Ashes to Ashes (Book 1 of 2) A ZOMBIE FICTION

Chapter 5: The Departure

Sadie had learned the basics quickly and I was soon able to leave her at the controls while I went to talk to the others. I had taken my bag and decided that I'd search through it and see what I still had with me. 

I tossed the Air Force Beret onto the floor, then moved down the steep stairwell to the cargo bay; otherwise known as the plane itself. 

"Hey Alex." I heard Drew greet me; he was searching through his things like I was going to do, so I took a seat next to him.

"How you holding up?" I asked, opening my bag and pulling the laptop out.

"Eh... kind of feeling like shit..."

"Why?"

"I think I might be sick."

"Virus sick, or just sick sick?"

"Sick sick. I've been trying to hold it back because there's no bathrooms here, but it's hard to."

"There is a bathroom on this plane. Others aren't so lucky, but we are. It's under the cockpit."

"Oh, alright." he said as I pulled out a bunch of master locks clipped together, "What are those for?"

"In case we needed to hold up somewhere that could use one." I replied, looking to my small key chain hooked to my belt loop. 

I grabbed one of the keys and tested it, luckily finding the 'master' key. It opened every one of them, which was rather lucky considering it was the only one I had. 

"Honestly, I had forgotten about them..." I told him.

"Oh well, might as well keep them."

I searched through the small bundle of clothes and discovered that these had been taken from the sports store and they fit me. Also at the bottom of the bag were another pair of my sized boots, my pack had turned out to fit more than I had originally expected.

I looked around the plane after putting everything back inside and spotted Drake, seemingly trying to sleep. I walked over to him and saw Crystal not far away, and when she saw me she ran to me and started whispering.

"Shh, he hasn't been feeling well... at all..."

"You think the virus is... taking control?"

"Well, he's been fighting hard and honestly I think he'll pull through; but, he's started coughing up blood and I can't do anything about interior damage." 

I looked around, noticing a pair of eyes that carried hatred staring at me; "What's his problem?"

"He's an asshole, that's it." Kat told me as she walked by and sat next to Drake.

"I wouldn't usually agree, but with the things he's done to try and take over the group; I think this time I will agree." Crystal added.

"What did he do?"

"Let's start with what he hasn't done: helped, cleaned, shot, been positive, tried to help with emotional problems... never mind. That's a really long list. He's been trying to convince me that Drake isn't going to pull through and that you and Josh were wrong to defend him."

"Okay, that's enough. I'll talk to him." I told her, dropping my bag on the seats.

I approached him and he suddenly tried to become friendly; "Hey! Alex how ya' doing bu-"

"Can it Mike. I'm tired of your shit. First of all, Drake hasn't turned yet, and he probably wont. Second, you are younger than Josh and I, so no matter how hard you push to become leader -which by the way you're going about it all wrong- you aren't going to be. Third, if you're going to try to keep getting fights to sta-"

He interrupted me by drawing his Smith & Wesson .45 and pointing it to my skull. I could hear everyone grab their weapons and ready them, hearing the clicks of the safeties coming off.

"I know I wont win this fight, but I'll take at least one of you with me."

I simply stood there, hands by my side, letting out a fake yawn after seeing no round chambered in the weapon. I quickly raised my left hand, pushing the weapon out of my face then drew my .44 with my hand and kicked him to the floor. 

"Mike, you ain't going to take anyone without a round in the chamber." I told him as I pulled the .357 and pointed both revolvers to his skull.

"What the hell are you doing? Guys, he's the bad guy! Him and Josh both, they defended Drake, who is BITTEN! He's going to turn!" He shouted, but no one doubted this decision at all.

I hit the button on the intercom and called up to Sadie, "Hey, can you drop the ramp please?" I asked her.

"What for?"

"Gotta let the trash out."

The ramp slowly came down and everyone else had strapped down while I held onto the wall.

"Well, Go on trash." I said, aiming at Mike.

"What? You're not seriously making me jump out without a chute are you?"

"Hmm... yeah you're right." I hit the intercom, "Sadie, tell me when we're over a city."

"Probably thirty seconds or so."

I grabbed one of many parachutes and forced it into Mike's chest, "Alright. Go ahead. I SAID GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY PLANE!" I shouted, pushing him towards the ramp.

I watched as the look in his eyes changed, "No." He replied.

"What?"

"I'll stop."

"Fuck off. You've got three seconds before I off you myself. One."

"Please!"

"T- You know what? I gave you three seconds at the motel, fuck off and die." I said, putting a round into his left arm, making him stumble out of the plane; "Sadie, you can raise the ramp."

The rest of the trip was spent in silence after I returned to the cockpit, I began to examine most of the many buttons; finding many of them useless to us. One of which launched counter-measures against lock-on missiles.

The C-5M Super Galaxy was the largest and strongest of the US Military's heavy transport planes, with boosted power and operation ceiling; the C-5M was the product of a large amount of modifications to the C-5 and some of it's other variants done by the Avionics Modernization Program (AMP). The AMP provided the newly modified versions with modernized cockpits (flat-panel displays, improved flight safety and NAV systems, and communication equipment) as well as new and improved engines. This increased the operation range and ceiling. Along with these, the rest of the plane was upgraded using lighter and stronger materials; keeping this as one of the world's greatest military cargo-jets, also keeping it as one of the largest. 

All of this I had found out of one of the magazines under the pilot's chair, all of it got me even more interested in the plane.

---

Well would ya' look at that! Well would you just look at it, I put the facts in like I said. Anyways, correct me if anything is wrong and I'll do even more research than I already have to prove one of us right. Also, with the bathrooms, I just decided to add that to the story for the comfort of unknowing, so if C-5M's don't have latrines please tell me. I would love to know.