Deadrise 2: Deadwar

by Steven R. Gardner

  “Fuck this shit! We are out of here!” Pvt. Horner said, putting the Bravo Two van in gear and pressing the gas. As the van lurched forward, Pvt. Horner flipped on the headlights, illuminating a large horde of zombies several hundred strong spread across the highway less than fifty yards ahead. The sudden glare from the headlights only seemed to agitate them. Horner twisted the wheel to the left, to flip a U-turn, when a figure stumbled in front of the van, illuminated in the headlights: a large back man, clad in military fatigues, and holding an AK-47. He was limping terribly, barely able to stand on his left leg and appeared to be in tremendous pain.

  “It’s Sanders!” exclaimed Summerhays.

  Horner brought the van to a screeching halt. Behind Pvt. Sanders, the headlights revealed the Bravo Three van, and the crowd of feeding zombies on the opposite side.

  Cpl. Miller exited the van, assault rifle held ready, and hurried over to Pvt. Sanders, who appeared ready to collapse.

  “Take my shoulder!” Miller said and Sanders draped his left arm across him, relieving the pressure on his wounded ankle. They hurried around to the passenger side of the van where Pvt. Summerhays had opened the side cargo door. Miller dumped Sanders inside, slid the cargo door shut then hopped back into his own seat. Pvt. Horner was peeling away before Miller could close the door.

  “What happened to the rest of your squad?” Miller asked, turning to the back of the van.

  “There was a superzombie in the woods…” Sanders could barely able to speak due to the pain.

  “Those zombies were eating someone.” Pvt. Horner said, focusing on the road ahead.

  “Mason.” Sanders answered. “The superzombie shot his legs out from under him so they could get to him.”

  “What about Corporal Schroeder?” Miller asked.

  “I don’t know…”

  Cpl. Miller turned back to face the road, reaching for the radio clipped to the dash. General Jenkins had anticipated the superzombies leading the deadfuck’s from Green River toward them, and now it appeared his predictions had come true. They were still over sixty miles from Rainbow Lake, but they could cover that distance in a week’s time with round the clock walking and steady prodding by the superzombies…

  CHAPTER 15

  Wednesday, August 8, 2001

  Mountain View, WY

  1:08 AM

  The entire community was on high alert. All non-security personnel were confined to their quarters while the Rainbow Lake Council members had joined Hughes and his personal guards in the main conference room. Half of the Mountain View security force were deployed in defensive positions around the perimeter of the lodge and its grounds, while the other half, all of whom Boone had made certain were loyal to Hughes, joined Captain Turner and his platoon out on the I-80 junction where they waited and watched for the advancing zombies.

  Boone had also managed to sway three more guards to join the coup, bringing the total to 8 of 20. With ten of them away at the junction, that left only Hughes pair of personal guards to deal with.

  He and Matt had tried to persuade Patty and Doc Reilly to return to Rainbow Lake, but Patty felt it important to support to the endangered community, while the Doc simply wanted to be on hand to treat any potential wounded.

  “Why don’t you ride out and crush them, as you did with the Evanston horde?” Hughes asked suspiciously.

  “We don’t know how many superzombies are leading them. Until we do I’m not sending my men out to get sniped. The best we can do right now is brace for them until morning, then I’ll take the chopper up and do a thorough search.” Jenkins snapped back.

  “If we only last until morning…”

  “Everything will be alright Mr. Hughes.” Patty said. “I have the utmost confidence in the General.”

  “That doesn’t reassure me.” Hughes snapped.

  Boone entered the room with another guard, both of them wielding their pistols. Boone gave Jenkins a quick look, and Jenkins felt his gut tighten with anticipation. This was it! It was not how he had planned it; he didn’t want Hughes’ execution to go down in front of Patty. But the moment was now at hand and he had to play the hand he ‘d been dealt. Jenkins reached for his sidearm, stepping between Patty and the field of fire.

