Blue Plague: Rage

by Watson, Thomas A

  “Yes sir, this is yours Daddy,” she told him.

  Bruce climbed out as his body let him know it didn’t like sleeping on a metal floor. “Thank you,” Bruce said as she handed him the plate and coffee.

  “Daddy, I’m sorry. I was wrong, please don’t be disappointed in me,” Danny said with tears in her eyes.

  “Sweet pea, I’m proud of you for admitting you were wrong. Danny, everyone looks at you and the others to set the standard. If they see you and the others breaking my orders, then they’ll try it. I know what you were doing was just a teen thing of ‘I can do what I want’ but Danny you can’t do that. I’m depending on you, Buffy, Jake, Matt, David, Mary and Mindy to lead by example. If I say do something, I want it done without question. When we’re in the field you can’t be my little girl. You have to be my soldier and Danny you have no idea how much that hurts me. I wanted you to go to college, make me spend some stupid amount of money to get married and have fun at life. If you don’t listen to me, we could die. I’ve lost your mother, I can’t lose any of y’all,” Bruce told her.

  Danny charged him, knocking his plate and cup out of his hands wrapping her arms around him crying. “I’m sorry Daddy, I won’t disappoint you anymore,” Danny told him.

  “Danny you’re seventeen now. That would be impossible but just please do it when we’re home?” Bruce asked.

  “I’ll make you proud of me,” she vowed.

  “Danny, I am and have always been proud of you. I love it that you think for yourself but you have to learn. Will you at least try to remember that?” Bruce pleaded with her.

  “Yes Daddy, I love you,” she said.

  “I love you too sweet pea. Come on, I need more food,” Bruce told her and they turned around to see Buffy walking over carrying three plates and three cups of coffee.

  They ran over to help her and they all sat down behind the RG to eat. “How’d you know to bring three plates? I had already brought one for Daddy,” Danny asked.

  “Just figured Daddy would still be hungry,” Buffy said and Danny smiled back but didn’t believe her. Buffy was hiding something.

  “Buffy, when did you start drinking coffee?” Bruce asked as Buffy made an awful face drinking her coffee.

  “Today,” she answered sticking her tongue out.

  “Why?” Bruce asked.

  “I’m the only one in the family that doesn’t drink this nasty crap and the only one on Omega that doesn’t drink at least one cup of this,” Buffy told him.

  Bruce grabbed her cup laughing. Reaching inside the RG Bruce pulled out two bottles and poured a lot of both in her cup. “Here,” Bruce said handing her cup back.

  Taking a sip Buffy said, “That’s better.”

  “Why were you drinking your coffee black?” Danny asked amazed.

  “Jake said it would put hair on my chest and make me tough,” Buffy told her.

  “Buffy, we’re girls, we don’t want hairy chest and you are tough,” Danny exclaimed.

  “We want big balls, so why not hairy chest?” Buffy asked not understanding.

  Bruce fell over on his side laughing, after setting his plate and coffee down. Danny just looked at Daddy then at Buffy, “Buffy, that’s different but it doesn’t matter, coffee won’t put hair on your chest,” she said.

  “I drank that nasty crap for nothing!” Buffy yelled in a shrill voice. If they could’ve seen the area outside the RV, they would’ve seen everyone getting away from Jake.

  “I’m going to hit Jake,” Buffy said getting up.

  “No Buffy, he was just playing with you. Jake loves you and wouldn’t do anything to hurt you. I’ll talk to him, I need more coffee,” Bruce said standing up walking over to the RV.

  Buffy rubbed her belly as Danny watched. Danny laid down digging a bottle of Ibuprofen out of her pocket then gave two to Buffy. “‘Holy pills’, thank you Danny. I forgot mine,” Buffy said swallowing the pills with her coffee.

  “They’re just Ibuprofen,” Danny told her smiling. Danny could remember calling them that.

  “Mama said they were ‘holy pills’ and if they don’t work, Daddy will find some more holy water,” Buffy told her matter of fact.

  “Buffy-, Never mind, we’ll talk about it in a year or two,” Danny told her. Then Danny smiled, “Buffy I love you,” she told her.

