Brent Acuff - Undead Nation 03 (12 page)

The group continued to sit silently, taking in everything that Commander Travis had just said. "Alex, I'm sorry. But I can't let you or your men stay here. There is..."

"There are too many innocents here," Alex interrupted. He looked up from the spot on the ground that had been holding his attention for so long. "We wouldn't ask you or your men to put yourselves in danger for us." Alex turned to look each of his friends in the eye. "We'll leave. We just need some supplies."

Commander Travis nodded his head. "You will have anything and everything that you need, Alex." He crossed the open space between them to stand in front of Alex. Commander Travis held out his hand. "I'm sorry for my involvement in any of this. Please believe me when I say that I had no idea that it would come to this. I had no idea Hill would do what he has done."

Alex took the commander's hand and shook it. "If you and your men hadn't come to our aid, none of would be alive." The sentiment seemed to ease the conscience of Travis who smiled and shook Alex's hand once more.

"Let's go," Alex commanded. "Gather supplies and check your weapons. We are going into hiding."

-----

Bullets clicked into magazines, weapons were checked, and bags were loaded to capacity with supplies, food and ammunition. The grieving Stryker team had pushed aside their emotions once more to prepare for a battle they knew was coming. Each of the five remaining citizens of New Hope readied themselves and their equipment to face any number of threats awaiting them.

"Fifteen minutes," Alex called out, double checking his own gear in the process. Commander Travis had seen to it that Alex and his team were given anything and everything that they requested. The supply chief had been suspicious, but stern orders from the commander had put an end to any further questions.

"Equipment check. Each man sound off." Each member of the Stryker team called out in turn the contents of their personal bags, including ammo, weapons, food, and supplies. Donovan, after completing his personal equipment check, sounded out the contents of the humvee.

"Everyone load up. We're heading out." The team finished the last minute details of their packing while Alex crossed to shake hands with Lieutenant Hubbard.
 

"We can't thank you enough for coming to get us the other night. And for all of the care that you showed to me and my team."

Hubbard shook his head, dismissing the thanks. "What any good soldier would do for his comrades. Nothing more."

Alex shook the man's hand and slapped him on the shoulder. "Comrades? After everything you've done for us, you're a bit more than that. If we make it through this, look us up sometime. You'll always be welcome."

"Will do," Hubbard said smiling.

"Incoming!" Both Alex and Hubbard heard the call. Donovan frantically jabbed his finger in the direction behind the two men, his rifle already raised and sighted on the incoming danger. Hayden scrambled behind Donovan into the humvee, his head popping out of the gun port of the roof. He swung the M249 SAW in Alex's direction.

Turning, Alex saw fifteen black clad soldiers quickly closing the distance between them and the Stryker team. Seeing the M249 swing their direction, the attackers split their ranks and took cover. All hell broke loose.

Alex and Lieutenant Hubbard dove for the ground as bullets passed just inches above their heads. Hayden unleashed with the SAW, spraying the attackers with an unrelenting amount of fire. The black clad attackers dove for cover, one of them moving too slow and his chest exploded as the high velocity rounds tore through him. The amount of cover fire was enough to allow Alex and Hubbard to scramble for cover behind the humvee.

"You've got to get out of here!" Hubbard yelled to Alex. "Get out of here!"

Alex shook his head. "No good! We're pinned down and out numbered! Plus, somebody's got to save your ass." Alex looked over the hood of the humvee and squeezed the trigger of his rifle, sending a spray of bullets at the attackers. Easing off the trigger and looking down range, Alex noticed as some of the attackers began moving to the left and right of Alex's position. He ducked back behind the humvee.

"They are going to have us surrounded any time now. They do that, and they'll cut us to ribbons!"

A wicked grinned spread across Hubbard's face. "Let me make a phone call."

Alex looked at the man, confused as Hubbard pulled out a radio. Covering the mouthpiece with his free hand, Hubbard began screaming into the radio. A second later, his grinning face looked back at Alex. "You think you can hold them off for two minutes?" The man seemed to be having a bit of fun with everything.

