Tales of the Dead Tropics - chapter 38

"How much further do you think it is?" I hissed, trying to resist the urge to break into a faster stroke and get the hell out of here.

"We should be about half way across by now."

God.  Please let us be faster swimmers than they were walkers.  I tried to remember how deep the river was.  I was pretty sure that it went as deep as fifteen meters in part but I had a sinking feeling that the area around the airport was considerably shallower, as only dinghies travelled along it.

About thirty feet behind us, the water erupted into a flurry of splashes.  Fear gripped me like a vice as I realised that a croc must have taken one of the zombies.  Oh God,  oh God.

"Keep it together, Lori."  Mike's soothing voice floated back over the light breeze.  "If the corpses are keeping the crocs preoccupied, all the better for us.  Just keep going."

Slowly, I took a stroke and then another.  I couldn't think, my mind was frozen with fear.  I just kept moving, focusing on keeping my strokes smooth and quiet.

An interminable time later, my hands touched the mudbank on the other side of the river.  I felt Mike's hand reach out and grab me.  With a sob of relief, I allowed him to pull me out of the water and into his arms. 

He held me tightly as I shivered uncontrollably.  I felt him stroke my hair tentatively.  His touch felt so comforting and calming that I felt my heart slow down straight away. Feeling almost myself again, I stepped back, out of the circle of his arms.

"Please tell me we won't have to do that again.  Because frankly, I would rather cut my way through a horde of walking corpses."

Mike laughed softly in response, and the awkwardness of the moment disappeared.   

"Let's head down the river.  I believe there is a shanty village not far from here.  We should be able to pick up a dinghy there."  His eyes gleamed in the darkness as he looked at me. 

Once again, we trudged through the mangroves, keeping to the mudbank.  At least on this side of the river, there was little chance of running into zombies.  The area here was protected and therefore free from urban development.  There were some beach houses which backed onto the river but they were much further down the river so I didn't expect to run into any zombies in the near future.  Thank God.

I wondered about the shanties.  Of course, I'd heard rumors about the makeshift homes in the mangroves which provided shelter to the dispossessed.  That was pretty much the extent of my knowledge.  I couldn't imagine anyone choosing to make a home in a mosquito-plagued, muddy, humid environment like this.  Hell, if I never set foot in this place again, it would be too soon.

The moon decided to make an appearance.  I felt like shouting 'hallelujah' as its light illuminated the banks along which we were proceeding.  Suddenly we could see where we were placing our feet, instead of having to feel our way through roots and mud.  For another fifteen minutes, we fought our way through the mangrove edge.  A gleam ahead caught my eye.  I was looking at a piece of corrugated iron which formed a rough roof over a sleeping figure.  Behind it, I spotted a blue tarp strung up between trees and some figures snuggled together beneath it.  Scanning the area, I counted another four rough shelters.

Mike caught my eye and gestured to the bank ahead of us.  I saw a metal dinghy loosely tied up.  Stealthily, we skulked past the sleeping figures and knelt beside the boat.  Mike untied it and gestured for me to get it.  As quietly as I could, I stepped into the small boat and sat down carefully.  Mike pushed the boat quietly away from the bank as he stepped in.  We let the boat just drift down the river for several minutes, ears pricked for any noise from the camp.  Finally, Mike picked up the oars and started rowing smoothly.  I felt a little bad for taking the camp's little fishing boat but, frankly, they had bigger problems to deal with than catching fish.  We all did.

From within the safety of a boat, the river looked beautiful in the glow of the moonlight.  Occasionally, a fish jumped out of the water and splashed back in.  A bird cried hauntingly from a nearby branch.  Then as we rounded a bend, the airport came into view.  Brightly lit, the grounds were full of moving figures.  Not living people, I realised with a sinking feeling as I noted the staccato jerkiness of their movements.  Nothing appeared to be moving on the fields except dead people.  The vehicles were stationary, the helicopters were gone and I could not hear the sound of any gunfire.  Mike pulled out his binoculars and scanned the airport for several minutes before silently putting the binoculars away again.

"Anything?" I asked, afraid of his answer.  He shook his head mutely.  We sat in silence for several minutes as we passed the remains of the airport camp.  I wondered sadly how many had made it out.

Mike pulled the oars through the water with practised ease.  "We should reach Redlynch in thirty minutes or so.  Let's hope we don't have a welcoming party waiting for us."

