{"id":216,"date":"2013-07-21T13:17:07","date_gmt":"2013-07-21T13:17:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/?page_id=216"},"modified":"2013-07-21T13:34:40","modified_gmt":"2013-07-21T13:34:40","slug":"chapter-40","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/story\/chapter-40\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 40"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 40<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t trying to be a hero.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t set out to become a martyr.\u00a0 On the Day of Unholy Resurrection, my goal was simply to prepare the survivors who were immune the best I could while I was still able.<\/i><\/p>\n

I had accepted my fate.\u00a0 In my military training, I was taught that casualties are a part of war.\u00a0 They can and should be limited, but they are nearly impossible to prevent altogether.\u00a0 Some casualties are inevitable.\u00a0 My own demise seemed just as certain.\u00a0 Unless I opted to check out early, as Edwards had, I would go one of two ways:\u00a0 the unpleasant, yet relatively quick death met by all victims of the plague, or the torturously slow, yet final process of starvation.\u00a0 The way I saw it, I had three choices: take off the gas mask\u2026 take off the gas mask and blow my own brains out\u2026 or leave the gas mask on and just let my body waste away.<\/i><\/p>\n

I tried not to dwell on these choices and the less than desirable results offered by each.\u00a0 Instead, I focused on ensuring that, whichever choice I made, it would not doom the other survivors I had brought together on the base.\u00a0 In the beginning, they were dependent on me.\u00a0 I knew they had to become self-sufficient, if they were to survive after my death.<\/i><\/p>\n

I only know a couple of Latin phrases by heart.\u00a0 One of them is \u201ccarpe diem\u201d – \u201cseize the day.\u201d\u00a0 The other is \u201cunus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno,\u201d or \u201cone for all, all for one.\u201d\u00a0 I\u2019d love to pretend it was only for the greater good that I kept my mask on as long as I did, kept myself alive while those around me perished, so that I could be an asset and prepare that small group of survivors to rage a war against the undead.\u00a0 That was part of it, sure, but self-preservation was also a factor.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t want to die.\u00a0 But once I\u2019d accepted it as probable, almost certain, a third reason entered the picture:<\/i><\/p>\n

When death came calling, I hoped the others would be merciful, and put a bullet in my brain before I became victim to something even worse:\u00a0 undeath.<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sunday, April 15, 2012<\/b>
\n2:00 p.m.<\/b><\/p>\n

It was stuffy inside the Sunday school room.\u00a0 Power at the base had been down for over a day, ever since the last of the electricians had died, and it was now running off a system of emergency back-up generators.\u00a0 The system was programmed to conserve electricity by supplying enough power for only the bare essentials.\u00a0 Lights, it seemed, were considered essential.\u00a0 Air conditioning, apparently, was not.<\/p>\n

Kevin could feel the slimy sweat sliding down his face, beneath his gas mask.\u00a0 He longed to take the mask off, to feel the room air on his face, but he didn\u2019t dare.\u00a0 He was past the point of hunger now; he hadn\u2019t ingested anything more than water since Friday evening, but what he\u2019d witnessed that morning had been enough to take away his appetite.\u00a0 The thought of food made his hollow stomach turn, as he pictured, instead, the festering gray faces of the undead, their lips slick with blood that was not their own.\u00a0 Over and over again, he saw the face of Private Butler, her brains protruding from her open skull.\u00a0 He saw the dead body of Justin Flakeland rising from the bed.\u00a0 And he saw Captain Charlie Edwards falling to the floor, the top of his skull blown away by the bullet Kevin had fired into his forehead at point blank range.<\/p>\n

He had seen combat.\u00a0 He had seen men die, men he had known, men he\u2019d considered friends.\u00a0 Even so, nothing had prepared Kevin for the horrors he had seen that morning.\u00a0 This was a new kind of war.<\/p>\n

It was for that reason he had not yet risked removing his gas mask.\u00a0 He remembered what had happened to Sam, after a moment\u2019s panic, the briefest lapse in judgment, had caused him to pull off his mask.\u00a0 Sam was long dead, dead of the virus that had killed most of the base.\u00a0 For all Kevin knew, he was now un<\/i>dead, one of the zombie soldiers roaming around outside the chapel.\u00a0 If his body had not been one of the many incinerated in the fires the day before, he likely was.<\/p>\n

