Dead Alive

      Everyone played a role in what is now happening.  Even as some of them died they spent their last breaths denying anything to have done with this turn of events.  My friends and I had no idea what to do, but we always knew that what we were doing would turn Earth into a living hell one day.  Everyone did bad things.  The seven deadly sins were broken daily by billions of people.  The thing that most people thought caused this was the greed of the industrial zones as they tried to fnd new and better ways to dump their waste.  You take advantage of what you are given and you will be consumed by greed.  Some of those who were consumed by greed were later consumed by their fellow man.
      You can only dump so much biochemical waste into the ground.  You can only have so many chemical plants and manufacturies hat have waste chemical run-offs that run into your rivers.  So many illegal dumping of waste into your oceans and other major waterways can occur before bad things begin to happen.  The polluted waters begin to seep into the ground.  The air becomes acidic.  No one, not even I thought that they would ever be this bad as the dead rose from their graves, from their hospital beds and from where ever else you might find dead people, to scavenge the earth for the living.
      In the first three years it was complete pandemonium.  The living shot at the living and the dead. Not knowing where to shoot, the soldiers were plowed through one defensive line at a time.  They joined the masses as they turned and the army of undead became massive.  Some of the dead were described as slow like the ones from the older movies, but their were some that could run extremly fast and they screamed. The ones who screamed and ran, we call screamers.  The ones who move slow, we called moaners.
      When the attacks levelled off people started to move around again.  They stayed away from cities, but always kept on the look out for food to scavenge.  Some of them were military units that had escaped, and some were ex-military, civilian with street smarts, or civilians with luck.  The military was putting guns into everyones hands and forcing them to fight when some of them just wanted to be safe.  The civilians with a little stret smarts were running their operations like mafia families.  When it came time to pay up if you didn't have or give them what they wanted you were used as bait so they could shoot some puss sacks.
      I am one of those loner, ex-military types.  I had come back from Iraq six years prior with a major case of PTSD.  I couldn't take large crowds, couldn't work in corporate situations and had an excessive paranoia streak.  My family gave me over five hundred acres of land and built me a house right i the middle of it.  I put a moat along the outside property lines and called it Bayou Self. My name is Swamprat and this is how it all started:

      "Hey Juan, bring Ken and Crandee.  See that building with the moat around it?  If we can get to the other side of the moat we should be alright for the night." Gui said.

      "What if somebody is there?  What if there are a hundred of those things on the other side?  What if one of us gets injured while crossing?" said Juan.

      "What if you shut up and quit scaring the rest of us?  There are too many 'what ifs' to play no matter what side of that damn moat we stay on, and, honestly, I'd be happier sleeping on the side of it that has a buiding on it.  There is no more room for argument. Lets get moving. Listen to the moans behind us. They even have a few screamers with them." Gui said.

      They moved out of the brush line one by one. They were moving a t a slow jog towards the moat.  It was two hundred and fifty yards from where they exited the woodline, but even that distance was longer than normal if screamers wee in th area.  One of the men busted his ass pretty soon after they hit open range.  When he got back up they all started running as hard as they could.  They all knew that that one mistake could cost all of them their lives.




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      "Swamprat, ther are four men edging out of the wood line.  Could you come up top to observation?" the radio crackled.

      "Roger Sanchez.  I will be up in a minute.  Sprout and I are working on something new for our scary little friends."  Swamprat said.

      "One of them just busted their asses.  I need you ASAP!  I hear screamers inbound."

      "Call up the QRF.  It should be Smith, Barnes, Cooley and Davis.  Once they give you an up flip the lights.  Sprout and I are on the way.  Give those men commands at twenty-five yards to run as hard as they can so tthat when they jump they can make it across."
     
      "Roger.  They are in position and lights are up.  You should see the goofy mo-fo leading this pack.  He looks just like...oh shit.  Hurray Swamprat.  It is Gui and some other men."
     
      "Are you sure?  How the hell did they get down here?  It can't be.  I will look when I get up there.  I hope you are not right."

      "Remember how he started to run after his leg healed from that shovel wound and the scar along his cheek Swamprat?  If that is not him he sure does have an ugly identical twin."

      "Start speaking to him now Sanchez!  There will no tests for this crew until they on the grounds and you had better hope that you are right!"




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      They were closing distance so fast that their muscles were straining and their bodies were beginning to fatigue from the pain.  The screamers had caused them to push themselves harder than they ever had before.  They hit their hundred and fifty yard point as the screamers broke through the wood line.  When they reached the one hundred yard point the property lit up like a christmas tree. 

      "Keep running guys." Gui said. "I would rather be shot by them in front of us than ripped apart from those behind us.  It is not long before we are free ground."
 
      At fifty yards a bull horn barked and a familiar voice flowed through the air towards us, saying,"Get your asses moving you pansies.  I know you can run harder than that.  You only have a few more yards to go."

