“Keep going. Get ready to turn right at the next road then drive about a hundred yards and there should be a dirt road on the right. Take it.” Forrest shouted over the road noise. Between the wind, the bullets, the screeching Zombies and the whine of the motorcycle engine he had no clue if the guy actually heard him or not.
The soldier steering the bike zig zagged them down the road on the poorly balanced motorcycle like a pro. Forrest decided he should just call him Evil Knievel. The dude definitely knew how to ride the hell out of a bike. Especially considering there was a fat old wounded jarhead riding bitch.
They wiped out in the loose dirt of the side road they needed to go down to reach the field the battalion should be gathered in. Forrest was hoping they were close enough. He pushed himself painfully to his feet and jogged into the cover of the woods as fast as he could. He looked back at the road as the headlights of the hummers illuminated the crashed motorcycle. Evil Knievel had made his final jump. He was laying with his neck at an unnatural angle staring sightlessly at the bright stars in the dark sky.
The hummers skidded to a stop in the loose dirt. Spotlights were turned on to search the bushes around them. Forrest moved deep into the woods to avoid being spotted. He’d turned and was limping painfully in parallel with the dirt road towards where he hoped to find a few hundred soldiers sitting around waiting for something to kill. The problem being it was probably a good half mile to the first guard post, and he wasn’t in the best condition to be running around in the woods.
Best shape or not there was no quit in him. He may have ridden a desk a good portion of his military career, but he was still a marine. The same spirit that’d made a seventeen-year-old kid straight out of high school sign up to wear the uniform carried him on aching legs to a cluster of trees where men in ghillie suits met him with a whispered command to halt. The men had been hunched down planning what to do about the headlights coming up the road towards them.
Forrest would’ve been shot in the head if he hadn’t started hissing the pass phrase as soon as he saw the bushes move. He fell to his knees holding out his identification to the camouflaged men who surrounded him. He was keenly aware of the guns pointed at various parts of his body.
“Sorry sir. You looked like a Zombie the way you were walking.” The man who’d taken his identification said. He quickly let the other men there know that the guy with the blood covered legs on the ground in front of them was their commanding officers boss.
“We’ve got company. Those hummers coming up the road are looking for me. There’s five of them. Up armored with mounted fifty cals. You guys have rockets?” Forrest asked.
“Guess that answers whether they’re friendly or not.” A man with a phone handset in his hand said. It was one of the sound powered phones they’d roll out the wire for to talk between posts. Very low tech and very reliable. Two traits any real soldier admired in his combat systems. The lower the level of tech the less likely it didn’t work when you really needed it. Nobody wants to have to wait for their weapon to reboot when the enemy is charging straight at them.
The man talked on the phone briefly then made some hand motions indicating they should all sink into the ground and take cover. They watched from their hiding spots as the hummers crawled past shining their lights into the woods on both sides. Soldiers stood in the gun turrets of each of the hummers. The last hummer had just passed them by when the first hummer exploded. Knowing that was just the beginning Forrest and the guards kept their heads down and waited.
Multiple rockets shot out of the woods on both sides of the road ahead lighting up each of the hummers. As fast as it started the rockets stopped. That was there signal. Moving smoothly, they waded into the battle. Forrest really wanted a prisoner. One thing they hadn’t gotten a ton of lately was accurate intel. For example, they’d had no clue a bunch of men in hummers were riding around looking for them.
The hummer in front of them was blackened. The soldier up in the gun turret was a crispy critter. His blackened skin sliding slowly off his bones. Ignoring that grossness Forrest kicked the back door. It opened and a uniformed man stumbled out white faced and coughing. He was fearfully staring at the barrels pointed at him. He had a pistol in his hand that he tossed on the ground as soon as he got the door open. He was pulled out of the back seat roughly and thrown to the ground. A couple of zip ties later he was considered secured.
Up and down the line of smoking cars mixed in with the orange glow of fires men were either dragged out of hummers as prisoners or overwhelmed and killed when they tried to resist. Most of the enemy combatants had been killed in the rocket attack. They ended up with ten prisoners total including the officer Forrest had helped capture. All the men who’d surrendered would more than likely be tortured to death. There was the possibility some of the grunts may be allowed to live. The officer would definitely be shot in the head after they extracted every last drop of information out of him.
If they’d been close to the reeducation camps, they may have tried taking them there. Given the situation though they weren’t going to have the manpower to have people sitting around guarding prisoners. Forrest put that issue out of his mind for the moment. He had bigger fish to fry. They’d just made enough noise to attract every Zombie for miles. If they didn’t move fast, then all of them were going to end up being a late-night snack for the infected. So much for having time to check in with Krantz. A big reason for picking this spot for the beta camp had been that the cell tower relay station on the property was tied into the network that went back to the hub.
He wondered how he was going to explain the last hour of his life to Krantz when it was time for the status call.
