Zombies!
Book 6
“Hold the Line”
R S Merritt
Text Copyright © 2020 Randall Scott Merritt
All Rights Reserved
This series is dedicated to my beautiful wife and family. My reasons for waking up in the morning and not wanting to go to bed at night.
Happy 8th Birthday Zoey!
Cover Design By:
Harry Lamb
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Shackled Again
Chapter 2: Uncomfortably Numb
Chapter 3: Comply or Die
Chapter 4: Twister
Chapter 5: All Shook Up
Chapter 6: Columbia Cloud Base
Chapter 7: No Easy Day
Chapter 8: Up the Creek
Chapter 9: An Example
Chapter 10: Time for your Checkup
Chapter 11: Running to the Store
Chapter 12: The Pale Horseman
Chapter 13: Bed Rest
Chapter 14: Home Invasion
Chapter 15: Heads Up!
Chapter 16: Apocalyptic Staycation
Chapter 17: The Creep
Chapter 18: Field Promotion
Chapter 19: Northern Bound
Chapter 20: No Man’s Land
Chapter 21: The Definition of Insanity
Chapter 22: The Silent Ones
Chapter 23: Friends in Low Places
Chapter 24: Visine, Pancakes and Tic Tacs
Chapter 25: Hot Chocolate and a Solid Nap
Chapter 26: The Refugee Railroad
Chapter 27: When Good Men Idly Stand By
Chapter 28: Road Trip!
Chapter 29: Processed
Chapter 30: Field Commander Krantz
Chapter 31: The Prodigal Son
Chapter 32: How Do You Like to Vacation?
Chapter 33: All In
Authors Note
Other Books by R S Merritt
Chapter 1: Shackled Again
The basement was barely illuminated by the light filtering through the tiny grime covered windows. A pile of moving blankets in the corner was the only thing provided to make the cold concrete basement the slightest bit hospitable. They were the blankets you’d choose to either rent or buy to go along with your U-Haul when you were moving. Rough and coarse and smelling of sweat and sawdust they were still a huge step up from sitting on the cold concrete floor.
Sitting on one of the moving blankets wearing his boxers and a thick terry cloth robe he’d been provided Randy forced himself to relax. It wasn’t like he had much of a choice. He was handcuffed in a locked basement underneath a house full of an extremely well-armed militia. Only the littles had escaped the indignity of being handcuffed. At least this time the adults had been cuffed with their hands in front of them. Randy ruminated that he’d spent way too much time lately with handcuffs on. It was odd to find yourself feeling happy because this time your hands were cuffed in front of you. It made scratching yourself a lot easier. You had to enjoy the little things.
When they’d crossed the bridge and made it into South Carolina it’d felt like they’d accomplished something significant. It’d felt like they were finally going to be alright. Instead they’d found themselves captured not two hours after finally seeing the ‘Welcome to North Carolina’ sign. They’d been cruising through the middle of nowhere when they abruptly skidded out of control going around a sharp curve. The white van with the electrical company logo on it they were driving had slid right into a deep ditch on the side of the road. Randy had been driving and was still kicking himself. Even though he knew there hadn’t been much he could’ve done to spy the stop sticks lying camouflaged on the road.
He hadn’t noticed the other cars that’d been piled up in the woods on that side of the road either. It became apparent why there was a small armada of abandoned vehicles there when armed men appeared out of nowhere a few minutes later to take them prisoner. Banged up and out gunned they hadn’t even attempted to fight. They were leery of shooting at the people they were hoping might be their saviors anyway. The whole reason they’d come north in the first place was to escape the oppression of the Brotherhood down south. They should have known better than to let themselves fall into the trap of thinking that the Brotherhood had a monopoly on oppression.
Banged up and groggy they hadn’t been able to muster much of a response to the men who’d yelled at them from outside the van after they’d smashed into the ditch. The men who’d calmly informed them they could either come out with their hands up or sit there and try to dodge the hand grenades they would fling through the front windows. Not much of a choice at all. Kyler was learning the issue with having people you cared about along with you in the apocalypse was you couldn’t just start shooting and hope for the best. You had to weigh all the options and determine which course had the best chance of keeping them all alive. It was exhausting.
They’d been taken. They’d managed to make it all the way out of Brotherhood territory by camping and sticking to backroads. They’d been beyond careful to avoid ending up in the situation they were now in. At least in South Carolina they hopefully didn’t have pictures of them on wanted posters. If they did then they were in some serious trouble. Not that the trouble they were in already wasn’t serious enough already.
“At least we got nice robes.” Kelly said shattering the silence of everyone’s quiet introspection.
“I could’ve done without the matching bracelets.” Caitlyn said. She was moving her wrists around trying to keep her hands from going numb.
