Starting Over Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Getting to Know Each Other
Planet: Earth
Location: Greenlake Valley, South Carolina
Time: 10:00 pm
Date July 4th, 2010
"Seriously, a Blockbuster?" The human with the Shamrock asked as the human with the 13 on his mask pulled the Hummer into the parking lot in front of the store.
"Why not dude, it's small and it has roll down security gates over the doors not to mention a bathroom and junk food." The human with the 13 replied, "Besides there might be some good movies at this one."
"You're hopeless, oh well let's head in and set up" the one with the shamrock turned to face the squad and said, "Okay here's how it goes we go in there and kill everything quickly then lock the entire place down until we decide that it's time to go. Got it?"
Lucas nodded and said, "Yeah we got it."
The human nodded and then things happened quickly, the two humans threw open their doors and ran to the front of the store while Lucas let Thomas and Allen out of the back. The lights in the store came on and a few shots were fired before the entire squad even got through the front doors. By the time they had, the human who had driven there was beginning to lower the security gates at the doors and the other was pulling down some that were over the windows. When the two had checked and double checked to make sure everything was secure they came back to the squad who were hanging around near the '4 for $20' stand.
The human with 13 on his mask spoke first, "Okay, I'm called 13 he's called Shamrock. Now who are you guys and why are you here?"
This was the first time Samantha was able to look over the two humans, they looked to be about 16 - 17 years of age, both were Caucasian male, slim but muscular and seemed as though they could hold their own in a fistfight, the human with the 13 on his mask appeared to be about 5'10 while the one with the Shamrock was 5'9, both were wearing Digital Camo pants and long sleeve shirts that were too large with vests that held ammunition for their rifles and pistols, they also had combat boots with the pants leg down to the foot part, gloves and balaclavas and ballistic face masks with glass in the eyeholes. 13 had a G36C rifle and a Colt M1911 pistol strapped to his hip along with a wide assortment of knives and a two handed sword across his back. Shamrock had an M16 rifle, an M9 Beretta and a shotgun across his back which looked to be a Spas 12 with a fixed stock.
"What no names?" Thomas asked, "What's with the weird nicknames anyway?"
"Names are for people that trust each other and the nicknames came from our source of good luck, Shamrock's Irish and I was born on Friday the 13th but got good luck, how's that for irony?" 13 replied
"Now who are you guys" Shamrock said
"You tell us what's going on first." Lucas said
"How could you not know, y'all been living under a rock?" 13 asked
"Maybe we should tell them sir." Samantha said to Lucas
He sighed, "Okay, Corporal Monroe is the air safe?" he asked Alison
Alison brought out an object very similar to a PDA and held it out for a few seconds before it beeped, she looked at the screen and said, "Yes sir."
Lucas then reached up and undid his helmet and pulled it off, the humans, 13 and Shamrock, looked like they were going to faint. The rest of the squad followed and removed their helmets.
"Where to begin?" Lucas said with a smirk.
After the explanation about what, who and why the squad was here given by Gunnery Sergeant Lucas Matthews, 13 was sure his head was going to explode within the minute.
"So the rest of Earth is like this too?" Shamrock asked
Lucas nodded
"But how?" Shamrock asked no one in particular
"Carriers." 13 said, "With any sickness there are carriers."
"Now I believe it's your turn." Sgt. Matthews said, "You can begin with what those things are."
"No we have to say the entire history of this whole event." 13 replied "Three months ago, late March early April, a 'sickness' started killing people off; there was no cure, no way to even slow it down. We know that at first it took about a week from infection to death. The only problem is that after a person died from it they didn't stay dead."
"Wait on second, you honestly expect us to believe that those things out there are zombies?" Pvt. Hawkins said.
"If you're smart you will because it's the truth" Shamrock said back to Hawkins, "Besides, Corporal Monroe said that the people by your dropship weren't breathing had no pulse et cetera. Then they get up and start trying to eat all of y'all. That sounds zombieish to me."
