"Sergeant we'll have friendly's coming in. Four trucks. We need the fuel. We can pack the Major in my SUV. It will be more comfortable than your Humvee and we have two doctors at our base of operations. We'll have to hurry because he needs surgery on that shoulder if I'm not mistaken." I motioned to the Major's shoulder wound. I now had two doctors back at the colony, as I was coming to think of it, and although they were both General Practitioners, I figured they could close a bullet wound. This was one of the very few times I wished my ex-wife were here. As a General Surgeon, she was used to wounds like this on a daily basis in the gang-infested environment of Grand Rapids. I shrugged, and then lifted my radio calling my men and women in. I let them know what to expect then joined Jason and the Sergeant over by the CAPC. I saw the bound figure in black was laying on the ground against the open hatch with bloody features, along with a very unhappy expression on his face. The four camouflaged figures I had seen exit earlier were clustered around their hands no longer raised. The Major had told the Master Sergeant they were friendlies before I walked up. I was pleasantly surprised to see they were Marines. "Sergeant. What's the word?" I inquired as I approached. Jason was with him and they both turned as I approached.
"Mercenary's" he spat! I looked at Jason.
"Shadow Groups NSA section 4 and private contractors." Jason pointed at the four men clad in black and fisted a handful of I.D.'s at me. "These others are what they seem," he was now pointing at the four Marines, "Staff or Command Intelligence pukes. They're recoding cellular transmission towers for secure communications for this shadow group. Unknown at this time who this group actually represents but it's high up. These Intel guys were pulled from northeastern command Atlantic. The gist I'm getting is they were prisoners. Oh, and they were blocking local radio transmissions which is why the Major or Master Sergeant couldn't call in the rest of his Battalion. The Army's here to drop the girl off. They were under orders."
"Battalion?" I looked at the Sergeant. A Battalion would be a good thing.
"We number about two hundred and fifty or so, Sir. Already shorthanded from flu deaths then lost about a quarter of our force in a battle last night with the undead. Most of the others are on Highway 37 but we couldn't contact them until now. They're still holding as it's under control."
"Where are the rest of your officers?" I was puzzled. Dropping off the girl with the big hooters? What the hell was going on?
"Dead Sir, either from the vaccine or in the battle with those creatures. Only the Major is left." I nodded at that.
A small Marine Corporal stepped forward, thrusting her way into our midst. Vaguely I noticed she was petite with red hair but extremely boyish with a uniform that obviously didn't fit.
"They killed our commanding officer Lieutenant Brewer," she blurted. She turned pleading eyes on the Sergeant and I. "We had no choice. It was follow their orders or die. They made an example of our CIC. We were scared." she finished speaking and started crying shaking her head savagely.
"Give me a minute." I said. I was inclined to believe her. By then my crew had arrived and after brief introductions, I sent them off to the parked tanker trucks that were laid out in rows behind the fuel depot instructing them to find me four loaded tankers. Two of diesel and two of gasoline. I told Michael to let the back down in the SUV because we had a critical patient to transport. He nodded and took off running. My people now busy, I turned back to Jason and the soldiers.
"Sergeant, your Major wants your group to bivouac with us for a bit and for me to help his men. That means I'm in charge in the absence of any other officers when we get to my theatre of operation. Any questions?" I squared off facing him expecting an argument but I'd be damned if I'd have two-hundred-fifty soldiers running roughshod over my people.
"No Sir!" he exclaimed saluting me. I nodded in return relieved. That’s one less headache, I thought.
"Good we’re ten miles north of here in Newaygo and we now have a facility large enough for all of us including your men."
"Newaygo? You're from Newaygo?" The hot brunette had been standing near enough to hear us and now was beside me tugging on my sleeve. "Do you know a Wayne and Jean Cheney by chance?" her expression was pitiful. Desperate hope written all over it.
I smiled beginning to understand. Small world evidently. What were the odds? "Wayne and Momma Jean? Sure, they’re my neighbors and you must be Jean their daughter. They and your kids are safe at my place and we'll be joining them within the hour. Probably less." I smiled down at her.
