“Roger,” Hoag said, breathing heavily. “Team, check fire. Check fire.”
“And, Sergeant, could you very calmly let go of the pin on the grenade and put it back in its pouch?”
“Freeze,” Faith said on the command frequency. She was scanning the entire line and couldn’t see any infected. “I can see lights still twitching. Who doesn’t understand the command ‘freeze’?”
“Fucking freeze, Saul!” Sergeant Weisskopf snapped.
She waited until every gun light was still. Still no infected.
“On my command,” Faith said. “Non-NCOs only, even if you have a full mag, will reload. NCOs only, cover if you have rounds, if not, just stay still. When you are reloaded, and take your time, put your light back on your sector and freeze. Execute.”
There was a budda-budda-budda from one of the gunboats that had spotted what it thought was an infected on the flank. Some of the lights started shifting that way.
“Back on your sectors and freeze if you’re reloaded,” Faith said calmly. “If you are not reloaded, your NCOs are going to have you drilling every free moment the rest of the cruise…”
“We need to put your sister in a glass case like Snow White,” Colonel Hamilton said, his arms crossed. He was monitoring the radio chatter from the deck of a gunboat. “With a sign on it that says ‘Break in the event of a zombie apocalypse.’”
“That’s Faith, sir,” Sophia said, also watching the action. “Got it in one.” In the darkness she gave a very slight smile.
“On my command,” Faith said. “One junior enlisted in each team, as designated by team leader, will cover the team. NCOs will reload. Team leaders, designate a shooter…”
Hoag opened her mouth for a moment, then said: “Kirby.”
“Aye, aye, Sergeant,” Kirby said, not moving a muscle. He let his eyes do the searching for targets.
“Aaaand…Execute…”
“At my command, all personnel will move slowly and carefully backwards until both boots are in the water at ankle depth,” Faith said. “Execute.”
She moved back to the water. The Zodiacs had powered off the beach so there was plenty of room.
“Take a knee, take your sectors and hold that,” Faith said. “Team leaders and team leaders only may engage if there are targets. All others will direct their attention to the center of the formation. All lights but mine shall remain still absent approaching infected and then only team leader lights may move. Lights are used for signaling at night. Notably, a light going like this…” she moved her light rapidly back in forth, “is a signal of distress. If for no other reason than anyone moving their light like this,” again rapid back and forth, “is having some trouble. This,” she continued, moving it around in a circle, “is saying that you’re okay. When you are checking a broad sector, you move your light in calm, regular, sweeps,” she said, continuing to demonstrate. “Staff Sergeant Barnard, you have an approaching tango… Take your time… The staff sergeant will now demonstrate the proper method of engaging targets using tactical lighting.”
Barnard took a couple of deep breaths and realized that it was causing her light to shake. Which she knew made her look weak, something that was just absolutely idiotic in a Marine Senior NCO! She just felt totally out of her depth. She hadn’t done any “infantry” shit since Basic. She could shoot, she was a God-damned expert marksman, she was a Marine Senior NCO! But this wasn’t just about shooting. And that little bitch was so Fucking Calm about it. She didn’t have any business being in the Marine Corps, she didn’t have any business being an officer, she didn’t have any business telling a Marine staff sergeant what to do, much less making her look like a fool in front of her Marines. And no thirteen-year-old girl had any business being so God-damned CALM!
The entire thought was a single instant that took no time at all. But it was enough time for the loping infected to close twenty meters. Barnard decided that she was not going to let the little bitch rattle her. The staff sergeant put the aimpoint on its chest and squeezed.
The round hit on the upper right chest and she put a second into the chest area, more centered, then a third. The infected finally fell.
“Standard for killing an infected is five rounds of five-five-six,” the lieutenant radioed, still in that golf commentator voice. “Note that the Staff Sergeant took a bare three which is not surprising. She is a Marine Senior NCO and we should all aspire to her marksmanship. That is how Marines shoot. The Army sprays and prays. Marines choose their targets and kill them efficiently, as the Staff Sergeant just demonstrated. At my command, all personnel are authorized free fire on their sector. If I hear anyone panic firing this time, you will return to the ship until such a time as you can be retrained for night combat. Execute. We will hold what we have for a few minutes to let the teams engage approaching infected and get comfortable with the night.”
“Marine ground commander, switch to channel seven.”
“Roger,” the lieutenant replied. “Squad leaders, maintain control of your teams.”
“How comfortable are you with continuing the mission, Shewolf?” Hamilton radioed.
Faith gave a slight dimple before returning the call. It was the first time that the colonel had used her handle.
“It’s all good, sir,” Faith replied. She’d waded out into the water knee deep. The wind was coming from the land and it carried her voice away so the conversation wouldn’t be overheard. Of course, there was blood in the water which meant sharks. She didn’t want to stand here all night.
“I probably pumped ’em up too much before we landed. They’ll get it together. We’re good to continue the mission. I’d like fifteen minutes…” There were some shots from down the line and she didn’t even turn around. They were calm. It was clear that the shooter was having trouble getting the zombie to be good but that was just Barbie guns. She did wait until the firing stopped to continue. “Then I’ll secure the perimeter for the arrival of the Navy. Over.”
“Concur. Kodiak, out.”
“Yo, Cindy, ’sup?” Faith said, walking along a bit more than ankle deep behind the line of Marines. There were occasional shots but no panic firing. She held her hand up for a fist bump. “Sweet shot, Staff.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Barnard said, standing up and fist bumping. “Pleasure to be of service.”
“So, we’ll give it ten more minutes for everybody to realize that we’re not going to be eaten by hordes of the walking dead,” Faith said. “Then we’ll continue the evolution. Actually. Funk!”
“Ma’am?” the PFC said.
“Front and center! Staff Sergeant, do you think you can manage to get them to totally check fire on a sector?” Faith asked.
The staff sergeant paused in answering.
“Yeah, me neither,” Faith said. “Listen up, Marines,” she radioed. “I want a one hundred percent check fire on the road leading from the pier. I am going to be moving up it.”