Piper took a few deep breaths. They all waited for the rest of the story. Miller felt her jaws clench. The clock on the desk ticked loudly. Piper pulled herself together and continued.
“Once the crate broke open, three… things came out. I’ve heard all the stories, but I’d never seen one. Sir, I have reason to believe they were all dead. I mean, that they used to be dead.” She swallowed and shook her head like a wet dog. “That they were zombies.”
Miller straightened up. Her stomach seemed to drop rapidly, like a busted elevator headed for the basement. “Go on Piper. Give us the rest.”
“It was… they just… I was going to get a cell phone photo but we have orders not to turn them on, and…”
“Calm down,” McDivitt said. He shot Miller a look, clearly annoyed with her for interfering. “Let’s hear it.”
Miller spoke again, a bit more gently than before. “Piper, we need to know everything.”
“They—the men, the zombies I mean—attacked the cargo crew closest two them, Sheriff. It was over within a few seconds. The zombies jumped on them and just tore them apart. Maybe four security specialists arrived a moment later and shot the men who had been locked in the crates. They also shot the dying crew.” Piper’s voice trailed off again. Before anyone could demand it, she forced herself to continue. “Then, after some kind of a short discussion with their superiors over the phone, they lined up the cargo crew as if to put them under arrest. The rest of the men seemed like they were in shock at what had happened. They didn’t resist.” Piper closed her eyes, opened them again. “Sir, I still can’t believe this, but the specialists turned around and without warning cold-bloodedly shot the surviving crew. Headshots. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“No witnesses,” Miller said, softly.
Sheppard said, “They are determined to spread this thing.”
Scratch growled. “Bastards.”
Piper paused again and swallowed dryly. “They left absolutely no one alive. That’s when I retreated. This was my first opportunity to report.”
Miller looked at Scratch, who was still gritting his teeth. “So just to be clear, they are shipping out zombies.”
McDivitt scowled. “And you saw all of that personally, Loria?”
“Yes sir.”
Before she could stop herself, Miller said, “Well, that sure as hell won’t do us any good.”
McDivitt ignored her. “Thank you, Loria. Take a moment to collect yourself, and then join us, please.”
Piper slumped a little. “I’m fine, sir.” She took a seat at the far end of the conference table and stared at the placemat before her.
McDivitt turned back to Miller. “So we move faster, I suppose. Sheriff Miller, do you have any questions about the attack plan as it stands?”
Miller’s jaw dropped. “That’s it? You’re going to ignore the content of that report? What those pricks are doing over there?”
“I’m taking it very seriously, Sheriff. As soon as our assets are in place, we will move immediately, rather than waiting for early morning to raid the base. Beyond that, it’s not really your concern.”
“It’s not?” Miller shoved her chair back and stood up. “Where exactly do you think they are taking those zombies, Major? Maybe your intelligence isn’t as complete as you’d like to think.” She stepped forward and leaned over the table. “There’s no runway at Crystal Palace. They aren’t going home again to visit Daddy. This is big news. Those zombies are meant for somewhere else.”
“Such as?”
“I don’t know, but somewhere maybe that isn’t already infested with the damned things, at least not yet. This is a game changer.”
Sheppard agreed. “Major, she is absolutely right. If they are hell bent on spreading the virus around the country, we’ve got to do something about it, and fast.”
“I appreciate your enthusiasm, Sheriff, but you’re a peace officer, and Captain, you’re a medical man. You two really should leave the strategizing to the experts.”
Miller blanched. That sounded exactly like what Rat had told her more than once. She stuffed down her grief and anger. Instead, she focused her attention on the real problem, which happened to be McDivitt and what appeared to be his cool, ever-growing arrogance. She stepped closer with her fists balled. “Excuse me, but I may not have heard you correctly. You want to say that again, Major?”
Scratch sputtered his way into the confrontation. “Listen up, asshole. You have no fucking idea who you’re talking to. Why don’t you show a little respect?”