"God, I hope not.  Right now I would be hard pressed to give anyone a good talking to, let alone fight."

He grinned.  "So you don't want a go at rowing, then?"

I smiled weakly at him.  Just the thought of rowing or even having to walk filled me with dread.  Watching Mike, I marvelled at his composure and strength.  Pull back his skin, I thought drily, and there was probably a hyperalloy combat chassis underneath. 

"You're doing a great job, Mike, pal, mate." I wheedled.  He mimed retching in response.

***

We sat quietly for a long time, lost in our own thoughts.  I was desperate to hear my family's voices, see their faces, know for sure that they were all okay.  The memory of the look on Michele's face, the way she had begged me to stay home...remorse filled me at my selfish need to be in control - even at my family's expense.

As we rounded a bend, a houseboat moored by the bank of the river appeared.  We were close to the beaches here so it wasn't a big surprise.  I could see some lights in the distance, indicating the presence of homes on the beaches - and people.  And where there were people, there were zombies, I thought nervously.  The lights in the houseboat were on but I couldn't see any movement.  Mike angled the dinghy to give us a safe margin past the houseboat. As we drifted slowly by,  I scanned the houseboat for signs of life.  The decks were bare and the large open windows revealed a table set for dinner but no people.  My unease increased.

I glanced at Mike.  He was carefully examining the river and surrounding mangrove.  At this time of night, the tide was going out so it wouldn't have been hard for any zombies to reach the houseboat, moored as it was at the shallow end of the river.  Putting the oars back in the water, Mike started to pull strongly through the water towards the middle of the river.  I felt the sudden urgency in him. 

The dinghy suddenly dipped on one side.  I gasped and clutched the sides of the little boat.  It dipped again like a fishing rod with a large fish on the end.

"Grab your knife, Lori."  Mike spoke coolly, eyes alert.  I pulled the parang out, feeling adrenaline pumping through my veins.

A grey hand appeared over the edge of the dinghy, making the boat tip to the side.  Stepping forward, I swung the parang down and severed the hand at the wrist.  More hands reached up.  I could see the pale gleam of eyes just beneath the surface of the water.  Faint with horror, I chopped off the fingers  creeping over the side.

A sudden vicious lurch.  "If the boat tips over, dive for the middle of the river, Lori.  It should be too deep for the corpses." Mike spoke grimly.  I nodded, trembling.  Mike heaved with the oars but it was like trying to move through jelly.  The boat swung sluggishly to the side.  Mike stood up slowly and moved to the middle of the boat, oar in hand.  A wet, pale dead corpse suddenly dragged itself over the side of the dinghy.  Mike shoved the oar viciously into the creature's face and pushed him off.  All around the boat, I could see the gleam of pale eyes.

"We're going to have to go for it, Lori." Mike said quietly.  "Dive right over their heads and then swim like hell for the middle of the river."

"Oh, dear God." I groaned, my whole body shaking with fear.  "This night really sucks."

Tales of the Dead Tropics - chapter 37

My mind went blank for a moment with utter terror.  The sight was overwhelmingly horrifying in its scale and in its implication.  There was no escape from a horde of this size.  I could not see the ends of the mass as it  spread along the length of the fence.  The faces of the virus' victims stared at me as they pressed against the fence.  A dark haired girl of about six, a strongly built young man, an obese man of about sixty, a pregnant teenager...God, so many lives destroyed.  And now they were intent on destroying our lives.

"Lori, come on!"  Mike's urgent voice startled me.  He waved at me impatiently as Anders broke into a run towards some men manning a machine gun.

"Captain, they came out of nowhere!" One of the  men yelled at him.  I wondered how that was even possible.  I supposed if the horde came from the beaches area, it was possible that they had moved across the canefields and thus escaped detection until too late, but it still seemed unlikely.  Most likely, someone had not done their job.

Anders calmly issued some instructions.  I watched as some men ran up with what looked like rocket launchers.  They knelt, aimed at the approaching horde and fired.  The rockets flew through the air straight into the crowd, exploding on impact.  A howitzer fired nearby while another man used a grenade launcher to send multiple grenades into the crowd.  The noise was overwhelming, causing me to cover my ears instinctively.  Nonetheless, it was clear to me that they were not making the slightest dent in the horde, in spite of the body parts flying around.

