Ragnarok Rising: The Crossing (The Ragnarok Rising Saga)

by Roberts, D. A.

  “I was going to take a shift on gate duty,” she replied. “Why?”

  “We’re going on a run,” answered Elliott. “Are you in?”

  “Absolutely,” she said, grinning. “When do we leave?”

  “Probably not until morning,” I replied. “We might be gone for a few days.”

  “Where are we heading?” she asked.

  “We’re going to try to find a POMCUS cache,” I said, smiling. “There should be enough supplies in it to keep us going for a long time.”

  “Do you know how to find one?” she asked, looking skeptical.

  “First Sergeant Gregory does,” I replied. “He’s going to give me the details. I want to get my team together and brief them.”

  “Who are you taking?” asked Spec-4.

  “Well,” I said, “I thought I’d take you, Elliott and Southard. That’s a pretty well rounded team. We should be able to cover most of the bases. Besides, any more than that and we won’t all fit in the Humvee.”

  “Southard's on perimeter duty,” said Spec-4. “He should be back inside in a little while.”

  “When he gets inside,” I said, “I want everyone in the big briefing room in the Hive.”

  “Gotcha, boss,” said Spec-4, chuckling.

  Half an hour later, we had all assembled in the briefing room. Gunny, First Sergeant Gregory and McDonald (the other surviving Ranger) were already there. They were putting their heads together over the map and talking quietly. Southard was still wearing his armor and gear from his patrol, but was already eating an MRE and guzzling water from a canteen. Elliott was sitting quietly while Spec-4 checked over her weapons.

  I joined the group at the front of the room and leaned in to see what they were looking at. It was a military map of southwest Missouri, featuring everything from Fort Leonard Wood south to the Oklahoma border. It was very detailed, listing things no road atlas would ever cover. Things like fresh water sources, communications relays and missile silos. There were more of them in the area then I had suspected. Then again, I guess that’s the point of hidden missile silos.

  They were concentrating on an area of the map that had been marked in red. The nearest marked town was Lebanon and I could see the blue line that could only be the Niangua River. The mark indicating the POMCUS cache was right next to it.

  “I know that area,” I said. “That’s right near Bennett Springs State Park. I trout fish there every season.”

  “Then you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding the cache,” said the First Sergeant. “It seems to indicate that it’s in a park.”

  “Makes perfect sense,” I said. “That’s a great place to hide something like that. They can close the park and keep people out of it with no other explanation than park maintenance. When did they put it in?”

  “I don’t know,” said Top, “but it looks like it’s been there a while. It’s been maintained, but I would guess it was built some time during the Viet Nam era.”

  “How recent are the supplies?” I asked.

  “According to the Intel weenie that briefed us,” said McDonald, “it was kept current. There’s even supposed to be satellite uplink gear in there.”

  “Not that it will do us any good,” said Top. “There isn’t anyone left to maintain the birds in orbit.”

  “They should still be working,” I said. “At least for a while.”

  “We might be able to talk to whoever is out there,” he replied, “but they won’t be able to do anything for us.”

  “Just being able to communicate and share information will be a big improvement,” I said, shaking my head. “Besides that, someday we might be able to take at least part of this world back from the dead.”

  We spent the next couple of hours going over the map with everyone and discussing what to look for when it came time to get inside the cache. We even discussed how many zombies we thought might be in the area. Depending on the number of people who were still camping there, it was possible that there could be hundreds of zombies in the park. The campground alone could hold a few hundred people.

  We decided that it would be best to take the back roads and avoid the major highways as much as possible. I knew most of the roads and thought we stood a good chance of making it there without too many problems. The real question would be if we could get across the interstate and how many undead would be there. The Interstate 44 corridor had turned into a deathtrap for stranded motorists.

  Our best chance lay in avoiding towns completely, if we could. There weren’t many along the way, but the few that we would have to pass were right alongside the interstate. I had no doubt that they had long-since fallen to the undead. Considering the lack of large buildings and industry in those towns, it was highly unlikely that we’d find large numbers of survivors. Most likely, we wouldn’t find any at all.

