“And where might that be?” asked Stephen.
“We’ll be taking I-70 straight through to an Air Force base in Dayton, Ohio. We should be there sometime early this evening if everything goes smoothly.”
“Does that mean showers and some real food,” asked Lucy.
“I hope so,” replied Major Bradley. “If any of your need to use the facilities now is the time to do it as we won’t be making very many stops. When you are ready, I want you to load up into the same truck you were in yesterday; any questions?”
When no questions came he turned to his soldiers and continued, “Load up and be ready to move out.”
The convoy was loaded and ready to move about twenty minutes later. Stephen, Nick, Lucy, and Kim all chatted casually with each other in the back of the truck while Dave sat sullenly looking at the floor. Jason and Danielle were drawing with some pens and paper that Kim had found in the office. As the convoy left they watch the control tower recede into the distance as they made their way onto I-70. Here and there they could see an infected person stumbling around through the town. As the drove out of Frederick and into the countryside the talking stopped. It was still early but the temperature was already starting to rise. They settled in for what was sure to be a long hot ride in the back of the truck.
The convoy was making good time despite the number of abandoned cars that littered I-70. Every now and then Major Bradley would climb in the gunner’s cupola and survey the surrounding area. The farther away from populated areas they were the less infected he saw. Although every once in a while he would see one staggering out of the tree line or through a field. They were passing through the outskirts of Hagerstown when in the distance the Major heard an explosion followed by a large plume of black smoke rising skyward.
“Slow down Sinclair,” said Major Bradley to his driver. Again climbing into the gunner’s copula he examined the smoke column through his binoculars.
The smoke seemed to be rising about two miles away. The origin at this point was unknown. Looking at his map Major Bradley assumed it was most likely coming from the interchange of 1-70 and I-81.
Leaning down again in his turret he said, “Private, stop up here on this small over pass.”
As the convoy slowed to a stop Major Bradley got on the radio, “Captain, do you see that smoke plume up ahead?”
“Yes sir. What do you think it is?
“I’m not sure but you are going to go find out for me. It looks like it will be in our line of travel. Take your Humvee, your driver, and gunner and go recon it.”
“On it sir.”
Soon thereafter, Captain Morris’ Humvee drove past the head of the convoy and minutes later disappear around a bend in the highway.
On the radio once more Major Bradley said, “We are somewhat protected up here on the over pass but stay alert as we’re still in the open.”
Twenty minutes later Captain Morris’ Humvee appeared in the distance speeding towards them. Major Bradley dismounted his Humvee as the Captain’s slowed to a stop.
“What did you find Captain?” he asked looking up at the Captain who was in the gunner’s turret.
“A couple of blown up cars and the guy who blew them up,” he replied with a nod of his head down towards the inside of his Humvee.
As Major Bradley looked he saw a man climbing out of the passenger’s side of the Humvee. His hair was a mess and through the dirt and soot that covered him, the Major could make out a beard and an unhappy expression. He wore a pack on his back and slung over his left shoulder was a rifle. In his hands he gripped a sawed off shotgun.
“He hasn’t been bitten as far as we can tell. Not that he would let us search him,” Captain Morris called down. “And don’t even ask about him giving up his weapons.”
As Major Bradley surveyed the man trying to decide what to do, the man spoke up.
“With all due respect Major, you need to teach your Captain over there some manners,” Chester said tightly. “Ya’ll won’t be taking these weapons unless it’s off my cold dead body. Unless of course I come back to life and start gnawing on ya first.”
“Fair enough,” replied Major Bradley extending his hand. “I’m Major Bradley and I see you’ve already met Captain Morris.”
“The name’s Chester Boone,” replied Chester shaking the Major’s hand.
“You a military man Mr. Boone?” asked Major Bradley.
“Not so much sir, but I graduated with a degree from VMI so I know my way around.”
“If you don’t mind me asking what are you doing out here by yourself blowing stuff up?”
“It’s a long story.”
“Give me the short version Mr. Boone.”
Begrudgingly Chester filled him on the events of the morning culminating with Captain Morris arriving and picking him up as he was trying to get away from a horde of zombies.
“Well you are welcome to travel with us Mr. Boone,” offered Major Bradley. “We are trying to get to another extraction point.”
“Seein’ as I ain’t got my truck any more it don’t look like I got another choice.”
“Captain, show Mr. Boone back to the truck and then we’ll be on our way. And let the man keep his weapons.”
Chester began walking back along the convoy as Captain Morris’ Humvee followed. Reaching the truck Chester threw his backpack in and pulled himself up into the truck’s bed. He let out a bothered sigh as he looked around and saw eight faces looking back. Settling in on the end of the bench nearest the tail gate he signaled to the soldier across from him that he was ready to go. The soldier spoke into his radio and a minute later the convoy was on the move again. Chester stared out the back of the truck as it rumbled down the road intent on avoiding any unnecessary conversation with the others unfortunate enough to be stuck with him in the back of the truck.
