We opened the door and once we were all in we locked it back up. I think we need to sleep and then make our way back to the outpost. Everyone turned in except for me. I went up in the loft of the barn opened a hatch door and pulled out my cell phone. I had charged it before we left and told Christi I would send her a text if we had found something. “Hey honey it’s me. Tune the CB to channel eighteen and I’ll call you in ten minutes on the CB.” I got on the CB inside the HUMVEE and closed the door so I wouldn’t disturb anyone while they were sleeping. Come in Christi are you there I called out. Yes I am here what did you find? She asked. Well we found a large fire and investigated it to find a Canadian garbage truck that had radioactive waste hidden inside barrel drums from some nuclear power plant and a zombie like we have never encountered yet I said. We are bringing his body back for an autopsy I added. What was so different about him compared to the other? Christi asked. Well he looked just like we do and could talk the only thing that made us know we was a zombie is he had those white eyes and his face opened up at the mouth in four sections like in the movie Predator I said. My God, well I am glad everyone is ok then Christi said. No we are all not ok still I answered. Brent got melted by the radioactive waste when he opened one of the drums and the zombie killed Anne and Pastor Scott’s wife Irene I explained. I am sorry for their losses I will inform everyone after I talk to Bart and Blake. Was there anything else? She asked. Yes the fire wasn’t even the coordinates yet we encountered at least five hundred zombies blocking the road and we got to try out the miniguns on all the vehicles and took care of them rather quickly I said. Then we got out to the country and stored our vehicles in an abandoned barn, we then hiked across an open field and scouted thru a forest that was nearby. To our surprise we found a van, two cars, and six guys dressed in suits cleaning up a small cleared out area in the woods. We ended up shoot them all and once we investigated everything we found a large electromagnetic pulse that may have been the cause of the power and cell phones to stop working, we also discovered that all the suits were FBI agents and one of them is missing now since he was only shot in the neck I explained. Now we are resting in the barn and once we all wake up and eat we will be headed back to the outpost. How has everything been there? I asked. Nothing out of the ordinary here really Christi said. Bev, Jon, Mike, and I made a food trip with no encounters and got enough supplies for another four months so we should be covered till the New Year Christi explained. We also found a few bodies on our trip so we cut them up and fed the children. Other than that it has been normal for a change Christi said. Ok we will be back today I love you and can’t wait to see you again I said. I love you too be safe and we will be expecting you all back.
I got out of the HUMVEE and to my surprise I heard voices outside so I ran back up to the loft and looked out the small hatch. I saw two black Sedan’s parked outside facing opposite directions and saw the drivers talking to each other. I went back down and put my hand over Rus’s mouth and informed him of what I had seen. We both woke everyone else up not alarming any of them and we all headed for the loft to inspect what was going on. We got up there and everyone took a peek outside. Who do you think they are and do you think they know we are in here? Pastor Scott asked. We heard a car door slam and we looked back outside. Two men in suits were now standing outside of the vehicles. They look like the FBI agents we encountered in the woods Don said. We watch them open the back doors to the van and eight more men all dressed in suits and carrying semi automatic rifles get out and headed for the front door of the barn. Rus ran down the stairs and said let me know when they are all in front of the door. They are in position I said. Rus flicked the switch on my Spyder and unloaded the miniguns into the door of the barn. I looked outside and counted all ten men down on the ground. We all went down the stairs grabbed our firearms and headed outside. We walked through the doors since the minigun shot enormous holes in them. Rus walked out first. How’s that for your gun control bitches Rus said laughing. We started searching the bodies first. They are all FBI agents