Anders turned to Boyd.  "Get these two to safety now!" Grabbing Mike's shoulder, he looked at him somberly.  "Good luck, Bridges."

Mike reached up to squeeze his arm.  "You too, Anders." With that, Mike nodded at me and we ran, Boyd following behind. 

"Jensen!" I heard Anders yelling.  "Get the civilians on those choppers!"

"Where are we going?" I gasped, trying to keep up with his long stride.

"Boyd! How do we get out of here?" He yelled over his shoulder in response.

Boyd pointed at the huge transport helicopters sitting on the oval.  I saw the propellers had already started to turn in preparation.  A group of frightened civilians were being herded across the field towards the helicopters.

"No!" I dug my heels in.  "I have to get home!"  Mike nodded and turned to Boyd.

"That's not an option.  Give us a vehicle."

Boyd shook his carrot topped head, eyes nervously darting around.  "We're surrounded.  You'll never make it."

"We'll take our chances." Mike replied impatiently.

"There must be thousands..." Boyd stared beyond the fence, mesmerized by the endless sea of faces beyhond it.

"Boyd!" Mike snapped.

The young soldier shook himself.  "Okay, okay.  This way." 

As we turned to follow him, a grinding, creaking sound behind us drew us to a stop.  Slowly, filled with dread, I turned.  All along the fence line, the pressure of bodies was proving too much.  Parts of it had already given way and dead people were pushing through the barb wire, oblivious to the tearing of their flesh. 

"Oh. My. God." I whispered in horror.  I heard a strangled sound beside me.  Boyd's face was white and frozen with fear.  A hand reached between us and whipped me around.  I stared into Mike's intense eyes.  "Don't freak out on me now, Lori."  I licked my lips and nodded, resisting the urge to look over my shoulder.  He held my eyes for a second longer before he was satisfied and then turned to Boyd.

"Boyd! Snap out of it! The car!"

Boyd blinked.  With shaky steps, he backed up a few steps before spinning around.  "Follow me."

We raced towards the side of the building where the army vehicles were parked.  Screams and gunshots rang out behind us.  Refusing to look behind me, I focused on where I was going.  I saw the brightly lit hall in the distance and sent up a quick prayer for the safety of the people in it.  Please don't let any more innocent people die.  As I watched, people streamed through its doors, children in tow, towards the choppers.  Soldiers urged them on loudly, weapons ready. 

Several tanks stood imposingly in the field.  Now they would be perfect for an escape, I thought yearningly.

"Watch out!" Boyd screamed.  I jerked instinctively to the side, just in time to see streams of dead-eyed bodies pouring toward us from between the tanks.  Beyond them, the fence lay twisted and flattened.  They stumbled over each other, pushing and shoving indifferently, as they tried to reach us.  The sight of all those dead eyes focused singlemindedly on us turned my blood to water. 

"Run!" Mike yelled, pulling out his gun.  Firing at the creatures, he glanced at me.  "Go!"  I bolted after Boyd, who was running like death itself was on his heels.  We flew along the length of the airport building which suddenly seemed to stretch on forever.  All along the fence line, bodies were spilling into the airport grounds.  Soldiers charged forward, shooting their weapons, but they didn't stand a chance against such numbers.  Glancing over as I ran for my life, I witnessed the soldiers being swallowed by a deadly wall of hungry corpses. 

Brave young men hurried forward to try to hold the line as hundreds of dead bodies continued to advance on them.  God, such courage. For every corpse they succeeded in executing, another ten were there to take its place.

We weren't going to make it, I realised.  The end of the building was at least fifty meters away while the wall of bodies was only about ten meters away.  They would cut us off before we reached the corner.  Mike must have seen it, too, as he suddenly stopped dead.  Pulling his bat out, he swung it at the window forcefully, shattering it.  Boyd, hearing the glass break, ran back to us, wide eyed and jittery.  At least he didn't waste time asking foolish questions.  Leading the way, he jumped over the glass and raced down the corridor.  As we sprinted after him, I heard the crushing of glass underfoot and all too familiar moans. 

We followed Boyd unquestioningly through the maze of corridors.  My throat burned as I struggled for breath.  How  much longer could I keep this up, I wondered with some desperation.  Crash! The sound of glass breaking jerked our heads around.  Corpses climbed through the jagged frame on our right.  I suddenly realised that I could see the outline of bodies pressing against every window we passed. 

