Zombie Theorem (Book 2): The Siege, page 12
Julie laughed out loud and then pushed Brian’s hand away. She grabbed him and tried to wrap her arms around him, coming up short by several inches. Brian chuckled and hugged her back gently.
The little bit of calm and serenity we had shattered when Hase yelled from the doorway, “We got incoming! A shitload of incoming! We need to mount up and get moving, people. Introductions will have to wait ‘till later.” His gun fired twice, and he moved outside.
Both teams went into a blur of motion then, most pulling their weapons and running outside to back up Hase. I retrieved my batons, popped the locks, and holstered them. I reloaded my MP5 and took Julie by the hand. “We need to start moving, baby.”
She let go of my hand and removed the 1911 from my leg holster. “Have any more ammo?” I handed her three loaded magazines from my vest pouches. Brian scooped up little Angel and was gone outside in a flash.
Julie and I were the last to leave the house. We came out firing together, providing cover for the team to mount up. I pointed to the rear Humvee, and Julie and I made for them. Hase and Heaven climbed up on the Humvees and held on. I pushed Julie through my door and over into Angel’s seat. Angel made room, then climbed up into her lap. Brian went next, sliding into his cupola and behind the MK-19. He fired, and the launcher made a hollow sound as it fired a grenade at the incoming ranks of zombies. It didn’t stop them, but pieces of them were thrown into the air by the horrendous explosion that lit up the dawning sky.
“We won’t be able to get out through the street. Go down my driveway. We can go through the fence in the backyard, and that will lead to a field that we can cross back to the highway!” Julie called out to Apache.
Apache gave a thumbs up and pulled out of formation to take the lead. Cupcake didn’t hesitate and followed at a distance. I felt and heard the .50 Cal open up on the zombies behind us. “Brian, make a hole in the fence!” Apache yelled.
Brian fired two grenades, and they blew the fence and a small shed into the air and created a hole big enough for us to move through. Cupcake followed at a distance, also flying through the hole. Brian slid around, pointing to our rear, and started firing into the houses. Senshi saw what he was doing and added his rounds. They were trying to knock down the houses and create a jam to slow down the approaching horde.
They finally succeeded, but a hundred or so zombies were able to slip through. We kept moving at a fast clip and outdistanced them. We bounced through the field and plowed through small piles of garbage and dirt. We approached the highway at about forty miles an hour. Apache cranked the wheel and pushed through a chain link fence, putting us back on Highway 1. Cupcake followed in our wake, and we roared out of the city. I sat back against my seat and rubbed my eyes. I could feel the crash of coming off the adrenaline that had kept me going since entering the house. Apache slowed the Humvee and brought us back down to a respectful thirty.
Kuppers came over the radio, “Apache, pull back and let us take the lead. Over.”
Apache slowed, allowing Cupcake to catch us then overcome and take the lead. We followed, weaving through more cars and moving farther from the city. I clicked on my radio, “Kuppers, when we are ready to make camp, I suggest climbing a hill. Back in Fort Bragg, those zombies followed us from the city to Julie’s house. I have a feeling they are following us now and will catch up sometime tonight. Being away from the highway may be our best shot at survival. Over.”
A minute went by before Kuppers came back over the radio, “Roger, all. There are a couple of private roads off the highway north of the next town called Inglenook. We will pull off on one of those side streets and head into the hills. We can plan for the next day’s trip from there. Over.”
We drove for another five hours and passed quickly through Inglenook. We picked up another horde of zombies as we did. As we drove, I had snaked my hand around and behind Brian and taken Julie’s hand. I entwined our fingers and vowed not to let go again. I divided my time between looking outside my window and to Julie and Angel, who had fallen asleep.
Before we could enter the next town, Cupcake turned his Humvee off of the highway and onto a side road that snaked up and into the hills. After two more hours of slowly climbing, we came upon an old rock quarry. We drove around the quarry and found a big house overlooking the highway below but set far enough back we would not be noticed.
We stopped the Humvees nose-to-nose and climbed out of the vehicles, stretching our backs and working out painful stiffening muscles. Hase climbed off the Humvee he had been riding on. Delta gathered around him, checking their gear and looking bored. “Kuppers, my team will clear the house if you guys will recon the area.”
