Before the Dead Walked, page 19
“Sorry about that, Ensign,” Collins apologized.
Of course she knew he had nothing to do with the weather, so she gripped his forearm and said, “Don’t be silly. Every girl loves a roller-coaster ride.”
The CWO laughed and blew her a kiss. “You can keep me company as long as you like, Ensign Alvarez.”
She grinned, but followed it quickly with, “You were saying?”
Collins ticked-ticked his tongue and said, “Ah yes, keep focused on the business at hand. Well, it’s really quite simple, actually. First Sergeant Darby wanted to have a qualified pilot along on their missions, in case we needed to steal a lift. I’m pretty handy with anything mechanical, technological, or electronic, so I’ve proved useful on a number of occasions.”
Lupita knew all that already, but she wanted to hear it in his own words. Chief Warrant Officer Mark Collins was legendary amongst the helicopter boys and girls. He was older than any of the other Rangers, but was in incredible physical shape. Just then, it struck her as odd that Colonel Hatch and CWO Collins had never crossed paths before.
“So where are you from originally?” she inquired, hoping to pass the time with some idle conversation.
The CWO checked his compass heading and played with a few switches before answering, “Suburban Chicago.”
Lupita reacted. “Colonel Hatch is from Chicago too.”
“Is that so?” Collins said. “He strikes me as a Georgia boy.”
Lupita looked at him carefully. There was a lot that wasn’t being said.
“Chief?” Alvarez asked in her most seductive voice.
“Yes,” the warrant officer replied nervously.
“Do you think lying to me at this stage of the game is wise?” Lupita asked.
He studied her for a moment, before sighing, “No, probably not.”
“I have a degree in human psychology too,” she said.
He laughed. “I knew Colonel Hatch was from Chicago as soon as he opened his mouth and said you guys, or cool. The real giveaway is if he says soda, Coke, or pop.”
Lupita clapped her hands together in delight. “He does say you guys!”
The ice had been broken.
So Collins told her his life story. She was pretty certain he wasn’t her target, but by getting him to talk, she might uncover something important about one of the others.
Chief Warrant Officer Mark Collins had been in the US Army forever. Straight out of high school, Collins was accepted into West Point, where he not only excelled as a cadet, but also as a middle linebacker for the US Army football team. In a strange turn of events, however, Collins became implicated in a scandal at the Military Academy. He was the whistleblower in an ugly incident involving sexual assault. Instead of accepting his commission, he withdrew from the graduating class, but was offered a path to serve his nation without repercussions. Collins, who loved both his country and the service, accepted the alternative.
As expected, Mark Collins became an outstanding helicopter pilot out of Fort Campbell and was attached to several Ranger units in Afghanistan. Then, because of his impressive record, he was assigned to SAD.
“What do the other men think of you?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I guess I’m cool with all of them. Sergeant Darby is a Ranger all the way. I don’t know much about his personal life. He doesn’t talk about it. Sergeant Ramirez is from Texas originally, San Antonio. I like him the best. Sergeant Stillwell has a family at Fort Bragg and the first chance he gets, he’s out of here. He hides it well, but he’s really worried about his wife and two sons. Specialist Powers is a lot smarter than he acts, but he’s got relationship issues. John loves cars. Now Specialist Thomas is all Army and nothing but Army. The team has been together for over two years and we work well together. Does that answer your question?”
She smiled. “Yes, thanks Chief.”
In fact, it didn’t help her at all, but she didn’t want to press her luck. Any more detailed inquiries might seem suspicious.
Collins focused on the steering again, but before Ensign Alvarez moved, he cleared his throat pointedly.
Lupita’s eyebrows went up. “Do you have something to add, Chief?”
He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “He’s in love with you, you know?”
She almost gasped, “Who?”
CWO Collins grinned. “Now who’s lying to whom?”
The ensign blushed.
