“It sounds like you’ve got it all figured out.” Scott said.
“Once we secure the lake and get settled in I’ll tell you of a few more ideas I got in mind…”
Chapter 33
Monday, June 25, 2001
Park City, UT
8:01 AM
They had spent another hour down at the bar discussing their plans before night had fallen and everyone was exhausted from the days events. After returning to their rooms, Matt and Susan had consummated their marriage with another bout of lovemaking before they had both fallen into a deep, restful sleep.
Jenkins called at eight o’clock sharp to inform them that he had in fact purchased the helicopter and was downstairs, ready to go. As Matt hung up the phone Susan rolled over and snuggled against him.
“Is it that time already?” she asked sleepily.
“It’s time.” Matt answered. He lay back and pulled her close. “Jenkins bought that helicopter for one ton of food.”
“He’s crazy.” Susan said. “And I don’t like him.”
“I don’t really like him either. But he’s smart, ruthless, and one hell of a fighter. Besides, if he were going to try something he would have done it by now. He wants to relax by the lake as bad as any of us.”
“But he’s such an asshole!”
“What do you expect from somebody who has been on the frontline fighting zombies for as long as he has? You saw how it was up at the U. When I went out on that patrol the first time with Ron and Jenkins I could tell that all of those soldiers were crazy. Even Jenkins… Even Ron… We stayed holed up in our houses since martial law. We didn’t even see a zombie until last week but the U and Ft. Douglas were fighting them from the beginning. Jenkins and Ron had been there all along, fighting those deadfucks every single day. I’m sure he’s just numb to it all. But the fact that he’s still with us shows that he’s not as cold and ruthless as you think.”
Susan nodded in silent agreement. “I still think he’s an asshole.”
“I need a shower. Jenkins is downstairs waiting for me.” Matt rolled out of the bed and walked into the bathroom.
“When it’s nice and steamy give a holler and I’ll join you.” Susan called from the bed. Matt soaked in the hot spray, and when Susan joined him they turned it steamy…
It was ten minutes to nine when he hurried down stairs to find Jenkins, Mac and David all waiting impatiently in the hotel lobby.
“Sorry.” Matt said with a smile. Jenkins directed them all to the main elevator and took them to the roof of the hotel where the Bell 206 L-4 sat on a small helipad. It had been a news helicopter before the outbreak of the plague, the channel 9-logo still emblazoned along both sides.
“It’s in great condition,” Jenkins said. “Only a few years old and loaded with all the gadgets.”
“What kind of gadgets?” Mac asked.
“Aside from the high powered spotlight, this baby has an onboard computer with satellite linkup and four cameras attached to the outer hull and equipped with thermo and night-vision capabilities.” A large smile was on Jenkins face.
“Satellite link?” David beamed.
“Why the hell would they sell it to us?” Matt asked.
“The military choppers make this stuff look like kids toys.” Jenkins said. “It’s got plenty of storage too.” There were storage compartments on both sides under the back seats that were accessible from outside and there was another open storage compartment between the two seats on the rear bulkhead.
“I bought some other stuff as well. Get in and I’ll show you.” Jenkins had been busy this morning. Besides buying the helicopter he had also bought a small, compact military field radio and half a dozen hand held walkie-talkies. He’d set all the radios to the same frequency, including the radio in the chopper and given the field unit and two of the hand units to Rick earlier this morning. He now equipped the four of them in the recon party with walkie-talkies. He’d also bought a case of 1000 5.56 MM rounds for the assault rifles and 50 empty magazines, which sat on the floor of the back seat.
“How far will a full tank get us in this thing?” Matt asked from the shotgun seat.
“A few hundred miles at least…it all depends on the weight we’re carrying. It’s also got a top speed of nearly 200 mph.” Jenkins started the engine and the propeller slowly began to spin.
“I’ve never flown before.” David said. He and Mac were seated in the back.
“You better not puke.” Mac said.