also Don said. What the hell is the FBI doing here and trying to clean up that EMP too? Rus asked. I started searching the car. Inside the car I found a small GPS device with a blinking dot in the center of it. Hey Don, come check this out I said. I showed him the device and he started examining it. Well the blinking dot on the screen is the exact location we are in right now Don said. Let me see if I can back track it to see why or how this spot got imputed into the GPS device Don said. Don started to work on the device as we searched the rest of the vehicles and loaded all the weapons the agents had. Did you find anything in the vehicles Don asked? I found a map marked with the same coordinates we found at the army base in the van Rus said. We found key cards and ID badges for the FBI headquarters Bruce and Pastor Scott said. You find anything Bryan? Rus asked. Yes I found syringes inside a metal brief case and they look like they are full of the same nuclear waste we found in the garbage truck I said. Did you figure anything out Don we asked? It looks like this GPS tracks electrical devices Don said. Did anyone use anything Don asked? I was on the CB talking with Christi, since I told her I’d call once we found something Bryan said. Go use it again and just pick any frequency Don asked. I went in the HUMVEE and tuned the frequency into a non used one and called out several words. I came back out and asked Don did anything happen? No nothing was anything else used? Don asked. I sent her a text with the frequency I’d be on I said. Try sending another one Don asked. I pulled my cell phone out and sent Christi a text it read “Don’t reply testing something”. The GPS started making an alarm sound and then announce the location where we were at. This is how they found us Don said it’s tuned to find cell phone usage. I will send one more to Christi I said. “Get everyone’s phone and destroy them I’ll explain when we get back. Love you.” Load up and let’s get back to the outpost I said as I threw my phone on the ground and shot it with my desert eagle. We got into our vehicles and headed down the road. I think we need to head in a different direction incase more agents head this way since we used that cell phone Don said. We drove west for about an hour and then headed south using the back roads and avoided stopping to battle any zombies we saw. It took about three hours to get back to the outpost using only dirt and back roads. Once we arrived back at the outpost Bruce headed to the hospital to check on Abby while we unloaded and parked the vehicles. We rounded everyone up in the hospital so Abby and the doctors could also hear everything about what we had found and the knowledge we had gained on what was going on. Once we told them about our journey and found out how everything went while we were gone we said we will be heading to the command center and the leaders will be discussing what our next plan will be.
Chapter 13
We headed to the command center to discuss what we needed to do next with all the clues we had found while Bruce after checking in on Abby took Bart, Blake, Dr. Li and Dr. Chen back to River District Hospital to perform the autopsy on the garbage truck driver and to run test on the vials we found. So here’s what we know so far Don started. We found map coordinates and a telegram at the army base and once we tracked the coordinates where we discovered drums of toxic waste hidden inside a garbage truck, a zombie that looked normal except for the white eyes, FBI agents were picking up pieces of an E.M.P. that was set off, vials of something that looked like the toxic waste we found and then a device that tracks cell phone usage. How are all these connected? Don asked. Well I saw that white flash that went off which we now know was the E.M.P. and that the coordinates from the army base were the location of the E.M.P. I said. We will have to wait on Dr. Li and Dr. Chen to see the results of the autopsy and what is in those vials I added. So what do we do until they return? Bev asked. Well Christi, can you go get your camera and I need you to take photos of Rus, Don, and I and make us some fake FBI badges I have a feeling they will come in handy I said. Christi took our photos and started working on making ID badges for the three of us with three empty badges left. Afterwards Rus, Don, and I headed to the garage to do any repairs we saw fit and to start packing for a trip we knew was coming.
