The man continued speaking and his voice became more desperate. “He is asking for our help. He asked for us to take his nephew with us,” Hasan said.
Sean smiled at the man and stepped forward, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Hasan, tell Farid about the survivors in Hairatan. Tell him about the cavern behind the house. Tell him we will get them settled in today, but we cannot take him or the boy with us,” said Sean.
Hasan relayed the message; the man showed a face of concern, and then spoke urgently to Hasan. “He is pleading with us,” Hasan said.
“Ask them to gather their belongings. We’ll show them the house and its provisions; I’m sure this will ease his worries,” Sean said. “Hasan, you do understand that we do not have room for these people, don’t you?”
“Yes, I understand my friend, but I also take great pleasure in that being a decision which I do not have to make,” Hasan answered.
They helped the family gather their belongings after they had finished eating, then led them to the top of the hill towards the house. Apprehensively they entered the small house and Hasan showed them the entrance to the cave. Brooks elected to remain outside and stand watch as the rest of them entered the cavern.
Hasan showed them the fire pit and the clay vases filled with beans and rice. He showed them the sleeping areas and the small containers of oil for the lamps, and the spot where fresh water flowed into the cave. Lastly, Hasan walked them to a corner of the cavern’s main room and removed some earth from the floor; lifting a panel, he revealed a small hole. In the hole were several objects wrapped in oil cloth. Hasan pulled one out and removed the cloth to reveal an old and worn AK74 rifle. It was a smaller variant of the AK47 designed to fire a lighter round. Hasan handed the rifle to the man, and then kneeling he reached farther into the hole, grabbing three magazines and two large bandoleers of ammunition. Then he closed the wood cover and moved earth back to conceal the hole.
He set the ammunition on a table next to the man, then asked if he was familiar with the weapon; the man nodded to indicate that he was. Hasan placed his hands on the man’s shoulder and spoke to him reassuringly, then removed some paper from his pocket and wrote the man a note, which the man read and then squeezed in his fist. Looking at Brad and Sean, Hasan said “We should gather our belongings; we should get on the road soon.”
Brad and Sean gathered the rest of the gear, taking notice that the woman was already rearranging the furniture in the cavern as they prepared to exit. Brad lifted his bag to his shoulder but Farid stepped forward and took the pack from him and then headed for the tunnel exit. Brad turned to smile and wave at the boy who returned the gesture, and then he lowered himself into the exit. They carried their gear to the vehicle and strapped everything down tightly. Farid helped to attach Brad’s bag to the roof racks and made sure it was completely lashed down; then he spoke at Brad in words he didn’t understand, and extended his hand.
They all shook hands and wished the man luck as they boarded the vehicle. Hasan walked the man back to the house, and Brad observed him showing the man the Russian grenade on the ground and giving an explanation of how to set up the booby trap. He watched the men smile and hug goodbye before Hasan walked back to the Defender. Silently he took his seat and Brooks pulled the Defender out of its hide and back onto the trail.
They rode in silence until they hit the main road and the Defender picked up speed.
“What was on the note?” Brad asked Hasan.
“I wrote him an order, it indicated to all that Farid was a caretaker for the house and cavern. I gave him notice that it would be his responsibility to assist refugees on the road, and to keep the cavern maintained until we returned for them,” Hasan said.
“And if we don’t return?” asked Brooks.
“Then that would indicate that I am dead, but at least the family will still be living in the cavern,” Hasan answered.
They continued down Route A76 heading south and deeper into Afghanistan. The sun was climbing higher in the sky and they passed more and more homes. The countryside became more populated, which also increased their sightings of wandering primals. Often they would slow to bypass a barrier or a blocked vehicle, only to hear the howling. Brooks would make his way around the blockade and pick up speed just as the primals came into sight.
“I hope those bastards don’t follow us,” Brad said.
“Let them follow. They will have a long ass walk ahead of them; we need to make good time today, fellas,” Sean answered back.
They settled in and Brooks kept the vehicle moving at a good speed, considering the quality of the road. Just as Brad considered nodding off, they heard a buzzing sound.
“What is that?” Brad asked as the
buzz buzz buzz
continued.
