Total Apoc Trilogy (Book 2): Fighting the Hordes (6 page)

            Most of them had a firearm holstered on their hip, and many had hunting rifles and shotguns hanging off their shoulders.  I noticed more weapons leaned against waiting motorcycles and RTVs.  That was one well-armed group.

            "There's a lot more of them, but we have better weapons," Ralph said.  "I don't see anything resembling an automatic weapon."

            "Come on," I said, crawling straight back very slowly.

            We stayed in the woods until we were over the hill.  A dozen crew-served weapons swung around towards us when we emerged from the trees.

            "Don't shoot!" Ralph cried.

            We waited just long enough for everyone to recognize us and know we weren't zombies.  I hurried over to the jeep.  Jake and Mike Carter were there.  Jake was in the passenger seat, with Mike standing awful close to Olivia.  Tension filled me when I heard Olivia giggle.

            "We're back," I said, getting their attention.

            Yeah, I was more than a little pissed and worried.  Both men were big, strong, virile, and they were interested.  I was pretty sure it was more than just her being the only woman on the mission, too.  Olivia looked to be enjoying herself, which was worrisome.  They were so focused that they didn't notice our return.

            "I can't believe we risked our lives while the two Army guys stayed back to flirt with her," Ralph said.

            "Marine," Jake said, giving us a sharp look.

            "Supply sergeant in the marines," Mike said, with a vicious grin.  "While I was in the infantry.  Hmmm."

            That pissed Jake off, but he didn't deny it.  Our glorious leader was a supply sergeant?  I looked at Olivia, who was bright red.

            "You got a problem with that, boy?" Jake said, looking straight at me.

            "I don't know," I said, and then shook my head.  Too much going on.  "Neither here nor there right now.  We got a problem."

            "About fifty well-armed problems," Ralph said.  "They call themselves the Deathdealers."

            Jake and Mike were instantly all business.  Jake dismounted the jeep and hurried around, and even Olivia got out of the jeep.  I moved over to the hood.

            "Anyone have a pencil and paper?" I asked.  Both Jake and Mike pulled a notepad from front pockets.  I took Jake's pad and a pen.  I started drawing the layout of the gas station.  "Okay, we found about fifty men and women at the gas station.  They are all well-armed."

            I marked where most of the motorcycles and RTVs were parked, the store's location, and the pumps.  And then I drew a rectangle and jabbed the pen into it.

            "This is the most interesting thing," I said.  "They are filling up a gas tanker."

            "Really?" Jake said, suddenly interested.  "Are you sure?"

            "Um, we know what a gas tanker semi looks like," Ralph said.  "It says Exxon on the side."

            "It complicates things, too," Mike said.  "How do we engage them in a firefight and avoid blowing up the tanker?"  He looked around, grinned, and continued.  "We draw them out of the gas station and into an ambush."

            I had a bad feeling I wasn't going to like where this went.  Ralph looked at me with a worried expression, too.  Jake nodded, before looking all around. 

            "We need a place to hide the trucks," Jake said.  "And then work our way around to the north before we attack."

            "Exactly," Mike said.  "We send in one vehicle to shoot them up, and then race away to the north.  I'll take every one who's not a gunner or driver, hide them just inside the treeline, and then hit them hard as the enemy comes after them."

            "And I'll lead the pickups in to finish them off," Jake said.

            I looked at Olivia, and then Ralph.  They were both staring at Mike and Jake with big eyes.  They realized the same thing I did.  They intended for us to be the vehicle luring them into the trap.

            "What?" Olivia asked.  "They're people like us just trying to survive.  Why do we have to kill them for gas?"

            My face heated up.  She was right.  Even I was ready to attack them for the gas, and I had no intention in returning to Emory.  They had just as much right to that gas as we did.  Since they found it, and scavenged a truck old enough to pull the tanker, I'd say that gave them greater rights to it.

            "She's got a point," I said.  I looked at her and shrugged.  "Sorry."

