I handed Angel a couple of shopping bags, and she carried them out to the Beast as I carried the rest. The team looked over and whistled. “Hey, Dan, who is that cute kid with you? Did you leave Angel inside?” Brian yelled out.
“It’s me, Brian. Angel. I’m just clean and finally have on clean clothes, silly!” Angel yelled back.
The guys laughed, and Doc walked over. He got down on his knees and handed Angel a black backpack. “We all have our own Zomgo packs, and now you do too. But we will all be willing to help you carry it.” Angel threw herself at Doc, hugging him and leaving kisses on his cheeks. Doc started laughing and hugged her back.
“Angel, jump in the back, kiddo. I need to talk to these guys,” Kuppers ordered her. She waved and climbed into the back.
Apache appeared from the store carrying more bags. “I played mom today. I loaded a lot of men’s underwear and socks in the sacks for you little boys.” She threw the bags at Doc, who caught them and started looking through them.
Kuppers climbed out of the Beast and put a folder full, with a big stack of papers, on the hood. “Alright, let’s get serious. I have read through the documents General Richards gave us. He wasn’t kidding when he said we were now part of the military. He made it legal by recalling all of us. Dan, you have been officially drafted into the Army. These documents have also given you all ranks. I see no reason to hand them out. I’ll keep them safe, just in case we need them to get by a roadblock or if we need help. Let’s get back on the road. We have a load of miles to go.”
We divided the new underwear and socks and thanked Apache. We took our places in the rear of the Beast and buckled in as Cupcake started the engine. He pulled back onto the road and took his time working through the soldiers as they made their way into every single house and business. Kuppers pointed to the group of soldiers off to the side of the road, and Cupcake pulled up and put the beast into park. Kuppers leaned out the window and started talking to the soldiers.
“What are you boys up to?” Kuppers asked as nice as I ever heard him.
“General Richards ordered us to check every building for survivors and supplies. We’re to strip the town of all resources,” a young soldier answered.
“Well, we’ll stop bugging you then.” Kuppers turned to Cupcake and pointed out the front windshield.
Cupcake put the Beast into drive and we trundled down the road making our way out of the town. We went slow while Kuppers watched the activities in the town. “Amazing I haven’t seen any survivors yet,” he commented.
“That’s because the Ridder Group emptied most of the town and made more of the zombies they needed for the fight with us. As a field commander needing more soldiers for a battle, that is a great way to draft people into their fight,” answered Brian but with gravity in his voice.
“I guess you’re right. There was many of times during a battle I needed more soldiers. With that said, though, it makes me want to kill every single Ridder soldier that much more,” Vic added to the conversation.
“Throw those bastards in the Initiative at the top of that list to kill also. I know we have our own mission, but I’d seriously like to throw my hat into the hunting down of all those assholes,” explained Doc. He looked down at his hands and flexed them around the M4 he was holding.
We pulled up to the last blockade of the town and waited as the young soldier looked over our paperwork and verified our orders. They moved the two Humvees out of the way and allowed us to move through. Kuppers reached out and stopped a young woman soldier. “Excuse me, do you know how the road looks down the way? How’s traffic?” he asked.
The soldier looked over the Beast, then up to Kuppers. “We haven’t been down more than two miles. Traffic thins out after the first mile that we saw. Everything seems quiet. Good luck on your mission, sir,” she answered and saluted.
Kuppers saluted back and thanked her for her help. We pulled away and kept it slow due to the traffic. After ten minutes of driving, the road cleared up and Cupcake took the Beast up to a respectful forty miles per hour. Kuppers kept his eyes open, watching ahead at the road and its sides. Nothing happened for a while, except for Cupcake having to vary our speed to get around obstructions in the road. Whenever he could, he kept the Beast in the middle of the road, taking up both lanes.
