by John O'Brien
As she draws near, I see the weariness of the post-adrenaline phase of combat etched in her eyes. There is of course the bone-deep weariness we all carry from the struggle to survive on a constant basis. It brings a bleached out quality to the eyes that tells of having to endure stress over a long period. It’s the look of frontline veterans returning from a combat tour overseas and something I’ve observed in all of us. I also notice a splash of blood on her cheek which sparks additional concern.
“Yours or someone else’s?” I ask, nodding to her cheek as she stops in front of me.
“What?” Lynn asks, tilting her head.
“The extra bit of rouge on your cheek you managed to pick up,” I reply.
“Oh, someone else’s,” she says as she reaches to her cheek. She then wipes the spots of blood with her sleeve leaving a light red smear.
“Better?” She asks, finishing.
I look at the streaks and shake my head. “Yeah, um, much better,” I answer.
“Jack, you’re such a horrible liar,” Lynn says making another attempt which only makes it worse. I decide it’s in my best interest to not say anything else.
“So, what happened in there?” I ask, nodding toward the bodies covering the warehouse floor. Lynn proceeds to give me the cliff notes version of what happened.
“How was your little chat?” She asks, finishing.
“It was interesting and is bound to get even more so after this,” I answer.
I look over at the remaining sailors gathered together and nod for them to start heading back to their captain. They look plenty shaken but they start walking slowly, periodically looking over their shoulders at the building. Lynn directs several team members to head back inside to gather empty mags lying on the floor in the lit area. We then begin walking across the wide, empty lot and up the drive to the piers. Two firefights and it’s still morning. Yeah, it’s already been a long day and we still have a long night ahead of us. I’m quite ready to wake up from this nightmare.
“I can’t believe he sent his people in after what we told him,” Lynn says as we slowly make our way back.
“I’m not sure he understands the situation but I bet he’s ready to listen now,” I reply.
“He’d better. That’s all I have to say. That was not fun.”
“I’m just glad you’re okay,” I say, putting my arm around her and giving her a quick hug.
I leave Lynn and the other teams by the vehicles and walk down the dock toward where Captain Leonard and the others are still standing. The surviving members of his crew have just left his side and are making their way to the docked sub. I close up to where Bannerman, Frank, Leonard, and Krandle and his team are standing.
“I owe you my thanks, Captain Walker,” Leonard says. “My men briefed me on what happened inside. Their story seems a bit far-fetched and if I hadn’t been standing here myself, I wouldn’t have believed it. It still seems a little too unreal.”
“Believe me, captain, it was a lot for us to swallow in the beginning as well,” I reply. “I’m sorry for the people you lost.”
Leonard merely nods and turns to Krandle, “I owe you my apologies for doubting you as well, chief.”
“I’m not sure I still believe it myself, sir,” Krandle responds.
“I’m guessing you’re ready to listen now,” I say.
“I am, Captain Walker,” Leonard replies with a nod.
“Yeah, about that,” I say and proceed to tell our story.
Captain Leonard listens as I tell him about the happenings as far as we know leaving nothing out. He has a nod here and there along with several episodes where he tightens his eyes. I feel like I’m telling a children’s horror story as I listen to myself tell of the events of the past few months. It seems unreal to me as I tell it… and I lived it. I notice his lips tighten as I mention I was prior service and wasn’t in when it all went down but, to his credit, he doesn’t say anything. I mention our compound and our efforts to gather survivors and clear the area of night runners. After seeming to run my mouth for days on end, I finally bring him up to speed on where we stand now. I’m not usually much of a talker and I totally feel that I’ve used up my words for the next several months if not a year. I finish by inviting him and his crew to join us.
“I think that’s a great idea for us to join up. As far as I can tell, I’m now the base commander here. We can fortify this location and you can bring your people up. We can begin rebuilding here and can certainly use your expertise,” Leonard says.
“Oh boy, here we go,” I hear Bannerman mutter. I don’t think anyone else heard it but it was fairly clear to me.
“Captain, I know where you’re coming from but there isn’t any government anymore. That part of the world is gone,” I say.
“Captain Walker, I know you may be a civilian now but the others with you are still part of the government. We’re the government until we meet up with any still operating in an official capacity,” Leonard replies.
“Leonard,” I say purposely using his name rather than rank, “there aren’t any but small, scattered groups to ‘govern’.”
“Then we govern them. I’m the ranking officer at the moment and we’ll just have to keep the government alive in that manner,” he says.
“There… isn’t… any… government… to keep alive. We have opted to go with a functional command. You know, to have the best chance of survival. What you saw here,” I say sweeping my arm toward the warehouse, “doesn’t even come close to what is going on. These night runners are rampant and are as wily a foe as you can ever imagine. There are also bands of marauders about. Now, you are welcome to join us and of course we’d have you on the leadership team, but we have a harmony within our group that I won’t have messed with. Every day here is a fight for survival and we need the cohesiveness that we have in order to survive. I get where you’re coming from, truly I do, but right now we need to establish a safe haven and we can move onto other things once we have that.”
