Don't Dare Call Them Zombies : Books 1-4 (32 page)

“No, make that five,” the voice said again.

We then heard more gunfire. I then remembered that the Humvees ahead of us had guns mounted on top of them which meant the soldiers could fire at the freaks without having to exit their vehicles.

“Thank God for night vision,” I heard another soldier say over the radio.

Suddenly, a freak slapped its hands against Jennifer's window. She jumped towards me, and I looked at the twisted, decaying face of the woman pounding against the glass. The freaks were looking more grotesque every day as their bodies and flesh continued to decompose.

I grabbed the radio and said loudly, “There is a freak at my window. Let’s keep moving!”

A moment later I heard a gunshot, and the freak's head exploded leaving Jennifer's window covered in blood and brain matter.

“Continue forward,” I heard a voice say on the radio.

We continued driving towards the power plant. I was I was lost; I had no idea what road were on. If we somehow got separated from the convoy, I would have no idea how to get back to the church or the relocation center.

Every so often the convoy would stop and we would hear gunfire. Only once did I exit my vehicle and fire my pistol at the freaks. The night vision goggles and machine guns mounted on the Humvees were used very effectively.

Jennifer once again began to talk to me about our past and how she was sorry if she ever hurt me.

“I loved you Jennifer,” I told her. “I loved you with all my heart, and I tried my best to prove that to you.”

“I know you loved me. I knew it back then,” she said. “But I was too young and wild to appreciate it.”

“Let’s leave the past alone,” I said. “There is nothing we can do to change it. You broke my heart too many times. Every time I heard you were dating another guy instead of giving me a chance it made me want to rip my heart out my chest.”

“I'm so sorry for that,” she said. “But I'm here now.”

She took my hand in hers.

“Jennifer, it would be so easy for me to instantly fall in love with you all over again. But I just don't know if my heart can take it. I don't even know if the relationship would be real or not. It has taken a zombie apocalypse for you to open your heart to me. For all I know, if things get better you could tell me that you just don't feel for me,
 in that way
, again.”

“I do feel for you, Hank,” she said. “And not just as a friend. I love you.”

“I wish you had loved me years ago,” I said. “Right now, if I give you my heart and get distracted trying to figure out if you’re really telling me the truth, it could get us killed.”

“I am telling you the truth,” she said, squeezing my hand.

“I love you Jennifer, I always have and I always will. But we need to just stay friends,” I said. “I do need you in my life though. You and the hope of finding my mom are what keep me going.”

From the crate in the back I heard the little dog bark.

“I forgot all about the dog,” I said.

“I did too,” Jennifer exclaimed.

“How could he have been so quiet all this time?” I asked. “Wouldn’t the gunfire have woken him up?”

“I know, I would’ve thought so,” Jennifer said.

A moment later she picked up something from the floor of the van, and held it up. It was a container of allergy pills, the kind that some people use to help them sleep. “Look what I found!”

“They drugged the dog,” I said.

“Meredith and Robert probably didn't want the dog barking while they waited for us,” Jennifer said.

The dog barked again.

“I'm going to check on him,” Jennifer said.

“Be careful,” I told her as I continued driving.

A moment later Jennifer had the small Chihuahua in her arms. I reached over and petted the drowsy dog.

“I hope they didn't give him too much,” I said.

“I think he’s alright,” Jennifer answered.

With Jennifer holding the dog, the long, tiresome drive continued. We passed over hills and bridges on our way to the Sylvania. Thankfully, the route we had taken kept us away from highly populated areas.

“We’re almost at the plant,” I heard a soldier say over the radio. “Stay inside your vehicle until we instruct you otherwise.”

We pulled up to the top of a large hill and stopped our vehicles. To our right, through Jennifer's blood stained window, I could see the tall cooling towers of the power plant from which massive clouds of white steam was rose to the sky. Lights were on around the tower, and a couple buildings close to it were also illuminated.

When Jennifer rolled down her window, I saw the problem.

The perimeter fence of the nuclear plant was surrounded by thousands of freaks. The lights must have attracted them towards it.

“How do we get inside?” Jennifer asked.

“I'm not sure,” I said.

“Civilians, you can exit your vehicles now,” I heard over the radio.

Jennifer put the dog back into the crate. It whimpered as we got out of the van. A moment later Robert and Meredith approached us. We were standing and discussing the situation when two soldiers came up to us.

“We need your help,” the soldier said.

“What do you need?” I asked.

