The Common Cold (Book 2): A Zombie Chronicle-Cabin Fever

by Roberts, David K.

  “Be grateful, Captain,” Chuck replied.

  “You might just be right, Chuck. When we were called to duty this morning, we had a quick briefing from Intelligence who told us it was a simple matter of civil disobedience. I and the crew are all recent arrivals back in Denver after extended exercises abroad. We had no recent local knowledge so we accepted what they told us. All we had to do was to be on station to airlift out possible casualties and some folk who were ill with some sort of unknown infection; that’s actually a medevac helo out there. Frankly what we saw told us that we’d been kept in the dark, unless of course Command didn’t know anything either. Hell, these ‘ill’ folk nearly cost us our lives; we were trying to rescue normal people while these same infected people were trying to catch and eat them. If I hadn’t seen it with my own two eyes I wouldn’t have believed it possible. It was like something off the National Geographic channel. With Laurie’s story about how she escaped, and the things you are telling me from further afield, I don’t know what to think now. Last we saw, things looked real bad in town, especially after the nuke, but I didn’t really believe we wouldn’t get it back under control. Who would? I thought, you know, in a couple of days from now we’d just be licking our wounds and getting on with the clean-up.”

  Tom looked sympathetically at the officer. He could see reality was slowly sinking in. Being up here in the mountains it was easy to believe everywhere else was continuing normally. “I know what you mean, Mike. It’s taken me a while to come to terms with it but it’s all true. As a species we’re going to be back to the stone-age when current supplies and stuff runs out. We’ll be hunting wild animals for food and trying to grow crops from scratch.”

  Anxious to know how Laurie and the boys had escaped, Tom turned to her. “I saw the house, all burnt to hell. How did you get away?”

  At the thought of it Laurie’s eyes glistened with tears. “We only just escaped,” she began, swallowing hard to gather her composure before continuing the tale. “There were so many of them, surrounding the house. All that moaning and screeching, it was really scary. I heard a sound like someone being attacked in the most horrible way. I think it was about eight in the evening. At the time we were upstairs, the boys were in bed and the lights were off downstairs, so they mustn’t have known we were there. We were lucky. I could hear banging on the glass of the windows and was afraid they’d get in.”

  “You must have been scared out of your mind,” Tom said, imagining her being surrounded by a sea of those creatures.

  “Stevie suggested we get to the car and drive away.” She tousled the boy’s hair and Tom’s older son blushed at the attention. “I think it was this idea that saved us. A fire started somewhere down the road; it seemed to attract their attention. The crowd around the house thinned a little and Stevie grabbed his baseball bat and ran out of the house, laying into those left behind, and shouting at them to go away. I nearly died of fright. I thought he was going to be killed but it was weird, ’cos they seemed not to react unless he hit them on the head when they’d just fall down. Anyhow, he cleared a path to the car. I really thought we were going to die, but we got away and drove here as fast as we could. I prayed you would think to look for us here. I didn’t even get the chance to pick up my purse.” She hugged her husband again.

  “Does anyone know if there are any other people up here?” Chuck spoke up again, trying to instil a sense of urgency into the situation. Just because it was a little warmer in the cabin didn’t mean they were out of the woods just yet.

  “As the Captain said, we haven’t seen anyone else,” Zoë replied, suddenly realising that while they had been busy catching up they had left themselves wide open to possible attack; no-one could see what was out there in the darkness. It appeared the warm and friendly cabin had lulled them into a false sense of security that was out of all proportion with reality. “We did have a look around and found a few supplies but not much. No people though.”

  “Well, let’s get the truck backed up to the hut so we can offload the contents,” Brad suggested. “It would be a shame to lose the supplies we brought with us.”

  “Do you have any night vision goggles with you?” Chuck asked of the helicopter crew.

  “Yeah, each pilot has a pair,” Simms replied, responding to the seriousness of the older man.

  “The perimeter needs to be guarded while the others offload the goods. Captain, you and I can do that; the others can do the grunt work.”

  “Sergeant Hinkley here is a better shot than I, of that I’m sure,” Simms replied. “He can stand watch. Alright with you, sergeant?”

