Free Zombie Killers: Ice & Fire by John Holmes, Ryan Szimanski Page A

cut the lock on a HUMVEE. They jumped in and brought it around to where we were waiting, and we piled in.
    At the gate, the sentry tried to stop us. It was the same kid who had been manning the machine gun before. He started challenge us, but Jonesy leaned out the window and said “Let us out or I will personally get out of this truck and pay you back for putting a bullet through my leg.” The kid went white, and waved us out.
    We headed down the road, going slowly, the snow crunching under the tires. In the turret, Ahmed rested his rifle on the roof. After a two miles, we pulled over into the parking lot of a ruined convenience store.
    “So, what’s the plan, boss?” asked Brit.
    “Well, about a hundred miles east of here, north of Albany, I have a house that I forted up, survived the apocalypse. It’s on an island in the middle of the Hudson River. I was there until I got picked up by a scout helo, after rescuing an F-16 pilot that had gone down.”
    Doc said “So, like a base of operations? You know that you are going to have to call in some serious favors with Joint Special Operations Command to get MacDonald off your ass.”
    “Yeah, I know. Thing is, though, they DO need us. Give it some time, especially before they move on Albany, and they will call us. Trained teams are in short supply.”
    Brit spoke up. “If you think any of you penis wearers are going to tap this ass, you can suck it.”
    “The proceeding was a paid commercial for the committee of the preservation of Ms. O’Neil’s virginity.”
    She stuck here tongue out at me. “That bus left long ago, mister smart ass team leader. I’m just saying.”
    “Moving right along … what do you all say? It isn’t going to be easy. We’re going to have to loot our supplies, pull watch every night, and be ready to move out when they call us back.”
    “I’m in” said Jonesy. “We’ve been together too long.”
    Doc spoke next. “Chain of Command, you’re the team commander, and we’re still on active duty.”
    Ahmed leaned down in from the turret “I will follow you, Nick.”
    “That leaves you, Brit. You’re a civilian, I can’t order you to go. We can drop you off back at the Firebase, and you can catch a ride back to civilization from there.”
    “You mean, like, clean clothes? Hot showers? Television?” Her eyes lit up, and she licked her lips. “Isn’t there a great sushi place in Seattle?”
    “I’m sure there is” said Doc.
    She made a great show of pondering for a minute, then started tapping her finger back and forth.
    “What are you doing?”
    “Deciding. Ennie, meenie, miney, MOE! OK, I’m in.”
    “Just like that?” said Jonesy.
    “Just like that!” she said. “Listen, Big J, before the meltdown, I was way serious, and now, well, I’m going to live life to the fullest. Eat what I want, screw who I want, go where I want. I expect to be dead any day now, anyway. I figure you guys might be more fun than going back to that madhouse called civilization.”
    “OK, that’s it then. Doc, turn left at the next road, if you can find it under the snow. We’ll catch Route 29 east, then loop north around the hot area outside Saratoga where the power plant melted down.”

Chapter 22
    “Who do you think could win in a fight? Batman or Hitgirl?”
    We were slowly driving up Route 29, across the hills west of Saratoga Springs, trying to keep from sliding off the ice covered roads. The drive was monotonous, and Brit was trying to keep d my mind going. The snow came swirling at me, looking like hyperspace.
    “Now THAT is a good question. But I have no opinion, since everyone knows Superman can kick the crap out of everyone.”
    “You are such a frigging old man. Superman. What a frigging old school twit you are. Answer the question.”
    I sighed. “OK, Batman, because of the experience.”
    “Screw that. Hitgirl knows how to use a gun, Batman never uses one. BAM! He’s down.”
    “You don’t get it. He’s