by Tim Moon
“I can show you how. I served in the army for a few years before switching to the Coast Guard,” Keanu said. “We fired the M203 in Basic Training.”
“Oh yeah,” Ben said, running a hand lovingly over the grenade launcher’s barrel. It would bring some much needed firepower to their growing team.
“We need to take his vest,” Keanu said. He began to relieve the soldier of his load. “This has all the ammunition.”
Keanu pulled it on over his grimy t-shirt. He slung the rifle he was already holding on his shoulder and hefted up the M203. “Oh yeah. This reminds me of the good old days.”
Ben nodded at him. “Good crowd control.”
“Hey, is that your friend?” Keanu pointed toward the front of the Quarantine Center.
Ben turned and was surprised to see Ty standing off along the side of the road. It looked like he was peeing. Ty noticed them looking and gave them a quick wave. No biggie, you couldn’t stop the call of nature. He should have stayed hidden from view though.
“Yeah, that’s Ty,” Ben said, shaking his head. He gestured to the Humvee. “When we leave, we should take this beast. It’s better than the one we have, for extra firepower, anyway.”
Bodies of dead infected as well as several soldiers surrounded the Humvee. Two of its doors were open. Inside, the vehicle was empty except for hundreds of shell casings on the floor.
The Humvee sat beside a smaller tent. Its green canvas was charred black in a sad pile covering the ground, remnants clinging to the poles that used to hold it up. Next to the tent was a sandbagged area that looked like a fighting position. Blood splatter stained the sandbags and spent casings littered the ground. Ben wondered which of the soldiers had fought there. It was such an awful way to die.
“You know how to use that?” Ben asked, turning away from the sight, gesturing to the gun mounted on the roof of the Humvee.
“It’s been a while,” Keanu said. “I’m sure it’ll come back to me. It looks like we’ll need ammo though.”
He checked inside and found two ammo cans. Both were empty, so he set them on the ground.
“I’ll go look for ammo. You should get your friend,” Keanu said, pointing back at the tent where they’d met. “I doubt we have much more time.”
“I agree. If you see food or water, grab it. We have nothing,” Ben said. He was a little concerned about leaving Keanu alone. They didn’t know him well and it was possible that he could take the vehicle and ditch them. Although that by itself wouldn’t be such a big problem. The noise of the engine driving away and crashing through the gate would be a problem, especially if it pulled the zombies away from Anuhea’s distraction. Of course, he couldn’t stop Keanu if he wanted to leave.
With a small shrug, Ben turned and strode toward the tent to find Charlotte.
Chapter Eighteen
Ben started looking at the tent where he had parted with Charlotte. In the first tent, a quick search revealed she wasn’t there.
Her search for medical supplies surely couldn’t have taken her very far. This was the area where the QC’s doctors worked. So he walked through the tent exited the opposite side and went to the next one.
Ben walked across the small gap that separated the two tents with his rifle ready to swing. As soon as he pushed the tent flap aside, an infected soldier turned around with a grunt. Ben jumped back in surprise. He choked off a shout and lashed out with his rifle. The desperate blow glanced off the solder’s shoulder, barely even rocking him.
Ben cursed.
The soldier must have been standing in the corner of the tent, unable to find the exit that he was right next to. What a dumbass. Part of the soldier’s jaw was exposed and the bare teeth shone brightly against his gray skin. When he saw Ben, the zombie moaned and raised his hands to grab the tasty morsel.
Ben’s arms and rifle felt so heavy and his heart beat so hard that the artery in his neck throbbed. His energy was so low that it felt like he was moving through water. The soldier was on him before Ben could bring up the rifle. The infected soldier pushed against him, forcing him back. Ben’s arms ached under the strain of the fight. One of the tent’s guy lines slapped Ben in the neck, and then he tripped over a tent stake. They tumbled to the ground in a writhing pile. Like a flashback to the woman in the airport parking lot, he found himself pinned on the bottom.
Ben grabbed the soldier by the throat and squeezed with all of his might. Releasing the M4, he dug in with both hands, crushing the throat of the infected. It didn’t kill him, but it kept him from sinking his teeth into Ben.