"Oh my God! Thank you, thank you." she squealed then started crying while trying to hug and kiss me at the same time her arms wrapped around my neck and kinda jumping up and down, throwing me off balance slightly.
"Whoa easy there sexy thing." I took a step back to catch my balance, my hands coming up to catch her and found myself gripping the two huge mounds of her breasts. Yeah I took advantage of that tender moment and squeezed them before pushing her back slightly. What can I say? I'm a dog. Damn they were huge. The soldiers were all grinning at us. Even the Sergeant. Jean stepped back from me her face red with embarrassment although I noticed she stepped back slowly.
What the hell was wrong with me? I already had two hot chicks and was thinking of a third now? I wanted to slap myself. But Jesus Christ she was smokin’. She wrapped her jacket tightly around herself as she stepped back but not before I noticed her nipples were definitely hard. Uh oh. I needed too quickly divert my attention. She turned away murmuring her thanks again as I turned my attention to Jason.
"Well what do you think Jason?" I asked. I had come to value greatly his judgment and knowledge.
"About your growing harem?" he inquired innocently grinning at my discomfiture.
"No damn it. About the bad guys?" I growled back not in the mood. I didn't want to face Bridget and Cara and hoped Cara had been too occupied with the fuel trucks to see the display. I quickly surveyed the area and... Oh, shit. She was standing about ten feet behind us hands on hips and staring. Damn. I winked. She scowled. Uh oh. Trouble in paradise. I sighed.
"Well not much. We simply don't know enough yet. This is their leader he knows the most I'm guessing, but any of these Intel guys can probably clue us in on most everything." he was fingering his six-shooter. He had indicated one of the men that I had already figured for their leader. He was the one that had taken cover inside the APC knowing its armor would keep him safe. The others had all cast glances at him as if waiting for instructions. I turned to the Sergeant.
"Sergeant. Rules of engagement concerning prisoners?" he shrugged, I nodded. "What's the world like out there?" I asked further.
"About ninety percent dead, probably more. The immunizations really screwed us. Like they were designed to kill and not heal the flu. Most units are gone. Some are still operating at partial strength like ours trying to get refugees to camps but frankly the camps are being overrun by the critters so I'm not sure if were helping or hurting. We heard the President was dead and the Speaker of the House was in charge but not inaugurated yet. Most of command is gone. Were pretty much on our own." he shrugged again. I nodded and turned to Jason.
"You heard him. I guess handcuff the leader and bring him along. We'll talk to him later. I'm sure he'll talk with a little friendly persuasion." I pointed at the man who was obviously in charge. He cringed. I could tell he was weak. Good. I liked weak men. They were easy to break."The rest we don't need. Take care of it Reaper." He nodded at my words and as I turned away to address the four Marines I heard three shots ring out. I didn't bother turning around.
"I'm in charge when we get to Newaygo and until the Major is better, you’re under my orders there. Any issues with that?" I growled. They were quick, no very quick to agree.
"You'll follow us and if you deviate?" I turned to the Sergeant whose expression hadn't changed. "Sergeant you'll blow the tires off with that 134." I pointed to the Gatling gun on top of one of the Humvees. "Then we'll execute them." He nodded and started collecting his men. He must have made an
other radio call because I was seeing a long line of olive drab and camouflage vehicles approaching.
By now, my crew had completed their assignment and four tractor-trailers were pulled up, rumbling ready to go. Three of my people had to ride with the Army people to make room for the Major and two Corpsmen in the back but that was good. I picked the three girls we had brought along in addition to Cara; of course, I had picked pretty ones. I shooed them towards the army vehicles as I jumped in my SUV motioning Jean to join us. She squeezed in between Michael and me. Before I could close the door, it swung open further and Cara jumped in my lap with a determined expression on her face. Oh, boy this was going to be a long ride. I groaned. The girls were already giving each other looks.
