Mark Clodi - Undead Advantage, a Zombie Chronicles Novel

Lowering his voice he said to Juan, looking at Nanci, "Your wife?" Juan nodded, "She is not excluded, but I feel we need to show leadership here to get organized, we can't do that by committee. There has got to be a room we can use to meet right?"

"Oh yes the doctors had plenty of conference rooms, we have on set up, and there is a small auditorium we can use if we need to meet with everyone. We have coffee and food, if you or your men are hungry?" said Nanci.

"Sounds good, coffee is always welcome. Shall we?"

Juan led Ed and Nanci through the doors down to the conference room on the second floor. They spoke for about fifteen minutes before Hank showed up. Hank arrived with some hubbub, he was surrounded by people as he came up to the conference room door and he was having some difficulty getting into the room, not so much because the crowd was mobbing him, but because he was trying to get everyone's version of the last day's events at once. Finally Hank held up his hands and said, "Okay, okay, this is not working, I have to go talk to the General or whoever he sent to speak with us. I will catch up with you people later. The bus is going back for a second run, we need to get some of you double checking the rest of the hospital to make sure it is safe. Most of the wounded are already here with this last load, I am sure we could use more help taking care of them too. I will try and speak to all of you if I can when you are working, if you don't know what you can do to help, just talk to Jack or Charlie, I am sure they can find something to keep you busy."

After saying that Hank pushed the rest of the way into the conference room and closed the door behind him. Looking around in surprise he said, "Oh. For some reason I thought there would be more people here, just the chiefs then, eh?"

Ed Stanson had stood up when the door opened, with Juan and Nanci mimicking his action. Approaching Hank Ed put out his hand and said, "You must be Hank, I am Ed Stanson, of the 19 thSpecial Forces Group." shaking Hank's hand he continued, "I am very pleased to meet you."

"The pleasure is all my, er, General? Mr. Stanson."

"Major, sir." Ed replied.

Turning from Major Stanson Hank shook Juan's hand, then half embraced him before turning and hugging Nanci and saying, "Keeping him out of trouble Nanci?"

"Sì Hank, mostly, you hungry? The cooks made muffins, and we have coffee?"

Hank nodded to both and Nanci went and got him a plate, loading it up with two muffins and making him coffee from long practice the way he liked it. After all four of them had all the muffins and coffee laid out before them and were sitting down in the plush conference room there was an awkward silence. Finally they all started to ask questions at once, then broke into nervous laughter, the Major gestured for Hank to go first.

"Okay then, well what can you tell me about what is going on Ed? Or should I say Major?"

"Either is fine, I probably have more information about the overall situation in the region than you do, but so far as what is happening over all I am not sure you won't know as much as I do."

Juan chimed in, "Is there still a United State? Is help on the way out here?"

Ed looked at them and said, "Of course there is a United States! As for help, we might be a bit lacking. The bomb this morning was supposed to get rid of the major problems in the area, we are, in a military sense, behind the front lines. Even given that most modern warfare philosophies would discount the term 'front line', that does best describe the situation. There were outbreaks of the enemy in Denver, LA, Seattle, Chicago, Austin, New York, and Miami. And that is just in the US, our data on the rest of the world is limited, it seems that every major land mass has had an outbreak, but not as many cities were hit as in the US, which points to us as the origins of the problem. The current thinking is the whole mess started somewhere in Florida, with hurricane Melony just easing up off the coast the area is a mess and communications are very bad."

Hank said, "Okay so you say we are behind the lines, are the zombies that organized?"

"Zombies? Right now we just refer to them as 'the infected', yes, they do have the characteristics of a horror film zombie. Are we behind the organized lines? I would have to say yes and no. There does seem to be some organization at some level, something or some one is directing attacks, like the one on the radio station, we have reports of what we have termed 'Super Infected', er 'Super Zombies' that seem to be the leaders and can control other less able members of the enemy, sometimes some of them even seem to have regained some of their memories and abilities to think. There are other reports as well, of almost, well, lets just say unexplained abilities."

Juan nodded, so did Hank, the Major looked at them and went on, "I see you might be able to confirm a few stories I have heard too. I have to tell you I have not been out yet, this is my first foray into the field to meet you guys. I have been sending out troops on reconnaissance patrols and to keep down any zombies that get close to the base. I have not seen any combat with these things, you guys have me beat there, I would bet, and any information you could give me would help. So far what I know is not good."

"Yeah, okay, we can help with that, some of your boys had to get back from the radio station. I mean the guys that came in here said some made it back or were headed back?" asked Hank.

Shaking his head Ed said, "Not as many as you might think, that was a clusterf..", Looking at Nanci, he amended himself, "a…mistake from the get go. We deal in wounds, a normal enemy is bogged down, demoralized and defeated when he sees the wounded pouring in and hears of the dead left on the field, these things are not affected by wounding, our technological edge is not completely negated by their durability, but it is hampered. We were ordered to secure the radio station and tried to do just that in a conventional way, with only the most basic of information. It was not enough and we did not know who or what we were fighting. I have some video of the confrontation and we are learning from it, most of those men died. The few who made it back are more than half crazy and are getting the rest of my guys, worked up. No one likes to play soldier when their wives, girlfriends, parents and children are in immediate harm's way. Most of those at the base were reserve units, the special forces I am in command of were already serving overseas, I am, was, just pushing paper around on this side of the Pacific until we shipped out to relieve the rest of my unit."

Juan eyed him, "So, what, who you have, are mostly new guys and reserves?"

"Oh it is not like that, you don't get recruited into the special forces off the street. I have a lot of well trained infantrymen under my command, with a core of instructors who are literally the best at what they do in the world. Most of the new recruits are veterans of the war too, they have been around the block a few times, I have too for that matter, I didn't walk into a rear echelon job, I was assigned to it when I was recovering from an IED that hit my command vehicle. We have combat experience. Plus the reserves have already done one tour overseas. The United States Army is the most highly trained armed force in the world and the men I now find myself in command of are good representatives of that training."

Hank snorted a bit "You sound like a recruiter Ed. So the base is mostly empty? Is it more secure than this place?"

"I couldn't make the numbers to be a recruiter, they have a tough job these days, who wants to die in desert half the world away? The base is more secure, but not much more, it is not a fortress, just chain link fences with a guard house at the front to keep the riff-raff out. I have the troops putting up guard towers today, right now we can see things pretty good with our helicopters, but we don't have unlimited fuel and the way things are I think we can safely say we are not going to be getting any more for months, if not years."