Islands of Rage and Hope (eARC) (26 page)

"That is gonna cause one hell of an interesting set of tan lines," Sergeant Smith said, making sure his shades were in place so it wasn't obvious he was watching his jailbait boss.

Faith had just run down the beach to dive into the water wearing a blue bikini top, pink shorts, a trench knife and dual .45s in tactical thigh holsters.

"It's like Zombie Raider," Hooch said, shaking his head.

"But with a better butt," Smith said, then grimaced. "I'm going to hell for that, aren't I?"

"Yes, you are, Sergeant, yes, you are," Hooch said. "You're going to the
special
hell." He looked at his watch and lurched up. "Gotta go get it on."

"I'm not even sure the security is worth it," Smith said. "We haven't had a single incident all day."

"We were still shooting them last night," Hooch said, then shook his head. "Two nights ago."

"Hey, guys, why aren't you swimming?" Faith asked, walking out of the water and wringing out her hair.

"Uh, sharks, ma'am?" Sergeant Smith said.

"So far so good," Faith said, shrugging. "I think they're all over at Blowing Point getting stuffed. The water's great."

"Okay, ma'am," Smith said, getting up. He wasn't going to get out-oorahed by a thirteen-year-old even if it
was
Miss Faith. "I'm not sure about my M4, ma'am."

"Sling it over your back," Faith said. "We're going to have to clean the shit out of our weapons, anyway. And that way if there
is
a shark you can shoot it."

The water was gin clear and smooth as a mill pond. Smith was pretty sure that they'd see any approaching sharks.

He was also pretty sure he was going to the special hell.

"Can't catch me!" Faith said, splashing him, then diving away.

Smith stayed where he was.

"I'm trying for friendly uncle, here, ma'am," Smith said, wiping salt water off his face. "I'm not sure that fits in with playing chase games."

"If you're an uncle, you must be from West Virginia," Faith said, grinning. "At least from the look of your bathing suit."

"Crap," Smith said, turning around.

"Sorry, Smitty," Faith said. "That was sort of pushing the limit, wasn't it?"

"A bit, ma'am," Sergeant Smith said.

"It's like the only guys I meet are my subordinates," Faith said, frowning. "Not to dump on you, but it's sort of getting weird. I'm not, you know, gay. But there aren't any guys I meet who I like and I'm
not
the boss. Sorry to, you know...bitch I guess."

"Not a problem, ma'am," Smith said, frowning. "I guess it's kind of tough on you that way."

"I think Da did this on purpose," Faith said, darkly. "He
knew
I was going to go for the Marines so he put them all off-limits!"

"That, yeah, sort of sounds like a dad, ma'am," Smitty said, grinning.

"Not that I'm like super attracted to you or anything, Smitty," Faith said. "More like a brother kind of thing."

"That's cool, ma'am," Smitty said. "I can handle brother. Better than most of the alternatives."

"Hey, it's getting crowded." Faith's entry to the water had broken the ice, sort of. Plenty of people were still on the beach but there were more people getting in the water. "Let's go check out the resort."

"Ma'am, with due respect, are you nuts?" Smitty said. "It's outside the perimeter."

"This island is as clear as a liner after we're done," Faith said. "We've got guns."

"And no reloads," Smitty pointed out.

"Spare mags," Faith said, pointing to her pistols. Each holster had two integrated magazine pouches.

"One mag," Sergeant Smith said, tapping his slung weapon.

"There may be booze," Faith responded.

"With your permission, ma'am," Sergeant Smith said, "I'm going to go ensure that that largish resort is clear, ma'am. Prevent infiltration and all that."

"Well, you shouldn't go by yourself, Sergeant," Faith said, nodding. "I'll be your backup. Or maybe vice versa."

"Hey, Rusty," Faith said. "Sup?"

"Hot as hell in all this gear, Faith," Seaman Apprentice Robert "Rusty" Fulmer Bennett III said, shaking his head. "Can't wait to get off."

"Have to talk to somebody older than me, Rusty," Faith said, grinning.

"Uh..." the seaman apprentice said, his mouth hanging open.

"Close your mouth, you're attracting flies," Faith said. "We're gonna go check out these buildings outside the perimeter. Don't shoot us."

"Uh, okay, Faith," Rusty said. "Is that safe?"

"No," Faith said. "But I figure somebody else is going to wander over there, and better me and Smitty than some civilian."

