Moosehill Militia (Book 1): INFECTED (31 page)

The next thing Mike knew, a barrage of shot rang out next to him on either side as fast as they could shoot and aim. The soldiers who came to his aid helped clear a larger area around them. The man who had fallen originally broke his leg and was lifted up non to gentle onto the deck of the APC. The rest of the soldier now with more fire support from up top were lifted out also, with Mike insisting on being the last one up.

“Colonel that was either the bravest or dumbest thing I’ve ever seen.” Major DiCaprio said to Mike. “You can call me Ant, Colonel.” Mike laughed and turned back to the fight which continued at a furious clip.

“Colonel, Colonel.” Someone was yelling. He looked behind him to the inner perimeter, the Lieutenant he left in charge in the building was yelling to him. It was hard to hear over the noise. He pointed at the trailer trucks that were starting to pull out. Mike nodded in understanding. Looking back over the banking at the Infected it looked like they were close to finishing off the last of this bunch. He waited another minute thinning the heard out a little more and blew a whistle that was in his pocket that got everybody's attention and waved his arm around his head meaning wrap it up.

The Infected were being hampered from their own dead trying to climb the hill. Mike took this opportunity to move his and Major DiCaprio’s men into their APC’s and pull out onto Godard Memorial Drive. Two of the Huey’s provided fire support lighting up the front of the Infected trying to climb the embankment giving them a chance to break contact. Pulling out Mike noticed a bunch of dead Infected down at the position where his blocking platoon was, it looks like they saw their share of action too.

Mike put his headset back on so that he could communicate with his Troops. “Sean you there he spoke into the Mic.” He said.

“Affirmative Colonel, we’re wrapping up and ready to go in a minute, sounded like a bees nest down there?” He asked.

“Sure was tell you about it later, right now I want to move out back the way we came, same march order everyone. Knowing that all the Company Commanders were listening, he received confirmation from everyone and in five minutes they were entering Airport Drive heading toward the service entrance to the airport.

Mike didn’t relax until they were all in the airport and the service entrance was locked and they were traveling back down the runway to Mulberry Street. Then and only then did he start with the shakes, not noticeable to anyone but himself.

***

South Spencer Raid

Mac and Captain Dylan Deneke watched the armored column head out with the trucks, then the air support take off after.

“Captain we don’t have to leave for a little while, how do you and your men feel about eggs, bacon and pancakes? All we have to do is March less than a mile up that road.” He pointed south at Airport Road back to the Moosehill Complex.

“You’ve won me over Captain, my men have been eating MRE’s for three days now.” Captain Deneke said with some enthusiasm.

Dylan walked over to the front of his men who kind of looked dejected. Men were going to march up this here road for a mile or so.” There were some silent moans at that. “Then were going to have a pancake breakfast including eggs and bacon and I’m sure good coffee too.” He received a Bunch of Oorah’s at that and soon they were marching up Airport Road past some parked C-130’s and past the entrance to the shooting range which by now had part of the new group of five hundred recruits shooting. Next they passed some of the above ground fuel tanks, and water tanks and the Solar Farm and windmills. Mac could tell Dylan was impressed.

“Where’s the chow hall Sir.” Dylan asked Mac. Mac pointed down at his feet then at the main entrance to Mohan Manor. “Where going into the bowels of the earth Captain.” Mac laughed, and the Captain Deneke looked at him a little nervously.

They entered the outer wall of the Manor then the inner wall that led to the tunnel and down roughly forty feet underground. His men followed there Captain down the tunnel after Mac. What they saw passing through the large Opus Factory shelters and through the security checkpoints impressed the hell out of them, then they entered the Dome and all the activity there was awe inspiring, but what really impressed them was the breakfast buffet that was waiting for them courtesy of Walmart Superstore which they cleaned out this past week. Mac earned their trust with that meal, they haven't eaten that well since before they left Norfolk, Virginia. After the meal Mac wanted to address the men.

