Dead America The Second Week (Book 12): Dead America, Heartland Pt. 5

by Slaton, Derek

  Bretz peeked over, watching it fall the fifty feet down onto the rocky terrain along the riverbank. He whipped his head around as the other car screamed by them, headed towards the horde. He got close and then cut to the side, skidding and slamming right into the front of the line of zombies. The impact broke several ghouls, but did little to hold them back. In a matter of seconds, the entire vehicle was covered in undead.

  Bretz noticed another runner getting up, and swallowed hard when he realized it was Corporal McGee. “Soldier, on me.”

  The two men readied their weapons, waiting for the zombie to lock on to them. It screamed its dead screech and tore towards them. Bretz waited until he was about ten feet away before firing one clean shot through its lifeless head.

  He looked around, shellshocked at the only six men still standing outside of the fire teams at the far end of the bridge.

  “Everybody on me!” he finally screamed. “We have to push them back!” He led the men, rushing towards the fire teams. The first was barely able to hold the line, zombies starting to come around their makeshift barricade.

  The sound of a rumbling engine roared behind them, and Bretz motioned for them to come and park it in the firing line. The soldier hit the gas and drove up, slamming on the brakes just before reaching them. He drove it straight in, knocking several zombies out of the way and creating a box with the sideways police car.

  Zombies swarmed the driver’s side, so he clambered over to the passenger’s side and opened it, diving out to join the firing line. Bretz clapped him on the shoulder and headed up to the big fire team in the center of the bridge.

  “We’ve got to push forward!” he screamed, and joined their firing, stepping forward. The men followed his lead, the formidable force expending a lot of ammunition, but succeeded in pushing the horde back a bit.

  As they got up to the edge, there were nearly a hundred zombies laying motionless in the streets, with hundreds more behind them. Three more vehicles rolled up, and Bretz motioned for them to add to the barrier, parking sideways. Two of them complied, but one stayed behind him.

  “Why aren’t you falling in?” Bretz demanded.

  The driver waved at him. “Because there are more cars we can bring in, but we don’t have the driver,” he explained. “I’m taking them back to get more, unless you think we need them.”

  The Corporal furrowed his brow, looking to the far end of the bridge where hundreds more creatures ambled around the bend. “Whatever you do, don’t take your time,” he said.

  The driver nodded as the two soldiers rushed back from their vehicles and jumped into his. They sped off back to the complex as Bretz turned to continue firing with his men. They were able to wipe out dozens of zombies between them and the car, that had skidded by them, eventually being able to clearly see it. As they shot the last few between them, they saw the soldier inside the car, waving at them from the passenger side window.

  “That dumbass is still alive,” Bretz muttered. “Let’s move up and get him!” He led three other troops as they stepped on the backs of the rotting corpses in the street, eventually reaching the passenger side door. The soldier attempted to open it, but there were corpses piled three high blocking it like a dam.

  Bretz and another soldier reached down to pull them away, and the soldier popped out, grinning wide.

  “Holy shit, I fucked that one up, didn’t I?” he asked.

  Bretz clapped him on the shoulder. “Understatement. Now get back to the line.”

  The soldier saluted and ran back behind the firing line, exchanging claps on the back with his fellow men.

  The shooting continued for another few minutes, finally clearing out the initial batch of zombies that were on the bridge. In the distance, another group of around a thousand were slowly making their way towards them.

  “How long you figure til they get here?” one soldier asked.

  The Corporal took a deep breath. “Fifteen, maybe twenty miuntes.” He looked over his shoulder as another trio of cars drove up, finishing the first line of the barricade across the bridge.

  The drivers got back into the transport car, but Bretz jogged up before they took off. The window unrolled so he could address them.

  “How many more you got back there?” he asked.

  The driver inclined his head. “Six confirmed,” he said. “Maybe a couple more. We’re checking the garages.”

  “Good,” Bretz replied. “When you come back I want you to start bracing the line. Parallel park them against the bumpers where the cars connect. It isn’t going to be perfect, but it should hold long enough for us to thin the herd.”

  The driver nodded and sped away.

  The Corporal looked over the troops he had left. Twenty-six men on the bridge with him. Thirty-one counting the ones on car duty. The moment hit him like a wave, overwhelming him, and he struggled to keep his composure.

  “Are… are you okay, sir?” a young soldier asked.

  Bretz took a deep breath. “I’m… I’m okay.” He looked over the large country boy who looked like he’d been working on a farm since birth. He looked at his name badge. “I’m okay, Kerswell.”

  The Private took out his canteen and handed it to Bretz, who graciously accepted it and took a long swig.

  “Kerswell, I need you to do two things for me,” the Corporal said as he smacked his lips together.

  The Private nodded. “Whatever you need.”

  “I need you to get a few men to go on ammo collection from the fallen, as we’re going to need every single shot,” Bretz instructed.

  Kerswell nodded. “What else?”

  The Corporal sighed. “I need you to tell me what in the hell happened here.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Kersey paced back and forth with a fresh cup of coffee, the stress and caffeine the only things keeping him awake at that point. The trio of soldiers clicked furiously at their machines, updating the map to show that half of Verdale had been taken.

  “Captain, we just got word that the teams have successfully cleared out the space in front of the Super Center,” David said triumphantly.

  Kersey nodded. “Good,” he replied. “Have Herrera move up to the next position.”

  “I will, but I’ve also been informed that Herrera has a trio of survivors from the store,” David replied. “There aren’t any APCs in the area. What should we do with them?”

