Infection Z [Books 1-3]

by Chesla, Gary

  “Hey Sergeant,” Johnson said. “Are we getting ready to go out and meet the President already? I didn’t think his plane would get here for another two hours?”

  “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, Johnson,” Sergeant Daniels barked. “I just got orders to take a few men and go down to the power plant to see what is going on down there. I’m sure even you have noticed that the power went out. Those damn generators are going to drive me batty if I have to listen to them for much longer.”

  “Do you need another man?” Johnson asked hopefully. “I’d do anything to get out of this cave for an hour.”

  “Bennet,” Daniels yelled, “Where the hell is Walbeck?”

  “I don’t know Sergeant,” Bennet replied. “I told him we were leaving in five minutes.”

  “I’m not waiting, I’ll deal with him when we get back,” Daniels growled as he looked back at Johnson.

  “Are you volunteering?” Daniels asked. “I am one man short.”

  “Hell yes, Sergeant,” Johnson replied. “Should I go report to my unit that I am leaving?”

  “Your sergeant is Sergeant Edwards?” Daniels asked.

  “Yes Sergeant,” Johnson replied.

  “I don’t have time for you to go talk to him now. I will square it with him when we get back. Now go grab a vest, a headlight, a rifle and a full load of ammo and get in the back seat of the cart,” Daniels ordered.

  “A rifle, a vest and ammo,” Johnson laughed. “Are we going to shoot them if they refuse to turn the power back on?”

  Johnson looked at the expression on the Sergeant’s face and quickly got serious.

  “Right away Sergeant,” Johnson said and headed to the office building to get his gear.

  Johnson pulled on his vest, grabbed a rifle and ammo and ran back out to the cart.

  He had barely got situated in his seat when the cart started humming and began to accelerate down the tunnel.

  Johnson was tempted to ask the guy next to him what the full weapons load was all about but decided after the look the Sergeant had given him before, to keep his mouth shut and enjoy the ride.

  He didn’t want to blow this opportunity to get out and get some fresh air and see something other than the inside of this cave.

  After all, he was in Colorado, what could there possibly be outside for him to worry about. Maybe they were just trying to impress the people down at the power plant and let them know that the Air Force was serious about getting the power turned back on as soon as possible.

  Seven minutes later the cart arrived at the entrance to the outside.

  Three soldiers were standing guard.

  The Sergeant got out and walked over to the men and talked quietly for a few moments.

  After one of the men made a call, probably to the Captain’s office, he nodded and instructed another man to open the doors to let the cart pass and go outside.

  The Sergeant got back in the cart and drove out the large doors, which rumbled closed behind the cart after it passed through the doors.

  Johnson began to blink and raised his arms to shield his eyes from the bright sun light.

  He felt like he had just been released from solitary confinement as the cart exited the last part of the cave and began to shoot off down the short road towards the heliport.

  When they reached the helicopter, the man sitting up front next to the Sergeant hopped out of the cart and climbed into the pilot’s seat and began to go through his checklist to start the chopper.

  “The rest of you men, get in the back and prepare your weapons,” Daniels ordered.

  The Sergeant stood at the door and watched as the men climbed up in to the helicopter.

  When it was Johnsons turn to get in the helicopter, he sniffed the air and looked at the Sergeant.

  “Sergeant, what the hell is that smell?” Johnson asked. “Is there a forest fire nearby?”

  “You’re in for an education today, Johnson,” the Sergeant smiled. “Just remember you volunteered for this mission, so get your ass in the chopper, be quiet and do what you’re told.”

  Johnson quickly climbed up into the helicopter and took a seat.

  The men around him worked quietly checking their weapons, so Johnson decided not to make waves, checked his weapon and enjoyed an occasional look at the wide-open spaces outside.

  The helicopter lifted off, the smell of dust stirred up by the whirling rotors replacing the strange odor that had been filling the air.

  After checking his weapon, Johnson leaned back, finally feeling comforted by the fact that he was no longer surrounded by the dark depressing walls of the cave.

  Five minutes later the skyline of Colorado Springs came into view.

  Johnson looked casually out the side of the helicopter to look at the city.

  It was then he noticed the pillars of dark smoke rising into the sky from the city, that and the smell that he had noticed before, only now it was much stronger.

  He looked around the inside of the helicopter, the others didn’t seem to notice or pay any attention to the smell.

  Johnson was about to ask what was going on down below, when the Sergeant spoke.

  “OK men,” he said. “We are going to land on top of the main building at the power plant. Our job is to work our way down through the control building and see if we can find someone that can tell us if there is anyone else alive and if it is possible to get the plant back on line. Just remember, head shots only.”

  “Anyone still alive? Head shots only?” Johnson asked sounding puzzled. “Who are we going to shoot in the head and why?”

  “Johnson, you boys at Cheyenne Mountain have been like ostriches with your heads buried in the sand,” Daniels smiled. “I know command kept you boys in the dark so you could concentrate on running the facility and react to defend the country in the event the Russians decided to take advantage of our current predicament.”