Kevin did not want to end up like Sam.\u00a0 But, more importantly, he did not want to leave them alone.<\/p>\n

He glanced up and across the room.\u00a0 Jo and Gabby sat huddled together on a pair of the small chairs.\u00a0 Jo was perspiring heavily, but despite the heat, she had her arm around Gabby, who leaned up against her, her head on her mother\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 The girl hadn\u2019t spoken in hours.\u00a0 Gone was the outspoken, opinionated teenager Kevin had taken her for at first, replaced with a fearful, quivering little girl who refused to let her mother leave her side.\u00a0 She had sobbed for almost an hour after Edwards had died, then lapsed into shocked silence.\u00a0 Around noon, Jo had asked her if she was hungry.\u00a0 Gabby had shaken her head no.\u00a0 Kevin had taken that as a good sign; the girl was traumatized, no doubt, but at least she was still in her right mind, still able to communicate.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are we going to do about food?\u201d Jo had asked Kevin, hesitantly.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t a crisis situation yet, but she was clearly thinking ahead, realizing that if they remained barricaded in the chapel long enough, it would turn into one.\u00a0 He admired that quality in her.\u00a0 As an ER nurse, she had proven herself to be level-headed in the midst of catastrophe, and he had confidence that, should something happen to him, she would do everything possible to protect her daughter.<\/p>\n

But he didn\u2019t want it to come to that.\u00a0 The fact was, he was the only one left who knew the base, knew the ample resources it provided and how to access them.\u00a0 Jo and Gabby depended on him, and he needed to stay alive for them.\u00a0 This was why, so far, he had stayed in the chapel with them.\u00a0 Whenever he mentioned venturing out for supplies, even just for planning purposes, Gabby got upset, shaking her head and starting to whimper incomprehensibly, almost like a baby whose parents have strayed out of its line of sight.\u00a0 For her sake, he always held up his hands and said, reassuringly, \u201cAlright\u2026 it\u2019s alright\u2026 I\u2019m not goin\u2019 anywhere.\u00a0 We\u2019ll stay here all together.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the back of his mind, however, he knew they couldn\u2019t stay, not forever.\u00a0 Eventually, they would have to go out for supplies.\u00a0 But as long as he was trapped in an inside room of the chapel, with no way to know for sure what it looked like outside and a little girl who flipped out every time Kevin tried to check, there was way to make plans.\u00a0 As the hours ticked by with agonizing slowness, Kevin found himself growing more and more frustrated.<\/p>\n

The stifling heat didn\u2019t help, but every time he got the urge to yank off his mask, he reminded himself why he couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 If he started getting sick, like Sam had, it would send Gabby over the edge, and Jo would be on her own to care for her daughter and fend for herself on an unfamiliar military base, surrounded by the living dead.<\/p>\n

So he kept the suffocating gas mask on and prayed for some sort of salvation.<\/p>\n

Salvation came in a purple Lexus.<\/p>\n

The first sign of it was Gabby suddenly sitting upright and saying, quite clearly, \u201cDo you hear that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin and Jo were both so astounded to hear her say something out of the blue that, at first, they didn\u2019t react.\u00a0 Then Jo said, \u201cHear what, honey?\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally comprehending, Kevin listened.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t hear anything.<\/p>\n

Gabby cried, \u201cListen!\u201d\u00a0 Her head cocked, brown eyes narrowed in concentration, she added, \u201cIt sounds like a motor\u2026 like a car!\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin strained his ears, and finally, they picked up what hers, aided by a child\u2019s keen and undamaged sense of hearing, had much earlier.\u00a0 It did sound like the engine of an approaching car \u2013 a low rumble, faint at first, but growing louder and closer.<\/p>\n

Jo heard it too now.\u00a0 Her eyes, the same as Gabby\u2019s, lit up, and she exclaimed, \u201cI think you\u2019re right!\u00a0 Someone\u2019s coming!\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin stood up at once.\u00a0 \u201cI have to go meet them.\u00a0 They\u2019ll never know we\u2019re in here unless I do,\u201d he added quickly, at Gabby\u2019s first sign of protest.<\/p>\n

