The Last Bastion of the Living: A Futuristic Zombie Novel (40 page)

“
Cormier, I need you to accelerate or we
’
re going to have a serious problem on our hands in just a few minutes,
”
Maria
barked
.

The squad had fallen silent as the tension began to rise.
A few were craning their heads to peer out the windshield
or view Maria
’
s screens
.
The
Scourge
rushing in from the east was a growing tidal wave of dead flesh that was about to crash onto the path before them.

“
I have a barbecue back here, but they just keep coming,
”
Holm
’
s voice said in Maria
’
s ear.

“
Continue with short bursts.
Keep them off of us.
”

The
Scourge
set aflame were quickly consumed and fell away, but they were being just as swiftly replaced with fresh bodies.

“
You
’
re going to cut this really close, Vanguard,
”
Dwayne
’
s voice said as he came back online.

“
We had some debris
in our path
.
”
Maria ran another scan of the road
,
then keyed in a new path to Cormier.
“
We
’
re going to have to off-road it to
reach the
drop
zone
.
”
She deliberately ignored the pack of
Scourge
that had followed the aircraft toward the rendezvous site.

The carrier bounced off the road and
barreled
through a gnarled field.
It slowed fractionally, allowing a few
Scourge
close enough to touch the carrier.
Maria hit her
feed
to Holm seconds before Holm opened fire with the flamethrower.

“
Holm, hold your fire!
”
Maria shouted.

The weedy field sprang to life, flames sweeping outward from the carrier, setting the world
ablaze
.

“
Fuck!
”

“
Report in, Vanguard!
”
Dwayne
’
s voice was pure steel.

“
We have a situation on our hands.
We have a brushfire.
”

Maria watched in horror as the flames spread through the cleared field, burning high and bright.
In her
ear bud
she could hear Holm and McKinney screaming.
The flames licked across the surface of the carrier as a claxon rang out.
There was a mad scramble behind her as Holm and McKinney dropped through the hatch, their hair on fire.
Denman doused them with a fire extinguisher as Cormier activated the carrier fire controls.

“
Did you disengage the flamethrowers?
”
Maria shouted the two scorched soldiers
lying
on the floor.

A massive explosion rocked the carrier.
The safety straps pressed hard into
her
armor, making Maria gasp
,
and the carrier shimmied.
Cormier
’
s inventive swearing filled the carrier as she fought for control of the vehicle.

“
That was behind the carrier,
”
Cormier shouted.
“
It wasn
’
t us!
”

Swiveling her chair about, Maria saw Holm holding up her thumb.
Unable to talk through her burned lips, the soldier tried to smile.

“
Good job, Holm.” Maria gave the woman a quick salute.

Crouching over the wounded
, Denman was already spreading salve on their blistered faces and heads as the other squad members helped them out of their burning armor.
The stink of
scorched
flesh was nauseating.

“
The fire is diverting that horde,
”
Dwayne said in a calmer voice.

“
I have two soldiers with grievous wounds.
”
Maria could now see the ti
ltrotor hovering above the road
.

“
I can keep going,
”
McKinney choked out.
“
It doesn
’
t hurt...much.
Not being able to feel much is really nice right now.
”

“
Requesting a
med-pod for both of them,
”
Maria continued.

She almost swore when Dwayne
’
s feed was muted and she could see Mr. Petersen and Commandant Pierce arguing furiously behind him.

“
I
’
ll be fine,
”
McKinney protested.
“
Ebba just can
’
t talk. No big loss there.
”

Holm hit him in the stomach with her fist as Denman continued to treat her badly burned face.

“
Mikado, Cruz, get ready,
”
Maria ordered.

“
Yes, sir,
”
they chorused.

“
We
’
re almost there,
”
Cormier said excitedly.
“
And we
’
ve got a minute or two before the
Scrags
reach us.
”

The carrier bounced up over the incline then was on the worn road again.
The treads slid slightly
,
then
caught the asphalt,
the carrier fishtailing slightly. The tiltrotor was a welcome sight. Already the crew on board was lowering the
desperately needed
weapons.

“
Negative on those med-pods,
”
Mr. Petersen
’
s voice said in her ear.

Maria had been watching the onslaught of the
Inferi Scourge
and her eyes flicked toward the spot where Dwayne
’
s precious face had been. Instead the completely bland, yet disturbing face of the SWD mystery man
was on
the feed.

“
I have two badly wounded soldiers, Mr. Petersen.
”

“
Are they able to fight?
”

“
Yes,
”
McKinney said from behind her.

She assumed the thumb
s up
was Holm agreeing.

“
Medic?
”
Maria glanced at Denman.

Denman helped strap Holm and McKinney into some backup armor.
“
They
’
re
Boon
.
They can keep going,
”
Denman said reluctantly.

Despite her composure, Maria wanted to reach through the feed and strangle Mr. Petersen. His snake-like smug smile was infuriating.

“
Keep to the plan, Vanguard,
”
Mr. Petersen ordered.

“
Arrival in thirty seconds,
”
Cormier called out.

Directing her attention to Mikado and Cruz, she saw they were crouched next to the door waiting.

