The Orphans (Book 3): Strangers (6 page)

              “So he just saved you three from the school?”

              “No there were others but they didn’t make it. I think the longer this goes on the less people we are going to have around to worry about saving. I think if he would have had more time to plan out saving us he’d have gotten a bus and saved as many people as physically possible.”

              Jordan thought about his dad and said, “Yeah if my dad is still around i’d really like to make sure he gets treated. Who knows what these things shelf life is? I mean are they dying, are they getting weaker, are they getting stronger?”

              Tina hadn’t thought about that and said, “Well I know we ripped ones arm off, blew them up and shot a cheerleader in the chest and they all just kept getting up and coming back for more.”

              “Well that really makes a guy feel better. Are they going to let my brother and sister stay? Some people don’t like strangers especially when they have something different about them.”

              “Are you talking about your little brother Joey?”

              “You know that I am. I’m serious though if you know anything i’d like to know because if not were going to have to try and find somewhere to hold up for a while.”

“You’ll be ok, did you see how Andy took to him today? They look like they’re going to be buddies pretty quick.”

“I’m glad Andy is so willing to take on strangers. I promise he’s got a the biggest heart of anyone that you’ve ever met.”

Tina smiled thinking of the boy and couldn’t think of anything that sounded more like the truth. “I think we are going t all be together for quite a while to come. Those doctors aren’t going to be able to solve this overnight regardless of if they have the research or not at their hands. It took Frank months to come up with what he thought at least was a cure.”

Jordan laughed wiping some tears from his eyes. “You realize that we should be in school, we shouldn’t be sitting outside some military base trying to break in and get weapons from it. I mean it’s insane isn’t it, blue skies and warm temps and zombies chasing us down and trying their best to kill us.”

Tina rubbed his arm and shoulder. “It’s ok, everything is going to be alright. I don’t know how but i’m sure everything is going to work itself out eventually we just need to be patient and be calm.”

Aslin and Clary walked around the guard desk trying to see in but the high brick windows made it impossible even at their height. Clary set a small charge on the door and the two of them took cover around the corner. He hit the blast to go off and the door popped with a boom. Aslin smiled giving a thumbs up, “You finally didn’t do overkill.”

Clary looked sad for a moment, “Are you kidding me, my personal stock of explosives is finally running low.”

Aslin said, “Let’s clear this building and we will make damn sure that you have got everything and then some that you need before it is all said and done.”

Clary went first around the corner gun up and Aslin followed close behind a hand on his shoulder. They made their way into a smoke filled room they heard a growling but could see nothing. When the low growl turned into a bark the two men stopped in their tracks. Clary said, “Dog, dog, dog, back up now.”

The dog lunged for the men Clary only guessing where the dog was held up his rifle trying to protect his face. He heard the powerful jaws of the dog clench its muscles hard and tight. Aslin screamed, “Fuck are you ok?”

Clary screamed, “I’m fine, he isn’t attached to me.”

They backed out of the room waiting for the rest of the smoke to filter out. When it did the two men saw the eighty pound german shepherd with a turned soldier that was kicking and trying its best to get away from the dog. The dog was standing over it in such a way that it was impossible for it to reach the animal. Clary said, “I’m keeping it, he’s mine.”

“Are you serious do you really want a dog.”

Clary put a bullet through it’s brain and when it stopped resisting the dog let go of its jugular. Aslin said, “So we are sure that the dogs can’t get infected right?”

“Not sure enough to sleep well at night. I say if the dog is still doing ok when we are ready to go home that we go ahead and bring him with us. He does seem pretty badass right?”

“You know if those things bark that they're going to be bringing the Turned left and right if they are in the vicinity.”

“Dude you do just realize that he probably saved our life.”

Clary pulled out some beef jerky and tossed a piece to the dog petting its head and behind the ears. “You're a good boy, yes you are, and i’m gonna name you something evil.”

