by Tom Germann
Steven stood up and looked around. Sam had come in from the garage wearing an old pair of coveralls and a raggedy shirt that had been in one of the lockers in the back. Vajjer looked at Sam. “Sorry, we packed all the clothes away in the cars.”
Sam nodded. “No problem. I’m out of those filthy rags and this is just fine.”
“Where are Richard, Sal, and my wife? Why aren’t they with you?” Steven sounded out of breath.
Sam answered, “They’re all dead and zombies now.”
There was silence. Tracy called from the back. “How many zombies?”
Sam nodded to himself. “Hundreds.”
No one said anything and the silence stretched.
Steven was just standing there, looking shocked and lost. Almost everyone else had glazed over except for the soldiers.
Wagner shook his head and frowned. “Okay, everyone. WAKE UP. Go into shock later and have the crying fits when we are out of here and somewhere safer. They are on their way. Everyone needs to get to their vehicle and make sure that their radios work. This place needs to be sealed up and we are LEAVING. Everyone, move.”
There was noise from the back of the building and then Tracy called forward. “They say there are two coming out of the trees now and there are more behind them. What does it mean they’re walking fast?”
Wagner and Caisson grabbed their weapons. “Tell them to come down now, Tracy, and bring the stuff from upstairs. Close the hatch but do not lock it. Everyone else get ready, get in the vehicles, and Jimmy will get all the vehicles started. Tocker is with us and…”
Vajjer came over, patting his pocket. “I have the semi and loaded mags. Do we let them get close and then shoot them in the head?” He reached down by the door and picked up the fire extinguisher. “I’m not forgetting you, baby!”
Tocker joined them and they went outside. Tocker spoke quickly, “I saw them over closer to town in the tree line. They were just coming out. I could see a few more following them in the tree line. They are fast!”
The four came around the corner of the building and slowly moved forward. They could see the undead staggering toward them. They stayed in a line.
The sergeant took over. “Okay, remember, head shots only, guys. We do NOT have a lot of ammo so only called shots. Tocker, I want you to let them get a bit closer and use the rifle for single shots. You’re a good shot and the rounds should be heavy enough. Shotguns are for close up and Vajjer, you are the last line. Let them get a bit closer.”
Wagner started talking casually to Vajjer. “So, Chris, are we still going south toward the city or did you guys come up with a better option?”
“Mmm, south. We used the different local ads and there is a gas station and ‘trading post’ about five miles out of town on that road. About five miles past that is the area’s ‘militia training company.’. The recruiting picture was crappy but they gave directions to their spring barbeque. We are kinda hoping they have some better equipment and maybe weapons lying around. Heck, a few APCs and fuel trailers would be good.”
Behind them, a car fired up, ran rough for a second, and then steadied down. Another car started up and then after coughing, died. A heavier engine that would be the station wagon roared to life and the loudest grumble of a truck engine starting was last.
Tocker started firing. A hit, but centre of mass and no effect. The next round took the one in the face and it fell over, unmoving. Another miss as the zombie stumbled, and the fourth round was a hit.
Caisson knelt down and patted him on the shoulder. “Good job, Tocker. You should have gone infantry.”
“Thank you, Sergeant!”
Tocker removed the magazine and started putting more rounds into it from his pocket. When he was finished, he reloaded the rifle. He took off his bush cap and carefully put the rest of the rounds he had into the upside-down, floppy hat.
He carefully aimed and then relaxed.
Susie came around the building behind them and ran over. “Um, hi, Warrant and everyone. Jimmy says there is a problem and they are trying to jump start ‘the Fin’ so she runs. He says maybe a minute. Longer if there are other problems.”
Tocker fired and a zombie staggered. Susie squeaked and Wagner gestured for her to go. “We’ll be coming running when we hear her start up and keep running.” There was another shot. “Or we’ll come running when we’re out of ammo and about to get eaten.”
Susie took off for the front of the building.
“Geez, sir, you are just a positive bundle of joy for those civvies today, huh?” Vajjer was grinning and then frowned at the third and fourth shot. “I always thought zombies were slow, especially after a few days of rotting in the sun. Those guys are moving pretty fast.”
There was a fifth shot and then Tocker was removing the magazine and reloading.
Caisson called to him nice and loud so he could hear. “Private Tocker, when you start firing again, do not shoot those that are close. Go for the more distant ones at your optimal range. Me and the warrant can deal with the others.”
The magazine slid in and Tocker chambered another round.
Caisson stepped forward, staying to the side of Tocker’s field of fire. As the first zombie came closer, the sergeant started waving an arm and yelling, “Hey, baby! I’m right here! Come and chew on my butt cheeks, you freak!”
The zombie shifted and started staggering toward the sergeant, who let him get within fifteen feet and then shot him in the head. It was a good hit and the shot didn’t have much time to spread out. Rotting flesh and gore blew back in a spray. The shot had hit low and the head rolled back and fell off the body. The body itself staggered and fell over.