Bruce took the HUMVEE after reloading the minigun to the hospital so the doctors could perform the autopsy. It was only a forty five minute drive to the hospital and since we had been driving the area so much for food supplies most of the area had been clear of zombies with the occasion of them coming from farther outside of our searches. Once they arrived at the hospital Bart and Blake took the doctors to get the items they needed to perform the autopsy in the ER. Once they returned to the ER they blocked the other doors so the only entrance was the main door. Bruce and Bart grabbed a gurney and went to the HUMVEE. They strapped the zombie to the gurney and took him into the ER where Dr. Chen starting performing the autopsy with help from Blake and Dr. Li. Dr Li went to perform test on the vials and blood drawn out of the zombie. Dr. Chen started cutting the zombie open and removed his organs one at a time studying each one. He spoke into a mini recorder like he always did when he had to perform an autopsy. All of his organs have no effects of damaging, his skin has normal discoloration from being deceased for three days, and his jaws are now divided into four sections and can all be controlled with the normal facial muscles Dr. Chen said. The patient also has lost all color to his eyes and they are completely white in color now, I will have to help Dr. Li finish the blood test to see if the patient has any traces of radiation in his blood like the other patient that became undead Dr Chen said as he turned off the recorder and headed for the reception area where Dr. Li was performing blood test. Have you discovered anything dear? Dr. Chen asked. It is the strangest think I have ever seen Dr. Li said. The vials are a mixture of the toxic waste which is also radioactive and the same waste that we found in the other zombies we have performed autopsies on Dr. Li said. But look at this sample of the blood you gave me Dr. Li said. Dr. Chen looked though the microscope at the blood sample. Do you see it clearly? Dr. Li asked. Dr Chen nodded. Now watch what happens when I add a drop from the vial Dr. Li said. She dropped one small drip from the vial on to the blood sample and Dr. Chen watched as the blood and vial drop merge together and enhance the blood sample with no side effects. Now watch what happens when I mix the vial with this other blood sample I drew from myself. Dr. Li dropped another droplet from the vial onto her own blood sample. Dr. Chen watched as this droplet mutated to the blood sample turning the blood a yellowish color. This is astonishing Dr. Chen said as he took more notes on his recorder. This would explain why the patient’s blood came out red and the other autopsies I did the patient’s had a yellow mucus-like blood Dr. Chen said. Bruce checked on Bart and Blake who were still grieving the lost of their brother. How you guys doing? Bruce asked. We’ve been better Blake said. We will get to the bottom of this I promise you Bruce said. I know how hard this is for you we are all very sorry for your loss and I know you have to grieve, but we all need to say focused or we could get attacked Bruce said. I understand we need to stay focus for the community we won’t let you down Blake said. Bruce went and checked on the doctors when he looked at Dr. Chen taking notes into his recorder. Dr. Chen what is that recorder you are using there? Bruce asked. It’s my cell phone it has a built in recorder Dr. Chen said. We told everyone to destroy their cell phones due to them being tracked Bruce yelled. Suddenly the sounds of guns being shot were heard so Bruce grabbed Dr. Li and fell to the floor. Unfortunately Dr. Chen was shot four times in the chest and fell to the floor bleeding severely from the wounds. Dr. Li crawled to her husband and put pressure on wounds bleeding the worst. He took her by the hand and said I am sorry I put you in danger darling. My time has come you must go, Bruce get her out of here Dr. Chen said wheezing from a bullet in his lung inhaling blood. Bruce grabbed Dr. Li and crouched toward the door. The gunfire halted for what seemed like only seconds before they heard more gun fire, but this gunfire sounded like the minigun on the HUMVEE. Bruce got to the door when the HUMVEE pulled right into the door. Bart swung the door open and shouted get in hurry. Bruce got Dr. Li in and then he crawled over the seat into the passenger seat while Blake was firing the minigun. Bruce looked to where Blake was firing and saw two black sedan’s that had caught on fire. Who are you shooting at? Bruce asked. Not sure they were wearing black suits, sunglasses, and they just pulled up and opened fire on the hospital Blake said. Where is Dr. Chen? Bart asked. He got shot in the hospital Bruce said. Let’s get the hell out of here Bruce yelled. As they started driving away the sedan’s exploded from all the gun fire. They drove around for an extra thirty minutes on the way back to the outpost to make sure they were not followed.
We heard the HUMVEE speeding down the road so we opened the gates as fast as we could. They slammed on the brakes in front of the garage and Bruce, Bart, and Blake jumped out and ran up to the catwalk where Rus and I were at on lookout duty. Bruce explained that Dr. Chen used his cell phone as a voice recorder and that he believed the FBI had tracked them to River District Hospital. I don’t know if he used it when he did the autopsies here in the compound, so I don’t know if the FBI knows our location either Bruce said. Ok, Bart and Blake will you take our spots on the catwalk while we go fill Bruce in on what is going on? Rus asked. Bart and Blake took the lookout on the catwalk while Bruce and Rus headed for the command center and I went to get Don. We met in the command center and Bruce informed us of all the test and results that both Dr. Wong’s had run. Well now that we know all that we have our decision made on what we are going to do then Rus said. We have to figure who is going and who will take care of the compound I said. Let’s call for a meeting tonight at dinner time and see who wants to go meanwhile Bruce go ask Christi to make you a badge I said. After the meeting tonight Rus and Don go clean out the army truck and build that raised seat we talked about in the back and quietly move a case of C4, TNT, and grenades to the truck tonight once it’s dark out. I am going to head back to the command center and track a route to the FBI Headquarters in Washington D.C.
