Brock began running up the hillside and I told Riley to drive a little closer towards them. He stopped the truck once again at a safe distance. I stepped outside the truck and placed the radio close to my mouth.
“If you let them go now, your death will be quick and painless.”
His response was of what I expected.
“That’s not going to happen. I’m going to take their lives one by one and I’m going to make you watch them beg for mercy.”
I looked inside the truck at Brandon and Chase and said, “I want you guys to go to the other side of that tree line and when you hear Brock’s gunshot you sprint up behind them and take all of them out. Riley, if you betray me I will kill you myself.”
Riley stared at me and said, “I don’t like any of those shit heads anyways. You saved my life and I’m in your debt. I was forced into joining them when they saw me running down the road trying to get home. It wasn’t my choice.”
Chase and Riley ran to the tree line and ventured towards the soldiers.
I placed the radio at my mouth again and said, “Last chance.”
In the distance I heard one of them yell, “Ready.”
I held my hand in the air.
“Aim.”
I slung my arm down for Brock to take the shot. The sound of the gun surrounded all of them and the commanding soldier fell to the ground. Chase and Riley ran up to the road shooting the rest of them down. The rest of the ZEDS ran up to the fallen bodies and grabbed their guns. They each shot all of them in the head to keep their bodies from reanimating. I ran towards the team and made sure they were all okay.
I looked at Shaun and asked, “Are any of these men the one that ordered the execution of you guys?”
Shaun had a disappointed look on his face as he looked at all of their faces.
Brock ran down the hill and said, “That son of a bitch ran off and I couldn’t get a shot on him.”
Logan turned to his side and said, “There that asshole is,” pointing towards the Hummer.
The man jumped inside the truck and began driving it towards us. I grabbed my Beretta from Riley and aimed it towards the truck. I fired three shots into the windshield of the truck and it swerved into the hillside. I placed the gun back into the holster and walked towards the truck. As I reached my destination I saw a bloody face of an elderly man with a red Berea on his head.
As he was coughing blood he looked at me and said, “You’re one stupid son of a bitch. This isn’t the end of us. We follow orders from someone you can’t match up to. We will win and you all will be gone. Your people are number one on our list.”
His statement had a terrifying tone with it and when he said we it sent a chill up my spine.
“Who is this “we” you are speaking of? Do you know why this is happening? Why are you targeting us?”
He laughed with blood spewing from his mouth and his middle finger rose from his left hand.
I gripped the bag from the back seat and grabbed a grenade from inside of it.
I stared at him and said, “Laugh about this.”
I pulled the pin and threw the grenade next to him inside the truck. As I walked away I heard a loud scream and the truck turned into a flaming ball lifting into the air.
I stood next to Brock and I heard him say, “Burn in Hell.”
I placed my arms around Brock finally being able to express my joy of him being alive. The rest of the team joined in a group hug and we momentarily celebrated for our victory.
I gripped my radio from my side and communicated to Watch Tower,
“This is Omega. We have Team Eagle. We’re heading home.”
Selest came over the channel excited as could be.
“Atlas; let me talk to Brock.”
I handed Brock the radio.
“Baby, I love you so much. I’m sorry I’m not with you right now. I will be there soon.”
We could here Selest crying over the channel and replying, “I love you too. Please hurry and come back to me.”
The radio began to obtain some interference and a scattered voice appeared in the static.
“Please, if there’s anyone out there. I need your help.”
The static settled back in and Brock handed me the radio.
“Hello, is anyone there?”
The voice settled back into the static and said, “My name is Aurora. I live here in the city of Glasgow. I am hiding in an abandoned church basement. These freaks are everywhere and I can’t get out of here.”
I pressed in the button and said, “Stay calm. My team and I will come and get you. Where is the church located?”
Aurora’s frightened voice replied, “It is near the old Wal-Mart. Please hurry. I don’t think the doors are going to stay shut much longer.”
“Don’t worry Aurora. We are on our way.”