  “Where the hell have you been?” Hughes barked as Boone approached. “I’ve been waiting for a re-“ Boone cut him off by quickly raising his 9mm and firing point blank into Hughes’ face; the bullet caught him just below the left eye, burrowing through his skull and blowing a small exit hole in the back of his head. His body crumpled into an awkward pile, bleeding through his nose and ears.

  Hughes two bodyguards scrambled for their weapons, but Boone’s man shot one of them in head, while Jenkins stepped up behind the other and put his pistol to the back of his skull.

  “Freeze or I will blow your fucking head off!”

  The man froze, holding his arms away from his body, palms out.” I’m cool! I’m cool!” the man muttered, terrified for his life.

  When Boone had first raised his weapon, Matt herded Patty and Doc Reilly to the other side of the room. Both had been shocked into silence by the sharp report of weapons fire, and it took several seconds for the ringing to clear from their ears.

  “What is going on?” Patty demanded of Jenkins, looking on the verge of tears herself.

  Hughes had to go.” Jenkins replied, keeping the pistol on the back of the guard’s head. “On your knees.” The guard slowly lowered himself down.

  “Are you going to kill me?” he asked.

  “If I wanted you dead I would have pulled the trigger by now.” Once the solder was on his knees, Boone stepped up and removed his holster, then quickly cuffed his hands behind his back.

  “You murdered Hughes in cold blood.” Doc Reilly said when he finally found his voice.

  “Hughes was a fucking lunatic. He would have gotten everyone in Mountain View killed. It was for the best.” Boone retorted.

  “Why weren’t we notified?” Patty asked, her shock and surprise turning to anger. She looked from Jenkins to Matt, who quickly averted his eyes. “You knew!” she pointed her finger at him. “You son of a bitch! You knew all along and you didn’t tell me.” She looked back and forth between Matt and Jenkins several times, her anger betraying hurt as well. “Fuck the both of you!” Patty turned and stormed out of the conference room.

  “You better go talk to her.” Jenkins said to Matt, who nodded and followed after her. “Doc, have a seat, catch your breath.” Doc Reilly gave Jenkins a hollow, betrayed look, then turn and slumped down in the nearest chair.

  Boone had removed Hughes’ key ring and now faced Jenkins. “Well, General, Mountain View is yours.” Boone then snapped a crisp salute.

  “At ease… Captain.” Jenkins and Boone exchanged smiles. “Now police these bodies.”

  “Yes sir!” Boone and his companion snapped, glancing down at the handcuffed guard before setting about their task…

  “Patty wait!” Matt finally caught up to her just outside the bedroom she had been using here at the Mountain View lodge.

  “I don’t have anything to say Matt.” She wouldn’t look at him and grabbed the handle to her door.

  “Patty, please? I’m sorry.” Matt grabbed her hand, his voice pleading. Patty let out a sigh, and turned to face him.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked. “I thought we trusted one another?”

  “I do trust you Patty.”

  “Bullshit! I would expect as much from General asshole, but you?”

  “Hughes was crazy. He needed to be removed from power.”

  “And you and Jenkins just decided that all on your own right?”

  “Actually, it was Boone’s idea. He sold it to Jenkins who let me in on it after the fact.” As if that made it better.

  “And you didn’t tell me or Doc.”

  “Jenkins swore me to secrecy. He knew you and the Doc wouldn’t approve.”

  “Your damn right we wouldn’t approve! We’re not m
urderers.”

  “It wasn’t even supposed to go down like it did. Hughes was supposed to be killed in his sleep. Nobody would have been known until morning.”

  “And that would have somehow made it alright?” Patty asked self-righteously.

  “No, it’s not alright. But it was necessary!” Matt snapped back at her, startling her into silence. “Hughes was crazy. He was keeping these people imprisoned here. Now they can be integrated into Rainbow Lake, while the lodge can serve as a forward base for salvage parties, logging, hunting and trapping.” Matt was trying to put as positive spin on it as possible.

  “What would Susan think?” Patty spat, her voice full of judgment.

  “She wouldn’t like it, but she would understand. It’s a harsh new world Patty, and sometimes we are going to have to get our hands dirty.” Patty looked as if she wanted to argue, but the events of the night had sapped her of her strength and willpower. She looked fatigued.

