Fractured: Outbreak ZOM-813

by Lanza, Marie

  I began stuffing the sleeping bag back in its pouch while Jesse and Carl packed the few items they had. Jaxon woke Ethan up and packed away the sleeping bag they had used. It didn’t take long for us to gather our things and climb out of the attic.

  Downstairs, Dan was standing at the backdoor watching Mayhem in the yard. There was a gray blanket of clouds covering the sky with the sun barely beaming through. The morning air was nice and cool.

  “All set?” Dan asked.

  “Yeah, the guys are just putting a few things in their car.” I watched Mayhem sniff around the fence. “Anything from him?”

  “Nothing.” Dan sounded surprised.

  “Well, that’s a good thing.”

  Jaxon came back in the house from the garage. “Ready?”

  Dan and I turned around to see him. I thought about the question, ‘Ready?’ and I didn’t think we would ever really be ready to leave the security of shelter while there were infected roaming outside. We put ourselves at risk every moment we stepped outside. Nothing would prepare us for what was down the road, and we would certainly never be truly ready.

  “All set,” I said, avoiding the word ‘ready.’

  Dan pursed his lips and made a kissing sound to call Mayhem. It immediately caught Mayhem’s attention, and he returned to the house.

  Inside the garage, the guys were standing outside their car. Ethan was already sitting in the back seat of the truck, and Mayhem jumped in next to him.

  “Stay close. If you need anything just flash your lights, don’t use the horn. The camp is about another hour from here depending on how many speed bumps we hit along the way.”

  “That’s a nice way to put it,” I mumbled to Dan as Jaxon briefed Jesse and Carl.

  Jaxon pulled down two shovels that were hanging from the garage wall and handed them to Jesse and Carl. “For protection.”

  From the expression on their faces, it appeared everything was setting in.

  “Yeah.” Jesse eyed the shovel. “We got this.” He and Carl put the shovels in the back seat of their car.

  Dan and I climbed into the truck. Jaxon walked over to the door where the garage door opener hung on the wall.

  “Everybody ready?” Jaxon asked.

  Carl and Jesse nodded simultaneously.

  “Let’s do this,” Dan said.

  With that, Jaxon pressed the opener, bringing the echoing hum and squeak of the garage door for all to hear. Jaxon didn’t linger. He ran for the truck, hopping in the back seat next to Ethan and Mayhem.

  I was certain the infected would hear the garage door from a mile away. Every noise we made seemed amplified in these moments of trying to be stealthy. When the doors opened, Dan pulled out first. It was clear of any danger. Carl and Jesse weren’t far behind us.

  As we traveled out of the neighborhood, its residents started to show their ugly faces. They mingled about the roads with no particular direction until they heard our engines. It was always this way. They walked with odd limps, stiff joints, and their heads slumped, or they just stood still with a slight sway back and forth waiting to be revived by the living.

  I watched Jesse and Carl through the side mirror as we maneuvered past the infected. They fell back for a few seconds, I’m sure in shock over what they were witnessing, but they quickly gained speed, catching up to us.

  The infected crowded the streets through the town, but Dan was able to avoid hitting them or letting them get close enough to get to the truck.

  The overcast slowly dissolved, revealing a perfect blue sky. The landscape began to flatten as we made it to the edge of town. Sprawling fields that were once produce or vineyards struggled to hang on. The highway we took was pretty clear, allowing us to drive at a normal speed.

  For most of the drive we rode in silence; neither Dan nor I were good at small talk and I felt like everything I wanted to discuss with Jaxon was inappropriate for Ethan to hear. Ethan was mainly focused on petting Mayhem who rested his head on the little boys lap.

  It felt like we had been on this highway for hours, maybe because we were sitting in silence. I stared at the world going by, watching the open fields, farmland, and rolling hills all pass by my eyes. There were no signs of living people or even animals.

  Where’d the livestock go?

  We passed by a sign that read, WELCOME TO THE CITY OF GLEN. I assumed this meant we were getting close to the mysterious Camp Glen that didn’t exist on any maps.

