He gave a weary shake of his head. “As you may have heard, I am Colonel Tisdale of the Phoenix Air National guard. Now this is the point where I tell you of our mandatory quarantine period and where you can get food and showers, but I have been informed that there is more to your situation than that. You sir, looked like you have been eating well and have showered recently. Is this true?” he asked while looking directly at Ian.
Ian was a little put off that he hadn’t been asked his name, or anything like that, and was being treated like a nameless face who needed to go through the processing procedures. He decided there was no harm in playing along since they were the ones with all the guns.
“Yes sir. Just this morning, in fact, and though Jasper and I are a touch hungry, it is only because we have been separated from my group.”
“Your group… is this some type of force that should concern us, or are you self-sufficient?”
“We’re self-sufficient and then some, sir.”
“Well, that is quite a statement to make in this day and age, young man. Do you mind telling me what you were doing by setting the sound systems off in the stadiums?”
“Yes sir, we saw some apartment complexes with wandering infected surrounding them, so we decided to draw them away so that the people trapped inside could escape.”
“Escape, to where?”
Ian shrugged.
“Well, I don’t recognize your fatigues, so I am assuming that you are not military. Why don’t you start from the beginning and tell me who you are and what you are doing in my city.”
“Sure, but I have to say that your interview style is a little unorthodox.”
“Ha!” He let out a single laugh. “I guess it would be. I have been semi-retired for several years and only come in once a week to help the new commander now and again. Unfortunately, she didn’t make it, so that leaves me here. And to be honest, I am beat. Captain Ricoh, behind you, and two others are the only other survivors to hold any rank beyond sergeant.”
Ian turned his head and glanced at the man he hadn’t seen when he entered.
“However, that is neither here nor there. We have survivors here and very little with which to help them, though we do try.”
“I see. Well, here is my story. When I am done, if you think we can help each other, we will go from there. My name is Ian McCollister, and I am a private security specialist from the DC area.” He saw a sour look cross over the sergeant’s face, as most enlisted didn’t like mercenaries. “I was commissioned several months before the epidemic to create a semi-secure facility far away from populated areas. Tankers and various other semi-trailers were delivered and parked tight together to be stored for a later date.
“I didn’t know why and didn’t start putting everything together until about a week into the infection, which is when we had to abandon the facility. Then my nontransferable contract got transferred, and we were instructed to deliver something to a highfalutin doctor down south, which we did, though it took us a few weeks to get there.”
“Is this going to be a long story?” the colonel asked, already appearing bored.
“No, I am getting to the good parts now.”
“Good,” Colonel Tisdale said and poured three small shots of Dewar’s, which the captain, sergeant, and colonel each picked up and slammed. Ian licked his lips, and the colonel pulled out another glass, filled it, and slid it over to him.
“Thank you.” Ian savored the Scotch whiskey as it eased down his throat then he continued his story. “So, this doctor was some kind of scientist who was doing all of this research and sh—” He glanced at the kids before changing to a different word. “Research and stuff. Anyway, something didn’t feel right. I have done work for a lot of hard-hitters, and you tend to get a feel for those who are full of shit, and this Doctor Sanjay was one hundred-percent full of shit.” Ian looked again at the kids, who were smirking at him, and apologized before continuing. “Then we found out that he had an immune patient, and instead of taking his blood to try and make a cure, they were injecting him with the virus.”
“That is a concern now, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, so… we, ah…”
“Yes?”
“We killed the doctor and took a list of safe houses from him.”
The captain addressed him for the first time. “Safe houses?”
“Yeah, or at least we thought they were safe houses, but it turns out it is a list of military-type bases with food, clothing, guns, and all types of vehicles.”
“That could be useful, especially to us in our current situation,” the colonel said.
“There is more.”
Colonel Tisdale sat back in his chair and nodded at Ian. “Go on.”
“These bases are all over the country and into Canada and include the base that I set up for them. Also, everything is labeled in Korean and Farsi.”
“Korean. How do you know it’s Korean?”
“One of my guys is way more educated than I am comfortable with, and he recognized it.”
“More than you’re comfortable with? Do you think he is involved?”
“With them? No, he is as loyal to me as they come. He just acts the fool so much that if he’s that smart… where does it leave me on the intellectual scale?” Ian finished and sat there as the colonel stared at him for a long while before a smile creased his lips.
“You stole his supply list and then murdered him?” the colonel said, struggling with Ian’s admission.
“Is that what you got out of all of that? Seriously, did you not hear what I just said?”
“Yes, I heard you admit to murdering a high-level scientist and steal his supply list. I should have you slapped in irons.”
The sergeant spoke up. “Excuse me, Colonel, if I may?”
“Go ahead, Sergeant Jones,” the colonel said with a wave. His tone of his voice indicated he had had enough of the conversation.
“So, are you trying to say that we should be worried about the North Koreans or Iranians coming in and trying to extort some kind of control over the country?” the sergeant asked Ian.