The girl bit down on her bottom lip, sucking it between her teeth.\u00a0 \u201cBut\u2026 what if it\u2019s not\u2026 you know\u2026 a regular person.\u00a0 What if it\u2019s\u2026 one of\u2026 them??\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin smiled, though it was half obscured by his gas mask.\u00a0 \u201cDid you see those things when you were running earlier?\u00a0 You think they have enough coordination to drive a car?\u201d<\/p>\n

To his relief, Gabby actually cracked a sort of smile, too.\u00a0 \u201cI guess not,\u201d she admitted.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay then.\u00a0 So it has to be another person, a normal person like us.\u00a0 Someone who\u2019s probably just as scared as we are.\u00a0 Imagine how relieved that person will be to see us, eh?\u00a0 You see why I\u2019ve gotta go out there and meet that car?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabby nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright.\u00a0 Listen, I\u2019m gonna take my gun,\u201d he explained deliberately, reaching for it across the table, \u201cand I\u2019m gonna be real careful when I go out there.\u00a0 Charlie \u2013 Captain Edwards \u2013 left his Hummer parked somewhere around here, from when he first met the zombies, when Justin and Amy were attacked.\u00a0 I\u2019m gonna take that, and I\u2019m gonna drive up towards the entrance gate, the same one you came through.\u00a0 I\u2019ll meet the other car along the way, and I\u2019ll bring them right back here.\u00a0 Alright?\u00a0 Sound like a plan?\u201d<\/p>\n

With some reluctance, Gabby nodded again.<\/p>\n

Kevin nodded too.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be right back,\u201d he vowed, and then he left without another word, not looking back.\u00a0 Before he left the chapel, he went into the sanctuary.\u00a0 He strode up the aisle to the altar, where he had lain Edwards\u2019s body, beneath the cross.\u00a0 It had seemed the most reverent place to put him in the moment, almost as if he were ready for his own funeral.\u00a0 Now, he quickly patted down the captain\u2019s pockets, searching for the keys to the Hummer.\u00a0 He found nothing.<\/p>\n

Not panicking, he assumed \u2013 as he\u2019d suspected when he had first remembered the Hummer \u2013 that Edwards had left the keys in the ignition when he\u2019d jumped out to help Flakeland drag Butler into the lodging facility.\u00a0 But if he was wrong, he would find himself outside, possibly surrounded by hordes of the undead, without transportation.<\/p>\n

It was a chance he was willing to take.\u00a0 To not risk it would mean risking missing the other car, who might mistake the base for deserted and turn back.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t let that happen.<\/p>\n

Steeling himself, he armed his weapon and let himself out the door through which they had come.\u00a0 This was just another ground battle, he told himself as he set off across the parking lot, heading back towards the TLF.\u00a0 As an Air Force pilot, he did most of his fighting in the air, but he had been trained in hand to hand combat, and this was no different.\u00a0 In fact, he thought, it was easier, because unlike enemy soldiers, these zombies did not seem capable of actual thought, only instinct.\u00a0 The instinct to hunt.\u00a0 To kill.\u00a0 To feed.<\/p>\n

But Kevin could hunt, too.\u00a0 Kevin could kill.\u00a0 A bullet through the brain; that was all it took.\u00a0 A good eye and a steady hand would be defense enough.<\/p>\n

He kept repeating these positive thoughts in his head as he darted along, eyes moving all around for the first sign of movement.\u00a0 At first, there was nothing, and then, halfway there, the remaining zombies began to emerge from around trees and parked cars, having sensed his presence.\u00a0 Kevin didn\u2019t hesitate.\u00a0 He fired off one shot after another, taking out zombies in all different directions.\u00a0 If he missed their heads and hit shoulders or torsos, the zombies staggered with the force of the bullet, but kept coming.\u00a0 Only shots to the head killed them; that really was the key.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t so bad<\/i>, he thought, now spotting the Hummer ahead.\u00a0 With another person or two to help, we can take \u2018em out, rid the base of \u2018em.<\/i>\u00a0 He fired off another shot, felling a zombie in front of him and clearing the path to the Hummer.\u00a0 It was a straight shot now.\u00a0 He broke into a sprint and didn\u2019t stop running until his hands touched the door handle.\u00a0 Please be keys<\/i>, he begged, as he yanked open the door and boosted himself up and into the vehicle, immediately shutting the door and locking it behind him.\u00a0 Then he checked the ignition, and his heart sank.<\/p>\n

