by Vohs, J. W.
In one form or another, phalanx-warfare had been utilized by the armies of civilized nations and city-states for roughly five thousand years. Sumerian engravings depicted massed spearmen slaughtering their enemies as effectively as fifteenth century Swiss and Spanish formations had done. Luke was pretty sure that the armor and weapons had certainly evolved during those millennia, but discipline and courage had been there from the beginning. If common infantrymen would stay in their ranks as trained, they were very tough to defeat, but if they broke and ran, slaughter was the most likely result.
The week of training was exhausting for everyone, and it flew by quickly. Zach and Maddy managed to find the time for two showers each, at Gracie’s insistence. She and Luke were able to carve out chunks of private time in the evenings, even though both were physically and mentally spent by sundown. Luke only slept a few hours each night, but he suffered no more nightmares, and his awe-inspiring strength and stamina continued to spread his growing reputation as some sort of herculean savior among his troops.
CHAPTER 7
The Red River meandered wildly in what the map promised was a generally northwest direction, though at any time the growing fleet could be travelling toward virtually any point on the compass. The distance between Shreveport and Texarkana was only a hundred miles by road, but Luke thought that on the water they would be traveling more than twice as far. The expanding army continued to encounter fortified settlements inside of oxbow lakes and peninsulas all along the river, and the rookie warriors gained critical fighting experience as they cleared out predatory packs wherever they were found. Inevitably, when the inhabitants of the fledgling, struggling communities saw Luke’s soldiers in action, they would try to volunteer in numbers too large to accept. After hearing Gracie’s explanation of why their continued existence on the river was absolutely vital to the war effort, most people understood that the best thing they could do for themselves and their loved ones was to stay where they were and crank up agricultural production.
Maddy and Zach had put together a cadre of young men and women who were able to grasp the most important aspects of training and combat before their comrades, and these soldiers took responsibility for bringing the new recruits up to speed. As the original store of supplies dwindled, the further the fleet traveled from Shreveport, the fewer volunteers were accepted into the army. The end result of this selectivity was that by the time the fleet reached the outskirts of Texarkana late in the morning on Christmas Eve, Luke’s force numbered two hundred and twenty lean, mean, hunter-killing machines who were improving in their abilities every day. Luke had selected Texarkana as his growing army’s first official destination because the town was large enough to still contain resources to resupply the unit with weapons and armor. Two companies of a hundred soldiers each were under the commands of Zach and Maddy, while Gracie managed the rest of the troops as a headquarters-type unit responsible for everything from uniform repair to food procurement. Regardless of whom their direct commander was though, every single volunteer was an infantryman and scout. All tasks were cross-trained, and everyone took turns at the least appealing jobs, as well as those considered the most fun, such as scouting and foraging.
The night before Christmas, Luke and his inner circle took their evening meal together where the army had bivouacked near a pair of massive highway bridges that led from the Red River into the city. The excursion into Texarkana would be their largest scavenging trip to date, and the four officers sat around a roaring campfire to discuss where they were going and how they were going to get there. Gracie was apparently in a mood to talk about where they’d been, too, and she was the first to speak.
“Do you guys worry about the fact that we’re taking the strongest, most capable fighters away from these villages along the river?”
Luke tossed a stick into the flames and shook his head emphatically. “We’re leaving plenty of strong, young people behind in the settlements. Just because they’re married or don’t want to leave their families doesn’t mean they won’t develop into good fighters after we pull out.”
Zach agreed with his buddy. “Plus, they’ve got time to check out hundreds of homes and farms in their immediate vicinity; they’ll be armed and armored as well as we are within a few weeks.”
“If that,” Maddy added, “most of the time they’re training with the volunteers before we leave. As long as they continue to practice and keep up their patrols, I think they’ll be fine.”
Luke stirred the embers at the edge of the fire. “It doesn’t hurt that we kill every hunter in the area before moving on.”
“Even though we skim off the best of the single folks, those settlements are still far better off after we leave than when we arrived,” Zach pointed out.
Gracie slowly nodded. “What surprises me, every time, is the change in attitude the people seem to develop after we show up; it’s like we give them hope or something.”
“Well, tis the season,” Maddy responded with only a hint of sarcasm in her voice. “We’re not exactly bringing your typical tidings of good cheer, but we do help people see what it takes to survive these days.”
“I’d say we’re more like rock stars than Mother Theresa,” Zach countered, “and I’m cool with that.”
“Hey, Zach,” Maddy teased, “it’s pretty sad the desperate lengths you’ll go to just to be cool.”
Zach tossed a chunk of jerky at Maddy’s head, but grinned good-naturedly. “I’m not saying I’m glad the virus crushed the world, far from it, but I never felt like I was really contributing much to the human race before the outbreak. Nowadays, I almost feel like this is what I was born to do.”
“Sit around a fire and eat huge meals every night?” Luke commented wryly.
“Yeah, well, at least I still cook my steaks, Mr. Hunter.”
“Hey, big fella, my eyes aren’t the only thing changed for the bad-ass. Wanna arm wrestle?” Luke playfully held out his arm and tensed his bicep under his jacket.
