03 Deluge of the Dead (4 page)

“How will this help us?” asked the mayor. 

Scott sighed as he realized he would have to spell it out.  “If the rain drives the zombies off the streets, this storm could be a window of opportunity for people to relocate to safer locations.”

“I think the Commodore is onto something here, Mr. Mayor,” agreed Special Agent Corrigan.  Scott could hear mutters of further affirmation in the background. 

“I see,” said Mayor Del Fuego, although it sounded like he still didn’t.  “So what should we do?”

“Spread the word,” said Scott with only a hint of impatience.  “Include this news in your press release and start broadcasting it right now, tonight.  Then follow up with a list of secure places that people can go when the rain comes.”

“What places?” the mayor asked desperately.  “We aren’t ready for this!”

“Then get ready,” Scott insisted.  “That’s why I’m calling you.” He paused to calm his voice and keep from calling the mayor an idiot.  “Look, your honor, we can help and even offer a few safe places for some of your people.”

“I’m listening,” replied the mayor noncommittally. 

“There’s a secure oil refinery, a large compound in El Segundo that could become a refugee camp.  It’s fully fenced and has a sprinkler system around the perimeter that is pumping seawater to keep the zombies away.”

“Why wasn’t I told of this sooner?” demanded the mayor.

“Because I just learned about it today,” Scott retorted.  “But it’s there and available as a refugee safe haven for whoever can reach it.  There’s even a set of train tracks leading into it, in case you can get people there that way.  If not, we can use trains for resupply later.”

“How many survivors could take refuge there?” asked a voice that Scott recognized as belonging to the LA Chief of Police.  Scott looked to Carl with a questioning expression. 

“Thousands, sir,” Carl replied. “Tens of thousands.  The compound is more than half a square mile.  There’s not much in the way of shelter or housing, but it’s secure from zombies and there’s room to set up a large tent city. There’s an unlimited supply of fuel there and a large power plant next to the refinery.  We can also pump continuous seawater for sprinkler defenses.”

“That sounds promising,” agreed Special Agent Corrigan.

“I suppose it’s better than nothing,” the mayor allowed.  “But it’s not enough by a long shot.  There’s no way for most of the survivors to get there and only your word the zombies won’t rip them to pieces if they try.  We need a much better plan than just telling everyone to go to a damned refinery!”

“I agree, Mr. Mayor,” Scott said. “We will also open the gates and bridges to our safe haven here at Terminal Island and the Port of Long Beach to any survivors who can make it here.  And we can set up evacuation points up and down the coast to pick up survivors and shuttle them here to Terminal Island by boat.”

“You’re willing to do that?” asked the mayor suspiciously.  “Just a few days ago you were telling us that you can’t take care of many survivors there.”

“Actually, Mr. Mayor, I said I didn’t see how we could get many survivors here safely, unless you could get some trains full of people down here,” Scott clarified.  “This storm, and the way we expect the zombies to react to it, changes everything.    If survivors can make it to the coast, we
can
save them.”  Scott made that claim with conviction.  Carl looked up at Scott and saw a growing confidence in his face. 

“What are you proposing, Commodore?” asked the mayor.  He sounded like a man at the end of his rope and ready to grasp at straws.

“There are at least a dozen fishing piers between Santa Monica and Newport Beach,” Scott explained. “We can send boats and ships to rescue anyone who can make it onto those piers, as well as armed men to secure the piers during the evacuation.  We can do pickups at local marinas too.  I wouldn’t dream of suggesting something like this on a sunny day, but it should be possible during the rain.  We have thousands of boats in the Flotilla now, not to mention cruise ships with dozens of lifeboats.  Hell, we can even patrol the whole coast and rescue anyone who swims out into the ocean, or paddles out on a raft or surfboard.”

“That’s quite an ambitious plan,” said the mayor. “But it won’t help the people who can’t reach the coast.”

“There’s only so much we can do, Mr. Mayor,” Scott said with renewed exasperation.  “Something is better than nothing at a time like this.  I’m offering to rescue the people who
can
reach the coast.  You’ll need to come up with your own plan to save the rest of them.”  That clear statement of reality had the desired effect.  The mayor remained silent as everyone digested the ramifications.

