Chapter 2-survival

Chapter 2  Confusion

 

 

"This wind feels great at night"  Violet said, as she leaned backwards in the Humvee.

"Yeah, too bad this isn't a joy ride Vi" Said Tracker as he cups his hands to light a cigarette.

They hit a bump and Tracker drops his cigarette. "Damnit! that was my last cig! Roadie, maybe you can hit all of the F'n potholes in the road ok, can you do that for me!

"Shut ya mouth Tracker, or I ride a pothole outta your head"  Roadie says as he glares into the rear view mirror.

"That was my last one, thats all I'm saying" Tracker says as sits back and crosses his arms looking off into the field as it sweeps by.

"Ya know, those things will kill ya" Greek chuckled.

"No faster than those things out there" grunted Tracker as he reaches for his Assault Rifle." I don't even know why we make these runs, especially out this way, I haven't seen a home for 30 mins, let alone any zombies or humans"

"You know the orders Track, I don't know why you question them. You could've sat your butt back at the barracks if you didn't want to come" said Capt as she raised up on her seat." Slow down for me Roadie, I think I see something" she motions for Greek to pass her his sniper rifle. "Did anyone else see that muzzle fire"? Capt said as she motions Roadie to stop the Humvee next to a tractor on the side of the road.

"What ya got Capt" said Roadie.  "I'm not completely sure yet, but that was muzzle fire going off over there at that farm house" she said.

    Looking through the snipers sight allowed Capt to see exactly what it was.

     It was a boy, half naked and running for his life with a horde of undead ghouls right on his heels.

"ROADIE PUNCH IT!  GREEK, GRAB MY WAIST, HOLD ME STEADY" Capt braces herself for the quick takeoff, still looking through the guns sights. She fires. The shot hits one pursing ghoul so hard its knocked off its feet and takes two nearby ghouls crashing into near bushes. She fires again, this time she connects with a ghouls shoulder, snapping it off. "Keep me straight Roadie" Capt yells over the screaming Humvee engine as Roadie takes off over the pasture.

"I'm tryin capt. These cow pastures are bumpy."

"We gotta hurry capt.  If you saw someone running they won't have much time, those things are on his ass" said Greek.

"Tracker I want you deployed when we stop, I'll cover you. Violet, man the 50 cal, Greek you got position.  Keep those things off us best you can" Capt says handing the sniper rifle back to Greek.

"Sure thing boss" Said Greek.

"Be careful Capt" Said Violet as she reaches for the ammo can.

"Whats our time Capt" Tracker said

"In and out. If that person is alive we gotta get em out"

Jumping the small hill next to the old swing set, Roadie slides the Humvee, throwing up a small dust cloud.

"Tracker, lets roll" Capt said jumping from the passenger side, she raises her M16 firing a quick burst at two zombies that noticed their arrival.

"Hurry guys, they know we're here" Violet says, firing off bursts into the zombie crowd running after the victim.

Violet changes targets to allow Tracker and Capt to gain ground towards the barn.

He tosses a grenade over his shoulder into the horde. "FIRE IN THE HOLE" He yells, they both jump behind a late model Ford.

The blast sends a pile of zombie parts into the air, arms and legs land on the ground near the two.

Tracker jumps in to position, firing controlled bursts at thinned crowd. The blast took a good size outta the horde, not killed but incapacitated which works for this situation.  They weren't trying to kill them all, just open up a hole to allow fast rescue.

" He's in the barn" capt yells towards Roadie. "Bring the bus around Roadie!"  Roadie punches the gas, the Humvee launches towards the barn.

Violet opens fire into the remaining zombie crowd, eating through the horde.

Capt stands up and sees that more zombies are flooding out behind the house.

"We got more!" She yells. "Violet!  aim towards the flood"!  Without looking up, Violet changes stride and focuses on the side of the house.

Tracker runs toward the barn, jumping over smoldering zombie body parts. Zombie heads snap at his boots as he lands over the body of what looks to be a preacher.

