“What are you doing? They’ll see you! Get back in the car!”
“I’m playing dead! I don’t think there’s room for both of us to hide in the front, and I’m sure not getting in the back.”
“You’re smaller than me. You hide on the floor of the passenger seat, and I’ll play dead!”
“Wait! Don’t go outside. You look too alive,” Rayburn said, struggling to push the seat back as the sound of the chopper grew louder.
“Running out of time here, George,” Hixson said, grabbing a baseball cap from the back seat. He slapped it onto his head and opened the door. “Where am I supposed to hide, then?”
“Your pant legs are covered with blood from all the zombies you killed,” George said. “And so is the right arm of your shirt. Lay across the seat with your legs and arm out the door. You’ll look dead enough, I think.”
Dan pushed his door open.
“I hope you know what you’re talking about,” he said, positioning himself across the seat as George had suggested. “If they use FLIR cameras, they’ll know we’re alive.”
“They detect heat, right? So will they see us in the car?”
“I’m not in the car, George,” Dan pointed out.
“Oh, right. Your arm’s too stiff,” Rayburn said, still pushing on the seat.
“Is this better?” Dan asked, letting his right arm lay next to his leg, palm up.
“Sure. That looks good.”
“George, hurry up,” he said. “They’re close!”
“I’m trying!”
“I just hope to God there aren’t any zombies out here,” Dan said.
“There!” George said, finally getting the seat moved back. He curled up on the floor as well as possible.
“Hide your hair,” Dan hissed, as the chopper started to come into sight.
Rayburn did some maneuvering and managed to pull his shirt up over his head.
“That’s better,” Hixson said, the side of his face flattened against the seat. “Now don’t move.”
The thumping of the rotor grew louder as the chopper slowly moved down the road, apparently checking out each vehicle along the way. As the seconds crept by, Dan wondered if the noise of the helicopter was drawing the dead their way. His head was turned toward the back of the seat, and he couldn’t see anything that might be approaching the vehicle on the ground. He closed his eyes, breathing slowly as his mind provided him with images of mangled, rotting corpses converging on the car. The noise of the chopper and the putrid stench inside the vehicle ensured that he wouldn’t have any advance warning if something were creeping up on him. More seconds ticked by, and Hixson finally took a chance and turned his head the other way, shifting just slightly so that he could see out the door. It was several more minutes before the sound of the helicopter completely faded and the two men were able to move.
“That was close,” Dan said, looking around.
“We’re going to run out of luck eventually,” George said, moving his seat up again.
“I know.” Dan got back into the car. “I think we’ll be okay once we’re out of the area, but we’re obviously still in their search range. My guess is that they’re just scanning the area with their eyes for now, but if they start looking for heat images, we’re screwed.”
They managed to drive a few more miles before running into a pile-up that they couldn’t get around. The two men got out and walked, staying close to the road in case they had to hide again. Once they reached the vehicles at the front of the line, Dan began to search for a car with keys. He found one, but the battery was dead.
“Well, that’s no good,” George said, disappointed. “Can we find another battery?”
“We can try,” Dan said, looking through the car for tools. He came across a small crescent wrench, which he stuck in his pocket before heading toward another car. The vehicle was locked and getting the hood open required the use of the crowbar, but Dan managed it quickly and had the battery moved and installed in the other car within minutes.
~*~
St. Mary’s Hospital, Lansing
The group worked until dark before most of them went inside, exhausted from the long day. Fortunately, they were almost done with the wall. They also planned to make a parking area for the big trucks and the loader near the gate. This area would be fenced off with chain-link, also ensuring that anything getting in through the main gate would be stopped before reaching those in the park area.
Wombat stayed outside with Lindsey for an extra hour, giving her a chance to hone her skills with the crowbar. She kept going until her arms were too sore to do any more, then they went inside. She hadn’t been looking forward to the three-hour quarantine, but she was happy to see that new furniture had been brought in.
“Nice,” she said, sinking down onto a sofa next to Wombat.
“Some of the guys made a trip to the furniture store today,” Snake said, from a comfortable-looking recliner. “They may not get me out of here when my time is up.”
Two hours later, Snake managed to drag himself from the recliner and went to find his welders and a few others.
“We need to get a gate put up,” he said to the small group he’d called together. “Without it, the wall doesn’t do us much good.”
“Can we just move the gate that’s on the wall around the parking lot?” Carmen asked.
“I want to keep that as a buffer. Besides, it’s too tight of a squeeze for the loader. What about one of those heavy-duty gates that slides on rails?”
“It won’t stand up to a bunch of zombies pushing against it,” Carmen said. “They’ll knock it right off the track.”
“What about a big, heavy gate that drops down, like you see in castles?” Wolf suggested.
“With the pointy ends that will impale anything in the way?” Gunner asked, grinning.
“How would we lift it?” Snake asked. “We’d need electricity or a hell of a crank to pull it up.”
“What about a tow truck?” asked Wolf.
“Not exactly the newest technology, but it should work. Could you build something like that?” Snake asked the two welders.
