Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Living the Life ❯ The Plan ( Chapter 13 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

By: Smortz

Disclaimer: This story belongs to Smortz. Characters and plot created by me as well.

Chapter 13

Quinn couldn't look away from Barb's growing ear to ear grin. “Stop smiling like that,” she warned as she looked up from beneath the grill, “it's scary.”

“Hot dogs, steaks, cheeseburgers,” she cheered.

Quinn rolled her eyes as she twisted the hose into the propane tank. It ignited and she rolled from beneath and went back to the table they'd pulled up here. “What's on the menu?” Ryan asked coming through the roof door.

“I'm working on it,” Quinn answered as she began to season the steaks and finding the Carne Asada Carlos had wanted.

A small sound that seemed to grow stopped them all, everyone going silent to listen. “Turn out the lights,” Barb whispered and Ryan hit the switch behind him. The spotlights went off, leaving nothing but the noise of hot dogs sizzling to compete.

That's when it happened, four large jets flew over there heads.

“Fighter jets?” Carlos let out before Ryan turned the spotlights on.

“The air force?” Barb repeated and Carlos nodded, “Marines use jets, but not those, those are air force.”

“So they finally stepped it…” Peter sing-song as Quinn let five steaks hit the large grill. “You can start sending people up,” Quinn proclaimed.

Ryan gave a nod but it was a soldier who walked by him as she tried to reason with herself the stare Ryan was giving her didn't match the stare a girl would give a lollipop. It effectively spread a flush across or cheeks. “W-what happened to you hair?” He asked.

Curiously she reached behind her head, running her fingers through her ear. What had once reached her lower back only reached the bottom of her neck, “Oh, zombie grabbed it, chopped it off.”

Ryan gave a nod, clearing his throat and grinning, “It makes you look like a little girl.”

The blush she was adorning was easily wept away. Pain filled her chest. Shooting him a glare she slammed her eyes closed. Turning towards the barbecue she turned a couple hot dogs on the grill. “Thanks,” she forced out and heard Barb's tightly controlled laugh.

She looked out towards the dam lake. The water was hitting against the wall viciously, as if sensing the worlds unusual desecration. Peter was sitting on the edge of the roof, his legs hanging over the side. She shot his back a sad smile looking at Carter and motioning towards the grill.

She grabbed a plate, tossing a steak on it and fork and knife walking towards the saddened man. “Petey,” she whispered, sitting next to him as she cut the steak into small bits, “you going to be okay?” She asked as she slid a piece into her mouth.

He chuckled, “I thought you were bringing that over for me…”

Quinn blinked at him, before shaking her head, “No way, Jose, I could eat a dinosaur right now.” She did however hold up a piece and hold the fork just in front of his mouth.

“But if it makes you feel better…” she trailed off with a smile and watched Peter snatch it off the fork with his crooked teeth. He hummed in delight as he swallowed,

“That's damn good steak.”

“Dad's friend taught me how to make it at the firefighter picnic,” she explained, not in the least bit saddened by the thought of the man.

“You should give him a call,” Peter murmured, looking back out at the water, “see if he's alive.”

“He called Ryan a couple hours ago when we first got back,” she muttered before clearing her throat, the sudden rock that had crept in it leaving instantly, “didn't ask to speak to me anyways.”

“Damned fool,” Peter cursed and she grinned leaning her head against her shoulder as she handed him the plate, half of her steak saved for him. “You're the only dad I need Petey, and just so you know, if you'll listen to me, I'll listen to you.”

He snorted, “Men don't need to talk. They just bottle things up until they die.”

“Lucky bastards,” she returned and listened to him laugh. Her mission had been completed as she stood up and grinned, “Specially made steak by yours truly, enjoy!”

Peter grinned victoriously, almost blindingly as he began to cut it up into smaller bits and soak it in the steak house sauce.

Quinn smiled at him, her worried washed away before she sat on the roof side, letting her feet dangle on the side as she pulled her binoculars out and watched the zombies scream and cry.

“I was thinking,” Barb muttered, sitting next to her, wiping the bread crumbs off the sides of her mouth.

“Yea?” Quinn asked worriedly, afraid to be sent away after getting back.

“At first I was thinking it was Resident Evil, or one of the games you and Ryan played,” she began before sighing, “but they learn, they communicate, I was thinking, we can't stay here, and we have too many people to keep moving. I want them all alive but my men are priority.”

“What are you thinking?” Quinn asked as she leaned on her aunt's shoulder.

“Battle, getting rid of them,” she said almost instantly. “War.”

Quinn thought about it. The thought of war against inhumane zombies made her shiver. She sighed, shivering at the thought before shaking her head. “I-I can't do that Barb,” she began, “I can cover, but I can't go down there, my chest already hurts.”