“Oh shit,” Sean yelled, startled as he started ripping at his day pack. “It’s the Sat phone.”
Brooks hit the brakes and pulled to the side of the road just as Sean found the phone and pressed the green ‘answer’ button.
“Hello, hello,” Sean said into the receiver. “Oh, yes, just a second.” He pulled the phone from his ear and handed it to Brooks. “It’s for you.”
Brooks grabbed the phone and put it to his ear. “Yes, this is team member four zero two zero. Oh yeah … my authentication number is three six nine victor two seven. Hell
yeah
it’s been a long time! Who is this? Hold on, I am here with three others, I’m placing the phone on speaker … I have SEAL team Chief Sean Rogers, Staff Sergeant Brad Thompson, and one local national with me.”
“Hello? Can you hear me?” came the voice from the phone.
“Loud and clear. Who is speaking?” Sean asked.
“This is Lieutenant Colonel James Cloud of the Coordinated National Response Team. What is the status of your party?” asked the colonel.
“Well, as you were just informed, we are four strong, we are also mobile and well-armed,” Sean answered.
“We are tracking you by your signal; we show you on Route A76 headed south towards Baghlan. Does that sound correct?” Sean looked over at Hasan who nodded his head ‘yes’.
“That’s the ballpark. We are on the road south headed toward Bagram or maybe Kabul,” Sean answered.
“You need to stop and turn around now. The Puli Khumri region is overrun; the valleys have funneled the infected into the two cities and they are being contained by the rivers,” the colonel said. “Thermal images show parts of the mass as close as three miles from your current location. If you stay static in your present position, you will see them in approximately twenty-five to forty minutes. They are moving like a swarm of locusts and taking everything in their path.”
“No, that’s not right. We haven’t seen that since the outbreak; they aren’t in groups any bigger than ten or twelve now,” Brad snapped.
“That’s typically correct. When the spaces open, we have seen them disperse into smaller groups, but when confined within geographical boundaries or cities, they are still massing, and they are extremely dangerous. You need to turn around now,” the colonel ordered.
“What is your suggestion, sir?” Sean asked.
“You need to put distance on the mass immediately. When you get to thirty point seven miles from your current location, drive due west. You should find a small trail. Follow it up the mountain. The satellite shows the trail, but I cannot verify its condition.”
“Then what?” Sean asked.
“Get to high ground, dig in, and hide. This will be your best defense. The mass tends to take the path of least resistance. Wait for the mass to pass you. I will contact you again in four hours. Good luck.”
“Wait, we have questions, and we have other survivors on the road two hours north of us.” Sean said.
“I’m sorry, Chief. You are not the only group we are tracking presently. I will contact you again in four hours, please hasten your retreat,” the colonel said, then disconnected the line.
“Screw that guy Sean! Let’s haul ass back to the cave, we can wait this thing out there,” Brad said.
“This road empties into a green valley south of here, and there are two very large population centers. The man’s story does make sense,” Hasan said.
“Well for now we’re going to do what the guy said; he is the only connection we have with the outside world. If we sever that tie, we have nothing. Brooks, turn this thing around and step on it. Reset the trip meter, we go west at thirty point seven,” Sean said
“On it, Chief,” Brooks answered.
Brooks turned the vehicle around and they raced back down the road. Brad kept looking behind them to see the dust cloud of the mass but it didn’t come. Within thirty minutes Brooks called out that they had hit the mark. He dropped the Defender into four wheel drive and cut off the road into the rough terrain. The going was now very slow; the terrain was extremely uneven and jagged rocks would often scrape the sides of the vehicle. Sean and Brad had to get out of the truck and guide the Defender across the broken ground.
“We are going too slow. If the colonel was right, we should see signs of the mob any time now,” Brad said.
“I know, just keep pushing … Wait, there’s the trail, looks like a real piece of shit too,” Sean said, pointing. The trail was nothing more than a two-track cut in the terrain; it looked barely wide enough for a donkey. They tried to maneuver the Defender onto the broken path but only somewhat succeeded. Brooks did the best he could maneuvering it up the side of the mountain until the rock walls just got too narrow and he couldn’t squeeze it through.