  “Yes, sir. No problem with that, I can shoot the ass off a fly at two hundred yards with a halfway decent rifle.” Hinkley smiled; this sort of thing was just up his alley. He stood up and grabbed the rifle Tom had come in with. “This’ll do nicely,” he said inspecting its load.

  “Don’t come out until we give the all-clear,” Chuck instructed as he stood up and then looked irritatedly at the uncovered window. “And can someone please cover this window with something to block the light? I don’t think it’s a good idea to advertise our presence, it’s a wonder you lot survived until now.”

  Laurie stood up and hurried into the bedroom, returning a moment later with a thick quilt. “A bit of a waste really but it’s the only thing we have right now that’s thick enough to block the light completely.”

  “Well, it’ll do for now. We can sort these things out properly in the morning,” Chuck agreed. “Come on Sergeant, let’s go get them goggles.”

  They stepped into the now complete darkness and closed the door quickly before they lost too much heat from the cabin. The boys peered out from behind the newly-hung window cover trying to see what was going on outdoors.

  Tom surveyed the room. “Right, let’s make some room for everyone and the stores. There’s quite a lot. So, who’s sleeping where?” he asked of his wife.

  “Me and the kids are in this bedroom,” she said, pointing. “The others are out here hunkering down as best they can. I think Zoë has commandeered the pull-out,” she said, smiling at the only other woman in the room. “They didn’t want to encroach too much on our place. At least they have the fireplace to keep them warm.”

  “I think that as people will be here rather longer than they expected, we’ll have to do something about proper accommodation for everyone.”

  “I agree. They can have a couple of rooms if they want. BB can have his own room, too.” Laurie looked to be in her comfort zone; she always liked to make a fuss over guests and now was no exception.

  “Good. We can put the supplies in the storage cupboard at the back of the kitchen. Right now it should be all but empty.”

  Laurie followed him into the kitchen and watched as he withdrew a set of keys from his pocket and opened a door off to one side. It revealed a deep cupboard more the size of a walk-in larder. Snapping on a light he opened a cover and checked the fuel gauge for the generator he could now hear rumbling quietly.

  “Getting low,” he observed. “Good thing we have some more fuel in the truck.”

  “We really should have had more than one key to this cupboard; I couldn’t get in to check levels and just had to hope we had enough for a while.”

  “It doesn’t matter, love. We’ll be alright,” he said quietly.

  At that moment they heard the sound of the truck being reversed up to the door and brake to a halt. Chuck walked in, the night goggles in his hand.

  “The good news is that we can’t see anyone around at all, so it looks like whatever this thing is hasn’t yet influenced this area. I imagine people will start coming out of the city if they can get away, but who knows when that will be. Right, over to you guys to bring in the supplies,” he said before walking back outside.

  Mike Simms and Zoë led the offload, Mike climbing into the truck to pass items down to Zoë. The rest set up a human chain that finished at the storage cupboard where Tom placed the packs by type and use. By th
e time they finished the offloading of the truck there was just enough room left to access the generator and its refuelling nozzle.

  “Rather than waste fuel, may I suggest we turn off the genny and get some sleep?” Chuck asked. He got no argument from the others; a combination of long days and emotional tension meant everyone was more than ready to hit the sack. Laurie fussed around trying to get everyone into a room instead of the bivouac in the living area, but without success. It was clear that the chopper crew was still restless and uncertain; they would not be easily separated.

  “Would you guys mind if I had a look at the helicopter in the morning?” Brad asked the Blackhawk crew. “I might be able to fix it unless a major component has gone.”

  “What do you know about helos?” Bill Mitchum asked, doubting an airline pilot could possibly have the skills to repair such a complex beast as the Blackhawk.

  “Pretty much everything,” he replied confidently. “I have a rotary wing licence and have spent most of every weekend for the last few years at my local airfield tinkering with them so I reckon I might be able to get it going again.”

  “Jeez, Brad. If you can get it going again I’ll make you an honorary crew member.” Simms challenged. “I don’t want to be stuck on the ground forever.”

  “Consider me a spare co-pilot, Captain,” Brad replied, with a pleased look on his face. Then he realised his insensitivity in front of Bill. “Sorry man, I don’t want to take your place, it’d just be cool to help out.”

