Zoe, Undead

by J. R. Knoll

  Colonel Halstead waited for the door to close behind the Doctor, then he strode with purposeful steps to the window across the room. He swept the curtain aside, opened the blind, then folded his hands behind him as he stared outside. A breath growled out of him and he shook his head. "If you're going to try to make sense of all this, don't. There's no way you can. There's no way any of us can. We're stuck with what we have, and what we have is a war for survival." He shook his head. "I read the report on your folks, Princess, and I'm sorry. We've all lost family and friends, and unfortunately we just don't have the luxury of taking time to mourn." When he turned to her, he found her staring up at him. "My whole family's gone, now the only family I have is the people in this facility. I'm responsible for every damn one of you, every soul in this base, and I'm also responsible for making sure we win this war on a local level. I do not intend to let those we've lost go unavenged and it is my intention to take this war to our enemy. You know who our enemy is?"

  She nodded in slight motions and pitifully replied, "Me."

  His brow shot up. "You?" he barked in a loud voice. "You think you're the enemy here? You'd better get your head on straight, little girl."

  "But I'm a zombie," she whined.

  "I don't see it!" he yelled. "I see someone we've taken in here. I see someone who has gone out to help us win this war we have to wage against an enemy that has no remorse, no honor and will not stop until we are all extinct. Now, do you intend to keep on helping us or are you going to lay there like some worthless, non-fighting hippie who expects to be given an easy living at the expense of the rest of us?"

  Zoe looked away and considered.

  Colonel Halstead raised his chin and barked, "Are you part of my family or not?"

  Pushing herself up, Zoe held the teddy bear to her and slid from the bed, and she stood as straight and tall as she could as she replied, "Yes, Sir."

  "I can't hear you!" he shouted.

  She shouted back, "Yes, Sir!"

  "Outstanding!" he yelled. "You know where the rally area is downstairs?" When she nodded he barked, "Sound off, young lady!"

  "Yes, Sir!" she yelled.

  "Be down there in fifteen minutes. We are going to equip you properly, then you are going to learn how to execute this war upon your enemy with great prejudice. You will be instructed in the art of combat, stealth, and you will learn to be a little killing machine, unleashing a hellish wrath upon your enemy that they will have no answer for. Does this turn you on?"

  She raised her chin, a sense of pride and importance welling up inside of her and she replied in a loud voice, "Yes, Sir!"

  "At the rally point in fifteen minutes, soldier!" He squinted slightly and looked to the sides of her head. "And do something with that hair! You will report fully regulation and ready to unleash a vengeful fury upon your enemy and by God you will make them regret the day they killed your family!"

  "Yes, Sir," she repeated.

  The Colonel stormed past her, toward the door as he commanded, "Carry on, Private."

  **

  Zoe reported early, her hair pulled up in a pony tail. She had traded her scrubs for her shorts and a white tee shirt that fit her too big, and her pink running shoes and stormed from the elevator with a sense of purpose she had never felt before. Stopping among the soldiers who were cleaning weapons and checking other gear, she looked around her and finally saw a familiar face, a private who she had been on the last mission with. Approaching him from behind, she tapped him on the shoulder and asked, "Have you seen Colonel Halstead?"

  He looked her up and down and replied, "Uh, no, I haven't seen him."

  She nodded and turned away, looking for him again. Approaching Sergeant Morris' driver on the last mission, she folded her hands behind her and inquired, "What'cha doing?"

  He glanced at her and smiled, then looked to the disassembled weapon he had laid out on the table and picked a piece up with the dirty rag he had. "I'm cleaning up Ma Deuce. She fires a lot better when she's clean."

  "Ma Deuce?"

  "M-2 heavy machine gun," he explained. "Fifty caliber. It'll stop just about anything short of a main battle tank. Works wonders on moaners."

  Zoe nodded, looking to the pieces and parts, and asked, "Can I help?"

  "Sure thing, Princess," he answered. "Right there is the solvent we use to remove powder residue, dirt and gack from the parts. Just wet one of those rags and start wiping something down. Gotta get her all nice and clean!"