No keys.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, now just wait,\u201d he muttered to himself, looking around.\u00a0 \u201cThey could still be here somewhere.\u00a0 Maybe Charlie took \u2018em out\u2026 and then set \u2018em down\u2026 here!\u201d\u00a0 He had looked down towards the center console and suddenly spotted a glimmer of silver.\u00a0 The keys were sitting in the cup holder, where they\u2019d been tossed haphazardly in the rush to aid the injured private.<\/p>\n

Triumphantly, Kevin found the right key and plunged it into the ignition.\u00a0 A turn of the wrist brought the Hummer\u2019s engine roaring powerfully to life.\u00a0 Kevin threw it into drive and gunned it forward, flattening several zombies in his path as he weaved out of the parking lot and turned onto the boulevard.\u00a0 Hoping he would not miss the other car, he made a high-speed right turn onto Florida Keys Avenue, which connected to the main drag, Bayshore Boulevard.\u00a0 Up the road, he sped, the western arm of Tampa Bay shimmering in the sun to his right.\u00a0 And then, suddenly, there was something else glistening in the road up ahead.<\/p>\n

The metallic gleam of a car.<\/p>\n

He began to honk, as the car grew nearer.\u00a0 There didn\u2019t seem to be many zombies roaming along this stretch of road, so he threw caution to the wind and even rolled down his window to stick his arm out and wave.\u00a0 When he got close, he slowed down, and so did the car.\u00a0 It was a fancy car, Kevin realized, a Lexus, with a glossy purple paint job.<\/p>\n

Out of the Lexus climbed not just one, but three people.\u00a0 Two men got out first, from the front, and then a younger woman emerged from the backseat.\u00a0 \u201cWatch out!\u201d Kevin called, sticking his head out the window.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s some of them<\/i> on the base too.\u201d<\/p>\n

The girl recoiled immediately, drawing closer to the driver as she looked all around, but to everyone\u2019s relief, the area seemed \u2013 for now \u2013 free of zombies.\u00a0 One of the men, the front seat passenger, strode ahead of the others, stopping a few feet from the driver\u2019s side of the Hummer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought this was supposed to be some kind of safe haven for survivors,\u201d he said suspiciously, without any kind of greeting or introduction.\u00a0 \u201cThose two-\u201d\u00a0 He jerked his thumb carelessly over his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201c-said they heard some radio message, telling all survivors to come here, to MacDill.\u00a0 And now we\u2019re here, and there\u2019s nothing\u2026 no one\u2026 \u2018cept you.\u00a0 And you\u2019re telling me there\u2019s fucking zombies here too?\u00a0 Some safe haven.\u201d\u00a0 He let out a derisive snort.<\/p>\n

Before Kevin could reply, the girl sprang forward.\u00a0 \u201cOh come on, AJ, he\u2019s the first living person we\u2019ve seen since we picked you up!\u201d she cried pleadingly.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s something, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d the second man answered for the first, and he marched up to Kevin\u2019s door, his hand outstretched.\u00a0 \u201cHoward Dorough, of Orlando,\u201d he introduced himself, pumping Kevin\u2019s hand through the window.<\/p>\n

\u201cLieutenant Colonel Kevin Richardson,\u201d Kevin responded, somewhat amused at the other man\u2019s formality in a time like this.<\/p>\n

The girl gasped, her eyes lighting up in recognition.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re the one we heard on the radio!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right.\u00a0 I\u2019m glad the message got through.\u00a0 To be honest, I wasn\u2019t sure anyone was still alive to hear it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been all the way to Cape Canaveral and back and haven\u2019t seen anyone else,\u201d said the girl, her eyes wide and serious.\u00a0 \u201cExcept AJ here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are two other survivors here from outside the base, a woman and her daughter.\u00a0 But we haven\u2019t seen anyone else either.\u00a0 A lot of the base got sick before we could contain it, and I\u2019m afraid most of the rest were attacked by\u2026 well, whatever you wanna call those things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cZombies,\u201d supplied the man called AJ.\u00a0 \u201cThe undead.\u00a0 Living dead.\u00a0 Walking dead.\u00a0 Fucking ghouls.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Kevin nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThem.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSpeaking of which\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

