Camp Zero (Book 2): State of Shock (8 page)

“Sure. Sorry.”

I shifted the subject to something else, anything else. “We should get some sleep. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.”

There was silence for ten minutes. Ally would shift and press herself into me. I pulled a blanket over us and was about to fall asleep when I asked her one more question.

“Ally?”

“Yeah?”

“Why are you here?”

“You want me to leave?”

“No. Just curious.”

She hesitated then replied. “Do you mind if we don’t talk about it?”

I smiled and closed my eyes.

W
hen I awoke
the next morning, Ally wasn’t there. I looked over and could see Luke was up and hobbling around. I wiped sleep dust from my eyes and got up. For a bed that was made out of intertwined branches and leaves it was surprisingly comfortable. I could hear people outside talking.

“How are you feeling?” I asked Luke.

“Where’s my pants?”

“They had to cut them off you. I’m sure they’ll have something for you.”

Corey was snoring. Billy was already up. I wandered out into the daylight and was greeted by the sight of someone chopping wood. Another carried handfuls of logs over to two fires that were still smoldering. I stretched my limbs and looked up at a gray sky. Dark billowing clouds moved to cover what little blue could be seen.

“Where’s Hank?” I asked Billy who was in the middle of making some coffee in a pot over the fire.

“He and Reynolds went into Stockdale early this morning to get some more supplies,” a woman by the name of Abigail replied. She stirred the soup that was also on the fire and then took a sip of it with a wooden spoon. “Nope, needs more salt.”

“You got a cigarette?” I asked Billy.

He reached into his jacket and produced a packet. Once mine was lit, I wandered into the forest to take a leak. As I was standing there taking care of business I had a sense that I was being watched. I glanced over my shoulder and saw a face I hadn’t seen in years.

“Trey?”

“I can’t believe it,” he said.

I zipped up and turned around. Trey Stanton was another foster kid that had been bumped around the system. Like me. We had seen each other over the years and swapped horror stories. The last time was over three years ago, just before I ended up being sent to live with Brett. He gripped me by the shoulder.

“Good to see you. I mean, the situation could be better but hell, I never thought I would see your face again. Where did they send you?”

“Mount Pleasant. And you?”

“Stockdale. It’s a bit of a shithole but the parents are okay. Not that I need them now, being eighteen and all. I was just about to move out and get my own place when this all happened.”

“Why are you here?”

“A number of homes in Stockdale caught on fire when the Commander and his men breezed through town. I guess our community was a little bit too small for them so they took what they wanted and set the rest on fire. You?”

I brought him up to speed on what had happened over the last two years. We sat around the fire having breakfast and catching up on old times.

“You. A skinhead? I would have never imagined… Well, actually, let me rephrase that. I could see you going off the deep end.”

I laughed.

“And you.”

“Yeah, okay but becoming a skinhead?”

“Not anymore.”

I ran my hand through my thick hair that had grown back over the past six months. I no longer wore clothes that associated myself with that group. Even the tattoo couldn’t be seen as I kept it hidden.

“So where are your parents?”

“My mother is still here but my father was killed in the attack.” He dropped his chin.

“Sorry to hear that.”

“Ah, shit happens, right?”

While we were chatting two men came into the middle of the group. “Listen up, Hank should have been back by now. We are looking to take a few men into Stockdale. Any volunteers?”

“I’ll go,” I said. I looked at Trey.

“I can’t. I have to be here to help my mother.”

“Count me in,” Billy said.

It didn’t take them long to round up five guys. They didn’t want to take too many and leave the camp exposed. I couldn’t see how that would happen. Taking a quick head count there had to have been at least sixty and that didn’t include the ones who were in the forest protecting the perimeter.

“What’s your name?” the man asked.

“Sam Frost.”

“Can you ride a horse?”

“Never tried but I learn fast.”

He nodded slowly. “Okay. See Nathan over there. He’ll get you squared away with one.”

