Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Living the Life ❯ Army Men ( Chapter 14 )

[ 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.

Quinn sighed as she turned over and stared at Ryan sleeping across the room.

The Presidentturned into one of them.

The words wouldn't get out of her head. She sat up and pushed the thin sweatshirt off of her, looking at it in confusion. She could only guess that whoever had put this sweatshirt was now freezing to death.

She stood up and walked over the sleeping bodies on the hard marbled floor. They had let the civilians take some of the off duty sleeping rooms, but there wasn't enough for them all.

It was quiet, only several shots from the jets overhead comforted her. Shane had his fleet hold off until after the night, not wanting to risk hitting someone that wasn't `zombified'.

Quinn cleared her throat of the grogginess she felt and tried to find the restroom she was dying to use.

“Where are you going, Barbie?” A voice asked from behind her.

She chuckled at the nickname, turning around and staring at Carlos. His shirt was off, exposing the tanned chest from being in the desert for two years. The muscles flexed as he scratched the top of his arm, beneath his shoulder.

“Woke up is all,” Quinn muttered, “Barb's having a hard time digesting the death of the big dog, I think she knows that means the government is like ants with a foot hovering above them.”

Carlos laughed softly, quietly as he began to walk beside her, “You should try to go back to sleep.”

Quinn chuckled, “Don't need it anyways, have enough of it,” she muttered before stretching her neck to the side.

“Shane and his fleet sound busy,” she whispered almost in disappointment.

“Jacobs is one of those guys who joined the army so he wouldn't go to jail for murder,” Carlos said jokingly. “Pain in the ass, too,” he said under his breath.

“They have a woman with them?” She asked, almost already annoyed. She had been raised around guys, not being able to stand women.

“I know I know, an annoying one to,” Carlos attained.

“How so?” Quinn began warningly; almost afraid of what she'd have to look forward too.

“You know Izzie? The girl Ryan's already took a liking too?”

“No shit,” Quinn couldn't help slipping out

“Yup,” Carlos returned.

“What's with that shit anyways? Saying he likes you and going on a fucking rampage?” He asked in irritation.

“Welcome to the four years of high school I went through,” Quinn stated dryly.

His radio went off. Only moments later did the shooting decrease heavily, almost coming to a complete stop. “Carlos, we're landing the chopper, coming to greet us? I think I smell barbeque?” He asked into it letting out a heavy breath full of adrenaline out afterwards.

Carlos both stopped to turn around, heading back to the stair rail. The bathroom break she'd needed long gone now that she had something to do.

“Heading up, you want some steak?” Carlos offered looking at Quinn in approval, since she'd be the one to have to cook it.

“I think I deserve it!” Shane exclaimed before they heard a couple laughs in the back.

Quinn pulled a key from her back pocket, Barb had decided to lock the roof, and given Pete, Quinn and Carlos a key.

A loud hum of a chopper filled their ears as the door opened and Quinn's now short hair began to flail around her. It landed on the opposite side of the roof of Peter's helicopter. This one was wider, a black coat of paint with a red first aid cross on the side and top of it. The wings of the copper began to slow down, coming to a stop as five people stepped out of it.

“Carlos!” A man greeted. He was tall, steroid big; he almost looked like the old Grape Ape. He was still wearing his entire Air Force uniform, complete with the helmet tucked under his arm. His hair was longer, completely against army regulations and causing her eyebrow to rise in suspicion.

In the lack of light she could only see his facial structure. The rough lines of a square head and somewhat large forehead, she cleared her throat as he stepped under the light, his copper eyes definitely hiding in the same tone of his skin.

“She looks tiny,” he murmured, elbowing Carlos in the shoulder as he tipped his head to Quinn.

“Do you think she can kill?” The girl, Miss, tossed as she hopped down from the chopper.

Quinn's eyebrow twitched before she turned on her heels and began to walk towards the door. “I'll start making some steaks up,” she called behind her and heard the man, Jacobson cheer for a moment.

“More boy scouts?” Mike asked in annoyance as she approached the grill.

Quinn chuckled half heartedly, rubbing her eyes for a moment, before reaching to ground the heel of her hand into the skin right above her heart.

“It's hurting?” Mike asked worriedly.

She gave him a soft smile, almost glad someone had noticed, but at the same time not liking that she'd made it so obvious, “I'll be fine, can you hand me five steaks from the cooler?”

Quinn sighed as she slammed the steaks he had handed to her on the grill, listening to them sizzle. “Carlos, what have you and head bitch been planning?” The girl, -Miss?-asked.

Her upper lip curled at the disrespectful name of her aunt, but she fought the urge to argue, not knowing how strong this `Miss' was.

“Barb, you mean?” Carlos declared for her, “Good, she and Quinn have thought this thing through, we've got civilians in the lower levels of the building and all doors supervised, we're working on Plan …. D? I think we're on.”

Shane sniggered, “Quinn's the `lil thing on the grill right? She's not army.”

“No, but she's a hell of a lot better -.”

Quinn cut in, “How do you want it cooked?”

Shane smirked, “Medium rare.”

She sighed and handed a plate, flipping the steak over before slapping it onto the plate and handing it to Carlos, who relayed it to Shane.

“How about you, Miss?” She asked, with no lack of distaste in her tone. It was easily noticed.

“Don't feel like eating at the moment,” she replied, her eyes gleaming towards Quinn a foul aura of hatred.

“So,” Carlos interrupted, turning his head to another soldier that had been quiet, “Steve, how have you been holding up?'

“Good man, good, are we gonna blast some motherfuckers' heads off though or what?” The man replied, nodding his head to emphasize his want.

“We're working on that now,” Barb said stiffly.

Shane moaned in delight, “God Damn, Quinn makes some fucking amazing steaks!”