His fingers slowly dug into the flesh, piercing the layers of skin that yielded under his adrenalin-fueled rage. Drops of blood rained down on Ben. He squinted at the disgusting sensation and the fetid breath of the soldier. Its groan turned into a gurgle as Ben tore its throat out. He shoved his hand into the hole, it felt cool and slippery like gutting a fish, and clenched down hard. With his other hand, he reached up and grabbed the man’s hair. It was just long enough to grip.
Rallying what remained of his strength; Ben pulled the man down to the side and rolled on top of him. He rose to one knee and then squatted over the soldier, still holding him by the throat and hair. Ben dragged him over to the tent stake and slammed his head down on it.
The flood of anger that had filled him when he had killed Eric, rushed into his veins and he continued slamming the soldier’s skull against the tent stake until it punched through, disfiguring his nasal cavity. One eye twisted sickly to the side and black blood poured out of his nose.
All of the zombie’s fight immediately drained from his body and his arms fell to the ground with a dull thump. The right leg twitched a little as Ben fell to the ground, panting. Ben clenched his stomach and threw up in the dirt next to the body.
Spitting the bile out of his mouth, Ben wondered how many more he’d have to kill. It sickened him every time. His hands trembled as the adrenalin continued racing through his body.
Ben heard a noise behind him and struggled to stand up.
“Get down, now!” Keanu yelled from behind him.
Ben dropped into a crouch. His fatigued muscles gave out and he fell sideways against the tent. A shot cracked, followed by a thumping sound as a body fell. He looked up and saw that Keanu had shot an infected soldier sneaking up behind him. It only took one shot.
This guy’s good, he thought. Then it hit him.
“Shit, shit,” he said. Struggling to his feet again, Ben grabbed his rifle and looked at Keanu.
“What’s wrong?” Keanu asked.
“That shot is going to draw the crowd. We’ve gotta go now,” Ben said.
Another shot sounded from Anuhea’s direction. Then a few more shots cracked through the air. She must have fired the shots to keep the infected focused on her.
“Did you find the girl?” Keanu asked, helping Ben to his feet.
“No.” Ben shook his head. “I hope that Charlotte has what she needs, because it’s time to roll out.”
It seemed like she’d been gone forever. Was she waiting for them or what? Was she attacked?
Ben stepped away from Keanu and said, “Come on, this way.”
They began searching the remaining tents, calling her name. Ben stuck his head inside another tent, but Charlotte wasn’t in there.
“Charlotte?” He ran through the tent to the other door flap and peeked out. Where had she gone?
“Charlotte,” he said loud enough to be heard but not so loud the horde would hear him. “We gotta go.”
They’d made it so far. He didn’t want to lose anyone here. Not like this.
Ben ran to the next tent. He regretted leaving her behind. They should have stuck together. He held the rifle up ready to shoot any infected. No time left to fight. There was no telling how long Anuhea could maintain the attention of the infected.
“Charlotte?”
A tent flap fluttered. Her head popped out.
“Goddamn it,” he gasped. Ben lowered the rifle so
he wasn’t pointing it at her.
“Ben! Jesus, what happened to you?” Her brow creased with concern.
“I’m fine,” he said. “Didn’t you hear the noise? Let’s go.”
“I was looking for supplies and heard the shot,” she said, relief washing over her features. “I was on my way back but thought I heard something following me.”
“Come on, we have to move now,” he said. “We have weapons and the Humvee.”
“Did you find her?” Keanu asked.
“Yeah.” Ben nodded and waved Keanu over. “Come here.”
“Look,” Charlotte said, holding up a water bottle. “I found food and water.”
“Get whatever you can carry and let’s go.” Ben ducked into the tent behind her to grab a case of water.
Keanu stepped in behind them. “Wait, stack the stuff outside. I’ll backup the Humvee so we can just load it here.”
“Great idea,” Charlotte said. She pulled on a large camouflaged backpack.
“What’s that?” Ben asked.
“Medical supplies,” she said proudly.
