3rd Chapter

Part 5 Grim


At HQ, it is now dead of night and eerily silent everywhere, just the crackle of radio static on the Generals belt penetrates the night. Professor Dotcom turns to the General and asks for the status of the LHS rampage. By walkie-talkie the General calls up to the Franklin school observation point above: Major Bury, status report on the LHS.

The Major, squinting through the mask goggles and special night vision binoculars reports: We have low light, but it looks like the LHS has moved through Clark/ Winfield region into Rahway area. I have reports that it took out the Westernberry residential complex on Main Street, Rahway. Fortunately, none of the units were occupied so there are no fatalities from the collapse. But it looks like it may have been more a poor construction that resulted in the collapse because it came quick and complete when the just LHS brushed against the structure. Thank god, it happened before residents moved in. Further ground reports state that a mass of blithering zombies, apparently led by a local mayor there, all affected by the blather, have now taken over the train station and a nearby jewelry store. Citizens have all but abandoned the downtown area for fear of their lives. LHS destruction is unstoppable and on going.

The General directs the nearby radioman: Call up the reserves from the Edison/ Amboy armories in the Middlesex county area to mount a night barrage from the south, hopefully containing the destruction and redirecting the LHS northward back into our Onion County region. Unfortunately the original 5th battalion holding the center of Onion County had been sprayed by blather and now is staggering around as blithering idiots thru the Linden/ Roselle area. It has come to be apparent that the zombies once they become blithering look for a leader over them and as in that Rahway zombie horde possibly with a political persuasion.

The General turns to the professor: It’s grim. We are having trouble containing this LHS and the destruction. Our forces and weapons are minimal to useless. Collateral damage from the spewing blather is rampant. If we can’t stop the LHS and the blather, this just could be the end we are watching. Professor, we need a resolution, you're our last hope.

In the glow of the hanging blackout lanterns, one could see the strain on General Renna’s face. In the distance occasional sharp volleys of ominous noises are heard as our fighting forces valiantly try to hold the line in the cold night air. Cracks of gunfire and the whoosh of shoulder rockets ring out. The distant rattle of tank treads on road asphalt spell out the foreboding words ultimately defining the Peril not only in Onion County but the state of NJ and possibly elsewhere this may lead.

The Professor sat down in front of a lamp and table. He places a pad of paper and a pen in front of himself. He begins to scribble but it makes no sense. He then holds his head and says: General, I am having a hard time focusing my thoughts. These masks although efficient are still not keeping the aerosol atoms of airborne blather out 100%. It is affecting all our thoughts and actions to a degree. But i must deliberate. I need to focus on a solution and soon. I just wish that Captain Monarch makes it back with the dehumidification apparatus. I have full faith and trust in his success in retrieving it since he did save my life. Without him it will be a long night full of indecisiveness.

The professor glanced up through the netting at the moon, strangely wrapped in light green shading made by the airborne blather mist glowing in the moonlight; they all await the imminent return of Captain Monarch and his men with the gear



Part 6 The Leadership Factor and the First Escape


In the lowering light of early evening, Captain Monarch and his subordinates, Bean and Delio are surveying the overturned line of cars stacked between the Dunkin Donuts and the Kenilworth Post Office, blocking the intersection of Michigan Avenue and the Kenilworth Boulevard. This is completely hobbling their route and they are not 2 miles from their destination of Schering Plough across the nearby parkway.

Captain Monarch after surveying, commands: Corporal Bean, you and Private Delio get out and tie the front spindle tow cable around that black Crown Victoria with the Onion County license plates, the one leaning against the Dunkin’s wall. I’ll tug it away and we’ll be able to drive thru the opening toward our destination.

Captain, I’m afraid.

Now, Private, you may be young and green, but I’ve handled plenty of missions. This is a simple “cut and retrieve” and we’ll be back at HQ before midnight. Just jump out and tie the tow cable to the bumper. Corporal Bean, watch Private Delio’s back.

Thanks, Captain. Maybe its just first mission jitters.