Quinn smiled as she dug into her second one of the night. She could feel Miss glaring at her.

“What skills do you have?” The medic asked with a sneer.

“Kill people,” Quinn replied, chewing around a piece of steak. Miss had a mocking laugh, “Do you beat them to death with a library book?”

Barb cleared her through, “She's my niece, I trained her as a sniper and assault rifle user, and she's also extremely smart and can get us out of a sticky situation in a few seconds. Listen, Miss, question my niece's skill again and those zombie's might accidentally get a hold of your pretty face.”

Miss didn't seem to open her mouth after that. Quinn was holding a victorious smile. “Jacobs, how are your jets?”

“We refueled on the way over here, they're good to go,” he said, waving his hand mockingly like one would in a Taco Bell commercial.

Quinn couldn't help the laugh as she tossed her plate into the black garbage bag. She opened the map of the county up again. Licking some barbeque sauce off the tip of her finger, she began, “We should have a headquarters, a fall back that is centered in the county, in case we're ever overrun.”

Barb nodded looking over her shoulder, “Where do you think that should be?”

“There's an electric appliance store, not in the center but we could get some of the volunteers to run it. Have a GPS on us, report to them, have them keep a watch on our back,” Quinn explained, “I didn't pick this area for nothing, across the street is the gun shop, in between is a auto part store, also this town center was closing down so it won't be overrun with zombies in the first place.”

She heard Shane whisper to Carlos, “She really is smart.”

“How far away is it from here?” Barb asked the important question.

“It's a thirty minute walk in the sewer, although I'm not exactly sure where the sewer closest to it would be, I'll have to look at the map,” she said, arranging the maps to the right one, running her thumb over to open it.

“Another five minute walk from the sewer, it's in the middle of the parking lot, not the street,” she returned, “we could walk there, investigate it, even barricade the shops, and then come back. If we go there will all of our RV's and jets we'll have too many zombies behind us to worry about.”

Barb nodded, “What if there's too many to even barricade against? Do you have somewhere else in mind?”

Quinn's mouth twitched deep in though as she looked at the map, “None of them are as convenient as that center.”

Peter handed her a pen, “Circle it, I'll fly over it and check it out.”

“Not too low or you'll draw attention,” Quinn warned him. He stuck his tongue out at her.

“We'll split into three teams, one will go to Barb's house and check out the damage to her RV and any artillery vehicle she has that we can use. The second one will investigate the town center. The third will be smaller, will stay here for reports. We can't leave them here unsupervised,” Quinn rubbed over her eyes and looked at Barb.

Barb cleared her throat, “We'll begin this tonight. Shane, your group will investigate the town center. Peter when you're done flying over the center return here. I want to know how many of them are there, if it is safe, no firing weapons, no making noise, no giving away where you are. You have a knife, use it.”

“Carlos, Quinn and my squad will investigate my house, what's left of Hunter's squad will watch over the dam,” she finished the order, “Okay, Shane, our group will leave together since we both need the sewers, Peter, take off when you need too.”

Peter nodded, beginning to walk to his chopper. Quinn cleared her throat, stopping everyone else. “And the sewer, which is overrun with about two hundred zombies, anyone have a plan?”

When they all paused she shook her head. Barb growled, “Fuck, what do we do? Quinn is there another sewer close to here?”

Quinn grinned and nodded. “We'll have to walk across the dam if anyone's up to it.”

Barb nodded, “Okay, you lead the way.”

Quinn nodded, folding up the map and tucking it into her back pocket, “I'll find Carter and J. to tell them they're in charge here. Also, I'm going to ask them to figure out if anyone has computer skills or for a security camera system, anyone that can help with the electrical store.”

Jogging down the roof stairs she grabbed her radio, “Switch to a different channel that we're all on.”

Barb replied a `roger' to her and she radioed to Carter.

“Sup Barbie?” He replied.

“We're leaving to investigate a different safe area,” she explained into the radio, “can your squad keep an eye out here?”

“When do you guys leave?” He asked. She stopped to lean against the wall.

“Now,” she informed him before adding, “I need you to get them into a conference room or something, get everyone, and ask for anyone who has computer skills or worked for a security camera agency.”

“O-Okay?”

“We'll fill you in when we get back,” she said with a smile before she told him the channel to switch to and returned to the roof.

Grabbing her assault rifle and sniper rifle she strapped them over her shoulder. “The dam entrance is on the forth floor.”

Holding the door open for them all she watched all of them walk passed her. Miss giving her a glare of distaste before she closed it behind them all.

The forth floor held the offices and security rooms, the large door with a code pad alerting them that this was the entrance. “Anyone know the password?” Shane asked with a grin on his face.

Quinn entered the security room, clicking on the computer and looking around the desk for any clues. The computer held a camera to each room, and a security gate program. She clicked it open.

Hitting the override it asked for a ID.

“Where did you put the dead guys?” Barb asked.

“Closet next room over,” she ordered.

Miss nodded and began to shout numbers. She entered them in one at a time and when she stopped yelling she hit the enter button.

The door began to open, a cool wet mist hitting them all. “That feels good,” Carlos moaned.

Quinn chuckled nodding as she pushed into the front and began to guide them over the narrow railing. “It's a beautiful view,” she murmured but continued walking.

When they reached under the lid they could here the squawking of the zombies and she took a deep breath. “Shane,” she whispered. The man stepped forward, the grin still on his face. “The directions,” she muttered, “You're going to go the opposite way we are, turn right at the third turn, follow that until you hit this one.”

She took out the map to show him before she gave it to him, “Here, in case you get lost.”

He chuckled, rubbing the crown of her hair before he took off in the right direction. “Ready?” She asked to Barb.

Her only answer was Barb walking passed her, towards her home.