Briggs had taken the lead in the Little Bird, the other two helicopters were spread out and formed a vee behind. She was keeping them fairly low to the ground, low enough to be able to see any movement below. It was her reason for wanting to take out the markings, in case there was someone left alive.
"It really has spread everywhere, hasn't it?" CJ said, gesturing below.
"That's what all the initial reports indicated. All those tourists, businessmen...why let a silly little thing like a human bite keep them from getting on a plane and going about their merry business? After that it was only a matter of timebefore the virus gestated, killed the host and reanimatedits corpse. Simple."
"You'd at least think it would have been isolated enough to stop it though," mused CJ. "I mean, people just don't go around biting each other like that. If it started in the US we should have been able to contain it there. I guess I still kinda hoped that that would be what happened."
"Those people,whoever they were, theyprobably weren't even exhibiting any symptoms when they hopped a plane home," replied Briggs. "By the time they were starting to get sick, they probably would have sought medical help. Doctors would have admitted them to the hospital, and when they died and turned it would have been open season. Probably spread like wildfire after that."
"What about security guards? Wouldn't they have been called to put them down?" argued CJ.
"So tell me rent-a-cop, when the mall hired you for security, did they tell you to handle situations with deadly force?"
CJ blushed sheepishly. "Not hardly. I'm amazed they gave us guns at all to be honest. For the most part we were supposed to rely on mace and harsh language," he laughed. "The only reason I know how to handle a gun at all is because my old man taught me when I was a kid. We used to go out hunting together every year, it was the only time I ever really saw him sober."
"I think I would have preferred my dad as a drunk, maybe he would have been a little easier to deal with," Briggs said.
"How do you mean?"
"Vietnam really left him screwed up. Post traumatic stress disorder, that's what they like to call it nowadays. He'd be fine for awhile, just a little on edge, but nothing major. Then something would happen that would just send him into a tailspin. He'd disappear for days on end into the woods, reliving his Vietnam days. After my Mom got killed in a car wreck though, he was never the same."
"Is that what the dreams are all about?"
"A little bit. Now my subconscious mind is starting to add those creatures into the mix. Just like that," she snapped her fingers, "I'm a terrified five year old lost in the woods again. And it's not something I like to talk about either, so, uh, can we please just drop this subject?" she asked.
"Okay, not a problem. Just tell me one thing," he said.
"What?" she asked suspiciously.
"Just how in the hell are you and Cowboy related? Marshall said you used to be married, but I know that that's bullshit."
"Oh major bullshit," she grinned. "Charlie's my half brother. In between tours in 'Nam, my dad would come back to the states on leave and just roam since he didn't have any family to come back to. He'd hook up with random women in bars and that would be that. It was sometime in October of '74 that he was on leaveandmet up with Cowboy's mother,they were both drunkand the rest is history. A few nights later, same story with my mother. He'd already shipped out, back to the Embassy in Saigon before eitherwoman realized they were pregnant. Charlie's mom took it pretty well, she was already married, and her husband was willing to claim that Charlie was his, so it worked out. My mom now, she was only seventeen, so her parents were less than thrilled. They started hunting down my dad as soon as they figured out she was knocked up and got her to spill his name to them. After Saigon fell, my dad finished out his service and left the Marines. My grandparents finally tracked him down and my parents got married. End of story."
"How did you and Cowboy meet? You two talk like you grew up together."
"Well, after my parents got married, my Dad went through about 5 different jobs in six months, he just couldn't hold down a steady job that didn't involve shooting rifles, so he decided he'd re-enlist in the Corp."
"So Cowboy's dad was in the Marines too?"
"Nah, Army. The Marines only wanted my dad back in a training position. Show the future generation of snipers how to get the job done and shit. Dad wasn't having any of that, he wanted to be in the field, so he gave up the rank he would have had and started from scratch in the Army, went with an Infantry MOS. We spent the next four years traveling, Ft. Hood, Texas. Ft. Drum, New York. Then we ended up in Wuerzburg, Germany and that's where we met Charlie's family. We lived in the same housing area, and his mom did child care out of their apartment."
"So your parents hired Charlie's mom to baby-sit you? That's some crazy shit."
"My parents didn't know about Charlie at the time, and his mom didn't put two and two together until the day my dad picked me up from daycare. Trust me, you can't look at Charlie and my dad without knowing that they're father and son, even when Charlie was only a few years old."
Before CJ could respond, the radio crackled to life. "Kenny, you got a location for me," Cowboy's voice came over the headsets.
"Affirmative. We're about a half hour due north of Chihuahua, once we reach the city, we're going to change our heading a bit and start moving to southeast. There's an airfield just north of Maravillas that I think we can use."
