“Every time you don’t tell me what I want to hear, I’ll chop a bit more off,” Frank advised, calmly. “Where are they?”
“YOU MOTHER FUCKER!”
“Fair enough,” Frank said then snipped the tip of the biker’s middle finger off.
Ten minutes of agony later.
“Oh, God! Stop!! Ok, I’ll tell you! They’re… They’re at the rifle range on Riley Blvd,” he yelled through desperate sobs and tears, staring at the nubs that used to hold his fingers.
“See, that wasn’t so hard, was it,” he asked as he drew his pistol and shot the man in the head without hesitation. He flew backwards and landed in a cloud of dust.
Frank was scaring Tommy. He had never seen this side of him, but the thought occurred to him, ‘this is the man protecting us, who would do anything for us. We are damn lucky, and he is going to make them pay.’
Frank and Tommy walked out of the barn. Steve and Kim were on the back porch watching him. He walked up to Steve.
“Get everything you can packed up in the JERRV. I’m taking the van to get the girls.”
“Be careful,” Steve grunted, fighting back his pain.
Kim stood up. “I’m coming too.”
“No, you’re not. I need this place packed up. With all that gunfire, a horde will be here soon. Besides, I need someone to look after Isabelle just in case we don’t come back. Please…I need you here.”
“…Ok. Just come back,” Kim said.
Frank and Tommy jumped in the van and sped down the road. They parked two blocks away from the range and started on foot from there, circling around far out of view. They proceeded down Riley Blvd and saw two look outs out front of the building next to a cargo van. Frank motioned for a silent kill and they proceeded down each side of the building slowly to not make noise, creeping up on their unsuspecting victims. They reached out, catching their targets off guard, grabbing them from behind, covering their mouths so the men couldn’t scream for help. Frank and Tommy slit their throats and drug them out of sight. They positioned themselves next to the main door. Frank counted down from three and when he reached zero Tommy yanked the door open and Frank rushed in. Frank spotted two bikers on his right and Tommy had one to his left. In what felt like a split second, they gunned down everyone except Natalie, Anna, and a survivor that had a knife to Anna’s throat. Frank kept his pistol pointed at him.
“Let her go,” Tommy screamed.
“Easy Tommy. Listen guy, you hurt her and you definitely die. Let her go and you walk. It’s that simple,” Frank said.
The biker made the mistake of pointing the knife at him to make an empty threat which gave Anna an opportunity. She quickly leaned her head forward and thrust it back, slamming her head into his face, breaking his nose. The man released her and staggered backwards, cupping his face with his hands. Frank pulled the trigger. The round went through the man’s middle finger then entered his skull after tearing through his left eye. In an instant the man was on the floor. Blood oozing from the crater in the back of his head. Natalie just stood there shaking, tears rolling down her face, trying to process what just happened. After a few seconds, both women came running toward the two men, jumping into their arms.
“Are you ok,” Tommy and Frank asked simultaneously.
“We’re ok,” Anna said then started kissing Frank like she hadn’t seen him in years.
Frank looked at Tommy. “We need to get out of here before more of them show up.”
“Wait a second,” Anna said as she went to the dead biker by the bar stools and got a set of keys out of his pocket. “All of our stuff is still in the box truck outside.”
“Alright. Tommy, take the truck. We need to get back to the others.”
He noticed something in the display case. He walked over and knew exactly what it was. He broke the glass and retrieved the item.
“What are you doing,” Tommy asked.
“Thermal scope with zoom. This may come in handy,” he said as they started walking out.
“We get all kinds of toys,” Tommy said.
Steve was still sitting on the porch supervising the pack up with Isabelle on his lap when Frank pulled up with Anna in the passenger seat. The depression started to sink in when he didn’t see the others. His eyes brightened when he saw the cargo van pulling up behind them with Natalie and Tommy in the front seats. When Isabelle noticed her mom, she began to scream for her and ran straight toward the van. Anna jumped out of the van and fell to her knees hugging the little girl so tight she could have suffocated, crying her eyes out. Frank knelt down next to her, rubbing her back then left them there to cry themselves out. Everyone came out to the porch carrying boxes of supplies. They all walked up to Frank.
