Mission successful by Gemini Cara woke up to the usual evening sounds in Fort Jackson. People moving about, chairs scraping, tables being set, chatter, laughter, orders from the chef to the kitchen staff to serve dinner. She yawned, stretched, and got out of her bunk. She quickly got dressed, and left the room, where she had been sleeping. As she entered the main room, where the day workers were settling down to eat, she heard a voice call out: "Hey Cara, come over here!" She looked in the direction of the voice, and saw Joe, Raven and James, her friends and team mates on the zombie hunting team putting their gear on. With them was a man, she didn't recognize. She hurried over to them. Her friends greeted her with a smile. The new man gave her a skeptical look. "It's time to go hunting again, Cara," Joe explained. "Zombies have been spotted by the surveillance cameras in the northern marshland. They were quite far off, but they seemed to be headed in our direction. Get ready to go. Raven will brief you, while you do. We're getting out of here in 20 minutes." "All right!" Cara turned, and hurried towards a table, where people were having dinner, Raven following her. The two women sat down. Kitty, a girl about 10, who was on the evening shift in the kitchen, came over to her. "What can I get you, Cara?" "Some oatmeal would be fine, if you have any," Cara replied. Kitty stared at her with an expression of disgust on her face. "You really want that nasty stuff? How can you eat that? It's just so gross!" Cara grinned. "It's all right with a little sugar. And it's filling, and gives me energy to go on for quite a while. I never know when I'll get the next chance to eat out there." "Ok, I'll see what I can do." Kitty went into the kitchen, still looking rather skeptical. "So," Cara turned to Raven. "What's the plan for today? And who is the new guy? I don't think, I've seen him before." "As Joe told you, zombies have been spotted in the marsh, heading south. The pictures show at least a dozen of them, but by this time, more might be coming this way. As you know, the marshland was abandoned some time ago, because it's so hard to live and grow crops and raise livestock there. That's why that land has become our northern border. As long as we can keep them at bay in the marsh, they won't reach the living here and further away. The new man is called Fred. He arrived a few days ago. He used to be with the raiders, but he changed sides, when he realized, his brother lived here. He claims, he didn't know, his brother had survived. I was against taking him on our team, but his brother is lord George, and he insisted that we should take him. Joe was against it too, but you know how it is. Lord George has a lot of influence in the counsil, being a former general and all that, so he persuaded the other members to order us to give him a chance. I will say that he performed well today, when we tested him at the target range, but it secms to me, he has an attitude problem, when it comes to women being able to be good zombie fighters. But we'll have to see how it goes. Maybe, he just needs to get convinced in the field, so try your best tonight, will you?" The older woman smiled warmly at Cara. Kitty returned with a tray. On it were a bowl full of steaming hot oatmeal, a spoon, a sugar bowl and a glass of milk. "Here you are," she said, as she set it down. Cara smiled at her. "Thanks a lot, Kitty." "Good luck with the nasty food!" Kitty hesitated for a moment, her face turning serious. "And with the mission tonight. Promise me, you'll take care out there." "Thanks Kitty, I will," Cara said earnestly. "When I come back, I'll tell you about it, when we both have some free time, ok?" "Sure." The chef shouted something from the kitchen. "Well, I must get back to work now. See you both later." She hurried back to the kitchen. While Cara ate her food, Raven went to the supply room, and got some gear and supplies ready for her. By the time Cara was finished, there was a pile next to her chair. Raven went back to the team, while Cara got ready. She quickly put on her armour. First the plate armour consisting of a sort of plated shirt or dress that went almost down to her knees. Then a strong helmet with a visor and some chainmail at the bottom to cover her neck. This was followed by long boots strengthened with metal. Before she put the plated gloves on, she strapped on her utility belt and checked that everything was on it. A good knife in a sheath hung at one side next to her morning star. Next to these weapons was her radio and a length of neatly tied rope with a hook at one end. An axe hanging down by her other side completed her equipment. She put her gloves on. Everything was there. She was ready to meet the zombies. Her armour would protect her whole body and head against claws