Blue Plague Survival

by Watson, Thomas A

  “See several moving around in between the trailers big daddy,” Jake replied as Matt came over the air.

  “The trailers form a semi-circle and the group is in the middle of’em. They’re just laying around,” Matt told them.

  Bruce was making plans to move the group around to the front of the trailers and let Jake take them out from a distance. That was when he heard a sound that always made his blood run cold. A roar split the air. The trailers were over a hundred yards away but it was still loud and could be felt in your chest.

  Everyone brought their weapons up and Buffy spun around to face the rear at the sound of the roar. Bruce did not think a human could even make that sound. It sounded like a lion’s roar but it was at a higher pitch. Everyone now had heard it while on patrol. They still didn’t know why blues did it and so far they had only seen males do it. Sometimes they did it when chasing after prey but often, they just roared while sitting around.

  Looking through his scope Bruce told everyone not to shoot unless they charged. All answered ok. He saw the group move up the road that led into the trailer park but were looking south, at the opposite tree line. Several kept roaring as the group moved further up the road and stopped still looking south.

  Bruce counted forty six in all, with their backs to the patrol. He knew if they looked this way it was going to get interesting real quick. He called Matt on the radio and whispered, “What are they so interested in spook two?”

  “I can’t see anything and the battery is goin’ out so I can’t fly that way. I’m calling the raven home and sending the Puma out. It’ll take ten minutes to get to you so don’t go startin’ shit yet big daddy,” Matt told him.

  “Copy that, tell me when you’re on station,” Bruce told him. They had covered the twenty plus miles in just over six hours and Bruce was happy with everyone’s performance. They had taken out twenty-nine infected on the way here but he wanted this group. Just then the group took off running to the tree line across from them. Over half of this group were runners and looked like Olympic sprinters heading to the tree line.

  “Engage from the rear and work forward,” Bruce told the patrol as he fired a shot taking down a walker.

  The rest of the patrol opened up on the group and in thirty seconds it was over. They had taken down twenty-one but twenty-five had gotten away. Bruce lowered his rifle in disbelief. Those runners had cleared the hundred plus yard distance from the road to the far tree line in less than 10 seconds.

  Stephanie had told them that at the CDC the scientist had put one on a tread mill and it had run at thirty-one mph for eighteen hours before collapsing. The reason it didn’t run faster, that was the top speed of the treadmill. It then lay on the floor for five hours like it was asleep then jumped up ready for more.

  “Let’s go after them, single file behind me. Conner, you have the rear,” Bruce said as he moved into the clearing and started jogging across the field. Conner had the SAW to hit runners in the legs when they charged. Every patrol had at least one SAW with them.

  Debbie radioed Bruce as they moved across the field to the road, “Bruce, we’re chasing runners. We have no hope of catching them on foot, you do know this right?”

  “Yes I know that little mama. I think they’re hunting and they have a one track mind. If what they’re after is not far, we can take them at the kill,” Bruce replied over the radio.

  “You think! If those things turn around on us in the woods, it’ll go hand to hand, up close and personal real fast,” Debbie shot back over the radio trying to reason with Bruce.

  “That’s what my gut feels and you can take two in hand to hand any day, now be quiet you’re messing up my breathing at this pace,” Bruce told her as he kept his jogging pace steady.

  They followed the runners trail through the woods at a jog for thirty minutes until Matt called them over the radio. Bruce held up his hand for everyone to stop. “The group you’re following is four miles ahead of you,” Matt informed them.

  “Where are they headed spook two?” Bruce asked then started to drink some water from his camel back controlling his breathing.

  “They’re headed south, toward Nantachie Lake,” Matt said.

  “Well is there a party there, that they’re late for or what?” Bruce asked taking a long drink.

  “I’m a thousand feet above them now and the lake is another seven miles I’ll be there in a minute,” Matt replied. Bruce walked in slow circles waiting for the update.

