The Zombie Principle

by David R Vosburgh

  He decided to increase the flaps another four percent as the plane accelerated past ninety knots. He felt the plane jerk itself up as the rear wheels scraped along the ground trying to release themselves from the pavement. The cars were 300 feet away. He was not sure if they were going to make it.

  Then, out of nowhere, the wind that Captain Bannon desperately needed arrived. The plane left the ground and was now airborne. The last hurdle was to clear those cars.

  As the G670 passed over the abandoned cars the right rear wheel rolled on top of the roof of a Subaru Outback. The plane briefly shuttered as the wheel moved along the top of the car and made terrible screeching noises as the weight of the plane caused metal to bend and twist and glass to shatter. The contact, however, acted almost like a springboard as the Gulfstream continued to climb higher and higher.

  Once the Captain had cleared the cars he banked to the left to survey the situation on the ground. He passed back over I-65 and was able to get a bird’s eye view of the zombies they had left behind. Looking down he could not believe what he was seeing. It was truly disturbing. What he originally thought was a group of several hundred or so infected had increased to over a thousand lost soles on some unholy pilgrimage.

  Chapter 24

  Last Hope

  The once fortified gate house at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base was now little more than a choke point. The cars lined up leading to the gate told the tale of the many panicked civilians seeking the safety of the base. The number of zombies seen through the gate lumbering around spoke to the numerous civilians and soldiers that never stood a chance. It was a disheartening scene as Major Bradley surveyed it from the gunner’s cupola. As the convoy came to a halt he climbed down and jumped out.

  “Keep the engine running,” he yelled back into the Humvee.

  As he jogged towards the rear of the convoy he noticed that Chester had also exited the vehicle. Thinking about turning and saying something Major Bradley decided against it and continued on. Spotting the Major coming, Captain Morris dismounted from his Humvee and came to meet him.

  “Let me guess,” said Captain Morris, “the base is deserted.”

  “Worse,” replied Major Bradley, “it looks like it’s overrun with infected. It appears things did not go well during the evacuations here.”

  “So what do we do now?” asked Captain Morris.

  “Well, we can’t stay here. I don’t think any of those things have noticed us yet but we need to decide quickly,” said Major Bradley as he pulled his map from his jacket.

  He continued, “I think it’s safe to assume we should continue heading in a westerly direction.”

  “What about Fort Campbell, Major?”

  “What about it Captain?”

  “If I remember correctly when this all started in Florida the boys in the 101st captured a number of the infected and shipped them to Fort Campbell where some scientists where supposed to study them and figure out how to stop this.”

  “Yeah, I remember hearing about that, I think they got four or five of them. The last thing I heard they were performing tests and then all hell broke loose in D.C and we lost contact with the colonel so who knows what’s happened since then.”

  “It’s worth a shot sir, if they found a way to cure these people then that’s where we need to go. Plus, there is no way the 101st would let their base get overrun. They’ve got to still be evacuating civilians from there.”

  “I would normally agree Captain but with a third of the 101st’s strength deployed overseas and a majority of what was left spread out across the country to deal with the outbreak; who knows how strong their garrison is there.”

  Glancing at his map again Major Bradley continued, “But it does make sense to check it out, especially if they’ve found a cure, but I won’t hold out much hope.”

  “Major, you might want to get this convoy movin’ again,” said Chester as appeared around the corner of the Humvee.

  The Major and Captain jumped at the unexpected arrival but quickly collected themselves and looked where Chester was pointing. In the distance, at the gate of the air force base, a large group of zombies were clumsily making their way through the abandoned cars and heading towards the convoy.

  “Good call Mr. Boone but you need to stop sneaking up on us like that,” said Major Bradley.

  “Not my fault none of ya’ll can keep a good watch ‘round here,” replied Chester as he walked away and jumped up in the back of the truck carrying the other civilians.

  “Alright, mount up Captain and we’ll get moving.”

