by Brett, Cal
Several blocks into the march, they encountered a pitiful creature who looked as if most of its body had been crushed into the asphalt by the crowds pressing, until so recently, through the streets. It flailed at them with one shredded grey arm and tried to moan but the only sound it could make was the clicking together of its few remaining teeth. One of the Marines slowed to slide his knife through its pasty head and quickly moved on.
Crossing under the River Bridge, they left the tall buildings of downtown and began passing the squat silhouettes of industrial shops and warehouses. Here, the brick and stonework of an older more industrial age replaced the modern glass and concrete of the business district. The Leftenant signaled the men to split up onto either side of the road as they approached a rise. Shots and shouting could be heard from just beyond the hill, so they slowed their pace to approach with caution.
Garrett caught Kelly’s arm and signaled to Robbie that they should let the soldiers go out in front. Although they had moved quickly, it had been nearly 30 minutes since the attack started. Kelly wanted to rush into the fray, but she held back at the Major’s urging. They knelt a dozen or so yards from where the street went over the rise and watched the Marines inch up to its crest. Their crawling figures pushed ahead with only the occasional sound of a boot pushing against loose pavement or uniform fabric sliding over the abandoned roadway.
Out of habit, Kelly began scanning the sidewalks and store fronts around them for threats. The oily odor of wet asphalt and molding piles of debris hung thick in the hot night air causing her to wrinkle her nose. She hadn’t been down on the street recently and was reminded how much it sometimes looked and smelled like a garbage dump. Covering her mouth with her sleeve she tried to breath without inhaling too much of the foul-smelling mist. The decaying city itself was such an affront to the senses that it could almost be a distraction from the other, deadlier, things lurking in its dark corners. Almost.
Movement in the shadows caught Kelly’s attention. A beat later, two creatures lumbered from a nearby alleyway like a couple of drunks casually stumbling between bars. In the slivers of moonlight, she could see gruesome torn flaps of skin that seemed just barely attached to their pale skulls. Their work clothing hung shredded and loose on their emaciated frames. The things came to a staggering halt as they emerged onto the sidewalk as if deciding the next stop in their pub crawl. Another loud boom over the ridge caught their attention and they set out towards the noise with renewed eagerness.
Kelly watched them for another second before she realized that in a few more steps the creatures would emerge from behind the row of cars and notice the living soldiers sprawled out on the little hill ahead of them. She nudged the Major and pointed out tops of their pale heads as they lurched up the sidewalk. The officer nodded, and in a low whistle got the attention of Corporals Kim and Stewart who were hunkered low on that side of street. He pointed, held up two fingers and signaled them to end the things.
The sound of two bodies collapsing to the ground caused the Color Sergeant to look back over his shoulder. He was about to rebuke someone for making the noise when he spotted the undead sprawled on the sidewalk and the two Corporals sliding back into position on the street. He gave a quick scan for more threats behind them and seeing none, he signaled for the rest of the squad to come forward.
Kelly and Robbie stayed low with the others and lay down at the peak of the hill. Just over the ridge to their left, a high chain link fence topped with barbed wire ran in front of rows of warehouses. Several bore the Baldwin Produce logo in faded and flaking paint. At the bottom of the short hill was a wide driveway where the gate looked as if it had been forced open. Even in the dark, they could make out two pickup trucks blocking the driveway, one in the entrance and one just inside the fence.
The Sergeant set down his binoculars and whispered to the Leftenant, “four men I can see. One in each cab and one in the back.”
“Any roving?” Windsor asked.
“I don’t see any other movement,” Bradley responded. “The rest are probably inside. These guys look like a rear lookout, in case the dead come back. They aren’t being very vigilant, so it doesn’t look like they expect any living company.”
“Kelly, Robbie.” The Leftenant whispered. “Is there another way in?”
“Yes,” Robbie answered. “See the alley over there? We can cut down that way and come in from behind. There’s a gap in the fence back by the river.”
