The Nation 04

The State Park sign was overgrown, sun faded and leaning at the side of the road. The four trucks sat idling just inside the treeline of the old narrow road that lead down into the campground. The driver’s door of the second truck in line popped open, and Beth, wearing military style fatigues and carrying a wire stock machine pistol, walked up to the driver’s side of the lead truck and tapped on the glass.
Billy looked up from the map he was reading. ＂Beth, Just checking out this map. I think this is right.＂ His finger jabbed at a spot on the map that had been circled with red ink. ＂This used to be a state park. It’s early. I thought we should stop, plan where we go next.＂
＂Good a place as any, I guess,＂ Beth said. She looked up, staring down along the gloomy road and into the abandoned campground.
＂What?＂ Billy asked.
Beth shook her head. ＂Nerves are on edge, Billy. I just thought I heard something.＂ She smiled and turned back to Billy where he sat, map spread across his lap, the truck idling in park.
＂But it doesn’t feel right. That’s why I stopped here, didn’t drive down in. Feels funny,＂ Billy told her. ＂The location?＂ Another truck door opened on the third truck back and Bear strode toward the front.
Beth lifted her eyes from the map just as the first of the UN-dead broke from the trees behind the back of the last truck. ＂Jesus! Jesus, Billy... Dead!＂ She shrugged her machine pistol off her shoulder and caught it with both hands. She was already moving toward the back vehicles. In front of her, Bear was turning away from her, back toward the rear, his massive frame blocking her view. Somewhere towards the back truck someone began to scream. Iris, she thought, it was Iris who was screaming. She found herself running at that point. Her legs pumping effortlessly, the adrenaline surging through her veins. Iris was in the truck with Mac. She had no sooner had the thought then she heard another voice began to scream. She couldn’t place it, but as she rounded Bear, catching up and passing him, she saw that two zombies had Mac on the ground, tearing chunks from his arms as he tried to fight them off.
＂Beth!＂ Billy screamed from behind her. ＂Right. Your right!＂ She had been just about to fire at the two zombies attacking Mac, and so even as she turned, she did not turn her pistol completely, but kept it aimed to the front towards Mac and the two zombies. By the time she registered how close the three zombies were to her, there was no time to turn the pistol and fire. They were nearly on her. She had no more registered their faces, jaws wide, teeth gnashing - she had not even had the time to worry about her own fate yet - when the lead zombie’s head blew apart in a spray of black blood and bone. She blinked involuntarily and managed to bring her pistol around as the two remaining zombies tried to reverse direction in mid stride. Their eyes were wild, trapped looking. She brought up the pistol and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened, and her heart staggered in her chest. The safety... the fucking safety, her mind screamed, and that was when another zombie hit her from the side and she went sprawling onto the dirt road. There were two more on her before she could get turned over. She felt the first bite to her arm and ignored it, as she concentrated on getting the safety off the pistol she had somehow managed to hold onto as she fell.

The Crew must stop and care for Beth while she heals after Bear cuts her arm off to stop her from turning...