Vajjer clapped. “Nice one, Sarge. I’ve got a ten that says you can’t do that again.”
They could hear an engine start cranking again and then stop.
Wagner moved up behind Caisson and said, “You’re the better shot. When you run out, you take my shotgun and I’ll reload.”
“Heard.”
Tocker was missing more now as there were about fifteen zombies coming toward them and they were jostling and bumping each other.
It was hard to tell from the ground, but while there were roughly fifteen zombies out of the tree line advancing on them, there seemed to be lots of movement in the trees as the dead heard the shooting and started moving toward it. In fact, it looked like the tree line was full.
The sergeant spoke while he eyed the advancing horde. “I think we start advancing, sir. You keep your shotgun and we move up with Vajjer. We take out these fifteen and then stay way the hell over there so that they come after us and leave everyone else alone.”
“That’s a great idea, Sergeant, to clear these fifteen, but those other ones are so locked onto the engine noise that I don’t think we’ll be able to draw them away. Chris! Come here. We’re going to advance to close range. Tocker, hold your fire.”
Tocker loaded his last four rounds while the three advanced. They opened fire with the shotguns at close range and Vajjer walked just behind them with his forty-five and fire extinguisher ready.
When the shotguns were out, the corporal carefully stepped forward and trying to keep a safe distance of seven feet, fired into the zombie in front of him. The weapon came up and he would carefully exert just enough pressure to release the action. The round would fire and then a forty-five calibre round would blast down the barrel and punch right through the head of the zombie to the front. After five rounds, the sixth jammed. Vajjer never even hesitated. With the fire extinguisher in his other hand, he swung up and smashed the zombie in the head, knocking it over. It stayed on the ground, unmoving. He then walked back past the other two, who had reloaded their shotguns and cleared the jam while the shotguns finished their work.
The roar of the engine starting was loud and it quickly settled down. The four stood up and gathered in. There must
have been a hundred zombies walking out of the woods toward them with the woods filling up even more.
Wagner yelled, “Get to the cars!” Everyone took off at a jog. They came around the corner and saw Jimmy closing the hood. Everyone ran to their vehicles and climbed in.
The lead car sounded a horn blast, then the second car, the station wagon, and finally the truck in the rear let off a loud, squealing ‘HONK!’
The lead car slowly started driving away, followed by the rest. They all drove across the cracked pavement as the first zombies came around the corner of the building. The truck turned onto the road and they slowly rolled downhill toward the distant gas station, which was supposed to be five miles away. As they drove away, those who looked back could see the zombies come streaming around the building and continue moving after them.
Ahead of them the sun was bright at only nine in the morning, and the road was open. There were no vehicles in sight, just open road slowly heading downhill.
On The Road Finally
After a terrifying start, with a firing line trying to hold off the horde of undead while trying to get one of the vehicles going, and then the slow drive away while hundreds of zombies came out of the woods behind them, the drive ended up being boring.
They had rapidly accelerated away from the horde and even at a slow speed, had left them behind. As soon as they were not in direct view, they slowed down when Jimmy let them know his concerns over the vehicles and the conversations started.
There was no real voice procedure being used at this point. Everyone had a walkie talkie and everyone was online.
The agreement had been to keep the speed down to a maximum of twenty-five miles an hour. This kept the strain off the vehicles and would hopefully improve their mileage.
They quickly settled on just announcing who they were and who they wanted to talk to. After that, it was a conversation that no one would interrupt unless they introduced themselves.
The first thing that they had to figure out was their ammo situation.
“Wagner to anyone with a firearm, how much ammo do you have left?”
“Tocker, four rounds for the rifle.”
“Caisson, nine shells for the shotgun.”
“Jimmy, seven shots for the three-fifty-seven.”
“Vajjer, fifteen rounds for the forty-five, and one fire extinguisher.”
“Wagner, eleven rounds for the shotgun.”
In the passenger’s seat, Susie was totalling everything up on paper. Tracy was useless, just sitting in the back of the station wagon and staring out the window.
In the truck, Steven was just about in the same condition as he sat next to Jimmy, just staring out the window at the passing countryside.
Everyone else was tired and feeling worn out after an early morning and panicking as the search party came back with only one of four missing people, and the chaos that happened after.
Every time they started to relax, they would see an abandoned car at the side of the road. Sometimes with bodies, usually not. Once, they came upon a zombie standing off the road by a tree next to a car with its doors open. As they drove by, it turned and started walking after them.
No one wanted to talk much, but they made some attempts.
“Vajjer to anyone. Isn’t it weird that we’re in some sort of alternate Earth with zombies and it’s nineteen-ninety-eight? What do you think pops up next? Robots? Aliens? Waldo? Anybody have any thoughts?”
“Jimmy here. I’m thinking that we find out whatever sort of time machine did this to us and we beat the living hell out of it until we are good to go home.”
