by Brett, Cal
“Ha!” Kim replied as he reorganized his rifle parts. “We send him out to talk to them. Bastards get so confused, they usually just give up.”
The evening was overcast and most of their light came from the reflection of the little moonlight that made it to the white concrete surrounding the pool. Robbie was amazed that even in the low visibility, Kim and O’Reilly seemed to have no trouble with the collection of small pieces they had laid out on the table. Their hands seemed to work on their own as they twisted and clicked parts into place. Each carried on conversations and reassembled their rifles almost without looking.
He now recognized O’Reilly as the small man who had scampered down the utility tunnel when the Marines first arrived. He remembered the jet black hair, thick beard and sleeve tattoos.
Kim was trim and wiry but slightly taller, even sitting, than O’Reilly. His accent was English but his face and eyes indicated an Asian descent. His hair was black and, like most of the others, he had facial hair. He kept his beard trimmed back so it didn’t hang far over his collar. Kim’s beard, reminded Robbie of his own. He had very fine hair that didn’t fully fill out the space around his chin and lips.
“Why do all you guys have beards except Major Garret, and that guy... Clark?” Robbie asked.
Simmons, who was finishing up his trim, looked over and said jokingly, “beards are manly, don’t you know? Besides, none of us are as brave with a straight razor as those two.”
“Oh,” Robbie said.
“Not cutting my throat for vanity,” Stewart injected.
“Baerds keep oos wahrm en a waenter as wael,” MacGregor answered. “Ahnd the lasses lohve a bit o scruff.”
“What do you know about lasses,” Kim needled. “You’re still a virgin.”
“Oy,” MacGregor countered, “Ah knew mahr abut lasses than ye wael en er hale laf!”
Kelly returned to the apartment and was glad to find that Robbie had not come yet in from his work with the soldiers. She sat on the bed in the master bedroom and placed her hand over the hard spot forming in her belly. The earlier melancholy fell back over her as she sat quietly in the shadows. The room was dark except for a little moonlight creeping through a long, narrow gap in the curtain over the window.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought about bringing a baby into this crazy, evil world. She didn’t have any idea what to do with a baby and knew Robbie would be even more clueless. The thought of aborting it crossed her mind but she realized she didn’t know how to do that either. She had read stories of women throwing themselves downstairs or drinking poison concoctions, but doing that was just as likely to lead to her own death, or worse, to some sort of debilitating injury.
They had only survived this long because they were able outpace the damned undead. Even their ability to do that at their physical peak was questionable at times. A broken hip or a burned out stomach would make that a lot harder, but a baby would make it impossible. A crying, screaming little life, in need of constant care and feeding. It would be totally helpless and dependent on them for years and years. Kelly sobbed, unable to imagine how they could do it.
At the same time, something inside her strongly rejected the thought of not having the child, even if it was the sire of the most vile human she had ever encountered. Part of her, she assumed the primal lizard brain instinct to procreate, screamed in her brain when she considered terminating her pregnancy. It also pulled at her emotions. When she even thought of ending it, her heart sank and she felt like she couldn’t breathe.
Tears ran down her cheeks. She wondered if she could even survive child birth. From her college history classes she knew that many women died giving birth, in the days before modern medicine. She didn’t have a doctor, didn’t have a mid-wife, and didn’t even have a book to tell them what to do when the time came. Even if there were no complications in the birth, she was afraid she was very likely to bleed to death afterward.
‘I’m going to die,’ she thought. ‘This baby is going to kill me, even if it gets born alive. That’s just the reality. I need to accept it.’
She began to consider what she wanted to do, to prepare for her own death and hopefully, the live birth of her child. Robbie would take care of it, she knew. The best he could anyway. Which, she knew, would not be good enough. He might be able to get help from the Baldwins. She would have to talk to them.
‘There is one more thing I can do before I’m too far along,’ she told herself as she wiped the tears away, ‘I need to do something good. One last big thing.’
She had an idea of what she could do. These Marines needed to get home. She had thought of something that might work. If only the others would go along with it.
Chapter 28
In the morning, the small group of leaders convened in Robbie and Kelly’s living room. The two officers and Mr. Clark sat on the couches, drinking tea and discussing plans for the day.
“I think we’ll need to make a supply run to get more tea soon,” Kelly observed as she rifled through their dwindling selection.
“Yes,” Clark said with a regretful look. “I’m afraid we’ve made quite a dent in your coffee supply as well.”
“As soon as the crowd outside moves on,” the Leftenant offered, “we will figure out a way to refill your supply.”
“Are there any market’s nearby?” Clark asked. “Where we might find such things?”
“There’s a Publix about two miles up Central Boulevard,” Robbie offered. “The gates were still down last time we went by there. I bet they still have a good selection. If the rats haven’t eaten through all the boxes by now.”
“What is a Publix?” The Leftenant inquired.
“It was a supermarket,” Robbie answered. “You know. Groceries and stuff.”
“Like a Sainbury’s,” Clark explained.
“Ah.” Windsor nodded.
“Yes, well that all depends on whether there is a reliable path between here and there,” the Major said.