  With another nod, Zoe picked up an important looking part, took a rag and went to work.

  "You look like you've done that before," he commended.

  She smiled at him and kept working.

  A few minutes later, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked to the elevator as Colonel Halstead yelled, "Where's my zombie girl?"

  Still holding the piece she had been cleaning, Zoe spun around and announced, "Here!"

  He strode right up to her, looked to the machine gun part in her hands and nodded. "I see you're jumping right into the middle of things. I like that."

  "I'm good at this," she informed.

  "Yes you are," he confirmed. Looking around him, he loudly said, "Okay people, listen up! We have a new recruit signing up and we need witnesses." Looking back to her, he raised his chin and folded his hands behind him, ordering, "Put that down and raise your right hand."

  She complied, setting the rag and part down on the table behind her and raising her hand.

  "Your other right hand," he growled.

  She switched hands.

  He started by clearing his throat, then, "Do you solemnly swear that you will uphold and defend the constitution of the United States, defend this country against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and kill the hell out of any and all zombies you contact so help you God?"

  Zoe nodded and confirmed, "Yes, Sir."

  "State your name," he ordered.

  "Zoe Rebecca Templeton," she complied.

  "I don't like that name," he announced. "From now on your name is Private Princess."

  A little ripple of laughter swept through the room and she smiled just a little.

  "You got that, soldier?" he barked.

  With a quick little nod, she giggled, "Yes, Sir."

  "See to it you remember that, Private. Finish up with this M-2 and then report to Sergeant Morris for outfitting. He'll be in charge of getting you trained and equipped." The Colonel turned smartly and strode back toward the elevator, ordering, "Carry on."

  Not quite an hour later, Tex strode into the rally area, looking around for the girl and finally saw her, and he did not expect what he saw. From the beginning, the other soldiers largely rejected her. She was a zombie, the enemy, and that was all the soldiers had been able to see. Now, most of them were embracing her. Most of them surrounded a table and seemed to be cheering her on as she worked to reassemble the big fifty caliber machine gun, and he stopped behind part of the crowd as she slid the last pieces into place, turned the barrel to lock it into the receiver, then she pulled back the bolt and let it slam home, and when this happened, the soldiers around her raised their hands and cheered her.

  Morris folded his arms and shook his head as she raised her hands and cheered with them.

  Her eye caught the Sergeant and she lowered her arms as she saw him and she smiled a big smile.

  "Okay, children," he called. "I need to borrow Zoe for a while. Everyone carry on and get your gear ready to go. Zoe, come with me."

  She bounded to him with the springy step of an excited teenage girl, and when she reached him she informed, "Colonel Halstead doesn't like my name anymore, so now I'm Private Princess."

  Hesitantly, he nodded, then turned to the elevators and folded his hands behind him. "Private Princess, huh? Well, okay. Come on then, Private. We have an appointment."

  Zoe also folded her hands behind her as she followed him, she still had that little spring to her step and a little swing in her hips as they approached the elevator do
or.

  As they stood at the door and waited for it to open, he looked down at her and observed, "You seem to be feeling better than you did a little while ago."

  She nodded, just staring at the door as she confirmed, "Yes, Sir. I feel better." She glanced up at him and explained, "Colonel Halstead explained to me that we are all a family here. I miss my mom and dad and my brother Steve and I think I always will, but he said I'm part of his family now."

  "Halstead explained that to you," he said. "So, the Colonel found your smile."

  Zoe just nodded and stared at the door.

  Tex shook his head and mumbled, "Who knew that crusty old Marine actually had a heart?"

  The door opened and they entered the elevator, and both turned to face the door as it closed.

  "Where are we going?" Zoe asked innocently.

  "Roof," was his reply. "We haven't found any gear your size, but the Colonel thought it might be a good idea to train you in firearms use. We've set up a range up there for target practice, since we know the adjacent building is empty and we won't hit anyone over there.

  She glanced at him again. "Um, Daddy always told me I shouldn't be playing with guns."