Zach had already felt the strength of Luke’s new muscles in training. “I only arm wrestle humans, not—” He stopped short when he saw Courtney step into the ring of light cast by the flames of their fire. “Hey, Court, what’s up?” he called out with exaggerated friendliness.
The young girl seemed nervous. “Sorry to interrupt you guys, but Terry has that man from the settlement near Fouke here to talk with you—the scout who’d spent time in Texarkana.”
Gracie smiled brightly at her young friend. “You don’t have to apologize for completing an errand I sent you on, honey. Bring them over here.”
Terry approached the fire with a scarecrow-thin, shabby-looking character at his side. “Captain Seifert, this is Jonah Watkins; he’s got some information about the Texarkana area.”
Luke nodded to the young soldier and the stranger as he waved for them to sit. He addressed the stranger first. “Merry Christmas, Mr. Watkins. Are you hungry?”
The old man didn’t know what to make of the young captain wearing mirrored sunglasses after sunset. “No, I’ve had a fine meal, uh, Cap’n. I ain’t had steak like that since before the outbreak.”
“Glad to hear it,” Luke replied. “So what can you tell us about Texarkana?”
Watkins’ eyes seemed to grow larger in the firelight. “There’re a lot of eaters in Texarkana!”
Luke sat back and frowned. “I’ve been traveling since this whole mess started, and the cities seem to be deserted everywhere. At first, the infection exploded in the cities. It didn’t take long for the number of infected to outnumber the survivors, but pretty soon the creatures couldn’t find enough people to eat so they had to move on.”
“Well, Cap’n, I can’t say nuthin’ ‘bout the rest of the country, but them critters is thick ‘round the city.”
“Any idea why?”
“Maybe. Seems like every person in north Texas headed toward the Red River Army Depot when the outbreak got serious. It’s about five miles down I-30 from Texarkana, and it’s
a damn big facility. Problem is, all the government did there was store vehicles and work on ‘em. Weren’t many soldiers there, or weapons, and they was overrun mighty quick when the infection spread. But people musta had it in their heads that an Army base would be a good place to bug out to, ‘cause I’m tellin’ ya, thousands of ‘em came this way.”
Luke wasn’t surprised that people would flock to an Army depot. And he wasn’t surprised that they found no safety there. “What happened to all of those refugees?” he asked, fairly certain that he knew the unhappy answer.
“Most of ‘em got et purty quick, but plenty others hid out in the parts of town that didn’t burn; wasn’t nuthin’ for ‘em out at the base from what I hear. A few of the smart ones found places they could fortify along the river, but winter’s been purty hard on everyone in these parts.”
“So you think there are still people alive in the city?”
“Yeah, some, but food’s gettin’ hard to come by and the eaters still hunt this whole area alla time.”
“How many eaters do you think are in Texarkana?” Luke had no idea if the old guy’s estimate would be anywhere close to actual numbers, but he had a feeling that Jonah Watkins knew what he was talking about.
“Well, I wouldn’t say they’s just in town; them things find plenty of wild cattle and other meat out in the country. But sooner or later some moron hidin’ out in town shoots a gun, or a fire sets off, and the eaters come in to see what alla fuss is fer.”
Luke’s expression was unreadable in the shadows of the campfire, but the tone of his voice indicated that he was all business. “How good are you at counting the creatures, Mr. Watkins?”
“Purty good, I think. I just try to pick out ten eaters and look at the space they’re in, then I estimate spaces and groups. Ain’t a perfect system, but I know the difference between hundreds and thousands.”
“Good enough,” Luke replied. “So, do you have any idea about the condition of the big hardware store on the northwest side of town.”
Watkins shrugged. “Been by there a few times; place didn’t burn if that’s what yer askin’.”
“What about the building materials inside?”
“I can’t say fer sure. Now, all the grocery and drug stores are empty, liquor and gun stores too.”
“This store I’m talking about,” Luke clarified, “sets just off the highway that loops around town. Do you think we could get there easily?”
“Yep, real easy to get to. Just head into town along 55 here, and turn west on 30. It’ll be on yer left.”
Luke seemed to be lost in thought, and after an awkward minute, Gracie smiled at the stranger. “I appreciate you helping us out with information on the store and the city; what can you tell us about that Army base west of town?”
The man gave a low whistle before explaining, “It’s huge, I can tell you that. They store Army vehicles there, all kinds of ‘em. Lots of Humvees and bigger stuff packed into warehouses and parking lots. But far as I know, there ain’t no weapons or ammo out there, no food either. Plus, that place is full of eaters.”
One hundred percent of Luke’s attention returned to the conversation. “How are all of these eaters finding food?” he wondered.
Watkins spat derisively. “All the refugees who keep trying to find help at the base. They’ve slowed down since winter set in, but they still come. That base is like a Roach Motel: roaches check in, but they don’t check out. ‘Course, these roaches is people, but ain’t a one of ‘em will listen to us about that place.”
Luke grew silent again. All the young warriors around the fire realized that they’d have to be prepared for serious combat before moving away from the protection of the river.
