“Yes,” confirmed Tara.
Guiding the others away from the windows, I moved behind the receptionist desk and through the double doors into the hospital proper.
“Xavier, Ronnie,” I said into my radio, “we’re good. Let us know if anything nasty approaches.”
After receiving their affirmatives, I clipped the device back on my belt.
“Any idea where we look?”
Abigail pointed. “Likely down there. I can see a radiation warning sign by those doors.”
“Guys.” The twins regarded me for an instant before moving forward. “I’ll take the rear with Lizzy. Michael, Mary, either side of Abigail and Yvonne.”
We were alone, but I was still whispering. The hall was cloaked in shadows, a glimmer of light coming in behind us and a bit more on the opposite end from a single window. Other than the soft clomp of our footsteps, it was deathly silent. We are talking super creepy.
“Want to steal some wheelchairs?” asked Lizzy.
“Whatever for?”
“Wheelchair crash derby.”
“That sounds like fun, but I foresee lots of pinched hands and fingers.”
She grunted. “Only if you lose.”
“How about we take them to one of the steeper roads and do downhill races instead?”
“Jacob, that would be…”
She whirled to the side and dropped a zombie that came out a side door. It had been moving straight for the center of our tiny party. Tara and Dale, having already passed by never noticed it, but Mary seemed to catch sight from the corner of her eye just before Lizzy fired.
“Hold up,” I ordered.
“I thought you said they were never inside buildings,” exclaimed Abigail.
“They usually aren’t.”
“Almost never,” agreed Lizzy. She shook her head. “Happens sometimes. Fuck. I wish the bastards would moan like in the movies. Too fucking quiet.”
“Anymore that are here, head our way,” I called out, loudly.
I listened carefully but heard nothing.
“Probably just a fluke,” remarked Lizzy. “Let’s get going.”
It was another forty feet to the room Abigail identified, and it did hold a pair of x-ray machines. She quickly assessed both.
“This is the one we want.”
“Shouldn’t be hard,” commented Lizzy. “Just looks like a funny exam bed and a… thing on a swivel pole.”
Yvonne stepped forward. “Much of the equipment is in the walls. We have to get all the wiring, the control console, take the film, the lead plating, all of it.”
I tried not to grimace. “We have to dismantle walls?”
“Not all the way,” said Abigail, “just where the machinery is. There are plates. We should be able to unscrew them.”
Ah. That wasn’t nearly so bad.
* * *
Twelve hours later, Abigail announced she had everything we needed. Some of it was stacked in the hallway, carefully placed along a wall so our view wouldn’t be obstructed. Most was sitting in the x-ray room itself, resting in the corner. My back was throbbing. I had a headache. I was tired.
“That was fun.”
“Was not.” Mary let out a yawn.
“Xavier,” I asked, the little radio in one hand, “you up there?”
“This is Ronnie. Xavier is refueled and sitting on the ground.”
“Ronnie…” I stifled a yawn of my own. “…we are done, but I don’t want to be trying to move anything in the dark. We’re going to camp out in the hospital, in the room we’re currently sitting in. It’s on the bottom floor and gives us a clear run to the front door. No windows either, so the lanterns we have can’t be seen. I think we’re safe enough. Let’s plan for the two of you to do a flyby in the morning to draw the dead away from Marcus’s truck. Once he arrives, we’ll drag everything out and load it up. Have him bring a few extra people for the lifting too.”
“I’ll relay the information. Do you need anything?”
“Nothing. Tell Briana and everyone else that we are fine. It just took longer to disassemble the machine than anticipated.”
That settled, I turned to more immediate concerns.
“I have first watch with Mary. Twins get middle. Lizzy and Michael the last.”
“What about us?” asked Abigail.
“We get to sleep,” answered Yvonne, before I could. “We aren’t militia.”
“That seems unfair,” said the other woman. “We can help.”
“Not necessary,” I reiterated. “You’re more tired than the rest of us anyway. Get some rest. After we get back tomorrow you have to put all this together again.”
“How about Michael and I…”
“You get first watch with me,” I interrupted. “I want Lizzy to have plenty of time to harass, intimidate, and otherwise annoy Michael.”
“I’m too tired to do that.” My friend withdrew a blanket from her pack and curled up in the corner. “Wake me when it’s my turn. Get me up before that, and I’ll shoot you.”
Placing a hand on my daughter’s shoulder, I guided her into the hallway. “We’ll sit down back to back so we can watch in both directions, and we get to talk for the next three hours. Three hour shifts.” This was directed to the others. “It will take Marcus time to reach us, so we might as well get what rest we can.”
“I don’t think I have enough to say to fill three hours.” She was fidgeting.
“Please. You always have something to say. Don’t worry. I’m not going to question you about private stuff. I just want to be certain neither of us falls asleep, mostly that I don’t doze off. Being the leader, I would have to punish myself, and I’m somewhat biased. I think I might let myself off with a slap on the wrist, and how would that look?”
“Okay.” She smiled and settled down on the tile floor. “You know, it’s been a long time since we had to set nighttime watches in the field.”
“Over a year, I think.”
