Dead America-The Northwest Invasion Box Set | Books 1-6

by Slaton, Derek

  Jinx fired first, clipping two ghouls in the head, and they pushed through. Davila opened fire, aiming slightly to his left to attack a trio that had turned their attention towards them. Burch let rip on his group just to the right, doing his part to keep the alleyway open.

  The gunfire was intense, with all three soldiers releasing trios of shots one right after the other. The zombies began to move towards them, arms outstretched and mouths open with excitement, and the gaps began to close.

  When they were within twenty yards of the restaurant, the pack started to get closer together, shoulder to shoulder as Jinx approached.

  “Everybody forward!” he barked.

  On his command, both Davila and Burch aimed forward and the three of them sent a couple dozen rounds towards the front facing group. The bullets ripped through the decrepit flesh, sending a large number of them tumbling to the ground.

  Several still remained standing, so the Corporal lowered his shoulder and plowed through, creating an opening for the trio to rush in.

  The side of the restaurant was ten yards away, and only a couple of ghouls remained in the way.

  “Cover the rear!” Jinx yelled, and his friends turned to fire at the creatures now chasing them.

  Jinx stopped, aimed, and fired a burst towards the two zombies in front of him, blowing the backs of their heads clean off. He turned his attention to the large window on the side of the building, sacrificing another three bullets to shatter it to pieces.

  “We’re in!” he cried, and tore through the window. The other two soldiers joined him in rushing inside.

  Burch immediately rushed to the back, and as soon as he saw it was clear, he made his way to the gas grill burner. He flicked on the switches and quickly blew out the starter flame before taking a quick sniff.

  “Oh yeah, we’re hot,” he declared, and darted back out into the main room.

  Davila finished his sweep, and Jinx stood at the window opposite the broken one, looking out at the Super Center.

  “Gas is flowing,” Burch said, and then jumped as a few zombies smacked into the open window.

  “The Super Center crowd is headed our way and looking pretty thinned out,” Jinx reported. “You boys ready for another run?”

  Davila nodded. “Lead the way.”

  The Corporal fired a single round at the corner of the window, shattering it. The three soldiers hopped down into the parking lot, doing a quick sweep. The closest zombie was thirty yards away, about halfway between them and their target.

  “Fire in the hole, boys!” Jinx yelled, and pulled the pin from the grenade, chucking it back through the window towards the kitchen.

  The trio immediately sprinted for the Super Center, firing as they tore through the lumbering mass. Jinx fired two bursts, with the third pull of the trigger resulting in a click. He lowered his shoulder, driving himself into the closest zombie and driving him back.

  As he did this, the grenade detonated, igniting the gas. The entire building went up in a spectacular display, sending plumes of smoke and fire into the air. As it happened, Davila moved up to cover for the Corporal, firing several bursts into the zombies ahead, clearing up room for them to move.

  The three men did more ducking and diving, narrowly avoiding outstretched rotted hands as they approached the front of the building. The soldiers quickly reloaded, and Jinx grabbed the door handle, finding it open.

  “Open twenty-four seven,” he said with a grin, and then slipped inside cautiously.

  Davila flicked the lock closed behind them, and the trio crept forward into the front of the store. It was well lit, thanks to the large windows at the front. Jinx moved for the register row, checking every aisle for zombies. He had to fire a few shots here and there, switching to single burst mode, picking off the occasional stray that broke away from the pack. When he reached the end, he saw no other zombies nearby, and headed back for his team.

  Burch and Davila looked out the front window, watching the raging fire that had once been a restaurant, and a couple hundred zombies coming from the road towards the inferno.

  “How’s it looking out there?” Jinx asked.

  Burch shook his head. “Seeing that restaurant burn like that is really making me miss grilling,” he said.

  “One day chief, one day,” Davila said wistfully.

  “Come on let’s clear out our path to the back, we’re not out of this yet,” Jinx said, raising his rifle.