*****
Jean was anxious to see her children and parents. She also wanted to know more about the man who had saved them and more importantly saved her children. He intrigued and excited her. This other girl he called Cara was obviously his wife or girlfriend. That shouldn't matter to her of course. But her belly still fluttered over the kiss he had given her and his strength. The way he had just grabbed and kissed her without even asking. She was glad she was sitting. Her knees were suddenly very weak as she watched him out of the corner of her eye, noticing this Cara watching her in return. A very speculative look. Not exactly ‘sizing up the competition’ kind, more like wondering if there was competition. She tried to smile then turned her attention forward.
****
Chapter 10
DAY 5: 1600 ET
We were back and the Major was in makeshift surgery with both doctors and nurse attending him. It had taken less than a half hour to fuel the tankers including the army one with the generator I had brought and the return had been uneventful. Sure, there were plenty of zombies walking around but we moved too fast for them to catch us and I had the snowplow-running blockade in front clearing a path as we drove straight down the middle of Grant. As long as we didn't slow down, we were fine and even then, the plow took care of them wonderfully throwing their bodies quite a distance to either side. I knew that son-of-a-bitch would work. Cara insisted on giving me quite a few thoroughly delightful kisses on the way back rubbing herself all over me. Of course, I knew what that was all about; I'm not stupid, just horny all the time. She had noticed my interest in Jean and was making damn sure both of us knew Cara was my woman. I obliged her of course. Kissing Cara is a wonderful experience. Jean was silent for most of the trip but I noticed she kept watching Cara and me. I didn't know how that would turn out but honestly, I was seriously hoping it would turn out in my favor. Not sure exactly what that was yet but the woman was incredibly beautiful. Even dirty her beauty shone through. It was all I could do to keep my attention on the road around us and my woman in my lap. Jean and Michael made occasional small talk. Mostly about her family and what we were putting together here. We had learned back at the fuel depot that they had tracked Jean through her cell phone so it was in my cargo pocket with the battery removed. I was taking no chances until we figured out what was going on.
Everyone had emptied out of the house to see us arrive. Jean immediately reunited with her family and I briefly saw her clutching both of her children in a bear hug with tears streaming down all of their faces. They had catching up to do. There was not enough room for all the army vehicles at my place. They were parked all down my driveway and up and down the road in front. There were a lot of them and it was busy with everyone getting to know each other. I spotted Rosita and headed to her. I had left her with instructions and I needed to see how her crews were doing. Thanks to Jason and my crews, our area was zombie light but I knew that wouldn't last even a couple days after what we saw last night. Crews were foraging for every possible needed supply including livestock. We needed cattle, chickens, rabbits if possible, hogs, horses, and goats, lumber for barns and hay, and feed for the animals and... The list was practically endless and we had little time. I ordered my last fourteen cases of beer up from the shelter for the soldiers, while ordering another six brought up from the Compound, and left instructions that everyone else could also have one that wanted one. Beer goes a long way towards customer relations with Army troops. Trust me. Besides, we were still only a few hundred and Newaygo had lots of beer.
My next stop was my kids. I hugged and kissed each one of them thoroughly, taking my time. Then it was Bridget's turn. I had missed her presence. Damn, I think I was in love with all my girls. I kissed her soundly squeezing that tight little ass and whispering in her ear what I was going to do to her later this evening. She laughed and kissed me back passionately and everything was temporarily all right in the world. Her hand was already groping for the ‘monster’ so I quickly separated myself from her. Damn it it's embarrassing to meet with the guys sporting a hard-on. Totally unprofessional and all that.
Miguel brought me up to speed on everything. He was the true leader here. I was just a figurehead that happened to shoot pretty good and had a cache of supplies. If only most of the zombie books I had read had been real. Running gun battles with all the latest gadgets. Flying high on constant adrenaline rushes and dropping bad guys quicker than a bug zapper during monsoon season in New Orleans. Yeah well. Nothing like that. Figures. It was hard damn work and you never had enough time or people and you got almost no sleep and everything was a freaking emergency. On the other hand, with 90-95% of the population dead there were literally tons of supplies. We had them coming out our ass. Most of the books got that wrong too. Thank God!