      "You heard him fellas!  Push your selves!  We only have a short distance to go!  Let's leave those screamers hungry." Gui Said.

      At thirty-five yards the first of the screamers moved to within a few yards of us.  The men picked up the pace, but their bodies could only take so much.  At thirty yards, the first screamer grabbed on to Gui's arm.  He didn't stop running. He didn't even think about the fact that he was the first one that they grabbed.  He threw out a back hand and connected right below the screamers ear.  The hit went straight to the temple and as the screamer fell two other screamers were tripped up by his body.  Gui turned around in time to watch his buddies jump over the moat.  He tried jumping, but said,"Oh shit." as he hit the surface of the water with his feet.  He swam to the low point on the opposite side and climbed out as he heard the bodies of the dead start hitting the water.
      His men waited for him to get up to the other side and then they all made they way to a steel lean-to to hide behind.  Once they were behind the plate Gui said,"Thanks for the heads up assholes."  As the guys started laughing, weapons fire erupted from the top of the building.  The cracks of the rifles, the thumps of the grenade launchers and the rattle of the machine guns reminded these men behind the steel plate of their time as combat soldiers.  They had been in the same unit for years and all had worked together on missions.  They were a well oiled machine when in the right circumstances.  With covering fire was one of those right circumstances.
      Gui and Ken were the first two to join the music of the weapons fire with their own pistols.  As they ran up to the moat they put ten meters between themselves.  Crandee and Juan ran out to the sides in a circular move and came up five meters to the side and one meter behind their fellow combatants.  They were all selectively shooting targets in the head.  There  were only about thirty or so moaners left when they had come up from behind the plate.  Not a lot but enough to make them organize quickly the first to be taken out were the ones who had made it through the low point.  Once they were taken care of the men started shooting their pistols to the other side of the canal.
      The roof-top weapons fire started to slow down.  There was no more machine gun fire, grenade thumps and the sound of the rifle fire had lessened to few cracks a minute.  As the crowd levelled out to fifteen or so puss sacs they heard a sound like a snipers heavy weapon going off.  They were still shooting and watching for what might have made the sound when the ground right on the other side of the little moat flamed up section at a time.  To those four men it was demoralizing to watch as the last few bodies ran around until they dropped.  At the same time, though, they were happy.  There were not many living people around now a days.




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      As Swamprat and his men watched the man they had known from the military, and his three followers come out and start firing, he said,"Yep, thats Gui alright.  He is the only person I know who can bust his ass in the enemies back yard, get past the guard dogs and still come out on top."
All the men started laughing and Sprout said,"Now that we are having fun, hows about some fireworks, boss?"
Swamprat chuckled a little more and said," Yeah,sure.  Fireworks Sprout.  Sanchez bring me the bullhorn."
      After the outer yard was turned into an ash farm Swamprat triggered the bullhorn and said,"Good job fellows.  I didn't know they still had good shootists running around.  My name is Swamprat.  I know one of you, but because I do not know the other three you all have to under-go a test that will only last you one night before you are allowed to walk freely among the tunnels and buildings in the land between the canal system known as Bayouself.  Around this building they have four more steel plates and eighteen leather straps.  You are to build a shelter to prove to me that even without my help you would be able to live by yourself.  They have several other items on the grounds you can use to make your shelter a little more defensible.  Food, water and a place to bunk will be given whenever the mission is complete.  Get started.  In thirty minutes more screamers will be on us after the gunfire you guys put out.  With Gui it shouldn't take you long.  Good luck."

      Gui looked at the men and said,"I have two things to say.  First, we have a place to stay.  Second, I know him and he is serious."

      The men looked at him and their expressions said, 'This shit really fucking suck!.'

      "Men, set your alarms for twenty-five minutes.  Ken and Crandee get moving.  I need you to place chem lights at each of the steel plates and gather as many of the leather straps as you can find.  Juan, take off your belt and come with me."

      Ken and Crandee moved around the property hunting for the steel plates and the leather straps.  They found all the straps and marked the plates.  The first chem light was dropped thirty-five yards away.  As Juan and Gui moved out the bullhorn clicked on and the voice behind it said, "You better get moving a little faster.  Scouts are reporting heavy movements five miles west of here.  I hope you have a good pack Gui."

      Gui called Ken over, and sent Juan with Crandee.  "Ken. Lets get that first plate.  We have to haul it back to the other one.  Bring some straps with you."