Chapter 22: Loco Locomotive
The train shuddered to a noisy stop. Kyler and Ritz looked out the window curiously. They saw dirt and trees just like every other time they looked out the window. Kyler would never have guessed there was this much forest in the United States. That may be because he’d never taken a train anywhere before. Up in New England where he was from there was tons of forest, but it always ended. There was always a town or a city or something to break the monotony of tree after tree.
They’d passed through a couple of deserted towns but nothing major so far. Even the small towns had a few Zombies who’d come running at the sound of the training chugging along. Kyler had watched as one of the adrenalized ones hurled itself at the train, bounced off the side, got up and jumped right into the wheels. He hadn’t been able to see what happened next but assumed in a contest of naked flesh versus train the train won.
The train rolling to a stop could be seen as an opportunity. Unless there was a gassed-up car sitting outside with a couple of rocket launchers in the trunk ready to go they wouldn’t accomplish a lot by getting off. Ritz and Kyler had been talking it over in hushed whispers and scribbles on napkins ever since Kyler came back from the meeting in the planning car. On hearing that they were expected to lead a group of the militia to mass murder civilians a look of loathing had washed over Ritz’s face. He’d actually reached for his pistol and started to stand up. Kyler wasn’t sure what exactly Ritz thought he was going to accomplish. Kyler thoroughly appreciated the response even as he worked to get him to sit back down.
They still hadn’t come up with any ideas they deemed workable. They were bouncing back and forth between getting off the train to try and stop it or staying on board and trying to stop it. The problem with doing anything on board the train was that every car was stuffed with armed men who’d respond to any threat with bullets. They may take out a dozen men before the bullets started coming back at them, but they wouldn’t survive long after that. In the grand scheme of things killing a dozen men wasn’t going to make any kind of substantial difference.
If they got off the train Kyler pictured their efforts being just as futile. They’d be able to do as much damage as the Zombie he’d watched throwing itself at the iron beast. Stepping through what they could do after jumping off the train the
y couldn’t come up with a realistic scenario that made the effort worth the risk. If they were able to get their hands on a few RPGs from the locked car carrying them then they might be able to make a difference. Even asking where the RPGs were stored would send up all kinds of red flags though. They weren’t going to accomplish much with their personal weapons. Other than getting themselves killed.
Kyler had one idea in the back of his mind that he thought may work. It was too repulsive to discuss with Ritz quite yet though. If they got to the point where they had to disembark the train and attack the settlements, then once the train pulled away, he’d make sure they were in the back of the group. He was hoping with a few well-placed grenades they’d be able to kill most of the men in their platoon.
He’d informed all the platoon leaders of their mission earlier. They hadn’t said anything out loud, but he’d seen the disgust in their eyes. It mirrored his own feelings for being ordered to slaughter towns full of civilians. The urge to rebel against the order had been tempered by the understanding their own families would suffer if they didn’t carry out the orders. Most of them couldn’t meet his eyes after hearing the orders. A lot of them wouldn’t be able to look at themselves in the mirror for a long time after carrying out their mission. The ones who didn’t end up killing themselves out of guilt and shame would be so warped they’d avoid ever going back to their families anyway.
The squad leaders had gone back wearily resigned to let their squads know what was expected of them. Here and there Kyler heard voices raised in anger and indignation. The voices were quickly quelled with nervous glances cast towards him and Ritz. The Brotherhood brand on his back made him their leader but it didn’t mean they liked or respected him. The emotion felt towards him and everything that he represented was more in the loathe category. If only they knew the truth.
The train was sitting still on the track a few minutes later when Zombies showed up outside the windows and started banging on the sides. The intercom system kicked in telling everyone to go silent and wait for additional orders. Considering there was enough Zombies running around that they’d stopped the train it probably wouldn’t be an opportune time for him and Ritz to make a run for it. Especially since they’d already determined there wasn’t much that they could accomplish by getting off the train anyway.
“Do you think I should report back to command and let them know what happened with the base?” Ritz asked quietly. It was an idea. It gave them an excuse to get Ritz off the train. Once he was off, he could either try and sabotage the tracks ahead of them or make a run for the settlements. It’d help their planning to let them know a train full of men, supplies and god knows what were headed their way. There was even a car with armed horsemen somewhere on this death machine. He might not end up accomplishing anything, but it’d be just as useful as the nothing he was accomplishing sitting on the train.
“They won’t go for it. We need complete operational security around the train. I’ll see if I can get a message out when we sync up at one of the comm stops.” Kyler answered him. Their conversation was quiet but still phrased such that if someone was listening in it’d sound legitimate.
They sat in silence after that. Each of them lost in their own thoughts. Kyler and everyone else on the train wondering what was going on up ahead that was making them have to sit still for so long. There was a bunch of the infected outside the train now. All of them smacking their fists again the side. It sounded like they were riding the train through a hailstorm. The occasional adrenalized Zombie leapt up on the roof then back to the ground. The intercom blared back to life informing everyone to return to their seats since they’d be moving again soon. With no additional notifications the train suddenly lurched forward and began picking up speed.
