Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse (Book 3): Salvation (28 page)

Mary
laughed. “About a hundred times.” She looked over at me. “Maybe I should tell
you later.”

That
hurt. My daughter was likely teasing, thinking of the trick I’d played on
Michael right before my birthday party. I was not going to rise to the bait.

“Mary,
get Captain Briggs on the satellite uplink. The plane from Hawaii should have
landed by now.”

“Ah…”
She dropped the complaint before it formed and set the device on speaker phone,
or whatever the military called it. They had special terms for everything. “Hey,
Captain, you there? Mary’s calling.”

Our camp
was laid out as a rectangle. One end held most of the vehicles, the other had the
two Cobras along with the fuel trucks. The people were in the center, excluding
those on watch who were placed around the perimeter. With each squad settled
around their own campfire, we were far enough off that no one should overhear, provided
Mary didn’t crank the volume up.

His
voice crackled back a minute or two later. “What’s your status?”

“We are
sitting here doing nothing, in the dirt, without even any dried up leaves to
cushion our backsides. My pants are getting ruined. I blame that on you.”

“Is
Jacob there?”

“What,
you don’t want to talk to me?”

“I’m
here. My second, Renee, is with us too. Have the planes landed?”

“The
transport arrived on schedule and is being unloaded and refueled now. It should
be sufficient to move the prisoners. The manifest lists several crates of
feminine products.”

Briana
would be happy. I’d have Mary relay the news to the Black Hills later.

“There
are several hundred gallons of rubbing alcohol as well.”

That was
always useful, and our hospital went through an insane amount of the stuff. We
could distill it ourselves, but what we received from Hawaii was of better
quality and came in these nifty plastic bottles they seemed to have no shortage
of.

“There
is also some dried squid from the Japanese. It’s sort of like beef jerky, but
the seasoning tends to be hotter.”

“How
about chocolate?”

“Mary, I
am sorry. No chocolate on the list.”

“You’ll
have to do with sea monster parts,” I quipped. “Briggs, we are still on
schedule. Anything on your side that may change that?”

“None. All
intelligence shows them as status quo.”

As we
drew closer, the military satellites were focusing on the area as much as
possible. I couldn’t get round the clock coverage, which sucked, but what I had
was pretty close. Unfortunately, many of the little metal boxes floating in
space were non-responsive due to their ground based facilities having been overrun
by the dead or otherwise lost. Efforts were ongoing to transfer control and
access to Hawaii, but there were so few technicians with the necessary skills
that it was slow going at best. Many would likely remain inert, at least until
they fell back to Earth.

“Let me
know if anything changes. Otherwise, I’ll see you soon.

*
* *

A couple
hours before midnight, I gathered everyone close for some last minute
instructions. The twins, who already knew what I was going to say, were on
opposite sides of the camp keeping watch.

“We are
sticking with Renee’s plan, but I do want to ensure that everyone knows exactly
what they are to do with the people at the lake.”

There
were a few murmurs, but no one spoke up.

“First
of all, as to those wearing the white robes, The Brotherhood itself, every
single one is guilty of murder. They are the people who decided to feed three
of our guys to zombies. No prisoners are to be taken. Any who surrender or are
wounded are to be killed on the spot.”

I
allowed my gaze to drift across the gathered faces. There did not appear to be
any discontent. Renee and I had asked Marcus to tell everyone all that he saw
and experienced, and he performed admirably.

“Those
regular townsfolk, the ones not members of this cult but who helped them kill
our people, will likewise be executed outright. Since they are not going to be
wearing robes, we’ll have to sort the lot later with Marcus making
identifications.”

Marcus
would remain in the camp keeping an eye on the gear and vehicles. Xavier and
Ronnie, along with their gunners, would remain as well, until it was time to
launch the Cobras. We were also leaving one member from each squad behind as
security. Everyone else would be going on the raid.

“Try not
to harm any children, but if they are used as human shields do not hesitate. I
don’t know if this group will play that game, but don’t you dare let yourself
or one of your fellows get hurt or killed because The Brotherhood chooses to be
ruthless. Any kids who die like that have their blood on The Brotherhood’s
hands, not ours.”

This
aspect of my speech was less well received. No one wanted to hurt the children,
but, at the same time, we could not let our own humanity be used against us. I
prayed the matter would not arise.

“This is
going to be a lightning strike. We get in position, and we hit hard just like
we’ve practiced. I don’t want them to have a chance to get organized or
respond, which is why we’re going in the middle of the night.”

Renee
had proven the value of night attacks, especially when each of my people was
equipped with night vision goggles and our snipers had comparable scopes on
their rifles. The enemy would not be expecting it and, with most asleep, should
find it difficult to react in a timely or effective manner.

“Any
questions?”

There
were none.

*
* *

We hiked
the three miles cross country to the shores of Lake Sakakawea. Tara and Dale
scouted the route, using silenced pistols to drop any zombies that happened to
be in our way. Turned out there were only three of the things. It was a quiet
night.

“Mary,
any activity that the satellites can see?”

She
checked with Captain Briggs who was at the airstrip sitting in front of a computer
monitor.

“Nothing.
The people, most of them, seem to be sleeping.”

“Good.”
I motioned for Renee, and she drew close. “We are ready to go.”

There
were a scattering of rowboats and canoes beached on the shore, likely for the
benefit of local residents, or as bait for those they so loved to kill. We ignored
the lot. The inflatable boats we brought with us were jet black and equipped
with an unusually quiet motor. They had next to no draft, so there was no worrying
about getting hung up in the shallows, even if fully loaded. Also, the boats were
surprisingly stable, which was nice since we were all wearing body armor and
helmets, not to mention carrying several pounds of weapons and ammunition each.
Falling overboard would likely result in a rapid descent to the bottom.

