Zombies 4.2

By Asa Montreaux

The next day some men came around the house late in the morning. They brought news about what the executive committee debated about.

Tom was selected for active duty, thought not for the first tour. He’d have a short assignment the following week. They said they had made the assignments shorter at the expense of including only a few more men.

He was shocked, and upset, and also intrigued at what it was going to be like. He hoped he would come home, and be fine within himself.

They said he would be commanding the vehicles, and that one man would be using the weapon in the vehicle. The vehicles were all connected with radios, and there was a command within the compound.

Had they discussed the safety further?

They said they thought it would be unlikely anyone would die. The excursions are going to be shorter at first, and we won’t venture into any crowds of zombies, to develop these combat skills. They said the weapons are going to be extremely powerful.

Are they working on new technology?

It sound like they are. So it will become safer in a little while. until then I’ll hold my breath I suppose.

*

In the next week, Tom had to go on active duty. He was very nervous in the morning, getting ready quickly, but feeling distracted by all these sudden possibilities, of things going wrong, that maybe he hadn’t thought of when it wasn’t this reality right in front of him.

You’re going to be okay, I know it.

I don’t feel so good about this now. I feel a little sick. Aren’t all wars all the same?

Maybe this one is different. No it’s not a war. We don’t really have an army.

I actually think they have the best intentions. We have to stop the zombies.

There is a good reason. No one wants you to die out there. I promise it won’t happen.

Don’t promise what you can’t guarantee. But I think I have the safer job.

You’re only the ambulance driver. I think this might be the truth. Really.

I’m the brave protector of lives and yet I go into the battle. But I’m not on the front lines.

Maybe no one’s on the front lines now.

I suppose.

Maybe there won’t be a lot of missions when they need you. I really think not.

I don’t know. They don’t want to send so many. But there are only so many of us. So this is the first mission I guess.

Every time you survive you’ll be a little wiser.

I think so. Maybe I’ll be more of a man, and not someone shattered by war.

You’ll be okay I think. You should be okay I just think.

I have to go in the morning. I’ll be on duty for 36 hours this time.

Good luck. I’m sure you are going to be okay. I really feel so.

Well I’ll see you when I come home I guess.

Sounds nice.

*

The instructions were very thorough for how the excursion would be executed. However, there was not anything they could really practice. They needed to start the chemical excursions. They were going to look for small packs at first.

The first pack they past scared him. He didn’t want to drive near them, and he was thankful that they were not given the instruction to exterminate them. They were very dangerous. He could tell they had no souls when you looked at them. They usually looked very dead though sometimes they would come after you. They could really run and seemed to gain an extra power when they were hungry.

That’s good luck.

Haha. Don’t be sure. A little smaller we might go for it.

Oh. Usually they’re not that big.

You never know. They’re growing pretty quickly.

That’s what scares me. Past that that was the first encounter we’ve had.

You’re the only one in front. There’ll be right next to us trying to claw in.

You think they can break the windows.

Nah. You just need to drive faster then anyways.

Haha. I will do then my friend.

  They drove further through the wastelands. Tom thought occasionally they might see a very tiny pack of roaming zombies, but they hadn’t seen any for a few hours. When they finally found a pack, he knew he’d have to approach because it was only half the size. They approached, and he was instructed by the command to drive up along side it, so that they could use the weapon for the first time. It sprayed the zombies thickly, and in a few moments, they fell to the ground, lifeless, and after they’d spun around the whole pack they drove on, only coming back a little to see that they were all dead.

That was exhilarating.

We are all alive, Tom said.

Maybe we aren’t in for such bad luck right now, at all. That was a breeze.

Just wait though, they’ll get much, much bigger.

They might not all go as smoothly. But at least this was a bit of a practice run. They’ll be larger, but we will be more ready.

Certainly. Sometimes we’re given that order to go and exterminate them. We have to be ready.

We still have quite a bit of daylight. Maybe we’ll encounter another pack.

They’re supposed to be a little further out. We’ve been in this area today. It’s more likely we’ll see them tomorrow, and later in the week. Then we’ll really be using the weapon more often.

I suppose you’ll get better at using the weapon more quickly as well.

You better hope, that I can kill these zombies quick enough.

Are you positive that that’s something you can do, over and over?

You mean like psychologically? These dead, they just zombies.

No, I mean in terms of skill, and burn out.

I think so. I can stay awake. I’m not going to get scared. At the point I’m getting burnt out, maybe we can just switch in someone new.

That’d be a good idea. Not me though.

You’re just here to take good care of us I think.

I imagine so.

The best care.

The very best, sir.

Are you quite certain?

I’m quite certain, sir.

Hopefully, when this war, is over we’ll all be alive, and we’ll be able to talk about this.

Maybe we just won’t want to talk about it by then.

I hope not. Maybe we should cherish the camaraderie.