  When the briefing was finished, I sent Spec-4 and Southard off to prep the Humvee. Elliott and I headed for the armory to outfit our little expedition. We had to be sparing with the ammo and not leave the Underground short, in case of an emergency. We would limit ourselves to 5 loaded magazines each and five cans of ammo for the SAW[7] on the roof of the Humvee.

  I was the only one carrying a .22 Magnum or a .45 Long Colt, so I took all the ammo they had for those. We were slightly better off on pistol and shotgun ammo, so we loaded up. I had a couple hundred rounds for my Keltec shotgun, the Old Colt and the PMR-30 pistols. We had a few lever action rifles that fired the same ammo the Colt, but no one used them. I was glad I could still carry the old Army Colt. I’d grown rather attached to it, since all this started.

  Elliott and I took the ammo out and loaded it into the Humvee. I sent him off to get us a few cases of MREs and bottles of water. By the time he returned, Spec-4 and Southard had finished going over the vehicle and pronounced it ready to travel. Once we loaded the supplies, we broke out our cleaning kits and went over all of the weapons. I didn’t want to leave anything to chance. No sense tempting fate by going out with a dirty weapon. As the old saying goes, “Fortune favors the prepared.”

  I made certain that we all had one of the silencers for our M-4’s and at least one pistol. Bowman had been machining his own silencers in the little shop behind the Hive. He even fitted quite a few pistols to accept them. My little .22 Magnums were some of the first ones threaded for one. With at least two silenced weapons each, we had the capacity to take out targets without attracting too much attention. Considering the small amount of ammo we were carrying, stealth was going to be our best bet anyway.

  Once we’d finished going over all of our weapons, we all headed for the mess hall area to eat some chow. I wanted everyone to get a hot meal and a good night’s sleep. It might be some time before we got either one, again. I wasn’t planning on being gone for more than a few days at the most, but my plans have a way of going astray.

  The cooks had made a good meal for everyone. We still had plenty of beef and cheese, so they barbequed hamburgers. Karen was an expert at making homemade bread, so we had plenty of fresh bread to go around. I was planning on enjoying that while it lasted. With the world ending, there was going to be a shortage of ingredients very soon.

  We all ate our fill and headed for our rooms to get some rest. I wanted to be leaving the Underground at sunrise. I sat in a chair in my room and started removing my body armor and boots. Karen came in, helped me out of the armor and then turned back the covers on our bed.

  “I don’t like you taking Elliott on this,” she said, softly.

  “I didn’t think you would,” I said, unzipping my tactical boots. “He’s ready, babe. I can’t keep him out of the fight, forever. He’s wanted to go with me for a while, now.”

  “I know,” she said, slipping her arms around me from behind. “I’m just worried about him.”

  “Of course you are,” I said. “You’re his mother. That’s your job. I’m worried about him, too. I won’t let anything happen to him.”

  “I know you won’t,” she said
, putting her cheek against my back. “I already worry myself sick when it’s just you going out there. Now I’ll have to worry about both of you.”

  “We’ll come back,” I said, reassuringly.

  “Promise?”

  “Yeah, babe,” I said. “I promise.”

  It was a good night together. It’s funny, but before all this happened, it seemed like our relationship had gone cold. Sure, we still went through all the proper motions, and I never stopped loving my wife. It just seemed like things were going cold in our relationship. Between work, the kids, the bills and everything else, we just never seemed to have time for one another.

  I guess there’s nothing quite like a zombie apocalypse to make you appreciate what you have and what you stand to lose. We lost all of our material things. Hel, everyone did. However, we found that the core of our family survived. Possessions were not what was important. What mattered was, that we still had each other. We also stopped taking our time together for granted. Every time I went out could be my last.