They cleared the rest of the guards desk and found the main control room. When they did they saw the control panel for the front entrance and hit the button to lower the raised barrier. Clary watched on the video monitor and when it was down hit the intercom saying back it up and bring it over Tina. The truck’s brake lights flashed as she backed up the large truck. Whey they got past Clary hit the button to raise it back up. Aslin said, “Wait that’s a horrible idea you realize this right?”

Clary said, “I don’t want any other surprises today, if any morons think robbing a military base is a good idea i’d like them to be persuaded to find another way in or somewhere else better suited to loot when they aren’t able to enter the facility.”

Aslin said, “Well aren’t we kind of robbing a military base?”

Clary said, “We are highly trained Navy Seals hell no we aren’t robbing, we are just borrowing until we are fit to return it. We have a duty to keep these kids safe. Far be it from me to try and take on such a task without a well armed arsenal and are you telling me that you want to try and leave all those chery rifles and bullets behind?”

Aslin looked at his machine gun and thought about the kids still shooting single shot rifles and pistols. He nodded knowing not for a second he’d want to leave a single bullet behind if they were able to carry all of them with. They went through the files watching the footage and seeing the troops pulling up and some looked fine others looked injured. There were others that left nothing to the imagination jumping and eating those that were within grabbing distance. The guards had put up a valiant effort to try and save them but had failed, and for their attempts had been rewarded with turning themselves or being eaten.

Aslin went out to meet the kids as they backed up and Clary looked through the file cabinets until he found a base map. He found the buildings he wanted labeled armory, kitchen, and the motor transport. He took the file with and ran to catch up with Aslin. Tina put it in gear saying, “Where’d you want to go?”

Clary thought about a nice island off the coast of Mexico but figured it wasn’t worth mentioning it to anyone else. “Lets take is really slow Tina I want to make sure we can hear those things coming from a mile away if there are boots running for us.”

They drove through the base and they could tell by the parking lots that at one point they’d been called in to duty most likely. They kept a eye on the streets and the carnage that had happened out by the gates seemed to follow them everywhere they went. There were Turned and soldiers on the ground. The Turned looked as if they’d been cut to pieces leaving nothing to move and the soldiers had nothing left to turn. The boys saw the bodies but while Clary and Aslin were thinking of fallen brothers, Shaun said, “Hey did you want to pass every one of those machine guns or do you want to bring them with?”

Clary said, “who knows what condition they are in after today, if there isn’t something better we will grab them on our way back. I’d prefer to make sure the ones we get are pretty much guaranteed ready to shoot.”

When they pulled up to the motorcade pool there were lines of trucks that looked brand new and ready to go. Tina said, “Hey where do we need to go to get the keys?”

Aslin said without thinking. “There aren’t any keys we just need to pick out a truck that’s a automatic.”

Greg said, “Are you going to hotwire it if you don’t need them?”

Clary said, “Greg they don’t have keys because in combat if the guy leading the way is your driver and gets blown up, or lost behind enemy lines you don’t want to have to worry about not having keys if you need to leave in a haste.”

Greg nodded thinking immediately of a man losing his bottom half from a roadside bomb and it was very clear they probably had to learn that the hard way at one point. They pulled in driving down the long row of vehicles passing tanks, humvees, regular trucks, until they came to transport trucks already set up with shaded tops. Tina looked at one of those shaking her head, “Am I going to have t drive one of those big ass things? How much stuff were you planning on taking?”

Clary replied, “Well I’d say that i’m down to take anything and everything that isn’t bolted down. As mentioned many, many times before who knows how long we are going to be held down at Andy’s place. Wouldn’t you rather have too much than too little?”

“Yeah but can’t we just come back?”

Aslin laughed and said, “Tina as genius as the two of us are, there are going to be plenty of other people worried about their survival and they are going to be arriving here in hoards eventually and stripping the place clean.”

              Clary said, “So yeah we can come back, but if we don’t need to than do you want to do so?”

