Zombie Infestation Page 5

  Ray stepped in front of her. “I will lead the way. I fucked up back there. Let me redeem myself.”

  Everyone except Rose glared at Ray.

  She shoved him aside. “Honestly, I think if brains were dynamite, you might not be able to blow your nose. Just do your job and we are all good.”

  She drew her weapon and pointed it at him.

  “If not, then you get a gift from my best friend Darwin here.”

  On her signal, the team exited the slender hallway as if it was on fire.

  Chapter 17

  The hospital was an open concept. The chalk white tiled railings from the floors above looked like cascading layers of a multi-layered wedding cake. From the second level the team could see everything above and below. Two wide staircases with an expansive flat between those led to massive first floor lobby. From there, some double doors led to a large intake area, which led to the front entrance.

  The lobby had a wretched stench that smelled like rancid meat mixed with burnt oil, which nearly made everyone on the team’s stomach do flips. The team could still hear random thumps of the rooftop zombies falling down the nearby elevator shaft. Scattered throughout the lobby were silhouettes of zombies. Most of which wandered as if they were sleep walking, and likely part of the weaker level 3 or 4 class of zombies. Yet this was still a serious threat.

  Rose said, “It is tight down there, and darker than a sack of black cats. If we get pinned in, we should use Harrison’s weapon barrel strobe.”

  Jefferson interrupted, “Fuck that shit. It’s only going to attract them. I ditched mine.”

  She replied, “Their eyes are acclimated to the darkness. A slow flash will temporarily blind them. I am totally using that shit.”

  Nate commented. “Me too.”

  Rose interjected. “Let’s stick with machetes, and only escalate to weapons if necessary.”

  “Whatever we do, we need to move.” On Jefferson’s cue, they moved in a defensive formation.

  Jefferson and Jacques controlled their front, with Rose in the center, and Nate and Ray covering the rear. In formation, the team went down the stairs. Part way down they encountered a naked man with a tube in his mouth, which dragged a breathing device behind him and the other tubes tangled and jabbed into him. His slow and labored movements made his level 4 zombie status obvious.

  Without hesitation, Jacques beheaded him, but broke his machete. Its headless body collapsed to the edge of the stairs, but its head bounced down the stairs until it hit the wall on the flat below. A massive sludge of blood leaked out and flowed down the stairs.

  “Nate to the front,” said Rose.

  As Nate and Jacques shifted positions, a quartet of zombies gathered on the flat now charged a few steps up to attack the team. Alert, the creatures snarled and spread out to face the team. Rose aimed her weapon at them and flashed the strobe attached to the barrel a single time. Dazed, each of the zombies held their hands up to block another blast. Using this opportunity, both Nate and Jefferson sliced at their ankles, while Jacques and Ray slammed their machetes into their skulls.

  Jefferson yelled, “Fuck.”

  Then tossed away a broken machete.

  When the remaining zombie penetrated their formation, and reached out for Rose, Ray jabbed one of his machetes into its eye socket. Unfortunately, it got stuck, so he abandoned it. Rose jammed her sidearm next to the last zombie’s temple, then blew a chunk of its head off.

  As it crumbled she said, “Keep chewing nails and spitting out barbed wire. We are almost out of this dive.”

  Then she handed one of her machetes to Jacques.

  Nearly clear of the stairs, a small horde awaited them. Fierce, they continued moving like furious Greek Spartans, armed with machetes instead of swords. On the bottom stair, a zombie on the ground grabbed at Nate. Surprised, he jerked away, but slipped on some blood and tumbled down the last two stairs.

  When he stood up, he turned his ankle.

  Hearing him groan into the comlink attracted the team’s attention and he knew it.

  “I am fine ya’ll, keep going.”

  From the back of the open lobby area, five howling zombies charged at them. Reacting in the span of a breath, Rose flashed the mini horde with the strobe. Temporarily blinded, the zombies held up their hands to cover their eyes, but did not relent in their pursuit. Jacques, Jefferson, and Ray stabbed at the necks of two oncoming zombies, while Nate slashed at the others. When Jacques machete stuck into the zombie, Nate tossed him one of the blades in his hand.