"Okay, ma'am," Rusty said.

"Hey, Rusty," Smitty said. "Check the time and pass this on to the Marines when they take over. If we're not back in an hour, send the reaction team."

"Okay, Sergeant," Rusty said.

"Jesus, Navy," Smitty muttered as soon as they were out of earshot. "And it's
worse
these days."

"The lack of 'aye, aye' you mean?" Faith said. "They're civilians that just raised their right hand. But they
did
raise their right hand, if you know what I mean."

"Hope he passes on the message," Smitty said. He had his M4 in a tactical carry position and was scanning the surroundings. "Should we be making noise, ma'am?"

"This one I'm not so sure," Faith admitted. She still hadn't drawn her side arm. "I wonder what's in here?" she said as they came to a container that had floated ashore.

"Please God, it's not illegal immigrants," Smitty said as Faith used her trench knife to pop the seal on the container.

The interior was filled with large plastic cases.

"Running shoes," Faith said, looking at the manifest. "Explains why it floated. This is useful. Maybe Rusty can find a pair in his size. Keep going?"

"Sounds good to me, ma'am," Smitty said. He'd turned to cover the lieutenant while she explored. "There's a small hotel up the beach."

"Trying to get me into a bedroom, Sergeant?" Faith asked.

"Now why would a brother do that, ma'am?" the sergeant asked.

The one-story hotel had a small pool half filled with green-tinged, debris-filled water. The rooms were mostly open and had been ransacked. Ditto the tiny bar and kitchen.

"What is this?" Faith asked, looking behind the bar. There was a cluster of...junk. Some blankets, children's toys, remains of what looked to be fish and maybe rats. Human bones. "Phew. Stinks."

"Looks like some sort of nest, ma'am," Smitty said.

"A survivor?" Faith asked. "No."

"Probably a zombie, ma'am," Sergeant Smith said. "Too nasty even for a kid."

"That's new," Faith said.

"We didn't really clear many houses in the Canaries, ma'am," Smitty said, shrugging. "Maybe that's how they live when they've got the materials."

"Point," Faith said, walking out of the open bar. "I want to go check out the big resort before our hour's up. How come you said an hour, anyway?"

"Because that's about as much time as we should take, ma'am," Sergeant Smith said. "And if you're going off exploring, you make sure people know where you're going, ma'am."

"Point, again, Sergeant," Faith said.

"God," Faith said, looking down the long wading pool at the Cuisinart Caribbean Resort. "Why didn't I get to go places like this
before
the zombie apocalypse?"

The resort centered around a three-story building with a vaguely rococo style. A series of villas in the same style lined the beach. A large zero-edge pool led from the main building to the wading pool which continued nearly to the beach. On the west side of the pool were additional support buildings. The pool was flanked by a line of palm trees waving in the trade winds. At the beach, at the base of the wading pool, was a circular "beach bar" with a folding canvas cover. Prior to the apocalypse it had been a rather idyllic spot with a wonderful view of St. Martin in the distance.

The pool was again half filled with green-tinged water. The wading pool held barely a skim of water so foul she was pretty sure even the zombies wouldn't drink it. The lawns were covered in blown debris, mostly limbs and leaves, and a tropical storm had thrown the chairs and patio tables around in a helter-skelter mess. The canvas cover, despite having been folded down, was torn by the winds.

There was a small skull, some fine blonde hair still attached to it by a scrap of skin.

The one thing going for it was that there didn't appear to be any infected.

"I dunno," Smitty said. "A little paint, a little police call..."

"Let's see about the villas, first," Faith said. "I'd like some idea if we've got infected behind us."

The villas, however, were inaccessible. All of the windows and doors were covered with solid steel shutters that were locked on the inside. Even after circling one of them, they couldn't find an entrance that wouldn't require entry tools.

"Somebody was careful to prep this place," Faith said, standing by the westernmost villa's private pool with her hands resting on her hips.

"Yes, ma'am," Sergeant Smith said.

"Okay, main building it is," Faith said.

The main building was also covered in steel shutters but at some point someone had already broken in. The shutter on the main ocean-side doors had been forced open.

"Oh, not without a flashlight," Faith said, poking her head up to see through the opening. "No light. Well, not much."

"How's it look?" Sergeant Smith said.

"Zombies have been in there," Faith said, sniffing. "But...not a bunch or not real recently. Sort of trashed out but not bad...Sergeant, I think...we might have found a land base."

