Doug boldly walked up and knocked on the door.
“Do you really expect whoever’s inside to just open the door?”
“Yep. If they’re smart they’ll have a lookout and will already know that the army has arrived.”
Scanning the building, I thought that Doug might just be right again. All the second story windows had been blacked out, but there were a few spots that could be used to keep a watch.
The door in front of us flew open and girl with a bat stood in the doorway.
“What can I do for you gentlemen?” This girl had a pair of balls, that was for sure. Her hair was brown, with streaks of blue and green, pulled back into a ponytail. Her clothes were much cleaner than ours were at the moment.
“Yeah, I’m looking for a girl named Stacy.”
A squeal erupted from inside and the girl moved out of the doorway, just as Stacy’s bright red hair flashed by into Doug’s surprised arms.
“Doug, you’re alive!” Stacy let out another squeal, quickly covering her mouth.
“Crap, I forgot. Those things come to loud noises, but there aren’t many here on campus. What am I doing? Would you guys like to come in?” Stacy asked politely.
The other girl just raised an eyebrow and backed inside. Her attitude seemed too distrustful somehow. Skittish was a good word for it.
“So, do you mind if we search the premises while you and your brother catch up?” I motioned to the two of them sitting on the couch in the waiting area.
“Oh, sure, but hold on for a second.” Stacy raced to the counter that RA’s normally manned to keep track of visitors. When she returned, it was with a little boy holding her hand.
“Is there something you need to tell me, sis?” Doug asked skeptically.
“No. I’m Dillion’s nanny. His mother’s at one of the hospitals here in town. We were almost out of food when I ran into River and some friends. This was the closest dorm to the cafeteria, so it made the most sense to stay somewhere I know.”
“This is fascinating, but we’re supposed to clear each building so that we can start moving the civilians in. Is it safe for us to go ahead and search?” I directed the question to Stacy but watched River’s reaction.
Stacy glanced at River. “Sure. River, would you like to show…uh, I’m sorry, what’s your name?”
“Specialist Jackson, at your service.”
“River can show you what we’ve setup.” Stacy wasn’t catching the vibes from her friend, but I was, and it wasn’t an invitation to search the place they’d claimed as home.
“Sure, why not?” River answered sarcastically, unhappy with Stacy.
“This way, guys.” She started down the hall at a fast pace.
“Evan, you watch the front and let us know if you see anything. Doug, stay right where you are and don’t mind us doing all the work.” I saluted him.
He gave me the finger in response.
River took us to all three floors, and since the doors were open to all but the two rooms they’d been using, it didn’t take us long to complete our search. They had started a small garden up on the roof to have fresh vegetables, but it was way too early to expect much growth. With the solar power, this would be the perfect setup to stay alive long-term if you could secure the bottom floors properly.
Back on the main floor, Doug was still sitting there, talking to his sister.
“Let’s leave him here, and when we finish clearing the cafeteria building, we can come back for him before we report in to the sergeant.”
“I might as well go with you because we’ve cleared it out, but I have the keys to the building.”
“Whoa, hold up You have the keys to the buildings or just that one?” I asked, excited that we might not have to break in, saving the doors.
“When all this started I grabbed the keys from the janitor’s closet, in case I needed to get in somewhere, it would make it easier.” River reluctantly held out a ring of keys.
I reached for my walkie. “Sarge. I’ve got someone here with the keys to all the buildings, and I think she knows where others are if she doesn’t have the ones you need.”
“Roger that. Where are you?”
“We’re in dorm A.”
“Cease all entry into the buildings and meet at the main quad by the cafeteria.”
“Yes, sir.” All the units responded.
“Doug, I hate to break this up, but you’ve got to come with us. River has the keys to the buildings so we can search much quicker.”
“Crap. Stacy, you stay here and I’ll get the sergeant to let me stay on guard tonight.”
“Um, you guys don’t have to do that. We’ve been just fine on our own. I know you’re supposed to do a sweep, but this is our home.” River leaned on her bat with the keys hanging from her other hand.
“Let’s go talk to this person who thinks he’s in charge. I feel like making a deal today.” River slung the bat over her shoulder and was out the front door before I could tell her the army would do what it wanted to do.
In the light, River’s green and blue streaks really showed up, making her seem a little on the wild side holding her bat.
The other units were all a little surprised to see this girl leading the unit out of the dorm.
“Who’s in charge here?” River looked around, appraising the men.
“That would be me, ma’am.” The sergeant eyed her warily. “What can I do for you?”
“As I understand it, you want the keys to all the buildings. I have them, or know where the others are, but I also have access to the generators, know how the solar panels are built, so I’m an asset you need.” River popped a piece of gum into her mouth for effect.
“Well, ma’am, that’s all well and good, but I’m with the United States Army and we’re taking over this campus to help house the civilians that have survived. What is it that you’re wanting?” Things were never good when sarge crossed his arms and started tapping his foot.