Billy and I waited behind a few others as they were kitted out with tactical vests and then loaded up onto two huge horses.

“How hard can this be?” Billy said putting his foot into the stirrup and hoisting himself up on pure muscle. Once he had his other leg over he slipped and fell to the ground.

I chuckled and then nearly did the same thing. If it wasn’t for another guy who told me where to place my hands, I think I would have fallen. After a few quick pointers Billy was up and we were ready to head out.

I gave a nod to Ally who was sitting on a log with Kiera drinking coffee. Corey came out looking bleary-eyed and strolled off into the woods.

“You ready?”

“Yep.”

The horses galloped away down a trail that led out onto a vast green field. The speed of these creatures was stunning. I kept thinking that at any moment I was going to be thrown off the back and kicked in the face. The horse was responsive to even the slightest movement to one side.

“How long does it take to get there?”

“About twenty minutes by horseback.”

We pressed on over several large hills and passed through open sections of fencing that they had ripped down to ensure a safe and easy passage between the camp and town. As we got closer, the man at the front known as Bobby O’Brien told us to slow down, and then he guided us into an area that provided an expansive view of the town.

Stockdale was your typical small town. Though this one couldn’t have had more than five hundred people living in it. They had one gas station that was also a convenience store; a bank, a city hall and a grocery store. The rest was made up of small mom-and-pop stores and residential homes.

Bobby looked dead serious as he looked through binoculars.

“Anything?” Nathan asked.

“Nothing. I can’t even see their horses.”

He took off the hat he was wearing and wiped his brow. The sun was coming up and we could already feel the heat of the day bearing down on us.

“What do you want to do?” Billy asked.

“We’ll sit here until we see something.”

Billy snorted. “Are you serious, man? If they are in trouble, we should be down there.”

He glanced back at Billy with an expression that made it clear that he wasn’t going to be taking orders from someone who was far younger than him. It made sense playing the cautious card. Bobby slid off his horse and tied it to a wooden fence post.

“You going down there?” Billy asked.

“No, I’m going to take a piss. Is that okay with you?”

Billy shrugged and looked at me as if I was going to back him up. Nathan and Charlie were focusing on the town with their binoculars. I saw Bobby disappear behind a patch of thick trees. As my eyes drifted across the horizon. I saw something glimmer. It was very small at first and if the sun hadn’t caught it again, I probably wouldn’t have reacted so fast to what happened next.

A crack echoed through the valley and Charlie fell off his horse.

“Go. Go!” Nathan didn’t even get his words out when he was struck. Billy and I slid off the horses and dashed over to a field full off wheat. It was high enough to block the view of whoever was shooting at us. Bobby heard the sound and shouted for Nathan but he was already dead.

“Get down,” I yelled. I could see Bobby rushing up the field we had entered to see what had occurred. In the distance another glimmer of light came from the sun hitting the scope. I knew in that instant as Bobby made his way to the top of the hill he would be shot. I had a feeling my AR wouldn’t reach the sniper but at least I could take him off his guard. I shouldered it and focused in on the location where the light was reflecting. I fired a round, then a second. Using the binoculars that I had scooped up when Nathan came off the horse, I checked on the location of where the sniper was. While I was doing that Billy rushed out and tried to grab Bobby. Another crack of the gun but he missed this time. Bobby came barreling over and dived into the high wheat. He landed hard on the earth that looked like a dry lakebed.

“It’s coming from up there, at two o’clock.”

He snatched the binoculars out of my hands and took a look.

“Bastards.”

“Told you we should have gone down there.”

“Shut the hell up,” he spat back at Billy. Billy looked as if he was going to shit his pants.

The horses had raced down the field away from us. The only one that remained tied up was Bobby’s.

“If they come after us, we won’t make it back without a horse. I’m going to try to get mine and get more help from the camp.”

“It took us twenty minutes to get here, Bobby. By the time you get back we could be dead.”

