Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Jeff wasn’t expecting trouble from the small group of refugees already at the park.
It was obviously an extended family and friends group and the few weapons on display were no threat to his men, the APC’s or the megablaster cannons.
Still, he wasn’t taking anything for granted, especially not with the safety of Melly and Mike at stake.
And now Tamsyn too, he reminded himself.
Once the vehicles were parked as per his order, he surveyed the scene again on the vids and with the drone holo.
The civilians had come to watch their arrival and were clustered a few yards away, silently observing.
He subtracted points from whoever was in charge here because no way he should have let the women and children assemble before knowing who was inside the military vehicles.
Lucky for the man or woman Jeff had no ulterior motives.
“All right, I’m going out to have a chat,” he said. “Cody, keep overwatch. Zach, with me.” He’d already sent orders to Trent and Ryan in the other APC.
Weapons at the ready but not directly aimed at anyone, Jeff and Zach exited. “Who’s in charge here?” Jeff asked.
An older man stepped forward. “That’d be me. Ned Chalmers. This is my wife Rebba and the rest is our family. You from the government?”
“What’s the news?” called a woman who was quickly shushed by others.
“We’re on detached duty,” Jeff said, which wasn’t exactly a lie. “We intend to spend the night here and move on in the morning. Anyone else here besides your group?”
“Couple of people have come and gone,” the man said. “Got a locked cabin full of infected up there on the hill—we left them alone. Maybe you could get rid of them for us.” He grinned. “That’d be the neighborly thing to do, what with your guns and all.”
“I’ll consider it,” Jeff said. “Where are you from?”
“Taillor. We left there in a convoy right before the government folded, couldn’t find a place to stay, heard of one town but it fell before we even got there. Lost a few people and cars along the way.”
“Why aren’t you going to the big refugee camp as Glastine?” Jeff asked. “Especially with the children—”
“Our vehicles weren’t much to boast about when we left Taillor,” Ned said. “Truck’s engine is busted now, barely limped into the parking lot and we can’t all fit into the groundcar so I reckon we’ll be staying here.”
“You couldn’t find another vehicle?” Zac asked. “Plenty of them abandoned on the roads.”
“We tried twice, nearly got surrounded by infected both times.” Ned shook his head. “It ain’t as easy as you make it sound, soldier.”
“But if we had the means we’d keep heading northeast.” His wife spoke up.
“I’ve got a sister whose husband runs a ranch up there.
His place was our destination. Forget any camp controlled by the government.
” She spat on the ground. “Sure I’d trust them with my family after they did such a wonderful job fighting the outbreak and saving the cities. ” Her sarcasm was biting.
“Please, do you have any food?” The woman making the plea was on the edge of the group, with two children clinging to her legs. Her face was drawn and haggard.
“I’ll see what we can spare,” Jeff said, coming to a decision. “We have a doctor with us as well if anyone is in need of medical attention.”
One of the men with a rifle said loudly, “Thank the Lords of Space. My wife got shot at one of the stops we made and she’s not doing well. We dug the bullet out but the wound is infected.”
“I think Tris here has a broken arm.” Another woman cradling a pale faced toddler in her arms spoke up. “Her parents didn’t make it. We’re not sure what happened to her but her arm’s not right.”
Jeff raised one hand to stem the flow of requests and information.
He was sure by now Melly was wildly frustrated inside the APC at not being able to immediately start treating these new patients.
While he didn’t see a threat from this group, he wasn’t going to relax either.
Nor was he going to let his team get overwhelmed by the obvious needs of the people in front of him.
He’d do what he could without endangering his own or his ultimate mission.
“Give me an hour to inspect the place and get ourselves established. I’ll let you know when we’re ready to hand out rations and to let the doctor examine your wounded and ill. ”
“Bless you,” Ned said in a shaking voice. “You’re the answer to our prayers.”
“Just a bunch of soldiers doing our jobs, sir,” Jeff replied.
“There’s a big hall with a kitchen and dining area,” Rebba said. She pointed downhill beyond the welcome center. “I guess they had groups stay here in the old days. Your doctor might want to set up there.”
“Good idea. We’ll check it out.”
