Trudge: Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse (5 page)

Mike was Cade’s commander and team leader in the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, Delta Force for short. During the last deployment in Afghanistan, they had seen a lot of combat together and trusted each other with their lives.

During one particularly intense engagement they were about to be overrun by a much larger force of insurgents and Taliban. They had been forced to call in “danger close” artillery fire, the rounds impacted all around and nearly on top of their position. A-10 Thunderbolts, a heavily armored, slow moving, ground attack jet, the ground soldier’s best friend, rolled in time after time making gun runs. The nose mounted Vulcan cannons spit lead, decimating scores of enemy in the process. In the middle of the fighting, each man had vowed, should either one of them die, the survivor would look after the others family.

Mike Desantos’s phone went to voice mail after the first ring. Cade left a concise message detailing his wife and daughters situation and asked him to be on the lookout for them.

Chapter 8

Day 2, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Harrison and Peggy Mortenson had lived next to Brook’s childhood home in the subdivision since 1960. They were nonstop news junkies and had been up most of the night, witnessing the contagion spread worldwide. 

It was now apparent to Brook why her dad had committed the unspeakable act he did. She also feared for her brother and the other workers still at the hospital.  

"My phone has been acting up and I haven’t heard from my husband since yesterday. This is the first I’ve heard about the contagion that’s going around" Brook said to Peggy.

Harrison interjected and told Brook about how infection occurs and what happens as a result. In addition, he added as an afterthought, “The president has issued a declaration of martial law. We are in a world of hurt.”

Armed with this new information, Brook came to the realization that nobody would be coming to investigate what had just happened at her parents’ house, and she surmised that the coroner was not coming for the bodies either.

“I have to go back and get my phone so I can try to get ahold of your Dad. I want you to come with me.” 

Shaking her head vigorously side to side, Raven said “no way mom”, while biting her bottom lip, “please don’t make me.” She wouldn’t budge, and wanted no part of going back to Grandma’s house.

Considering the horrors she had witnessed there minutes ago, Brook didn’t force the issue.

She reluctantly left her daughter with the Mortensons for a moment and went back to her childhood home one last time.

The door was ajar and the house smelled like gunpowder and death.  Moving slowly into the kitchen, she could see her mom’s feet clad in the pink slippers she had given her last Christmas.

Out of the corner of her eye Brook detected movement. She looked closer; her mom’s foot jerked.

Brook crept around the island and retrieved the shotgun from the bench in the breakfast nook.

The ghoul sensed her arrival, the bloody remains that were once her loving mom flopped over onto its stomach and proceeded to crawl towards her, bodily fluids leaving a slick trail along the floor. Her undead mom slowly pursued her into the living room leaving her no choice.

Remembering what Harrison had told her earlier, she aimed directly for the head. Brook closed her eyes for a second and said a little prayer and thought to herself,
It’s not you anymore Mom, I love you and I’m sorry I have to do this.

She pulled the trigger and the shotgun roared, the second random shell that she had inserted happened to be a slug, the round ruptured her mom’s head, peppering the hallway with brain matter, hair and bone fragments. She started sobbing as the realization that both of her parents were now dead suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks. She still had her daughter that much she knew; silent prayers went out to her husband Cade, whom she missed terribly.

Brook ran up the stairs, two at a time and went into her old room. Her phone was in her carry on, where it had been since she last talked to Cade. Bag in hand she went downstairs heading for the door.

Raven ran from the neighbor’s house when she heard the shotgun report and was tentatively peering into the open front door when Brook descended the stairs. At the first sight of her mom, Raven jumped into her arms.

Brook sat on the porch swing comforting Raven; she held her and stroked her hair for a few minutes.

It took a few seconds of rooting around in her bag, she finally found her phone and powered it on, it chimed several times letting her know she had missed calls and there were waiting messages.

She sat on the porch reading the text message from Cade, her head started spinning at the thought of what was happening everywhere else in the world. The voice mail from Cade drove the severity of their situation home; the tone of his voice on the message said it all. She would surely heed his advice because when it came to times like this, she never questioned his wisdom.

Brook thought,
as soon as we get the Cadillac loaded up we better set out for Fort Bragg. 

Standing in the kitchen, Brook stared at her dad’s lifeless form, she heard his voice in her head, “
Brooklyn, you get going now, take Raven and get to safety
” of course it was only her subconscious talking, but she took it to heart.

Brook called her brother Carl, she tried both his cell and the hospital land line but had no luck getting ahold of him.

Brook dialed Cade’s cell and listened to it ring.

After the third ring he picked up.

Chapter 9

Day 2 Southeast Portland

While the kids ate, Cade closed all of the blinds and double checked the windows and doors, making sure all were locked. The undead didn’t know that they were in the house and Cade wanted to keep it that way.

Cade once again turned his attention to the local news. Two anchors were mourning their fellow reporter’s demise that had been broadcast on live television the day before. Thankfully they refrained from showing the bloody spectacle again.

President Odero put on the full court press and declared martial law nationwide. FEMA issued recommendations that doomed millions. They urged the United States population to stay home and tend to their sick and wounded. The most disturbing information that Cade had to process was a graphic that simulated the nationwide spread of the infection. It revealed an ever expanding zone indicated in red, it radiated inland from the Eastern Seaboard and spread north from Mexico. Despite the new border crackdown the whole state of California was awash in red. The South and Southwest looked less impacted and the Northwest and Central Rockies weren’t hit as hard… yet.  The next graphic was unfathomable. A fast spreading, time lapsed representation of the contagions impact worldwide filled the screen. There were very few locations on earth not ravaged during the first two days of the global outbreak. As he watched the news, a thousand miles away his in-laws were dying.