and teeth. Her weapons would lay the living dead to rest. Her heavy morning star was perfect for smashing skulls. Her knife would cut limbs or sever heads from bodies. The axe was useful both for fighting zombies and cutting wood for a campfire. The rope was often useful, either as a lasso or a noose, or if there was a need to climb. To all this, she could add her five years of experience as a zombie hunter. Yes, she definitely was ready. She walked over to the others. She noticed that James was missing. Everyone else was there, ready to go. "Very well then," Joe said. "Let's get going. James is waiting outside with the horses." "Horses?" The newcomer Fred asked, looking confused. "I thought, we used more modern military equipment, like tanks or armoured cars." "Vehicles wouldn't be any good in the marsh," Joe explained. "There are few roads there, and they're not being maintained. Besides those, there's only swamp and small islands with trees here and there. Most vehicles would quickly get stuck, sink or get entangled in tree roots, reeds etc. Also, we've been out of gas for years now. The horses are much better. They can walk on even a bumpy road, and they're not as heavy as military vehicles. Tie a horse to a tree, and it'll eat what grass or leaves, it can find, while we work. All right, let's get moving now!" With that, he turned, and walked briskly out the door. The others followed. Outside the main building, James was waiting with five horses, all saddled up and with their saddle bags ready. "What's in those?" Fred pointed at the saddle bags. "Food and drink, medical supplies, extra batteries for the radios, torches, flashlights and a water cleaning kit," James replied. "We never know how long, a mission will take, so it's best to be prepared for as much as possible." "Ok everybody, let's ride!" Joe commanded. "The zombies won't wait all night, while we stand here and chit chat." "Yes sir!" The others exclaimed. They mounted, and started the journey north. As they passed by the familiar landscape with fields, gardens, henhouses, stables, sheds and fences, Cara thought about how different things had been, when she first came to Fort Jackson five years ago, and how far, the whole community, and she herself, had come since then. She remembered the disorganized place, she had come to in the chaotic days after her parents were killed. She had been running for days, desperate to escape the zombies and find food and shelter. She had been 12 then. Alone, starved and in a state of shock and fear, she had come to a place where armed guards had let her in after making sure, she wasn't bitten, scratched or otherwise physically sick. The place had been overcrowded with people, most of them refugees like herself. Everybody had lost loved ones, and everybody had witnessed and experienced the unfathomable change, the dead had undergone. For a while, everything had been chaotic in the fort, or safe zone, as it was called then, before other safe zones had been established. At first, she, like other kids who came without parents, had had to manage as best she could. Food was scarce, and there wasn't much to do except dwell on her grief and fear. Then, Joe and Raven had started to help kids and teens as part of the organizing process. School had been out of the question, but the two had suggested that kids could help with the various chores, which they hoped, would also improve their mental health. The middle-aged couple, who had lost everyone else, including their three children, always cared about the orphans, and tried their best to make them feel loved and welcome. It had turned out to be a success. Often unable to sleep at night, Cara had soon joined Joe and Raven and the others, who guarded them all at night. Some of the guards and some counsil members had been against it at first, claiming that killing zombies was not for kids. However, she soon proved that she could kill zombies just as well as grownups, and that it neither made her a nervous wreck nor a cold blooded psychopath. During the first year or so, it was still possible to gather supplies from abandoned houses, stores, factories, etc. Teams of zombie fighters would venture out from time to time to do that, until gas and ammo ran out. It had been a dangerous task, and many brave men and women lost their lives, either in combat with the undead or in combat with other groups of survivors, who didn't want others to enter their territory. In the meantime, the counsil was working on other plans to help the community survive. As zombies were slowly driven further and further away from Fort Jackson, the land around started to change. The old houses in the town were torn down. The new land that became available was turned into fields and pastures. Stables and barns appeared, and eventually new houses, which