  As bad as it is to say, I think the end of the world actually strengthened my marriage. We had more appreciation for each other, now. When we were together, we didn’t waste time on the trivial things. We enjoyed every moment we had together. Each night very well could be our last. Our relationship is what kept me sane in this world gone mad. It was what helped me survive being tortured.

  Spec-4 was another matter entirely. I knew she had feelings for me and I really cared about her. The thing was, it was more like a deep friendship than anything else. I knew she kept hoping it would develop into more, but I wasn’t going to let it. My family meant too much to me to do that to them. I just hoped that Wilder understood that.

  09 May

  The next morning, I was awake long before the alarm. I didn’t want to move and risk waking Karen up, so I just lay there until my watch beeped. I silenced it as quickly as I could and then slipped out of bed. She barely stirred as I headed into the small locker room that served as the bathroom and shower for our family. It wasn’t very big, but it accommodated us well enough.

  I showered and used my razor to remove the stubble on my head and face. My goatee was now almost long enough to comb. By the time I was getting dressed, Elliott was in the shower. He looked nervous as he got out and started getting dressed.

  “Are you worried, son?” I asked as I zipped up my boots.

  “A little,” he admitted. “This is my first big run. I don’t want to mess up.”

  “You won’t,” I assured him. “Just follow my lead and don’t wander off. You’ll be fine, son.”

  “Thanks, dad,” he said, slipping his own boots on and lacing them up.

  “Make sure you have all your gear,” I said, smiling. “Once we’re in the field, what we have is all we have. There are no supply bases between here and the cache. We can scrounge for gear, but there’s no guarantee that we’ll find anything.”

  “I hope we find plenty of gear on this run,” he said, tucking his laces into the tops of his boots.

  “Me too,” I said. “If we can’t find the POMCUS cache, we’re going to need every gun, bullet and drop of fuel we can find.”

  We headed out to find Karen and the boys were up, waiting for us. The younger boys were both jealous and worried about their brother going out on a major run. I could clearly see the worry in Karen’s eyes.

  “We made breakfast,” said Karen, forcing a smile.

  “Thanks, mom,” said Elliott. “You didn’t have to get up this early to see us off.”

  “I wasn’t going to let you leave without giving you both a kiss and reminding you to be careful,” she said, with a mock scowl.

  “Oh, mom,” said Elliott, only mildly protesting.

  “When do we get to go with you?” asked Erik, grinning.

  “You’ll get your chance,” I said. “Don’t be in too big of a hurry.”

  “Me, too,” said Evan, excitedly. “I want to go, too.”

  “I know, boys,” I said, chuckling, “all in good time. Right now, I need you both here to take care of your mother.”

  We all sat down at the little table to eat. Karen already had the food laid out. By unspoken consensus, we all joined hands and I said a brief blessing. I made certain to thank the Gods for all of our blessings and for our family. I thanked them for our Kindred, now living here in the Underground. Then I asked for Odin’s wisdom, Thor’s strength and for all of the Gods to watch over us while we traveled.

  After we finished eating, Elliott and I grabbed our gear. I took a moment to kiss my sons and Karen. I held them each in my arms, holding their presence in my mind’s eye. I would keep that feeling with me, for when things were bad. I just hoped that this run would be easy. After all the fighting we’d been through, we needed an easy victory. We needed the resources to help us recover and we desperately needed something to give us hope.

  Afterwards, Elliott and I headed across the parking area to where Spec-4 and Southard were waiting by the Humvee. First Sergeant Gregory and Gunny were sitting nearby, each holding a duffle bag.

  “I figured you two old coots would still be in the rack,” I said, smiling.

  “I ain’t that old,” muttered Top.

  In lieu of a reply, Gunny just gave me the one-fingered salute and a smirk.

  “Good to see you, Top,” I said, shaking Gregory’s hand. “You too, Jarhead.”

  “I just came to see you off,” said Top, handing me the duffle bag.

  “What’s in here?” I asked, feeling the weight.

  “Extra ammo and magazines,” he replied. “We scrounged some up for you. We don’t want you going out there without enough to get you through.”