  “I’m going to bed Matt. Tomorrow morning I’m returning to Rainbow Lake.”

  “I truly am sorry, Patty. I wish things had happened differently.”

  “I know you do.” Patty said with a sad smile, squeezing his hand and stroking his cheek.

  “No more secrets. I promise.”

  “Ok.” Patty said, and he could tell she didn’t believe him. “Good night Matt.” She turned and entered her room…

  “Why did you do this?” the handcuffed guard asked from his place on the floor. He was in his early thirties, with short blond hair, green eyes and freckles. He and Jenkins were alone. Doc Reilly had left the room to see to the disposal of the bodies.

  “Hughes was a lunatic.” Jenkins said, pulling the pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

  In truth he had respected Hughes; he had done well in fortifying Mountain View and subjugating the people to his will. His only real mistake was his refusal to let them venture outward to explore and salvage. Instead of providing them an outlet for their fears and anxiety, Hughes had turned it upon himself.

  “I was tired of his bullshit. So were Boone and quite a few others. So we did something about it. Now the question is, what am I going to do with you? What’s your name?”

  “Adkins. Roy Adkins.”

  Jenkins put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it, taking a long slow puff and exhaling just as slowly before he spoke again. “Well Roy, I just have one question for you. Do you want to live?”

  “Y-yes.”

  “Good, because I really don’t want to kill you. Every time humans kill humans, it’s a bad thing. Do you have a family Roy?”

  “Yes. A wife and son.”

  “How old is your son?”

  “Five.”

  “What did you do before the deadrise, Roy?”

  “I worked for my father.”

  “What did your father do?”

  “He was a construction contractor.”

  “What did you do for him?” Jenkins interest was piqued.

  “Vice President of Operations. Basically an over glorified foreman. I went around from job site to job site, making sure things were on track and the various sub-contractors had what they needed.”

  “So you know all aspects of construction well?” Jenkins couldn’t hide his pleasure.

  Sensing an advantage, Roy Adkins poured it on. “Carpentry, electrician, plumbing, sheet metal framing, dry walling, brick laying, stone work… If it has to do with construction, commercial or residential, I probably know something about it.”

  “I’m going to make you an offer Roy, so I want you to listen real close.” Jenkins paused to take another long drag of his cigarette, stretching out the moment for maximum suspense. “I want you to swear an oath of loyalty to me, on the life of your wife and child Roy. To me and nobody else. And in return, I will relocate you and your family to Rainbow Lake, where it is safe, and your son can run and play outdoors, and you and your wife can walk along a sandy beach. We are an expanding community, and have great need of a man with your knowledge and skills. What do you say Roy?”

  “Yes! Yes!” he couldn’t blurt it out fast enough. “I’ll swear any oath you want General, just protect my family.” Jenkins bent down and un-cuffed Adkins, instructing him to stay on the ground.

  “Pledge me your loyalty, on the lives of your wife and son. Should you ever betray me, their lives are forfeit.” Jenkins demanded.

  “I swear my loyalty to you General Jenkins; to you and you alone. You have saved my live, and the life of my family. I am yours to command, and should I ever betray you…may the lives of my wife and son be taken in payment.” He looked up at Jenkins submissively.

  “Ok, get up. Go to your family. Be prepared to relocate in the morning…”

  CHAPTER 16

  Thursday August 9, 2001

  Jamestown, WY

  5:45 PM

  Lieutenant Stan Hansen leaned back in the easy chair and gave a tired sign of relief. It was the first time he had truly relaxed in the past twenty-four hours.

  Since yesterday afternoon, Lt. Hansen’s Alpha Two platoon as well as Bravo One and Two and the entire Mountain View security force had been engaged in a hard assault against the Green River horde. Smitty Tucker and the surviving members of his crew had even come along, aching for some payback. And boy did they get some. There must have been five thousand zombies advancing towards them on I-80 and it was a one-sided slaughter. Not a single man was lost while every zombie in the horde was cut down. If there were superzombies present, they didn’t make their presence known.