“Hide in the wheat. I have to get the others.”

Without hesitation he rushed out across the field towards his horse. Within seconds he had untied it and turned it around. He stayed low as the horse begun galloping up the field. We watched with bated breath as he bounced up and down and then crack. Another shot resounded. As Bobby slipped off the horse, his one foot remained in the stirrup. The horse dragged him up the hill and off into the forest.

“Crazy idiot,” Billy said. “I knew he would get shot. Who the hell thinks they can escape a bullet?” Billy pushed his way through the long stands of wheat. I followed him and we stayed in that field until we reached a broken fence. We stepped over it and made our way into another field that was empty.

“Let’s go down to the town.”

“No, screw that. They obviously have Hank and the others and knew more would come. This is some kind of trap.”

“No, I think they positioned someone higher up the field to keep watch while their men went into town.”

As we trudged along we stayed close to the tree line. It wasn’t very thick but at least we were out of view. The chances of us getting shot from our right side were high because there was no coverage. Right now we were like sitting ducks just waiting for a bullet to hit. But we had no other choice except to hunker down in that field and wait for them to show up.

“They will collect the horses. Come on.”

We pushed our way through the trees until we could see the field that we had been in. Staying out of view we waited, and waited some more until he came into view. Sure enough, coming up the field with a rifle on his back was the shooter. He slipped under the fence and looked around cautiously before checking Nathan’s and Charlie’s bodies. He was wearing green army fatigues. I shuffled quickly out of the spot I was in with Billy directly behind me. Staying low to the ground we moved down towards the soldier while keeping out of sight. All I wanted to do was get within shooting distance. I came to an abrupt halt as he looked our way. Had there not been a large set of pine trees blocking the way, I was sure he would have spotted us. Pressing back against the fence I could now hear him trudging through the field towards the horses that were loose.

I moved into position, got down to one knee and brought my AR up. I focused in on his back as he was walking away. I breathed slow and told Billy to get ready. If I missed, we were going to have to unload as many rounds at him as we could and hope one hit the mark. When the gun went off and the man fell to the ground, Billy pumped his fist in the air.

“Yes! Now that’s shooting, baby.”

Billy went to get up but I yanked him back down. “Don’t be stupid. Wait.”

“What are we waiting for?”

A few minutes passed. His body remained motionless, then from out of an outcropping of trees came another soldier. He moved fast, keeping low to the ground and scanning the area.

“Get down.”

Our entire bodies were pushed into the dirt. We didn’t even look up as he ran past us on the other side of the fence. Moving fast, he checked a few more times and then rushed up to where his buddy was. No sooner had he bent down and turned his friend over, than I fired another round. This one hit the guy in the side of the neck. I didn’t aim for it. I was actually going for his chest but I missed. This time we didn’t wait as long. The only reason I knew there were two of them was because the sun reflected off their scopes. Had they covered them or moved into a different position maybe we wouldn’t have been as fortunate.

I slid under the fence and kept my AR shouldered as we moved up the field towards the two men. The one with the bullet in his throat was still alive. I crouched beside him.

“Do you have our men?”

He let out a gurgled sound as he choked on blood. I knew I wasn’t going to get anything out of him. I took out my Glock and placed it against his head. The look in his eyes seemed almost as though he wanted to be put out of his misery. I pulled the trigger and the shot echoed.

“What now?”

“We strip them.”

O
nce we had slipped
into the army fatigues we set out towards Stockdale. Billy kept griping about his being too big. He rolled up the sleeves and pant legs but even then they looked really baggy on him. There was only one reason we had done that and that was to avoid getting shot on our way into town. At least if there were any further snipers they would see the uniform and probably not give us a second look.

It was a good ten minutes before we arrived. We avoided the main road and kept to the farmers’ fields. All along the road there were vehicles parked. Some had dead people hanging out of the sides. The smell of death lingered in the air.

