Jarvis laid on the horn again, and he glanced over, the two zombies much closer. He pulled his handgun and quickly dispatched them, and then watched as his partner fired off a few more shots from the truck, clearing the immediate threat to them.
Burch smashed the pump a few more times before throwing the sign down in frustration with a clatter.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Jarvis yelled.
He shook his head and turned to her. “The lines are dry,” he called back, “but if I can get into the pump, the internal lines lead straight down to the main tank.”
She looked up the road at the hundred or so zombies that had been attracted to their gunfire and headed their way. She looked back at Burch, who had run over to the far side of the parking lot, struggling to undo the metal cap to the refueling tank.
Jarvis hesitated for a moment, contemplating her next move. She glanced in the rearview mirror, seeing another large group of zombies headed their way too.
“Fuck it,” she muttered, “if it doesn’t work at least it’ll be spectacular.” She honked the horn a few times, but Burch ignored her, struggling with the cap. She backed the back end of the truck up and lined it up with the outermost pump, and revved the engine, honking the horn again.
Burch didn’t break his concentration.
She shrugged, giving up and flooring the vehicle in reverse. The tires screeched, and the truck sped backwards towards the pump. The back bumper hit in a vicious strike, knocking the pump clear off of the moorings. Gas spewed out, filling the parking lot with flammable liquid.
She moved the truck up, vaguely able to hear Burch screaming obscenities as he ran towards the truck, his ranting coming out in an unintelligible fast stream.
“What’s that?” she asked, putting a hand to her ear as he jumped into the passenger seat. “Can’t hear you. I was too busy fixing your problem.”
Burch shook his head. “You’re a crazy fucking bitch, you know that?” he asked breathlessly.
“Why do you think I fit in with this unit so well?” she asked.
All he could do was smirk, knowing she was exactly right.
“So, light this puppy and let’s get the fuck outta here,” Jarvis said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder. “We got a lot of company headed our way.”
Burch looked up and down the street, noticing the horde coming from both directions. He balled up the shredded tank top and lit it on fire, tossing it out the window. The fireball landed about five yards from the ever expanding pool of gas.
“Might want to get a move on,” he urged, “we don’t want to be anywhere near here when that thing goes off.”
Jarvis peeled out of the parking lot, headed away from the main road towards the smaller pack. As she started to plow through them, there was a gigantic explosion behind them. They checked the rearview mirrors, seeing a fireball engulfed in smoke rise a hundred feet into the air.
“That oughta get their attention,” Jarvis declared.
Burch laughed. “If Captain Odom asks, it was Jinx’s idea,” he suggested.
She shook her head vehemently. “Hell no!” she declared. “He isn’t stealing credit for this one.”
CHAPTER SIX
Jinx led the group of four through the neighborhood, taking shelter in a house to examine where they were. He studied the map with Davila looking over his shoulder as the other two kept watch out the front and back of the house.
“Pretty sure we lost that pack,” Rollins reported. “A couple of them just wandered by and didn’t even so much as look our way.”
Jinx nodded. “Good,” he replied, “let me know if that changes.” He studied the map, tracing his finger along the route they’d taken to get to the house. “Did we go five or six blocks?” he asked.
“Pretty sure it was five,” Davila replied.
“Okay, that puts us here,” the Corporal said, pointing. “Just a block away from the shopping district and three away from the bridge.”
Davila nodded. “We didn’t have that much resistance getting up here,” he said, “so hopefully the bridge isn’t too bad.”
“The gunfire from the ship isn’t too present up here,” Jinx replied, “so hopefully it won’t alert too many of them.”
Davila raised an eyebrow. “And if it is?” he asked.
“Then let’s hope Jarvis keeps that truck in one piece,” the Corporal replied, folding up the map and returning it to his pocket.
“Speaking of them, any idea how we’re going to signal them?” Davila asked, stepping back as his superior got to his feet.