  “Big daddy one, this is big daddy two. There’re several hundred blues along the bank of the north end of the lake with a lot more on the way. There are people on an island about eighty yards from the bank. We’re having problems keeping the Puma on station because of the distance. Do ya copy?” Mike asked.

  “Copy big daddy two we’re going to see if we can help,” Bruce said.

  “Big daddy one, your radio signal is gettin’ weak, you’re fixin’ to lose contact with base. Your group is over thirty miles away now,” Mike said and Bruce could hear the worry in his voice. They were now using the military radio’s they had gathered at the checkpoint and they had just found the range.

  “Copy that. What side of the lake do we need to come over on?” Bruce asked pulling out his map.

  “The island is on the east side of the lake, about a mile from the north end. Let me get another patrol headed your way in case ya get in some shit,” Mike stated.

  “Negative on the patrol, you’d be too far away to help and I don’t want to spread surveillance to thin. Movin’ out now, will call when we can, big daddy one out,” Bruce said not wanting to get in a debate.

  Bruce looked at the satellite/topographical map and saw the island. There was a road that ran along the east bank with houses on each side of the road. There were several houses along the east bank and across the little road, with one overlooking the area. Bruce guessed from the map it was less than a hundred and fifty yards from the bank. He called everyone close so they could see the map. “We’re makin’ for this house,” he said pointing out his plan on the map and continued. “We’ll set up on the roof and kill everything not human. Then I’m going to this boat house and see if they have something I can paddle to the island to get the people. After we get’em, we’ll head to this pipeline to the east and follow it back to Saline Lake. If we get separated, the pipeline is the rally point. If it’s compromised, head home. We will stop here at this pond to refill our water before headin’ to the house. Any questions?” Bruce asked looking at everyone.

  No one asked anything and he moved out at a jogging pace. They lost radio contact with base at thirty-eight miles. It was almost three times the distance of their old radios. When they reached the pond to refill water with the filter pump they could hear roars off in the distance. Bruce looked at his watch it was almost 1p.m. They had covered thirty-eight miles in eight hours. He looked around at the group and they were soaked with sweat. Smiling, Bruce saw they still had a lot left to give and was glad because it was a long walk home.

  It took another hour and a half to cover the last mile because they moved slow and carefully. They approached the house from the back, through the woods. Stopping ten yards inside the tree line Bruce could see the back yard of the house. Then looking to his right he saw a mobile home. He motioned to the mobile home and moved toward it inside the tree line. The smell could gag a maggot. Unbelievably the smell got worse, the closer they got to the infected, but it didn’t make his stomach reverse gears. Either they were bathing or he was getting use to it. Bruce thought it was the latter.

  When they were directly behind the mobile home, Bruce led the group toward the back of it. They were keeping the trailer between them and the mob as they moved to the trailer. The noise coming from the mob was so loud it was hurting their ears. Growls, yells and an occasional roar came from the mob. It reminded Bruce of being in a football stadium, he was sure they could speak in normal voices and not be heard, but he wasn’t going to find out.

  When
they reached the back of the mobile home, he moved a trash can over and motioned Debbie to get on the roof. He sent the rest up one at a time with him being the last. Everyone was spread out on the roof with Conner on the far right end and Debbie on the left end. Bruce went prone beside Buffy who was next Debbie. Keeping his movements slow he took off his pack and opened the top, inside he had ten more loaded magazines. The back edge of the mob was about sixty yards from them. He hoped the crest of the roof would hide them. To make matters worse, the metal roof was hotter than nine kinds of hell as he set up his gear.

  Bruce radioed everyone, “Get your magazines out and ready. When we start it’ll be from the back and move forward. Give me a thumb up when you’re ready.” Everyone pulled off packs getting ready as Conner set the SAW to the side pulling his M-4 off his back. Bruce pulled out his binoculars scanning the mob and the island.