The static settled back in and the voice disappeared. I looked at everyone and they all knew what we had to do.
“I know the more practical thing to do is to go back to Watch Tower and develop a plan. This girl doesn’t seem to have much longer and she is in desperate need of our help. I hate to ask you Chase and Brock because I know you want to get home to your…..”
They interrupted me and said, “We’re going. We know our women are safe. Let’s go save this one.”
We all stepped into our vehicles and Brock and Chase joined me, Shaun and Riley in ours. We set a course for Glasgow and began driving in that direction. We made a pact in our earlier preparation stages that turned into a mission statement. We will protect the weak and save all that we can. In the order of the ZEDS we are going to save this girl.
Face With the Voice
The city limits was a vacant as an empty car lot. I figured with the amount of people that lived in this city there would have been mobs of the dead roaming the streets, but it was almost of ghost town potential. There was an abandoned gas station right on the edge of the city where we decided to station and discuss a plan. Brock and Chase had cleaned their faces off but their gashes were something to pay attention to. As we discussed the arrangement Mark was stitching the cuts.
“Aurora said she was in a church near the old Wal-Mart building. Since we have an extra team and another body to help we are going to split up. This town may have not been cleaned out so we are going to split in to two groups. Team Redhill and Team Omega along with Brock are going to the church. We will rescue Aurora while Team Hunter and Team Alpha take Riley and Chase to scour for supplies. Only get what you know what you can get. Do not go out of the way to obtain something special and risk being overrun. This gas station will be our rendezvous point. We will meet back here in thirty minutes; no later than that. We need to get to Watch Tower before it gets dark.”
Mark finished the last stitch on Brocks head and said, “Atlas, if you guys seem to encounter more than you can handle you S.O.S. us on the radio. Don’t be too proud.”
I knew why Mark was saying that. Only forty-five minutes earlier I went on a one man mission to rescue our teammates. He was worried about me. I didn’t blame him for that. My solo act went against what I had just preached and against our motto but I knew that was the most successful way of completing my task.
“Don’t worry brother. I’ve got more than enough help and I’ll be listening for you guys in case you need us.”
We all said our “See you later” to one another because we don’t say goodbye unless it is a true goodbye. Team Alpha and Team Hunter along with Riley and Chase turned down the side road attached to the gas station. I and my guys headed straight to the church. We attempted to reestablish contact with Aurora before we got there, but it was only static. We feared the worst. We thought maybe we didn’t make it in time. The further we got inside the town the more the dead began to appear. Not only were there mutilated bodies scattered across the sidewalks but canines and birds were picking out what was left of the scattered body parts. The rain didn’t make a dent in the bodily waste that had now become the cover of asphalt.
The sun began to peek through the clouds as the rain made its journey elsewhere. The old Wal-Mart building appeared to our left as the church existed a 100 yards to the right of it. This church was swarmed with lost men and women searching for something to eat. Others appeared wandering outside the door as others ran in. At that moment I believed that the cannibals had gotten to her and once one got its fill of the salty pastries it would walk out as another ran in to finish the left overs.
Shaun pressed on the gas as Emmitt sat on the door hanging out the window aiming his gun towards all of the roamers. Seth and Brock were on back of the truck awaiting their time for battle. I listened for a scream or searched for an actual sign of life that I wanted to shine out of the church. The roar of our truck engine obtained some of the attention of the zombies and they began walking and sprinting towards us. I gripped the handle of a Famas assault rifle and pulled the trigger. Sloan and Brock opened fire towards the church and began clearing a path.
I yelled loud enough for all of them to hear me, “There’s too many of them. Stop the truck!”
Shaun slammed on the brakes.
“Listen, Shaun is going to keep driving around the church as Emmitt and Sloan shoot the bastards down as much as they can. Brock you come with me. We’re going inside the church.”
