Day by Day Armageddon (10 page)

  John and I couldn't carry all of our food and water on the plane with us. Water wasn't a problem right now, but I would say in a couple weeks food would be. Last night the fire to the northwest was bright. Everything that could burn was probably burning. I bet my house was nothing but dust now.

  After rummaging through the tower, John and I came across a large aluminium case with a master lock attached. We were able to pry it open with a set of bolt cutters from the maintenance closet one flight down. The case was a foam padded equipment case used to store night vision goggles. There were four sets inside, monocular type, using civilian AA batteries. I should have known. Tower controllers use them at night to warn pilots of obstructions on the runway. Most military airfield towers have them. Now John and I had them. They were shit for depth perception, but hey, I felt better with them.

  I tried them out. John and I turned off all interior lights. I adjusted the focus and starlight power. The airfield was bathed in a green glow. These were going to be really useful. I could even see field mice scurrying on the runway, near the planes. Tomorrow, I'm going to go out and check the planes for myself.

  Went out this morning to check on a few of the aircraft and pick out the best one in case John and I had to leave. These turboprops were much more reliable than the Cessna, and I at least had some hours in them. I knew they were all in working order, but I carefully screened the one I thought look the most maintained. It was aircraft number 07.

  John and I are going into the hangars today to find some equipment.

  While I was out this morning, I carefully walked the perimeter fence staying clear of areas where they were lurking on the opposite side. It was a big airfield. On the ground, using my binoculars, I could see movement inside one of the administration buildings on the third floor. Alive? Not sure. I quietly moved back to the tower and alerted John of my find. I was starting to think that the only way to defeat these monsters was to just wait them out. It was like a prison sentence.

  I hadn't thought about my parents for a long time. My hopes weren't too high as to their fate. I thought about taking one of the birds and landing it in a field near my home just so I could get some closure. I could never ask John to come along. It was just a passing thought.

  We fuelled one of the T-34s up. Checked the engine, showed John how to work the APU (auxiliary power unit). The T-34c can perform a battery start; it's just best to start it from the external gas powered auxiliary unit. After this, John and I locked Annabelle in the tower, and got ready to check out the hangar for any equipment that we may need.

  John and I were getting adept at this. He would open the door and I would clear the room. It was a ghost town inside the hangar. John and I edged our way to a room marked, "flight equipment maintenance." The door was halfway open and the lights were on inside. I rushed into the room, weapon ready. I almost shot a dummy that was standing there modelling its flight gear. Too small for me, but looked like it would fit John.

  After clearing the room, and shutting the door, (just in case) I told John to strip the dummy and try on the flight suit and helmet. I grabbed a helmet off the "maintenance completed" rack and walked over to the test radio to test the boom microphone. It worked fine. We grabbed a couple survival vests, equipped with the bare essentials, as well as one of the wooden model T -34s that might prove useful if I had to explain how something worked to John. There were also sets of keys marked "fuel truck key" hanging on a rack.

  After getting back to the tower, I started showing John the basics of flight. I used some flight manuals and the wooden model to give him some idea on avionics and how aircraft control surfaces work. I asked John if he would like to go up and check things out, sort of a recon mission. He agreed and we suited up.

  John and I took off around 1545. We flew northwest at over 200 knots to survey the blast damage. It only took us 40 minutes to get to the outskirts, and that was close enough. The city was rubble. We were at high altitude (over 10,000 ft) to avoid any residual radiation. Decided it best to head back. As soon as we were out of danger we dropped down to an altitude of 2,000 feet. It was a clear day and the sun was at our back. We followed the interstate.

  John asked me to roll us over so he could get a good look at the ground. I rolled over about 30-degrees. John and I gazed down to the interstate. These things were making a mass exodus out of the city. I wondered how effective the nukes were on those not in the immediate vicinity. I doubt radiation has any effect on the creatures. Only the heat from the blast could have destroyed them. Minimum safe distance for a living human being would be 150 miles, but not for them. I bet they could survive within twenty miles.

  John snapped a digital of the "ghoul's retreat" from the city. We touched down, just as the sun was starting to set, and taxied back to our parking spot near the lower. It truly was
a
dead place. We saw no sign of life, only thousands and thousands of them walking the landscape. The lights of Corpus Christi would eventually lead them to the city.

  They are increasing in number at the west side of the fence. That side is approximately 114 of a mile from the tower. Using night vision goggles, I can see them shambling in the distance. The green grainy image is very surreal and disturbing. John and I turned the lights off when we noticed them earlier today. I have a feeling they are the first wave, pushed out of the major cities. Damn, a Geiger counter would have been a good Christmas gift last year. No more frivolous trips in the aircraft. Don't want them getting worked up. I'm going on a scouting mission tonight to the admin building where I saw movement the other day. I have the advantage of night vision, so I think I will be ok.

  Plus, I need batteries.

