Code Frostbite (STORM Book 1)

by John Darling

  About half the class immediately perked up and directed their full attention toward Lieutenant-Commander Bradshaw. A few others continued to rest their head on their desks, including Alexei, who I had to poke.

  Lieutenant-Commander Bradshaw set up his computer and began the presentation, which was titled ‘How To Capture A Target’. He explained that not every mission was about killing every zombie in sight. Since outbreaks stemmed from single individuals, some teams were sent into outbreaks with the task of capturing that specific individual.

  The person is put into the containment part of an H-TRAC, which stood for Tactical Recovery And Containment. Darin asked what the “H” stood for, and Lieutenant-Commander Bradshaw explained that the ‘H’ represents the shape the tracks on the bottom of the vehicle made. He also mentioned another vehicle, called a FAC, which stands for ‘Fast Attack Vehicle’. It looked like an armored dune buggy with guns on it and its primary function was to escort H-TRACs through hot zones.

  “Both of these vehicles are something you will most likely drive at some point if you serve in the combat division for long enough. They work together and a recovery mission will not succeed if only one of the two is deployed.”

  The presentation went on for about two more hours before Lieutenant-Commander Bradshaw dismissed our class. Everyone got up and left the classroom like it was on fire. Alexei and I did the same and hurried back to our room so we could rest for a little bit before lunch.

  We got about forty-five minutes to rest before Lieutenant Ward formed us up for lunch. I was a little groggy but felt a lot better after the power nap. Today they were serving spaghetti and meatballs, one of my favorites.

  I was about to eat a huge plate full of food when Alexei reminded me of the surprise we have waiting for us this afternoon. Instead of stuffing my face with as much food as possible, I decided to take Alexei’s advice and only eat a small amount. In the event that we had to run, swim, or do any kind of PT this afternoon, I knew I’d be thanking Alexei for quickly talking some sense into me. Running around with a full stomach is never a good idea before exercising.

  Lieutenant Ward brought our class down to the range which I didn’t recognize at first. All of the shooting lanes were gone. In their place was a giant maze with winding paths lined with black walls. The walls are outlined with neon orange lights and once again I was completely confused as to what was going on. We filed into the armory and found Commander Knight grinning in front of a long table with some unusual looking gear.

  “Everyone please step inside and gather round the table. Today, I want to introduce you all to my favorite game here at BCS; Zombie Tag.”

  Commander Knight was smiling from ear to ear like a little kid. I thought he was expecting some kind of happy response from us, but I have no idea what he’s talking about. Judging from the silence and blank faces, I wasn’t not the only one who was lost.

  “This is a game that we usually don’t let recruits play until later in the training. However, I feel like we have a rather talented class and I want to see how you all perform in an actual fight. Here we have two different sets of gear. Everyone will get a vest which is equipped with a sensor on the front and back of it. The will break you up into teams of four and two teams will enter the range at a time. One team will be infected and will only have vests on. Your job is to run around and surprise the other team. To eliminate someone, you must hit the vest with any part of your body. If the light goes on, that person is out. Now, for the other team. You will be the Stormers, and will have these guns.”

  Commander Knight held up an assault rifle without a magazine in it and pointed to a special cylinder equipped on the end of the barrel.

  “These are all unloaded and have laser triggers on the end. If you squeeze the trigger, the gun will shoot out a beam which will cause a vest to light off if you hit it. Hit the zombie before he touches your vest and he’s dead. First team to eliminate the other wins. Every team will go twice and I’m interested in seeing who will win as both.”

  Lieutenant Ward began reading off names which caused recruits to immediately start grouping up with their teammates. I was paired up with Alexei, Sierra, and the girl that I’d met inadvertently the other night, Jemma. I wasn’t sure how I felt about having her on our team but I was glad to have Alexei and Sierra. This game sounded pretty fun and even though I wasn’t exactly comfortable with everyone on my team, we’ll just have to make this work as best as possible.