  Buffy jumped up hugging Danny, “I love you too Danny. You’re the best sister in the whole world,” Buffy told her. Danny blew off Buffy acting weird on ‘that special time of the month.’

  Bruce walked over filling his cup noticing only Mary was beside Jake. Bruce walked over asking, “What did you two do to make everyone leave you?”

  “They heard Buffy yell,” Jake said smiling. “It freaks them out that I’m not scared of her,” he added.

  Bruce laughed seeing Jake was going to have fun with this. “Well what’s the area like?” Bruce asked changing the subject.

  “No blues,” Jake told him.

  “Well when Mike gets here to take those that want to go to the farm, we’ll go find some,” Bruce said.

  “Daddy Mike will be here in an hour,” Jake told him.

  “They left that early?” Bruce asked not believing Mike would get up that early.

  “No he’s flying in,” Jake replied.

  “I hope he knows I’m not in the mood for a lecture. I love him but sometimes he can nag like a bitch,” Bruce said in a serious tone.

  “Hey that’s my Daddy,” Mary complained.

  “What, you don’t think I haven’t said that to his face?” Bruce asked.

  Mary laughed, “I know you have,” she admitted.

  “When the hostages leave we’re out of here, heading to Mississippi,” Bruce told Jake.

  “Called mission control this morning and they told me we will only be running into areas with ten to twenty thousand. Unless you head to Jackson,” Jake informed Bruce.

  “No not yet. We have a gang to deal with. If we wipe out the blues they could get better armed and I want to be the one with the cool toys,” Bruce admitted grinning.

  Jake laughed, “Yeah having the coolest toys makes a difference.”

  They talked and were joined by Willie, Ted and Carl. The radio operator came out telling them choppers were inbound. Soon they saw two Blackhawks and two Apaches coming over the tree tops setting down by the front gate. Mike jumped out of the pilot’s seat of one of the Blackhawks. Reaching inside, Mike pulled out a bag then walked to the open gate.

  When Mike got close, Bruce asked pointing at the choppers, “You scared of something?”

  “Don’t start with me brother. Your son wouldn’t let me leave unless a backup chopper and armed escort flew with us. So talk to him,” Mike snapped.

  “My son is so smart,” Bruce said proudly.

  “Oh, if Steve does it then that’s cool, if I do it I’m a bitch!” Mike declared, putting his hands on his hips.

  “Yeah, pretty much,” Bruce said nodding his head smiling.

  Mike threw the bag at Bruce, “Mail for your troops,” Mike said.

  “We’ve only been gone three days,” Bruce said in a flat tone.

  “Well, we miss you. The night light quit working in my room,” Mike said grinning.

  “I’ll find you another one,” Bruce promised. “So you come to bitch?” Bruce asked.

  “No just wanted tell you we saw it,” Mike told him

  “Wanted you to,” Bruce replied and Mike was shocked only because he’d heard that already.

  “We’re showing it to the clan now,” Mike told him and this time it was Bruce who was shocked.

  “May I ask why?” Bruce said irritated.

  “We want them to know what this group is doing, fighting this war, keeping us safe,” Mike told him.

  Bruce grinned at Mike saying, “Well hope they like it.”

  “Sure they will, now tell me about here,” Mike said.

  “Three hundred and eighty-three gang members, only eighteen alive now. One hundred and si
xty-six hostages, haven’t asked how many want to join. Willie put forth the offer,” Bruce told him as they walked the compound.

  “Why didn’t you?” Mike asked.

  “Busy,” Bruce let him know.

  “Okay,” Mike replied, not wanting to press the issue.

  “Mike, I want you to send Bill to New Orleans. I want him to bring back four hundred shipping containers and well, here, I wrote it down,” Bruce said handing Mike several sheets of paper.

  Mike looked at the paper, “I’ll get him started Bruce,” Mike said not wanting to argue. If Bruce wanted it, they needed it. Putting the paper in his pocket, Mike followed Bruce to a picnic table.

  Walking up to the picnic area Mike wanted to vomit. Blood actually soaked the ground and log. Then Mike noticed several prisoners still lying on the ground, “What couldn’t finish?” he asked.

  “Saving them for when you leave, it’s a surprise,” Bruce told him winking.