“It would take some time,” Gunner said with a shrug, “but we could do it. I’m thinking that the pointy ends may be a problem. We might be better off with a heavy, solid gate that can drop down into an indentation in the pavement.”
“That’ll make it sturdier,” Carmen agreed.
“I like that,” Snake said. “We’d have to keep it cleaned out so it would work right, but if the whole thing is set into a groove like that, it’s not going to give as much if the dead push on it. It’ll still be dangerous if it falls on someone.”
“With the heavy cabling on a tow truck, it shouldn’t be a problem,” Gunner said. “You do realize that we’d need to be able to lift this gate high enough to get the trucks beneath it. They’re what, maybe ten or twelve feet tall?”
There was silence for a moment as they contemplated the latest snag in the plan.
“Moose, can you make posts tall enough to support the gate when it’s up?” Snake asked.
“We could go fourteen feet on the pilasters, but that’s about it,” Moose said.
“Claire’s a civil engineer,” Wolf said. “Maybe she could help figure this out.”
The group went to the computer room where they found Claire.
“I think you’re talking about a vertical lift gate,” she said when presented with the problem. She did a quick search online and pulled up a picture of a gate that was similar to what they had described.
“Would something like this work?” she asked.
Snake and Moose both leaned in to get a better look.
“That’d be perfect,” Snake said, “except it’s too wide. It only needs to be big enough for the trucks and loader to get through.”
“It can be modified,” Claire told him. “I think it would be sturdy enough with the fourteen foot pilasters and some steel beams.”
“This is going to be a
lot more work than I thought,” Wolf said, after they discussed more details with Claire.
“I know, but I think it’ll be worth it. Besides, it’ll keep everybody busy for a while. We still need to harvest some crops, but we can’t do that until Wild Bill’s done clearing a route for us out of the city.”
“So, it sounds like another trip is in order,” Wolf said.
“Afraid so,” Snake replied. “We’ll go first thing tomorrow. We’ll take all three trucks and try to do it all in one day.”
“I’ll have a list of what you need by morning,” Claire said.
“Thanks,” Snake said, stepping out into the hall again with the others.
He looked at Gunner and Carmen. “I need one of you to come along to help find a gate, but I don’t want you both going, just in case something happens. Wrench welds, too, but he’s coming with us to look for some tools. Probably not smart to have all three welders on a supply run.”
“I’ll go if Gunner doesn’t care,” Carmen said. “I haven’t been outside the walls for a while, and I’m kind of getting stir-crazy in here.”
“Fine with me,” Gunner said. “I’m helping Moose add stairs to the towers, so I’ve got plenty to keep me busy here.”
“Are we going to put stairs on the wall around the park, too?” Moose asked.
The gabion walls were fairly wide so that shooters could stand on top without having to worry about their balance. They were also high enough that they weren’t easy to climb.
“I think ladders will be enough,” Snake said. “Then we can move them if we need to.”
“I’ll add it to the list,” Wolf said, pulling out a piece of paper.
~*~
Cheri was sitting in her bed, her eyes glued to the pages of a small paperback. A knock on the door made her jump slightly.
“Who is it?” she asked, warily.
“Housekeeping,” a voice on the other side of the door answered with a hint of a Scottish accent.
“Come in, Ernie,” Cheri said, looking back at her book.
A man in a pair of brown overalls opened the door and backed into the room, rolling a bucket full of water and a mop along with him.
“Beautiful morning, isn’t it, Lassie?”
“It is. I see the sun’s actually trying to poke through the clouds,” Cheri said, looking out the window. Turning to the man, she said, “I really do appreciate you cleaning up for me, but I want to start pulling my weight around here. It’ll probably help me to keep my mind off things.”
“The sun always seems to bring a wee bit of romance into the day, if you ask me,” the man said, ignoring her comment as he pushed a dry mop along the floor.
“Eric,” she sighed, “Ernie doesn’t have that thick of an accent. You sound like Shrek. How did you get Ernie’s stuff?”
“I’m volunteering,” he replied. “You know how I am about wanting to help out.”
“The problem is,” Cheri said, reaching for the call button, “you’re not allowed in here.”
“Wait!” Eric turned toward her and held his hand up. “I just wanted to check on you. Nobody will tell me how you’re doing.”
Cheri hesitated a moment, debating on whether or not to press the button and call one of the nurses.
“Look,” Eric said, clasping his hands together as if he were pleading, “I did bring you and the kids here. Why can’t I at least make sure you’re okay?”
Cheri thought for a second then set the call button down.
“Well, no matter how self-serving your motives may have been, you did get us here. As hard as it is to admit it, I guess I might owe you a thank you.”
Eric was torn between feeling guilt and relief. He tried to convince himself of his own nobility in rescuing her and her children, but deep down he was well aware what his sole motivation was behind his heroics. Now that Cheri was single, he hoped to rekindle the years-dead relationship they’d once had. Now he was certain that she was on to him.
“So, are you getting better?” he asked, infusing as much concern into the question as he could.
