August 2, 2012. Day 158 PGP (post great panic)
Its been three weeks since we cleared Fort Hope. Scrubs ensures me that the breachholes in the fence have been repaired. He's been slacking a bit lately, complaining more than usual about the noise outside. I'm starting to worry about him. I suppose I have little room to talk. Since my close encounter at the apartments, I have to admit the moans have gotten me very edgy. It gets harder to block them out.
I still find it hard to believe I'm even here. The expedition into Smithtown was a BUST. The radiostation, useless. Some bloody fool had been using it as a defense, a poorly planned one. After it was breached, its seems he locked himself in the control room and went bloody mad with the infection, smashing the motherboard and writing on the walls about "God's Will" and such. Rot the luck! Still, I almost felt sorry for him when I put him down. That's happening a lot less nowdays..feeling.
After that bloody mess, we were about 45 miles south of Bridgeton when we heard a firefight nearby. On a hill, we saw a squad of soldiers engaging a horde of nearly 24 deadheads. We decided, after a vote of 4 to 1, (I voted no), to assist. We flanked the horde and opened fire on the b@stards. We ran into some trouble as we were peppered by friendly fire. I guess Army grunts are trained to shoot first and think second. Gage and Raul were hit pretty badly. Raul was mauled by the zombies. God, shooting him afterward was tough.
The squad, led by Staff Seargent Reames, told us that Fort Hope, a National Guard outpost, was occupiable and with our assistance, could be retaken. My instant dislike of him really weighs on me..I should've run then.
I can't complain really. Fort Hope is nicely fortified and decently armed. God knows what happened here..main gate smashed open from the inside and corpses littering the parade fields..some look like executions, but I'm uneasy about taking an interest in them. There were no casualties taking back Hope, thank God. Although most of the vehicles are useless due to a motorpool fire, we were able to get a humvee up and running and have been using it for supply runs.
Sadly, I had to ditch my .22 pistol. All of the bloody rounds in this castle and not one refill for it. I guess wars aren't won with target pistols. heh I've replaced it with a 9mm Baretta. It's not bad and I practice when I can.
Six of the guys have gone on a supply run. I WANTED to go, but, as Seargent Macho told me, "It's a MANS job!" B@stard...So that leaves me with Scrubs, the medic, Java, our machine gunner in the tower and Monk, one hell of a QCQ expert. He's a nice guy and has been teaching me how to use a machete. God, he doesn't even CARRY any guns.
I'm hoping that the run is successful. I'm DYING for a cigarette and something other than MREs. Next time, I'M going to bloody town and look for.......POW POW POW!!!
Strongbow quickly looks up from her journal, eyes wide with suprise. Gunshots outside...!!
"Aw, f**k!" Scrubs pushes back from the table and leaps out of his chair. Grabbing his M-16, he rushes to the messhall door, followed closely by Monk, machete unsheathed.
Jumping to her feet, Strongbow moves in behind Monk, her Baretta in both hands.
Scrubs pushes open the door, sunlight streaming in along with the smell of gunpowder and everpresent decay. Stepping out, he stops and calls out over his shoulder, "All clear, its the Sarge."
With a sigh of relief, Strongbow jogs over to the main gate, letting the dusty humvee drive through. Damn them, she thinks. The gunfire was from the vehicle, clearing away any zombies from the gates as they approached. Irritated, she sheaths her pistol and puts her hands on her hips as Sarge, grinning, steps out of the humvee.
"Haven't you ever heard of a bloody RADIO..you could have warned us at least!" God, I hate how he looks at me, she thinks. It's hard enough being the only woman in the group, but that man...
"Sorry, sweetie," he says sarcastically, "but I think I can handle this unit. Better than I can say for YOURS..."
Strongbow feels her hair rising on her skin, suddenly realizing that only four men have gotten out of the vehicle. Instinctively, she backs up a step.
"What happened..where's Rick and Doug?" Her eyes narrow.
"What have you done.."
"...with them?" Suprised, Strongbow turns to Monks voice behind her.
He is staring at Sarge, eyes suspiciously locked on the soldier's grinning face.
"Infected," he shrugs, still smiling. "Had to put 'em down, damn shame, really." He reaches for his hip canteen and takes a swig. "But they couldn't cut it anyway. We have plenty of able 'bodies' right here."
