Z-Day Chronicles (Book 2): Rising Up Read online

  “With what Jake has planned,” Hector responded. “He’s gonna need all of us on the outside.”

  “Alright,” Adam answered. “How are we supposed to get out of here then, genius?”

  Kyle, Grimm, Brandon, and Rodney appeared from behind the quarreling group, with their weapons pointed at them. Jake and the rest silently stood still, with their hands in the air.

  “Never mind,” Adam uttered. “Forget about it.”

  “Hey, fellas,” Joseph said. “What are you guys up...”

  “Can it, Boyer!” Rodney asserted. “We already know you’re working with Jake. You’re gonna tell us exactly what he’s planning on doing!”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Grimm stuck the barrel of his rifle in the back of Joseph’s head, nearly digging through his hair.

  “Okay, okay,” Joseph gulped. “Yes! Jake is planning to take down Boris and retake the settlement!”

  “With just him and you five?” Kyle laughed. “He’s pretty dumb. Of course; not that dumb, because he knew we’d help him.”

  The Reapers lowered their weapons and made sure none of the other soldiers were around.

  “Our chopper is ready and it has all the supplies that Jake asked for,” Kyle continued. “We told the Z-Corps that Alpha was called on an emergency rescue mission. Former Chief Peterson is waiting on us as well. If you want a way out, I suggest we start running to the chopper and load up.”

  Joseph nodded in agreement and everyone rushed to the chopper that was about to take off. As everyone stepped inside, the pilot lifted the helicopter in the air, leaving the settlement. They flew until Joseph showed Kyle where the limestone mine was.

  As the chopper landed in the pit, Jake pulled up in the Hummer meeting the rest of the group.

  “Turn off all communications,” Brandon told the pilot as he and the rest stepped off the chopper.

  “Good to see you guys again,” Jake said as he greeted Brandon and HR-Team Alpha.

  “So what’s the plan?”

  “Well, Joseph now knows what part of the jailhouse Tyrese is in, right?”

  “Not yet,” Joseph replied, cringing his teeth and clenching his fists. “But I did find out something else.”

  The Shinobi turned to look at Adam, who has already started running away to leave the mine.

  “Stop him!” James shouted.

  As the Shinobi began chasing Adam up the steep slopes, the Reapers began shooting in the direction. Adam dashed in a zigzag pattern to avoid the gunfire. Brandon then pulled out a scoped 30-06 and aimed straight for Adam’s back.

  Pow!

  Thp!

  Adam arched backwards, tumbling down the slope of lime rock and stone. Hector and Brittany stopped him before he could roll into one of the deep waterholes in that mining pit. The rest of the group rushed to Adam, who was gagging blood and foam from his mouth.

  “Explanation, Boyer!” Jake ordered.

  “The bastard killed Bryan and tampered with the radios that day Lieutenant Williams lost his arm!”

  “He got hit in the lungs,” Kyle uttered. “He doesn’t have that long to live.”

  “I’m.. so... s-sorry,” Adam choked.

  “You should be!” Joseph shouted. “You betrayed us! Your own family! You chose a damn council position over everything you stood for!”

  “It’s not.. like that.. at... all.”

  “Then what the hell is it?!”

  Joseph tightly gripped Adam’s collar.

  “Boris... kn-knew I was.. o-onto him,” Adam continued, coughing up blood. “He was... gonna... k-kill... my... my family... if I didn’t... do... what he said.”

  Joseph released his grip on Adam and Jake kneeled down.

  “You said you didn’t have any family,” Jake said.

  “I didn’t... wanna... p-put her in jeopardy, s-sir,” Adam replied. “But Boris... found out about her... and he said he was gonna... k-kill her... if I didn’t... do what he said.”

  “Why didn’t you just come to us, Adam?” James asked. “We would have helped you.”

  “I was scared, James. He would have killed her... if I... said anything. What was I supposed to do, huh?!”

  As Adam began weeping, he continued coughing up blood and it was getting harder for him to breathe.

  “Besides,” Adam continued. “By the time I saw... Lieutenant Williams... without his arm... I knew I was... already in... t-too deep.”

  “Come on, Adam,” Jake asserted. “Stay with us.”

  “I’m so sorry, sir. I didn’t wanna... do any of that; I swear.”

