The Dead Arrive (Part 1)

Posted on Fri Jun 21st, 2024 @ 4:35pm by Hale Stratton [Major, United States Army] & Serena Reynolds DR & Timothy Reynolds [Captain, US Army] & René Rouen & Vienna Quinn & Civilian Thea Matthews

2,689 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Winter is Coming
Location: Dealership and Drug Store
Timeline: 6 September - 7:30 a.m.

The not-so-dead, the soul-less, the particular horrors the universe had visited upon them all, the victims of the Wildfire Virus, shuffled in, hungry and seeking. They had divided, reaching the interior of the dealership first, and the Drug Store a short while later. But soon, they were everywhere. And they were, as ever, hungry.

René was with Vienna and Thea in the pharmacy filling a cart with supplies when the the sounds of breaking glass caught his attention. He turned to both as he drew both of his weapons. "Get to the storage room and lock the door. Stay quiet." He took a look at the drive through windows as he passed to the door to the main sales floor and didn't see anything along the back of the store.

Vienna opened her mouth to say she was staying before remembering that Thea was pregnant. Nodding she motioned to Thea before looking back at René, lowering her voice to a mere whisper. “Be careful René.”

Thea quickly moved towards the storage room, cautiously pausing to check inside before entering she waited for Vienna to step in before quietly closing the door and locking it.

René peeked around the corner of the last aisle and spotted a brick on the floor just inside the broken glass entrance. Several of the Soulless were already inside and more were coming in, one on the heels of the the one before it.

Lured toward the facility by bits of raw meat, they grew from a small trickle to a steadier stream. The same was true for the dealership though there, he had tossed the meat inside. They came, hungry and vacant eyed, searching by scent and movement. And there were, in both places, a lot of them.

From a nearby vantage point, Whistler watched, chuckling to himself. They had thought to give her safe harbor. A small parting gift, he thought, before I pursue her once more. She'll break off from the doctor soon, either by choice or by necessity. If he were a cat, he'd be purring. Like a chess game it was. Just moving the pieces till things fell in line.

René ducked back behind cover and whispered. "Merde." He had recognized some of the clothes of the Soulless from the group that had been down the hill from the car dealership. What had drawn them up the hill?

A housewife. An accountant. A used car salesman. A long-haul truck driver. And more. The truck driver, large and heavily muscled, stopped his head, swiveling back and forth, until he heard a sound and caught the slight scent. He started shuffling forward.

René knew he had to take care of the Soulless Ones inside and get back to Vienna and Thea before more entered. He took a deep breath and stepped out into the aisle. "Oi, over here!" He moved forward and thrust his rapier into the eye socket of the first Soulless and yanked the weapon free. He repeated his actions perhaps a half dozen times, before getting close enough to the front door to see dozens of the Soulless between the store and the car dealership. He had to lead this...herd away from both locations.

René stepped carefully through the broken glass door and scanned the immediate area.

Inside the storeroom Vienna was trying to watch through the tiny storeroom door window. She was more worried about René being outside alone. She also had to be careful that she wasn’t seen, or she and Thea could end up with unwanted company.

“What’s happening?” Thea’s voice was barely a whisper not wanting to make a noise.

“René is outside, I don’t see any others in the shop right now.” Vienna paused. “We need to get to safety, but I can’t risk you getting hurt.” She wished René would come back and tell her what to do.

[Over in the Dealership]

He'd found a door. Just one that brought them inside and, darlings that they were, they moved in, drawn toward the sounds and scents of life, toward the banquet who moved ignorant of their surroundings. And once they were inside ... disturbing things ... hunting ... he made sure the other doors were propped open as well. Fun for all, he thought. That's for taking her in. He blew them all a kiss, satisfied by the size of his gift, and then headed off after Emma. Now, to separate her from the doctor.

They were ... everywhere. He pulled out his weapon, woefully inadequate for the number of not-dead-enough-by-half that were milling about, and got to work. Head shots. He kept moving. Stand still too long and you get swarmed and he wasn't going out that way. Nope. Between the eyes. One (move) ... after (pivot) ... the (jump back) ... other (kick one back and then fire). Fifteen head shots, leaving a pile of bodies to dance around. He slid behind one of the showroom cars and reloaded with a speed born of long practice and then crept forward, looking for the next one.

