Surviving The Dead: Heartland Zombie Apocalypse Vol. 1 (5 page)

Crystal now fully understood the fate awaiting her parents and the shots she heard as they were taken away, “Thank You Myles.”

Amy came back shortly followed by Mick, the rest of Crystal's patrol and bringing up the rear was Percy.  Crystal still shaken from what she had been through, subconsciously reached for the shell casing and then remembered she gave it Tobin. 

Crystal straightened herself, holstered her pistol and called to Amy, “Is everyone else okay?”

“Everyone is safely inside.  I left a couple of my men with them as you requested.  The Doc gave Cynthia and Amelia something to calm them down.”, Corporal Amy Landers replied.

Amy then leaned in a bit conspiratorially, “Your doin good kiddo, these folks need a leader, make sure you are loud and in charge.”

“Mick you know this place better than anybody, I want to know how these creatures got so close without being seen.”, Crystal stated flatly.

“You think they found someplace to nest?”, Mick asked.

“That or somebodies not taking watch serious enough.  Either way were fixing both problems today.”, Crystal answered.

Crystal turned her attention to Bill, “Bill take half the patrol and join the perimeter guards.  Make sure there are no more dead about and make some discreet inquiries.”

“Gotcha”, Bill replied

“Bill be careful we don't need anyone else dying today.”, Crystal cautioned.

“You can count on it.”, Bill stated as he headed off with four of their patrol mates.

“Mick what's your best guess for that nesting location?”, Crystal asked.

“Only place it can be is the managers house.”, Mick answered.

At a signal from Crystal the patrol took up positions in a formation they had learned from Percy.    They covered the short distance to the house without incident.  A quick inspection around the outside of the house revealed that the lattice screening at the bottom of the porch had been broken and that something had definitely crawled in and out from there.  Even though their attempts to draw out additional dead from under the porch failed, Crystal decided it best to make a visual inspection as well.

Mick left with two men from Crystal's patrol and while they were off Crystal bounced some ideas off Percy, “Gunny we are asking to much of Sgt. Andrews team, how many of our militia are ready for perimeter watch.”

“I understand vhere you are going, but it is a lot to ask of sese people.”, Percy answered.

“Gunny let us not be to hasty.  Truth is I do not have the manpower to keep a proper perimeter watch.”, Amy interjected.

“You misunderstand me.  It is a lot to ask, but ve are at var now, the enemy is vinning, ve mist all be soldiers.  Corporal you may haf Miss Innes' patrol and Mister Murdock's patrol.  Justin Murdock is young, but he has an ROTC background.”, clarified Percy.

“Just let me know what you need Am.. er Corporal and we'll be ready.”, Crystal offered.

Mick returned shortly and the search light confirmed that there were no more dead under the porch.  Mick had also brought materials to keep this from happening again.  While Mick buttoned up the porch, Crystal radioed Bill and was relieved to get an all clear.  Crystal asked him to continue assisting the perimeter guards and they would get him some relief later.

Once back inside the community hall Amy and Crystal stepped aside with Bob, Hester and Lois.  They gave the council members a quick debriefing of events.  The biggest concern they had was the growing panic that their compound would soon be overrun by the dead.

Crystal was asked to address the community, “I know we are all shocked and saddened by what happened today.  We want you all to know that we are not taking this lightly.  The militia that Mister Braun has been training will be supplementing the soldiers on perimeter watch and the immediate threat has been eliminated.  A sweep of the compound has been done and there are no more dead in our vicinity.”

Crystal paused to let that sink in, “I know you are all scared, Lord knows I am, but now is not the time to panic.  Now we pull together and look out for each other.  Hester is planning a service for Mister Cavendish see her if you would like to help.  We've been thrown together by a horrific happenstance, but we are a community now and we get through this together.”

Since the majority of the expedition was driving the supply trucks there were only eleven riding in the transport vehicle.  Sergeant Andrews was with them and began to go over the general plan.  Sgt. Andrews' four soldiers were taking point and covering them from behind.   The twelve, including Sgt. Andrews, would be the principle strike team., broke into 3 squads.  Sgt. Andrews, Mac, and Matt were the acting squad leaders. 

Their shakedown run was the upcoming small town which only had a population of about 400.  In town is a gas station, a couple of restaurants, grocery store, sporting goods store, and a couple of churches, along with residential homes.  The sergeant made it clear there would be no house to house search, but they would be scavenging anything of value from the businesses. 

Their final destination is Lexington, about another 75 miles away and has a population of about 10,000.  Once there the goal is to secure fencing and building supplies, as much winter clothing as can be found, and if possible add to the food stores.  Even though their destinations were on the fringe of Lexington, the town will be overrun by the dead.  Sgt. Andrews cautioned them not to get over confident by what they run into on their first stop.

