Dead All Around Chapter 3

Ch.3 Time to die. Them- not us





Julius brushed snow away from his face. He was lying on his stomach about in the middle of the team.

         His radio buzzed.

“Ok guys. Jeb “says” play times up. He “says” to move out” commented Julius, receiving the anticipated command.

“We need to cross the open field” said Israel, her voice softer than the falling snow, barely above a whisper.

         “Let me at it” said Max, “I would be across in no time and have that guy out, all in the same second”.

         “Without magic?”

         “Maybe. I could run fast enough. Or how about you just have Israel blow a hole through his head?”

         “Do you know for certain that no one else is watching?”

“No” he sighed.

         “Besides, what’s the range of your shotgun? 30 yards?” Julius pointed out, “I would at least want a rifle with you. We’ll split up, Israel and another of her choice will cover us as we move. Israel, choose who you want watching your back for the rest of the mission.”

         “Hm, well, if I can’t have you…”

         “And you can’t.” With Israel being Julius’s combat partner, in normal circumstances they would be working side by side. They complemented each other quite well.  But Julius had to lead the team and Israel had to snipe.

         “I’ll take Ellie.”

         Ellie, somewhere down the line, groaned. She wanted to see action.

“I’ll make it up to you,” Julius and Max said at the same time. They looked at each other, narrowed their eyes, then turned back to the situation at hand.

“Since Ellie is Max’s partner, Max, you’re with me.”

This was met with a glare. He and Max never really got along, “stepping on each other’s toes” as was the case.

“Come on, time to creep.”

It wasn’t so much creeping as a running “hide and go seek.” From the forest to the watch tower there was no cover, so they ran a short distance and dropped until Israel gave the “ok” and they took off again, not unlike how a rabbit crosses open ground. Israel stayed behind at the edge of the trees. From there she watched her team make the crossing, observing the world through the scope of her rifle. With Ellie covering her back, she could concentrate on covering her team.

         Julius was the first to reach their target destination, pressing himself up against the frozen stone of the tower. He poked a mirror out at arm’s length, just enough to see the man on the other side causally puffing away.

         Julius signaled Max over and showed him the reflection

“I want him alive, if possible.”

Max pulled out his foot and a half long dirk; blades were in no shortage amongst the team.

“And do it suddenly.”

         Max snorted, as a bull would do at its captors, and slipped around the side. He reappeared with the captive, dragging him backwards with a hand over his mouth and the blade against his throat.

         The man’s eyes were fixed on the knife, glancing to Julius as he took hold of the man’s collar.

         “Listen here and listen well. You get one chance. Help us or die.”

         Max removed his hand just enough for the man to talk.

         It took him a minute to find his voice, and when he did it was scratchy, “And what will happen to me afterwards?”

         “If you’ve only committed minor crimes, imprisonment.”

         He found his resolve. “No,” the man said, his jaw set.

         “You do know I’m going to kill you twice, right? Ghoul…”

Now the man’s face flashed from confusion to true fear.

“Kill him,” Julius stepped and waved his hand to be done with the matter. 

Julius looked away. Max had his own personal vendetta with the undead. He also followed the number one rule about ghouls to the letter: kill twice so they will never rise again.

Max took a stand in front of the door, dressed in the man’s clothes, while the body and all trace was buried. Then Julius signaled to Israel. She and Ellie skirted over the snow, wraiths in the night. 

         The door was an old wooden thing with metal struts, probably original. The coat of the dead man contained the iron key that fit the lock.

         It creaked on ancient hinges but blocked from opening any more than a few inches by something on the inside.

         “You’re not getting in here! No more I say, no more!” The voice was riddled with age and desperation.

         It was a futile jester at best. Julius could force his way in, or just about anyone else with enough determination.

         “Sir” called Julius through the crack, “we’re friendlys, we’ve come to free this town.”

         “You lie. You’re just trying to trick us. I won’t have it. I know what you do to the ones you take away. You monsters! Go away! No More I Say! No more…”

         “Sir, I am Julius Cross, third line of the Ravencroft family, who am I speaking to?”

