Blue Plague: Hope: Book Seven

by Watson, Thomas A

  Three quarters of a mile into the mass Bruce kneeled down, changing belts in the SAW as they came up on the overrun vehicles. Slamming the cover down, he opened fire at the blue bodies piled on the vehicles. “I’ll be right back, bitches,” he screamed as he sent a wall of lead, hosing down the rigs that were pulled bumper to bumper.

  Noticing they were going much slower, Bruce glanced ahead and saw the plow was still throwing up a wall of bodies, but nowhere near as high. “Speed the fuck up! Daddy has killin’ to do!” he screamed. With the loudspeakers, Bruce didn’t need the radio.

  “He has it floored, there are just too many bodies!” Louis yelled over the intercom.

  Popping the feed cover open, Bruce slammed in another belt, “Louis, hit that motherfucker and push his ass!” Bruce bellowed, grabbing onto the cupola.

  Stomping the accelerator, Louis saw the troops in the back of the plow rig grabbing on as his front bumper hit them. The driver in the plow held on tight, fighting to keep the steering wheel straight as they picked up speed.

  A torrent of wind suddenly blew down on them and Bruce looked up to see his Super Stallion hovering over them flying sideways. Streams of bullets shot from the side as Steve flew the chopper sideways, so the door gunners could help clear the roads.

  When Buffy’s minigun ran dry, she moved her hands to the GAU mounted beside it. “Oh yeah,” she grinned, pressing the trigger and sending out a stream of fifty cal. “Two miniguns and no waiting.”

  Feeling the SAW’s bolt lock back, Bruce glanced down. Smoke was pouring off the barrel. “Cheap piece of shit,” he shouted and flipped the barrel lock, dropping the smoking barrel on the roof. Putting another barrel on, he looked up to see the end of the horde.

  “Head to the exit and cross over,” he shouted, putting another belt in the SAW. Glancing behind him, he saw the blues charging them now and not the trapped vehicles. “Give me another SAW!”

  With Buffy on the GAU, the wall was pushed back enough and Ted dropped in the back, grabbing another SAW. Seeing the ammo cans, he grabbed them and climbed back behind his minigun. “Here you go, boss!” he said, tossing them on the roof.

  When they broke through the mass of bodies, Bruce realized Louis was still pushing the plow rig. “Louis, stop pushing them now,” Bruce yelled.

  “I need ammo,” Buffy yelled, dropping down in the rig and Bonnie climbed out of the passenger seat, dropping the radios to help.

  Standing up with a SAW under each arm and a grin from ear to ear, “Come get some!” Bruce yelled and squeezed both triggers.

  “Louis, Bruce is standing up on the roof, you make sure you take the turns slow!” Carl shouted, grabbing cans of ammo and reloading his minigun. Following the lead truck, Louis slowed on the exit ramp.

  Overhead, Steve moved his chopper out of the way as six Blackhawks flew in and hovered over the convoy. Rivers of lead flowed out into the horde as the blues tried to move toward the convoy.

  When both guns ran dry, Bruce kneeled down, grabbed the ammo, and reloaded them as they crossed the bridge over the interstate. Almost foaming at the mouth, Bruce looked up to see the left column was just starting up the exit ramp and the horde was after them.

  “When you pull on the interstate, slow until the left column is beside us!” he shouted, standing up and leaving the SAWs lying on the roof. As Louis turned back onto the interstate, Bruce leaned over but stayed standing.

  Heading down the ramp, Louis sped up, pulling behind the lead rig as he gripped the steering wheel with sweaty hands. Behind him, Buffy was shouting at the heavy ammo cans as Bonnie helped her reload the GAU and minigun.

  Kneeling down, Bruce reached through the troop hatch and pulled his rucksack to the roof and dropped it beside the miniguns. He turned and saw the other line of rigs pulling beside them. Bending over, he picked up one of the SAWs as the horde charged them. “Who’s your fucking daddy, cock monkeys!” he shouted, squeezing the trigger.

  Hearing Bruce fire, the others moved faster reloading and climbed behind their guns. Carl saw the left column beside them and grabbed a SAW and moved over beside Ted. He glanced over his shoulder as Bruce dropped the empty SAW and grabbed the other one. “Yes!” Carl shouted and rested the SAW on the lip of the roof and opened fire.

