Dead America The Third Week | Book 10 | Dead America Carolina Front Part 6 Read online

  DEAD AMERICA: THE THIRD WEEK

  BOOK 10 - CAROLINA FRONT: PT 6

  BY DEREK SLATON

  © 2020

  CHAPTER ONE

  Day Zero +20

  The sun was still well below the horizon as Terrell walked with purpose from his bunkhouse. He carried no weapon other than his knife, though the trauma from the previous day weight heavily on him. The night air was cool, but it did nothing to cool the rage still flowing through his veins from the loss of his young friend Walter.

  As he stalked across the courtyard of the town, he tried to force away the horrific click of his empty rifle as he tried to save the kid from the murderous Mario, echoing forever in his mind. He clenched his jaw, schooling his expression as he approached the main gate.

  Hoyt was on duty, standing tall on the raised platform. His partner, a young teenager, snoozed next to him, splayed across the wood with his hand thrown over his eyes. Terrell avoided looking at him, images of Walter’s sprawled dead body dancing in his mind’s eye, torturing him.

  The Captain kept his voice low to avoid waking the kid. “What do you say, Hoyt?” he asked.

  “You’re up early today,” Hoyt replied, raising an eyebrow.

  “Lots to get done today,” Terrell said with a nod. “No time to be sleeping.”

  The older man pursed his lips for a moment, surveying the anger and determination still playing across the Captain’s face. “Your friend told me what happened.”

  “Did he now?” Terrell tried to keep the annoyance from his tone, and failed miserably.

  Hoyt nodded firmly. “Yep,” he said. “You need to know that it wasn’t your fault.”

  “No offense,” the Captain said, tone curt, “but it’s a lot easier for you to say that when you weren’t there.”

  The guard noticed the subtle venom in Terrell’s voice, and opened his mouth to say something else, but thought better of it and closed it again. The two stood there, staring out into the darkness for a silent moment.

  The kid broke the silence with a soft snore, breaking the tension and allowing a small smile to creep across Terrell’s face.

  “He been like this long?” he asked quietly.

  Hoyt chuckled. “About a half hour or so.”

  “Well, you let him sleep as long as he wants to,” Terrell said. “There’s far too much horror out there that’ll still be here when he wakes up.”

  The guard nodded. “I’ll keep good watch while he’s out.”

  “How’s it going tonight?” the Captain asked, crossing his arms. “Any action?”

  “Had a few of those things roaming a couple hundred yards away,” Hoyt replied with a shrug. “Probably heard our nightly visitors from the other camp.”

  Terrell’s gaze darkened. “So they’re still keeping tabs on us?”

  “Just at night,” Hoyt replied. “Guessing they want to make sure we aren’t doing something or other. As far as I’m concerned, as long as they stay out there, they can do whatever they like.”

  The Captain cocked his head. “Where did you spot them last?”

  Hoyt pointed out into the distance. “See that little house there on the horizon?”

  Terrell squinted. “Left side of the road?” he asked.

  “That’s the one,” the guard replied with a nod. “They hole up in there most nights.”

  The Captain raised his chin. “You see them leave yet?”

  “Not tonight,” Hoyt said with a shake of his head.

  Terrell patted him on the shoulder and turned away from the platform. “You may hear some gunfire,” he said over his shoulder. “Don’t panic.”

  Hoyt’s brow furrowed, but he nodded. “I won’t do anything until you tell me otherwise,” he said.

  “Appreciate it,” Terrell replied. “You have a good rest of your night.” He headed over to the side street barricade, a haphazard structure made of cars, hay bales, and some cheap metal siding. He clambered up on top of it and then hopped down on the other side, landing with a thud from the seven-foot drop.

  The noise attracted a zombie that had been skulking at the end of the next building. It had once been a middle-aged man, clothes unrecognizable considering the guts hanging out of its stomach.

  Terrell casually walked up to it, pulled out his knife, and stabbed it in the eye socket on the way past, barely breaking stride. The corpse crumpled to the ground as he ventured out into the darkness.