“Right,” Windsor said. “Major, would you, Colors, and Sergeant Simmons secure that gate? Then move in towards the main group. I’ll take Two Section and come in from the behind.”
The Major nodded his agreement as he continued looking towards the front gate.
“Stewart, Dupree,” the Leftenant went on. “You take up a position here. Get into some cover. Watch our backs, yes? It won’t be long before all this noise brings our friends back.”
“Will do Sir,” Corporal Dupree tapped Stewart and pointed towards a rusting flatbed tow truck sitting up on the curb. Its rubber tires had rotted away so that it sunk down onto its rusting rims. Even low as it was, the bed was still high enough to provide a good view up and down the street. The two scrambled up and eased into the shadows until their silhouettes blended in with the other trash and garbage scattered over throughout the area.
“You two should stay here as well,” Windsor said pointing at Robbie and Kelly.
“No way,” Kelly replied, “besides, the Baldwins might start shooting at you if they don’t know you are with us.”
“Fair enough,” he said. “Well let’s get moving then.”
The two teams split up. One filing into the narrow alley and the other moving into the dark parking lots across from the warehouses.
The fence ran back to a point where two buildings paralleled one another with their brick walls creating a dark chasm between. Two Section moved single file into the darkness listening to one another’s footsteps over the gravel and dirt surface. Visibility gradually improved as their eyes adjusted to the limited moonlight slipping in through the narrow gap above. They moved carefully but the loud gunfire from nearby made total stealth unnecessary.
After passing several intersections where the chain link picked up, revealing the interior of the cluster of warehouses, they came to the last of the aged brick buildings. They could hear the rustling river a few hundred yards away, beyond the cranes and equipment of the wharf. In the moonlight, they could see a triangle opening where the fence had been cut and bent back against itself.
“Here it is,” Robbie whispered.
The Leftenant nodded and signaled for the men to follow him through. Kelly, Robbie, and Clark ducked through last. They worked their way through the area behind the warehouses filled with crates and boxes stacked well above their heads. The shouts now were closer, and the gun shots had become less frequent. The Leftenant lined up against the wall of one of the buildings and the others followed his lead.
“Just there, I should think,” the officer motioned with his head that he meant around the corner.
“Come on, grandma!” a male voice yelled from nearby. “You got plenty in there! All we want you to do is share!”
The answer came in a loud boom from a shotgun.
“Go on home, Sonny Jim!” Kelly heard a familiar voice yell. “There’s nothing in here but some pissed off old ladies!”
“Sounds like they are holding their own,” Kelly whispered.
“Shush,” the Leftenant warned, “someone’s coming.”
The sound of footsteps stepping quickly through gravel preceded the appearance of two men around the corner. The men were bent over and moving fast but stood up as soon as they were out of the potential line of fire from the Baldwins. They adopted an easy gate and lowered their rifles not realizing they were walking within a few feet of the Marines, who were lined up in the darkness along the wall.
“Nick said it was over this way,” the taller one said pointing at the opposite corner of t
he building. “Yea, here it is.”
The men sauntered over to a steel ladder attached to the far side of the building.
“Get up there,” the tall man said. “See what the hell is taking Dale and Earl so damn long.”
“Those two are idiots,” the shorter one said as he started up the ladder. “Probably fell off.”
“You’re right about that,” the taller one said as he started up behind his friend.
When the men disappeared onto the rooftop, Robbie turned to Windsor and whispered, “We have to stop them! There is a ladder on the roof that goes down into the green house. They are trying to sneak in behind them!”
“O’Reilly, MacGregor,” the Leftenant pointed, “go with Robbie and stop them from getting inside.”
The three broke off and ran for the ladder. When Robbie peeked over the rooftop, he saw the two men making their way along the spine of the building towards the ladder in the center. “Be careful up here,” he whispered back to the two Marines, “stay on the ridges. The flat spots are all glass for the greenhouse.”