  The six Blackhawks, now empty, flew off as Steve returned and three more Blackhawks settled in with him over the convoy. Blues were dying so fast cluttering the ground, none could break into a run.

  Driving side by side, the two columns raced back down the interstate, hosing down the blues. When they were once again even with the trapped vehicles, the left side of the convoy hosed them down again.

  Clearing the horde, the convoy sped down the interstate to the next exit four miles away to circle back. In their wake was a field of stacked bodies.

  Louis slowed as they pulled up the exit ramp and crossed over. On the roof, Bruce reloaded the SAWs then pulled his pistol out and put it in his left hand. Crossing over the interstate, the convoy sped down the on ramp as Bruce reached down to his rucksack.

  Grabbing the handle of his samurai sword, Bruce yanked it out.

  In Prometheus, everyone cheered, throwing up their hands at seeing a lone figure standing up and holding a sword on the drone feed. Back at Hope, watching the battle live, tens of thousands cheered along with them, seeing the figure they knew was Bruce, holding the sword as the convoy charged back to the trapped vehicles.

  “When you get a hundred yards away from the trapped vehicles, slow down!” Bruce shouted then unhooked the cable to the rigs intercom. A mile from the vehicles, Buffy opened fire with the minigun as the horde charged at them.

  Behind her, Bruce twirled the sword in his right hand as the two columns pulled apart to pass the trapped vehicles. Feeling the rig slow down, Bruce grinned, tensing his body as they neared the trapped vehicles. He could see several blues standing up.

  When his rig was beside the last trapped vehicle, Bruce jumped. A blue that was beating on the troop hatch stood up as Bruce swung the sword, taking the blue’s head off. Landing hard, he lifted his left hand up, shooting three more blues off the roof.

  Running over the dead blues sprawled on the roof, Bruce jumped over the cupola and landed on the hood. Swinging his sword, he chopped a matrix kid that leapt off the next roof in half. “I have enough kids,” he growled, jumping up on the next rig.

  As the convoy surrounded the trapped vehicles, Carl glanced over his shoulder and didn’t see Bruce. Panic gripped him as he turned around when the rig came to a stop. Standing up out of the troop area, Carl looked back and saw Bruce on the trapped vehicles. “God damn it! Bruce is on the stranded rigs!” he shouted.

  “Well, get your ass over there, I’m busy!” Ted shouted, swinging the barrel of his minigun side to side and mowing down the charging blues.

  Dropping the SAW, Carl grabbed his SCAR. He looked up to see Buffy firing the minigun then felt Bonnie push past him, dragging ammo cans up to Buffy. “Bonnie, grab your rifle, Bruce is in the shit. Don’t shoot any blue around him,” Carl said, climbing out. Snatching up her SCAR and feeling terror in her heart, Bonnie followed him out.

  Climbing out the top, Bonnie froze as Carl started firing at the blues inside the perimeter. On the line of overrun trucks, Bruce was hacking away at the blues as they charged him. Like poetry in motion, he twisted and turned, slicing off arms, legs or heads with his sword, and shooting others with the pistol in his left hand.

  “I want to be like that when I grow up,” Bonnie mumbled, lifting her SCAR to her shoulder and squeezing the trigger.

  Bruce dropped down on the hood of the MRAP he was on and saw a blue climbing out the busted windshield. “Fuck you!” he screamed, slicing the blue’s head off then spun around, feeling something coming. Raising his sword as he spun, Bruce saw a blue that used to be a teenaged girl in midair flying at him. His sword hit her under her outstretched arms and Bruce leaned into the cut, feeling the blade pass through the spinal cord.

  W
ith only a few inches to go to sever the blue in half, Bruce’s sword lost momentum. The blue clawed at him as her body fell and Bruce kicked her in the face, yanking his sword out. Feeling something grab his ankle, Bruce swiped with his sword.

  “Don’t touch me, fuckers!” he screamed, looking down at a blue hand clasped to his boot. Seeing movement, he turned to see the blue that grabbed him crawling out of the MRAP over the headless blue body. “Bruce says clap, bitch!” he shouted, snapping his foot out and catching the blue in the face as it climbed out.

  The blue’s head rocked back as Bruce raised his pistol. “You didn’t clap, so you’re out of the game,” Bruce grinned, pulling the trigger.

