Now It Begins

by Gary M. Chesla

  “By the way Major,” the Petty Officer added. “You may have already figured this out, but if not it could save you a ton of ammo. I know how you army guys like to blast the shit out of everything.” The Petty Officer laughed. “But if you limit your shots to the head only, it’s the only place that will kill those things. You shoot them anywhere else and you are just wasting your ammo.”

  “Thanks for the heads up,” the Major replied, “and good luck.”

  The Major handed the receiver back to the Sergeant.

  “Sergeant, are you aware of head shots stopping those bastards?” the Major asked. “It would be great if it were true. Nothing else seems to have much effect on them.”

  “No Sir,” the Sergeant answered. “We have just been blasting the hell out of them until they fall apart or can’t walk anymore.”

  “Get the word out to the men and report back what the men have to say about the results,” the Major said. “If the Petty Officer is correct, it could make our ammo last a hell of a lot longer.”

  “Yes Sir,” the Sergeant replied.

  Maggie helped Dave push the refrigerator against the door to the cottage.

  She then stepped back and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

  “So much for our vacation,” Maggie sighed.

  “Sorry Maggie,” Dave said. “I thought our luck was changing. I should have known this was too good to last.”

  “It was nice,” Maggie smiled. “Maybe this will all be over in a day or two and everything will be like nothing had ever happened.”

  “You mean after the government covers everything up?” Dave smiled.

  “Of course,” Maggie grinned. “They seemed to have made a real mess out of everything, but they will get it all swept under the rug soon. The government may not be good for much, but they know how to cover up their mistakes.”

  “For once I hope you’re right about the government,” Dave laughed.

  “I bet I’m right about ghosts and zombies too,” Maggie grinned.

  “God, I hope not,” Dave laughed.

  Dave and Maggie started to push the couch against the back of the refrigerator.

  Dave stopped, straightened up and began to listen.

  “Hey,” Maggie said. “I can’t push this couch by myself.”

  “I hear something,” Dave replied quietly.

  “I hear something too,” Maggie laughed, “Its Morris purring because his little tummy is full again.”

  “No it’s not the cat,” Dave said as he listened, “This sounds like a train or something.”

  “There aren’t any trains on the island,” Maggie replied, “So push the couch, we only have a few more feet to go.”

  Dave walked over to the window.

  “I think I hear something now too,” Maggie said and followed Dave over to the window. “Maybe it’s that tank we saw yesterday.”

  Dave ducked, it was an automatic reflex, as a large dark object passed over the Pelican Post, barely much higher than the one hundred feet above the cottage. A dark shadow that made the sun light flicker over the window.

  A moment later, a loud sonic boom shook the cottage, rattling the windows.

  “What was that,” Maggie yelled, holding her hands over her ears.

  “I think it was a jet,” Dave answered.

  “It was coming in a little low,” Maggie said. “Do you think it is trying to land?”

  “I don’t think it was looking to land,” Dave replied, “I think it was a military jet.”

  “I bet it is here to help with the cover up,” Maggie said.

  “I don’t know Mag,” Dave replied, “From what Adam and I saw earlier, I think things are way beyond a cover up.”

  They listened as the sound of the jet faded.

  Then three loud explosions could be heard coming from the north end of the island.

  The sound of the jet began to grow louder again.

  “I think he’s coming back,” Maggie whispered as she moved closer to Dave.

  Dave put his arm around Maggie as they listened.

  A second later, the low flying dark shape flashed over the cottage again, now going towards Longboat.

  The sonic boom shook the cottage again, followed by three loud explosions coming this time from down towards the south end of the island.

  “I think the jet is bombing the bridges,” Dave said. “The army couldn’t stop the people from coming over from Longboat. They must have decided to take out the bridges.”

  “All those poor people,” Maggie said. “I wonder what is wrong with them. The way you described them, it’s like they’re sick or out of their minds.”

  “I don’t know what to think,” Dave said. “You should have seen the army shooting at the people coming out of the water. It was like nothing the army did had any effect on them. There was something about those people that just didn’t look right. The way they moved was really strange. From where we were those people didn’t look normal either, but I couldn’t get a good enough look to know why. The army kept shooting at them but they just kept coming.”

  “This all sounds like one of the stories in my zombie books,” Maggie replied.

  “Yea, except this is real,” Dave added. “Or maybe I’ll just wake up in the morning and find out I was just having a bad dream. This shit is too crazy even for a nightmare.”

  The dark shadow flashed by the window for a third time, followed again by another sonic boom.

  The pans rattled in the kitchen cupboards, followed by the sounds of cups bouncing off the kitchen table, finally coming to rest on the kitchen floor.

  Morris jumped off of the couch and crawled under the end table.

  Joey ran out of the bedroom looking bewildered. He ran over hugged Dave’s legs.

  The sound of numerous explosions echoed from the north side of the island.

  Captain Andrews, the pilot of the F-18, released the last of his ordinance as he flew north over the island.

