The Beginning of the End (Book2): Road to Damnation (20 page)

“Not at all,”
Cowboy snickered, “you sound like someone who is trying to save
mankind.”

“I know I didn’t
have to give the ZMapp to Chevy, but I’m so sick and tired of the
death and dying. I know what I went through when Bob died, and I
didn’t want to see Ty and his mother go through that too.”

“Ah, I understand
what your problem is,” Cowboy speculated, “you stopped being a
scientist and turned into a human being. Well, ma’am, we can’t
fault you for that. Before you go turning back into a scientist, take
a look at what you did over there. I think you might have to agree,
it was worth it.”

Across the lot,
everyone was standing around Chevy, laughing and smiling. People were
taking turns embracing him. Even Thurman got in a hug.

“That’s because of
you, Sophie. Sometimes the small sacrifices are the ones that make
the biggest differences. So why don’t we head over there and
embrace the joy? I think someone over there owes you a big hug.”

Master Chief Sawyer
leaned against the office desk as he explained how they’d ended up
there, “After the stinger hit us, our pilot was able to maneuver
through the buildings and landed us on the edge of the park. Not far
from here. It was a pretty incredible feat. The crash made a hell of
a racket, and those dead came a runnin’. We had to fight for our
lives. Beck and I are the only ones from the unit still alive. Our
radio was destroyed in the crash, so we were cut off, and we have no
way of communicating with Atlanta now. We’re completely off the
grid.”

“Don’t all choppers
have crash beacons on their Black Boxes?” Daniels asked.

“Of course, it does.
But what does that matter?” Sawyer said appearing confused.

“Your higher ups,
know that you came looking for the doctors with the cure, right?”

“Right.” Sawyer
agreed.

“Then if we hold up
in a building with a clear view of that chopper when they come to
rescue the doctors, we can hitch a ride.”

Daniels comment left
Sawyer baffled, “Corporal Daniels, I apologize if I wasn’t clear
before, but we’re the last. There is not going to be another rescue
team. They’re all dead or changed into zombies. The only people
left in Atlanta are scientists and military brass. So again, sir,
there is no rescue team coming.”

“There’s nowhere to
go, is there Mr. Sawyer?” Cecilia sniveled.

Sawyer disagreed trying
to comfort her, “There may not be places to go now, but as soon as
we find Dr. Simone and Col. Aiken, we’ll get them to Atlanta, even
if we have to walk. Once we do that, the General has assured us that
the cure she developed will save the world. I don’t know if this
serum will work or not, but it gives me hope, and with a little hope,
we can do anything.”

“We could use your
help finding the doctor,” Sawyer said, giving Daniels and
apprehensive stare.

“What could we
possibly do to help Navy Seals? We’re two men, a couple of kids and
a hooker.”

“Hey, you know I
don’t like that word, sugar tits. I’m a lady of the evening. And
don’t you forget it.”

Daniels felt a little
ashamed of his comment, “Sorry, Destiny.” He turned his attention
back to Sawyer, “I’m afraid we wouldn’t be much help at all,
Master Chief.”

“I disagree with you,
Corporal. We watched you take over the solarium. You and your man
Bunker moved well, a fast and direct approach and quick on the
trigger. The four of us will take the lead and Destiny, Kaden, and
Ceci will watch our back. I’ll bet if you give Kaden and Ceci to
Beck for five minutes, they’ll come back as excellent junior
marksmen.”

“If you’re asking,
I’m assuming you have a plan, Master Chief?” Bunker asked.

“Now that you mention
it, Bunker, I do. I don’t mean to put the screws to you twenty
minutes after meeting you, but we’ve got a little mission in the
parking garage.”

“Top Secret mission,”
Bunker joked.

“Let’s call it, a
kill the two hundred zombies in the parking garage mission.” Sawyer
joked back.

Bunker swallowed hard,
“Two hundred?”

“You’re not going
to let a couple of hundred flesh eating creatures scare a big guy
like you, are you?”

Bunker felt a
lubricating fear flush through his legs making his knees weak. He
suddenly felt like sitting down.

Sawyer laughed, “It’s
okay, big guy. I’ve got just the thing to make you feel a little
better.”

