Chapter 4
Rob and I loaded our gear and pulled out the next day.We spent the next three weeks driving on Highway 5 stopping at any isolated farm houses or residence we found. We also did a recon on four small farm communities. We identified two groups of survivors in these small towns. We noted their locations on my map but didn’t try to make contact. After three weeks on the road we had killed a couple dozen Zombies, none more than 20 miles from their ID addresses. When we were about 10 miles North of Sacramento, we took an exit and parked the truck on a levy road surrounded by rice fields. From this base camp I used my binoculars to scan the area. I could see a couple of rice processing plants and a few scattered farm houses, but didn’t spot any Zombies. At least there weren’t mobs of thousands of Zombies rushing back and fourth searching for the living to feed upon.
From the spare fuel barrels we had attached to the trucks flatbed I topped off my fuel tank. "We need to find a source of diesel," I told Rob. "I like to keep the tanks topped off just in case we need to leave in a hurry." The rest of the day we drove from farm to farm. Finally I spotted an elevated diesel tank. These tanks were gravity fed so no power was needed. They were usually just a couple of barrels on their sides and elevated to make them high enough to gravity fill a tractor tank. I pulled up next to the filler hose for the tank, I jumped out, grabbed my bolt cutters and took care of the lock. I lifted the handle I pulled the trigger, diesel spilled out on the ground. I now knew the tank had plenty of fuel in it. I handed the handle to Rob who had removed the caps on my spare fuel barrels. Rob proceeded to fill my fuel barrels.
I spotted the shambling Zombie coming around the corner of one of the outbuildings. As the Zombie approached, I pulled the loop holding the revolver from around my neck. Taking aim, I put one round into his head at ten feet. The popping sound told me the homemade silencer worked pretty well. The soup can sized silencer duct taped to the guns barrel required I wear the .38 attached to a cord around my neck since I could no longer holster it. But it was quieter than before and probably wouldn’t draw any more infected or slow Zombies my way. I walked over and pulled his wallet out of his pocket and checked his license. I turned it in my hand and told Rob" He‘s a local boy". I tossed the wallet and ID onto the body. I walked back to my truck. The fuel barrel was full and Rob moved the hose to the second barrel and started to fill it. Inside of 25 minutes we had filled the truck and two spare drums of fuel, not too bad. Rob handed the handle down to me I hung the handle back on the tank.
It was time to hit the road to do the rest of our scouting. After a quick glance at the map, Rob said, "Turn left at the end of the drive, we can catch road 25 and enter Sacramento through an industrial section." In about 15 minutes we were passing building after building. We had attracted a following of about 25 runner Zombies. "We probably need to thin these guys out" I told Rob. "Ok, no problem" said Rob. I accelerated until there were about 300 meters between us and the group of Zombies. I stopped the truck. Rob stepped out of the truck, leveled the scoped .308 Winchester and started making head shots. Using the scope Rob was able to make six head shots. "Hop in, I’m moving the truck" I said. I put the truck in gear and moved forward until there was about 300 meters separating us from the running crowd. I stopped the truck, "Go" I shouted. This time Rob was able to take out 10 more Zombies. "I’m moving again." I shouted at Rob. "Go, go, go!" He yelled. I looked in the trucks side mirror and one of the runners was closing quickly in on the truck. Just as he jumped for Rob, I put the truck into gear and moved forward. Fortunately, the runner missed Rob by inches. By the time he had regained his feet, we were rapidly out distancing him. At about 300 meters I stopped again. Rob jumped out and started shooting again. They were getting close and Rob had dropped seven more Zombies, I swung open my door and started shooting. The final one dropped about 30 feet from the truck. "Damn, I never encountered so many runners before." I said.
"Look up there", Rob said and pointed to a group of at least 50 runners who were racing toward the truck. We got back inside the truck and I whipped a u-turn and re-traced our route a few blocks. I slowed the truck and turned to Rob. "I guess that’s why the military didn’t just clear out the cities. How bad do you think it is inside the cities?" I said. "It must have been bad if they dropped nukes. The last newscast on TV had said they were considering dropping them on N.Y., L.A., Seattle, and San Francisco." "Let’s lead these guys south for a while then hook around north when we’re out of their sight." I told him. "Yeah, I sure wouldn’t want to look up and see that coming toward the gate at home" said Rob. "Rob, find us a route south then a route we can use to sneak back toward the north." I said. Go right at the next block go three blocks then right again" said Rob. I slowed down till the mob had closed the distance some what. I turned right, drove a block and waited on the mob. I wanted to make sure they followed us. And we were headed south, when they lost sight of us. I continued this process until we had lured them south for a couple miles then I accelerated out of their view and turned in an easterly direction. Ahead, I spotted several vehicles blocking the road. "What’s this coming up here?" I asked Rob. Rob grabbed the binoculars and said, "Road block, looks to be police cars only. It doesn’t appear to be manned though".
As we drew closer to the road block, we could see the bodies lying among the vehicles. "Looks as though they put up a good fight" said Rob. I made a u-turn and backed the truck up to the road block. There were cement barriers setup to require a vehicle to weave thru in order to pass. Police cars were parked across the section facing away from where we were parked. "What the hell were they trying to defend?" I asked. "Looks like they were defending the industrial area" said Rob. "It just doesn’t make any sense. Let’s look around, ok. Just keep your eyes open there seem to be plenty of runners around here" I said.
I reached into the truck bed and removed my pry bar from my tool bin. I popped the trunk on the closest police cruiser there was an M4 with six clips and several boxes of 5.56 rounds. "Rob, look at this" I yelled holding up the M4 carbine. "I’ve got weapons and ammo here. Lets start popping these trunks open". We found six police shotguns several boxes of shells, 5 m4's and over 700 rounds of 5.56 ammo. We loaded the shotguns, carbines, and ammo in to the back seat of the truck.