“Marines, you don’t know me. Let me introduce myself I left the Marines as a First Sergeant at the ripe old age of thirty, I’ve been a Police officer and a Sergeant of Police since then. I’m now fifty years old. I’m afraid my Police career was cut short.” That drew a few chuckles and the First Sergeant remark drew there interest also.

“I’ve served with the best from the Balkans to Afghanistan and Iraq, I’ve seen my fair share of combat as you have by now I’m sure. Everything you see here today was the brain child of Colonel Mike Mohan who was one of my police officers once upon a time.” More chuckles and a few bullshits. “It’s true he was. Until the day he won one point five billion dollars. That same day earlier before he found out he won, he responded to an active shooter incident at Cumberland Farms Convenience store just down the road a bit. Without fear for his own safety he went into that building and killed the son of a bitch, not without suffering wounds himself. Before that, he wore the eagle, anchor and trident emblem on his chest and has seen more war and killed more bad guys, in more shit holes, then all of us combined or probably ever will. I trust him with my life that’s why I retired and went to work for him when he told me what he was planning. Now I’m asking you to keep an open mind about our set up here. I know some of you are thinking amateurs. I’m I right or am I right. Just remember where I came from, now I’m XO of almost two Battalions of mechanized Infantry and all the air assets you see out there. So who wants to go kill some Zombie’s?” That brought a few cheers on.

Captain Dylan, have some breakfast then where moving out in twenty. Our transport will be up top in front of the main entrance by then. Mac had called for the Alpha Company to be ready and for the APC’s of Echo Company to be brought up with just there drivers. U.S. Marines of Alpha Company will be using Echo’s APC’s today.

Jack Majors of Alpha Company was waiting up top when Mac and Captain Deneke of Alpha Marines came out of the tunnel. This isn’t going to work, two Alpha Companies! He thought. He wondered if Mike has addressed this with the Marine Major yet.

When Mac walked up to him with Captain Deneke, Jack brought it up.

“Colonel, two Alpha Company's two Bravo Company's that’s not going to work.” He stated to Mac and Dylan.

“Yes I see what you mean. Captain If there’s no objection from you for today I’d like to call your company Mike Company for Marine. Your Bravo Company can be November Company if your Major and the Colonel agree.” He asked Captain Deneke.

“Well I’m not that fond of it, but Captain Majors is right so if we have to be someone else Mike Company is good enough. He walked away to inform his chain of command. Five minutes later they were loaded up and headed down Donnelly Road to Route 9. Twenty six APC’s and five buses and four straight diesel trucks, just in case they need to liberate any supplies, and they always get survivors.

Mac stopped had Jack stop the column on top of the hill before going down in the Valley where Spencer town center sits. Mac got out and walked across to Captain Deneke’s APC and climbed up to speak with him.

“Caption Deneke it’s going to be like hell down there I believe. So tell me how much combat has your team been in?” Mac asked Dylan.

“We’ve been in combat in Iraq then this all happened. Since then we landed on Bermuda, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket and Cape Cod. The Cape was the worst for sure.” Captain Deneke told Mac.

“Okay, "It's inevitable that the Z's will filter back in behind us, so where going to sweep these houses along Main Street from here down to the town center. Once the front elements sweep past the big D shopping plaza we will pivot to the south. Both companies will be on line, the Marine Company will be on the east side and the Moosehill Troopers on the west side. Then we move south clearing all those little streets until they eventually dead end. Just have your men be careful theirs lots of apartments and tight quarters. This should clear out the worst of this area. I don't need to tell you to help any survivors, buses will be on standby. Oh, make sure you mark the cleared areas on your maps provided. Good?" Mac checked, no one spoke so he assumed everyone understood their roles. "Let's move out."

Mac watched as the U.S. Marines took the south side of Main Street and the Moosehill Troopers took the north side. The armored column moved down the road and each APC parked in the road in front of a building and the Marines or Troopers from that APC would clear that particular house. Each company in that manner could clear fourteen houses at a time. Mac timed the first few house entries. Total time to clear the house on the first few he checked was averaging around ten minutes.

