Wisconsin Outpost : Homeland (Chapter Three )

Wisconsin Outpost : Homeland (Chapter three )

Being right.

Fuck I hated it. As I said I am not a rocket scientist, but I ain’t dumb neither.

My Chica used to call me an elitist prick! I smile how she would say that with such venom. I miss her, and that….any way. I stood staring at CNN. It showed Army troops running from a town. Boys all helter skelter. To anyone it looked like look like any war film, but this wasn’t a film. This was American boys and they looked scared. I knew the look, even watching it, my gut tightened and I wanted to run with them, run, run anywhere. Bug the fuck out!

They were in the shit, and it was bad. One the camera zoomed in, it had to be a few hundred feet away, showing a mass evacuate, People firing and boys running, trucks hauling ass, troopers jumping to trucks, those on them trying to help buddies and whoever on them as well. It was mass chaos.

What I saw; what made my blood cringe. made me cold. I stared at the TV like a simpleton. Some things you see in life and you know it can’t get anymore fucked up. Sometimes a simple scene will scream danger in such a way that you stop, time itself ceases to move. Like being in the jungle and hearing no sound. Only this seemed worse. This made my mind race. My heart went out to them.

The camera panned back in. To show Hogie; (I do not know what they called the insurgents now, but back in the 100 hour war he was Hogie.) they were running out between the buildings. The “insurgents” or Hogie, whatever you want to call him. Gun totting, ready for war. Only the American boys and Hogie are running together. One stumbled only to have a GI, grab his arm and push him forward. As he came up on his heels. They not fighting, least one another. They’re not shooting each other, they’re not even paying attention to one another. They were fighting something together. They are balls to the wall running with GI’s, trying to get the fuck out of dodge.

I saw something come out form the corner, the camera man was trying to get a bead on it. It did not move like a man, but was the size of one. Something moving like at half speed. It jumped onto a trooper as he unloaded on to it. The scene gave me chills. It was like a bad Sci fi movie.

Then a Flash whited the screen, then static and then nothing. Cut back to the corespondent. She came on and talked with another news correspondent saying that with recent events across the globe are pointing to a mass outbreak. This was the latest and not even our military was safe. At the bottom the banner read another incident of patients attacking after trying a new super flu drug being tested in the south. The 5th such incident since the mysterious cellular call in California on September 8th.

The correspondent; a thin blond woman went on to say that the Military insists that there was no nuclear detonation even though both German and English Command speculated it was a nuclear detonation from Pakistan or Korea. But both counties denied any involvement and US Military forces are still investigating what happened. She went on about how it could have been America. America's Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb or a Tzar Bomb of non Nuclear category. She went on to explain them.

But I stopped listening. Once the reports that troops and news correspondents five miles away reported hearing lost. I knew who it was.

The Russians.

Ivan had a way of making everything big.

Now I must digress here, as I am not a racist or prejudice in any way. But when one serves in the military, just like the southern or the Europeans calling Us Americans; Yanks, people tend to nick name everyone. I am no different; I grew up in the cold war era.

In 2003 the Russians who were known to have the biggest and baddest of everything to do with nuclear hardware. Ivan developed a relatively cheap non nuclear weapon of simplistic design. Ever the masters of Thermobaric weapons. Ole Ivan decided to make the equivalent of a 44 ton non nuclear weapon capable of being dropped by parachute, with three phase charges. The first charge would release the fuel air component; the second would ignite it, and the third well. Everything in three miles would be killed instantly, the earth scorched, the air itself would become too hot to breath. Even in underground spider holes. The air would be burned and sucked out. Shock waves would knock down buildings within a mile, after that most would be burning hulks. Between the 3 to 4 miles radius would cause major damage and permanent deafness in human beings and life. Four to five there was no data but deafness and hear loss could only be assumed.

America had a smaller version designed for burning out bio and chemical weapons in underground bunkers. But war doesn’t change. You want to keep as many resources as possible while inflicting maximum death and carnage to the enemy.

So if Ole Uncle Sam and Mother Russia were in bed together against a common enemy. The shit was way fucked up on a global scale. With the necessity to kill our own troops. Shit had to be so bad as to make the tales of the cold war seem like wonder years. See what people are lead to believe, yet do not understand is a county never kills their own lightly, yes you can order your boys to die in place, take a bunker or hill, enter a building. But that order has to be for the greater good. When you’re in the shit, you may think differently but no commander or leader wants to wake up to Ole Sneaky Pete slitting his throat in the middle of the night because you abandoned him, or worse, left his good buddy to die.

Military men tend to look for someone to blame for such shit, and well you get the picture.

Especially the man who saved your life more than once. Was there for you all through the night that bitch cheated on you, brought your new born son a teddy bear, just because, or even shared a few high fives in the Red Light district of 42nd street in NYC the night you both shipped out. Bonds get tight in the forces. There’s a friend or two I would kill the devil himself for if it came to it. I looked at my watch again. Hope their ok, if not , hope the lads went quick and hard. Save a spot at Fiddler’s Green for me Mates!