The three scrambled up just as the two men reached the hatch for the ladder.
“We have to stop them from going down,” Robbie said.
O’Reilly lifted his rifle and took several quickly aimed shots at the two silhouettes ahead of them. The bullets hit their marks causing the men to fall over with a thump and clatter as they and their rifles hit the metal and glass roof.
Kelly looked up when she heard the shots but couldn’t see beyond the parapet over her head. The noises had instantly led to more shooting and shouting down below as the men behind the trucks tried to figure out what was happening on top of the warehouse. Kelly wanted to rush out into the loading area and start bashing their heads with her heavy bow-staff but realized this wasn’t a very sensible plan. She took a deep breath and looked over at the Leftenant, hoping he had something more practical in mind.
Windsor turned back from spying around the corner and signaled for everyone to come closer. He looked over at the two Marines, Kim and Bevins, and focused on them. “We need to get to the other side,” he said quietly, pointing to the dark space behind the warehouse directly across from them. “From there we will have them pinned down when One Section moves into position.”
He turned to Kelly. “Wait here. We will come back for you, after we clear them out.”
“Screw that,” Kelly said, “I’m coming with you. I’m going to bash some heads.”
Windsor clearly wasn’t used to having his orders questioned but he didn’t have time to argue. He paused for a beat then glanced over at Clark who just shrugged his shoulders. The young officer turned back to Kelly. “Fair enough. Stay with Mr. Clark in the back of the stack. Listen to him. Stay down and keep quiet until I say otherwise. Understand?”
“Yes, Sir,” Kelly said with a mock salute.
Windsor nodded as if he was still unsure about bringing her along, but since time was short, he turned to the others. “Right. On me. Move out.”
The small group kept low, running single file through the shadows between the buildings. If any of the attackers noticed the line of figures slipping past them in the darkness, they didn’t respond. Once the Marines reached the other side, they stretched out along the warehouse wall there. Clark guided Kelly into position, and they waited for Windsor to give the next order.
“Oh Jesus! Oh Jesus!” an injured man cried as he lay in the darkness of the rooftop, “Bitches shot me! Tok you ok?! Tok?!”
Tok didn’t answer and the man continued to moan in pain as Robbie and the Marines crept up along the same path. They kept low to avoid creating any profiles for any shooters down below. As they neared the hatch, they spotted a pair of boots with the toes pointing down into the mud. The body connected to the boots lay motionless. Beyond the boots they spotted another figure writhing on one of the large plate windows.
“Nick!?” the writhing man called as he saw them approach, “is that you? Bitches shot me. Got Tok, and those two idiots too I think!”
Without hesitating O’Reilly snapped off two more rounds at the man at close range. The rounds slammed through his body and the glass underneath causing it to burst, sending him crashing to the garden below in a shower of glass.
“Sir.” Corporal Kim got the Leftenant’s attention as he hustled back from scouting the other side of the warehouse. “Looks like they have their getaway trucks parked on that side. Up near the gap between the buildings.”
“Sentries?” the Leftenant asked.
“Five blokes, I could see, milling around with rifles,” Kim went on. “But they aren’t looking this way. All the action at the other warehouse has their attention.”
“Any cover between here and there?” the Leftenant asked.
“Yes, Sir,” Kim said, “a bunch of old Lorries backed up to the loading bays. Pallets and trash cans all over as well.”
Windsor hesitated, thinking.
“We could move up behind them on that side,” Clark suggested. “It would also get us out of the crossfire, if One Section starts shooting when they move down from the street.”
“Indeed,” Windsor agreed and looked at Kelly, “I don’t suppose I could convince you to wait here?”
“Hell no,” Kelly answered.
“Right then,” he turned. “Let’s move.”
Chapter 31
Robbie peeked over the edge of the roof and saw a row of pick-up trucks lined up across from of the Baldwins’ main warehouse. Several of the trucks bore the scars of being pelted by buckshot. Their windows were blown out, tires flat and sides pock marked with tiny holes. Men moved carefully in the shadows behind the vehicles. They were only lit up occasionally by the flashes of their muzzle fire.