At this there was silence, then the scraping and shifting of heavy objects. The door opened to reveal a grey haired man, his wrinkled and liver spotted face poking out. It opened fully and the team stepped inside, everyone except for Max who elected to keep watch.

Rooms that would have accommodated an elderly couple comfortably were now cramped with dozens. Every spare inch of space was occupied, except a small clearing near the door where a large table had been shoved aside. The children, huddled close to their mothers, did not weep, their tears of hunger and unknown terror had dried onto their faces in salty streaks. The adults stared, their eyes held a look of resolve and hate; but also a solemn look, the look of an innocent man right before his execution. A rancid smell came from what was supposedly the bathroom.  Above, people were packed shoulder to shoulder on the cast-iron spiral staircase; Israel wasted no time in making her way to the roof with Ellie hot on her tail.

The old man dropped to his knees, even as the cringe of his face and the crack of his arthritic joints told how it hurt to do so. “Thank god you've come. I had almost given up hope. I am Toni, I contacted you when those monsters first arrived.” He looked from face to face of his rescuers. “Is this all? I was sure RavenCroft would send more.”

“There are 3 more teams this size. But what I need right now is information: location of civilians and enemy. How many are there?”

“I will tell all. Please make those monsters pay”.

“Guaranteed.”

Julius radioed in what he had learned. Toni was a wealth of information. Most of the civilians were in the tower, almost 200. The rest were serving their murders or dead, served up in a barbeque. Jeb gave the green light to move out and attack on this information. “Teams leaders, you have permission to engage all targets! All radios on. Communication is key. Concur and secure this town. All teams go!”

They left Israel and Ellie in the tower. They would cover Team 2 as they made their way through town. But more importantly they were there to prevent anyone from escaping.

Outside the naked, gutted victims of this holocaust stood frozen in their racks, snow clinging to their lifeless forms. They would be avenged, and provided a proper burial.

No matter what Toni’s information, they still had to clear every building.

The first few were vacant. Cold, dark and empty. Even the undead had a heat signature; if their bodies fell below freezing temperature, they would turn into meat popsicles.

         The next one was warm, had it lights on, and two occupants upstairs from what could be seen from a window.

The door was unlocked. They glided in, shutting the door behind. A draft might alert the couple.

Two members stayed down below as the rest took the stairs. They paused outside the room in question. Max took charge by kicking the door open. He stepped in and to the left. Julius was close behind, short sword in one hand and pistol in the other. He was instantly followed by the next two.

The couple looked up. He must have just gotten started. She was in a corner, trying to claw at the walls for a way out, marks and bruises sprinkled across her nearly naked form like chicken pox.

He was secured with steel cord to a main support post and drugged. She was given clothes and escorted to the tower.

The next two buildings yielded a few odd surprises but most of them with ghouls in various forms of shock and awe followed by a scramble for a scrap of dignity or a gun. One particular individual tried for both and found neither within reach.

Inside another house they found a one-sided boxing match going on. Three ghouls cheered on a fourth as he pounded his human punching bag. Under Julius’s command Team Beta burst in, shouting for everyone to raise their hands. The ghouls stared dumbfounded. The human assessed the situation in a flash and dived across a table for the assault rifle on it. He came up, flipped off the safety and unloaded into the nearest ghoul. That sent the other ghouls into action and Julius watched as they were mowed down by his team.

Now the human faced them, the rifle pointing away but close enough to be brought into instant action. His nose was broken with blood running freely down his face and both eyes were swelling up. Two fingers on his left hand were set with splints and wrapped as if they had been broken.

“Who are you?” he barked, his eyes taking in their appearance.

“I am a member of the RavenCroft family and captain of this team. We are here to free this town. Leave the gun and you can go to the tower.”

“Why should I leave the gun? If you truly are who you say you are then you’re going to need all the help you can get. My name is Fred Nilsson and I am an officer of the Swiss Militia. I know this town, its shortcuts and side streets.  I can help you kill these things” he motioned to one of the freshly dead.

“Because first off if anyone but one of us is caring a gun we’re liable to shoot first. Second, you’re a military liability because you don’t have body armor, you’re wounded, and you don’t have a PBS.”