  Johnson looked puzzled and thought, “Our current predicament?”

  “But while you boys were safe and sound, we have been out in the real world,” Daniels continued. “Today you are going to find out what is really happening on the outside. We don’t have to worry about the Russians any longer, they are too busy dealing with their own problems right now. This adventure will give you a head start on what you will learn later today if the President makes it to Cheyenne Mountain.”

  “I don’t understand,” Johnson replied.

  “You will. Bennett, keep Johnson with you and hold his hand until he grows up,” Daniels said. “Johnson, listen to Bennett and you will be OK. This will be a short simple operation, in and out. Now get ready, we’ll be landing in thirty seconds.”

  Johnson knew now that he had finally gone over the edge.

  But just in case this was all real, he took a deep breath and tried to remain calm until he found out what this was all about. He had volunteered for a joy ride in the helicopter to get out of the cave, but just like everything else the past week, something wasn’t making any sense.

  The helicopter circled the fenced in area around the power plant on the outskirts of the city.

  After one trip around the boundary, Sergeant Daniels yelled at the pilot, “Take us in.”

  The helicopter dropped and made a rough landing on the top of the three-story building in the center of the complex.

  The men began to pour out of the chopper.

  Daniels told everyone to turn on their head lamps because it would be dark inside the building since there wasn’t any electricity, then he instructed the first two men out of the helicopter to get the door on the roof open and clear the stairwell.

  When Bennet and Johnson jumped out of the chopper, Daniels instructed them to take up the rear and follow the rest of the group down into the building after the door was opened and then clear the rooms off the hallways behind the others.

  Johnson stood and watched the activity in front of him.

  He felt like he was moving in slow motion as everything s
eemed to be moving so fast around him.

  Johnson looked out into the confines around the other buildings at the power plant.

  There were dozens of people moving around between the buildings.

  The people seemed to be moving around in slow jerky motions like the way he felt he was moving.

  When a loud explosion sounded, blowing off the door on the roof, Daniels yelled, “Let’s move it!”

  The group began to move towards, then down the stairs into the building.

  Johnson heard the sounds of gun shots as he slowly moved down the steps.

  “What the hell have I gotten myself into?” was all he could think.

  When they all reached the third-floor landing, Daniels began to point towards the closed doors that lined the hall.

  “Johnson, come on, our job is to clear these rooms as we go through to make sure nothing gets in behind us,” Bennet said.

  “When we have the time, I have a few questions,” Johnson said.

  Bennet pushed open the nearest door, raised his rife and began shooting at the bodies as they were illuminated by the beam of his light.

  “OK, Clear!” Bennet shouted and told Johnson to follow him.

  Johnson looked into the room and shined his light down on the fallen bodies after Bennet started moving towards the next door.

  He couldn’t believe the smell or what he saw next.

  Gray emaciated bodies, like something from a German concentration camp covered the floor, the back of their heads blown away, their brains splattered across the room covering the desks and chairs in the room.

  All of the bodies looked like some animal had attacked them, large chunks of flesh had been ripped from the arms, legs and faces of the bodies.

  Johnson looked horrified towards Bennet.

  “You killed those poor bastards,” Johnson said.

  “I just put them down, they were already dead,” Bennet replied. “The infection killed them or turned them into the walking dead. We have to put down what’s left before they kill us. Got it?”

  Johnson staggered over behind Bennet as he pulled open the next door.

  Bennet raised his rifle and again began to fire.

  Johnson watched as the grisly bodies staggered towards the door, then fall to the floor as their heads exploded.

  “Come on man,” Bennet yelled. “Help me out. I can’t keep doing all the work. Take the next room!”

  Johnson looked down at the mangled bodies lying on the floor as the shadows cast by his light seemed to magnify the horror of the situation.

  The clouded over solid white eyes stared blankly into space, the black teeth and at the thick black blood that oozed out of their shattered heads.

  “Damn it Johnson,” Bennet yelled. “Do your job.”

  Bennet pulled open the next door and pushed Johnson in front of the open door.

  Johnson stared inside the room and saw two bodies appear in his light beam wearing torn and bloody white blouses and blue skirts, coming at him. The sickening sight of ragged flesh hanging from the open wounds that covered their bodies.

  The smell was noxious and the eerie sight of the two bodies growling as they stared at him with their lifeless eyes.

  “Shoot them,” Bennet yelled.

  Johnson slowly raised his rife and fired, striking the first body in the center of the chest.

  The body jolted backwards, stopped, then began to come towards him again.

  “You heard the sergeant, shoot them in the head,” Bennet said. “The bodies are already dead, you have to kill the brain.”

  Johnson raised his gun and aimed for the head, then watched as the body crumbled to the floor.

  Bennet stepped up next to Johnson and shot the second body coming towards them.

  “Now you got it,” he said. “In case you didn’t know, if one of them bites you, you become one of them, then I’ll have to shoot you too.”

