Location: Big Bear's Bar and Grill, Wisconsin
Time: 6:37pm
Several patrons have barricaded themselves inside the Kitchen. The various moans and grunts of the dead, as well as their screaming victims can be heard outside.
Ronald Jones, a middle aged man looks out the circular window to see a brunette girl struggling to fight off 2 zombies. She finally pushes them off as she frantically runs to their door, pounding.
"Let me in, please! They'll kill me, please let me in!" She cried
"Hell no" Ronald thought
The burly zombie clad in overalls puts the girl in a headlock, biting her ear as the second female zombie bites into her stomach. She screams in absolute pain as she's brought down to the floor and devoured.
Ronald quickly backs away and turns around to face the other four. Jonas, Andre, Sally, and Rick.
"God help us all." He spoke.
Silence fills the room once again as Andre grabs a cleaver and a large kitchen knife.
"Why the fuck we all standing here for? We gotta fight our way outta here." He spoke
"Haven't you looked outside?" Sally said
"So what are we supposed to do, sit and wait for them to figure out we're in here. Fuck that, I'm getting the hell outta here and if you guys are smart y'all will tag along." Andre said
"If we run out there we gotta arm up. Everybody grab anything yous can use as a weapon and don't get grabbed. Those sons of bitches will tear ya apart in seconds. I done don't know what the hell's goin on but I'm not about to die in here." Ronald spoke, unsheathing a KABAR fighting knife.
"Now you're speaking my language gramps." Andre replied
"Nam will do that for ya." Ronald said
The survivors kick down the kitchen door, ready to face off against the horde of infected.
Location: Ralphs Pharmacy, Wisconsin
"We can't keep taking risks like this." Sean said, an imposing man wearing a pair of jeans, black tee shirt and a black cap with the word (POLICE) on the front. He is accompanied by his father Roger, Larry, Karen and Lilith. They have just saved a family of four Joseph, Kathy and their two children Sarah and John ages 10 and 7 as well as the bikers Smitty and Bocko.
"And we can't just let people die either." Karen protested.
"When I say that fucking door stays shut I MEAN it! We don't even know who the hell these folks are, they could be dangerous." Sean said
"Even worse, they could have led those things right to us." Roger said, a burly old man standing at least 6 feet with a facial expression as pissed off looking as the other man's.
"We have kids with us son." Smitty protested
"Those fuckers outside don't care." Sean replied
"Maybe you should go out and join em then, you'll have something in common." Joseph said
"Dammit Sean you have to control these people!" Roger irritably spoke
"All you guys arguing is what's going to attract them." Lilith replied
"Shut up lady, no one asked you." Sean hollered
"Smitty, can't you believe this guy?" Joseph asked
"That guy is my son" Roger grunted
"I can see the resemblance, my boy is not going to grow up to be an asshole fucking lunatic that's for certain." Joseph said
"Your boy?"
Roger looked over to see the boy sitting on the wooden chair, his mother cleaning up the zombie blood from her son's face.
"Holy fuckin shit, son of bitch, one of these people are bitten!" Roger yelled, even Sean is taken aback by his father's behavior.
"He wasn't bitten" Bocko said sternly
"Fuck he wasn't! We have to end this now."
Roger stomps over to them only for Joseph to immediately stand in front of him. The five foot nine average built man standing before the tall, burly pissed off old bastard.
"Over my dead body" He angrily growled
"We'll dig a hole afterward." Roger said, almost tauntingly
"There's no bite, I'm cleaning him up right now he's fine!" Kathy cried
"Don't you fucking people get it?! We've already seen this shit happen. The last time we let someone in with a bite we almost died and you know what I don't wanna die!"
"Shut the fuck up!" Joseph said through gritted teeth.
"We have to throw him out, or smash the fucker's head in." Roger said
"Joseph, stop him please!" Kathy cried
"Smitty, Bocko what the fuck do we do about this guy?" Joseph asked
Smitty thinks for a couple of seconds before responding.