Cormier slammed on the brakes,
pitching
everyone
forward.
“
We
’
re here!
”

“
Go!
”
Maria ordered.

Mikado slid the door open and vanished.
Cruz followed.
Their helmet cameras sent a feed to Maria
’
s screen. As they ran toward the squat black box on the road, she felt her heart speeding up.
T
wisting
away from the console camera, she tried to discreetly wipe the sweat off her brow and upper lip.

Outside the carrier, Mikado and Cruz reached the box.
They activated it and squat wheels pushed out of the bottom of it.
Gripping handles that unfurled from the
box
, Mikado and Cruz ran it
toward the carrier as the tiltrotor began to fire at the wave of
Inferi Scourge
approaching
from the city.

The wildfire in the field beside the road was burning itself out and the
Scourge
that had been pursuing
closed
in once more.

Mikado and Cruz reached the carrier and slid the box right up to the
doorway
.
They activated
the loading
mechanism and
claws extend
ed
from the carrier, gripped the box, then slid
it up
on a track into the carrier.
The two
soldiers scrambled in after it.
Maria breathed a sigh of relief as Mikado slammed the door shut.

“
Go
, Cormier
!
”

“Yes, sir!”

Cormier shoved down on the
accelerator
and the carrier lurched forward.
Excited words were exchanged as Mikado and Cruz opened the box and
handed
out actual rifles.

“
Oh, sweet, baby. How I missed you so,
”
McKinney said and kissing sounds followed.

Cruz handed
one
to Maria along with several clips.
“
Vanguard,
it
’
s
good to have actual weapons.
”

“
That
it is
,
”
Maria agreed.
“Give me one for
Omondi
. Some of you double up on weapons for the survivors.”

The carrier accelerated on its course that would loop
around the rock formation between the foothills and the city. All they had to do now was lose the horde of
Scourge
following them, m
ake their way back to the hydro
electric station, and save the day.

Chapter 29

The acrimony in the command center was a distraction Dwayne
didn
’
t
need.
It was insulting to have Mr. Petersen looming over
the shoulders of the Constabulary officers
.
Dwayne literally fel
t
Commandant Pierce
’
s fury burning every time Mr. Petersen insinuated himself into command decisions.

The command center at the heart of the
SWD
facility was crackling with excitement.
The usual boring day
-
to
-
day tasks were set aside
as
the men and women specifically selected to oversee
the rescue of the stranded squad directed their attention and expertise to the task at hand
.
They were a combination of SWD and Constabulary personnel.
The commandant had not put up much of a fight once she was able to pull in her own people and place Dwayne at the head of the operation.

Leaning over
a
communication console, Lindsey was consumed with finding a way to reach Chief Defender
Omondi
.
She was busy adjusting the communication dishes set around the valley in an attempt to
locate his feed.
If anyone could find a way to contact
Omondi
, that person was Lindsey.

Meanwhile, Dwayne communicated directly with Maria. To see her in danger was difficult, yet he had to put aside his personal feelings and concentrate on the mission. Like any man, he wanted to protect the woman he loved, but he also felt a surge of pride at her strength and ability to lead her squad.

Watching
the feed from the tiltrotor, Dwayne felt his anxiety swell as a
massive wave of
Inferi Scourge
rushed toward Maria
’
s position
.
The aircraft shredded the
creatures
moving on an intercept course with the carrier. The heavy guns pulverized the running corpses
,
creating a clear path for the carrier.
The
vehicle
slid through the bloody remains of the
Scourge
and
barreled
down the abandoned road.

“
How many in that swarm behind them?
”
Dwayne asked the soldier
at the console
beside him.

The young man promptly ran a program to calculate the number.
“
Close to ten thousand.
”

Commandant Pierce leaned over his shoulder and peered down at the many screens before Dwayne
’
s post.
All the information being gathered by their staff was relayed to his station.
“
It appears that their plan might work if they can get some distance on that horde.
”

“
Agreed, but they lost valuable ground
securing the
drop
.
”

“
How are we doing on ammunition on that tiltrotor?
”

Dwayne tapped on the screens and a window popped up revealing the exact number.
“
The guns are down to half.
”

Commandant Pierce pointed to the primary screen that revealed the carrier as it sped along
side
the rock formation.
The remaining
Scourge
from the group that had broken off from the crowd around the city fell behind the carrier
,
joining the larger horde.
“
Once they double-back, they should have
a clear shot back to the hydro
electric
station,
”
Commandant
Pierce noted.
“
Have the tiltrotor fire at the leading edge of that horde.
I want them to exhaust their weapons on the front of that crowd.
It will give the carrier more distance, but also provide obstacles for the
Scrags
following behind.
”

“
Agreed,
”
Dwayne answered
,
then immediately transmitted the order to the tiltrotor pilots and gunners.