  The blue’s head rocked back as Bruce shot a blue jumping up on the hood with him. “Fucking show offs,” he snapped, turning and jumping on the next vehicle in line. Landing on the next truck, Bruce turned and saw the blue he’d kicked was climbing out the window. Raising his pistol, Bruce grinned, shooting the blue in the shoulder and feeling his slide lock back.

  The blue growled at him as the bullet impacted and turned to look at its shoulder. Like a puppet with its strings cut, the blue collapsed. “Love the magic bullets,” he chuckled, spinning around as another blue ran over the roof toward him with outstretched arms. Side stepping, Bruce swung the sword down, chopping both arms off.

  “Need to figure out a way to make my sword magic,” he chuckled, kicking the blue in the side and sending it off the roof.

  Ejecting the magazine from his pistol, Bruce grabbed another and saw a matrix kid bounding toward him on all fours. “I really hate you kids,” he said, dropping the full magazine and raising his sword as the kid leapt.

  Bringing the sword down, Bruce cut the kid in half and watched the two separate parts fly past him. Grabbing another magazine, Bruce slammed it in his pistol, hitting the slide release and chambering a round.

  Four blues leapt off the ground, jumping up on the roof in front of him. “I’m getting tired of you doing that,” Bruce said, raising his pistol and shooting each one in the chest. “I don’t like jumping off these ten-foot-tall rigs and you fuckers jump up on them.”

  Reloading her minigun, Buffy heard the pop-pop-pop-pop of a pistol and turned to see Bruce on the stranded rigs. “When did he leave?!” she screamed, watching blues charge him from behind.

  “When we drove up!” Ted shouted, swinging his minigun side to side and mowing down the charging blues.

  “Why didn’t anyone tell me?” Buffy shouted and continued reloading her minigun.

  “We are busy. Carl and Bonnie went to help!” Ted shouted as Louis pulled more ammo cans back to him.

  Slamming the feed tray closed, Buffy looked back as Bruce dropped down and a blue sailed over his head. “That blue was behind him. How did he know to drop down?” she huffed and turned back around, pressing the trigger to send out a stream of red. Bodies of blues just collapsed as she swept the stream back and forth.

  Bruce jumped up as the blue landed in a roll and sprang to its feet, only to have Bruce swing his sword and take its head off. Hearing movement behind him, Bruce spun around and saw the troop hatches opening up and the trapped soldiers climbing out on the roof. “Let’s have some fun!” he yelled. Spinning around, he jumped up on the next rig, clearing the roof off as the trapped troops got back into the fight.

  Following Carl along the top of the rigs, Bonnie shot any naked body she saw inside the perimeter. When they were even with Bruce, Carl jumped down to the road. In midair, he shot three blues climbing up the side of the MRAP that Bruce was standing on.

  Taking a deep breath, Bonnie jumped down. Sharp pain erupted in both knees as she landed. Ignoring it, she ran after Carl as he climbed up on the MRAP. Seeing naked blue flesh coming from under the MRAP, Bonnie raised her SCAR, squeezing the trigger.

  The head of the blue vanished and Bonnie glanced to her left and saw half a dozen blues charging her. “Oh shit,” she mumbled, swinging her rifle around.

  Squeezing the trigger, she watched the bullets hit the first one in the chest, making it stumble. With a look of indifference, the blue wobbled and moved to continue the charge then just collapsed.

  Not paying it any attention, Bonnie felt fear grip her, seeing the rest less than ten yards away. Moving her rifle, she squeezed the trigger, hitting another as one leapt at her. Knowing she couldn’t shoot it, Bonnie dove to her right.

  Knowing the others would be on her, Bonnie let her SCAR go and grabbed for her pistol as she landed on her shoulder and rolled. The SCAR banged around as it hung on the sling, hitting her hard. Pulling her pistol, Bonnie rolled up on her knees and raised her pistol.

  She froze as Bruce landed in front of the group of charging blues, cutting three in half then spun around, taking the left leg off another. The last blue skidded to a halt as Bruce raised his pistol. “Bruce says die,” he chuckled, pulling the trigger.

  Lowering his pistol, Bruce glanced around and didn’t see blues close then turned to Bonnie. She was kneeling and holding her pistol in both hands, looking at him in shock. Strolling over, Bruce grabbed the front of her vest, picking her off the ground.

  Holding her off the ground, Bruce slammed her back into the side of the MRAP. “Feel the wave!” he bellowed in her face.