A Personal Body Shield was an invisible forcefield that all Ravencroft constructed around themselves. It could be extended to include multiple people, angled to deflect projectiles in a certain direction or even used to keep in body heat and protect you from the elements of weather.

“A PBS? What’s that?”

“Here” Julius scooped up a pistol from one of the ghouls and pointed it at his open hand.  “It’s easier to show than explain”. He made sure that an open wall was opposite the gun and fired. The bullet hit his hand and bounced off to lodge itself in the wall boards. The bullet had caused a faint blue permutation to reveal where it had struck Julius’s shield. That faded quickly so that the PBS was now invisible again.

A closer look at the hole in the wall was all the proof that Fred needed.

“Fair enough” was all he said. He field stripped the assault rifle, scattering its pieces around the room before leaving for the tower with an escort.

Their next stop was a restaurant of sorts. No less than 15 people were enjoying the luxuries of the establishment, all ghouls. The overhead balcony held three more. Townsmen shuffled platters of food and beer, disappearing into the back room for more.

Julius observed all this through his mirror, sitting with his back against the side of the building, the front windows situated inches above his head. He handed it off to Max.

“Your second in command, what do you think?”

“Let me in there, say, after some flash-bangs and I’ll have them subdued. Might be a little tight on ammo though.”

“And the civilian?”

“I do prefer the “hit hard and fast” tactic. If we clean them out before hand, may alert them prematurely.”

“ True…how about we hit from the rear and drive them into the street. All the civilians are inside. You and I will go around and flush them out. Rebecca will lead the rest and catch them as they come out”.

“Hm” he put his chin in his hand, playing with his peach-fuzz, that was quickly manifesting into a beard. “Ok, but you have to get the guys on the balcony.”

“Deal.”

Leaving Rebecca to coordinate the ambush, Max and Julius slipped around the back.

         Across town lights were flicking off, followed by a succession of flashes and audible pop pop pops.

“Looks like the festivities are in full swing” Max commented dryly.

“Well let’s get jinky with it!” Julius knocked on the door and flattened himself against the wall. Max stood poised on the other side.

The door opened, flooding the back-alley with light.

“Yes?” answered the person from within. He stepped out, glancing both left and right. Julius snagged him when he looked away, shoved a gloved hand into his mouth. Correction, it wasn’t a he. Julius slid the grip of his other arm up more to compensate.

She was quite human, he could feel hot blood pulsing beneath his hold.

“Shh” he hissed into her ear, “We’re here to help.”  Max shifted enough to reveal his outline.

“How many hostages and how many attackers?” He loosened his hand just enough for her to talk.

Her eyes flashed from Max and back to Julius, taking in their weapons and uniforms.

“There’s eight of us” it was little more than a squeak. “One monster is back here to keep an eye on us and the rest are out front.”

“Can you get the monster to come out here?”

“Yes.”

Julius released her, keeping a finger near the trigger of his machine gun.

She corrected her face as much as possible, trying to force it into a bleak expression; then situated herself in front of the door.

“Alan,” she called, “they have brought more beer. Do you wish to sample it first?”

“Why yes,” Alan stepped out.

Now this one was undead. He also had a sawed off shotgun in his hands.

Julius clubbed him in the head with his gun, Max catching him on the way down with a knee into the kidney. They tied him up and dumped him in a garbage bin along with the now-unloaded shotgun. The woman led the way inside.

They passed a walk-in freezer and dry goods storage pantry, entering the kitchen. Everyone looked up from their tasks of cutting, chopping, and frying to the new arrivals. The woman signaled for silence and motioned everyone together. Julius and Max checked the room before moving to either side of the swinging doors that shielded them from their targets.

         An old man from the group approached them.

“Is there anything we can do for you?”

“How many civilians are out there?” Julius gestured beyond the doors.

“There are three of us out there right now, should I call them back?”

“Yes. Tell them you need their help with a new delivery of food or something.” Julius glazed around the kitchen for something in particular and spotted an empty aluminum can. “How about a local brew?”

The old man did, with a ruse about another load of beer and the need of help to move it. That brought a cheer from their drunken guests.