  When the five zombies were ended, the team moved closer to the entrance. Even in the dark, they could see Nate limping.

  Jacques looked over at Nate.

  “Do you need some help brother?”

  Nate responded. “Not going to call a lizard and alligator, but I got it.”

  With their night vision, they could see stacks of dismembered corpses piled everywhere, or propping doors open with what was left of them.

  The typical groaning and snarling they had become familiar with, made it obvious there were plenty of zombies somewhere nearby. The darkness hid how many zombies were present, but their night googles didn’t.

  Rose whispered. “Keep going,”

  As they increased their pace, Nate limped to keep up, but slipped and then stumbled.

  When a dozen zombies burst through the entrance a few feet away, the team holstered their machetes. When they began firing at the oncoming horde, it didn’t have a chance.

  Seeing Nate’s limp had worsened, Rose inquired, “Nate, brother. Do you need assistance?”

  There was no response.

  Pointed at the ground, the strobe on his gun flickered at 10 second intervals as it swung back and forth as he limped forward.

  When Jefferson and Jacques went to help him, the team heard a bone chilling snarl in their headset. Even with the entrance temporarily clear it was a risk, but they each activated their flashlights. When the light flooded the room, they saw a new set of zombies approaching behind him. What was more shocking was how Nate’s eyes were now luminous like the other zombies.

  When Nate snarled, and began to run towards them without a limp, Rose fired and put a round between his eyes.

  “He’s lost. If it happens to me, give me mercy too.”

  Reacting to the outline of the wave of zombies rushing at them from inside, Jefferson pulled the pin from one his grenades, then threw it into the intake area.

  “This one is for Nate, you gross bitches.”

  The team didn’t wait for the explosion and ran out of the front door.

  A few feet away in the parking lot Jacques said, “If they get me, don’t hesitate to deal me the same kind of courtesy shot.”

  When the grenade exploded, the entrance to the hospital caved in taking the entire front of the building with it. The collective sound of the zombies being crushed sent shivers down Jacques’ spine.

  Chapter 18

  On the roof of Citizen’s Bank, Sergeant Rice, Winslow, and Chin Xaing looked out at the darkened horizon. Then each of the men scanned the pitch black area below with their binoculars. Like the rest of the city, the area was looted, and destroyed. Just like before, zombies patrolled the street.

  Chin asked, “What is our back up plan?”

  Winslow looked over at Sergeant Rice for an answer.

  Rather than respond, he scanned the destroyed entrance to the hospital then inquired, “The bankers are freaking out. Did you see what happened over there?”

  Chin responded. “Nope.”

  Rice said, “An explosion like that doesn’t just happen. It also looks like there are more zombies out there than before.”

  Frustrated, Chin said, “We are running out of time here.”

  Rice responded. “Stay up here and watch the entrances. Save your ammo, but feel free to snipe any living or dead person who tries to get in.”

  Leaving Chin on the roof alone, Rice and Wi
nslow descended the ladder to the second floor. Len Carlson sat behind the desk of the former Vice President of Citizen’s Bank in the corner. His rifle was leaned against the wall. Relaxed, he smoked and attempted to lean back further.

  His eyes were barely open as he said, “Did you find out what that explosion was?”

  Winslow responded to his inquiry. “The entrance of the hospital caved in, but there is no activity.”

  Len replied, “Maybe all of the police vehicles out front scared whoever did it away?”

  Sergeant Rice said, “It could be citizens, a malfunction, or something worse. Whatever it was, I need you to be more alert. Also, what did I say about smoking in here?”

  Len shrugged his shoulders and blew a puff of smoke at the ceiling.

  Clearly agitated, Winslow added. “At least, you should have the courtesy to blow that stinky ass shit out the window that happens to be right next to you. Everyone except you seems to know that no one smart smokes anymore. Maybe you think that toxic stench is what is keeping those things away?”

