Brent Acuff - Undead Nation 03 (13 page)

"So just how is this one different from either of those?" Theresa asked. She was the only member of the Stryker team to not have been present in New Hope at the time of that first attack.

"This time, they are the distraction and the weapon," Donovan said smiling. "They are the army. A mean fighting machine that doesn't worry about bullets, enemies or dying. We get that train, loaded with deaders into that compound?"

"The hell they will unleash will be devastating," Alex finished. Now he too was smiling.
 

Donovan agreed emphatically. "Set them loose, then we go hunting for Hill."

-----

The train horn blared its warning to the obstruction sitting across the tracks in the distance. This was an military supply train, and as such, heavily armored. Whatever was in their way wouldn't pose much of a problem, but the engineers tried to avoid any unnecessary damage to government property. The horn blared its warning a second time, but whatever was in their path either couldn't, or wouldn't, move.
 

"Command Sergeant," the junior engineer called back. "They don't seem to be moving. What do we do?"

The senior engineer ducked through the opening back into the cab of the train engine. He grabbed a pair of binoculars from their perch and raised them to have a look.
 

The engineer leaned forward, almost as if he didn't believe what he was seeing. He pulled the binoculars away from his eyes, blinked them a few times, then looked once more at the obstruction.
 

"Corporal," the sergeant sounded uneasy. "Talk a look and tell me what you see." The senior engineer handed the binoculars over to the corporal, who took the glasses carefully, a look of confusion on his face. He peered through them. His lips began moving slowly.

"If...you can read this...we're already...on board?" The junior engineer pulled the binoculars down and looked at the sergeant. "I don't understand. What does it mean?"

"Sound the general alarm!" the command sergeant ordered, but stopped short of actually moving. The sight of a gun barrel aimed in their direction made him think twice about that choice.

"We'd appreciate it if you could stop the train, please. We don't want for anyone to get hurt." Both of the engineers stood motionless. "If you wouldn't mind," Alex said, motioning to the control panel with the barrel of his rifle.
 

The senior engineer stepped forward. "Everything on this train is property of the US military. They will never let you take..."

"Oh, we don't want the stuff," Alex interrupted. He smiled. "We just need the train."

The senior engineer looked confused. "I'm sorry?" he asked.

Alex nodded his head. "You heard right. We just want the train, nothing else. As a matter of fact, we kind of need you and your men to empty the train as much as you can."

The engineer now seemed annoyed. "Listen, I don't know what you're playing at, but we can't just stop and unload the train whenever we feel like it." He threw up his hands in exasperation. "This stuff is headed for Des Moines to be unloaded..."

"Yes, yes...I know," Alex stopped the man again. "That's kind of why we need this one."
 

"I'm...I'm sorry?"

"Listen, the less you know, the better for everyone. Now, I can't let you guys out just anywhere. You understand, I'm sure."

The engineer now smiled and crossed his arms over his chest. "I see. You want us to stop everything because you asked, unload the train, and sit back quietly while you and whoever you've got with you just ride off?"

Alex made a dramatic show with his face as if he were having to think over the engineer's take on the situation. "Yeah..." he said, drawing out the word, "that pretty much sums it up."

The engineer chuckled. "And if we refuse?" The train lurched forward and the rails squealed under the train. Alex put a hand out to brace himself against the wall, but the two train engineers were thrown forward into the control panel. "What the...?" The senior engineer cursed, but quickly held his tongue when another gun barrel was pointed in his face. A grinning Liam stood behind them.

"Then I guess we'll just have to stop it ourselves," Alex said. The train began to stop slowly, its brakes squealing with the effort of trying to stop the massive train.
 

"What's that?" the senior engineer said, pointing to the obstacle now dangerously close to the road. Alex laughed.

"Just some plywood and poles to hold it up. We just needed something to distract you long enough."

"There are soldiers stationed all along this train. You'll never get past them all." The engineer was still trying to bolster his confidence, hoping that something he said to the hijackers would make them stop or leave all together.
 