  “I appreciate that, Top,” I said.

  “Here, asshole,” said Gunny, tossing me the other bag.

  I caught it and heard the clinking sound of glass.

  “I packed you some supplies to make real coffee,” said Gunny, crossing his arms.

  “Thanks, Guns,” I said, nodding. “I’m sure we’ll put that to good use.”

  “One more thing,” said Top. “You’re gonna need this.”

  He reached into his cargo pocket and handed me a small army-green notebook. I took it and glanced at the cover. It read “J.S.O.C. Top Secret” on the front. I knew from my army days that J.S.O.C. stood for Joint Special Operations Command.

  “Thanks, Top,” I said, “but I think my clearance has long since expired. I haven’t held a Top Secret Clearance since I got out.”

  “Very funny, smart-ass,” said Gunny. “The world is being overrun by the fucking dead and you’re cracking jokes.”

  “I think we can safely ignore old clearance requirements,” said Top, chuckling. “Besides, the Jarhead's right. That notebook will give you all the information you’ll need to locate the entrance to the POMCUS and how to access it.”

  “Thanks,” I muttered, slipping it into my own cargo pocket.

  “Don’t lose it,” cautioned Top. “Without it, you’re only chance of accessing the cache is heavy explosives. You do not want to make that kind of noise out in Dead Man’s Land.”

  “Copy that,” I said, nodding gravely.

  “I still think you should be taking us with you,” said Gunny.

  “Neither of you are in fighting shape,” I replied. “Your shoulder is still messed up and the First Sergeant still needs time to heal.”

  “What about you, son?” asked Gunny, lowering his voice. “What kind of shape are you in, after everything you’ve been through.”

  “I’ve been better,” I admitted. “But I’m still in better shape than either of you.”

  “Fair enough,” said Gunny. “Just don’t expect me to like it.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” I said, smiling.

  “Do you two need some alone time or are we going to get moving sometime today?” asked Southard.

  Gunny just gave Southard a sour look and shook my hand.

  “Be safe out there, Wylie,” he said, me
eting my gaze. “You won’t have me out there to watch your back.”

  “I’ve got Wilder, Southard and Elliott,” I said, nodding. “We’ll come through this.”

  “See that you do,” said Top. “We need those supplies.”

  Heading over to the Humvee, I stowed both duffel bags in the back with the other gear. Once I had the back secured, I headed for the driver’s seat. Spec-4 slid into the front passenger seat and left the back for Elliott and Southard. We all buttoned down and secured the doors. I then fired up the engine, letting it idle for a few moments.

  Weasel-face was on the forklift and moved the big cargo container that served as a gate into the Underground. He was already putting it back in place before we reached the top of the ramp. Corporal Winston and Webber were on gate duty and motioned us through.

  “God-speed,” said Winston, over the radio.

  “Copy that,” I replied and waved as we drove past them.

  Once we cleared the perimeter fence, I could feel the old familiar feeling fall over me. It was the same feeling I got when I cleared the Main Sliders before taking a duty assignment, before all this started. It was what my friend Ian Shane had referred to as “getting our game faces on.” It was now very real and we had to be alert. Even Elliott was now very quiet and constantly scanning the area. I noticed that he kept his M-4 across his lap with his hand resting on the stock.

  Spec-4 noticed it too and gave me a quick smile. She didn’t miss much, if anything. I realized just how much I’d come to respect and rely on her. She was a great soldier and invaluable to us. She’d saved my bacon more times than I could easily count. I’d saved hers a few times, myself. I wasn’t keeping score, but I was pretty sure I still owed her a few. I suddenly had the feeling that I was going to get my chance to repay her. Sometimes I just hate my gut instinct.

  Chapter Two

  The Road Less Traveled

  “The great Gaels of Ireland are the men that God made mad,

  For all their wars are merry, and all their songs are sad.”

  ― G.K. Chesterton, The Ballad of the White Horse