"Maravillas? That's going to be pushing it to make it there before nightfall, don't you think?" he responded.
"If we can maintain our current airspeed, it might be close, but we don't have much of a choice. We'll just push through and hope for the best. There aren't too many big cities between Chihuahua and Monterey for us to make use of. Leastwise, nothing with buildings big enough to support all three helicopters on their rooftop."
"I hope you know what you're doing. Maybe we should just stop for the night in Chihuahua, head out again at first light."
"Nah, we'd lose too much travel time. I want to get as far across Mexico as we can today. Keep your ears open for any chatter on the radio, you never know if we're going to come across a live bunch anywhere."
"You got it. Out."
"So what's this big rush of yours to get through Mexico?" CJ asked, curiously.
"I only know of two more airfields beyond Maravillas that we should be able to make use of, one of them is almost an hour south of Monterey, the other is just outside of Oaxaca. The rest of the way we'll be playing by ear."
"Those are some pretty long stretches to go between fuelings, are you sure we can make it?"
"No, which is why we're pushing on, to make sure that we can make it."
"I have told you that you're nuts, right?" he asked, only half joking.
"Yep. Story of my life," she told him, smiling. "So what the hell, how about we live real crazy. Want to learn how to fly this bitch?"
"What?... Me?... Fly a helicopter?...You're not serious?" CJ asked in horror.
"Yea, it's a piece of cake, no worries. Here, take the controls."
"Hey uh, Cowboy, either Briggsy just fell asleep at the wheel or those two are trying to join the mile high club up there. They're all over the sky," Masters said over the radio, laughing the whole time. He continued to watch as the AH-6 pitched wildly in the sky for a moment before leveling off once more.
Cowboy's laughter came in reply. "My vote's on her trying to teach her rent-a-cop how to fly that thing."
"I like my theories better," Masters said. They continued to talk between themselves, making jokes and discussing the flight plan to Costa Rica.
In the rear of the Stallion, scattered conversations were also starting to take place.
"Do you really think we're going to be able to make it to this mysterious island that that Sergeant lady was talking about?" Zachary asked Michael.
"Yea, there's a good chance we'll make it there all right," Michael responded. "As long as we can find places to fuel up we'll be fine." He smiled.
"If anyone can get us there Briggs can do it," Dennis declared.
Rolling his eyes at his little brother, Zachary replied, "What would you know Denny? You're just a dumb kid, I don't even know why we bothered to bring you along."
"Not so dumb," Dennis said, nonplused. "I'm the one she taught to shoot, not you."
"Because I can take care of myself," boasted Zachary.
"Zachary, I swear, if you say one more word I'm gonna kick your ass," Terry said angrily. "Dude, how the fuck can you set here and be so goddamn mean to your own brother? You're the dumb one if you can't realize how lucky you are to have at least someone in your family here with you, to know that they're alive...You fucking make me sick."
Angrily he moved as far away from the others as he could. Chips followed, curling up beside him and resting his head on Terry's leg. Absently the teen scratched at the dog's ears, closing his eyes and letting himself get lost in the thoughts that had been plaguing him for the last several days, what had happened to his family. He hadn't allowed himself to think about it, even in all the time they'd spent at the mall. At the research lab he'd been too afraid about what was going to happen to them, there hadn't been time to think of his family. But ever since they'd picked up Zachary and Dennis things had changed.
"Terry...Do you feel like talking?" Nicole asked quietly, hesitantly.
"Not really, but I don't suppose you're going to leave me alone until we do," he said sourly.
"Terry, I'm sorry aboutthat night I disappearedwith Zachary, nothing happened," Nicole said quickly. "We were just painting the helicopters, that's all."
"I don't care about that Nicole."
"But...but if that's not what's bothering you...Well, what is?" she asked in surprise.
"Ever since we picked up Dennis and Zach, I don't know, I've just been thinking about my family more, wondering what happened to them. I keep trying to tell myself that maybe some of them made it out besides me, but deep down I know everyone's dead and it's hard. Dennis reminds me of my little brother, Matthew, and that just seems to make it worse."
"So why are you ignoring me than? You could have talked to me about this any time," insisted Nicole. Terry remained silent a moment, looking down at Chips. Nicole reached out and grasped his hand, drawing his attention back to her.
"Don't think this has anything to do with you Nicole," he said at last. "But Zachary kind of reminds me of myself, back when I was his age."
"You're nineteen Terry, you're not that old," Nicole giggled nervously. Terry looked away again, pulling his hand away as he did.
"Well I feel a lot older," he told her so softly she had to lean in to hear him. "And I look at those two kids and it makes me think of my own life, and everything I've lost. I don't know, it just doesn't even seem real to me any more. It's only been few months, and my whole life seems like a dream. That is what's bothering me."
