Retribution: Operation Z Book 2

by G. D. Szepanski

  Gwen noticed the cringe on Diana’s face as she glared at Michael. The coming tongue lashing she would deliver later should be fun to hear.

  The old man’s eyes darted across them all as he spoke for a second time. “I can provide y’all with some fresh veggies and drinking water, but we’ve got no room for you to stay here.”

  “Shit, old man. We’s stop by your fucking place and you want to be rid of us so quickly. What the fuck?”

  Diana voiced thoughts which mirrored Gwen’s own. She wondered if the others caught the “we” when the old man spoke. There was someone else somewhere on this quiet farm. Is that why he appeared so relaxed as he confronted the four of them?

  “Ma’am, my wife and I like our privacy. Both before and after the world’s end. Please watch the profanity while at my home.”

  “Shit, the fucking world ends, and a few fucking curses bother you. Missed fucking placed priorities if you ask me.”

  This interaction with the old man became more bizarre the longer it went on. Gwen needed to defuse the situation so they could get on their way and get away from this strange place.

  “Diana! Look, we mean no harm. We’d love to meet your wife, and we’d appreciate the supplies. We’ll be on our way before you know it. There aren’t many people left, so we just wanted to stop and say hi. We need to look out for each other.”

  If Gwen appealed to his humanity and asked about his wife, maybe he’d drop his defense and nothing bad would come from this encounter. People loved to talk about themselves. Instead of making things better, the old man froze in place and stared at the group. It looked like he searched for the right words to respond.

  “Uh… June is busy right now. Let me put together a few things so you can get back on the road. Please stay right here. Don’t move.”

  With those last words, the old man turned away from the group and rushed inside the house. Michael turned toward Gwen and shrugged while he ran his hand through his hair. Diana strode passed the front of the Humvee and toward the barn.

  “Diana, what are you doing?” Gwen said. She fell in step behind her without thinking.

  “Something fucking odd is happenin’ here. Don’t you want to know what the fuck it is?”

  “Maybe it’s none of our business?”

  “We made it our fucking business when we got our asses out of the truck.”

  Diana might want to know the old man’s affairs, but Gwen wasn’t so sure she did. He might just be an old man living with his wife on this farm. A group of armed people stopping by would raise a concern for anyone. Inside the barn, nothing looked out of place. Gwen knew barns because of her horse riding days. There wasn’t a cage holding innocent victims awaiting their painful death. The strange sight, however, came from the corral, which they found past the barn’s open doors.

  As they cleared the side of the building, a zombie rushed at them. A sturdy white fence kept the monster from reaching any of them. This zombie had been an old lady before she turned into a flesh-eating monster. Remnants of a fancy white dress still clung to her frail frame. The dress was filthy and shredded, displaying the woman’s petite frame, and damage from standing outside in the powerful summer sun.

  “I think we found June.” Gwen stepped back from the fence and covered her open mouth with her palm.

  “What the fuck is this shit?” Diana bellowed as she raised her Louisville Slugger over her head.

  Before anyone could say or do anything to stop her, Diana brought the bat down on the old woman’s head. A sickening crack proceed the body’s collapse.

  Gwen couldn’t be sure if the heavy breathing or the shout of, “No,” drew her attention, but she turned in time to watch the old man level his rifle at Diana. His rifle boomed as he pulled the trigger. As the bullet flew toward Diana, Michael threw himself into its path. The gun continued to explode, and two bodies joined the zombie’s corpse on the ground.

  With eyes wide, Gwen stood frozen in place, not knowing what to do. Movement from her peripheral vision caught her attention. The old man spun from his first two targets and pointed the rifle at Gwen and Matthew. Her motherly instincts kicked in, and she pounced on top of Matthew, protecting him with her body.

  “Nice try, but y’all are going to die. No one takes my beloved bride away from me.” The old man spoke as he walked toward them and prepared to line up his kill shot.