Miller stopped her lover with a wave of her hand. She glared at McDivitt, who stared back without a trace of concern. Miller opted to let him be for the moment. She turned to face Sheppard. “Exactly how much time have we got left to cancel that million dollar transfer, Karl?”
Sheppard hesitated for just a split-second, but managed to produce a convincing lie. For all she knew, he was right. “At least a day, Penny, maybe a bit more.”
“Cancel it.”
It was McDivitt’s turn to lose his cool. “What?”
“You heard me, Major.”
“Now hold on just a moment, Sheriff. You can’t just…”
Miller softened her tone. “Look, I appreciate all you’re doing for my team, but since that million dollars is still in my bank account and not in yours, I think I’ve earned myself a promotion to ‘strategic expert.’ See, I’m the customer, not your subordinate. I am the one with the damn money. And the customer is always right.” Miller smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring way. “But I’d rather be your partner in this. What do you say we talk about what we’re going to do, rather than one of us giving orders? How we are going to stop those zombies that are being shipped out to spread the virus to maybe hundreds of thousands of innocent people?”
It was McDivitt’s turn to hesitate. He obviously didn’t like being challenged yet again in front of his own people. Miller watched his features shift as he struggled to accept the fresh lesson in humility. “All right, Sheriff. I’m listening. What do you suggest we do about this new wrinkle?”
Miller relaxed a little. “Thanks. Now, here’s my ‘expert’ strategic opinion. It looks like we need a reconnaissance sortie on base, and we need to do it pretty damned pronto, well before those cargo planes can depart to infect other sites. If we sit around here with our thumbs up our asses we’ll lose control of this hideous bug for good.”
“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, Sheriff. We don’t have the manpower for a proper mission.”
Miller took a deep breath, counted to three, and let it out. “Not a mission, just a quick look-see. We can do it with just a few personnel.”
“And the precise assignment would be what exactly?”
Miller thought for a second. Everyone was watching her, so she felt pressure to come up with something a little more creative than “to kick some serious ass.” She glanced at Sheppard. Miller wished that she could have consulted with him first, or Rat, or Lovell, or any one of a number of people whose planning ability she’d come to respect. In a way, McDivitt had checkmated her by agreeing. Now she was trapped into improvising something he would likely be able to discredit just a few moments later. Right at the moment, she felt like a rookie cop facing her first oral exam. Miller felt her cheeks redden.
Then Miller caught Scratch’s eye. He winked and smiled. All her self-doubt left her.
She held up a finger. “First, those planes have to be stopped. Not one of them can leave the ground. Got it?”
“That’s presuming they haven’t left already.” McDivitt turned to Piper. “You didn’t observe the Globemasters depart, did you?”
“No, sir. I saw zero air traffic today, but I can’t be certain.”
“All right. If those planes are still there, they stay here, permanently. Disable them. Blow them up. Whatever it takes. Those planes don’t leave the ground with that cargo. Ever.”
“Sheriff, I really think you should leave the strategic pla
nning to me. If we blow up the planes, the entire base will go on high alert, and it will take an entire division to attack the base at that point. Your mercenary army will be useless then. I thought the point is to take out the Triad, not just one shipment of zombies.”
“Fine. Then instead of blowing up the antennas, we blow up their planes. Either way, they’re going to run for the hills when we attack. We catch them in the tunnel as planned.”
“Sheriff, this is not the way to do this. I recommend that you let this one go. When we’re ready, we’ll take down the entire operation. Besides, what difference will a few zombies make?”
Miller could feel her blood pound in her ears. “Major, it only took one zombie to create the entire mess we’re in. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of living people are dead today because of one lone zombie. They’re shipping out how many?” She turned to Piper. “Ten? Twenty? How many?”
Piper replied, “At least twenty.”
“If they airdropped those zombies in Manhattan, or Miami, or Washington, D.C., it would be all over in a day. A day, major.” Miller caught her breath. “If those zombies reach their destinations, then it doesn’t matter if we destroy the Triad or not. They will have won.” She sucked in a breath, and realized she’d been barely breathing. “If you want my money, this is the mission. Understand?”
