Apocalypse Empire (Book 1): Apocalypse Origins (27 page)

"Agent Terrence?" Nick asked.

"I'm here, Captain."

"What's going on? Was the doctor successful?"

Terrence hesitated a moment before answering, "Yes and
no."

"Yes and no? How is that an answer?"

"The doctor discovered a treatment but it's not a
cure."

"Not a cure? What use is it then?"

"The doctor says it'll stop the infection from
spreading. The layman's version that he gave me is that it makes the bite one
hundred percent fatal rather than allowing a portion to survive and become
infected."

"That's...not what we were hoping for," Nick
replied. "Still, that could mean no new infected."

"Exactly," Terrence replied. "It's a
win."

"No new infected means we can win this. Take back the
cities."

"You see, Captain? You might not agree with my methods
but this is what everything was for. Today everything changes."

Nick grunted. He couldn't argue with the results but he
wasn't ready to say Terrence had been right all along. Suddenly, the stress of
the day caught up with him and he wanted nothing more than to lie down.
"Maybe," he said in a tired voice.

"You sound tired, Captain. Get some rest, you earned it."

***

"Captain! Captain!"

Nick jerked awake to the sound of his aide screaming over
his headset. "What's wrong?" he asked as he rubbed the sleep from his
eyes.

"We're under attack!" As if to punctuate his statement,
a nearby helicopter exploded. Nick surged from his seat and looked out the
window as fiery debris rained down. Nick look around and saw that they were
above a heavily forested area. It looked as if there was a clearing below that
would accommodate them.

"Take us below the tree line!" Nick yelled into
his headset. "Don't touch down, stay about twenty feet up." Nick held
on as the pilot quickly complied with his order.

"What now?" the pilot asked over the headset.

"We wait," Nick replied as he made his way to the
co-pilot seat.

A few minutes later, half a dozen jeeps sped into the
clearing. Nick frowned as he saw that each jeep was equipped with what looked
like M240 machine guns. This wasn't a random event. Nick had at first thought
they had stumbled onto some sort of anti-government group. Or maybe someone
that just wanted their supplies. Neither was the case here. This was a highly
organized attack but by who? How did they know they'd be coming this way? Nick
pushed those thoughts away. The why could be answered later.

"Light 'em up!" Nick ordered. The helicopters
unleashed a fusillade from their M230 machine guns. They managed to hit one of
the jeeps and it burst into flames but the others managed to escape their
initial volley. Nick cursed in frustration. They were at a severe disadvantage
here. There wasn't that much space in the clearing so they couldn't maneuver
for fear of hitting each other. The jeeps below though were free to use their
mobility to full effect. They were able to evade the shots from the helicopters
while returning fire on mostly stationary targets.

Nick ordered the helicopters to rotate in place in an
attempt to counteract the jeeps' mobility. The next few minutes passed slowly
as the two groups exchanged fire. Fortunately, Nick's men were better trained
and claimed victory. Unfortunately, two more helicopters had been shot down
during the exchange. Nick asked for a status report and was relieved to hear
that Pendleton hadn't been in one of those helicopters. He would mourn those
that died, but Henry was their only hope of beating the infected. Nick ordered
the helicopters to land and they quickly searched the downed helicopters for
survivors. That done, Nick ordered some men to search the wreckage of the jeeps
for some clue of who had attacked them. 

The only things they had managed to discover was that the
jeeps were military grade, so they were probably dealing with private
contractors or some such. The second thing they found was an insignia on the
uniforms of the men they had killed. It was a triangular black patch with
yellow stylized letters. The patch read DE. Nick had no idea what that stood
for and Terrence also came up empty. Maybe they could figure it out when they
reached the facility. Maybe this was some sort of new terrorist group taking
advantage of the chaos in the country. Nick gave the order and they lifted off
and sped north. He didn't like the idea of leaving hostile militants on the
loose but he didn't see any other choice. Developing Pendleton's treatment was
the highest priority right now. That was their only hope of rebuilding
everything the infected had destroyed.

