Zombie Theorem (Book 1): The Culling (24 page)
I climbed up on the beast next to Cupcake and we made sure to tie down the boxes, then using the cradle net the pallet was flown in on, we draped it over the supplies and secured it down. Afterwards Doc ordered Brian and I to go to bed, or sack out, as he called it.
Brian and I climbed into the beast took our seats closed our eyes and were out in seconds. This time I didn’t dream, instead, I slept the sleep of gods. I felt someone shaking me and calling my name out. I opened my eyes to see Apache staring down at me. “Time to get up buddy, we need you to pilot the barge.”
“What, don’t you mean it’s time for me to take my turn on watch?” I undid my seat belt and followed her out of the Beast, knuckling my eyes trying to clear my blurry vision.
“Nope, we let you and Angel sleep. It didn’t look like we needed you last night on watch so you got some beauty sleep. Now come on, let’s go.” She took my hand and walked me to the pilot house.
“Great but do you mind if I relieve myself first?” She pointed to the edge of the barge and gave me the go for it motion. I stepped up, unzipped and really enjoyed that release. I zipped back up and reached into my pocket removing the hand sanitizer I picked up from the locker room back at the SFPD. I cleansed my hands and walked over to the pilot house with a big smile on my face. I reached into my pocket and took out the keys I removed the day before from the control panel. I slid it into the ignition and waited a second looking over the board. I had no idea what to do next. I then saw a light come on and then pushed the start button. The engines rumbled to a start. Engines must be diesel so maybe, I had to wait for the glow plugs to warm? I was just guessing.
I stepped out of the pilot house and caught Brian’s attention. “Cast us off when you’re ready.” I popped my head back in and looked over the myriad of gauges, the engines seemed to have heated up, and our fuel gauge showed close to full. I then noticed a small screen on top of the control panel and reached up and hit the power button. The screen came on with a message welcoming me to the Furuno FCV30BB 4 Kw Commercial Sounder. It came up and showed a graph of the depth of water beneath us. I had no idea what the particulars were but I figured we had enough water under us.
“Dan, all aboard and we have been set free of our tie down. Do your stuff.” Brian called out.
I got on my radio and requested Kuppers come over to the pilot house for a pow wow. He came over and had something in his hands. “First give me your radio while you are pulling us out into the clear waters.” I undid my radio and handed it over. He shut it off and connected a new one to my headset, turned it on and secured it back to my vest.
I engaged the throttles a quarter and moved us out away from the island. I could see more ships anchored in close to Alcatraz waiting for their turn to dock. “Kuppers we never really discussed the details of our trip. I have an idea and want to run it by you.”
“I know you said something about Stinson beach. That’s good enough for me for now. Once we get there we can flesh out the details and figure out how to get the beast off. I replaced your radio with a recharged one. Sasquatch is making some coffee and I’ll have him bring some over to you. Need anything else?” he asked.
“Yeah waffles, boysenberry syrup and some bacon would be nice.” I chuckled. Kuppers growled something and stuffed a cookie into my mouth and walked away.
I think I am growing on him I thought. “All right team just like yesterday, everyone take a position and call out traffic, debris, and obstacles. Apache can you get on top of the Beast so we have a slightly higher eye out on the bay?”
“Roger on my way,” called out Apache as I looked over and saw her appear on top of the Beast and stood tall craning her head in different directions. She looks over at me and gives me a thumbs up.
“We need to head to the Golden Gate and pass under it, once there we need to stick to the northern shore but not close enough to break up on the rocks. Once free of the bay we need to head north to Stinson Beach. Just want to give you guys the full run down of my intentions.” I increased the throttles to half. I got a gaggle of rogers on the radio.
“Clear to the immediate bow, port and starboard. Although I don’t remember which is which.” Doc radioed over.
“Port is left and starboard is right facing toward the bow you dork.” answered Cupcake.
“Wait whoa, how the fuck did you know that? I’m still amazed you know your right from you left.” commented Apache making fun of him.
