Induction

The vibration of another explosion rocked the truck on its suspension. I threw my palms over my ears and opened my mouth to equalize the pressure, only to be thrown flat on my back as the concussion reverberated through my bones. A rushing cloud of black soot blew through the group and left us caked in dust. The others were looking around, too, speaking and gesticulating wildly, but I couldn’t understand what was being said. I could see the whites of their eyes as I looked from one member of my group to another. The truck began to move again. As we limped along at a snail’s pace, our rear defenders began to rejoin us. Once ten, their numbers had dwindled to six.

The truck’s suspension began to bounce again as it ran over bodies, and the site of the explosion came into view. Unrecognizable body parts lay in front of a three-story apartment building engulfed in flames. The pungent scent of rancid meat being barbecued caused my stomach to turn.

As flames licked up the building, a third floor window exploded outward and revealed the upper body of a screaming woman, silhouetted by flames that inched toward her. She screamed for help, but no one moved in her direction. There was no use in trying. The only way in was a burning fire pit. She looked down at us, devastation plain on her face. She had been so close to rescue, and now watched as her only chance at salvation passed her by.

Taking one last look at the flames behind her, she turned back to the window and climbed to the sill. I couldn’t look away as she stepped off the ledge and plummeted to her death. She landed head first on the street next to me. Her head caved in from impact. The convoy kept going, and I stared at the woman until she was no longer in view. The only thing I could think of was at least this woman chose her own death. She hadn’t been torn apart by monsters and become one of them, one less demon for us to fight.

I was disappointed to find only eight more survivors joined us as we drove slowly through town, including the two we saw upon reaching the convoy, and a very pregnant woman and a man who I assumed to be her husband.

The team dispatched hundreds of undead that came for us. Where was everyone? Were they all dead, well, undead? Or had they escaped to a safer location? Cape Coral was home to nearly 150 thousand residents. A chill crept up my spine as I considered that Cape Coral might now be home to an army of 150 thousand undead.

We finally arrived at the base. Though calling it a base was a stretch. The parking lot of the local Target was blocked in by parked cars that were packed in so tight most of the side mirrors had been sheared off. The cars were positioned bumper to bumper in each row in a surprisingly well thought out pattern. The bumpers of the first row were lined up with the middle of the car in the second row. A crude chain link gate had been constructed to allow the convoy access to the lot and building inside the makeshift fortress. The helicopter sat perched on the roof.

The gate opened as we neared, revealing the parking lot. Another twenty soldiers with guns greeted our group with cheers and pats on the back for their returning comrades. Sporadic gunfire assaulted my ears as the defenders behind the barricade picked off the approaching undead before they reached the wall of cars.

Jake helped me down from the truck bed as the cab doors opened. Adam came around the back and gave Jake a jovial slap on the back. “Well, mate, looks like we’ve found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.” Jake beamed a smile at him and looked around. Gabby scrambled out of the truck with the help of Margie. The bag in her hands jostled as Daphne fought to poke her head out. As soon as she saw me, the bag began to shake as she excitedly wagged her tail.

I went over to the transport truck where a few of the soldiers were helping survivors jump down. Mrs. Talbot followed and we relieved the men and told them to go rest. They’d just walked the entire way back to the store and were no doubt exhausted. Hell, I had been sitting on my ass, and I was exhausted.

One by one the survivors came forward and accepted our aid. Each looked more disheveled and shell-shocked than the last. I reached up for the next bedraggled traveler as I watched Jake and Adam talking out of the corner of my eye. A scream interrupted my eavesdropping and the girl I was helping from the truck fell on me crying and babbling something I couldn’t understand. We toppled to the asphalt and I attempted to break free from the refugee who had pounced on top of me. Fear, and not understanding what was happening, had me struggling to break free, while the girl only held on tighter and cried louder.