“I won’t puke.”
Jenkins got the ok from the Park City Air Control and lifted the chopper off the ground and began a vertical ascent. Matt looked out the window and watched park City grow smaller as they climbed higher in the sky. At 500 feet Jenkins swung the bird northeast and gave it some throttle.
“It’s been a few years…” Jenkins said with a chuckle as he took a minute to get the feel of the chopper. “It should only take us a few minutes to reach Kittewa.”
“David and I should have these clips filled by then.” Mac said. He put a few boxes of 5.56 ammo and a few assault rifle clips in David’s lap. “Get busy.”
“Put that radio on your head and give Rick a shout.” Jenkins told Matt. Matt grabbed the headset comlink that Jenkins had indicated and slipped it on. The padded earpieces fit comfortably against as he adjusted the size. “The frequency is already set. Its hands free, just talk.” The radio worked perfectly and once communication with Rick was established Matt signed off. Once they reached Kittewa he would contact Rick again.
“How fast are we going?” David asked. He had already filled three clips and was working quickly on the forth.
“130 mph!” Jenkins exclaimed. “Sure don’t feel like it though.”
Matt noticed that Jenkins was roughly following the highway below; the highway they would be driving to Rainbow Lake later today.
“Highway looks clean and clear. The town of Wanship is just ahead.” He was reading the GPS screen. It was a sweet toy, but sooner or later all those satellites up there were going to drift off course. And he really doubted there was anybody sitting at a workstation adjusting the satellites orbit. And once they drift, say goodbye to the GPS, not to mention what was left of worldwide communications.
Jenkins dipped the helicopter down to an altitude of two hundred feet and slowed the speed to just above 50mph as they passed over Wanship. The town was teeming with zombies who appeared to be wandering aimlessly until the chopper slowly passed overhead. Dozens of zombies raised their rotting arms to the sky and moaned in hunger.
“My dad used to take us fishing here at the reservoir.” David said solemnly.
“Nothing to see here…” Jenkins said, gaining altitude and pouring on the speed…
Following the highway another eight miles brought them to another small town named Coalville. It too seemed devoid of anything save zombies. A lesser road branched east of the main highway here at Coalville and Jenkins steered the chopper to follow it. They went on another ten miles, the road climbed north by northeast through thick mountain forest and the town of Upton. Here too nothing but zombies. The road continued east out of Upton, through the pine forested mountains and a few miles later cornered sharply north. Here the forest thinned as the road dipped into the valley at the base of the mountains. The land to either side of the highway was open farmland. Kittewa was just a few miles ahead, around the next point of mountains and nestled in the valley on the east side of the highway.
Jenkins guided the chopper around the point of the mountain. More open farmland stretched for several miles north along both sides of the highway. To the east, nestled into the foot of the mountain was the town of Kittewa. Jenkins took a slow pass over head. Kittewa was little more than 1 main street that ran west to the highway or east up into the canyon. Along it there were the few businesses and the town hall/jail that made up downtown. There were half a dozen smaller residential streets that intersected with main-street. Only a few zombies could be seen walking abo
ut but there was no sign of recent human habitation.
“Not too many deadfucks here.” Jenkins thought aloud.
“Maybe the survivors fled up to the lake.” Matt said.
“Only one way to find out…” Jenkins gunned the throttle and guided the chopper east, up the canyon.
“This is the only road leading up to the lake. It goes up there, circles the entire lake and comes back down.” The road was three hundred feet below them, lost in the overhanging forest. A narrow, fast moving river flowed down the canyon alongside the road.
“Easily defendable…” Mac said.
“These mountains are littered with motocross, horse and snowmobile trails.”
“I saw some horses running wild a few miles back.” David said.
