by Brett, Cal
The big Sergeant was still standing trying to look upset with his superiors, when Kelly handed him a steaming cup. He took the cup meekly and said. “Thank you, Ma’am.”
“It’s Earl Grey,” Kelly said, “is that ok?”
“Yes Ma’am,” he answered, “that’ll be just fine.”
After taking a sip, he grinned and said to the Major, “Yes, Sir. In the stairwells at either end of the hall. One Section has first watch. Two Section takes over at zero one hundred.”
“You have men in the stairwells?” Kelly asked surprised. “It’s really safe in here I promise.”
“Standard procedure Ma’am,” the Sergeant said, “not to worry. Keeps the lads on their toes.”
“But we can leave if we need to, right?” Kelly asked looking worried.
“Of course,” the Sergeant assured her, “it’s not you they are watching out for. You can come and go as you like.” He paused and then added, “but, if you need to go out just let them know it’s you when you’re coming back up. Wouldn’t want them to mistake you for something else in the dark.”
“For sure, that would be bad.” Kelly nodded.
“There’s really nothing to worry about Kelly,” the Major said seeing the concern on her face. “I’m sorry if we have caused you some distress.”
“No,” she replied taking a deep breath and exhaling. “It’s ok. We were in a situation not long ago. It was bad, and we couldn’t leave.”
“I see,” said the Major. “Well Color Sergeant please give the men clear orders that they are not to interfere with our hosts comings and goings.”
“Very good, Sir,” The Sergeant replied setting his empty cup on the table. “Any other night orders for the watch?”
“No, set the standard night orders and make sure the men get something to eat,” the Major said and then nodded to Kelly. “Be sure to emphasize that the sentries are not to do anything that might cause our hosts to regret their hospitality.”
“Right you are, Sir,” the Sergeant said, came to attention and marched back out the front door.
“I hope that sets your mind at ease, Kelly?” The Major said after the Sergeant was gone.
“Thank you, Major,” Kelly replied, “we don’t see many people anymore and most aren’t nearly as civilized as you all. It’s become a brutal world out there.”
“I assure you, we understand,” the Leftenant confided motioning with his cup to the men around him. “The last few years have been trying. We’ve seen some horrible things on our way.”
There was a lull in the conversation as everyone recalled their own worst moments since the apocalypse began. Kelly noted that while they were very polite and seemed upbeat, there were dark rings around their eyes and their faces had the hard look of men who had fought and suffered. They each had a thousand yard stare that made them look like lethal statues. They seemed like they had been good men once, but the deep lines and shadows on their faces betrayed the hardness that had fallen over most survivors.
There were also things she recognized, and remembered from her college psychology class, as small expressions of living with stress. The Major’s left hand shook almost imperceptibly. He tended to hold it still with his right, while unconsciously turning the silver wedding band on his ring finger. The Leftenant’s eye twitched every so often, and the man they called Clark ground his jaw quietly.
All the soldiers had beards but Clark and the Major who, Kelly observed, except for their thick mustaches, were both clean shaven. While all their hair was longer than what she thought was probably military regulation, they had somehow been able to keep it neatly trimmed. The Major and the Color Sergeant wore wedding rings while the Leftenant and Clark did not.
Kelly broke the silence, bringing everyone back to the moment. “Speaking of that. How did soldiers from the English Army end up here?”
“Marines actually, well, mostly.” Clark corrected her, as he and Robbie returned to the sitting area with piping hot cups of coffee. “Aside from myself and Corporal MacGregor, they are His Majesty’s Royal Marines from the four-three Commando.”
“I’m sorry,” Kelly said confused. “I don’t know what any of that means. What is the difference between the Army and the Marines?”
“Yes. Well, don’t apologize. It’s a common mistake for anyone looking on from the outside.” The Major explained. “The easiest way to describe it is that, similar to your own US forces, in the UK we have, or had as the case may be, several different branches of the military. Each one has a specific purpose and area of expertise. The Royal Air Force, for example, handles air power.
“Airplanes?” Kelly asked.
“Mostly, yes” the Major answered. “Controlling the skies, dropping bombs and what not.”
“I see,” Kelly said.
“The British Army are ground fighting forces. Infantry and such. When you need to fight in, or occupy, a large area of land, the Army is your go-to force.
“The Army boys get all the glory in the movies and TV shows,” the Leftenant offered.
“Quite so,” the Major went on. “Then there is the Royal Navy which projects sea power with…”
“Boats!” Kelly responded enthusiastically when he cast her a ‘fill in the blank’ look.
“Ships and boats, actually, but correct,” he congratulated. “We Marines work with the Navy. Marines are rather like the Army’s infantry, but we specialize in naval landings and fast operations that require a smaller, more intensive focus. There are indeed similarities with the Army, but it’s mostly a point of pride for the different branches.
“And there is a bit of a rivalry between the Marines and the Army,” the Leftenant chimed in, “so it’s something of a sore point when we get called - Army.”
