A society is made up of a great many individuals, all with different strengths and skills. With almost two-hundred refugees now, I found skills I didn't even know we needed until I was told about them. That's a point some of the apocalypse books had dead wrong. People know stuff especially older people. I felt strongly we would be okay if we made it through the next month.
As we drove we saw small bunches of zombies headed north through the open fields. Probably from Grand Rapids. I scowled at the thought of a half million zombies headed our way. I had my pistols on and my sniper AR was in the back and hoped I wouldn't need either of them. This was a fuel run damn it.
As we got closer to the fuel depot, we heard popping sounds in the distance, which I recognized instantly. I pulled over and hopped out. There were only a few zombies in the far distance nothing close. Jason and Michael joined me as I stood at the front of my SUV. I turned to Jason who was staring into the distance having recognized the sounds also. That worried me. "Care for a recon friend?" He nodded.
This stretch of road was sporadically lined with houses but heavily wooded. We took advantage of the cover keeping up a pretty good jog towards the gunfire. Obviously, M16s some on auto, or that semblance of it, which is the three round burst. Others in semi automatic, firing single shots and combined it sounded like a small war going on. I heard a different bark I knew was a handgun. Maybe a .40 or .45? Hard to tell at this distance. It was coming from the fuel depot of course. Things happen that way in real life and they call it Murphy's Law. As we ran closer we slowed our pace, creeping forward in quick light steps. Jason beside me, I slowly moved brush out of my way and surveyed the scene before us. Holy Shit!
It looked like one Army unit engaged in battle with another Army unit. On the left side were obvious camouflaged Army soldiers arrayed around a group of parked camouflage Humvees, four in number. Some of those soldiers were on the ground either dead or wounded. I saw a flash of blue amongst a group behind one of the Humvees and wondered at that.
On the right was obviously a command APC with its dozens of antenna and satellite dishes protruding from the top, surrounded by six black Humvees. A deep terrain tractor-trailer was parked behind them near the fence line and a multitude of black clad figures dotted the surrounding area, outnumbering the regular army boys. I saw one camouflage clad form near the CAPC lying face down obviously shot by the looks of the red stain on the back of his fatigues. He was facing away from the black clad group while in their midst, and in the doorway of the Command Vehicle a black clad figure was methodically firing a shiny handgun at the regular Army men. My eyes narrowed and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jason looking through a pair of binoculars.
"This isn't cool bro." I murmured under my breath to him.
"Nope. You recognize the ones in black? I don't." The question was a logical one. I had some covert experience, as did he. I shook my head. "The Army is true Army. Just an FYI. They have a civilian girl with them. They look surprised. Obviously low on ammunition because their firing single rounds. The ones in black are on full automatic and the Army guy they pushed in the command APC was under guard. How do you want to play this?" I heard a girl’s scream sound from the battle area.
I smiled as I unlimbered my AR and spread the short snipers tripod out taking up position under the leading edge of the brush. "Well Jason, only one way to play it. We Marines have a long standing tradition of saving the Army's bacon." I slipped my earplugs in then flipped up my magnetic scope covers taking aim as he did the same to my left. "I got center left." I commented nonchalantly. That told Jason he had center and right, in that target rich environment. No sense on us firing at the same people. He grunted in return. I fired, and then fired again slipping into the zone.
*****
DAY 5: 1405 ET
Jean had been waiting an eternity. Major Weston had been with the leader of the black clad soldiers in that big armored vehicle for close to thirty minutes. They pulled up surprising the other group, which had quickly raised their weapons and taken cover. That surprised her. Weren’t army guys all on the same side against the turned creatures? She took advantage of the stop to get down and stretch her legs, noticing that the gunner Dean stayed close to her. The Major must have told him too, she thought. Before he left, she had seen the Major have a few quiet words with one of the men before going off with that person dressed in black. Dean said the other man was wearing Captain’s tabs. Didn't that mean the Major was his boss? Dean didn't know, and said it depended on the unit and orders from command. Jean's pacing took her to him and she leaned up against the side of the Humvee as he pulled a pack of camel cigarettes out and lit one. She didn't know he smoked. "Those will Kill you." she commented.
"Many things these days will kill you." He shrugged his eyes on the black clad figures. He took a deep drag of the cigarette, its end glowing bright even in the sunlight. Just then, the armored vehicles door opened and the Major stepped out. He slammed the door behind him and started walking in their direction. The door opened behind him and Major Weston looking over his shoulder broke into a run. The man standing in the open door raised a handgun of some kind and fired. The Major dropped.
"Oh shit! Dean exclaimed dropping his cigarette and grabbing Jean pulled her behind the Humvee as firing erupted on both sides. Jeans mind was awhirl. Obviously, Dean and the others had expected the worse might happen. They all started firing almost instantly, as did the black dressed figures diving behind their own vehicles. She cried out scared as she saw several on both sides fall, one with his head almost completely severed from his body as the rounds scythed through him. Dean had immediately dragged her behind a rear tire before starting to clamor up the side of the Humvee to his gun mount. Shots rang out and his dead body hit the ground beside her. She screamed in shock. No, he was right. Many things can kill you these days.