Dinner was prepared and everyone came into the mess hall filled their plates and sat down to eat. Can I have everyone’s attention please? I called out. “Due to the recent events up north and at River District hospital we have decided that we need to break into the FBI headquarters and search for answers. A team of six will be leaving in five days and travel south to Ohio, then thru Pennsylvania, east into Maryland, and then south through Virginia into Washington D.C. where we will have to hang low on the outskirts of town and establish a small base and then infiltrate the FBI Headquarters to see what information they have and how they are tied to this zombie infestation. We will also have the team head to town and we need to get identical suits, shoes, and sunglasses” I explained. We already have four members going Bruce, Rus, Don, and I plus we need two more volunteers if anyone wants to volunteer I asked. Mike and his son Jon stood up and announced we will go and help you find the answers we all are looking for. Also so you know we may be gone for months while we search for answers and infiltrate their headquarters undetected I mentioned. We are still going Mike answered. Ok then tomorrow we head to town to get supplies for our six hundred mile journey and the remaining people here at the outpost need to set up more perimeter safety measures Rus announced. We need someone to dig a trench all the way around the outpost except through the road and it needs to be eight feet wide by eight feet deep while everyone else gathers thick branches or head to the lumbar store again and they need to be at least six feet in length Rus said. Then they need to be made into spears like a pit Rus added. After we finished eating some took their turn on the catwalk while others went to sleep. Rus and Bev retreated to their room for a night filled with rough sex that would keep the rooms around them up for a while, Bruce headed to the hospital where Abby was almost recovered from her injures of falling from the wall and only had a little over two months left before their child would be born, Don who seemed like he never slept went to the armory to sneak the boxes to the garage and started to disassemble the miniguns that were on the Spyder, and Christi and I retreated to the command center. Once we entered the command center Christi who was walking in front of me turned around and slapped me across the face. Tears filling up her eyes she fought to get the words out she wanted to say. Since we have started this outpost you haven’t been there when I need you, our kids have been turned into those things and you come and go as you please on adventures Christi screamed. I have been trying to make sure you and I survive and I have been searching for answers to what happen to the kids I said. I also have never, not been there for you I have been trying to help who we can to make sure if I am not here that you have help in case we get attacked and I am not here to protect you I said with a raised voice. I love you more than anything in this world Christi, you are my life and so are the kids they need us right now to be strong I said pulling her body up against mine. I will save our children from this terrible fate and then we can help everyone overcome this outbreak I said. I ran my hand through her hair and kissed her like it was our first kiss it was long and passionate. We then made love all night long until the sun rose over the horizon. As the sun broke over the wall of the compound I carried her down to our room and laid her in bed, kissed her on the forehead, and went to the garage to get ready for our journey to town.