  Walking over to the vehicles, Mike saw the cages packed with the prisoners in them. “Another surprise?” Mike wanted to know.

  “No, they’re snacks for later,” Bruce admitted.

  Mike reached inside his shirt pulling out letters for Bruce, “These are from the clan,” he told Bruce, and then reached in his pocket. “These are from two girls who love you and are driving me crazy,” Mike said grinning.

  “Join the club,” Bruce said sighing. Bruce took the letters smiling, “Your kids are over there,” Bruce told him.

  Mike went to see his kids and Buffy saw her chance, running up telling Daddy Mike what Daddy had said outside the RV. Bruce went to work on Mike’s surprise. When Mike got ready to leave Jake walked him back to the helicopter and told him to look in the west field when he left. Lifting up to five hundred feet Mike could see a group of people around some logs. Then the logs were set on fire. When the logs were burning, Mike noticed the logs were laid out in the Omega symbol.

  Just as Mike was fixing to fly away he noticed the logs wiggling. Then Mike noticed that the prisoners were tied to the logs laid out in the symbol. Mike admitted that it was pretty cool as he turned and headed for home, seeing the convoy that picked up the hostages pass under him.

  All the hostages chose to live with the clan. If they had an army like this, they felt safe. Bruce sat and read the letters form Angela and Stephanie as the probationary clan members climbed in the semis. Bruce looked over at Buffy who was reading a letter.

  “Buffy, you have fan mail now?” Bruce asked, poking fun at her.

  “Yeah but this is from Julie and Marty sent me this one,” Buffy said holding up another envelope.

  Slowly standing up, “Marty is now sending you letters?” Bruce asked in a growl.

  “Relax Dad, he’s a total dork,” Buffy told him never taking her eyes off the letter from Julia.

  Danny, seeing the look on Daddy’s face ran over beside Buffy, “Dad, cool it. She’s a girl and I’ll take full responsibility for her,” Danny said. A dark look passed over Bruce’s face as he took in a breath, “Don’t say it Dad or I’ll call Angela and Stephanie,” Danny warned.

  Bruce bit his tongue and walked away. It was only then that Buffy realized something was going on that involved her. “What was that about?” Buffy asked.

  Danny let out a breath seeing Daddy climb in the RG. “Buffy, if you kiss, hold his hand or even talk to Marty, you better tell me before it happens,” Danny told her.

  “Danny, you’re so weird. Why would I want to do any of that with him? He’s a dork, it took him two times to pass gun class. In hand to hand he gets his butt kicked,” Buffy told her.

  “I’m just saying,” Danny told her. “Oh and that goes for any boy,” Danny added.

  Staring at Danny with a fixed gaze, Buffy just shook her head, “It has to be seventeen when you act stupid like an adult,” Buffy declared.

  “Excuse me?” Danny asked, shocked Buffy referred to her as stupid and an adult.

  “You were so cool, now you act like a grown up. You talk about stuff I don’t’ want to hear about,” Buffy told her and started reading her letters again.

  Danny just laughed, “One day you will,” she promised.

  Omega pulled out after the convoy, heading east to find something to kill. It was six hours later that a blue wandered into the west field and saw the burnt bodies moving. She ran over taking a bite out of all six then the blue ran off hearing her pack call. The six bodies lasted for another hour then one by one died. In an hour four burnt new blues were still tied to logs. The other two weren’t moving, for the first time, humans had been infected, but didn’t turn. No UAVs were over the area to witness the event, only a single crow witnessed the event but it didn’t care. It just landed on one of the bodies that wasn’t moving and started eating.

  Omega rolled into Mississippi and wiped out Vicksburg in less than an hour. Omega turned south and stopped at a farm for the night. Bruce pulled them in a circle and put one of the cages out in the field two hundred yards west from his position. Then Bruce put a radio by the cage playing music.

  It only took a few minutes for the blues to come out. Jake and Matt gunned down over a hundred in an hour. With the other squads starting to get irritated, Bruce had them put cages to the north, south and east with radios playing loud music. When the blues saw the prisoners in the cages they went insane, roaring and charging them.