Strongbow glares at him, crossing her arms tightly. Behind her, Scrubs snickers.
Breaking his gaze from her, Sarge looks to the tower. "Anyway," he says, "I radioed the tower and got no response. Fk'n Java should've been clearing that gate before we arrived." He jerks his thumb behind him, at the gate. "Damn deadheads were all over it. Isn't he supposed to be on watch, Scrubs?"
Scrubs shoulders his rifle and puts his hands up. "I told him to go, Sarge, but I told you he's not feelin well lately." He glances nervously at the tower. "Maybe he's sleepin again."
"DAMMIT, SCRUBS, he's our f*ckin lookout!" Sarge strides over and grabs Scrubs collar, shaking him. Scrubs looks away, terrified. A groan escapes him.
"Forget it," Sarge pushes him away, Scrubs quickly backing away, pitifully staring at Strongbow.
Pulling out his radio, Sarge depresses the red button. "Tower, sound off!" After a few seconds of static silence, Sarge growls into the mic, "Tower..Java, come in, ya lazy b@stard."
Hisssssss.....
"F*ck me," he growls. Slamming his radio in his belt, Sarge points at Monk. "Help these guys unload the hummer." Points at Strongbow. "Sweetie, you go get the pump started for refuel.. and Scrubs," looking at the medic disapprovingly, "you're with ME."
Seeing Scrubs desperate look, Strongbow steps closer. "Um, Seargent, Scrubs is the only medic we have," She says carefully. "Shouldn't myself or one of the others go instead?"
Sarge whirls to face her, glaring. "Who's in f*ckin charge here?" He towers over her, fuming. "I would advise you to shut the hell up and do as your told, or you'll end up on the friendly side of that fence," he yells, pointing at the zombies wandering outside the perimeter.
A hand comes between Strongbow and Sarge, pushing him back gently. "Let me go, Sarge," Monk says quietly, "I'm your best bet in case somethings wrong up there, anyway."
Sarge looks at Monk. They hold each others gaze for a few long seconds. Then, glaring momentarily at Strongbow again, backs away from her with a humph.
"Fine then," he says. Pulling his pistol, he points it at Strongbow. "You monitor the radio. We'll give you a sit-rep when we get top." Following her gaze down to his .45, he lowers it again, grinning wickedly. "Try not to break a nail."
At Monk, "C'mon, Hero."
As they walk toward the tower, Monk glances back at Strongbow, gives a quick nod, and continues behind Sarge.
Sighing relief, she looks back at the other men unloading canned food and waterjugs from the back of the humvee, then gazes around quickly.
"Have any of you seen where Scrubs went?"
The others stop for a moment, looking around. The youngest soldier, Gunner, looks toward the side of the messhall. "I think he went around back," he says uncertainly.
'That's strange,' she thinks. Scrubs hated it back there...too many zombies milling around the fenceline for his nervous little mind. The group almost had to make him fix the breaches at gunpoint.
"I'm going to check on him," Strongbow says, putting down the receiver of the humvees radio.
"But..the radio," gulps Gunner, "Sarge said..."
"You know what?" Strongbow inturrupts, "Bugger on Sarge I say!" She glares at the soldiers, looking at her in suprise.
"And don't even tell me that my friends were somehow infected and you all got off without a scratch! Bloody convienient, don't you think, mates?" Tears well up in her eyes. Furious at the soldiers for seeing her cry, Strongbow blinks them away.
The others look down, then at the tower, not wanting to meet her accusing stare.
"I am going to check on Scrubs and YOU can watch his bloody radio." Not waiting for a reply, Strongbow turns and heads for the side of the messhall, the others watching her go in surprise.
As she walks around the backside of the messhall, she's suddenly nervous. Loud moaning can be heard and sharp, ticking sounds. Pulling her pistol, she butts up against the wall and glances around the corner.
Scrubs, dirty and mumbling to himself, is crouched in front of the fence, fiddling at it while several undead moan, clawing at him and pressing against it.
As she watches, Strongbow hears another sharp TICK and, to her disbelief, sees a bit of fence give way.
