“Well, tell us about it,” Julia prompted. “We need to know what you saw up there.”
“We made it almost to Casper - were about thirty miles south of it or so - when we started to see the Zs. We stopped on a hill and I launched one of the drones and to look, just like we told you we would. As it rose over the hill, we could see thousands of Zs all still heading north. The little town, uh, Bessemer Bend, was completely covered with them. Doug noticed Sam was cocking her head so we figured she could hear something we couldn’t. Guess that was your signal, doc. We had several Z stragglers heading our way, so we decided to take the better part of valor and bug out. On the way back here, we decided to go check out Cheyenne and see if we could find the Air Force base armory and get some more supplies.
“We busted through the fence at the base and saw a truck that was wrecked, up against a building that had spilled out ammo boxes. We figured jackpot. However, there was a Z in the cab, so we got ready, Doug opened the door and I stuck it with my spear as it came out. What we didn’t figure on was a second Z, and it spilled out of the cab right on top of me. The two of us went down struggling and I couldn’t get into a position to really protect myself or get an advantage on the thing, other than using the spear shaft to keep its teeth off me. I was in trouble. That’s when Doug used his M4 like a Louisville Slugger and swung it by the barrel smacking the Z in the head. It worked, knocking the Z off so I could get control and stick it, but the gun misfired, and the bullet hit Doug in the chest. I thought he was dying there was so much blood.
“I took him to a small clinic I knew that was close by, cleared the place with Sam, there, helped him, cleaned and sewed him up. He was in so much pain he asked for me to go by a liquor store and get him something to help with the pain, the Motrin wasn’t cutting it.
“We were up by Buford when I tried to contact you ladies by radio and shock of shocks, heard Steve, answer. Man, were we surprised to hear another human’s voice to come over the speaker; I have a hard time describing what I felt like when I heard that strange voice coming over the net; Doug and I couldn’t believe what we were hearing! It was an amazing experience, right Doc?”
“Yes, I, too, was quite surprised to hear Dave’s radio call come over my set,” Steve said.
“Doctor,” Julia asked, “Do you think there are any more people out there?”
“Most certainly,” he answered with a smile. “I’m just sorry the rest of my team didn’t make it – it was a horde that attacked us as we loaded the trucks for our trip north. I got away in the vehicle I’m in now. It was the most horrible sight I’ve ever seen, the tearing and rending my friends went through,” the doc said, hanging his head. “I was not able to help as I have no weapons and still feel guilty about that. The logic of survival is most distressing…afterwards. Although I didn’t have anything save my hands to help them with, no guns or knives, I still feel guilty about not being able to assist them. I could only sit in the truck and watch in horror.”
“Where were you?” Ruth asked.
“South of Wellington, actually southwest. We had an underground facility disguised as a farm near a reservoir. The facility was several hundred feet underground and that is where we developed the signal. It was a chance discovery. One of our scientists’ daughters was on the surface playing in an enclosure we’d built for the children to play in, and had found one of those high frequency dog whistles - you know what I’m talking about?” Everyone nodded. “Anyway, one of the sentries noted an undead, uh, Z, holding its head while the child blew the whistle. He reported the finding to me, and I immediately reported it and we began experimentation with sound on the Zs we had captured and used for testing purposes.
“It took almost a month, but we finally developed a signal that would attract the creatures. We had one such beast contained in a room built from three-inch thick Plexiglas. I took a small speaker to each side of the room and signaled a technician to start the signal. In every instance, the Z in the room went to the speaker that emitted the signal. As I moved the sound from speaker to speaker, the Z followed. When I stopped, it stopped and stayed in front of the speaker emitting the signal. We were astounded. The ultimate test followed. We placed a large speaker and several cameras on a golf course to the north of our facility. Once everyone was back inside the safety of the lab, my colleague, Doctor Miller, activated the speaker and transmitted our signal. It was the most amazing thing one has ever seen! Thousands upon thousands of the undead flooded the golf course and stayed for days and days while the sound continued.
“We turned the signal off and the undead began to disperse over time in all directions. We reactivated the signal and they all came back and stayed! That is when Doctor Miller, who was my friend and the director of the facility, said that we needed to report our findings to Washington and formulate a plan for its use.”
“There are still people alive in our government in Washington?” Dave asked incredulously.
“Oh, yes, didn’t you know?”
“Doc, you’re the third person we’ve found alive in years,” Dave explained. “We had no clue.”
“That is sad. There are people in Atlanta, New Orleans, and Seattle, Spokane, Columbus, Ohio, and a few in Omaha, Nebraska. Those we know of as well as those in Washington. Most of the government officials like the president and such are dead…we’re mostly certain. Those alive in Washington are a few military leaders and cabinet members along with a few staff that made it into one of the secure stronghold systems of caverns under Washington. I’m sure there must be more such as you out in the more remote portions of the country.”
“So, what was the plan Doctor Miller developed?” Julia asked to get things back on tract.