“So now you know my plan,” Scott said.  “Our goal will be to evacuate as many survivors as possible by boat and bring them to refugee camps in our safe haven.  We can work on long term relocation plans later.  The priority has to be rescuing as many people as possible during this storm.  It might be the last big rain we get for many months, so this could be their only hope to escape from wherever they’re hiding.

“What we really need from you, Mr. Mayor is to spread the word of the evacuation plan and our prediction that it will be possible for survivors to relocate during the rain.  You should use whatever remains of the emergency broadcast system, including weather alert radios, and get a comprehensive press release to GNN and any radio stations that are still on the air.  We should use loudspeakers from helicopters over residential areas near the coast too.  Anyone have any other ideas?”  Scott seemed to add this last question as an afterthought, but Carl’s mind had been digesting all of these ideas and came up with one of his own.  He raised his hand, nodding towards the speaker phone, and Scott raised an eyebrow as he nodded for Carl to proceed.

“I have an idea,” Carl said hesitantly while leaning towards the speaker phone on Scott’s desk. 

“Who’s speaking?” asked Special Agent Corrigan.

“This is Carl Stiller.  I’m an engineer and I just led a convoy of survivors from the refinery that the commodore mentioned to this safe haven.  I also set up the sprinkler defense at the refinery and I’ve participated in several rescue and supply missions since Z-Day.  So I guess I have more experience fighting these zombies and moving around on streets infested with them than most people do.”

“Those sound like good enough credentials for me,” replied Corrigan in a tone that seemed to challenge those around him to disagree.  “What’s your idea, Carl?”

“Well, we got here by using a big front end loader, sort of a bulldozer, to clear a path for our convoy.  It should be possible to do the same thing on some of the freeways.  We can try to clear a lane on the Harbor Freeway all the way from San Pedro to downtown LA.  Of course it would be better and faster if we start at both ends and meet up in the middle.”  Carl paused and there was silence on the line as everyone digested his plan.  He pressed on to explain, “Once we have at least one lane cleared you can start sending buses full of people down to the port.  During the rain it might be possible for people near the freeway to get to onramps and overpasses where the buses could pick them up too.”  Scott was nodding approval as Carl finished outlining his idea.

“Do you really think that is possible?” asked Mayor Del Fuego. 

“It sounds workable,” interjected Special Agent Corrigan.  “But do we have time to do all of that during the storm?”

“We should plan on starting first thing in the morning,” Carl suggested.

“Before the rain even starts?” asked the mayor incredulously.  “The zombies would be all over you!”

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” said Carl confidently.  “It’s just a matter of zombie-proofing the vehicles.  We have one front end loader and a wrecker ready to go and I can email or fax you some simple plans to duplicate on your own earthmovers.  The Marines here have an APC with a bulldozer blade that could help clear the road and provide firepower too.  We also have two zombie-proof fire trucks with water canon to provide defense until the storm arrives.”  Carl seemed to have figured this out on the fly.  Scott was impressed and, judging by the stunned silence on the phone, so were those listening in the EOC. 

To fill the silence Carl explained, “I would start right now, but it would be safer to wait until dawn when we can use helicopters to scout the route and provide air cover.  If they spot anything that we can’t handle, or clear out of the way, we might need to make a few detours or take an alternate route.  I also want to let my heavy equipment operators get some rest.  They had a busy day clearing a path from the refinery to the port.”

“Of course,” said the otherwise speechless mayor. 

“Sounds like we have a lot of preparations to make tonight,” said Special Agent Corrigan.  “You can count on whatever support I can provide.”  His comment sounded as if it were directed as much towards convincing the mayor to commit to the plan as to reassure Carl and Scott.

“Yes,” said Mayor Del Fuego.  “If you all think this plan will work, then I will certainly support it.  What exactly will you need from the city?”

“Bulldozers, armored cars and buses,” said Scott without hesitation while Carl nodded in silent agreement.   “And we’ll need helicopters for air cover and to spread news of the relocation by loud speaker.  Helicopters can also lure zombies away from survivors and their escape routes.  We used that tactic down in Cabo San Lucas right after Z-Day. If this works the way we hope it will, you might want to consider opening other routes to the suburbs during the storm. Once you clear a path it should remain passable to zombie-proof vehicles even after the storm passes.”

