Welcome to the End

Chapter 28: Cut Off

"How far away is the disturbance?" Kevin questioned.

"A few hours at most," George answered.

Kevin grimaced. "Have Razor and Red begin evacuating the ship and leading the people here. We can't afford to wait."

Although Kevin had been moving swiftly and efficiently, the knowledge of the undead closing in filled him with a greater sense of urgency. He quickened his pace but kept his speed at a manageable level as he didn't want to be careless and get someone killed because he'd missed something vital.

Tying off a rope ladder, Kevin dropped it off the side of the cargo net, and it unrolled all the way to the jungle floor. Despite the length of the ladder, it barely reached the ground because of the great height of the colony in the trees.

A thought about someone other than the refugees climbing the ladder sprang to his mind. The survivors were in no condition to fight off a scavenger attack if one came. The encampment had no defenses against the high end firepower the savages carried.

Ultimately, Kevin dismissed the worrying thought because scavengers were all about taking and hoarding supplies. They wouldn't come miles out into the jungle for the simple reason there wasn't anything out there for them to take. They would stay with the cites and around abandoned military bases where salvage was more abundant.

Relief let Kevin sigh as he realized he wouldn't have to fight scavengers again, but he wondered if the zombies hordes had already wiped them out. Maybe there weren't any more scavengers. It was a sobering thought, and it made him think about his group of survivors and the possibility of them being the only living people left in the world.

George approached in his helicopter, and his imminent arrival put all of Kevin's musings on hold as he was forced to concentrate on the task at hand. Opening the rear door, Kevin found this trip contained several of the older refugees who would've had trouble making the journey from the ship by land.

"Right this way," Kevin said, ushering them out of the aircraft and into one of the air cushioned rafts. "Welcome to your new home. No phones, no pool, and only one pet, but I'm sure you'll love it all the same."

Across the way, the golden retriever barked happily as if pleased at being included in the conversation.

Kevin could tell the people were uncertain. Most had never even climbed a tree, much less taken up residence in it, but he had no time to explain things. Once he unloaded the passengers, he was forced to immediately start on the cargo. Whatever couldn't be brought by helicopter would have to be carried or abandoned at the ship, and George didn't have unlimited fuel. Every second Kevin spent unloading cargo and people was one less second they would have for those still on the ship.

Unless he knew the supplies to be fragile, Kevin shoved them out of the chopper and let the net catch them. He'd organize them later. Once the rear compartment was empty, Kevin waved at George.

"Good to go," Kevin shouted over the engine as he jumped out.

George soared into the sky in a graceful turn and headed away at full speed. In the time before George returned, Kevin pulled out a few smaller cargo nets and began bundling supplies together and tying them off to nearby branches in a resemblance of bizarre bunches of grapes.

***

George had kept a suspicious eye on the fuel gauge since first lifting off in the chopper, and the needle was resting firmly on E as he approached the ship. A warning light and an accompanying siren went off a few seconds before the motor started sputtering.

The controls became a fight to manage as the helicopter threatened to crash. He held on as the aircraft swooped down and landed hard on the helipad. George was thrown against his restraints and the noise of the impact left his ears ringing. His vision was momentarily blurred.