“Once we get settled we might want to round up some of the tame ones and use them ourselves.” Jenkins said. “
The chopper climbed over the forested ridge of the canyon and Rainbow Lake was below them, the sun rippling off its surface like liquid fire. The lake was approximately one mile across and another three miles long. It was surrounded by thick forest and mountains on all sides with the occasional boat dock or expanse of beach breaking the forest. Most of these opened to the yards and estates of homes and cabins.
“Adam and Kelly’s cabin is on the northeastern corner of the lake.” Matt said. Jenkins swung the bird to follow his directions.
“I see smoke coming from the chimney of one of the houses.” Mac said from the back.
Jenkins swung the chopper around to look at a large, multi-storied brick mansion located on the west bank of the lake. “I’m going to take a quick look-see.”
There was a small boathouse at the waters edge and a large well-kept yard that led to the house. A large bonfire pit, unlit, sat in the center of the yard. Just then two men came out onto a balcony on the second floor. Both were dressed in white, hooded robes and held rifles in their hands, which they aimed at the chopper. One of them was motioning for the chopper to go away.
“Problem number one…” Jenkins said, peeling away from the yard and heading towards the opposite side of the lake.
“Do you think they’ll give us problems?” David asked.
“We have to think of everybody as hostile until proven different.” Mac said.
“Not to mention the fact that they looked like charter members of the KKK.” Matt said.
They continued across the lake in silence until Matt finally spotted his friends cabin. It was set just fifty feet back from the lake with a narrow path that led to a wooden dock. An aluminum canoe was tethered there.
“There is a large meadow behind the cabin.” Matt pointed to it. “There should be enough room to land.”
Jenkins swung the chopper over the top of the cabin and it became hidden in the thick forest. About twenty yards behind it the forest broke into a large wild grass meadow that stretched to the road one hundred yards back. The cabins private driveway cut through the center of the meadow. He slowly landed the chopper down on the flattest part of the ground.
“Ok we do this by the numbers.”
Mac and David distributed the clips to the assault rifles.
They exited the chopper as the rotors were still winding down. Mac and Jenkins took point on either side of the driveway while Matt and David brought up the rear twenty feet behind them. All of them kept a sharp eye out for any movement in the forest ahead. They passed across the meadow out of the glaring sun and into the shady coolness of the trees.
“That’s Adam’s SUV parked next to the cabin.” Matt said softly. His heart was fluttering with excitement at the prospect of seeing his friends.
Please, God, let them be alive…
They emerged from the forest onto the cabins back patio. A basketball hoop was set into the cement at one end, an aluminum lawn table and several chairs on the other. The cabin itself was authentic, build from logs and inset with thick paned windows covered with drapes. The only sounds they could hear were the birds and the wind.
“They must have heard us land.” Jenkins said.
“Maybe their just being cautions.” Matt said optimistically. He slowly walked over to the front door and reached a hand out to the knob. It was unlocked. He pushed the door open slowly, peering into the dark interior.
“Adam? Kelly? It’s Matt. Matt Robbins.” There was no answer. He stepped in and winced at the stale, musty air, laced with a hint of rot. He moved deeper into the room and Jenkins came in behind him. “Adam? Kelly?” Again but there was no answer.
Mac and David came in and Mac tried a light switch set into one wall. The lights stayed off. “There’s no power here.”
“The generator probably ran out of gas.” Matt said.
David opened the front windows drapes. Sunlight filled the room. The window offered a magnificent view of the lake.
A shuffling noise came from up the back hallway that led to the kitchen. They all trained their guns on the shadows, and out from the hallway shuffled two zombies. The first one was a man. His long blond hair fell in front of his face. His only apparent wound was a large bite mark in one of its outstretched arms. The second zombie was a woman. Her throat had been ripped out and her stomach cavity was a gaping hole with bits of dried, rotting internal organs hanging on the ragged edges. Both of them let out soft moans at the sight of the four humans. Thick, viscous liquid, pus and rotted internal mush drooled from the male zombies mouth.
“Are they your friends?” Jenkins asked.