“Ok, I think I understand” Kelly nodded. “So, what are a group of British Royal Marines from the, um, four-three Commando doing here in the United States?”
“We were on some joint exercises out west with your American forces,” the Major explained. “Then the whole damn world fell apart, we ran for our lives, fought our way across the country, and well, here we are.”
“Surely there’s more to it than that?” Kelly encouraged.
“Yes, of course,” the Major replied. “We lost a lot of good men to get this far. Every one of their stories should be told. One day. When all this is over.”
“You think it will be over?” Kelly asked.
“One has to have hope,” the Leftenant said.
“With the right leadership, in the right place, at the right time…” Clark suggested with a nod. “Who knows what is possible?”
“I don’t think there is any leadership worth a damn left anywhere,” Kelly dismissed him. “But, wait, you said you were out west. What happened? How did you get here?”
“Our struggles are surely not any greater than yours,” Garret replied.
“Maybe,” Kelly said, “but, we’d like to know what’s going on out there. We’ve been here in the city since the beginning with no news of anything out in the world. Tell us how you made it, what else is out there? It could really help if we knew.”
“Very well. Perhaps you better tell it, Mr. Clark.” The Major motioned to the sandy haired man, “you’re better with recounting the details.”
“I suppose I can give you the short version,” Clark began, “if that’s ok with everyone?”
“Yes, please,” the Major agreed. “But, give us the Reader’s Digest edition. Let’s not bore these good people unnecessarily with our trials and tribulations. I’m sure they’ve had plenty of their own.”
“Very good,” Clark agreed. “Back just before everything went bad, the brigade was participating in some multi-national training exercises out west. Our boys were working with the American Marines and some Canadian troops on desert operations at...” He paused as he thought, “What was it called? Oh yes, Flashheart Air Base out in New Mexico. You’ve heard of it?”
Seeing their heads shake no, he continued. “
Well, no matter, it’s a rather large US Air Force base out in the middle of the desert. Very remote. Nothing for miles except sand, snakes and scorpions. Anyway, we came back in after a few days in the field and it was all over the news that this plague, or whatever, was causing people to go mad. Before we knew it, several big cities were off the radar. The news was reporting that the President was recalling all US military to help with getting a handle on it. The base went into lock down while everyone waited for orders.”
Clark took a sip of his coffee. “We got in touch with the Ministry of Defense who gave us the same story. All British military personnel were ordered home as the plague bloody was everywhere. Except, there was no way to get home. All the civilian airlines were grounded and all the military transport planes had been redeployed to support urban operations. So, we were stuck in our barracks for a few weeks trying to figure a way out of there.”
“Just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse,” Clark twitched his thick blonde mustache. “It got worse. The damn things found us. At first it was just small skirmishes down at the main gate. The Air Force security forces were able to stop them. Not long after that, the attacks got more frequent and the groups of crazies got bigger. It was only a few days later when they finally broke through the fence.”
“Luckily we had all of our weapons and gear so we holed up in our barracks and did our best to fight them off.” The Major injected. “I was on the phone with the Air Force headquarters who kept telling us they were sending re-enforcements to fight them back…. But none ever came. Right after that, there were some big explosions over at the Command Center and the phones went out. Within a day or so we started seeing the barracks around us go down. Men we knew. The damned things kept getting inside. I don’t know how, but once they were in… that was it.”
“When our ammunition started running low, Major Garrett here,” Clark nodded at the officer, “decided we had to get out, so we hatched a plan. There were about 400 troops in our barracks; US Marines, Canadians and us. We loaded up everything we had, formed square, and fought our way over to the armory. I think everyone came with us. Right?”
“God help any who didn’t,” the Major recalled wincing. “Anyone who stayed didn’t have a chance. It was total chaos. I looked back as we ran and the damn things were smashing in through all the windows.”
“It was a running fight all the way, but we had one bit of luck,” Clark went on. “When we got there, the armory was wide open. I don’t know if the guards had escaped or the things got them, but they left the doors wide open and we were grateful for that. The Major sent a group over to the motor pool, which wasn’t far thank God, to bring some trucks and Humvees. We loaded up a bunch of trucks with supplies and ammunition and headed out.”
“When we got down to the front gate it was madness, a total slaughterhouse,” Clark rubbed his chin. “There were thousands of the things running totally amok. It looked like the Air Force had thrown everything they had at them. There were gun trucks, spent brass, impact craters, blood and body parts all over the place…”
“I think we can skip over some of the gruesome details,” the Major said.
“Yes, of course,” Clark went on, “I don’t know how they got all the way out in the desert like that but there was nobody left to fight. We couldn’t get through the gate so we turned around and headed east towards where we had been training in the desert. We passed people in buildings and on rooftops, living people, but we couldn’t stop. There were just too many of the damn things…”
Clark paused and sipped his coffee again, “I don’t know how long we drove. All night, I think. Somehow, we made it to a small town, somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Completely empty. It was the oddest feeling ever. As if everyone just rose up and left. Anyway, we found some diesel for the trucks and kept going east.”
