He had witnessed the Preacher go from calm and sane to raving lunatic in matter of minutes with Jay getting involved almost immediately. He had started forward at the beginning then held off letting the Commander handle it. Then when things really heated up and he saw the flash as Jay drew his automatic was when he had pushed Judy back and limped in their direction. He didn't make it in time. It was over in seconds. Some had been wounded and the Major had been pushed back to his starting point in the crush of people escaping. Now he was again making his way to the front with Judy's help.
He witnessed Jay's tender kiss to the dead child and shook his head again in wonder at how lucky he was to have made the right choice supporting him. Now the Sgt. was holding his hand to the Commander’s shoulder stopping the bleeding from a wound he had received in the fighting. Major Weston placed his hand on Jay's other shoulder in support and comfort, just letting him know he was there. Jay had nodded at him then the Corporal got there and things were busy again. Major Weston backed away and with Judy's help slowly made his way outside. He decided he would stand with the Lieutenant while the Commander was out with his teams. Doing what needed doing.
*****
Corey felt so sad. For the loss of the little boy’s life and for her man. Her love. He blamed himself of course. All good leaders did and she had heard about the kiss. His kiss to the forehead of the dead boy. That had melted the hearts of most here. It was so tragically tender. So meaningful and pure. Her heart went out to her love. He was such a good strong person with a heart larger than all of them. She had never met anyone like him before.
She had sewn him up then went back to protect his children. Their children. Cara and Jean were waiting. The kids were bedded down. It was early but the little ones were exhausted and mostly asleep with the puppy lost in their mix. Thank God, they hadn't seen the dead boy. Cara had commanded Saul and Shine to 'Guard' and they currently sat in front of the door about four feet back, watching it.
She remembered earlier this afternoon. Jay had taken a moment to let the dogs recognize her as one of their handlers like he had all his girls. The two Rottweiler's were Schutzhund trained and won several state and national championships in that arena. That was unique about them as they were trained in English commands instead of the ridiculously anal trend by trainers to use German commands. The dogs were fiercely protective of the children now and at almost a hundred-forty pounds each, that protection was substantial.
"How is our man hermana?" this was from Cara. Somehow, she had taken charge. But it was very good. Cara had an M4 assault rifle in one hand and a pistol in the other patrolling back and forth near the door leading out of the room. They had guards outside but they also had guards inside. ‘Us,’ she thought. And the dogs.
"Blaming himself."
"Yep. Foolish but admirable. Todos los hombres do this to themselves. All the good ones." Cara straightened up from her half crouch and looked at her then at Jean who also had an M4 at ready sitting at the end of one of the two twin beds. They had been pushed together and their man’s three children and Jean’s two along with little Jack, as they had all started calling him, were finally sleeping, huddled together. Corey had her M4 at the ready also. She was still frightened and worried.
"Face it hermanas. We love the shit out of our hombre." They both nodded at Cara's words and she pointed at the children lying on the bed as she continued.
"And these los pequeños, sisters, are now our niños, our little ones." They all nodded again.
"Group hug." Cara said slinging her guns and holding out her arms, and they hugged each other tightly before laying down around the children holding them. Protecting them as they lay watchful and awake. Waiting on their man.
*****
Sgt. Trask rode silently beside the Commander. They only had twelve miles to go but were taking their time driving slower as the closer they approached. The men all had their instructions. Jason was in front with the driver cradling his USMC Sniper Rifle against his chest in a lovers embrace. Darin looked sideways examining the set look on the Commander’s face and while unlikely, still he prayed the Commander didn't take any stupid chances tonight and if the Sgt. had anything to say in the matter the Commander wouldn't.
They arrived. There were a few zombies walking around but those were quickly dispatched with the crossbows. He signaled the men to head to their positions. Every squad had an assignment and there would be no talking from here on in. They would be using the standard Ranger tac-squawk signals that everyone was familiar with. One squawk hold, two, then proceed. Two then a pause and two more was get the fuck out. They had even fitted The Reaper with a set.
Quietly they infiltrated the woods with each squad walking in single file. The crossbow snipers headed in first and ten minutes later when they were waiting at the hold location Darin got the double squawk to move forward. This meant all outside sentries were down and to proceed. Anything else meant they had run into complications. Of course, gunfire at this point had a meaning also. That was the signal to drop all attempts at stealth and run in with weapons blazing.
Darin was technically leading the raid. The Commander was needed as a sniper as they really had so few good ones and the man was deadly. He patted the Commander’s shoulder then Jason's and made the signal for them to go to their positions and got two nods as they melted into the darkening woods around them, silent as ghosts. He patiently waited minutes, and then gave the signal for an update. It took a full two minutes more but everyone replied and they were in position ready. He lifted the binoculars to his head and surveyed the compound.
The Utari group had guards walking the interior fence line also and he knew they had to strike quickly before they figured out their outer guards were missing. Dead actually. Darin grinned to himself. A large group of children was playing and some women were cooking over an open fire near the center. Most of the women were carrying rifles of all sorts but some few were obviously non-combatants doing camp chores. He counted almost seventy combatants. He signaled the 'get ready' to his men. Then the ‘go’ signal.
