Dead Alive Trilogy (Book 2)- Cursed Resurrection

The History of Agony

"What was that for," Ryan asked Jordan/Nicole, reffering to the cheap shot to the jaw.

"You're an ass," Jordan/Nicole ansewered, "I tried to get to you. I went to your house, but you as soon as I got there I heard a shot from upstairs. I thought you," she put a finger gun to her head and  moved it sharply upward to indicate shooting, "You know?"

"I can explain that," Ryan replied, "My brother got bitten. So I had to, uh, take care of him."

Jordan/Nicole realized her mistake. She embraced Ryan and said, "I'm so sorry, You had to kill Nate. I'm sorry."

She tried to comfort him after bringing back that memory. Everyone knew it was hard to kill family, but to watch one die and then kill him again would be unimaginable.

"So what have you been up to," Ryan asked Jordan/Nicole, "Why did you change your name?"

"My parents are on the board and they pulled some strings and put me here. This position has authority, right. But no body would listen to Nicole, would they? So I changed it. Jordan is my grandfather's name so I used that. And I would prefer if you called me that instead of Nicole.

John, who had been sitting through this quetly with Dylan and Tiny, loooked confused. Finally he put everything together in his mind, "Wait, so Jordan is Nicole who is Ryan's ex-girlfriend. They got split up when the shit hit the fan and now Jordan's pissed at Ryan and Ryan had to rekill his brother Nate. Wait," John exclaimed to Jordan, "That means your just a kid! How old are you anyway?"

"19, what else would I be?"

John thought, "I dunno, 25?"

"Damnit! That's old," Jordan said, "Whatever, I'm done with this conversation. Ryan, what job do you want?"

"Uh, can I have the Scavenger/Rescuer one?"

"Fine," Jordan sighed, "That's my team, you will be directly under me. Here are the rules: 1. Always travel in groups of no less than two people. Three is best but you need at least two. 2. Never travel at night. If a situation arises so that it cannot be avoided, then call it in with your radio. 3. Only turn your radio on if you need it. We have a limited number of batteries, gotta make them last. 4 You are required to carry at least one bludgeoning weapon, one bladed weapon, and one firearm. Additional weapons are optional. And last and most important, 5. Drink lots of water. Dehydration is a killer out there.

"It's a learn as you work job. You will answer to your superiors, which right now is evereybody in this room except Dylan here. Got it?"

Ryan answered, "Yes."

"Great," Jordan continued, "You will be put on a subunit with John, led by Tiny. They will show you to your dorm. You're all dismissed."

John, Tiny, and Dylan started to leave. Ryan lingered but left when John pulled him out of the room. Tiny and John took Ryan out of the shelter. On the other end of the field they ducked into another shelter. Ryan followed. It was a low room, just high enough so Tiny could stand up straight. It had a bed every few feet against the wall. At the foot of each bed there was a chest for clothes. This was mirrored on the other side. One of the beds in the middle was in complete disarray. The sheets were all over the place and yesterday's clothes were next to it. John went over to that one and plopped down on it. Tiny went the bed across from John's. His bed was neatly made.

"Choose any one you want," John told Ryan.

Ryan chose a bed in the back corner.

"You can put your extra clothes in the chest," Tiny told Ryan.

Ryan replied, "I don't have any. I've just been taking them out of abandoned cars that I find."

"Oh," said Tiny, "That's okay. We'll get you some later. Do you have any personal effects?"

"I got a crowbar," Ryan said as he put his backpack under the bed.

"Ha," John exclaimed, "I like this kid!"

"Uh thanks," Ryan said, " Hey ,Tiny. Where were you when the world went to hell?"