A moan, in the distance.\u00a0 They all heard it, four heads turning in the same direction.\u00a0 The girl shivered visibly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe better head to safety,\u201d Kevin said apprehensively.\u00a0 \u201cYou wanna take your car or ride with me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRide with-\u201d\u00a0 The girl started to say, but Howard interrupted, \u201cI\u2019ll follow in my own car, thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin looked kindly at the girl.\u00a0 \u201cYou can hop in with me, if you want.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u201d\u00a0 She scrambled up into the passenger seat.\u00a0 AJ hesitated, then shrugged and followed Howard back to the Lexus.\u00a0 The two men climbed in, and Kevin made a U-turn, leading them back down Bayshore Boulevard and to the chapel. \u00a0There were, of course, more zombies there, new ones joining the ranks of those Kevin had failed to shoot down.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou guys got guns?\u201d Kevin asked, gesturing to his own.<\/p>\n

The girl, Kayleigh, shook her head.<\/p>\n

Wondering how they\u2019d managed to stay alive this long without guns, Kevin said, \u201cOkay.\u00a0 You\u2019ll just have to stick close to me then.\u00a0 I\u2019ll cover you.\u00a0 At least we\u2019re close this time.\u201d\u00a0 He had parked right in front of the entrance to the chapel.\u00a0 \u201cReady?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d whimpered Kayleigh, but the zombies were already closing in; there was no time to hesitate.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s go,\u201d Kevin said, and he opened his door.\u00a0 He jumped down and immediately went around to Kayleigh\u2019s side to help her out.\u00a0 He heard car doors slam as Howard and AJ raced to join them.\u00a0 \u201cGo ahead, run!\u201d he urged them, turning to start taking out the zombies within range.\u00a0 As the shots fired, he heard their footsteps pounding against the pavement as they rushed for the door.<\/p>\n

Within a few seconds, they were all safely inside.\u00a0 As he barricaded the door, Kevin shouted, \u201cIt\u2019s just us, Jo!\u00a0 We\u2019ve got company!\u201d<\/p>\n

He led Howard, AJ, and Kayleigh to the Sunday school room, where Jo and Gabby sat waiting.\u00a0 \u201cOh, thank the Lord!\u201d exclaimed Jo, rising to her feet, when she saw that there was not just one, but three more survivors in their midst.\u00a0 She went to Kayleigh at once and hugged her.\u00a0 Introductions were made, and even Gabby joined in as they all pulled up chairs and started talking rapidly.<\/p>\n

It was so good to hear from other survivors, people who had been on the other side, had seen the outside world.\u00a0 Unfortunately, it seemed the rest of central Florida was as desolate and in as much disarray as the base.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026 and it took us almost four hours to get here, between all the cars blocking the streets and trying to avoid the zombies!\u201d finished Kayleigh, who had narrated most of their harrowing tale, quite dramatically.\u00a0 \u201cFour hours, for a drive that should have taken, like, one, at most!\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin nodded.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I\u2019m glad you\u2019re here,\u201d he said, once he was finally able to get a word in.\u00a0 \u201cThis gives me hope, that at least five people who were exposed to the virus have survived.\u00a0 You all must be immune.\u201d<\/p>\n

They all looked at each other, then at him, and he could see the question forming on all of their minds.\u00a0 It was the same question he had, too.\u00a0 What would happen when he finally took off his gas mask?\u00a0 Would enough of the virus remain in the air to make him sick?\u00a0 Or would he turn out to be the same as them, apparently resilient?<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not gonna last in this mask much longer,\u201d he spoke seriously, looking at them each in turn.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve kept it on this long for the sake of those who were left alive.\u00a0 But now that there are more of you, I know that whatever happens, you can survive without me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d cried Gabby, shaking her head, her eyes wide as saucers.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you mean, without you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin looked directly at her.\u00a0 \u201cYou know what I mean, honey.\u00a0 I want to make sure the rest of you know how to get around the base, how to get what you need, so that if I get sick when the mask comes off, you\u2019ll be able to survive here.\u00a0 I think I should take one of you in the Humvee with me now, on a sort of tour of the basics.\u00a0 Howard?\u00a0 Whaddya say?\u201d<\/p>\n