Jinx nodded. “I say we get to the shops the next block up and see what we see.”
“Stein, how we looking on the backside?” Davila asked.
“Yard is clear and haven’t seen anything on the next street,” came the reply. “Could be hiding behind the houses, but none of them have walked by.”
Jinx checked his weapons. “All right, let’s get moving,” he instructed. “We have a half block of houses until the stores. If it’s crowded, find the first place with multiple exits we can get into. If it’s not, let’s find the most useful.”
He headed for the back door, his team in tow. They readied themselves, doing one last sweep of the yard.
“Silent if possible,” he said. “Light them the fuck up if not.”
The soldiers nodded as the Corporal opened the door and led them out. They rushed through the backyard to the next set of houses by the first row of shops across the street. Jinx paused at the first house and looked out.
There were half a dozen standalone shops, none of them in mini-mall style buildings. They were mostly a few small consignment shops, all of which were built into existing homes.
“Ain’t this all nice and quaint,” Stein murmured.
“Yeah, just dress up the zombies in formal wear and it can be a real tourist trap,” Rollins added.
Jinx held up a hand. “Come on, let’s move up,” he said quietly.
He led them across the street, moving swiftly so that they didn’t draw too much attention to themselves. They sidled up next to one of the businesses, and he noticed one of the zombies had seen them and wandered towards their position.
“Rollins, hang back and handle it when it gets here,” Jinx instructed quietly. “Davila, let’s see what we’re working with.”
The duo moved to the back side of the building, which butt up against another. They inched their way up to the corner, peering out over the road.
There were a few dozen zombies on the roadway and in the parking lots of the businesses. They were spread out well, covering about a hundred yards. Across the street was a large grocery store, and on either side were mini-malls packed full of random stores.
“What do you think, grocery store?” Davila asked.
Jinx shook his head. “No, too many of those things around,” he murmured. “We need to stay mobile.”
On the right they saw the front edge of the bridge, but the bulk of it was blocked from view by the buildings.
“Stay here,” the Corporal said quietly, “I’m going to scout the bridge.”
Davila nodded as Jinx carefully moved out in front of the building, creeping along the wall as close as he could. He darted down a few buildings before ducking down the alley, taking cover. He scanned the area, happy to note that none of the corpses had taken notice.
From this vantage point, Jinx could see the bridge, and that it was sparsely populated with zombies, maybe fifty or so running the entire length of the structure. At the far end was the main shopping district, and there was a lot of movement down the street and on the side street running along the bridge.
If we can get to the other side, we can push through and start causing some trouble, he thought to himself. Pleased with what he’d seen, he worked his way back to the others. His footsteps attracted the attention of a few zombies on the road, and they turned, moaning and shambling towards them.
Jinx reached the others just as Rollins jammed a knife into
the skull of a zombie. Davila kept an eye on the two that were giving chase to the Corporal, relieved that it was only a duo and not more. Stein joined them as Rollins kept watch on the back end.
“How did it look out there?” Davila asked.
Jinx leaned in. “Bridge is spread out pretty good,” he replied, “and the other side has some significant resistance, but I think we can push through.”
“Especially if Jarvis has that truck still purring,” Stein added.
Jinx nodded. “We still need to find a way to signal them.”
“I got that under control,” Davila said, and pointed to a small fireworks stand off to the side of the parking lot. “Get their attention, and give us some more firepower.”
The Corporal grinned. “I like it.”
All of a sudden, a gigantic explosion in the distance rattled the windows of the buildings beside them.
“What in the fuck was that?” Stein gaped.
Jinx raised his eyebrows. “Looks like Jarvis is having some fun,” he said.
Davila glanced out and saw the two zombies that had been heading their way had changed their trajectory and were moving towards the explosion. They leaned against the building, watching as they shambled by harmlessly.
Jinx raised a fist. “They’re going to be here soon,” he said. “Let’s get over to the fireworks stand.”