"Oh," Replied Tiny, "I was in the military when it happened, the head of my unit. We had just gotten back from Iraq. We're supposed to be garunteed some rest time before we ship out anywhere again. But I barely got home to my wife when they called me about a 'classified training operation' over in this small town in the middle of nowhere. I don't even remember the name of it. So I left first thing in the morning. A plane took my unit to a larger town with an airport. Usually we would drive from there, but  we choppered in. I didn't think it was training. We set down by a church in a small fenced area. The smell of rotting flesh hung heavy and low. I looked through the fence and saw the source of that smell. There was corpses all over the the outlying areas of the fence. It started rattling behind me I turned around saw a man against the fence trying to get in. I thought he was short. But I looked closer and saw that his legs were off at the knee. They weren't clean cuts either. They were spilling blood. I ran over to got and try to help him but before I got there, he was gunned down from the roof of the church.

"I looked up at the shooter. I couldn't believe that he would kill an innocent man. Of course, I know now he wasn't an innocent man. One of my men wasn't lucky enough to have an angel in disguise looking out for him. He opened the gate so one could get in, a blonde chick. She pounced on him and started ripping him to shreds and eating his organs. Soldiers swarmed them trying to get her off. The finaly tore her away. They threw her against the fence and shot her in the face. My man was bleeding I ran over to see him. I thought he could live. If that wound were caused by anything else he could've survived. But a captain came and shot him in the face too. It made me furious. No one kills my men and walks away to talk about it. I jumped up and socked him in the jaw. Almost as good as Jordan got you," Ryan rolled his eyes, Tiny continued, "After I punched him, his soldiers, it took five of them, restrained me. He asked who the head was and looked disappointed when I told him it was me. His men let me go. He told us to fall in line so we did. 'I'm Captain Veira' he said, 'I am your commanding officer, you will listen to me.'

"I smiled. I called him over so I could show him the gold leaf on my uniform that that ment I was a major, one rank higher than captain. He cursed. I said, 'Fall in soldier.'

"He fell in to attention beside me. I stepped out in frotn and turned around to look at my men and Captain Vieria. I took a beat, and then told Vierra to come back up and brief us.'You ain't gonna believe this shit,' is what he said, '4800 hours ago, we were called in to this God forsaken place to hold of a riot that to large for local law enforcement. It was more thatn just a riot. The enemy was codenamed- Zulu. Zulus are basically walking corpses, reanimated flesh that comes back with a vengeance. They're slow and stupid, but are almost impossible to kill. The only way to absolutely stop them is destroy the brain. Stay away from the mouth. If they bite you, you die. But you don't stay dead. You come back. You come back as a zulu. You are then the enemy. So don't get bit. This is a losing battle, I'll admit it. We don't have near enough ammo. They just keep coming and coming. The only way to win is to do the impossible, eradicate the enemy,' I stopped him.

"I told him to show us to our bunks. He took us into the church and to our bunks. It was time for lights out. So I stayed in bed. I didn't get any sleep that night."

Ryan wasn't yet satisfied, "Well, how'd you get here?"

Tiny inhaled deeply, "After a week or two, we knew it was over. Earlier, since Vierra was supposed to be in charge, they promoted him to colonel. He wouldn't pull out. It was like he was determined to have everybody die there. I wasn't planning on it. I had my wife to see. So I jacked a chopper. Rode it till it ran dry. Then I hoofed it the rest of my way to my house. There was blood all over the place. Zulus had been there, I knew it. I opened my bedroom door and a zulu came out of the bathroom. Out of pure gut instinct I shot. Right over the left eye. It was was my wife. I didn't have time to mourn there were zulus everywhere that heard the shot. I hid on my roof untill John came and pulled the same trick he used to rescue you. He was headed to the Bunker so I tagged along."

Ryan asked John the same thing.

Well,"  John said, "I was watching TV when one of those bastards busted through my window. I killed him. Then I did what everbody else did, bug out. Raided the gun shop, along with about 50 others. and I got a radio. That's how I found out about the Bunker. I came across this hoss," he motioned toward Tiny, "Along the way."

It was late. Ryan, now knowing more about his new friends than before, was satisfied with his situation and slept.