The colonel stopped tapping his desk as if he suddenly understood something, but Ian wasn’t going to give him that kind of credit.
Instead, he turned to the sergeant to direct his reply. “I am saying much more than that, Sergeant Jones.” Ian paused to gather the right words to stress his point. “I am saying that through Doctor Sanjay, who we did eliminate, the North Koreans and Iran created this virus with the intent of wiping us all out, while leaving the real estate just the way it is. They have barracks and supply depots positioned all over the country, and from what I found out tonight… they have even started to take over airports.” He finished and waited for the realization and the rage to settle into place.
“What part do these two have to play in all of this?” Colonel Tisdale asked as he indicated the two kids.
“Nothing yet,” Ian replied. “I was going to bring them back to the safe house, feed them, and clean them up. If they are willing, we will put a gun in their hands to fight against the invasion and the infected.”
“I see… how many do you have back at this so-called safe house or compound?” Sergeant Jones asked.
“Ten adults, including me, and several children, as well as fifteen guard dogs in various states of training and health, counting my dog here,” Ian said. “We ran into a canine training facility, and the owner needed a little help.”
“You have fifteen dogs?” Macy asked, her interest piqued.
“They belong to Beverly, except for Jasper, who I had put a down payment on months ago. He was being trained to my specifications.”
“You came from Texas to Phoenix for a dog?” the colonel asked.
“No, we had the guy who was immune with us, trying to get back to Cali. He left the group and went off on his own, and Scottsdale was the closest safe house.”
“You let him go?” Sergeant Jones’s exasperation was obvious in his voice.
“Are you going to try and organize an army?” The colonel looked at Ian as if he were insane.
“No, I don’t have those kinds of resources. However, if I can fill up those bunkers with desperate people, it might have the same effect and feed some of our own at the same time.”
“So, you have no intentions of hoarding the supplies for yourself?” Colonel Tisdale asked.
“Begging your pardon, sir, but over twenty years ago, I swore an oath to defend this country against enemies both foreign and domestic. If those supplies can be used for that endeavor, then I am all for it.”
“That is an admirable attitude to have, Mister…”
“McCollister,” Ian reminded him.
“McCollister. I, for one, appreciate it.”
Any reply Ian might have had was left unspoken when something on the colonel’s desk chimed, prompting the man to push a button on the old-school phone in front of him. A voice came out of a speaker on the phone. “Colonel Tisdale, they have left the airport in force, sir.”
“Are they headed our way?”
“No sir, it looks like they are going up into Scottsdale area, sir.”
“Thank you, Corporal.” He released the button and looked at Ian significantly. “It looks like they are going to pick up their gear.”
“Of course. They are going to need a tank or two to take out this base,” Ian replied.
“They have tanks?”
“Actually, we have their tanks, but we are not enough to keep them.”
“Captain Ricoh, I am an old man who has ridden a desk for fifty years here. You, on the other hand, have seen combat. Do you have any suggestions?”
“I do, sir.”
“Then you take the lead here under my authorization.”
“Yes sir. It will require a couple of birds in the air, sir.”
“Very well, Captain. I will gather some civis to man the fence for infected while you do what you have to do.”
Captain Ricoh saluted Colonel Tisdale. “Yes sir, thank you, sir.” He then gave Ian a nod that said he should follow him. “Could you get a crew back to your safe house if we set you up in a rig?”
“I think so, though I don’t know this city,” Ian said. “If you give me back my helmet, I will try and raise them on my coms. It is supposed to be good for two clicks, so we might be in range.”
“Sure, we got your gear stowed back in the truck you came in on. Sergeant Jones will send someone to accompany you.”
“Hey, why the pickup truck and not a Humvee or Unimog or something more military?” Ian asked Sergeant Jones.
“We’re trying to keep a low profile and that’s hard to do when you are running around in armored vehicles. We’ll be taking something a little beefier on the way back to your base.”
“Yeah, makes sense. You don’t happen to have an extra SCAR lying around, do you?”
“We have some SCAR H-EGLM versions lying around. I suppose we could let you use one.”
“Perfect. I don’t have any grenades to launch, but it should work for the magazines I have in my pack.”
“We’ll hook you up with some grenades. I am a little uncomfortable that we don’t know much about you yet, but your story is convincing. I probably wouldn’t believe shit you say if the Koreans hadn’t already moved into our airport.”
“Yeah, that is kind of the bear blocking the shitter, isn’t it?”
“I’m not sure I catch the analogy, Ian,” Sergeant Jones replied.
“Me either. It was something my dad used to say whenever he was at a loss for words. You’d be surprised how many times it fills the space.”
“I’ll keep that in mind… or not,” Sergeant Jones said as two men and a woman approached. “This is Private Buckley,” he said, introducing the woman. He turned to the men. “And this is Private Johnson and Team Leader Tops. They will be taking you back to ready your people. Tops will contact me when you reach your location and we will go from there.”
“Thank you, Sergeant. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your help.”
