January 1st - The Start of The End

“Gutierrez, pass me the seasoned salt.”

“Yes sir.”

“It’s a barbecue Gutierrez, drop the sir.”

“Yes Captain.”

The Captain sighed, taking the salt from the Lieutenant. The kid had recently commissioned, and was more rigid than a steel beam. Turning to the grill in front of him, he sprinkled a light layer of seasoning on the burger patties. The meat sizzled a bit, and he flipped them over quickly. He sprinkled a second layer, then placed the salt beside him.

He looked up from the grill and smiled. It was a beautiful day, without a cloud in the sky. The sound of laughter filled the air, floating over a dozen conversations. Throughout the backyard the majority of the battalion officers stood chatting, while country music blared over a speaker.

“All right.” The Captain called “Next round’s done, come and get ‘em.”

Calls of approval rang out, and a group of officers moved towards the grill. He stacked the patties onto a metal tray, then placed half a dozen fresh ones over the fire. The tray emptied almost as quickly as it had been filled, as the officers piled the patties onto waiting buns. The Captain flipped the fresh ones, then reached over to his right. He grabbed a glass bottle, and took a swig. The taste of hard cider hit his tongue, and he sighed contentedly.

“I gotta hand it to you Captain, this was a good idea.”

The Captain glanced to his left, and saw The Major walking over. She carried a plate with a half eaten burger in one hand, and was holding a light beer in the other. The Captain smiled, and flipped the burgers again.

“Thank you kindly.” The Captain salted the meat once more, using his spatula to press it into the patties “Glad everyone could make it.”

“After the stories about your cooking, no one would miss it.” The Major replied

“Its good to see the unit relaxing. Command’s been working us to the bone.”

“I’m sure that as soon as the new system is installed we can all go back to sitting on our ass for 8 hours a day.”

The Captain chuckled, and The Major tossed her empty beer can into a recycling bin. She reached down and opened up a large cooler, pulling out another.

“Hey Major!” The voice of one of the lieutenants cut across the backyard.

“McNally?” The Major popped open the beer and rolled her eyes. The Captain nodded in amusement, and she sighed. “Damn kid couldn’t wipe his ass without detailed instructions.”

The Major turned and began walking over to the lieutenant.

“We still catching the game on Saturday?” The Captain called after her.

“Damn straight. Bring more burgers.”

The Captain chuckled again, and checked on the patties. He flipped them over once more, then placed them onto the tray satisfied.

“Next round-”

BOOM!

The sound of an explosion ripped through the air, coming from down the street. The backyard grew silent, and everyone turned towards it. One of the officers turned off the music, and screams echoed faintly in the distance. Voices yelled, and there were cries of pain. Gunshots cut through the noise, coming from the front of the house.

BOOM!

The second explosion was closer, followed by a strange snarling. The phone in The Captain’s pocket buzzed, and he saw officers start pulling out their own. Their faces fell in horror as they read the message, several looking towards The Major. The screaming grew louder, and the gunshots approached the house. The Captain jogged towards the side of the building, where a gate led to the front yard.

“Captain-”

He ignored The Majors voice and flung open the gate, as a squadron of F-16s screamed overhead. The Captain stepped into the front yard, and stared at the chaos. Two armored vehicles had parked directly in front of his house, firing down the street with automatic guns. A group of soldiers rushed forwards, and he could see more taking cover behind fences and bushes.

BOOM!

The armored vehicle shot a rocket down the street, lighting up the neighborhood with a ball of fire. The Captain shielded his eyes, then looked towards its target. A massive crowd was moving slowly down the avenue, while his neighbors ran past. One of them tripped, and was immediately set upon. The man screamed, and The Captain saw an arm sticking straight through his chest. The horde kept walking, and he watched in horror as the body began to twitch. It pushed itself onto its feet and began to walk with the crowd. Its eyes were cold and lifeless, and projected an aura of rage.

Zombies.

Another rocket fired, but deflected just before reaching its target. It flew into the house next to his, bursting the front rooms in a flash of light. He saw a figure above the masses, blurred by the intense heat.

“Captain!” Gutierrez’s voice cut through he shock, and he felt the lieutenant’s hands on his shoulders. They pulled at him as the officer spoke. “Captain, we’ve got to go!”

The Captain turned to see the officers rushing down the street, headed towards the base. The door of an armored vehicle opened, and The Major climbed inside. The Captain took a step towards her.

“Major-”

“Return to base Captain!” The Major said curtly “That’s an order!”

She slammed the door of the armored vehicle and it roared forward, carving a path through the zombies with its automatic weaponry. The smoke cleared for a moment, and The Captain got a clear look at The Horde’s leader. The leader was a man with a crown upon his head, and the fires of conquest burning in his eyes. He was angry and serene, thrumming with power. The Captain’s senses sharpened, and he felt static build in the air. The man sat upon a stallion of shimmering white, and had a quiver of glowing arrows on his left hip. In his right hand wooden bow was held, an arrow on the string.

The figure raised his bow, and the zombies began to run.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

One of the holy grails of modern historical research is the nature of the undead. They appeared suddenly, bursting from the ground across the world like a horror film made real. Many were lost in the chaos, only to return as part of the ever growing horde. All who went to study them were consumed by their rage, and the global population plummeted within hours. Full cities were lost within a day; but just as quickly as the zombies were raised, they fell. Hints exist that some still walk the earth, but no researchers dare pursue them. What is known is they were not as the stories foretold. These zombies were not mindless, nor ravenous like the films portray. They were organized and guided, and filled with an unending rage. The Archivists Corps has offered a substantial reward for any information or recordings of the Undead from the earliest days; so far nothing has been found.

Episode 15 takes place 6 months after The Start of The End.