Patti took a bite before continuing. “We’d had reports that the rebels were moving closer, but still hadn’t made any movements that would indicate they were going on the offensive. We barely got a distress signal from the first two outposts when we saw this horde coming toward us. The helicopter had already landed since we’d lost communication with the first two outposts, and I was keeping a lookout while we waited. But even from several miles away, the people that were coming toward us weren’t quite right. Their movements were slow, and there were a few of our men with them.”
“Wait, our guys were part of the horde that was about to attack you?” I asked incredulously.
Patti glanced around to make sure that we weren’t being watched and nodded in confirmation. “I shouldn’t tell you any of this until after the debriefing in an hour, but you’re family, and someone should know before they issue a complete blackout.
“Our group had split up to cover several of the area outposts since they’re only a few miles apart, but I think the other groups had already been taken out by these things before the evacuation was ordered. The sound of the helicopter seems to draw them like flies because when the pilot had taken a sweep over each of the other outposts, he didn’t see any signs of the actual living, just those things in a frenzy, looking up at the chopper. So, by the time he headed for us, those things were already trying to follow him and had moved the few miles toward us quickly. I had everyone loaded into the chopper, but we waited to see what was really coming toward us.” Patti grimaced at the memory.
“Brad, these things weren’t shooting at us. They were barely alive. I mean, not alive, but moving. There were children with arms missing, grown men with bones sticking out, and they acted like they weren’t in any pain. I gave the order to lift off, but hover around and see if we could make a dent in them with our guns.” Patti stopped and ran a weary hand over her face.
I knew it was bad if Patti, who had been on lots of missions that had gone fubar, was upset about it.
“Our bullets didn’t make much of a difference. We were blowing holes in those things and they kept moving. Only head shots seemed to be working, but on our guys with their helmets on, there didn’t seem to be a way to take them out unless we had the sniper do it. The chopper couldn’t stay in the air long enough for that since they had more evacuations scheduled. We didn’t want to leave our guys down there, so I told them to light it up.
“The fire from the rocket only burned their flesh, and they continued to move around. It was awful. I don’t think there’s a way to win this if it spreads.”
I placed a comforting hand on her arm. I’d never seen her so defeated or scared before. Then again, she’d just lost a lot of close friends. There hadn’t been any way to save them, even if the unofficial motto is to leave no man behind.
“Excuse me, Corporal Jackson. The staff sergeant is asking that you come with me immediately.”
Patti put on her soldier’s face, hiding the small amount of emotion she’d displayed while she told her story.
“Lead on.” She gave my shoulder a quick pat as she passed.
I cleared her tray off and went back to the tent to write Emma an email that I hoped would save my family.
The next few days were filled with fewer and fewer evacuation teams coming back with our troops. There was talk about having us head back to Germany for transportation back to the U.S., but the higher-ups decided to send us directly back to the States. A cargo plane was scheduled for first thing in the morning, and everyone had to be looked over by the camp medics for any signs of illness. They didn’t want us taking whatever this illness was back to our families. Those who were sick were staying behind to tear down the camp and would be sent back to Germany, to the infectious center. I didn’t know exactly all the science details; I was just a foot soldier. Whatever the illness was, it was infecting a lot of people really quickly.
Doug and I both checked out as healthy and were tasked in helping with guard duty for our last few hours at the post.
We settled in with our guns behind the walls because all patrols and lookouts had been pulled inside the temporary walled-off structures. Ours was a semi-permanent base, so it was more secure than the normal lookout posts, but that didn’t mean that those zombie things couldn’t overrun our fortifications.
“This is some messed up stuff, huh?” Doug asked while keeping his eyes on the blackness beyond the walls.
I adjusted my night goggles to get a better look through the darkness in front of us. “Yeah, it really is, but what’s freaking me out is that we could see the town lights from several valleys over, and now those lights are going out, leaving us in darkness.”
“Dude, lighten up. I know it isn’t good, but it’s not the end of the world. The whole area has been having trouble keeping the electricity on; that’s probably all it is. Ever since Emma got pregnant, you’ve become such a worrywart.”
“Hey, now. I’ve had to listen to you talk about your sister and how much you worry that some guy will take advantage of her. You can’t act like it doesn’t bother you that you haven’t heard anything from her since all of this started.” I knew I worried too much about Emma and Pierce, but the world had started to look different to me when I found out that I was going to be a dad.
“You’re right. Laugh all you want, but a college campus is full of germs. All those co-eds who don’t have a mom and dad to make sure they’re being hygienic.” Doug pouted.
“Really? We live out in the middle of nowhere, in tents, and you’re worried about the germs of co-eds? I have no idea how you even made it through basic.” I shook my head at Doug’s paranoid ideas.
“What will you do if they send us out to help keep the peace instead of going home?”
Emma would be safe if she’d made it to my family, but I couldn’t be worried about that until I made it back to the States. I had to believe that my family would take care of her and Pierce in my absence.