The soldiers looked out, noting several of the zombies in the street turning towards the explosion in the distance. Jinx waited until there was a significant opening, twenty yards between groups, and then broke cover.
He led his team across the street towards the grocery store, running hard. A few of the zombies spotted them and changed course to follow, but only a handful.
“Keep moving,” Jinx instructed, “we’ll worry about them later.”
They reached the parking lot and rushed the fireworks stand. It was a small building, a converted mobile home. The three others stood guard as Jinx worked on the door. A dozen zombies wandered towards them, but none were closer than forty yards.
Jinx jiggled the door handle, finding it locked. Rather than worry about picking it, he drew his knife and shoved it into the mechanism. The cheap material shattered as he gave the handle of the blade a good hard smack.
“We’re in,” he said, and then opened the door cautiously, keeping the knife at the ready. He stepped inside, finding the building abandoned. Sunlight pierced the cheap curtains hanging over the windows, revealing a treasure trove of consumer grade explosives.
Jinx looked around and found some roman candles, grabbing a pack and tossing it to Davila. “Start lighting them up to signal Jarvis,” he suggested.
The private ripped the packaging opened with excitement, brandishing his lighter and sparking up the end of one of the candles. “Man, this shit makes me miss the fourth of July,” he said.
The fuse ignited, quickly vanishing into the handheld device. He aimed it high and towards the road, and soon the first colorful ball of flame shot out. It arced high, landing on the road and burning for several seconds.
“Ten bucks says you can’t hit one of the zombies,” Rollins said.
Davila smirked. “Shit man, make it twenty.”
“Done,” his friend replied.
Davila adjusted his aim, the next ball flying just over the head of one of the zombies coming their way, still twenty yards from them. “Shit, double or nothing,” he said.
“Done,” Rollins repeated with a lopsided grin.
Davila lowered the trajectory as the next colorful ball jetted out. It flew through the air, landing on the shirt collar of a bloody corpse in business attire. The bright blue flame stuck to the clothing, quickly setting it ablaze.
Davila and Stein cheered, while Rollins muttered obscenities under his breath.
Jinx poked his head out the door. “What in the hell are you doing out here?” he asked.
Davila held up the empty candle. “Just won a bet against Rollins,” he declared, and pointed to the flaming zombie, how fully engulfed in fire.
“Nice shot,” the Corporal replied. “But can you guys clear them out? We’re going to have stuff to load in.”
Rollins raised an eyebrow. “Doing some shopping?”
Jinx grinned. “Just seems criminal not to use this stuff.”
Davila inclined his head towards the small pack of zombies still ambling towards them. “Come on, let’s go clear them out,” he said, and lit up another roman candle, aiming it towards the road as they headed towards the pack.
He hung back as Rollins and Stein made quick work of the ghouls, stabbing them in the head and dropping them. As they wrapped up, an engine roared in the distance.
Davila lit up another candle, keeping the flames going to the road. A few moments later, Jarvis rolled into view, making the turn into the parking lot. She skidded to a stop in front of her smiling friend.
“Where the hell did you find a roman candle at?” she asked through the open window.
Davila jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Fireworks stand,” he said. “Jinx is over there and says we need to load up.”
“We’re gonna have to hurry,” Jarvis replied. “Getting a good number of them coming from the bridge.”
Davila nodded as she sped off towards the stand. “Rollins,” he said, “let’s go check it out.”
The duo headed towards the road as Stein jogged back to help load up the fireworks. As they approached the main road, a few more zombies came into view, a new group appearing from the shops across the street. They were more than twenty yards away, so the soldiers didn’t pay them any mind for the time being.
“Yikes,” Rollins said as he looked towards the bridge. “That looks like a shitshow.”
There were a few dozen zombies emerging from it, shambling towards their position.