“Uh huh,” the chief said. “All things considered, he strikes me as a pretty powerful guardian. He reminds me of this Secret Service guy I once knew. Bradey loved the First Lady with all of his heart, mind, body and soul. He would die protecting her. I imagine Colonel Robert Hatch wouldn’t flinch before taking a bullet for you.”
Lupita stared at Collins.
He gave her an exit with grace, by gently saying, “By your leave, ma’am.”
Ensign Alvarez left the bridge in a hurry. She skipped down the metal steps and entered the communications room. Sitting at the radar screen was Specialist Powers and beside him stood Colonel Hatch and First Sergeant Darby.
“I’m sorry I was gone so long,” she made a point of apologizing first, to cover her surprise. “I don’t normally shirk my responsibilities, but it was a feminine issue.”
Now her statement completely disarmed the men present.
Well, not quite all of them.
Specialist Powers jumped up from the seat, making an open path for her. Both Sergeant Darby and the specialist hurried from the room.
Lupita sat down and concentrated on the sweeping motion on the green screen. She could feel him standing so close. Her heart was pounding.
“Nicely played, Ensign,” Hatch said quietly. “You never cease to amaze me.”
Then he too left the room, quietly closing the bulkhead door behind him.
Lupita let out a gust of air.
Was he on to her?
Did he know more than he let on?
She sighed and swallowed deeply, hoping to calm her nerves.
Blast that man!
Then a strange thing happened.
She smiled and had the strangest urge to clean. Lupita got up and straightened gear, cleaned the screens, and tidied up in general. It wasn’t satisfying, but the activity calmed her down noticeably.
Hours later, once the storm had dissipated, the sea was covered with a thick bank of fog. The eeriness and absolute silence just added to the sense of impending doom, either by thirst or starvation. Either possibility would prove to be a horrible way to die. Fortunately for the hijackers, no Russian patrols came near, not be sea or by air.
Ensign Alvarez got up from her seat as CWO Collins entered the electronics room from the bridge. He was soaked through, more with sweat than the ocean waves, but was exhausted.
Lupita brought him a freshly brewed mug of hot chocolate, laced with a little vodka. Collins took a sip and grinned.
“Thank you, ma’am,” he said.
“Please report, Chief Collins,” Sergeant Darby requested quietly, fully aware that his jack-of-all-trades comrade was physically spent.
“I managed to find an inlet, strictly by accident,” the CWO said, looking over at the ensign, who had supplied him accurate sonar and radar readings. “We’re pretty isolated and with this fog, nobody is going to see us either. I shut down the engines and dropped anchor.”
Colonel Hatch came forward and shook the man’s hand. “Well done, Chief. How far are we from shore?”
Collins sighed. “We could jump ashore, sir. I think we’re hung up on the shoals.”
“No worries,” Hatch said with a huge smile. “I’m sick of being seasick. It’ll be nice to have my feet on solid ground again.”
The rest of the men, who had been ably manning seaworthy duties or the engine room, all gathered in the electronics room. They were each greeted with a cup of steaming cocoa delivered by the gorgeous ensign. There were no comments, only polite gratitude.
“We’ll need to carry anything useful with us,” Darby briefed his men. “Even with the Russian maps, there’s no way to be absolutely certain where we are.”
“It’s snowing,” Sergeant Stillwell announced after looking out the window.
Sure enough, heavy snowflakes were coming down like a white curtain, blotting out the shoreline altogether.
“Should we stay onboard?” Sergeant Stillwell asked.
Darby shook his head. “We haven’t got any food and water is low. Let’s go ashore and head inland. We need to find a house or town or something before nightfall.”
There was the slightest hesitation. All of them were exhausted.
Rather than bark orders and be an ass, Darby started gathering supplies. The others took his cue to heart and chipped in. They fashioned makeshift backpacks from the Russian raincoats and stuffed them with anything they thought might prove useful. They also dressed in layers, to combat the cold winds. Lupita changed to seaman’s boots, which provided fur-lined comfort and added insulation, but still kept her kitbag close at hand. The men even scrounged up a two pairs of gloves for the specialists, who would scout ahead and one pair for the ensign.
