Detroit Reanimated

by Michael Halliday

  A hand rose up from the middle of the crowd.

  “I’m placing Stephanie as the head of education,” Sarah said. “Nikki Silver will be in charge of health and medicine. Health Care will be free.”

  The people in the crowd loved the things Sarah was saying, and it made Evan happy for his sister. He imagined them picking her up to carry her around the room, but he had that flaky kind of imagination.

  “Anymore questions?” Sarah asked.

  The friend of Cameron, Evan thought his name was Steve, came forward.

  “Since currency is no longer a factor, will a barter system be implemented?”

  “We’re getting some wonderful questions today,” Sarah said.

  “I can answer that, if it’s ok,” Scott said.

  “Scott had a wonderful idea that he spoke to me about earlier, so go ahead Scott.”

  “We’ll use the Home Depot building as a trade hub. It will be kind of like an old fashioned flea market. People can bring in things that they find, but don’t need to trade for things they do need. We’ll continue to go through all the different places in Detroit as we clear out the shamblers and gather things from houses, business, whatever we can find.”

  Scott received a round of applause.

  “The biggest things we can find are non-perishable food items, ammunition and medical supplies,” Scott said. “We almost have an over abundance of weapons now.”

  “Which comes to how we’re planning to get more food,” Sarah said. “We have plenty of available space around us. We’re planning on ripping up the parking lots from the Home Depot to the end of Mercury and Ford. Thomas Richardson is a former marine and he grew up on a farm. He is experienced at inventing improvements and tinkering while in the corps. He has offered to come up with a system to provide water for a vegetable garden he will plant in place of the lot.”

  “I would love to see part of the curriculum be that the students learn how to work in those gardens,” Stephanie said from the crowd.

  The public forums continued for another two hours. Sarah wrote down suggestions from the crowd.

  “What would be the age children would be considered adults?” one person asked.

  “I think sixteen would be a good age,” Sarah replied. “You should be allowed to marry someone at that age if both sides of the family agree. Another thing, as a parent myself, I feel parents should be allowed to be parents. We all make mistakes. Each family is encouraged to come up with their own rules and expectations. A mother shouldn’t have to worry about having her child taken away unless the child is being abused.”

  Heads nodded at Sarah’s comments.

  “So a boy or girl can join the militia at sixteen?” Daniel Drake asked.

  Sarah looked at Eric to answer Daniel.

  “To be a combat-trained soldier, yes, but I think you could enlist at fourteen to help with technical work, learn how to maintain equipment, weapons, learn how to shoot. You could learn how to become a communications specialist.”

  “If it’s something a parent feels they want their children to learn,” Evan said. “A boy or girl at the age of twelve should learn how to destroy the undead. However, no child should ever have to be placed in a position they have to kill the living.”

  Evan and Eric both received a round of applause. This was going smoothly.

  “I agree with that,” Eric said quietly to Evan.

  “One announcement before we wrap this up,” Sarah said. “All soldiers are to report in front of the Selfridge barracks for company designations by four o’clock tonight. All those who wish to join the militia are encouraged to also to go. Everyone who is not selected to serve in the front should be ready to move to the Selfridge residential neighborhood by tonight.”

  Everyone was aware by pamphlets that the safe zone was to be converted to the front line.

  “I’ll meet you in Selfridge,” Eric told Evan and August.

  “So this is how we will model the three combat companies,” Eric said. “We will also have the same Headquarters Company that the army used to have, but I haven’t decided who I want over that.”

  Eric passed out a folder to Evan, August and Marcus Gage. Each of them was selected as captains over a company.

  “How about Lieutenant Greene when Hummsfeld hands over the remainder of his command? Evan asked.

  “I second that,” August said.

  “If both of you think it’s a good idea, I guess I’ll ask him,” Eric said.

  “We have enough people to make up a single battalion,” August said after reading the first page of the packet within the folder. “We’re in better shape than we thought.”

