Chapter 4

Never give an order you know won't be obeyed. That was why she'd let the men from the infantry company talk her into this detour. Two of them had family in town, and if she'd ordered them to leave their families behind, she was pretty sure they'd have deserted. It was much easier to order people to do things they were going to do anyway.

They were down to five vehicles. The compact had been left behind with the IFVs. This made her convoy faster, more fuel efficient and much quieter. She rode in the RV, because Roland had set it up with a radio from one of the tracks, in addition to the CB already installed. The lead vehicle pulled off onto a side street, running over a walker, then eased to a stop in front of a two story house. The front yard was a meticulous green, highlighted by flowers next to the house.

The driver checked in over the radio and as prearranged two men from the rear vehicle joined him before he entered the house. She saw him use his keys on the front door, and hoped that meant his parents and little sister were okay. She winced as the machinegun on the trailing Humvee fired. Three short bursts, no more than four rounds each, but the noise would bring more. They'd had proof of that when they left the water treatment plant.

A rifle barked inside the house, and her heart sank. Two more shots, then a single boom from the .50 caliber M2HB on the lead vehicle. She looked out the windshield and saw the body topple over. The gunner must have gotten the creature's spine, because instead of getting back up, it crawled towards them. She picked up the handset. "Charlie one, if that thing gets too close, eliminate it. We don't want it biting anyone."

"Wilco."

She'd given each vehicle a call sign, based on the order they had in the convoy. She was still two, and the survivor from the third platoon was still 'Three'. He rode in the Tracker with the high school junior who'd driven her two friends to the arena. Their parents were supposed to have met them there, they had almost certainly been inside when it fell.

The infantrymen came back out of the house carrying rifles and boxes. She opened the door and waved them over. Looking at his face, she didn't need to ask. "I'm sorry."

"At least I know. Thanks for coming." The M-60 fired another short burst. He looked both ways down the street, then back at her. His eyes were wet, but she knew he wouldn't admit to it. "Give me five minutes and I'll empty the pantry."

The M2 boomed again and a zombie's head exploded. "Make it three, we have another stop."

His eyes flicked to the gunner who'd just fired, and he nodded. The boxes were heavier than they looked. She opened one, ammunition and a pair of pistols.

Four minutes later they pulled out. The lead Humvee swerved and crushed the skull of the crippled zombie. They traveled over back roads sighting several lone zombies and an occasional group. The M2 on the lead vehicle opened up just once to thin out a mob that blocked their path. They pulled into a grade school parking lot and stopped.

Melody frowned, they should have been going to an apartment complex. "One, this is Two. Why did we stop? Over."

She saw the gunner reach down into the Humvee, and pull up the handset. "Two, that yellow building on the other side of the playground is ours. Over."

She looked across and saw the horde in the parking lot, then the sheet with 'Help' painted on it fluttering in the breeze. "Wait one, Break." Melody peered through her binoculars. There were at least five hundred milling around, pounding on ground level doors, and trying to climb the stairs. About half of the ground level doors gaped open, but nothing moved on the balcony. The metal staircase was blocked at the landing by furniture and bicycles. They didn't seem capable of climbing over the obstruction. The staircase led up to one end of the balcony, at the other end a fire escape dangled over a grassy area. There were too many to be sure of getting them all without being overrun. She didn't know if they could overturn a car, but people could so she didn't want to take chances. Then there was all the ammo they'd have to use. And the noise they would make, how many more would that bring down on them?

"One, which apartment is yours? Over?"

"Second floor, third from the stairs. Over."

"Drive past slow, make a lot of noise, see if they'll follow you. Don't use more ammo than you have to, but stay alive. We'll get your family out and your baby's gonna need his daddy. Over."

"Wilco."

She called the other vehicles and explained the plan, she had to do it twice because the Mustang only had a CB. Before she finished, the Humvee honked it's horn, then fired into the crowd on the street to clear a path. It moved so slowly she was afraid it would be overrun by the converging zombies, but the gunner skillfully cut a path for the driver and once ahead of the pack fired single shots spaced ten or twelve seconds apart.

They moved out of sight followed by most of the horde. "Charlie One, worked like a charm, we're going in now."

The old man driving the RV nodded once and put the vehicle in gear. "Your first sergeant was right, you'll keep us alive."

"I'll do my best sir. There is a fire escape on the far side of the complex, pull under that if you can." There were still about thirty of them when the convoy reached the parking lot. The mustang shut down and coasted to a stop on the street. They would sit tight and keep an eye out for more. The Humvee and the Tracker stopped in the middle of the lot. The '60 gunner stayed ducked down out of sight, and as she'd hoped, they all kept their attention on the still moving RV.

The old man crept up to the side of the building, gave the fire escape a hard look and shook his head. "Ain't gonna work." He backed up, running over one of the quicker walkers, then pulled in again. "Too low, close as I can get, sorry."

Melody stood on the table and popped open the skylight. "It'll do." The hinged brackets that propped the skylight open were held on with wing nuts. She took them off, then eased the brackets off the bolts. As she'd hoped, the two by three foot skylight opened fully. She started to ask for a boost, but the man's wife was already there. She was surprisingly strong for someone in her fifties.