"Eat this, stinkbag" he spits as he raises his steel toe boot and sends the corpses head flying into a wooden barrel.

 

 As the ghoul's head bounced off the wooden barrel something caught his eye.

One of the bodies was holding a godsend in its back pocket. Covered in muck was a half used pack of lucky strikes.

Tracker couldn’t believe it. A big burly grin spread across his war torn face as he bends down, lying is assault rifle on the ghouls back.  The pack came out easy. Opening it up, he counted six cigarettes. This was his lucky day.

            Gunfire was erupting from all directions. Everyone was in his or her mode. Roadie came over the yard; he veered into a zombie that jumped out behind the tree where an old tire swing hung. The impact threw one of the zombies flying into a clothesline so hard it decapitated it.

Capt was holding ground behind the old truck. But the flood kept coming and they seemed to be coming from everywhere at this point.

            Greek and Violet moving back between the incoming groups as fast as they could. Bullet casings were coming down like rain as the soldiers tried their best to hold back the zombie tide. 

So when the legless ghoul crawled up and tore into Trackers calf no one was the wiser. 

            “ARRGGGHHH, DAMMNIT” Tracker screamed, falling backwards over the ghouls body.  The legless ghoul seemed to move like a snake, hungry for its prey, climbing over the corpse onto trackers legs, crawling up his chest. Tracker, reaching for his assault rifle found nothing but air.  His rifle laid feet from his grasp, it could have been a million miles away at this point.  The ghoul closed in for the kill, jaws snapping, foaming gray spit drips from its mouth. He grabs the ghoul by its throat, raising its head up. With his other hand he raised his military issued 9 mil-glock and with one shot , rips the ghouls brain out the back of its head.

            “Tracker, you ok!? Capt yells running from the back of the ford over to his side.

“You’ve been bitten??  Damnit.”  She said as she drops a charging zombie.

“You know what to do” said Tracker.

“Yeah, I know what to do. I’m sorry…” She said.

“Me too. I guess these things were the death of me”. As he pulls out a cigarette and lights it.  After taking a long drag he looks at the Captain. “Go ahead, I’ll buy you some time, just help me up and hand me my gun.”

“Sure, do what you can. We don’t have much time left”. She says trying to hold her composure.

They had the front of the barn pretty clear by the time Roadie drove the Humvee into the barns door, killing the few remaining ghouls left.

“Greek! Head in, grab the survivor” Capt yells, waving her gun towards the barns door.

Tracker was pivoting and firing, trying to drop as many zombies as he could, fighting through the pain. He felt weird. He felt his body changing. Fire shot up his leg into his groin then into the pit of his stomach, he felt like he had been dropped into boiling water.  He coughs, blood spurting from his mouth. “Capt, you gotta get outta here!

            She turns toward her injured comrade.

What turned to face her was not her friend, not anymore, what faced her now was a vision of death.  His face had turned fish gray, mouth covered in blood and eyes…. his eyes were milky white. The remnants of his iris were still there, just faded and she could see that they had locked onto her.

            Tracker lunges with lighting speed at his prey. He is met with bullet. As it travels through his forehead then exiting from the back of his skull, carrying with it, cursed pieces of his brain.

            The zombies were all over them at this point, Greek met Capt at the Humvee, he was carrying a half naked boy, no older than eighteen.

“We gotta roll Capt, these things are coming from everywhere” said Roadie.

“Let’s go, get him in the back” Capt said, holstering her pistol and climbing into the Humvee.

            He throws the Humvee into gear and punches the pedal. The Humvee catches traction and spins back towards the field.  “Hold on people” said Roadie.

            Violet was still firing into the oncoming crowds, ripping the bodies in half.

Greek was covering the boy with a military issue blanket.

            “Was he bit?” Capt said, looking down at the boy.

“ I didn’t see any, he was dirty but no blood. We got there in the nick of time Capt. We saved  one.”

            “Yeah. And we lost one, I don’t see how that evens out.” As she turns back to the front of the Humvee,