people moved into from the fort to start a new life. The counsil didn't want to totally give up on technology, so all electric equipment was now powered by renewable energy. Cars, trucks and helicopters were replaced with horses over time, as the vehicles broke down. Fighting tactics also had to change, when ammunition ran out. Nowadays, every zombie fighter carried weapons like the ones, she had. Clubs, flails, axes, anything that didn't require ammunition and could still smash the brains of the undead, the only way to end their misery permanently. Old metal from vehicles, guns etc. was turned into anything from pots and pans to swords and shields in the smithy. As the years went by, the Fort Jackson territory expanded more and more, and more people joined the community. Clans that had initially fought them either joined them or were wiped out by the undead. The inhabitants of the northern marshland eventually abandoned their own Fort Stover and Catfish Outpost. Since then, the marsh was the northern border of the Jackson territory. To the west, it was bordered by dense forest. Down south, beyond the now abandoned Fort Wilson, Corpse River marked the edge of their land. In the east, various so called raider groups still held their ground. From time to time, there would be battles between these groups and the inhabitants of the fort, because some raiders tried to claim the land surrounding Fort Jackson for themselves. But until now, they had always been driven back, and the attempts were fewer now than they had been just a year ago. "Hey, are you not awake yet?" James, who rode close by, interrupted her thoughts. "Oh sure I'm awake. I was just thinking about how far, we've come since this plague broke out." "Yeah, it is quite amazing, when you stop and think about it. And part of it thanks to you. Your thoroughness in combing an area for zombies has saved us all on more than one occasion." His earnest expression changed into a teasing grin. "Not bad for a little girl." "Shut up, you hedgehog head!" Cara grinned back, and gestured like she was slapping him. His nickname referred to his helmet, which he had adorned with spikes and studs. James, who was in his mid twenties, had been the vocalist in a death metal band at his high school before the zombie crisis broke out. He had never given up his passion for the genre in the years that followed, and not being able to wear his studded or spiked belts and jewelry in the field, had chosen to decorate his helmet with them to show that. Cara had liked him, since she first met him. Those who didn't know him often regarded him as an excentric and silly person, who wouldn't take anything serious, because he was almost always in a good humor. But she knew him as a great friend, who always supported her, when people doubted her abilities as a zombie fighter. They had spent many nights, when they were both guards talking about everything between heaven and earth, and she had discovered that his somewhat tough and excentric metalhead outside contained an intelligent, thoughtful and compassionate inside. On missions, his sharp mind had helped them many times. He had often been able to find solutions to problems in the field, and often shown his courage. For instance, he had sometimes led a bunch of zombies into a building, when there were too many to handle at once, escaped himself and shut them in, until the whole group could devote their full attention to them He was generally positive, but Cara and the others on the team all knew that he sometimes had to get his negative feelings out. Once in a while, he would leave the fort with his radio and a piece of paper in his hand, and find a secluded place, where he could growl, sing or scream his latest lyrics out. This, he said, always made him feel better and more calm, and he always came back from these excursions with a smile on his face, and put his paper in the binder with his other lyrics. They reached the northern end of the safe land. Fields and houses ended here, and were replaced with flat, open land. A sign by the dirt road, they were following, read: "Green Lane Fort Jackson: 3 miles south WARNING: Zombies may be present north of this point. Proceed at your own risk." As they rode on, James looked thoughtfully ahead at Joe and Raven, who rode with Fred between them. "I'm curious to see how he'll do in battle," he said. "Looks like he's already getting sore." Cara looked at him, and noticed what James had seen. Fred was obviously not used to riding. She could see it in his posture and the way, he was cringing slightly, when he bumped up and down in beat with his trotting horse. "Do you know anything about him?" she asked. "Not much. He came in a couple of days ago, and said, he wanted to join us, because he had found out, his brother, lord George, was here. I'm not