Miguel had instantly pulled the Master Sergeant aside to discuss the troops. As an ex-Federale he knew a thing or two and from my own experience I knew the thing was keep ‘em busy and work ‘em till they dropped or they'd get in trouble. Most were just older kids after all, with a bunch of much needed skills.
Miguel and the Sergeant broke them down into work parties to carry supplies and help with construction at our new home. Miguel had also cleverly paired them with many of the unattached women we had. That was clever. I didn't want to lose them and we had a ton of unattached women. Well over a hundred now and more were coming in by the hour. Not sure what the Major’s plans or orders were, but whatever works and all that. If he insisted on leaving, he might just find himself in a rebellion. I grinned evilly to myself over the thought.
Jason had taken our prisoner into one of the back sheds to interrogate him. The kids were all inside or down below or at the new place. Someone had found a school bus and was shuttling people over there. I understand quite a bit of construction was going on. They raided the local ACE hardware of all their lumber and nails and building supplies. Walking upstairs, I peeked in my room and noticed my big oak bed was missing along with my matching oak dresser. My eyebrows rose. Interesting. I guess I would be sleeping in comfort at our new location. Good people are hard to find and I had the best. There were too many things to do everything in one day but we tried. I was sure it would be an ongoing project for weeks ahead.
Miguel had sent a party down to Devil's Hole and found they had quite a few interesting things going on. Seems a decade or two back they had this whole swapper thing going on down there. I had no clue. I gathered that many if not most of the families down there had been involved. Well, I guess that whole thing started back up in their seclusion. There had been two deaths due to jealousy but once that was over, they took it in stride and carried on. I really didn't want to know how involved my parents were in all that. Miguel's men and women had dropped off a ton of needed supplies and ammunition in common calibers. They were in good shape and healthy with only an occasional zombie that happened to stumble into their secluded location. I was okay with that. Eventually maybe we'd get around to bringing them in if things got tight. In the meantime, I let them do their thing. No, not going there. What my parents do is their own business. I refused to think about it, instead cherishing the thoughts of my mother and father in happy married bliss. I also found out Miguel had confiscated all cell phones in the Colony and here. We'd been having a ma
jor issue with many of the younger men and women on guard duty getting caught playing games on their I Phones and other devices after charging them up at my place. Jesus Christ people are stupid.
Next on the agenda was naming the undead bastards. I mean WTF! I saw that note and thought, like we have nothing better to do? Obviously, an outtake of too many people reading too many zombie books written by interesting authors with healthy imaginations and totally out of touch with reality, after all it had been fiction until now. I heard every conceivable name brought up and I'm not listing any of them. Why bother? They walk, act and eat like traditional zombies from the original movies, thus they’re zombies. Why get anal about it? I nipped all that in the bud and made a declaration that from henceforth the undead creatures be known as zombies. God, such important decisions I had to make. The big guy up above better have a special place set aside for me with plenty of pretty female angels for having to deal with this nonsense.
Cara told me our new bedroom was at the top of the facility with a great view to the east, west and north while overlooking the river. It was large enough for my bed and dresser and a small room off to the side for meeting my staff. Whatever they decided. I wasn't exactly comfortable with being in charge I'll admit, but I had no intention of dying or my children dying under the command of someone totally stupid. I still had deep reservations about the whole thing. I knew full well how much work it is, and would be going forward for years into the future. I didn't know if I was completely up to that quite frankly. See, there are many types of people and one of those types is the micro manager that truly enjoys this kind of thing. Like telling people how to shit, when to shit, and while doing so, how much toilet paper to use when they shit. I mean, they absolutely get off on that bull. Pun intended. Currently, we called them politicians and I offered another sincere prayer to God or the gods that most were dead. I resolved to flesh out my staff with people more experienced than I was in every critical area we needed. Like waste-management. Three hundred people shitting created a ton of waste. Temporarily we'd pipe it into the river. We had no choice. Besides it wasn't until sixty years ago they stopped doing that anyways and my parents were fine healthy upstanding citizens married in monogamous bliss. Soon the ground would be too hard to dig latrines into, hence the river as a temporary measure.
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