  “Yes sir,” said Captain Morris as he saluted the Major.

  Major Bradley quickly made his way back to his Humvee and directed Private Sinclair to get the convoy moving away from the growing horde of zombies that were heading their way.

  Chester climbed into the cargo truck to the surprised looks of everyone inside, including Sgt. Sanchez. For a minute no one said anything until the truck started to rumble forward with the rest of the convoy.

  Finally breaking the silence Stephen said, “I thought you got left back at the hotel Chester. We never got a chance to thank you for saving our lives.”

  Turning his attention from looking out of the back, Chester surveyed the people in the back of the truck, his eyes catching those of little Danielle staring back at him.

  Shaking his head he turned back to look out of the truck and said, “No thanks required, I was just doin’ what needed doin’. But ya’ll should try and be more careful.”

  “Well, we all really do appreciate it and I think I can speak for everyone when I say we are glad you are still with us,” said Kim.

  “Not to switch the subject but why are we driving away from the air base,” asked Stephen.

  “Probably has something to do with the welcoming committee,” replied Nick as he pointed to the large group of zombies stumbling around the entrance to the base.

  “The base is overrun, we won’t find help there,” said Chester, all the while staring out of the back of the truck.

  “So where are we going then?” asked Lucy.

  “Don’t know. We’ll find out when we get there,” replied Chester.

  Obviously not wanting to talk anymore, Chester concentrated on some point in the distance while the others sank into an uneasy silence as the convoy continued down the road.

  The convoy quickly left the airfield, skirted Dayton and began to head southwest with Fort Campbell as their destination. Major Bradley had learned in the early days of the outbreak how fast the infected multiplied inside cities with their dense populations. With this knowledge he planned to travel around the cities as much as possible in order to keep the convoy away from what he considered high risk areas.

  However, he also worried that the suburbs surrounding the cities would not be any better. He hoped as long as he stayed on the highways they would be relatively clear of zombies. He also knew they would need to find some food supplies as his men’s MREs were running low and the civilians had been consisting on vending machine and gas station food. Major Bradley was not holding out much hope of finding help in Fort Campbell and was already planning for the likelihood of a trip further west.

  It was slow going, but the convoy passed through Cincinnati without incident. However, they did see plenty of infected people off the highway as well as a number of them roaming aimlessly among the many abandoned cars. The signs of rioting and looting were evident in the pillars of dark smoke that rose above the city, which was deserted by all but the undead and those opportunistic fools who dared to enter. They observed no survivors although the Major was prepared to pick any up they encountered.

  As they left Cincinnati behind, the scenery was replaced by the bluegrass of Kentucky. The serene nature of the countryside was almost surreal to the members of the convoy compared to the horrors they had witness during the previous few days. Lulled by the peacefulness around them they were all jarred back to reality as the convoy come to an abrupt halt about twenty
miles outside of Louisville. In front of them both sides of the I-71 bridges which cross the Kentucky River had been, for all intents and purposes, destroyed.

  Major Bradley stepped out of the Humvee and walked as far out on the bridge as he could to survey the damage. Looking over the bridges he knew that there was no way either of them could support the convoy. It looked to the Major as if someone had tried to blow them up. It was obvious that it had been done by amateurs as the explosion had failed to completely destroy the bridge. However, it had done enough damage to render them impassable.

  As he stared at the world around him, with the sound of the river running below, he was overcome with a sense of hopelessness. It seemed to him that no matter which way they went they were met with disappointment and less of a reason to hope for safety and answers. The bridge was a minor impediment as the Major was sure they could circumvent it. However, it was just another item to add to the growing list of frustrations. Here alone, out on the bridge, he could let his guard down and feel these emotions. Something he would dare not do in front of his men and especially not the civilians. Gathering himself, Major Bradley turned and headed back to the convoy.

