by Allen Gamboa
Cherry Berry couldn't see the team from the Yukon’s cover behind the old tractor trailer. Since the headset was out of broadcast range, he had a radio in case the team needed to get in touch with him. Berry didn’t know why they’d need to. He was a fuck up and would always be one. Bagel fucker would now be his legacy. Berry’s stomach rumbled angrily, a reminder of the earlier crappy Camp FedEx chow. ‘Maybe safe zone jobs would have better food’ Berry thought to himself as his stomach turned.
“No.” Berry groaned aloud. He felt like his bowels were about to explode. The last thing Berry wanted to do was to shit himself and go outside of the SUV to do it. As his stomach rumbled and he felt his bowels start to rebel, Berry knew he only had one choice. Outside. If he shits in a bag in the Yukon he knew it would be bad and messy. The young contractor quickly grabbed a roll of toilet paper out of his bag and hurried out of the vehicle.
Once outside, stomach cramping, Berry looked around, making sure he was clear, he double timed it over to the abandoned tractor trailer. The contractor stopped near the rear of the trailer, looked around, really wishing he wasn't wearing a jumpsuit. Berry unzipped, then wiggling free of the uniform, he quickly squatted down. Shivering he tried to focus on his surroundings as he conducted his business. Bowels groaning, Berry noticed something moving low on the road about fifty feet ahead of him. Squinting he tried to get a better look at what he was seeing. Unintentionally stopping his bowel movement in mid dump, Berry froze as he realized he was witnessing at least two dozen deaders stealthily crawling at a very fast pace in his direction. “Oh, shit!”
CHAPTER 39: BOY GEORGE SUCKS….
Inside the Nitrex Plant
“Clear!” Duley shouted as he turned down the main corridor that led to the plant's offices. The open entryway had a high ceiling that was supported by rows of steel girders and the red emergency lights barely illuminated the whole area. The music from the PA system had changed from Wild Cherry’s ‘Play That Funky Music’ to Culture Clubs ‘I'll Tumble 4 Ya.’
“Clear.” Doc added as he swept the area where most of the bodies lay. “Got a whole lot of dead. Gunshots and bites. Mostly meat sacks.” The medic added as he stepped over the corpses, disrupting a cloud of flies. As he moved around the bodies his boots kicked up a pile of spent shell casings. “Looks like there was indeed a gunfight some time ago. Gang bangers or looters.”
“Roger that.” Hale said as he moved over to where Doc stood near the corridor entranceway. The sergeant gave the bodies a quick look over then patted Doc on the shoulder. “Why can't it be just one thing?”
“That would be too easy Sarge.” The medic nodded. Doc didn’t mind fighting the skin bags, they were always predictable. It was the living skin bags that were the real problem. The medic could see spatters of blood on the floor along with more brass. He could feel the cravings for a cigarette creeping up on him. Obviously, this mission wasn’t the one to try and quit smoking on.
Duley and Vannelli stacked up on the left of the entrance to the hallway while Doc, Cross and Hale were positioned up to the right.
“Alpha one, Alpha two.” The sergeant spoke into his headset mic as the music reverberated through the interior of the manufacturing plant. “Alpha one…Alpha two..” Nothing. Hale gave Duley a hand signal to move forward down the hall. The contractor nodded and started moving, Vannelli was weapon up, right behind him. As the two moved, Hale tapped Doc on the shoulder and the medic quickly started down the hall, rifle at the ready. “What the hell is this?” Vannelli whispered as the two moved cautiously toward the first door.
“Culture Club.” Duley whispered back, more than a little annoyed at his partner, as they tensely made their way down the hall. “You know, Boy George. Now shut up.”
Suddenly from inside of the first office Banjo, or what had once been Banjo stumbled out into the hallway almost tripping over a body. The freshly turned flesh eater’s rifle dangled uselessly from its chest lanyard. The almost seven-foot undead contractor turned sharply to his right stopping just two feet away from Duley. Through milky dead eyes he hungrily stared down at his former teammate.
“Banjo?” Duley took a step back not wanting to believe he was now a Deader. The hungry corpse’s response was to quickly leap at the surprised contractor.
