A World Apart (Part 1): 8,000 Miles Read online

  CHAPTER 6

  Angie was at the front door of their house and John was walking up the pathway. It seemed that he made it home after all. She was ready to run into his arms when she noticed something was terribly wrong. John was not himself. His face was discolored and his eyes were milky white. He was snarling, reaching with outstretched arms and ambling towards her. An all too familiar scene, since the zombie apocalypse had begun. Angie started to back away, but Sam ran past her to jump into his daddy’s arms. The monster that John had become didn’t recognize his son, but instead, it saw prey. The zombie grabbed the child and tore into his throat with its teeth. Angie sprinted to rescue her son. She pulled Sam from the zombie’s grasp; a great deal of flesh ripped free of his throat as she pulled him free. The monster recognized that a new target was present. It grabbed onto Angie’s arm and bit down hard. Blood spurted from the bite mark. Angie howled in pain. Her agonizing screams woke her from the nightmare.

  Angie sat up quick in her bed, breathing hard and lathered in sweat. Just then, Jerry rushed into the room.

  “What happened? Are you okay?” Jerry asked her frantically. He had feared that she was attacked somehow. He was holding a baseball bat, a piece of memorabilia from John’s glory days that had found a final resting place mounted on the wall in their study. Jerry had liberated it from its perch the night before, after he arrived. He thought it would be more useful as a weapon than as an adornment.

  “I’m fine Jerry.” Angie replied, slightly out of breath. “It was just a nightmare, I’m sorry I woke you.”

  “No worries dear, I was wide awake.” Jerry told her. “I haven’t slept more than a couple of hours at a time since this whole damn thing started. I’ve been having nightmares too. I made some breakfast, eggs and tomatoes that I brought from home. Sam already ate and is busy building the most unstable tower you have ever seen with some blocks.”

  “Thank you, Jerry,” she said, “for everything. I’ll be right down.”

  “Okay, don’t be long,” he told her, “I saw some activity down the street, I think something might be going on out there.” He left the room and closed the door behind him.

  Angie sat there for a few more moments, trying desperately to shake the nightmare. It seemed so real, and absolutely horrific. She expected that she would have many more nightmares before this was all over. She climbed out of bed and crossed the room to the bathroom. She turned the faucet handle on the bathroom sink, forgetting that the water was off. Angie sighed. She used the toilet and flushed. The toilet would continue to function as long as the reservoir tank was full. She had filled the tub full before the power went out; she was using that water to keep the toilet tank full and for hygiene. She used some of that water to fill the sink and then washed up a bit. Angie went back into the bedroom and got dressed.

  Moments later she came down to the living room and found Jerry sitting on the couch with Sam nestled in his lap. He was reading Sam a story. It was nice to have someone else there to help her watch after her son, and keep him entertained.

  “Your breakfast is on the table.” Jerry told her with a wink.

  “Thanks, Dad.” She said to him. He looked at her in surprise, with a big smile on his face, his eyes had moistened. It was the first time she had called her father-in-law dad. Angie had always liked and respected him, but under the circumstances, she felt that he might be the closest thing to a father she may have left. Besides, she appreciated him being there so much, she thought it might just make his day. It seemed to have just that effect.

  She walked into the kitchen and found the plate of eggs with tomatoes cooked into them. Angie had been using a propane stove from their camping gear since the power went out. That’s what Jerry had used to cook their breakfast. She considered the propane for a moment and realized it wouldn’t last much longer, but she knew there were plenty of other ways to make heat for cooking. She wasn’t too worried. John had taken her and Sam camping a lot, and she had learned to hold her own. She was also an avid fan of survival shows on television, and had picked up a trick or two from those as well. She laughed at herself a bit as she nibbled on her breakfast. She had actually complained quite a bit when John dragged her into the wilderness for those early camping trips, but now she was thankful for it. She knew the experience would come in handy in the near future.

  Angie finished up her breakfast and a glass of water, then got up to join Jerry and Sam in the living room.

  “I have been thinking,” Jerry began, “we probably should start packing up some essentials in case we have to leave this place in a hurry. We need to be as mobile as possible, just in case this base gets overrun.” Angie was nodding as he continued. “I’m telling you, what I saw outside the gates, it is only a matter of time until that happens. El Paso is big enough, but just over the border is Juarez. That’s over a million people with only a fraction of the infrastructure that exists on this side of the river. How many of them do you think have turned?”

  “A lot, I imagine.” She agreed. “I think you are right. We have a bunch of camping gear. John had a couple of guns and some ammo, and we have a pretty legit first aid kit.”

  “I think we should spend the day packing that stuff up tight and load it into my truck, just in case we have to hit the road in a hurry.” Jerry told her.

  Angie nodded and got up to get started. They spent the next couple of hours dragging all of the supplies into the living room. They loaded all of the camping gear into a duffel bag of John’s that was in the garage. There was a 9mm pistol and a .22 hunting rifle with a scope. There were two full boxes of ammo for each. Angie knew how to shoot, John had taken her to the range many times. She put the pistol in a holster and put it on her belt. She handed the rifle over to Jerry.