“Thank God you two got them out alive. I think you have a guardian angel, Frank,” Karen said as she hugged him.
“How is everything going here,” Frank asked.
“We’re almost done packing. Nick and Kurt are almost done digging the grave for Robby,” Jim said, sadly.
“Robby’s dead!?” Natalie fell to her knees and started to cry.
Everyone was silent. No one knew what to say. They all gathered by his grave to pay their respects. No one spoke for several minutes. Finally, Frank step forward.
“Robby was a great man. He didn’t know most of us and even still, he took us in and made his home our home. He was the best of us. And in the end he gave his life trying to protect us. Even in his last words…he worried about us. He gave us a chance to live so we need to move on and live our lives as best we can. It’s a debt that we can never repay, but at least he is with his wife now,” Frank said trying to hold back his tears.
“I remember when we first came here. He was all grumble, grumble but he turned out to be so sweet. I’ll never forget him. Ever,” Natalie said. The tears started rolling again.
They remained for a few more minutes, and then they dispersed one by one back to the vans. Frank laid out the map on the kitchen table to try and find a new place to go.
“Got any suggestions, Steve?” Frank said
“We could try to go further south. There are a few more farm houses down through that area.”
“I got nothing better. Anyone else?”
No one spoke out.
“Ok. We’ll do that then. I also want to go and raid the bunkers on post for weapon supplies,” Frank said.
“What kind of weapons,” Kim inquired, nervously.
“Rocket launchers, grenades and some C4. I won’t let us be out gunned again. Some of you may not like it but it needs to happen. We’ll need a plasma cutter,” Kim’s face paled.
“Jenkins had one in the shop. We could stop by there on our way,” Anna said.
“Alright, load up. Let’s get this over with.”
When they arrived at the bunkers, they had to stop by the main office to find out which bunker their grenades and rocket launchers would be in.
They stopped at their unit’s bunker first to get some explosives. Frank hopped out of the van.
“Get the plasma cutter on that door. I want to be in and out of here ricky-tick. Move,” Frank snapped.
Tommy immediately went to work cutting through steel housing that protected the lock then the lock itself. In about five minutes he was through. He grabbed the door and heaved it open to reveal ten crates of C4 explosives and 4 smaller crates of blasting caps. Frank walked in and immediately calmed down by the musky smell of the bunker, which he always loved.
“Good work. Let’s get about 1 crate. We can come back for more if we need it. Don’t forget the blasting caps. Go ahead and grab a reel of det cord, too,” Frank ordered as he was checking nomenclature on the crates.
They strapped the large crate on the side of the JERRV and continued to their next stop.
They came out of the last bunker when Kim asked with a launcher strapped on her shoulder, “is this really necessary Frank?”
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“I’m just not too
comfortable being anywhere near a truck loaded down with crater making stuff.”
“I’m sure that you’re not the only one. Don’t worry. You’ll be more comfortable when you learn more about them and how to handle them,” Frank said.
On his way back to the truck Anna stopped him.
“This is a lot of stuff, Frank,” she said.
“How much room do we have left?” he asked.
“Not much. Jim just told me that this cargo truck is on its last leg, too. I think it would be best to go get another truck from the motor pool,” she said.
“Damn. We all need to talk.”
After they got as much as they could from the bunkers, they all stood around the van.
“I believe it is time to find ourselves a new vehicle. Something we could keep our supplies in. Jim mentioned a semi not too long after we all met, is there anyone here who can drive one,” Frank asked while surveying all of their faces.
After a moment, Jim stepped forward. “I’ve done the training but it was just for my mechanics shop.”
“Well, that’s better than me. You’ll be the driver. Get used to it then teach someone else how to drive it too, just in case we have to travel too far. Is there a semi sales place near here? If we are going to steal one, it might as well be new.”