  Soon after, Jaxon perked up and leaned in between the front seats. “In a few minutes you’re going to see an old abandoned farmhouse on a large property that includes some oil pumps. Pull down the driveway, and we’ll park behind the house.”

  “I thought we….” I began to question, but was cut off.

  “Trust me,” Jaxon said, giving me a pat on the shoulder and sitting back in his seat. “It’ll be to your left.”

  Dan and I gave each other a quick glance, and looked back out on the road for the farmhouse. It wasn’t long until the property came into view. The open field was dead, with a wooden farm fence surrounding the land. Three yellow oil pumps, rusted from years of exposure, sat still in the middle of the field. About a hundred yards away an abandoned home and barn wasted away. This place didn’t look like it was abandoned when the outbreak occurred, this place looked like it had been sitting idle for decades.

  Dan turned left into the driveway, and Jesse and Carl weren’t too far behind. We pulled around to the back of the house. The structure looked like it could collapse at any moment. There were no windows anymore, boards were hanging off the panels, and the roof had gaping holes. The barn behind the house was huge, like it could fit a small plane inside, and surprisingly looked a little better, though still weathered.

  “Back into the barn, but let me out.” Jaxon began to open the door.

  Dan stopped the truck long enough to allow Jaxon to jump out and run over to Jesse and Carl. Dan backed up into the barn. Jesse and Carl did the same. Jaxon had his gun out and scanned the property for infected. When he saw our cars were parked, Jaxon headed inside. He tugged on a large chain off to the side of the doors and pulled down as the doors slid closed.

  We all got out of the vehicles, and Mayhem immediately needed to sniff everything. I knew we were all on the same page, wondering where we were.

  “Jaxon what is this place?” I asked.

  “Camp Glen.” Jaxon walked past us towards the back of the barn. “The base is underground.” Jaxon began kicking a pile of straw off of a small hatch door in the back corner of the barn.

  It was like we just stepped into a James Bond movie. Jaxon placed his hands on the wheel handle to the door, which was recessed into the floor, but didn’t spin it open at first. He took in a deep breath. He leaned in, pressing his ear against the metal door for a few seconds, then pulled back away from it. I was concerned about his hesitation.

  “Is everything OK?” Dan asked.

  “Let’s hope so…. Here goes nothing.” Jaxon turned the wheel. The door was obviously well maintained due to the lack of any squeak in the hinges whatsoever.

  “They just keep it unlocked?” Dan voiced what we were both thinking.

  “This is just the ‘get the fuck in fast’ room.” Jaxon smirked. “It would suck to be running from the infected and have to worry about a locked door wouldn’t it? Besides, the infected can’t open doors. And there was always a guard on duty before the outbreak.”

  The hatch door clinked as Jaxon turned the wheel and pulled the door open. “After you.” Jaxon looked up at us and pointed his hand to the door.

  Jesse and Carl climbed down first. Then I went down with Ethan behind me. Dan picked up Mayhem and carried him. Jaxon was last and closed the door behind him.

  The room was lit with low, yellowish lights. It was a small room, maybe 10x10 feet. There was one other door that looked like it belonged on an aircraft carrier with the same style wheel hatch handle, but it also contained a window with a steel cover. This one was locked.


  Jaxon went to press what looked like a doorbell or call button, but before he reached it the latch clinked from the other side, and the steel cover to the window slid open.

  “Lieutenant Colonel Jaxon?” a voice from the other side asked.

  “Yes, with my son and four survivors.”

  Louder clicks rang through the door as the bolts were unlocked. The door was opened, and a breeze brushed past us as the seal was broken.

  A young man who didn’t look more than twenty five years old stood in the doorway. He was dressed in full military camouflage and immediately saluted Jaxon.

  “Sergeant Brooks.” Jaxon returned the salute.

  We all followed Jaxon inside.

  “The survivors of Fort Mesa arrived yesterday.” Sergeant Brooks briefed Jaxon as we made our way down a tunnel. “When we didn’t hear from your teams, we assumed you were all dead.”