The eight people gathered on the starboard side, where Sergeant Ramirez dropped the gangway ashore. It wasn’t quite long enough, but hit the rocky shoreline, which would give them easy access to the cliff.
Specialist Thomas went first. Once he was up on the land, he took position behind a gigantic Spruce tree to cover their landing. Everyone came ashore without incident and as Thomas took point, the others followed in a line.
Perhaps Darby was relaxing standard operating procedures a little bit, but he was convinced there wasn’t anyone around for miles. As the snow continued to fall heavily, it wasn’t too long before they were struggling with windswept drifts and deep snowbanks. The temperature continued to drop.
Trudging through the snowstorm was taxing enough, but if they were actually confronted, there wasn’t very much ammunition to go around. In a pitched fight, they would certainly come out on the short end.
First Sergeant Darby called a halt and they all huddled together in a stand of trees. The wind freshened and blew swirling snow in every direction. Everybody was overly concerned with Ensign Alvarez, but she scolded them nicely to look after each other. Specialist Thomas returned, but hadn’t found any place to take better shelter.
Specialist Powers held out his hand. “May I help you, Ensign Alvarez?”
She smiled and grasped his fingers. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure, ma’am. Sit here by Sergeant Ramirez. His bulk will shield you from the cold winds.”
Gently laughing, Lupita sat down next to the big NCO.
Pedro smiled at her and said, “Como estas?”
Ensign Alvarez leaned against him and replied, “Muy bien.”
Everybody knew it was a lie.
Colonel Hatch handed her his hip flask. “Just take a little sip. It will warm your tummy.”
She took it, had a little sip and smiled at him. “Thank you, Robert.”
As he stuffed the flask back in a pocket, he didn’t smile in return. “Do you think all this is worth it?”
Lupita was concerned. If Hatch was losing faith, then things were pretty serious. “Yes, Robert, I do. With what we know, especially about Sergeant Ramirez’s cow bee sting, we might be able to stop this plague.”
Before Colonel Hatch could respond, Sergeant Darby stood up and said, “Come on people, we’ve got to keep moving, or we’ll fall asleep in the snow and freeze to death. Specialist Powers, give Timothy a break and you take point.”
“Yes, Sergeant, no problem,” Powers obeyed, ploughing ahead.
The group set off again, shuffling through the increasingly deepening snow. Shortly after their journey began, the going got even tougher. This was a serious snowstorm and as it fell, the winds whipped the flakes about, stinging them in the face.
Powers came back. “Man, I had trouble finding you guys. There’s a stream up ahead, but the water is pretty deep and almost rapids. It’s going to be hell crossing it.”
“Did you look for a bridge, Specialist?” Darby asked.
“I sure did, Sarge,” Powers replied. “I checked upstream and downstream for over a mile in either direction.”
“We have no choice,” Darby concluded. “Let’s make the crossing before we’re too tired to do so.”
Lowering their heads, they moved forward, bodies bent against the force of the wind. Hatch stayed very close to Alvarez, because regardless of their current disagreements, he wasn’t about to let her get too far away.
When they reached the stream, there was no doubt that Powers wasn’t exaggerating. Fed by the constant snowfall, the water was rushing past. It looked cold and deep.
“This won’t be fun,” CWO Collins commented.
Sergeant Ramirez was the trailblazer. He was a big man, so the theory was it would be more difficult for him to get swept away. Pedro took each measured step, as the swirling, rushing water buffeted him. He kept his balance and made it to the other side. He tied off the rope to the nearest tree and came back to the bank, teeth chattering.
With outstretched hands and the guide rope to hang onto, Specialist Thomas went next. That way they would have two strong Rangers on the opposite side to assist.
The others lined up.
Ensign Alvarez went next, with Colonel Hatch right behind her.
“Oh,” she gasped as she stepped into the cold rushing water.
Robert pushed against her. “I’m right here.”
Unfortunately, her boots slipped.
She was about to fall into the raging water.