  “I know you didn’t; you have nothing to be sorry about. I know you were trying to protect your family. She’s gonna see you as a hero.”

  Adam’s breathing was getting slower and weaker; he was starting to suffocate.

  “She will... sir?” Adam asked.

  “Yes, she will,” Jake answered. “And you can still save her, Adam. Just tell us who she is so we can get her out safely and protect her.”

  Adam stopped breathing and his pupils started dilating. His body became limp and his head swayed to the left, with his cheek pressed against the dust.

  “Don’t do this, Adam,” Jake said. “Not yet. We still gotta find out who this person is! Who is she, bud?!”

  Jake sat still as he gazed at Adam’s lifeless body. The rest in the back stood in shock as they watched Adam fade away before their eyes.

  “What now, sir?” Joseph mumbled as he wiped his eyes.

  “We still have this task ahead of us,” Jake answered. “Not only do we need to break Tyrese out of confinement, but now we have to also retrieve the census and check the names of anyone who might be related to Adam Lee. Any extra information inside helps.”

  “But everyone at the settlement may already be onto us by now.”

  “You can wear my gear,” Brandon suggested. “I’ll stay here with Jake and keep in contact through the radios we now have in possession. While HR-Team Alpha returns to refuel and reload their weapons, you can retrieve the census. The Shinobi can sneak into the jailhouse and extract Tyrese from his cell. Once we do that, we’ll meet back here and plan our assault on Boris.”

  “Sounds like a good idea,” Kyle agreed.

  Grimm nodded as he unloaded the radios and other tactical gear from the chopper. Then everyone but Brandon and Jake stepped on while the pilot turned on the ignition. Jake turned on their communications as the chopper flew back to Mayo to continue with their objective.

  Chapter 19

  Once the chopper landed back in the military outpost in Mayo, Kyle and his squad reloaded their weapons and refueled. As they did, the Shinobi, save for Joseph, proceeded to the jailhouse to rescue Tyrese.

  “We’ll keep in touch,” James told Joseph. “Let us know when you find that census.”

  “Let me know when you get Tyrese,” Joseph responded.

  Joseph continued scouring the military outpost when he bumped into Kaylee.

  “Hey,” Kaylee greeted. “What are you doing here?”

  “Just looking around and volunteering,” Joseph answered. “Hey, I was asked by Marshal Jones to get our settlement’s census. Do you know where it is?”

  “Yeah, General Boris picked it up a few minutes ago. You just missed him.”

  “Oh ok.”

  As Joseph parted ways with Kaylee, he picked up his radio in order to notify The Shinobi, HR-Team Alpha, and Jake and Brandon.

  “Boris has the census,” Joseph informed. “That’s a no go.”

  Hector, James, and Brittany broke in through the fenced in area of the jailhouse, entering through the back door. Once inside, the Shinobi saw no guards on the bottom floor.

  “Maybe they’re upstairs?” James whispered.

  Brittany led James and Hector up the stairs and snuck around the second floor, soon coming to the realization that there was no one upstairs either.

  “Where did everyone go?” Brittany asked. “This place is completely clea
red.”

  “Beats me,” Hector answered. “They couldn’t have left this jailhouse overnight, could they? I mean, they might still be somewhere here in the settlement.”

  Brittany then notified everyone else with her radio.

  “Negative,” Brittany informed. Nobody is here. The jailhouse is clear. Marshal Jones is M.I.A.”

  “Where could he be?!” Jake asked over the radio.

  “I don’t know, sir. But we’ll keep looking.”

  Back at the mines, Brandon had finished laying Adam’s body in one of the water holes.

  “Here,” Brandon said, handing Jake Adam’s wallet and tags. “Might as well keep the memorabilia... like old times.”

  “Might as well,” Jake replied as he shuffled though the cards and the plastic in that leather wallet. “We should remember him as a soldier of Z-Corps rather than a...”

  Jake flipped across a photograph that caught his eye. He pulled the picture out of Adam’s wallet and stared in shock at this bent up picture of a young girl.

  Oh my God! Jake thought as his eyes began to widen. It can’t be!

  Jake gazed upon that picture. He remembered Adam saying that no one at the settlement knew about his family. He also remembered someone else saying that she never knew anything about her cousin.

  Jake quickly picked up the radio.