  “They are all dead,” Jaxon said plainly.

  The tunnel was about fifty yards long and just wide enough for two people to walk side by side. At the end there was another door, but this one was barred like one you’d see for a jail cell. Sergeant Brooks opened the door, held it open for us, and closed it behind him once we had all entered.

  The space was the size of a basketball gym. Tables and chairs were set up in the center piled with papers and computers. Soldiers were working and moving about the area, some sat in front of security monitors while others scoured maps. Maps and other graphs hung on rolling boards. More doors lined the walls with signs above each informing us of their destinations: ‘KITCHEN, MILITARY QUARTERS, MEDICAL’ and others which looked like street signs. Then my eyes ran across, ‘SURVIVORS.’ My ears were picking up words through the buzzing of voices. ‘HOW MANY SURVIVORS, HOW MANY DEAD, NO CURE, TESTS FAILED’.

  “The base runs under the city. Those tunnels there with the street signs over them lead to entrances like the one we came through.” Jaxon pointed to the tunnels to show us what he was talking about.

  “This place has always been below the town’s feet?” I asked.

  “I guess you could say the town is a façade. The military owns it,” Jaxon explained. “We use it for training operations, all the while running it like a regular place.”

  “What can I get you guys? We have food, water, showers…” Sergeant Brooks looked at us for answers, and I cut him off. “Survivors. We’re looking for my family.”

  “We think they were picked up by a military convoy in Los Angeles.” Dan continued for me.

  “Were any survivors with the group from Mesa? Have you taken in any new survivors?” Jaxon asked the sergeant.

  Sergeant Brooks walked over to a desk and picked up a clip board. He scanned it, flipping a few pages, and scanning some more. From the expression on his face, I was getting a really bad feeling.

  “No. A few doctors with a security detail came from Mesa.” He continued to scan his papers. “But your wife wasn’t…”

  “My wife is dead,” Jaxon said. His tone was flat, and the look he gave Sergeant Brooks said ‘Move on.’

  Sergeant Brooks did just that, “I’m sorry, sir. No, no survivors have come through here in the last few days.”

  My gut twisted hearing those words. No survivors.

  Jaxon looked at Dan and me with concern and disappointment for us. He then looked over my shoulder to the guys. “Jesse, Carl, why don’t you let Sergeant Brooks take you to get cleaned up and eat something,” Jaxon suggested.

  “That would be great, thanks.” Jesse and Carl moved past us and went off with the Sergeant.

  “I’m really sorry. Who knows? Maybe Fort Coulee will have better news for you.”

  “Then we have to get there.” I was so anxious that no other thought crossed my mind.

  Dan rubbed my back and let me have my moment of panic. These dead ends were so disappointing and emotionally draining.

  “Let’s get you guys fed, cleaned up, and rested. Tonight you’ll get a good night sleep. We’ll plan to get you to Fort Coulee in the morning. I’ll also put a message out to the base. We’ll see if they can verify whether your family is there or not.”

  Jaxon escorted us to the living quarters for the rescued civilians. It was another basketball court size area with bunk beds lined up one after the other with mere inches between them. The room was packed with people. When we entered, Jaxon did all the talking for us. He spoke with a woman in medical scrubs, giving her our names, what city we came from, even telling her the names of our family members that were missing.

  “This is where I’ll leave you for now. I’m going to get Ethan and me set up, and let’s say we’ll meet in the mess hall in about an hour?” Jaxon looked at his watch.

  “Yeah, that sounds great,” Dan said.

  “Go to that window, get some clothes, and they’ll direct you to the showers,” said the woman who took our names. I didn’t even bother to get her name or look at her name tag.

  Our clothes were filthy. We were covered in dirt and dried blood. The last time I had showered or even changed clothes was before we left our home during the beginning of the outbreak. None of us thought to bring what we packed in the truck, so, we walked over to the window where a gentleman asked our sizes and handed us standard tan t-shirts, cargo pants, and boots. He then directed us to another door that read, SHOWERS. There was a room for men and one for women.