“I grew up in Maine, my dad was a fisherman, that’s just something I remember. Also I know how to bait lobster and crab pots.” answered Cupcake.
“Wow, interesting stuff, now shut the fuck up and direct Dan so we can get back on shore.” Kuppers growled over the radio.
“Apache how are we looking with the bridge and traffic.” I ask on the radio.
“We are doing good. Free of flotsam and traffic. If you want, we could advance our speed and be ok.” She answered back.
“Roger that, keep your eyes open boys and girls. I can’t stop this thing on a dime.” I alert everyone. I reach over and advance the throttles to three quarters and relatively soon I got the bridge filling up my windshield. Having the pilot house at deck level, in the middle of the barge, and to the right of the Beast makes it very hard to see anything.
“This is Brian, cut to starboard slightly, flotsam in the way about 50 yards.”
I turn my wheel to starboard bringing us slightly over to that direction. “How’s that Brian.”
“Good, it will be going down our port side very soon.” He answers back. “All looks clear, stay on this heading.”
I keep staring at the bridge, as it becomes all I see in my windshield. Damn that thing is big is all I can think. Suddenly something falls down and hits the suicide net underneath it. Oh shit I then see more people jumping and landing in the net. The net starts to become fuller of bodies.
“Oh shit! Everyone eyes up! Watch out for falling zombies. Call out if you see any get free of the net.” I yell through the radio. I don’t wait for the inevitable to happen so I push the throttles to their max. Again the barge slowly picks up speed and heads toward the bridge.
“Off our starboard, two bodies falling, should miss us.” Doc radios out.
“Off to the port six bodies falling, steer to starboard slightly.” radios in Cupcake.
I stare up and see two bodies make it over the net and start falling down at us on a direct line. There is nothing I can do to maneuver. “Heads up center of deck off bow. We are going to get hit Watch out!” I yell over the radio.
I watch the two collide with the deck. I don’t have time to look at them as I have my head up watching the net. Five more bodies fall. I glance to starboard and port and crank the wheel to port. “Five more, heads up! steering port.”
That part of the net seems less crowded than middle of the net. I try and push the throttles higher but they are already maxed out. I guess all I can do is grin and bare it. “More falling too many to count, on our last position starboard, but not too far off.” Someone radios out.
I look further to port and see the bridge legs coming up. I don’t have much more room to maneuver but I should be under the bridge and protected by the deck above. I can hear bodies colliding with the bay like a waterfall, to starboard and slightly to the stern. “Are we clear and under the deck completely?” I ask over the radio.
“Yes, we are clear, I think we only got hit four times, we rolled the bodies into the bay.” Vic’s voice came over the radio.
“Everyone, we will be heading out from the other side soon. I’m hoping we can get clear fast, but keep your eyes open and eyes to heaven.” Just for the hell of it I cut the barge to starboard for a minute then back to port straightening out.
We burst out on the other side. Bodies start falling into the ocean where we could’ve come out if I didn’t make the course correction. I wipe the sweat off my forehead and head. I really need to shave soon I think. I cut back to the right and keep an eye on the depth sounder, I don’t want to slam into a hidden rock or sand bar, we’d never be able to get the Beast off then.
“I can see ships, at about 20 miles, look like they are anchored or free floating. Hey Vic can you contact that Air Force Captain and tell him to send out copters to tell these people where it’s safe?” Doc answered.
“On it.”
Twenty minutes later we come up to the south of the Point Bonita Lighthouse. I swing out further south knowing that the light house is there to warn ships of rocks and obstacles. We come out into open ocean and the barge starts to rock more. I come around the Lighthouse and try to skirt back toward the shore but far enough to not be grounded.
The radio crackles. “If you look to the east we are gathering a pretty good group of people watching us from shore. These people are alive, I think we need to go west a little more so these people don’t get the idea to come out to us and flood the barge.” This came from Brian.