  We all grabbed vests and Commander Knight sent the first two teams in, after explaining some ground rules. Once our vest lit up, we were dead and had to come into the armory. We were also not allowed to shoot anyone excessively, or recklessly attack anyone as a zombie. Even though it was technically a game meant to resemble a real life mission, we had to be civil so no one gets hurt.

  The door to the range closed and one of the other OICs pulled down a black curtain over the glass wall in front of us. I was about to ask if there was a way for us to watch the match when a TV screen lowered down from the ceiling and turned on. We watched each team of four start on one side of the maze and work their way inwards around the various walls. The green dot indicated the Stormers, while the red dots indicated the zombies.

  On the bottom of the screen, the first red dot was about to come into contact with the first green one. I expected the green dot to take out the red one when suddenly the red dot changed direction and took a sharp turn. The person came around the other side and wound up behind the green dot. Just like that, the green dot disappeared and we heard someone drop an F-bomb from inside the range.

  “See? Having a gun doesn’t always give you the upper hand. You have to keep your head on a swivel.”

  Commander Knight continued to explain the advantages zombies had over people, including how it might take several shots to the body to take one down. He emphasized how head shots are key because there was no way anyone, or anything, could survive once their head, and more specifically the brain, is compromised. While he spoke, I maintained my focus on the screen, which now only had one red dot. Zombies might have some advantages, but the first team was clearly showing that in this game perhaps the Stormers had the upper hand.

  “OK, the last zombie was just killed! Next two teams are up. Flashman vs. Jones, let’s go!”

  The door to the range opened and I grabbed my vest. I was hoping that we would be the Stormers for our first round, however, that was not the case. Alexei put out his fist and I bumped it as my team walked into the dark maze. The door closed, sealing in the blackness leaving only the glow of the walls and the dots on our vests as light. As soon as the four of us got to the far side of the room a horn buzzed signaling the start of the game.

  “All right guys, let’s split up and think like a zombie.”

  I tried to give my team a quick pep talk but Jemma immediately took off to the right while Sierra and Alexei disappeared to my left. We’ll have to work on the teamwork aspect of this before our second round, I thought.

  I decided to cautiously go up the middle. Within a minute I heard Sierra and Alexei yell out, followed by the door to the range opening. Just like that our team had been cut in half. Slowly I moved through the maze, checking behind each wall before advancing further. Suddenly, I heard someone from the other team curse, which must mean that Jemma had gotten someone. Although a different guy just yelled out “got you!” which I assumed meant that Jemma was out too. I had known my team wasn’t going to be the strongest, but I hadn’t expected us to fall apart this quickly.

  Continuing to move slowly, I realized that my chances of beating the other three recruits were pretty slim. Just then, I stopped dead in my tracks as I saw one of the recruits from the other team ahead of me. He was looking in the other direction and I quickly hid behind the closest wall. The recruit was not alone, since there was another right behind him and I could hear them talking.

  Moving in pairs was definitely the way to go and I knew I would have to be really creative if I wa
nted to beat them. Perhaps there was a way I could tag both of their vests at once. I glanced around the wall and saw them getting closer. There was only a few feet between us and I thought if I waited for them to pass, I could attack them from behind. That assumed they wouldn’t check this space before moving on.

  Their voices got closer and I braced myself. I counted each second that went by in my head, hoping that they wouldn’t find me.

  “He’s gotta be around here somewhere.”

  “Just keep an eye on my six, I don’t want to get jumped from behind like Robert did.”

  “Roger.”

  In the corner of my eye, I could see one of their feet planted in place. I held my breath in case they were listening for any sounds that will give my position away. The recruit in front told the other to move up, and the foot finally moved. I let out a small sigh of relief and wiped two drops of sweat off my forehead. This was my chance if I wanted to even the score. I peeked around the wall and could see both of them walking away. They both had their backs facing me, leaving their vests exposed.