“I’m torn. They’re not going to let us go home because we’ve heard too many stories, and the National Guard isn’t going to be able to keep these things from multiplying. We won’t be able to either unless someone finds a way to keep people from getting sick. We’re going to have a huge upset in people versus zombies.”
“Look, we’re not the top people, we just do what we’re told. We have a system, or at least the symbolism of one that will keep most people from going off the rails through the first little while. Over here, we’re the only thing standing between most of these little villages, and once they fall, there isn’t a police force or military to stop them from moving over to the next town.
Patti’s group had already left two days before, and when our cargo plane finally landed to load us up, it was in those few minutes just before dawn broke over the region that it happened.
I stood at the door of the plane as it started to lift off and realized that we had made it out by the skin of our teeth.
The ground surrounding our large compound was littered with black dots for as far as the eye could see. If we hadn’t been on the last plane out of the area, we would have been overrun.
Normally on a trip like this, I would’ve been pacing and full of nervous energy. Instead I leaned back between two guys I’d never met before and passed out.
Several hours later, we stopped for a quick refuel, but they had our own guys get out and take care of the fueling.
“Nothing to worry about, everyone. They’re just taking precautions so that we don’t infect anyone here. We should be refueled and ready to roll out in less than thirty minutes, but just to be safe, some of our own will be taking a guard shift to make sure that we’re not overrun by the infected people.” The pilot’s announcement, which was highly irregular, had most of the troops awake and restless.
There weren’t any incidents as we took off, but I couldn’t get comfortable enough to go back to sleep again.
A few of the troops were starting to cough the closer we got to the States. This a
lways happened when we made the change of atmosphere from east to west.
But the closer we got toward home, the sicker sounding those coughs became. The medics had taken all those that were showing signs of illness and moved them to the back of the plane. Our leaders hung blankets, hoping to avoid the spread of germs in the contained area.
With only about thirty minutes of flying over the water left, a growling sound started coming from the back of the plane.
Screams and grunts erupted from behind the curtain as a blood-covered hand gripped the blanket, pulling it down.
“Buckle in, we’re going to open the cargo door! I repeat, strap yourselves in…” The voice trailed off as everyone tried to grab their guns and strap in at the same time.
A blast of air was sucked out of the plane as the pilot tried to prepare everyone for the difference in air pressure.
I watched in horror as bodies flew out of the cargo door with blood dripping from their teeth. I felt bad for the ones who hadn’t been as sick, but were being sucked out of the tail of the plane as well.
When the cargo door closed, I gulped in the fresh air, only to hear more gasping sounds coming from the back of the plane.
Evidently, those who hadn’t been as sick were strapped into their seats and had become the infected dead, but they couldn’t do more than bite the person next to them.
My platoon officer yanked off his restraints, gun in hand, and ran to the back of the plane. Rapid shots followed and all the growling sounds were suddenly silenced.
Everyone on the plane watched as he walked around, checking each person and making sure those who were infected were dead.
While hard to watch, I knew it was the right thing to do, though I wasn’t sure if I could have done it myself.
The pilot spoke again. “Due to the growing problem, everyone will have to be inspected before they can leave the area and find a place to shower, eat, and rest up before orders are handed down.”
I groaned on the inside, but knew that after what had occurred on the plane, extra precautions were needed.
With the way that things were going, they weren’t going to let us go home to our families. This virus, or one of those things, were going to take us out one by one.
Cooper Walsh
The beehive of activity grew as I got to the underground bunker, preparing for the arrival of the president. The jeep stopped outside of an ordinary looking building that would lead down to one of the safest places in the world. I was in charge of Operation Protection, to shut this newest threat down.
Saluting the men standing guard, I pulled my security badge out from under my shirt. My clearance was pretty high, but it still required a fingerprint and eye scan to enter this secure building. Although, those were not completely foolproof for the safety of the president, I couldn’t mention the other methods because they were still top secret.
Walking through the halls, the connecting doors closed behind me causing my claustrophobia to grow. Having seen what the zombie things could do and how quickly they multiplied, there would be no way out of these very close quarters deep under the ground if something happened. All it would take was one infected person and the place would become a tomb for us all.
As the last door shut with a thud behind me, I tried to shake off the morose thoughts, but it was difficult, even though I knew we could get the cure going soon.
“Ah, Cooper. You made it.” The secretary of defense was sitting toward the head of the table. “Were you able to get the plans out safely?”
“Yes and no,” I answered honestly.
“What? That is unacceptable.” The head of Operational Naval Command (ONI) spat in my direction.
“Things were taken out of my hands when the passwords and our protocol was handed out to hired thugs. Jack had given them the plans, and everything they needed was pulled up and ready on his computer. I don’t believe that it arrived to whoever hired them because they were both attacked by the zombies and killed, sir.” I stood a little straighter and tightened my grip on the briefcase.
“Are you certain that the information didn’t get into the wrong hands?” the secretary of defense questioned.