"There!" Boyd screamed.  At the end of the corridor was a door, unassuming and yet as wondrous a sight as the holy grail.  Ignoring my burning lungs, I desperately pushed my legs to go faster as windows started to shatter all along the length of the corridor.  From the corner of my eye, I saw torn and bloodied corpses raising their arms out as we passed.  A body staggered in front of me.  A man in a business suit, a ragged hole where his nose and mouth had been, moaned and clutched at me.  Screaming, I instinctively ducked under his arm and kept running.  Another body grabbed at me and snagged my sleeve.  Wrenching it away, I hugged the far wall as the bodies came closer. 

Pulling my parang out, I frantically lopped off a hand and then another. Without a word, Mike swung his bat and battered the heads of the nearest creatures into the ground.  As Boyd fired into the face of a female corpse blocking his path, I swung the parang through the neck of another woman.  And there was the door.  Wrenching it open, Mike ushered us through into the dark of the car park.

"What the hell?!" Boyd exclaimed.  Peering around him, I saw the empty car park.  All the vehicles had been driven away.  My heart sank to my toes.  I was so exhausted that I didn't even have the energy to be scared anymore.   At least that is what I thought, until I saw the first of the dead horde pouring into the car park from around the building.  And then I remembered what terror felt like again as my knees turned to jelly.  The bloodstained mouths, dead eyes, torn bodies - the thought of being in their clutches made me want to throw up. 

"Head for the river" Mike said grimly.  "It's our only chance."

Once again we forced our weary bodies into a run.  Across the darkened car park, we ran, straight  onto the runway.  Turning, we headed down the long runway towards the mangroves.  My legs screamed in protest but the sight of the huge horde seemingly keeping pace with ease on the right propelled me forward with renewed fervour.

I didn't know what we were going to do when we got to the mangroves, though.  The river was deep and seriously infested with saltwater crocodiles.  Surely Mike wasn't suggesting we go in the water, was he?  Maybe we would hide out in the mangroves for a while. 

Alarmingly, the eight foot wire fence separating the airport from the mangroves was already down.  I prayed that the zombies responsible for doing that had already headed in to the airport instead of lurking around the mangroves for idiots like us to stray into their territory.  We scrambled over the barbed wire and moved cautiously into the trees.   I felt a moment of intense panic as intense darkness swallowed me.  My feet froze in place as I desperately waited for my eyes to adjust.  Gradually, I realised I could just make out the shapes of trees around us.  There was a shape moving cautiously just ahead of me. I prayed that it was one of the men. 

My feet sunk down into the mud up to my knees.  With difficulty, I pushed forward.  A hand touched my arm.  I swallowed a scream as I recognised Mike's figure.  He touched a finger to his lips and pointed ahead.  Barely able to see in the inky darkness, I focused on my ears instead.  Just ahead of me, I could hear Boyd labouring through the mud but up a little further, there was something else...I strained to identify the faint sound.  A low pitch, ululating sound...my blood chilled in recognition.  The sound the corpses made whenever they spotted humans.  And Boyd was heading straight for them.

I hissed "Boyd!"  He didn't seem to hear me.  Mike's hand tightened on my arm.  Glancing at him, I realised he was facing away from to our right.  A slurping, wet sound directed my eyes to a spot only about ten feet away.  It was clear something was moving through the mud towards us.

A sudden scream jerked my head around.  Boyd.  He screamed in terror again.  I heard him thrashing in the mud as he fought for his life.  The moans rose in pitch and excitement.  As Boyd fell abruptly silent, our unseen companions moved towards the disturbance.    

Sliding his hand down my arm to grab mine, Mike silently led me away.  My heart ached for the loss of another young life as I struggled to moved quietly through the mud.  No easy task.  I pulled one leg slowly up and out before gently sliding it through the mud again.  We moved in this staccato way for at least twenty minutes, pausing several times as we heard movement nearby.  We waited until the sound moved away before starting to trudge forward again.  My heart pounded frantically as the constant strain of trying to see and hear in the near complete blackness took its toll on my already frayed nerves.

With a splash, I found myself floundering in waist high water.  We had found the river.  In alarm, I tried to scramble back onto the bank.  Mike grabbed me around the waist.

"Stop it.  We have to swim across the river."