Days passed and the group made their way towards Freyfield
State Park. It was slow going due to the high volume of wreckage on the road.
Hours every day were spent just clearing a path for the caravan to drive
through. They first had to secure the area. No one wanted to be attacked by an
infected hiding in a back seat or underneath a vehicle. Once that was done they
had to go about moving the cars. That length of that task was determined by
whether or not the keys remained in the ignition. If there weren't any keys,
Gio had to come by and work her magic so they could move the vehicle. What
would have normally been a four hour trip was taking days.

It wasn't all bad though. The time on the road gave Greg the
time to implement some of the ideas they'd been talking about. James had
started teaching the guards krav maga and that was going pretty well. The gun
training also went well. A lot of people liked the idea of being able to defend
themselves. They didn't have enough guns for everyone right now but people
would have the necessary training when that changed. The krav maga training for
everyone else didn't go so smoothly. People didn't see the need for it since
they were training with firearms. It wasn't until Greg asked one of them what
they would do if they ran out of ammo that people stopped complaining. The only
change Greg made was insisting that Carol, Laura, and Shirley participate in
James' sessions. 

Several days in, Greg found himself walking rounds with
James. After clearing a path for the day, they'd simply park their vehicles
alongside the road. Guards were placed at regular intervals to watch for
infected or anyone else that had bad designs in mind. So far they had been
fortunate, they hadn't seen any infected since leaving the trailer park. 

"How's everything going?" Greg asked.

"Good," James replied. "The guards are taking
the krav training well, no complaints.

"We're coming up on the park, sir," Don announced
from the driver's seat.

"Alright," Greg replied from the back seat. Greg
glanced out the window and saw a sign indicating they were entering the park.
The drive had been uneventful. The only change was that many in the group were
looking at him with newfound redirect. Or was that fear? Greg wasn't sure it
mattered though. He wanted to keep his everyone safe, which included these
people now. It had only been a few weeks but Greg felt responsible for them. So
maybe a little bit of great was okay if it helped them follow directions. The
light changed and Greg looked up to see that the sun's light was being filtered
by the canopy above them. It had just gone from noon to twilight. A sign indicated
the campgrounds were to the left and the caravan headed in that direction. They
passed through an area filled with recreational vehicles. The elderly people
milling about gave them fearful looks as they passed. What had happened here
for them to look like that?

A short distance after the Rv's they came upon a parking
lot. They parked their vehicles and everyone got out to stretch their legs.
Greg gathered his inner circle and they began planning on how the camp should
be organized.

"Jackson, Shirley, I'd like you guys to help with
getting all the tents set up. Carol, Laura, you guys can get something going
for lunch. Grab whoever you need." Greg was about to issue further orders
when they were interrupted.

"Hi, there!" Greg looked and saw three figures
approaching them, two men and one woman. They were each dressed in dark colored
clothing with a sidearm on their hip and functional looking boots. A badge on
their chest indicated that they were probably some sort of governmental authority,
not that that mattered much anymore. Greg thought they were likely park rangers
or some such.

"Hi," the middle figure said again as they reached
the group. "I'm Russell Stubs, head ranger. Who's in charge here?"

"I am," Greg replied as he took a step towards
them, he extended his hand and Russell clasped it in a firm grip.

"I just want to give you a heads up. We've got some
bandits in the park. You might want to keep your group moving."

Greg thought for a moment. He didn't want any unnecessary
conflict but he people needed rest. They'd taken a few days after Richard's
death but people were no doubt concerned about the execution this morning. A
few days to process might be good, this was also a great opportunity to have a
service of some sort for Richard. They could also use this time to think of any
other rules they wanted to implement. He'd told everyone how the old ways
didn't apply anymore but the people needed something to order their lives by.
Telling him old systems were gone was all well and good, what would he replace
it with? This was also a chance to supplement their food supply. Laura had
mentioned that they would need to hunt to keep their stores up. He had already
planned on sending his hunters out.

