Losers vs. Zombies, page 8
We drove the trucks to the camp and left the engines idling. They both needed jumping off to be cranked. They could idle for days which would build the batteries up. Burke already knew we would need to start rounding up some diesel fuel.
Steve called around through the soldiers to find out where I was. He was worried about all the cars in the tunnel.
“If we leave them, they will explode when the fire reaches them. While that will help to kill the zombies, it will probably cause the tunnel to flood. Remember, this tunnel runs underneath a river.” Steve explained his dilemma.
“We need to move the cars out. We could reuse the tunnel for another round of zombies. You’re right, a car exploding would cause too much damage.” I said as I looked from my vantage point to see how many cars we were talking about. I could see at least eight cars and I knew there were more that I couldn’t see. “Have you taken a count to see how many cars there are?”
“Nineteen.” Steve said simply.
I called a soldier over to us and told him to radio to Burke to tell him to locate a tow truck to clear the tunnel.
“Hopefully this won’t be much of a delay.” I stated and patted Steve on the back. “Good call. Now I need to go back to the pit to check on things there.”
“How is that coming along?” Steve asked.
“A lot faster than I thought it would be. Everything looks like it will work out really well. I’m not holding my breath though. I wonder what Burke will say if both the tunnel and the pit turn out to be a waste of time.”
“I don’t think that will happen. Everything you’ve planned so far has worked out better than you expected. These two projects won’t be any different.” Steve assured me.
While I was happy that everyone had so much faith in me, it usually meant a more resentful fall from grace when things went sour.
I went back to the pit. I was just in time to see the first cement pour. The others began to pour right after. We were running seven mixers at the same time. We hoped this would help to get it all done today. It would be close.
Our biggest problem were the hundreds of zombies that were showing up each day. It was what I was hoping for except the pit wasn’t open for business yet.
Harold was working overtime with the fences. He built a fence surrounding the work site so the soldiers wouldn’t need to waste any more bullets. Harold also extended the fence leading into the area where the truck would need to turn. He added two more gates down the road in case the zombies were backed up in front of the original gate. This way the truck could still turn and get out of the way.
We put the crane in place and they were getting the generator hooked up when I got an idea. I told them to hold off on the generator and went back to the truck place. We jump started another semi and I drove it over to the site. This way, we wouldn’t need to refill the generator with gas every few hours or however long it would take for it to run out. All it takes is a converter to turn the truck into one big battery.
Finally the day ended with the cement pours being completed. The fences were ready. The tunnel was cleared. We had the forklift in place as well as the long pole chainsaws. We were going to open the pit tomorrow. The tunnel plan would be the day after tomorrow. No one knew what day of the week it was anymore.
The next morning was brimming with excitement. The soldiers had some extra pep in their step. Our group was a little excited but not overly so.
“Today’s the day!” Burke came over to our table while we were eating breakfast. He seemed more excited than anyone.
“Yep. I hope things go smoothly. We need a good result from this. I am just worried we should wait another day or two to let the cement set.” I said worriedly.
“It should be fine. Trust me.” Bob stated.
“I can’t wait to see it happen. This could really turn things around for Mobile.” Burke was getting on my nerves. He was too happy and excited.
After eating we headed over to the pit and finished the preparation. The semi was filled with diesel fuel and the stereo was hooked up to the converter through a bunch of extension cords. The crane was used to suspend the speakers over the middle of the hole. It would hold the stereo at ground level which would be over ten feet above the zombies in the pit.
We went in stages. We cut a gap into the northern part of the protection fence letting maybe four hundred zombies come through. Once those had fallen into the pit, we did the same for the southern part of the fence. A few hundred more went into the hole. Then came the interstate side to the west. We cut away part of the fence allowing the hundred or so on this side of the road through. The forklift operator did just as I instructed him to. He lifted the concrete divider only a matter of inches. He backed up keeping the divider between him and the zombies. We kept ten soldiers near the forklift to insure the driver’s safety. The eighty or so zombies followed the sound of the music instead of the forklift anyway. The western side fence was cut then causing another hundred or so to fall into our hole.
“That was perfect!” Burke shouted over the music.
“It went just like we planned.” I shouted back.
I turned and gave Steve the nod. He and four soldiers left in five separate trucks. Each truck was set up with a good stereo system. Steve had given the soldiers detailed instruction on what they should do. They went in different directions. They would be the ones leading more zombies in to the pit.
Some of us went into the building that housed the heavy equipment offices. We wanted to be able to talk without having to shout.
“So far so good.” I said.
“Good? That was at least a thousand zombies and we are just getting started.” Burke continued his over exuberance.
“Just remember, the hole might take days to fill up. I am hoping for around three thousand per week.” I cautioned him.
“I think there will be more than that. Even if you are right, three thousand a week isn’t bad.” Burke replied.
Our conversation was interrupted by the sound of one of the truck stereos. We headed outside. I didn’t need to explain to the others that it wasn’t nearly time for any of the trucks to be back yet.
