Winter Apocalypse: Zombie Crusade V by J.W. Vohs, Sandra Vohs Read Free Book Online Page B

was instantly all business, her personal concerns immediately pushed aside as she tried to process the sergeant’s message. “Are they okay, was it the storm? Hypothermia?”
    “No ma’am,” the sergeant quickly explained. “It looks like somebody hit ‘em in the head and knocked ‘em out.”
    Clearly alarmed, Deb glanced over at Andi before turning back to the soldier. “Who’s on the wall now?”
    “I have four men up top and two squads patrolling behind them. There were footsteps in the snow leading back this way, but I have no idea who did it or why.”
    Andi jumped in and took over the questioning. “Do you have any idea how long they were out? What could have been their attacker’s motive? Is there any evidence of hunters on the bridge?”
    The sergeant held up a hand to try to slow Andi long enough to answer her first question. “The injured men weren’t shivering or dangerously cold when we found them, so I’m guessing that we got there fairly soon after the assault. As for motive, it looks like whoever took out my guards spent some time digging along the base of the wall; piles of fresh snow were used to try to hide the holes.”
    “Why would somebody in here try to dig under our wall?” Deb asked in bewilderment.
    “For no good reason,” Andi declared as she reached out and gently placed her hand on the sergeant’s arm. “What’s your name, Sarge?”
    “Devon Ferguson, ma’am.”
    “Ok, Devon, I’m coming with you and we’re going to go check out the bridge.” From the expression on the young sergeant’s face, he seemed less than pleased. There was a slight edge to Andi’s voice when she asked, “Is there something you want to say, Devon?”
    “Just that nobody calls me Devon. All the guys call me Fergus.”
    Andi smiled. “Sorry, Fergus. I need to grab my coat from downstairs and pick up some gear, but we need to check those holes for explosives—”
    Suddenly a bright flash erupted from the direction of the wall blocking the only bridge connecting the heavily fortified peninsula with downtown Fort Wayne. Then the sound of the explosion rolled over the building with enough force to blow out windows, knocking Andi and Deb to the floor while bringing the party down the corridor to a screeching halt. After a few seconds of stunned confusion, the sergeant was helping the women to their feet when another soldier came rushing in, snow plastered on his beard and a look of apprehension in his eyes.
    “Sarge, we just heard a chopper fly above the bridge from the direction of the city, and hunters are already howling and moving this way.”
    “Is there a breach in the wall?” Andi shouted over the ringing in her ears.
    The stunned guard shrugged and shook his head. “Waiting for the dust to clear, but everyone in the barracks is gearing up and heading out there right now.”
    Andi looked at Deb as shouts and cries from the abruptly-ended party could now be heard throughout the building. “I’m going out there too. Try to calm the folks down the hall and start the evacuation protocol while I check out the bridge. My kids are spending the night with Carter’s mom, check in with them for me.”
    Deb was hesitant. “There’s a blizzard out there, are you sure we should order everyone to evacuate?”
    “Just start the procedure. Make sure everyone returns to their quarters and gets their bug-out bags and cold weather gear. If nothing else, this will be a good training opportunity.”
    “All right, consider it done, but take a radio and keep me updated about what you find. We have a strong wall out there, so we should be okay . . .” Deb didn’t seem quite convinced about her last statement.
    As soon as Andi and Fergus were out the door, Deb kicked in to high gear. She contacted the designated people from a list outlining emergency protocols before sounding the evacuation alarm. Then she called The Castle and the ranch to let them know what was happening. Finally, she radioed