“There’s one on I-70 west, about twenty miles down,” Steve said.
“Ok. Let’s hit the road,” Frank said.
On the way, Frank had some time to think. About what would happen next? Would things get better? About Robby. About Anna and Isabelle. As soon as they hit his mind, he couldn’t help but smile.
‘Things will get better,’ he thought. ‘It has to.’
Before he knew it, the sun was setting and they exiting the interstate, pulling into “Biggs Semi Sales.”
Chapter 9
New wheels
Frank got out of the van and immediately checked his rifle to see if a round was in the chamber. Satisfied, he looked at Anna.
“Weapons free. Don’t worry about the noise. We won’t be here long. Clear the building and find the keys. Anna, you and Tommy clear that line of trucks out front. Nick, you and Kurt are with me. Jim, you stay here with Steve, Will and the girls.”
“Man! Getting shot sucks. Feel kind of useless,” Steve complained, rubbing his still fresh wound.
“You’ll be ok, you big wienie. We’ll be right back,” Anna said, smiling.
“That’s pretty cold,” Steve said with a chuckle.
They moved as quietly as possible through the gravel lot toward the small building. When they arrived at the door, Frank reached for the knob and twisted gently. It was locked. Frank quickly picked the lock on the door and was ready to open it. He looked at Kurt and Nick to make sure they were ready. They both nodded and Frank whipped the door open and the two men immediately went inside scanning the room as they moved. The building was so small that by the time Frank made it inside, clearing was already done.
“Find the key box,” Frank whispered.
Kurt pointed at a small box on the wall. “I think this is it.”
Frank went over to it and pulled his pick set back out of his pocket. He barely had to touch it and the contents were at his disposal. Frank notice each key had a tag with serial numbers on them. He reached for his radio and clicked the mic twice.
“Bravo here,” Anna called over the radio.
“How goes the clearing?”
“Pretty well. We’re all done. We’re down at the end. There is one off by itself. I figure this would be the one to get,” she replied.
“Is there a sticker on the truck with a set of 6 numbers on it anywhere?” he said while examining one of the key tags.
“There isn’t any tag with a set of numbers like that but the plate number is 115561.”
Frank searched through the box for a moment the found the key with that number on it.
“Outstanding, Bravo. Heading your way,” Frank said.
‘Things are looking up… a little,’ he thought.
They made it to Anna and Tommy. Jim and the others were already there with the van. Frank handed Jim the key.
“Let’s hope I remember how to do this,” Jim said.
He put the key in the ignition and started the truck. As soon as it started to rumble, Frank’s anxiety eased a little bit.
“Head over and let’s get a trailer,” Frank yelled over the sound of the truck.
They backed the truck to a short cargo trailer and Jim started to get out of the truck when he noticed a slim woman stumbling out of the woods. She was covered in what looked like mud. As he drew closer he finally saw her face. Half of it was missing. Startled, he staggered back.
“Frank! Company,” Jim called out.
Frank and Anna rushed over as more of them came out of the woods. There were dozens of them. They knew the group was there. Each one of them had drool and bile pouring out of their mouths, moaning. The dinner bell was just rung. Frank let off the first shot.
“Jim! Get that trailer hooked up, now! Tommy, you and the others get on the other side and cover him! Kurt, you’re with me! Hurry! Hold them off and buy him some time,” Frank barked.
Round after round, the horde’s numbers fell but were quickly replenished as more of them poured out of the wood line. They didn’t have much time.
It seemed like an eternity had passed before Jim called out, “done! Let’s go.”
“Everyone head back to the vehicles! Let’s go,” Frank called out.
They ran as fast as they could toward the van only to see Steve and Will shooting at more of them that came from the other side of the lot. Frank raised his weapon and fired on them on the run. Many of them fell but not enough. They weren’t going to make it. Quickly Frank realized that a grenade can disperse them a bit more, enough to get to the van and the JERRV. Before he could reach for the grenade, Jim blew past them. The semi mowed down thirty or more of the horde, more than enough for them to make it out alive.