"Oh Terry.."
"Do you mind Nicole, I really don't feel like talking anymore," Terry said. He turned his face away from her, but not before she saw the tears forming in his eyes.
"Yea, I'll just move back up with the others," she replied. Swiftly she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm here for you, if you want to talk about it some more, or if you just need someone to talk to about anything," she told him before moving away.
A few hours later they began approaching an airfield. Briggs declared that this would be where they'd stop for fuel. They began anxiously scouring the ground below for any signs of the living and the living dead. It appeared to be clear, but unlike the places they'd landed back in the States, this one didn't have any sort of fence to keep them from being swarmed.
"Briggs, you sure this is where you want to fuel up?" radioed Masters.
"You see any better options out there?" she replied.
"I don't know Kenny, this isn't looking so good," Cowboy added.
"Smooth and by the numbers guys, we should all be able to land and fuel up all three birds at the same time. Have your teams ready to disembark and take position around the aircraft. Cowboy, I'm gonna need somebody from the Stallion to play fuel man for my Bird. Communications equipment for everyone," Briggs ordered.
"You're the boss Sarge," Masters replied, doubt lacing his voice.
"I hope you're right Kenny," Cowboy told her.
"Me too Bro."
They made their final approach.
"At least the pumps are out in the open, nothing for those dumb fucks to hide behind," Masters said.
"Just keep it calm and remember, by the numbers," Briggs said.
The helicopters touched down, the fueling teams leaping from the machines.
"Here goes nothing," CJ said, grabbing his weapon and climbing from the helicopter to stand watch.
"Yea, nothing," muttered Briggs as she reached for a pair of field glasses and began scouring the landscape around them. They'd been on the ground nearly fifteen minutes when the call came over the radio.
"Jesus Christ! Do you hear that? It's louder than the fucking rotors!" Cowboy called out.
The sound of moaning filled the air outside the helicopters, becoming steadily louder. At last, emerging over the rise of a hill to the south, a mob of the dead came into view.
"Holy shit there's got to be thousands of them," Michael said over the radio. In horror, they watched them move steadily closer. Briggs waited a few moments longer, the things were maybe a thousand yards away.
"Everybody get your asses back on board whatever bird is closest. Now!" she commanded.
The fueling teams ran for the doors, their movements exciting the zombies to a frenzied pitch. A few of the deadstill had the ability to move fast, sprinting ahead of the others. Jones and Kenneth turned, firing head shots at the closest of the zombies, buying a couple of extra minutes for the others to get back on board. After hesitating a few seconds longer the two men rushed towards the helicopter doors once more, the crowd behind them now snarling in fury, struggling to move their decaying bodies faster.
"We got all our people?" queried Briggs over the radio as CJ climbed back inside the Little Bird.
"That's affirmative," Cowboy said.
"Roger that," Masters agreed.
"See, I told ya'll it would be simple," said Briggs. She reached for the controls, preparing to lift off, when one of the zombies threw itself into the windowed door to her right. "Shit!" she gritted out, deftly maneuvering the machine off the ground swiftly, realizing as she did that one of the stubborn creatures still clung to the landing skid.
"Kenny, you seem to have picked up one helluva souvenir," radioed Masters who'd taken up position on the right rear side of the AH-6.
"No shit, thanks for update."
"What are we gonna do?" demanded CJ.
"We're gonna drop the extra baggage. Cowboy, Masters hold your course, I'm gonna take care of a little problem," she said, breaking out of formation. She changed their heading, moving straight towards the front of a hangar. "Hold on," she told CJ, bracing herself for the impact. Carefully she dropped their altitude so that the skids were barely two feet above the hangar's roof. The impact of the creature's body on the hangar caused the entire helicopter to shudder for a split second. The zombie itself was ripped in half, it's legs falling harmlessly to the ground below while its torso ended up splattered across half the length of the roof, it's head still snarling as the helicopter flew away.
"So, uh, is that something they teach you in flight school?" CJ asked.
Briggs grinned weakly. "Nah, some things you just have to figure out for yourself. They never offered any classes on defensive flying against zombie hordes."
CJ shook his head. "Thank God for the small things I guess."
She grinned again, reaching for the radio. "Cowboy, Masters we oughta be catching up with you shortly, next stop is Monterey. We'll see if we can find us a place to sleep for the night."
"Yes ma'am," replied Cowboy, grinning to himself. His sister sputtered mock fury over the radio in reply, causing him to laugh all the more. The mood in general was good aboard the helicopters, they were full of fuel and managed to get through it all without losing anybody. On top of that Briggs was willing to stop for the night rather than fly straight through to their next planned fueling sight, elating everyone. Almost one day down in their journey to Paradise.