"Are you crazy?" I hissed, my eyes widening with panic.  "There are crocs in here!"  The mangroves here were home to some of the world's biggest and most dangerous crocodiles in the world.  On fishing trips, I had seen some enormous ones sunning themselves on the banks.  The thought of swimming across the river...surely he couldn't be serious. 

"If we stay here, we're done for. " He reminded me grimly.  "And so is Sarah."

Sarah.  The reminder cleared the panic from my thoughts.  I had to get the medicine to my little girl.  Thank God the bottles are waterproof. 

"Okay." My voice trembled. "God.  Okay."

"Keep your movements smooth and minimise any splashing." Mike said with calm practicality.

"Don't you ever get scared?" I asked, incredulous.

"All the frigging time." He replied drily.  "Let's go.  The noise is attracting the corpses."  I realised that he was right as I registered the moaning of many dulled voices nearing us.

Through the cool, dark waters, we breaststroked quietly away from the bank.  I thought that I could never be more frightened than I had been facing zombies on that first day.  I was wrong.  Swimming into pitch black water, knowing there were crocodiles present, required every bit of will power that I had.  At any moment, I expected to feel steel jaws clamping around my waist.  I heard splashing behind me as bodies fell into the water.

"You don't think they can swim, do you?" I whispered.

"Nope."

More splashes.

"But as they don't breathe, I can't see anything stopping them walking across the riverbed."

Shit.

Tales of the Dead Tropics - chapter 36

"Hooah!" I heard the soldier above yelling as he drilled the bodies around him with his machine gun. 

"Thank you!" I gasped gratefully to the man across from me.  The soldier, a handsome asian youth, grinned at me.  "No probs, ma'am.  You looked like you were having a spot of trouble."

I snorted weakly.  " That seems to be a permanent state of affairs at the moment..."

The soldier from the turret clambered back down.  Bright orange hair poking out from under his helmet, he looked all of twenty.  "That's a few less dmw's to worry about!" He boasted.

"Dmws?" I questioned.  The soldiers exchanged a grin.

"That would be 'dead men walking', ma'am.  Our little nickname for the fu...suckers."

"Ahh." I restrained the urge to roll my eyes.  "Please stop calling ma'am.  You're making me feel like a school principal!  My name is Lori Nelson." I gestured at Mike  who was watching their antics with a bland expression. "This strong silent type here is Mike Bridges."

"Private Jensen, ma'...Lori." The asian lad shook my hand and then Mike's.  "The 'ranga is Boyd and the two up front are Doyle and Harris."  Doyle and Harris gave a polite wave in response, remaining focused ahead.  "I tell ya, it's good to find some survivors at last.  I was worried we were going to have to return to base and report to the captain that the patrol was another bust!"

Boyd gave a dramatic shudder.  "I heard the captain ripped the last patrol a new one for coming back empty handed."

Jensen's dark eyes twinkled at me.  "See, ma'am, you did us a favour by allowing us to rescue you."

My lips couldn't help smiling in response.  "Glad we could be of service.  Your captain sounds like a real hardass."

"Nah. Anders is okay." Jensen responded. "He knows his stuff."

"At least he doesn't try his damnedest to get us killed, like some fincles I can think of." Boyd snorted derisively.

"Fin..." I started.

"Anders?" Mike leaned forward, interest lighting his grey eyes.  "James Anders?"

"Yeah.  Why?"

He shrugged casually, searching his pockets for a stick of gum  "I knew him back in Afghanistan."

Boyd slapped his hand on his knee.  "Ha! Knew it! Had you pegged for a military man as soon as I saw you!  What rank?"

"Sergeant." Mike peered through the window. "Where is your base camp located?"

"At the airport.  We'll be there in a few minutes."

I started to feel anxious.  The further we travelled, the further we would have to go to get back to the house.  "Private Jensen, we have a group back at my sister's house.  We really need to get back to them."

"No probs.  There'll be another patrol heading out soon.  They can pick them up then."

I nodded reluctantly.  I guessed that would have to do.   As the soldiers turned away to discuss a matter with the men in front, I whispered to Mike.  "What does fincles mean?"

He grinned mischievously.  "That would be an aconym, F.I.N.C.LE.  An effing idiot that no cun..."

"Okay, okay.  Sorry I asked."