“What about this mob of undies?” Kelly asked. “They don’t look like they are going anywhere anytime soon.”
“It’s a pickle, that’s for sure,” the Major said. “I’ve been thinking about it and I’m beginning to think we may need to create another diversion, not unlike your own efforts last week, but leading the things away from here altogether.”
“How?” Asked Robbie.
“Quite simple really,” the Major said, “dangerous, but simple. We send a small team out to make as much noise as possible and lead the things away. When they are sufficiently distant, the team doubles back and meets us here, or wherever.”
“What do you mean, wherever?” Robbie asked.
“As much as I hate to say it, we can’t stay here,” the Major explained. “We must continue on until we find an airplane, or maybe a ship, that can get us back to England.”
“Why is it you are so set on going back?” Kelly asked. “I mean, England is probably as bad off as the States and there’s more room over here.”
“True,” the Major agreed. “But, its home and our last orders were to get back there. Also, there are some bunkers up in Scotland that we think the Government, and whatever remains of the military, is likely to have fallen back there. They built them back during the cold war in case the Reds decided to start dropping bombs. Nobody expected this of course, but it’s a place to start. Even if there is no one at the bunkers they are full of supplies we can use while we plan out our next move.”
“Somewhere, there has got to be an airfield that isn’t overrun with the dead, or burned to the ground,” Clark said.
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Kelly offered, “and I don’t know for sure, but I might know of a place you could look.”
“Oh?” the Major said with interest.
“I had a friend in high school whose uncle was in this group that restored old military surplus,” Kelly recollected. “They would get old uniforms and jeeps and tanks and restore them and drive in parades and displ
ay them on the Fourth of July. Stuff like that.”
“And?” Clark asked.
“Well part of the group, I thought they must be rich weirdos, was also into airplanes,” Kelly replied.
“Oh?” The Leftenant leaned forward, with interest.
“They had this big compound down by Mullet Run, out in the middle of nowhere, where they kept all this stuff. My friend’s uncle took us out there a few times and let us run around. It was like at a big museum,” she continued, “I think it may have been an old Army base or something. They kept a bunch of old planes in these big hangers on a little airfield.”
“The planes? Were they static or could they fly?” Clark inquired
“They flew them,” she said. “Not all of them, but some. They took them to air shows. My friend hated it but they would drag her along sometimes.”
“Do you recall what kind of planes?” Clark asked. “Were they small, fighter planes or big like bombers?”
“Both,” Kelly answered. “They had a couple of really big ones they only took out for special occasions, but, I remember them saying that a couple of them could fly anywhere in the world.”
“How far is this Mullet Run?” the Major asked.
Kelly and Robbie looked at one another.
“It was about two hours in car, I’d say,” Kelly guessed and Robbie nodded in agreement. “On foot, I don’t know.”
“The regional airport is closer,” Robbie offered with a shrug. “Just on the other side of the interstate. Maybe 20 miles?”
“Is that Gulf Regional?” Clark asked looking down into his coffee cup.
“Yes,” Robbie replied, “It was the main airport for the state capital.”
“Yes, thank you but we can strike that one off the list,” the Leftenant said.
“Why?” Robbie asked. “It’s technically an international airport so there might be some big planes there.”
“We went through there on our way here.” The Major offered sadly. “Lost some good men.”
“Palin and Cleese,” the Leftenant added the men’s names with a sunken face. “Damn place is crawling with the undead,”
“And, as I recall there is something very large blocking the main runway.” Clark reminded them, “Not sure what type of plane it was but it crashed and burned all over the runway.”
“Oh, sorry,” Robbie said and looked at Kelly again. “The next closest one I can think of is that Air Force base down on the coast. What was it called?”
“Boynton?” Kelly asked.
“Yea, that’s it!” Robbie confirmed.
“I read that was damaged during that big hurricane a few years before the fall,” Kelly offered. “They moved all the squadrons up north while they did repairs. There was a big fight in Congress over the funding to rebuild it so it was never completed.”
“What about that Naval Air Station further down the coast?” Robbie suggested. “My Scout troop did a camp out there for an air show. We saw the Blue Angles.”
“Yes, but it’s much further away.” Kelly agreed. “And, it was right on the water. There’s no way to know what the weather has done to the place over the years.”
“Salt air is bad for planes,” Clark offered.
“It might be worth looking into,” the Major said, “but, I think this… surplus museum might be worth investigating first. At least, to check it off the list.”
“Can you tell us how to get there,” Clark said to Kelly, “draw us map perhaps?”
Kelly thought for a second. “Maybe? I’ll try, but to be honest I’ve always been terrible with directions. That’s why I didn’t mention it before. Robbie was the Boy Scout. He’s like a human GPS.”
“Do you know how to get there Rob?” the Leftenant asked.
“I know how to get to Mullet Run,” Robbie said, “but I’ve never been to this museum, so I wouldn’t know how to get you there. Especially if it’s out in the sticks.”
“Hmmm.” The Major leaned back thinking, “Well, we still have some time to consider it. Maybe it will come to you, eh, Kelly?”
“I’ve been thinking about this,” she said. “I think we should go with you. We could be your guides.”