  The low light provided the Captain enough cover to work his way up towards the house that Hoyt had pointed out. Even with the dim barely-moonlit conditions, he moved quickly between cover spots, stopping periodically to check to make sure there was no movement ahead.

  When he was within thirty yards of the house, he ducked down by a tree. He peered inside, seeing some lights flickering in the front room, likely from some kind of lantern. Shadows of at least two people danced on the wall.

  If I can just get in through the back, he thought, they’ll never know what hit them. As he contemplated his next move, however, there was a rustling behind him.

  He whipped around, and there was a lone zombie shambling up towards him. It was smaller than the last, a little blonde that looked like it weighed no more than a hundred and ten pounds. It extended its arm, bloody mouth opening, and Terrell drew his knife.

  A smile played his lips and he sheathed it again. Oh yeah, that’s a lot more fun, he thought to himself as an idea popped into his head.

  As the ghoul approached him, he smacked its outstretched hand to the side, causing it to spin. It groaned as its fresh meal vanished from sight, and then snarled as Terrell grabbed a fistful of its hair and back of the shirt.

  Settle down girl, you aren’t gonna feel a thing, he thought as the zombie thrashed about from being controlled by his arm-locked movements.

  Terrell broke cover, forcing the wriggling creature to lead the way. He lifted it slightly off of the ground, blood-soaked sneakers kicking at the tips of the grass beneath. When he reached the window that the light was coming from, he stopped just short of it and then lunged forward with the ghoul.

  He let go, sending the corpse hurtling through the air and smashing through the window. As soon as it hit the floor, panicked screams erupted inside.

  As his enemies fumbled around, Terrell ran for the front door, kicking it in as soon as he reached it. He burst inside, taking in the zombie latching onto a man’s calf. He shrieked and tried to kick it away, but to no avail. The other man fumbled with his rifle, completely unaware of the Captain’s presence, attempting to save his screaming friend.

  Terrell drew his knife and lashed out, grabbing the rifleman’s forehead, jerking his head back before slitting his throat from behind.

  The other man watched in helpless horror as his partner fell to the ground. The zombie climbed him like a tree, and Terrell launched his knife end-over-end through the air, catching it in the head.

  The corpse went limp on top of the panicked man, and Terrell strode over just as he shoved the rotted meat sack off of him and tried to crawl for his weapon. The Captain stepped in front of him, blocking his path, and kicked him square in the face.

  The man flipped over onto his back with the force of the blow, moaning and holding his nose in pain. Terrell retrieved his knife from the zombie’s head, and then hopped down, planting his knees on his new prisoner’s chest.

  “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” the man mumbled through his bloody face.

  Terrell sneered down at him. “What are you sorry for?” he asked.

  “I’m sorry, the Boss
made us…” the man babbled.

  “The Boss didn’t make you do shit,” the Captain snapped. “You could have said no, you could have driven away in any direction. Yet here you are, leg all torn up and crying like a little bitch because you didn’t have any balls.”

  The man whimpered in fear at Terrell’s cold tone. “I’m so sorry,” he pleaded.

  “Not nearly sorry enough,” the Captain seethed. He sliced through the man’s throat like butter, and watched with satisfaction as he gasped for air, blood pouring from his flesh as his body went limp. After, Terrell slammed the blade into his eye socket to make sure he didn’t have a runner on his hands.

  The Captain wiped his blade off on the man’s shirt before sheathing it again, and then confiscating the weapons. They had two hunting rifles and a handgun, as well as a bag of hunting rifle ammunition. He looked over the room to make sure there wasn’t anything else he could use, and then headed back out into the night.

  It didn’t seem to matter how many of these assholes he killed, his rage still boiled hot. He stepped out into the darkness, guns draped over his shoulder. He stopped for a moment to look at the sun just peeking over the horizon.