They began to stack stuff outside. Two 24-packs of water bottles and three boxes of MREs, or Meals-Ready-to-Eat, some protein bars and a few cans of SPAM topped off their haul.
The Humvee’s engine grumbled a moment later. A second later, the tent beside them collapsed as the vehicle forced its way through. The guy lines snapped and a tent stake flew up and clanked against the metal body. Keanu was smiling behind the wheel like a demolition derby driver. He popped the door open and jumped out, racing around to help them load the gear.
“Load it up. Let’s roll, guys.” A smile lit up his face.
Charlotte took the protein bars, SPAM, and her medical bag and climbed into the back seat. Ben followed carrying the water. He handed them to Charlotte and she set them in the back. With the supplies loaded, they all climbed in. Ben felt cramped, but wasn’t about to complain.
He glanced over at Keanu. “Are we good on fuel?”
Keanu checked the gauge. “It looks like we have about three-quarters of a tank. We’re set for quite a while.”
“Who cares? Get out of here,” Charlotte said, exasperated.
“Wait, wait, wait,” Ben said, opening his door. He stepped out and shouted as loud as he could. “Anuhea let’s go!” He sat back down in the passenger seat and said, “All set.”
Keanu asked, “What about the gate?”
“Fuck it, ram that bitch,” Ben said.
Keanu didn’t need any more prompting as he sped through the camp toward the gate, smashing it open like it was an action movie. The chain link gave way to the muscular vehicle with a screech.
Keanu jerked the steering wheel and skidded to a halt outside of the gate.
“You have to move your other ride,” he said. “It’s blocking the road.”
“Oh shit. Good point. I’ll be right back,” Ben said as he climbed out. He hadn’t even thought of the other vehicle. He ran down the road and jumped into the driver’s seat.
“What’s going on?” Ty asked. “We heard gunshots.”
“We got a new Humvee,” Ben said, turning the ignition switch. The rumble of the engine filled the interior and he had to shout over the noise to be heard. Oliver watched Ben intently. “The guy in the tent is the same guy from the Brewery Company. You know, the one that fought the crazy guy.”
“No shit?” Ty looked shocked.
“Right?!” Ben said as he sped down the road. He drove past the new Humvee. Keanu was just standing up in the turret and fiddling around with the machine gun.
Ben parked sideways, blocking the space where the gate was before Keanu smashed it down. Already, the crowd of infected was slowly moving their direction.
“Everyone get out and get in the other Humvee,” Ben said. He motioned for Oliver to come to him, but the boy climbed out of his own door and ran to the other vehicle.
Keanu stood up in the turret and let off a burst of rounds. The sudden noise of the machine gun was shocking. Ben flinched at the sound, but sprinted toward the driver’s side. Brass fell and clinked against the metal roof.
At the same time, Anuhea appeared. She came running, her hair flying wildly behind her. The gunshots startled Anuhea, but she had a determined look on her face and kept moving. She held the rifle with both hands, like a soldier charging toward the enemy.
“Run girl, run,” Keanu shouted at Anuhea.
A momentary flash of surprise crossed her face, but she didn’t slow down.
The remnants of the perimeter fence shuttered as dozens of bodies pressed up against it.
“We got everything?” she asked, panting.
“Yeah, we’re good,” Ben said.
“Who’s that?”
“The guy from the Brewing Company,” Ben said with a beaming smile.
She raised her eyebrows, but got into the Humvee. “That’s random.”
Keanu let off another burst. Ben glanced back toward the creeping mob. It was a terrifying sight and he was grateful that they were leaving.
Ben opened the driver’s door and said, “Okay, we’re outta here.”
“Wait! Hand me the 203,” Keanu said, slapping the roof to get Ben’s attention.
Ben pulled out the rifle and passed it up to Keanu. He pulled an oversize round from the vest he wore and loaded it into the short barrel of the launcher. He pulled the launcher barrel backwards and it clicked close. Then he flipped up a tall metal piece near the front of the rifle barrel.
“It’s a big crowd, right?” Keanu asked.
“Yeah,” Ben said, slowly.