Lizzy exited the door, crossed in front of me, and entered a small janitorial closet opposite.
“Have to use the toilet again?” I asked. We had a bucket inside. “Can’t you hold it for more than ten minutes?”
She threw me a half-hearted glare. It really had been a long day.
* * *
“What do you think?”
Briana leaned in close. “I don’t think they are going to have that running anytime soon. I’m thinking sometime next week at best, maybe longer.”
Asher was in the corner trying to walk around with the heavy, lead lined vest draped over his shoulders. Several of his friends were likewise playing with the protective gear. Part of me acknowledges that Briana and I really should not be dragging him everywhere we go, particularly when important business is being dealt with. However, that is a very small part of my psyche which I am more than capable of ignoring. Besides, he looked so cute falling over every time he took a step.
“The lead sheeting Hawaii sent is mostly up already,” continued Briana. “That’s something.”
“I’m just glad Randall was able to install it without having to totally redo the place.”
“He had to strengthen some retaining walls, but it was a one day job. We need to build a bigger hospital in the town. We are starting to outgrow this one, and if we get any more equipment like this, it’ll become too cramped to use.”
“I consider that a good problem. I’ll talk to him about it. It’ll be priority come spring, above the stone houses.”
She smirked. “That’s going to do wonders for your popularity.”
“I’ll talk to Laura and see if we can draft the school children to help. Their parents can join in too. Maybe we can finish it super fast that way, like how the Amish used to put up barn frames in a single day with everyone coming together.”
“Announce… No, I’ll announce that there will be a hospital building barbecue after the walls and roof are up. We should make it into a community affair. Everyone will want a new, better hospital anyway. It’
s something no one is going to complain about, not seriously.”
“Should we tell Abigail that she’s going to be taking this all apart again in six months?”
Briana stared at the flustered woman and shook her head. “That can wait.”
* * *
“All righty, Renee,” I began, “what sort of dire news do you have for me?”
“Not dire,” she answered, leaning up against the side of the armory – we were in Venusville near the outer valley wall. “I am concerned though. Melody spotted another motorcycle.”
“She get a better look this time?”
“We have pictures.” She held up a hand. “Not good ones. The rider was far off, and you can barely see him. It was night time too, and the resolution goes all crappy when we blow them up. You can’t make out anything.” Renee pulled a folder from the satchel hanging off her shoulder. “Take a look.”
“I see what you mean. Still, that is denim the guy is wearing.”
“Lots of people wear denim jackets. A lot of us do, when we aren’t off fighting the raiders that is.”
“And never if we are on a motorcycle of our own,” I concluded. “It could be anyone, but I’m feeling iffy. Having the x-ray machine might have used up this month’s allotment of good luck.”
“Anyone from far off, a place the prophet had never visited, or someone who was hiding, might not know to never wear denim when riding. You can’t assume they would have heard either. News and rumors are iffy outside the settlement.”
“True. Tell Melody and the other lookouts to keep on doing what they’re doing. Tell them and the patrols to be extra careful as well and not to shoot on sight. A few raiders survived. There was a small number at their camp who got across the ravine and maybe managed to avoid the fire. There were also scouts off riding here and there. It can’t be very many, so we really shouldn’t assume the worst.” I paused. “That does not apply if they are wearing patches.”
“Of course,” agreed Renee. “The summary execution order is still in place.”
* * *
As a final note for this rather lackluster chapter – sorry about that – Christine Lawson, the president’s charming wife, sent a care package to Briana. It arrived with Abigail, along with a handwritten note saying there were no hard feelings concerning the beating and near murder of Senator Alfred Mons. The man had been impeached but managed to avoid prison, probably because he was half crippled, having permanent damage to the inner ear which has completely screwed up his sense of balance. There are also rumors that he’s now impotent, likely due to the burns he suffered on his genitalia from when Mary dumped the steaming hot gravy on him. Mons slipped out of Hawaii as soon as he was able and is currently captaining one of his family’s cargo ships on the run between Hawaii, Japan, and China.
Regarding the box, it contained candy for Asher, old fashioned hard candy made with real sugar, not corn syrup – down with corn syrup, I say – and plenty of cookies. There was a lovely dress which would undoubtedly look gorgeous on Briana after the baby was born. She also received a set of onesies for the infant, many of which had Hawaiian designs like pineapples, surf boards, and the like on them. Finally, we had a collection of spices. These weren’t the big bulk items we handed off to Steph. Instead, we were talking small bottles, each carefully hand labeled. Everything appeared fresh, so I’m guessing Christine either has an excellent herb garden going or she has access to one.
Interlude – Sergeant Brown’s Story
We’re back to Sergeant Brown, one of our favorite soldiers of all time, living or dead, real or imaginary. And why does he merit this glorious position? Well, aside from being efficient, clever, and fun at parties, the man also keeps us informed about foreign affairs. In this case, he provided an update of what was happening around the world, a never ending source of fascination and entertainment for those of us outside the diplomatic loop.
