A moment later, as they were helped to seats in the back of the chopper, Dawn was tended to, and Mick looked around at the others.
“So, let’s never do that again,” Mick said, which brought a laugh from the other two.
“Agreed,” Jon said, and headed over to a seat where he sat heavily. He looked at Paulson.
“You said ten minutes,” Paulson said with a smile. “They were right on time.”
“How about that?” Jon asked, and settled back in the seat.
The chopper raced south, leaving behind the terrible weather, and the creatures too slow to escape it. Within hours, Hollsfield would be coated in nearly three feet of ice, with four feet of snow on top of it. The underground base that had been their home was sealed in a similar fashion, and the winds had increased, snapping off trees and tearing open structures as it whipped and swirled about.
The scourge of the living dead, at least for a while, had been frozen into place, left behind by the chopper as the sea rushed by underneath it.
EPILOGUE- WELCOME ABOARD
The Seahawk had settled on the deck of the USS Truman, and once there, the doors had been opened, and the occupants stepped out. As they regarded the deck of the carrier, Ash had turned to Mick, and she planted a kiss on him as Jon and Jake looked on. Dana and the others joined them, including Missy, and Paulson welcomed them aboard, then headed off to report that the airlift was complete.
“So what now?” Ash asked.
“I suppose we’ll get quarters and get settled in,” Jake said. “Feels like being at home.”
They were approached by one of the Navy sailors, who approached with a clipboard, and looked over the group for a moment.
“Names?”
“Lieutenant Commander Jake Scott,” Jake informed him, which immediately brought the eyes of the sailor to him.
“You’re kidding,” the sailor said.
“He’s not kidding,” came a voice from behind the sailor, which brought a grin to Jake, and caused Jon to share a glance with Mick.
“Duff,” Jake said. “I should have known you would have been here. Was there a sign that said ‘Free beers for queers’?”
“Would I be here if there wasn’t?” Duff asked, stepping past the sailor to shake hands with Jake. “I see you made it, and we’ll let you in because you brought chicks to the party.”
Jake gave a laugh as the sailor listened in.
“Weird, I didn’t think you even liked girls,” Jake said, and turned toward the others. “This is my brother Mick, who’s air force, Jon, who’s another Navy flyer, and these are Ash, Dana, and Missy.”
“Good to have you all,” Duff said. “You can fill this guy in on all your info, so we know who’s aboard, but you can bet the big brass will be thrilled to have three more pilots. We even got those highways you air force guys like to launch from.”
“Well I suppose that’s good news,” Mick said in good humor.
“Later on, we can catch up and you can tell me all about whatever dumb fuck heroics you were up to after you left me,” Duff said. “Right now, I have to report in with the Air Boss, and see where we’re headed next.”
“Catch you later, then,” Jake said, and Duff paused a moment, noting Jake’s rough state.
“Damn, it’s good to know you made it here,” Duff said, and then walked off.
After they had given their full names, and ranks for the pilots, to the sailor, Jake stopped him before he could hurry off.
“Yes, Lieutenant Commander?” the sailor asked.
“Before we flew out, they flew a Marine out here,” Jake said. “Noah Anderson. He had a gunshot wound. Any idea how he’s doing?”
“Anderson?” the scribe asked, and regarded the clipboard. “Looks like down in medical, but I’d have no idea how he’s doing.”
“Carry on,” Jake said, and looked at the others. “I suppose we should find out how he’s doing, huh?”
“I’d certainly like to know,” Mick added.
“Come on, then,” Jake said. “We’ll find someone to tell us where the hell we’re supposed to go, and then we’ll get down there and see Bulldog.
They had begun to walk, and Mick regarded Ash as they went.
“You know, when I met you, you hated guns,” he said. “But you sure seem good with that thing now.”
“Well, you know,” she said with a wink. “I am a cowgirl.”
He smiled, but Missy, who was the only other one to get the joke, laughed.
The freeze had halted only a few hundred miles from the coast, icing everything in its path, but the Navy and others had been re-establishing themselves after briefly being in chaos. There were islands that had become ports and places for civilians to be sheltered, and they found there that US Army and Air Force had also clawed back to some kind of order. Jake, Jon, and Mick knew that in the days to come, it would likely put them back to work, but they were cleared to rest and recover after debriefing aboard the carrier.
Bulldog had undergone surgery to remove the nine millimeter bullet from his side, but he had been correct it had done no serious damage. In the days that followed their arrival to the carrier, he had continued to heal, with frequent visits from the others until he had been released, and the group stayed close while the carrier made its way along the east coast, continuing to search for surviving humans. The others had been told what became of Mark and Ray, and it had not been lost on Mick or Jon that Dawn seemed to have become attached to Jake.
It was a night, one week after their flight to the carrier, that Mick was staring out from the carrier deck and holding the dogtags of Marty and Andy. He had not seen the approach of Jake, who found himself looking at the tags in Mick’s hand for a moment. Mick lowered them, while elsewhere one of the choppers was returning to the deck.
“You know, the world could really still use those two,” Jake said, which caused Mick to turn to him. “We could really still use those two.”
“Yeah, I don’t know how it ended up that those guys didn’t make it, but… I just can’t let these things go,” Mick said, holding the tags up to look at them.
“I wouldn’t,” Jake said. “That’s a shame it’s all we have left, but it’s all we have left. Carry ‘em into battle.”
Mick thought of that, and a slight smile crossed his lips.
“We’ll take them all with us,” Jon said, approaching with Ash and the others. “R.T., Brock, Ray…”
“If anyone says Mark, I’m gonna kick ya,” Dawn chimed in.
“Amen,” Ash added.
“So it will be back to work for you guys, huh?” Dana said, which made Jake nod.
“We wouldn’t have it any other way,” Jake informed her. “Sounds like Mick will be headed elsewhere. An airbase on some island.”
“Do you know…?” Ash asked nervously. “Do you know if I’ll be able to come with you?”
“You’re coming with,” Mick said, taking her hand. “Even if I have to smuggle you in my suitcase.”
She smiled.
“So when does all that happen?” Missy asked.
“Soon enough,” Jake answered her. “In the meantime, we just enjoy this pleasure cruise. It sounded like Jon and I would be headed back to work the quickest.”
“But I thought that everything got frozen,” Dana said.
“Not everything,” Jon said. “And pretty soon, we’ll get to take it back.”
“Going to be a long fight,” Bulldog said. “So before we gotta do that, how about I buy you all a drink.”
“You ain’t got any money,” Jake observed with a furrowed brow.
“Oh, then you’re buying,” Bulldog said.
With that, the group headed below, and the ship continued to sail along in the night.
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joshua Brown grew up, and has lived in the Midwest for his whole life. From a very early age, he found that great stories were a fascination and an inspiration for him. Writing from a very early age,
he also grew to love the process of making films, but writing remained a passion. He has been published since 2002, and continues to write a variety of genres and styles, including poetry, short stories, novels, and screenplays.
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