  “A lot of the civilians are jumping in to help,” Marcus said. “We don’t have much laziness here, which is always nice.”

  “It’s been a great start so far,” Eric said. “The companies have specific duties. Company A, which is August, is responsible for outbound missions. She will have the squads devised to take on recon missions, scavenging, and patrolling. Your command will be placed in the safe zone.

  “Company B, which Marcus is over, will be the defenders of New Detroit. You will be posted in the National Guard Building.

  “Company C will be you, Evan. I thank you for taking up this command, despite never having been in the military. I just trust that you can make the future of society proud by joining us. Your company will be over the destruction of the undead throughout Michigan. Also, when a person passes away within New Detroit, you’re to send a representative to make sure the deceased is spiked. It’s terrible to think of such a thing, but Sarah made the point it has to be done.”

  “I understand,” Evan said.

  “I want you all to notice something,” Eric said. “We are going to focus on the defense of our home. We are not an occupational force. We will not invade another person’s home. We will not torture to gain information, but we will go after those who try and hurt us. We will also enforce the laws that Sarah has provided to set an example.”

  “That’s just fine with me,” August said.

  “Each company will have two hundred enlisted men, women and teenagers as young as fourteen. Remember what I said at the meeting. You will not train anyone under the age of sixteen as combatants, unless it’s against the undead.”

  “I’ll leave that to Evan,” Marcus said.

  “Do you three have an idea what you would like to call your stations?” Eric asked.

  “I was thinking of Camp Wolverine,” Evan replied.

  “Very nice,” August said. “I was thinking Camp Buckeye.”

  “You had to go there,” Evan said with a scowl.

  “Ohio State, baby,” August said, giving Evan the ‘O’ sign with her hands.

  “I request that we execute August for treason,” Evan joked.

  “Request granted,” Eric said. “I’m a Wolverine fan too, August.”

  “All three of you suck,” Marcus said. “I was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, so I’ll call the base Fort Badger.”

  “Good names for both bases,” Eric said. “You each will be given two hundred enlisted soldiers. Each company will have four platoons, led by a lieutenant each. Each of you will select those lieutenants randomly. I hate favoritism, and I won’t tolerate it.”

  “How do we do that?” Evan asked.

  “See that can on the bookshelf there?” Eric said. He pointed at a coffee can. “I placed the names of those I think could serve as lieutenants. Each of you will choose four from there.”

  “And we build them to fit what we need in our companies,” August said. “That’s a good idea.”

  “Let’s do this then,” Evan said.

  Eric brought over the can. Each of the captains took out a piece of paper.

  “In your packet, I made a chart for your command,” Eric said. The captains looked over the sheets. “Do they make sense?”

  “We write the names of the lieutenants on these top four platoon boxes, I’m assuming,” Marcus said.

&nb
sp; “That’s right. You have to assign them to their main duties, which is the second box. The rest are your squad sergeants.”

  “How do we choose them?” Evan asked. “Or should we let the lieutenants choose them from the enlisted?”

  “The second option sounds better,” August said.

  Evan wrote the first name he selected. Tyrone Covington was given the task to clear out and sustain Dearborn. He also pulled out Travis Shale, Thomas Richardson, and Greg Humphrey.

  “Thomas, isn’t he the former marine like Robert?” Evan asked.

  “Yes, and he used to be a staff sergeant,” Eric said. “You’ll have your hands full with him when he gets going.”

  Seven hundred volunteers for the militia hurried to seven lines earlier painted by two of the lieutenants. Among them were guardsmen from Eric’s and August’s old commands.

  “Everyone move your asses!” Thomas Richardson yelled at the massive crowd of men, women and teens. “You, and you, fucking slow as hell! You’re holding up progress assholes!”

  “Eric wasn’t kidding,” Evan whispered to August.

  “Look at Robert,” August said. “He loves it.”