"Why? What happens in two minutes?" Alex asked, not sure he wanted to know the answer he was about to get.
 

"Fireworks!"

Bullets ricocheted everywhere around the humvee. One bullet found its place in the front tire, throwing the entire vehicle off balance. The lurch of the truck threw Hayden off balance and the SAW swung down peppering the ground far in front of the attackers positions. The momentary lapse in covering fire gave the attackers the needed break to reposition themselves.

"They're coming around! Throw everything you've got at them!" Alex popped up over the hood of the humvee again, sighting in an attacker almost immediately. His rifle barked a three round burst and he watched the attacker fall.
 

All around him, the Stryker team unleashed as much firepower as they could, desperately trying to keep the heads of the attackers low and their feet from moving. The team was outnumbered three to one, and the bullets coming at them far out paced their own.

"I'm hit," Luke called out as he fell to the ground. Blood poured from a wound above his ankle, and the man struggled to get back to his feet. His gun never wavered or stopped. "There's too many! We've got to get out of here!"

A large explosion lit the sky, the concussive boom a exclamation point to Luke's call. A second and a third explosion flared, each one churning up the earth between the Stryker team and attackers. Hubbard whooped and hollered into his radio.

"Too long, dammit! You're about to roast my ass! Forty yards too long! Seventy yard spread!"

Almost before Hubbard had finish his command, more explosions lit up the night sky. This time, the attackers took the near full brunt of the impact.
 

The gunfire coming from the Stryker team paused only briefly as each of the men watched as the protective cover of the attackers was consumed by fire and shrapnel. As the assassins realized what was happening, they began to retreat. Alex and his team cut them down as they fled.
 

"Cease fire! Cease fire!" Alex and Hubbard each yelled their command to their respective teams. Rifles were silenced and explosions ceased. For a moment after, only the sounds of the crackling fires were heard. That and the ringing in the men's ears.

"What the hell was that?!" Liam yelled from the back of of the humvee. Hubbard whooped once more.

"That was my boys!" he said excitedly. "You never bothered to ask. I'm an artillery team commander."

The stunned look on Alex's face was mirrored throughout the rest of the Stryker team. "You can't be serious," Liam said dumbfounded. "No one would ever believe this. Not even in a book!" His surprised expression soon turned to one of sheer joy. Liam started to laugh uncontrollably.

The release from the fire fight that had just passed soon hit everyone, and Liam's mad laughter did nothing to help the situation. Soon, soft giggles began to pass amongst the team members, working its way into full on laughter. It was the plaintive calls from Luke that finally brought everyone back to the here and now.

"I don't mean to be a buzz kill or anything," he call, in obvious pain, "but would anyone mind picking me up out of the dirt! I've been shot!"

Donovan and Liam together lifted the injured man up off the ground, gently setting him into the humvee. Theresa was next to him a moment later, first aid and suture kit ready. She ripped open the man's pant leg, poured water over the wound, and looked carefully to see how bad it was.
 

Theresa stood up suddenly and looked at Luke with barely controlled rage. "You whiny, sorry, no good baby! The damn thing is just a flesh wound!" She slapped the scrape across Luke's leg, causing the man to holler in pain.

"God-dammit!" he yelled and reached to grab his leg, mostly to keep Theresa from smacking it again.

"Here," Theresa said, flinging the first aid kit at Luke. "Put the band-aid on it yourself. I think there are some pink Hello Kitty ones in there somewhere." Donovan and Liam fought to keep the laughter in. Their efforts were in vain as the two men couldn't contain themselves anymore.

"Shut up," was all Luke could muster as he searched through the first aid kit. It was sirens coming close that finally stopped the hilarity.

"You'd better get out of here," Hubbard ordered Alex. "They'll not like it too much when they find out you guys have popped off some more of their team."

"You'd be wise to do the same," Alex suggested.

Hubbard shook his head. "I'll be alright. Most likely the MPs will be someone I know. I kinda get along with most people around here. That tire," Hubbard said, indicating the blown front, "it'll get you out of here a ways. Take the Sand Springs Expressway east until you get to the Keystone Air Park. Commander Travis has got someone there expecting you. Look for a Sergeant Mattheson. He'll have been in contact with your man at Hill's. He'll be able to tell you where to are headed."

