Zombie Road | Book 8 | Crossroads of Chaos Simpson, A. (new books to read .txt) 📖

and they all breathed easier when they knew they had enough momentum to power through the rest of the horde. The undead started breaking and spinning away as they watched the port disappear behind them. Scores of freshly turned undead in navy uniforms led the horde as it chased after them.

“One more job to do before we can relax.” Scratch said quietly.

“We need to reload before we start.” Bridget said, her voice heavy.

“Start what?” Xavier asked.

“Checking those that made it in for bites.” Hollywood said.

“What do you do if they’re bitten?” the boy asked.

Nobody answered.

They didn’t have to.

He realized why they needed the reloads.

18

Star Wars

“I’ll do it.” Xavier said and they all turned to look at him.

“It’s… it’s much cleaner, more… humane.” He finished and stared at the floor.

They were on the lower level of one of the converted rail cars. Eighteen men were restrained with ropes, some with fevers running high, already incoherent and their breathing rapid. Some looking frightened and angry. Some yelling and arguing vociferously that they hadn’t been bitten.

The sailors understood, in theory, that a bite could cause them to turn but they had been sheltered from the undead. Their only up-close experience with them had been at the docks. Their ships and subs hadn’t been affected and they had cleared the few off San Clemente Island with withering walls of lead from a safe distance. The bitten had tried to hide their wounds and only the worst, the ones pouring blood, had been forced to come forward. Their buddies covered for them, they didn’t know how fast the poison coursed through the veins, didn’t realize that just one infected could do so much damage so quickly.

They lost twenty men when one of them turned on an upper level and started ripping through his friends who hadn’t believed it would happen so fast. They had hoped for a few days, maybe they could treat the wound, maybe the Lakota people had some medicine. Bridget and Hollywood had raced up the steps and opened fire into the mayhem. After that, using the buddy system, every one checked each other and they did it fast.

“You don’t have to.” Griz said eyeing the boy. “It’s a hard business.”

“I’ll wait until they turn.” Xavier replied. “I can’t kill real people but zombies aren’t people anymore.”

The team exchanged looks and with small nods, they agreed then started moving the men to a more private location to spend their final minutes.

The officers found their way to the lead engine, introduced themselves and offered their thanks.

“Glad to have you onboard.” Gunny said. “They show you where you’ll be bunking for the next few days?”

They nodded, asked if it would be possible to stop and bury the dead then and let him get back to the business of running the train.

Gunny eased the locomotive to a halt an hour later when they were far out in the desert and had some time before the followers caught up. There wasn’t enough fuel to keep running back and forth to eliminate them, he would wait until they were near the wall before he backtracked. Their futile attempt to plow through Tijuana had burnt up most of the diesel reserves. Guards were posted and shallow graves were quickly dug by hand.

A Junior Lieutenant from the sub pulled Gunny aside as their Chaplin said a few words over the men. “We have something we need for you to see in the officers’ quarters, sir.” He said. “Captain Forhees said you should be aware of it before we travel through hostile territory.”

Gunny nodded, thought the Lieutenant was being generous describing the sleeping room to be shared by four men as quarters and stood at attention for the twenty-one-gun salute. Everyone hustled back on board and a few minutes later the locomotive was moving again.

With a whisper in Bridget’s good ear, Gunny had her grab Xavier and ask him if he wanted to learn how to drive the train.

“Keep him busy until I get back.” he had said. “The captain wants to show me something, some eyes only thing he took off the nuclear sub. I don’t want him wandering in to see what it is. It’s gotta be some kind of weapon and we’re still at Simons mercy.”

“What if he gets bored and wants to leave?” she asked.

“Use your movie star charm. Show him some cleavage.” Gunny said with a grin. “He’s a boy. He’ll be mesmerized.”

She gave him one of those looks. One of those long suffering looks that Lacy had mastered and women must take a secret course in during school.

“Fine.” Gunny said. “Let him drive, show him some gun kata or show him your scars. Just keep him busy.”

He grabbed Griz and joined the Captain of the nuclear sub in their cramped sleeping compartment and after introductions all around one of the Ensigns opened the large plastic cases they had brought from the sub.

Nestled in the black foam was a titanium cylindrical device that had probably cost the taxpayers a lot of money. It was impressive and looked fairly complicated.

“Okay.” Gunny said. “What is it?”

“Electron particle laser.” Forhees said and smiled at the unimpressed stares from Gunny and Griz.

He grinned then went on to explain.

“Remember Reagan’s Star Wars missile defense strategy?” he asked. “Well, this is it. Or part of it, anyway. It didn’t just target incoming ICBM’s. With a set of coordinates we could surface the sub, bounce the beam off a satellite mirror relay and take out a bad guy from halfway around the world with pinpoint accuracy. We never actually used it; it was a secret weapon for emergencies only. You know, just in case Gorbachev got a little too big for his britches we could take him out at any time. When Clinton got in, he mothballed the program but our nuclear sub fleet kept these on board, they were never entirely decommissioned. It’s old tech but still works.”

“Interesting.” Gunny said. “But kind of useless now. We don’t have any