Jason smelled the stench of rotten flesh for the first time in several days and it made him sick. After days of fresh air, the horrible reek seemed worse now. Their hungry groans sounded more vicious then he had remembered. The sky was covered in dark clouds and the snow was falling heavy from the sky. The sun did its best to battle the darkness but the clouds were winning the fight.
“So let’s get out there and take out those freaks. Once the area is clear they can plow the runways and we can get that plane landed.” David continued his speech.
Jason watched as Tracy entered the watch tower. Someone inside held the door open for her as she disappeared inside the building. At least she would be safe. Jason was still waiting for an opportunity to be alone with her so they could plan their escape.
“Move your asses.” David ordered as the soldiers filed out of the back.
Jason followed the last man out of the back and jumped down, caught off guard by all of the prompts popping up on his visor. As he looked around various vital statistics appeared in the top left corner of the screen. Each soldier’s vital statistics registered as he looked at them. Nobody had a name. They had all been assigned a number and their vitals were listed underneath. Their heartbeat, blood pressure, and oxygen levels were displayed in green numbers. Jason looked at a zombie and his screen changed drastically. The vital stats were replaced with a targeting system. His aim was way off and it gave him a warning. Jason moved his weapon towards the creature and the target started to zone in on the prey. Once his shot was lined up the targets body, the reticle turned from red to yellow. Once the target was aligned with the zombies skull everything turned green signaling Jason was on target. He squeezed the trigger and watched as a spray of blood erupted into the wind. Drops of red mist carried in the breeze and splattered over the snow in a wide arc.
The other soldiers took take aim and Jason watched as the undead started to seize and twitch as bullets ripped through their skulls, sending them crashing into the snow in heaps across the runway. The echo of gunfire drew the attention of the surrounding zombies. They all turned in the direction of the booming shots. Jason lined up another shot and hovered his aim over the enemy. The distance to his target popped up and the threat level was determined to be low. He scanned the field for the closet target and found that the threat level changed with the distance. He was thoroughly impressed by the technology he was wearing and, he didn’t feel threatened by the dead anymore. He felt like he was playing a video game and started dropping corpses into the snow with ease.
David appeared in Jason’s view. He led his targeting receptacle over his large frame. The screen sent him an alert. The words “- 15111968 friendly fire” danced across the screen making Jason laugh. He couldn’t believe how easy it would be to end David right here and right now. Jason’s finger itched with anticipation.
David spun around and faced Jason suddenly. “Pull the trigger you fucking coward.” David taunted Jason, daring him to take action.
The other soldiers all turned to face Jason, pointing their weapons towards him and closing in on him. Jason knew they would kill him but he didn’t care, with Tracy far away there would never be a better time to kill David. Jason squeezed the trigger. An electric shook swept through his body. He convulsed as his body crashed hard into the ground, his vision blurred and the words “- 19052004 targeting system disabled” the only thing he could see.
A soldier grabbed Jason by the arm and dragged him to his feet, propping him up right in front of David. “Mr. Cook, I thought we had an agreement.” David clenched his fist and punched Jason in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. Jason’s knees buckled and he found himself staring at David’s boots. “I guess it was too great a temptation to pass up.”
David reached down and grabbed Jason by the throat, squeezing just hard enough to block his airway. Jason felt the pressure building up in his face, his eyes starting to pop out of their sockets as it built up slowly. Jason tried to kick his legs and swing his arms but an electric current in his suit prevented him from making a move. His entire body was in lockdown.
“This is your only warning.” David let go of Jason’s throat and let him drop back down into the snow. “Next time you try a stunt like that I won’t be so forgiving.” David towered over him. Jason could see the other soldiers resuming their mission, zombie bodies shaking violently with each loud pop. Dark red sprays floated on snowflakes in the wind, turning the runway into a slaughter house. David reached down and ripped the gun from Jason’s grip. “Now start pulling those bodies off the runway.” David walked over to the command tower and disappeared inside.