“Aw, shit!” Vannelli grabbed Duley by his harness and jerked him back away and out of the reach the voracious flesh eater. Both soldiers then proceeded to trip over each other, crashing to the floor in a pile of arms and legs. Now Cross was the closest one to the ravenous Deader. The undead contractor let out a horrible moan and reached for the red headed soldier. Cross instinctively jumped back against the opposite wall in the narrow hallway as the undeterred flesh eater swiped at her with his right hand, the M4 wobbling loose across his chest. Unable to bring her rifle up to fire, in the narrow space, Cross instinctively ducked down as Banjo made another attempt to grab at her.
With Cross too close to risk getting a shot off, Hale used his right shoulder and slammed Banjo hard in the middle of his back knocking the Deader roughly to the floor. Without hesitating and now down on all fours, the Banjo thing scrambled over to where Duley and Vannelli struggled to get to their feet. The former border agent’s rifle, still attached to him by a lanyard, drug across the linoleum floor
“Hey Banjo!” Doc shouted as he drew his sidearm. The giant Deader suddenly stopped his attack on Duley and turned in the direction of the medic's voice. Letting out a low growl, Banjo sprang at the him. As he did so, Doc fired a single round into Banjos head. Black blood and brain matter splattered the wall as the flesh eater dropped heavily to the floor.
“Get it together!” Hale shouted to Vannelli and Duley, who were still tangled up on the floor and were just staring dumbly at Banjo’s corpse. Both men had experienced friends and family turning but it still left them a little unnerved. “Check out that room! Doc, Cross.” He pointed at the room next to them. “Go!”
Duley quickly got to his feet and helped Vannelli up. The black contractor then turned and went in first, sweeping the darkened room with his rifle light. The room was totally trashed but it resembled some kind of laboratory setting. It didn’t look to Duley like an office at all. Along with the smashed glass vials and expended shell casings that littered the floor, were the six bodies of re-killed deaders. The sickening smell of decay seemed to permeate the red lit room.
“Clear.” Duley said breathing heavily into his mic.
“Look.” Vannelli, who had entered the room right behind him, bent down and picked up a blood-stained headset off the floor. An M4rifle lay a few feet away next to a puddle of blood.
“Banjo’s?” Duley asked Vannelli as he grabbed up the dead man’s rifle.
“No, buddy.” He flipped the headset around in his gloved hands. “He had his around his neck when Doc wasted him.”
“I didn’t waste him.” Doc said plainly. “He was one of us, I just gave him some peace.” The medic glanced down at Banjo’s corpse. ‘Wasted’ was a term used for bad guys, Onabanjo had been a brother.
“Sorry Doc. Come on Duley.” Vannelli hit his partner in the side of his arm with a closed fist. “You alright?”
“I'm good.” Duley nodded as he followed Vannelli out into the red lit hallway. The music from the PA system continued to echo throughout the facility.
“They must have freaked out and ran deeper inside.” Hale pointed to another small hallway that was located next to a stairwell.
“Didn’t take the Lieutenant for a sprinter.” Cross said pointing out the distance from the offices to the far corridor entranceway.
“Found this.” Vannelli handed the sergeant the bloody headset. “It’s not Banjo’s.”
“Damn. It's the Lieutenants.” Hale took the headset from Vannelli and quickly gave it a once over. “Speedy and Finn should at least still have theirs’.”
“If they are still alive.” Cross said as she kept watch ahead of them. The red back lights flickered off and on causing even more tens
ion among the team. “That can't be good.”
“How many Deaders were in there?” Hale asked Duley
“Six. All freshly re dead.” Duley looked back down at Banjo’s still form. “Helluva firefight though.”
The sergeant nodded as he glanced down at Banjo’s prone form. The soldier had obvious bites to the arms and legs. Apparently one of the meat sacks were able to get to an artery and Banjo bled out before he died. Hale hadn’t gotten to know the contractor very well but he always appeared to have his shit together. Onabanjo had been a good kid and the sergeant had seen too many good kids die. Hale let out a tired breath then wiped some sweat from his face, time had run out for the young contractor.