sure what to think about him. As soon as we let him in, and he found out, George was a prominent member of our counsil, he seemed to think, he would be entitled to privileges and special treatment. He claimed that he had lots of experience fighting zombies, and that he had been a high ranking officer in the army before the crisis. As soon as he heard, we had a hunting team, he demanded to become its leader. Lord George agreed to put him on the team, but told him, he had to learn how things work here, before he could hope to become team leader. He accepted this, but didn't seem pleased with having a lower rank than Joe. He hasn't said anything openly though. It was a different matter, when he realized that there were two women on our team. He claimed that battle wasn't for them, and asked Joe what Raven and you were doing in a military operation. Joe told him the truth. That both of you were very important in various ways. Raven is the oldest on the team, and knows every corner of our territory. She is also our best member, when it comes to healing wounds and finding edible and medicinal plants, if the need arises. And like I said, you're the most thorough person, I know, when it comes to tracking down the rotten bastards, wherever they choose to lurk. Joe told Fred to wait and see how you two performed in battle before judging you, and he said, he would. I suppose, he might have acquired that attitude in the army or with the raiders. I've heard, women don't have an easy life with some of the raider groups." He shrugged. "Well, we'll have to see how things go. Try to impress him tonight, ok? Show him your best tricks! Convince him, you're a big war machine!" His last words were growled and accompanied by an evil smile. "Sure, I will." She smiled back. They had now reached the southern edge of the marsh. Here, Joe signalled a halt. "Here, we'll turn northeast and head for Catfish Outpost. That's where a camera last showed activity." They left Green Lane, and cautiously moved into the swamp. They kept as close to marsh trees as they could. Where they stood, the ground was usually relatively safe, but one still had to be careful. The muddy surface sometimes hid deep holes or patches of quicksand. They rode in single file, still with Joe in the lead. Behind him came Raven, Fred, James and Cara. Everything seemed peaceful at the moment. Birds sang merrily, and flew to and fro, going about their business. The trees swayed gently in breeze. But everybody was on the alert. They were getting close to the abandoned outpost, when Joe reigned his horse in hard. He pointed towards the small island, where the outpost could be seen between trees and bushes. He turned towards the others, who maneuvered their horses close to his. "I thought, I saw something moving in the direction of the outpost," he said in a low voice. "Don't see anything now though. Let's see if we can get to the island, before they spot us. Good luck to you all." They moved very slowly now, edging their way towards the dry land. Joe reached the edge. He moved towards a tree, where he quickly dismounted, and tied his horse. He frowned. "They're here all right. Listen." The breeze carried a faint noise in their direction. Hardly audible, but it was enough. An inarticulate human growl. The rest of the group moved onto the island, dismounted, and tied their horses to the nearest trees. "Look," Fred pointed at the ground. "Looks like they've been here too." There were footprints on the ground. Prints that looked like bare human feet, but bigger. Some of them had bits of torn, rotting flesh in them. The footprints seemed to lead nowhere in particular. They went in pretty much all directions. "Ok, get ready to move," Joe almost whispered. Everybody checked that they had everything. Raven got some medical supplies from her saddle bag. They all nodded at Joe, when they were ready. "Let's go. Good luck." He started to move forward toward the old shack that had been Catfish's home and a somewhat safe refuge for people, who had tried to cross the swamp. Cara noticed that the footprints on the ground weren't all human. Some were large pawprints, which suggested that dogs or dires had been here too. The noises grew louder, as they got closer to the shack. She could hear several different growls, snarls and howls now, although she wasn't able to make out how many, there were. Suddenly, a shape appeared around the corner of the shack. A dog. The undead animal moved toward them, sniffing the air. Its steps were uncertain at first. Then, it seemed to catch their scent, and at once, its movements became fast and purposeful, as it started running toward them. It let out a long howl. Everyone drew weapons. Fred, who seemed to be in the direct path of the zombie, held a sledgehammer ready. The dog opened its mouth to growl, and