            Jake looked disgusted.  "They will attack us if we try to pass.  This is a new world, new reality, kids.  It's kill or be killed."

            "You know, Jake, they might have a point," Mike said.  "We're supposed to be the good guys.  I didn't spend four years in the Army so I could slaughter Americans with impunity."

            They started arguing.  I interjected my opinion, but they ignored me.  Ralph, Olivia, and I were not one of them.  We were not from Emory, and I really felt it from those two.

            I looked around.  The highway crossed a county road where the Deathdealers were fueling up, via a bridge over the county road.  The only structures at that crossroads were fast food places and two gas stations, with the forest thick all around.  Ideas danced in my head.  It could work.

            Finally, I offered a solution.

            "Listen," I demanded.  Mike looked surprised, while Jake glared at me.  "What about this.  We'll do a drive-by in the jeep, act like we're surprised to see them, and then take off under the bridge.  If the Deathdealers pursue," I paused to look at Olivia, "then they probably would've attacked us anyway."  I pointed at Mike.  "You have your guys in the woods on the other side of the highway, along the service road south of the bridge.  We'll turn up the service road and lead them into your trap."  I looked at Jake.  "You have the pickups up on the highway this side of the bridge, so you'll have the high ground.  You can get anyone who comes the other way around the bridge, and any who make it past Mike, too."

            "I like it," Mike said.  "You're not as dumb as I thought, Kyle."

            "Thanks, I think."

            Jake and Mike started talking names of who Mike could have on his ambush team.  We didn't know any of them, so I pulled Ralph and Olivia to the side and told them my plan.  The main thing was to not get killed.  I had no intention of firing on the men and women in the gas station.  If they left us be, then all would be well for them.  I hoped.  Jake and Mike were really counting on them being aggressive.

            "I don't like attacking other survivors," Olivia said.  She made sure she spoke loud enough for Jake and Mike to hear.  "It's not right."

            "We're not going to attack them," I reminded her.  "We're just going to drive by."

            "And if they attack us, all bets are off," Ralph said.

            I think I wanted a fight.  Not sure why.  Unlike zombies, those guys would shoot back.  Truth was, at first I was spoiling for a fight, too.  The whole zombie apocalypse made me crazy, and then those bastards in Emory all but enslaved us to do their fighting.  I had a lot of pent up anger.  Fortunately, Olivia reminded me of my humanity.

            "Don't worry, Olivia," I said.  "We'll be fine."

            Mike stepped up.  He looked at Olivia's chest, lingering a little longer than I found comfortable.  She squirmed, averting her eyes.  I coughed, gaining his attention.

            "Um, yeah.  Olivia and Ralph will be the bait," Mike said.  "I need you on the ground with me, Kyle."

            Panic set in.  My heart started racing.  The prospect of being separated from them was more than I could handle.  I shook my head vehemently.  Olivia whirled on him, eyes flashing.  Ralph tensed up.

            "No," I said.  "I've seen the situation on the ground over there.  There are too many of them, and they are all on dirt bikes and RTVs.  It'll take both Ralph and me to fight them off long enough to lure into your trap if they attack."

            "You know we're a team," Olivia said.  "We don't separate."

            "You'll do what you're told," Jake said, moving up beside her.

            The look on her face said it all.  Olivia was pissed.  Jake fucked up there.  I spoke up before she got herself in trouble.

            "Sorry, Jake, but you recruited us as a team.  We stay together," I said.  "And since they're almost finished filling up the tanker, I don't think we have time to argue about it."

            I had no idea if they were close to finishing or had just gotten started.  How could I know?  For a second I feared he'd call me on it.  Jake didn't look like a happy camper.  Probably no one challenged him like we did.

            "Besides, one less gun won't make or break the ambush," Ralph added.  "Mike's team will all have automatic weapons, and we didn't see anything but pistols, hunting rifles, and shotguns."

            Mike nodded, though gave me a dirty look.  Neither one of them liked to be defied.  Mike wanted what he wanted, and so did Jake.  Damn control freaks.