“From there it all blurs together really,” Clark sighed. “We fought our way along the highway and through small towns until we got into Texas. We lost over a hundred men in that first week on the road. Also, at that point the trucks were starting to break down and run out of gas. We had to start leaving vehicles behind and we were moving very slowly because we had so many men on foot. We couldn’t get anyone on the radio and even when we got in range of a cell tower there was no answer anywhere.”
Chapter 25
“Those first days were the hardest,” Kelly said. “Not knowing anything or being able to get in touch with anyone. Everyone was just running from place to place trying to survive another day.”
“Indeed,” the Leftenant agreed with a sigh.
“But at least…” Kelly started to speak but stopped herself.
“At least what?” The young officer asked.
“You…” she paused again, thinking of the best way to express her thoughts. “I mean, I’m not being critical. It was very hard for everyone. I’m not saying it was easy for you. But, you had guns. Guns, training, and a sort of order to fall back on. If you, with all that, were practically decimated, it’s beyond a miracle that there are any of us left alive out here. Some days we felt like living was worse than being dead. I mean how? Why are we even alive? How is it possible?”
“All I know,” the Leftenant answered with conviction, “is that everything happens for a reason. God has a plan for us all. It may seem that we have been abandoned in these dark times but there is a reason and we will persevere.”
“God?” Kelly chortled, “I think he’s long gone if he was ever there at all. You think God is still out there watching over us?”
“I do,” the red haired man replied looking directly into her eyes. “It’s in the darkest times that God tests us most. Human-kind has been tested throughout history with great disasters and floods and famines and plagues. Many perish, yes. Millions during the Black Plague. Millions in the world wars and political battles of the 20th century. Millions have likely fallen to this… whatever it is. But, we few will fight on, defeat these demons, and humanity will re-emerge in a new age.”
There was a brief pause before Kelly responded with a nod, “I really hope you are right.”
“Pardon me for a moment while I get a refill of this delicious coffee,” Clark excused himself and returned to the French Press in the kitchen.
“Wait a sec,” Robbie said rising to join him, “let me see if I can do it this time!”
“Absolutely,” Clark said encouragingly and stepped aside to let Robbie handle the device. “You’ll be a barista in no time!”
He gave Robbie a few pointers and then turned back to the group. “So, to wrap things up, it’s been a long slow slog. What was left of us started splitting off in different directions as we traveled. Everyone heading their own way, going home, hoping to find family and so forth. Most of the Canadians went north together and the Americans set out in their own ways a few at a time. That left us with, what? 82 Royal Marines? You can see our numbers have continued to dwindle over the miles. Although our losses were mostly from accidents and contact with our friends out there.”
As the conversation progressed the room grew darker with the setting sun. Kelly stood and lit a few candles so they could continue their conversation. “Robbie will you light those candles in the kitchen?” She called over to him as she pulled the curtains closed. “I’ll leave these cracked a bit for the breeze, but we feel like it’s better to close them at night so the candle light doesn’t reflect outside.”
“Smart,” agreed the Major. “If I may ask, what is your threat assessment of the area?”
“Well of course there’s the undies,” Kelly answered, “there are plenty of them. I don’t know why they stick around in the City. Seems like they would wander off when they ran out of things to eat.”
“Undies?” Bradley asked confused.
Kelly smiled. “The undead. We had some friends that called them ‘undies’ and it kind of stuck.”
“Clever,” the Sergeant laughed.
“What about the living?” The Major inquired. “Are
they a concern?”
“Well,” Kelly explained, “there aren’t many left but almost every one we have met in the last year or so has not been very neighborly. I think people are getting more and more desperate. Going feral almost, as it gets harder and harder to survive. In the early days food was easy to find and the biggest threat was those things, the undies. Now, we know how to avoid the dead but the people are starving. It makes them crazy.”
“You seem to be doing alright,” the Sergeant said as he took in the well decorated room with a glance.
Kelly laughed. “Yes, this place is amazing but it’s a very recent development. Until a few months ago we were living in much more…challenging conditions. Day to day really. This building has given us a safe place to call home. We are very grateful.”
“What about food and water?” The Sergeant asked.
“We do ok.” Kelly replied. “Better than many I’m sure. Recently we have started to grow some of our own. You saw our tomatoes out on the porch. We are also starting to garden up on the roof and down around the old pool. For a while I think we were the only ones left in the city, so we were able to stock up on bottled water, dry food and cans without any competition.”
“For a while?” The Major asked. “Are people starting to come back?”
“We’ve seen some activity recently,” Kelly said. “Most of the time we just notice when people have been through. We don’t actually see them very often.”
“How do you know it’s the living?” The Leftenant asked.
“We aren’t always sure,” she replied, “but sometimes we find burnt out camp fires and food wrappers. Things like that. So, we know people have been there.”
“Mostly small bands of scavengers then?” the Major inquired.
“Mostly,” she agreed, “but bigger groups come through now and again; more organized and better equipped. We saw one, a few weeks ago, that had trucks and guns. But they made so much noise the undies ran them off before too long.”