Chapter 2
Driving toward Edwards, I monitored the chatter on the emergency channel. All hell was breaking loose. The first two hours it seemed every call involved someone with an infected co-worker or someone being attacked by an infected person. Then there was only static, no further chatter. I don’t know if my radio quit or there was some other problem. But suddenly, there wasn’t any more voice communication on the radio.
I approached the Base gates at North Muroc Road. The gate was unattended. The door to the guard shack was standing open but the guards were gone. I spotted a couple of Government Issue 9mm pistol’s laying on the street by the gate house. Both contained empty clips. But looking around the guard shack, I discovered an ammo box with several hundred 9mm rounds. I sat reloading the clips. I filled my Jacket pockets with loose rounds and put the remainder in the truck. I shoved the two abandoned pistols into my belt and continued to look around.
On the wall of the Guard shack was a map of the base. I checked directions to the armory and motor pool. I thought that I should top off my fuel tanks. I pulled the map down and threw it in the passenger seat of my truck.
There were a few Zombies wandering around the streets as I drove to the motor pool. My experience at the truck stop had shown me that noise attracted them. As I would pass them they would start their moaning and stagger in pursuit. In an effort to keep the noise from gun fire to a minimum I just ran down any I found wandering in the streets.
As I pulled up to the motor pool, I noticed there wasn’t anyone around. I topped off the fuel in the truck and headed toward what the map had labeled as Squadron HEAD QUARTERS.
Arriving at a building with a sign on the door that read, "95th Support Squadron HQ", I carefully entered the building. The offices were empty of people and were a total mess. It was as if there had been a struggle or a rushed evacuation. Everyone had either left or been evacuated.
As I moved through the building, I finally arrived at a door marked "WEAPONS ROOM". The door was locked and since it was metal and had supplemental stainless steel plates around the lock and hinge areas, I decided to look around for a key.
I was unable to find a key with a tag that said WEAPONS ROOM, but I did find a fire axe. I opened the glass door and removed the axe. I returned to the WEAPONS ROOM door, selected an area about a foot to the right of the door and started chopping. After a few minutes of chopping, I found that despite the secure door, only dry wall and insulation lay between me and the room’s interior.
Inside the WEAPONS ROOM, I found a large metal cage with racks containing M16s, and shotguns and several standard storage lockers labeled "ammunition". Using the axe, I was able to break the pad lock on the cage door and pry open the lockers.
Luckily, there was a cart outside the weapons room so transportation would be easy. I grabbed four of the M16 style weapons, couple M203 grenade launchers (installs on a M16), and several M79 grenade launchers (looks like a short breakdown shotgun). I selected five boxes of 40mm He-Frag rounds, three ammo boxes labeled 9mm rounds, four ammo boxes labeled 5.56x45mm NATO rounds, and five suppressed mp5’s.
I also grabbed the ammo clips from the weapons that I left on the rack. This was a lot of fire power for one person but I would have plenty of ammo and backup weapons if one broke, or I had to drop a weapon to climb or run. I guess the ex-wife was wrong about me wasting my time reading those weapons magazines. It seems the information turned out to be pretty useful after all.
Next, I checked the map and headed to the Base Exchange. I walked up to the entrance doors and looked inside. Although a few displays were knocked over, this building appeared to be completely empty of people too. I figured I might as well help myself. Opening the passenger side door of my truck I grabbed one of the mp5’s loaded 4 clips of ammo and walked to the shopping carts.
Pushing a shopping cart, I entered the exchange and loaded a large bag of pinto beans and a couple of large bags of rice into a cart that I had already loaded with five flats of bottled water. I decided that I had better empty this cart load. I pushed the first cart to the exit doors and grabbed an empty cart. I wheeled the cart to the canned goods and loaded an assortment of canned vegetables and fruit. I returned to the front doors with a second cartload and got another empty cart.
I repeated this operation until I had four carts at the front doors. On the way out with my last cart load, I went past the vegetable department and grabbed a box of apples and a bag of oranges.