He would have chosen Jo, but knew Gabby wouldn\u2019t allow it, and there was no way he was taking the kid back out among the zombies.\u00a0 Of the three newcomers, Howard, dressed in a rumpled pair of suit pants, dress shirt, and silk tie, looked the most intelligent, and that was what Kevin needed then.\u00a0 A logical leader-type, someone who could take charge and delegate in his absence.<\/p>\n

Howard nodded his agreement, and before Gabby or Kayleigh could protest much, they set off.\u00a0 Kevin wanted to get it over with in a hurry, wanted to be free to take the mask off so that he could know his fate, once and for all.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow good a shot are you?\u201d he asked Howard, as they stood just inside the back door to the chapel, preparing to make the run to the Hummer.<\/p>\n

Howard blinked in bewilderment.\u00a0 \u201cMe?\u00a0 Well, I\u2026 actually, I\u2026 well, to be honest, I\u2026 I\u2019ve never actually fired a gun before.\u201d\u00a0 He said this last part very rapidly and in a low voice, as if he were ashamed to admit this apparent inadequacy.<\/p>\n

Kevin wasn\u2019t surprised.\u00a0 \u201cNo problem.\u00a0 You drive; I\u2019ll ride shotgun.\u00a0 Uh\u2026 literally.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh\u2026 well, alright then\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFollow me.\u201d\u00a0 Kevin led the way out, his loaded rifle proceeding him.\u00a0 He guarded Howard while the shorter man boosted himself into the driver\u2019s seat of the Hummer, then jogged around to the passenger side.\u00a0 Kevin immediately lowered his window halfway, allowing himself enough room to poke the barrel of his gun out and take aim.\u00a0 He blew the head off one of the remaining zombies before they\u2019d even left the parking lot.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich way should I turn?\u201d asked Howard.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeft.\u00a0 The aircraft hangars, weapons, and vehicle dispatch are all located that way, on the western perimeter of the base.\u00a0 We\u2019ll stop and stock up on basic supplies and weapons while we\u2019re there,\u201d said Kevin.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I\u2019ll show you the communications building, where I did my radio broadcast.\u00a0 I\u2019d like to try that again.\u00a0 If you guys heard it, maybe there are others left alive who might hear it too.\u201d<\/p>\n

He navigated as Howard headed towards the five large, white hangars in the distance, occasionally stopping in mid-sentence to fire a shot out the window.\u00a0 As they got further from the chapel, he realized that the rest of the zombies were not congregated in one area, leading him to believe there were not fellow groups of survivors holed up in the other buildings they passed.<\/p>\n

The zombies roamed freely all around the base, often alone, sometimes in small clusters of twos and threes, though they never interacted with one another.\u00a0 They seemed oblivious of each other\u2019s presence; oblivious, in fact, of just about everything but their quest for prey.\u00a0 In that respect, they were like animals \u2013 predators, programmed to hunt, driven solely by instinct and hunger.\u00a0 Unlike other predators, such as lions and wolves, they did not appear to use any sort of strategy.\u00a0 They simply chased, lumbering determinedly after their prey until one of three things happened:\u00a0 one, a large enough mob formed to overwhelm the prey; two, the prey got away; or three, their brains were destroyed.\u00a0 They seemed to have lost their self-preservation mechanism, for they didn\u2019t even react when Kevin pointed his gun out the window and aimed.\u00a0 Most were still shambling forward when his bullets sent their brains spattering out the backs of their skulls.<\/p>\n

Howard kept his eyes fixed straight ahead, watching the road, wincing noticeably every time the large vehicle thumped over one of them in the street.\u00a0 He looked out of place in his expensive business attire, behind the wheel of the camouflaged Humvee, and even more ridiculous toting around the semiautomatic Kevin outfitted him with later.<\/p>\n