“Want? I want you to go find another place to take your civilians. We were just fine taking care of ourselves, but since I know that isn’t going to be possible, I want to run this dorm. I get to choose who comes in and make sure that things go smoothly since it’s our home and you’re the one needing it. I think that’s perfectly fair.”
I had to give her credit, she was a tough one.
“Miss, I’m sure you’ve heard before that the Army doesn’t negotiate with terrorists, and that includes spitfires like yourself. There’s some merit to what you say, but the Army always runs things efficiently. We might need someone to run public relations and keep things on an even keel, though. The go-between to the civilians and the Army, would that be okay with you?” Sarge raised an eyebrow, waiting on her response.
She didn’t even seem to think about it before answering. “It is for the moment. Let me show you where things are and which buildings I’ve been so that you don’t have to do as much work. How many people are you bringing here?”
“We have a couple hundred at this point, but there are still pockets of people that we’re coming across who need a safer place to stay.”
“Let’s go ahead with setting up a perimeter. In close at first, and as we can, we’ll get something stronger and more permanent farther out. The sooner we can get moved in the better because we’re getting backup troops first thing in the morning.”
“Yes, sir.” Everyone chorused
The units started to move out, but sarge motioned for me to follow him.
“Sir?” I questioned as we walked away from River.
“You’re one of the men that have family nearby, correct?”
“Correct,” I answered, growing curious.
“Since we’re getting reinforcements, that means we can let some of you who have families alive,” He glanced at Doug, who had been joined by his sister and the little boy, “go home for a short time. We’ve been monitoring cities and we’re going to ask for volunteers who
want to stay and those who don’t have anyone left.”
“That’s very generous, sir, but I feel like there’s a catch involved.” I tilted my head, waiting to see where this was going.
“We need everyone to do two things. First, scout out the countryside and let us know what areas are completely overrun or if they have people that are holding their own. The second thing is, we need you back within three weeks.”
“So this is a reconnaissance mission that has an end date?”
“There has been a statement issued to all military personnel, current or retired, to report in to the nearest group for orders. We don’t want everyone here in the cities, but we’re going to need people trained with guns to keep the essential things going as we work to clear out infected areas. Those that have a large population have exactly two weeks, and if progress isn’t made, then we’ll begin a bombing campaign to take these things out.”
“Sir, we could be killing thousands of people,” I protested.
“I know. That’s why at the moment, all cities are being given a chance for evacuation or relocation. Charlottesville is gone. They’ll have it done by the end of the day since it was one of the first places that reported an outbreak.”
“That’s where my wife and son might still be if they didn’t make it my family’s home. No, this can’t happen, not until I have a chance to make sure they’ve made it out.”
“I’m sorry, son. Those are the orders, and it’s not something that I can put on hold.”
“We’ve been ordered to rebuild as quickly as possible while dealing with the ZIT problem. One of the hospitals is almost clear, but we’re going to use it as a type of headquarters. It’s fairly close by, but far enough away that if something happens in either place, we can make it to the other.”
“So you’re just going to let me, Doug, and however many others walk away?” I asked skeptically.
“Nope, you’ll be making important inroads into the countryside. That is what is going to keep us alive. It’s going to take months to clean this up. Even if they find a way to reverse or stop the virus, we still have to deal with those that are already dead. You and Doug will be leaving at first light, along with another team that is going to meet us here.”
“Are we allowed to take the civilians with us?”
“Yes. Also, your cousin, Corporal Jackson, will be taking lead on your group. She’s already volunteered to lead the mission. Her unit is willing to go along with you and make the trip a little safer.”
“Sir, the Army normally doesn’t care what we think or if we’re happy about things, so why are you doing this?”
“There’s a new wave moving from the top, someone with a lot of military and other friends that are making sure that we don’t just take over America. It’s not how we normally operate, but these last two weeks we’ve managed to stay alive when the National Guard Units didn’t.”
“Well, I don’t care who’s giving the orders, we really appreciate this.”
“I know you do, and I expect to see you again. You Jackson’s have made a name for yourselves. If you happen so see Cole or Dawson, let them know. We have room for them as well.”
“I cannot confirm or deny knowledge of them.” I smirked at him knowingly. “If they are ‘still’ alive, then consider the message passed along. I’ll let Doug know.” I gave a snappy salute and went to tell Doug the good news. We were going home.
The next few hours passed quickly as we got the civilians settled into their new quarters.
River took control in helping to assign everyone to make things a little easier. I watched as this young co-ed took charge and made decisions that were wise far behind her years. She split up the families into one dorm. The single women and small children without parents were paired up with someone who could watch over them. The men and soldiers, she put in the dorm the farthest away from the others to help keep a semblance of something that could work.
She even interviewed each one, asking what they liked to do, hobbies, and what they’d done before the ZITs happened. When she was done, there were groups of cooks, gardeners, laundry duty, childcare and security. Even the sarge was impressed when the last truck of the day was brought in and everyone was fed, settled, and locked in for the night. The only ones allowed outside after dark were the sentries that were going to keep this a ZIT free zone.
