by Germann, Tom
Then the CO had stood up and Sue had zoned out. He had two full drinks at the table and a big smile on his face. He was going to talk. Probably all night.
Caisson had sat down as far away from the head table as he could. When some of the troops had asked why he was sitting all the way over here instead of by his boss they had laughed at his comment that he wanted to be close to the bar and far, far away from a Commanding Officer who looked like he loved speeches.
He had been right. As soon as he had seen the CO grab his drink then the flag sergeant had come along and picked up a tray with more drinks for ‘the boss’ he knew what they were in for. He had grabbed three drinks and settled in.
The quality of the soldiers here was disgusting and he didn’t doubt for a second some of the troops who had run may have been thrown out. It was hard to imagine anyone doing it but Caisson could see these were the hard cases. Every company that had rolled out had left its bad or incompetent apple behind. Now all of them were rotten and the good soldiers were probably zombies.
Caisson kept his mouth shut and his eyes open. He stood and gave a short thank you to the CO when it was his turn then he was watching again. He had barely touched his drink by the time the CO started his speech.
There was a problem. There were five ringleaders for the scumbags. But only three of them were here and they were barely touching their drinks. They were staying sober for a reason.
But there would be soldiers on watch throughout the building so it was possible they were just on watch or walking the rounds. After all, if infected got in then anyone could die. But that type almost never volunteered for duty if they could get away with it. There was no benefit for them.
The other problem he could see was that as the soldiers drank more they were starting to loosen up around him. Two of them had asked what the girls were like and how they liked it.
Caisson knew exactly what they meant, his answer was simple. They had been too busy trying to survive and constantly fixing vehicles. After you lose a few people, surviving becomes important when you realize you could be next.
They all nodded but their eyes were all on Tracy and Sue almost at once.
He even caught a few of them making kissy faces at the girls. Sue saw and grimaced while Tracy had her face down and was picking at whatever was on her plate. Some sort of appetizer both Susie and Tracy had received while the men simply had drinks.
The Commanding Officer was a perfect REMF for this group. He started speaking and went on for over twenty minutes. It was all a garbled bunch of gibberish, he was already drunk and was telling war stories.
When he finally wrapped it up with a line about “the sacrifices we must all make to protect the civilians we will save.” Everyone clapped and cheered the drunk idiot on. He sat down then the troops wheeled out the carts and started passing out plates.
When Caisson saw what was going to come next, he was glad he had his drinks, at least until he realized he had to stay sober given the environment they were in. He cursed his luck and plastered a smile on his face while he made small talk with the men around him.
WAGNER AT DINNER
W
agner had been to enough mess functions to know there was often someone who would talk forever. It was why you always picked up two drinks, or more while you still could.
Unfortunately, they were in the middle of a zombie apocalypse in some sort of alternate reality and there was no way he was going to drink heavily. After the end of the military exercise and the long haul home followed by three more nights of poor sleep any alcohol would put him flat on his back.
Given how messed up everything was here and the shit show this ‘CO’ was running, anything dulling anyone’s senses would be bad for them. That bad of course could be of the terminal kind, not just some extras manning the office phone.
So, Wagner just sat there and carefully sipped his drink making like he was taking in more than he really was.
The flag sergeant was helping by pretending to top up his glass regularly. But he wasn’t.
It was interesting. The flag sergeant was a smart man and kept his cards so close to his chest Wagner had no clue what game he was playing. But he was helping out as he could.
On the other hand, the CO’s glass was never empty and this was the second decanter he had worked his way through.
Then again as the servers pulled up to the table with the first cart and Wagner had a chance to look at the food they were being served he could understand why.
The whole speech about sacrificing was more than just a statement. The chipped china plates the servers placed in front of the head table held emergency rations that had been cooked up. Mystery meat sausages on the side still sitting in their thick skin, sliced up potatoes sat there in their oil poured directly from the ration tin. The vegetables were shriveled green beans looking like they had as much nutritional value as paper.
Wagner thought he had kept a straight face on.
Obviously not, as the flag sergeant leaned over and pretended to top up his drink. “This is a traditional meal the unit has every Sunday sir. Normal rations for the rest of the time. Senior people are required to eat, with relish. Every bite, sir.”
Wagner looked at the flag sergeant who turned and went off to get another decanter of wine.
Wagner tackled the tough food cutting it all up into small pieces as he had seen some of the troops nearby doing. He looked over and the CO was grinning while cramming half a sausage into his mouth in one go.
Wagner shuddered and stabbed a small piece of meat and potato with his fork.
He smelled it as it came closer to his face. The cooks hadn’t added any spices to it. This was straight from the can.
He had a flashback to back in the reserve company building back in the hills. Vajjer and Caisson had opened one of the tins and sniffed suspiciously. They had all agreed after passing it around that the food needed to be heated and covered in spices before they could force it down their throats. Preferably hot sauce to counter the constipation they expected after eating almost half a pound of salt and chemicals.