Brock jumped off of the truck and Shaun’s tires created smoke on the asphalt as he took off directing more attention towards them rather than us being spotted. Although he had a swarm of the decayed following him Brock and I had to fight through a hoard to reach the church door. Their bodies fell as much as our bullet casings did. The front door was broken down so we charged through and picked up the broken door to block any more of the flesh eaters from entering. Brock held the door to the opening and I noticed the dead beating on a door at the far end of the church corridor.
I turned to Brock and asked, “You good?”
He smiled and placed more pressure onto the door and said, “I got this. Just make it quick.”
I placed my fingers to my mouth and made a loud whistle to grasp the zombies’ attention before they broke down the door. Before they charged towards me I observed their mouths and hands and saw there weren’t any blood or body parts dangling from a recent feast. More than one of them roared and the sound wasn’t as frightening as it was only hours ago. That sound triggered something in me that I knew was hiding. The beast had awakened and I took each of them out one by one either it was by bullet or by my hands. They all fell with more than just a boot print on their faces. They descended back to Hell with shame as the multiples of them could not defeat the two of us.
I picked up a bench from the floor and placed it against the door Brock was holding to brace it so he could free himself from the strain of placing force against multiple cannibals. It was a temporary fix so we knew we had to hurry. Leaping over bodies and other benches we made it to the door that we thought Aurora was behind.
I beat on the door with one hand and shouted, “Aurora! Are you still down there?”
It only took a second, but the wait seemed forever. A loud voice came from behind the door.
“Yes. I am here!”
I heard fast paced footsteps coming up a flight of stairs and the dead bolt unlatching from the other side. The door flew open and a young woman with Raven hair embraced me with a strong and everlasting hug.
“Thank you so much”, Aurora said as she backed away wiping tears from her eyes.
“Are you hurt,” I asked while observing her.
“Yes, I’m fine. The radio I found lost battery power and I didn’t know if you guys were going to find me.”
I saw Brock’s head turn towards the door and he patted me on the shoulder.
“We have to go now. That bench isn’t going to hold much longer.”
The sound of wood crackling and snapping caught my attention and I looked at the door. The mob broke through and trampled over each other trying to get inside.
“Brock, get her out the window. I’ll by us sometime until the truck gets here.”
Brock grabbed Aurora’s hand and led her to the window as I reloaded my gun. I hear Brock shattering the glass and I look towards them making sure they could get out. Aurora glanced at me before placing a leg out the window. I turned back around and saw some of the zombies gathered their footing. I began firing upon them and I heard Brock yelling for me.
I gripped my radio and said, “Shaun, stop the truck at the left side of the church.”
I fired a couple of more shots and heard Brock come over the radio.
“We are on the truck. Get out now.”
I quit firing my weapon and grabbed a grenade from my belt. I pulled the pin and threw it into the middle of the swarm. I turned around, ran towards the window and leaped out of it. I stood to my feet and ran towards the truck. I heard the grenade explode and I saw the church become engulfed in flames. Aurora swung open the passenger door and I placed myself next to her. Shaun pressed on the gas and we sped off down the street while Seth, Emmitt and Brock were still shooting towards the flaming zombies that were able to stumble out of the church. Aurora gripped my hand still shaking and stared out the windshield. Her grip was tight and even though moments ago she was surrounded by the dead I couldn’t help but notice the aroma of vanilla and coconut radiating from her. This girl that I just met had me in a trance. Although that sweet scent cascaded me I began to notice we were getting closer to the rendezvous point. I heard screeching tires to my right and saw my teams’ truck speeding down the road. Mark and Justin were hanging out the windows shooting the Olympic running zombies. I massive hoard was trailing them as they slid on to the road we were traveling down. Emmitt, Seth and Brock began thinning out the mob. Some of them ended up rolling underneath our tires. We arrived at the gas station once we knew it was safe to stop.