I’m not going to share the dialogue, since that would simply muddle the details. However, I will let you know that this occurred two weeks after we collected our nifty x-ray machine. By the way, at that time we were still working to get it operational. Abigail swore, repeatedly, that it was just about finished. Mechanically, everything was in place, and the delay was related to the computers or wiring, maybe it was the power supply. I forget. Either way, I received no shortage of promises and guarantees that the problems would all be dealt with shortly. I’ll also point out that those issuing said promises refused to give me a time frame on when they would be done. Let me tell you, that instills confidence.
As stated earlier, the Caliphate was on the move. They had been marching toward Mecca, journeying both overland and by sea, with the majority of the people traveling by boat. They quickly reached the city, and a small group was sent to nearby Medina to begin clearing it of the reanimated dead. The bulk focused on Mecca itself. The non-combatants – we are talking women, children, the elderly, slaves, more slaves, and quite a few of their clerics – set up a large fortified camp a few miles away. Meanwhile the fighters, mostly able bodied men and teenagers; a few slaves to help cart around supplies; and more slaves to provide entertainment after the sun went down strode forth into danger.
At the same time, other Caliphate settlements began to coalesce. Rather, they had been in existence for quite some time, but radio traffic skyrocketed. It did not take long for the United States, and pretty much every other surviving government, to identify and locate these. As it turned out, the Caliphate had more citizens than anyone expected and loosely controlled the Middle East from the Mediterranean to Pakistan, along with portions of North Africa.
The southeastern states, such as Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Indonesia were dead zones. The massive populations and extreme population density meant only the barest handful survived. It was similar to what happened in places like New York City but on a national level. Food was the biggest problem, aside from the shamblers of course. With the utilities down and all semblance of order collapsing, none could be obtained. Starvation and fear led to rioting, killings, suspected cannibalism, and eventual wide spread death.
Now, one might think that recovering Mecca was important. If so, you are wrong. There isn’t much there. Let me correct that statement. The city did have plenty of modern buildings that could be restored and put to good use, but that’s about it. Other than the Grand Mosque which surrounds the Kaaba – that’s the square stone building Muslims face when praying – there are no other ancient structures. The Islamic authorities in Saudi Arabia had been destroying the city’s historic buildings, especially those associated with early Islamic history, for decades. So, when you think about it, Mecca is important in name and tradition only. There is nothing to see, nothing of relevance, aside from the Grand Mosque. It’s just a modern city surrounding a single religious site. Personally, I can’t see why the Caliphate wanted it. If was really as important as they say, why did they go through so much trouble wrecking everything that made it so. They intentionally turned it into nothing but a spot on a map. Then again, I’m not Muslim, so it’s quite possible I’m missing something.
Anyway, while Mecca was being cleansed of flesh eating, mobile corpses and various towns, settlements, and fortifications were being strengthened and improved, the Caliphate decided to make another try at war. You would think they had their hands full, but apparently there were resources to spare.
Sergeant Brown explained that a large group snuck into Jordan, crossed the river, and made their way through the West Bank, not that it’s called the West Bank anymore. It is now Judea and Samaria, which Israel had been calling it for decades. Everyone uses that name now. I’m digressing big time. Sorry about that.
Okay, members of the Caliphate entered what had been the West Bank and began to gather up zombies, much as the raiders had done against us. As soon as a herd was formed, it was led straight for Jerusalem, with more following. While Israel had fortified the holy city, they basically left the area between it and the river alone, mostly since
the zombies provided a line of defense against any invading army. I guess it did not occur to them that the dead themselves could be guided and used as a replacement for living, breathing soldiers. To be fair, it hadn’t occurred to us either. I wonder if they ever saw our report on the matter. We do forward such things to Hawaii. No idea if they share.
The defenders immediately engaged the horde of shambling dead. With their ditches, barricades, walls, secondary walls, and a third line even further back, they weren’t in any great danger. They began to kill the things, one head shot at a time. However, this created a huge distraction, and Caliphate soldiers managed to get close enough to fire some rockets into the city, targeting the civilian sectors. These were loaded with chemical weapons, primarily mustard and nerve gas. Rockets aren’t really the best delivery system, and many failed outright, either not landing where they were supposed to or blowing up in a way to harmlessly disperse or destroy the gas. Still, close to four hundred people died in extreme agony, with about double that wounded.
The Israeli defense forces responded immediately. It took next to no time to determine where the rockets had come from, but the jets and helicopters found no one. Seeing how the area was crawling with the dead, there was no way they went far, and it is pretty much a certainty that the bombs got them. If not, then the napalm that followed surely did the trick.
Best guess is that the Caliphate wanted to take the city intact and felt that by killing the civilian population the soldiers would likewise withdraw. Not too sure how valid this logic is. Seems to me they would only get angrier and be more determined than ever to stay. Or perhaps the Caliphate figured the civilians were a tempting target and decided to go ahead and kill as many Jews as possible while doing so was relatively easy. There’s no way to know for certain.
This attack was followed a few hours later by the sinking of a small ship in the Suez Canal, a very small one seeing how the canal was all messed up and partly blocked. The vessel was flying no colors, was of unknown origin, and had ignored numerous signs saying anyone entering without alerting Israel of their presence would be considered an enemy. Turns out they were indeed an enemy.
Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse (Book 3): Salvation Page 37