              “Nope i’m cool staying at Andy’s and waiting it out.”

              “Vacations over honey, you are going to start training on how to use all of this lovely stuff I hope is still there bright and early. Day four is training if all of you know how to use this stuff we are hopefully going to have a chance.”

              Greg said, “Yeah but don’t you think…..you know the soldiers here kind of knew how to shoot one of those?”

              CLary said, “Yes smartass i’m confident the professional fucking soldiers knew how to use their weapons, but they aren’t trained to shoot people in the head, they are trained that a heart chest shot s the best you can do, and we both know that that’s just going to severely piss them off. We know that if you shoot them in the head that we are going to have one less of those things running the street. I don’t care who they are or abou that cure well i do care about the cure but if one of those is in between me and where i’m going i won’t be passing up a chance to make sure there is one lesser of them running around.”

              Aslin said, “Imagine what they probably could have done if they’d have had the simple facts like shoot them in the damn head. Or hey don’t get bit, or by the way these things can literally rip your arms from their sockets. So if you want to keep that from happening maybe you ought to keep some distance from them, that your riot gear shields will not be much help.”

              Shaun said, “We need to have our own army, I think we need more people over time, people that we can trust.”

              Tina parked the truck in front of the massive trucks and they made their way slowly walking down the line making sure there was nothing roaming around looking to eat them. When they were confident that they were at least safe for a few minutes Clary began jumping up in the trucks looking for keys and when he’d find one he’d hit the starter on it and let the giant diesel engine come to life. It roared across the quiet base echoing into the distance. Shaun and Greg looked at each other neither of them liking the extra noise but knowing it was impossible to avoid. When they’d found five of them they moved everything from the little truck to each of their own. Shaun said, “Tina you want me to ride with you? I can keep my eyes open?”

              “No, why don’t you ride with Jordan he looks like a lost puppy. Besides he doesn’t even have a gun…..Jordan why the hell don’t you have a gun?”

              He shrugged, “MY dad wasn’t into guns, I never had a chance to learn.”

              Greg walked by patting him on the back, “Those football skills are gonna come in useful man.”

              “I’m aware of their usefulness Greg, thanks man.”

              Clary yelled, “Quit wasting time and pick a truck. He laid the map down on the truck they’d been riding in hood and pointed to the base. Aslin you, Shaun, Jordan and Tina go over to the mess hall and get food and supplies. I’ll take Greg and run through the armory.”

              Aslin said, “You don’t want to keep together? You sure you want to split up?”

              “If I wasn’t I wouldn’t have mentioned it Aslin, I want to get out of here, and I think even working separately it’s going to take a few hours to go through everything and find what we want to. Besides you owe me, i’m offering purposely to take Greg with me.”

              Greg smiled coughing into his hand and saying something that may or may not have sounded like blow me. Shaun walked by him whispering, “Hey be safe man, oh and don’t do anything stupid.”

              Greg patted him on the back. “Hey now its me what do you have to worry about.”

              Shaun looked him up and down smiling. “Alot I think. Yeah a lot.”

              Clary was already in his truck and yelled Greg get your ass movin lets do this and get out of here. Aslin keep you radio on, if you need anything you click twice and Greg and I will come back you up.”

              The rest climbed into the truck and they headed in opposite directions. Each of them secretly wondering if they were making good decisions. Knowing that if they were going to run into locked doors with soldiers in them that they might be shooting first and asking questions later. Neither of them were really hoping that would be the case. They knew tha there was just as good of a chance that they were taking refuge there hoping for the best and not knowing about the Turn or what caused it and that they might be opening doors to potential hoards of the monsters who were looking for food and ready to get out. Clary took it slow happy and at the same time nervous about the fact that there were dead bodies but nothing to show why they were that way. He didn’t want to see the Turned but wanted a answer as to why there weren’t any roaming the yards. As they drove down the streets the Turned started to peer over the roofs of the buildings.