Alex looked around the engineers to Liam. "Mr. Beard?" Liam's grin widened even farther.

"It's why I'm here. Taken care of. All of them. Mr. Murphy's got them held up in the fifth train car."

"There," Alex said with an air of playfulness in his voice. "Everybody is accounted for. Now if you wouldn't mind joining your friends. You'll need to keep your strength up so that we can get these cars unloaded."

"And just how do I know you haven't already killed them?" the engineer said angrily. "How do I know you won't just kill us as soon as our backs are turned?"

Alex rolled his eyes at the older man. "Really? If I had wanted to kill you, wouldn't I have just made my life easier and put a bullet in you already?" Alex paused to let his words sink in. "Besides, I don't plan on unloading this train myself. We aren't going to be using any of it, so we'll let you all do the work. Sound fair?" The senior engineer's face was turning a bright red. He was going to lose this fight, he just hadn't given up yet.

"And if we refuse?" the man said defiantly.

"Then I guess we really would have no use for you. At that point, well..." Alex let the words hang in the air, allowing the two engineers to come to their own conclusions. "Mr. Beard?" Alex called to Liam. "I'll be escorting these two gentlemen to car number five. Please see that the train stops at a location that is the most advantageous to our needs."

"Yes sir," Liam said, saluting Alex sharply.

Returning his attention back to the engineers, "Gentlemen? Let's get you guys cozy."

-----

"Gentlemen, is there anything else that we can do for you?" Alex was trying to be sincere, but he knew full well that the exhausted soldiers would think him condescending. The twenty men and women had just spent the last eight hours unloading every last case and box from the rail cars. They were angry, tired, and didn't really want to be left in the middle of nowhere.
 

Alex held out his hand to the senior engineer. The man didn't take it. "I really am sorry for all of this," Alex said, lower his hand. "You, or more importantly this train, are a means to an end. We have no problems with you." The sweaty engineer just glared at Alex. "The nearest town is about a three day walk from here, due east. Most of this area has been cleared of the dead, but make sure that you keep a watch. There's no telling what else is left out here."

"Obviously," the engineer said sarcastically.

"Touché," Alex smiled. "Take care." Alex turned back towards the train as the rest of the Stryker team kept watch over the abandoned soldiers from their perches on the rail cars. As soon as Alex was aboard, the train lurched forward towards its next stop.

"So did you tell them that they were only about five miles from an army depot?" Liam asked. Alex made a face and shook his head slightly.

"No, I figured I'd let them find out about that on their own."

"Your probably right, Alex. No need having the cavalry called on us before we get to where we're going."
 

"Or before we pick up our cargo."

-----

"Close the door! Close the door!" Alex and Donovan struggled to close the sliding door of the rail car as Liam jumped through. Liam struggled to his feet and put his weight behind the two, helping them slide it shut just as the first zombie reached the opening.

"'We can't just blow the horn', he said. 'Someone's got to go out there and get them', he said. Why the hell did it have to be me?!" Liam leaned against the side of the train trying to catch his breath.

"I wouldn't stay down there too long," Luke said from up top. "There's a few more of them coming, and I bet it won't take them that long to figure out that they can probably walk under the train to the other side." Liam gave out an exaggerated sigh and turned to pull himself up the ladder to the safety of the rail car.
 

"So just how long are we going to sit here?" Donovan asked after helping Liam over the edge of the roof.
 

"Until we think we've got enough, I guess. This is your plan, remember? I'm just here." Alex and the others watched as hundreds of zombies wound their way towards the open doors of the train cars. "How many do you think it will take?"

Donovan watch for a moment as the zombies shuffled in their direction, then looked down the line of rail cars. "How many do you think each one will hold?"

Alex did a quick calculation in his head. "Not sure. But if they pack themselves in..."

"Which they will," Theresa said.

"Close to a hundred? Mind you, I'm just guessing here. I honestly have zero clue."
 

Donovan thought for a minute. "So, on the high side, if we get every one of these cars filled, we're looking at around three thousand zombies."

