turned to me and to Kate, glancing at Rhodes as well.
“We need someone to cover us here and keep a lookout, and we need to look in the hangar for the hydraulic fluid. I’ll go to the hangar, but I need cover.”
“Here, sir,” said Rhodes, stepping forward.
The colonel, I read his nametag finally—Drexel—shook his head.
“Sorry son, I need you with the plane. Quite frankly, I’d prefer taking someone who isn’t going to turn if we run into those godless shits. Mr. McKnight, you’re with me.”
Kate stood suddenly, voice calm and serious.
“Colonel, we are going to need to find this man some sedatives, or he’s going to die,” she said clinically.
The officer looked down at the young man almost dismissively.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but we have certain priorities on this mission. I am happy to have saved his ass in D.C., but we need to get off the ground ASAP. You are welcome to accompany us inside, but we are not stalling to look for medicine. Understood?”
He didn’t wait for an answer as he moved past me toward the rear of the plane. Lt. Col Crawford shrugged once from the cockpit as he looked at Watts curled up on the floor. There was no pity there. In a world taken by the dead, the living had two choices: face life, or lose it. These men had seen the new reality. They had lived it. This man—this kid—had not.
“Come with me and cuddly bear,” I said to Kate, “we’ll check the offices inside. It’s not like he can wrestle us back to the plane.”
Drexel checked his sidearm as Rhodes stood by the door. Granger checked the windows and nodded shortly, and the door swung down slowly, Rhodes holding it back so it wouldn’t slam into the ground.
The air was crisp and clean, and it flooded into the cabin in a wave of nostalgia and relief. I remembered spring days and summer nights and the way it was before. Then, Rhodes grunted under his breath.
“Let’s go, ladies. I’d prefer not to end up at the losing end of a zombie ass tonight.”
Yes.
That was the world now.
Thanks for the memories, Rhodes.
TWELVE
Drexel had found a crowbar, and he was carrying it tightly in one hand as we walked quickly across the tarmac. My eyes were perfectly adjusted to the dark, and I took the lead, scanning ahead for movement. Heavy gunfire sounded from the distance, and I caught the sulfurous hint of gunpowder in the air. Smoke was there too, a current of destruction on the cool night air. A breeze caught the windsock at the far end of the airfield, and I snapped my head up before realizing it was nothing. Drexel caught my movement and stared, trying to see what I had seen.
“Mike,” said Kate softly, and I followed her hand.
We were halfway to the hangar and the large plane sat quietly on the runway behind us, the silent form of Granger moving on the wing with as much stealth as he could muster. The commercial hangar in front of us was open at the front, but only at waist level, the large metal roll-down door oddly angled; behind that, a chain link fence separated the airfield from an access road. A large truck was parked near the open door to the hangar, and the driver’s door was ajar, moving in the breeze.
“I see it,” I said, and motioned for them to stop.
Inside the hangar, a slow form was shambling out, coveralls crusted over with blood. I scanned to the sides and saw nothing else, but wanted to make sure before I brought them forward. Gripping the Pathfinder with both hands, I walked directly to the creature, trying to mask the sound of my heavy boots hitting the tarmac.
It had been a mechanic, I noted, as I took its head. In a moment of caution, I reached out my left hand as the head dropped to the ground, and caught the front of the thing’s uniform, easing the body to the ground slowly to keep the noise down.
The cavernous space was a tomb. Bodies lay strewn about with abandon, and crusted blood was thick on the cement slab floor. I looked to the side and realized that the hangar
“We need someone to cover us here and keep a lookout, and we need to look in the hangar for the hydraulic fluid. I’ll go to the hangar, but I need cover.”
“Here, sir,” said Rhodes, stepping forward.
The colonel, I read his nametag finally—Drexel—shook his head.
“Sorry son, I need you with the plane. Quite frankly, I’d prefer taking someone who isn’t going to turn if we run into those godless shits. Mr. McKnight, you’re with me.”
Kate stood suddenly, voice calm and serious.
“Colonel, we are going to need to find this man some sedatives, or he’s going to die,” she said clinically.
The officer looked down at the young man almost dismissively.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but we have certain priorities on this mission. I am happy to have saved his ass in D.C., but we need to get off the ground ASAP. You are welcome to accompany us inside, but we are not stalling to look for medicine. Understood?”
He didn’t wait for an answer as he moved past me toward the rear of the plane. Lt. Col Crawford shrugged once from the cockpit as he looked at Watts curled up on the floor. There was no pity there. In a world taken by the dead, the living had two choices: face life, or lose it. These men had seen the new reality. They had lived it. This man—this kid—had not.
“Come with me and cuddly bear,” I said to Kate, “we’ll check the offices inside. It’s not like he can wrestle us back to the plane.”
Drexel checked his sidearm as Rhodes stood by the door. Granger checked the windows and nodded shortly, and the door swung down slowly, Rhodes holding it back so it wouldn’t slam into the ground.
The air was crisp and clean, and it flooded into the cabin in a wave of nostalgia and relief. I remembered spring days and summer nights and the way it was before. Then, Rhodes grunted under his breath.
“Let’s go, ladies. I’d prefer not to end up at the losing end of a zombie ass tonight.”
Yes.
That was the world now.
Thanks for the memories, Rhodes.
TWELVE
Drexel had found a crowbar, and he was carrying it tightly in one hand as we walked quickly across the tarmac. My eyes were perfectly adjusted to the dark, and I took the lead, scanning ahead for movement. Heavy gunfire sounded from the distance, and I caught the sulfurous hint of gunpowder in the air. Smoke was there too, a current of destruction on the cool night air. A breeze caught the windsock at the far end of the airfield, and I snapped my head up before realizing it was nothing. Drexel caught my movement and stared, trying to see what I had seen.
“Mike,” said Kate softly, and I followed her hand.
We were halfway to the hangar and the large plane sat quietly on the runway behind us, the silent form of Granger moving on the wing with as much stealth as he could muster. The commercial hangar in front of us was open at the front, but only at waist level, the large metal roll-down door oddly angled; behind that, a chain link fence separated the airfield from an access road. A large truck was parked near the open door to the hangar, and the driver’s door was ajar, moving in the breeze.
“I see it,” I said, and motioned for them to stop.
Inside the hangar, a slow form was shambling out, coveralls crusted over with blood. I scanned to the sides and saw nothing else, but wanted to make sure before I brought them forward. Gripping the Pathfinder with both hands, I walked directly to the creature, trying to mask the sound of my heavy boots hitting the tarmac.
It had been a mechanic, I noted, as I took its head. In a moment of caution, I reached out my left hand as the head dropped to the ground, and caught the front of the thing’s uniform, easing the body to the ground slowly to keep the noise down.
The cavernous space was a tomb. Bodies lay strewn about with abandon, and crusted blood was thick on the cement slab floor. I looked to the side and realized that the hangar
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