  “I didn’t know that,” Johnson replied quietly as he looked over at Bennet.

  “Well, now you know,” Bennet said. “Come on, we have to finish clearing this level and catch up with the rest of the group. We don’t want to get separated, it can be dangerous. These things are slow and awkward, but if enough of them gets you cornered, they can end up biting you before you can put them all down. The problem is they aren’t afraid of anything and can overwhelm you before you know it. Also watch that one of them doesn’t jump out of the shadows at you. They can get you before you know they are even there.”

  Bennet and Johnson cleared the last two rooms and caught up with the rest of the group at the top of the stairwell that led down to the second floor.

  The group went down to the second floor and quickly cleared that floor.

  “The control room for the plant should be at the end of the hall near the front of the building on the first floor,” Daniels said then looked at Bennet. “How is Johnson doing?”

  “I think he is getting the hang of things now,” Bennet replied.

  “Good,” Daniels said. “Let’s get this finished and go home.”

  The Sergeant turned and started down the steps to the first floor.

  The sound of gun fire started again as the first of the group entered the hallway and echoed up the stairwell as the shots rang out, one after another, for the next five minutes.

  “There was a hell of a lot more of them down here,” Daniels said. “This last room should be the control room.”

  “The room that all of these things seemed to be trying to get into?” Bennet asked.

  “That could be a good sign,” Daniels replied. “It could mean that there is still someone alive in there.

  When we go in, be careful where you shoot so you don’t damage the controls. If there is going to be any chance of getting this plant working again, we are going to need the equipment.”

  Everyone nodded as the Sergeant turned and pulled open the door.

  The men all raised their guns, ready to fire.

  When the door opened, the Sergeant shined his light around the room, there was only one person inside standing at the back of the room.

  He seemed to be staring at the controls.

  “Hey Buddy,” Daniels called out. “Are you alright?”

  The man swayed left and right, then slowly began to turn.

  Sergeant Daniels was hopeful as the man slowly turned, because the man wasn’t bloody like everyone else they had seen in the building.

  But when he saw the man’s eyes, Daniels knew his feeling had been premature.

  When the man began to groan, whatever doubt Daniels had, was gone.

  “Don’t shoot him,” Daniels yelled. “I’ll lure him away from the controls, Bennet, you hit him over the head with a chair or something, so we don’t accidentally damage anything important.”

  The Sergeant kept the creature’s attention as Bennet worked his way slowly across the room and came up behind the infected man.

  One vicious hit and it was over.

  Johnson walked over and looked down at the man.

  “This one looks different,” Johnson said.

  Daniels walked over and looked down at the body.

  “This one isn’t chewed up like all the others,” Daniels replied. “He must have been trapped alive in here when all the others became infected.”

  “If he wasn’t bitten, how did he become infected like the others?” Johnson asked.

  “I don’t know for sure,” Daniels replied. “I’ve seen others like this before. I guess it just happens sometimes, they become infected directly by whatever started all of this.”

  “What do we do now Sergeant?” Bennet asked. “There isn’t anyone left alive to ask how to get the plant back on line.”

  “Take a look and see if there is anything that appears to be a main switch,” Daniels replied. “Maybe this guy fell against the controls and shut everything down. I doubt it will be something that simple, but it’s worth a look.”

  Then men spent the next ten minutes examini
ng the controls.

  “Anyone see anything?” Daniels finally asked after looking over all the controls.

  No one said anything.

  “OK then,” Daniels said. “Davis, take a picture of all the controls. We can take them back to the base and give them to command and let them see if they can figure out how to turn the power back on.”

  Fifteen minutes later, the helicopter lifted off from the top of the building.

  “You have run into things like this before?” Johnson finally asked.

  The Sergeant nodded yes.

  “Where?” Johnson asked.

  “Everywhere,” Daniels replied.

  “What do you mean everywhere?” Johnson asked.

  “In every city and town across the country,” Daniels sighed as he removed his headlamp and pulled off his vest.

  Johnson looked puzzled.

  “I’m sure even you boys at Cheyenne Mountain have heard rumors,” Daniels said.

  “I’ve heard a few rumors about some flu bug causing a lot of people to die,” Johnson replied, “but nothing like this.”

  “That seems to be how it started, but then it turned into what you just saw, dead bodies coming back to life and attacking the living,” Daniels replied. “Once this started, it spread everywhere in a few days.

  As far as I know, no one knows how it started, but soon after it began, command realized that no one knew how to stop it either.”

  “Shit, this is a nightmare,” Johnson said. “Now I see why the rumors said that thousands of people had died. How long will it take the military to clean up this mess and get things back to normal? I would imagine it will take forever if the only way to stop this is to shoot the infected in the head.”

  “We are all that is left of the military,” Daniels said. “The infection hit the military just like the rest of the country. It was just like what happened in the cities, one person became infected and in two days the entire city was gone. No one knew how the infection was spread until it was too late. But once the infection started, the living was overwhelmed with in a few days.”