She was petrified. All the Army guys had taken cover behind the vehicles. Oh, my God, what was happening? Weren't the undead enough? She didn't know why the men in black had started firing. We outnumber them, she thought to herself; Well we would if the others were here. What the heck was going on? She peered around the tire she was hiding against to sneak a peek. She saw the Major, and his hand was moving slowly. Alive! Wonderful, but obviously hurt and she didn't know how badly. Time seemed to blur, seconds stretched to minutes, minutes to hours as the world erupted around her.
Suddenly to her right she heard firing in the distance. Several pops and a deeper roar. Quite a few. The soldiers around her slacked off on their firing as several of the black dressed figures fell dead from behind their vehicles spilling out into view. Then her skin pricked all over as a wall of pressure hit her and a deep roar sounded behind her coming from the other group firing at them, as she crouched with her back against the tire. Then another explosion had her ears ringing and suddenly the soldiers around her started firing again. Someone was calling out but she didn't understand the words. Her ears were still numb. A soldier she vaguely recognized leaned over helping her to her feet and she rounded the vehicle with him to see the men in black all holding their hands up in the air. There were only a few left out of the dozen or more she had originally counted. Two of their vehicles were destroyed and burning fiercely. The soldiers around her were covering them with weapons ready and some were facing to her right, where she saw two figures walking slowly from the trees about a hundred yards away. Both had weapons propped up on their shoulders. She could vaguely tell they were smiling. What the hell was going on?
*****
I fired, taking the one just to the left of the CAPC high in the jaw just under his helmet. The round entering slightly low but mushrooming upon entry and careening up into the skull lifted the helmet off the dead man's head. My crosshairs were already centering on another figure before the first had even started collapsing. I heard the roar of Jason's Remington going off beside me a split second after my first shot. I fired again, the round hitting this one dead center in the forehead. I didn't wait to see
him fall either; I was shifting to my third. Jason's was steadily firing beside me. They were diving for cover but one lagged behind and I took him in the back of the head just as he reached the corner of a black Humvee. He fell with his legs stretched out behind him, his torso hidden from view. I shrugged. They were all under cover now. I knew those black Humvees were partially armored as I had seen the sparks as rounds bounced off their exterior from the firing soldiers. I had a solution for that. I hit the magazine release dropping the mostly full thirty-round magazine and pulled a red-banded magazine from my vest. Oh, they'll love this, I thought.
I centered the crosshairs just behind the rear well of the left most Humvee just above the undercarriage and fired off the last round from the previous magazine. I saw a dimple indicating that while the doors and engine compartment appeared to be armored, no thought had been given to the gas tank. I guess they figured the self-sealing bladders they used would take care of any rounds. Ha! Not these, and fired again twice and quickly. The tracer rounds that followed next ignited within a dozen feet of my barrel and like lasers speared into the lead black Humvee. With a soft thump, followed by a louder explosion, it blew up. A bright, blazing fireball lifted it off the ground, ending with the Humvee upside down shattered, and burning. "Holy God Almighty!" I heard from my left as Jason's breath sucked in surprise. I fired twice again and the second of the six black Humvees exploded. I then held my fire as they were coming out with hands raised. Jason thumped me on the back and I rose thumbing out the tracer magazine and replacing it with the original thirty I had started with.
"Got you, but you’re good. Damn good. Saw you get three but I got five. All good shots." He grinned at me proudly. I smiled back. He was the expert after all. I would have wondered if I had beaten him but damn I sure did try. Actually, you don't think of those things when you're in the middle of it. Or not much. You’re just trying to survive and do your job. Get as many as you can as fast as you can. We stood up tilting our rifles against our shoulders and started walking towards the figures. Time to find out what was up. They owed us that was for sure. As we got closer, we saw they were on guard but not pointing their guns directly at us. Close though. They knew we had made the difference. A few were guarding the half dozen surviving men in black who all stood with raised hands including the one that had tried to hide in the CAPV. He was lying on the ground before the open door of the Command Vehicle hogtied with what looked like patch cords. Now that was funny. I got a decent look at the girl who had earlier screamed. Wow! What a looker. Obviously, a model. Petite with dark hair and really large tits. My type, I thought. I got on the radio and told the others to keep holding tight. I'd radio back in a few.
*****
Jean carefully examined the two lone figures as they approached. Both were dressed in camouflage jackets and black army vests with blue jeans on. They looked like hunters but their guns didn't. Both had short tripods attached near the front of their weapons and they were obviously military weapons of some sort. They men also both wore those floppy hats she had seen some soldiers wear in movies. An older one maybe in his mid-50's lead the way with the other mid-30's one shortly behind him. He was on a radio obviously talking to someone. As they got closer, she saw the mid-30's one was maybe a bit older but the older man obviously deferred to him as they said something between them and then the younger one-stepped forward.
"Who's in charge?" he asked the soldiers around Jean. She saw his eyes roam her body again for a second time. She frowned.
"I am. Sergeant Trask, Sir." A black soldier next to her stepped forward. The same one who had helped her.
