The reality was that only about twenty-five undead were roaming the camp. The rest were stuck in the buildings that they died in, without the ability to open the doors. The soldiers at the safe zone would have been able to dispose of these, despite their own low numbers. But panic only fed the chaos further, and within half an hour all control was lost.
Chapter Thirty-two
October 28, 11:40AM
Tammy and the several other diners were oblivious to this, as the mess hall had no windows and the continuous music streaming out of the jukebox drowned out any noise from outside. She only realized something was wrong was when another diner came back within a minute of leaving.
“There’s zombies in the camp!” He yelled into the mess hall before turning and running away.
Tammy knocked over her coffee as she leaped up from her chair. She followed the crowd to the exit, hanging back once she got there, in order to avoid the shoving match as people fought to get through the doors. She stayed inside as the double doors closed behind the crowd. Tammy walked up and watched through the window that was set in the door, along with a few other people that had stayed inside. She was mesmerized by the crowd of running people outside. They hadn’t seen a zombie yet – just people running in a panic.
At that moment, a fatal mistake occurred at the gate. The Humvees parked near the gate promised a means to escape to the panicked crowd. One of these vehicles would lead to the downfall of the safe zone. Individuals ran to these vehicles and attempted to gain entry. The guards posted at the gate did not know what to do. They did not want to fire on these people.
If only they had...
Humvees do not require keys to start. They simply have a start button. The first vehicle fired up and immediately lunged forward, running over several people. In her state of panic, the driver had floored the gas pedal. She lost control of the vehicle as she clipped the metal structure of a guard post. The Humvee’s new trajectory took out first a section of the inner fence, then several sections of the outer fence before coming abruptly to a stop against a concrete barrier. The driver slammed against the steering wheel and was momentarily stunned. She opened her door to get out but never made it. She was pulled screaming from her vehicle by several zombies.
The screaming and running people in the camp attracted many zombies. They came shambling and lurching from all directions towards the massive hole in the fencing.
Five soldiers were posted at the gate. One had been badly injured when the Humvee ran over him. One of the guard towers had toppled, and the soldier manning it had been flung to the ground, where he lay unmoving. The soldier in the other guard tower immediately started shooting. The remaining two soldiers ran to the breach and attempted to halt the advance of the throng of zombies.
Head shots were very hard to make as a seemingly unstoppable enemy advanced upon them. They held the line though and kept shooting even as the enemy closed in on them. The soldiers were overwhelmed within a minute. Several soldiers had been making their way to support their comrades at the breach, but were delayed by panicked, fleeing people.
It was at that moment that somebody in the small office near the gate sounded the alarm. The air raid siren that ensued had a terribly unnerving effect on all within earshot. The noise it made, especially when it built up to its crescendo shriek, acted as a magnet for many zombies.
Tammy had stepped outside when that alarm rang out. She watched from a distance as a tide of humanity came at her down the main avenue. The sight was mesmerizing, and Tammy was frozen in place. She would have gotten swallowed up and trampled by that wave of people.
But a solid tug on her elbow spun her around. A soldier was yelling and beckoning. It took a moment for her to make sense of the words that were being yelled at her.
“–got to get out of here! This way! Quick!”
The soldier started running down one of the lanes leading away from the mess hall. Tammy first took one step, then another, and suddenly she was running. The soldier was about fifty feet ahead of her. He looked over his shoulder once, saw that Tammy was following, and continued to run.
Tammy was quickly running out of breath. She heard screams behind her and ran harder.
It seemed like their run would never end. Tammy was struggling mightily when she saw motion.
“Over here!” Tammy looked up to see another soldier waving them over from the doorway of a tall building. The building was about fifty yards ahead. Tammy picked up speed for a final burst.
The soldier ahead of her had almost reached the doorway. Tammy ran for all she was worth. She felt a cramp in her side, and her vision started to blur. Then she was through the door. She crashed to the floor, completely out of breath, as the two soldiers closed the door behind her.
Still breathing hard, Tammy pushed up onto her elbow and flipped over to lie on her back. Black starbursts were exploding in her vision. She hungrily gulped air. Her forearm was bleeding freely from a scrape, but sheer adrenaline and lack of oxygen prevented her from noticing it.
It took her a full minute to catch her breath and become aware of her surroundings. She was in an office of some kind. The only window in the room had its shutters down.