  He banked the Hornet left and circled out over the Gulf of Mexico.

  He came back around and lined up his plane with Anna Maria Island.

  He flew low over the island, going south, as he prepared to make his final maneuver.

  He aimed his plane at the remains of the Longboat Bridge.

  As he approached the flares burning on the beach across from the Cortez Bridge, he hit the eject button.

  His parachute opened and as he began to drift towards the flares below, he watched his F-18 crash and exploded into the remains of the Longboat Bridge on Longboat Key.

  Chapter 10

  The two helicopters from the Saratoga approached the beach on Anna Maria Island.

  The sounds from the engines echoed off the buildings on Gulf Drive.

  The two helicopters came in low over the water and landed on the soft sand on Bradenton Beach.

  The men began to jump out of the helicopters as the engines shut down and the blades made their final turns.

  The Major walked out and shook Petty Officer Davis’ hand.

  “Glad you made it,” the Major said. “How many men were you able to get off the Saratoga?”

  “Including myself, forty-two,” Petty Officer Davis replied. “I was lucky to save that many. We had ten of the infected hanging onto our landing gear for two miles before they finally fell off. The damn things refused to let go.”

  “Your F-18 pilot said he took out the bridges on each end of the island and two large groups that were coming down our way from the north end,” the Major said. “I appreciate the assistance, maybe now we might have a chance.”

  “We also tried your advice about the head shots,” the Major added. “As much as I hate to admit taking advice from the Navy, it works.”

  The Petty Officer smiled, “Unfortunately we weren’t able to take our own advice until it was too late. Seaman Rogers discovered it about twenty minutes before you made contact with us. By then the odds were a hundred to one against us.”

  “A hundred to one,”
the Major smiled, “I wish we had odds like that here. By the way, were you able to bring any ammo when you left the Saratoga?”

  “Everything we could get our hands on is in chopper 714,” the Petty Officer pointed over his shoulder. “It’s not much.”

  The Major signaled for the Petty Officer to follow him out on the beach and away from where the men were unloading the helicopters.

  “When was your last communications with command?” the Major asked quietly.

  “Approximately thirty-six hours ago,” replied Petty Officer Davis. “It wasn’t a complete communication. About two minutes in, it started to become garbled and then it cut out altogether. That was the last we have heard from anyone until you made contact with us. What about you?”

  “Same thing, we haven’t heard from anyone for the last two days,” the Major replied, “We haven’t been able to even pick up any of the normal chatter that is always on the wire. What was the last Sit-Rep you received on the Saratoga?”

  “Last report we received was that half of our naval assets were being recalled from overseas to take up defensive positions off the east and west coasts. The other half was being assigned rescue missions to our largest coastal cities.” The Petty Officer replied. “The last order we received was that after we completed our rescue efforts in Sarasota that we were to give assistance up in Tampa. Then when we received the garbled message, all we could make out was that Tampa had been lost. We were going to send a plane up to Tampa to take a look, but that’s when everything went to hell.”

  “Did you make any reconnaissance runs over the mainland around here?” the Major asked.

  “The whole damn area is gone,” the Petty Officer answered. “From what we could tell, the only secure place around Florida is your island.”

  “If this is the safest and most secure place in Florida,” the Major smiled, “I couldn’t even imagine how bad it is inland. You have any word about the rest of the country?”

  “From the bits and pieces I picked up before all communication went down, it’s like this everywhere,” Davis replied.

  “This shit spread fast,” the Major shook his head.

  “And I don’t think it is just us,” Davis added. “Scuttlebutt has it that it took out all of Europe two days before we lost all communication. Asia and Africa went down even faster.”

  “Any word from any of the other carrier groups?” the Major asked again.

  “No, I have to assume they all ended up like the Saratoga,” Davis replied. “All it takes is one of the infected to take out a city or a ship. No one knew what to expect until it was too late. By the time we realized how it spread we had already screwed up and helped it along. Trying to rescue people was the worst thing we could have done. ”

  “Unbelievable,” the Major said. “I then have to assume we are on our own.”

  “Yes Sir,” the Petty Officer said. “At least we have an island where we can regroup.”

  “Not yet we don’t,” the Major replied. “Besides I don’t know what the hell good regrouping on this damn island is going to do for us. But I guess it is something, it’s a start.”

  “Well Sir, since we are all in this together and we all have a vested interest in the island,” the Petty Officer smiled, “what can the Navy do to help?”

  “I’d like for you and your men to go down to the south barricade to relieve my men. Since they stopped trying to blow the hell out of everything and have gone to head shots only,” the Major smiled, “They have managed to pretty much clear out the area on the south side of the island. Post ten of your men there to finish off the stragglers. Tell my men to report to the barricade at the Cortez Bridge. With the bridge on the north end now out, the number of those things coming down the island is slowing down. With all of my men working together, we should be able to start clearing out the area by the Cortez Bridge. Maybe tomorrow we can start pushing north.”