Don like I said who never sleeps w as still wide awake working in the garage. So Don what did you do all night? I asked. Well I took both the miniguns off the Spyder and installed them both to the wall near the main door of the compound and I started making the raised platform for the back of the truck Don said. It will have three seats to look out over the front or rear of the truck since they will be on a swivel and there will be storage underneath the platform Don said. I also took out one side of the benches so we could install two cots so we could get rest in pairs Don added. I starting giving Don a hand screwing the cot’s to the wall of the truck so they wouldn’t slide around. It was a quick job and within twenty minutes the cots were installed. We then put the lift up in the bed of the truck so Don could make sure it was at the right height and while he started to screw it in place while I worked on the storage compartment that was going to be underneath. Since we were caring explosives and ammunition I wanted to make sure it was a secured area. I found some metal doors in our supplies we had picked up over the past few months that would work perfect to hold everything in place. While I was installing the doors on the storage area Don was fastening down the second chair to the raised platform. Once I finished up with the doors Rus arrived at the garage and asked when we wanted to leave for town. As soon as I finish the last chair and we get some breakfast Don said. We finished up the changes Don wanted to do to the truck and headed off to eat some breakfast. We finished up breakfast, got our gear and headed for the garage. Rus and Don jumped on the Ural while Bruce, Jon, Mike, and I climbed into the HUMVEE. We made our way the half hour drive east it was to town and headed for the nearest tailor shop we could find. We drove around a two block radius once we found the tailor shop to make sure we were not in any immediate danger. We parked our vehicles and entered the shop. Rus watch the back entrance for anything and I’ll watch the front door while Don, Mike, Jon, and Bruce get suits and remember to get them a little bigger and we can have someone fit them when we get back to the compound I said. Once they picked out their black suits Rus and I grabbed ones as well. Something is missing Rus said. We need to head to the mall and find sunglasses too Rus announced, cause that’s what we are missing. We made our way to mall where we saw looters raiding anything they could take. It was not unusual to see looters or other communities searching for food or supplies. Since we had established our outpost we found a few other communities around the area but everyone kept to themselves. Usually the looters worked in small packs of two to five people taking and robbing each other for the right just to have the most stuff. Jon and Mike stayed with the vehicle once we arrived while the rest of us searched the mall and small kiosks to see if we could find sunglasses similar to the ones the FBI agents were wearing. This mall has been pretty cleared out hasn’t it I said. Looks like the closer communities and looters have taken almost everything so far Bruce said. Look Don said pointing to a wooden crate that no one had opened or taken yet. Sunglass Depot was stamped on the side of the crate. Well looks like God is finally helping us out in our search I said. We busted open the crate to reveal a brand new display full of sunglasses. We grabbed twelve pairs out so that way we could have two each. Suddenly we heard gunfire coming from outside so we ran out to find Mike shooting the minigun on the HUMVEE. As we exited the mall more bullets were shot in our direction and we took cover behind a small wall that enclosed an old flower bed outside the main entrances to the food court. Do you see anything Don? Bruce asked. Looks like either some looters or another community has wage a war on us for coming into their territory Don said. I can see about ten people firing by those flipped over cars by the south entrance Don added. I hate when they do this the fight is to save or stop those zombies not attacking the survivors I said. Are we going to drive off like usual or are we going to have to fight this time? Rus asked. Normally if we were fired on by others we would just drive off and avoid the conflict since we were not out to hurt anyone just getting supplies, but this time we weren’t in our vehicles so I think this time blood would have to be shed for us to leave. Come on let’s go to the other entrance and see if we can flank them from the other side I said. We went down the food court entrance hallway to avoid being seen through the huge glass window that covered the front of the mall. When we got to the south entrance we peeked around the corner to see three groups of people firing at the HUMVEE. Two groups of three and one of four people armed with heavy assault rifles. Well what’s the best plan of action here? Bruce asked. I pulled my bow out while Rus pulled out his glocks and gave one to Don. I think I can take the three on the right, Bruce you use your M16 on the three on the left, and Don and Rus go for the four in the center and once you’re in place wait for my signal I said. What’s the signal? Don asked. Wait for my arrow to fly I said with a wink. I watched them move into position and waited until they were set. I pulled the arrow back waiting for the right moment and then it came. One of the younger members ran out of ammo and was getting help from one of the older guys. I let the arrow fly from my bow and before it reached its target I heard the gunfire open from everyone else. The arrow pierced threw the younger members chest and into the older members head as he was crouched down helping him reload. After I let my arrow fly I reached for one of my axes and threw it end over end toward the other member in the group I took aim for and the axe buried into the side of his head just behind his ear and sank four inches though his skull. Don and Rus fired two shots each and that was all it took to take down the four members that opposed them. Bruce fired his M16 in a straight line riddling the three members full of bullets. Mike? Rus screamed out it’s over. The minigun fire stopped and we came out from behind the flipped cars and made our way back to our vehicles. We packed up and made our way back to the outpost.