“Weibe. I just want to go home and have a hot shower, a beer, catch the game and then have a great night’s sleep in my own bed. Oh, and a pizza with that beer.”
After that, the conversation died off and they just drove.
After what seemed forever, but was less than half an hour of driving, they saw the gas station just up ahead.
They slowed down on the gentle hill and came to a stop less than half a mile from the station and ‘trading post.’. It consisted of a larger gas station than they had previously seen with three pumps and an attached diner and rest stop. The building was two stories tall, so the owner probably lived upstairs. There were three cars in the parking lot and no movement.
No one wanted to get out of the cars to use the binoculars so they couldn’t see any more details.
“Wagner to all. I say we slowly pull up and if there are more than one or two zombies, we just drive on. Otherwise, we pull in and see what we can find. Aren’t trading posts normally also hunting stops?”
“Jimmy. They usually are. They may have some more weapons or ammo. Or tools. Or just about anything else. I say we pull in. HEY! Leave that there finned car running. I don’t want to struggle to get her running when she won’t start and we have a thousand zombies on us.”
“Vajjer. Really good point on that!”
The Trading Post
They slowly rolled forward and pulled into the parking lot in a column. They stopped, leaving enough space between vehicles, and the four soldiers with weapons got out. They grouped up and looked around.
The sun was bright and the day was hot. The light glinted off the glass and was blinding, and it made it more difficult to see the buildings.
The three vehicles included a car by the gas pumps and two pickup trucks parked to the side. All the vehicles looked older and rusty with a fine covering of dust. They looked like they had been sitting there for a long time. The car had a flat tire and it looked like the other tires were also in bad shape.
The building was actually two separate buildings joined together by a completely covered walkway. Both looked old and rundown. The closer of the two was a gas station and what looked like a small diner. Upstairs had smaller windows and looked like there would be apartments upstairs.
The other building was the ‘trading post,’ according to the sign hanging over the front door. It advertised, ‘guns, ammunition, bait, hunting gear and liquor for the discerning hunter.’
Both buildings looked like someone had locked them up and then closed all the curtains and blinds. It looked like there were folded up cardboard boxes covering the windows and doors into the diner.
The four didn’t move, keeping an eye out. There was no movement anywhere and there was still no real wind.
Vajjer broke the silence. “We should probably go check this place out fast. We drove here so slow that the zombie horde won’t be far behind us and...”
Tocker interrupted him, “Do you hear that? Those are birds singing!”
The single bird trilling from behind the buildings stopped suddenly.
Caisson glared at Tocker. “Good job, guy. Did he shut up on his own or was he eaten just now?”
Wagner held his hands up. “It doesn’t matter. We have four firearms and we have to clear this place fast. Leave the cars running and let’s check it out. I think someone is hiding out here and I don’t want to stay in the open when they could be targeting us. Let’s circle the property as a group and see what we find. Before we do, I am going over the story with every vehicle.”
He went to every vehicle, reminding everyone that they had met at a service centre a while ago and slowly worked their way south. The soldiers had been on an exercise without weapons for survival training and their trucks had broken down. They were making their way with no communications, trying to find a place where the infected were not.
When he came back, all four started walking around the side of the gas station with their weapons in hand, ready to react. Everyone was painfully aware of how little ammunition they had and that headshots could be difficult. Their backup tools were in their pockets or in makeshift slings that had been made in the car using fishing line.
As they rounded the corner, they saw the backyard. It looked like a normal backyard off o
f any house, if that house had a rifle range set up there as well. There were six targets set at different distances, the papers that had originally been on were gone and only the large rough boards were left. Closer was a picnic table and several wood chairs with a huge fire and BBQ pit.
To the side was a rusty swing-set that looked like it was on its last legs. Further along, behind a rough wooden fence, was a large propane tank that was also in rough shape.
As they moved around the back of the property and came around the side of the trading post, they saw a smaller clearing with a laundry line. There was clothing on the line and it looked clean and new.
“Okay, so there are people living here and they do laundry. Maybe they could give us directions and let us know what happened?” asked the sergeant.
Wagner slowly shook his head. “We have to be real careful. They could think we are looters. And how do you say something like, ‘Hi there! We come from a different reality. Could you let us know what happened here in zombie land?’”
Caisson grimaced. “Crap, I hadn’t thought about that. Too weird for me to deal with. So what do we do then, sir?”
“If we see anyone, I talk and everyone listens to the story. We came in from up north in Canada. We are military and if anyone asks about the uniforms, just say we were putting new field uniforms on trial and were out on exercise when this all happened. Good enough?”
Everyone nodded. Vajjer said quietly, “Sounds believable. Oh, and just so everyone is aware, there are people looking at us from the apartment window over the gas station. Let’s go knock?”
The four slowly walked to the front glass door and standing clear of it, Wagner rapped his knuckles on the glass. The other three had their weapons up and were facing outward. All taken a knee just in case someone started firing through the glass.
A muffled voice from the inside yelled, “Go to the trading post door!”