Just shy of town a herd of approximately fifty dead was spotted.  The convoy halted and the three assault squads were called to terminate them.  While this did give them some long range shooting practice, primarily this gave them a chance to become used to shooting at people.

Ed demonstrated his marksmanship, that had earned him a spot on the team and when it was over he boasted, “Hey Tobin we showed them Fuckers a thing or two didn't we.” 

Tobin annoyed with Ed's chatter replied harshly, “They used to be people and none of them asked to be this way.  We are doing them a kindness.” 

Sgt. Andrews took a minute to scan the area to make sure that was the end of the herd  and then called for them to head out.  Shortly there after they reached the small town.  The supply trucks were held back until it was clear.  Being a small town everything was on Main street and a small group of the dead were milling around the street.  The sergeant sent one pair of his soldiers ahead to clear the street, left the other pair to guard the trucks and assigned each of the squads a business to salvage.

Mac's squad drew the gas station and the other two squads moved on to the sports shop.  A quick check of the fuel tanks found them over half full, indicating not many people chose to leave town.  Tobin looked in the window of the station and pointed out a mans body seated behind the service counter. Mac had Ed open the door which rang the little bell suspended over it.   The man rose and if it wasn't for his ashen gray color and blood soaked shirt you would of thought he was greeting customers.

Mac was in the lead and he just simply grabbed the mans shirt with one hand and with the other drew his knife and ran it into the back of the skull, where the spine meets.  Mac let the body drop and in pairs they made a quick sweep of the gas station finding no one else.  Mac and their fourth squad member, a woman named Althea searched the service bays for salvage, while Ed and Tobin went through the office. 

Ed was clearing out behind a counter where candy and soda was stored.  While munching on a candy bar he exclaims, “Toby your a hell of a cook, but nothin beats candy.”

Ed opened the door to a storage closet to see a small form stirring on a lower shelf, “What, oh hey kid what you doin down there you gettin into the candy to?” 

Tobin dropped what he was doing and ran over pushing Ed out of the way and kicked the child back.  As the dead child rose and came at Tobin, Tobin lowered his knife at the child's head and let his momentum skewer its brain through the eye socket. 

Tobin turned in a fury at Ed, “Dead is dead doesn't matter the size.  You screw up out here it is not just your ass, but mine to.” 

Tobin examined the now motionless child.  He had a bandaged arm, presumably covering a bite.  Tobin reasoned the child's father was the man they found when they entered.  The man must of taken his sick son with him to work at the station and when the boy turned he ended up biting and eventually killing his father. 

Mac called in, “You two about done there.  We need to move what we have to the curb for pickup and meet up with the other squads at the grocery store.”

Moving up the street the other squads had finished the gun shop leaving a haul of hunting firearms, handguns, bows, knives and ammunition to be picked up.  Mac's squad joined the other two squads at the small grocery store.  Inside a fair number of the dead were visible and Matt, Mac and Sgt. Andrews discussed their approach.

Sgt. Andrews came back to address the squad members, “I want you each to keep your pistols holstered.  Only Matt, Mac and I will be firing inside, we don't need to take chances on a friendly fire incident.  I'd suggest you grab one of the machetes we pulled from the gun shop.  I'll take my squad around back through the loading dock, the rest of you will go in through the front door.  Salvage doesn't start until we know all the dead are down.  Keep your eyes open, watch each others backs and stay calm.”

The sergeant lead his squad around back and Mac and Matt's crews each took up positions at one of the two entrances.  As soon as they heard the sergeant firing his pistol they popped the locks on the doors and went in with Mac and Matt in the lead. 

The combined smells of rotting flesh and rotting food hit them like an assault.  Even though they tried to breath through their mouths, they struggled to keep the contents of their stomachs down. They quickly moved up and down the aisles of the small store, dropping the dead until they caught up with Sgt. Andrews.

The sergeant waved at some sleeping bags and cots at the back of the store, “Not a bad place to try and hole up.  The only problem all you need is one person with you who has been bit and then the locks that our keeping everyone out trap you in.  Go ahead and knife the brains on this lot and drag the bodies outside.  We'll let this place air out a bit before seeing what we can take.”

“Tobin these things were all shot neat through the head, why we got to stick them again?”, Ed whispered.

“Things are going to be a lot worse when we get to Lexington, they want to get us used to this now.”, Tobin answered. 

While the store aired out the sergeant had them move up the street.  Side by side were two churches Catholic on the left and Lutheran to the right,  The sergeant chose the Catholic church to start with.  The doors were heavier and had more room at the front.

“As things fell apart people gathered as families, in bars or at the churches.  The old adage there are no atheists in a foxhole is never more true than when the world is ending.  These doors open outward and we could use them as a funnel, but the risk of something going south is to high.  We need to come up with a plan to seal these doors better than they are.”, Sgt. Andrews expressed.