  Len replied, “Fuck you Winslow. If you want, I can smoke you instead.”

  Sergeant Rice held his hand up like an annoyed referee brushing off an agitated player. “Okay ladies, enough gossip. Did you see any signs of military activity out on the street?”

  Len took his last drag, then pressed the rest of the cigarette onto the bottom of his boot. He locked eyes with Winslow as he blew out a large cloud of smoke right at him as he asked, “Are we ready yet?”

  Sergeant Rice glanced over at Winslow, and then responded to Len. “Not yet.”

  Len remained relaxed.

  Rice said, “Why don’t you stay here with Len and see if you two can brainstorm some options.”

  Winslow said, “With all due respect sir, I am allergic to assholes, so I prefer not to. Plus, I know you will want me by your side if the barricade gets breached again.”

  Rice rolled his eyes.

  “Fine, then follow me.”

  As Sergeant Rice and Winslow turned and walked down the stairs, Len leaned his head back and then closed his eyes.

  Chapter 19

  When Rice and Winslow got to the bottom of the stairs a man in a filthy white shirt wearing a tailored jacket with frayed sleeves on it paced back and forth. Then a middle-aged woman in a torn business suit, approached him. She said, “Excuse me sir, but when do you think the rest of the military will arrive?”

  Sergeant Rice looked over at Winslow, then at the two metal doors at both entrances. The windows on each side were still heavily fortified, and one side was still boarded up like it was before they arrived. He smiled, then moved closer to the two bankers and said, “Can I speak with you two alone?”

  The female banker nodded as she replied, “Of course, we can use my office. It’s right over there.”

  Winslow glanced over at the male banker and smiled, but he did not return the gesture. Leaving Winslow behind, the trio walked over to the banker’s office. On the door, it said President of Citizen’s Bank. The group sat down just like they were going to discuss restructuring a payment on the Sergeant’s mortgage.

  “Keeping the money in the vault is smart. That way it is protected from looters, but with the firepower coming through here it will probably go up I flames.”

  Neither banker revealed their thoughts on their faces, and both remained silent.

  “I recommend that you open the vault and put it into something you can transport. Then when it is time to evacuate, it can easily be taken with you to safety.”

  When the female banker responded, the crows feet on her face looked like miniature spiderwebs had formed.

  “You do know the vault is fire proof. This isn’t 1900.”

  Sergeant Rice’s biceps bulged as he folded his thick arms across his chest.

  He cracked his neck then took a deep breath.

  Rice said, “You are aware that every part of this city is utterly infested. Once the infantry rescues all of the citizens, a wave of bombers will wipe out New Middlesbrough and everything in it for good. I doubt your vault bomb proof.”

  Surprised by his comment, the bankers glanced at one another. Then the male banker spoke up. “When do you expect those forces to arrive?”

  Sergeant Rice responded. “When our chopper crashed, we lost our radio, so I don’t know. It could be anytime now, which is why I want you to be ready to move.”

  The bankers locked eyes. Sergeant Rice glanced at the triangle name place on the desk. It said, Priscilla Morgan.

  Priscilla brushed back a misplaced hair and said, “Can he and I have a moment to discuss this?”

  Amiable, he nodded. “Of course you can, Priscilla.”

  When he got up, she commented. “When you leave, please close the door.”

  Smiling, he obliged them and left.

  Winslow searched the back half of the small community bank, then walked over to the security desk. Marcos White leaned back on the chair as Winslow said, “Any of those creatures try to break through the window barricades again?”

  Marcos’ relaxed pose indicated that inquiry was useless. Barely audible he asked, “Did you guys figure it all out?”

  Winslow got closer and spoke so only he could hear him. “Rice is talking to the bankers now. Hopefully, Chin gets his shit together.”

  Annoyed, Marcos pushed him back. “Chin might seem like a nerdy high strung engineer, but he is actually a shrewd motherfucker. So, don’t underestimate him. Once we get access to the vault, everything will work out just fine. Go up and make sure that Len is awake. Then meet us in the vault.”