Exiting the doors while looking up, I saw a Zombie staggering toward me. I raised the mp5 and squeezed off a three round burst. The Zombie staggered back but then started forward again. At ten feet away the next burst caught him in the face destroying his head.
As I loaded my food supplies into the truck, I noticed a flash coming from a tower off to my left. I finished loading my food then got in and started the truck. I thought that I might as well investigate the flashing.
Checking my map, I noted my location and determined that the tower was the control tower at a small auxiliary air terminal.
Following the map I drove slowly toward the tower. There was a parked van with some kind of cleaning business logo on the door. Then, I spotted a Zombie sitting by the door at the base of the tower. I coasted to within 25 feet of the Zombie and exited the vehicle. I took aim and put a single round into the back of its head. Looking around I spotted six more Zombies that had followed my truck shambling in my direction.
I returned to the truck and driving toward the Zombies, I was able to run them down driving at only fifteen or twenty mph. I got out and put a round into the head of the four Zombies that were still trying to regain their footing.
Watching all those Zombie movies taught me that you had to destroy the brain to kill them. It seems my ex-wife was wrong about my watching Zombie movies being a waste of time too.
Hopping back into the vehicle, I returned to the base of the tower.
The door of the tower eased open and a teenage guy looked out.
"Oh man, am I glad to see you. We’ve been hiding out up there for four days. My name is Pete Roberts," he said as he extended his hand.
"Well, how many people are there in there?" I asked.
"Four. But two are just kids," said Pete.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"I live in Rosamond just west of the base. When this broke out I figured the military base was the best place to find safety. Over in the base housing area I picked up Mrs. Mathews (June) and the kids. The only food we have is what I brought with me. Then I made a trip to the exchange two days ago for more water and supplies," replied Pete.
"What happened to the military?" I asked.
"I don’t know. Like I said, I thought this would be a safe place, but when I arrived the base was abandoned. The first two days we could hear gunfire but we haven’t seen anyone," said Pete.
"Do you have any idea where the gunfire was coming from?" I asked.
"I think it was coming from the south where the Research Center is. Then two days ago we heard explosions but we couldn't tell where they were coming from. Then that same night we could see the glow of something burning over there in that same direction. You can still see the haze in the air." Pete said.
I checked my watch. It was almost 5:45 pm.
"We can drive over that way tomorrow and see what’s burning. I don't want to be outside in the dark with those things wandering around." I said.
I reached into the truck and loaded some canned goods and water into my camping pack. Tied my sleeping bag on top, grabbed a couple MP5’s and asked Pete, "How old are the kids?"
"The boy is about ten and the girl’s a little older," Pete said.
I handed one of the MP5’s to Pete and closed the door on the truck. We started up the stairs to the top of the control tower.
As we walked up the stairs, Pete told me the story of how he ended up here at Edwards Air Base.
"I live in Rosamond just west of the base. My first experie
nce with the creatures was five days ago. I was working the evening shift at a local fast food restaurant when these two guys come crashing through the front doors.
One of the guys was bleeding from an ugly wound on his neck. The guy with the neck wound was growling and snapping at the other guys face. The other guy was screaming 'GET HIM OFF ME, HE’S CRAZY!'
The manager ran to the office to call 911 while a couple of us tried to pull them apart. The guy with the neck wound turned on us and bit my co-worker Kenny. Kenny and I finally got the guy pinned down, but he kept trying to bite us. He never said anything. He was just moaning and growling and trying to bite us.
When the cops finally arrived, they cuffed him and threw him in the back of the patrol car. But one of them got bit and scratched before it was done. One cop started questioning the dude that had been attacked and the other cop questioned Kenny and I.
After about ten minutes, a police van arrived and took Kenny, the second fighter, the bitten cop and me to the hospital. When we got to the hospital, Kenny’s mom and dad and my dad were all there. My mom died in an auto accident three years ago, so it's just my dad and I now.
We saw our folks, but we weren't allowed to talk to them. We were hustled down a hallway and then we were placed in separate rooms with locked doors and guards standing outside.
