“Commander Krantz huh. Ok. Go ahead and pull off to the side and turn off your engine. I have to check out your story. I’ll also need to search your vehicle.” The officer said. The Krantz name dropping hadn’t worked the magic Randy had hoped for. This guy was way too into his job.
A line of trucks from the convoy started lining up behind them. The officer ran over to check their orders and let them through. The noise of their passage was attracting more Zombies out of the swamp. The gate was left open while the soldiers went to deal with the infected coming out of the woods. The trucks from the convoy were slowing down to flash their papers then heading out the gate and turning towards Norfolk.
“Just go.” Bryan told Phil. Phil didn’t need to be ordered twice. He started up the engine and pulled back onto the main road. The officer looked over at them with an annoyed expression on his face. He waved for them to stop. Phil shook his head no and kept going.
“We’ve got our orders we’ve got to go sir!” Phil shouted over to the officer as he drove past him and out the gate. The officer stared at them with his hand resting on his pistol, but he didn’t pull it out of the holster. Yet another truck was arriving at the gate and Zombies were now stepping out of the woods one after the other. Instead of shooting the RV and attracting more Zombies the officer said screw it and focused on letting the rest of the convoy out before the base ended up getting overrun.
The road outside the airport led right into a series of overpasses to get on the interstate that went around the Norfolk-Chesapeake region. Phil kept them on the path that dropped them off on the smaller highway headed straight for Norfolk. A single truck from the convoy was on the road ahead of them. They followed those taillights towards what they hoped would be their salvation. Kelly now up in the front with the rest of them staring out the cracked windshield and muttering prayers under her breath.
Chapter 33: Attacking the Armpit of Virginia
Thousands of their men were filtering through the swamps, cities and forests towards Norfolk. Over at the air station the enemy had access to all kinds of high-tech weaponry. Harpoon missiles, air defense systems, and fighter jets that could target his forces in a number of ways. The settlement army didn’t just have the weaponry in Norfolk at their disposal. The men in charge of the settlements had commandeered the gear at every major military installation within their territory.
Forrest kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. If the enemy could make it rain fire why weren’t they? So far, the infected had done way more damage to them than the settlements militia had. He wondered if they were running low on munitions. If so, that would explain why they were waiting for the New American forces to get closer before they started dropping bombs. Why launch harpoons at random squads of infantry when you could launch them at an entire battalion?
He was about to give them some really juicy targets. Once they began deploying the tanks and artillery from the train it wouldn’t take long for those to become the primary targets for any smart missiles the enemy had left. The new artillery on the way from the trains were advanced mobile long-range fire systems. These self-propelled Paladins would be able to launch rockets at the carrier once they got within twenty miles of her. They also had conventional tanks he planned on rolling right through the city. They’d precede the bulk of the infantry to clear out snipers and traps. They’d take the brunt of the bombs and missiles the carrier had available to sling at them. As far as the air defenses and fighters went, they had some battle drones and surface to air defense systems Forrest planned to deploy.
Forrest had ordered the setup of the forward command center in the executive airport on the edge of the dismal swamp. They were occupying one of the hangars that up until very recently had been in use by settlement troops. The first of the Brotherhood squads to roll onto the base had engaged in a firefight with the settlement soldiers as they were rolling out. It’d been a brief exchange that’d led to the first casualty of the attack on the armpit of Virginia as Forrest was calling this battle in his head. He’d let the history book writers come up with a better name.
The soldier had been one of the men in the squad the Brotherhood had sent to secure the base. Reading between the lines on the report the man who’d been shot was more used to fighting infected than fighting people who actually shot back. The idiot had walked directly out into the open and taken his time aiming at the enemy. He must’ve forgotten that not all enemies were limited to teeth as their primary weapon.
Shaking his head at the insanity of it all Forrest reclined in the plush leather chair in the well-appointed executive lounge. This hangar had been specifically chosen as it was the one with fiber optic cables that cross connected directly back to the hub. Looking out the small window on the side of the waiting room Forrest could see the swamp was working to reclaim the airstrip outside. Seeing the dense woods, he wondered if an enemy sniper was sitting out there right now with his crosshairs resting on the window Forrest was staring out of. It wouldn’t surprise him. It may surprise the imagined sniper to know that if he pulled the trigger, he’d be killing the only man on the side of the Brotherhood actively working on coming up with a plan not to slaughter them all.
“It’s setup sir.” The tech announced walking into the room. Forrest nodded but didn’t stand up yet. According to his watch he still had three more minutes. He needed to make sure he had his game face on. He wasn’t used to misleading his superiors. He supposed what he was doing wasn’t really lying. He would absolutely carry out the orders to attack the carrier. He was just going to do so with extra regard for any civilians on the ship or in the immediate area. His orders were to attack with everything they had. He was planning on pulling his punches a little bit. He assumed they’d notice at some point and relieve him of his command. Probably via a bullet to the back of his head. So be it.