      They moved to the first plate, linked the straps around the ports on the edges, and then around themselves.  It took them three minutes to move the plate to the lean-to.  As they made it there the other two men came running up with a smaller plate. They linked those two pieces together, and then they grabbed the lean-to plate.  They lifted and connected it to the other two plates.  They had ten minutes and two more plates to find.
      The run to the final two plates was rough.  Certain parts of the ground were torn apart by rounds and grenades.  The ground was desolate and barren.  It was black.  There were empty clips and magazines all over the place.  Juan tripped over a piece of rebar while trying to kick at a magazine.  When he gained his composure he pulled at the rebar.  Attached to the end of it was a butt pack and an assault pack loaded with nine millimeter clips.  Another two bags were found under the two plates when they got there.  One had food and the other had twelve one leader bottles of water in it.  They loaded the gear onto the plates and started the run back.  About fifty yards out from the structure Ken ran out and grabbed another bag.  This one was full of eather straps and grenades.
      Gui came up behind them with the last plate.  As they linked it in Ken said, "Don't plant the rebar yet.  I'll be back."

      "Where you going?'', Crandee asked.

      "I dropped somthing.  Give me a few minutes.  I'm getting the food."

      The bullhorn came back online and the vice said,"Good news is your almost done.  Bad news is the screamers got your scent a bit ago.  They are only a quarte mile away.  Good luck.  Oh yeah, lights out."
       
      He found two rifles where Crandee and Juan had brought the second plate from.  He did not know how they missed them, but he made a guess that because the other rifles, clips and magazines they had found were no good they had probably thought the same of these.  Around the same area he found three more assault packs.  He also found the one he dropped.  Two of them had food and the other two had ten magazines a piece.  On the way back he found three claymoreswith accessories.  He ran back the way he had come.  He set the claymores up Fifteen meters apart facing right over the canal.
      Ken made it back just as the first screamer cleared the tree-line.  He dropped four assault bags and handed the two rifles he found to Crandee and Juan. He looked through the assault bags and handed one assault pack apiece to Juan and Crandee. Gui looked overthe goods stood p and said,"Juan. You and Crandee are going to be firing towardsthe woodline.  The long shots are yours.  Get moving.  Ken. You and I are gonna  take care of the low point in the canal.  We will carry a majority of the grenades and all of the claymore plungers with us.  When it gets heavy move back one at a time to the shelter.  We will then use pistols.  We have eight clips apiece, ten mags for each rifle, and twenty grenades total.  Get your gear Ken and leave the door shooting."
      As soon as the riflemen left the entryway a barrage of shots rang out.  The two men knew if they could not get head shots to go for the shins or ankles of the screamers.  It would slow them down enough to put them with the crowd of moaners.  It would even the odds a good bit.  It would make it possible to take them out at a better moment.
      As Ken and Gui moved to the low clearing they could see moaners starting to come out of the woodline.  Ahead of them, between thirty and forty screamers came running at full speed.  Quite a few had already been slowed down, but a few already already made it to within thirty yards.  Ken evaluated the situation as they came closer.
Ken called out loud,"Fire in the hole.  Fire in the hole.  Fire in the hole."
      He peered around the area to see everyone kneeling and then he hit the plunger.  The explosion was so loud it rocked the packs ear drums.  As the seven hundred ball-bearings flew through the crowd bodies were incinerated.  The ones that were not incinerated had limbs blown, and some were blown back into the crowd of moaners approaching.  The ones who could get back up and still run continued forward.  These twelve continued ther approachs if nothing happened.  Some of their jawbones had been broken, ad some of them even ran forward with missing arms.  One of them ran alon with his entrails dragging behind him.
      The screamers closed faster this time.  The second claymore went off soon after the first.  They closed so fast that the claymore incinerated majority of them.  The rest were blown, once again, into the crowd of moaners, but, this time, in pieces.  Crandee handed the rest of his magazines over to Juan, and joined us after he fired his last two rounds.
      As Crandee ran up, Ken looked over and started to shake his head.  He always wondered at th Palauan kid as thinking a he did things.  The boy was only nineteen years old, but he made a name or himself amongst the teams.  He shot as an expert everytime he went to the range.  He excelled at hand-to-hand combat.  He never said he couldn't do anything, and if he could not do it himself he would only call one person off of a task to come and help him.  He always knew when he should drop one task and help with other tasks.  There was never a bad complaint except his being able to drink the rest of the guys under the table.
     
      Ken said,"Crandee are you sure he is going to be good by himself?"

      "I help you now.  Screamers are down."

      "Get ready then.  Moaners are at fifteen yards.  Juan, if you see any more screamers coming hollar, and I will send Crandee up.  He is covering the bottleneck with us."

      The moaners crept closer.  The light that was still showing showed a gruesome scene.  There were about a couple or so hundred left. They were in all forms of decay.  Some were missing limbs.  Others were missing chunks out their bodies, their eyes, or they dragging around their entrails. Casica started laughing, and said,"Watch this." 
He hit the plunger, and the claymore blew its lethal load into the crowd of moaners.  A large hole was knocked into the moaners lines, but as these bodies went down more gathered in the spaces left open by the, now again, deceased people.