I cut west and we take on the bigger waves. After about 15 minutes I cut back north. The waves are coming at us from the west and rock the barge back and forth. “We should be ok but any bigger waves and we may flip. This thing is not made to be used in the open ocean.” I broadcast over the radio.
“What we need is a sea anchor, how much longer do you think we will be out here?” This came from Cupcake our only person even close to being a sailor.
“I’m not sure, maybe about two and a half hours. I don’t have a GPS in the place it should be, so I am fully guessing.” I answer honestly.
“If the tide starts coming in we may be screwed. I suggest we figure a way to create a sea anchor or find another place to run this thing up on a beach.” Cupcake answers back.
“Muir Beach is coming up soon, it has a pretty big beach and we can drive through the rich houses, and onto Highway 1 from there.” Senshi replied. Wow that is the most I have ever heard him say.
“How the fuck do you know that Senshi?” Kuppers asks over the radio.
“I was dating a girl out there, last year. Nice house.” He answers back.
“Ok let’s go ahead and go for Muir Beach. But I have no idea where that is if we don’t move closer to the shore.” I radio out.
“Senshi, get your ass to the pilot house and direct Dan in. Dan cut east and come closer to shore but no closer than 100 yards.” Kuppers orders.
Within a minute Senshi is standing next to the pilot house keeping his gaze on the shore. He points out to the north and starboard. “There it is; we should start angling in now to the beach or we could hit the rocks there at the point.”
I cut in our barge angling toward the beach, we are about 100 yards away. I feel that we are coming in too fast, I reach out to chop the throttles, but Cupcakes hand lands on mine stopping me from moving them back. “I’m going to start the Beast and move her to the stern so the bow comes up out of the water a little, allowing us to slide in closer on the beach. We have no ramp so I’ll have to drive this damn thing off. Keep it steady.” He runs away and jumps into the Beast and starts it up. The rumbling easily drones out the sound of the barge’s engines.
Within seconds he backs the Beast up and I can feel the bite of the propellers as the bow comes out of the water. I cut the wheel in as the beach comes up on us. “Grab on to something people and stay away from the Beast.” I yell over the radio.
I looked around as we came in closer and realized everyone were holding on to the pilot house, Brian and Apache were blocking Angel and keeping her safe from the forces of the impact. Just as we hit the beach I hear the Beast rev up, and then roars down the barge and off the end of the bow. As it goes off the end, the barge’s gravity shifts forward allowing the Beast to not get caught on the edge of the bow and throw its ass end up, the front tires hit the sand, grip and pull the Beast onto the beach. The bow then tilts back up after the Beast roars off and stays there. I turn the key and shut down the engines.
I stand at the bow watching Cupcake pull the Beast up the hill and onto the parking lot at the top. Once there I see him get out and stand at guard waiting for us. I watch as each team member left jumps off the bow and lands on the beach seven feet below. I’m not that athletic so I wait. I then see Angel standing there looking over the top and out onto the sand down below.
“Brian, come over. I’m going to lower Angel down to you.” Brian trots over and raises his hands.
I picked up Angel and give her a hug. “I’m going to hold your wrists and lower you down to Brian. Ok?”
She nods at me and smiles. “I trust you Dan.” I take her wrists and hold her over the edge and watch as Brian easily reaches up and grabs her by the waist and places her onto the sand.
“Can you do that for me to?” I say out loud and watch as everyone laughs.
“I betcha he won’t jump.” says Doc.
“He won’t, but see he is smarter, he will find a way to get down without having to be too physical.” Brian says.
I look around and then drop to my knees, I grab the edge of the bow swing my body out and let it hang. I now only have like a foot and a half to drop. I let go and bend my knees taking in the impact. I turn around and take a bow smiling and laughing.
Apache, Vic and Angel clap and laugh. The rest just shake their heads and head toward the hill following in the deep ridges in the sand that the Beast left. I took Angel’s hand and we walked up the hill together. We gathered at the Beast and I kneeled down to sit next to Angel, as Brian sat down on the other side of her.