"I say we kick his ass"
"That's what I'm thinkin!" Joseph said as he and Roger glared at each other.
"Everyone chill the hell out!" Karen demanded
"No one's doing anything." Sean said, facing his dad.
"Shut up Sean" Roger said before turning over to Karen's direction.
"And you shut the fuck up, at any time those assholes can get in here and none of this is going to fucking matter, because right now we are about to be trapped in here with one of those things!"
"The hell are you talking about?" Joseph said
"He's bit, that's how you turn!"
"Please stop this, it's upsetting him!" Kathy pled
"Oh I'm upsetting him? Wait until he eats us all the fuck alive!"
"Dad, he's just a boy, can't we?" Sean said before Bocko cut in.
"It's Roger right? His son is only seven years old for Christ sake."
"Look around dumbass, I got a son in here and he's got a daughter in here. Get your head out of your ass man!" Roger replied
"We all got people in here! We can figure this shit out without killin anybody. There's another way" Smitty said
"Yeah, with a hammer" Roger said
"I'm gonna kill em Kathy, just worry about John." Joseph announced
"Mister Smitty?" Asked Sarah
"Yes?"
"I have to pee" The little girl whined.
"In a minute honey" He replied
"Hey I'm not the asshole here, I'm just looking out for my boy!" Roger said
"No you're the guy arguing for killing a kid!"
"He's covered in muck son, she'll find the damn bite watch!"
"She won't!" Joseph replied through gritted teeth.
"What if she does, what are you going to do then?"
"Dad if he was bit he would've turned by now. Just calm down" Sean said
"Oh now the pipsqueak pipes up." Bocko said
"Hey you watch your mouth." Roger commanded, pointing in his direction.
"Or what Pops?" He replied
"Dad just stop! Like I said he would've turned already if he was bit, the news said it took 5 minutes to change." Sean said
"Do you remember the last time when we let that poor girl in? She was hiding it under her shirt and if I hadn't shot her she would have taken a bite out of me. I am doing what's necessary for all of our safety and I am tossing him out now!" He yelled as he marched towards the boy.
"Knock this fucker out." Smitty told Joseph
"Happily" He replied, delivering a right hook to his face. Roger forms a stunned, offended expression as he retaliates by kicking him in the stomach, causing him to land on his ass.
"Jesus Fucking Christ!" Sean said as Karen and Larry looked on, reluctant to break it up.
"Does anyone else want a piece of me?!" Roger hollered as Sean stepped in, standing in front of his rampaging father.
"Dad just stop, okay, you're gonna flare up your blood pressure. The kid's fine okay" He asked as he motioned for him to get back.
As if on cue, bangs and kicks can be heard as everyone hides behind the counter.
"Shit" Bocko whispered
"No, they're gonna get in" Roger whispered
"Shut the fuck up" Joseph replied
Location: Franklin County, Alabama, Time: 2:00pm
The Rangers and Dr. Shofer have touched down in the outskirts of Franklin County. Surrounded by nothing but woods and swampland for miles. Brooks takes in his surroundings as Macmillan surveys the area with his M21.
"Of all the places to look for supplies you land in a swamp?" Shofer complained
"Hey mate where the bloody hell else could I have landed? Not like the supermarket is open anytime soon." Macmillan replied, inspecting his weapon.
"We're gonna have to traverse this swamp and look for a village or something. Hopefully some people will still be alive." Chris said
"Out here? You cannot be serious." Dr. Shofer replied
"Not much of a choice is there?" Doug said, aiming his shotgun out in the woods.
"Let's move out, keep your eyes peeled for any infected." Sergeant Brooks ordered
The men ready their weapons as they proceed into the musky swamp. The smell pierced their nostrils relentlessly as they waded their way through the water. Shofer's face winced with disgust the longer he was in there. He was a doctor, a scientist, not a damn marine he thought.