"Well, Sergeant Trask. Actually, Master Sergeant Trask, as I see from your tabs, if you have a medic you might want to see to your Major. He's still alive." The man pointed out dryly his finger indicating the fallen figure of the Major. Major Weston was trying to raise himself on one arm. The other was collapsed under him. The Sergeant barked orders, several men rushed to the Major turning him over and administering to him. The Sergeant turned back to the two men.
"Thank you, Sir. For that and your help. It was touch and go for a minute but nothing we couldn't handle, Sir." He put on a brave tone but Jean wasn't so sure. Before the others had gotten involved, she knew that six of theirs had fallen for only two of the men in black.
"Okie Dokie Sergeant. I get that." The man grinned and turned his piercing blue eyes on her. "And who are you?" he inquired. The Sergeant stepped in front of her.
"That's Miss Jean and she's under the Major’s protection and ours." he said firmly.
The man held up his left hand, the right being occupied with holding his rifle. "Okay, okay, soldier. I get that too. Just figuring everything out. There's a story here and we want to hear it. But first, my name is Jay. You may call me Jay." he quipped. He pointed at the older man who had wandered off. "And this is Jason. You may call him The Reaper. Don't screw with him. Most of those dead bodies are by his doing." He grinned at the older man who was examining the bodies near the exploded Humvees. Jason simply looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Okay, Okay," he said. "I did get three but you got five!"
"Correction, Jay. You got six. You’re forgetting the three you got when you blew up their Humvees." The old man corrected pointing at the ground around the burning husks.
"Oh jeez, really? So I beat your ass?" Jay appeared to be in shock and the older man finally grinned at him.
"Yup!"
The Sergeant had been listening to the banter between the two men and he suddenly saw the patch sewn into the front of the older man's floppy had. "Marines? You mean two Marine snipers saved our ass?" he asked in a plaintive voice. Jean heard groaning from others around her among the soldiers. She guessed this was maybe a bad thing?
"Yup!” The one named Jay was obviously ecstatic over their revelation as he copied the old man's one syllable word. “The Marines own your ass as usual," he continued, starting to laugh. She saw most of the soldiers lower their weapons except those few guarding the prisoners including the other four soldiers from the big armored vehicle. Around her most of the soldiers were also shaking their heads. What was going on? She turned to the Master Sergeant beside her who looked embarrassed. He read her expression and answered sighing heavily.
"The competition between the Army and the Marine Corps goes back centuries. Their usually the first in on the ground and we hold what they take and when we get in trouble or outnumbered most of the time its them that comes to our rescue." he shrugged, his coal black skin reflecting the flames from the burning vehicles and scowled at the two men. "They have a bad habit of saying they own us when that happens. It's just a little irritating." The man named Jay surprised her then, after the Sergeants words, he slung his rifle and approached him and grabbing the Master Sergeant hugging him tightly.
"I'm just really glad to see you Army boys. Victory hug and kiss time," he said releasing him finally after that turned and grabbed Jean for a hug. She felt herself lifted and her chest mashed against his. His hands had slipped inside her open coat to grab her by the small of her back and just below her shoulders. His mouth crushed hers in a hard rough electrifying kiss making the hairs on the back of her neck curl and goose pimples stand out all over her body. Wow and he tasted like mint toothpaste. She felt her nipples instantly harden for the first time in weeks maybe months. Her feet dangled off the ground as his mouth moved to her ear whispering. "I have an eight inch cock also. Just an FYI." before releasing her, one of his hands lowering her down by gripping her ass firmly and she swatted at it then slapped his grinning face before he could pull away. The whisper had been loud. The other soldiers where all laughing including the Sergeant but the old man was just shaking his head a bemused expression on his face.
*****
I grinned. My chest was tingling where her tits had rubbed against it and I swear by all the gods I felt her nipples harden when I kissed her. Jesus she was smoking HOT with a capital H. I couldn't help myself from kissing her. Her slap was but a faint ec
ho that the tingling in my chest overrode. I felt I recognized her but couldn't quite place the memory. Damn it her tits were huge and firm. I reluctantly brought myself back to the present.
"What in the hell is going on here. Can someone clue me in?" I asked. The events leading up were quickly explained to me and I turned to the Sergeant. "What's going on with them?" I pointed at the CAPV where four green clad soldiers stood with arms raised like the ones in black. I noticed they kept themselves separate.
"We don't know!" he said and ran to the Major who was moving slowly into a sitting position with the help of two Corpsmen. The Master Sergeant beckoned to me. As I approached, I saw the Major had taken one through the shoulder up high and another had grazed the side of his head slicing through the hair and skin just above his left ear. A third round had evidently hit him in the upper thigh but the bleeding there had apparently stopped. He was trying to speak. I crouched down to get closer.
"Marine?" The Major whispered with piercing eyes. I nodded. "Do you have someplace safe we can go?" I nodded again. "Thank you. Help my men until I figure out what's going on." Then his eyes closed and he slumped in the arms of the two Corpsmen. The Sergeant was crouched beside me and I turned to him.
Blood, Brains and Bullets Page 21