  The three men broke away from the window and began moving swiftly through the dark in the store. They had their flashlights out, aiming them down every aisle they came across, luckily finding nothing. After a quick trip, they get to the loading dock doors.

  Jinx gave a silent countdown from three, bursting through the door on one. They quickly swept the back area, seeing nothing but bare concrete flooring with several boxes stacked up.

  “Burch,” Jinx said, “check the door and make sure we’re good to go. Davila, find us a fire alarm.”

  The two soldiers rushed off to do their assigned tasks, while Jinx looked out the double doors leading to the store. He shone his flashlight around, making sure no ghouls were headed in his direction.

  Burch opened the back door, looking out to see only a few zombies wandering around the back of the store. He gently shut it and came back over to the Corporal.

  “Coast is pretty clear,” Burch said, “we can get back to the rail bridge.”

  “What about the water?“ Jinx asked.

  Burch shook his head. “We can go that route if we need to as well.“

  “Just worried about that southern bridge,” Jinx admitted, furrowing his brow. “With all this noise, we’re going to be pulling zombies up from the south.”

  Davila approached from the back. “Got us a fire alarm switch.”

  “Good, so here’s the plan,” Jinx said, waving them towards him. “I’m going to take a position by the front windows, you’re going to pull the alarm, then I’m gonna open them up. That will draw those things in and make it more difficult for them to wander back out. We get out the back, swim across, then wait for the other troops to do their jobs.”

  Davila nodded. “I’m ready when you are.”

  Jinx readied his gun. “Let’s give it a few more minutes,” he said, “give Jarvis time to locate some vehicles. We move in five.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Jarvis drove Rollins and Stein around to some of the businesses a few blocks away from the main road. The zombie resistance was minimal back there, as most of the ghouls had opted to stay on the main road.

  “Got one over there,” Rollins said.

  Jarvis slowed to a stop as Rollins pointed to an SUV sitting in front of a shop.

  “This will make what, three?” Jarvis asked.

  He nodded. “Yeah, that should be enough to fill in the gaps on the first bridge,” he mused. “A few may be able to wander out, but not enough to make a difference.”

  “Stein, cover him,” she instructed.

  The two men hopped out of the truck and raced over to the SUV. Rollins immediately began patting his hand underneath the back wheel well.

  “Come on, come on, no whammy,” he muttered, and then let out an excited whoop when he felt a small metal box connected to a magnet. He pulled it out and slid it open, revealing the key. “Oh, how I love trusting, naïve people.” He clicked the unlock button, and the SUV beeped. “Come on Stein, let’s roll.”

  His partner headed over to the passenger side and opened the door, immediately jumping back. There was a badly decomposed corpse inside, belted into the seat. The flesh had started to melt away from the body due to the extreme heat in the car over the previous month.

  The zombie slowly shifted, letting out a low gurgling moan, struggling to even move without most of its body mass.

  “Yeah, this one is all you, buddy,” Stein said, wrinkling his nose.

  Rollins looked in through the driver’s side and sighed, shaking his head. “Can you at least stab it in
the head for me?” he asked.

  “Don’t say I never do anything for you,” Stein retorted. He pulled out his knife and jammed it into the zombie’s temple, ending its miserable existence.

  “All right, watch out,” Rollins said, and reached in to unbuckle the corpse. He gave it a shove and the mass of gunk flopped out onto the road. Melted goo slapped everywhere, and Stein sighed as a bit sloshed onto his boots.

  “Dude, really?” he whined.

  Rollins shrugged. “I told you to watch out,” he said as he got into the driver’s seat. “Now you getting in, or what?”

  Stein stared down at the slimy passenger seat. “I’ll hitch a ride with Jarvis,” he said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder.

  Rollins shrugged and started up the SUV, opening all the windows. “Baked zombie, ugh,” he muttered as he nearly gagged on the putrid stench in the car.