  “I got another rifle in the truck.” He told her. She just nodded.

  They loaded the rest of the canned goods, some clothing, and the food that Jerry had brought with him into a couple of backpacks. They looked down at their work and both nodded in satisfaction.

  “Let’s get this stuff in the truck.” Jerry suggested.

  Angie nodded and looked out the window. There was a zombie right in front of their house, walking aimlessly in the front yard. There were a few more up and down the street, but far enough away that they could easily avoid them if they were quick.

  “There’s one right out front.” Angie reported.

  Jerry nodded and gestured for her to get the door. He put the rifle on his back and hoisted the baseball bat at the ready. Angie sent Sam upstairs, then moved the couch. She unlocked the door, looked to Jerry to make sure he was ready, then pulled it open when he nodded. Jerry rushed out the door and started moving intently towards the zombie in the yard. Angie grabbed up the bags as best she could and followed Jerry out. The creature took note of Jerry’s approach and started moving towards him. Jerry wasted no time going on the offensive. He took a swing to knock the approaching monster’s arms to the side, then brought the bat up over his head and swung downward with all his strength. The baseball bat made contact with the top of the zombie’s head, it made a loud cracking sound on impact. The skull gave into the blow and blood splattered up and out. The creature crumpled to the ground and stopped moving. It was dead.

  Angie was already throwing the bags into the back of Jerry’s truck when he started his assault on the zombie, but the loud crack drew her attention to the scene of the short-lived battle. She was surprised by the fury of Jerry’s attack and he could see it in her face.

  “There is no humane treatment of these things.” Jerry told Angie. “They aren’t human anymore. You have to kill them, and you have to hit them in the head to do it. It’s the only way to take them down. I figured that out pretty quick back home.” He explained. “Don’t feel bad for them girl, they aren’t what they used to be. They are monsters, plain and simple. One bite from these things and you’ll die and become one too. You have to do whatever it takes to protect yourself, and that boy of yours.”

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bsp; “I-I understand.” She assured him. “It’s just the first time I have seen one killed.”

  Jerry nodded then said, “let’s get back inside.”

  Just as they were making their way back into the house, a large military truck came roaring down the street. The truck plowed over a couple of zombies that were wandering the street. It came to a stop right in front of the house, a soldier jumped out of the back and approached them. He had a rifle at the ready.

  “Are you two hurt, is anyone bitten?” He asked firmly.

  “We’re fine.” Jerry answered the soldier.

  “Good, good.” The soldier began. “My name is Lieutenant Schmidt. We are searching for survivors. We are evacuating people to another part of the post, where it is more secure and easier to safeguard. We have food, water, and plenty of beds. There is medical support there as well. It is completely up to you if you want to come, but we urge all survivors to do so. We must keep moving, so you have to decide quickly. Will you come with us?” The lieutenant asked.

  Jerry looked at Angie and nodded his concurrence. “Yes, we will come with you.” Angie told the soldier. “I have to get my son from inside the house.”

  “Okay.” The lieutenant said. “You can bring a few things such as clothing and supplies, but not too much, and you will have to ride with us, we don’t have room at the compound for additional vehicles. You will also have to turn in your weapons, once we arrive. We can’t have a bunch of armed civilians running around inside. It is for your own safety of course.”

  Just then, the soldiers still on the truck started yelling out warnings. Jerry and Angie looked around to see what the cause of alarm was and were terrified when they spotted it. There were zombies coming their way from all directions. They were coming in large groups down both ends of the street and some were even pouring out from in between the houses across the street.

  The lieutenant turned without a word and ran back to the military truck. Angie looked at Jerry. “We have to get Sam and get out of here.”

  CHAPTER 7

  John was driving south towards Forward Operating Base, or FOB, Dwyer, this was the name of his base. After driving for less than a half hour, he could already see the walls of the FOB. He felt vulnerable and scare, driving out here all alone, but amazingly, he didn’t see a single vehicle on the way. He had traveled this road on many occasions and it was usually full of traffic during this time of day. He thought maybe it was an Afghan holiday; he had no idea what day it was; he didn’t know how long he had been unconscious. He was only about a kilometer from the gates of the base, but all he could think about in that moment was the strange behavior of the doctor back at the compound. He assumed the man was infected by the mysterious virus he had heard about before his capture. John wondered how many people were infected, he wondered if his family was okay.

  John sighed and hoped that the virus was under control back in the United States. It was no secret that medicine in Afghanistan was not very advanced. It wasn’t inconceivable that the virus might be under control in most of the world, but still an issue here. John decided he would worry about that later, his first priority was to get inside the base. He would get more information about the virus once he was safe.

  John approached the gate slowly and then brought the pickup truck to a complete stop. Something wasn’t right. The gate was wide open and there were no soldiers guarding the entrance. He knew that this gate was guarded twenty-four seven by at least a squad size element of soldiers. There was no one in sight. John began to worry; what is going on? John decided that he should approach the gate on foot, if there were guards that he couldn’t see, they would be more likely to react with hostile force to the approach of a civilian pickup truck. John didn’t want to chance becoming a victim of fratricide due to a misunderstanding.