I notice Krandle give a slight nod at my little speech. I see Leonard’s jaws clench and the veins in his head begin to stand out. I’m quite sure he isn’t used to being talked to in this manner but to be honest, that’s not my concern. Frankly, I’m tired and this morning hasn’t improved my mood much. I understand his position and might act exactly as he is if our positions were reversed. It must be fucking confusing as hell to just walk into this situation. However, my main concern is for the people with us and I won’t sacrifice what we have for anything. It’s not that I even remotely think I’m the best for the job and will willingly follow anyone who has more experience. As a matter of fact, I’d welcome it with open arms but until that happens, this is where we are.
“Walker,” yeah, I notice his dropping the rank, “I plan to restock and head down the western seaboard and possibly to Hawaii to see the situation there. Know that this conversation isn’t over.”
“You can’t be planning to go back into the warehouse or any others, are you? You just lost seven out of the twelve men you sent in,” I say. I feel bad for even mentioning that but it’s necessary for him to actually understand the inherent danger that buildings present.
“We need to resupply,” he responds.
“Walk with me if you will,” I say.
“Where are we going?”
“You need to see firsthand what we are facing,” I say to which he gives a small nod.
We begin to walk down to the warehouse. I signal Lynn to bring Black and Red Teams with us. Krandle walks behind with his SEAL Team. Standing back from but close enough to see into the interior through the now wide open sliding doors, we see dozens of dead night runners lying across the gray floor.
“That, captain, is only some of what your men walked into. Lynn, how many would you say were inside?” I ask.
“That’s about a quarter of ‘em,” she answers. I hear Krandle give a low whistle.
Leonard looks on, turning his head left and right. I can almost hear the ge
ars turning as he sees firsthand what I was talking about.
“And this is in every building?” He finally asks.
“No, not in every one. There is sometimes less, sometimes more, sometimes none at all. It all depends on how they group together and where they lair up. We haven’t found a trend as yet. But, yes, this is what we are facing,” I answer.
“Now, you can gather what you can as long as it’s in the light. And I mean daylight,” I continue.
“That doesn’t give us much,” he says, eyeballing perhaps four stacks of goods that are in the daylight pouring in the open doorway. “Perhaps you could provide cover for us if we had to go in farther.”
“No fucking way! We’re not going back in there. Especially with what just happened. Those aisles are fucking death traps,” Lynn speaks up.
Leonard turns sharply to Lynn. “Sergeant, now see…”
“Captain Leonard, we have some supplies. If you’ll make out a list of what you need, we’ll see what we can send. We’ll make a convoy run up here with them,” I say, interrupting him and forestalling and argument. “Just give the list to Bannerman here before we leave and we can have it back up here within a couple of days.” I look to Bannerman for approval of the timeline and he nods.
“Okay, Walker, that will be fine,” Leonard says.
“Call me Jack,” I say.
The morning heads towards noon as Leonard consults with his crew and then meets us on the dock giving Bannerman his requested supply list. “We may be able to supply this but will have to make some substitutions,” he says after looking it over.
“That will be fine, Major,” Leonard replies.
“We can have this to you in three days providing the route is clear,” Bannerman says.
“What about if you tied up in Tacoma or Olympia?” That would make it easier and we wouldn’t have to worry about blocked roads or someone ambushing us to take the supplies,” Frank says.
“I think we can accommodate that. That is if the docks are clear. And thank you again,” Leonard responds.
“I have a question if you don’t mind. Well, actually several. Are their fuel rods being stored here?” I ask.
“That’s classified information, Jack,” Leonard answers.
“Seriously?! I’m pretty sure classified went out with the first waves of the dead. I’d like to know if we are in danger of them melting down,” I say.
Leonard mulls it over for a few seconds before replying, “No, there aren’t any stored here. There used to be but they were moved.”
“What about the rods in those subs?” I ask, pointing to the two missile boats docked nearby.
“I’m sure they are shut down but, yes, those might be a problem over time,” he answers.
“What about scuttling them offshore? We’d use them for a power supply but we just don’t have the expertise if you are planning on your trip down the coast. And if something happened…” I say leaving the question floating.
“That would have to be done far offshore with the prevailing currents and winds but it could be done,” Leonard replies, pondering.
“Do you think you and your crew could do that?” I ask.
“Perhaps, but I’d like to get away as soon as we can. We can discuss that when we return. Amongst other things,” Leonard pointedly says.
“I’m so looking forward to that,” I say sarcastically to which Leonard actually smiles. “You know, a thought just occurred. If you are thinking about setting ashore, what are you planning to do if you find survivors?”
“There’s not much we can do really. Our space is limited. We can direct them to your location if you’d like,” Leonard answers.
“That may do more harm than good with them having to find shelter for the night and with bandits around. They also may not want to depending on the distance, but the more we can gather, the better off we’ll be,” I say.
“Well, if we find any and make contact, we’ll let them know,” he replies.
