Shaun Harbinger: Wildfire: Destruction of the Dead

Welcome to government work. Come for the retirement plan, stay because you got zombified.

“Okay,” Hart shouted to the mechanics in the hangar. “Let’s get this stuff to the dock and onto the boats.”

Istood on the dock, watching while the truck was unloaded and the boxes were taken aboard the Easy and the Escape . Hart’s team of men moved quickly and efficiently, taking the boxes, weapons, and equipment below decks while a second team crouched in firing positions on the asphalt path, weapons pointed back the way we had come.

A tense atmosphere hung over the area. We all expected a group of hybrids to come running out of the woods and down the path, teeth bared.

But that didn’t happen. After a few minutes, the boxes were stowed and we were ready to leave. We had even been provided with Zodiacs so that we could keep the Easy and the Escape out in the deeper water while we went ashore.

The late morning sun had burned the earlier rain from the dock and boats, turning the day dry and warm.

If it wasn’t for the fact that we were about to set sail for a zombie-infested mainland from a zombie-infested island, the day could almost be called pleasant.

“Good luck out there,” Hart said as his men returned to their vehicles. “At least it’s a nice day.”

As he and his team drove the Jeeps and truck back along the path to Alpha One, Sam, Tanya, Lucy, and myself stood silently watching them. We were all thinking of the task that lay ahead of us. This day was not going to be “nice”. Our mission was dangerous and possibly deadly, and from the moment we set foot on the mainland, everything would probably turn to shit.

“Let’s get out of here, man,” Sam said, breaking the silence that had descended over us.

I nodded and began untying the ropes that held The Big Easy to the dock. Once that was done, I jumped on board and climbed up to the bridge. It felt good to be sitting in the familiar pilot’s chair again. The boat felt like home now, and it was the only place I felt safe.

All of my life, I had spent a lot of time in a place that was my sanctuary from the outside world. Growing up, it had been my bedroom. I had spent a lot of time in there, reading books and playing video games, much to my parents’ chagrin. I’d had few friends but that was fine by me; I enjoyed my own company.

Later in life, it had been my house. I had locked myself in most weekends, playing games, reading books, and watching movies. Apart from a few outings with my friend Mike, I withdrew from society most of the time.

Now, my sanctuary was The Big Easy and the safety it provided. And my separation from society was not just the result of social anxiety; it was my best chance for survival.

Compared to my old life, though, I had more connections with the people around me now. Sam and Tanya were my friends. We had been through life-and-death situations together, and nothing connects people more strongly than a shared experience like that.

And, of course, I had a strong bond with Lucy. I couldn’t imagine surviving without her. We had fought together side by side and witnessed the deaths of our friends. We had shared in each other’s sorrow and grief. But as well as the dark moments, we had shared good times, and the bond between us had strengthened as a result.

I heard her coming up the ladder and I turned in my chair. Lucy climbed onto the bridge, dressed in combat boots, jacket and trousers. The jacket was open at the front, showing a white T-shirt beneath. She had pulled her long blonde hair back into a ponytail and she smelled faintly of the peach shower gel she used.

“How do I look?” she asked, doing a little turn so I could appreciate her from every angle.

“Like G.I. Joe’s wet dream,” I said.

She smiled and leaned against the wall, looking through the windscreen at the Escape sailing ahead of us. “I can’t wait to see that database of survivors.”

“Yeah, it should be interesting.”

“I’m not expecting any of my family to be in there,” she said. “I can’t get my hopes up, only to have them destroyed.”

“Even if they aren’t on the database, it doesn’t mean they aren’t still alive,” I said. “There are other survivors like us, staying away from the camps.”

She nodded but her eyes were sad. “I know that. But my parents aren’t the type of people who would be able to thrive in… all this shit. If they didn’t make it to a camp, they won’t be alive.”

“I thought your dad taught you how to shoot.”

“He did. But my mother is very ill. She can barely get out of bed most days. I know that Dad will try to protect her. He’d rather die with her than live without her.”

“Maybe they’re both okay,” I said. I knew my words wouldn’t give Lucy any hope; we both knew how bad the situation was. But I didn’t know what else to say I wasn’t even sure if my own parents were still alive.

I’d heard Joe’s voice on the radio and knew that he and my parents had made it to a camp but that had been a long time ago. The way things were now, you could be alive one minute and dead the next. Or undead, which was probably even worse.

Lucy said, “We’re going to tell the soldiers at the camp that the vaccine is for everybody, right?”

“That’s my plan,” I said. “We’re out here risking our lives, so we should have a say in how this all plays out. The people in those camps have just as much right to be vaccinated as the soldiers. Fuck MacDonald and her rules.”

She smiled and touched my shoulder lightly. “I’m glad we found each other again, Alex.”

“Even though you went sailing away without me?” I joked, looking at her and raising a quizzical eyebrow.

She lifted her hand from my shoulder and brought it down again in a fist, her mock punch bringing a mock, “Ouch!” from me.

“It was you who went off half-cocked into the fog and left me!” she said.

“Okay, okay, I won’t do anything half-cocked.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” I said. “Especially while you’re wearing that army gear.”

She punched my arm again and went to the ladder. “I’ll get the weapons and supplies ready to go. Are you going to be wearing army stuff when we go ashore?”

“I sure am.”

She frowned.

“What’s wrong with that?” I asked.

“Don’t you hate it when couples wear the same thing?” She grinned at me and descended the ladder to the aft deck.

I turned back to the instrument panel, a huge grin on my face.

Even the rain pattering against the windows couldn’t dampen my mood.

The warm glow I felt from Lucy’s words only faded as we neared the rainy coastline and I saw a village and harbor in the distance. As we sailed closer, I could see rows of stone houses whose dark windows looked vacantly out over the sea. A couple of dozen fishing boats floated in the harbor, abandoned and neglected.

I pointed the binoculars at the houses and streets, looking for movement or any other signs of life.

The village called Muldoon looked as cold and dead as the grave.

The radio crackled, and Sam’s voice cut through the static. “This is the place, man.”

“Yeah,” I said. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled as I looked at the silent houses and streets. I wanted to turn the boat around, head back out to sea and forget all about this dead village.

Instead, I dropped the anchor and climbed down the ladder to the aft deck. While The Big Easy rolled on the gentle waves, I surveyed the scene on the shoreline again.

I didn’t believe that this place could be totally abandoned.

Lucy came out onto the deck. “Something wrong?”