The Zombie Principle

by David R Vosburgh

  “Major, the perimeter is secure and the men are checking to see if they can get any diesel out of the pumps. We haven’t encountered any infected yet,” Captain Morris said as he appeared around the side of the convoy.

  “Very good Captain, the sooner we get out of here the less of a chance we have of running into them.”

  “I want you to get in the store and see about getting some supplies,” Major Bradley continued. “Put the civilians to work gathering them; food and drink should be a priority but take any medicine, clothing, or other items that might be of value. I hope we won’t need them but who knows what awaits us in Dayton.”

  “Yes sir,” replied Captain Morris with a salute. “We’ll load it into the second truck.”

  Captain Morris headed off into the store and Major Bradley pulled out his map and laid it out on the hot hood of the Humvee. One more time he went over their route to Dayton as well as his secondary routes should their primary route be inaccessible.

  Inside the store the civilians had already begun shopping for supplies as Captain Morris entered. A bell jingled as the door shut behind him.

  “Alright ladies and gentlemen listen up,” said Captain Morris. “We need to be loaded up and ready to move in ten.”

  Looking around and finally finding Sgt. Sanchez, Captain Morris continued, “When we are ready to move, I want a head count from you before we roll.”

  “Yes sir, but umm … sir … uh I don’t know where that Chester fellow went, he jumped out as soon as we stopped and he didn’t come in here with us.”

  “I knew that guy was gonna be trouble. Don’t worry about him; he’s a problem for the Major and I.”

  “When the civilians are finished with the bathroom, I want you to gather up any supplies you might need or want,” continued the Captain. “Food and drink is the most important but don’t neglect medicine, toiletries, clothing etc. I’ll be back in five to help load it all up.”

  Not waiting for a reply, Captain Morris turned and headed out of the store towards Major Bradley.

  “Major, we’ve got a problem. That guy Chester we picked up, he jumped out of the truck before we stopped and we aren’t sure where he went.”

  “That’s alright Captain, if he wants a ride he’ll be back,” replied the Major. “He’s one of those loner types so don’t expect him to want to hang around with the others.”

  “You gentlemen looking for me?” Chester said as he materialized from around the corner of the store giving the Major and Captain a scare.

  “Yes, in fact we were,” answered Major Bradley. “You can’t be going off on your own like that if you want our protection and you definitely can’t be sneaking up on us like that unless you want to get shot.”

  “I don’t think I’ll need much of that protection Major, I got past your perimeter guard goin’ out and comin’ in.”

  “Yes, you proved your point,” said Captain Morris, “but we would appreciate it if you let us know where you are going so we don’t shoot you by mistake.”

  “I can tell you can take care of yourself Mr. Boone,” added Major Bradley, “so I won’t subject you to the same rules as the rest of the civilians but work with us here. You can come and go as you like but inform me first and make sure you are back when we are ready to leave as we won’t think twice about leaving you behind.”

  “Fair enough Major,” replied Chester.

  “So where did you go Mr. Boone?” asked Major Bradley.

  “I went lookin’ for some supplies. There is a house through the woods aways,” he said pointing in the direction of a small clump of trees off to the side of the convenience store.

  “It had a deer skinnin’ rack in the back so I figured it might have some useful things.”

  “And did you find anything?”

  “Yes sir, I got a mess of shot gun rounds and a couple boxes of rifle ammo,” Chester said patting his pack as he slung it around front and put it on the ground.

  Opening the pack he pulled out several large bags. “I also found six sealed bags of fresh deer jerky. It should be good for a couple of weeks. Its good eatin’ when there isn’t much else to be had.”

  “Thanks Mr. Boone, I think your skills will come in handy …”

  “Don’t mean to be rude Major but I thought you should probably know there are about fifteen of those infected things comin’ down the road towards us. They’ll be here in a few minutes.”

  “You should have said that first Mr. Boone. Captain, get those civilians and supplies back in the truck immediately; we roll out in two minutes. Mr. Boone if you wouldn’t mind getting back to your truck as well.”

  The Major spoke into his comm and the convoy came to life with activity. Captain Morris quickly shepherded the civilians, and what few supplies they had obtained, back to their truck. Within minutes the convoy was loaded up and rolling out of the parking lot towards the highway. As the last truck drove out of the lot, zombies began to appear in and around the gas station.

  It was getting to be late afternoon as the convoy neared Columbus, Ohio. Major Bradley had stopped gazing out his window to study his map again. They were several miles from I-270, the route they would be using to skirt around Columbus. With the speed in which cities had become infected Major Bradley did not want to find out how many of those things were in Columbus. He was just about to inform Private Sinclair about the upcoming exit when his comm came to life.

  “Um, Major we have a problem with the fuel truck.”

  “What’s wrong McCutchen?”

  “I am pretty sure we have a bad axle here.”

  “Alright hold on, we’ll stop and come have a look.”

  “Stop the convoy son,” said Major Bradley to Sinclair.

  The convoy came to a stop as Major Bradley jumped out and walked back to the fuel truck. As he did his soldiers began setting up their security perimeter. As he passed the truck holding the civilians, Chester jumped down and gave him a nod.