  A slight smile touched his mouth and he informed, "You won't be playing up there, Kiddo. We also found a weapon in that sporting goods store that will suit you perfectly."

  **

  What could Zoe do but giggle?

  The weapon they found for her was a snub nose, nickel plated revolver with pink grips and a pink cylinder, pink sights and a pink hammer and trigger. She held it loosely and with an apprehensive grip as she turned it over and over, shaking her head the whole time."

  "What do you think, Princess?" Sergeant Morris asked with a smile.

  She squealed back, "It's so pink!"

  "Thought you might like it," he assured. "Okay, noob, for safety's sake we've cleared everyone off of here so that you can get the feel of this thing without any danger of anyone else getting hit." He looked beyond them, beyond roof vents, solar panels and the like to the other end of the roof about fifty feet away where targets were hanging from a wire that was stretched between two poles, one an antenna, and he pointed to them and asked, "Do you think you can hit the one in the middle?"

  With a shrug, Zoe admitted, "I don't know. I'll try."

  As she held the weapon up and took aim, he reminded, "Just like I showed you when we first got here. Put the sights right under the bull's eye and squeeze the trigger."

  Zoe leaned her head slightly, looking over the sights with one eye closed as she lined the weapon up on the target. Slowly, she squeezed her hand as she had been shown and the hammer of the revolver retreated back, then slammed home with an empty click. She flinched when it happened, then looked to the gun before observing, "I don't think there are any bullets in here."

  "There aren't," he confirmed. "I just wanted you to get used to the feel of the weapon. Try it again."

  He had her pull the trigger on the empty revolver a few more times before her stopped her and commended, "Good. How's it feel?" She responded with a nod and he gently took it from her, opened the cylinder and reached into his pocket. "We're going to start you with thirty-eights. In the field you'll use three fifty sevens, but for now let's see how you do with these." He had the weapon loaded in seconds, closed the cylinder and handed it back to her, grips first.

  Zoe took it carefully. Knowing that it was now loaded seemed to change things and she handled it with an apprehensive touch.

  Tex produced earmuffs and slipped them over her head, closing them gently around her ears as he loudly said, "This will keep your ears from ringing later. Take a couple of shots. The targets are twenty-five feet away, about the range you'll be shooting."

  She nodded and looked to the first target, the one in the middle. Raising the weapon as she had before, she took careful aim. When she squeezed the trigger, the weapon made a horrible pop and there was a bright flash and billowing smoke, and she barked a scream as she backed up a step. Looking hesitantly up at the Sergeant, she waited for his judgment, and saw him staring at the target, and nodded.

  "Not bad," he praised. "Looks like you scored a head shot. Try it again."

  Just hearing his praise sent a surge of confidence into her and she raised the weapon again, aiming and squeezing the trigger as before, then again, and again. She hit the target every time, and each time was a small triumph that made her feel more and more confidence, and she giggled like a giddy little girl as soon as her sixth and last shot was fired. Looking up at the Sergeant, she squealed, "This is fun!"

  He smiled and patted her shoulder. "That's good to hear, Princess." He took the weapon from her and opened the cylinder, dumping out the spent brass before he reached into another pocket. "Okay, let's try you with the big boys." He reloaded the weapon and handed it to her as he had before. As she took it, he pointed to the right of the targets where a cinder block was set up on its end. "There's your target. These rounds will kick a little more and they're going to be a lot louder, but they do a lot more damage, which comes in handy when you're in a firefight." He backed up a step and ordered, "Take it out."

  As before, she took careful aim and fired the weapon, and this time the crack was much louder, the flash more intense and the kick rolled the weapon all the way over her shoulder. Wide eyed, she watched in amazement as the top right corner of the cinder block exploded and the whole thing rocked and almost tipped over. With her mouth hanging open, she looked up at Tex with awe beaming from her face.

  He smiled at her and informed, "You need to finish it off."

  When he motioned with his head to the block, she took aim again and fired a second shot, then a third. Her fourth shot destroyed what was left and she laughed as she lowered the weapon, her eyes on the rubble she had left.