“I understand, Sheriff, but I don’t think…”
Miller held up a finger. “Then don’t think so much. We’re running out of time. Can you do it, or can’t you?”
“You’re making a mistake, Sheriff, but if this is the way you want to play it, we can do it.”
“Do it, Major. I know this wasn’t on the menu, but this is what we’re here to do. Let’s move.”
McDivitt considered for another moment. Eventually, he shrugged. Then he turned to Piper and Judy. “Piper, get together some weapons. Judy, prepare the van for a foray onto base.” He turned back to Miller. “We’re going to follow your lead, Sheriff. You know the zombies better than we do, and you have more firsthand experience facing them. You’re in charge for now. But the minute this mission gets out of hand, I’m going to do whatever I have to protect my people. You screw up and you’re done. Do we understand each other?”
Miller almost took the bait, nearly let him bully her down. Scratch winked again and her resolve stiffened. Softening hadn’t gotten her anywhere in the past. She was done with that. “Shouldn’t you be giving folks orders or something, Major? We don’t have much time.”
To his credit, McDivitt actually grinned. She had grudgingly earned his respect. “We should be ready to leave momentarily.”
“Thank you, Major.” Miller smiled back, just enough to be gracious without a trace of gloating. Then she gestured to Scratch and Sheppard to follow her over to the fireplace. They huddled up. It was just like old times.
Scratch was the first to speak. He leaned in towards Miller and Sheppard, and said in a quiet, conspiratorial voice, “Fuck yeah!”
Miller wanted to feel triumphant, but instead she just felt hollow inside. “Thank you, Scratch.”
Sheppard still looked glum. “You won that battle, Penny, but I’m worried you’re going to lose this war. This mission is rash. Maybe you should have let the Major save some face, especially in front of his own people. We’ll need him watching our backs. We don’t actually know where his head is yet.”
Miller’s grin disappeared. “I hear you, Karl, I really do. But if we don’t try to stop that shipment of zombies and take out the Triad, then what the fuck have we been fighting for all this time? This insanity has got to stop, and we’re the only ones that can stop it.”
“Still, it wouldn’t have hurt if you’d just been a bit more…”
“Karl,” Scratch said, “can we discuss office politics when the dickheads you used to work for are cold and the really dead kind of dead? Penny and I aren’t much interested in your psychological analysis of our current situation. You and your people started this war. The least you can do is to help us finish it.”
Sheppard’s eyes narrowed. “You know something, Scratch? I’m sick to death of you blaming me for the plague. When I signed on to do research at Crystal Palace, we were working to save lives, not take them, and I’ve never deviated from that mission. Things went wrong in a hurry, but I was never really on their side. If you can’t get that through your dense cranium, then maybe I put too much faith in your intelligence. I thought we were friends after all we’ve survived together.”
“Are you calling me dumb, Roger Ramjet?” Scratch drew himself up to his full height.
Miller quickly stepped between them. She whispered. “That’s enough bullshit from you two.”
Sheppard and Scratch eyed each other warily.
Miller turned to Sheppard. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you today, but this isn’t helping.” She looked at each of them in turn. “We are this fucking close to ending this thing, and I’m not going to let you two ass hats self-destruct when I need you the most. Now, get your heads screwed on straight. When this is all over, I’ll take you both out for a much deserved beer and you two can kick the shit out of each other in peace and quiet. Hell, I’ll referee that fight. But can’t it wait until then?”
Scratch and Sheppard sized each other up again for just a little too long. Then they both shook hands. Inside, Miller sighed. Men.
“I didn’t actually call you dumb, you know, don’t you, Scratch?”
“Yeah, I know.” Scratch frowned. “You know I actually think you’re an okay guy too, right, Karl?”
“All right,” said Miller. She raised her voice to drag them back into the room and the task at hand. “The love fest is over. Let’s get back to work, we have some serious shit to take care of today.”
Chapter Ten
11 hours, 16 minutes to Stage Three (12:44pm)
“Okay, everyone hold your breath. The first checkpoint’s coming up.” Judy turned the panel van to the left and slowed down a bit. She had nerves of steel, and her strange lack of emotion probably made her extra good at this kind of a job. No guard was going to catch her sweating.