  John shut off the engine, grabbed his gear out of the passenger seat and stepped out of the vehicle. He looked around and again saw no one. John put on what was left of his tactical gear. He hadn’t recovered his helmet or weapon when he left the compound where he was being held, so he was concerned how any guards inside might react to him. He only had the AK-47 he took from the dead body outside his cell. John had to get inside regardless; he had to find out why the gate was seemingly unguarded; what was going on. He feared that the base had been overrun by insurgents, or worse, the virus had spread through the installation.

  John was about fifty yards from the entrance to the base. There was a single road leading into the front gate. The road was lined on the sides with barriers that stood about ten feet from the ground and were topped with triple strands of rolled razor wire called concertina wire. The barriers were of simple construction, they were basically cubes made of welded wire and open on the top. The wire was lined with canvas on the insides and the cubes were filled to the top with dirt. The cubes were stacked and lined side by side to create immovable walls. On the road, on alternating sides about every ten meters, were concrete barriers designed to slow traffic, causing incoming traffic to weave in and out as they approached the gate. At the entrance, there was a long red and white striped pole on a lever that could be raised and lowered to grant or deny access to the installation. Presently the pole was in the raised position. The walls of the base perimeter were constructed of the same dirt filled cubes that lined the road, but they were stacked three high and two deep and were topped with more concertina wire.

  The lane leading into the gate was full of vehicles. This was actually the norm, as there were always delivery trucks waiting to get onto the base, but circumstances were definitely not normal as John walked slowly past each parked vehicle. Normally the trucks would be either occupied by a driver or the drivers would be standing next to their trucks waiting to be ushered forward. Today, nothing was moving, there was no sign of anyone waiting with the trucks. John’s anxiety was steadily increasing. He continued forward past each abandoned vehicle, keeping his head on a swivel, checking between and under each truck. John couldn’t believe that he hadn’t seen anyone. It was early afternoon; this place should have been a bustle of activity.

  John made it to the gate without incident and peered inside. The scene inside was completely opposite of what he saw on his way in. There were dozens of people walking around, but everything he observed was beyond bizarre. The first thing he noticed was the state of dress of the many soldiers he saw moving about. Their uniforms were completely outside of the normal standard for disciplined soldiers. Most of them had no head gear on; soldiers were always required to wear caps or helmets when outdoors. The only soldiers wearing any head gear were the ones wearing their helmets. Some of the soldiers were not even wearing their jackets, only T-shirts, and many of those were untucked from their pants. Their uniforms were completely unkempt and violated every uniform regulation John had ever read. John thought they had all lost their minds. The second oddity John noticed was the locals that were walking amongst the soldiers. This was unheard of; the local civilians were usually closely guarded when moving around the base, but these individuals were walking around aimlessly, and the soldiers around them, paid them no mind. The soldiers and civilians alike, were moving awkwardly. They had no task and purpose, they were just ambling around and moving slowly. Some of the individuals would occasionally walk right into each other. Under normal circumstances, bumping into someone would be a social affront, and garner a reaction, but these people barely noticed, they just shifted to the side or changed direction completely and kept wandering. John also noticed other people simply sitting on the ground against the side of a building or a parked vehicle.

  John couldn’t help but think about the doctor that had attacked him back at the insurgent compound. The way these people moved was very similar to his awkward, jerking movements. John thought back to his fear as he approached the gate, he figured his fellow soldiers and the civilians he saw now were infected by the virus. He couldn’t believe that the military wouldn’t have this area under control, that these potentially infected people w
ouldn’t be under quarantine. John decided he should try to move around the sick people and avoid detection and potential exposure to whatever was affecting them; he was afraid they would be hostile like the doctor. John was curious why they weren’t attacking each other though, if they were indeed infected.

  There were military vehicles parked next to the inside of the wall. He knew these were the quick reactionary vehicles, stationed here so that they could be quickly occupied and roll out of the gate to respond to any emergency. John decided to use these vehicles for cover. He started moving slowly and quietly between the vehicles and the inside of the wall. John could hear the people shuffling around as he inched his way behind the vehicles, he also heard the occasional growling sound.

  John was moving at a crouch next to a Humvee and peering over the hood, keeping a watchful eye on the closest people. There were a couple of soldiers moving just a few feet away. He was sidestepping as he watched until his foot got hung up on something. He lost his balance and rolled to the side. John pulled himself backwards on his hands until his back was against the wall and looked up to see what had tripped him up. “Oh fuck!” John exhaled. It was another infected soldier that was leaning up against the tire of the Humvee. The soldier raised his head and looked in John’s direction. John gasped. The left half of the soldier’s face was all but gone. His left eye ball was hanging loose from the socket. The blood in, and around his torn face and eye was coagulated, it should have been flowing freely without anything to stop the bleeding…unless…unless the soldier was dead.