One of the soldiers was driving very slowly down the southbound lane of the interstate with a horde of zombies trailing him. We got to see his approach. Just as he neared the gap in the fence he turned off his stereo and sped away like he was supposed to do.
The zombies turned left and headed for the pit. We watched as a couple hundred of them fell into the hole. Burke slapped me on the back causing me to wince with the pain. The others cheered as the last of the zombies fell in.
The rest of the day went much the same. I was hoping for three thousand a week. I got three thousand the first day. The pit was crawling with zombies. I was happy to see that the hole was big enough to hold four times more.
We headed back to the base with the stereo still playing. We decided to let the pit fill for another day or two before we burned the first round of zombies.
“Now for the tunnel. Where are we in the preparations?” I asked. I had gathered our group to talk in our tent.
“We only need to set up the accelerant and turn on the music. The trucks won’t be used the way we planned. We will still use one for the batteries to run the stereo, but we will leave it parked a safe distance away. Remember we didn’t want to blow up a car? It hit me when we were about to drive the trucks over. We were only thinking of them as barricades and not remembering they had large fuel tanks that would blow. We already put some concrete dividers at the outer edge of the tunnel. Once the trucks leading the zombies are out, we will use a forklift to put the dividers in place. Then the stereo will be turned on. We have the dividers stacked so there’s no chance of the zombies getting past them.” Steve laid it out for me.
“Great thinking! You did a really good job.” I told him. The others of our group echoed my sentiments wholeheartedly.
“I do need your advice on how to deploy the flammables. We covered the drains but there is still a hell of a lot of area to cover through the tunnel. The shape of the tunnel is a problem too. It dips down in the middle so if we dump the accelerants it will all gather in the center of the tunnel and might not spread the fire the way we want it to. I’ve been racking my brain for a solution.” Steve said.
“I will think on it. Was that the only problem? Have you scouted the area to see where the most zombies are?” I asked.
“Yes. They are dispersed evenly through the downtown area. Bienville Square has a bunch and a couple of other places have some of them gathered. The rest are spread in small groups or just one or two roamers. I gave each of the soldiers a map with their route laid out for them. We should get most, if not all of them.” Steve announced.
“Again, great job!” I patted him on the back. “Anyone have any questions?”
“Will we be here for the tunnel or at the pit for zombie watch there?” Bob asked.
“I’m glad you asked that. I meant to ask you and Harold to go over to the pit in case they ran into any problems. I wanted at least one of us there during the day. I will be at the tunnel to watch over the burning all day. The soldiers have their radios in case you need me or more soldiers.” I informed them.
“Sounds good.” Bob said.
“Anything else?” I asked. I looked around and everyone seemed ok with the plans for tomorrow. “Good. Let’s go eat.”
Everyone else rose to their feet. They started out of the tent. I waited until they were gone before I tried to stand. I didn’t want them to see how much pain I was in. I had taken some of the pills during the day but being on my feet all day caused more pain than the pills could handle. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the bottle. I took two this time hoping they could at least get me from excruciating down to only painful.
Spirits were high in the mess hall. We received a lot of cheers from everyone. I still saw this as astonishingly weird. In my eyes we were still a bunch of losers.
Chapter 10
I looked over the accelerants we would use. We had thirty units of paint thinner in five gallon containers. We also had over one hundred bottles of Charcoal lighter fluid, as well as twenty gallons of kerosene. I wasn’t sure it would be enough.
“Here they come.” I said. I looked to see two U-Haul moving vans pulling up to where we were standing.
“Who?” Steve asked.
“I gave some soldiers a list of things to bring us.” I said.
I laid awake in my bed last night thinking the accelerant problem through. The best solution I could come up with was to use sheets, blankets, rags, and towels to line the road with. We soak them with the flammable liquids and lay them down covering as much of the road as possible. The containers left over would be spread throughout the tunnel with a rag or towel hanging out of the mouth of the open container. I figured the ground layer of soaked blankets would spread the fire enough to ignite the containers. There would be small explosions of flame coming from the containers that would not have been kicked over by the zombies passing through. The ones that were knocked over would help coat the ground and spread the fire. This seemed like it would work.
I explained my plan to everyone and we got to work on getting the tunnel ready. It took us a few hours to fully prepare. Once we had everything in place, I gave Steve the go ahead to grab his group of soldiers and start luring the zombies in.
After making sure everyone knew what their jobs were and what to expect, I found a seat on the grass across the road from the tunnel opening. I was uptight because I knew the difficulties the drivers would have. They needed to time their entry into the tunnel so that all four entered and got through before the zombies began to enter. Steve assured me he had planned it out really well.
I wanted to laugh when I thought about it. During the first few days of hiding in Fred’s, all I wanted was some people more qualified, like the military, to handle the zombies. Now that I was surrounded by the military, I relied mostly on our little group of losers.