That causes an uneasy feeling as you never know what type of groups he may encounter. We just may find ourselves beset upon by marauders looking to take over our compound. However, increasing our numbers will also increase our knowledge base. We are in dire need of medical personnel and a scientist or two wouldn’t hurt. Actually, we are in need of a wide range of experts.
Chief Krandle steps forward and says, “Captain Walker, sir, we’d like to join up with you but if Captain Leonard is planning to set ashore anywhere, he’s going to need us.”
“Chief, we’d be more than happy to have you anytime but I think you’re right, Captain Leonard is going to need you,” I reply.
“Chief, you are under my command so you’re not at liberty to discuss where you will or will not go,” Leonard says, rounding on Krandle.
“Technically, sir, and with all due respect, being under your command ended the moment we stepped onshore. We were under your operational command while onboard but we are now effectively back under SWC Group One. With that said, sir, we’d like to accompany you and assist under the caveat that we can accept or decline any mission you have for us based on the risk factor,” Krandle replies, standing at attention.
Leonard stares hard at the chief for several moments. “That is acceptable. Glad to have you aboard,” he finally says.
“One last thing. How do you want to stay in communication if you are in fact heading down the seaboard?” I ask.
“We could use satellite comms or phones,” Leonard suggests.
“I’m not sure about the viability of satellite communications but we can try the phones. If not, then we can just use the UHF when you draw closer,” I say. I look to Bannerman who merely nods. The unspoken dialogue is to whether he can acquire satellite phones.
“Alright. And we’ll make our way around the sound and try the ports. We’ll let you know where we decide to park,” Leonard states.
“Sounds good. We’ll see you in a couple of days,” I say. Handshakes are made all around.
And with that, we part ways. The teams gather back into the vehicles and, climbing the hill toward the base entrance, the docks and docked sub disappear from sight.
A Secret Revealed
We begin retracing our route back to base with the only caveat that we hold up short of the second road block we encountered on the way in. The scenery and weather remains much the same. The gray skies are low over the treetops and the silver dew drops are heavy on the fir and cedar branches. Close to where we went through the second line of vehicles blockading the road, the Strykers take the lead and we halt.
I switch to the channel we previously had locked that Sam was using. “Sam, this is Captain Walker, how do you read?”
A moment passes in silence. There is just the vibration and rumble of the Humvee. Robert is now in the front seat with McCafferty in the back. Gonzalez is taking her turn on the M-240.
“Sam, I know you’re there. Let’s not play games again,” I say into the radio.
“Go ahead, captain,” I hear him finally respond.
“We’re coming through again. Are we going to have any trouble this time?” I ask.
“No, Captain Walker, if anything’s to be said, it’s that we learned our lesson. I’ll let the lads know you’re coming and to let you pass,” Sam replies.
“Any further thoughts about joining us?”
“I don’t think we really have much of a choice, do we. We’ll be set upon on all sides now if we stay, so, if the offer still stands, I think we might take you up on that,” he answers.
“Have your folks gather what they need and whatever supplies you want to bring. We’ll meet you at the bridge entrance. Make sure everyone knows to keep their itchy trigger fingers under wraps. I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen because of one jittery soul,” I say.
“We’ll do that. It’ll take us while to gather everyone and our things.”
“We’ll wait. Just don’t take too long. See you there.”
I radio the conversation t
o the rest of the teams but warn them to keep alert. With that, we move slowly up the road and park a short distance from the wrecked vehicles still spanning the width of the highway. The bodies have been removed and no one is in sight. We park the Strykers in a triangle pointing outward with the Humvees in the center. I have Lynn call Cabelas to fill them in. With the vehicles idling, we wait.
“I was kind of hoping the SEAL Team would have joined us. It seems we could really use them,” Robert says as we wait.
“Yeah, I thought the same thing and was this close to trying to talk them into it,” I say, holding my pointer finger a hair’s breadth from my thumb. “We really could use their expertise. However, Captain Leonard needs them even more. They are his only combat force with training. They would be a welcome addition, especially seeing the night runners seem to be adapting quickly.”
“Ah, sir, we don’t need ‘em. We have Red Team and we can handle a bunch of sweaty runners,” Gonzalez says poking her head through the opening.
“Please tell me you don’t have a ‘hooah’ coming somewhere,” I plead.
“What would ever give you that indication, sir?” She responds.
“Good. I’m glad to hear it,” I say.
“Hooah, sir,” she says with a wink and disappears back through the open hatch.
An hour passes and the clouds thin in places showing a hint of sun above. Sam finally radios that they are ready and making their way to us. A line of vehicles, trucks, cars, and moving vans, appear from a side road and enter the highway with Sam’s pickup in the lead. Sam parks, steps out, and walks over to us.
“I hope there are no hard feelings, captain,” he says extending his hand.
“None here and I hope for the same on your end,” I say accepting his shake.
“No. We have one grieving wife that will have to be cared for. She went into hysterics but the doc sedated her,” he states.
“You have a doctor with you?” I ask.