  “He’s not sure if he wants to rejoin yet,” Sarah said about Robert. “He will if he can find a team with mechanical experience.”

  “Thomas could help him,” Evan said. “I could assign him to run the technology crew.”

  “That would be nice for Rob,” Sarah told her brother-in-law.

  Robert was smirking as he watched Thomas get the enlisted in line. Other civilians watched the proceedings in awe.

  “Ok, here’s how this works,” Thomas said. “The first two columns will take six steps forward. How many steps are you cockroaches taking?”

  “Six steps, sir,” the crowd yelled.

  “That’s fucking pathetic, louder!” Thomas yelled.

  “Six steps, sir!” the crowd yelled louder.

  “Do it, do it now, do it, do it!”

  The first two columns moved forward the six steps as ordered. The number of the break-off totaled the two hundred for the first company.

  “You are company A,” Thomas yelled. “Go to those five men over there!”

  The two hundred ran over to Marcus and his lieutenants.

  “Next two columns, how many will you take?” Thomas yelled.

  “Six steps, sir!” the next bunch yelled.

  “Wrong, eight steps. Move out!”

  Two hundred more ran forward the ten steps.

  “You are company B, that is your captain,” Thomas said. He pointed at August. “Move to her lieutenants to the left!”

  “I like how he’s doing this,” Eric said to Evan. “He’s keeping it completely random.”

  “No favoritism,” Evan said. “He’ll be a good leader.”

  “I better go join them,” August said.

  Next up was company C. Evan looked over to the other three lieutenants. They each nodded at him. Evan nodded back at them with respect. He hopped off the stage they had built for the commanders to address the recruits.

  “Next two columns move forward ten steps!” Thomas yelled.

  Evan’s soldiers ran forward as ordered. He saw that the woman that Cameron had found was among the two hundred.

  “You are company C,” Thomas said. “You are Captain Carter’s command, which means, you are in my command.”

  Evan walked through the two columns to inspect the people he would command.

  (“Do you think I can do this?” Evan asked Sarah earlier that day.)

  Evan looked back at Sarah and Eric back on the stage. Sarah gave him a warm smile that he knew was genuine. He just wanted to look at her for a second, after the dream he had the night before. He continued to walk through the ranks. He nodded at those who glanced at him as he passed.

  Thomas ordered them to go to the three other lieutenants. The two columns created a breeze as they ran around Evan. Thomas and Evan looked at each other for a moment.

  “How was that?” Thomas asked.

  “Very well done, lieutenant,” Evan said.

  (“You will do fine, Evan,” Sarah had replied.)

  “The rest of you will serve as Eric’s personal command here at Selfridge,” Thomas said to the remaining one hundred volunteers. “You’ll be in the HHC Company. That means you are guarding the majority of the families here. You have a ton of responsibility with that task. All of you should follow the general.”

  “Yes sir!” the remaining bunch yelled.

  Eric led them to the side where his own personal lieutenant marked “HHC” on their arms using permanent marker. Evan escorted Thomas to his company. Tyrone, Travis and Greg separated them into five groups of forty. Each group stood in front of their lieutenant.

  “Welcome to C Company,” Evan said. “Your tasks will focus on biting back the biters. None of you are allowed to get bit except by me and your lieutenants. I bite like a pit bull.”

  The majority of the company laughed. While Evan talked, the four lieutenants wrote platoon designations on each of the volunteer’s arms. Gina had ‘C.E.151.SS’ written on her arm, which meant she would be directly under Evan as a staff sergeant in Echo Platoon. The lieutenants also wrote down the names and their designations in the packet Eric had given him.

  “You will be stationed out of Camp Wolverine,” Evan said. “Our barracks will be in TownePlace Suites building a. We will work our asses off to eradicate every shambler we come across. That’s our job. We will excel. Those people who turned would expect us to.”

  (“You will inspire them to do great things,” Sarah said. “Just get them to trust you.”)