revealed a mess of broken teeth and a swollen, rotten tongue. Fred took a couple of quick steps forward, and swung his hammer. There was a thud, and the growl was cut off, as the head of the miserable creature split open, and fell apart. The zombie, now finally dead, fell onto its side, and lay still. Noises to their right made them all start and turn. A group of three zombies had walked around the other side of the shack, while they were focussed on the dog. A tyrant was ahead of two amorfus. The tyrant had already discovered where they were, and was moving quickly, its club raised to strike, while the two amorfus moved slower, still seeming to be unaware of their exact position. "Let's split up!" Joe ordered, no need to whisper anymore now that they had been found. "Cara and Raven, take those that come this way. Fred and James, come with me round the other side." The three men turned, and started moving around the building in a clockwise direction. Cara and Raven didn't take the time to see them leave though. Both women started to approach the three opponents in front of them. They immediately separated so that they could move in from two sides. This often confused the slow minded zombies, and made it easier for one team member to help another. Cara held her morning star ready to strike. Raven held a machete. The tyrant was approaching Raven. As soon as it was within striking distance, she swung her weapon. What had once been a man toppled over without its head. Cara immediately turned her attention to the two amorfus. She ran forward, and swung her morning star. The amorfus couldn't move very fast, being big and heavy, but their tentacle like limbs were dangerous. She hit the nearest one. Spikes ripped flesh. One tentacle fell off. She struck again. And again and again, while keeping her distance, as the amorfus attempted to grab her. With each swing, dead flesh ripped, and a nasty, stinking mixture of blood, mud and water made the dirt wet. Too busy for the moment to turn her head away from the fight, she heard Raven fight the other amorfus. Shouts in the distance and more zombie noises told her, the others had also found something to do. Another hit with the morning star, and the zombie stopped moving. Being so swollen and deformed, it was hard to tell where their brain was actually located. To make absolutely sure, it wouldn't rise again, she drew her axe, and swung a few times at the sprawling body. "Good work, ladies!" Fred's voice called out from somewhere above. He sounded like he was impressed with their work. Cara looked up, and saw him on the roof of the shack. She looked over at Raven, who had also killed her opponent. "Let's see if the boys need help," Fred suggested, and turned away from them. He crossed the roof. Raven and Cara hurried around the building counter clockwise. As they rounded a corner, they saw James and Joe in combat with several zombies. They had already killed a few. The two women hastened to help them. This group was assembled at the north side of the shack, which was no surprise. Zombies were usually extremely stupid, and often would stay in the same spot for a long time, if something blocked their current path. Unfortunately, this meant that there might be a whole hoard waiting around the next corner. This group was a mixed bunch of mostly smaller, less intelligent creatures. Remains of dirty rags on their bodies and the relatively intact state, they were in, showed that these must be recently dead people. From what Cara could see, they all bore marks of zombie attacks. She joined the action. She approached the group from the opposite side from where James and Joe stood, and surprised a woman, who had her back to her with a brain shattering blow on the head. She stepped over the corpse, and looked for her next victim. A dog spotted her, and gathered itself for a leap that never came. A kick from her solid boot put the animal to permanent sleep. A thud behind her made her jump and spin to face the shack wall. A headless body lay at her feet. "Look out!" Fred called from the roof. She looked up, and saw him holding the head of the zombie, he had just killed. He took aim, and threw it at a small zombie that was getting too close to Cara for comfort. This diverted its attention for a moment, and by the time, it had gathered its wits, it was too late. She looked around. The group of undead was systematically being wiped out. Everybody seemed to be doing fine. But just as she felt, this mission was a success, Fred screamed, and pointed north. "Oh my god! Christ, what is that? A tree! A walking tree!" With that, he ran across the roof, and disappeared from sight, as he climbed down on the other side of the outpost. Cara looked in the direction, he had indicated, and froze. A large, tall tree was heading right in their