“Are you kidding? We all saw how fucked you were back there. It’s no big deal, really. If what you say is true, I have a feeling we will be helping each other out quite a bit in the near future.”
Chapter Eleven
Scottsdale Arizona, May 3rd
“Mobile One to base. Over,” Ian said into his mouthpiece and then waited as he squinted through the small windows of the MRAP. He repeated this two times before stopping. He must not have been close enough to reach them, and it was well after midnight, so they wouldn’t be doing runs to try to contact him. His only option was to get close enough to contact the base directly, where he knew one of the Toms would be listening.
Hopefully he could reach them in time to warn them of the approaching North Koreans. Sadly, he had no idea if he would be back at base before the crew from the airport arrived or not. He kept trying every couple blocks until finally, after a half hour and they were well into Scottsdale, he heard a familiar voice.
“Ian, is that you? Over.”
“Yes, it’s me. Is this Beverly? Over.”
“Yes, it’s me. We thought you were done… I’m glad to hear that’s not the case.”
“Yeah, I’m good but I am out of time. What’s our address there?” Ian asked. She told him, and he repeated it to Private Tops, who plugged it into a GPS. “Listen Beverly, I need you to get everyone who can shoot a rifle up and moving. There are some North Koreans coming to get their supplies. Over.”
“What? How do you know? Over.”
“Because I saw them at the airport, and now they are on the move. Over.”
“Morning, Ian.” It was Toby’s voice. “How many, and are they driving anything heavy we need to worry about? Also, what is your ETA? Over.”
“Couldn’t ID their rigs nor how many. Intel is limited. I just know they are on the move, and our place is the only place I can think of that they could be going. Over.”
“Roger that, boss man. Kinsey and Jose are already on the move.”
“Good. Send someone out to pull distributor wires or battery cables on the heavy vehicles out back; we don’t want them to use them against us, and for Christ’s sake, move our own rig a block or two away so it doesn’t get caught up in the shitstorm that is headed our way.”
“It ain’t ‘our way’ until you get here, boss, so get here.”
“You’re sounding more Ivy League every day, Toby. Be there soon… out.”
“I’ll try to dumb it down for you a bit more, Ian. Lord knows I want all y’all hicks to understand me. See you in a bit, boss. Out.”
Ian took off his helmet and sat back as they followed the route prescribed on the GPS. Ty started to say something from where he sat in the back, but Ian stifled him with a single raised hand so he could be alone with his thoughts. He saw every new infected join the throng, starting to follow them as the vehicle came into their sights. He knew they would keep following long after the vehicle passed from their view; however, every unseen turn they took would leave the infected walking straight on past so there was little risk of all of them following them back to the safe house. Eventually, they will just forget or get distracted by a cat or a stray dog. Of course, most dogs were stray these days, providing they were smart enough to survive this long.
Ian’s gaze stopped for a few seconds on a scene a short distance ahead. “Stop the truck!”
“What’s up?”
“Just stop,” he implored. The driver brought the truck to a halt, knowing the infected were not far behind them. “Turn the lights off. Look at the infected ahead—they don’t even see us.”
“Yeah, so what?” Buckley said, irritated by the stop.
“See how they’re all moving to th
e… south, I think,” Ian said.
“Yeah, so what?”
Ty understood what Ian was getting at. “That means they spotted something bigger than us.”
“It’s how we knew there were uninfected in those apartment buildings.”
“Yeah, how many did you save from there?” Tops asked skeptically.
“Don’t know, it might take a day or two for them to realize they have a chance. To go and try to rescue them would just attract the infected back there,” Ian said and saw Tops give him a nod of understanding, or respect, he didn’t know which.
“Leave your lights off and turn down this side street. Let’s see if we can get some eyes on whatever it is,” Ian added.
“I guess your time on the streets would give you certain insights that we don’t have on the base,” Tops said.
“Yeah, they’re like birds in the woods or other wild life, except they flock towards danger instead of silencing or running away. I guess you would say the infected are new-age fauna.” Ian didn’t mean to make a joke about it. The “new-age fauna” was far from being a joke; it was the sole motivating factor currently in Ian’s and everyone’s life.
They spotted a small convoy of foreign vehicles driving through an American city without a care in the world, and it sent rage coursing through Ian’s veins. He readied his newly acquired SCAR and heard the others doing the same as Tops got on the radio and spoke in some type of gibberish code to someone, who Ian assumed was Captain Ricoh.
“Give them a minute and then follow. Maybe they’re not going to our safe house and have another destination,” Ian said, but only two blocks later, he started to recognize the neighborhood as being where they had retrieved Armand’s people, and he knew they would soon be at the front door of the safe house. Ian prayed he had given his people enough warning.
His worry vanished when the lead truck exploded from an RPG blast one block away from the safe house. In response, two of the back trucks pulled off and hightailed it out of range from another assault as three remaining trucks emptied, and the combatants took cover for a standoff.
For Which We Stand: Ian's road (A Five Roads To Texas Novel Book 3) Page 14