Zach was the first to speak his thoughts on the matter. “We’re gonna have to be real careful, whatever we do here.”
Gracie nodded. “We’ll be advancing on the Army base before anything else.”
Maddy didn’t like the sound of that. “Why would we pick a fight with thousands of hunters? We know our troops aren’t ready for that.”
“It’s the only good choice we have,” Luke concluded for all of them. “We can’t have a force that size roaming around on our flanks out there, choosing the time and place of battle. We have to kill off most of the hunters in the area and take our time looking over this Army depot. If we can put together a convoy of Hummers and some bigger vehicles, we can transport a lot more weapons and equipment once we salvage from the stores in town.”
“I figured you were getting tired of the river,” Gracie interjected.
“I’m definitely tired of canoeing the river,” Luke admitted. “We’ll still keep the Red on our flank, especially since we’re finding so many settlements along there, but we need more supplies if we’re going to keep building an army. Plus, that river’s just gonna keep getting smaller and shallower the further west we go.”
Watkins seemed doubtful. “No disrespect, Cap’n, but y’all are purty young to be puttin’ together an army. And like I said, folks that head out to that depot don’t come back. I can lead you right to the parkin’ lot of the big home store, but I ain’t goin’ anywhere near that Army base.”
Luke smiled. “Don’t worry about it; I don’t want you to place yourself in danger. We’ll clear most of the flesh-eaters out of the depot and city so you and the rest of the folks around here can start looking for supplies again.”
Watkins shrugged. “If we can get folks up and movin’ it sounds good, but the people around here are sick and hungry these days.”
Again, Luke wasn’t surprised by the old man’s report. “We’ll send out food and medicine tomorrow morning, and a couple of our camp doctors too.”
“That’ll be a fine Christmas present, Cap’n. It’ll be much appreciated,” the old man seemed genuinely moved.
Maddy was less pleased with the idea, and she objected before Gracie had the chance to do so. “If my company’s going into battle, I’m not about to be playing nurse in another starving settlement.”
“Lieutenant Johnson, I wouldn’t dream of taking this army into a big fight without you and your company.” Luke turned his attention to Zach and Gracie. “It should go without saying that the same goes for you two.”
“So what’s the plan?” Gracie asked.
“Tomorrow morning we’ll send a relief column into Mr. Watkins’ settlement. Take two platoons for security and manpower; we should send enough rations for a week for those people, along with a medical team to diagnose problems and dispense meds. Once things are running smoothly out there, I want all commanders and sergeants back here for planning and preparation.” Luke looked directly at Maddy. “We’ll move on the depot the following morning.”
Maddy and the others realized they’d forgotten a cardinal rule that had been their idea in the first place: respect Luke’s authority and the chain of command when in the presence of the troops and settlers they encountered. Now, they all remembered their roles as a chorus of, “Yes, sirs” sounded around the fire. Nobody had died since leaving the Shreveport area, as battlefields had been selected and prepared to give every possible advantage to the soldiers still learning on the job, but Luke and his friends—his lieutenants—knew that their string of good fortune couldn’t possibly continue. When the dying started, the troops would need every ounce of discipline to stay focused on their tactical and strategic missions. Much of that discipline was dependent upon solid leadership, and everyone had to play their part. To build a real army, Luke had to command his wife and friends, and they had to command their officers and sergeants. Embracing their roles was a matter of life and death.
The story of Luke and his group’s slaughter of the pack that had treed Terry had been told and retold until the dozen flesh-eaters had become fifty, but that was just a story; none of the new recruits had actually seen Luke in action outside of their training exercises. He decided it was time to change that unfortunate situation. The best medieval commanders had led their troops into combat,
and Luke felt that he needed to do the same. Tomorrow, while his lieutenants were helping the sick and hungry in Watkins’ settlement, he would personally lead a powerful reconnaissance along I-30 between Texarkana and the Red River Depot to get a first-hand look at the situation. While this was technically a scouting expedition, if only half of what Jonah Watkins said was true, there was a good chance that they wouldn’t be able to avoid engaging the enemy at some point along the route.
Andi had tried to ignore Barnes during the flight to Coast Guard Island in Alameda, but he had successfully baited her several times before she feigned sleep for the final two hours of the trip. With a pillow positioned on top of her head, she had passed the time by imagining the various ways she would enjoy killing Barnes. She’d been surprised by her own cold-heartedness; she wanted him to suffer a slow, painful, and frightening death, and she would gleefully participate in his torment. A tiny voice deep inside warned her not to let Barnes win by becoming like him, but she was in no mood to indulge in an ethical debate with herself. Hate kept despair at bay, and it was the only thing that gave her any comfort.
Government Island was another bustling military base, populated by soldiers and civilians working for Barnes. Andi didn’t have a chance to get a good look at the place before she and Thelma were escorted to a housing barracks near where they landed, but she found the various holiday decorations along the route to be ridiculous and generally offensive under the circumstances. Two stoic soldiers escorted the women to the second floor, ushered them in to a small apartment, and left without saying a word. The accommodations were spartan and slightly grungy, causing Thelma to begin a thorough inspection of every cupboard and closet in search of cleaning supplies.