  Before he reached the spot where they laid, a single gunshot rang out. The old man must have missed, because Gwen felt no pain. She waited for the end, but only silence followed. After what felt like hours, but had only been seconds, Gwen risked a glance.

  The old man’s body laid on the ground not twenty feet away from Gwen and Matthew. His head had a hole blown through it. She turned back toward Diana and Michael, but both were still motionless. Who fired the shot that saved their lives?

  CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

  NATASHA

  Natasha didn’t want to worry Betty and Helen, but she noticed the signs of a large group of zombies passing through the area. She remembered the effectiveness of the small zombie armies marched against the camp in Maine and wondered about the damage a horde like this might cause. Breeding a squad of zombies and dropping them behind enemy lines would be the ultimate weapon. Instead of casualties, your army would grow with every attack they mustered. Time to shake these thoughts off and concentrate on keeping everyone safe. She failed Bobby and wouldn’t fail anyone else. With any luck, they’d reach the safety of Donald’s bunker within two days, and then this apocalyptic road trip adventure would be nothing but a terrible memory.

  Betty plotted a route, avoiding travel on major highways and through large cities. They would only find trouble there trouble from either the living or dead. It made no sense for three women traveling alone to visit there. The ability to find enough gas to siphon for the van remained the biggest challenge they still faced. A lot of the gasoline they found went bad long ago, so much of what they siphoned appeared dark and cloudy or smelled sour. They kept the best fuel they found and hoped for the best. The van only needed to run for their drive of less than 1,000 miles. Then it didn’t matter if it stopped running.

  Traffic had no effect on their travel. In fact, Natasha didn’t see any other cars driving down the roads they traveled. She remained cautious of the many disabled vehicles and groups of wandering zombies scattered along the roadways. The van was a competent work vehicle, but not capable of running down bodies or pushing dead vehicles out of the way without suffering permanent damage.

  “It’s too bad there aren’t any tunes for this road trip.” Betty said while she played with the van’s radio. Every frequency she tuned the dial to responded with static.

  “I’m not sure we’d agree on the music anyway, Betty.” Helen said from her makeshift seat in the rear cargo area.

  “Even your old lady crap music would make this drive less boring. Let’s steal a vehicle with a CD player next time.” Betty laughed at her own joke, and Helen joined in.

  “Mom, are we there yet?” Even Natasha chuckled at Helen’s stupid road trip joke.

  Betty continued to play with the radio until she hit upon a signal at the far end of the AM radio band. The message played in a continuous loop.

  “When the siren sounds, proceed in an orderly fashion to your local evacuation assembly point. For your safety, do not bring weapons. The military working with local law enforcement will have the area secure. Do not bring food. They will provide you with all you need in the government’s sanctuary camps. Your government has the terrorist threat isolated and neutralized. This mandatory evacuation is for your safety while agents round up the remaining enemy combatants. The sanctuary camps will be your temporary oasis during the last phase of Operation Z.”

  “What do you think that means?” Betty’s brow wrinkled while she spoke.

  “I don’t know, but I don’t think its good news. We’re going to make Maryland before nightfall, which is our best news right now. Keep your eyes open for
a safe place to refuel.”

  Natasha didn’t make jokes anymore. Life became too serious when Natasha decided she had to keep Betty and Helen safe. Betty’s training went well, but she wasn’t ready to survive on her own.

  A car dealership provided a convenient place to refuel the van. Natasha stayed sharp by clearing out a half dozen zombies while Helen and Betty siphoned gas from the inventory parked in the crowded lot.

  “Maybe we should upgrade our wheels while we’re here?” Betty said with a smile on her face.

  Natasha wasn’t a superstitious person, but the van had served them well so far, and their destination lied less than a day’s journey away. “I think we should stick with the van. We’ll be at the bunker tomorrow.”

  “But we could get a CD player.”

  “Betty! I said no.” Right after the words left her mouth, Natasha regretted the harsh tone she used. Betty was still a child and Natasha kept forgetting that.