  After consulting his map Major Bradley found that the quickest route to crossing the river would take them northwest through the town of Carrollton, Kentucky, a small town located at the joining of the Kentucky and mighty Ohio Rivers. They would be able to cross a small bridge just outside of town and then follow several country roads back to I-71. The convoy was quickly turned around and five minutes later found themselves entering the outskirts of Carrollton. Besides appearing deserted, it was a town seemingly untouched by the unfolding horrors around it.

  As the convoy rolled through the surprisingly empty streets of Carrollton, Major Bradley began to get an uneasy feeling. The main street was completely empty, no cars, no sign of the living or the undead. However, a number of the side streets were clogged with parked cars looking as if they have been driven in haphazardly and then abandoned.

  Getting on the radio Major Bradley said, “Keep your eyes open boys something is not right in this town.”

  Then turning to his driver he said, “Keep the convoy moving and let’s get out of here as soon as possible.”

  “Yes sir,” replied Private Sinclair.

  The radio crackled to life with Captain Morris in the rear of the convoy exclaiming, “Major looks like we’ve got company. Two pickups with several armed civilians aboard.”

  As the Major was listening to Captain Morris he looked up and saw in the distance, at that the base of the ramp leading up to the bridge, two more pickup trucks roared in from the side streets and blocked their way. Several men jumped from the back of the trucks and began to brandish weapons.

  Picking the radio up again Major Bradley said, “Men, looks like we have some armed civilians and I’ve got a bad feeling. Keep your weapons ready but do not fire unless I give the order. And Sanchez, get those civilians down in the bed of the truck.”

  The convoy slowed as they neared the two pickup trucks. Major Bradley climbed up in the gunner’s cupola behind the 50 caliber machine gun. To the rear of the convoy he saw the two trucks Captain Morris had reported cutting off the road behind them. Looking around he saw the side streets were still clogged with abandoned cars. There was nowhere to turn. Finally, the Humvee rolled to a stop and a man in worn ball cap stepped forward.

  “Afternoon gentlemen, welcome to Carrollton. The name’s Jeb Stalworth and I am the, how would ya say, newly elected Mayor of this here town,” he said to the snickers of the men behind him.

  “Afternoon. My name is Major Charles Bradley of the United States Army.”

  “Where are ya’ll headed,” asked Jeb.

  “We are heading to an evacuation zone. The highway bridge is out so we had to detour through your town,” Major Bradley said with conviction, hiding the uneasiness he felt.

  “Ain’t that a shame,” replied Jeb smugly.

  “You gentlemen are welcome to join the convoy if you are looking to head to safety.”

  “Look ‘round you, this is as safe as it gets. Not a ‘biter’ in sight. I think we’ll be just fine here.”

  “Well, if you don’t want to join us that’s your decision.”

  “Oh, I think we can manage,” Jeb said with another smile creeping onto his face. “I think we’ll manage just fine.”

  “Have if your way Mr. Stalworth. Now if you would kindly move your trucks, we’ll be on our way.”

  “Well, ya see it’s not quite that simple, Major. If you want to come through this here town and use our bridge over yonder then you’ll have to pay the toll,” Jeb said motioning over his shoulder to the bridge behind him.

  “You’re kidding me right,” asked an incredulous Major Bradley.

  “Afraid not, them is the new rules here in Carrollton.”

  “With all due respect, Mr. Stalworth, given the recent events and the fact that martial law has been declared, you have no right to be charging a convoy of the United States Army a toll,” Major Bradley replied coolly.

  “As I am sure you’re aware Major, there ain’t no functionin’ government no more; at least not ‘round here. So we do as we see fit to protect our own.”

  “We aren’t looking for any trouble, we are just trying to get somewhere safe,” said the Major.

  “We wouldn’t want to stand in the way of that now would we,” responded Jeb, “but you’ve got to pay the toll to use our bridge, simple as that.”

  “Exactly what kind of toll are we talking about here?”

  “Now we’re getting somewhere. It looks like you got a fuel truck back there which I am guessin’ is full,” said Jeb as he looked over the convoy. “And some of them there weapons you got would be nice too.”