Matt could only nod his head in agreement.
Adam and Kelly had become zombies.
Jenkins fired two quick shots, one into each zombie’s head. Both crumpled to the floor without another sound.
“I’m sorry.” Jenkins said after the roar of the gun had faded from their ears.
“I need a little fresh air.” Matt said.
“Mac and I will secure the rest of the cabin.” Weapon’s raised, the duo moved down the hall into the kitchen.
With a final glance at his friends fallen corpses Matt walked back outside, David a few paces behind him.
“Are you ok?” David asked.
“I’m ok. I just need to clear my head. A lot of shit has happened in the last three days.” Matt wiped the tears from his eyes before they could form. He took a deep breath and exhaled quickly, bringing himself under control.
“This cabin won’t be big enough for all of us.” David changed the subject. He had barely gotten his own emotions under control last night. He didn’t want to deal with them for a while.
“Jenkins talked about that before. We’re going to have to move into one of the mansions. Besides, I don’t really want to live in this cabin now. Zack didn’t make it. Adam and Kelly didn’t make it. This house has nothing but ghosts.” They both felt silent, chewing over their own thoughts.
They became aware that the silence was punctuated by the stillness of the forest. Not a bird was singing or an insect chirping. The silence was like a heavy blanket, pressing in on them from all sides. Then, in an explosiveness that startled them both all of the birds the nearby trees suddenly took to flight, climbing straight up above the trees then away toward the lake.
“I think we’re being watched.” Matt said softly and raised his gun into firing position. David followed his cue and readied his own M-16.
“What do we do?” David asked. Although the forest was thick he could see a good fifty feet into the foliage. To the east was the meadow where they had landed and he could catch a partial glimpse at the helicopter through the trees. But he could spot no movement. The front door to the house opened up and out walked Jenkins and Mac, rifles at ease.
“What’s going on?” Mac asked.
“We may have a situation.” Matt said…
Chapter 34
Monday, June 25, 2001
Rainbow Lake, UT
9:51 AM
Fffeeeeeeeed!
The thought burned through Zack’s brain like molten lava, spreading through his e
ntire body and concentrating in his gut as a gaping hole of hunger. He must feed. He lay flat against a thick tree trunk, thirty feet off the ground. His clawed hands and feet held him tight against the trunk and his face was covered by a thick patch of foliage leaving only a narrow strip for him to see through. His black, bloodshot eyes narrowed even further as he focused on his prey; three grown men and a boy less than fifty feet away. He sniffed the wind, catching their scent and sensing the strength and vitality in all of them. Good. It would make the nectar in their brains all the sweeter.
Another part of his brain also interpreted these smells as familiar and through the fog of hunger and bloodlust Zack found himself thinking of them as friends. This confused him. How could one befriend prey? He was no longer a puny human but a superior Creature! Humans were his prey! So what was this other feeling in his gut, an oily, icy ball of confusion competing with the hunger, driving it out so only it remained? Suppressing a growl of frustration Zack narrowed his eyes even further, peering at his prey/friends one at a time, feeling forgotten memories creep into his mind.
“Matt.” He whispered the name. The flood of memories washed through his mind, almost causing his claws to lose their deep bite in the tree bark. In the span of ten seconds a lifetime worth of memories of Matt came to him. Some of these memories featured the boy standing down there and Zack’s eyes went to him. “David.” He mouthed silently. There were vague memories of the other two men, mostly hazy glimpses from when Zack’s human body was near death. But there was still sufficient information available to put names to the faces. The shorter man with the black hair and mustache was “Jenkins.” The other was taller, leaner. “Mac.” Quickly all the gaps filled in and he remembered everything, including the implantation of the Krylok embryo down his throat by the Master. With these new memories of what had happened came an echo of his humanity. Zack looked at his flesh. Mottled gray and black, covered with a fine glistening slime. He had shed his clothes last night and now ran naked. He was a monster!
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