[Meanwhile, Elsewhere]

A few miles north of the city, Timothy pulled over and opened his door. Standing up in the doorframe, he looked at the devastation before them. He had seen training videos on how devastating a MOAB - the largest non-nuclear weapon that was in the US Militaries arsenal - was. However, seeing what two could do was truly mind blowing. After a few more beats, he sat back down in his seat and closed the door. Before he put it into gear, he pulled out the Mossberg and handed it to Serena. "It's fully loaded with a shell in the chamber. Safety is on. You remember what I taught you?"

Serena screwed up her nose. "Yes but you know I cannot hit the broadside of a barn." She held the gun gingerly.

"I know, Babe," he said with a grin. "That's why I loaded it with double aught buckshot. No barn side will be safe from you." He chuckled softly, then turned serious. "Just remember, it's got a hell of a recoil, so make sure you're braced and you have firm control of it before you fire. You don't really need to aim. Just put the buttstock tight in your shoulder, point the business end where you want the round to go, then squeeze, not pull, squeeze the trigger."

Serena just nodded mutely and held the shotgun in place as he drove. "I hope I do not need to use it."

"So do I, Baby," he said with a soft grin. "But I have zero doubt that you will if P.J. or I am in danger." As he spoke, they continued to drive through the rubble. He spotted the signage for a major pharmacy up ahead. "We should check it out, see if there's anything we can salvage. Who knows when or if the opportunity will come again."

Serena nodded. "Good Idea, I only have basic medicines and such. If we can get more and such it will help." Mentally she was stocktaking her bag's contents.

Ethan, too young and inexperienced to be in the thick of the fighting, had been laying flat on the top of a vehicle watching the surroundings. He figured it was 'busy work' and when he heard the shots coming from inside the dealership rose to a crouched position. He was debating what would be the wisest thing to do when he saw a vehicle approaching. He dropped down over the side and made his presence known, signalling for them to stop. No weapon and only the hope that he wasn't going to get killed, still, he had heard shots.

Tim saw the young man slide off of the wrecked vehicle and move to stand in the middle of the roadway. He stopped immediately, even though they were still a good hundred yards away. Something didn't feel right about this. "Keep your head down, Rena," he said quietly, his voice changed as his thinking went from family to possible combat. He opened the door and stepped out, his right hand on the butt of his pistol, the holster already unlocked. His senses were sharper suddenly, as adrenaline started pumping through his veins. "I don't want any trouble, young man," he shouted, his tone full of military strength and confidence. "If you step aside, we will be on our way!"

Serena took a breath and muttered "He is just a kid, Tim."

"Look," Ethan said holding his hands up in his best imitation of every cop and cowboy movie or show he'd ever seen. "Not gonna give you any either. Just letting you know that the dealership isn't safe." He spared a worried glance toward the building where Hale and Alonzo were before returning to the threat in front of him. "I heard shots but ... he's in there ... and well, he can handle it."

Timothy glanced in the direction that the boy looked, then back at him. He could see that the boy was unarmed. And, if they were under a scope, plenty enough time had passed for an ambush to have occurred. Deciding to trust his better angels, Timothy lifted his right hand from his weapon. "What's your name, son?"

"Ethan," he answered at once. "Ethan Thompson. Does it matter? Who I am." He heard another shot from inside the dealership and took a hesitant step toward it. Alonzo and Hale had been good to him. Given him safety. Something like a home. He wanted to help. Knew he couldn't but he could warn off others. Hale would probably respect that ... if it didn't get him killed of course.

"Easy now!" Timothy cautioned Ethan. He had heard the shots, but it didn't seem to be directed at them. "My name is Captain Timothy Reynolds. Before today, I was a Ranger in the US Army. Maybe I can help?"

"Ranger," Ethan repeated. "Maybe you can. Hale's a Ranger and he's pretty good in a fight." He jerked his head at the dealership where another shot rang out. "He's in there along with Alonzo and the old guy, the one with the service dog. It was quiet for a long while but ... " The windows were tinted, covered with signage, but if you looked hard enough, movement could be just seen, slow and shuffling. His voice trailed off and for a moment, he forgot they were there.