Kuppers agreed and looked over at Vic and Doc. They nodded their understanding and walked away. Julie came around her Humvee and wrapped her arms around my waist and snuggled into me. I draped my left arm around her and held her close. “You two stop your ass grabbing and help move the supplies out of the Humvees!” Kuppers yelled out with a shit-eating grin on his face.
Julie blushed and let out a girly giggle. I kissed the top of her head and led her to the back of our Humvee. “I think I need a shower sweetie. I haven’t bathed in a week or so.”
“I don’t think I care, hun. I’ll take you covered in mud, if I had to. But I draw the line at zombie gunk.” I opened the back of the Humvee and pulled out some boxes of MREs and a box of magazines loaded with 6.62 rounds and another loaded with .45 ACP magazines. We stacked them near the back door of the sprawling house. Brian came up behind us carrying two full twelve gallon tanks of water that must’ve weighed close to ninety-six pounds each. Yet he carried them like they were nothing but pillows.
The Delta guys came out of the house carrying two bodies wrapped in sheets. They carried them to the quarry and threw them over the cliff. Hase looked over at me, “Dan, place is clear. Let’s move the supplies into the kitchen. There is a generator on the side of the house. Heaven and Hunter are going to go see if they can get it running.” We bumped fists and worked on moving everything inside.
The house was lavish and palacial. The people who lived there must’ve owned the quarry. The place was decorated in a French cottage kind of motif. Pictures and paintings depicting Paris, Marseille, Nice, and Lyon hung throughout the house. Heavy use of granite and stone-decorated walls, floors, and countertops. As we finished bringing in the supplies and staging them in the kitchen, a slight roaring sound that quieted down to a dull chug erupted. Then the lights in the kitchen and the rest of the house came on. I rushed to the sink and turned it on. First a trickle came through, but seconds later it turned into a full stream. I was so happy I let out a whoop and then laughed. Hase, Brian, and Julie, who were standing in the kitchen, joined in. Kuppers entered the kitchen and saw the water and lights. He grinned from ear to ear and shook his head, “Excellent, so let’s find out how much fuel we have and start fortifying the house, setting the watch, prepare a meal, and maybe take some showers.”
Julie almost fell to her knees in ecstasy. She moaned, “A shower!”
Kuppers chuckled and relented, “I think Julie just called dibs on the first shower. Dan, you want to take care of that?” He winked and walked away, leaving me blushing. Brian stood by the fridge covering his mouth, trying to hide his grin and laughter.
I saluted Kuppers and helped Julie off the floor. We explored the house looking for the master bedroom and, what we expected to find, the main bathroom suite. We found it at the end of a hallway behind two large French oak doors. Inside held a bed that could easily hold five people. We found the bathroom and, once inside, I checked the faucet and water poured out. Julie disappeared behind a door and soon I heard a flush. She emerged smiling, “The toilet works!” I giggled and pointed at the shower. She tore out of her clothes and opened the glass shower door. She stopped before closing the door. “Are you going to join me? I’m sure the water is cold, and I am going to need help to warm it up.”
I pulled my guns and placed them on the counter, peeled out of my armor and clothes and followed her in. We shared a kiss that indeed would warm the water up. She maneuvered me under the showerhead and turned on the water. I yelped at the cold water that rained down on me. My teeth started chattering, but Julie moved in with me and our body heat combined to cloud up the glass walls and door. We stayed that way, enjoying each other’s bodies. I pushed out of the water and grabbed the shampoo bottle on a shelf. I massaged her hair until plenty of suds appeared. I found the soap and got busy soaping her up. She laughed when I tickled her, and she then took the soap and took care soaping me up. We rinsed off, and I conditioned her hair. We picked up where we left off so many years ago.
We emerged from the water and used the towels we found on the racks. To our surprise, we found them to be heated. You gotta love rich people. A towel rack that heats your towel is genius. We dried each other off, and Julie brushed her hair out using a brush she found by the sinks. We emerged from the bathroom not quite warm, but happy from our explorations. We found a new set of clothes, underwear, and a sports bra for Julie on the bed, along with a note signed by Apache. The clothes happened to be a black SWAT combat uniform. By the size, I guessed they came from Apache’s personal set. I dug through my Zomgo bag and removed a clean set of clothes. We dressed, and I shrugged back into my armor and retrieved my weapons.