“We couldn’t ask you to do that,” the Major said dismissively, “it’s much too perilous.”
“We can handle some peril, Major,” Kelly said, promoting the idea.
“We haven’t been up in this ivory tower so long that we’ve forgotten how to survive outside. Besides, we know the area and you don’t. On your own, you all could end up wandering around forever looking for this thing. If we go with you we can take you straight to it. Right Rob?”
“Um, sure,” Robbie agreed with a raised eyebrow. He liked these Marines, and did want to help, but he hadn’t considered leading them out into the forest that had grown up around the city. It would be a feat, he knew, just getting through the city alive. Beyond that, it was like a thick jungle. He imagined it would be difficult, even without the possibility of encountering packs of wandering undies.
“And,” Kelly continued before Robbie could raise any concerns. “I really think this might be what you are looking for.”
“But, you said you were bad with directions,” Clark protested, “it won’t be much help if you can’t find your way.”
“Ok, I’m terrible with maps and stuff,” Kelly replied.
“And don’t ask her which way is north or south,” Robbie rolled his eyes.
“But…” She continued with a glare at Robbie, “I can find my way around on the ground. I know landmarks and how to find things. If Robbie can get us to Mullet Run, then I’m sure I can find the old air field from there!”
“Look,” the Major said, “I know you are capable of surviving out there. You’ve both proven as much, by living this long, but you are also quite aware that, every time you go outside there is a risk. No matter who you are. We’ve lost a considerable number of good, brave, trained soldiers over these years. You’ve been very kind, and you’re mostly safe up here. I’m quite hesitant to let you to go out and put yourselves in danger on our behalf.”
“You’re not asking,” Kelly insisted. “We are offering, insisting in fact, that you let us take you there.”
The Major nodded but didn’t seem convinced. He sighed and said “we appreciate the offer and will take it under advisement. At any rate, it doesn’t seem that our friends outside are going to let us leave immediately so we have some time to consider it, as well as other options.”
“It’s settled then,” Kelly smiled and held up the tea pot. “We will be your guides. Now, who wants more tea?”
The days were still hot and humid, but summer seemed to be easing as the nights became cooler and longer. Slowly chewing at the manmade things along its banks the sparkling river continued flowing to the sea. Days passed and the throngs of the putrid undead things remained crowded in the streets downtown. The group in the condominium could only watch quietly from the rooftop as the shadows of the city turned in slow circles like a giant sundial.
The Marines kept busy with cleaning their weapons and other chores thought up by the Color Sergeant. Robbie found that they had hung sheets over the gates and started doing exercises and runs through the garage. He was nearly knocked over one morning as a pair of the leathernecks raced each other down the stairwell wearing their back packs as extra weight. Robbie was only a little younger than most of the men and admired their camaraderie and competitive nature. As he watched the racers rattling down the steps, he regretted that he would never have a chance to join or serve in the military.
That afternoon, they held a funeral for Sergeant Patel. The Marines had returned to the small utility room and found that the undead had never broken inside. They recovered Patel’s body and buried him in the small garden behind the pool near where they had buried the realtors. There were no tears but Robbie could tell that these stoic and hardened men were deeply moved by their comrade’s death.
“Thank you for letting us bury him her
e,” Sergeant Simmons said to Robbie and Kelly afterward. “He would have liked this spot. You couldn’t get him away from the hotel pool when we were in Bahrain.”
Chapter 29
Later that night, almost everyone made their way to the roof to escape the stuffy interior of the building and to take advantage of the cooler weather outside. A solemn mood had carried over from the funeral and most of the soldiers sat and relaxed quietly. At the far side, Robbie noticed someone had brought up a folding table and some chairs. Several Marines played cards by the light of a small candle.
“You’re up late,” the Color Sergeant greeted Robbie and Kelly as he joined them near the edge overlooking downtown.
“It’s too nice out here to stay inside,” Kelly replied.
“You’re right about that,” the big Sergeant replied looking around to admire the cool clear night. “I passed the officers on the way up. They should be joining us in a few…oh, here they are…”
Major Garrett, LT. Windsor and Mr. Clark walked out onto the deck and after greeting some of the men close by wandered over to the ledge.
“Evening Sir,” the Sergeant saluted the Major and recognized the junior officer. “Leftenant.”
The Major returned the salute and the Sergeant relaxed his stance.
“It looks like the carnival will go on for another night,” Garrett observed looking down at the grey human figures far below.
“Indeed, Sir.” The Sergeant agreed. “Pity they don’t sleep.”
“Perhaps if we played some pastoral music we might lull them into napping,” Clark offered in a dry deadpan.
“You might be onto something there, Phillip,” the Leftenant laughed. “I could never keep my eyes open through Beethoven’s 6th.
“It is almost midnight.” The Major said. “Surely they must be tired of tromping around down there. Does anyone have an iPod? A little Brahms might just do the trick.”
Everyone jumped when, in the distance, there suddenly began a loud thumping sound. The noise quickly came together into the notes of heavy bass and drums being played over speakers. A moment later the sound of a familiar squealing guitar riffed in.