I was almost ready to start dozing when I heard the truck stereos coming. I stood and gave the signal for the forklift driver to be ready. The other soldiers all assumed their stations. They looked prepared.
The four trucks all came out in a line. So far, so good. The forklift driver took the dividers into the tunnel as soon as the last truck exited. The stereo team carried the equipment into the tunnel and set up the music. Metallica blared loudly. It brought a happy smile to my face. The others in our group didn’t like hard rock or heavy metal. The soldiers did and they were the ones who loaded the five disc changer in this stereo. We always set the cds for continuous play. That way the music kept playing as long as the stereo had electricity.
Now we waited. I took a position by the concrete dividers. I would be the one who started the fire. We posted soldiers on the other end of the tunnel to radio us and let us know when the last of the zombies entered from their side. They were safely watching from inside the buildings along Government Street.
It took longer than I expected before we received the go ahead. I lit the fuse. I used some sheets tied together and soaked through with kerosene as my fuse. I wanted to be a good distance from the main part of the fire. I made my fuse long enough to reach the outside of the tunnel.
It only took a few seconds before the zombies went up in flames. The blast of heat coming out of the tunnel would have killed me. I was really glad I made the fuse as long as I did. The radio went wild with the cheers from the soldiers on the other side. The flames had shot out of the opening over there.
We spent a couple of hours celebrating our success before some of us loaded up and went to the pit. Harold met us as we were getting out of the truck. His smile told of more celebrating. At least I figured it did.
“We got a great surprise when we showed up this morning. There were over a thousand more zombies in the hole when we got here. They are coming in pretty regularly.” Harold informed us with a smile.
“That’s way more than I expected. Steve and his group are already making a run to bring in more.” I told him.
“The soldiers said you guys got a couple of thousand at least with the tunnel fire.” Bob said as he walked up.
“Well, that number ranges from one thousand to five thousand, according to who you talk to. I have no real idea. I did see the tunnel was full close to the dividers at the end of the tunnel where we were. I couldn’t see very far into the tunnel though.” I admitted.
“Will we be able to reuse the tunnel? I know we were hoping for that. To have two separate reusable zombie killing places would help.” Harold inquired.
“It will be a day or two before we can know for sure. The fire was still burning when we left. The remains will need to be removed each time we use the tunnel. Otherwise the zombies would trip and cause a pile up in the entrance to the tunnel.” I explained.
We walked over to the pit. I looked in at the trapped zombies. This was going very well. I heard one of the leading trucks approach. I looked up to see him coming in from the south. The soldiers were at the gate ready to open and close it to allow the truck to come through. I went to where I could meet the driver to get updated on the numbers he saw. When the truck came in, I was happy to see that it was Steve.
“How are the numbers looking?” I asked when he got out of the truck.
“We might be able to make a lot of trips just on Springhill Road from downtown to here. They were everywhere. I left way before you guys did from the tunnel and I am just now getting here. I don’t know for sure how many will be coming in behind me, but I know my mirror was full of them.” Steve said.
We walked back to the pit to see them falling by the dozens into the mass of zombies below. The stream of zombies lasted for much longer than I hoped. This showed a flaw in my design. Even with a twenty foot depth, the zombies falling created a pile at the bottom that wasn’t able to clear fast enough to allow for all the zombies coming after them. The pile grew quickly and threatened to reach the top of the hole. Luckily, the pile wasn’t stable and fell over in a huge heap. I let out a sigh of relief.
By the end of the day, we had around seven thousand in the hole. On Burke’s encouragement, we lit them up. We used paint thinner mostly. The stereo was lifted up high enough so the heat from the fire wouldn’t damage the components. It was sitting on a steel plate that would still get pretty hot. Once the fire was going good, I had the crane operator swing the stereo off to the side. I wasn’t wanting to have to replace it every time.
Even with the fire going strong, zombies would keep walking into the pit. We were amazed at the lack of survival instinct. Some of the soldiers started making jokes. I couldn’t. I still remembered that these zombies used to be living, vibrant people.
The day ended with smiles on almost every face. I was hurting too bad to celebrate. I was going through the pills faster than I should. I made plans and swore Steve to secrecy since I would need his help.
After everyone was asleep, Steve and I left the camp. We told the guard on duty that we needed to make a scouting run. He believed us. We were really headed for the drug stores. Since Walgreens like to have a store on almost every corner, the pills I needed weren’t hard to find. We went to three stores and stocked up on all the painkillers I could get my hands on. I asked Steve to go with me in case we ran into any zombies. We had our assault rifles and handguns at the ready at all times.
The next morning, we were eating when Burke came up to our table. He told me he needed to talk to me alone. He also asked the rest of my group to stay in the mess hall. We said ‘ok’ and finished our meal.
“We have a situation. We have been scanning every cb channel, ham radio, etc. We are looking for any survivors. We just found a transmission coming from New York City. They have it really bad. According to the transmission, they have over a thousand survivors but they are losing some every day.” Burke looked worried.