We came out of the room and made our way to the living room to find the team sitting around cleaning weapons. As we stepped in, all talking stopped and every head turned toward us. Smiles beamed back at us. “You know we got the water heater working, and if you would’ve waited you could’ve had a nice hot shower,” Hunter informed us.
Apache started laughing, “Oh, I think they warmed up their shower pretty good.”
I blushed and dropped my head so they wouldn’t see my smile. Julie beamed and stuck her tongue out at Apache. “Thank you for the uniform, Apache. I don’t mean to be rude, but can anyone equip me with a weapon?”
Doc spoke up, “Can you shoot, little lady?”
Julie smiled back at him. “Well, cowboy, I can shoot as well as I can make love. And if you look at Dan here, I think he can attest I can do both very well.”
Doc just about fell over laughing, and then the entire room fell apart and started belly laughing. I did not laugh, but instead became redder than a tomato as I blushed harder. Doc came under control, reached into his pack, and rooted around. He came up with a leg holster and a bigger handgun than I was carrying. “That’s a .44 Desert Eagle. Might have a little too much recoil, but if Dan is blushing that well, something tells me you can handle it.” He handed it to her and went back to his spot on the couch.
Julie dropped the magazine, checked the load, and slammed it back home. She attached the leg holster and slid the gun home. “That will do for close in work, thank you. Anyway, can I get a long gun or battle rifle?”
Helmut stood from his spot and picked up a mean, dangerous looking rifle. He smiled and handed it to her. “Think you can handle that bad boy? If so, it’s yours.”
Julie flipped it over in her hand and looked it over. She pulled the magazine then pulled the charging handle and caught the round as it flew out. She released the safety and pulled it to her shoulder. She looked through the scope and then replaced the magazine and pulled the charging handle, making sure a round was now in the receiver. She then popped the magazine back out and replaced the lost round with the one she kept in her hand. She looked over the attachment at the bottom and smiled, “Is that a Masterkey?”
Helmut smiled at her, “Julie, if you ever leave Dan, I’ll be happy to take his spot.”
Apache spoke up at this, “Hey, what about me? Am I not good enough for you?”
Hunter jumped into the conversation, “You are too manly and scary for us, hun.”
Apache threw a closed bottle of gun oil at him. Hunter caught it one handed and blew a kiss at her. “More manly than you’ll ever be.” The Delta team broke into fresh laughter.
Brian gained his feet under him and stood. “You two take my place. I’m going to go try a shower.”
“Use the master suite, the towels are on a warming rack,” I informed him.
He thanked me and disappeared down the hall. Julie and I collapsed on the sofa and lay back relaxing. Apache was talking quietly to Angel, “I think we are going to go take a bath.” Angel stood up.
“I’ll help,” Julie jumped up and went down the hallway with the girls.
“Come on, Dan. Come help me cook everyone a meal. They have propane here, so we can use the stove.” Vic got up and headed toward the kitchen. I sighed, then got up and followed him out.
We went through the cupboards, gathering dishes and pots and pans. I found no food in the cupboards. Vic opened a door at the end of the hallway and whistled. I followed him and we stood in a large pantry with shelves covered in cans and boxes of food. As Vic went through the food, I found another door at the end and opened it to find a stairway. I pulled my handgun and went down slowly, one step at a time. I made it to the bottom and found myself in a large wine cellar filled with bottles. I whistled out loud, and Vic came down after me.
“Looks like we are going to drink well tonight. Find a couple of good bottles and come on up and help me make dinner. I found enough noodles and sauce to feed an Italian army.”
I walked through touching the bottles and reading their labels. I figured that since we were having pasta, we might as well have a red wine with our dinner. I found three bottles of Chianti and brought them upstairs. Vic had already filled two large pots with water and was emptying bottles of pasta sauce into two big saucepots. As we waited for the water to boil, we cracked open one of the bottles of Chianti and enjoyed a glass each.