“Ok. Let’s get connected.” Forrest told the tech when he walked into the conference space. He sat down at the mahogany table and drank one of the fancy Perrier waters he’d found sitting in a cabinet out in the waiting area. It’d made a pleasant hissing noise when he opened it. That was normally a good sign you weren’t going to end up fighting diarrhea for the next day or two. Which was a good thing since he was supposed to be leading an army into battle. It’d be awkward trying to do that from a bathroom stall.
The video display showed connecting and then the conference room in the hub appeared. Tom and Krantz were sitting together waiting for the call. Once the call was connected Tom disappeared out the side door.
“How’s it going up there?” Krantz asked pleasantly. He seemed to be in a good mood. Forrest assumed that meant he was half a bottle into the day. Not that it seemed to matter. Drunk or sober Krantz was too smart for his own good. The man also seemed to have a big heart. Pieces of it must be chipping off every day working for the Senator.
“Good sir. The reinforcements from the train should be arriving soon. I’ve directed them all to head here. Once they’re here we plan to envelop the enemy. I’m deploying field teams and spotters now. We’ll roll the tanks right up the middle to take out snipers and draw most of their fire. We’re leaving the route to the sea open to them.” Forrest reported. That last bit was his saving grace. He interpreted that part of the command to mean they were having mercy. Even though he knew it was just to try and save their own resources for the next battle.
“Sounds good. Everything seems to be running smoother now that everyone isn’t bunched up. How are you doing Forrest? How’s the men’s morale in in general?”
“Outstanding sir. The men are ready to engage and kick the enemy off the coast. They’re ready to see their families again. The ones of them who still have families anyway sir. Most of the military men are used to being in the field. Afghanistan and Iraq got them used to long tours of duty so they just kind of accept this as natural. The civilians look up to them, so they grumble but they’re along for the ride. Can’t expect much from an accountant you hand a gun and try to call a soldier si
r.” Forrest answered. This was a topic he’d given a lot of consideration to.
“Anyone alive today’s a fighter. If we can get them to take orders, then they count as soldiers. Even if they’re not great ones.” Krantz said. They sat in silence lost in their own thoughts after that waiting for Sam to join the call. She was typically never late to anything, so this was odd. Not that the trains really ran on time anymore.
“Good morning gentlemen.” Sam started the conversation once she’d finally joined the meeting. Krantz and Forrest both politely responded with the expected meaningless pleasantries. Forrest repeated the information he’d already provided to Forrest. Sam listened intently then asked some additional questions. She confirmed there’d be some drones and drone pilots coming to assist with some of the forward observation work. That meant it wouldn’t all be left to special forces type guys trying to crawl up on top of buildings. She also had a few updates to give them based on the intelligence they were receiving.
“There are less civilians at the base than expected. Maybe a few thousand at the most onboard the carrier. There’s some kind of dredging issue they’re still trying to clear up before sailing away. They’re pulling back and forming a protective wall that no one’s getting in or out of while they figure it out. Your orders are to shoot over that perimeter as well as busting through it. Once you’re in position you will attack with everything you have and keep pressing until they’re either all dead, prisoners, or sailed away. There will be no quarter given. Understood?” Sam asked.
“Yes ma’am.” Krantz and Forrest both acknowledged the order somberly over the video.
“Excellent. Remember we’re trying to run them off but if they don’t want to leave then we’ll crush them. As soon as we have Norfolk on lock down, we’ll continue to move our forces north to seize more territory. We’ll be sending a battalion of looters up to hold the area after you secure it. You’ll be expected to move up the coast once the battalion arrives to secure the area. Attack when ready.” Sam said. She waited for them to once again acknowledge the order then signed off.
“Well. You’ve got your orders. We’ll be standing by up here if you run into any issues. I’ll be expecting an update on the hour every hour. Go get some marine. Hit them so hard they don’t even try to defend themselves. I want them haze grey and underway by lunchtime.” Krantz said before signing off.
Forrest looked at the blank display and considered his options. It was four in the morning and he was tired. He called for his aide and told him to relay the order that all battalion commanders were to radio in for their assignments. He knew what Krantz was getting at. Ironically enough the way to save the most lives at this point was for them to act with undeniable ferocity. Escalating immediately to extreme violence. Anyone who’s ever been in a bar fight knows that the longer one lasts the more seriously people get hurt. It’s better to just knock the guy off his stool, kick him a few times in the face and walk right out the door. Half the time you can even walk away without paying your tab. Hence the reason sailors love bar fights.