Timothy saw the walker and cursed. He couldn't get to the kid in time, and the pistol didn't have the range. He spun back into the truck and grabbed his Sniper Rifle. Moving quickly, he used the open door as a balance and flipped open his sights. "Watch your ears and the baby's, Rena!" He quickly warned, then focused down through his sights and saw the center of the walker's head. It was a big one, almost seven feet tall. It was wearing a basketball uniform, though it was very late in the year for the sport. As soon as he had his target, he took a breath, breathed out, and squeezed his trigger. The powerful rifle spoke loudly, as a small flame belched out of the muzzle break.

A few feet away from Ethan, the walker's head suddenly vanished in a puff of red mist.

Ethan saw the rifle come up and, with the speed that came naturally to adolescents and terrified people everywhere, dropped to the ground. Once the weapon had fired, he raised his head and looked back toward the door which was now standing open. "Are you nuts," he whispered. "You're going to attract their atten ..." He paused. "Maybe that's not a bad idea though. Draw them away ..."

Timothy could see what the kid was referring to. He reached inside the truck and started honking the horn.

They responded, turning toward the sound, they moved away and didn't notice the one sneaking up behind them, taking them out, one by one. They just kept moving and now, their focus was on the man and the boy.

Ethan, not wanting to be eaten, climbed up on top of the Blazer and flattened himself, whispering fiercely. "Move ... you don't want to get eaten, do you?"

"TIM!" Serena yelled. "Drive!" She was half in the backseat covering PJ. "Tim just drive!"

Timothy didn't need any further encouragement. At least fifty walkers were bearing down on them. He climbed back into the driver's seat and shut the door, putting the Blazer in reverse, he backed away, conscious of the fact that the boy was on his roof. "Hang on, kid!" He shouted, then after a count of three, spun the wheel around, the large truck spinning and twisting on the loose gravel of the destroyed streets. Once he had them pointing the opposite direction, Timothy slammed the transmission into drive and floored it, spraying gravel and chunks of debris back at the approaching horde. One of the rocks, about the size of a golf ball shot into the forehead of the nearest walker, dropping it instantly.

Then they were out of there, the powerful V8 chewing up road as the distance between walkers and humans grew. Finally, after about a half mile, Timothy slowed down. He then called back to his wife. "Get the kid in here!"

She put down the window and reached up as best she could to try and grab the young man. "Grab my hand!" she called out.

White-knuckled, Ethan was doing his best to hang on, facing the rear of the vehicle. She called out as his hand lost its grip and so he lurched over the side, reaching down to her. Course, that meant he lost his grip on the other side as well, and then it was two hands reaching down to her ... and hoping that his death wasn't imminent.

Seeing that Ethan was slipping, Tim tapped the brakes slightly, which allowed the boys descent to go straight towards Serena. When she caught him, he reached over and held onto her waistband, so she could move more freely to help Ethan inside.

He only paused a moment, sliding into the seat, to be grateful that he was alive before shrieking. "Are you insane," he yelled. "Stop the car, right now. I have got to go back. Alonzo ... Hale. Stop the car right now," he chanted as he squirmed close to the door and reached for the handle.

"Woah" Serena said as she moved to the backseat beside the baby seat. "We will, but we need to lead them off for a bit. Tim... circle around, down that side street. It should lead back."

Nodding, Timothy did as his wife suggested. "Ethan?" He started, then said it a little louder to get the kid's attention. "That name you said, Hake. That's the last name?" The chances of it being who he thought is was...had to be impossible...right?

It took a minute for it all to sink in. Safe. Inside. And ... not being kidnapped. Took a minute to register what they were saying and he found himself nodding to the woman. "Okay, circling is good. Sorry. never did that before, sliding off a moving vehicle." He ran a hand through his hair as what the man had said finally sunk in. "Hale? No, that's his first name. It's ... uh ... Stratton, I think. Mostly, he just goes by Hale well except for the soldiers back in the Safe Zone. To them, he was always Major Stratton."

Tim's eyes grew larger in excitement. It was true!! His friend was alive and here!! He looked up in the mirror and shared a look with Serena. Their chances of survival just tripled. For, as good a survivalist as Timothy was, Hale was just a bit better at it. Looking over at Ethan, Tim smiled broadly. "Kid, you just may live through this whole thing!" He then turned the wheel again, and within moments, he was pulling up into the dealership lothopping out of the truck, he shouted out, "REAPER ACTUAL, THIS IS GHOSTWALKER, HOW COPY, OVER?!"

 

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