Chapter 16
Ground Zero
They had reached their cruising altitude shortly after takeoff and Captain Bannon announced over the intercom that is was safe to move about the cabin. The Doctor had unbuckled his safety belt and taken a seat at one end of the small conference table across from the couch. He had his notes spread out before him and was feverishly pecking away on his computer.
Gunner was speaking with his men in the front of the cabin. The Doctor could not hear what they were saying and even if he could he would not be able to understand them. He was too busy anyway, trying to figure out what vital piece of data he was overlooking. He was sure that Number 5 held the key to figuring this whole thing out but he had been unable to work out exactly how. One of the items he had brought back with him from the lab in Florida were samples from the last dose given to each of the ten subjects. Dr. Sanderson was confident that if he could compare the original sample against its current state deep within Number 5, he could determine what happened; and then subsequently try to reverse it.
The Swede, as Dr. Sanderson had begun referring to him in his own mind, joined the Doctor at the conference table bringing with him his PDA. He was staring intently at it but said nothing. The Doctor was about to ask if he had received any hits yet from the tracking signal when the door to the cockpit opened and Captain John Bannon emerged.
He walked past Gunner’s men without acknowledging them. As he approached the conference table he announced with a smile, “Gotta go see a man about a horse.”
Dr. Sanderson, looking genuinely concerned, asked “Who’s flying the plane then?”
“Not to worry Doctor, these planes practically fly themselves,” he replied, patted Dr. Sanderson on the shoulder, and continued on to the lavatory.
The Doctor looked at Gunner who revealed nothing. He looked back at the cockpit and then at the lavatory still awaiting an answer to his question. Realizing he was not going to get one, he turned his attention back to the paperwork in front of him.
When the Captain had returned from the bathroom Dr. Sanderson asked, “Where are we at the moment Captain?”
“Right smack dab in t
he middle of the good ole US of A,” Bannon replied. Clarifying for the Doctor, he added, “Just south of Wichita, Kansas.”
“Thanks.”
The Captain nodded and headed back to the cockpit.
“Right smack dab in the middle of the …,” Dr. Sanderson cut his thought off in mid- sentence. He began to quickly shuffle through the papers in front of him looking for a particular report. Finding it, he brought up a file that he had stored on his computer’s hard drive. Alternately looking at the piece of paper and the computer screen he started jotting down some notes.
His concentration was broken when Gunner asked, “Found something of interest Doctor?”
Dr. Sanderson lifted his left hand and raised his index finger indicating he needed a minute. Gunner obliged by remaining quiet. A few minutes later the Doctor looked up to see Gunner staring at him with genuine interest. He made one last check of the information he had written down.
“The bacterium,” Dr. Sanderson began, “was discovered in an underground cavern. Samples were collected from different areas of the cave and catalogued. We administered the Principle by alternating samples and dosages until we achieved a favorable result. I just cross referenced the samples given to the test subjects with their location in the cave.” He looked at Gunner to make sure he was following along.
“Continue Doctor,” Gunner said.
“The collection pattern looked something like a starburst. When the samples are plotted against the pattern, we can see where exactly in the cave and simultaneously where in the collection area the samples were located. It appears that test subject Number 5’s sample was smack dab in the middle of the collection area. The pattern would seem to indicate that the bacterium spread in a circular design. That would make the middle of the starburst the likely origin of the bacterium.”
Dr. Sanderson stopped to catch his breath. He was talking fast as he often did when a significant discovery was made. He looked again at Gunner who was now very quiet and just staring at him.
“It’s sort of like the ground zero of the bacterium,” the Doctor continued. “It could easily explain why Number 5 reacted differently than the others. When bacteria cells replicate through binary fission, mutations sometimes occur. I would have to reexamine the sample but I would guess that its cell structure would be slightly different than those on the outer edge of the pattern.”
It looked like Gunner was about to ask a question when his PDA began to make noises. Looking down at it, he pressed the touch screen a couple of times.
“Looks like we have a signal Doctor,” he said.
The Gulfstream had a mobile transceiver and digital signal processor not unlike the common Uni-phone tower. It was able to send and receive signals and then transmit them to the portable GPS receiver that Gunner had brought on board. An alert was set up on his PDA to notify him when a signal was discovered.
Gunner got up from his seat at the table and walked to the rear of the plane where the GPS receiver was and checked the coordinates of the signal’s origin. Jotting them down on a slip of paper, he moved through the cabin to the front of the plane where he knocked on the cockpit door. A second later he opened it and went inside.
A few minutes later the cockpit door opened and Gunner made his way back to Dr. Sanderson at the conference table. He sat back down and said, “It looks like we have a signal originating just outside Rogers, Arkansas. We are going to land at the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport.”
“Captain Bannon will begin the descent in about ten minutes so I suggest you gather up your materials Doctor and then buckle up on the couch for the landing,” Gunner said.
They landed about fifteen minutes later without incident. Captain Bannon taxied the Gulfstream to the terminal right next to Airport Service Road. He would stay with the airplane while Gunner and his team, along with Dr. Sanderson, followed the signal on foot. They would get a more accurate reading on the test subject’s position once they disembarked but at the moment it appeared that the signal was about one mile away.
