By Other Means Page 25

  Radwin nodded in agreement. “Sounds smart, but if you don’t mind I feel more comfortable waiting at least until the girls have left.”

  “It won’t work. Everyone in the chamber has to be checked before the inner door will be opened,” Tristan said.

  “Are you shy?” asked a little black-haired girl who might have been all of seven years old.

  “That’s my sister, Julie,” Tristan said.

  “Hi Julie, I’m Sam,” Radwin said. “And no, I’m not. It’s just that soldiers typically do not remove their clothes with children present. There are many regulations against such things.”

  “We can cover our eyes,” Julie said. Her smile was infectious and Radwin found himself smiling back.

  “Actually that would be more acceptable. If you wouldn’t mind?”

  “Not at all.” As the girl covered her eyes with one hand she undressed with the other and Sam Radwin found himself staring at the opposite blank wall, as he removed his uniform for the inspection.

  “Please turn around and lift up your arms,” the voice ordered over the radio. Sam complied. “Now lift up and show the bottoms of your feet and bend over so we can see the top of your head.”

  Sam found himself staring at the ceiling while spinning.

  “Those of you covering your eyes let me see the palms of your hands.” They complied. “Everyone is clean. You may all get dressed.”

  Sam Radwin quickly donned the lower part of his uniform as the girls giggled.

  In one fashion or another, Sam Radwin had spent the better part of the last decade of his life in the military, starting in the Host Academy and leading to his service in the sky station above the planet Ozark. Despite having soldiers who were married stationed with him, he had not spent much time around children. Those in the military, even when off duty, behaved in a certain manner. Children were very much different. As he was taken through the hallways of the cement factory, children ran, played, and did the things that children do. It took some getting used to. It didn’t take long for Tristan and Julie to bring him to what was most likely the office of the factory manager in happier and less deader filled times.

  Radwin was taken aback when he saw Edmund Poole. Being a military man he was used to those in charge, even the females, dressing and keeping their hair in a certain way. Poole was on the far opposite end of the spectrum with baggy clothes and hair down below his shoulders. He was also a bit on what would politely be called the roly-poly side. While there were overweight soldiers in the Host, they were few and far between because of the athletic regimens they were all required to participate in, regardless of how high a rank one held.

  Radwin didn’t let that affect him at all as he stepped forward with an outstretched hand.

  “So you have come to rescue us?” Poole said grinning widely as he shook the soldier’s hand.

  “That’s the plan, sir,” Radwin replied.

  “Now I heard you say you were part of the 142nd, but I thought the 37th was in charge of Kyklopes,” Poole said.

  “The 142nd Starborne has taken command of Kyklopes and planet Ozark.”

  “And there is also some confusion as to what your rank is,” Poole said.

  “The matter is complicated and not really pertinent to the issues at hand.” Radwin said, not having any more desire to explain the situation on Kyklopes to Poole than he had to Tristan. “Right now we have to worry about getting you and the children out of here and up to Kyklopes.”

  Poole raised his brow. “I assumed you would be able to call down transport.”

  “I could, but unfortunately the rest of my unit was killed by the deaders and our radio was lost. Do you know where the town’s communication array is? That should have sufficient range for us to call for Harpy drop ships to pick us up.”

  “I do. Unfortunately it’s in the town hall,” Poole said.

  “Why is that unfortunate?” Radwin asked.

  “Because it’s surrounded, not only by wandering deaders, but also a great deal of rubble. Our bunker can’t get close.”

  “Guess that means I’ll have to go in on foot. I would ask that you get me as close as possible before I head out.”

  “I can do better than that. One of the children can go over to send the message,” Poole said.

  “Excuse me? Why would you send a child?”

  “We found miles of box-binding chord in the factory which we strung to bridge between the roofs of the buildings. Before the deaders destroyed the town, I was a kindergarten teacher and gymnastics coach. All the children have been trained in basic gymnastics well enough to walk between the roofs above the deaders. Unfortunately, even with as much chord as we ran back and forth, we are not using proper rope. It is safest if we allow one of them to do it.”

  “I’m not sure I like that idea. It seems wrong to put a child in danger.”

  “I can understand that sentiment, but these children are very capable. They are experts in going out and finding food and bringing it back. In the last month, every child has been into the town several times and we have only lost three.”

  “That is three too many.”

  “It would seem that way, but by scouting the town, they have been able to keep all of us fed.”

  “And how often do you venture forth, Poole?”

  “Mr. Poole doesn’t go out. He is too valuable. Without his leadership the rest of us would soon die,” Tristan said. Sam Radwin thought it sounded more like the philosophy of a coward, but he held his tongue.

  Tristan, Julie, and four of the other children took Radwin in the rolling bunker to the building across from the city hall. Not willing to take Poole at his word, Radwin tried to help them push the bunker through the rubble strewn in the street, but even with him adding his muscle power to that of the children, they could not pass. Going with plan B, they pushed it as close to the building as they could. The plan was for Radwin, Tristan and Julie to exit up through the trap door in the cement roof and climb to the roof, leaving the other four children to take care of the bunker. In a pinch two or three children could move it, so four would be enough to handle any problems if they needed to change the rendezvous point. The children had developed the system so no more than two kids left the bunker to scavenge at a time so if something happened, the remaining children could get back to the factory.

  The soldier was the first up and out. He had a pair of jaegorrs slung across his back, and the extra two sidearms were still strapped to his vest, in addition to his Host issued one in its holster. After Radwin determined there were no deaders nearby, Tristan leapt onto the molded cement brickwork and climbed toward the roof. Radwin was about to suggest that Julie stay behind since he had already decided he would be the one to go across the bridge, when the girl jumped up and climbed the wall with the agility of a spider monkey. Sam Radwin followed.