Rob and I got back in the truck and slowly to drove down the street. Rob continued to scan the side streets using the binoculars. "Hey wait, back up and turn down this street", said Rob. "I saw another roadblock and it looks like military vehicles.", Added Rob. I backed up the truck and made a right turn down the street and stopped "See anything moving down there?" I asked Rob. "No, not yet, Lets go slow though I’ll keep looking as we advance." he said. "Hold up, I see one." Rob says. Rob swings his door open hops down to the pavement and kneeling brings up his scoped .308 and fires, the Zombie drops. Hopping back into the passenger seat Rob says "Ok, let’s check it out." I stop the truck about five feet form a military M1117 APC. We both hop out of the truck as I scan the area for Zombies Rob approaches the vehicles cautiously. Rob looks into the open back of the first APC. There are two soldiers dead and partially eaten laying inside. Rob drags them out the back of the vehicle. I strip the Kevlar vest from the bodies and toss them back into the APC. I hear Rob fire the APC up. "This thing has almost a half tank of fuel" he yells over the revving engine. Rob Shifts the APC into reverse and eases it past my truck. Rob guns the engine and puts it in gear and races off down the street. At the corner rob turns and comes back pulling along side the truck. "I need this!" He says as he swings thru the side opening. "It would, make moving through Zombie infested areas safer" I said.
As we searched the vehicles in this road block we found six more M4’s and about 3000 more rounds of 5.56 ammo and four Kevlar vests and 6 helmets in or around the various vehicles. We even found a container of grenades in the APC. I walked over to the building closest to the road block and tried the door. Unlocked, I turned the knob and opened the door. The runner was on me before I could react. I threw my arm up
and he clamped his teeth down on my forearm, I fumbled for my waistband 9mm I fired three times into his chest and he slumped onto me, with effort I was able to wiggle out from under him. Fortunately the padding in my Leather jacket forearms stopped the teeth from breaking the skin. I stood up and put three 9mm rounds into the Zombies forehead before he could re-animate.
I turned around and Rob was watching me. Without lowering his pistol He said "Did you get bit?" "No, my body armor save me this time" I told him. I saw him lower his gun, but he kept looking at the teeth marks on my jacket forearm. I stripped the forearm guard off and showed him the teeth marks on it, then turned my arm to let him see for himself, no wound. At this point he visibly relaxed Rob said "Sorry about that. I guess hanging around with you has made me a little paranoid. I sure didn’t want to have to tell Jenny I shot you. I would have to keep my eyes open around Bobby and Jack too." "No problem, it's not paranoid if they really are out to eat you. I’d shoot you in a minute if you were bit." I told him. We both chuckled, nice world ain’t it." said Rob.
Rob and I entered the building. From the looks of things it had been an operations center. Tables were setup in rows, phones and computers lined the table tops. From the over turned computers, phones, and papers strewn over the floor it was evident that fighting, looting, or a very hurried evacuation had occurred here. There were maps posted on the walls that had areas of the city shaded. From the looks of the patterns that had been shaded on the map and from notes jotted down on post-its stuck around on the maps they had been tracking the spread of the virus. Two distinct patterns were shaded, radiating from two hospitals. The dates and times on the shaded areas were dated showing a growth pattern updated hourly for four days. It was amazing; the whole city appeared to have been over run and had either fallen or was abandoned as lost in only four days.
I Picked up a paper from one of the desks, and read the heading "Emergency Evacuation Plan". The paper said that effective immediately the facility personnel were to be relocated to a hardened site named Alpha-November-23 in Nevada. The date at the top of the page was about fifteen months ago. "Well I guess that clears that up. Let's grab a couple of these computers, I’m sure we could find a use for them back home." I said. "I’ve got a better idea. Let's go find a computer store and get a couple of new boxed systems and plenty of software." Rob said. "Any idea where there is a computer store?" I ask. "I sure do." Rob said. After looking around the room for a few minutes Rob said, "let’s take the APC and make a run into Sacramento". "Well, you lead, I’ll follow in my truck." I told him. Rob climbed into the APC, fired it up and closed the rear ramp, he slid the window open and said come on let’s take this thing to town.
Rob pulled the APC through the road block and roared off toward the main highway where he had originally spotted this road block. At the intersection we turned left and started driving toward the city. It was total devastation as we neared the downtown area. Wrecked cars and trucks littered almost every intersection. There were shells of burnt buildings. There were decomposing bodies littering the sidewalks and roadway. There were slow Zombies everywhere, some were missing limbs but when they became aware of us the started their howling moans and crawled and stumbled in our direction as we continued down the street. In a couple of minutes I spotted the first of the fast Zombies running after us. Rob accelerated and we quickly outdistanced them as well. We turned right; and in a block turned right again retracing our trip but offset by a block.
After 20 minutes of driving and circling blocks we arrived at a large electronics store. Rob motioned for me to come over, "get in, we'll drive to computer department" said Rob. I left my truck sitting in the drive outside the store and joined him in the APC. .Rob eased the big APC up onto the sidewalk in front of the store and drove through the front windows. Rob drove down the aisle that was just wide enough to allow the APC through. When Rob arrived at the computer department I stood lookout watching for Zombies. And he loaded 6 boxes containing lap top into his vehicle. We next went to the software department and started loading six sets of every piece of software he saw into the back of the APC. When Rob was satisfied he said, "Let's go". Rob turned the APC around, taking out a couple shelves and several displays in the process. We drove back toward the front parking lot. Outside we transferred the loot into the back of my truck. We got back in our vehicles and Rob started leading us back to the main highway.