"Anyway it took about three days for a person to 'turn', change into a zombie that is. Then the first official week into the infection, the first week after it was announced to the public, the virus goes airborne and most of the country dies off in two days, but they come back in a few minutes and that's when it gets bad because the people, they just dropped like a ton of bricks and other people went out to see what happened, the dead ones come back as zombies and tear the living apart. After that people went into hiding, scavenging for food, ammo, guns, anything that could help them survive to the next day."
"Do you have any idea what caused it?" Lucas asked
13 spoke first, "Bio-weapon, a National Guardsman from Nevada said that it's a bio-weapon, he said that for a full two weeks before it was announced they were keeping people from leaving the state, he said that it was being made to help our boys in the Middle East by disrupting the terrorists."
"How do you kill 'em?" Pvt. Hawkins asked, "'Cause we were shredding 'em when they attacked us but they kept coming."
"The zombies don't die unless you kill the brain, bludgeoning, stabbing, shooting, doesn't matter. Kill the brain, kill the zombie." 13 said
At that moment a zombie ran into the window causing everyone to jump.
"Perfect timing." Shamrock said, "You want to do the honors?" he asked 13
"You need the practice." 13 said back and got punched in the arm for it.
Shamrock raised his rifle, an M16 with a laser sight and red dot scope, and fired one shot through the window. The zombie's head was blown apart by the shot and the corpse fell to the ground.
"You sure I need practice?" Shamrock asked
"Especially after seeing that crap shot!" 13 replied
"WHAT! That was a perfect shot and you know it!" Shamrock exclaimed
13 unfazed by his friends yelling replied, "Nope definitely off center."
Shamrock made a motion to hit 13 but 13 grabbed his arm, pulled him forward and put him in a headlock
"Too slow and you're a crap shot, why do I bring you along when I got out?" 13 asked
"It was dead center and you know it." Shamrock hissed back. 13 let him go while laughing a little to himself.
Pvt. Hernandez was next to speak, "Why do you two mess with each other?"
"Keeps us in what's left of our right minds I guess." 13 said to him
"What's left of your right minds?" Cpl. Wiliiams asks
"What were you guys supposed to do if you found humans and we were in distress anyway?" Shamrock asked
Lucas was first to speak up," Call for an evac, but you two can't be the only humans in the city."
"We aren't, The Sanctuary is where all the people who are still alive are at, we mentioned it earlier on the drive over." Shamrock said, "But there are a lot of people there, 180 maybe."
"That's a lot?" Cpl. Monroe asked, "In a city this big there must be more people alive."
"Nope, like I said that day when it went airborne it killed a lot of people and people weren't ready for it. Also it stayed that way for a week killing even more people and turning them. Anyone who's in the city now was either here when the infection hit and survived or they came here and were rescued by us or others from The Sanctuary" 13 explained
"What is 'The Sanctuary'? Sgt. Matthews asked
"Exactly what is sounds like, a sanctuary for anyone still breathin', though before this it was a mall and before you ask we have no idea how it was started or who started it." Shamrock replied
"How do you get infected?" Cpl. Monroe asked
"Same as in the movies" 13 said, "Bitten, get their blood in your blood or in like your eye or mouth, or a cut."
"Before I forget, what's with the too big clothes?" Cpl. Williams asked
13's response was to roll up his sleeve revealing metallic armor on his arms, wrist to elbow. Then he said, "Like I said bitten is infected, if they can't bite you then your good."
"How far does it go?" this one from Pvt. Hawkins
"Let's see," Shamrock began, "we have it wrist to elbow on our fore arms, elbow to shoulder on our upper arms and similar set ups for the legs, steel toes in the boots and chest and back plates."
"Is it all really necessary?" Hawkins asked
"Probably not, but I'd rather be safe then sorry." 13 replied
"So now do we head back to The Sanctuary?" Shamrock asked
"Suppose so, nothing more we can do here and besides this one didn't have any good movies." 13 said
"Definitely hopeless, we are in the middle of a zombie apocalypse and all you can think of is movies." Shamrock said
The parking lot had a few zombies in it when the group left so the ran to the Hummer, which was by the door, covered Pvt. Hawkins and Pvt. Hernandez as they go in the back, then got in and sped off to The Sanctuary.