  Terrell raised his chin. “I’m gonna make all of your friends wish they’d never fucked with the people of this town.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Hoyt stood on his platform, watching Terrell saunter casually up to the front gate, bathed in the golden light of the morning sun, new weapons bouncing on his shoulder. The guard gently nuzzled his sleeping partner, and the kid jumped awake, blinking rapidly at the older man.

  “Come on now, we gotta get this gate open,” Hoyt said.

  The young man rubbed his eyes and peeled himself off of the wood, getting to his feet. They both headed down from the platform and unlocked the gate, pulling it open. Terrell didn’t even break stride, just strolling right on in.

  “Morning young man,” he said brightly to the kid, who still had large bags beneath his tired eyes. “You get a good nap in?”

  Hoyt chuckled at the young man’s confused expression and then motioned to Terrell’s guns. “Looks like you found a little treasure trove there,” he said.

  “These?” the Captain asked, giving his bundle a pat. “Yeah, the original owners didn’t need them anymore, so I decided to give them a good home.” He took one of the rifles off and handed it to the guard, who nodded politely.

  “I appreciate it,” he said, keeping a good poker face going, despite the understanding that the old owners were dead. “I’ll give it a good home.”

  Terrell looked to the town square, where June and Ruth already had their fire going for breakfast. “I swear you can set your watch by those two,” he said, shaking his head.

  “Oh, yes sir, every single morning they’re like that,” Hoyt replied with a smile at the old ladies. “I bet if you asked real nice, they’d make you breakfast before anyone else.”

  Terrell offered him a smile in return before turning to head over to the early bird ladies. “I hope so,” he called over his shoulder, “because I’ave already worked up an appetite today.” He approached the ladies, and they both greeted him with bright smiles.

  “Oh, would you look at that?” Ruth exclaimed. “Someone’s up bright and early.”

  June nodded. “So good to see young folk taking advantage of all the daylight the good lord gives us,” she added.

  “Well ladies, I know there are a lot of impressionable young folks here,” Terrell replied with a chuckle, “so trying to lead by example.”

  Ruth patted his shoulder. “The world needs more people like you in it, hon,” she said.

  June pulled out a plastic container with some eggs and chopped vegetables in it. “But, since you’re the only one of you we got,” she said as she peeled the top off of it, “we gotta take care of you. Would you like an omelette?”

  “I would love one,” Terrell replied, putting a hand to his chest. “Thank you.”

  The older woman waved him off. “Well, you just go have a seat on the bench over there, and I’ll bring it right over,” she instructed.

  The Captain smiled and walked over to the offered bench as the ladies went to work making breakfast for him and the town. He gently laid the remaining rifle underneath it and crossed his feet at the ankles, taking a load off.

  He watched the town spring to life, people beginning to move about and do their daily duties. As he enjoyed the warmth of the sun on his skin, he noticed Xavier, the town leader, heading over towards him.

  “Getting a jump start to the day, Captain?” the old man asked with a smile.

  Terrell nodded. “Plenty to get done, so no sense in waiting.”

  Xavier glanced down at the Captain’s hands, noticing a bit of blood still on them. He frowned. “Run into some trouble this morning?” he asked, voice stern.

  Terrell followed his gaze and then held up one of his hands, turning it this way and that to showcase the crimson stain. “As a matter of fact, I did,” he declared. “On the plus side, however, there are two less people out there who want to burn this town to the ground.”

  Xavier swallowed hard, clasping his hands in front of him and shaking his head. “Captain…” He bit his lip.

  “I know what you’re going to say, and you can save it,” Terrell replied, holding up a palm. “You don’t like violence and that’s fine. But right now, it’s necessary so you are either going to have to suck it up, or turn a blind eye to it because there’s a lot more coming today.”

  The old man stared down at him, eyes frustrated and conflicted. Terrell glared back at him, not caring for Xavier’s condescension. The Captain had to do what he needed to do to protect the people in the town, the old man’s feelings be damned. They stared at each other in silence, drawing out the tense moment, and then June broke it as she approached with a piping hot omelette on a plate.