Wagner reached for his glass after he put the bite in his mouth. It was going to be a long night and this was going to hurt.
SUE FINISHES DINNER
S
ue had been able to force herself to eat about half the food on her plate with just a few sips of her drink. But the thought of taking another bite was making her gag. Further on she could see Tracy had eaten a few of the green beans and was just moving bits around on her plate.
Tracy had obviously never been a picky eater or she would have known the ways to hide extra food. Like accidentally dropping a small piece of meat occasionally onto the floor.
It looked like most of the soldiers were finishing up their meals. No wonder they had drunk so much. They were killing their taste buds off so they could get it down.
Sue saw the servers coming back with their cart. Thank God. They were going to clear then maybe some more speeches?
Sue went cold inside. They were putting out more plates with other food on it.
She noticed some of the soldiers in the back sneaking out. Probably not considered right but they were just privates and the CO didn’t appear to notice, or if he did, he didn’t care.
The CO cleared his throat next to Sue. She looked over at him and for the first time that night he was looking directly at her with the same big smile on his face. “Excuse me my dear. It appears your friend Tracy is not feeling well and needs to go lie down. I am sure everyone here will understand your leaving early to take care of such a delicate issue.”
Sue could see Tracy on the other side of the CO casting a faint smile her way. Beside her Major Wagner was not looking happy. Of course, it may have had more to do with the fact the server was taking away his mostly empty plate and replacing it with a plate topped up with much more, food was the wrong name for it. Stuff. There was much more stuff on the plate.
Well, Sue realized a girl had to look after herself first and foremost.
She smiled back at the CO. “Thank you, Sir. It has been a tough time travelling here with all the hardships a simple farm girl like me just isn’t used to. It probably would be best if Tracy and I went and took some girl time. If it is alright with you isn’t it Major Wagner?”
Wagner threw Sue a grim look while he started in on cutting up his stuff.
The CO never gave him a chance to respond though. “Why my dear of course Major Wagner is alright with it. What gentleman would keep a lady from time for herself? You two go on. I will keep Major Wagner entertained with some of the exploits of the unit. Perhaps he can regale us all with some of the stories of your struggle outside?”
The flag sergeant pulled out Tracy’s chair then Sue’s.
Both women said thank you to the CO and then the Flag Sergeant directed them to go out a small side door.
Just as they left there had been several cat calls from the back of the room but those had cut off quickly and they had been able to duck through the door, down the short passage past the kitchen and out into the huge building.
The two women took their time walking out and when the left the canteen area they made sure they were in a quiet unused area and lit up cigarettes.
Sue looked at Tracy who was scratching at her armpit where the fabric tended to pull in and rub. “So, Tracy, what did you tell the CO there to get out? You were having vapours? Going through the period? Feeling like sobbing and crying?”
Tracy grunted a laugh which was strange for the thin girl. She had been so quiet recently Sue was getting concerned about her. “Well fuck you too Sue! I just told him I wasn’t feeling good after all the travel and danger with almost no sleep. Okay. I may have teared up just a little. But you have to understand I’m a good friend. I sniffled and asked if it would be okay for us both to leave. I needed female companionship in case it was too much.”
Sue just stared at Tracy awestruck. “You are such a weasel. I am soooo proud of you.” She looked down at her feet for a second then looked up at Tracy again. “Thank you for getting me out of there. The food was so bad and all those guys were staring at us like we were fresh meat. I don’t mean steak either.”
Tracy stepped back. “What do you mean? I knew the food was disgusting and I couldn’t eat more than three of those green beans but I never noticed anyone looking at us.”
Sue blinked while she thought. “Tracy, honey. I know you haven’t been at your best for the last few days. No one has. It’s also been real hard and I could see you went away a little bit. But you need to wake up now. We are gone from our where and we are stuck here for now. There were almost sixty guys in there eyeing us. The guys who came through with us are okay. But most of the guys from this place would put something in your drink then bend you over a table in a second. Heck given what I seen here I don’t think most of those scumbags would mind going second or thirty second. I don’t mean the clerks or those tech guys. I’m talking about the dirty guys who seem to be running the whole show here. You didn’t notice them? Or hear the cat calls as we left the room?”
Tracy was pale and trembling, having a hard time getting the cigarette into her mouth. “But when the army guys came into the service centre you said they were okay. They’re soldiers, they wouldn’t be like that.”
Sue paused and continued slowly. “Tracy, you know where we are and the terrible things that happened right.”
Tracy nodded jerkily. “I do and I’m terrified. This isn’t the way the world is supposed to work.”
Sue nodded patiently. “I know honey. The soldiers who came into the service centre have been helping us. Those are good guys. The guys here are not good. They are more like bullies than soldiers and they haven’t seen women for weeks or months. But it wouldn’t matter to them anyway. They are bad men.”