I was examined and questioned by two doctors wearing plastic suits, face masks, and gloves. They checked me for bites or scratches. After they finished examining me, they drew some blood. After about four hours they finally let me leave with my Dad.
On the way home Dad said the TV news report said that the virus or whatever it was, had finally reached southern California. Dad said the Doctors had told him that the guy with the neck wound had been infected, but that I was cleared to leave. They told Dad he should keep an eye on me for any abnormal behavior. The Doctor said they believe to be infected you had to be bitten or scratched to catch the virus, but no one was sure of the exact way that it spread.
About three blocks from home Dad stopped for a red light. A guy ran up to dad’s side of the car and opened his door and shot him. The guy pulled him from the car and left him laying there on the street. He jumped into our car and turning to me pointed his gun at me and told me to get out. I climbed out of the car and he sped away.
I ran over to my dad. He had been shot in the chest. Dad’s breathing was all labored and he was bleeding from the mouth and nose. He looked at me and said for me to run and get away from the city. He said I should stay away from people. He said that scared people could be as dangerous as the infected people.
Dad started coughing and then he jerked once and stopped breathing. With tears running down my face and my eyes burning, I ran the remaining three blocks home.
I changed into jeans and boots, grabbed a couple changes of clothes and a jacket. I went to dad’s room and found his .38 and a box of shells in his nightstand. In the kitchen, I filled a plastic bag with some canned goods and bottled water.
Then, I went to the garage. I climbed up onto the rafters and found my sleeping bag and some camping gear and threw it all into dad’s work van. I jumped in the van and pulled out onto the street. As I drove down the street I decided I would head for the AFB. There might be help or a rescue center there. At least the military were there so it should be safer than here. The van was full of gas and I knew the way, so I thought it would be an easy trip.
When I got to the AFB and was driving through the base housing area, I spotted a guy attacking a woman and a second woman was trying to stop him with a baseball bat. I guess I remembered Dad being killed by a guy just for the car. Without thinking, I stopped the van, jumped out, and grabbed the woman’s bat and beat the guy till he went down. I just kept beating him with the bat thinking about the stupidity of dad’s death. When I finally stopped pounding on him I saw that I had "killed" him.
I returned the woman’s bat and told her to wait inside the house while I checked on the woman that had been attacked. I knelt down and saw that her throat had been torn open. I guess while I had beat on the creature, she had died from blood loss. I dragged both bodies to the other side of her car. Then I started toward the house the woman with the bat had entered.
I looked up the street and saw about six of the creatures coming down the street. Running to the house, I offered to take her and the kids with me. I quickly explained that I didn’t think the house was defendable and that I was leaving.
I told her I didn’t think she would be able to defend herself or the kids with just a baseball bat. She handed me her bat and she grabbed the hands of the kids and ran toward my van. She said her husband was in the military and stationed at this base. I told her we could try to find him.
While she loaded the kids into the van, I engaged the closest of the approaching creatures. I rushed him and hit him in the leg with enough force to break it. When the creature went down under his broken leg, I swung the bat and hit him repeatedly on the head. After five or six blows, it was evident he was finally dead. I turned and sprinted back to the van, jumped in, and started the engine.
Popping the van into drive, we sped away from base housing. We introduced ourselves. I told her my name was Pete and she said she was Mrs. Tom Mathews. But said I could call her June. She said the kids belonged to the woman who had died in the attack. The kid's names are Beth and Jack Duncan.
We've been staying here in the control tower for about a week. Like I told you before, we only had what little food and water that I had brought from home. I had to make a trip to the exchange two days ago for more water and food. It was closed and abandoned but the doors weren't locked, so I went in and grabbed what we needed to survive.
While I was there, I picked up some sleeping bags for June and the kids and got everyone a change of clothes. There weren’t any guns there but I did find a couple more baseball bats. I would hate to meet more than one creature only armed with a bat. But I was afraid the noise from the .38 would draw any others that were around. We’ve been watching for the MP’s or anyone. You're the first living person we’ve seen."