  During a break Bruce called over the radio letting Omega know the rules of the game he wanted to play. “Okay the rules are simple. You get a point taken off for every blue inside of fifty yards of your cage. For every blue outside of fifty yards you get a point. If your cage gets knocked over, you lose twenty five points and if your prisoner dies you lose. Everyone starts clean now,” Bruce told them.

  Matt and Jake were pissed. “That so sucks Dad, we already had over a hundred points,” Jake said.

  “Tough, you had a head start. My team doesn’t need a head start,” Bruce told them.

  “What does the winner get?” Ted called over the radio.

  “They get to eat first all day tomorrow, and that goes for the placement of everyone else second through fourth. First and second squads are together just as third, fourth and fifth and sixth squads are together to the north,” Bruce told them giving them incentive.

  Surveillance came over the radio telling Matt and Jake they had a pack coming. “About time,” Matt said. Pulling up his rifle Matt looked at where the blues should come out.

  Bruce pulled up his rifle to his shoulder to watch along with everyone in first and second squad. The tree line was two hundred yards from the cage and off to the right, Bruce watched two dozen blues come out with half of them roaring. Jake and Matt sighted the group four hundred yards away and before the group took off to the cage five were down. When the group took off running to the cage and made it to the hundred yard mark only two were left never making it within seventy five yards of the cage.

  “Good shooting bubba and Matt,” Buffy told them enviously.

  “Buffy, get your A-2 that I put together for you,” Jake told her. Buffy jumped down in the RG running to her gun rack. Buffy came back with an M-16A2 with a heavy barrel and an adjustable stock, as she was putting on her thermal sight Bruce continued looking out across the field.

  Bruce was standing on top of the RG while everyone else was standing in the open hatches over the troop area. Looking out across the field directly behind the cage through his thermal scope, Bruce saw images coming out of the wood line. “Movement, two hundred twenty yards behind the cage, looks like seven blues coming out of the tree line,” Bruce told them.

  Jake looked through his scope, “Got’em,” he said as he squeezed the trigger. Bruce watched as a blues head exploded.

  “Hit,” Bruce called out. Bruce was aiming at one of the blues taking slow breaths as he squeezed the trigger. Bruce watched the dirt kick up thirty yards in front of the pack. “What the hell,” Bruce said lowering his rifle and looking at it. Then Bruce started cussing. He
was shooting at blues over four hundred yards away with baby SCAR. It only had a fourteen inch barrel.

  “You need to get a real gun Dad,” Jake said with a smartass tone.

  Bruce looked down at Jake who was looking through the scope of his AR-10. Jake pulled the trigger and was followed a second later by Matt. Bruce lifted up his rifle to see Matt’s blue fall, landing on the blue Jake had just shot. Bruce flipped to burst and used the bottom reticule of his scope and fired a burst hitting a blue in the chest neck and head.

  “Tacky Dad,” Jake said as he and Matt shot two more blues. The last blue let out a roar and took off at the cage.

  “Shit,” Matt said. “No shot, the cage is blocking me,” Matt said.

  “Boys, if I eat last tomorrow, you two will ride on the hood,” Bruce warned them.

  “The stupid prisoner won’t get down,” Matt said trying to aim through the cage.

  “I don’t care. If we lose, you two will ride on the hood,” Bruce let them know.

  “Matt, shoot the bars and make the asshole drop,” Jake said leaning over his rifle.

  The blue was crossing the hundred yard mark when Matt squeezed his trigger twice. Bruce saw one of the bullets hitting the bars on the cage. The prisoner dropped down as Jake squeezed the trigger hitting the blue in the face.

  “Fifty two yards from the cage,” Jake said happily, lifting his head up giving Matt a high five.

  Bruce dropped down grabbing his new sniper rifle, an M-110 he had gotten the last time they were at the farm. It was similar to the AR-10 even firing the 7.62, but to Bruce it was much more accurate. The rail system was much better designed as was the stock. Making sure the suppressor was seated, Bruce put the thermal scope on and chambered a round.

  “Just because you have a new toy doesn’t mean anything Dad. If what you have works, use it,” Jake said helping Buffy get set up.

  “If something is better, it’ll work better,” Bruce told Jake as he sat down with his back on the turret ring. Bringing up his knees, Bruce rested his arms on his knee pads. Bruce could hear suppressed shots to the north but everyone else was too far way.