"I don't think we can secure it, ma'am," Smitty said.

"I'd want to have another night sweep," Faith said, musingly. She turned and headed back down the pool towards the beach. "But I'm not sure it's an issue anymore. I mean, by the end of the sweep, we were having almost
no
contact. The only leakers we had were two at the landing sight and a
dog
for God's sake. I mean, face it, we need a secure land base, Smitty. Hell, think of this as a hospital for all the pregnant ladies."

"That...is an interesting point, ma'am," Sergeant Smith said.

"Be nice to fence it," Faith said, kicking a palm frond. "But that would take one hell of a lot of work." She stopped, bent over and pulled a brochure out from under the frond she'd just kicked.

Sergeant Smith quickly turned around to check six. Security and all that.

"Sweet," Faith said, continuing to walk as she perused the brochure.

"Ma'am, I think we're being followed," Smitty said quietly.

"From the Force?" Faith asked, looking towards the beach and the boats.

"No, ma'am," Smitty said. "I just saw movement by the main buildings. Too tall to be a dog, ma'am."

"So you're saying it's
not
clear?" Faith asked, not turning around.

"It's gone whatever it was," Smitty said. "But I'll back out if you don't mind, ma'am."

"SEAL spin," Faith said, drawing a pistol. "Rotate."

"Rotating," Sergeant Smith said.

They did a rotational movement, covering each other, until they reached the beach.

"Let's try to keep an eye on our back trail as we head back," Faith said.

They walked down the beach for a bit, passing the villas and Faith casually turned and picked up a shoe that was part of the debris.

"Saw it," Faith said. "Out of the corner of my eye. Darted into cover. Can still see it, though."

"Infected?" Sergeant Smith asked.

"Human, anyway," Faith said. She straightened up and tossed the shoe into the bushes. "Why can I never find a
pair
? Not to mention in my size. Yeah, I know, I've got big paws like a Labrador puppy. Let's go swimming."

"Ma'am?" Sergeant Smith said.

"Sling your weapon," the lieutenant said, holstering her pistol. "If we're playing in the water, maybe it will come down where we can get a better look."

"Yes, ma'am," Smitty said, slinging his weapon. "Uh, first one in the water is a rotten..."

Faith was already running.

"There it is again," Faith said as she came up out of the water.

"I am just not catching what you're seeing, ma'am," Sergeant Smith admitted.

"Young female," Faith said. She was apparently looking down the beach. "Black. I'm pretty sure it's an infected. Just not very aggressive."

"That would be a change," Smitty said.

"Let's head back to the official beach," Faith said. "I need to check in with Hooch. Oh, and I need some more sunscreen..."

"You want to do another night sweep?" Colonel Hamilton said.

"I want to get some training in, first, sir," Faith said, trying not to squirm. Sophia may have spent half the last six months developing her tan but Faith had spent most of it in uniform. A point she'd forgotten, along with regular application of sunscreen. She, fortunately, had fairly dark skin naturally despite being blond. She'd still picked up one heck of a sunburn. "Notably Close Quarters Battle training onboard the
Tan
, sir. Then some live fire, possibly on one of the nearby desert islands, sir. Then another sweep of the island, sir."

"To clear it," Hamilton said. "I'm not sure that's possible, Lieutenant. Not thoroughly."

"Not sure myself, sir," Faith said. "Not entirely. But it may be clearable enough to secure a land base. Somewhere for a ground hospital even, sir. It's in better shape, and more securable, than Gitmo, sir. It's an island, sir. Zombies aren't going to swim the channel, sir."

"Have anything to do with that world-class resort you and Sergeant Smith did an unauthorized reconnaissance of?" Colonel Hamilton asked.

"It wasn't unauthorized, sir," Faith said.

"
I
didn't authorize it," Hamilton said.

"Your Marine force ground commander authorized it, sir," Faith said.

"So, better to beg forgiveness than ask permission, Lieutenant?" Hamilton said.

"I'm not begging forgiveness, sir," Faith replied. "The orders for the landing party did not define that all personnel
must
remain within the confines of the secured zone, sir. During the landing, your ground force commander made the determination, based upon experience and the perceived threat level, that a low-support reconnaissance of nearby buildings was a low-risk mission, sir. And, sir, your ground force commander was correct, sir. Should I be begging forgiveness, sir?"