In response to his subaural signal. Zach withdrew to the APC and covered him while he also moved to the portal. A moment later and the two men were inside, the heavy door sealing off the hopeful civilians on the other side.
“I need to get out there,” Melly said immediately. “We’ll have to triage the cases but the gunshot would take priority. How soon can we unload my full medkit?”
Jeff held up one hand as he slung his pulse rifle.
“I understand your impatience but we’re going to do this by the book.
I’ll leave Trent in the other APC and take Ryan with Zach, Cody and me to clear the cabins and check out this hall the lady mentioned.
Sounded like it might be ideal for your clinic and for us to pass out survival rations.
I don’t want anyone getting excited at what we’ve got in our cargo compartments. ”
“Those people are half starved, in shock and scared to death,” Melly said, gesturing at the nearest vidscreen. “The last thing they want to do or have the strength for is attacking us.”
“I tend to agree actually,” Jeff admitted. “But we’re going by the book anyway. You remember your lessons on operating the megacannon?”
She nodded and flexed her hands. “I do.”
“All right. You’ll be under Trent’s command. No one exits this APC for any reason until I give the order. I don’t care if people are dying out there, none of my team exits without my clearance.”
“Yes, sir,” Mike and Melly said in unison, with Tamsyn chiming in belatedly.
Jeff gave the frowning Melly a kiss, sure she’d forgive him later, once she was able to treat the waiting patients and knew they were being fed.
He made a hand gesture to his men and hit the door lock.
He saw Cody kiss Tamsyn as he went past and suppressed his grin.
It was great to see his brother so openly affectionate with his woman.
Cody had seemed calmer and more focused since their return from the high pasture and his fidgets lay scattered around the APC, untouched.
Mentally Jeff checked off one worry in his mind and focused on the job at hand.
Ryan formed up with them and the team set out to scout the park grounds and the cabins. Most were empty, as he’d been told, although the big Chalmers group occupied three cabins in the center of the residence area.
Jeff paused when they reached the cabin marked with big X’s and he heard moaning and thumping from inside.
He noticed Cody rubbing his forehead. “Can you tell how many there are or is the link not granular enough for taking a census?” His friend had shared with them the unexpected side effect of his recovery giving him the ability to sense the infected when they were close.
“Four. No five.” Cody blinked after concentrating for a minute or two and delivering his report. “Five. Clustered at the front door now they’ve heard us out here.”
“Orders, sir?” Zach asked, weapon at the ready.
“Sooner or later those infected will break the door down—these cabins are flimsy,” Jeff said.
“Or one will fall out a window. I’m surprised they haven’t already.
I’m also concerned they may be able to call to or signal the swarm you observed ten miles away.
We don’t know enough yet about how they function as a group. ”
“So we’re taking them out?” Zach checked his ammo count with a nonchalant air.
“Be easiest to burn the damn cabin around them.” Ryan spoke up.
“We’ve seen how even when they’re scorched and practically melted to ash they keep trying to drag themselves to attack. Remaining a danger to the unwary.” Jeff shook his head. “Besides they were people once and it goes against my grain to incinerate them. A head shot is more merciful.”
“Less messy and more reliable,” Cody agreed. “Not to mention it’s pretty dry up here. We could set the entire forest on fire if we weren’t careful. Want me to take point since I’m immune?”
“Don’t take unnecessary risks,” Jeff cautioned. “We don’t know you’re immune.”
“Doc is pretty damn sure and so am I. My nanos have got the virus’s number.”
The team took up positions facing the front of the cabin and Cody approached the door and shot it out.
A large male infected burst onto the porch, grotesque black claws extended and the cyborg shot him in the forehead before he took two steps.
Two females emerged next, fighting each other in the doorway trying to squeeze out and falling over the dead infected’s body.
Cody and Ryan dispatched those and Jeff and Zach accounted for the remaining two, who looked like they’d been teenaged boys before becoming infected.
Hardened soldier that he was, Jeff felt pity for this group, probably a family who had been here at the park for what was supposed to be a vacation no doubt, before one of them got sick and infected the others.
Judging from the deteriorated condition of the bodies, they’d been here a long time.
“We’ll leave them inside the cabin,” he decreed.
“Don’t need the Chalmers children seeing this. ”