“The truck behind your van is the most disposable vehicle we have,” he said. “We’re going to use it to distract the freaks so we can get inside”

“I'm not so sure I want you using my truck,” Robert said. “I have my tools inside of it and I don't want it getting damaged.”

“Hopefully, they won't even manage to touch it,” the soldier said.

“Okay,” Robert said.

For the next half hour the military personnel worked on his truck. They attached lights and a number of speakers. In addition, they removed his tools and put them in one of the Humvees. We were informed that one of the soldiers would drive the truck down the road towards the power plant and try to distract the freaks.

“When we tell you to do so, follow us to the plant and we will pass through the gate,” a female soldier told us. “If we get stopped or overrun, we may have to exit the vehicles. We will try to protect you if that happens.”

“If that happens we will fight with you,” I told the woman.

“Don't do anything stupid and get yourselves killed,” she said.

Only minutes later, the truck was heading down the road to the nuclear plant. With all four of us in the van, we watched as all the lights on the truck were turned on and rock and roll music started blaring from the speakers attached to its roof.

With a pair of night vision goggles borrowed from the soldiers, we watched as it drew the attention of a number of the freaks. The truck drove in circles trying to attract more of the monsters, but it seemed not all of them were moving towards it.

Suddenly, there was a blast. To attract more of the freaks the soldier in the truck had tossed a hand grenade out of the vehicle. More of the freaks were now walking away from the fence as the convoy began to move.

“Woof,” the little dog barked.

“Be quiet dog!” Meredith exclaimed.

The dog seemed to comply.

We followed the convoy as it approached the turn ahead.

“Is this going to work,” Jennifer asked.

“I'm not sure, but be ready to get out and fight just in case,” I said. “Do you have your handgun loaded?

“Yes,” she said, showing me the compact pistol in her hand.

“If this goes bad, I just want to let you know that everything I said earlier was the truth,” Jennifer told me. “I wish it didn’t take a zombie apocalypse to wake me up.”

“I do too,” I said.

“Now let’s focus on surviving this,” I said.

We continued to listen to the radio as we followed the convoy.

“This is fuel convoy delta 9B, please open the gate to the facility,” I heard a soldier ask.

“This is plant security,” a voice said. “We cannot open the gates until the surroundings are clear of the infected.”

“We can take out any of the enemy that gets inside,” a soldier said. “A large number of them have been lured away.”

“I'm sorry,” the voice said. “We cannot risk the plant being breached.”

“Damn you!” a soldier said, and the convoy stopped.

Chapter 4

“Follow the vehicle ahead of you,” a voice instructed us over the radio.

The fuel tanker and the vehicle ahead of us left the two other Humvees behind. The convoy was now split in two. We proceeded to a clear area in the field in front of the nuclear power plant and parked. In the distance behind us, we could see Robert's truck luring hundreds of freaks towards the two military vehicles.

“The immediate area is secure,” a voice said on the radio. “Get out of your vehicle.”

We did as instructed and got out of the van and a female soldier hurried over to us.

“They’re going to take out the bulk of the enemy,” she said. “We have to clear the rest of the freaks from the fence. Are you up to this?”

“Absolutely,” I responded.

“Ok, then – get your weapons and follow us.”  She then ran back towards two other soldiers.

I climbed back in the van and grabbed the backpack of ammo we had acquired from the tackle shop.

“Load up, Jennifer,” I said. “We’re going to need it.”

I loaded my pistol with a thirty round magazine and put a couple of extra magazines in my belt, then proceeded to check my other weapons.

“Here Jennifer,” I said, handing her a couple extra magazines for her compact pistol.

“Try not to let the freaks get too close,” I said. “There are so many of them, and we can’t afford to let them overrun us.”

I saw Robert pull the long sickle out of the back of the van. It was the one tool from his truck he didn’t load into the military vehicles.

“I'm ready, now” he said.

“Me too,” Meredith exclaimed.

“How are you feeling, Meredith?” I asked.

“I'm good. Those antibiotics must be working.”

“Hurry up!” I heard one of the soldiers say.

I looked at the dog and felt bad for him. However, as long as he was quiet, I didn’t think the freaks would notice him in the van. As I shut the door I heard gunfire in the distance. The soldiers in the other two Humvees were now taking out the horde approaching them.

“What did I say?” the female soldier yelled at us. “Come here!”

We ran over and she began to instruct us.

“Let us take the lead,” she said. “If we have to reload then you can take up the slack. If any freaks come from the rear or our flanks, take them out. Now let’s go!”

They took off running towards the perimeter fence, and we followed.

Before we could reach the fence, the freaks had noticed us. I could hear their moans in the distance.