Surviving The Dead: Heartland Zombie Apocalypse Vol. 1 (23 page)

By the time Crystal got to the top of the rise the dead were already close.  The noise of their moans and shuffling feet was unnerving.  Not wanting the dead to be distracted by them all but a handful of spotters were kept back from the view of the road.

“Damn Bill I feel like I'm about ready to piss myself.  There ain't nothin but that tiny bit of metal and chain link separating us and them.”, Jason admitted.

“Hang in there man it will all be over soon enough.”, Bill encouraged.

As the herd reached the mouth of the trap, the bawl of the calves could clearly be heard above the din of the dead.  As more dead arrived they filtered into the trap following the pieces of slaughtered cattle.  Thousands of hands were clawing at the sides of trap and the press of all the bodies soon became too much for the trap.

“Blade close the trap.”, Crystal directed as one of the cables broke free from the rock.

“Are they all in?”, Blade questioned.

“Doesn't matter the trap isn't going to last that long.  We'll blow it as soon as your clear.”, Crystal replied.

Blade pulled the truck forward that was tethered to the fencing that would close the mouth of the trap, then radioed, “Clear.”

Amy called out, “Fire in the hole.  In five, four, three, two, one.”

The concussive blast of the homemade claymores rocked the militia stationed behind the rise.  Many were tempted to look over the rise to check on the carnage done to the herd caught in the trap. 

Crystal called out on the bullhorn, “Everyone hold your positions.  Hold.  Hold.  Hold.”

Amy waited for the stragglers to catch up, “Fire in the hole”.

The claymores positioned in front of the trap went off and once again shook the ground under the militia.

“Okay lets light em up.  Its gonna get warm folks.  Fire in the hole.”, Amy called one last time.

The fireball that followed the ignition of the incendiaries reached the top of the rise, was paled by the sudden rush of heat.  The few hundred dead still left in the funnel were drawn to the fire like moths.  The flames from the burning wood of the trap, napalm and burning bodies reached well over the rise.  The stench of the burning bodies caused the militia to retch and bury their noses into their sleeves.  It took more than thirty minutes for the fire to substantially subside.  As soon as the fire eased back Amy directed her riflemen to fire on the remaining dead, while Crystal took Bill and Jason to join with Blade's patrol. 

“Blade we'll get the gate and clean things up here as soon as the shooting stops you pull ahead and report back on how many are still working their way here.”, Crystal directed.

Most of the militia have not seen Crystal, Bill and Jason in action.  Crystal did have the respect of her patrol leaders.  However, even with her hair cut short, legs protected by calf high flat sole boots, arms protected by buckskin gauntlets and motorcycle gloves, she was still an attractive young woman.  Bill had exceptional people skills, trained in crowd control, and athletic build.  Yet as chief of security he was seen as more of an administrator and less of a warrior.  Jason was a good natured lunk that seemed to be tethered to Crystal.  Seeing the three of them systematically take down a couple dozen flaming zombies was a jaw dropping experience for the militia in the field.

“Damn Blade now that is my kinda woman.”, Willis commented.

“Put it away Willis she is way out of your league”, Blade responded.

“Maybe so, but a fella can dream.”, Willis replied with a sly wink.

As soon as the riflemen had dispatched the stragglers coming up the funnel, Crystal opened up the gate and Blade's patrol drove out. 

A few minutes later Blade radioed back the status, “Captain a few dead.  Easily managed.”

“Very good Mr. Byrne, clear the road, I'll have Gunny move up and we'll all meet up and the intersection.  Miss Landers will finish clean up on site and join us in Lexington”, Crystal answered.

Blade replied promptly “Understood Captain.”

Crystal changed frequency, “Gunny come on up we will join you at the intersection.  There are still a few stragglers eyes sharp.”

“Vill do.  Good vork Captain.”, Percy responded.

“I do love it when a plans come together”, exclaimed Crystal as they surveyed the ghost town in front of them.

“So what is the plan from here Captain?”, Blade requested.

Crystal sighed, “Well Blade I am going to take the next five minutes and revel in the moment.  I suggest you pat yourself on the back for a job well done.”

Blade's question was a lot more involved and both he and Crystal knew that.  Up until now all their planning and weeks of training and work have been focused on the trap and luring the dead from town.  The prize was in front of them. Topping it off no one has slept more than a catnap here and there in the past 30 some hours and breakfast this morning was energy shots and protein bars.  None of them were in any shape to clear the houses and buildings.

Crystal finished considering the options, “OK Blade moments over.  I'll take Bill, Jason, Percy and three volunteers and we'll clear the Lexington hotel up the way and we'll use it as our command center.  It looks like they tried to set up something over at the mega store across the street.  When we are done with the hotel we'll investigate that as a base for our salvage operation.  You take the rest of the men and fan out across town and make sure the streets are clear. Just the street no one enters a building until they have eight hours of sleep and we have a plan.”

“I need three volunteers to assist the Captain.  The rest of you are street sweepers..”, Blade called out.

Willis raised his hand, “I would like to tag along Cap if you'll have me.”

Crystal squinted at Willis, the familiar 'Cap', was reserved for a select few personnel, “Mr. Byrne can you vouch for him.”

“Willis is a good man you can trust him.”, Blade acknowledged.

A brother and sister pair Kelvin and Althea Jones were next to volunteer and the seven loaded into a truck and headed to the Lexington.  Blade divided up the remaining militia across the city.

