Free Trudge: Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse by Shawn Chesser Page A

sniper in the nearest tower opened fire. The bullet entered the ghoul’s head at the base of the neck causing it to slump over the baby.
    Having just bled out, the mom in the front seat reanimated and began banging on the driver’s side window. Bursts of gunfire from the soldiers at the checkpoint killed her. The troops rushed to the car to check for survivors. The first to arrive at the vehicles open window could hear muffled cries escaping from under the dead ghoul. Afraid of what he would find, Private First Class Chillcut reluctantly pulled the corpse off of the infant in the car seat, and then screamed "corpsman!" at the top of his lungs. The orphaned baby kept screaming, miraculously she was unhurt.
    *****
    The sky over Fort Bragg faded from a brilliant blue to a burnt orange as the sun set on what was to be the most difficult twenty four hours of Mike Desanto’s life. He ran the impending mission through his head as he watched four black helicopters of the 160th SOAR bleed off airspeed, flair at the last moment and softly land in tight formation on the tarmac.
    The show in the heavens was finishing its run with deep purples and blues slowly fading to black. Stars emerged, winking at those still among the living, willing to look up and imagine a world where the dead didn’t roam.
    Mike walked with purpose to greet the Night Stalkers and bring the other eleven operators that would accompany him on this very important mission up to speed.
    Mike “Cowboy” Desanto looked at the stars one last time and prayed to anyone listening to deliver his family to safety. Mike and his Delta Operators were fully kitted out and ready to undertake Operation Eagle Aerie.
    The Delta Team call signs were Zulu 1 and Zulu 2. The MH-60G Pave Hawks were given the call sign Reapers one and two, three and four were the AH-64 Apache Longbows.
    Walking towards the waiting flat black MH-60G Pave Hawk, he bowed under the spinning rotor and thought, God help us all .

 
     
    Chapter 19
    Day 2 Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
     
     
    The Mortensons were adamant about staying in their home. "We have a full pantry, a gun and the will to stay" Peggy said.
    Brook and Carl both knew there would no persuading the couple. They said a tearful goodbye. Carl drove the pearl white Cadillac Escalade, Brook rode in the front passenger seat and Raven was sitting in-between them. In Carl's opinion the Escalade wasn’t an off road vehicle and he didn't see the point, but it would surely make travel easier. The luxury vehicle had more ground clearance and there was more interior space than his car.
    “We need at least one more shotgun for protection, plus more ammo for the Ithaca and a pistol if we can find one” Carl said to Brook.
    They had scavenged only eleven slugs and four shot shells for the Ithaca, out of the drawer in the study.
    Carl turned right on State Route 17 that went east through downtown. At the intersection of Tadlock Road and State Route 17 they encountered a large amount of the walking dead. The Denny's restaurant on the corner had more than ten of them milling around near the front doors. Terrified early morning diners were trapped inside the restaurant. Their faces were pressed against the glass as they witnessed the mayhem outside. In the parking lot there was a small car high centered on a mound of dead bodies, the front wheels were off of the ground and spun freely trying to get purchase. Carl slowed the Escalade and crept past, some of the walkers took interest and tried to follow while the others had just succeeded in breaking a window on the compact car and were attacking the young couple through the opening. Harboring a feeling of helplessness, Carl glanced at his sister and registered the slight side to side shaking of her head. Stopping to help them was out of the question, discretion had to be the better part of valor if they wanted to survive. Brook held Raven’s head in her lap as they passed by the gruesome scene.
    They