“
They
’
re performing
well, aren
’
t they?
”
Mr. Petersen said
,
joining them.
“
I can
’
t help but admire Vanguard Martinez.
She really is the
exemplary
soldier you said she was
,
Commandant Pierce.
You were wise to recommend her to be the first of our
Boon
.
”

Dwayne ignored the man.
It was obvious that Mr. Petersen had heard the president
’
s accusation. And there was no reason to believe that
Commandant
Pierce would volunteer Maria as some sort of slight against Dwayne. He was sure she had been
genuinely
surprised to find out about his relationship.

“
Yes, I was.
”
Commandant Pierce fastened her stony gaze on Mr. Petersen.

With a slight smirk, the man walked on to check in with the SWD personnel
at
their stations.

“
We
’
re putting more ground between us and the
Scrags
,
”
Maria
’
s voice said.
On one corner of his screen he could see her dark eyes glancing toward the camera.
He loved how they glimmered like obsidian.
He had missed that when-

Dwayne sat up straight and stared intently at Maria
’
s eyes.
Commandant Pierce
was talking briskly to Lindsey
.
He stole a quick look in Dr. Curran
’
s direction, then returned his gaze to Maria.
Maybe no one else notice
d
in the heat of the moment, but he knew
Maria
’
s
face intimately.
Her eyes were as dark and clear as
they had been
when she had been alive.

“
Castellan
Reichardt
,
”
Commandant Pierce
’
s voice said, cutting through his flurry of thoughts.
“
We were able to get through briefly to Chief Defender
Omondi
.
It
’
s confirmed he is still
holed up in the basement of the facility.
”

“
Relaying that information to Vanguard Martinez. Do we have the schematic of the
hydroelectric
station yet?
”

One of the SWD officers said,
“
Yes, sir.
Transferring to you and Vanguard Martinez now.
”

The commandant squeezed his shoulder as she leaned over him again.
“
Keep focused,
”
she whispered.

He gave her a short nod. She probably thought he was ruffled by Maria
’
s presence on the mission, but it was her clear dark eyes that had him unsettled. As soon as he was able, he was going to have a word or two with Dr. Curran.

On the screens around the command center, the carrier sped along its path toward the point where it would reverse course
. Hopefully, the maneuver would be performed
out of the sight of the
pursuing
Scourge
.

“
Is our little surprise ready?
”
Commandant
Pierce asked.

Dwayne gave her a brisk nod.

“
Good,
”
she gave Mr. Petersen
’
s back a fierce look.
“
He
’
ll have a fit.
I
’
m going to
enjoy
this
.
”

The cameras on the tiltrotor continued to
transmit the aerial
view of the carrier on its fast
-
paced journey toward the end of the rock wall.
The old underpass appeared to be in good condition
.
Dwayne hoped the carrier would be able to
maneuver
swiftly around the curving road.

Keeping one eye on Maria as she toiled at her console inside the carrier, he observed all facets of the unfolding events.
Lindsey cursed under her
breath at
her work station, attempting to contact Chief Defender
Omondi
again.

On screen the carrier star
ted to reduce speed as it exited
onto
a
curving off ramp that
ducked
under the road
before emerging on the other side to end at a three
-
way intersection
.
Commandant Pierce folded her arms over her breasts as she stared at the primary screen.
The sheer force of her will that the carrier succeed was a palatable energy.
Dwayne
silently
prayed as he prepared to signal the tiltrotor.

For a few seconds the carrier vanished from the screens as it journeyed through the underpass.
When it emerged unscathed and turned onto the road that would carry it to its destination, Dwayne exhaled and transmitted a signal
to
the tiltrotor.

The screens flashed as the aircraft fired two
missiles
into the side of the stone formation.
Massive explosions blinded the cameras, filling the screens with white light.

“
What the hell was that?
”
Mr. Petersen twisted about in his chair, glaring at Dwayne and the commandant.

“
Missiles
,
”
the commandant answered with a wry smile.
“
You have heard of those?
”

As the images on the screens returned to normal, the passage the carrier had taken was blocked by a massive landslide.
Part of the
Scourge
horde was buried under the dirt and boulders.
The rest of the horde scrambled around the edges of the destruction, their path redirected away from the escaping carrier.

“
I didn
’
t sign any clearance for you to use
missiles
! Those were in reserve for the final attack!
”
Mr. Petersen
snapped
.

“
Well, at least now the mission is back on track,
”
Commandant Pierce said with an even bigger smile.

“
I didn
’
t approve of the use of those
missiles
! All the remaining stock was to be used in the
—
”

“
They got the job done. Let it go,
”
Dr. Curran spoke up from across the room.

Mr. Petersen glared at her, but fell silent. With one last
thoughtful
look at the commandant and Dwayne, he swiveled about to peer at
his
console.

Lindsey gave Dwayne a wide grin before returning to her task.

“
Now let
’
s hope they find our people and get them out of there safely,
”
Commandant Pierce said.

Nodding, Dwayne tried to sweep away his worrisome thoughts to concentrate on the next dangerous step of the mission.

* * *

The carrier roared down the road, the
Scourge
horde that had been following it stuck behind the barricade created by the tiltrotor.
As the aircraft returned to the city, Maria focused her attention on mapping out the rescue mission u
sing the schematic of the hydro
electric station. There was no power
in the building
, so they would have to wear their helmets and rely on night vision.