Staring out the window Kyler saw cows start appearing as well as Zombies. It looked like a herd of cattle and a herd of Zombies had been running around together when the train showed up. Kyler nodded to himself. It made sense the Zombies would run with and devour the cows. They’d only kill the ones they wanted to eat. It wasn’t like the virus made them hate cows. They built up steam as they watched the wide-eyed cows moving this way and that while the crazed Zombies tried to beat their way through the solid metal walls of the train.
Kyler’s eyebrows went up when they rode through a fiery patch that smelled like a giant barbecue pit. He shot the squad leader in the seat behind him a questioning look pointing down at the charcoaled remains they were passing through.
“They have barrels of napalm hooked up to hoses running to the front of the train. They can basically burn their way through Zombie herds. I guess it also works pretty well on cows.” The man answered the unspoken question.
“A fire throwing battle train. Nice. Any more surprises?” Kyler casually asked the man. He noticed Ritz had his ears perked up as well.
“I only know about the fire throwing part because they had us hooking up the hoses and loading the barrels of napalm. There’s also tanks and antiaircraft towards the back I think.” The man belatedly remembered he wasn’t supposed to be talking about any of this and clammed up. Kyler poked him some to show he wasn’t trying to get the guy in trouble.
“Yeah the patrol we met up with were on horseback and those guys all got loaded onto the train. Pretty wild that we have a car on the train filled with horses.” Kyler said.
“Unless that’s what was in those tacos.” The man sitting next to the squad leader said quietly.
“Those horses were way too well trained to have ended up in a taco shell. They’ll be the future. Before too long the cars are all going to rust away, and the gas is all going to bad. We’ll all be riding horses and shooting bows.” Ritz said joining in the conversation.
“If there’s anybody left to ride horses when we’re done.” The man next to the squad leader said. His remark fell on dead silence. The squad leader nudged him hard and the man turned to face the front.
“He’s a bottle half empty kind of guy.” The squad leader said glossing over his man’s attitude.
“Yeah sorry. How long until we get to go kill the children? Do we get extra points if we kill the moms too?” The man said too loudly to be ignored.
Kyler found himself the center of attention as everyone stared over to see how he was going to handle this challenge to his leadership. The man’s statement was borderline treason. That level of insubordination generally ended in a bullet to the head in the New American army.
“Squad leader. Get your man under control or I will.” Kyler said. He was hoping that would take care of the situation. It didn’t. The man stood up and turned to face Kyler. His red face revealing he’d snuck on some booze. Before the man could open his mouth and seal his fate his squad leader punched him hard in the gut. The man bent over with a loud grunt. The squad leader proceeded to beat the living crap out of the guy. When the man was no longer moving two men were ordered forward to drag him into one of the sleeping cabins in the car to sober up.
Kyler considered making a speech. It’d basically come down to sometimes you had to follow orders you didn’t believe in. That’s what good soldiers did. They trusted their leaders not to waste their lives for no reasons. They had to trust in the honor of their leaders. He skipped that speech knowing it wouldn’t do any good. Everyone in the room pretty much hated the New American leadership. None of them were under the false impression that the Brotherhood gave a crap if they lived or died.
The train had picked up plenty of steam again at this point. The men in the car looked away from where the confrontation had happened. None of them wanted to attract the attention of their leader. If he really did have to lead these men into battle Kyler knew that acting like he was doing right now would lose all of them. Realizing he may have to order these men to stand in in a line so him and Ritz could kill them all he needed to make sure he had their respect. Otherwise they’d purposefully misunderstand an order to stand in a big group making it impossible for him and Ritz to get them all. It was goi
ng to be pretty much impossible to kill a whole platoon on their own as it was.
He slid out of the bench and stood in the middle of the pathway between the rows of seats. He stood there until he felt everyone’s eyes on him.
“You’ve all heard our mission by now. It’s going to be dirty and dangerous. If we survive there’s going to be memories that’ll haunt us for the rest of our lives. Just remember we’re doing this to unify America. We’re doing this so that the country can recover. We can’t stand divided. It may not seem like it today but a hundred years from now they’re going to read about this war and understand it was necessary to bring peace and unity back to this country. You don’t have to believe that today. What you have to do today is follow orders and do what you’re told. Remember what’s at stake for you personally. We’ll get through it together. Eat, drink, and sleep as much as you can now. Once we put our boots back on the dirt it may be awhile before we get to do any of those things again.”
Kyler sat back down beside Ritz who was giving him a golf clap accompanied by a prolonged eye roll. He escaped getting punched by taking the advice Kyler had just given and tilting his head back to go to sleep before Kyler was in punching distance. They stopped one more time that day. The train engineers were flying drones a mile ahead of the train to check the tracks for dangers. The engineer monitoring the drone video noticed a large gathering of Zombies headed towards them. A second drone was launched off the back of the train. It flew past the herd of Zombies and dropped an assortment of flashbangs and smoke grenades in the woods to lure them away from the tracks. The majority of the Zombies ran in the direction of the noise makers leaving an easily dealt with group of stragglers standing on the tracks when the train arrived.
Zombies! (Book 7): Still Standing Page 19