...OH MY BLOODY SAINTS..Strongbow whips around the corner facing him, pistol aimed at his back.
"SCRUBS, NO!"
He glances up, a wild look in his eyes as tears stream down his dirty cheeks.
"F*CK SARGE!" ..TICK!
"Scrubs please," she pleads, gun shaking.
"F*CK THIS PLACE!" ...TICK!
"God, man, no!" Strongbow pulls back the hammer, the click loud in her ears. "You know I can't let you do this."
Scrubs pauses for a moment, eyeing her with a dispairing look, then with a grimace turns back to the fence, now swarming with ghouls.
"AND F*CK YOU!" he cries. ....TICK SNAP!
Strongbow pulls the trigger, hitting Scrubs in the back of the head. His forehead explodes out as the fence falls inward, the undead falling forward on top of him.
"Oh my God!" Scrubs you bloody fool!
Strongbow fires at the grisly crowd, some of whom are slowly getting to their unsteady feet, lurching at her. Crunching, ripping sounds where Scrubs body lay under the zombies. One zombie drops, a steaming hole above its left eye.
And she runs.
Tearing around the corner, she's met by the others, alerted by the shots.
"Breach!!" she yells, sprinting past them.
Gunner wails in dismay. Zombies are coming slowly around the corner, shambling forward, decaying arms outstretched in front of them, collective groans reaching mind-numbing levels as they hungrily close in on the group.
Dropping to their knees, the soldiers fire at the crowd of undead. Lead pummels the leaders, tearing open ribcages, shattering limbs and searing away pieces of rotten flesh as they shudder and jerk, some crumbling to the ground.
Strongbow sprints to the humvee as the group fires behind her. Grabbing the mic, she presses the button.
"Sarge, Monk..we have a breach! Come in!" Static, but no reply. Gunfire erupts again behind her, followed by a scream.
"Bloody Hells, ANSWER ME!" she yells into the mic, heart pumping wildly in her heaving chest.
....."Tower is NOT secure, Strongbow", Monks voice sounds in the receiver, "Grab as much as you can and get into the hummer. I'll meet you at the bottom of the tower!"
"Now GO!" The radio statics again......
Dropping the reciever on the passenger side seat, Strongbow rushes to the stack of goods, grabbing a box and throwing it into the back seat. The moans of the undead getting loud in her ears...
...but no gunfire.
She turns and looks back...and wishes she hadn't.
Two piles of zombies mark where the soldiers once stood. Bodies of the slain mob lay around them, as far too many others trip over them, working their way to her.
With a cry, Strongbow grabs one more box, throws it in the humvee and tears around to the drivers seat. Thanking the fates that the keys were still in the ignition and not buried under the gruesome piles behind her, she throws it into drive and flies toward the base of the tower.
Pulling up to the door, Monk bursts outside, diving into the already open passenger side.
"Where's Sarge?" Strongbow shouts as he slams the vehicle door shut.
"JUST DRIVE!" he yells, "He's dead...Java too!"
Without replying, Strongbow whips the humvee around, squealing tires on the concrete, as she heads for the front gate, the undead converging around them. Zombies fly over her hood, bounce off the front guards and crush underneath the humvee as she speeds recklessly toward the makeshift gate.
"God, I hope this works," she yells, as they brace themselves for impact.
With a wrenching crash, the vehicle slams into the gate, snapping the chain and tearing off a fender as it gives way to the outside. Zombies lunge at the speeding vehicle, knocked away with flying limbs and crushed bodies.
They drive to the highway, heading back toward Bridgeton. Swerving through mangled vehicles, Strongbow finally reduces speed and looks down at the console.
"I hope there's petrol in Bridgeton," she says, looking at the half-empty gauge.
Monk leans over, grunting a reply, then goes silent again.
Glancing at him, Strongbow asks quietly, "So what happened..in the tower, I mean."
He stares at her, then sighs. "Java was infected..he turned in the tower." He looks ahead. "I killed him first.."
"...and Sarge?"
Not looking at her, Monk softly replies, "I killed him second."
"So he was bitten, then?" She asks.
Monk puts a hand on his machete, looks at Strongbow, and sighs.
"....no."
Strongbow nods, looks ahead at the road ahead, towards Bridgeton and Survival.
