Lets take flight

Chapter 11

Everything was going too smoothly I was waiting for something to mess up for a breach to occur or for the military to come and blow a hole through our gates. The screams and gunshots making me tense as I flitted from one post to another helping keep the fence clear my heart hurting for the ones we wouldn't let in. S13 was helping to numb my mind as I fought side by side to keep the shelter safe then nearing dark a huge eighteen wheeler started shooting down the road towards us at top speed mowing people and zombies down with no regard.

"Shit, Mac we have a huge truck at ten o clock not slowing." I shouted into the radio mounted my my shoulder

"Ten four I'm on it."

About three minutes a large boom carried to my ears leaving them ringing I glanced around and saw that the entire cab of the truck was nothing more than a smoldering pile with its trailer rolled on its side. The noise had added to the panic and thus went the next few hours zombies and humans alike pressing on our fence the sheer force causing the trailers to rock; if it wasn't for safety rails on the outer edges we would have had people fall off into the mob.

For the longest time we only target the zombies but when it became apparent there was no hope for the live ones it became a free for all. I had lost track of Sam a few hours in and the only people on the front lines were Macs people excluding the children everybody else was inside on the top floor of the main building. It wasn't until the sun started to come back up that things started to slow down, gun fire started to peter out and the moans of zombies and screams of terror from the people slowed. Twenty four hours of battle later and the only thing to show for it was a pile of dead bodies stretching out around the fort for what felt like miles but could have only been blocks.

Numbly I got off the trailer I was standing on and moved to a room that I picked for myself then sat there not sure if I was disgusted with myself or the ones who started this. I didn't even notice it when Sam walked in and sat next to me on the floor leaning on the wall next to me.

"War never changes." That's all he said I stared at him

"I'm not sure how to feel, I just feel numb."

He nodded "I wanted to kill myself the first time I took a life."

"The lab trained me and trained me but only with zombies, I never thought I would have to kill living people."

Again we sat in silence "come on." He said "you need a bath and some food it will help I promise." He pulled me to my feet and led me to the chow hall

The place was full and the line long but with Sam at my back and S13 floating through my thoughts trying to calm them I managed. Everybody was given an MRE and two bottles of water, Sam moved us to a corner table and sat me with my back to the wall unknowingly easing my heightened senses. I looked at my vegan lasagna MRE and frowned after my turn vegan anything was unappealing. Sam smirked but swapped with me, he had gotten a Mexican one with beans rice and some kind of meat then after showing me how the heating element worked we ate, well he did I just picked at mine.

Afterward he led me to the place where the showers had been set up, we were issued a bucket of water and some soap then went off to wash. The women had a wash station and the men had one so I didn't have to worry about being naked in front of Sam. I started with my hair then work my way down my body trying to tune out the smell of the dead as I let she sun dry my skin.

"Lauren." Mac met me out side the showers

"Yes?" I was busy braiding my hair

"My time is up, what do you need us to do?" He asked

I tied off my braid "we need to clear the bodies, I would prefer to burn them pretty far off site, perhaps in the water park portion of Regan park."

"This place has a water park?"

"It's more like spouts that squirt water but yes."

"Okay, do you have any groups in mind?"

I shook my head "I'm going to work on job lists for most of today, but until then it should be all hands on deck on getting those bodies burned."

"Any special instructions?"

"No, just if the bodies have anything useful..." I trailed off and looked away

"I understand." That's all Mac said before walking off

I sat at my desk staring at the supples Macs men had provided me with including a list of names and skill sets. I had never written on real paper before, only the electronic counter fits so the note books in a filing cabinet behind me felt foreign. I started a calendar like grid labeled Monday through Friday Saturday and Sunday would be off days then started filling in names and jobs two days of the week on each page. After much erasing and rearranging I had a schedule made out for the week it reminded me of a much more primitive version of the schedules I would make for my parents. I decided this method would do for now though I knew it would have to change later on or we would have people not pulling their own weight. A knock on the door stoped my musings

"Come in."

An older Mexican lady entered followed by a teenage boy "Buenos Tardes." The boy translated

"What can I help with?"

The boy started acting as translator " We need stuff for our babies, we came for a celebration not the end of the world."

"What kind of supplies?"

"Diapers, formula, food and such."

"Did you ask Mac or one of his people? I find it hard to believe that he didn't come prepared for this."

The boy nodded "We did, all of their children are out of diapers and eat regular food and no supplies were thought of concerning this matter."

I reached into the filing cabinet behind me knowing what needed to be done "how long will what you have last?"

"Till tomorrow if we stretch our supplies."

I handed the teen a note book "make a list of necessary items only I will get a group and we will go out tomorrow afternoon to look the items on the list."

The two nodded and left my office I keyed my radio "Mac 25 my office ASAP" I had a bone to pick with him