  In terror, Bonnie looked at the dark blood covering Bruce from head to toe. “Let go of the fear and ride the wave or you are already dead!” he roared in her face.

  Movement over Bruce’s right shoulder caught Bonnie’s eye and she turned to see a blue charging Bruce’s back. Before she said anything, Bruce swung his right arm back, extending the blade out. The blade caught the blue at the ear and sliced through the skull.

  The top part of the skull, complete with eyes and nose, sailed through the air as the body crashed into Bruce and collapsed. Bonnie glanced down at Bruce’s left hand, holding her pinned to the MRAP over a foot off the ground.

  “If we die, we die fighting, not playing with our pussies!” Bruce screamed at her and let her go. Bonnie dropped to her feet as Bruce dove to the ground and she saw him pick up his pistol off the ground. Rolling on his right side, Bruce sprang up as two blues charged him.

  Shooting both, Bruce spun around looking at her. “So, you going to play or jack off?” he growled.

  The fear slowly subsided and Bonnie grinned. “It’s playtime,” she said, raising her pistol and shooting a blue crawling from under the MRAP.

  Running back to the line of trapped MRAPs, Bruce jumped, catching the bumper of the one where he’d killed several crawling out of the broken windshield and sprang up on the hood. Running after him, Bonnie followed him up and found Bruce chopping a matrix kid in half.

  “I really don’t like the matrix kids,” she said, shooting two blues crawling out the broken window.

  “Kids like that make you realize why some animals eat their young,” Bruce laughed, jumping up on the roof of the next MRAP. Bonnie followed and saw the trapped soldiers standing on the roof, shooting the blues inside the perimeter.

  Glancing around she sucked in a breath, seeing Bruce had already run through the group and was jumping up on the next MRAP with Carl behind him. “Blues aren’t the only thing that can move,” she huffed, charging after him.

  By the time she’d joined them, the trapped soldiers inside were opening the troop hatches and climbing up on the roof. Weaving around them, Bonnie shot a blue as it sailed through the air straight at her.

  The body hit her, sending her crashing down on the roof. Feeling the blue moving, Bonnie kicked and moved her pistol to its head. Suddenly, the body flew away as Carl tossed it aside and reached down, yanking her up. “Stay on my ass!” Carl shouted at her then spun around.

  Looking ahead, Bonnie saw Bruce on the last MRAP in line, hacking away at blues. “I want a fucking sword,” Bonnie said, shooting blues with her pistol.

  “Bullshit,” Carl snapped. “That’s why you don’t get close to Bruce when he pulls the sword, anything close gets chopped up.”
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br />   Bruce stopped swinging his sword, seeing the back troop hatches opening up. When the trapped troops climbed out, Bruce looked around and didn’t see any living blues moving inside the perimeter. “PUSSIES!” he screamed, dropping his sword.

  Storming past the troops that’d climbed out and holstering his pistol, Bruce grabbed the radio off Carl’s vest. “Steve, are you fucking in the air?!” Bruce bellowed in the radio.

  “I’m here, Dad,” Steve called back.

  “Show the world you are my first born! I want every fucking plane and chopper we have in the air and killing! I want the fucking ground to shake so hard, I have an orgasm without touching my dick!”

  “Fuck, yeah!” Steve shouted back. “To all air assets, free fire zone has been declared. Roll in hot and heavy!”

  ***

  In the command vehicle, watching the drone feed over Bruce, Stephanie turned to Angela, “Told you he was ready.”

  “Hey, I told you it would work,” Angela grinned, moving to her seat and grabbing her headset.

  Grabbing her headset, Stephanie sat down and put it on. She looked at the others in the command track, running to their stations. “We have massive air rolling in and I want coordination in these strikes. Start near placed units and work out in concentric patterns,” she said.

  Leaning back in her chair, Angela smiled at the command crew. “By coordination, Stephanie means massive destruction or like I say, let’s kill a lot of shit.”

  Chapter 34

  Soaked in the blood of blues, Bruce walked around the top of his rigs, watching planes and choppers roaring overhead. To the south, he saw the mighty B-52 raining down bombs. “Boss, we need you to get down,” Carl said, coming up behind him.

  “I’m enjoying the moment,” Bruce said, feeling the ground shake through the MRAP he was standing on.

  “Boss, you’re covered in infected blood,” Carl said. “I have a Taser and will use it.”