  Evan gave his troops downtime while they waited for the convoy of vehicles to return. They had left to take Company A to Fort Badger. Evan played a round of basketball with a squad of his. He was much better at the game than the others gave him credit for. He lost the game of twenty-one by a single point.

  Matthew played against him afterwards. Evan was crushed in the game from being fatigued.

  It was getting dark by the time both companies arrived. Tyrone and Greg took the task in getting the troops to their rooms. They were placed into trios in each room. Evan and August received the family rooms as their officer’s quarters. The eight lieutenants were given slightly smaller rooms each. Evan knew he’d be back in the hotel, so he left all of his gear in his room.

  Evan checked the inventory for weapons he would need for his company the next morning. The company would specialize in compound bows as their primary weapon. They were the easiest to maintain, and it would free up the rifles for the actual combat companies. Instead of the assault rifles, Evan was granted all the sets of night vision goggles for assaults during night time hours. He was also given the spears for porcupine formations if things went south.

  Byron Greene returned two days later with the survivors he had mentioned from Flint. He introduced Sarah, Evan and August to Ian Svuehm, the former sheriff of Genesee County.

  “How would you like to serve as the New Detroit police force?” Sarah asked Ian and his deputies.

  “As long as our families are safe, we’ll serve,” Ian said.

  “Fantastic,” Sarah said.

  “I’ll send second platoon to help you take down any shamblers around the area,” Evan said. “We can use that place to send the people we find to see if they are fit to join us.”

  The platoon was sent with Tyrone leading. They ran across dozens of lingering shamblers in the short distance between the fort and the Dearborn police station. Arrows were launched in unison that pierced into the undead, dropping them permanently. The squads cleared ten square miles that day.

  There was one fatality during the operation. A private failed to check the one alley that had shamblers after checking every other alley prior. They were so close to the mouth of the alley that the private had to time to react but scream. Other members of his unit ran in the direction of the scream to find a cluster of shamblers tearing into him. The squad�
��s sergeant, Martin Hyatt, went to the location to help take down the group.

  Martin had no choice. He spiked the private behind his head to prevent him from reanimating.

  By the end of the week, the station was up and running. August had a squad create and hang signs directing displaced people to the Dearborn police station. Michigan didn’t offer too many survivors, but two families arrived. The families banded together and left Toledo to find others. They barely had any food left by the time they got to the first sign. Both families were allowed into Selfridge without any doubts.

  A dozen other survivors came one by one. Some were so vile that they were turned away immediately. Others were simply looking for a safe place so they could stop running. One man told his story while he was gripped with uncontrollable sobs. Like Evan, he lost his entire family.

  Up next was the skittish little man who called himself Greg.

  Evan, Cameron and Matthew were checking in on Ian and his deputies when Greg was being taken to an interview room by a pair of deputies. When Matt saw him, he had to leave Greg’s presence. Evan stayed with Matt in the lobby until the boy calmed down. Ian and Cameron did the interview. Cameron leaned against the wall behind Ian, watching him like a hawk.

  “So, what’s your full name, Greg?” Ian asked the man.

  “Gregory Bernard Harrison.”

  “Do you have any aliases?” Ian asked.

  “What do you mean aliases?” Greg asked.

  “Were you called anything other than ‘Greg’?” Ian asked.

  “My friends call me ‘Skink.’”

  Cameron disliked the answer, but he kept quiet. Evan watched from the mirrored window. He saw that Cameron didn’t care much for this disgusting little man.

  “And what did you do before this catastrophe?” Ian asked.

  “Uh, I was a mechanic.”

  “What can you do to contribute if we already have enough mechanics?” Ian asked.

  “I can help you dig those trenches and those gates that you have.”

  Ian and Cameron exchanged terror-filled glances.

  “I never said anything about trenches or gates,” Ian said as he looked at Cameron, who shook his head. “What makes you think there are trenches or gates?”