Zombie Theorem (Book 2): The Siege (15 page)

The Humvee, I would learn, is a heavy vehicle that is made to get you where you need to go safely and with all your gear. If you wanted speed, you might as well get a Camry. Forty-five was our top speed, but the voice didn’t say anything else, so I figured that was fast enough.

We approached the bridge and were over quickly and with no zombies or vehicles blocking our way. The highway remained clear of obstacles, and we shot through Mendocino without hassle. As we approached Fort Bragg thirty-five short minutes after leaving our camp, cars started choking the road. Cupcake and Apache deftly swerved around them. Cupcake radioed, “Dan, I am going to need directions once we hit the city. Over.” I rattled off her address over the radio but let him know we were going to push through the city without stopping. I ordered him to keep the pedal down and not to stop. Julie lived on the other side of town on a little piece of land. I was glad now that I had Kuppers let me look over the maps every chance I got. I felt assured I would have no problem finding her.

We pulled into Fort Bragg proper, and everything changed from what we had experienced earlier in Mendocino. The road was lined with zombies; most stood there staring in the direction of the ocean. As we passed, they turned their heads toward us and moaned. My bowels shook at how five thousand zombies moaning at once sounded like the end of the world. That voice came back.
“Do not shoot, keep going, hurry.”

My hand moved on its own and clicked open the radio, and I repeated the message. I looked out the window and watched as we swerved around broken and abandoned vehicles, burned out hulks that used to be businesses and homes, and, of course, the multitude of dead that stepped into the street and turned to follow us.

  I looked over at Angel, and she turned to meet my gaze. She smiled, and her eyes sparkled. She seemed to be excited and anticipating something. She swung her feet back and forth and started fixing her hair, running her hands through it, smoothing it down. It was weird to watch.

The voice shouted in my head, loud as ever, “TURN HERE NOW! SHE NEEDS HELP!” I yelled the directions over the radio. I looked down and removed my magazine from the MP5. Finding it full, I loaded it back in and removed the safety. Then I pulled back on the charging handle, making sure a round was chambered and ready. I repeated with my handgun and checked my vest pockets, making sure I had plenty of additional loaded magazines.

I saw a street coming up and knew it was the right one, “Left on this street now.” Both Humvees swung to the left, and we were confronted with a house at the end of the cul-de-sac overrun with zombies. Before we could come to a complete stop, I opened the door and bailed out rolling onto my shoulder. Almost immediately, I was on my feet running. The MP5’s sights came up, my vision cleared and, like I was a robot, I started aiming and taking shots without thinking. Somehow, as if guided by a greater hand, each shot took a zombie down. As I got closer, I dropped my MP5 onto its sling and removed my 1911 from its leg holster. My fingers again going on automatic, the safety came off. I raised the barrel and started firing. A voice that I found was mine screamed Julie’s name into the house.

I emptied the magazine, dropped it to the ground, pulled another from my vest, slapped it home, and pulled back on the slide. All of this without thinking; again, I felt that guiding hand taking over my actions. When that magazine emptied, I slid it back into its holster, removed my batons, flicked them out to their full length, and started swinging them in a way I had never practiced or even known how to use. Zombies fell after every swing. I cut a swath through them and came to a door at the end of the hall that the zombies had almost knocked down.

“Julie, I’m here! come out!” I called out. The door slowly opened and, for a minute, I thought the person who emerged was a zombie. She was dirty, clothes torn, and she seemed dazed. I searched her face, watching as a smile spread wide and she jumped into my arms. Her body shook with each heart-wrenching sob. I dropped my batons and wrapped my arms around her, and we slid to the ground onto our knees. I could hear the firing of guns going on around us, but I didn’t care. I had found her. I had the one chance I had begged God for. I found Julie alive. I was able to hold her in my arms. My life could end, and I would be happy, content even, in fulfilling my mission.

I don’t know how long we kneeled in that hallway, holding each other tight and crying. I heard a little voice, “Dan?” I thought it was the voice in my head guiding me again. I pulled away from Julie and turned my head until I saw Angel. She stood there swinging on her heels, hands clasped in front of her.

I stood then and helped Julie to her feet. We walked hand in hand to Angel. I looked down at her, “Angel, this is Julie. Julie, this is Angel.”

Julie whipped her head to me, her eyes threatened more tears. “You have a child? Why didn’t you tell me? She’s beautiful.”

“I am not her father. I rescued her in San Francisco, and she has been saving me every day since. The entire team has adopted her.” I looked up and saw the team, including Delta, watching our little scene unfold.

Julie bent over at the waist and looked into Angel’s eyes. “Thank you, little lady, for bringing him back to me safe.”

“You’re welcome, pretty lady, but I had help.” She pointed back at the team and then wrapped her arms around Julie and hugged her tight. Julie hugged her back and then released her.

“Sorry my house is such a mess guys, but these things wouldn’t take no for an answer,” she directed to the team.

Brian broke from the team and walked slowly to us. Julie almost stepped back from his advancement. He stopped a couple of feet from her and extended his giant paw, “It would be a pleasure to shake the hand of the woman who is willing to put up with his crap.” He pointed at me with his other hand. “Because I’ve been doing it for the last couple of weeks, and I don’t know how much more I can take.” A giant grin crept onto his face.

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.”