"Here we are." Jensen nodded.  Peering through the small window, I saw we were approaching the airport.  At least it had been a airport yesterday.  Today it liked something from a war movie with its perimeter reinforced with barb wire and sandbags.  Machine guns and rocket launcher were manned by soldiers all along the fence line.  I looked around in awe as we passed through the gates.  In the lowering dusk, lights shone brightly all over the camp, revealing a chaotic mix of tents, tanks, army vehicles and helicopters parked on the oval.  

"Out you come." Boyd called cheerfully, pulling the hummer door open.  Clambering out, I took in the sights and sounds.  Periodically, machine guns would stutter, no doubt at zombies approaching the fence.  Looking at all the lights and personnel, I had no doubt that this camp was attracting a lot of attention from zombies.  Uneasy at the thought, I followed Mike and the soldiers through the grounds.

"You'll be perfectly safe here." Boyd said cheerfully.  "We've got barricades and guards on all sides - except the river, of course."  He grinned.  "But then, the crocs  do the job of guarding that perimeter for us."

"The refugees are being harboured in arrivals building over there." Jensen nodded to a large building on our left.  "But I'm sure we can rustle up a bit of privacy for a military man." He grinned, thumping Mike on the arm.  Mike smiled at him before turning to me and wagging his brows mischievously. 

As we passed the large glass windows of the arrivals hall, I paused to look inside.  There must have been hundreds of people lying across seats and sprawled across canvas beds or huddled in corners.  Refugees, indeed.  The look of numbness, shock and despair on their faces spoke of horrific experiences.  Small children ran and played amidst the adults while older children stood close to their parents, seemingly afraid to let them out of their sight.  My heart went out to them.

"What measures are you taking to ensure the virus doesn't spread amongst the refugees?" Mike asked abruptly.

Jensen looked up at him.  "You know about the bite thing?  Not to worry. The docs are giving all new refugees the once over to make sure they haven't been bitten."

"And if they have?" I hated to ask for fear of the answer.

Jensen looked at me somberly but did not answer the question.

"We're heading to the docs right now, as a matter of fact." Boyd interjected. "They should be able to see you straight away.  It's not like they're busy - we haven't found any survivors in several hours."

The doctors were working from an office.  The room was full of medical supplies and surgical equipment. 

"Hey doc!" Boyd called out as we entered.  "Got some new ones for you to check over!"

A man with short salt and pepper hair joined us.  "Have either of you been bitten?" Keen eyed and sharp featured, the middle aged man ran his eyes swiftly over me.

I shook my head, a little taken aback by his manner.

"Been in the daintree area in the last week?"

We shook our heads again. 

"Well, then there shouldn't be an issue.  Go in those booths over there," He nodded towards temporary cubicles in the far left corner of the room. "and strip."  Knowing that the doctors were thorough with their checks went a long way to reassuring me that this place wouldn't pose a risk to my family.  Although the high profile of this camp still concerned me.  Surely they should be trying to be as unobtrusive as possible?  I shrugged the thought off as I headed for a booth.  I was hardly Sun Tzi, military strategist extraodinaire.

After we were given the all clear by the doctor, Mike and I were met by another young soldier who introduced himself as Harris.  Jensen and Boyd had left to report to their captain.  We were led to a tent which I guessed was where the soldiers were staying. 

"Please wait here until someone comes to collect you." The young man requested politely before leaving.

Mike raised his brows, looking around at the basic but comfortable accommodation. "Not bad digs, really."

"You must be highly regarded, sergeant, to warrant such luxury." I said drily, but my heart wasn't in it.  My mind was on Sarah.  I was feeling increasingly frustrated, knowing she was getting sicker every minute that she was without the antibiotics I had in my bag.

"We'll be out of here soon, Lori." He said gently.  He was really learning to read me well, I realised with some discomfort. 

I looked away.  "I hope so.  If something happens to Sarah..."

"It won't."  He said it with so much confidence that I actually believed him.

"Why, are we due a miracle again?" I asked wryly. 

"Probably.  But we won't need it because you're just too damned stubborn to let anything happen to your kid."

"Hey!" I paused. "You know, I have absolutely no idea whether to be flattered or offended by that comment."

"Neither.  It was an observation, not flattery."  A mischievous glint came into his eyes.  "If I were trying to flatter you, I would comment on your cute nose, your perky..."