“Duley, Doc, Vannelli you take that hallway ahead. Cross and I will hit the stairs. Sooner we get this done the sooner we get home.” The others nodded in agreement. “Keep your coms on. Looks like we have deaders and bad guys mixing it up in here. Let's go find our fearless leader and the others and hope they're still breathing.” The music continued to play loudly through the PA system. “What the fuck is that?” Hale asked irritated.
“Boy George.” Duley told him.
“Yeah? Well,” The sergeant checked his rifle and started for the stairs. “Boy George sucks.”
CHAPTER 40: YEAH…BUT HE STUCK THE LANDING
“Get your ass up!” Cho shouted as she grabbed Kantner by the shoulder and tried to pull him out of his jump seat. The pilot was still a little dazed from smacking his head against the control console when the Jet had crash landed onto the highway. Fumbling with his seat harness he glanced back at Cho who was busy trying to get the Ranger, Franco to his feet.
“Just leave my ass Sarge.” The Specialist said as he tried to push Cho away. “Just grab the cases and split. I'll hold those fuckers back while you escape!”
“I can't leave you Franco! No man left behind. Isn't that what all you tough guys always say?”
“Rangers lead the way. It's the Ranger creed.” Franco grinned as he tried to get up. Cho had been able to bandage most of his wounds before the jet went down. “What’s your creed in the motor pool?” Franco groaned as he got to his feet.
“I Don’t know. Never volunteer?” Cho shrugged as she helped steady the injured Ranger.
“Well, you sure fucked that up. “He chuckled then moaned in pain. “I’m good Sergeant.”
“Hey,” Kantner stumbled out of the cockpit and made his way to the emergency exit door.
“I thought you were in a hurry?” The pilot hit the door release and nothing happened. Frustrated he hit it again and again with the same results. “Sergeant, can you give me a hand? The damn door is jammed!”
Cho nodded and glanced back at the Ranger. “You good?”
“Aces!” Franco gave her a thumbs up and winked.
“Hurry! Kantner shouted. “I smell smoke. I'm not in the mood to die today!”
“Alright.” Cho hurried over to where Kantner was struggling with the door. They both pushed on it with all their strength until it gave way and popped open. Once the exit was clear, the sergeant turned back to see Franco grabbing up the anti-virus cases.
“Here, “Cho moved over to where Franco was and took two of the cases out of his hands.
“Let's go!”
Kantner had dropped the stairway into position and was already outside of the plane waiting to help the soldiers out. Franco was the first one out the door. As the Ranger struggled with the cases, the pilot quickly grabbed the containers away from him and helped him down the stairs.
“Come on sergeant Cho!” The pilot shouted through the open doorway.
“Coming!” The sergeant quickly descended the stairway with the cases in tow.
“Fuck me!” Franco gasped as he glanced at their surroundings. The plane had crash landed on the middle of a freeway. The nose of the jet had stopped just a few feet away from a long-abandoned UPS truck. The road was littered with empty vehicles that Kantner had somehow avoided hitting on the way down. The Ranger also noticed the overpass the jet had almost clipped on their descent. ‘Those prayers on the way down must've helped.’ Franco thought to himself as he scanned the crash site.
“Not my best work.” Kantner said eyeballing the badly damaged plane.
“Yeah,” Franco nodded appreciatively. “but you sure as hell stuck the landing.”
“I hate to be the break this up, but we need to get moving.” Cho told them as she unslung her rifle. “We should put some distance between us and the plane. You good Franco?”
“I can make it.” The Ranger grimaced in pain.
“What about me? Kantner asked.
Cho impatiently exhaled then gave the pilot a sideways glance. “You okay Kantner?”
“I think I have a concussion but I'm alright.” He stroked his big moustache. “My back is sore, might’ve sprained my wrist.”
“You get shot too?” Franco smirked as he limped over to where Cho stood. “I can make it Sarge. I've been worse shape.”
Cho nodded. “Can you walk Kantner?”
“You bet.”
“Why not see if we can find us a ride?” Franco pointed at the rows of abandoned vehicles.
“We might find one that runs?”