“Yes, well, it was a plan suggested by one of our military sentries actually. We called a meeting of all personnel in the facility, announced our discovery to them asking if any of them had a good idea on how to best use our discovery of the Judith Signal – we named it after the young child with the whistle you see. One of our sentries, a young man, raised his hand, as if he was in school asking for permission to speak (the doctor said with a chuckle) and when Doctor Miller recognized him, he simply said, ‘Why don’t you transmit the signal near deserted military bases and set off a tactical nuclear weapon when all the undead are gathered?’”
“It was so logical. A small tactical, low-yield, airburst nuclear weapon would vaporize the undead and not contaminate a large area. We all sat there looking at the young man. No one could come up with a negative thing to say, so we transmitted the idea to Washington and the idea was accepted. We sent messages to everyone we could about the frequency of the signal and what we proposed to do, and eight areas of the country prepared as we did.
“We sent a team to a base in Montana to set up four huge speakers, facing the four main compass headings, and set up several cameras so we could observe events. They set the system up in a large unoccupied area west of the base. The area would accommodate several million Zs. Once we believed most of them became confined, held by the Judith Signal, we would have detonated the nuclear weapon over them to eradicate the threat. Those undead remaining, would be dispatched by military personnel, who are among the living. It is sad that most of our people, along with the military men and women, died at the hands of the horde in Denver. Obviously, the team members who went to Montana were successful in setting the speakers and cameras, however we have not heard from them in some time. Hopefully, they still live and are somewhere safe. I was proceeding there when you radioed, David.”
“Will Washington be able to detonate the weapon since your team no longer can?” Ruth asked.
“I have no idea as I have been out of contact since we were attacked. I have not been back to the facility since then and have no idea if anyone else survived. I know there are still people in the underground portion of the facility as we had several remain inside to care for the children you see.”
“Now we know why the horde passed us last year,” Dave sai
d. “That was a real surprise to us, Doc. We’ll have to save that story for a later time as I’m very tired and want to get cleaned up.”
Julia got up and said, “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up and we’ll hit the sack.”
Ruth said, “I’ll see you all in the morning. Steve, anything I can help you with?”
“No, there are a few things I’ll get out of the truck, but I’ll be fine. And the room is the best, thank you all for your hospitality.”
I woke several times throughout the night and Ruth, gave me more pain meds as I needed them. The following morning, I woke sore and in pain, but slowly got myself out of bed and into the rest room, relieved myself and brushed my teeth. Putting on a shirt was a task, but I finally succeeded before heading to the kitchen and some coffee.
Ruth met me at the door and said, “I thought I heard you moving around out there. You okay?”
“It’s very painful, but I’ll live,” I said and gave her a kiss. “Thanks for everything last night and I’m sorry I woke you so much.”
She gave me another kiss and said, “That’s what wives are for. Didn’t you know that?”
“Yes, ma’am, but thank you anyway.”
“Come on, the coffee is ready, and I’ll fix you something to eat.”
“Now you’re talking. I’m hungry.”
“That’s a good sign.”
We went into the kitchen where Dave, Julia and Steve were just finishing their breakfast. Dave said, “Look, the dead has risen.”
“Not funny you dweeb,” I said.
“Good morning, Douglas,” Steve said, “how are you feeling today?”
“It still hurts a lot and I’m sore; thanks for asking, Doc,” I answered.
Julia said, “I’m glad you’re up, Doug.”
“Thanks, kid,” I told her. “And thank you for all the help last night. I owe a debt to all of you for your care, thanks.”
“Darn right you do,” Dave said sarcastically.
“These two are always like this I presume?” Steve asked.
“You don’t know the half of it, Doctor,” Julia verified.
“What is the plan today, everyone?” I asked to change the subject. Ruth placed a plate of sausage and scrambled eggs with fresh wheat toast Julia had made, in front of me along with a fresh cup of coffee. I immediately forgot about what I’d just asked and bowed my head in prayerful thanks.
“Julia and I are going to work on the garden plot,” Dave said giving an answer to my question. “You and Ruth are staying in today. The Doc can do just about anything he wishes.”
I just nodded.
Ruth said, “After he eats, I’m going to change his dressing, clean the wound again, give him more pain killers and plant him on the couch for the duration.”
“The duration of what, pray tell?” I asked between bites.
“The duration of you being laid up,” she said. “I’ll fire up the television and you can watch old movies or sitcoms or documentaries, or you can read a book or two, but you’re staying down. No arguments – remember I have a gun. And if you do try to argue,” She said as I took a breath to rebut, “Julia and I will take care of you.”
I turned and looked at Julia and she was standing there with her hands on her hips giving me the ‘motherly’ look.
“Women,” I said, giving up.
“Dude, you’re busted,” Dave commented shaking his head.
“I do believe you’ve been overruled,” Steve said with a chuckle. “I’m very happy to be here and seeing you.”
“Don’t worry, Steve, the novelty will wear off in time,” Julia said.
“May I help with the garden?” Steve asked.
“Certainly, doctor, we’d love to have you help out,” she answered.
“Out of curiosity, where do you and Ruth live, Doug,” Steve said looking at me.
“Our home is about four miles to the west-southwest of here and is nestled up against the mountain you can see out the front window. We’ll take you over there and show you around when I can travel comfortably,” I told him.