Aurora introduced herself to all of the guys and Zora and they all welcomed her. She told us how when the infected began invading the streets she had just walked to a grocery store to grab something to drink and all Hell broke loose. People were running frantic and killing one another. They were stealing things out of the store and breaking windows just to carry flat screen televisions to a home they probably didn’t have anymore. She ran to the church because she said that was a place she always felt safe in a church. When she got there zombies and people began conquering the church so she locked herself down in the basement. After our discussion with Aurora and our new supplies they had gathered the sun began to hide behind the trees. We got back into our vehicles and headed back to Watch Tower.
Her face was as beautiful as her voice. We answered her call for help and even though we saved her, I knew when I first saw her and instantly fell in love with her that if something were to happen to Aurora it would be the death of me. I anticipated the zombie apocalypse and I anticipated how my family and I would survive it, but I did not prepare for this. I did not prepare for her.
The Reunion
The sky turned black and the only light that shined our way home was our headlights. The street lights weren’t completely knocked down by runaway vehicles. The grid was still functional but no one knew for how long. Our generators were gassed up and ready to go. Aurora had fallen asleep sitting on my lap with her head buried in my neck. She would tense up from time to time and grip my hand tighter but then her hand would finally release. I noticed Brock in the back seat with Seth and Emmitt staring out the window counting numbers with his fingers. I didn’t know if he was counting down the minutes until he saw Selest again or if it was just something to pass the time until he saw her again. He had told me during the ride that he kept praying over and over again when he was captured that he just wanted to see Selest at least one more time before he died.
We were all exhausted and hadn’t eaten anything. Fatigue had swept over everyone. Our eyes were growing weary and our energy long surpassed. I kept a watch out the window as Shaun was driving. The tall dark grass whizzed by us that night and the moon wasn’t smi
ling down on us. Rain had begun to sprinkle onto the windshield and no matter how much it rained that day the memories will always haunt us.
The Watch Tower was just a couple of miles away and Brock’s tapping of his fingers became louder. Aurora hadn’t moved an inch since she was able to finally rest. Her breathing had calmed down but she still had my arm gripped tight. Emmitt had also fallen asleep and Seth never took his hand off of his gun. Riley kept watch out the back glass without even turning his head. Shaun’s eyes were focused on the road ahead and the wet roads did not slow him down. My eyes were trying to roll into the back of my head, but I forced them to stay open. I had a lot of things to plan, but I didn’t know where to start. Scouts wouldn’t be able to search for more supplies but the darkness is an enemy of anyone who is not a roaming spawn of Hell.
The street light in the front yard of the Watch Tower never looked so welcoming. Selest was standing on the front porch waiting for our arrival. Shaun parked the truck in the yard and Brock leaped out as soon as he could. In full speed, Brock ran to Selest and picked her up in his arms. They shared the longest kiss I had ever seen. Movies never had that kind of passion. I woke Aurora with a stroke of her hair and a whisper to not frighten her. She raised her head from my neck and stretched her arms out while looking out the window. I saw a sense of calmness on her face as she smiled at me. I opened the door for her and she stepped out of the truck. As she stood waiting for me to join her, Emmitt, Seth and Riley stepped out and slammed the doors behind them. Aurora stood in front of me and pulled me close to her. Her soft lips touched mine and gentle pressure provided me with a connection I had never felt before. She leaned away from me and smiled while I was trying to grasp the concept of the feeling that overwhelmed me. Before I could respond to Aurora I heard an exciting voice call my name. I look towards the front door and Kiere was running towards me. I kneeled down and spread my arms as wide as they could go as she jumped into them. Kiere gave me the tightest hug a little girl has ever given me. I placed her in my arms and held her on my left side and Aurora grabbed my right hand as we began walking towards the door. Mark and other able bodies carried the supplies from his truck to the supply closet. Everyone around the Watch Tower wasn’t resting. Each of them was doing a job. If they weren’t counting inventory for us they were making food or taking care of one another. I glanced around the front room and I noticed people were still shaken up from today. I knew I had to address them in a way to where maybe they will rest. I put Kiere on the ground and remained at the door so everyone could see me.
Z.E.D.S. Series (Book 1): Z.E.D.S. Rising Page 7