The two soldiers jump over the jeep rail, release the cable from the winch at the jeep front end and then scurry with the cable over to the black Crown Victoria. They loop the cable around one end and were looping the hook around the other side when a dull noise from the nearby darkened foyer of Dunkin Donuts startles them: ………duh……duh…….duh……duh…..

The two prongs of the dimwitted zombie swarm came from both around Palmer video rental and Charlie’s hot dogs just too soon and caught the men off guard. It was too late for Private Delio, as he becomes inundated in the mass; the zombies pulling the gas mask away from the young soldiers face and he crying to the Captain: go, go save yourselves.

The Captain averts his face as he couldn’t watch the zombies pull Private Delio into their fray. Corporal Bean scrambles into the jeep and the Captain guns it backward pulling the black Crown Vic away and creating just a large enough opening. The zombie masses lurch toward them and Captain Monarch deftly steers the jeep around them, steering in reverse thru the gap and dragging the Crown Vic tight back into the blockade sealing the masses behind. But there are blithering zombies on the Boulevard side too. The Captain has to stop because the cable, still attached, is now taught against the Crown Vic. Realizing there is only one answer for escape, Captain Monarch cries to the corporal: Take the wheel; I will have to go over the top of the front hood to unhitch the lynchpin of the cable to free ourselves. As I do, gun it in reverse to try to get as far away.

The Captain was yelling over the din of the dull duhs. They are getting deafeningly close. Quickly Captain Monarch hangs over the front edge grabbing at the lynch pin, all the while the blithering zombies are grabbing at him. The corporal slides over behind the wheel and now floors it in reverse at the exact moment the Captain pulls the lynchpin from its socket. They break free of the cable and from the myriad zombie hands that were tightening their grip on the two men. The jeep roars backwards into the Sunoco gas station across the Boulevard knocking over fuel pumps in its way, crashing thru the front window and comes to a stop. Captain Monarch scrambles from the jeep hood back into the driver’s seat. They wheel the jeep around and then roar forward going east down the Boulevard. The mass of dimwitted zombies were left mulling in the intersection; and the final fate of Private Delio was known but left uncertain.

In closing the distance to Schering Plough, Corporal Bean breaks the silence: Captain, it was horrible, Private Delio, I knew Private Delio…….but he couldn’t finish the sentence.

A few moments later the Corporal again spoke: Captain, if those zombies are dimwitted and blithering, just how did they know to do the roadblock and ambush?

Captain Monarch knew the answer, thought about not telling the Corporal since it is too reprehensible but the Corporal had to know the truth because Private Delio was his friend.

Corporal, in those moments that we were facing certain death, I saw some creatures that were on the fringe of that zombie mass. They appeared to be the ringleaders guiding the blithering idiots. They were still part human, but part blithering idiot. As a reservist, I’m from this area and I believe I recognized their horrid faces. The odd part is to a man they used to be local political bosses of this Onion County area before the LHS destroyed our county’s fabric. The horrible part is we can only suspect that we may encounter other blithering idiot zombie masses being controlled by local political bosses and all infected by the airborne blather from the LHS. What this horrible information means, could be a certain end for what we have come to know and love. It goes beyond the Peril of Onion County and could affect all of NJ and elsewhere it may lead.

Captain Monarch continues: But Corporal, I will promise you this, on my bars as Captain; we will succeed in this mission and we must go on to save Onion County from this Peril. Private Delio did not die in vain.

Unfortunately, the time spent escaping the roadblock full of blithering idiots with their local political bosses delayed their schedule. It was now late and dark as they progressed across the parkway bridge, then immediately veering right upon the Schering lawn and crashing through the metal fence surrounding the pharmaceutical company’s compound. They spied a Schering road sign inside, pointing toward building 13 as the supply building and headed in that direction. They knew that they would find the vital supplies inside to maintain critical operations back at HQ. They now stop the jeep, jump out, and run up to bldg 13. Surprised they find bldg 13’s door unlocked and open, but for the mission they must enter anyway.

It was dark inside, and then their eyes became accustomed to the low light.