  The Captain thought for a moment. “Have someone escort them back to Johnson’s position,” he instructed. “I think it’s been quiet enough there today that we can assume it’s a safe spot.” He held up a hand before David could turn back around to his computer. “Has there been any word from Bretz, yet?”

  David nodded. “He radioed in just a moment ago,” he said, and set the headset on the table. “I’ll patch you through.”

  “Thank you,” Kersey said, grabbing the headset as David began punching rapidly on his keyboard. He put it on and waited for the thumbs up. When it came, he nodded and took a sip of coffee. “How’s it going over there, Corporal?”

  “Bridge is clear and we have a makeshift perimeter set up,” Bretz replied, voice somber. “We’re hoping it can hold, we have a thousand of those things bearing down on us and god only knows what else behind them.”

  The Captain nodded. “Well, with fifty men, a thousand zombies shouldn’t be much trouble.”

  Bretz took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. “I only have twenty-five on the line, Cap,” he said quietly.

  Kersey paled. “Why do you only have twenty-five on the line?”

  “I have a team of six going to the community college in search of more vehicles to shore up the line,” the Corporal explained. “I also have nineteen dead with two severly injured from leaping off of the bridge. In fact, I could use a medevac for them. If they don’t get immediate care, I don’t know if they’re going to make it.”

  “Absolutely,” the Captain tapped one of the soldiers on the shoulder. “You’re at the top of the list, B
retz. I’ll see if I can’t round up a few reinforcements for you as well.”

  The soldier nodded and got to work.

  “That would be appreciated, Captain,” Bretz replied, sounding exhausted.

  Kersey took a deep breath. “But tell me, what in the fuck happened out there?” he asked.

  “I sent Corporal McGee to the bridge while we cleared the apartment complex to secure the vehicles,” Bretz began, voice level. “Apparently he took up position with two of his men at the tree line on the north side of the bridge. The noise they made while trying to clear it attracted a mini-horde who made quick work of them. They reanimated as runners, and hit the troops from behind. Before they knew what was going on, it was a total bloodbath.”

  Kersey waited a beat, his chest tight at the sound of his friend’s desperate attempt to stay calm. “Corporal,” he said gently, “Bretz. I’ve known you for a long time, and I know you’re taking this hard. But you did what needed to be done and you secured the objective. Because of you, this mission is going to be a success.”

  “Thank you, Captain,” Bretz replied sullenly.

  Kersey firmed up his tone a little. “Bretz, this isn’t on you. I know you think it is, but it’s not. I want to hear you say that.”

  “I know it’s not on me,” the Corporal replied, just as more shots began to ring out on his end.

  “Everything okay?” Kersey asked.

  “I need to go, Cap,” Bretz said. “The next wave of those things is coming up.”

  “Stay safe, and I’ll get the chopper over to you as soon as I can,” Kersey promised, and the line went dead. He pulled the headset off and stared at it for a moment in disbelief.

  “Captain,” David said gingerly, “I’m sorry, but I have General Stephens on the line for you.”

  Kersey took a deep breath, a sip of coffee, and then set down his empty mug, putting the headset firmly back on his head. “General Stephens, good to hear from you, sir.”

  “Good to hear from you as well, Captain,” Stephens replied. “I’ve been reading the reports from your assault on Spokane and I have to say, I’m impressed with the strategies you’ve undertaken.”

  Kersey nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

  “Creating hubs to attract the hordes is nothing short of brilliant,” Stephens continued. “Something that would have been foolish and suicidal in any other war has quickly become a go-to tactic. Something I’m going to make sure the boys above me are well aware of as they plan the Seattle operation.”

  The Captain nodded. “Thank you sir, but I do feel obligated to inform you that we are running behind schedule.”

  “Yes, I saw the underestimation of hostiles in Verdale,” the General replied. “No matter, it’s going to be at least a week before we can get the bulk of the force up to your position anyway.”

  Kersey chewed the inside of his mouth. “A week?” He frowned. “I thought they were coming in a couple of days.”

  “Some will, yes, but we had some problems in Kansas City and we had to divert attention to it,” Stephens replied. “What we thought was a horde coming out of a suburb turned into half the zombies in the goddamn city headed our way. Lost a lot of manpower, but we were able to hold the line.”

  Kersey shook his head, rubbing his forehead. “We’ve had setbacks too, but thankfully not on that scale.”

  “It looks like I made the right choice in promoting you,” the General said.

  Kersey sighed. “Thank you, sir,” he said. “What else can I do before the reinforcements get here?”

  “Just keep doing what you’re doing,” Stephens instructed. “Clear us a path to Seattle so we can go cleanse it and start to rebuild.”

  “Yes, sir,” the Captain replied.

  “I’ll be in touch, Captain,” Stephens promised. “Until then, keep up the good work.”

  The line went dead, and Kersey removed the headset, tossing it onto David’s desk.

  “Is the General happy?” the lanky man asked.

  Kersey sighed again. “About as happy as a General in wartime can be.”

  David shrugged. “Guess we can chalk that up as a win.”

  “It’s a win, but a costly one,” the Captain replied. He picked up his mug, realizing it was empty again. He turned to leave for a refill, and then turned back around to address his men. “Pass this down the line of command. No unnecessary risks. We have extra time and we’re going to use it. This battle is just a warmup. When we start taking Seattle in a week, it’s going to make this look like little league.”

  The soldiers and David stared back at him with side eyes, the gravity of the words sinking in.

  Kersey took a deep breath. “I’ll put another pot of coffee on,” he said, and held up his empty mug. “You boys know what to do.”

  END