Brooks examines his M249 SAW, already wrapped in seaweed. He removes it and throws it back into the water. He was already on his last hundred rounds.
"How much lead does everyone have left?" Brooks asked
"30 for me" Doug replied
"20" Python answered
"60 reserve and 30 in the mag" Chris said
"You Doc?" Brooks said
"9 unfortunately" Shofer answered.
"Make em count" Doug said, pumping his KSG.
As they almost make it to dry land, Python feels a hand grab his right leg. He jumps as a zombie attempts to grapple him. This one was different from the others. Its appearance is still mostly that of a malnourished human, except for its mutated jaws filled with sharp pointed teeth. It is clad only in a pair of jean shorts.
"Shit" Python uttered quickly, grabbing its neck with his left hand to prevent it from taking a bite out of him. He tries to reach for his Beretta pistol with his free hand until the creature is promptly shot in the forehead. He looks over to see smoke coming out from the barrel of Chris's M4.
"Thanks man, I owe you one. Why does all the ugly shit always grab at my ass?" He complained
"I don't know, I ain't a zombie expert." Chris said
"The hell was up with that one's mouth? Shit looked like an angler fish's almost." Doug asked, genuinely bewildered. Even being an Army Ranger couldn't have prepared him to face down such revolting creatures
"It appears the virus is starting to mutate into strains. Which is of course not good." Shofer
The horrid growls and moans of the dead can be heard approaching their position. They raise their weapons and take aim in all directions.
"Can it girls! They're coming!" Chris said
"Great, it's going to get ugly." Brooks moaned
"Time to spill some freakbag blood!" Doug responded
20 or so undead converged onto their position, most covered in grime and moss along with several more of the toothed beasts which ran at them rapidly on all fours.
They fired into the horde, rapidly dropping them with well placed shots. Doug kicks one to the ground, stomping on it's chest before blowing it's face into bloody mush with his shotgun.
"Hey guys I think I know what to call the toothy ones. Chompers" Doug said, resuming his zombie killing
"Yes, a very original name mate." Macmillan replied
More and more dead flood in. The men are all down to their last rounds. Shofer stabs a female zombie in the temple while Macmillan bludgeons them with the butt of his empty Sniper.
Brooks is grappled by a heavyset zombie in overalls. As he struggles to break free, he notices a head peering at him from the nearby woods. It had only one eye. It bolted away as soon as it's sighted.
He manages to successfully wrestle it off of him, throwing it to the ground. He proceeds to violently stomp on the zombie's head, reducing it to a gory mess.
Just as it seems like they are about to be overwhelmed and devoured, silenced gunshots suddenly crackle from the woods. The dead dropped like flies as they were eventually all disposed of.
The Rangers and Shofer look into the woods to see a bunch of redneck looking men and women, all armed to the teeth with various high powered rifles and shotguns.
"Y'all alright, are you bit?!" Asked the tallest man
"No, we're perfectly fine, thank you very much for assisting us against the reanimates." Shofer answered
"I don't wanna come across as ungrateful sir. But we would appreciate it if you had ammunition, as well as supplies." Brooks asked, his face still plain on the outside, hiding his desperation.
"Of course, come on down to our village, we got you covered." The leader replied
Location: Unknown Village, Time: 5:00pm
The men are all huddled up around the campfire. The villagers all glance or stare at them as they go about their business. The tall man dressed in a red and black flannel lights a cigar. He savors the moment each time he exhales. Guess it was better to die by smoking than being eaten.
"What did you say your name was?" Shofer asked
"Daniel" He replied, puffing out more smoke
"So bro, how has this nice little place managed to hold out?" Doug asked, drinking a bottle of water. Never again will he take the feeling of gulps of water going down your throat for granted ever again.
"Before the Military pulled out they were airdropping care packages loaded with shit like M4s, machine guns, all of that. We have ammo to burn so we're more than happy to give some to you brave men. You've earned it."
