(Starting Out)
(Southern California Coastline)
"Well," Alice said thoughtfully, "there's something you don't see everyday."
Keeping a cautious eye on their surroundings the group of survivors followed her gaze.
"I wonder how it got there?" mused Jill.
"No telling," said Sam. "But even for this day and time it's an unusual sight."
"I wonder if it still runs?" asked Carlos of no one in particular.
"Since we'd have to swim out to it I don't think we're ever going to find out," answered Chris.
"What's painted on the door?" inquired K-Mart.
Shading her eyes against the evening sun the teen's mother squinted. "I think it's a number three."
"Weird," commented Angie.
Heads nodded. The group watched as the yellow Humvee floated along, rocking slightly in the gentle motion of the ocean wave. Caught by a vagrant current the abandoned vehicle spun around twice and drifted out to sea.
After a moment attention turned back to the land and away from the sea. For a moment longer K-Mart stood watching the vehicle, wondering where it had come from and what had happened to its occupants. Then she too dismissed it from her mind. There were more important matters at hand. Like finding a defensible place to spend the night.
(Several days earlier)
(Los Angeles)
"K-Mart, wake up honey." a gentle but firm hand shook her shoulder.
In response the teen burrowed deeper into her covers and tried to pull the pillow around her head.
"Daddy, I don't want to go to school this morning."
A soft chuckle answered her whine. "I wish that was all that it was sweetheart but come on, the dawn is lighting up the sky and it's the day we're starting our trek home."
Now awake, the teenager threw back her covers and stumbled back to the family apartment. The stumble picked up quickly as the smell of brewing coffee came from the room she had just left.
"Good morning honey," her mom Alice greeted her with a smile and a kiss. "Sleep well? And why out there? Your father in particular worried when you weren't in your bed this morning."
"It's the sounds of the city," replied K-Mart with as straight a face as she could manage. "Somehow they weren't as noticeable in that room as my bedroom here."
"Holy cow," the teen thought gleefully. "I just made my mother blush."
"Well, take a quick shower, get dressed and grab your gear. We're leaving right after breakfast."
"Okay mom."
In just a few minutes K-Mart came out of the apartment, her hair still damp from the shower where she met Angie. Both girls were dressed in almost identical fashion; jeans, athletic shoes and loose comfortable tops. They both had their hair in ponytails and carried packs. They could have passed for a pair of teens headed off on a week-end hiking trip had it not been for the leather belt each wore that supported a holstered pistol, ammunition pouches for extra magazines and a heavy knife to balance the gun.
It had been Alice who had insisted on the knives, although Carlos, Chris and Jill had all supported the idea once broached.
"A knife never jams and it never runs out of ammo. It's not easy to kill a zombie with one but it can be done. And we all know that zombies aren't the only danger that you might have to face."
Angie's cap rode on the back of her head. The sunglasses she had donned were crooked. "Gosh this is heavy," she grumbled. "But it'll get lighter soon as we eat and drink what we're carrying. And if we're on the road too long we'll wish that they were heavier."
K-Mart nodded. Both girls had been on the road in this post-apocalyptic world before. Both had gone hungry and thirsty. But that was how life was. So without further ado they joined the adults and pitched in to eat.
When they finished Jill started to pick up her plate and coffee cup to carry them to the sink. She stopped looked at them and with a bit of a chuckle set them back down again.
"I guess no point in doing the dishes huh?"
"We're never coming back and from the way the place was when we got here I doubt anyone else ever will."
"True," said Alice as she spread out a map of the city. "Okay, let's look over the route we hope to travel today." She traced the line of march with her finger. "This keeps us to streets as open as we can hope to find and keeps us away underground parking garages and storm drains and such."
The others nodded. They had found out to their surprise that while the zombies were, contrary to the late unlamented Doctor Isaac's theory, beginning to break down the more they remained exposed to the sun they somehow were sensing it and gathering in underground areas. The group had nearly been overrun during the rescue of Angie when Sam had been forced to set the helo down in an abandoned stadium only to find the undead boiling out of the under complex.
"We hope to make it here by tonight. There are several buildings in that area that look like we can hole up there for the night. If we don't get caught up in anything then in a few days we'll make it to this highway along the coast and hopefully put an end to walking. Until then we'll just have to hoof it."