Sawyer disappeared into
the next room and came back lugging a monstrosity of a gun. He heaved
it off to Bunker. The sheer weight and menacing look of the six
rotating barrels gave Bunker a feeling of invincibility.

“Ah, that suits you
well,” Sawyer smiled, “it’s the M134 Minigun. It’s six
rotating barrels shoot 7.62 rounds. Its rate of fire will throw more
than 2000 rounds at your target a minute. Hell, you could take out a
small country with that thing if you wanted to.”

“Where are the
bullets?” Bunker asked looking at the bottom of the gun.

“Get the man his
lead, Beck,” Sawyer ordered, as he pointed to the side room with
his thumb.

Beck returned with a
backpack looking contraption that was even bigger than the gun.

“If you’re feeling
strong we can try it on,” Beck said struggling to keep the pack up.

Beck fitted the pack on
Bunker and tightened the shoulder straps while Daniels questioned
Sawyer.

“Seriously, what’s
the mission, Master Chief?”

“The NSA has a couple
blacked out Tahoe’s in the lower level parking garage. The problem
is, and I wasn’t kidding before, there’s about two hundred dead
walking around down there. I have no idea how they got down there. My
only guess is the building employees took shelter there and drank
from the water fountain before they knew it was dangerous. I’ve got
both sets of keys. If we can make it to one of the Tahoes, we can
drive outside of the garage, pick up Beck and the kids, and make our
way to the Intrepid.”

“The Intrepid?”

“It’s an aircraft
carrier permanently docked in the river for tourists.”

“I know what the
Intrepid is, but why do we need to go there?” Daniels asked.

“I’m afraid that’s
need to know, sir.”

“You’re kidding
me,” Daniels snapped, “you expect us to risk our lives helping
you, and you won’t even tell me what’s going on. This is a bunch
of bullshit.”

“What I can tell you,
Corporal, is our mission to the Intrepid is merely a contingency
plan. It’s a worst case scenario plan to help ensure survival for
those who have a chance.”

“I’m not stupid,
Sawyer. There’s a big ass bomb on that boat, and you want to use it
to blow up New York City, don’t you?”

“Listen, Daniels. I
don’t like it anymore than you do, but there are more than eight
million people in this city, and earlier estimates put the
re-animated dead at nearly ninety percent. When they run out of food,
where do you think they’re going to go? Someplace with food, and
that’s every small city in America.”

“What about the
survivors?” Daniels demanded.

“Their sacrifice will
help ensure world’s survival. It’s called collateral damage.”

“You’re a
cold-hearted son of a bitch, Sawyer.”

“You’re a cop,
Daniels. You know as well as I do. Orders are orders. Maybe you
haven’t figured it out yet, but we’re in a state of war here. We
do as we're told.”

“So, is this some
kind of suicide mission you weren’t going to tell us about?”

Sawyer shook his head
and smiled, “No, it’s nothing like that. Beck is going to install
a satellite receiver on the device, so if it’s needed, the acting
President can remote detonate the bomb.”

“The President’s
dead? Who's the acting President?”

“I’m not sure,”
admitted Sawyer, the way things are going, by next week it may be
you.”

“You’re kidding?”

“I wish I was. We
don’t have time for this now. We’re losing daylight. Let’s get
Bunker and secure that Tahoe.”

The pulsing rumble of
the MRAP’s 36-inch tires echoed inside the cab. Kane’s brother
glared due south, seeking vengeance against unknown enemies for
reasons he’d soon realize. The only thing he was sure of, Kane was
no longer of this world. He had passed on. Now his festering carcass
sat in the passenger seat, beginning to leak odiferous fluids.

Kane’s brother
sniffed and squinted at the nauseating aroma, “Oh, my goodness,
what a disturbing bouquet. What have you been eating, Kane? If you
want to ride in the front with me, you’re going to have to control
that bottom of yours.”

As the minutes passed,
Kane’s brother craved conversation, glancing at his dead brother,
“It’s going to be a long ride, Kane. Would you like to play a
game? How about 'I Spy'? Are you familiar with it, dear brother?”

Kane’s head, still
rigid with rigor mortis stared straight ahead, a look of fright,
frozen on his face.

“If you’re going to
sit there and not say anything, then I’m going to go first. Hmm,
this is interesting, where shall I start? I…Spy…A little blonde
woman who just ran behind that wrecked car, in the median. Did you
see her too, brother? Is she real?”