Hatch caught her and swept Lupita up into his arms.
As a reflex, he kissed her on the lips.
Alvarez didn’t have the strength to do anything other than push him away, but as she almost fell into the water again, there was no mistaking that she was quite angry. Hatch couldn’t be bothered with her moods, so he scooped her up into his arms and almost flung her up to Sergeant Ramirez. Pedro caught her and hoisted Alvarez onto the bank.
While Lupita fumed, the others made it across without too much trouble.
“Let’s keep going,” Sergeant Darby insisted.
Once again the line of eight people snaked their way through the snow, with Specialist Powers way out ahead.
Chapter 18
Situation Hopeless
Based on the shipboard maps, it was supposed to be Alaska, but who could really tell? From every angle, there were just more trees. The thick pine forests went on and on. The party of eight trudged through the patches of deep snow without much thought to where they were going. They had to get to some shelter soon, to rest and maybe get a bite to eat. All of them were cold, wet, and exhausted.
It was bitterly cold and snow swirled about them, dancing to-and-fro, and falling down from the towering trees. It was overcast and while changing to flurries, it made trudging through old drifts tedious. After only a few hours, even the Rangers were completely done in.
“Come on, men, we’ve got to find a place to take cover,” Darby extolled them to maintain the pace. It was his job to keep up morale.
“Are you mad at me?” Robert asked Alvarez in a low voice.
“Yes,” she said.
“What was I supposed to do, let you fall into the river?” he demanded.
“You know damn well that’s not why I’m upset,” she lashed back.
“Can we talk about it?” he asked.
“No,” Lupita replied, in no uncertain terms.
Just then, Specialist Powers returned, out-of-breath. “There’s a small town just a mile up.”
“Is it occupied?” Colonel Hatch asked.
“I didn’t see anyone, sir,” the specialist replied. “I didn’t even hear a dog barking. The entire place seems abandoned.”
Everyone in the group looked at each other.
“Sarge, let’s get in from this cold,” Sergeant Stillwell whined a little. “I’m fucking freezing.”
“Whatever we encounter, we’re obliged to fight, so let’s find a place to hunker down and wait out this snowstorm,” Darby instructed. “Thomas and Powers, you both take the lead. We’ll be right behind you.”
The First Sergeant dropped back to check on Ensign Alvarez. She forced a grin and showed him her weapon. He smiled in return, gave a meaningful look at Hatch and then hustled them all into a slow trot.
Sure enough, they could make out the outline of several buildings. There was a pall of smoke, but if there had been any fires, they were extinguished long ago by the falling snow. At the signal from Powers, the group ducked into a grocery store to catch their breath and take a look around.
The food sitting nearby the open doors was frozen solid, implying it had been that way for at least a day or more. The soldiers spread out, reconnoitering the store interior. Once it was determined to be clear, the team members did their own scavenging. Snacks and refreshments were readily available, so for at least fifteen minutes, all anybody could hear was the sound of eating and drinking.
Long overdue for a break, the Rangers slumped down against the checkout lanes and closed their eyes. Darby and Hatch kept watch.
From what they could ascertain, the town was completely deserted. What was more alarming, however, was all the damage. It looked like some of the buildings had received incoming mortar fire, or perhaps rockets. Most of the main street was lined with burned-out ruins, charred cars, and the occasional unidentifiable corpse.
“What do you suppose happened?” the colonel asked Darby.
“Could be the Russians attacked,” the sergeant replied.
“Seems unlikely,” Hatch whispered. “I think they have their own problems.”
Maxwell Darby sagged a little.
The colonel put his arm around the sergeant’s shoulder. “Take a break, Top. I’ll keep watch. You need to eat and get some shuteye.”
Darby nodded and shuffled towards the rear of the store, where he grabbed a stick of deer sausage and some cheddar cheese. He plopped down next to CWO Collins and with his combat knife, cut several slices of both. Maxwell ate as if he was a robot, mechanically. In mid-bite, he fell asleep.