"Give or take," Alex said. "And just how many do you think we'll need to pull this off?"

Donovan shrugged his shoulders. "About four times that?" Everyone on top of the car shook their heads at the though.

"This is never going to work, is it?" Luke asked.
 

"It'll work," Liam said, staring off in the distance at the stream of zombies heading in their direction. He turned to look at Alex. "It's got to work. We don't have any other option."

Alex nodded his head slowly. "You're right. It's got to work."

-----

"Supply train is late, Captain." Captain Mitchell stood in the center of the command station. Steam rose from the coffee cup he was holding and he looked as if his mind was on other things. "Sir, the supply train is late. It was due in here yesterday." The captain shook his head, clearing away the cobwebs.

"Thank you, master sergeant. Any word from them?"

The younger man shook his head. "No sir, no communication." Captain Mitchell took a sip of his coffee and his eyes nearly glazed over again.

"Thank you, master sergeant. I don't think there is anything that we need to concern ourselves with. Please let me know if we haven't heard from them by 20:00."

There was some confusion that crept into the master sergeant's voice. "Um...yes, sir. Anything else?"

Mitchell shook his head and took another sip of his coffee. "Nothing. You are dismissed, master sergeant." The younger soldier saluted weakly and hurried off to relay their new orders. Captain Mitchell looked at the clock and raised his mug to his lips.

-----

"Incoming transport, please identify."

The radio crackled the command for the second time as the Stryker team quickly discussed what they should do.

"Why didn't any of us think about this?" Hayden cursed. "Of course they aren't going to let us come through without some sort of verification. We're screwed..."

"Fucked," Liam interjected. "Remember, it's the general state of being for us."

Hayden threw up his hands and rolled his eyes. "Fine...fucked. Alex, what are we going to do?" Everyone's eyes turned to the man as he went through their options in his head.

Finally, "I guess I'll talk to them." The casualness of the statement took everyone aback.
 

"What? You are just going to...talk? What are you going to say?" Theresa demanded. Alex shrugged.

"Not sure. Guess I'll see what they ask." Before anyone could stop him, Alex had the radio in hand.

"This is Command Sergeant Tom Willis. Military transport and supply requesting entrance to Des Moines with cargo." The radio crackled back to life.

"Command Sergeant Willis, please provide your serial number and authorization for verification."

"Shit," Donovan cursed. "We're..."

"Fucked," Liam interrupted. Donovan glared at the man.

"Des Moines, I can't seem to find the authorization for verification," Alex said into the radio. Eyes went wide around the small cabin of the train. He gave them an exasperated look and mouthed, "What?"
 

"Des Moines station, please advise." Silence greeted them from the other side of the radio for a long time. Everyone looked to one another, hoping someone would have a better idea.

"We'd better get off this train," Luke warned. "They're going to blow us to hell any minute now."

"I think I agree with Luke," Donovan said. "We're..."

"Fucked," Liam said nonchalantly.
 

"Stop it," Donovan barked. "Alex, we'll never..."

"Command Sergeant Willis, this is Captain Mitchell of the Des Moines Security Command. Please provide your serial number."

"That's it," Luke said, throwing up his hands. "They've got the head honcho on the phone now, and he's probably got his finger on the button. It was a good...well, it was an idea, but we'd better get off now."

"Mr. Kemp,"
the radio crackled. Everyone in the train cabin stared at the radio.
"Mr. Kemp, please be aware that this radio channel is completely secure, as well as this security room. I have cleared the room of all personnel, and I alone can hear our conversation."

Almost everyone in the Stryker team was shaking their heads at Alex, trying to get him to keep his mouth shut and not speak to the voice on the radio. Alex didn't listen.

"Captain Mitchell, this is Alex Kemp. How's my daughter?"

"Alive, well, and completely secure. She's been waiting for you for some time now."

Jaws dropped as they heard what Captain Mitchell said. "Captain Mitchell," Alex continued, "how can I know to trust you?" He waited for a reply.