“Yeah this is all a bit weird. I get that they made us strip so they could make sure we weren’t hiding any more weapons but the robes. I mean that’s a pretty humane touch.” Randy commented. The robes were the luxury ones like you’d find in a spa. Everyone assumed that the people who’d imprisoned them must have a massive stockpile of robes they’d looted from somewhere. Maybe a truck full of robes had ended up parked forever at the one stoplight in this nowhere town.
“If they were going to do anything to us, I don’t think they’d have given us the robes.” Kyler said. He was trying to be more subtle in his language since the kids were listening. What he wanted to say is that he didn’t think they’d shoot them in the head after dressing them so nicely. He was giving them about a twenty percent chance of getting out of here alive and free. The bulk of that twenty percent based on the fact that their captors had taken the time to strip them of their weapons and shove them in a basement. It would’ve been a lot easier for the men who’d ambushed them to leave them dead in that ditch. Then they could’ve safely and easily stolen their supplies. It didn’t make any sense to drag them all the way here just to kill them.
Zoey was sitting in Caitlyn’s lap. Doreen and Ali were both lost in their voluminous adult sized robes on top of Kelly. At one point in the journey Zoey had wandered off at one of the gas stations they’d stopped at. It’d taken them a couple of hours to find her. Randy had lost his temper big time and yelled at her until Kelly stepped in and stopped him. Zoey had been mortified. She’d been avoiding her dad ever since then. The other kids had been reminded very loudly not to wander off ever again. On top of all the other trauma the kids had endured that’d just pushed them even deeper into their shells. Kelly and Caitlyn might as well be made of Velcro now the way the littles were sticking to them.
The sound of the door at the top of the stairs opening surprised them all into looking up fearfully. The first man through the door was holding a battery powered lantern that did a good job of lighting up the whole basement. That told them these guys were used to having people locked up down there. The three men were decked out in full police riot gear. Tinte
d face masks hiding their faces the men positioned themselves on the stairway so they could easily shoot everyone in the basement. The man holding the lantern walked all the way down the stairs to talk to them.
He set his lantern on the top of the bannister at the bottom of the stairs. He made a big deal of unholstering his pistol so they could see he was holding it in his hand ready to be used if needed. Between the man with the pistol in his hand and the two guys behind him holding tactical UZI looking machine guns no one in the basement was thinking of trying anything. Kyler hated not having his weapons on him. Sitting on a moving blanket in a robe with just his boxers on underneath it he was beyond defenseless. It wasn’t something he was used to, and it definitely wasn’t something he was comfortable with.
“I’m the Sherriff here. You can call me Rusty. What are your names?” The man asked from behind the face mask. The voice had a lazy southern twang to it but there was no mistaking this was a serious man.
“I’m Randy.” Randy started making introductions hopping to keep everything civil. “This is my wife Kelly and our daughters Caitlyn, Myriah, Doreen, Ali and Zoey. This young man here might as well be family too. He’s been with us for a long time. His name’s Kyler. Can I ask why you’ve detained us Sherriff?”
“We detain anyone who comes into our town. Especially anyone who comes from the direction you came from. I’m assuming your refugees. Running from the Brotherhood?” The Sherriff asked emotionlessly.
“Yes sir. We’re really just passing through. I wouldn’t say we’re refugees any more than anyone else is. We’re just hoping we can travel up north and life may be a little more agreeable than it was down south.” Randy picked his words with care but still tried to make them sound casual.
“Why’s your boy here got a Brotherhood brand?” The Sherriff asked.
Randy opened his mouth then shut it. He did that a few times before looking helplessly over at Kyler. He had no good answer to that question. Especially since he hadn’t known that Kyler was branded. Kyler hadn’t been trying to keep secrets from Randy. He just hadn’t brought up the brand since he was honestly ashamed that he’d been marked with a symbol of evil like that. He’d worried it would lead to more awkward questions. Especially since he wasn’t supposed to tell people the north had sent him as a spy. He didn’t know how to explain that he never would’ve let them brand him if he’d been on his own and free to make the choice. He hadn’t even reached the point where he thought they were evil when they’d held the branding ceremony for him.
“They didn’t know.” Kyler said. He didn’t bother standing up. “I got branded before I met them, and I never saw a need to let them know. It’s not something I’m proud of. Not anymore.” He finished simply.
The Sherriff waited. When it became apparent Kyler was done talking the Sheriff walked across the floor of the basement and stood over him.
“The Brotherhood offers us a nice reward for turning in refugees trying to run from them. They’ve even offered us some pretty tempting rewards if we happen to find soldiers who’ve abandoned their posts. They’ve never even mentioned what they’d give us a for a branded Brotherhood traitor like you. What do you think they’d be willing to trade us for you boy?” The Sherriff asked. He’d holstered his pistol and pulled out an asp. The short metal rod slapping against his gloved hand to emphasize his words.