Instantly he heard rifles bark in a half circle around the camp. Slow and methodical yet still quite fast as the snipers started taking down interior guards and every combatant within their zones. He raised his own M4 moving forward at a trot until he was right at the fence then sighted and fired at a figure running out of one of the several buildings that dotted the grounds. The man had been carrying a rifle, so fair game.
The two soldiers with Darin quickly cut a wide opening in the fence and the three of them streamed through firing steadily. He heard the crack of near misses and even thought he felt something tug at his pants fatigues but he kept going. He looked around as he fired and saw his men streaming in from all over firing rapidly and it was soon over. Some of the Utari group was holding their hands up in surrender but his men weren't giving them that option per the Commander’s orders. All the men would die as a lesson to others and only those women identified as non-combatants and the children would be spared.
*****
It was over. The last of the men having been executed by my troops along with some of the women who tried to surrender but had borne arms. I ordered the vehicles up and they were there within the minute pushing through the locked gate, which we didn't have a key for. I had the spotlights turned on surrounding the large group of women and children. Mostly children. Then turned to Sgt. Trask.
"Strip search all the women now and pat down the children. You know what to do." he nodded and turned issuing orders.
We found five of the twelve women with hidden guns under their clothing and executed them on the spot amid their pleas for mercy. I had none. Not after what they did to us or tried to do. This was a new world with new laws. There were also two children with guns hidden on them and when asked pointed out the women who hid them. We executed those women also. We had brought two buses for the non-combatants and I ordered them loaded up. I wasn't giving the women their clothes back until we got ther
e and a couple of the men who had experience in interrogation had a chance to talk to them. I wanted nobody with a hidden agenda around our children.
"Sir!" I looked up hearing one of the men screaming for my attention holding up a PRC with its screen flashing. Not good. "Flash traffic from Corporal Rider Sir. The Colony's under attack and it's bad! Thousands of them Sir. Maybe tens of thousands. Mostly coming in from the east."
"Fuck!" I screamed. "Load up and let's get back. Anyone not on a vehicle in five seconds get's left behind." I jumped into a nearby Humvee with four other soldiers.
"Break the sound barrier driver." I ordered then grabbed a spare M4 clipped to the inside wall carrier and a bandolier of magazines slinging them across my chest as I was thrown back in my seat the vehicle hitting at least fifty before we cleared the gate.
*****
Jean had to pee. She and her sisters had been talking in low tones so as not to wake the kids. Sharing stories about each other and hugging with some quiet laughter and even crying. They talked about sex and how they liked doing it. And she learned both Cara and Corey had experienced other women, something she had never attempted but had always been curious. She also learned Corey craved being dominated in bed, and the cunning look on Cara's face at that moment in the light of the lamp was priceless. Then they moved onto the future. Or their hope of one and what it would be like. Cara was such a brat. Her first comment on that subject was their man would have to build them a really big house with lots of rooms and several nannies. She hated changing diapers. That brought the subject of pregnancy up. Not a single one of them was using protection of any kind. And Jay certainly wasn't. They all figured it was only a matter of time before they became pregnant. The weird thing was none of them minded the thought of getting pregnant by their man. They were all actually looking forward to it as long as the world would be safe to raise their children in. Cara's only comment was hopefully they wouldn't all get pregnant at once or they would number eight sisters instead of four. They all laughed at that but exchanged glances.
"I have to pee," she whispered to the others. They told her to hurry back and went back to giggling about Corey's first experience with their man. She was telling the story for the second time and when she got to the part about his makeshift blindfold Cara’s laugh almost woke the kids. The only part she hated about using the bathroom was she had to go down two flights of stairs to get there. They really needed one up here where they were living. Oh well.
She talked briefly with the two soldiers still guarding them. The others had gone down to get supper for everyone up here. She had forgotten to take her rifle with her and one of the guards pointed this out. Embarrassed, she ran back in to get it, the Rottweiler's jumping up with low growls then relaxing when they recognized her. She'd really have to get in the new mindset of going armed everywhere. Now she really had to pee but took an extra few seconds to grab the bandolier of magazines for the M4 she had been assigned. It was strict protocol and she knew Jay would be less than happy if she forgot. She had familiarized with the compact assault rifle. It was the first thing they showed her and drilled into her until she was almost an expert in it. They were so easy to use. She only regretted that it wasn't fully automatic, instead single fire and a three shot burst mode. She left it on safe with a round chambered. Those were the rules they followed.
It was a relief to finally use the bathroom. The stall next to her was occupied also and she found out it was one of the women assigned to the cooking detail and that potato soup, casseroles and fried ones would be a heavy staple in their winter diet along with carrots, cabbage, fish and some meat. They had a zillion chickens she knew and several small local hog farms had been saved but someone would have to carefully manage all of it to maintain breeding stock with the remainder going into the pot. Beef was also in abundance at the moment with cows still fairly plentiful but that would change over the winter.
