“That’s the spirit, Sergeant Major,” Sophia said, smiling tightly. “What’s the worst that could happen? A zombie apocalypse?”
* * *
“Where do you want to land?”
The inflatable was crewed by another bloody twelve-year-old. And a nervous one at that. Everyone was nervous which wasn’t enjoyable for Sergeant Major Barney. Nervous troops did tend to AD. He had a vision of one of these bloody ponzers shooting out one of the bloody pontoons and them all going in the drink. Because there were, yes, sharks. They seemed to be following the bloody boat.
“On this end,” Barney said.
“Why here?” Steinholtz asked. “It’s a long damn walk down that pier.”
“Because I bloody well said ‘land here,’ Seaman Recruit!” Barney boomed. “Is that good enough for you, Seaman Recruit or would you like a bloody valentine with it?”
“Sure, sure,” Steinholtz said.
“Quit looking so nervous, you lot,” Barney said, shaking his head. “We’ve got a bloody damned gunboat backing us up, we’ve got a bloody Singer and so far there aren’t any bloody zombies to shoot. This isn’t taking down a Taliban stronghold. We’re picking up some yachts from a bloody marina. I won’t say this will be a walk in Hyde Park but take a bloody breath, follow orders and we’ll all come back heroes. Right? Right. Just pull the bloody boat up to the damned pier if you will, Coxswain!”
“Yes, sir, Sergeant Major,” the driver said.
“And would people quit calling the Chief and I ‘sir’?” the Sergeant Major said, shaking his head. “The Chief and I work for a living.”
“But… you call a Chief sir, Sergeant Major,” Yu said. “Don’t you?”
“What?” Barney said. “Since when?”
“Isn’t that like a Master Chief?” Yu said. “And the Master Chief in Halo always was called ‘sir.’ ”
“What?” the Sergeant Major said. “What the bloody hell is Halo?”
“The video game, Sergeant Major,” Olga said, clearly trying not to laugh.
“DOES THIS LOOK LIKE A BLOODY VIDEO GAME TO YOU, SEAMAN RECRUIT?”
“Well, now that you mention it… ” Olga said, trying to keep a straight face.
The sergeant major just held his hands to the sky and growled.
The yachts that were the target were tied to a narrow pier separated from the breakwater by a stretch of water about ten feet wide. There were bridges from the pier to the breakwater, which had a road on top of it, at regular intervals.
The Sergeant Major stepped ashore first and caught the tossed line from Olga. He held it in one hand as the group got out of the inflatable then tossed it back into the boat. This was only part of the “security team.” The rest were in the second inflatable with the Lieutenant.
“SR Zelenova on point,” Barney said. “Up to the first bridge then Zelenova and Yu break off and the rest up on the breakwater.”
They got to the first bridge and Olga continued down the pier followed by Steinholtz.
“Steinholtz,” Barney snapped. “Get up on the breakwater,” he said, pointing.
“By myself?” Steinholtz said.
“Oh, God Lord,” the Sergeant Major snapped. “We’re all bloody following you! That’s what point means you bloody poofter! Cross the bloody bridge! It’s not exactly the Rubicon!”
“What?” Steinholtz said.
“Just cross the bloody bridge! It’s not as if there are zombies! The road is bloody clear!”
“Actually, there are, Sergeant Major,” Olga said, pointing. A lone infected had finally found its way to the flock of seagulls feasting on the dead and was now loping down the breakwater. It had a ways to go to get to the group and was still better than two hundred meters away. “Well, one.”
“Can I shoot ’im?” Steinholtz said, racking a round into his weapon.
“Oh, let’s just wait here and let Steinholtz try to shoot the bloody zombie,” Sergeant Major Barney said, crossing his arms over his weapon. “Go ahead, Steinholtz. Try to shoot the bloody zombie. Why not? We’ve all day.”
Steinholtz raised his weapon and started firing. And firing. And firing.
The zombie had slowed. Not because it had been hit, but because it was emaciated and clearly out of energy. If it even noticed the group it wasn’t apparent. And it definitely didn’t notice the fire.
“Steinholtz,” the Sergeant Major said, pushing through the group and placing his hand on the weapon. “Before you run out of bullets, we’ll just cross the bridge, shall we?”
“But its… ” The infected was still more than a hundred meters away but he was clearly unhappy getting near it.
“Cross the bridge, Steinholtz,” Barney said, giving him a light push. “We’re going to have a demonstration of why one doesn’t attempt to fire from a rocking platform if one has a solid platform available.”
He got the reluctant former security guard to cross the bridge then got him down in the prone position on the dirt road of the breakwater. The zombie had closed to maybe seventy-five yards and was starting to speed up with fresh meat so close.
“Now, take a deep breath and shoot the zombie in the chest, Steinholtz,” Sergeant Major Barney said. “One round only.”
Steinholtz fired. And missed.
“Oh, good Lord. You missed that shot? Try it again. You’re jerking your trigger. Slow squeeze, Steinholtz… ”
This time the Seaman Recruit managed to hit the infected. The zombie was nearly dead from dehydration and malnutrition and it dropped with one round.
“I got it!” Steinholtz said.
“At under fifty yards with a gun capable of aimed fire at four hundred,” the Sergeant Major said. “We’re clearly going to have to work on marksmanship.”
“I’m better with a pistol,” Steinholtz said, starting to stand up.
“I did not give you permission to get up, Seaman Recruit Steinholtz,” Sergeant Major Barney said. “While you’re down there, you can give me twenty push-ups for your inability to follow the simplest orders. And a one and a two… ”
CHAPTER 25
The young recruit is silly-’e thinks o’ suicide;
‘E’s lost ’is gutter-devil; ’e ’asn’t got ’is pride;
But day by day they kicks ’im, which ’elps ’im on a bit,
Till ’e finds ’isself one mornin’ with a full an’ proper kit.
Gettin’ clear o’ dirtiness, gettin’ done with mess,
Gettin’ shut o’ doin’ things rather-more-or-less;
Not so fond of abby-nay, kul, nor hazar-ho,
Learns to keep ’is rifle an’ ’isself jus’ so!
“Having fun, Sergeant Major?” Sophia said. She’d brought her group up to the breakwater and was passing the Sergeant Major and the sweating Steinholtz.
“Just getting a few things clear, ma’am,” Barney said. “Seaman Recruit Bennett has already set up the Singer. If you could keep an eye on things for a moment that would be excellent. Be up there in a trice.
“I think I’ve got it under control, Sergeant Major,” Sophia said, grinning then keyed her radio. “Olga, what’s the status on the first yacht.”
“Door’s locked to below,” Olga said. “Topside is clear. Engineer is working on the lock now.”
“Can we spare some people, Sergeant Major?” Sophia asked.
“One two-man team,” the Sergeant Major said. “Hill and Hadley unless you object, ma’am.”
“That will do,” she said. “I’ll go get them.”
“If I may, ma’am,” Barney said. “Seaman Recruit, get up off your face and run down to the security team. Get Hill and Hadley. Have them report back to the Lieutenant. Do you understand those orders?”
“Yes, Sergeant Major,” Steinholtz said, getting to his feet.
“What were your orders, Seaman Recruit Steinholtz?” Barney asked.