Howser walked in at that point, “I found and shot a deer out in the hills during a walk. I just hung it up outside, and Heaven is butchering it. Anyone up for venison steaks?”
Vic turned to him, “I never heard a shot.”
Howser patted his battle rifle and pointed to a long attachment on the barrel, “Silencers are standard for us.” Vic nodded his head in understanding.
I turned the middle grilling burner on and licked my lips. Howser went through the cupboards and came up with two large platters that he took out with him. He came back five minutes later with twelve large steaks. I got six of them on the grill and started searing them. Vic disappeared back into the pantry and came out with two cans of spinach and other canned vegetables. He added them to the sauce.
Heaven and Doc came into the kitchen, and we all sat around and drank glasses of Chianti and talked about the day while drooling over the cooking food. The girls came back all washed up and dressed in clean clothes. I found some sealed apple juice in the pantry and gave some to Angel as she sat on the counter and talked to us.
The dining room ended up having a table the size of a small boat with enough chairs for all of us. We sat around and filled our bellies with pasta and venison. Delta entertained us with some fun stories about being overseas and the people they met. Brian joined in on the stories and added some colorful stories about Marine boot camp and his time in Iraq and Afghanistan. Kuppers even joined in about some times when he was younger. All around a great night for everyone.
We divided the rooms and living room up for sleeping. Somehow, Julie and I got the master bedroom to ourselves. I personally think that the vote was rigged. Apache and Angel got a room to share. Hase volunteered Heaven and Helmut to take the first shift at guard followed by Howser and Hunter for second shift. He said they were used to limited sleep.
I opened our bedroom door and lifted Julie into my arms. My back screamed at me and my stiches had something to say, but I ignored them as I carried my woman over the threshold of our room. She laughed and hit my shoulder telling me to put her down. I kicked the door closed and threw her onto the bed. I climbed in after her and into her arms. We were exhausted and since we had already said our hellos in the shower, we promptly fell asleep still dressed in our clothes, sans boots. The dream made a comeback, worse than before. I was in the forest again. The ground was rumbling and shaking from explosions going off everywhere. I looked down into my arms and this time the person I was holding was not blurred. I was holding a limp and lifeless Angel. Her body was broken and bleeding in so many places that I could not discern which injury killed her.
I started to sob uncontrollably and screamed, “NO!” into the sky, begging God to bring her back. I remembered the team and started looking around for them. They were in a fight with zombies and the living, who must have been Ridder. Our team, though, had grown into an army. I watched as Senshi, Cupcake, and Howser were taken down by a horde of zombies. I wanted to get into the fight and help, but hopelessness bloomed in my heart. It threatened to take me into hell itself.
A hand appeared on my shoulder, and I looked up into Julie’s eyes. She was smudged with dirt and smelled of gunpowder. “Let her go, Dan. You need to rally the troops and lead them.” Lead the troops? Who? Me? I am a no one, why would they follow me? “A tipping point is coming, get up and be the man I know you are!” Julie screamed at me. She raised her gun and started firing into a horde coming our way. She then looked at me one last time, this time with disgust written on her face. Then she ran to the team’s side.
I woke and sat up in bed, panting. I looked down at my hands and watched as they shook uncontrollably. The room was lightly lit by a single candle that we had found before calling it a night. Tears streamed down my face. Julie sat up and engulfed me in her warm embrace. She held me and allowed me to calm down. Once I had my control back, she turned my head and her lips met mine. She pulled away and then rested her head on my shoulder. “Tell me everything,” she whispered.
So I did, I told her everything. I started in the beginning, back in that damn tower. I explained what I had to do to survive and how Brian had become more than a friend, more like a brother. I even spoke about Maggie and how we failed her. I told about my time spent with Vic at the police station. I explained how I met the SWAT team and how I had dreamed of and then found Angel on that car back in San Francisco. I went through our harrowing escape and the loss of Little Jonny and the First Sergeant on the pier. Our trip on the barge and our time on Alcatraz. How we found the Ridder camp and what we had to do, what I had to do, how I had to kill a living man for the first time. I talked about the Culling Initiative and how their hands were stained in the blood of millions. The battle that nearly Killed Senshi and I. I held nothing back. I gave her everything. I ended with my nightmare and her disgust in me.