direction. She had heard of these so called behemoths, but always thought, they were either a myth or extinct, as she had never actually seen one before, or even met someone, who had. The tree had apparently uprooted itself, and somehow managed to use its roots to slowly, but decisively, paddle or wade through the water north of the island. The others were looking in the same direction, apparently as shocked as she was for a moment. Then, James spoke. "Let's show that blood sucker, we won't give up without a fight! I think, I have an idea. When it reaches the dry land, let's surround it and hack at it with our axes. That might work." While he spoke, running footsteps were heard. Fred came sprinting round the corner, carrying a bunch of torches. He clutched a matchbox in one hand. "Here!" He shouted, panting. "I got as many as I could in a hurry." The tree had almost reached them. Creaking and splashing, it moved steadily forward. They all looked at Joe. It was his decision as team leader. He nodded. "Let's try it," he said. "I can't think of a better solution. If axes and torches don't work, I don't think, anything will." Fred struck a match, and lit the first torch. With this, he lit more, and they all took one. The tree reached the island. It pulled itself out of the water, and by gripping and releasing the dirt, continued toward them. They quickly spread, and started to close in on it, torches and axes ready. The tree kept moving at the same constant speed, but its branches suddenly started to lash out at them, as if it had sensed, there was prey. Immediately, they rushed forward, and held out their torches. Leaves began to sizzle, and smoke rose, but the tree didn't seem to sense the danger. Branches swung and swished, and they all had to jump back. This kind of attack was horrible, because the tree could swing in all directions at once. Cara noticed, however, that it had stopped moving. Maybe, their strategy did make the tree indecisive. The fire from the burning leaves was dying. It seemed, there was too much juice in them to really start a fire. "Try it again!" Joe ordered. "And use your axes too this time." They all moved forward again, and held out their torches. The branches swung again, and the roots started to writhe on the ground. Cara ducked, and swung her axe at a root that was trying to coil itself around her legs, and it snapped off. As she straightened up, a swish right above her head told her, she had just missed a branch. She reached up her torch, and was awarded with a sizzling sound. This time, she had set fire to a leafless twig, and this time, the flames started to lick up the branch. Again, she had to hack at a root. As she did so, she heard a scream of pain and fear. Joe, who had been looking up to avoid a branch, had fallen over a root, and was now lying face down. Other roots were closing in on him. There was no doubt, the tree knew, it had made a catch. She rushed over to the place where he lay kicking and writhing frantically, unable to swing his axe, his torch gone out, as it hit the ground. Raven had the same idea, and with her knife, she started severing thin, coiling strings of root. A big root was being lowered onto Joe's kicking legs, but with a violent swing, Cara managed to cut it, before it could fulfill his purpose. Joe struggled, and finally managed to free himself. With Raven's help, he got up, gasping. He used Raven's torch to relight his own. In the meantime, James and Fred had done a good job, both at cutting roots and burning branches. The two kept setting fire to them, until it caught, and a lot of them were now so burned that they couldn't reach far enough down. As the flames kept licking upwards, it caught other, higher branches, and spread further and further up into the treetop. "I think, we can beat it!" James shouted. "Keep cutsing those roots, and I think, we'll finish it off." So they all kept at it, hacking and slashing, while they watched out for more treacherous traps. Ash and sparks from above fell around them, but luckily, their armour was pretty fire resistant. Finally, the tree seemed to give up. Its few remaining roots began to move slower, and so did the remaining branches. Finally, all movement stopped. The top of the tree was now burning brightly. Apparently, most of the sap had been in the leaves. A loud creaking was heard from the treetrunk. It started to lean to one side. They all leaped back. With a loud noise, the whole thing fell over, still burning. They all watched the fire in silence for a moment. Then, Fred spoke. "We did it! We really did it! We conquered all the rotten bastards!" He looked at Raven and Cara, now no longer with a skeptical expression, but with a big smile. "And I learned a lesson today. You two ladies did an awesome job. I guess, women can be good soldiers after all."