had to.
After having stretched his ears to the conversation, Randy stepped by Ranger’s side with Matty following. Randy didn’t show the least bit concern for anyone wanting to stick a needle in his arm. He considered it his duty, if he thought it would end this alien nightmare.
With Randy’s full consent, Ranger agreed to Olivia’s request for Randy’s blood. It came with a price, though. He asked her if they’d be able to bury Charlie for them. She didn’t say she wouldn’t, but she stressed how they had to hurry if they wanted to stay ahead of Sergeant Baskins.
Abigail placed two fingers in her mouth and whistled toward the building across the minefield. Like a choreographed play, the Resistance trotted from the sides, the alleys, and the storage areas behind the rail cars. Ranger and the kids could do nothing but watch. They all looked the same: Army uniforms except for the red bandana wrapped around their left arm. Their sidearm sat holstered on their hip, ready for action. There were over a dozen. Each had their duties.
Three men gathered the pieces from the dead bodies from the mine explosions and placed them in garbage bags, then hauled them away into the building. A crew gathered the rest of the bodies, throwing them into the parked military trucks, driving them into an adjacent warehouse nearby. Another two laid their hands on Charlie’s body while Ranger and the kids watched. They gently laid his body on a stretcher, then hauled it into the side of the building. A medic approached Randy with a first aid kit. Randy gazed at Ranger who nodded his approval. Nothing to worry about. The medic opened the kit and asked Randy to roll his sleeve past his elbow. The medic dabbed a cotton ball in a solution, wiped Randy’s right arm and inserted a needle into it, drawing blood. As the medic stuck another vial in the assembly attached to Randy’s arm, a crew of four used brooms to sweep the blood and tracks from the area.
A
ll evidence of the explosions, the shootings, and the blood had disappeared under the watchful eye of Olivia and her daughter.
* * *
The convoy drove north on I-15 through Temple City, stopping where the sentry had called for assistance. Sergeant Baskins stepped from the vehicle, placed his hands on his hips and surveyed the area for any sign of the soldiers who had called in the sighting. Without their aid, Baskins had to rely on his wits for the next clue. He called on one of the privates for the binoculars. From there, he scanned left to right, but couldn’t detect any sign of life from the rotting architecture adjacent to the interstate. He wouldn’t know unless he performed a sweep of the area. His thoughts carried him to the zone opposite the train yards. If anyone wanted to hide, the buildings would have made a perfect rest stop until everything blew over. It made sense to him since the likelihood of finding things to eat would have been greater in among the abandoned homes than in a train yard.
Sergeant Baskins traced the air in circles with his hand, shouting for everyone to get back into the trucks. He checked the vehicles himself, tapping each one, giving his okay to head for the buildings opposite Stanfield Way.
“Sir.” One of the soldiers passed the sergeant a sheet of paper.
Baskins studied it carefully.
“What is it, sir?”
“The general. He wants a status.” He handed back the paper to the soldier. “My seventy-two hours is almost up.”
Chapter 17
Late in the afternoon, when the last of the Resistance cleanup crew disappeared into the ruined building, Ranger stood watching Abigail hop the minefield to the door and vanish inside. In the meantime, Matty led the other kids from the alley where they had seen how the military had slashed the Camaro’s tires. She couldn’t shake the image of the purposeful keying of the front hood. Whoever had done such a thing had done it out of spite, she thought. Then she realized whoever had done such a thing was dead, and in a way, she had the final word of revenge against the bastard.