“I don’t know. I’d assume they’d hook you up pretty good. Especially since they can just take back whatever they give you when they come storm trooping through here next month.” Kyler said. He looked straight at the face mask of the man asking him all the questions.
“What do you mean by them coming through here next month?” The Sherriff asked.
“They’re in expansion mode and you’re the next state that they’re going to take. I guess you don’t get CNN out here in the sticks so just to let you know they took Tennessee a couple of weeks ago. You guys are next. They’ll cut through this place like a hot knife through butter. I suggest you all run when you hear the sound of their choppers. Maybe go hide out in the hills or something. You’re going to end up working for them either way though.” Kyler said.
“Why aren’t you with them anymore? Why are you deserting?” The Sherriff asked.
“I have a problem with being ordered to kill little kids. The Brotherhood soldiers aren’t necessarily all bad, but their leaders are pretty much evil. I was worried if I didn’t get out, I’d end up like them.” Kyler said.
“You know why I wear this facemask? Why I have my men dress up like Darth Vader every time we go out on a raid or have to do anything?” The Sherriff asked.
Kyler rightfully assumed it was a rhetorical question and bit back the smartass answers that immediately popped into his head. The Sherriff paused dramatically for another few seconds.
“It’s so we don’t get blood or spit or something in our eyes or mouths. We’ve been so paranoid about the Zombies that we’ve lost track of how evil regular people can be. Those people to the south have more land than they could ever use. There’s no need for them to barge in on us up here. We’re going to leave you down here for a bit while I figure out if I’m going to hand you over to them or not. I also want to check out your story. You good answering more questions? Giving us numbers and plans and all that?”
“I’ll give you what I got.” Answered Kyler. It wasn’t like he was planning on being loyal to people who’d shoot him on sight.
Sherriff Rusty nodded and stomped out of the cellar. The door shut behind him leaving them all sitting in the dim light again in their fluffy, white robes.
Chapter 2: Uncomfortably Numb
Three days later they were still sitting in the cold basement. In deference to the kids the Sherriff had his men drag down a few mattresses and some toys. They were fed well and other than having to keep the cuffs on it wasn’t a horrible experience. Kyler was taken upstairs to be interrogated for a few hours every day. He told Randy and Kelly that they basically just had him sit in the living room with them and answer questions. He’d been completely open and honest with them telling them everything he could remember.
To confirm Kyler’s account of events the Sherriff had Randy and Kelly come up separately as well so he could cross examine them to see if the stories stay lined up. They’d all agreed to be completely honest to avoid any issues, so it all went like clockwork. They were hoping that they’d be allowed to leave any day now. The Sherriff told them that the town they were in had closed itself off after the initial outbreaks. They’d been efficient about killing anyone who got the virus which was the reason so many of them had survived. They were a large community by apocalyptic standards. There were a few hundred survivors scattered around the woods and a significant group of them actually living in town. They were careful not to congregate together very often. Staying spread out seemed to work well at keeping the Zombie herds from becoming interested in the small, remote area.
There was a textile mill that’d focused on making the fabric for the robes they were wearing. The robes were manufactured at another facility that was also in the town. That explained why they were all given the robes. The town had thousands of them in a warehouse ready to be shipped out to luxury hotels that no longer needed them. The people survived by hunting and scavenging. Bow hunting had become very popular since firing rifles was a big-time no-no for any of the people living there. Pulling the trigger always resulted in having to explain to the Sherriff why you’d done so. If you couldn’t explain why you’d decided to risk the safety of everyone in the town in a way that satisfied the Sherriff, you faced banishment.
The tone of the conversations gradually went from confrontational to friendly over the course of a few days. They knew they wouldn’t be allowed to stay as the town had long ago decided not to let any outsiders in, but they were hopeful that they’d be given back their gear and escorted to the city line. That was their best option at this point. Worse case they were just being milked for information until the Brotherhood s
howed up to collect them. There was no way to be certain they weren’t being played. They’d just woken up on their fourth day in captivity when the bombs hit the center of town. The loud explosions rocking everyone awake in the basement. Doreen immediately started crying.
The loud noises echoed in the basement as dust drifted down on them from the shaken ceiling. The attack ended after only a few explosions. They sat in the basement wondering if the next round of the attack was going to blow up the house that they were in.
“That was probably it. They only needed to drop a few bombs to get the Zombies attention for miles around. I’m betting that’s going to be their strategy for taking South Carolina.” Kyler said to fill the uncomfortable silence that’d settled down around them. The thought had been percolating around in his head as he mulled over why they’d bother to drop a few bombs then leave. It made perfect sense. Shoot a few rockets into a few towns and sit back while the Zombies did all the work. Then they’d just need to let the other towns know if they didn’t get in line that they’d be next.
Zombies! (Book 6): Hold The Line Page 1