  “I’ll take Mayhem in with me.” Dan took the leash from me.

  The shower room was something you’d see at a gym, only there were no curtains or walls between the showers. It was just a tile room with showerheads, and a female soldier posted on duty. I presumed the soldier was there to watch for any bite marks or injuries that could be signs of infection. She stood next to hampers with a sign that read, DIRTY CLOTHES.

  There was no one else taking a shower, so this left the soldier focused only on me. I would have to get over any modesty very quickly. So this is what it’s like to get 20 to life, I thought to myself.

  The water pressure wasn’t perfect, but as soon as the warm water hit my body, I forgot about it.

  I got dressed, dropped my dirty clothes into the basket by the soldier, and headed back to the sleeping area.

  Dan and Mayhem were waiting for me outside the shower room.

  Then the same woman from before directed us to the back corner of the room where two cots were empty.

  “What’s on your mind, honey?” Dan asked. I guess my stress was written all over my face.

  “I’m not happy about this Dan. I’m not happy we’re wasting a day down here. An entire day when my family is still out there! Every second counts now. And we’re losing valuable time!” I was just vomiting words.

  “OK, OK. This isn’t time lost.”

  I took in a big long breath and exhaled slowly.

  “Honey, Jaxon is going to make contact with the other base and see if Mel and the family were brought there. I bet he’ll even have an answer by the time we see him for food,” Dan continued.

  “I’m still not happy about this.”

  “Look around, Harmony. No one is happy about this. Above us is a world full of walking dead people. Everyone here is probably looking for their families or lost them.”

  Dan made a good point, and I realized how I was experiencing tunnel vision in my selfish quest to find my family. So much so that I wasn’t thinking that I may be putting myself—and others— in danger if I didn’t slow down.

  “OK fine.”

  “OK fine what?” Dan asked.

  “OK fine, we’ll stay here today, make a plan, and leave tomorrow.”

  With that resolved, Dan and I walked with Mayhem, exploring the facility until it was time to make our way to the cafeteria to meet up with Jaxon and Ethan.

  Camp Glen covered a massive area under the city. It was a spider web of tunnels that connected to one another. The area was divided into large areas for military and civilians to live somewhat safely and somewhat normal. There were security guards on duty a
t most exits, and the others apparently weren’t in use. Every exit led to a safe room first. Only after sealing and locking the internal doors of the safe room could you open the external door that led to tunnels and ultimately the outside. The base was packed with people. The military work areas were blocked off from the civilians by guards, but we had access to everything else.

  When we arrived at the mess hall, there weren’t many people eating as we were between breakfast and lunch. No one told us we couldn’t bring Mayhem in, and I was thankful for it. There’s no way I could leave him in an unfamiliar place like this.

  We went to the meal line and walked along the buffet style serving stations. They were still serving mostly breakfast, but a few lunch items were beginning to appear. There was everything you’d expect at a regular restaurant; eggs, waffles, bacon, cereals, hot oatmeal, and toast. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much of an appetite, and from the looks of Dan’s plate, he didn’t either.

  We sat down at an empty table away from the scattered few that were eating. Jaxon and Ethan weren’t far behind us. They got their plates and made their way over to the table.

  “Hi Ethan, are you all settled in?” I asked as he sat across from us.

  “Yeah.” His eyes were focused on his plate.

  “Are you guys all settled?” Jaxon asked.

  “As settled as we can be, I guess,” Dan said.

  “I did a quick brief then called out to Fort Coulee for you. They said they didn’t have your family’s names in the log, but not to worry because they had quite a few people they were still working through, including the newer arrivals paperwork.”

  I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  “Thank you, Jaxon. We’re so grateful to you for doing that.” Dan spoke for me.

  “Harmony, there’s thousands of people at Coulee. It’s the biggest base of survivors.” Jaxon was trying to reassure me, but it wasn’t easy; all I wanted was a solid answer.

  “I really appreciate it, Jaxon. Thank you,” I said.

  “I understand if we can’t know details of what’s happening, but is there anything you can tell us?” Dan asked.