Her business there finished and a heads up to winter's menu complete she zipped up while opening the stall door. That's when it happened. Every siren they had installed went off with gunfire immediately following it. Her stomach fell as she knew the sirens would only be sounded in an emergency like a zombie attack. Oh My Gog No! The children!
*****
Major Dan Weston was getting to know the Lieutenant well. They had a remarkable number of common interests including their favorite football team being the Pittsburg Steelers.
"Do you think there will ever be football again, Sir?" this from Lt. Smith who was melancholy about the sequence of events that had put them in the here and now.
"Oh I reckon so Lt. It's a popular sport so I'm sure when things quiet down we'll see teams starting back up again. In baseball also. No matter what happens I think it will turn out okay in the long run, with good people in charge and these zombies and this usurpation of government eradicated."
That quieted them for a bit. They were both thinking about this shadow government they were receiving reports on. Military units around the country were rebelling against the authority currently in charge, and more and more reports of covert groups assassinating Officers were coming in. In some cases, they were spotted before they could wreck havoc in that chain of command and taken out by the equally deadly commando's assigned to those units. In others, the entire command structures had been decimated before line troops realized a threat even existed. But this shadow group had played their hand too soon and no word on the Secretary of State was available. Only some reports indicating he might be their captive, so basically they needed more Intel. A project Cpl. Rider was actively working on. That girl was a genius and currently trying to hack into their systems. It was only a matter of time before they knew more, and in the meantime it was chaotic out there with few units trusting others.
"What's that, Sir?" the Lt. was pointing at what looked like a work party coming in late. They appeared to be carrying shovels and rakes. Not sure why those implements but the Colony had so many details out you couldn't keep them all straight.
"Work Party. A little late but I see quite a few coming in." And they were. It was fully dark now and dozens of small groups of twenty or more carrying implements of all sorts were arriving. The gate was wide open and they were streaming through, nobody really paying attention. Time to get the lights on, the Major thought. In the distance, illuminated by coming twilight he could see even more work details approaching. A great many more. Too many more! Something wasn't right.
"Sir. HOLY SHIT, Sir! They’re zombies!"
"What?" and instantly dread hit him for he looked closer at the closest and even though coordinated they were obviously walking in that distinctive zombie manner.
"Oh shit!" And his left hand hit the panic button they had rigged while his right drew his 9mm sidearm. The Lt. started firing his own M4 beside him, and sirens sounded as lights came on all over the Colony. He shouted down to the men near the gate.
"Close that fucking gate!" He screamed, for hundreds if not more had already entered and were making a beeline for the main building, and then as he watched, the creatures attacked and he was firing as fast as he could pull the trigger, already jerking a new magazine out of the pouch on the left side of his belt.
*****
With the other woman behind her carrying only an automatic pistol, Jean flung the door to the restroom open to be greeted by the site of an undead creature moving past. Fast! The hallway was packed with them and some turned in their direction as they saw the door open. Instantly she backpedaled as two of them tried to get through the doorway to the restroom at the same time, hands reaching out for her. She lifted the muzzle of her M4 and sent a burst into the chest of the lead zombie. Stupid bitch! She berated herself as the creature fell lurched from the bullet’s impacts, then rose and kept coming. She adjusted her aim and put the next three through its skull. It fell with finality this time. But the one behind it was almost upon her in that brief moment of stupidity and then it too fell as the women behind her took it out with a well
-placed shot to the head. She felt a strong hand grip her arm as the older stocky woman's face pressed against hers.
"Aim for their heads girl! Don't shoot anymore in the chest, kay, kay?"
"Got it. Call me stupid. I forgot for a second!"
"Not stupid, just quit forgettin’ or we're dead!"
Jean nodded as she took down several more that advanced into the doorway. All headshot bursts, then they were in the corridor firing steadily in both directions. She took out the last few to her left where the main group of them was turning right to the stairwell leading up, and again felt the woman's strong grip pulling her around. She saw the hallway had been mostly cleared of moving creatures to its end but more were streaming in from the outside door, which was wide open with most coming towards them but some few moving through the end door into the sorting, now living quarters area.
"We need to stop them coming in or were done for. Help me girl. I only have two clips left!"
The older woman whose name Jean didn't even know raised her automatic one handed and fired twice, taking down two more and moved towards them dragging Jean along. Jean’s only thought was to reach her and her Jay’s children because she could hear gunfire from above but there was no denying the fact that if they didn't lock that outside door, the wave of zombies might be endless. She quickly raised her rifle again, and sighting through the aim point started taking them down.
"That's it girl! Keep it up were almost there!" The woman released her as they reached the doorway and as she turned facing it she found a large group pressing forward in an attempt to enter. She fired steadily, changing magazines once as the other dragged the unmoving dead to the side and was finally able to close the door. Bolts had been installed for additional security and she threw them home locking it.
Blood, Brains and Bullets Page 38