It was hot and stuffy in the empty shipping crate. Miller had been sealed in over a half hour before, sitting on her butt with her legs drawn up. She watched dust motes dance in tiny streams of light coming from the air holes they’d punched into the corners. They shifted this way and that whenever the van moved in a new direction relative to the early afternoon sun. Her body armor made it difficult to breathe properly. Miller knew she wouldn’t run out of air, not in a cardboard box speckled with tiny nail holes, but the close confinement didn’t make it any easier to relax. Besides, the combined stench of newspaper, gun oil, and her own damp sweat was starting to get old.
Miller stayed still as Judy chatted with the sentry. A stockless Norinco Mak 90 was crammed uncomfortably under her bent legs. Miller wasn’t thrilled with the Mak 90, which was essentially an American-made AK-47 clone. It wasn’t the politics that made her unhappy, but the unreliable ammunition. Her mind was on the approaching combat setting. The bigger round the Mak 90 carried was heavier than the .223 caliber M-4 ammo, and the chances of her finding any extra loads lying around after a gunfight were piss poor. Miller promised herself that she would appropriate something a little more standardized as soon as humanly possible.
Miller had been surprised when McDivitt had issued bayonets to the group. She couldn’t figure out why. A blade was pretty useless against zombies, unless you shoved one through the eye socket into the brain, so it likely wouldn’t do them much good. And she didn’t think she was bloodthirsty enough, even now, to use it on someone still alive. Shooting a man was one thing, but knives were so… personal. So she left it on her belt and tried not to think about it.
The van started forward again. Miller realized she’d almost stopped breathing. She tried to recall a prayer from childhood. Thy rod and thy staff… Lo, that I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death… Surely goodness and mercy will fol
low me. Something like that? She never was one for chatting with God, but on a day like this, with the whole world at stake, she figured anyone could do with a bit of “churching up,” if only to keep their confidence high. Part of Miller was joking, but a larger part was dead serious. Sitting in a stuffy, dark box, all alone with her thoughts, it seemed reasonable to seek some kind of higher meaning to all this fucked-up, end of the world, apocalyptic shit. In the end there probably wasn’t any meaning to find, but somehow that didn’t stop most human beings from looking. It sure wasn’t stopping Penny Miller.
Scratch’s box was separated from Miller’s by the one Piper occupied. They’d done that on purpose, just to keep them from whispering to each other, so they’d be still when it mattered most. Miller tried not to be offended by McDivitt and his crew, but their presumption grated a little. Damn near everything that McDivitt did seemed to be sticking in Miller’s craw, at least at the moment. Of course, that feeling was likely mutual. He thought she was in over her head, and she thought he was a pompous fraud beholden to the opinion of a much smarter wife. Shit fire, maybe they were both right.
Miller let the vehicle rock her back and forth. Her legs were cramping. She took a few more deep breaths. Miller reminded herself that she was once a politician as much as a law enforcement officer. She should have been able to handle a smug, arrogant sonofabitch like McDivitt with her eyes closed and a drink in her hand. But that was before the plague, and those days were long gone. Her constituency—the citizens of Flat Rock, Nevada—were gone too. Every damn one either dead, undead, blown to hell, or run off by the zombie plague. She wasn’t exactly likely to be debating the crime rate or the building of a new jail anytime soon. Her political life was over.
The van slowed down but did not come to a complete stop. Judy muttered, “Thanks!” and it moved forward again. The van jerked as Judy changed gears, and Miller was shaken from her thoughts. Whatever was probably going to happen would happen pretty soon. She put her hand on the Mak 90, but that didn’t make her feel much better. Only one thing did. The thought of getting her hands on the criminally-greedy bozos responsible for this whole mess gave her a sense of purpose. She wanted those douche bags erased. She wanted to kill every damn one of them.
The Hungry (Book 6): The Rule of Three (The Sheriff Penny Miller Zombie Series) Page 11