  Bill smiled. “Don’t worry, buddy. Even blind I’m sure I’m a better pilot than you!”

  “Sounds like challenge number two,” Brad replied, slapping Bill on the back.

  “Get a room, boys,” Simms retorted. “We’ll look over it together, first thing.”

  “Cool. Right I’m for some shut-eye. You military types can work out sentry shifts between you. That’s your thing, right?” he asked rhetorically. “’Night all.” With that he grabbed a sleeping bag and walked off with a spring in his step to lay claim to a spare room.

  Simms looked at Captain Morgan quizzically. “Is he for real?”

  “You better believe it. If it’s fixable that man can fix it. He’s also an ex-Air Force F-16 pilot.”

  “Normally we wouldn’t let one of those Air Force sky jockeys near an Army vehicle, but I guess under the circumstances we don’t have much choice. I sure as hell don’t want to be trapped up here when the snow comes.”

  “You’re right, not a whole lot of choice, I guess. Anyway I think I’ll follow Brad’s example and hit the sack, it’s been a strange day. Are you really okay for guard duty?”

  “Sure. We can cover that off. We’ll be eating your rations if we stay here. Quid pro quo, as they say.”

  “Great. See you guys in the morning. Ah, nearly forgot to say, we have some more friends coming, not sure when they’ll be able to get here. Probably tomorrow but it could be during the night so be careful what you shoot at.”

  With that Tom checked the front door was secure, retired to the bedroom and got into bed with his family and slept the sleep of the dead. It was going to be a bloody cold night, not that he’d notice.

  Chapter 3 - Consolidation

  “Hey, Captain. Wake up,” came a whispered voice out of the darkness above him. He felt a hand on his shoulder, shaking him gently in an effort not to disturb his slumbering family. “We’ve got company. I think it’s Danny and co.”

  Tom peered into the darkness and realised Brad was standing over him. “Righto,” he whispered back and slowly disentangled himself from the family nest. “Could have done with a few more hours but I guess I can catch up when I’m dead,” he whispered. Laurie stirred and appeared to remain asleep. She had a slight smile on her face, just discernable in the semi-darkness; there was faint torchlight coming from the living area.

  Pulling on his heavy coat and boots, Tom followed Brad out of the small bedroom and into the main area. Sergeant Hinkley had remained on watch, nursing a rifle and peering past the edge of the hastily erected window covering. Other than the small torch, it was dark in the room so there was little danger of anyone inside being seen observing the occupants of the incoming vehicle. The rest of the crew had managed to get some sleep but had been disturbed by the activity around them and were now stirring.

  “The truck has no lights on. Sensible, I’d say,” Hinkley observed. “They’re headed this way for sure. Looks like they know where they’re going.”

  “I gave Danny adequate instructions so it probably is them.” Tom picked up a rifle and checked a round was chambered. “Before they get here let’s go outside so we’re not cornered. Just in case it’s not Danny.”

  Tom, Hinkley, and Brad slipped quietly outside and took cover. From his vantage point Tom could see the approaching vehicle was an M35 troop carrier, its rear covered in dark canvas. A second identical one followed behind. “That’s new,” he muttered to himself feeling less certain of exactly who was in the vehicles. Taking aim at the cab of the lead truck, he waited with bated breath as they rumbled into the clearing and came to a halt. The silence that followed was unnerving. Tom heaved a sigh of relief as the door clicked open and Rob emerged.

  “Rob,” Tom called in a forced whisper. Clearly stressed and on edge from the long journey, the driver swung around, gun up and aiming into the darkness. Peering intently as Tom slowly stood up and stepped into the moonlight, a smile crossed the man’s face as he recognised the silhouette.

  “Tom! Hi,” he replied in a similar whisper, his smile visible in the moonlight. Sandy now stood behind her husband. Danny descended from the second truck, rifle slung over his shoulder and pistol in a holster. He was followed by Janet, the kids and the dog they’d rescued from the plane, a black greyhound called Oskar. The dog took the release from the cab as a signal that it could lay claim to one of the wheels. They gathered round to greet each other; Brad and the sergeant emerged from their positions of cover and joined the small reunion.