  He popped the vehicle into reverse and pulled out, Jarvis and Stein following close behind. As he drove, there was a gigantic BOOM in the distance. As he parked in the lot a few blocks down from the bridges, he spotted a giant plume of smoke rising on the horizon.

  “Jinx certainly doesn’t disappoint, does he?” he said to himself and got out of the vehicle. The zombies on the bridge began to wander towards the noise, the nearby ghouls in the store parking lots joining them.

  “Quit yapping to yourself and come on,” Jarvis barked from the truck. “We need a couple more cars for that other bridge.”

  Rollins leapt out of the SUV, leaving the key in it, and hopping up into the back of the truck. Jarvis peeled out of the lot and headed back towards the residential area.

  “Where are you going?” Stein asked.

  “A few blocks further back,” Jarvis replied. “That explosion is going to get everything closer all riled up.”

  She went for six blocks, reaching a cozy tree-lined street. They looked around, trying to find vehicles to borrow.

  Stein pointed to a house with two sedans sitting outside. “That’s our winner,” he said. “Two cars, meaning they probably never got out. Just gotta find the keys and we’re rolling.”

  “Good enough for me,” Jarvis replied.

  She parked the truck in the driveway and all three got out. They rushed up to the front door and Jarvis nodded to Rollins. He gave the door a forceful front kick, rattling it pretty well but not opening it. He tried again, but the door stayed fast.

  “Jesus Christ,” Jarvis muttered, “let me at it.”

  She shoved him out of the way and gave the door a good boot, which freed it from the latch. Stein chuckled.

  “I loosened it for her,” Rollins insisted.

  His friend shook his head. “Yeah, I’d totally go with that.”

  “Move,” Jarvis urged, and the duo snapped back to it, quickly moving into the spacious bungalow. They took up position in the living room, keeping an eye on the hallways. They could hear movement at the far end of it, sounding like several hands banging on a door.

  “Company down the hall,” Stein reported.

  “Watch that,” Jarvis replied. “Rollins, kitchen.”

  He moved into the kitchen, scanning the walls for any key ring holders. She did the same in the living room and finally found two sets of keys hanging by the front window.

  “We’re moving!” she declared, and grabbed the rings, tossing them to the boys.

  They went back outside and the boys each picked a car, checking thoroughly for any unwanted passengers inside, and thankfully finding none.

  Jarvis hopped back into the truck and led the caravan back towards the bridges, stopping at the rally point. Most of the zombies had moved across the bridge, but there were still a few dozen making their way towards it. The trio sat in their vehicles with the windows down so they could hear each other.

  “How long do we wait?” Rollins asked.

  Jarvis took a deep breath. “As long as we can.”

  “We got five minutes at best,” Stein said.

  Jarvis cocked her head. “What makes you say that?”

  He pointed towards the southern bridge, half a mile or so away. There were easily a couple hundred zombies moving across it towards them.

  “Fuck, okay,” Jarvis said. “We need to move now.”

  Rollins furrowed his brow. “And just leave them on this side of the bridge?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “It’s going to take time for us to do this,” she explained. “We block off the northern bridge and they can still cross on the southern one.”

  “Fuck it, good enough for me,” Stein agreed. “There were a few broken down scars on the bridge already, so we just have to fill in the gaps.”

  Rollins waved his hand. “Well lead on then.”

  Stein popped it into gear and started driving, with Rollins behind him and Jarvis bringing up the rear. There were several zombies in the roadway, some of whom turned towards the noise. She gave a single honk of the horn and then floored it.

  The increased speed sent Jarvis flying around the other two soldiers, pulling in front. She sped up, smacking into the zombies in the road and crushing them, clearing the path for the other two.

  The bridge had a few dozen zombies on it, most of which were on the far side of it, moving towards the restaurant fire. There were a few cars broken down, having gotten into a crash at some point several weeks ago. There was a gap on either side of the wreck.

  Jarvis stopped in the middle of the street about thirty yards from the wreck, and the other two drove around her, one on each side.