Her eyes turned to worry almost instantly, “Pills?”

“I only have a weeks worth left, don't worry about it though, I don't know if we'll make it another week, with how things have been,” she whispered before another set of jets flew over.

“They're finally doing something…” Barb murmured in awe.

“You could contact them,” Quinn mentioned.

Barb shook her head instantly before she pulled a regular cell phone out and flipped it open. Then flipping it closed again. “I don't like taking orders.”

Quinn sighed before she stood up and began to walk towards a table they had moved up to the roof, a tarp hung over it strategically placed by lights. Barb had followed, Carlos and Carter sauntering over at the thought of a plan coming up.

Quinn thought, thinking of someway they could do what Barb wanted them too. “I-It's just so much ammunition,” she said slowly.

“Where's the local gun shops, we could make those are destinations?” Barb offered and Quinn blinked at her in shock.

“How the hell did they promote you to colonel?”

“Shut it!” Barb snapped and Quinn couldn't help the wry laugh escape her before she chewed her lip.

“Carlos, when you bombed the house, where'd you target it?” She asked quietly, itching her nose again in thought.

He pointed with his middle finger on the map, a small clearing just outside the house but not over it. “They were still running when I bombed it so I aimed for them,” he replied.

Quinn nodded and looked to Barb, “Those armored cars… would they survive that kind of attack?”

Barb raised her shoulders, “It's a possibility…”

“That'd help us, the tank you have, damn that'd give us good transportation…” Quinn whispered. Peter came over; plate of steak in his hands as he caught on to what was being planned quickly.

“I can fly over there, with someone of course, who can drive a tank and get them into it,” he offered. Quinn nodded with a victorious nod. “And then the tank comes here, but Barb, once we start… it'll be hard to stop, to get to a rest part, I mean, they'll just keep coming from different areas…”

Barb nodded at her, “There's a gated community we could start at...”

Quinn nodded, that plan she liked. It'd give them a head start on control. “Do we know anyone who has the code?” Quinn asked before she stood up straight and began scanning the people.

She trotted over to Ryan, standing next to Alex and Izzie while chewing on a piece of hot dog. “Ryan, do you know anyone who lives in the gated community four miles away? Lake something…” she wondered and watched him try to think, ignoring the glare she was getting from Izzie.

Mike came over, “Lake Escindo Community?” He verified.

Quinn nodded at the familiar name. Ryan and Mike both seemed to be thinking before Branson clued in. “That's where I live…”

“It is?!” Quinn asked, “That's a hell of a commute to school.”

“Parent's are divorced, weekdays I'm with my mom and she lives half a mile from the school, my dad lives in the community,” he explained as he began to dig around his pockets for his cell phone. “Do you need the code?”

She gave a grateful nod and Izzie sighed in annoyance. Quinn had no idea why the girl would be annoyed before she looked at Ryan, “If he doesn't get through, can you try one of your friends?”

Ryan gave an obedient nod, Izzie sighed again. Quinn shot her a glare, “Listen, I'm saving your ass, while Ryan's banging it, could you not hate me?”

She heard Mike's outburst of laughter that turned into a coughing fit. Alex began to step up to defend his sister before Ryan gave her an incredulous stare. “Q-Quinn!”

Quinn sighed, fully aware he'd protect Izzie as she nodded her head to Branson, “Let me know if you get a hold of him.”

He gave her a nod while the phone was against her ear and turned to walk back to Barb and the set up. She barely heard Mike whispered to Ryan. “You're losing her.”

Quinn snorted. Ryan had lost her a while ago.

“They're working on getting the gate code,” she explained at Carlos's questioning glance. “It's going to be hard to get into the fortress in the first place though.”

Carlos nodded, “Those gates open pretty slowly. We could send a team ahead to investigate the gate…”

“That's too much time,” Quinn murmured before Branson nudged her shoulder.

“Do you want to talk to him? I don't really know what's going on,” he muttered, holding the flip cell phone out to her.

She took it, placing it against his ear, “Hello, this is Quinn.”

“Hi, Branson's dad,” he greeted before clearing his throat and dropping it to a whisper, “a… are you coming to rescue us?”

“I have a few questions,” Quinn broke in, “we're trying to get to a more secure area, do you know the conditions of the gate, or how many are outside them?”

“The gate's still intact,” he whispered, “it's closed, and the things don't really seem like they want to get in, walking around and all.”

Quinn looked at Barb, “They're still walking, it means they haven't adapted to running yet.”

“That's a good thing,” she whispered.

“I-Is there a sewer outside your house?” She asked curiously.