Someone had done a quick job of keeping the doors shut.  As they pulled together scraps to reinforce the doors they wondered about who might have trapped the dead inside the church to begin with.  While they would of liked to believe it was noble intentions, a brave soul risking their life to keep the dead inside.  In  reality they believed someone escaped the church when the dead began to rise and trapped the others inside to be fed upon.

As they helped load their salvage onto a truck Tobin turned to Mac, “Is this all we are going to find?”

“Its a small town we'll find better salvage in Lexington.”, Mac replied.

“Not what I meant.  I was kind of hoping we would find someone else alive.  Not finding out people are willing to sell out their own just to save their skin.”, Tobin exclaimed.

“We all get scared son.  We all are capable of the worst sort of things.  We are also capable of the best.  Don't forget there are over two hundred people still alive because Colonel Osgood and his men made that possible.”, Mac tapped the shell casing Crystal gave to Tobin, “We all have our reasons to survive.”

For the next hour they rode pretty much in silence.  Even the ever gregarious Ed kept his thoughts to himself.  They stopped short of their destination and Mac, Sergeant Andrews, and Corporal Byrne left  to recon the situation.     While the rest of the group waited for them to return they killed time first by eating lunch and then began playing with the crossbows taken from the gun shop.  Idle practice went to who could shoot three arrows the fastest at a 30 yard target. 

Ed won hitting the target all three times in just under thirty seconds.  They then played around with how fast a Dee could close a thirty yard gap and estimated that at 45 seconds to a minute.  Then to make a point Tobin picked up a re-curve and was able to hit a target twenty yards away 6 times in the thirty seconds. 

At about that time Mac and the soldiers returned.  The area near the home improvement store was overrun with the dead.  However, they had also checked out an outlet mall that was located a distance out of town and that had far fewer dead visible.  The plan was to hit the mall first and try to figure out a  way to lure the dead from the home improvement store.

They reached the mall at a time of day, in a normal world would have found a full parking lot and loads of people.  However, the world was no longer normal and only a handful of cars were present in the parking lot.  Their arrival did alert about twenty of the dead who began shambling towards their vehicles.  Those that had been the most proficient with the crossbows fanned out and began taking down the advancing dead.  Tobin chose to stick with the re-curve and with his faster rate of fire was able to drop two Dee's for every one shot by a crossbow. 

The sergeant bent to retrieve a ring of keys from one of the dead in a security guard uniform, “This thing happened so fast that most folks looking to get away were looking for the basics, water, food and weapons.  A place like this holds appeal to these less forward thinking individuals.  I'm guessing they came here to loot.  The latest big screen TV and jewelry not real useful.”

Matt rolled over a couple of the bodies, “These two look to have died from gun shots.”

“Makes you wonder why this guard tried so hard to secure this place.  Things went south so fast, how do you make people understand.  It doesn't matter how you die, you still turn.  Until you see … until you live through it you don't understand the true meaning of that.  By killing the looters the guard made a host of adversaries he was not prepared to deal with.  They no longer cared about the baubles inside, their only focus was to get at him, to feed on him.”, The sergeant answered, his eyes screwed shut as he tried to not recall a tragic scene witnessed to many times. 

Sgt. Andrews shook himself out of his revery, “Matt, Mac take your squads around the perimeter.  Look for signs of forced entrance.”

With the exterior secure they entered the mall finding it eerily quiet.  Ed gave a boyish, 'Whoop', enjoying the sound of the echo in the empty space. When no dead were drawn to the noise they investigated the mall directory for likely stores to collect the needed clothing.  Mac's squad drew the food court so Tobin could  determine if any of the food there was worth salvaging.

On the way Mac stopped them at a store specializing in woman's lingerie, “You boys don't have a problem packin up some dainties for the ladies do you?”

Ed looked at Mac as if he had lost it, “I thought we were after winter coats and stuff?”

Mac roared in laughter, “Ed my boy there is more than one way to stay warm on a cold winter night.”

They loaded up as quick as they could, but it was nearing dark before they finished.  When done they returned to their camp location just outside of Lexington.  They ate a quick supper and began planning how they were going to handle the next days mission.

Sergeant Andrews started by elaborating on the reality of their situation, “Do the math within a 100 miles in any direction of our valley is tens of thousands of the dead.  Even at the rate they move a herd could reach us in 2 or 3 days.  If we don't get that fence up and a large herd of the dead shows up they'll rip those buildings apart to get at us.  We need to buy time and hope the winter freeze will give us a chance.”

The plan that was hatched was a game of cat and mouse to draw the dead away from the home improvement center.  Sgt. Andrews,  Cpl Byrne and by drawing the short straw Tobin, headed off in one of the jeeps ahead of the main group.