  “I’m gonna go have a look around Major.”

  “If you insist Mr. Boone but I don’t need to remind you to be back when we are ready to go.”

  As Chester jumped the guard rail and disappeared into the woods near the highway, Major Bradley reached the fuel truck and found Captain Morris watching two of his men working under the front axle of the truck.

  “What’s going on Captain?” asked Major Bradley.

  “Looks like the front axle is broken sir.”

  “Can they fix it?”

  “No sir, there is no fix for it. They are telling me they would need a replacement axle rod.”

  “I am going to go out on a limb and say we didn’t bring one of those along?”

  “No sir.”

  “That was rhetorical Captain. Well, I’d rather not leave the fuel truck. I hate to say it but if there is nothing in Dayton then we will need all the fuel we can get our hands on.” Looking at the Captain he added, “So what are our options?”

  “Well, we can leave it but like you said that’s not viable. We could continue to drive it but very slowly and it will eventually completely fail. The final option is letting the boys here swap the front axle out with the second deuce and a half but then we have to leave that behind.”

  “You can just switch out the axles like that?” asked the Major.

  “That’s what the boys tell me. The fuel truck and deuce and a half are the same truck body with a different bed mounted on them.”

  “That makes sense. I guess we don’t need the second truck if it’s just holding supplies and sucking down diesel. We’ll make it all fit in the other vehicles. So how long will this take Captain?”

  “The boys say a couple hours minimum, sir, and it will take at least three of them.”

  “Well, it will start getting dark by then. I don’t think we’ll make it to Dayton tonight.”

  Looking around the Major continued, “We’re too exposed to change it out here. I think I saw some signs for hotels at the next exit. Do you think we can make it t
here on the axle?”

  “We’ll give it a shot sir.”

  “Alright Captain load ‘em up. It looks like we’ll be spending the night in comfort. What do you think; Holiday Inn or Best Western?”

  “I’ve always been partial to Best Western sir. I believe one more night’s stay and I get one night free,” Captain Morris said with a smile.

  “Best Western it is then. Let’s move.”

  Major Bradley made his way back to the lead Humvee as Captain Morris got the convoy ready to move. All Major Bradley could do was shake his head as he saw Chester appear out of the woods and jump into the back of the truck right before the convoy drove off.

  The convoy moved slowly but eventually made it to the parking lot of the Best Western. By the time it came to a stop Chester was already out of the back of the truck but did not wander far. Having been given very little information about what was going on; the civilians were relieved when Captain Morris and Major Bradley showed up at the back of their truck.

  “Alright folks here’s the plan,” said Major Bradley. “We broke an axle on the fuel truck so we are stuck here for the night while my men switch it out with one from the second truck back there. We’ll get to spend the night in actual beds tonight and hopefully by morning we’ll be good to go. If you have any questions speak with Captain Morris.”

  Finishing what he had to say Major Bradley motioned to Captain Morris and then headed back to his Humvee.

  “Once my men finish clearing the first floor and blocking off the stair well and entrances we’ll move into the first couple of rooms for the night. You all can split them up however you see fit. We don’t want you moving around so once you are set we’ll bring food and water to you. Then it’s up early before we head out. Any questions?” asked Captain Morris.

  “Yeah I’ve got one,” answered Nick. “It’s not like we’ve got a reservation; how are we gonna get in the rooms?”

  “Trust me, it won’t take much to knock down one of the doors, but that shouldn’t be necessary. There should be a master key card behind the reception desk,” answered the Captain.

  It doesn’t look like there is any electricity,” said Stephen, “do you think we can get some of those flash lights we found at the gas station?”

  “Sure, I’ll have them brought to your rooms. Now figure out who’s sleeping where and how many rooms you’ll need and I’ll be back in a minute.”

  As the Captain walked off Chester stopped him and said, “I’ll just take a couch in the lobby. But right now I am going to go scout around, I’ll be back before nightfall.”

  Before the Captain could respond, Chester had turned around and was walking away. Shrugging his shoulders he continued on to find the Major and assist in securing the perimeter so the axle could be changed as soon as possible.

  “Well, I think the kids and I will take one room,” said Kim. “Lucy you are more than welcome to join us, I think Danielle is kind of fond of you.”

  “I would like that, thanks Kim,” responded Lucy.

  “We’ll get a room across the hall so we aren’t too far. What do you guys think,” Stephen asked looking at Dave and Nick.

  Dave shrugged his shoulders and continued to look sullen as he sat at the far end of the truck.

  “Doesn’t matter to me as long as I get one of those nice soft hotel beds and some of the complimentary shampoo,” Nick said.

  “You gonna be alright Dave?” asked Stephen.

  Dave nodded but did not say a word.

  “Just give him some space Stephen, he’ll be alright,” said Lucy.

  Just then, Captain Morris came around the corner and interrupted their conversation.

  “The hotel is ready for you guys; we’ve got rooms 101 and 102 open for you just past the check-in desk. We need to get inside quickly, we’ve seen some infected in the area; although our new friend Chester seems to be dispatching a few of them with his machete.”

  “Does he need some help,” asked Jason picking up his golf club.