Alex shook Hubbard's hand. "Once again we are thanking you for saving our lives. I'm not sure there is anything that we can do to ever repay you." Hubbard pulled Alex close and whispered in his ear.

"Gut the son-of-a-bitch," he said. "If he really did everything you've said he did, make him hurt." The two men parted and Alex nodded once. He barked out a command to the Stryker team who quickly loaded the humvee. They were out of the camp perimeter before security arrived.

-----

"And just how do you plan on getting there, huh? You just going to drive right up to the front gates, ask to be let in? I'm sure my husband will accommodate you. Actually I'm positive he will, right before he puts a bullet in your brain!" Theresa Hill was furious, but Alex seemed not to notice. He continued frantically packing his gear and double checking his weapons, ignoring the woman screaming in his ear.

"Alex, she's right." Liam's tactic was calmer, almost sympathetic. Neither seemed to be making much headway, though. "Alex? Alex!" Liam lost his patience with his long time friend. He grab him by the arm and spun Alex around to face him.
 

Alex's left hand connected with Liam's jaw, sending the man sprawling on the ground. Alex stood over him, fists clenched, his eyes mad. Donovan and Hayden stepped between the two to stave off any further attack.
 

Theresa helped the shaken Liam to his feet, offering him a shoulder to lean on until he could regain his balance. His eyes showed rage, but also a sadness.
 

"Do you think you are the only one hurting here, Alex? Are you the only one of us in pain right now? We've all lost our families, Alex! Not just you. The only difference is, you have a chance to see you daughter again. You, out of all of us, have the chance to hold your loved one again." Liam stood up and walked to stand in front of his friend. "And we will fight along side you to make sure she is safe. We will die for that, Alex. To make sure you see her again. To hold her. But you can't just throw your life away, my friend. If you do this, what you are preparing to do now, you'll never see Gemma again."

Alex's lip quivered and his expression changed. The tears which had so recently flowed freely now returned and he collapsed into Liam's arms, great sobs racking his body. Liam closed his arms around Alex, supporting his friend in this time of anguish.

"We can't get to her, Liam," Alex said between sobs. "There's no way. That compound is a fortress. There is no way." Alex buried his head in Liam's shoulder.
 

"There is a way," Donovan said, quietly. Everyone turned to looked at the man. "Hayden and I have been talking since the drive out of Tulsa." He jabbed a thumb at the other. "Alex, there is a way. But it does have risks."

Alex raised his head, the tears coming slower now, and looked at Donovan. "I'm listening."

"Okay, but you have to wait until I'm finished."

"What do you have in mind," Alex said, standing up straight, intrigued.
 

"First," and a big grin crossed Donovan's face, "we rob a train."

-----

"Are you serious?!" Luke shook his head in disbelief at the proposal from Donovan and Hayden. "I don't think that I heard you right, so let me get all of this straight. We hijack a train, fill it with zombies, and drive it straight into the Des Moines compound? Does that about cover it?"
 

Donovan mocked thinking for a moment, then looked at Hayden. The two men nodded briefly to one another before turning back to Luke. "Actually, that sums it up pretty good," Donovan said. Luke threw up his hands and rolled his eyes.
 

"Donovan, I'm not so sure about this," Alex said.
 

"I know the way it sounds, Alex, but look at it from all sides. We have five guns, we have thousands of miles to cross.."

"Hundreds," Hayden corrected. "About four hundred to be exact."

"Fine, HUNDREDS of miles, and they'll pick us off before we even get close to the gates. There aren't too many options out there for us."

"Not to mention, we had this same plan used against us before. Twice actually," Hayden offered.
 

Liam cocked his head to the side, confused. "Twice? I only remember the one a few days ago in Tulsa."

Hayden nodded. "That's right. And that was the most effective use. Hit us with them after they've distracted us. The other..."

"Was at New Hope," Alex cut in.

Hayden nodded. "Only that they did it the other way around. Use the zombies to distract us, then hit us with traditional weapons."