I sat in the back and crawled inside my own head. I knew that what we had been through to this point wasn’t the worst that was to come. Ridder and the Initiative were still out there, and now they had their nose bloodied by our little group. I was sure they were not going to let our little battle be the end to their war. If I was a large terrifying group, hell-bent on culling the population of the world, I would not let the actions of a small few stop me. I’d steam roll over them as soon as I could. So the questions kept coming back to me: “Where are they, and when is the other shoe going to drop?” The rolling of the tires on the roadway took its toll on me and soon I was asleep.
I’d love to say I had more of those dreams that foretold the future, but this time I slept deep. No dreams. I awoke, though, to screams and a glaring light shining into my eyes. I was still in the Beast, but the back hatch was open. Vic and Doc were missing, and I was looking up at Brian. He shook his head and came to. He moved his head around the Beast and took in the situation fast. He looked down at me and looked me over. “You ok, Boss? You hurt?” he asked.
“I think I’m ok. We need to get out of here.” I unbuckled myself, grabbed my MP5, and crawled over on top of Angel. This allowed Brian to get out of his seat and for me to check on the little girl. She was breathing, but unconscious. I figured it was best to leave her there for now. I reached over and shook Apache, who awoke quickly.
She grabbed my arm and looked into my eyes, searching for an answer. “What happened? Are you ok?” She shook her head to clear the cobwebs as she asked.
“I’m fine, not hurt. Brian is likewise and behind me. Angel is breathing, but unconscious. I’m getting out to see what’s up. No idea where Vic or Doc is yet.” I undid her seatbelt and she rolled away grabbing her gun and coming to her knees outside. Her eyes followed her rifle’s barrel as she took in the area. I followed her and came up beside her, copying the movements with my MP5. Brian came up behind us and sighted his weapon over our heads. I could see Doc behind us on the ground, unmoving. Vic was on the side of the road coming to his knees and bringing his rifle to his shoulder as little explosions started kicking up rocks from the ground all around him. I figured they were bullets. Vic dove off the road and onto his belly, trying to get out of the path of those bullets.
“Dan, Brian and I will cover you. Get out there and get Doc off the road and to the ditch. Once there, check on him but keep your head down.” Apache and Brian came around the back of the Beast and started laying down fire. I came to my feet and ran, hunched over and in a tight zig zag pattern, trying to keep anyone firing on me to not be able to sight on me. I slid on my knees to Doc’s side. I looked him over quickly, then grabbed his vest, and started pulling him to the ditch on the same side of the road as the Beast. I rolled him down the small embankment and then jumped down and threw my body over his. I heard him grunt and was happy to hear it. Dead men don’t make sounds. When no bullets riddled my body, I pushed off of him and to my knees. I rolled him over and he opened his eyes, looking up at me. “I better not be dead, and you better not be my fucking angel.” He spat his ever-present wad of gum out of his mouth and over the embankment onto the road.
“Thank God you are alive, man. Are you ok?” I asked while bringing my gun up and watching down the ditch toward the Beast where Brian and Apache were still holding their ground. Their rifle fire slowed to single shots every couple of seconds, instead of heavy automatic fire.
“No, I am not ok. Someone exploded a bomb near the Beast and threw us to our side. As we were sliding down the road, the hatch opened and I was thrown onto the road. I’m hurt, stiff, and very pissed off. Someone is going to pay. Now where is my rifle?” He looked around him for it.
“You must’ve lost it while you were sliding or rolling on the road. Your sidearm is still in your leg holster, though,” I answered back.
“That will just have to fucking do then, won’t it?” He got to his knees, pulled his gun from its holster and checked to make sure it would work.
“By the way, Vic is on the other side of the road in a ditch. Last time I checked he was still alive, but someone was shooting at him. Brian and Apache are covering us,” I informed him.
Doc stretched his back and neck and then started working his way up the embankment. He flattened himself down on his belly and looked over to our left, back toward the Beast and the enemy up ahead. I stayed behind him and out of the way but ready to help if I could. Just then I remembered to click the safety off on the gun and chambered a round. Doc looked back at me shaking his head. “You just now decided to do that?” He then leaped to his feet and took off running over the road and jumped down the other side, hopefully next to Vic. More gunfire kicked up the road in the direction where Doc jumped.