  Wednesday morning they had rolled into Jamestown, which had a pre-plague population of just a few thousand, now mostly zombies. It was there that the superzombies attacked, shooting and killing Pvt. Tristan Horner of Bravo Two and wounding Pvt. Mario Olmos of Bravo One. But the full force of the Militia had been too much for the superzombies to bear; two of them had been destroyed while a third escaped in a vehicle. Smitty Tucker claimed it was his former gang member. The rest of the zombies in Jamestown had been vanquished and come morning the General called a halt to the advance, ordering them to set up camp at the edge of Jamestown. That had been easy enough; the militia simply barricaded one residential cul-de-sac and let the men occupy several of the houses.

  Hansen’s platoon settled into theirs, and then the men had ventured out to do some looting in the neighborhood; siphoning gas tanks, searching for bullets, weapons, jewelry and clothes for their wives, candy for their children, drugs and alcohol and tobacco for themselves and for trade. They were supposed to turn over all they salvaged for redistribution throughout the community, but everyone always skimmed a little. General Jenkins encouraged it, saying it kept the morale high. That was good enough for Lt. Hansen. Besides, it wasn’t like he wasn’t partial to a bottle of whiskey, a puff of weed or a good cigar, not to mention his wife Tina enjoyed reading paperback novels, and his son Stan Jr. liked model cars and comic books. He should have been out there with his men, but he was tired, and wanted to relax awhile.

  The power was off in Jamestown, and he sat there quietly in the summer heat. He didn’t remember dozing, but he snapped awake as the front door popped open and in came his squadron. Pvt. Law was first in the door, with an open bottle of whiskey in one hand and a large joint in the other. He was in the middle of boisterous laughter, no doubt having just finished one of his jokes. Behind him came Pvt. Wilcox, a smile spread across his chubby, be-speckled face. He carried a small suitcase in one hand, no doubt full of presents for his wife and daughters, and a battery operated lantern in the other; its strong light cast the shadows to the corner of the room. Bringing up the rear was the new man to the squad, Private Stuart Corbett. A short, trim man in his mid thirties, his short black hair complimented his perfect smile and movie star good looks.

  “Hey Lt. Want a shot?” Pvt. Law asked extending the half empty bottle of Jack Daniels.

  “Thanks.” Lt. Larsen took the bottle and tipped back a long pull, the fiery liquid calming his nerves. He handed the bottle ba
ck to Lt. Law. “How went the treasure hunt?”

  “I found a ring and some jewelry for my girl.” Cpl. Law said with a smile. He had taken up with one of the Mountain View women, and after less than a week he was already going to propose to her.

  “Some clothes for my wife and coloring books for my daughters.” Pvt. Wilcox said quietly and patted the suitcase.

  “A little of this, a little of that.” Pvt. Corbett said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick cigar, still wrapped in cellophane. “For you, boss.” He handed the cigar to Larsen, who took it with a smile.

  He had just gotten the cigar smoking well and taken a couple more pulls off Law’s bottle when his radio crackled, and his presence was requested at the HQ, a house half a block up the street. Aside from General Jenkins, Councilman Casey would also be there.

  “Duty calls.” Larsen said and rose to his feet with a groan. “You have any more of these?” he asked Pvt. Corbett, wiggling his cigar.

  “Sure.” The Private nodded.

  “Give me a few more for the General and Councilman and Captain Turner.” Corbett nodded and pulled three more cigars from his vest pocket.

  “You ass kisser.” Cpl. Law smirked.

  “Your damn right I am. There’s only one Major, two Captains and one Colonel and in this Militia who outrank me. Sooner or later, we are going to need more Captains, Majors and Colonels. Think about it.” He gave a wink and headed for the door, but stopped just before exiting. “Don’t get too smashed Law. Tomorrow we push into Green River. I want you sharp.” Law was his squad vehicle driver.

  “Roger, boss…“ Law raised the whiskey bottle to him. Larsen just smiled and exited the house…

  CHAPTER 17

  Sunday August 12, 2001

  Mountain View, WY

  11:09 AM