In an hour and a half they cleared one hundred fifty houses. Mac watched both companies. They were about to kick off the second phase, Captain Deneke's company and Jack Majors company we're both at their starting points. So far today they suffered one sprained ankle and one family of four rescued by the Marine company on the south side of the road.

Mac and Mike have told their Troops there as good as any solders in the world, now after watching a seasoned Marine company side by side with his own Troops he actually believed that himself. Both companies were outstanding as far as he was concerned.

Mac gave the go ahead to start phase two of today’s mission. The U.S. Marines led by Captain Deneke moved south house by house along Route 31 south and along Linden Street and Mechanic Street. They started to encounter Infected immediately. Just about every residence had infected. The Marines and Troopers would bang on the door until all or most of the Infected were right on the other side of the door chomping at the bit for some flesh. One volunteer would kick the door in or smash the lock with a sledge hammer and run like the wind out of the way. As soon as enough Infected cleared the door the six to eight men assigned to that house would open up with rifles single shot head shots. No full auto or even quick firing. They need to think about conserving ammunition. One Marine or Trooper in each squad carried a bag to pick up spent brass so eventually they can reload them.

The Moosehill Troopers did pretty much the same thing except they had two shield guys out of the eight they carried in each APC. Just in case any of the Infected got to close to the shooters they would smash into them with the shields to push them back to give the other Troopers time to aim or reload or whatever they needed to do.

Both company's made it to Cherry Street and took a breather, continuing to pick off Infected who made an appearance. They soon continued on route 31, Mechanic Street, Elm Street and Temple Street.

On Mechanic Street, a half dozen Marines came tumbling out of the house rushing down the stairs. Behind them boiled an infestation of Infected. Dozens if not a hundred walking, crawling, and some moving pretty fast from what he knew about them. The two M113A2’s that were in sight and in range opened up with their M60 gunners as soon as the Marines cleared the fire zone. Several hundred heavy caliber bullets later saw approximately one hundred Infected dead.

The two company’s continued there advance south through the congested slums of Spencer. Periodic rifle fire rang out as the Marines and Troopers encountered Infected. It was a grinding kind of day for the Marines and Troopers No one else was lost or hurt to badly. It was great training for the two forces working together. They called it a day and withdrew from South Spencer center around five p.m., most of the Infected were cleaned out. Mac estimated they killed in the vicinity of eight hundred Infected in the course of the whole day.

On the way back, about to turn down Paxton Road, Mac received a call from the base, that Mike’s team raid to Kahr Arms stirred up a hornets nest and they were heavily engaged with thousands of Infected and now a large swarm of the bastards was heading west on Route 9. There down around Route 9 by the Worcester line around airport drive. His is the only force that can intercept them before they hit Becker College at Leicester center.

Mac called in. “Understood, Oddie we are already on Route 9 and we can be there in fifteen minutes.” He told the base.

***

Rory Scannell former Police Chief of Leicester, now thought of himself as the Police Chief of Moosehill and its territory, was on Route 9 near Ludlow Street, with two of his men in a Humvee. Mike had assigned him a heavy platoon of forty former police from the Leicester, Spencer, Worcester and Paxton Police departments that survived, with Twenty SUV’s and Humvee’s outfitted the same as the MHM Troopers for all practical purposes. They were assigned police duties, patrolling the road that have been cleared, while eliminating any Infected they do come across. They also by increasing numbers find people looking for sanctuary almost every day.

Today his team was a little further then they should be. Rory had heard all the shooting coming from Airport Drive and moved further east then originally intended. He stopped at Route 9 and Ludlow Street just over the town line into Worcester. From here you can look down Main Street to Airport Drive. What Rory saw scared the hell of him. All he could see was wall to wall Infected slowly moving west on Route 9 by the old Friendly’s ice cream shop by Goddard Memorial Drive. He couldn’t see the end of the line. From where he was he thought there was at least ten thousand or so, probably more.