Greg shook his head, "Thanks for the warning but we're
gonna stick around for a few days. My people need rest and I'd also like to get
some hunting in."

Russell nodded, "Alright, I won't try and stop you.
Just felt I needed to warn you."

Greg nodded, "We'll deal with the bandits if they get
in our way. I've got some thirty armed men at my disposal."

Russell's eyes widened in surprise briefly before he
regained composure, "That many?"

"That's great!" the woman exclaimed. "We can
take those bastards out!"

"Excuse me?" Greg asked.

"Sorry," Russell replied, "this is Melissa
Edgars. As you can see, she's a bit passionate about our bandit problem."

"Ah," Greg replied, "I'm not about to commit
to anything. We were just in a fight a few days ago."

"Please," Melissa began, "you have to help
us. They're demanding all our food!"

"Enough, Melissa. This isn't there fight. We can't
expect complete strangers to risk themselves for us."

"What if we paid you?" she asked.

"Melissa!" the other man exclaimed. "We're
not in charge here."

"Byron and Kelly will agree, Cody. They want the
bandits gone too."

Russell sighed, "Sorry about that but what do you
think?"

"We'd have to discuss specifics," Greg replied.
"After that, I'd have to discuss it with my men. Defending their families
is one thing, this is something completely different."

"I understand," Russell replied. "I'll bring
it up to Byron and Kelly, maybe we can do dinner later tonight."

Greg nodded, "Sounds good." The trio turned around
and left the way they came. Greg looked around and saw that James was the only
one left.

"Everyone left to go do their jobs," he explained,
"I'm doing mine." James chuckled at Greg's confused look.
"Watching your back. This whole thing would fall apart without you. I
figure the best way to keep my family safe is to keep an eye on you."

"When did this happen?" Greg asked.

"This morning was the final piece although people have
been talking for a bit. They saw that you were going to be running things and
figured protecting you was top priority. People are realizing that our survival
is dependent on you."

Greg frowned, not exactly sure how he felt about that.

James chuckled again, "Deal with it, it's happening.
There's five men aside from myself. I've removed them from regular guard duty.
One of us will be with you twenty four seven."

"I don't have any choice in this do I?"

James shook his head, "Nope, it's already done."

"Alright then, let's go see how everyone's doing.

They left the parking lot and entered the camping grounds.
To their right they saw several tents and a trail that continued on out of
sight. Maybe that was where the rangers had gone. There were a number of people
around going about various tasks. Some were tending to fires while others
seemed to be just milling about. James nodded towards the left and they soon
found their people.

A number of tents had already been erected and others were
being worked on. Greg saw Jackson giving directions to a group of people and
was pleased to see things getting done. In another area of the camp he saw
Laura directing some helpers to place bins in a specific spot. Hopefully that
meant that lunch would be ready soon. Greg turned towards James. "I want
you to sound out the men. See how they feel about a fight. I'll find out
exactly what they're offering and we can decide."

James nodded and motioned towards a man walking by. He was
of average height and looked to be in decent shape. "This is Stephen
Carter. He's one of the five that will be watching you."

"Nice to meet you, Stephen."

"It's an honor, sir. You saved my sister back at the
trailer park. I'm happy to help."

"I did?" Greg asked.

Stephen nodded, "She was trapped with the other kids at
the daycare. You showed up just in time."

Greg thought back and remembered helping Carol, she had been
trapped against the wall of a trailer home with some kids. "I remember.
She alright then?"

Stephen nodded again, "She's just fine thanks to you.
If you need anything at all just let me know."

Greg nodded in response, "I'm glad she's safe."

"Alright," James said, "I'll go check on the
men."

Greg nodded as James walked way and decided now was good
time to see how lunch was coming along.