“Beats walking.” Kantner said trying to stretch his aching back.
“Alright.” Cho nodded as she glanced around looking for any signs of the pursuing mercenaries or the hungry undead.
“Hey!” A man shouted from behind them. Startled, Cho and Franco spun in the direction of the voice, weapons up. Two men armed with rifles and dressed in BDU’s stood on the roadway along with a blonde woman that held a handgun at her side.
“You guys oka…” Jefferson stopped mid-sentence as the barrels of the Rangers M4 got his attention. “Hey, we just saw you crash and came down to help.”
“Drop your weapons and get your hands up.” Cho said training her rifle on the Marine.
“Now listen.“Jefferson had his weapon at combat rest. He could tell by the way the two were outfitted that they were actual military and not bad guys playing dress up. The Marine knew he might be able to get off a shot if things went south. “We saw your plane go down and we were just coming down to help. We can just walk away if that suits you. No need for all this unpleasantness.”
“I'm a lil tired of all this gun pointing today.” Washington whispered.
“Who are you guys?” Cho asked keeping her weapon pointed at Jefferson.
“I'm Corporal Jefferson, this is Specialist Washington and firefighter Denning. Like I said we just came down to help.”
“We have some minor medical supplies in the truck. We can help you if you need it.” Kate added.
“Anyone else with you?” Franco groaned.
“No, just us.”
“Look sergeant, these guys saved me from being gang raped and killed by a bunch of assholes.” Kate held the handgun down at her side. “Your man there looks pretty bad off. I'm a paramedic, maybe I can help him.”
“I don’t think these are the bad guy’s sergeant.” Franco threw Cho a quick nod.
“Alright.” Cho slowly lowered his rifle. The three newcomers looked pretty beat up to her but she had a gut feeling they weren't a threat. “You have transportation?”
“Sure do.” Washington said relieved. “We just couldn't get it through this mess.”
“It's not too far Sergeant….” Jefferson glanced down at her name tape.
“Cho.” She said grabbing up the cases she'd set down.
“What the hell are you doing out here?” Jefferson asked as he slung his rifle and moved in closer to the jet’s occupants. Kate stepped past the Marine and hurried over to where Franco stood in obvious pain.
“Let me help you.”The firefighter said as he grabbed him under his right arm.
“Thanks.” Franco smiled. “It's just a flesh wound.“He groaned.
“Sure it is.” Kate smiled as she helped him walk. “We’re not too far away.
“Good, cause this
hurts like a mother fucker!”
“Sarge.” Jefferson stepped forward to take one of the cases from her. Cho shook her head and said.
“I got it.” The soldier held onto the cases not wanting to relinquish them to strangers.
“Here buddy.” Kantner said handing a case to the Marine. “Help yourself.”
“What the hell is this?” Jefferson said hefting the anti-virus container in his left hand.
“Come on Kantner.” Cho gave the pilot a ‘What the fuck?’ look not believing he'd just handed the case over to the strangers. “We really need to get a move on!”
“Okay, our SUV is close.” Jefferson smiled.
“Just no more gun pointing.” Washington added as he turned back toward where their vehicle was parked. “I've had enough of chick's trying to shoot me today.”
CHAPTER 41: WHEN ADAM SANDLER WAS FUNNY
Nitrex Plant
“Must have been a good size force of looters that hit this place.” Hale said quietly into his headset mic as he and Cross moved stealthily up the stairwell toward the red lit second floor. Dried and fresh patches of blood were scattered all over the walls and floor of the pharmaceutical plant.
“Lotta rounds fired.” Cross said trying not to step on a pile of shell casings. She stopped at the top of the stairs and raised a hand for Hale to hold up. The sergeant stopped mid step and brought his rifle up into a better combat position. The smell of death and rot, filled the stale air, causing Hale to tighten his grip on his weapon. Cross waved the sergeant forward.
“Smell that?” The sergeant nodded as he stood next to her.
“Deaders.” Cross motioned toward the closest open doorway. “Listen.” From inside the room came the horrible and all too familiar sounds of eating and chewing. Five more rooms lined the hallway, all with their doors wide open.