Outbreak: Boston (27 page)

“Frays!” Lacey called as he pointed at the figure. “Four o’clock!”

Amy took a deep breath and slowly started to exhale as she squeezed the trigger. Her carbine went off with a sound like if she had snapped a thick tree branch over her knee and the figure fell. “Got it.” Frays said as she lowered her weapon and reengaged the safety with her thumb.

“I got it too!” Powers shouted as he pulled the bay doors open. Lacey and Eamon drove the trucks inside as Amy started backing her way towards the warehouse, covering the open lot behind the group. Powers hauled the door shut once Amy was inside the building.

Frays switched her illuminator on and scanned their immediate area as Lacey and Eamon flicked on the white lights on the Five Tons, filling the building with shadowy light. “Alright.

Kill those engines and pair off by battle buddy teams to check the building. Quick and careful.” Amy said as she joined Lacey by the truck. “Let’s go, people.”

The four of them split into two teams and made as through a search of the building as they could in about minutes. Lacey was happy to let Frays take point as she seemed to know more about this sort of thing than he did. He followed an arm’s length or two behind, mainly trying to keep his eyes and ears open without muzzle sweeping Frays too many times.

There were six rows of tall metal shelves inside the warehouse, so it did not take that long for the four of them to search the place. The only major incident was when the two teams made it to the end of their first row: Frays paused at the end, peeked around then came out to find herself staring down the barrel of Private Powers’ weapon eighty meters away as he simply came plowing around the shelf on his team’s side of the building.

“Watch where you’re pointing that thing, you jerk!” she hissed at him from across the building. If Powers’ behavior did not result in one or both of them almost being accidentally shot, Lacey would have found Frays’ reaction humorous. He scowled at the Army private in the gloom and was not looking forward to the rest of the search.

Thankfully, Powers learned his lesson and the rest of the search passed without incident. “On me!” Amy called as she walked towards the trucks. Lacey, Eamon and Powers gathered near the young woman and waited for her orders. She looked thoughtfully at the shelves. “This one looks like it’s full of MOLLE.
” Frays pointed towards the shelf directly in front of them “Lacey and me will look for cold weather gear. Powers and Eamon, grab up a big pile of the uniforms off the shelves. Don’t really look, just grab armloads of the crap and throw it in the trucks. C’mon, let’s go.”

They found piles of Army issue ACUs, rucksacks and GORE-TEX parkas. Lacey and Frays found bundles of cots and huge piles of green woolen blankets which they added to their acquisitions in the bed of the truck. “It’ll be good to sleep on one of these!” Adam said as he slung an armload of cots into the Five Ton. Amy chuckled as they sprinted back to the shelves to grab more gear. Eamon and Powers helped themselves to a shelf of gas masks and charcoal impregnated MOPP suits.

Once they had grabbed everything that they could find and loaded it into one of the Five Tons, Powers and Eamon climbed up into the vehicles’ cabs and started them up. Lacey and Frays pulled open the doors and moved outside, sweeping the area with their rifles as the trucks pulled out of the warehouse. Once the doors were closed again, those on the ground grabbed the passenger’s side mirrors and clung to the side of the Five Tons as Eamon and Powers drove up to the next warehouse in line.

Frays covered Lacey as he pried the lock off the warehouse door and pulled it open. Once the trucks were inside with the doors shut the four of them searched the building. There were sleeping bags, poncho and liners and several shelves of Army Field Manuals on the rows of metal shelves. Frays frowned as they loaded the gear and books into the second Five Ton. The clothing was helpful and there was bound to be good information in the manuals, but she could not help but notice that she had lost more than a few pounds since Boston. There was that uncomfortable sense of always being sort of hungry all the time, too.

The sound of slow, mechanical fists pounding on the sheet metal door made them all stop what they were doing and look at the south end of the building. Another joined the first on the east side of the building. “Shit.” Powers whispered as the sleeping bags he was holding fell to the floor. “Shit. Shit. Shitshitshitshit!”