"Thank you" Brooks said
"Just to give you guys a heads up. If you're expecting us to rescue you, you're kind of out of luck. Now we're just trying to survive like anyone else." Doug said, taking a dinner plate from one of the villagers. Cajun Chicken, Peas and Potatoes. In his mind rations couldn't even touch this.
"I guess it's for the best. We have too many sick and elderly who can't handle long travel." Daniel said
"They're not infected right?" Python perked up
"No one here is, anyone with a bite gets executed on the spot." He replied
"Thank our lucky stars, it appears rednecks are smarter than I gave them credit for." Shofer thought
"Lucifer is running loose on the world. His undead minions have spread like the plague. Events long foretold in the bible have now come to pass. It seems that mother nature is finally restoring the Earth's natural balance, punishing man for all its sins. Perhaps, we've brought this on ourselves." Daniel lamented
"If only you knew" Chris thought
"Any of you wanna light?" He asked, opening a pack of cigarettes.
"Yes please" Python answered as he and the others took their smokes.
Doug excuses himself from the campfire to freshen up for the night inside one of the apartments above the now abandoned bar. He removes his uniform, revealing his incredibly muscular body from his years of combat. He picks up the shirt, cutting off the sleeves and fashioning makeshift covers for his forearms to protect himself from freaksack bites.
He looks at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, his hazel eyes glistening as many different thoughts flooded inside his head. It seemed like yesterday when he was in RASP training, having first met Brooks and the rest of his allies who would eventually become his most valued and trusted friends and brothers in arms.
"Brooks is a damn good leader, but I don't know how he keeps going even with our training and experience. None of us joined up to fight unnatural horrors like this, but I guess in hindsight we did. Chris and Python? Sometimes I could hardly read those guys. If anything happened to any of em, I don't know what I'd do."
"The freakbags are changing, getting smarter, mutating. Shit's going to get ugly for our little ragtag crew here. It doesn't matter though, they'll fall as all the others have before." Doug thought
"The Doc may be a conniving piece of rat shit, but he seems to have his heart in the right place and willingness to stop Ryder and his fucked up creation. Hopefully he can find a cure for this nightmare and end our pain once and for all."
He puts on his modified uniform top over a white wifebeater, admiring his handiwork before returning outside with everyone. After some more joking around and eating they all hunker down for the night.
Several men are at the fortified entrance of the village, keeping watch for zombies with suppressed M14s. One of them notices a male infected peer at them from a tree, he zooms in with his night vision scope attachment to get a better look at it. It was a tall bastard, probably almost 7 feet in height.
From what he saw it was clad in a pair of dark blue overalls and a cross necklace, indicating he was religious in his human life. It has long, unkempt flowing black hair.
He fires a shot at it, it misses and only hits the tree. It promptly bolts off
"God daym it Terry, I had that shitbag!" He hollered to his partner.
"Oh well, next time" He replied
As soon as the sun rises, the Rangers and Shofer are up and ready. Brooks is now armed with an M4, Doug with a SPAS-12 and Beretta pistol, Chris with a PKM, and Python with a Honey Badger.
"Those freakmeats are gonna be shittin outta two assholes by the time I'm finished with this." Doug announced, inspecting his boomstick.
The men load several boxes of weapons, medical supplies and other essentials such as food and water into the cargo bed of the slightly rusted dark red pickup truck. Daniel and many of the villagers are gathered together.
"We can't thank you enough for all your help sir. I wish your community great fortune in these dark times." Brooks said, shaking Daniel's hand
"To you as well soldiers, be well." He replied as Macmillan started the truck and drove.
The sound of the emergency broadcast system flares from the radio as the Rangers drive down the trail that Daniel had told them will get them to the helicopter the quickest.