  With slumping shoulders, Betty lowered her eyes and turned back toward the filling gas cans.

  ###

  A lone log cabin on a remote section of the road drew them in for the night. Passed nights provided them with a steady supply of food, and this place continued the trend. The pantry overflowed with canned and dry food, along with two more shelves of nonperishables in the basement. Betty and Helen dug into a box of Oreos and both had the blackened teeth to prove it. Natasha found a matching pair of 38 Special Smith and Wesson revolvers in the nightstands in the master bedroom. She found three full boxes of ammunition in a dresser drawer in the same room. The cookies made the other two women happy, and the pistols raised Natasha’s spirits.

  In a downstairs study, Natasha discovered another treasure. An older Springfield 30-06 rifle with a scope mounted on it sat within an unlocked glass display case. The drawer underneath held five boxes of unopened ammunition. In the hands of someone trained like Natasha, this would make an excellent sniper rifle. She hoped to not have to use it, but rejoiced in finding it, in case the need arose.

  ###

  The next morning, Betty and Helen enjoyed more of their chocolate cookies for breakfast. “Those things will rot your teeth out.”

  They both laughed and showed off their black teeth to Natasha.

  “Thanks for sharing that sight with me. Gross.”

  They loaded their new treasures into the back of the van and headed out for what they hoped would be their last day of travel. If their luck held, they’d hit the bunker this afternoon and sleep in a clean and comfortable bed tonight. The area they traveled through today would be remote, so they expected no difficulties.

  “Welcome to Virginia.” Betty read the roadside sign as they drove past.

  “How far is DC from here?” Helen asked.

  “This area is still a few hours from the city. We have to go south before we can pick up the eastbound route to Donald’s place. He’s still about an hour and a half from the city.”

  “You’re better than a GPS, Betty. Even if you don’t like to share those cookies.”

  All three women laughed at Helen’s joke. The proximity to their supposed safety had them all in high spirits while they drove this last leg of their road trip.

  “Natasha, is that another vehicle up ahead?” Betty pointed straight down the road while shading her eyes from the bright summer sunlight.

  She kept the van at a steady speed while squinting in the direction Betty pointed. Sure enough, a military style Humvee drove down the road ahead of them. Military squads rarely traveled in only one vehicle, so this must be either the end of a caravan or an advanced scouting party. Natasha wasn’t sure which role they filled, but she didn’t like this latest development.

  “Helen, look out the back window and make sure no one is following us. Betty, keep your eyes open and make sure there are no other vehicles.”

  The atmosphere in the van went from carefree to tense after this new discovery. Natasha adjusted her speed to keep the Humvee in view but stay far enough back so the lead vehicle wouldn’t see them. A quick check showed three quarters of a tank of gas so there wouldn’t be a need to stop for a refill anytime soon.

  “Natasha, what’s going on?”

  “You know as much as I do, Betty. That’s a military vehicle up ahead. Let’s continue on this route and keep them in sight. Be ready for trouble, but keep calm.”

  “How can I keep calm with us follow that thing and not knowing if there are others?”

  “Take a deep breath and remember our training. You’re ready for anything. Helen, keep the rifle I found last night close by. We might need to use it.”

  Both vehicles continued down the road for another forty-five minutes. No additional conversations disturbed the tense silence inside the van. For Natasha, this was business as usual, but she could guess how scared both Betty and Helen were. None of the three had seen any signs of any other vehicles either behind or in front of them. With no advanced warning, the Humvee slowed and turned into a driveway. This gave Natasha a choice. Try to drive by without being seen or stop and observe. She decided the safest choice would be stopping and watching. Natasha slowed and parked the van off the road in a concealed spot that would be difficult to see by any passersby.

  “Helen, I’ll take that rifle now. I want you two to arm yourselves, but stay out of sight here with the van. I’m going to take a peek and see what’s happening up ahead.”