I made my way down the ditch and back toward the Beast. I made it to the back and could see the tires and under carriage as it lay on its side. I put my back against that side and made my way down toward the enemy. I stopped and crouched behind the front tires and sighted out. I could see six soldiers behind a blockade of cars and trucks. They could not see me yet, so I raised my MP5 and took in the picture in front of me. They were in armor but none wore helmets. I aimed at the first soldier in line and, using the scope, I put the little red dot on his head, blew out the breath I was holding, and pulled the trigger. The soldier rocked back and a puff of red mist appeared next to him coating the next soldier in line. I quickly aimed up on him and fired again. I hit this one on the shoulder. Instead of killing him, it rocked him back a little. That surprised the hell out of him. He turned and raised his rifle drawing a bead on me fast.
I knew I was about to die, but suddenly his head and the one of the soldier next to him exploded. Two loud roars exploded over the top of me. I turned quickly and saw Apache and Brian sighting in on the rest and firing. I pressed myself against the tire and tried becoming part of it as they took out the rest of the line of soldiers. My ears were ringing, but I could tell that no more rifle firing was coming from Brian or Apache. I raised my gun and started walking toward the barricade. A big hand came out and slowed me down as Brian stepped in front of me. I followed him, making sure to keep my gun up and not pointing at him.
He came around the barricade of cars and went to a knee. I copied him and watched Apache come around from behind us and into the area the soldiers had just been holding. She looked around, then stuck her hand in the air and called out, “Clear!”
Brian came back to his feet and moved in on Apache’s position. I took this time to look back at the Beast to check on Kuppers and Cupcake. But there were Doc and Vic already climbing onto the top of the Beast and propping the passenger door open. The windshield of the Beast was starred in many places where they took fire from the soldiers. “Thank God for bullet proof windows,” I whispered to myself. I trotted over and helped Kuppers down from the side of the Beast and then Cupcake. They both had cuts on their foreheads and cheeks. Apache trotted past us and into the back of the Beast.
She came out soon with an awake and woozy Angel. Brian was staying behind the barricade keeping watch. I lowered my gun and looked around. Kuppers walked past me looking pissed off. “The goddamn assholes blew a car up on the side of the road! Cupcake, while trying to avoid more, turned too fast, and we went onto our side sliding. Apache, what the fuck happened after that? I was unconscious after hitting my head on the window and dashboard.” Kuppers was wiping the blood from his head and face onto a small towel he carried.
“Dan awoke first, then Brian. He checked on Angel, then got me moving. We took up a defensive position and watched as Doc lay in the middle of the road unconscious. And Vic, as he came to, was being fired on so he took up a defensive position in the ditch. While Brian and I lay down covering fire, Dan rescued Doc and then on his own came back to the Beast and around the bottom side. He was able to take out one soldier, headshot if you can believe that. Brian and I then rallied on his position and took out the rest of the barricading force,” she briefed him. “We checked the gear and found that it was a Ridder force who nearly took us out.”
“Good job, Dan. Ok, we need to put up a defensive force, then go over what we have and see if the Beast can be saved. With all that noise, either the zombies or more of those Ridder troops will be here soon. Brian, stay where you are. Apache take the rear,” Kuppers ordered. “Doc and Dan, see what can be salvaged and get it inventoried and out here. Angel, go supervise them. Cupcake, see what you can do with the Beast. I’ll get our paperwork and go through the map and figure out where the hell we are.”
Angel took my hand and walked me back to the Beast. Doc started going through the supplies that had been tied to the top, and I climbed into the rear pulling out our Zomgo bags and anything else I could find, including Apache’s plates. I found my shotgun still in its locked position on the rear hatch. I removed it and slung it onto my pack. I stacked all the bags and equipment I could find out, started repacking the Zomgo bags with the extra supplies, and put them aside along with writing our inventory out.