  “Hi there, Tom. It’s great to see you again,” Daniel said with pleasure in his voice. “It was easy to get here, your instructions were perfect.”

  “Yeah,” Rob agreed. “We stopped on the way across town and availed ourselves of a sporting goods shop and have plenty of clothes and stuff for everyone.”

  “That’s looting,” Hinkley responded, his face hard with disapproval. Rob’s face darkened in welling anger; he had been told in detail what had happened to Sandy at the hands of the military not twenty four hours ago and to have one of their number challenge his actions was beginning to feel like a step too far.

  “Whoa, Cliff. That’s a bit much,” Tom protested on behalf of the newcomers. “Welcome to my humble abode, guys. Glad you seem to have gotten here in one piece.” Tom then turned to the sergeant. “Cliff. You still seem to be holding out for civilisation to return. It won’t, not any time soon that is.”

  “He’s dead right, Cliff,” Danny interjected, recognising Rob’s anger even in the darkness. “My name’s Danny, we came in on Tom’s flight into Denver.”

  “You’re Brits?” the sergeant asked, detecting the accent.

  “Yes, some of us are. Considering the way this thing hit UK Plc, hopping on a plane seemed the right thing to do at the time. The only complaint I have was the rough landing, but other than that we’re glad to be here.” Danny smiled at the sergeant. “Can we get everyone inside? We have a wounded woman and another four people on board. I asked them to stay out of sight until we found out what’s what. It’s been a hell of a long journey up here, especially without using lights.”

  Hinkley went over to the trucks and pulled back the canvas backs to look inside. He whistled when he saw how full one of the trucks was with supplies, and if he wasn’t mistaken he could also see a number of ammo boxes off to one side.

  “I think it was more than just sporting goods. There are military ammo boxes in here.”

  “Yeah, they were already in that truck when we picked it up. I’ll be happ
y to tell all when we’re inside again with some coffee down my neck - if you have any, Tom?” Tom nodded. With that Rob and Danny helped the injured Jackie and her friend Stacey, the two shop assistants they had saved from the grasp of a cheetah zombie late the previous day, into the cabin.

  Jackie’s leg was still stiff but it was clear she was recovering from the ordeal; the best piece of news so far was that a scratch from a zombie, no matter how deep, didn’t appear fatal. Or at least not this time. An elderly couple appeared from beneath the pile of coats, looks of uncertainty on their faces.

  A young woman, her face pale white and seemingly luminous in the starlight, was wrapped in coats and spare blankets, sitting by herself off to one side.

  “May I introduce Joshua and his wife, Ethel,” Danny said, helping the older couple down from the truck. “And this is Angela,” he added as the thin young woman landed nimbly on the ground next to them. “They were survivors from Rob’s street. We found them before we left to come here.”

  “Hi. It seems the more the merrier.” Tom seemed pleased that others had survived. The cabin was probably going to be a little crowded but large numbers were a good thing for the end of world party, he thought wryly. “Did you three come from the same house? Are you related?” he asked innocently.

  “Absolutely not,” Angela said emphatically, then, realising her error softened her tone. “I didn’t know them before today. I am a Daughter of the Lord.”

  “Ah, right,” Tom said recovering quickly to cover his surprise at her tone and assertion. “Well, come in anyway, I’m sure you could all do with a warm drink.” Before anyone could reply he walked off, pretending to lead the way. Thanks Danny and Rob, he mumbled to himself. And they boarded two by two, except the last one who seems to want to be alone with her God.

  With everyone now inside, the conversation volume had been turned up fully as people talked eagerly over each other, excitement and relief evident in them all; their various adventures were still vivid and frightening in their minds. The camaraderie and the smell of fresh coffee in the air were beginning to make the cabin feel more like a home, of course the biggest problem Tom saw was the sleeping arrangements; with all these people, some twenty one in all, they would have to sort something out in the morning because although it was pleasant and novel right now, it would eventually become challenging for all. Laurie was already rising to the occasion; Tom had no idea that such a large coffee pot existed in the cabin. At that moment he wished there was whiskey available; it was late, or more like early in the morning and he yearned for a little Irish or Kentuckian in his coffee.