“Yes, that sounds good,” the mayor agreed readily. 

“This is Fire Chief Rogers,” said another deep voice.  “I’ll ask for volunteers to man fire engines as escorts for the heavy equipment and we have Fire Department bulldozers that can be used to clear roads too.  We also have firefighting helicopters that can drop thousands of gallons of water for air support.”

“Good idea,” Scott said. “I’m glad you grasp how valuable your firefighting apparatus have become, sir.” 

“Chief Harris here,” the Police Chief broke in.  “We’ll provide armored cars full of SWAT officers and helicopters with snipers. I can also put armed officers in every bus we can mobilize. This sounds like our first and maybe our only chance to really help the survivors.  I’ll authorize a maximum effort.”  It almost sounded as if the police didn’t want to be upstaged by the fire department, but any motivation to do the right thing was welcome. 

“I can contribute our FBI helicopter,” said Corrigan.  “We also have three armored SUVs, plus an armored Bearcat and a Hostage Rescue Team to man them. However, they’re located in West LA where the roads and freeways are jammed with abandoned vehicles, so I’m not sure how much good they will do unless we find a bulldozer too.”

“Good point,” agreed Scott.  “Perhaps your helicopter can scout for a clear path of travel, or find some heavy equipment close by.  If not, we can pick up your team in helicopters to help wherever they are needed.  I’ll coordinate this with the Coast Guard too. They should have another four or five helicopters to contribute to the mission.”

“I’ll fill in the Sheriff and County Fire Chief,” said the mayor as he began to grasp the scope of the plan.  “They have a lot of assets out at their headquarters on the hill above the junction of Interstate 10 the 710 freeway.  If they can clear a path on those highways west from there, it would add two more major evacuation routes.”

“Now you’re cooking with gas, Mr. Mayor,” said Scott with a smile.  They spent another ten minutes discussing the details of their plans.  In the end it was decided that the evacuation by boats along the coast would be handled by Scott’s Flotilla and the Coast Guard.  It would be called
Operation Dunkirk.
The mission to clear the freeways and collect survivors in buses would be known as
Operation Exodus.
Carl would lead the team clearing a path inland.  Units from the city would work from the other direction.  Everyone realized that it would be impossible to reach or rescue most of the survivors, but they all hoped that their efforts would save thousands – every life counted.

*****

Clint got out of Carla’s bed shortly after he was sure she was asleep and put his clothes back on awkwardly, still not used to doing the simplest things with one arm.  With his shirt unbuttoned he slipped out of her cabin quietly and walked down the corridor towards his own stateroom near the bow of the ship.  This was another reason he was glad Carla’s cabin had been closer: it was easier to sneak out than ask her to leave when he decided that he would rather sleep alone.  Clint wasn’t being callus.  He just didn’t want Carla to think that their encounter meant more than it did.  He enjoyed his independence and certainly wasn’t ready to make any kind of commitment just yet.  Finding himself in her bed in the morning would have been awkward to say the least. 

It was well past midnight and the companionway was empty.  He walked several hundred feet to his stateroom and was a bit surprised when he saw a note taped to his door.  He took it off as he entered his room and set it down on the bedside table as he shed his clothes once more.  It wasn’t until he was in his bed that he thought of the note again, but by then he had turned off the light.  Whatever was in the note could wait until morning.  He rolled over to keep his weight off of the stump of his missing arm and drifted off into a dream in which he was healthy, happy and whole.

*****

Scag was up late snorting crystal meth after raping little Nickie and leaving her tied to his bed set up in an office on the upper floor of the aquarium.  His heart was pounding and he was sweating when he decided to go up onto the roof for some fresh air.  He stood on the roof, looking across the bay at the lights of the Queen Mary and the new safe haven beyond.  There were even more lights around the port tonight and Scag realized that several large cruise ships had recently arrived.  The people over there seemed well organized and it was obvious that they intended to set up a permanent base in the port. Scag had mixed feelings about that.