"Hey!" I felt my cheeks reddening and hoped the lighting was poor enough to stop him noticing.  I doubted it, though.  Very little seemed to escape his notice.

"What?" He gave me his most innocent look.

"You are such a stirrer." I sighed, exasperated.  Turning away, I placed my backpack on the little picnic table and stretched my back. Mike lay down on the camp bed, feet hanging off the edge, and closed his eyes.  Unable to rest, I paced the tent.  In the distance, the staccato sound of gunfire provided counterpoint to nearby vehicle engine noises and voices yelling instructions.

"You're wearing me out, Lori."  Mike was watching me.  I pulled a chair out and slumped down beside him. 

"What's taking so long?  I have to get home, Mike!"

"Give them a few more minutes.  Then I'll go hunt down Anders and make him give us a vehicle."

I studied him, unsure if he was being serious or not.  "Isn't that, like, treason or something, punishable by death?"

He laughed.  "I don't think it will come to that."

Harris poked his head through the flap.  "Captain Anders would like to see you now." 

Jumping up, I through the tent flap.  Machine guns rattled left and right.  Were they firing more frequently now, I wondered nervously, it seemed like they were.  Night had now fallen, making it impossible to see anything beyond the lights of the spotlights in the camp but I knew there were zombies there.  The thought chilled me.

Anders was standing with Boyd in his tent, albeit a larger and more comfortably equipped tent.  He turned as we entered and smiled welcomingly.  He was a slim sandy haired man with intelligent blue eyes and angular features.  Not surprisingly in the circumstances, he looked rather tired.  Mike strode forward and met him with an enthusiastic handshake.

"Bridges." Anders grasped Mike's forearm firmly.  "I am gratified to see you alive."

Mike grinned.  "Better than the alternative."

Anders raised his brows. "Indeed."

Turning to me, Mike beckoned me closer.  "This is Lori Nelson, a good friend of mine." I glanced up at him, surprised and secretly pleased. 

"Pleased to meet you, ma'am." Anders voice was clipped but polite.  I smiled and shook his hand.  "Nice to meet you, too.  I am very grateful to you and your men," I nodded at Boyd. "for rescuing us.  Mike and I were having a 'spot of trouble'."

Mike grinned.  "Speak for yourself, Lori.  I was doing just fine."

Anders' lips twitched.  "Same old Bridges, I see.  Might I ask what you were doing at the centre?  I assume not shopping?" 

"In a manner of speaking.  We needed medicine for Lori's daughter."

Anders frowned.  "She wasn't bitten, was she?"

"No. Yes." I rushed in. "She was bitten but that's not why she's sick. At least not directly."

Anders looked sympathetic and sorrowful.  "I'm sorry to hear that.  Unfortunately, there is no cure for being bitten yet.  It seems to be 100% fatal."

I looked at Mike pleadingly as my tongue seemed to be tied up all of a sudden.  He understood and stepped in.

"The limb was amputated immediately." He said crisply.  "She doesn't have the virus, just a normal infection of the wound."

Anders turned to Boyd and requested that he leave.  He turned back to us with a concerned look. "Amputation. Well, that would be a first.  Maybe we could swing it..." Seeing our puzzled looks, he explained himself. "There is a zero tolerance policy in place.  If the doctors determine that she is infected..." He paused.

"What?" I demanded.

"The doctors have been instructed to make sure any infected person is ...humanely euthanased."  He looked a little discomforted at the expression on my face.

"Well, she's not infected." I said through gritted teeth.  I didn't want to even think about what that policy would mean to other families.  Not now.

"If you choose to bring her here, it's a risk you need to be aware of."  He said sympathetically.

"There's no way I'm taking that chance!" I exploded, turning to Mike.  "Mike, we've got to get back home!"

"Calm down, Lori."  He raised a pacifying hand, eyes on Anders.   "Is there anything you can do? You have my personal assurance that the child is not infected."

"How long ago was the girl bitten?"

"Thirteen hours." I responded promptly.  Anders nodded thoughtfully.

"And her symptoms are...?"

"She has a fever and signs of sepsis."  At his raised eyebrow, I added an explanation for his benefit.  "I'm a nurse."

"Well, she is approaching the outside window for incubation...  If she hasn't developed the virus in the next couple of hours, I believe I can persuade a doc I know, to give her the all clear."