  “Morning, Mr. Xavier,” she greeted cheerfully. “Would you like an omelette too?”

  He didn’t answer, simply continued glaring at Terrell, who graciously took his plate and took a large bite.

  “Mmm,” he groaned happily as he chewed the fluffy egg. “This is some fantastic stuff as usual, June, thank you.” He smiled up at her.

  She patted his shoulder and then turned to Xavier, who finally snapped out of his stare down to acknowledge her.

  “An omelette would be fantastic June, thank you,” he said politely.

  She smiled and shuffled back over to the fire as Terrell continued to happily dig into his breakfast.

  “So, Captain,” Xavier continued with a sigh. “If we aren’t able to find the ammonium nitrate, do you have another plan to handle the potential horde from Fayetteville?”

  Terrell shook his head. “The plan hasn’t changed,” he said as he swallowed his mouthful. “We get the nitrate, build the bomb, and send those suckers elsewhere.”

  The old man blinked at him. “But yesterday we-”

  “Yesterday we confirmed that there is nitrate in the area,” the Captain cut in. “Only thing we have to confirm now is the specific location.” He looked past Xavier, where Coleman and Miles emerged from their bunk house, stretching and making their way towards the fire. “And my team and I are going to go take care of that today,” he said.

  Xavier pursed his lips. “If you don’t find it-”

  “Then we’ll shift our strategy,” Terrell said firmly. “Until I’m confident that there’s no longer a viable option, then we stay on course.”

  “Mornin’ Cap, Xavier,” Coleman greeted as the two soldiers approached them.

  The old man offered them a kind smile. “Gentlemen,” he replied. “Sleep well?”

  “Like a baby after a shot of whiskey,” Miles replied, stifling a yawn.

  Coleman looked at June and Ruth, giving them a wave and a bright smile. The old women pointed to the big breakfast skillet that they had going, prompting Coleman to grin even bigger and give them an excited thumbs up.

  “So what’s on
the agenda today, Cap?” he asked.

  Terrell cocked his head. “Depends,” he replied, turning to Miles. “What did you find out?” he asked.

  “The tracker that we stashed on Mario went to Newton Grove, about twenty miles to the north of here,” Miles replied, taking a seat next to Terrell. “Looks like it’s a tiny one stop light kind of town.”

  Xavier shook his head. “Not even that,” he said. “They have a roundabout int he center of town. It’s a highway hub city near the interstate.”

  “Anything to indicate that’s where their main compound is?” Terrell asked.

  “No clue,” Miles admitted with a shrug. “All I can tell is that the tracker went there right after leaving here, and hasn’t moved in days. Best guess is he changed his clothes and it didn’t leave again.”

  “We’ll just have to approach it like it is, then,” Terrell replied, clapping his hands together. He glanced at Coleman, who was accepting a heaping plate of food from Ruth. “What do you have for us on weapons?”

  The soldier swallowed a gigantic mouthful. “Ammo is tight, but was able to scrounge up a couple of boxes for our rifles, so we should have two mags each,” he replied. “Only have eight shots to that hunting rifle, so hitting anything from a distance is going to be minimal.”

  Terrell reached down beneath the bench and grabbed the ammo bag he’d confiscated from his enemies. “Think you can do some damage with that?” he asked, and tossed it over.

  Coleman shoved another mouthful of egg into his mouth as he peeked down into the bag. “Oh yeah,” he said with a grin. “They’ll never see it coming!”

  “Captain,” Xavier said, clearing his throat. “Once again, I’m going to ask you to please limit the unnecessary violence.”

  “Don’t worry Xavier, all my violence is necessary,” Terrell replied sharply.

  The old man raised his chin. “I’m serious, Captain,” he said, gaze like steel. “We’ve already lost far too much this month. Life must be spared if possible.”

  “I agree,” Terrell said, nodding. “Which is why we’re heading out to do what we’re going to do.” He got to his feet and walked away from the bench, heading for the pickup truck.