  An idea struck me and I quickly took off my shoes, allowing my feet to tiptoe along the floor without making a sound. They were only three feet ahead of me and I reached out with both hands to try to tap their vests. I just need another second to get to them…”bling!”

  I looked down to see the orange light on my vest light up and a very happy Harold grinning behind me. The two recruits in front of me turned around, and the one scolded the other for not watching their backs. I can’t believe that I got hit after I had come within inches of tying the game. The horn sounded and the next two teams came out of the armory.

  The next few rounds went back and forth between the zombies and Stormers. Unlike the first two games where the zombies had fallen rather quickly, other teams figured out ways to win. I waited patiently in the armory with my team while we watched every match. Everyone had been taking this exercise seriously, though, although for the most part, it seemed like only the winning teams were having fun. Several recruits had come into the armory yelling, cheering, and high-fiving their teammates, while the losing teams had their heads down. We had one more shot at this and I really want to win one.

  Lieutenant Ward instructed my team to each grab a rifle and proceed into the range for our second, and final round. I noticed that we were going up against a tough team, with Dwayne leading the charge. Despite having the guns, I had the feeling that this round was not going to be easy.

  “Guys bring it in really quick. I think we should pair up so it’s harder for them to us out. I’ll go with Alexei. Sierra, take Jemma. Figure out where you guys want to go and keep your guards up.”

  Sierra and Alexei both nodded and acknowledged my plan, but Jemma was fixated on something behind me. I was hoping she would give me some indication that she had heard me, but she didn’t. I’m not quite sure what her deal is.

  The horn sounded and I followed Alexei up the right side. I planned on moving slowly, but he was shuffling at a quicker pace. As we flew by walls, he briefly scanned them. He was making turns on a dime and I was actually having a hard time keeping up, which is something that I wouldn’t have thought would happen after his performance in the O Course.

  “There!”

  Alexei spotted a member from the other team and eagerly chased the person. I followed and turned around occasionally to make sure no one surprised us from behind like I had been the last round. The zombie came into view and Alexei took him down. His vest lit up, but he didn’t act upset. He continued walking away from us and disappeared behind a wall. Alexei slowed his pace down and crept through the maze.

  Suddenly, two more zombies jumped out from either side of him. They set up a trap! Alexei yelled at me to cover him as he shot the zombie to his left. I rushed over and pointed my gun at the other and fired. It took several shots for me to finally hit his vest, since hitting a moving target was much easier said than done. I smiled as the orange light came on but it was too late. Lowering my gun, I could see that the zombies weren’t the only ones that had been eliminated. In the process of my shooting at the one zombie, he tapped the back of Alexei’s vest, killing our first team member.

  “Good luck getting that last one!”

  Alexei and the other two recruits scurried off to the armory while I regained my focus. Even though we had lost Alexei, we had killed three of them leaving their last member outnumbered.

  Well, at least I hope we outnumber the last person. I don’t know where Sierra and Jemma are. It’s possible that they have been eliminated. There’s only one way to know for sure.

  I turned the corner and scanned the area before moving up against the next wall. The last zombie could have been anywhere and if I was the last person on our team, I really couldn’t afford to be eliminated. We already got our butts kicked this morning and we can’t lose two games in a row. My adrenaline kicked in and I decided to pick up my pace. Instead of waiting behind a wall for five to ten seconds, now I was only stopping for a moment before moving again. Covering more ground would only increase my chances of finding him. Just then, I heard one of the girls yell out. Sierra must have been eliminated.

  My theory behind Sierra’s yell was correct, and we passed each other as I ran toward the section of the maze where I had heard her. Her eyes widened as soon as we made eye contact, which I assume was her way of warning me of what lay ahead. I turned around two consecutive walls and discovered that her signal was not a coincidence. Standing about ten feet away was Dwayne, who could honestly pass for a zombie without ever needing to get infected.