***

Shirley sighed in frustration. These people were impossible.
Couldn't they just behave like adults and solve their own problems? If one more
person came to her saying their blanket had been stolen, she'd scream. She
glanced over at Jackson and saw that he seemed to really be in his element. He
was directing people on where they could set up their tents and had a slight
smile on his face. Shirley approached and waited until the person he was
speaking to had walked away.

"I've dealt with the blanket crisis," she
announced.

Jackson chuckled, "What would we do without you?"

"You wouldn't have any blankets."

"That would be terrible."

"I know," she said with a smile, "Almost done?"

Jackson nodded, "They've got the procedure down, just
needed to be told where to go."

Shirley nodded and took a quick glance around. They were
alone for the most part. "I've been wondering, how do you feel about all
this?"

"We've got a good thing going here," Jackson
replied. "Greg is trying to rebuild. Supporting him is the best way to
keep you safe. And I don't want to go back to how we had to leave before
finding Greg."

Shirley nodded, "Good, I feel the same. I just wanted
to make sure you were alright." A look flashed across her eye and Jackson
smiled.

"Still feel guilty about the shelter?"

Shirley nodded, "If we had gone off on our own to begin
with we'd have been better off. And I wouldn't have run into that jerk
again."

Jackson shrugged, "We needed some rest after the t.v.
station. It worked out."

"Thanks," she replied.

***

The day passed uneventfully. After lunch, Greg pitched in
where he was needed and then just mingled until it was time for the afternoon
krav maga session. Greg was really looking forward to it. The more that people
were able to defend themselves, the better chances they had of surviving an
attack. He briefly wondered if Richard would still be alive if more people had
been able to fight. Not everyone was happy with the mandatory training.
They were still used to the idea that a select few could protect them while
they were able to sit back and enjoy the benefits. They'd been lucky at the
trailer park. Everyone had to be able to defend themselves to some
extent. 

Greg reached the training area which was basically an open
space cleared of any obstacles. Greg joined James and they spent the next hour
showing some basics. When they were done Greg felt that none of them were ready
for a fight but they had to start somewhere. After the workout, Greg found a
spot where he could be alone, Stephen kept watch from a few feet away. He
retrieved a pen and paper, precious commodities now, and began writing down
some of his thoughts. Teaching krav maga was a good idea but he wanted to go further.
He thought that firearms training should also be on the agenda. 

Later that day, Russell Stubs returned to escort Greg to
dinner. Greg had planned taking Carol along but James insisted on coming as
well for his protection. They walked past the campers they saw on their way in
and took the trail that Greg had seen earlier. Russell led them to a large two
story home that looked like something from the Victorian era. There was a porch
that ran the length of the house and a turret that stood above the roof line.

"That's impressive," Carol said looking up.

"Welcome to Freyfield Park Bed and Breakfast,"
Russell announced with a flourish.

The group chuckled and Russell led the way inside. They
entered a foyer where a large chandelier hung over head. The walls were
covered with soft wood paneling and carried portraits of various nature scenes.

"This place has been here since the civil war,"
Russell explained as the group looked around. "Follow me, dinner should be
ready." 

The group followed and Russell led them down several
hallways, each covered in the same wooden paneling from the entryway. There
were also portraits that depicted various moments in a family's life. Greg
assumed it was Byron and Kelly since they were the owners. They entered the
dining room and saw a large table covered with a white tablecloth. Surrounding
the table were eight wooden chairs that had the look of being handmade. 

"Why don't we get comfortable," Russell said.
"Byron and Kelly should be here any minute."

They took their seats and a few minutes later they looked up
as Melissa and Cody entered the dining room. Behind them were two people that
had to be Byron and Kelly. Byron looked to be in his late thirties with a
muscular build. Not the type of physique you'd find at gym but from working
outdoors. Kelly also looked to be in her late thirties. She also had the look
of someone that worked outside a lot but i didn't subtract from
her femininity.