  “Cancel everything!” Jake ordered. “Look for Kaylee O’Brien! That’s the girl Adam was talking about! She’s his cousin!”

  “Already found her!” Joseph responded. “They’re taking her! I’m in pursuit!”

  Joseph chased down a group of soldiers dragging Kaylee into a Humvee.

  “Stop!” Kaylee shouted. “Let me go! Please!”

  One soldier covered Kaylee’s mouth to keep her quiet. Once they were in the Humvee, they began driving towards the settlement gate. Joseph continued vaulting over obstacles, smaller buildings, and the gate’s fence until he was able to grab the bumper of the Humvee.

  Joseph hid his face and he struggled to hold on to the bumper of the vehicle. He made sure none of the soldiers inside saw him through any of the mirrors on the vehicle.

  After riding for nearly fifteen minutes on the highway, the Humvee began to slow down. Joseph peeked around the vehicle to see an open field with an array of buildings in the distance. Joseph knew he needed to get off before being found. Once the Humvee slowed down enough, he threw himself to a dirt pile on the side of the road before the soldiers in the Humvee could detect him.

  Joseph slowly crawled away, thankful that he didn’t get severely injured, save for the large scrapes along his arms, sides, and legs. He then peeked above the dirt pile to see what what appeared to be a prison, with guard towers and different dormitories. The two stone plaques at the intersection read Mayo Correctional Institution.

  “Jake,” Joseph whispered in his radio. “They took Kaylee to some prison outside of town; the one we passed before entering Mayo when we migrated yesterday. I’m at the intersection right before you turn into the property.”

  “How many are there?!” Jake asked.

  “There are four Spartans at the main gate. There’s quite a few snipers along the first fence and the guard towers. I can’t see the second set of buildings in the background that’s also fenced in. Lots of infantry. Looks to be about half of our entire military here! This place is like a fortress!”

  “Jake,” Brandon said. “It’s too risky for him to do that alone. If a lot of our soldiers are in there and the jailhouse in town is completely vacant, we should also assume that Tyrese is also held up in that prison somewhere. If Joseph gets caught, they’ll be onto us and will probably kill both Tyrese and Kaylee, along with anyone else they might have locked up in those cells.”

  “We still gotta find out where at,” Jake replied.

  “We will need the other Shinobi for that. It’s too risky right now.”

  Joseph followed the Humvee with his eyes until it parked at a parking lot on the far left of the prison. There was a fenced in area with a small number of buildings around three hundred feet left of the front side of the prison. He then saw the soldier exit the Humvee, dragging Kaylee along with them.

  “Guys,” Joseph said over the radio. “I know where they’re taking her. I see them right now. There aren’t any guards in that area at all by the looks of it. If there are, there’s not much. I can get in and get her out right now. Just say the word.”

  “Your call, Jake.” Brandon uttered. “Think real hard about it though before making any rash decisions.”

  Jake tightly gripped his radio as he cupped his hands over his face. He began breathing hard and thinking about the possible consequences of whatever decision he made to the point where he began to tear up. He then spoke through the radio.

  “Stand down, Joseph,” Jake shuttered. “Can’t take the risk right now. Not with Tyrese in there.”

  “But sir!” Joseph responded. “She’s right there! I see her right now! I can get to...”

  “That’s an order, Boyer! Stand down and wait for the rest of the Shinobi. We’ll continue as soon as everyone has regrouped as planned. We still have a job to do.”

  There was static on the other end, and silence filled the mining pit.

  “Copy, sir,” Joseph replied. “Standing down and awaiting further orders.”

  Jake dropped his radio and then kicked the table in front of him, tipping it over.

  “GODDAMMIT!!” Jake shouted as he crouched down and covered his head.

  “Listen to me Jake,” Brandon asserted. “Look at me, Jake. Jake, look at me.”

  Jake raised his head and stared into Brandon’s concerning eyes.

  “We’re gonna get her back, Jake,” Brandon promised. “Her and Tyrese. We’re gonna get ‘em both back safely and we’re gonna take this guy down! You hear me?!”

  “I don’t know, Brandon,” Jake sobbed. “I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know what to do.”

  “Of course you do, sir. You’re our leader. You’re the one calling the shots. Do what you do best.”

  Jake nodded as he wiped the warm water from his eyes and stood up. He them set the table back up and placed all of the radios back on it. He then picked up his radio from the muggy clay and dust.