  I went alone last night to the admin building. John stayed back in the tower. As soon as I left the top floor of the tower, I shut the door and switched to NVGs. The familiar green, grainy image faded in. It made me feel invisible. The building was a good three hundred yards from the tower. I took my rifle for a main weapon, and the Glock for backup. Only took 58 rounds of 223 for the carbine (29 rounds in each magazine). I wasn't heading out to fight a war, just to scavenge. I also took some heavy-duty black zip ties and some rope that I found in the tower. For some reason, I don't think the "me" of a month ago would have left the tower tonight. In the back of my mind, I keep thinking… what is left to live for?

  Carefully approaching the front door to the administration building, I began to methodically check the windows for movement. Because of the NVGs limitations, I couldn't see inside the windows until I was close enough to almost hit the building with a rock throw. I couldn't tell what was moving up on the third floor. I thought for a second that it could be the shadow of an oscillating fan, backlit by a hull light of some sort. That is what I wanted it to be. I was at the front door. It was unlocked. Carefully stepping in, I listened for any possible sound. Reminded me of all the hearing tests I had to take in I lie military. It was quiet, like a soundproof room inside. After slopping through the second set of doors, I walked into the centre of the room and noticed a large staircase that I assume led up to the second and third doors. I took another step and heard a loud crunch beneath my feet. I stepped on a piece of broken glass… an especially loud piece. It was then that I started hearing it.

  Sounded like a group of four or five on the floors above me. Low moaning and slow moving feet could be heard moving over the debris above. I knew what it was. They had heard me, and they wanted to come downstairs and dine on my flesh. I quickly spun around and headed back toward the door. Behind me, I heard the sound of one (or more) of them falling down the stairs. Sounded like a garbage bag full of wet leaves.

  I sprinted as fast as I could for the door. After making it through the first set of double doors, I quickly pulled out a couple large black zip ties and secured the door. I ran through the next door (outside door) and did the same. They were hard plastic, and I knew they would only slow them down. I put four of them on this door. Just as I was stepping away, they broke through the interior door and started banging on the door I had just secured. I started running back to the tower. I heard the loud, frustrated thuds as I made my escape.

  Then the loud crash of a shattered glass. I looked over my shoulder, and saw one of them falling out of a third floor window. All the noise must have excited it. I made it to the tower, and ran up the stairs to the top door where John and I were staying. I knocked and yelled through to John to dim the lights and put on his NVGs. After seeing that the crack below the door went dark, I stepped inside to see if the fallen ghoul had chased me.

  No sign of it. The door was locked below. I would hear if it tried to gain entrance. We are safe for now.

  John was listening to the radios (he has become depressed over the death of his wife the past few days), and scanning channels when he called me over to check something out. He told me that there was something crawling under one of the planes, but he couldn't see it anymore. I grabbed the binoculars and scanned the area that John was pointing at. It was the corpse that had fallen out of the window last night. It was pulling itself with its arms. Its legs were being dragged motionlessly behind it. I didn't like the idea of going out there and killing it, and it wasn't bothering anything right now.

  Movement… John and 1 noticed it a few hours ago. From my angle, I couldn't tell if the admin building door had stayed secure with the zip ties. More of them were gathering on the west end of the fence. Went out to check the plane and make sure it was ready for (light if we needed it to be. I couldn't park the plane too close to the lower after our scouting trip to the city, because of the soft wet grass from a recent rain.

  I had to park the plane a good two hundred yards from the lower so it was a trek to go and check on it. I snuck to the plane without incident. I didn't see the crawling ghoul anywhere around.

  This fenced area was huge and it could be anywhere. The fuel truck was about fifty yards further than the plane. I started walking toward it, and then I saw them. The angle I was standing before blocked my view of them. I counted two inside the perimeter fence walking around the blind side of the admin building.

  They didn't see me, but they would see the truck if I tried to pull it to the aircraft to refuel it. My stomach ached at the thought of refuelling the aircraft in the dark, but it had to be done.

  I grabbed the NVGs and spare fuel truck keys that John and I found a couple of days earlier, and went out in the dark to refuel the plane. Weapon ready, I slowly glided across the airfield to the fuel truck, this time taking a different angle so that I could see the admin building. No sign of them. Made it to the fuel truck and climbed up to the window and looked inside, (JIC). It was clear. Opened up the door, put it in neutral. I had never tried to push a truck this big, and now I know why. You can't. I was going to have to start the engine. I assume the creatures couldn't see in the dark, but I knew they would hear me.

  Reluctantly, I took the key from my pocket and put it in… I hesitated, and then cringing, I pushed in the clutch, held the brake and turned the key. After turning it over twice, the engine came to life and I popped the clutch and shot over to the aircraft. On the way, 1 hit the pump controls inside the vehicle so they would be ready when I jumped out.

  Parked the truck, jumped out and started walking toward the plane. I could make out something moving in the grass a hundred yards away. I adjusted the sensitivity on my goggles and saw it. It was the gimpy ghoul in the grass pulling itself toward the tower. I would have to take care of it on my way hack.

  Then came the blinding flash of John's flashlight through my NVGs from the tower. It was Morse code, to be sure.