  Conner just stared at Bruce in disbelief then turned to look back at the crowd. There were so many he could only pick out individuals on the outer edge. Looking back at Bruce as he studied the crowd through his binoculars, Conner wanted to say something but couldn’t think of anything to say. Except ask Bruce if he was insane. Seeing everyone stacking magazines and with fear gripping his chest Conner did the same.

  Scanning the mob, Bruce saw it was eighty yards deep from the bank to the back edge and stretched over a hundred and fifty yards along the bank. Bruce was guessing the number was close to two thousand. Looking toward the island, he could not see all of it because of the houses along the bank. On the map the island looked almost a hundred yards long and fifty across. Looking back at the mob at the water’s edge Bruce noticed none were in water deeper than their ankles. Putting his binoculars in his pack he looked at everyone as they give him a thumb up.

  Bruce called over the radio, “When we start, there will be no stopping until they’re all gone or we get overrun. Keep calm, when you see me fire, open up and keep fire discipline. There’re people on the island in front of this group, so watch your fire. The first two who empty half of their magazines call reload and reload what you’ve shot so we don’t all run out at the same time. If you copy give me a thumb up.” Bruce got thumbs up from everyone and raised his rifle up.

  Bruce sighted on a female blue that at one time was probably pretty before turning blue. He slowly squeezed the trigger and watched her head explode. Then the others opened up and kept firing at a steady rate. Moving his rifle from head to head and watching them disappear as he pulled the trigger, Bruce smiled. Several in the mob turned to the sound of the suppressors but turned back around toward the island. None charged them or even moved toward them. Danny called reload first followed shortly by Jake. When Bruce put in his fourteenth magazine, he looked out in front of the group towards the mob. Bodies were laying everywhere, stacked four to five high in places. They had to pick the shots carefully now. Trees and houses along the lake edge were blocking their shots from the rest of the blues.

  Looking around Bruce figured there could not be more than sixty along the bank and behind obstacles. Bruce called everyone on the radio. “I’m reloading and heading to the dock. Danny, I want you with me, Buffy, I want you to reload your magazines then move to each person and reload theirs. Jake, you are to cover me and Danny until we are on the water. Debbie and Conner keep killing. Any questions?” Bruce asked and did not receive any. He had expected an argument from Buffy but she just started to load magazines and smiled at him. He reloaded and put the ten extra magazines back in his pack and the others in his vest. Turning around to get off the roof he saw two infected come out of the woods. He pulled up his rifle and snapped off two shots hitting both in the face. Then he waited to see if they had friends.

  “Two just came out of the woods behind us. Keep an eye out,” Bruce told them.

  “Bruce, at least forty have come out of the woods since we started shooting. They just run right by us to the mob,” Debbie informed him. Conner reported the same thing on his end.

  That didn’t make sense, the blues should have easily seen them on the roof. Bruce called over the radio sliding on his pack, “Buffy, you cover us when we get down, then get back to loading magazines. Debbie is in charge until we’re back together.”

  Bruce slid off the roof and crouched down when he landed, burning his arm on the hot barrel of his rifle. Danny landed beside him and he led her to the boat house. Bruce stopped at the corner of mobile home. What was left of the mob was to the left of the mobile home. The boat house was a hundred and twenty yards to the right. Not seeing anything between him and the boat house, he took off running with Danny hot on his heels.

  When they were half way, Bruce heard a growl from his right and saw a runner coming at him full speed. Fear gripped Bruce as he turned toward it, raising his rifle up when the blues head exploded. The body collapsed sliding across the asphalt toward them from its forward momentum. Bruce put his head down and ran like the devil himself was behind him. He saw movement to his left and turned just in time to see another runner’s head explode. As the body fell, it did a complete flip in the air and slid a foot before coming to a stop. They reached the boat house out of breath and turned around just in time to see two more runners drop.

  Looking back in the boathouse, Bruce saw a fourteen foot aluminum boat on the dock. He walked up and saw two paddles inside. He and Danny picked it up and set it gently into the water. Bruce got in the back as Danny got in the front. He grabbed a paddle and paddled out of the boathouse.

