"Thanks," she offered softly.
"Um, so," he stammered, "should we, uh… Should we try to find something to drive to the power plant?"
"I guess," she confirmed, still glancing around at the floor. "I don't know how to drive."
"I can drive," he assured. "Do you think they'll let us take one of those armored cars they have?"
She finally looked up at him and replied, "I don't know. I think we would have to ask Colonel Halstead first. I think he has the keys to them."
"You what?" Colonel Halstead shouted as he stood behind his desk.
Standing in the doorway, Zoe and Zachary exchanged nervous looks, and Zoe looked back to the Colonel and answered, "Um, we want to borrow a Stryker so that we can go get Sergeant Morris and the other guys from the power plant."
"Princess," he started as patiently as he could as he planted his hands on the desk and leaned onto it, "We just got our asses kicked out there. I have ten people who didn't come back and I don't mean to see that number get bigger!"
"But the zombies won't bother me!" she whined loudly, feeling herself starting to cry. "We can at least take them bullets and stuff! Please, Colonel Halstead, let us go and get them!"
"Yeah," Zachary barked. "What happened to you army guys not leaving anyone behind?"
"I'm a Marine!" the Colonel shouted back. He glared at the boy for long seconds, then he bowed his head, raising a hand to rub his eyes as he grumbled something they could not hear. "We don't leave anyone behind," he mumbled. "This is a different kind of war. We can't afford to lose any more than we have." He shook his head. "Damn it!" Reaching for his radio, he raised it to his mouth and called, "Captain Langley."
There was a pause, then someone came on and informed, "K I A, last mission, Sir."
He growled a sigh, then he said into the radio, "Get on the P.A. and get everyone to the rally area right now." As he clipped his radio back onto his belt, he raised his chin as he looked to the two again and ordered, "Get to the rally area. I'll be there in a few minutes."
Back to the rally area.
There were many more people there, civilians and soldiers and a buzzing of discussions hung in the air. Weapons were lined up along the front desk again and Zachary wandered over to them, looking them over like a boy in a toy store. Zoe followed and loudly cleared her throat when he reached for one.
"You have to ask first!" she hissed.
He vented a breath through his nose, glanced at her, then shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Hey," a familiar voice summoned.
They turned, seeing that Stryker driver right behind them.
The driver looked to Zachary and extended his hand. "Corporal Lance Baker."
Shaking his hand, Zachary replied, "Zachary Knox."
Baker looked to Zoe, and he nodded. "A lot of us got pretty freaked out about what happened. We got used to kicking ass out there, and then…" He looked away and folded his hands behind him. "It's a terrible way to die. I could have gone the rest of my life without seeing that, now I'll never forget."
"Listen up!" Colonel Halstead yelled from the center of the rally area. He scanned the room, waiting for everyone to train their attention on him before he spoke again. Folding his hands behind him, he raised his chin and finally said, "We have some people out there and we still have not restored power to this part of the city. I don't give a damn how anyone feels about what happened out there this morning, I need to know who has the balls to go back. I want volunteers and volunteers only for this assault. I'm leading the mission myself and we're taillights down the driveway in twenty minutes. We are going into harm's way, boys and girls, and I intend to kick ass and forget names. We're taking the power plant back, restoring power, getting our people out and wiping out every moaner in our way. If you mean to go with us then I'll see you out front at the vehicles in fifteen minutes."
All watched in silence as he turned smartly and strode toward the hallway that would take him into the heart of the hospital, and silence remained for a moment after.
Baker walked around Zoe and toward the stairs, and her heart sank a little as she saw him leaving.
"Where are you going?" she asked in a loud voice.
The Corporal looked over his shoulder and replied, "I need a beer or two. If I'm doing this, I ain't doing it sober."
Other soldiers exchanged looks. Many were still apprehensive about going, but one said, "I've got a bottle of Scotch I've been saving. May as well crack it open." He also walked toward the stairs, following Corporal Baker. Many of them began to filter toward the stairs.
In a few moments only a few remained, those few who were checking weapons and gear, those few who were quiet, those few who still intended to go, and who knew the likelihood of their return was slim.
Zoe folded her arms and quietly scanned the room, and finally she looked up at Zachary.
He was staring at her, then he glanced around and asked, "So, who do I ask?"
The Strykers, two humvees, a four door pickup and one of the buses they had used to rescue people from the school were parked front to back right outside of the hospital when Zoe and Zachary walked out the front door. Looking around them, they only saw Colonel Halstead, who stood beside the closest Stryker with his hands folded behind him and a very hard look on his face. He was back in that black commando gear that Zoe had first seen him in, a black helmet strapped to his head, and his weapon slung over his shoulder.
Nobody else was there.
The two strode hesitantly to the lone soldier, and Zoe stopped in front of him, looking up at him with confident eyes as she softly said, "You can just drop us off if you want, Sir."
He turned his eyes down to her, and smiled. "Nobody gets dropped off, Princess. Just wait a minute."
She looked around her and observed, "But nobody's here and it's time to go."
The door of the hospital burst open and fully armed and equipped soldiers began to file out, led by Corporal Baker, who had two weapons slung over his arms. Civilian volunteers were with them, also heavily armed and many of them also wore black ZRT vests and helmets or caps.
Zoe absently counted them, and a little smile found her lips as the last of them—the sixty-third—left the hospital with a rage in his eyes, a determination, and a shotgun in his hands.
Baker walked right up to the zombie girl and took one of the weapons from his shoulder, offering it to her as he informed, "This is an M-4 assault rifle, twenty round magazine and a little more range and hitting power than that revolver you have." When she hesitantly took it, he went on, "Use it first and fall back on your revolver when your ammo's spent. I'll give you a few more magazines when we mount up."
She looked down at it and nodded, offering in a meek voice, "Thank you."
The Corporal looked to Zachary and raised his chin slightly. "You up to the SAW?"
"Saw?" the boy asked, drawing his head back.
"Squad Automatic Weapon," Baker clarified. "We already have one on the Stryker and you seem like a stout guy. We thought you might like to try it out."
Zachary smiled slightly and breathed, "A machine gun?"
"Belt fed," the Corporal confirmed. He looked to the Colonel and raised his chin, offered a salute and reported, "We're ready to board, Sir."
Colonel Halstead saluted back, then he looked around to the people who awaited his orders, and loudly he gave them. "Okay, listen up, people! Same drill as last time. Ranger One, that's the Stryker behind me, will drop Private Princess and a squad of five across the road from the plant, then both Strykers will put fire on any moaners we see out there and then execute a fighting retreat away from the plant for two miles. The Hummer will move in next and draw off more. The bus will attack from the back of the plant to draw off any from that side. While this happens, Princess here will take ammo into the besieged squad and relieve them. They will fight their way out back toward the front. The Strykers will relieve the bus, which will move to the front of the plant to extract the team inside, covered by the Hummer. Everybody comes back from this one, boys and girls, everyone! Do not take unnecessary risks out there. If you run across one of those new mad-dog moaners and you can't score a quick kill then get away from it and bring it into someone else's sights. Any questions?" He looked around him, looking for hands, then he ordered, "You have your assignments. Mount up!"