  Chapter 20

  Moving in a single file line approximately eight to ten feet apart gave the Blackstone team flexibility and allowed them to control their space. Despite there being a multitude of zombies on the street, the team stayed unnoticed. Near the rear entrance of Citizen’s Bank, they halted in an alleyway.

  Speaking softly into his helmet comlink Ray said, “Why are we hiding?”

  Rose responded. “They may not be that excited to see us, and until we meet them, let’s treat them as hostiles.”

  When the unexpected snapping sound of a single gunshot rang out, the entire team froze. After Jefferson dropped to the ground, they instinctively broke formation and found cover. From there, their night vision goggles revealed how a part of Jefferson’s face was caved in. Obviously sad, Rose closed her eyes. At least he won’t come back. She inhaled deeply and pointed at the bank’s entrance.

  Her voice wavered as she said, “If I see that fucking sniper again, he is dead. Jacques, stick to Ray until he can get us inside.”

  When she signaled, Jacques hesitated to follow Ray. Instead, he looked over with disgust as he watched a horde of sprinting zombies descend on Jefferson’s warm corpse. Jacques grit his teeth when he saw a woman with pigtails wearing a tea green flannel shirt dig into the gaping hole in Jefferson’s face, then pick out a small chunk of his brain. When she lifted her face up to gobble down the bloody morsel, he imbedded a silenced 9MM round between her lucent eyes.

  Rose said, “Rally up. That means you too Jacques.”

  Annoyed, he ran up to cover Ray.

  ”We will be about as welcome as an outhouse breeze, or a hair in a fresh biscuit. So be ready to execute these assholes if necessary.”

  On her signal, what remained of the team moved from cover point to cover point until they reached the barricade that surrounded the unlit neon sign of the bank affixed above the thick metal door.

  Jacques held his hand up and stopped Rose.

  “Wait.”

  Ray scanned the area for hostiles.

  Jacques reached into one of his pockets, then stooped down and clipped a wire.

  “We will never know what that was meant to trigger, and never need to find out.”

  When Ray moved next to him, he held his arm up like a mother stopping a child from entering.

  “Give me a minute t
o me look for any other IEDs.”

  Rose alternated her gun point from searching for Chin on the rooftop to covering the street. In the space of a breath, she pulled out her machete and horizontally split a rushing zombie’s skull down the center.

  Kicking the limp zombie away she spoke softly, “That sniper just got lucky. If he had night vision, we would all be dead. Keep it quiet boys, and he won’t even know we are here.”

  Under his breath Ray cursed as he fiddled with the lock.

  “Almost got it,” he said.

  Under his boot, Jacques crushed the skull of a zombie, and then glanced over at Rose.

  “I got it,” said Ray as he pulled on the metal door.

  Nothing happened.

  Rose looked away with disgust.

  When two raging zombies surprised them, Jacques eliminated each of them with his silenced 9MM.

  “The rooftop sniper probably heard that. Let’s get inside before they get lucky again.”

  As Ray slowly opened the large door he commented. “I definitely am grateful for my larceny skills.”

  Rose glared at him as she put her finger to her lips to gesture silence. Then the trio entered the bank in unison with their guns ready.

  Chapter 21

  Citizen’s Bank was quiet, so the noise from the thick metal door opening seemed loud. On the opposite side of the building, Sargent Rice, Winslow, Marcos and Len were all in the vault loading rucksacks with money onto a reinforced wheeled cart. Alerted by the noise, they halted for a moment. Rose, and what was left of her team moved like shadows and crouched down in the dimly lit corner area.

  Rice walked out of the vault and glanced around the area. The two dead bankers in expensive business attire were still corpses with a single shot to the back of the head. Both were still face down in a fresh pool of blood. Since both of the entrance doors were still closed, and no undead were trying to infiltrate the windows, he returned to the inside of the vault.