“Well, it doesn’t look like we need to worry about attracting attention to ourselves anymore,” Davila replied. He pulled out his handgun, took aim at the trio of zombies headed their way from the store, and opened fire. In three quick shots, they lay motionless on the ground. “Come on, let’s get back,” he said.
As the duo approached the stand, Stein was just shutting the tailgate. Davila hopped up to get a look at the bed.
“Holy hell, clearing them out, aren’t you?” he asked with a laugh, and looked closer. “Man, there’s mortars, high end rockets, bricks of firecrackers. We’re going to have a good ole time, aren’t we?”
Jinx nodded. “We have to do whatever we can to keep them on that side of the bridge, and nothing brings them in like an explosion,” he said.
Jarvis raised a hand. “I can attest to that,” she said proudly.
“Yeah, what the hell was that, anyway?” Rollins asked.
Burch grinned. “Just your local gas station.”
“Wonder what Captain Odom is going to have to say about that?” Stein raised an eyebrow.
Jinx shrugged. “As long as we complete the mission, not much,” he said. He tossed in another handful of firecrackers before hopping over into the back of the truck. “So let’s get a move on, and we won’t get chewed out.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Jarvis revved the engine as Jinx, Rollins, and Davila clambered up into the truck bed, laying down on top of the explosives. The Corporal smacked the side of the truck to let her know she was good to go. She peeled out of the parking lot, Stein and Burch jostling to the right as she turned onto the road leading to the bridge.
There were easily a hundred zombies standing between them and the target, and she stopped, opening up the window behind her. “What do you think?” she asked.
Jinx sat up and looked out, cocking his head as he studied the densely packed horde. “This thing got some juice to it?” he asked.
“Oh yeah,” Jarvis replied, nodding. “Could probably clear one of those hybrid cars if I picked up enough speed.”
Jinx gave her a thumbs up and laid back down. “Lead on, then!” he called, and they held onto the side of the be
d tightly.
Jarvis revved the engine, prompting everyone to be ready. She floored it, picking up speed quickly, and within moments the truck smacked into the front edge of the pack, sending zombies flying every which way.
The men in the back watched bloody rotted limbs sailing around, corpses and crushed bodies landing on other zombies, creating a total mess. The momentum of the truck slowed as they pushed through, but the lift kit kept the vital components of the truck out of harm’s way. Soon they were through the other side, driving onto the bridge.
Jinx raised his head to look through the back window, watching the daylight between them and the next batch of zombies at the head of the bridge. There were a few dozen spread out across it, all shambling towards them.
“Hold up here,” he called.
Jarvis stopped the vehicle and Davila sat up.
“Yo, we’re not drawing that big of a crowd back here,” he reported.
Jinx looked back and saw that the zombies they’d plowed through were mostly turning and walking away, with only a few coming towards them. “Well, why don't you do something about it?” he asked. “Just don't blow us up.”
Davila grinned, looking around through their stash for something to use. He finally settled on a large mortar device, a two-foot tall metal tube with balls of explosives in the package. He grabbed it and jumped down onto the bridge.
“Cover me, guys!” he declared, and then knelt to get set up.
Jinx and Rollins each took a side of the truck, readying their handguns. As they did so, a few corpses staggered by, headed towards their friend. They both aimed down, firing at near point-blank range to drop their respective enemies.
Davila gleefully opened the package like a kid at Christmas, positioning the mortar tube at a low angle, almost horizontal to the ground. He propped it up with his foot while he lit one of the explosives and shoved it in.
“Fire in the hole!” he barked, and a few seconds later the mortar went off, rocketing across the bridge just a few feet above the pavement.
The aim was true, striking a zombie directly in the back, exploding in a grand display of colorful flames. Davila let out a celebratory whoop before loading up another one. The second shot was on target as well, striking a turning zombie in the chest and knocking it back, setting a small fire on its blood-stained shirt. The noise and the fires attracted most of the zombies that had been wandering away from them.
Dead America-The Northwest Invasion Box Set | Books 1-6 Page 37