“Yea, right in the street, about seven feet from the driveway,” he asked in confusion and she pulled out another map, one of the sewer system. “Okay, we might need more information, keep safe,” she said before handing the phone back to Branson.

Mike stared her down. An intense stare that made her want to huddle in a corner, “You want to move again?”

“Quinn shook her head almost immediately, “I want to find somewhere we could all be safe and unnoticed, but its hard to do that with all these people.” Her explanation didn't stop his stare and she cleared her throat.

“Barb wants to start in attack, start clearing them out before they can do the same to us, and by gods I agree,” she explained and wasn't sure why his snort made her feel cruel, “that's the government's job...”

Barb chocked on something, the gag making QUin and Mike look at her. Her laughter was dry, with an almost a feeling of animosity in it, “The governments job? We were the government.”

Peter nodded as he chucked the paper plate he had sufficiently cleaned off into the trash bag, “Barb's right, those rich bastards that hold our leash are probably in there tightly sealed zip lock bag.”

Ryan snorted and Quinn couldn't help but agree.

“So if you want to stay here, why are you looking at maps on where to move?” Mike asked.

Quinn cleared her throat, “What if they learn how to bust down a door? It's only a matter of time before they'll drive us out again,” she muttered, “I want to be able to get out, and fast if that happens, I want to have somewhere to go too.”

Barb nodded and leaned on the edge of the table. “The helicopter won't fit all of us in there, and that bus, how are we going to get over to it?” She asked.

Quinn's mouth twitched in irritation, not having an answer for that.

The bus was parked about forty feet away from the door they had come through, and in that distance, a zombie for each foot had filled up that area.

“Idiots,” Ryan murmured as he sauntered over, wiping his fingers clean of the mustard and ketchup on to his pants. “I think there's something up with those f-”

“Really?” Quinn asked with a wry grin on her face, “They remind me of you.”

Mike chuckled and she shot him a `you included' stare that had his laughter dying. “That's cold Quinn,” Ryan muttered.

“Anyway, they wouldn't give us the keys anyways, they're too stubborn to do that, and too high,” Carlos let out.

Peter snorted, “I'll get those damn keys.”

The radio was called, a long blur of static filling their ears.

No voice was heard, nothing but the erratic static that made them all scared of what was on the other end.

“Barb? I know this is your channel,” a whisper called through, “and I know dam well that that's Peter's chopper you got on the roof of the dam.”

Peter snorted, “Who the hell's that?” he asked as he reached for the radio on his belt. Barb beat him to it, all but almost snatching Peter's belt off with it too.

“Who is this?” She asked almost rudely into the phone.

“Sergeant Sanchez, Air Force pilot, Carlos should know me, he told me this was the Head bitch's channel,” he called in, “I just flew over that dam, Carlos is there? Saw his jet.”

Barb looked to Carlos for any recognition of the voice and Carlos's eyes had a hidden glint of amusement. “Can I have the radio?”

Barb handed it over with no fight and Carlos chuckled, shaking his head before he could even say anything. Quinn almost felt like she missed a joke. “Shane you bastard, what are you doing flying that jet? Looks like you got your whole fleet with you too.”

“Oh! Carlos! You know dam well what we were doing. We're trying to find a way to join all you lil' fucks but you're surrounded for miles. Talk about a bad place to park.”

Carlos and Quinn snorted and continued to listen, “Me and my guys found a smaller area, a store unit that we can use as a landing plane, gotta love those new jets you know?” Quinn could only think they were using the same technology that allowed the pilot to land straight down.

“I think I know where you're talking about,” Carlos relented before sighing, “And how are you going to get over here?”

“Well, before we land we're going to clear it, so that's why I radioed in to tell you to get the fuck off the roof in case any stray bullets land in your fucking head.”

Quinn chuckled and Carlos could only laugh. “Don't go damaging the helicopter, plus we got a barbeque,” Carlos warned.

“Well, damn, you guys are out having a BBBQ in the end of the world, I feel like I'm missing out,” Shane yelled into the phone before they heard shots through the radio and echoing off miles away off the radio.

“That sounds pretty far,” Barb began.

“What kind of fleet you got?” Carlos wandered out loud.

“Well three of your jets, and a search and rescue chopper.

“Oh? Miss is traveling with you?”

“I guess, said she wanted to check on that family of hers,” Shane muttered his humorous voice losing the tone that had Quinn almost liking the guy. He was almost saddened when he said it.

“Have you checked on yours?” Carlos asked beginning slow.

“House is burned down. If they left they might still be alive. Listen I'll radio in when we're over you're area, just get off the roof so we can clear around you.”

Carlos nodded before Shane said something that couldn't stop there thinking.

“Did you know that the President turned into one of them?”