"Should anyone get separated today make your way north as well as you can. Each day we'll establish a rally point where we will plan to assemble if that happens." she pointed at the map. "Our first intermediate objective will be this promontory here. If we are completely scattered than everyone make for it. It's unmistakable, jutting out into the ocean with the lone mansion there that surprising looks in reasonable shape according to the satellite photos. Hopefully it won't come to that. But if it does than go there and wait. We won't go on without you. And even if we don't need it for that it looks like a prime place to rest for a day or two."
In short order everyone was lined up at the outside door. Weapons were drawn, locked and loaded. At a signal from Alice Carlos and Chris threw the door open and dived outside as the others covered them.
Nothing. No one and nothing was there. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. With that the party headed out in marching order.
In the lead was Alice with Chris behind her. Alice's weapons, her machines pistols, shotgun and long knives remained holstered. Chris had his M4 carbine carried comfortably but ready to cover anything that appeared. His silenced Ruger 22 caliber pistol was near to hand.
Behind them came Jill and Claire with the two girls. Jill was armed like Chris while Claire carried a Glock nine millimeter for a sidearm along with her M24 sniper rifle. Behind them was Sam with his ten gauge shotgun and Carlos brought up the rear with his much trusted Galil.
The movement through the abandoned streets was as swift as could be expected. Occasionally a muffled cough barely identifiable as a shot came from the front of the little column. Chris had slung his carbine and was using his twenty-two to eliminate any zombies they came across. After a bit he removed the silencer, electing to save its suppressive qualities for when it might really be needed.
Because of the four radio headsets spread among the adults communication was instant, although radio chatter was kept at a minimum. However the group didn't let that make them sloppy about security. Neither the front or trail pair ever allowed themselves to be in a position where both members were out of sight at the same time from the others. Because of their long experience in this world the care they took didn't slow them down. The pace picked up in fact as the streets broadened out and the remaining zombies grew scarce.
Every hour the group took a ten minute break. Everyone, especially Sam of course, kept an eye on Claire but the former convoy leader had recovered from her wounds and was actually enjoying the vigorous pace that Alice was setting. The girls were in tip top shape and had no trouble keeping up. Lunch lasted an hour, the quiet broken only once when Angie demonstrated that she had absorbed the lessons her mom and hoped to soon be dad had been teaching her when a zombie staggered out of a doorway. The teen was the closest member of the party. Reacting rather than thinking it out she drew her pistol and snapped off two shots that dropped the undead creature in its tracks before it took more than half-a-dozen steps toward them.
"Good shot sweetheart," beamed Chris. Jill nodded in approval as did the other adults. K-Mart hugged her. Angie blushed in pleased embarrassment.
While there was still an hour of full daylight left each day the party would slow and search for a secure location to spend the night. The first two nights were spent in the remnants of high rise buildings that could be barricaded from the inside. The third night saw them on the outskirts of the city and they found refuge in an old warehouse.
Today had seen them moving slower than the first days. Now that they were safely away from the city proper the search was on to find suitable vehicles that they could get running and rebuild with armor and screens to safely convey them back up the coast to Alaska. While searching through several abandoned SUVs and trucks Angie had spotted the bright yellow vehicle out on the ocean.
"Too bad," Jill cast one last glance back at the floating car. "Hummers are always great vehicles to convert."
"Oh well mom, we'll find another one. Or something just as good."
"Speaking of finding a place, the top of that hill looks like a good place to fort up for the night."
"Good," said K-Mart. "I'm hungry."
"And when are you not?" asked her father.
Laughter followed as the party scrambled up the hill to settle in."
(Tokyo)
The intercom light flashed on the massive desk. Albert Wesker pressed a button.
"Yes?"
"Major Turner is here Mister Chairman."
"Send him in."
The door opened to admit a man neatly clad in the black uniform of an Umbrella security officer. He saluted.
Without wasting time on pleasantries Wesker spoke.
"Update," he demanded.
"Everything is going according to your plan sir. So far they have kept to the approximate schedule of movement that they discussed with their friends in Alaska. They have no idea that our snooper program is intercepting and copying the transmissions they bounce off the satellite they use."
Wesker grunted. "It was an excellent idea of the late security director to have those modules installed on every satellite we manufactured regardless of who was its intended final user. A shame he was unable to reach safety." Realizing he was delving into irrelevancies, something he hated in others he returned to the point at hand. "The trap is set then?"
"Yes sir. And baited with the one thing we know this group cannot resist."
(To be continued)