Eleven forty eight Friday the twenty-fifth. Why did that bother me so bad? I looked at the TV the banner showed me why.

Friday October 25th 2007

Oh, fuck me, I thought! Is that right. “What day is it?” I said quickly. “Huh?” Susan asked. Doing the dumb girl blinky eye thing. That pissed me off. I spun on her. “The Day girl?” I barked. “What day is it? Is it really the 25th of October?” I asked. She mumbled something but I was in the bed room booting my laptop. I saw my cell by the night stand and flipped it open. It was off. Damn. I pressed the on button and held it. It did not come on. Fuck, that was right, I let it die, I did not want to be bothered in myself pity. I cursed myself. Two complete months I wallowed in self pity and now when I knew the shit was up I was fucked. I barked a sardonic laugh as I typed in my password.
I went to a Gmail account I haven’t used since John shipped out. I typed in my user name and password and I saw it there, a lone little email. Our Safe word not used since he was little. We had a safe word he could call and use at anytime. No trouble, not lectures. If ever he was at a party or in danger and needed to come home but did not want to look like a pussy. There it was.

Subject : How’s Grandpa Listicol doing?

Grandpa Listicol died in 1981

Fuck….FUCK, FUCK, FUCK! The boy was six thousand miles away. How the fuck was I going to save him? A Fathers love is a force to be reckoned with. And it accepts no reason for failure. Here my son was in a war, six thousand miles away. Surround by the 10th Mountain Division, 21 years old, an accomplished Mountaineer, 1st responder and Martial artist and soldier, and I was worried about getting to him and saving him. Nice old man…. Reality check...

I clicked on the message.

Pops,
How are you Old Man? You know I love you. Same shit different day here. You know the Army, Like a condom, protects you while it fucks you! LOL , anyway pops, you be cool and hold the farm. I am ok!

I was thinking of old Grandpa Listicol and remembering the time we were at Cub Island watching your and Uncle Buddies favorite movie. Good Times. Anyway, Pops I got to go, a lot of troopers need to get on here. Hope you have my room ready when I get done with this shit.

Keep your chin up!

Love you Pops, I always did.
Johnny

FUCK!

I switched back to Youtube, searched for what? Most popular. I clicked. “Nuclear weapons in Afghanistan.” Checkmate. There were at least 4 videos showing what happened. One from a surveillance video leaked out, to a global phone feed of US troops with what looked a local woman who was trying to attack and bite them before the shot her and too others. The other two were children. I closed my eyes. From the video they did not have a choice. The media wouldn’t see it that way. From there I followed the “Related Videos”

From there it leads to accusation of Infected, to Rabid Infected, to Zed’s to Zombies. You heard and know what happened from there if you’re reading this. No one knows how or exactly where it started. I spent that afternoon getting my facts, sorting through rumors hearsay and myths. The sum of it is this: The dead were coming back to life and if they wounded or bite you, you became like them. No I am not a complete fool as I am fond of saying, I did not believe the dead were coming back to life. At least not at this time. But between, FOX, CNN, the CDC, Youtube and the City Website, the Infected were going rabid, sometimes like wild dogs, sometimes dazed and confused.

The government was saying The infected were Rabid, mental instability now accompanied the disease and illness. That the newly infected after October 20th needed to be watched and monitored for signs of Mental instability and aggression. A special 800 number was available to contact with the local authorizes. At about Five PM I started to think of food. I looked at my Cell. I had messages. I do not know what Susan did this whole time, but I tossed her my cell. Told her my password and said. “I need you to listen to every message and write them down.” I smiled. I will make supper and then we need to plan our next move.”

She looked at my cell, then back at me. “Why can’t you do it?” she demanded. I walked to her and hugged her. Kissed her on the cheek. Held her tight. Took her by her shoulders. Looked her in the eyes.

Baby” I said as I stared at her. The world went to shit and its going to get worse. Bad!” I stared at her hard. “ I have about 30 messages, I need to feed you and then look at those messages.” I smiled sadly. I will be asking a lot from you within the next couple of weeks, and if I am right we will make it, if I am wrong, You can call me a nutjob, but you will see how to do things when things get bad.”

She looked at me unsure. “Look, you have a choice right now. You can go home by yourself, find whatever friends you have left. Go your way.” But if I am right and I usually am, the infected will come, and not the super flu but the rabid ones. We need to hold out, I need you to do as your told.” I exhaled. I will never ask you to do anything I wouldn’t do or I thought would hurt you without reason.” I had to add that. “But you need to trust me.” I added

She looked worried. She should. “You’re scaring me.” She said. “Good” I retorted. “Then you’ll take it serious. Be scared, but know we can make it through this. “

She nodded,

I hoped this wouldn't be a daily ritual.