He reviewed the assignments one more time with his staff then gave the orders for them to get everyone into position. The sound of trucks pulling into the parking lot distracted him. He peeked out the window and saw that the promised train convoy had finally arrived. He watched as truck after truck rolled onto the base. He noticed one vehicle set in the middle of the convoy that looked odd.
“Is that an RV?” He asked one of his aides who’d also been checking out the parade rolling onto the base.
“I think so sir. Great way to travel the apocalypse I suppose.” The man answered standing beside Forrest to look out the window. At a second glance from Forrest he suddenly remembered he was supposed to be busy getting the battalions coordinated. He left the room with his folder stuffed full of orders to issue all the way down to the individual squad level. Those would have to be flexible orders as they still didn’t have a full count of all the squads that were actually still alive. Additional squads were showing up every hour. Most of them with stories of being holed up in attics while hordes of the infected surrounded whatever home they’d hidden in to avoid being eaten. A lot of the squads just never reported in. They were presumed to have been killed trying to make it to their assigned rendezvous point.
Continuing to watch out the window he saw the RV pull over and disgorge a handful of men. The men immediately formed up and disappeared into the base. Forrest assumed they were one of those squads who’d gotten delayed and were now trying to figure out where their battalion was. He turned his attention away from the window as an officer came hurrying in to let him know there was a lot of Zombie activity picking up by the gates.
“That’s to be expected. They’ll overrun us at some point. When they do this hangar goes into lockdown. Everyone not at this hangar falls forward to the next forward operating base. Go ahead and send squads to FOB three, four and five to secure them. They’ll make good spotter posts anyway. Once secure start dispatching the designated squads out to them. HQ will stay here. Lock this building down. No one in our out until I give the order. Make sure we have enough supplies in here for a week then shutter up the windows. Let me know once secure.” Forrest ordered.
He went back to looking out the window until someone shoved a large metal plate over it. The sounds of drilling followed by the sparks from a welder ended his window gazing. If there was one thing that they’d figured out at this point it was how to properly secure a building against the infected. Forrest sat back down in the oversized leather chair and took the extra-large cup of instant coffee someone handed him. He sipped at it thinking he was going to need to pace himself. It was going to be a very long day.
Chapter 34: Made it Back, Again…
“Step out of the car.” The soldier ordered Kyler.
“You’re not going to shoot me and leave my body in the street as a warning to others, are you?” Kyler asked him. When the man neither confirmed, denied nor looked amused at that question Kyler climbed down out of the backseat. He thought about just sitting back there. No one likes shooting people in their own cars. It’s messy and the smell pretty much stays there forever. That defense wouldn’t last him too long though. He climbed out onto the street and stood there staring at the soldier.
“Turn around.” The soldier said impatiently holding a small object up in the air. Considering it was the key used to unlock handcuffs and not a gun used to execute people in the middle of the street Kyler happily complied.
The soldier unlocked the handcuffs and told Kyler to get back in the car and wait.
“You heard back from Hartfield?” Kyler asked.
“We didn’t take your cuffs off because we like you. Now get back in the car. We’ll be rolling out of here in a few minutes. We’ve got orders to get you back to HQ. We’ve just got to rig the street first.” The soldier said.
The soldiers were already unloading mines from the back of the jeep and setting them in place under debris they were pulling out of dumpsters. A couple of mines were hidden under bodies. The officer in charge of the group was notating the location of each mine in case they had to come back through here later.
“You know it’s going to be mostly the infected that step on the mines, right?” Kyler asked when they’d finished setting out the mines and were climbing back in the jeep. It seemed like it’d been kind of a waste of time to him.
“Yep. They’ll step on the mines, the mines will go boom, more Zombies will show up, step on more mines and pretty soon we’ll have a nice sized herd blocking the streets. If the Zombies don’t show up, then the people attacking us are welcome to step on them instead. It’s kind of a win win kind of thing. Plus, we found a warehouse with enough mines to pave the whole damned city. Some defense contractor got rich.”
“Especially since we supposedly don’t even deploy mines anymore. Too many pictures of little kids with no legs.” Another soldier said from the back.
“You watch too many Sally Struthers infome
rcials.” The original soldier said.
“Not anymore. I’m thinking a lack of food isn’t the biggest issue most people are facing now. Being considered food by the infected probably tops the list.”
The banter continued as they cruised through the city. In some places the sidewalks were hidden by large drifts of the decaying dead. Someone had come through with a bulldozer after some other team had come through with machine guns and a mountain of ammunition. Kyler now understood why the team he was with all had baklavas on they could pull over their mouths and noses. It also made sense why the air was on internal only and maxed out. The smell outside the car must be horrific.
They drove quickly through the dilapidated debris strewn city streets. The dead were stacked up everywhere. The occasional Zombie still leapt out at them, but the driver dodged them using many of the tricks Kyler himself was well versed in.
Zombies! (Book 7): Still Standing Page 28