“There’s our opening! Let’s go! Double time,” he yelled through the heaving of his chest.
They all increased their speed to a dead sprint, making it to the van with plenty of time to spare before the rest of the horde could catch up to them. When they arrived, Anna jerked up Isabelle into her arms and jumped into the van. They packed as many of them inside as they could until it was Frank and Kurt left. Anna looked at him with the most concerned look he’d ever seen.
“Go! We’ll head for the JERRV,” Frank yelled.
“Hurry, Frank,” Steve screamed as he gunned the throttle.
They were twenty feet from the truck when the Biters began coming from around it. Frank stopped so quickly that he slid to a stop on the gravel. Raising his weapon, he called out to Kurt.
“Remember what I taught you! Predict where their head will be before you pull the trigger and aim for that! Remember to breath and we will be fine,” Frank shouted to try and reassure Kurt.
Kurt raised his weapon and breathed deep, then pulled the trigger of his handgun, dropping his first target.
“Nice! Keep it up,” Frank hollered, optimistically.
Together they cleared out enough for Kurt to get into the truck. As soon as he was in, he climbed through the turret opening and began to shoot them from the roof, clearing the way for Frank. Frank quickly jumped in and started the engine.
“Get in! Shut the hatch,” Frank yelled.
Kurt jumped in and quickly shut the turret hatch just in time. The Biters had made their way up the ladder on the back of the truck and tried to get in.
“I’m in! Go,” Kurt screamed.
Frank gunned the truck, spinning the tires in the gravel as he went. He whipped the truck around knocking the Biters off the truck before getting back on the main road to meet the other vehicles. Frank called Steve over the radio.
“You guys ok?” Frank asked still catching his breath.
“Yeah, we’re ok. No bites. You,” Steve asked.
“Yeah. Clo
se call, but we’re good. Jim?” Frank said.
“Can’t talk. Concentrating,” he said and he was trying to remember what he was supposed to do next in the semi.
“Good. Let’s get to a rest stop, clear the trucks and top off on fuel. Good work everyone,” he said, finally able to breathe.
He let out a sigh trying to ease his muscle tension.
Chapter 10
New Tenants
A few hours of searching later, the group finally came across a new home for themselves. A very large two story home stood before them, welcoming them inside. With sloping land on all sides, they could see someone coming from a mile off.
‘Perfection,’ Frank thought.
They were forced to stay in the vehicles until morning. The power grid was down so none of the lights were on. They didn’t want to be attacked in the dark.
When the day broke over the horizon, they quickly ate breakfast which only consisted of nutrition bars and water. As soon as they were done, Frank got them in front of the JERRV.
“Ok. Let’s clear the area so we can start moving in. Tommy and Nick, you’re with me in the house. Anna, lead everyone else around the area. Be as thorough and safe as possible. Someone stay with Steve and the girls,” Frank said.
“Got it, Frank,” she said.
Frank turned and started to head for the house. Anna started to give out orders to her group.
He walked up the steps to the house. The three of them staged themselves by the door. Frank could smell something. Something about this house wasn’t right.
As Frank entered the house, the smell hit him. The unmistakable smell of decomposing flesh filled the air. They were not alone.
Frank motioned with one hand for Nick and Tommy to clear the bottom floor. They both nodded and Frank headed to the stairs. Every step he made was as silent as he could make them and he paused after each to listen for the slightest noise. Nearing the top of the stairs, weapon drawn, he began clearing rooms. One by one, he searched while trying to keep the bile from filling his mouth. At the last room to search, the smell was nearly unbearable. With his free hand, he remove a cloth from his pocket and covered his face. He kicked the door open and the wave of noxious odor came over him like a tsunami. His eyes watered, bile filled his throat. He glanced around the room and quickly made his way back down stairs. When he finally made it outside, he stopped fighting, dropped to his knees, and let the vomit come. He quickly wiped his mouth off and noticed the others racing towards him.
Life In Death (Book 1): Surviving Death (The Struggle) Page 7