  Stein skirted a few dozen zombies and pulled gently into his opening, leaving just enough room to open the door and get out. As he hopped out, he readied his assault rifle, firing a few shots at the throng of ghouls standing between him and the truck.

  Rollins pulled his car into the gap on the other side, squeezing between the wreck and the side of the bridge. As he started to open his door, he had to shut it again quickly as a zombie from the window of the wrecked car lunged out, smacking against the glass.

  He clambered into the back seat, opening the back door, but it was wedged up against the wreck, making it impossible to get it wide enough.

  “Fucking shit, man,” he muttered, and looked out the back window. There were thirty or so zombies growing ever closer to him.

  Stein noticed that Rollins was stuck, and cupped a hand around his mouth. “Shoot the window!” he yelled.

  Rollins gave a thumbs up and drew his handgun, firing a few shots into the back window, shattering it. Stein continued to fire at the coming zombies, attempting to cover his friend as he struggled to get out of the busted window.

  “Goddamn it,” Jarvis muttered, and hit the gas, speeding towards her friends.

  Stein dove to the side to give her a wide berth to do her damage. She drove into the middle of the back and cut the wheel sharply, flooring it. Within seconds she was doing donuts on the bridge, sending zombie bodies and smoking tire debris flying through the air.

  This gave Rollins enough time to clear the car, and immediately started firing, clearing out the ghouls in his path. After a few full rotations, Jarvis hit the brakes.

  “Come the fuck on!” she bellowed.

  There were still a handful of creatures standing, moving in various directions, but the soldiers were able to avoid them as they raced to the truck. They hopped into the back, smacking the back window of the cab, and Jarvis punched the accelerator to get them out of there.

  She sped several blocks away from the bridge, skidding to a stop in the residential neighborhood. She opened the back window, eyebrows raised.

  “Holy shit, that was wild!” she declared. “Everybody good?”

  Rollins made an a-ok sign with his hand. “Might need a change of pants,” he joked, “but other than that, I’m golden.”

  The three shared a relieved laugh, and then sat back and relaxed for a moment, giving time for the other pack of zombies to make their way to the bridge so they could block it off.

  CHAPTER
FOURTEEN

  Jinx readied himself by the front window, looking out at the zombies pressed against it. There were dozens of them, and hundreds more in the parking lot, all attracted by the gigantic blast at the restaurant.

  He checked the ammo on his assault rifle, making sure it was full. When he was satisfied, he let out a two-fingered whistle that echoed throughout the building. A few seconds later, the ear piercing sound of the fire alarm filled the air.

  He winced. “Christ, it might be less damaging just to be on fire,” he muttered, and flipped his rifle into three-round burst mode and aimed at the big windows.

  He unleashed half a mag’s worth of bullets, peppering the windows with them. The impact did little more than put a few holes in it.

  “Fucking safety stuff.” He shrugged and reached into his bag, pulling out two grenades before walking back behind the registers. He pulled the pins on both and lobbed them over to the windows, and then turned tail, sprinting back towards the loading dock.

  A few seconds later, another earth-shattering BOOM filled the air. Jinx didn’t bother to look back, since if the blast hadn’t opened the windows, nothing he had would have. He tore for the loading dock.

  “What happened to just shooting them out?” Davila asked wryly.

  Jinx shrugged. “Safety glass, so had to go big,” he explained.

  Burch opened the back door and stepped out, immediately raising his rifle and firing several shots as the other two piled out behind him. By the time the trio reunited, the zombies lay on the ground in a heap.

  “Let’s get to the water,” the Corporal instructed, and led his companions across the back of the lot. They pushed through the waist-high grass, splashing down as they reached it. They sloshed out into the water, seeing their target on the other side of the southern bridge.

  “Man, that was a good call to go on the water,” Davila said.

  Burch nodded. “No kidding.”

  The southern bridge was covered in easily a couple hundred zombies, all moving across it towards the noise. Jarvis plowed through some of them with the truck, sending bodies flying every which way.