“Get up, Jason.”
Jason looked over towards the source of the sound. Soldier number seven offered his hand to help Jason up. The man pulled Jason to his feet with ease, his abilities amplified by the powers of the suit. The gunfire had stopped as abruptly as it began. They didn’t waste any shots thanks to the targeting system built into their visors. Most of the soldiers were busy dragging away the corpses into the woods alongside the tarmac. Jason looked up into the tower wondering what David and Tracy would be talking about. He didn’t want to push his luck so he got to work alongside the others. The frozen corpses seemed unnaturally light as he dragged a body through the deep snow.
Everyone avoided Jason like he was one of the undead, leaving him to clear a large section of the runway by himself. One of the soldiers jumped up into a giant snowplow. The giant diesel engine that shook the pavement. The large metal plow pushed the snow off the runway with ease, sending waves of white powder pouring to the sides. After dragging seven disheveled corpses off the tarmac, Jason surprisingly hadn’t even broken a sweat yet. The plow rumbled up and down the runway, revealing the pitch black pavement underneath with giant yellow reflective strips lining the sides. A string of blue lights suddenly lit up. They rested on poles that just poked out from underneath the snow.
A sound like rolling thunder boomed overhead from above the clouds. Jason looked up at the dark clouds just as the nose of an airplane parted the clouds. A large grey cargo plane appeared out of thin air, it’s four twin turbo engines growling loudly. The landing gear lowered from the belly of the plane as it approached the runway, the plane making the sharp decent quickly thanks to the heavy clouds. The tires touched down on the pavement, bouncing back into the air a few times before the pilot was able to force the plane down for good, all three sets of tires finally touching the runway. The brakes squealed as they struggled to stop the giant aircraft. Jason didn’t think the plane was going to stop in time, but the pilot managed to halt the plane just before the command tower.
The other soldiers stopped what they were doing and immediately raced towards the plane as the engines died down. The propellers slowed to a stop and the back door to the cargo plane began to open. Jason started to make his way over to see what all of the commotion was about.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:
CABIN IN THE WOODS
Dana wrapped her arms around Hanks stomach as she tried to hold on, the horse bumping her around in the saddle as it trotted through the snow. Snow-covered branches lined the horizon and flakes of snow started to fall straight down from the sky. They had reached the bridge long before the sun set and before Eric would be passing back through with the herd. Their plan was to take a sharp right turn and find shelter, waiting for the herd to pass by before they continued towards St. John’s. Dana didn’t want to get too far ahead of Eric, but she knew they couldn’t risk having to deal with the herd. They kept to the middle of the bridge. The snow drifted over the rails and fell into the frigid waters below as the windswept the top layer over the sides.
The cold wind cut right through Dana’s jacket, her entire body covered in goose bumps from the freezing temperatures. A giant storm was just beginning and Dana wished they could turn back to the cabin. Hank had warned them that the Pelley’s could return to the cabin if they managed to escape Grand Falls and they would have been in danger at the cabin. “Ho
w much further?” Dana called out over the howling wind.
“I’m thinking we should at least a kilometer off the main roads before we stop.” Hank urged the horse off the main highway and straight towards the woods.
“Where are you going?” Dana wondered.
“I want to get out of this wind. The woods will offer us some protection.” Hank answered as the horse trotted up the bank and struggled to make its way through the deep snow.
The horse made it too the woods and the trees protected them from the stormy conditions. “So now where do we go?” Dana didn’t have to yell anymore, the whistling winds at the edge of the woods nearly gone as they went deeper into the forest.
“We should keep the river to our right and eventually we should come across some cabins out here.” Hank guided the stallion between the closely grouped trees. Dana looked to the right and could see where the river cut through the forest, a large clearing snaking though the dense trees. The horse breathed heavily from the arduous trek up the bank. She could feel the poor creature’s legs wobbling underneath them. “Let’s get down, I think he needs a break.”