"This broadcast has been issued by the U.S Department of Defense. President Jason Brahms has approved drastic measures to combat the spread of the newly discovered H2N3 virus that has ravaged the states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Maryland, Texas, Iowa, Missouri, Indiana, Minnesota and Florida. New York, Massachusetts and Maine are also reporting cases of the disease. In England's last report, the infection has been eradicated from the city of London following the firebombings there and as of now no new cases have been reported anywhere in Europe. Martial Law has been declared effective immediately and the National Guard and other branches of the armed forces are being deployed in densely populated areas of these states to establish safe zones, maintain order and exterminate the infected. Civilians are once again advised to arm themselves with any and all weapons available and seek secure shelter with several months worth of food, water and other essential supplies.
The virus's initial symptoms consist of headaches, spastic movements, uncontrolled excitement, fever, fatigue, vomiting blood and seizures. If you or anyone in your immediate family or vicinity exhibit even one symptom of H2N3, disposal of the subject is absolutely necessary, preferably with damage to the brain to prevent transformation. Please ensure you have a working 3 Way Radio and await further instructions. God Bless America."
The men other than Doug have no words as they continue their drive.
"God help us all"
Brooks attempts to brief Overlord on the situation. After several attempts he finally gets through after changing the frequency multiple times.
"Overlord this is Staff Sergeant Brooks of Spectre One. We are in possession of Dr. Arnold Shofer over!"
"Sergeant Brooks, my god you're alive. We thought your unit had perished in London. Give me your sitrep." Overlord said
"We are currently in Franklin County, Alabama. We were almost shot down by Iranian forces and we ran out of supplies and had to stop in a nearby survivor community. Is the objective to still take the scientist to the Pentagon over?" Brooks asked
"Negative Spectre One, by order of the President no one is allowed in or out of the Pentagon no exceptions. You are going to have to take Dr. Shofer to the CDC headquarters in Atlanta if he's capable of synthesizing a cure for the virus. Then your orders are to find and exterminate Dr. Anderson Ryder before he does something even more catastrophic. I'm going to send you the location and coordinates to an abandoned U.S Government laboratory in Dallas, Texas, Ryder's last reported location. This will be our last broadcast as all nonessential communications will be ceased indefinitely. Good luck Spectre One, and may God be with you. Overlord out." He said before the radio went back to static.
"Sarge, did HQ just tell us to go fuck ourselves?" Chris asked
"Im afraid so" Brooks grimly replied
"So what's the plan now? We are in "deep shit" as you guys would say?" Shofer asked
"As long as Ryder lives he's gonna try to spread this shit everywhere once he's done here. We're going to end this nightmare once and for all. Python, did you get the coordinates?" Brooks asked
"Affermative sir, I have it logged and ready for when we get back to the chopper."
"Paydirt, let's drop the slimy cocksucker!" Doug exclaimed
They now only had 3 more miles to go to get to the chopper. The dirt road rattled the vehicle a bit as it sped up.
"Unit 35? Explain what the hell this is." Chris asked, staring at the computer screen on Python's lap.
"They were the branch of military scientists that me and Anderson were a part of. A variety of prototype weapons and biological agents were developed in our laboratories. I was one of the head scientists. The facility in Dallas is most likely where Anderson is operating." Shofer answered, with strong hinges of shame.
"I knew all those conspiracy theories were real." Doug said
"And you never bothered to tell us this earlier?" Python moaned
"Well no one asked" Shofer replied, his German accent becoming slightly more pronounced
In an instant, the truck is suddenly hit by a large object. Macmillan promptly breaks and prevents the vehicle from crashing. The crew all get out to survey what has occurred. A decomposing body can be seen laying on the hood of the truck, apparently having been thrown with enough force to dent it.
"The fuck was that?" Chris asked, aiming his weapon in the woods.
"Something threw this at the truck." Brooks said
"Really? I thought it fell out of the sky." Python snarked
"Bandits perhaps" Shofer suggested
"Or a freakbag" Doug replied
"There's no way they're that smart." Chris said
A growl can suddenly be heard from the trees surrounding them, an unearthly clicking sound accompanying it. It sounded like a mix between a man and the Predator. All of the men ready their weapons, prepared for what's next.