Snakeskin boots slammed
on the brakes as the vehicle turned into the grassy area.

The MRAP came to a
sliding stop, barking the knobby tires as they threw up debris.
Kane’s brother was glued to the window searching as the dust
settled, “Where are you, girlie girl?

He tapped a finger
against the MRAPS bulletproof glass, “Oh, there you are. Let’s
see if we can have a little fun, shall we brother?”

Kane’s brother
stepped out of the vehicle with both hands in the air being careful
to not scare the girl. He masked his evil persona with a sad, timid
leer.

“Hello, ma’am. Are
you out there? I can’t see you behind the car. Please come out. I
assure you, I am a friend. It’s been so long since I've seen a
living person, and not one of those horrible creatures who stalk the
earth now. Please tell me you’re real, and I didn’t imagine you.”

He hopped off the top
step of the MRAP, with his hands still in the air. Kane's brother
stared at the wrecked vehicle, refusing to relinquish his false
facade.

Blonde hair appeared
near the trunk of the car. She was cautious and slow to move out from
behind her aegis.

When she did, it was
clear she was no girl at all, but a woman, approaching her fortieth
birthday. She was lean and looked as though she was attractive at one
time. Years of abusive men and drugs had stripped her of her beauty.

“Hello,” she said,
raising her palm to wave and revealing a tattoo on the bottom side of
her wrist. She was too far away for him to see what is was, but if he
was to guess, he would have said an Infinity Eight.

Interesting, he
thought.

Kane’s brother
lowered his hands as he spoke, “I was just driving by and had to
stop when I saw you. Like I said before, I can’t remember the last
time I saw a living person. You don’t have to be afraid. I’m not
going to harm you. I’ll even drive away if you’re scared of me.
It’s just been so long since I’ve conversed with someone. I had
to stop and say hi. So what’s your name?”

“I’m Windy. You’ll
have to excuse me for being cautious. All of my friends are gone, and
I’ve been stuck out here alone for days. I’m hungry and would
appreciate any food you could spare.”

“Of course, I have
plenty of food. It’s in the back of the truck. You’ll have to
pardon me, but I believe I may have misheard your name. Did you say
it was Wendy?”

“No, I said, Windy
with an I. Don’t apologize, I get it all the time. My mom was a big
fan of sixties music.”

“Sounds like you
mother was a big fan of The Association.”

“Oh my god. You’re
like the first person to know that," Windy cheered.

Kane’s brother gave
her a reassuring smile, “My mother was a big fan of the sixties
too,” he grinned. “Let’s get you some food, Windy. You’re as
skinny as a bird. Let me get the back door of my truck open.”

The MRAP door squeaked
as it opened, as he presented an extended trusting hand, “Here,
allow me to help you up the ladder into the truck.”

Her faith in humanity
gave her the confidence to lead the stranger to his layer.

“It smells like you
might have some rotten meat in here,” she complained.

Her naivety allowed her
to make the mistake that ended her life.

* * *

An hour later, the
lunatic stepped out from the back of the MRAP. He made good use of
his shirt, wiping the dripping blood from his chin. He pulled a long
blonde hair from his blood soaked hands and bent down to wipe them in
the overgrown grass. In the distance, the sun was beginning to set.
Feeling satisfied, he breathed in the sweet October air as he
fastened his pants and zipped up the zipper.

“You should see this
sunset, Kane. It’s breathtaking. It makes me feel alive again.”

He turned to Kane and
approached the passenger side of the vehicle humming and singing,
“Everyone knows it’s Windy.”

An overwhelming
sensation pulled his attention to the south. Rage burned inside him
again, turning his face blood red.

“Yes, I know, Kane.
Stop yelling at me. I agree, no more fooling around. I promise you.
We’ll have your vengeance, and we’ll have it soon.”

Before setting out
again, the man in the snakeskin boots peeked through the rear door of
the MRAP admiring his handy work. The merciless pain he inflicted on
this woman and others somehow seemed to fill the void in his heart.

He said goodbye to
Windy’s mutilated carcass and whistled his new favorite tune as he
dragged her body out of the MRAP.

After another quick
clean up in the grass, he was ready to get moving again. He paused
for a moment, watching Kane as he stared to the south.