Gunner opened the hatch and performed a quick scan of the immediate area, finding no trouble. The airport was truly in the middle of nowhere; the infected would be easy to spot. Gunner motioned to the Doctor that it was safe to exit.
Dr. Sanderson walked down the steps into a beautiful, sunny, Midwestern sky. He brought with him folders of each of the ten subjects containing their name, a photograph, and the serial number of the microchips implanted. He had these in a small backpack that was slung over his right shoulder.
Gunner was at the top of the stairs issuing instructions to his team. When he was finished, they came down the stairs and headed to the underside of the plane. One of the men (Dr. Sanderson had yet to be introduced to any of them) reached under the fuselage and turned a latch that revealed a small cargo hold.
They immediately began removing items from the cargo hold. Smoothly and efficiently they started covering themselves with body armor. They had forearm guards, chest plates, and shin protectors. A long thin pole with a loop or lasso at the end was removed along with a canvass bag. The bag contained other restraining devices such as hand cuffs and leg irons. Finally, the men pulled out weapons; lots of weapons. Each was carrying a handgun with holster and a semi- automatic rifle.
“Armalite AR-10 A2’s,” Gunner said coming up from behind Dr. Sanderson and scaring him half to death. “Accurate, fast, well-balanced, and easy to carry,” he added.
The Doctor turned around facing the hulking Swede and replied, “Good to know, thanks.”
“Redo?” Gunner said to his men who all nodded in unison as one of them closed the cargo hatch.
Gunner grabbed a small walkie-talkie from his hip and pressed a button and spoke clearly into it, “Comm check, comm check … do you copy Captain?”
“Loud and clear, good hunting,” was the response.
Gunner replaced the walkie and motioned to one of his men to take point with another on each side and the fourth bringing up the rear. Gunner and the Doctor were in the middle as they moved out heading northwest.
The Doctor could not help notice that Gunner had none of the armor that his men did. He was not even sure if they made any that would even fit him. All he had was his sidearm, his walkie, and the portable GPS receiver at which he was now staring at.
“This way Doctor,” he said as they continued to move.
They crossed the road and then a small field to find themselves on, according to the street sign, Phillips Cemetery Road.
“How appropriate,” thought the Doctor.
It was rural country with no one in sight. They moved swiftly as Gunner monitored the tracking device.
“Vara uppmärksam,” Gunner said to his men. Again, they nodded.
“What does this Number 5 look like Doctor?” Gunner asked.
“Um, he is … er was ... 30 years old, five foot ten, white male, probably wearing the hospital scrubs top and matching sweats he had on at the lab.”
“The signal does not seem to be moving,” Gunner said.
“As far as I know they don’t require sleep, or rest. Given the rate at which the infection spread, they must just keep going,” the Doctor answered. “If he’s not moving it could be he’s currently feeding or he’s … dead … or whatever you would call it.”
They crossed a small creek and passed a collection of buildings that looked like an abandoned mill works. Off to the right, in a large open field about 200 yards away, someone was walking across the field. The Doctor observed the slow pace and unsteady nature of the individual and immediately concluded it was an infected person. He was about to turn and tell Gunner who had apparently already seen the man.
Using hand signals, he directed one of his men to the edge of the field. Taking a knee he raised his weapon, adjusted the scope, and fired. It was easy to see, even from this distance; the zombie’s head explode as he fell harmlessly to the ground. Gunner’s man rose to his feet and returned back to formation without saying a word.
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br /> With the zombie dispatched, they continued walking for another 100 feet or so until they had come to a fork in the road. Straight ahead of them was a white, rectangular one story house with a grey roof. To the left was a ramshackle detached garage that probably had not housed a car in twenty years. Behind that was a moderately sized shed.
“The signal appears to be coming from inside the house,” Gunner said.
Again using hand signals Gunner directed his men in a two by two formation to the front of the house, using the trees in the front yard as cover. The Doctor stayed back, constantly looking over his shoulder. For the first time he almost wished he had a weapon.
Gunner and his men had reached the front porch, two of them taking flanking positions on either side of the door, which the Doctor noticed was slightly ajar. The third man ducked under a large window that looked onto the front lawn. He rose slowly and peered inside. His view was obscured by grey curtains and a fine coat of grime on the window. Shaking his head, he quietly leapt off the porch and took a kneeling position in front of the door. The fourth man stood directly in front of the door. Gunner stood off to the right side. Each man had his weapon trained on the door, including Gunner who had removed his sidearm for the first time. After a moment’s pause, Gunner gave the signal and the man standing in front of the door raised his right boot and kicked it in.
The two men flanking the doors spun around quickly and were the first in the house with the man who kicked the door in third. The last of Gunner’s men stayed back ensuring no trouble appeared from either side of the house. Gunner moved to the front door and looked inside.
“Alla Avmarkera,” said one of Gunner’s men from inside the house.
Gunner turned around and waved for Dr. Sanderson to enter the house. The Doctor moved across the lawn and walked up two steps and onto the porch. He looked both ways and then cautiously entered the structure.
The Zombie Principle Page 14