Cade had no immediate family in Portland. Both of his parents had died years ago. He inherited the house he grew up in. Chuck and Madeline were very close and had been married for fifty-five years when they both suddenly died of natural causes barely a month apart. Chuck passed first. He died peacefully in his sleep. Madeline was devastated and died of natural causes -probably of a broken heart- twenty-eight days later.

They had been happily married for twenty seven years before Cade came along. He was not in their plans; but he was the best thing that had ever happened to them. Their proudest moment was when Cade joined the army at the age of twenty, Eleven Bravo; light infantry was his MOS (military occupational specialty) when he enlisted. He excelled during basic training and loved service life so much that he went through Ranger school, served with the 75th Ranger Regiment and then later, on to Special Forces training at Fort Benning, Georgia. 

Mike Desantos recruited Cade for the Delta Force. For the next couple of years he had some top-secret missions where he found himself "down range", the soldiers term for being on the receiving end of enemy fire. Cade gave better than he got.

When he met Brook, it was love at first sight. She was a nurse near Fort Lewis when he was stationed there with the 1st Special Forces Group. It was 1999, they were soon married and Raven was born shortly after.

Being an operator was his life and when those nineteen shit bags dropped the twin towers it became a crusade. He believed in the war against terror so wholeheartedly that he had “INFIDEL” tattooed in Old English lettering across his back.

Cade did everything his superiors asked of him, sacrificing anniversaries, birthdays, he even missed Raven’s first words and steps while he was hunting terrorists.

Soon after the new President Odero took office and the crusade had lost its luster for the American people, Cade decided to hang up his spurs.

It was a slap in the face to all of the people in uniform fighting for their country when the young liberal president and his new administration decreed that terrorist acts be called “man-made catastrophes”. It was equally disrespectful when the president and his people in the White House stopped using the word “terrorist” verbally and in print and started coddling the Muslim world.

Choosing to leave his unit and not re-up was the hardest decision he had ever made. A lot of career shooters were also taking this route, and then working for Blackwater or Triple Canopy providing private security in the sandbox.

Cade immersed himself in family life.

Chapter 10

Day 2 Southeast Portland

Cade’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He extracted it and saw that Brook’s name and number were on the display, he answered it immediately. Sobbing on the other end of the line was indeed his wife Brook. She recounted everything that had happened to her in the last twenty minutes. Cade cut her off and said, “If my memory serves me, your parents live on a cul-de-sac, right?"

"Yes" she replied, "So?"

Not knowing how long he would have a signal, he told Brook to just listen, "It’s a good thing they do; if Myrtle Beach is anything like Portland those things will be all over the surface streets. Stay away from big public places especially hospitals or triage centers. The National Guard and FEMA will try to limit your travel. If they give you any problems tell them where you are going and who you seek. Talk about your relationship with me as a last resort. Get as many shells for the shotgun as possible. Grab some food and water from the house and take the Escalade and get Raven and yourself to Bragg. Remember to go around popular major routes. Do not pick up anybody and give Rave a hug for me. I’ll meet up with you at Bragg. See you soon, I love you."

“Finished yet” Brook said jokingly.

“Just the pertinent facts ma’am” he fired back.

Then all business aside, voice wavering, Cade said, “you guys be careful, and I really do mean it, I love you. See you soon.”

The connection was lost and replaced with the hiss of static.

There was no reason to tell Brook about Ted and Lisa, their neighbors from around the block. She had enough on her plate and Cade didn’t want to muddy the waters any further.

*****

Brook was sitting on the neighbor’s sofa and taking this all in when her brother skidded to a stop outside. He left his car running and sprinted into his parents’ home.

By the time Brook walked out onto the lawn Carl had already been inside and seen his parents and was on hands and knees hurling in the grass. They met each other’s gaze when Carl finally stopped. His eyes were red; he looked at the shotgun Brook held, "I'm sorry you had to do it Sis. I left work this morning; before I saw mom and dad in there I thought I could never convince you what went on at the hospital. It was a hell house. I'll never forget last night."

Breathing in deeply, he continued, “earlier this morning I had a moment of clarity and remembered the bite that dad got. I tried to call here; I only got a recording. Shortly after that people in the Emergency Room started screaming.”

Carl paused, wiping his nose with his shirt sleeve, “I hid in a closet for over three hours until the wailing stopped. I finally decided to run for it, everyone on the wing was either dead or a walking corpse. I drove here as fast as I could” he said gasping, eyes red and teary.

Brook hugged her little girl and big brother close to her.

Chapter 11

Day 2 Southeast Portland

Ike and Leo were still mesmerized by the images on TV, they couldn't turn it off. It was like being in a car going by a fatal wreck and seeing the telltale yellow tarp, you are compelled to steal a look. Such was the draw here. They aired the Pioneer Square footage yet again, the attack at the hospital and a reporter getting ambushed by a mob of undead at an outdoor triage center.  The International footage was few and far between. What they did show mirrored the horrors they faced here in the United States. As time wore on governments worldwide hid the extent of the outbreak. Even FEMA started a looping video message on all of the channels warning of the contagion and imploring people to shelter in place.