I ran a hand through my hair in frustration.  "Captain, I appreciate your help, but that's a big if.  I am not going to take a chance of my daughter being put down like a dog!"

"Of course." He nodded. Straightening, he appeared to come to a decision. "I am prepared to give you my assurance that your daughter will be safe here.  If Bridges says she is not infected, that is good enough for me." 

I looked at Mike who nodded reassuringly. Turning back to Anders, he extended his  hand.  " 'preciate that, Anders."

As the captain shook Mike's hand, I struggled with my anxieties.  I wanted Sarah in the care of doctors but, in spite of Mike's confidence in this man, it felt like a big risk to bring her here.  I believed Anders meant what he said but what if he couldn't honor his promise to keep her safe?  What if the doctors had the power to override him?  Was that a risk worth taking?

Mike spoke up as I stood silent.  "Anders, we need to hitch a ride back to the house with one of your patrols." 

"Of course.  I'll walk you over to the team myself."  Anders hesitated.   "However, we have recently been given orders to evacuate all civilians and troops so you need to be aware that you don't have long to make a decision about joining us. If you miss the last transport, you will be on your own."

"I see."  Mike's voice was suddenly alert.  "When will the last transport be leaving."

"Five hundred hours." Anders' voice was casual but as he moved to a nearby table to pour some water,  I saw the tightness in his face. "I will instruct the last patrol to check on you."   Handing us a glass of water each, he caught Mike's eyes.  "I hope you will seriously consider coming with us." 

Mike turned abruptly to me.  "Lori, will you collect our backpacks, please?"

I gritted my teeth and spun on my heels.  I didn't need to be a rocket scientist to pick up on the underlying conversation going on in that room.  If he needed me gone to talk more frankly, then so be it.  Boyd was waiting outside the tent with a ready smile.

"Hello Boyd, I hear you guys are pulling out."

"Yes, ma'am.  I think headquarters finally decided fighting dead guys is a waste of time.  Can't say I disagree!"

"So the quarantine is being lifted?"

"No need.  We've blasted the roads in and out of town.  No dmw's getting out unless they can swim." He grinned. 

I returned the grin automatically as my mind raced.  "But where does that leave the people who are still alive in this town?"

He jerked his thumb at the gym. " That's why we've been sending out patrols all day, ma'am.  At this point, it's become a search and rescue operation to find as many survivors as possible and then get them the hell out of town."

I nodded stiffly and headed towards our tent.  To all appearances, the people in this town were being written off and abandoned to their fate.  There was no way that all the survivors could be found in one day.  Surely we could expect more from the people who were supposed to protect us?

I hurried to the tent and grabbed the backpacks.  The need to see my daughter was so strong that I felt almost sick.  As I left, I saw Jensen bellowing at some men to follow him.  They rushed past me towards the gates.  Uneasily, I stared after them, wondering what the emergency was.  Hopefully, nothing that would delay me leaving.  I felt a little guilty at the selfishness of that thought but, hey, I'm human.

Mike smiled at me as I entered the tent.  He and Anders appeared to be poring over a map.

"Ah, excellent." Anders straightened.  "If you are ready, I will take you to the patrol team now.  They will be heading out soon."

"Thank you!" I burst out appreciatively.  He blinked at my vehemence and nodded warily.  Grabbing his hat, he exited the tent with me and Mike in tow.  Boyd fell in beside me.   All around us, soldiers were packing equipment into trucks, taking down tents and checking weapons.  A sense of urgency seemed to have filtered into the camp in the last half hour.  I guessed there was a lot of work to be done before the army could pull out of town.

As we passed the arrivals hall, still packed with shell shocked civilians, the sporadic gunfire on the nearby barricades suddenly became prolonged and numerous.  Anders and Mike looked up, instantly alert.  Urgent voices could be heard on the wind yelling orders.  As one, we all ran towards the gates, where the ruckus seemed to be located.  Bringing up the rear, I wondered why the hell we were running towards trouble when we should be running the other way, but the thought disappeared as quickly as it came.  As the gates came into sight, I caught my breath. 

The spotlights illuminated a scene both horrific and unbelievable.  A mass of bodies, maybe thousands deep, moved towards the gate and surrounding fence.  It was a dark, flowing, implacable tide of death - and it was coming for us.  Under the glow of lights, the old, the young, the torn and bloodied, staggered towards the camp mindlessly and with utter singlemindedness.