  Out on the lake, he could see the island now and what was left of the mob could see them. The remaining infected ran towards them moving from behind the obstacles, but they were cut down by the group on the roof. Bruce watched in amazement as the numbers just melted on the shore as he paddled the two hundred yards to the island when Danny turned around.

  “Look at the other bank Dad,” she said. Looking at the other bank, six hundred yards away, he did not see what she was talking about. The trees ran up to the water’s edge. Then he saw the infected moving between the trees. They lined the bank on the other side of the lake. Bruce started paddling faster in case they figured out to go around the lake. Bruce had once read a paper that said if a human could run at sixty-seven miles per hour, they could run on water. He just prayed that the blues could not run that fast because if they did he was digging a hole and staying in it.

  “Jake is one bad ass sniper. Isn’t he?” Danny asked looking at the island.

  “Yeah, he is. I thought the first one that slid toward us after he shot it, had us,” Bruce told her paddling hard, still thinking about blues running on water.

  “Dad, that one was the third one he had shot. You didn’t even see the other two” Danny told him.

  Bruce could not believe he had missed two. It might be time to raise Jake’s allowance Bruce thought as the boat hit the bank on the island. “Danny, be careful we don’t know who’s here stay frosty,” Bruce whispered to her. Danny nodded and jumped out of the boat and pulled it further onto the bank.

  Bruce got out and walked into the small stand of trees on the island with Danny on his right. As he moved forward, he swore he could hear a kid talking and another answer. He stopped to see if he could hear an adult but didn’t and moved closer. Then he saw six kids sitting around a tree. There was a little girl no more than seven playing with a baby doll talking to a boy who looked about nine.

  He motioned Danny to stay beside him and raise her hands. They walked toward the kids. When they were less than fifteen yards away, the girl gave a little squeal and grabbed the baby doll to her chest. The little boy she was talking to turned around with a small knife.

  Bruce held up his hands and said, “We’re not going to hurt you. We’re here to help. My name is Bruce and this is my daughter Danielle, but we call her Danny.” The little boy put himself in front of the kids holding out his knife. Bruce looked at the kids closer. They all looked like skin and bones with sunken eyes. The little boy looked at Bruce.

  “How do we know
you won’t hurt us?” he asked looking at them suspiciously.

  “Because you’d be dead already young man,” Bruce answered. “We just killed all the blues on the bank to help who’s over here,” Bruce told him pointing to the bank that was blocked by the trees.

  The little boy lowered his knife and said, “There’re a lot of monsters over there.”

  “Yes there was and we still have people over there killing them so we could help you,” Bruce told him. Two little girls ran toward Bruce and latched onto his legs. Looking down at them, Bruce saw they were identical twins around four.

  The rest of the kids came over to them. When the little girl with the doll came over Bruce froze. “Oh my God, that’s a real baby,” Bruce cried out walking to the little girl. The baby was just laying limply, in the little girls arms. The little girl turned away from him. “Little girl, I’m a nurse and I help people. Please give me the baby,” Bruce said in a kind, but firm voice. The little girl slowly handed the baby to Bruce.

  Bruce grabbed the baby, thinking it was already dead and stripped it down. It was a boy, about six to nine months old. He was breathing real fast, not moving his arms or legs, laying like a rag doll and not opening his eyes. Bruce could tell the baby was dehydrated, in shock and close to dying. Turning to the boy that had the knife Bruce asked, “What’s your name?”

  “Frank,” he replied watching Bruce with the baby.

  “Sit by me right here, everyone else sit around us. No one is to talk but me and Frank unless I talk to you. The baby is close to dying. Danny, take your pack off now and give me your first aid kit. Then start feeding the kids slowly. Water first but also give it slow,” Bruce dropped his pack, pulled out a blanket and his first aid pouch then took off his gloves. He put the baby on the blanket and opened his first aid pack getting IV supplies. Debbie called him over the radio.

  “Are you two alright over there?” she asked.