  “What would you want the rest of my men to do?” the Petty Officer asked.

  “While ten of your men hold the position at the barricade, take the rest of your men and work your way back up the island. We need to be sure none of those things are wandering around inside our so called secure perimeter,” the Major answered. “After we are sure our ten block area is really secure, we can focus all our resources to secure the rest of the island. Then, we will have an island that we can call home or at least a safe base to work with.”

  “That’s the best plan I have heard in days,” the Petty Officer smiled.

  “You obviously haven’t heard many plans recently,” the Major smiled. “My men will take you down to our south barricade. You should be able to work your way up to the Cortez Bridge in about two hours. Just make sure none of those things are trapped inside any of the buildings. We don’t want to be surprised in the middle of the night. As you know, it will only take one of those bastards to undue everything we are trying to accomplish. Just keep in mind we don’t have anywhere else to go, Petty Officer. This is it.”

  “I understand perfectly, Major,” the Petty Officer replied. “I know all too well what can happen.”

  The Petty Officer and his men climbed into the back of two army trucks. Two of the Major’s men would drive them down Beach Avenue, south to the Longboat barricade.

  Dave sat at the window in the cottage.

  It had been at least thirty minutes since they had heard the last loud explosion.

  The last explosion came from the southern end of the island shortly after the dark low flying jet quickly flashed over the cottage.

  The jet had passed over the Pelican Post much lower this last time.

  Dave was only able to catch a quick glimpse of the plane but it had only been a mere few feet above the roof tops as it went by.

  By the high pitched whining sound coming from the aircraft, the sound an out of control plane would make, Dave assumed the last explosion was the jet crashing into the island.

  It was another confusing piece of the puzzle.

  There were a lot of confusing pieces to this puzzle.

  People were wanting off the island but weren’t permitted to leave.

  Then people wanted to come over to the island, but weren’t allowed to come.

  Soldiers were shooting civilians. Then maybe the most confusing piece, people, staggering and crawling bodies, many that appeared mangled and mutilated beyond the point that they shouldn’t have even still been alive, were being shot but not seeming to even notice or care.

  Now he could add jets bombing the island and then crashing.

  Dave could also add to that the coffins and bodies he had uncovered at the construction site.

  Then of course, Dave knew that Maggie and her Ghosts of Anna Maria Island book had to fit in there somewhere.

  Dave rolled all the pieces around in his mind.

  No matter how he looked at the pieces, the only conclusion he could come up with was that each of the pieces belonged to a completely different puzzle.

  The sound of gun fire picked up after the last explosion, seeming to come from both ends of the island.

  The last ten minutes, the sounds of gun shots had slowed to an occasional shot ever few minutes. Whatever was going on now seemed to be slowing down.

  Dave had no idea whether that was a good or a bad sign. Had the army been able to stop the mobs? Or had the army been overrun.

  The only good sign that Dave knew of for sure, was that there wasn’t anyone wandering around the Pelican Post.

  Maggie walked over to Dave.

  “It seems to be settling down outside,” Maggie said. “Maybe we should go down and check on Carl. He didn’t look too good the last time we saw him.”

  Dave looked out the window and listened.

  “I guess it would be OK,” Dave replied. “If that crowd from down at the barricade was going to come through here, they should have been here by now.”

  “Good,” Maggie smiled, “I need to get some fresh air.”

  “Get Joey, we stay togethe
r,” Dave instructed.

  Maggie woke Joey and led him out into the living room.

  On the way to the door, Joey latched on to Morris.

  They all followed Dave out the door to the small landing at the top of the steps.

  “Something stinks,” Joey said.

  Maggie sniffed the air and looked at Dave, “It smells like gun powder.”

  “It does a little,” Dave replied still analyzing the smell, “It’s more like a cross between gun powder and a dead skunk.”

  Joey giggled at his dad’s answer.

  They walked down the steps.

  Dave kept scanning the area to look for anything unusual, or more unusual than was considered normal for the last few days.

  When Dave felt it was safe to continue, they all walked over to Carl’s door.

  Dave opened Carl’s door and quickly motioned for Maggie and Joey to stay back.

  Maggie looked concerned but started to laugh when Dave said, “Carl, go put on some pants.”

  Carl was sitting on the couch in his underwear drinking a beer.

  “Most people would knock,” Carl said. “Besides I just got up and decided to take my medicine.”

  “Sorry,” Dave laughed, “but please put on some pants.”

  Dave closed the door and looked at Maggie who was grinning.

  “It wasn’t a pretty sight,” Dave laughed.

  While they were waiting for Carl to get decent, Adam and Nicole came out of their room.

  “Did you hear all those explosions?” Adam asked.

  “What was that?” Shirley asked, coming out of unit 3 to join everyone.

  “We think it was a military jet bombing the bridges,” Maggie said.

  “It never ends,” Adam sighed.

  “Bite your tongue,” Maggie said.