  “All Shinobi,” Jake began. “Link up with HR-Team Alpha and head back here. You will take the Humvee and link up with Joseph Boyer at the prison and wait there for further orders. HR-Team Alpha will link up with me and Brandon over here and will have their orders. We finish this tonight!”

  Chapter 20

  As the chopper landed back in the mining pits, Brittany, James, and Hector rushed into the Humvee and sped away to where Joseph waited for them. As the Reapers stepped out, they saw Brandon, Jake, and HR-Team General Micheal Stevenson, along with a second chopper and five other elite soldiers with HR-Team Bravo patches. Every one of them were clean shaven, head and face, covered in camo paint, wearing full tactical clothing, and were carrying their rifles, sidearms, and their knives.

  The table that used to have the radios sitting on top of it now had a layout of the prison resting upon it.

  “Alright, Reapers and Angels,” Micheal began. “Gather around.”

  Kyle, Rodney, Grimm, and HR-Team Bravo circled the table Brandon and Jake sternly stood next to.

  “What we are going to be doing tonight is very risky for our Shinobi, which will be on the ground,” Jake briefed. “It is also gonna be risky for Marshal Tyrese Jones, whom we are rescuing. We will be luring zombies to this prison using noise and light.”

  Jake pointed at each fence of each section of the prison’s property outlined on the map.

  “Once the Shinobi have scouted around the prison and found out where Boris may be,” Jake continued. “We will use the explosions we are in possession of, courtesy of some looters from Tallahassee, and we are gonna create an opening at every fence, and we will use the zombies as a distraction. While that is going on, the Shinobi will take care of Boris.”
>
  “Any chance of other civilians present?” Kyle asked.

  “We should assume so,” Micheal answered. “Which is why Brandon has also contacted HR-Team Bravo here and myself to assist in this operation. We’re more than happy to help take down Boris and rescue Marshal Tyrese Jones, along with anyone else who might be held up in that prison.”

  “We will provide covering fire for the Angels while they make their way to the back end of the prison, clearing every block of soldiers and stragglers that try to attack during the distraction,” Jake added. “Once they retrieve any civilians that are present, if there are any, they will do the same for us.”

  Jake then laid his finger on the map, pointing at the western side of the prison, where Joseph saw soldiers take Kaylee.

  “Myself along with Alpha will land here,” Jake continued. “And we’ll clear this western cell block, since we know for a fact that there is at least one civilian present here. We can also assume that Tyrese may also be held up here due to the fact that Boris has a tendency to hiding things from other members of the Z-Corps, the council, and the settlement.”

  “Any chance of any of them being non ambulatory or deceased?” Rodney asked.

  Jake nodded and tried not to think that Kaylee or Tyrese may be dead.

  “I’m afraid to say this,” Jake replied. “But given the fact that Boris is ruthless, we have to assume that there will be some hostages that are non ambulatory, and maybe some that are deceased. If this is the case, it still stands that we leave no one behind. Our chopper will meet up with us at this checkpoint.”

  Jake pointed at the open field between the western cell blocks and the central cell blocks of the prison.

  “Once we get those hostages on our bird, living or dead,” Jake continued. “We will continue as planned and link up with the Shinobi at the center. Once here we will evacuate with everyone, and leave that prison for the undead to dwell. Any more questions?”

  Everyone stood silent as they waited for Jake to give the word to proceed with the assault on the prison.

  “This operation will be much different than anything we have ever done before,” Jake spoke. “We will be facing overwhelming odds. More than that: We will be fighting against our own brothers and sisters, and many of them do not know that they are fighting for the wrong side. They have absolutely no clue that they are being manipulated by a sociopath who thinks he can take over our home and do what he wants to any of us or our families. Those men and women out there at that prison right now believe they are protecting our civilization, and they will fight as such to the very last breath. It’s the Civil War all over again. I don’t want anyone to die tonight, but these soldiers are gonna do exactly what we trained them to do. And because of that, we might have to do what I know none of us here want to do. So I’m saying this: You know what we’re doing, you know why we’re doing it, and you know what we’re up against. If things go South and we survive, we will be deemed as traitors, and we will either be executed or exiled. If any of you want to back out, I do not blame you one bit; but now’s the time to say something, because once this operation starts, there’s no turning back for any of us.”