“I’m learning to count my blessings,” she said, putting the book face down on her night stand. “It’s not easy watching the man you love die, and it’s even harder when you’re the one killing him.”
“Cheri,” Eric paused, trying to find the right words, “he was already dead. You were just killing whatever was controlling his body.”
“I understand,” she said, “but somehow it didn’t make shooting him any easier.”
“I was hoping to relieve you of that burden by telling everybody I shot him,” Eric said, humbly, “but I guess you remembered everything.”
“Wow, that was so thoughtful of you,” she said, rolling her eyes, “and here we thought you were just trying to make yourself look like a hero again. Glad you’re over that.”
Eric smiled as the sarcasm completely escaped him.
“Eric,” Cheri became more serious, “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. There are a lot of people in here who have lost more than I have. I still have my children, and for the time being, they’re safe. They have shelter, food, clothing, and they’ve even met some new friends in here. I admit I’ve been selfish, laying here wallowing in self-pity. I want to help out as much as I can around here, but Snake suggests I ease into it. He’s especially worried that you are going to do something to mess up my recovery.”
Eric looked down and shuffled his feet. “I don’t blame him,” he mumbled. “I’ve been a little selfish, too.”
Cheri looked as if she were a bit skeptical of his sincerity.
“I’ve learned a lot in the last few days,” he continued. “You heard the military drafted me because of my piloting abilities?”
“Yeah,” Cheri chuckled, “everybody got a good laugh out of that. We were taking bets on how long it would be before they brought you back.”
“Anyway,” Eric continued, ignoring her comment, “it wasn’t really the military. I was taken to a top-secret facility where I was the personal pilot for the leader of the entire community. Not only did they want me for my flying ability, but they also wanted my DNA to help enhance the new race of humans they were developing.”
Cheri reached for the call button again.
“No, wait!” Eric protested. “I may be embellishing a little, but most of it’s true. The point is, I loved it at first, until I saw how the place was filled with people who were completely devoid of compassion, to the point of being cruel. I saw a man and his wife torn apart by zombies, just to create a distraction. There was no value on human life. Everything was for the good of the community. They had certain goals, and they didn’t care how many people died to accomplish them.”
Cheri once again put the call button down, searching Eric’s face for the truth.
“I’ll admit, I saw a little bit of myself in them. My whole life, I’ve been willing to do anything or hurt anyone to get my way. But when I saw how brutal that way of thinking could be, I vowed to change. I’m different now, Cheri, and I want to prove that to you.”
Eric watched as Cheri studied him. He had always been a master manipulator, but something had changed inside him. The expression on Cheri’s face told him that she was also aware of the change. The look of disgust that she usually wore when he was around had seemingly evaporated into pity. Maybe it would be possible for her to see him as a human being again, or maybe even a friend.
“What do you want from me?” she asked.
Eric walked toward her and leaned over her bed. “Do you think we could, you know, do it, just for old time’s sake?”
Her eyes widened at the comment, and she quickly lifted her knee, which was positioned precariously beneath his groin.
A thud preceded a loud wheeze coming from Eric’s lungs, as he fell backwards into a fetal position on the floor. The high pitched squeals coming from the injured man brought footsteps toward the room. The door opened and Ernie hobbled in.
“Whatever she did to you, lad, I
’m sure you deserved it,” Ernie said, frowning when his eyes came to rest on his mop and bucket. He turned his attention to Cheri, ignoring the squeals of pain coming from Eric.
“Are you all right, miss? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“Actually, I’ve never felt better,” Cheri said with a smile. “I think that was the best therapy I’ve had since I’ve arrived.”
Ernie grinned and walked over to Eric, grabbing him by the ear. “Let’s get you out of here before you cause any more trouble.”
He pulled Eric to his feet and led him unceremoniously from the room, closing the door behind them.
~*~
“All right, I’m going to grab a snack then I’m hitting the hay,” Snake said, yawning.
The group began to go their separate ways once they hit the lobby, but Fish stopped them.
“Hey, check it out,” he called from the door of the ER. “Jackson and Sparky were able to get us some reception on the TV.”
Snake decided that the snack and sleep could wait a few more minutes, and he went with the others to the ER. They gathered around to watch the newscast. Even though they’d come in halfway through, it only took an instant to understand the situation throughout the Americas. A map showed new outbreaks in Phoenix, Las Vegas and several other western cities. The east coast must have been completely overrun because there were so many spots marked on that part of the map that they all blended together into a mass of red. Mexico, Central America and South America looked just as bad. Canada, which had previously only had outbreaks in Vancouver and Toronto, now showed hot spots scattered across the country.
To make things worse, there were reports that the parasite had hit other continents as well, verifying what Jackson had already told Snake and Reynolds had insinuated as well. The reports painted an ugly picture, with the situation degenerating all over the world. There was a lot of finger pointing over how it had all started and who was responsible for the rapid spread of the plague.
Dead, But Not For Long (Book 2): Pestilence and Promise Page 28