Hank stopped the horse and jumped down from the saddle first, helping Dana climb down from the back. “Thanks.”
“No problem,” Hank said as he gathered the reins in his hands, leading the horse on foot now. “We shouldn’t be too far away now. Are you okay to walk the rest of the way?”
“I should be able to manage.” Dana was glad to get off the horse, her leg muscles tense from the awkward position the saddle put her legs in.
Snow fell from the branches and drifted harmlessly to forest floor as they walked through the woods, surrounded by a sea of green and white. Dana’s feet were sore. The cold had numbed them when she had been sat in the saddle. Now that she was walking along the blood was starting to flow back, sending painful stings up her leg. A chorus of birds could be heard in the distance squawking loudly. Dana could even hear their wings flapping wildly, but she couldn’t see them.
“Something got them spooked.” Dana was on high alert, suddenly feeling claustrophobic.
“They can probably smell the sour smell of death on the wind.” Hank sniffed the air, his nostrils flaring wide open. “The air is very stale now. They must be getting closer.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Dana followed closely, not wanting to get ambushed by a lurking ghoul. Dana couldn’t hear any of the cries of the undead, but something didn’t feel right. She felt like she was being watched as they trudged through the snow. A flock of birds rushed through the trees, whizzing by them as they navigated through the maze of trees past them. Dana’s heart leapt into her chest with fright.
Hank looked at Dana, trying his best to hide the smirk on his face as he choked back the laughter. For a moment Dana was upset, but that quickly faded as she joined in the laughter with Hank. They shared a hearty laugh and for a brief moment the horror of the situation they found themselves in disappeared. They let their guard down in the middle of the forest and didn’t care. For a brief moment none of the horrors that roamed the earth mattered.
“I needed that.” Hank chuckled.
“Me too.” Dana agreed.
They continued walking through the woods together with a smile on their face. The roof of a cabin came into view after an hour of walking, but their legs hadn’t gotten tired. The dark green siding slowly came into view behind the tree branches as the forest began to open up, making it easier to walk. Snow had drifted up against a large glass sliding door, obscuring their view inside the cabin. The upstairs window had the black curtains drawn shut blocking any view into the interior. The chimney that ran up the side of the building had caved into itself, bricks and rubble had toppled over the snow.
“I don’t like the look of this place and it won’t protect us from the cold.”Hank voiced his opinion. He pointed towards the horizon towards some more buildings that were spaced far apart, giving each lot a large amount of privacy from its neighbors. “I’d say we check them out.”
“Yeah that seems like a good idea. Maybe one of them will have a working chimney.” Dana agreed. They continued past the green cabin and realized that the quickest way to the next cabin was over a frozen lake. “Does that ice look safe to you?” Strong winds had swept the snow off the surface of the pond leaving behind rough looking ice.
“You wait here. I’ll go down and check it out.” Hank slowly paced towards the frozen water, guiding the horse down with him. “Easy boy.” Hank spoke softly to the horse. He stepped out onto the ice, leaving his back foot on solid ground. He slowly transitioned his weight from the ground onto the ice, dragging his back foot out until his full body was on the ice. He tested the ice by stomping his feet at first, then he leapt up into the air and landed back down with a solid thunk. The ice remained intact and the colour slowly returned to Hank’s face. “Come on, big fella.” Hank coaxed the giant horse out onto the frozen pond next. The hooves trotted over the ice with some minor creaking, but the ice held firm. “Come on Dana. Stay behind us and we should be fine.”
Dana eased her way out onto the ice, staring down at her feet. The rigged ice looked sturdy enough, but she couldn’t settle her heart rate down. Every step she expected that the ice would open up and swallow her whole. She made sure she didn’t fall to far behind but refused to get too close, keeping the weight distribution spread out over the surface. It didn’t take long before they had all made it over the frozen lake and the moment Dana’s feet landed on solid ground she felt a flood of relief wash over her. “Piece of cake.” She joked, waiting for a response. Hank stood at the foot of the bank with his head tilted back, looking off into the horizon. The falling snow danced in the wind around him, making it impossible to see anything beyond him. The horse paced back and forth impatiently, waiting for Hank to guide him away from the ice. “Is everything okay, Hank?”