  “And what happens if we don’t pay the toll?”

  “I don’t think none of us wants to find that out now do we?”

  “I think we both know that’s not going to happen. If you need some medical supplies or perhaps some food, I might be able to help you there but I’m afraid we cannot part with any of our weapons or our fuel truck. It does, however, appear that you have managed quite well on your own.”

  “I guess it’s one of the perks of being Mayor,” Jeb said with a laugh.

  “It appears then, we are at an impasse,” responded Major Bradley sternly.

  “It appears so. I’d rather not have to take them there supplies the hard way. So if you could be as kind as to hand them over and the truck as well, we’ll let you be on your way nice and peaceful like.”

  “You are trying my patience Mr. Stalworth. Please do not force me to do anything we will both regret.”

  “Whoa, easy there Major. There won’t be anythin’ to regret if you just step down from that vehicle,” Jeb said lowering his rifle at the Major.

  Behind Jeb the other armed men around the trucks shifted nervously readying their weapons. Major Bradley turned to look behind the convoy and the armed men blocking their escape were doing the same. In the rear Humvee he could see Captain Morris manning the machine gun anxiously awaiting his orders. Just as Major Bradley was about to respond to Jeb the radio in his ear came to life with the voice of Sergeant Sanchez.

  “Um, Major, sir. That Chester guy, well he … uhh … he just jumped out of the back of our truck without saying a word. I think he’s going to do something stupid.”

  “Understood Sergeant; Captain Morris prepare to follow my lead,” Major Bradley responded back into the open channel.

  By now Major Bradley knew enough about Chester to know he was not one for sitting on his hands. He also knew that Chester was up to something and that he should be prepared for anything. Major Bradley did not like it but realized it was probably his best chance out of this mess.

  “Who are you talkin’ to up there,” yelled Jeb.

  “Take it easy, I am just telling my men to hold their fire. I wouldn’t want any of you civilians to get hurt.” This time it was the Major’s turn to smil
e.

  “I’ve had about enough of this now,” said Jeb taking a step forward with his gun aimed at the Major.

  “Take one more step forward and I’ll be forced to shoot you sir,” said Major Bradley as he tighten his grip on the handles of the machine gun.

  “I seriously doubt you woul …”

  A gun shot rang out as Jeb stepped forward, his right leg shattering just below the knee. Jeb crumpled to the ground with a shriek and reached for what was left of his bloodied leg. A stunned silence followed as no one on either side knew where the shot came from. Then, just as quickly as the first a second shot rang out, unmistakably from under Major Bradley’s Humvee, and found its target in the chest of one of the men by the pickup trucks.

  Chester had quietly crawled unnoticed under the trucks and taken up position right below Major Bradley’s Humvee. The civilians at the trucks finally began to react and lift their guns to return fire. However, it was too late as Major Bradley opened fire with his fifty caliber machine gun. Following his lead at the rear of the convoy, Captain Morris unloaded on the men and trucks boxing the convoy in. As Captain Morris and Major Bradley rained deadly fire on the men and their trucks, the other soldiers dismounted from the convoy and added their fire power. Bullets ripped through flesh and metal as Jeb’s men went diving for cover, many of them taking their last breath. The gas tank of one of the trucks exploded engulfing the others in front of the convoy in flames and smoke. Jeb’s men, who were not killed by the explosion or gunfire, cowered behind the cover of the trucks. As Major Bradley let off the trigger Chester rolled out from under his Humvee and jumped up on the running board.

  “I think we better move before more of ‘em show up Major,” Chester yelled over the roar of gunfire still going on around them.

  “My thoughts exactly,” replied Major Bradley.

  Speaking into his comm link Major Bradley ordered the soldiers to mount up and make ready to move. Once the men were back in their vehicles Major Bradley leaned down into the Humvee and ordered Private Sinclair to get the convoy moving.