  “No son, you stay with your mom, she might need you and your club. And Stephen you’ve still got your axe, right?” asked Captain Morris.

  “Yeah, I do,” replied Stephen.

  “Alright that’s good, let’s go get settled for the night.”

  Major Bradley and Captain Morris stood shoulder to shoulder outside in front of the lobby door. They were supervising the soldiers replacing the fuel truck axel and things seemed to be progressing well but it was an involved process and was taking time. They were using the Coleman flashlights donated by Kim to provide much needed light under the truck beds.

  Captain Morris looked over at the Major who appeared to be deep in thought. Turning his attention back to the busy soldiers he asked the Major, “If you don’t mind me askin’ Major … how did you get the nickname ‘Butch’?”

  “What?” the Major asked having his concentration broken by the question.

  “I’ve heard people call you Butch, just wondering where the name came from,” the Captain responded.

  “Well, if you must know Captain,” the Major said with a smile. “When I was a kid, even into my teenage years, I loved to blow stuff up. Give me a firecracker or some incendiary device and I would find something to blow up. One of my favorite things to do was to try to lift things off the ground, like a rocket using the firecracker as fuel.”

  “And you still have all your fingers?” Captain Morris interjected.

  “And all my toes,” the Major continued. “One day my best friend, kid by the name of Donald Grimaldi, got his hands on some M-80’s. He brought them over and I thought it would be a great idea to lift something heavy off the ground so I grabbed one of our old wooden chairs from the basement.”

  “I think I see where this is going …” Captain Morris said.

  “The day before, it was a rainy day so Donald and I were stuck inside my house and watched that old Paul Newman western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”

  “Yea, I’ve seen it.”

  “Remember the scene where Newman blows up the train to steal the money but he uses too much dynamite and blows up the money as well. They have to run for cover as all the burned up cash is raining down on them.”

  “That was the best scene in the movie.”

  “Well, I placed the M-80’s under the legs of the chair and lit them in hopes of lifting that chair as high off the ground as possible. We ran for cover behind a nearby tree and waited. When the M-80’s exploded, the chair simply fell over and the bottom of the legs were a slivered mess as small shards of wood came raining down on Donald and me,” the Major said chuckling at the memory.

  “He turned to me with a huge smile on his face and quoted that famous line from the movie, ‘Think you used enough dynamite there Butch’. We both fell over laughing so hard it hurt. From then on he started calling me ‘Butch’ and I guess it kinda stuck,” the Major concluded.

  The Captain laughed then added, “I have a feeling we’re going to have to blow some stuff up before this whole mess is over.”

  Major Bradley just nodded and looked straight ahead at his soldiers working diligently on the fuel truck.

  After getting situated in their rooms, everyone met in the lobby for a dinner that consisted of more vending machine snacks, some stale pastries, and overly ripened fruit meant for the hotel’s breakfast buffet. They ate in silence and watched out the window as some of the soldiers worked feverishly switching out the two axles under the watchful eyes of Major Bradley and Captain Morris. Using the other vehicles, the remaining soldiers had formed a semi-circle around the men working in front of the lobby doors. There they stood guard keeping a close eye out for zombies.

  Chester was nowhere to be seen for the rest of the evening until, just as the last rays of light slipped below the horizon, he showed up at the lobby doors. Covered in dirt and what everyone assumed was zombie parts, he had a brief conversation with the Major before coming inside and finding a couch to bed down in for the night. He slipped
out of the soiled clothing and put on some clean clothes he found during one of his excursions. The others, with no daylight left to see in, retired to their rooms for what they hoped would be a comfortable night’s sleep.

  Chapter 20

  Heading North

  “Come in Captain,” Gunner repeated into the walkie. He was nearly screaming in order to be heard above the noise of the helicopter’s rotors.

  “Bannon here, over,” finally came the response.

  “Captain, we are three minutes out. We will be arriving via helicopter. Please be prepared to open hanger doors, over,” Gunner replied.

  “Did you say helicopter?” Captain Bannon asked.

  “That’s affirmative.”

  “Copy that; be advised there has been some activity around the hanger. When you exit the chopper, use the side door to enter, over.”

  “Copy; over and out.”

  Gunner returned the walkie to his belt and turned around to talk to Dr. Sanderson. He was shouting now.

  “We will be entering using the side door. Captain Bannon said there has been some activity in the area. When we land, Mikael and Stefan will exit first and clear the area if needed. You, Doctor, will follow behind Ludvig and I will bring up the rear,” Gunner said. He repeated his orders to his remaining men in Swedish.

  The Doctor could see the airport in the distance. Gunner would have to land off to the side of the hanger, in between Mr. Worthington’s and a much larger hanger next to it. It would leave them about a fifty foot dash to reach the side door. He took notice of some movement below and as they started to descend further; he saw exactly what Captain Bannon was talking about. It appeared their arrival had attracted some attention.

  Their probable landing spot was clear but a dozen or so infected had congregated in front of the hanger doors. Gunner slowly piloted the Lakota down to the asphalt exactly where the Doctor assumed they would land. They would have a clear path to the side door unless there were any infected hiding around the corner.