“How many?” O’Reilly asked as he slid up next to Robbie on the precipice.
“I don’t know,” Robbie replied. “Maybe ten?”
“MacGregor?” O’Reilly cast the same question to his fellow Marine.
“Oh, aye.” The Scotsman answered while he looked down on the attackers through his rifle sites. “Maya teen o’ twalve.”
Robbie cast a confused look at Corporal O’Reilly.
O’Reilly smiled, “he says you’re right. Ten or twelve.”
“Is that too many?” Robbie asked.
“Es jos a rdaht nombr,” MacGregor said.
Robbie looked back at O’Reilly.
“He says its fine,” O’Reilly translated as he sighted in his own rifle.
Windsor wound Two Section through the old vehicles and stacks of rotting pallets. Thirty yards or so ahead of them, several trucks sat idling. Near one of the trucks, a big red Ford F-250, stood two men with hunting rifles. They occasionally swept a glance over the loading areas and driveway, but their attention was mainly on an alley that ran between warehouses. Cigarettes hung from their lips, and they seemed bored, as they waited for their companions to flush out the old ladies. Their casual manner indicated they might have done this sort of thing many times before.
Kelly was surprised to see that they were dressed so casually. Both wore t-shirts and jeans with no external protection against zombies. One wore cowboy boots while the other had on a pair of sneakers. She supposed, driving around in a big truck all the time, you wouldn’t have to worry so much about getting bit or scratched by the undead.
Windsor indicated for everyone to get down as three men they hadn’t seen previously walked out of one of the warehouses. They said a few words to the men at the truck before turning and starting to walk directly towards the Marines. The small group hunkered behind whatever they could find as the men approached.
“Hey! Who the hell are you!?” a voice called from behind the Marines.
Kelly spun to see a man standing on one of the loading docks. He must have walked through the warehouse and come out through the delivery area, after they had gone by. He seemed as surprised to see them as they were him, but his hesitation proved his undoing. Two pops from Corporal Kim’s rifle sent the
man stumbling backwards to the ground.
The men who had been walking towards them shouted and ducked behind a row of metal trash bins.
“Who the hell is that?!” One of them shouted.
“I don’t know,” another responded, “but I think they got Skillet!”
The men began firing their rifles in the direction of the Marines, but it didn’t seem they knew where to shoot in the darkness. Their rounds blasted randomly into stacks of crates and rattled through rusting truck bodies.
“Steve! Kurt!” One of the men behind the bins shouted to the two who had scrambled behind the trucks. “We got them pinned down! Go through the warehouse and flank ‘em!”
The two men sprinted from behind the trucks and through the open door, vanishing inside the huge brick building.
Windsor, who had previously signaled for the Marines to stay down and hold their fire, now gave the ‘go-ahead’ sign. Kim and Bevins immediately slid around their cover and began peppering the trash cans with bullets. The small rounds plinked and clicked as they punched holes through the cylinders. The men who had taken cover behind the thin metal, realized their mistake too late.
“Ah, shit!” One of them yelped in pain as a bullet struck him. The other jumped up and began running back towards the trucks. Kim and Bevins had no mercy for the retreating figure. They kept up their fire until he dropped his rifle and crumbled to the ground.
Peeking around from her hiding place, Kelly saw the man collapse face first into the dirt driveway.
With the men in front down, the Leftenant shouted, “Two coming through the warehouse. Cut them off at the loading dock!”
Kim and Bevins jumped up and ran for the plastic covered doors at the back of the building. The once clear plastic curtains were covered in mold making it impossible to see inside. Kim grabbed the heavy partition and pulled it back. When nothing immediately rushed out at them, Bevins burst ahead into the dark warehouse with his weapon raised to his shoulder. Kim followed immediately behind.