“I see smoke.” Hank turned to look at Dana, his facial expression distorted by the blowing snow. “Should we see who it is?”
“I don’t see why we shouldn’t. They might be able to help us.” Dana wasn’t ready to give up hope on humanity yet. Eric would have told her to avoid them but she wasn’t at that point yet.
“They might hurt us.” Hank made his argument. “They may be dangerous.”
“They might need our help.” Dana was still ready to believe there were good people left in this world. “They may have left and gotten lost in the storm. We won’t know until we check it out.” Dana walked up the bank and stood next to Hank. A billowing tower of smoke rose from the red brick chimney. The one-story cabin had a grey brick face with red siding that wrapped around to the back. A white door rested in between two small windows that were too high to see anything except the ceiling from this angle. “Come on, let’s go.”
Dana started to walk towards the cabin when Hank grabbed her by the wrist. “Eric made me promise not to put you in any danger.” He pulled her back. “Promise me you won’t hesitate to use this.” Hank held out a 9 mm pistol and forced it into Dana’s hand.
“We won’t need this.” Dana took the gun and placed it in her belt, making sure to cover the handle with her jacket. “We go up there waving guns we are just asking for trouble.”
Hank shook his head. “I don’t know about this. Maybe we can check out one of the other cabins.” He offered.
“That cabin is already warm and is probably our best option.” Dana ripped her arm out of Hank’s grip. “You can come with me or you can leave. I’m going to check it out.” Dana tried to walk past Hank again but he held out his arm to block her.
“At least let me go first.” Hank tried to reason with Dana.
“If it will make you feel better but don’t go waving that gun around.” Dana pointed at his handgun. Hank put it back in his holster and reached for his pickaroon. “Leave that where it is.”
“You sure are confident about this.” Hank didn’t sound convinced yet.
“Let’s go.”
Hank led th
e horse towards a giant tree, tying the reins around the tree trunk so it wouldn’t run away. He yanked on the rope testing the knot before he headed back to join Dana at the door step of the cabin. “Should we knock?”
“Actually, I think we should.” Dana responded and rattled her knuckles off the cold metal, catching Hank off guard. He stood there with his jaw gaping open and his eyes wide open.
Muffled voices could be heard on the other side of the door followed by sudden silence. The whistling wind blew snow off the roof of the cabin, engulfing them in a snow squall. Dana banged her hand off the door louder this time, making sure that whoever was on the other side heard.
“Hello?” A confused voice called out.
“We need help!” Dana yelled. Hank put his hand over her mouth and placed himself between her and the cabin.
Heavy footprints boomed from inside and grew louder as they approached. “What the fuck was that?” Hank was furious with Dana.
Dana bit Hank’s hand just hard enough to make him remove it from her mouth. “Please help us,” Dana called out.
The door swung open and a burst of heat flooded through the doorway. “Get inside.” A tall man stood in the door way, ushering them inside. “Come on now. I’m not trying to melt the snow.” His voice was deep and booming, but somehow it was soft and comforting. The man towered over Hank and Dana. His shoulders nearly as wide as the door frame.
Hank shot Dana an angry look that she ignored and stepped past the mountain of a man. Hank unwillingly joined her after a staring contest with the stranger. “Now won’t you look at this?” A woman stood up awkwardly from her rocking chair, holding her hand over her round belly. Her seat was right in front of the roaring fire. The inside of the cabin was completely made from logs, the cupboards covered in a shiny varnish. “Name is Janet and this is my husband, Clarence.” Janet waddled over to greet her guests. Her long chestnut hair was streaked with grey.
Zombies On The Rock (Book 3): The Republic of Newfoundland Page 18