Noise came from the town. At least four old trucks rumbled through the streets but there could have been more. We took cover behind one of the buildings and worked our way around the back. We hadn’t got within a few feet of the next building when two soldiers came out of nowhere and pushed their guns in our faces.

“Drop your weapons.”

I released my grip and the AR clattered against the ground.

They pushed us forward with the tips of the barrels and then had us turn around.

One of them smirked. “Did you really think you were going to waltz in here without one of our men spotting you?”

“Actually, yeah,” Billy replied.

The soldier scowled at him.

“Ricardo and Farrell. Where are they?”

“Okay, it’s a long story but…” Billy was about to say something when one of them smashed him in the face with the butt of his gun. He fell to the ground nursing a bloody nose.

“Hey!” I yelled and pushed forward but was shoved back into place.

“Where are they?”

“They are back at the field.”

“Dead?”

Billy looked at me. We both knew how this was going to end. The very second we told them; they were going to pump us with a round.

“No, we tied them up.”

The one soldier chuckled. “You expect us to believe you overpowered Ricardo? Farrell, ah, I could see him being taken down but not Ricardo. That guy had eyes like a snake.”

I shrugged. “I’m just telling you what—”

Before I finished what I was saying I saw Hank and Reynolds over the man’s right shoulder. They were coming up the rear. Both of them had knives. I broke into a cough hoping to mask the sound of their feet. Not that I could hear them but the closer they got the greater the chance of them being heard.

“Actually we can take you to them if you want.”

I pointed in a direction and that distracted them for a split second. That was all Hank needed. They raced up, and a second later the men’s throats were slit and gushing blood. They collapsed bleeding out and gurgling, until Hank drove his knife deep into the man’s heart. Reynolds did the same.

“Let’s go.”

We followed them around the back of the bank and down an alley to a fire escape. We went up first and they came after. Once on top we had a better view of the town itself. It was super small. How anyone managed to not lose their mind in a town like this was beyond me.

“Keep low.”

Hank placed his hand on my back and we all crouched down and shuffled over to the edge.

“What are you guys doing?”

“We thought you might need some help.”

“And the uniforms?”

“A little trouble.”

Hank returned to looking down the street. Another three trucks came up. The back part of each truck was covered by green material making it impossible to see what they were transporting. The smell of fumes rose in the air and about ten soldiers walked alongside the trucks as they moved through the streets. They were watching the windows and keeping an eye open for anyone who might attack.

“Who are they?”

“The Commander’s men. This is the sixth load of trucks that has passed through here in the last three weeks. We think they are carrying supplies and weapons that they have gathered together from surrounding towns. They are using Hayden as a central hub for their operation. A month back we were collecting canned food and two trucks came through. They only reason we know what’s inside is because they stopped outside the hunting store and took in two green military boxes. They returned and loaded it on the back of the truck. They basically wiped out whatever was inside that store. We also saw more people in the back. They are collecting them and bringing them into Hayden.”

“Why didn’t you try to stop them?”

He swiveled around and placed his back against the wall. “That’s the problem, we don’t have enough firepower. When we escaped we didn’t have a chance to grab much more than a few rifles, handguns and the odd AR but that was it. We were outnumbered and they had far more firepower than us. So we have been monitoring these trucks heading into the town. Trying to see if there is a pattern. So far the last two loads have arrived on a Wednesday. One in the morning and one at night. Which means there is one more load arriving later today.”

“And if you can get your hands on them?”

“We’ll take back the town. Since they arrived, we have taken out a large number of them and grown as a group. There are more than enough of us.” He paused. “There is a chance that some of us will die but our people are willing to do whatever it takes to get their families back.”

We pulled away.

“Come on, we need to head out. The horses, where are they?”

“Loose in the field. Probably gone by now.”

“No worries. There’s nothing we can do now but we at least know what direction they are coming from and we will be ready to take the next load.”