There was a skeet range located on the southern end of the base, good for target practice, but Kevin decided to give Howard some more authentic experience, on living (or, rather, un<\/i>living), moving targets.\u00a0 Near the skeet range was the communications building, and it was there that they headed last, the Hummer loaded down with goods and ammo, Kevin driving this time, while Howard practiced his aim from the shotgun seat.\u00a0 Kevin hadn\u2019t expected him to be very good, and he wasn\u2019t, his inexperienced marksmanship made worse by the fact that every time Kevin slowed down a little to allow him more time to aim, Howard panicked at the sight of the living dead gaining on them and screeched, \u201cWhat are you doing?!\u00a0 Drive!\u201d<\/p>\n

It was only due to the Hummer\u2019s power and protection that they made it to the communications building in one piece.\u00a0 Inside, Kevin showed Howard the radio set-up he\u2019d used the day before and explained how to operate it.\u00a0 \u201cIf I get sick after I take this mask off, it\u2019ll be up to you to show the others,\u201d he told Howard.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s important that you keep broadcasting.\u00a0 If there are five survivors just in this area, there must be more in other parts of the state, let alone the country.\u00a0 If you join forces and work together, you\u2019ll have a much easier time taking out the zombies and trying to rebuild.\u201d<\/p>\n

Howie frowned.\u00a0 \u201cYou keep saying \u2018you,\u2019\u201d he noted, \u201clike you already know you\u2019re not going to be a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin shrugged.\u00a0 He had come to accept his fate as inevitable.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019ll be a miracle if I am.\u00a0 I guess there\u2019s a chance\u2026 I mean, you all survived, and no one\u2019s sure why.\u00a0 But I\u2019m not counting on it.\u00a0 I just want to prepare you as much as I can while I\u2019m able to.\u00a0 This place offers as many resources as you could ask for; you just need to know where they are and how to use them.\u00a0 Teach the others as soon as you can, just in case\u2026 you know\u2026 something happens to you, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Howard didn\u2019t respond.\u00a0 His dark complexion had paled, as if all the blood had drained from his face.<\/p>\n

Kevin swallowed hard.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m gonna do it now, okay?\u00a0 Before we broadcast and before we go back.\u00a0 I don\u2019t wanna upset the little girl any more by making her beg me not to; I want it done and over with.\u00a0 If it happens as quick as it did to my friend Sam, I should know by then if I\u2019m feeling any symptoms or not.\u00a0 Besides\u2026 I hate talkin\u2019 on the radio through this damn mask.\u201d<\/p>\n

Howard just stood there, stiffly.\u00a0 He did not try to stop him.<\/p>\n

Slowly, Kevin unstrapped the mask from behind his head.\u00a0 Moment of truth<\/i>, he thought.\u00a0 He hesitated\u2026 and then he pulled the mask off. \u00a0As the seal broke and the first breath of air reached his mouth and nose, he inhaled deeply, savoring it.\u00a0 The room air was slightly stale, warm and heavy from the lack of air conditioning, but after sucking air through a filter for two days, the ease with which it filled his lungs was satisfying.\u00a0 He tried not to think about the infectious particles entering his system with it.\u00a0 The damage was already done, and there was no going back now.<\/p>\n

He couldn\u2019t wait to step outside and take a breath of fresh air again, but first, there was the broadcast to attend to.<\/p>\n

With the sense that he was recording his final testimony, Kevin cleared his throat, raised the microphone to his lips, and said, \u201cThis is Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Richardson, of the United States Air Force, stationed at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida.\u00a0 I am urging any survivors of the catastrophic events that have claimed our country to make their way here, to Tampa.\u00a0 I wish I could tell you that the base is free of the living dead.\u00a0 It isn\u2019t.\u00a0 But we do have the means to get rid of them.\u00a0 Weapons.\u00a0 Supplies.\u00a0 All the resources we need to survive on.\u00a0 There are other survivors here at MacDill.\u00a0 I repeat:\u00a0 There are survivors here\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chapter 40 I wasn\u2019t trying to be a hero.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t set out to become a martyr.\u00a0 On the Day of Unholy Resurrection, my goal was simply to prepare the survivors who were immune the best I could while I … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":40,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"onecolumn-page.php","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/216"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=216"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/216\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":223,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/216\/revisions\/223"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}