With all the different units working to get a fence up, it was finished before dark. It wouldn’t hold up to a horde of those things, but it would keep them away from the main group. The assembly of floodlights to face out was going on as I went to find out where River had put us for the night.
I found them in the hangout area of dorm A, arguing.
“River, you need to come with us. You can’t stay here where you don’t know anyone. Dillion has already lost so much, he can’t lose another person that cares about him,” Stacy pleaded desperately.
“No, I know he’s almost like your kid, but Stacy, this is the only place I’ve known for years now. I get a chance to make a difference and do things my way, as long as the army likes what I’m doing anyway.” River cast a glance in my direction.
“Look, it’s your choice.” I go over to sit on the couches with them. “I have a large family, and they’ll welcome anyone that comes with us. You won’t have to worry about the Army, but I understand. You have amazing leadership abilities, and I know that you can do fine in both places. Just think about it, okay?”
River looked at the sleeping boy next to her on the couch. “I’ve fallen in love with him, but I need. No, I want to stay here. I’ve never had a home and this campus is the closest thing to one for me. When this zombie thing, or what are you calling them…ZITs?” she questioned me, continuing without waiting for an answer. “They’ll eventually be gone and where you’re going is only three hours away.”
“You make it sound like everything’s going to be fine. I don’t want to lose you, River. You’re the greatest friend I’ve ever had.” Stacy got up and sat on the floor in front of her. “There isn’t anything I can do to change your mind?”
“No, and look, Doug said that they’d only be gone three weeks. If things don’t work out, you can come back or I can come to you then, okay? Can you handle three weeks?”
River had put a smile on her face, but it was laced with sadness.
“Sarge will keep her safe, I promise. That’s the best we can do and hope that this world goes back to a semi-normal place. We should all get some sleep.”
“You’re right. It’s been a long day and we’ve got a lot of people to feed first thing in the morning.” River got up with her bat at her side.
“Let me carry him upstairs for you,” Doug offered as Stacy started to pick Dillion up.
“Nope. Can’t let you do that, bro. No boys allowed upstairs. River’s rules. I got it.” Stacy placed a kiss on her brother’s cheek and scooped up the sleeping boy.
“Night, boys,” River called out, casually swinging the bat around. “See you in the morning.”
The stairwell door closed behind them and I stretched out on the couch I was sitting on.
“What?” I asked, looking at Doug’s frowning face.
“You’ve got your shoes on the couch, man.”
“Seriously? There are things out there trying to kill us, but the thing you’re most worried about are my boots on the couch?” I shook my head at the craziness of my friend. “I’m going to sleep. You should as well since you didn’t sleep much last night, after all.” I put my arm over my face to block out the light.
Doug walked over to the wall and switched the main lights off and threw himself onto the other couch.
“Feels good, doesn’t it?” I asked from where I was laying.
“Shut up already. I have no idea what you mean,” Doug grumbled in the darkness.
How River made it past us in the morning I’ll never know, but she’d gotten a portion of her cooks together and had something ready to e
at for those coming off duty.
Doug and I had just finished breakfast when Patti’s group walked in, looking tired.
“Hey, cousin. We meet again.”
“Patti, when did you and the guys get in?” I shoveled more fake eggs into my mouth, enjoying every bite.
“It was last night, but they had us helping with the fence as soon as we dropped our gear off. We brought two people with us, both nurses, but one of them is staying here. I’m hoping to talk Angela into going with us before the sarge makes her stay here.”
“Are they giving us weapons to take with us?” I asked, but didn’t get a response.
I was glad that she would be in charge because I wasn’t ready to be responsible for an entire group.
“So your sister’s here and she’s going with us to Jackson Mountain.” Patti turned her attention to Doug.
“Yeah, I’m so glad that she’s alive. Here she comes now.”
Stacy had just entered the cafeteria when the little boy with her screamed, letting go of her hand.
“Mom!” Dillion’s shrill cry made everyone turn and look at him.
One of the civilians that was with Patti’s group of guys, barely sat her tray on the table before she was knocked to the ground.
“Mama, I thought you were dead.” The little boy sobbed, holding onto the woman tightly.
Patti put a hand over her mouth. “That’s Angela, the one we rescued from the hospital. She said her little boy was with the nanny, but I had no way to reassure her that he was still alive.”
“That’s Doug’s sister, Stacy. She’s kept that little boy alive this whole time, with a little help from River over there by the buffet.”
“The redhead is Doug’s sister? And who’s River?” Patti started eating again now that the excitement had died down.
“Yep, and River is the new manager of the university. She’s in charge of people relations between the civilians and the Army. Sarge may just keep her around if she keeps on like she did yesterday.”
“Guess we can add one more to the list of people coming with us, huh?” Tom, one of Patti’s guys, asked.
Military Against Zombies (The Against Zombies Series Book 2) Page 11