“Powers!” Amy said as she picked up the fartsacks and pushed them back into the man’s arms. “Calm down. It sounds like it’s only two or three of them. We can handle this.” She flashed a reassuring smile and pushed him towards the nearest Five Ton. “Okay Powers, you get in the truck and get ready to roll out. Lacey, Eamon on me.

Eamon, go on over and grab that door and slide it open.” Eamon looked at her like she had suggested he go jump on a bicycle with
its seat missing. “Don’t worry. Lacey and me will cover you. Once we deal with the infected on the door, get in the other truck. Powers and Eamon will pull the trucks out.”

“What about the ones on the side of the building?” Lacey asked. Something told him he would not really like to hear what Frays would have to say in response. He searched the airman’s face hoping that she was not thinking what he thought she was thinking.

“We’ll take care of it.” Frays said with a small smirk. “C’mon guys. We gotta get it done.” Eamon and Adam looked at each other before moving into position.

This is fuckin’ crazy
Eamon thought as he grasped the door handle, waiting for the signal from Amy.
I’m out of my goddamn mind for doing this!
Lacey and Frays got into position and flicked the safeties off on their weapons. “Ready Eamon?” Frays shouted. She brought her carbine to her shoulder and got prepared herself.

The fat medic wiped his hands on his shirt and gripped the door handle again. “Ready!”

“Do it!”

Eamon strained at the door, tugging it on its rollers as three figures appeared as silhouettes in the doorway. The figures started towards the two people standing in front of them in a lurching, shambling run. They moaned horrifically, their hands groping for the living flesh finally just within their reach. Lacey dropped the one of the left as Frays put a round through temple of the one in the middle. She shifted her fire towards the one on the right as it bore down on her. Amy’s shot went wild by only a few inches, grazing the side of the man’s skull. Frays fired again as she backpedaled towards the truck, this time punching his nose through the back of his head. He fell to the ground practically at Frays’ feet, spattering the front of her body armor and LCS with brownish black liquid and bits of tissue.

The trucks rolled out Lacey and Frays hustled towards the door as Eamon ran over to the remaining Five Ton and scrambled into the cab. As soon as the truck was out of the warehouse, Frays pulled the door shut while Lacey provided cover. They could hear the fists pounding on the sheet metal getting closer and closer to them. Frays whistled to get Lacey’s attention.

Frays communicated with him via hand signals. “On me. I’ll take point. We’re clearing the corner.” Lacey bit back a groan as he hurried over to the woman and got behind her as she turned to face the corner of the building where the noises were coming from. He put his non firing hand on Frays’ shoulder and squeezed, signaling Amy that he was in position and ready to go.

The two of them crept to the corner of the building, Frays carefully sidestepping to keep her body square to the unsecured area and allowing her to see as much of the space around the corner without presenting too big of a target. Lacey was right behind her, backing her up. She transitioned her carbine from her right shoulder to her left to further lessen her profile as she came around the corner.

She heard the two men a half second before she saw them. Frays somehow got her carbine up in between the first one’s torso and used it to hold it off. Panic hit her like a bucket of liquid nitrogen: Frays was really only aware of powerful clammy hands grabbing at her arms, her shoulders, pulling at her ABU top trying to pull her towards its pale rotten face, its pallid eyes locked onto her own as it struggled to push her to the ground. She could see chunks of bloody fl
esh stuck between its teeth. Its breath smelled like death left soaking in a ditch for a week.

The creature’s head disappeared and her ears were ringing. There was something kind of thick like grape jelly on her face, running down her neck as the second one stepped over its comrade and reached for her with outstretched hands. Frays was strong for her size and pumped full of adrenaline when she lashed out with the butt of her M4, smashing the creature’s jaw with a sickening crunch and snapping its head around to one side.

The force of the blow gave Frays time to step back and bring up her rifle. Her mouth fell open when she saw that creature’s jaw hung off its face at an appalling angle as it turned back to face her. Its jaw made a cracking sound like somebody grinding a pile of twigs under their heel as it tried to open its mouth and charge her again. Frays and Lacey pulled their triggers at about the same time, evaporating the creature’s head.