Renee
darted off, speaking with each of the squad leaders in turn. All were equipped
with headsets, but, like me, Renee favored the personal approach. She would be working
with squad two. Their task was to circle around and approach the primary island
from the rear. Squad one would target the side closest to shore. Three would
first assail a second, smaller island on the eastern flank. There were only a
handful of structures and a few head of livestock. As such, we believed no more
than a dozen people lived there. Those would be seized and restrained. Squad
three would then take up position so their snipers could engage the town. Only
a hundred fifty yards of water separated them.

Tara,
Dale, myself, and Mary would attack the third island. This was especially tiny
and sat to the southwest of the town. It contained but a single building, a
small stone structure erected sometime after the change. Our intelligence
indicated someone was always there, and our best guess was that this outcropping
of rock served as a watch post. We should have no difficulty taking care of the
lone sentry. Afterwards, we would add to the sniper fire.

“Water’s
cold,” whispered Mary. One arm was hanging over the side of the boat with her
fingers brushing the surface.

I slowly
guided us toward our target. Tara was in the front peering through the scope of
her rifle, a huge suppressor on the end of the barrel. It wouldn’t do to alert
our targets to the attack. Dale sat beside her, scanning the area with his
binoculars.

“Take
care to not catch cold,” I warned. “It would be embarrassing, and Briana might
make fun of you.”

“It’s
not like I’m going swimming. Besides, I’m a super warrior. I don’t get sick.”

“Super
communications expert, maybe.”

“That
too.”

“He’s
moving to the water’s edge,” announced Tara.

“No one
else,” said Dale.

“What’s
he doing?” I asked. “Did he see us?”

“Peeing
in the lake,” replied Dale.

Mary
immediately plucked her hand from the water.

“Nice
and distracted then. Take him.”

We were
a hundred feet from the island, coming in from the side, when Tara pulled the
trigger. The man’s head exploded in a pink mist, and he collapsed on the rocks.
Beaching the inflatable boat, Mary and I stayed where we were while the twins
leapt out and headed for the building. Dale took the lead with a silenced
pistol in one hand. His sister held back, sniper rifle still cradled in her
arms. I heard the soft pop of his weapon a few seconds later.

“One
other,” he remarked, “sleeping.”

“We
clear?” I asked.

Both
siblings nodded.

“Mary,
let the others know.”

“Command
team in position,” she said, into the radio.

“Squad
one in position,” quickly followed.

Renee’s
voice was next. “Squad two in position.”

We
waited nearly ten minutes before the third squad gave their status. I couldn’t
see them from where we waited – the town being in the way – but Renee had line
of sight, and she would have alerted me if anything appeared wrong.

“Squad
three in position.”

Finally.

“Mary,
tell Ronnie and Xavier they are a go.”

The
helicopters were parked back at our camp. That ensured they would remain hidden
until we were ready, and it’s not like it would take them long to cover a few
miles.

“They’re
coming,” she confirmed.

I readied
my rifle and took up a position near the twins. Like them, I was using a
suppressed weapon. Not only did this reduce the noise, but it also blocked most
of the muzzle flash. There was a good chance our targets would not realize
where the shots were coming from, at least not right away. You know, I love
being able to kill people and not have them shoot back. That sounds pretty bad.
Still, it is the gospel truth. Nothing is better than a one sided battle,
provided you are on the winning team.

“They’re
almost here,” said Mary. “They can see us.”

The
thrum of their rotors was the first indication they were coming. Then the sky
lit up as the Cobras opened fire. Ours lacked the nifty missiles that
Yellowstone’s possessed. They did have plenty of rockets however, and these targeted
the dormitories where The Brotherhood was known to reside. The structures could
not take the abuse, quickly catching fire. I repressed a cheer as they began to
buckle and collapse. Mary did not. Sometimes I worry that all this fighting
might be warping her moral compass.

The
choppers next swung about and hit the small building believed to house their
primary armory. Apparently the intelligence reports were correct because that
one outright exploded, sending debris hundreds of feet into the air. I should
speak with Briana about moving our munitions somewhere more isolated or
possibly fortifying the bunker. It would not do for this sort of thing to
happen in Baltis.

Someone
managed to get a boat started and pulled away from the island. One of the Cobras
fired a single rocket, turning the thing into splinters. Squad one, which was
closest, added to the assault, riddling the bodies in the chilly water with a
few dozen bullets each. If any had survived the blast they were dead now. The
high priority targets dealt with, our pilots shifted to miniguns.

“Our
turn,” I said. “Fire at will.”

Mary
relayed the command, and the twins began eliminating targets with their usual
deadly effeciency. I peered through my own scope, searching for anyone in a
robe or anybody carrying a weapon. There were few of the former but plenty of
the latter. I took one woman in the back.

“Everyone
acknowledged,” said Mary, “and everyone is engaged.”

Due to
the destructiveness of our rockets and the relative inexperience of Xavier and
Ronnie, Renee had wanted to delay landing anyone until those two had done their
job. The miniguns were more than capable of providing heavy fire support and
could sweep the landing zones. They were also easier to control and less likely
to result in a friendly fire accident. The SMAWs would be used to blow through
obstructions or take care of any hardened defenses the Cobras might have
missed. Grenade launchers were also available.