            "Okay, I'm good," Mike said.  "He's not worth wasting any more time over.  Let's do this."

            "We're going to have a long talk when this is over," Jake said, voice low and menacing.

            They left.  I looked at Olivia and Ralph, and blew out the breath I was holding.  They looked as relieved as I felt.

            "We're going to have trouble with him," I said, looking at Jake.  "Mount up."

Chapter 7

            "Just drive like normal," I said.

            "Right," Olivia replied, putting the jeep in first and starting down the road.  "Driving the wrong way down a service road is normal."

            "Normal enough," I replied.  "Act casual, but be ready to light them up, Ralph."

            The jeep was picking up speed quickly.  Olivia was starting to get the hang of the transmission and shifted between the gears much smoother than when we started the journey earlier that morning.  The windshield was locked down on the hood again, since I didn't want anything in my way if we got into a firefight.

            We were doing 20 MPH by the time we reached the gas station.  The Deathdealers whirled around towards us, gawking.  Olivia hit the brakes as if startled by seeing them.

            "Go!  Go!" I shouted, all part of our act.  Almost at the same time, I saw men and women reaching for weapons.  "Shit!"

            Olivia already had it in first, and took off with a jerky start.  We quickly picked up speed, and I was impressed how well she shifted.  I really needed her to teach me to drive a standard.  In nothing flat we were turning away from the gas station and heading under the bridge.  I turned in my seat to keep them in sight, my finger on the trigger of my AR15.

            I felt exposed and vulnerable in that open jeep.  There were so many of them, and every one of them had more than one weapon.  There was nothing between us and their bullets.  Ralph swung the M60 around, but didn't fire.  We agreed to not fire on them if they didn't fire on us.

            They fired at us.

            I heard the bullets zipping past us even before I heard the
Pap-pap-pap-pap
of gunfire.  Then a variety of different sharp sounds of gunfire filled the air, indicating all the different types and calibers of weapons they carried. The spare was hit, and the jerry can of gas, too.

            Ralph lit them up. 
Rat-atat-tat-tat-tat!  Ratta-tat-tat-tat!

            I heard them starting their dirt bikes and RTVS.  The engines revved, telling me they weren't just going to let us go.  And then we were around the corner, heading up the wrong way on the other service road.

            "Go up the ramp," I shouted.  "Come around, Ralph!  I think some of them will try to cut us off by coming the other way around."

            Jake and all of the pickups were waiting in ambush in the low ground of the medium.  As we came up the ramp, I saw Deathdealers racing up the embankment, not bothering with the ramp.  They flew up in the air, landing on the southbound side of the highway even as Jake gave the order to fire.

            Ralph and I started firing, too.

            "Holy crap!" Olivia cried, ducking her head when Mike's team opened up on our pursuers.  Bullets were zipping every direction.  It sounded like we were in the middle of the world's biggest firefight.

            Behind us, 40mm grenades exploded. 
Boom!  Boom!

            And then Jake's group fired more grenades. 
Boom!  Boom!  Boom!

            Men and women were on foot running in all directions, some of them firing at us.  Others threw their weapons down and just ran.  That didn't save them.  Jake's group mowed the runners down just as fast as the fighters.

            "They're in full flight," Jake radioed.

            "Keep going!" I shouted at Olivia.  "Get back to the gas station before they can blow up the tanker."

            "You think they will?" Ralph asked.

            "I would," I said.

            Mike's team was still shooting.  I looked back as we bounced and jostled across the road and medium to see them coming out of the woods firing.  Probably killing the stragglers.  I hoped they weren't killing the wounded or anyone surrendering.  Jake never said anything about taking prisoners, but I'd assumed they would since they did it back in Emory.

            There wasn't any time to consider that, because we were crossing the southbound side and going down the embankment faster than I anticipated.  I could see total chaos over at the gas station as the rest of the Deathdealers were running to their rides.  Jake and team were right behind us, and started firing the second they had a clear shot.

            Ralph opened up then, too.