dropping his guard to try to see what Benson really thought about Lieutenant Lisa Reynolds.
Benson turned away from the group and took a couple of steps away for a more private statement, as Lisa was watching intently.
“She’s not what you think, Ed. She took it to the wall for me and my kids several times yesterday. She’s tough and fair, dude. I hope you can give her a break. Twice I would have been dead if she wouldn’t have been there risking it all. If you hang out with us, I guarantee that she would do the same for you.”
Krupp took it in and remembered how she handled herself during the first altercation when they got off the ferry; he had to admit, she was solid in a fight.
“Yeah, maybe you’re right. Anyone who has survived this long has to have something going on,” Krupp replied, feeling it as much as saying it.
“Shoot a couple of zombies so I can see where you’re at.”
“I’m up here on the highway with too many Z’s around to be shooting willy nilly. In a straight line from San Carlos Point Road to you.”
“We have a couple of end loaders and skiddies up there; I will send you some transport and have the band thin them out.”
“The band? What, do you have a concert down there?”
“No, we have a big job down here, and we need you. The band is what we call the music trucks sent out to draw the zombies away. Some contractors have set us up so that we’re only dealing with a reasonable number of zombies at one time. It is pretty amazing. I’m almost grateful the Army was deployed, but I will explain that when you get here.”
“All right, out.” Krupp hung up the phone, the sound of music from an approaching truck catching his ear. He looked over the cars and waved his rifle when the truck came into view. It stopped, did a hasty three-point turn, and slowly departed, drawing the zombies with it.
Several loud shrieks signaled that the runners had spotted the music van. Fast feet slapped the pavement as they passed on their way to rush the vehicle. Krupp, with his suppressed M4, shot runners on the fringes while keeping low to a car’s hood. Assault rifles began shooting out the back, joined by shots coming in from the shoulder by an unseen source. The runners died and the shooting stopped as they simply controlled the slow ones. He was watching the mass of zombies following the truck when a front-end loader came from around the side of the horde, smashing and crushing everything in its path. Krupp realized that killing the slow ones with a gun was merely a waste of bullets compared to the devastation the machines could make in such a short time.
“Need a ride?” the driver shouted when he got near. Lu and Krupp got up into the cab of the loader and marveled at the battle. Never in his day did Krupp imagine being escorted across a battlefield in full-out maneuvers without a care in the world.
They walked into a manlift, which carried them cleanly over the wall of trailers. Both were impressed by the four-jointed boom’s ability to complete a one hundred and eighty degree loop to set them on the ground.
Lu pulled in closer and Krupp looked at her with a discerning eye. His marriage may have been stale, but it was way too soon for this. There was also something about her that made him nervous.
She whispered, “Can we just completely forget about Stanley? I mean, he was bitten but I don’t want to have to mention what he was talking about, you know what I mean? Like the people on the boat you had to … well … let’s just say we hooked up and survived. Nobody needs to know any other details, am I right?” She smiled innocently as her large, soft eyes locked on his. He suddenly felt lust and hate at the same time and wondered how he was going to deal with her.
Krupp knew a shakedown when he saw it, but her timing was perfect. He couldn’t eliminate her when so many watched and he was forced to either agree to her terms right here, right now or face fate. He gave a
Benson turned away from the group and took a couple of steps away for a more private statement, as Lisa was watching intently.
“She’s not what you think, Ed. She took it to the wall for me and my kids several times yesterday. She’s tough and fair, dude. I hope you can give her a break. Twice I would have been dead if she wouldn’t have been there risking it all. If you hang out with us, I guarantee that she would do the same for you.”
Krupp took it in and remembered how she handled herself during the first altercation when they got off the ferry; he had to admit, she was solid in a fight.
“Yeah, maybe you’re right. Anyone who has survived this long has to have something going on,” Krupp replied, feeling it as much as saying it.
“Shoot a couple of zombies so I can see where you’re at.”
“I’m up here on the highway with too many Z’s around to be shooting willy nilly. In a straight line from San Carlos Point Road to you.”
“We have a couple of end loaders and skiddies up there; I will send you some transport and have the band thin them out.”
“The band? What, do you have a concert down there?”
“No, we have a big job down here, and we need you. The band is what we call the music trucks sent out to draw the zombies away. Some contractors have set us up so that we’re only dealing with a reasonable number of zombies at one time. It is pretty amazing. I’m almost grateful the Army was deployed, but I will explain that when you get here.”
“All right, out.” Krupp hung up the phone, the sound of music from an approaching truck catching his ear. He looked over the cars and waved his rifle when the truck came into view. It stopped, did a hasty three-point turn, and slowly departed, drawing the zombies with it.
Several loud shrieks signaled that the runners had spotted the music van. Fast feet slapped the pavement as they passed on their way to rush the vehicle. Krupp, with his suppressed M4, shot runners on the fringes while keeping low to a car’s hood. Assault rifles began shooting out the back, joined by shots coming in from the shoulder by an unseen source. The runners died and the shooting stopped as they simply controlled the slow ones. He was watching the mass of zombies following the truck when a front-end loader came from around the side of the horde, smashing and crushing everything in its path. Krupp realized that killing the slow ones with a gun was merely a waste of bullets compared to the devastation the machines could make in such a short time.
“Need a ride?” the driver shouted when he got near. Lu and Krupp got up into the cab of the loader and marveled at the battle. Never in his day did Krupp imagine being escorted across a battlefield in full-out maneuvers without a care in the world.
They walked into a manlift, which carried them cleanly over the wall of trailers. Both were impressed by the four-jointed boom’s ability to complete a one hundred and eighty degree loop to set them on the ground.
Lu pulled in closer and Krupp looked at her with a discerning eye. His marriage may have been stale, but it was way too soon for this. There was also something about her that made him nervous.
She whispered, “Can we just completely forget about Stanley? I mean, he was bitten but I don’t want to have to mention what he was talking about, you know what I mean? Like the people on the boat you had to … well … let’s just say we hooked up and survived. Nobody needs to know any other details, am I right?” She smiled innocently as her large, soft eyes locked on his. He suddenly felt lust and hate at the same time and wondered how he was going to deal with her.
Krupp knew a shakedown when he saw it, but her timing was perfect. He couldn’t eliminate her when so many watched and he was forced to either agree to her terms right here, right now or face fate. He gave a
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