“End of the line, guys. Get out and grab as much gear as you can carry; ammo and water have priority. We move in five minutes,” Sean barked. The team grabbed at the gear and started throwing on their heavy packs and attaching rifles. Brad filled all of his pockets with boxes of ammo for his weapons. Anything they couldn’t carry they secured in the vehicle. Brooks locked all of the doors and put the keys in his pocket.
“Here they come,” said Hasan, pointing at the large dust cloud forming on the horizon. Then they heard the moaning. Sean lifted his rifle to his eye and saw two runners still at least three hundred meters out and closing fast. There were another dozen or so behind them running to catch up.
“Oh look, it seems they sent some of their faster friends ahead to greet us,” Sean said, settling into a good prone firing position. “I suggest you boys get moving up that trail now. Let me cut down this advance party and I’ll be right with you.”
He put the cross hairs on the lead runner’s chest and pulled the trigger. The heavy 7.62 round hit the primal’s center mass and knocked it off its feet, severing its spine. Quickly, Sean adjusted his aim to the next crazy in the pack; squeezing the trigger a second time he hit it low, shattering its pelvic bone. The primal went twisting into the dirt. The rest of the pack was still out of a reasonable range for his rifle so he got back to his feet and jogged up the trail. Finding a place where the cavern walls narrowed, he dropped his pack and pulled a claymore mine from a front pocket. Sean carefully placed the mine pointed back toward the charging primals, then connected it to an improvised trip wire.
When Sean caught up to the group they had just found a place in the mountain that looked climbable. Brooks dropped his pack and pulled out several hundred feet of rope. He tied one end around his waist and the other end to his pack, and then connected his pack to Brad’s. Sean did the same with a rope from his bag and tethered his bag to Hasan’s. They made loops in the lines which they attached together with D-rings. They clipped the rings to the men and Brooks quickly ascended the rock face, with Sean close behind him.
Brad and Hasan struggled to keep up with the SEALs and soon were falling far behind. When Brad was only a quarter way up the rock face, Brooks pulled himself over the top. Brooks grabbed the rope and started pulling up Brad and the two packs below him. The tension on the rope assisted Brad and his pace quickened. He looked to the left and saw that Sean had also reached the top and was pulling Hasan up just as quickly.
A loud thunder clap shook the canyon and they saw a blast of smoke and dust shoot up the trail from the claymore. Sean yelled to the men to keep climbing, that the primals were less than a hundred meters away now. Brad pulled on the rope and willed himself up the wall.
When their packs were nearly twelve feet off the ground the first of the primals found them. Brad heard them moan and scream, and Brooks yelled at him to keep climbing and not look down. Brad struggled the last twenty feet completely exhausted until Brooks was able to reach down a hand and pull him over the rock face. Brad lay back just as Hasan plopped to the ground next to him in a heavy sweat. The crowd of primals below them was growing louder, and Brad peered over the ledge. There were only about six of them down there now, many with obvious wounds from the claymore, but they were screaming at the top of their lungs.
“Let’s shut these fuckers up, Brooks,” Sean said, lifting his rifle.
“On it, Chief,” Brooks answered.
With three quick shots each, the primals at the face of the wall were silenced. The team began to hear the sounds of the larger mass approaching the trail. It was a thunderous roar, reminding Brad of the sound of a freight train. The dust cloud slowly crept up the narrow trail and blinded them from seeing the floor below.
Brooks turned, put his pack on, and started heading higher up the mountain. The rest got the hint and followed him to higher ground. Soon they were on a very high ledge overlooking the valley that Route A76 cut through. All that could be seen of it now was a cloud of dust. The mass seemed to fill the valley floor like flooding waters filling every crevice within reach. They could hear them rumbling down the trail below. The moaning had stopped with the loss of their prey, or at least they couldn’t hear it over the stampede of the mass.
Sean stepped near a stone wall with a high rock overhang and dropped his pack, then took a seat next to it. “Hasan, are you familiar with this place?”
“I am sorry, friend, but I have never been up this mountain. I know a place farther to the west, possibly down the trail below, but it would be more than two days’ walk,” Hasan answered.