“To the best of my knowledge, sir. They left our building and I saw them less than an hour later coming out of another high-profile building. They seemed to be on a fact-finding mission and didn’t have a chance to deliver it to anyone outside of the downtown area.”
“Were you able to recover the contents of the drive they stole?” The CIA director glared at me, accusingly.
“No, sir. The offenders were surrounded by the zombie things and were being eaten alive. I felt it best not to pursue them considering the fact that I only had one gun with ten bullets. There were close to fifteen zombies. They’re very attracted to sound, and by the time I used all of my ammo, there would have been more. They can be outrun, but it would take a track runner in very good shape, which I am not,” I replied, my tone laced with respectful sarcasm.
“What good news can you give us about this end of the world situation?” The secretary of defense redirected the group back onto the topic at hand.
“As of last week, we had reports from overseas about these “zombie” creations. We immediately sent over the protection protocol and began testing on subjects in the local hospitals that had been infected, but were not dead yet.” Seeing I had everyone’s attention, I continued. “The blood we tested showed that this is a virus unlike any we have ever encountered before. When we added the protocol to it, the blood changed. In some of the infected, we were able to slow the process, depending on genetics and their blood type. The protocol reacted differently to those that had been infected by bite versus those who were already dead.”
“We tested the protocol on the dead things? What kind of country have we become?” one of the men at the table muttered, just loud enough to be heard.
I looked directly at him as I answered. “We’re the good guys who are trying to find a cure to save millions of lives. If the dead are going to attack us and try to eat our flesh, then I personally see no problem with doing whatever it takes to make them stop, whether that’s from a bullet or from the antidote. The protocol antidote had no effect on those that were already dead, so we can save ourselves the headache of trying to inject them while they’re trying to attack us. The live patients that we have tested all gave their consent to be used as guinea pigs.
“Those who have been diagnosed with cancer or other life-threatening illnesses were given the chance to participate in a “research trial” where we gave them the protocol before they were infected by allowing a zombie to bite them. Only one in five didn’t contract the virus from the bite. Now, those who received the protocol showed that it drastically slowed down from those that didn’t receive the protocol, but they all still died. The main benefit at the moment of having the protocol is that they didn’t turn into zombies when they died.”
A gentleman I didn’t recognize raised his hand.
“Yes?” I acknowledged.
“So what you’re telling us is that the protection plan you’ve been working on only saves 1 in 5 people from the virus, and of the ones who were given the protocol the only good thing is that they won’t turn into these things?”
“That’s what the tests are telling us at the moment. We’ve only had about a week to put this into place and start the testing. We should have a better idea of how it’s being spread and what will stop it in the next few weeks. Until then, I’m suggesting that only those cities where an outbreak has occurred should get the protocol. The infected are our main concern because when they die, they can easily spread the virus to hundreds of people in just a few short hours.
“The reports that I’ve received so far haven’t indicated that once they’ve eaten enough they’ll stop. I don’t believe these things have a stop feature built-in; they’ll continue to search for new victims until they’re killed.”
“So what you’re suggesting is a kill on sight order for tho
se infected or just the dead?”
“I believe that we shouldn’t kill those that are still living, yet.” I smiled. “Although, we should issue warnings that if someone is feeling ill, only that person should visit a hospital or clinic. Curfews might be a better way to help control crowds, and if they’re speaking then they haven’t turned into those things yet, so there would be no reason to shoot unless they felt threatened.
“We’re fielding calls from all over about hospitals filled with people who might be sick. The police in most major cities have been busy responding to “sightings” that have turned into nothing. I recommend that we impose martial law.”
Another gentleman interrupted. “That hasn’t been done on a national level since the Civil War, and even that was limited. The president isn’t ready to go to those extreme measures at this time. This sickness hasn’t affected all the major cities yet, and most people don’t even know what’s going on because we’ve stopped all outgoing news from those areas.”
“That doesn’t solve our problems, it just causes more because people don’t know how to deal with those things, and we could lose a lot of innocent people.”
“We’ve sent out a special report of a virus, but not the extent of what it does. Our troops overseas have come in contact with hordes of these things due to an infection sweeping villages and whole towns. They’ve been told to evacuate and are in the process of doing so now. We’re going to need them to maintain order if this gets as bad as expected.”
“How soon will they arrive?” I asked, unsure if this decision was wise.
“The removal of troops is only in remote locations at the moment. If we have a base, our troops will be staying there so that we don’t lose all of our assets in case this proves to only be a scare,” the secretary of defense explained.
“So the outposts farther out and all small missions have been canceled until this runs its course. Our troops could be overrun without the fortifications of a base. Evacuations have been going on since we got word, and the Landstuhl hospital is trying our special serum. All troops that have been closest to the start of this infection are being given the serum. If there are no signs of infection after twenty-four hours, we’re flying them home. It’ll take about a week to a week and a half to get even some of them home, but by then, we should know how other countries are faring against this outbreak,” I patiently advised.
Against Zombies Box Set, Vol. 1 | Books 1-4 Page 15