“I would like that very much,” he said with a smile. “I can only wonder how you’ve lived without power and such. Ruth, you said Doug, may watch television. Do you have power enough to spare for such a novelty?”
“Doc, the whole house for the most part runs off of solar and hydropower,” Dave explained. “We have enough power to run this entire house and the small home and shop behind us. We also have two fifteen thousand-watt generators if needed, and I can generate power with a generator powered by the creek out back. I’ll show all of it to you later. Ruth and Doug have a remarkably similar set up where they live.”
“Amazing,” was all the doctor could say.
“Come on, Steve, I’ll show you around out back,” Julia said and the two of them got up and went out the back door.
Dave looked at me and said, “I don’t fully trust him just yet and don’t want to show him the underground facilities we have until I do.”
“You’re reading my mind again, brother,” I agreed.
“I feel the same way,” Ruth added. “I get the feeling something about him is…well missing. Does that make sense?”
Nods from both of us, and Dave said, “You just keep the female intuition going there lady. When you think its all clear just give us the nod and we’ll take it from there.”
“I do hope what he’s saying about the Zs is the truth,” I said. “I for one would be happy about that.”
“You think we should tell him how we made it through the horde passing us?” Dave asked.
“I think we can, leaving out mentioning the Underground. I’ll show him my place and he can see the fences and barriers we put in place. That should be enough,” I told him.
“I think I’ll have a look in his truck,” Dave said and got up to go.
“What are you going to look for?” I asked him.
“Answers brother answers,” he replied, leaving.
“We’ll be in here,” Ruth said to his back.
“Breakfast was great, babe, and just what I needed,” I told her.
She gave me a kiss, took my dishes, and said, “Want some more coffee?”
“Please, ma’am, I feel a bit hung over from the scotch and the pain pills,” I said handing her my cup. “How did Sam do with all the kids last night? I forgot to ask.”
“We all forgot. The puppies went ballistic of course. Sam bounced around with them when they saw Dave it was like old home week. They’re in the garage, as we didn’t want them around you for a while yet. That would be all we need is to have one of them jump up and reopen your wound.”
“I’d love to see them. Sam was an asset on the trip. She alerted us to danger a couple of times and she’s the one that got our curiosity up about the sound up near Bessemer Bend. She was great the whole trip.”
“Want me to bring them in while you’re in here?”
“While I’m up, yeah, that would be fine. I’d like to see them.”
She got up, reached into a cabinet, and handed me a box of dog treats. “You’ll need these to keep them off of you.” She left the kitchen and opened the garage door and it sounded like a stampede coming into the house.
Puppies were running everywhere and jumping up on my legs as I sat. I couldn’t bend down to pick one up but could just reach enough to scratch ears and pet heads. They were everywhere. Sam came in and gave me a nudge and I scratched her ears.
“You’re a wonderful dog, you know that?” I soothingly told her. I began handing out treats and all the little ones, with tails wagging a hundred miles an hour, gobbled them up. Sam ate hers sitting next to me. After the treats were gone, the little ones began wrestling with one another and several took off running through the house.
“Are they always this active?” I asked Ruth.
“Constantly - they’ll run around and wrestle like this and then suddenly drop and sleep where they fall for a while then it starts all over again.”
&nb
sp; “I wish I had their energy.”
“You’ll recover soon enough, for now just take it easy, rest and let that heal.”
“You’re right, of course. I sneezed a while ago and it nearly killed me. Laughing and coughing aren’t helping either.”
“Why don’t you go watch a movie or listen to some music and read a book or just go back in there and take a nap?”
“Music and a good book sound nice for now. I don’t want to go back to sleep just yet. I’ll be in the front room.” Ruth helped me up and I took my coffee mug and headed into the living room, stopping long enough to get a book to read. I chose Raise the Titanic, by Clive Cussler, then went into the front room and slowly and painfully sat in the recliner that looked out the big picture window in the front wall. The mountains, still covered in snow, looked beautiful. My mountain was white. I missed it already. I got as comfortable as I could and opened the book.
Several hours later, I woke, realizing I’d dropped off. Mister Cussler’s book had fallen to the floor and when I bent to retrieve it the pain shot through my chest. I’d forgotten about my rib. I let out a gasp and grabbed my chest. It brought tears to my eyes and I laid back and tried to relax. I opened my eyes and through the blurriness of the tears saw Steve out in the front yard looking to the west.
Since I already hurt, I decided to get up and go outside for a few minutes with Steve for some fresh air. Getting up wasn’t as bad as I thought although painful. I held my rib with my right hand and went out the front door. Steve turned and gave me a smile and said, “I see you’re up. I didn’t wake you when I came out, did I, if so, I apologize.”
“No, I woke on my own. Nice out here, isn’t it?” I asked.
“Yes, very picturesque and calming,” he answered.
“Mind if I join you?”
“Not at all; more than enough beauty out here for all of us. Want some help sitting on the steps?”
“No, I’ll just stand here for a bit. What are you doing out here?”
“I’m just enjoying the scenery and fresh air. Dave certainly chose his home well. This is a beautiful valley. What is the mountain behind us called again?”
I'm Tired of Zombies | Book 2 | Full Scale War Page 3