The three almost tripped over themselves upon entering but were quickly shuffled away with the others.

“What should we do now?” the old man asked, watching his fellow friends and neighbors conversing together in a tight group.

“Electrical breaker.” The old man pointed to it.

“Now find a room and seal yourself inside,” Julius readied his flash-bang, Max rigging a grenade.

The old man directed the rest into the pantry. Sounds from within told of their attempts to barricade themselves within.

Julius flipped Max the thumbs up; he replied with a grin and a nod.

Julius cracked the door just enough to see and toss, then killed the lights. Boom! Bang! In quick succession.

They went through the door, each selecting their own targets. Julius dashed upstairs. Drawing his sword, he leaped on the surprised men. They weren’t as stunned as their companions down below, one already reaching for an assault rifle nearby. Julius took off the gunman’s hand and head. The second had his gun at his hip but Julius was one step ahead. He cut up, crotch to head, through his left arm and bypassing the gun that the ghoul held slightly to his right. The third gunman clamped down on the trigger and swiftly began losing the fight with the gun’s recoil. Julius ducked and spun to his left, stepped forwards and cut hip to shoulder again missing the guy’s gun to keep from notching the fine steel of his blade.

Julius sheathed his sword and opened up down bellow with his gun, covering Max who had dropped behind a low wall as the survivors regained their wits.  Many shoved over tables to cover themselves; Max’s slug rounds tore right through. Many ran for the door and blown out windows. They died “with their boots on,” in a grave of snow and ejected copper casings.

Julius poked his head over a turned table and shot the wounded man who had only been half killed by one of Max’s rounds. Max was reloading and doing the same: clearing the room.

No one on Team 2 was hurt. The pantry door had been marked “friends” in Latin with florescent green paint from a spray can. They moved on, summarily dispatching a pair of fleeing ghouls. Someone poked their head out of the door the two came from. It was only Olga, captain of Team Delta, Team 4.

“Hey Julius.”

“Hey Olga.” The rest of Team Delta was behind her.

“The southern section is clear. Team Alfa says they need help clearing out a fortified position. You up for it?”

“So I heard. We’re done with mop up operations here, let’s go.”

Steady reports of confirmed enemy dead were coming through over the radio in ones, twos, and threes.

The only organized resistance was easy enough to find. Automatic weapon fire came from a darkened second story building, ghouls hugging hostages close like bullet proof vests. No one on any of the teams would use such “spray and pray” tactics.  Everyone was firing semi auto, putting to use hard earned accuracy, good enough to give U.S. Marines a run for their money.

“This is Team Delta closing in on your position Team Alfa.”

“Team Beta here too, what’s the situation?”

“Ten baddies on the top floor with hostages. They’ve sealed the stairway. Any suggestions on attack entry?”

“Israel” Julius called. “Can you see this building? Can you get a clear shot?”

“Negative, the winds too bad. Firing purely by thermal so can’t make clear distinction”. 

“How about we make an entrance with explosives and CQCS’s,” Max said as an idea took shape in his mind. He explained it quickly, everyone agreeing on his “end-it-quickly” tactic.

The charges were placed and a scant minute later set off. The second blow was blown out and crashed down on the first. Flash-bangs were sent in. Julius raced in after with three others, drawing swords. He moved quickly through the permeating dust cloud. He killed when he could make a clear distinction of friend or foe, stunning when he could not.

The hostages were quickly removed with no dead or seriously wounded. The ghouls were dealt with.

         



“North side clear. No escapes.”

“South side clear. No escapes.”

“East side clear. No escapes.”

“West side clear. No escapes.”

The courtyard of the small town was packed. Everyone who had dropped out of the airplane was there. The team leaders, with their teams behind in military ranks, stood before the Principal. On either side of the Principal were the supervisors. 

“Do you agree?” he asked the supervisors that had been tailing each group.

They all nodded.

“And they used no magic?”

Again, all nods.

“Then” the Principal opened his arms to the whole assembly before him, all 40 students. “Congratulations! You all pass!”

         Everyone cheered. Helmets were thrown into the air only to come down with dismay upon their owners and those close by.