  I quickly raised my gun and began shooting at him. He put his arm over the sensor in the middle of his chest and charged right at me. I pulled the trigger as fast as I could but nothing was getting through. Since these shots were coming out of a laser, I wasn’t even sure if I was close to hitting him. He lunged at me and I dodged behind a wall to protect myself from his attack.

  Instead of waiting for him to chase me, I decided to go right after him and ran back into the pathway. Dwayne wasn’t where I thought he was going to be and I lost sight of him. I heard footsteps coming from behind me and I turned in time as he reached out to grab my vest. Without even planning on it, I squeezed the trigger on my rifle and his vest lit up as he tackled me to the ground.

  My heart was racing from hitting the ground. I looked over at Dwayne, who looked extremely mad for losing, but I don’t care. We won fair and square. And I even got two kills! It wouldn’t have been that surprising if I had actually felt like I knew what I was doing. Clearly, I still had lots of work to do.

  Regardless, I got to my feet and walked by Dwayne, who for some reason hadn’t moved yet. I’d made it down the path and wove my way past two walls when I heard a growl from behind me. It sounded like an actual zombie and I retraced my steps to see what it was.

  For some reason, Dwayne was charging at me again, even though his vest is lit and the round is over. The horn sounded and I yelled out to Dwayne. He didn’t answer and the horn went off again. I raised my gun and thought about shooting him again, but without any actual bullets, this wouldn’t do a damn thing to stop him. He was only a few feet away and I was going to have to get out of the way so as not to get hit. Suddenly, a blast of some kind went off and a weird rope came out of nowhere. It wrapped itself around Dwayne and entangled his feet, causing his to fall right to the ground about six inches from me. If he’d been pissed before, that was nothing compared to how angry he looked now.

  I looked up to find Jemma standing on an elevated platform across the room. In her hand, she was holding some kind of crossbow and I do not remember seeing that on the table back in the armory. She must have swiped that gun when no one was looking. I’m totally fine with it because if she hadn’t Dwayne would have tackled me again, even though the game had already ended. The horn went off several more times and Commander Knight appeared.

  “What the heck happened here?!”

  “I’m not sure Sir. I think he
took being a zombie to an unhealthy level.”

  I had thought cracking a joke would help lighten the mood but Commander Knight was not amused. He yelled at Jemma and instructed us to both go into the armory while he cut Dwayne loose. I still didn’t understand why he’d done that. Either he was a sore loser or there was actually something mentally wrong with him.

  Chapter Fifteen: Bonding

  After speaking with Commander Knight I walked back into the armory. Most of the class was still stowing their gear in their lockers and for some reason, Mark Stone, one of the guys in my group the other day, was walking toward me.

  “Hey man, great job responding to Dwayne’s outburst. That guy has some serious issues.”

  Mark put his hand out in a fist as I placed my helmet on the top shelf. I bumped it with my own fist and thanked him for the compliment. I hadn’t noticed Mark until today when his team had decimated their enemies. They hadn’t stood a chance up against him and the other three guys on his team.

  Speaking of those three guys, they just came up behind Mark and also expressed their satisfaction with how we had taken down Dwayne. I looked over at Jemma, who put her rifle back into her locker and gave me a dirty look.

  “I appreciate it guys, but it was a team effort. I was able to shoot Dwayne and Jemma was able to take him down for good.”

  “Well, you guys were awesome out there. One other thing, as former SEALs, we have a tremendous respect for your father. A few days ago John, Zach and I found out that he was a SEAL just like us. We’re proud to follow in his footsteps.”

  I knew Mark had been a SEAL, but not John, Zach, or Tommy. That explained why they were all friends and worked so well together. During the games, it had looked like they had been working together for years and as it turns out, they have. Just like the respect I have for my Dad, I have a ton of respect for anyone that has the toughness to become a Seal. I have a tremendous amount of respect for anyone in the military, but I’m impartial to Seals because of my Dad and Uncle Keith.