OUTNUMBERED volume 3: A Zombie Apocalypse Series (7 page)

BOOK: OUTNUMBERED volume 3: A Zombie Apocalypse Series

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Vera, Suzie and Mitch sat awestruck, and tears ran down their cheeks.

"I guess I passed out again because they threw more water on me and slapped me until I was awake. They did that twice more until I couldn't stand to take the pain anymore. They cut my finger clean off and said the one by it was next. At that point, I told them where your compound was and what I remembered from being here. They wanted to know everything: how many people were here and what ages."

Nate’s eyes glinted with tears, and he wrung his hands. "I'm sorry I told them all of that, but the pain was horrible, and I couldn't take anymore." He looked to his family. "I'm sorry and beg you to forgive me."

I said, "Don't feel bad for caving in under torture. Anyone who doesn't is a serious nut case. A rational human can only stand so much pain. You tried to hold out and I respect that." I stood. "Now, what's your plan? What do you want to do? Your Humvee is destroyed, but we can give you some other transportation if you want to leave again."

"Tom, I apologize for being a butthole. I'd like a second chance to stay here and reunite with my family. I promise I won't be any trouble. I'll keep my mouth shut and do as I'm told. I'll do the exercise routines and I'll do all of the training as well as I can. I'll stay awake on watch and pull my own weight. I want my wife and kids to be proud of me instead of being ashamed of what I've done. If she'll have me, I'd like to work with Andrea in the kitchen. I'll work hard and do what she tells me."

"I'll accept you on those terms. You can talk to Andrea yourself. But if you backslide and turn into the problem you were before you left, out you go. I'll not tolerate the crap you pulled before." I turned to Mitch and Suzie and winked. "Keep an eye on him and don't allow him to backslide. You kids need and deserve a top notch dad." They needed positive assurance that their dad would get another chance. I hoped Nate meant what he'd said, but if he even started to slip one of my team would put a boot up his butt.

Martin Radcliff called my name over the radio. "Tom, we've finished scouring the woods for stragglers. We found three zombies and put them down and three of the military guys who attacked us were wounded. They were put down as well."

I called John and told him it was safe for him and Anthony to inspect the outside of Deliverance. Then I called Shana to tell her everything was secured and she could bring the youngsters out of the safe room. I met her and told her about Janice. She volunteered to escort Larry and Brittany Holescheck to their room where Shane was expecting them.

The outlandish attack and the loss of Janice, Eli, Morgan Jr. and Angie dragged me down to a melancholy mood. I wandered around Deliverance beating myself up for not having anticipated a major attack like we had endured. That would be a topic for a future leadership team meeting after we had time to recover. We needed to be even better prepared than we had been. The loss of life we'd sustained was unacceptable. I ended my half-hearted inspection of the facility near the armory. Ed was still cleaning and inspecting weapons. The two rocket launchers and the rest of the heavy armament lay on work tables or stood in the racks against the wall. Some were ready to go back into storage while Ed worked on the rest. Kira and Jesse Pitchford assisted Ed to learn from his vast expertise. Kira looked up and smiled. She gave me a coy wink then went back to watching Ed.

~*~*~*~

Even after four years, it still felt strange to not have a clue as to what the weather would be for the next week. The day was Sunday, five days since the attack. I'd made a late morning stroll around the complex inside and out while mentally lining up tasks that needed to be completed or begun on Monday. Burial of the deceased attackers and zombies had been finished the afternoon of the attack in a mass grave near the woods. I, Sam, and Anthony stayed up late Tuesday night making rough caskets and markers for our friends. Our losses were interred in our cemetery late Wednesday morning.

The roof panel replacement had been completed Saturday, and plugging bullet holes in the rest of the metal siding would be ongoing for several more days.

Satisfied that all our projects were complete or well underway, I walked up the northeast stairway toward my room. I'd recovered from the anguish of our recent combat event and was learning to accept the deaths on our side that it had caused.

Sweat made my body sticky from wearing too heavy a sweatshirt and I longed for a shower and some relaxed down time. My attention went to fast-paced footsteps coming up behind me. I stopped at the top of the stairs, and Kira stopped to stand beside me. As usual, she looked gorgeous and fresh and lively.

"Hi, handsome," she said through a flirty grin. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I suppose.”

She abruptly changed the subject. "It's about lunch time. You hungry?"

"Not really, but I probably should eat."

"Where were you headed before I stopped you?"

"My room. I feel like taking a shower and then kicking back."

"The kitchen is putting together a sandwich buffet for lunch. Let's grab some and then go take that shower."

My eyes widened, and I felt new vigor. "You and me, together, in the shower?"

"Yes, handsome. You need to unwind and let the bad stuff go. So it's you and me, soap and water, and nothing else. Is that alright?"

She grinned mischievously again. I put my arm around her waist and resisted asking anymore stupid questions.

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The End
- of vol. 3

I hope you've enjoyed the third story in the OUTNUMBERED zombie apocalypse series published at Amazon.com.