  Before either of them could object to her plan, Natasha grabbed the rifle and climbed from the van. The rifle held only four rounds, but she carried a sidearm and her stolen machete. Natasha wouldn’t get close enough for the soldiers in the Humvee to see her, since this was only a scouting mission.

  Finding a place to hide wouldn’t be difficult because after a year of neglect, everything overgrew its boundaries. Well, everything except for the farm the Humvee pulled into. This place showed recent activity based upon the cut grass and the productive fields of crops surrounding the property. Based upon her initial observations, this might be the home base for whoever rode inside the truck. After getting into position, Natasha observed five targets. Great, she lamented, only having four rounds in the rifle and not bringing any extra ammunition for the long gun with her.

  One person went inside the house while the other four moved toward a barn behind the house. Natasha had to move closer to keep the group in view. She moved forward into another concealed position.

  Natasha settled in and watched the group approach a fenced area around the side of the barn. A zombie rushed toward them, but it stood securely on the opposite side of a fenced off area. In response to the threat, the tall woman with dark skin and blue hair bashed its head in with a baseball bat.

  This violent act launched a flurry of activity. The man, who previously went into the house, came running out and started screaming. Natasha couldn’t understand his words, but knew this meant trouble. As the man came into view, Natasha saw he had unslung an M1 Carbine Rifle and unloaded it at the blue-haired woman and a chunky man. Both dropped to the ground before Natasha could react.

  The man turned the rifle toward the other two. Recognition struck Natasha as she realized the two new targets were Gwen and Matthew. Gwen acted before Natasha could and pushed Matthew to the ground, shielding him with her body. Taking a deep breath, Natasha steadied herself and pulled the trigger on the exhale. A direct hit. Whoever the old man had been, he was now a corpse. Her bullet entered his right check and shattered the back of his skull upon exit. No chance of him reanimating.

  She left her hiding spot and showed no surprised when she saw the van driving down the street toward her. Betty took to her training but proved to be strong willed, making her own decisions. One day it might get her killed, but today wouldn’t be that day. Natasha would scold her later, but Helen’s skills might save the wounded.

  Both the van and Natasha reached the well-groomed yard at the same time. Natasha continued to sprint toward Gwen and shouted before she arrived. No sense getting shot by the perso
n she saved.

  “Gwen, it’s Natasha. Helen and Betty are with me. You’re safe now.”

  Natasha scanned the area and discovered no other threats. Helen and Betty ran toward her, and Helen carried her makeshift medical bag. Gwen lifted her head and slowly looked around.

  “Are you and Matthew ok?”

  Gwen eased herself into a sitting position and blinked her eyes while she shook her head. Natasha arrived seconds before Betty and Helen. Betty ran straight to Matthew and checked him over for any injuries. After her quick exam, she sat him up and led him away from the carnage.

  “Thank you… You’re alive, Natasha.”

  “Yes, and so are you. Is there anyone else here with you?”

  “Just Michael and Diana.” Her head turned toward the bodies as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

  Helen gave Gwen a quick once over and then rushed over to check out the two strangers. Natasha watched her pause for only a second by the man and then turn toward the woman. While Gwen cried, Natasha helped her to her feet and led her over to where Betty and Matthew sat. After depositing the two together, Natasha pulled Betty aside.

  “Keep your eye on these two. I’m going to look around and see if there’s any other threats anywhere on this farm.” Betty acknowledged her words with a simple nod.

  Natasha started with the house. She cleared the first floor, the second, and then the basement. The barn was like any found on a small farm, with nothing threatening inside of it. Natasha found fresh graves behind the barn, and she wondered who occupied all of them. Acres of crops surrounded the property, and Natasha did not even attempt to check them for threats. She lived in the real world and not a Stephen King novel, so she suspected no evil entities lived in the cornfield.

  When she finished, Natasha discovered Helen still working on the woman. Gwen had recovered and lent her a hand. She stayed close in case they needed help, but remained out of their way. Natasha received basic battlefield first aid training, but this injury went well beyond her skill level.