Tracy shivered and her eyes were haunted. “All the things we’ve seen. It’s like we’ve been here forever and everything is bad. Can we just go home? Are there any police here to protect us?”
Sue bit her lip. If Tracy was having a complete break down now was probably a better time than on the road. But not here in this location. “Maybe we can go home. We don’t know right now how we got here but we can all figure out a way home later when we can hide out somewhere with some decent food and good people. For now, let’s go back to our room and get some rest okay?”
They both carefully stubbed out their cigarettes and were careful to put the filters on a shelf. The entire building was large and solid. It was also old and dry. With all the wood and mess all over the group had covered how to deal with fire when they had first arrived as they didn’t want to burn to death in a fire at this stage.
Both Sue and Tracy started walking through the building looking for their room. Behind them the sounds of laughter and voices continued from the canteen where everyone was enjoying the dining in.
AN ATTACK
T
hey had been walking for maybe fifteen minutes and both Sue and Tracy were mature enough to admit they were lost. They had questioned it several times on the being lost thing. After all they had never left the building but they were stuck in a small rabbit warren with offices and hallways all over.
They had found brick rooms which they thought had been the weapon lock up but was in fact a boiler room. Twice.
Then they had discovered the slow slope down ended at stairs and they had been in some sort of underground storage area with just a few lights on. On the far side, Tracy had seen a well-lit tunnel entrance and they had crossed over to it. At the end of the tunnel were stairs and at the top of those stairs a door which led them into another building they were sure was in the same complex but outside the main building. They could see rail lines outside the one window.
They had turned back and returned to the main building and kept walking.
Both were tired, dirty and Tracy was sneezing from all the dust in the air.
The two had stopped in one of the main hallways that was wider but for some reason had shelving on both walls making the actual useable passage narrow. Of course, there was nothing on the shelves, just like the rest of the building mostly empty except for dust. Even the lighting was poor as only one in three lights appeared to be working. Like most of the rest of the building it was dark and dirty. The perfect place to be wandering during a zombie apocalypse.
Sue stopped and adjusted her left shoe which was rubbing against her foot and would soon cause a blister. “Okay Argh. I’m almost done with this crap. If there was anyone around I would ask or if there was a map mounted anywhere in this place I’m sure we could figure it out. We’ve been through here a couple of times and enough is enough. Look at the door.” Sue pointed at a door with the sign, ‘Building Maintenance, X245’, “we’ve been by it at least twice now.”
Tracy had taken both of her shoes off and was stretching her feet out. “I know Sue. I think we went by it three times but I wasn’t paying as much attention as I should have been. Maybe we missed a door? It’s like this is an enclosed area away from the rest of the building. But I swear I did hear something just back there. I wonder if it was one of the soldiers on guard or something?”
Sue stretched. “Probably. There must be somebody walking guard. I mean we found one door that was secured but led outside. It could be forced open and someone could come in. But I don’t have any desire to go outside. I guess we keep walking.” She reached down and adjusted her shoe again before removing it then putting it back on carefully.
Tracy giggled, “I wonder if this is what it’s like to be a guy? I mean we would ask directions if we could but there’s no one around and we’re stuck being lost. So, this is what it means to be a guy. Walking around for hours with blisters on our feet and starving to death.”
“Hey babe, I can feed you som
ething so you don’t starve.” The voice was slurred and they could barely make out what had been said. Down the hallway before them they could see two shapes detaching themselves from the shadows.
Sue cursed the lack of lighting and all the excess junk filling all the hallways.
Tracy was tensing up beside Sue and had gone white.
The two shapes became men in uniforms with unshaven faces. The uniforms looked wrinkled and stained. The way they came stumbling down the hall clearly said they had been at the dining in long enough to get staggeringly drunk then they had wandered off.
Sue wondered if they had come after them or just left and stumbled upon them now.
Either option was terrifying as the two men loomed threateningly in the bad lighting.
“Heh that’s good Tony. You can feed one of them and I can feed the other. These chicks shouldn’t be starving at all after we stuff it in their mouths.”
It had come from the guy on her right. Sue felt the blood draining out of her face. They had one option open to them right now, they could run back the way they came. Somewhere back there was the canteen and people. Lots of people.
Tracy had already started turning then froze like a deer in the head lights.
Sue tensed up. Of course, more bad news.
The voice behind her was expected now. “I call sloppy seconds. But I want the hot blonde not the skinny schoolboy with coloured hair. I like a woman with meat on her bones.”
Sue had the feeling the voice was further back. She hadn’t heard any movement from back there but it didn’t matter. There were three young men who looked to be fit, were drunk, and had no inhibitions right now. Sue remembered the cat calls from the canteen when the two of them had left.