The crowd began to surge around the tents. Ben could see them now. Shuffling toward them in their persistent, twitching gait, the infected were eager to sink their dirty fingers into their flesh. Others pushed against the fence, causing it to sway under their weight. None of them would be reaching their group. Not today.
“Not for long.” Keanu chuckled.
This dude is serious business, Ben thought.
With the rifle’s stock tucked under his arm and the barrel angled up, Keanu aimed at the crowd using the metal piece on the barrel. Ben heard a thunk, like a giant paintball gun, as Keanu fired the round. A moment later, there was a boom as the grenade burst. The grenade exploded right behind the leading edge of the infected. Smoke and dust rose from the small crater the round left in the hard ground. Bodies tumbled everywhere, either from the explosion or those falling over the dead or in the small dip created by the grenade. Nearly half of the crowd seemed to collapse, like morbid dominoes.
Keanu whooped and pumped his fist in the air. He looked at Ben with a smile. Ben gave their new friend thumbs up and looked at the damage.
Ben shook his head.
Just a couple of days ago, the Quarantine Center had bustled with activity, teemed with life, and buzzed electric with the hope of survival. Now, it was just a burned out husk, smoldering under the mid-morning sun.
“Let’s move,” Keanu shouted. He lowered the rifle down into the vehicle through the turret hole.
Ben looked up at Keanu. The big man fired another short burst from the machine gun. Ben blocked a casing with his hand that bounced off the roof and spun toward his face. Without wasting any more time, Ben ducked inside, put the Humvee into gear and pulled away from Kona’s Quarantine Center.
Chapter Nineteen
Ben pulled onto the Queen’s highway and drove north, away from the QC and the airport. He remembered that there was a scenic lookout along the highway with a large parking lot. When he spotted it about ten minutes later, he slowed down and pulled in.
“What’s happening here?” Keanu asked.
“Rest and figure out what’s next. Plus, I have to take a wicked wiz,” Ben said. Thankfully, the parking lot was almost empty. One car sat in the far corner on the south side of the lot. Ben parked in the farthest corner to the north.
Keanu nodded. He sat below the turret among the discarded shells. They rolled and clinked an
ytime the vehicle moved. Keanu stood up to look around. He dropped back down a moment later. “Looks clear. That car over there looks empty.”
“Fantastic,” Ben said, scrambling out of the vehicle. He ran on top of the rock wall and peed off the edge.
The rest of the group climbed out of the Humvee too.
“Can I get out?” Oliver asked.
“Of course, just stay close and don’t make too much noise okay?” Charlotte said with a smile. “We don’t want to attract any bad people.”
Oliver climbed out, ran over to the wall facing the ocean, and looked over the edge as best he could. The wall was waist high on Ben, but for Oliver it reached just above his shoulders. Ben finished his business and hopped down from the wall.
“Be careful, buddy,” he told Oliver.
Keanu looked around at everyone and said, “Hi, I’m Keanu. I remember a couple of you from the Brewing Company. I’m guessing you all saw the attack?”
“All of us except for that little guy,” Charlotte said. “Oliver, say hello to Keanu.”
The boy turned and walked over.
“Were you in the army?” Oliver asked, looking up at Keanu.
The big man nodded. “Yep, for six years before I joined the Coast Guard.”
“What’s the Coast Guard?” Oliver asked.
“It’s, um…well, the Coast Guard helps keep our country safe, like the army but in a different way. We sometimes stop bad guys on the water, but mostly, we rescue people who have accidents in the ocean,” Keanu said, clearly unsure how to describe it.
“Oh,” Oliver muttered. He bit his finger and nodded as though that left him with a lot to ponder. He turned away, walked back over to the rock wall that surrounded the parking lot, and looked toward the ocean.
Suddenly, Oliver ran over and poked Ben in the arm. Ben looked down.
“I’m hungry. Can we eat now?” he asked.
“Of course, grab an MRE from the back of the truck.” Ben pointed.
“I’ll help you, Oliver. I want a snack too,” Anuhea said, reaching out for his hand.