Frays blinked stupidly at the dead creatures, a dazed expression on her face as if she were trying to comprehend what just happened. “C’mon, Frays!” Lacey shouted as he caught her by the arm and started pulling her towards the nearest truck. Amy climbed into the truck with Powers and slammed the door as Adam ran up to the other Five Ton and climbed inside.

The trucks roared across the compound to the gates, where Lacey and Frays got out. Lacey opened it while Frays covered him and, once the trucks were through, closed them again. Powers wrinkled his nose as the convoy made its way south towards MA-117. It only took him a second to figure out where the stench was coming from. “Oh holy shit, Frays!” the man exclaimed when he saw the bits of gore and tissue on the woman’s face and clothing. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine!” Frays said shouted as she turned sharply towards him. Amy winced at the cramp in the base of her neck and went back to watching the surrounding landscape. She noticed that her hands were shaking so she sat on them. “Keep your eyes on the road!”

Powers leaned across the seat and grabbed the handset to the radio. “Echo Two Zero, hold up.” he said as he cast a nervous glance across the cab at Frays. She did not seem to hear him. “We need to stop. I think there’s something wrong with Frays.”

Powers almost rear ended the other Five Ton when
Eamon slammed on the brakes in the lead vehicle. Eamon and Lacey were out in a flash and sprinting up to the other truck as Powers leapt down from the cab and joined them on the other side of the vehicle. Adam opened the passenger’s side door and scrambled up on the step. “Hey, Frays.” he said quietly as he put a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “You okay?”

Frays scowled at him. “I’m fine!” she snapped. Amy reached out for the door and tried to pull it shut. “Let’s get going, already!
” Her voice became weaker and she looked around. Lacey was disturbed by the glassy look in her eyes “More of those…those things are probably already after us.”

Eamon stood on the ground nearby and put his hands on his hips. “Right, look.” he said indignantly, his beard shifting around a little as he frowned up at the woman. “At least get down here and let me clean you up a little. That shit on your face can’t be doing you any good.” The two of them glared at each other until Frays finally let out a groan of frustration and climbed down once Lacey was out of her way. Eamon broke out some alcohol pads and put on a pair of latex gloves. “Close your eyes and keep your mouth shut until I’m done. I might get a little alcohol in your eyes. Sorry about that.”

Amy grumbled under her breath as Eamon gently wiped the skin around her eyes and mouth with one of the pads. Adam smirked at the two of them then turned around. Powers stood a few feet away staring at the medic as he cleaned the gobbets of brain, flesh and coagulated blood off of the woman’s face. He did not like the strange look in the man’s eye. “Hey Powers, you alright man?” he asked conversationally. Lacey wished he smoked or something so he could offer the guy something.

“I’m fine. It’s her I’m worried about.” Powers muttered under his breath. He gestured towards Frays with the muzzle of his M4. “Look at that fuckin’ mess. She’s gonna get sick, isn’t she?”

Lacey snorted and shook his head. “Frays is gonna be just fine. Eamon’s gonna take real good care of her.” he said, putting his hand on Powers’ shoulder and trying to turn the man back towards the lead vehicle. “I’m gonna be just fine. You’re gonna be just fine. We’re all gonna be fine.”

“Stop blowin’ smoke up my ass, you dumb fuckin’ jarhead!” Powers shouted as he jerked free of Lacey’s grasp and turned to face Eamon and Frays. He shot suspicious
glances from the medic to Adam and back again. “You’re fucking her, aren’t you? That’s why you’re protecting her.”

“No he’s not, Powers.” Frays said quietly. Eamon glared at her, but she could not see it because the airman still had her eyes closed. He was not quite done cleaning her off yet. “I’m not sleeping with anyone and to be honest, I don’t really like being accused of it.”

The young man looked around confusedly then tromped off towards the other truck. Eamon and Lacey watched Powers climb into the truck. “I wonder what brought that on.” Eamon asked before finishing cleaning Amy’s face off. “There you go.”

Frays sighed and stood up. “Great. Thanks. Can we go now?” she asked, motioning towards the trucks with an annoyed look on her face. “We’re going to drive all day and into the night
if we have to.” She glanced at her watch for a second “I want to be back at the school in time for dinner. Eamon, you’re riding with Powers. Lacey, you’re with me.”