At the Lexington Hotel Crystal laid out a quick reconnaissance plan,  “Bill you take Willis and the Jones' past the left wing and we'll take the right.  Keep track of which rooms have unwanted quests.  We'll see you around back.”

As Percy, Jason and Crystal headed out Percy anxious to be a soldier again took point.  As they passed each room they tapped on the window to see if any dead responded.  Halfway down a body lay motionless nearly hidden in the shrubbery.

“Percy Stop”, Jason commanded, “Captain I think we have a lurker here.”

The three of them moved around where they could get a better look at the body and Percy asked, “Vhat is a lurker?”

“Every once and a while we come across a Dee that for lack of a better explanation has gone dormant, but when they revive they are just as dangerous as any of the dead.  More so if your to close when they come to.”, Crystal explained, “You two drag it out by the feet I'll stake it if it makes a move.”

Jason and Percy each grabbed a pant leg and pulled the body out from bushes.  It was a man possibly in his early fifties, as suggested by the balding head and graying hair.  Dangling from his mouth was the remnants of some small animal he had crawled into the bushes for.  His upper body was in rough shape.  He had taken numerous bites to his shoulders, upper arms and neck.  His right ear had been completely chewed off and only the lobe remained of his left.  No trauma to the skull was evident and yet it showed no signs of moving.  Crystal prodded his head and body with her baton and still got no reaction.

“I say better safe than … hello, there you are”, Crystal remarked as the creatures eyes fluttered open and Crystal drove the spike of her baton through its eye socket.

“Okay lets get moving.  Jason you take point.”, Crystal directed.

The hotel had two wings each coming off the central lobby in a V shape.  Each wing had twelve rooms, six on each side of the wing.  It didn't take long for each team to check the rooms and meet at the back of the hotel where there was a large courtyard and pool.

Crystal called out, “How many did you find Bill?”

“We had three hits.  You?”, Bill replied.

“Six.  Someone took the time to chain the doors shut.  Let's head back to the front and grab the bolt cutters from the truck.  Willis you take point, Kelvin, Althea watch the rear.”, Crystal directed.

Back at the front of the building Bill and Willis went to the truck for tools.  There were only four dead that could be seen in the lobby.  One was a rotund little women in a navy blue polyester suit.  Her name tag identified her as Betty, Assistant Manager.  There was a tall man that was having a lot of difficulty moving.  His legs appeared to have taken several bites and his abdomen had been eaten out.  With no stomach muscles it was impossible for him to stand upright.  The last two were a pair of young girls.  One about six or seven and the other probably a couple of years older.  They had been dressed in pretty white summer dresses, white stockings and white shoes.  Pink ribbons were in their hair.  Their matching outfits were now stained black with dried blood and given the position of the wounds on the mans legs they were probably the ones that had attacked him. 

Crystal laid the plan to clear the hotel, “Althea you good with this?  You seem a bit distracted.”

Althea nodded, “I'm good Captain.  It is just the little girls they give me the willies.  I never had to deal with one that was a child before.”

In short order Bill and Willis had the chains off and the locks jimmied.  The dead were pressing themselves against the doors so hard that Kelvin and Jason were having a hard time keeping them closed.  Bill and Willis quickly shifted to help them out.

“Lets try to let them out one at a time.  The little girl is in place try to open just enough to let her out.”, Crystal commanded.

As the girl began to squeeze through the separation of the two doors Crystal swung her baton and gaffed her like a fish.  Althea quickly grabbed the child's arm and they slid her out and tossed her to the side.  Walker Betty was the next to come out, but this time it took both Percy and Althea to get her free from the doorway.  Kelvin was keeping the big guy distracted at one door while Jason and Bill let the other door open enough for Crystal to snag the other girl.  Crystal ordered everyone back from the doors and the big guy stumbled out.  Crystal easily tripped him and Percy drove his knife into its skull.

Bill and Willis pulled the truck up close to the doors and ran extension cords from the inverter in the truck and setup some flood lamps to illuminate the dark hallways.  While they were busy with this Jason and the Jones' took their flashlight to check out the lobby and Crystal and Percy went to search the managers office.  As they stepped into the office they found a body nearly stripped of its flesh.

“Something is not right here Gunny, we don't want to run into what ever did this.”, Crystal commented.

The body was little more than a skeleton.  One leg was missing entirely and even the skull was largely stripped of flesh.  The head was turned to the side and the lower jaw had fallen away.  The only sign of animation was the foggy blue eye moving back and forth from Percy to Crystal. 

Crystal knelt down and cautiously examined the body.  Finding a remnant of its shirt there was a pin on it that identified him as the Manager Ronnie.  Looking at the bones some of them had been crushed and others scraped clean.  Tooth marks and perforations were all over the body.  When done with her examination a quick jab of her baton ended Ronnie's days.

Finished with her examination Crystal stood up, “This reminds me of the time coyotes got at one our calves.  Human teeth did not make these marks.  Whatever did this was contained to this office.  Lets make sure there is not a dog door or something where feral dogs are coming in from.”

The body was located behind the check in desk which had a thick glass partition that protected the night shift clerk.  Attached to this was the managers office.  With a signal from Crystal, Percy flung open the door to the office which was illuminated by the exterior window.  Two dog beds were in the corner of the room and the bodies of two desiccated dobermans were in the beds.  The office had its own bathroom and the dogs had knocked the lid of the toilet to get at the water.  That supply had run out a long time ago, but not until Sable and Sadie had consumed their owner.