DEAD AMERICA - THE NORTHWEST INVASION
BOOK 4
SEATTLE PART 2
BY DEREK SLATON
© 2020
CHAPTER ONE
Day Zero +23
Captain Kersey sat in his makeshift office, anxiously looking at his watch as the time approached one in the morning. “Those planes should have been back by now,” he muttered, and stood up.
He paced back and forth, unable to stop himself from imagining the planes crashed and burning amidst a sea of undead runners wearing the faces of his soldiers. They’d left a little less than an hour ago to drop off Sergeant Copeland and the northern blockade group.
A knock at the door ceased his nervous pacing. “Come in,” he said.
David, his civilian geek tech specialist, entered the office carrying a mug of steaming coffee. “Here,” he said, “thought you might need a pick me up. These all-nighters can be a bitch if you aren’t properly lubricated.”
“Appreciate it,” Kersey replied with a sigh, and took the ceramic mug, “but given how rundown this airport is, I’m a little concerned about the quality in this cup.”
David chuckled. “Beggars being choosers, huh?” he teased.
The Captain shared his laugh and raised his mug in a cheers before taking a small sip.
“Don’t worry, I pulled it from a gas station in town,” David said, leaning on the desk. “Needed to stock up on energy drinks.”
Kersey nodded and then took a deep breath. “Has… has there been any word on the planes?”
“As a matter of fact, just heard from the lead pilot,” David replied with a nod. “They hit a headwind after dropping off the team, so they were delayed a bit. Should be landing in the next ten minutes or so.”
Kersey’s stomach lifted a little at the news. “How long to get them back in the air?” he asked.
“I have the refueling truck on standby,” David explained, “so it shouldn’t take more than ten, fifteen minutes or so.”
The Captain checked his watch, shaking his head with a frown. “Barely an hour in and we’re already twenty minutes behind schedule.”
“Given that you’ve scraped together so much civilian aircraft and materials, it’s a miracle these missions are happening at all,” David pointed out.
Kersey tilted his head back and forth and then took a sip of his coffee. “This is true.”
David pulled a can of his energy drink of choice from his deep pocket and cracked it open with a whzzztt, toasting the Captain before taking a long gulp.
“Do you have printouts for the Mercer Island mission?” Kersey finally asked.
David nodded as he swallowed his mouthful. “Yeah, I handed them off to the Sergeant leading that mission,” he said. “He asked if he could give them a look over before you addressed them.”
“Guess I should look busy, huh?” Kersey asked, scratching the back of his head.
David smirked and shook his head. “Nah, you’re good,” he replied. “Perks of being a Captain, they wait on you.”
Kersey smiled and took another thoughtful sip of coffee. He took a deep breath, steeled himself, and then headed out of the office to the hangar where the team was ready.
“What do you want me to focus on next?” David asked, following him out.
“Corporal Bretz will be up at 0-three hundred,” Kersey replied. “Please make sure we have all the maps and plans ready for him.”
The tech specialist nodded. “I’ll make it happen, Captain,” he said, and then headed off briskly for his work area.
Kersey made the long walk across the airstrip, taking in the sight of numerous people moving in unison, making every preparation necessary. As he moved into the hangar, there was a group of men off to the side prepping their parachutes and gear.
As soon as he got close, Sergeant McCarty immediately hopped up from his kneeling position and rushed over. “Captain Kersey,” he declared with a firm salute. “I’m Sergeant McCarty, ready to do battle for you, sir.”
Kersey returned the salute to the upbeat man. “Thank you, Sergeant,” he replied. “I really appreciate you volunteering for this mission.”
“When I heard it involved a rough terrain landing, I knew I was the man for the job,” McCarty said with a sharp nod.
The Captain raised an eyebrow. “Hopefully you can impart some of your experience onto this group,” he said, motioning to the preparing soldiers, “because unless I’m mistaken, you’re the only one who has made a rough terrain landing.”
“Honestly, there weren’t many of us to begin with,” McCarty admitted. “One of the fringe benefits of almost always having an overwhelming force is that you rarely have to get sneaky to land in a war zone.”
Kersey nodded thoughtfully. “Plus, I’m sure it helped that the desert isn’t exactly known for its lush forests,” he added.
“Truth be told,” the Sergeant replied with a chuckle, “I’d much rather land in the trees than suffer through another one of those summers.”
The Captain clapped him on the back. “Well, today’s your lucky day,” he said, “because you’re getting your wish.”
“Thank you, sir,” McCarty replied, straightening his shoulders.
“Why don’t you go ahead and pass out those maps,” Kersey said, motioning to the cluster of papers in his hand, “and we’ll get started.”
The Sergeant nodded and turned to his men, handing out the maps. “All right, all right,” he said as he moved, “listen up. The Captain here is going to go over the mission objectives, and then I’m going to fill you in on everything else you need to know.” He stepped aside, motioning to Kersey. “Floor is yours, Captain.”
The soldiers turned their attention on their superior, a few of them relaxing to study the island maps.
“Thank you, Sergeant,” Kersey said with a nod, and then raised his chin. “Good morning, men.” He waited for the murmured replies of the tired soldiers, and then continued, “Today we have a top priority mission that is vital to the success of this invasion. What you are looking at on the map there is Mercer Island. Pre-war, it was home to twenty-six thousand residents, most of them wealthier than any of us could ever hope to dream