  Tex grasped her shoulder and pointed to the targets, shouting, "They're coming! Take 'em out! Quick!"

  She raised the gun again and fired her last two shots quickly, one of which hit the center target.

  "Nice," he commended with a nod. "Dump that brass. You'll reload yourself, then I'll show you the speed loader."

  They fired off many more rounds, and each time she seemed to get better, more confident. Morris drew his own sidearm, a black, semi-automatic and the two of them seemed to enjoy a time of target shooting.

  About twenty minutes later, as they were reloading, Sergeant Morris' radio beeped and Colonel Halstead's voice summoned, "Sergeant, come in."

  Raising it to his mouth, Tex replied, "Sergeant Morris here. Go ahead, Colonel."

  "I need you and Private Princess in the staff room five minutes ago," Halstead ordered.

  "On our way, Sir," the Sergeant assured. Putting his radio back, he looked to the girl, then near the door where a table that had a variety of holsters, empty magazines and boxes of brass on it. He walked to the table with her on his heels and stopped there, selecting a holster for her revolver that he had put there for that purpose. "Okay, Princess. Let's get you fitted with this on the way down. Grab that belt."

  They arrived in the conference room a few minutes later and Zoe was holding her head up as she proudly wore her pink revolver over her left hip. Her left hand rested on it and her right thumb was hooked in her belt, and she seemed to walk with a swagger that she had not before.

  Colonel Halstead was already seated and looking over a couple of papers, and a map lay in front of him that looked like it had been quickly drawn by someone. The Captain and Lieutenant sat at his side, and all three looked up at what they were reading as the Sergeant and girl reached the table.

  The Colonel raised his chin and announced, "We might actually have some good news for a change. We got a communication from the Pentagon. Turns out they're still in business over there. Also turns out that this war is going pretty well for a few other areas and we can expect reinforcements and resupply within a couple of weeks."

  "From where?" the Sergeant asked apprehensively.

  "You'll like this, S
ergeant. It seems that Wyoming, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado and Texas have all been declared secure."

  "Hell, yeah," Tex said with a proud smile.

  "Oo-rah," the Colonel added. "Texas is sending us three thousand regulars and about five thousand volunteers with armor, supplies and air power. We can also expect surgical air strikes from Nellis as well as four carriers that finally got home to help us out. Bad infested areas are likely to be naped or nuked, but for now our orders are to hold out here and secure as much of the city as possible." He glanced at Zoe and continued, "We need to remember that these aren't people anymore. The people they used to be are dead and gone, and what's left over is our enemy. We can't let a single one of these things get by us, and that means a building by building search and destroy program until we're done here. We are going to secure this city starting with a two mile radius from our main base of operations."

  With a nod, Tex said, "Sounds like a plan, Colonel."

  Halstead's eyes shifted to Zoe. "You're our secret weapon, Cupcake. You ready for some payback?"

  She raised her chin and loudly barked, "Yes, Sir!"

  Looking back to Morris, the Sergeant ordered, "Your platoon will take two Strykers and a bus over to a shopping mall of some kind about two clicks south of here. There is word of survivors but we haven't been able to send anyone in to confirm this. There is also word that the area is thick with moaners, and once you make contact I'll want you to advise Echo Base and get reinforcements before you engage in earnest. Establish and hold a perimeter and await reinforcements."

  "Understood, Sir," Sergeant Morris said with a nod. "How far out will our reinforcements be?"

  "Allow about fifteen minutes," the Colonel answered, "but don't get yourself in too deep. This isn't just a rescue mission, this is a seek and destroy mission. If we have a lot of moaners in one place then we're going to want to take out as many as possible. Draw them in and give the main force a cluster to take out all at once."

  Tex nodded. "Got it, Sir." He looked to Zoe and ordered, "Let's get mounted up."

  **

  As with the other mall, the parking lot of their target was virtually empty but for a few abandoned cars and a couple of trucks. The Strykers pulled right up to the front doors and turned around, then backed toward the building as far as they could and stopped.