  There was a rope bridge between the buildings, although using that term was being quite generous. Each crossing consisted of a seemingly random number of lines of chords braided together across the span. A higher braid was strung as a handhold. The chord was hardly military-issue. It was little more than industrial twine but the braiding increased its holding power. Radwin grabbed hold and tested it. It seemed strong enough to hold his weight.

  Radwin stripped out of some of his heavy armor and took his second jaegorr off. He held it out to Tristan. The soldier wanted to weigh as little as possible.

  “Do you know how to use a rifle?” Radwin asked.

  “I used to go hunting with my dad before…” Tristan’s eyes started to get as runny as an under cooked egg.

  Radwin laid a comforting hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Good. Jaegorrs work on the same principles as a rifle, but shoot much faster, use different ammo, and hold much more of it.” Radwin reviewed for Tristan the specific features of the military rifle. “The bridge looks like it should hold me. Rather than risk one of you, I’m going to be the one to go across and I want you to cover me.” At this news Julie’s face squished
up and she crossed her arms over her chest. “If I should fall, shoot any deaders that come toward me. But don’t fire at any that are within fifteen feet. Let me take care of them so you don’t accidentally shoot me. Do you think you can handle that?”

  Tristan nodded.

  “Good boy.”

  Radwin stepped to the edge of the roof and tugged on the top rope and then the bottom rope. They felt flimsy, but were secured on both ends.

  “How did you manage to string these across?” Radwin asked, noticing the girl was upset with the news that she wouldn’t be going across.

  “I did it,” Julie said. “I crawled upside down using the power line with the rope tied to my waste.”

  “Wow, that’s very impressive. It must be at least thirty feet to the town hall.”

  “It’s just like the monkey bars at school, only longer,” Julie said. “Do I get a gun too?”

  Radwin smiled. “I only brought the one extra jaegorr. At that distance, the handguns won’t be very accurate.”

  “That stinks,” Julie pouted, crossing her arms. “I wanted to shoot some deaders.”

  “Let’s hope we don’t have to worry about that at all. But your job will be to help him sight the deaders so he can focus on shooting them, okay?” The girl nodded and Radwin stepped gingerly onto the lower braid, his hands gripping the higher tangle of chord. He took his first step very slowly and with great care. The second one was a little more steady, but he was still very cautious.

  Radwin treaded carefully and slowly. The bridge seemed to be holding well. The soldier started to pick up the pace. About eighteen feet across, the lower braid betrayed him, gave way and broke. Radwin clung to the upper braid with both hands, dangling like a piñata above several hungry deaders who looked more than ready to smash him open for any gooey prizes within. Pulling hard, he managed to bring his knees up over the braid and wrap his legs around it. He continued his journey crawling upside-down, moving with hands and knees. Moving as quickly as the awkward position would allow, he made it another ten feet but his weight was too much for the connection to the town hall and the pole it was tied to snapped in two part way between him and his destination. Radwin plunged downward, the still-tethered end of the braid changing his trajectory so he was a human pendulum heading back toward the wall of the building where he’d started out.

  Radwin got his feet out in front of him in an attempt to cushion the impact. He managed to hold unto the braid, but the collision jammed his legs up into his back, even jarring his teeth. Radwin was left dangling off the side of the building, mere feet from the ground.

  His options were few—jump down or climb up. Going down meant certain battle with the deaders. His gunshots would attract more zombies so Radwin climbed, putting his rappeling skills to use, praying that the braid would hold. The soldier made it most of the way to the top before his feet were knocked out from under him by a pair of deaders grabbing hold of the braid beneath him and pulling. Radwin scrambled faster until he was close enough to get one hand then the other onto the roof’s ledge. As he struggled to pull himself up, the two children helped by grabbing his arms and his legs and pulling with all their weight. Unsure if the deaders could manage to climb, Radwin pulled his knife and cut the chords, letting the braid drop to the street below.

  “Damn it,” Radwin said.

  “I can still go back across on the power lines,” Julie said.

  Radwin looked at the cable that ran between the buildings. There was no power being generated as near as he could tell, which reduced the chances of electrocution but the idea of sending a child over was something he could not get his mind around. Likely Julie had been lucky the first time.

  “No, only as a last resort. We’ll figure out another way to get over there. Let’s go down to the rolling bunker and scout around some more. Maybe I can use some grenades to make the rumble smaller. It’ll attract deaders, but we can wait them out in safety inside the bunker, then try to get through again.” Radwin took the gun back from Tristan and put on his body armor.

  “Okay, but let me call Mr. Poole and let him know what happened,” Tristan said, taking the handheld radio off his belt. “The signal is better on a roof.

  “Fine, I’ll head down first and make sure there are no deaders lurking. Besides, the way you two climb, I need a head start,” he said with a smile. “Guess I’m too old to keep up.”

  “You know what they say. Never trust anyone over fifteen,” Tristan said with a grin of his own. Radwin reached out and mussed the boy’s hair.

  Radwin descended and stepped off onto the cement bunker next to the ceiling hatch. A minute passed with no sign of either Tristan or Julie coming down. Radwin scrambled back to the roof.

  “What the hell?” Radwin yelled, seeing Julie dangling upside down on the power line, halfway across to the town hall. “What is she doing out there? I told you two that we would find another way.”

  “I know, but Mr. Poole told her to go. He said it was the best way for all of us to be rescued,” Tristan said. “Don’t worry, she’s done it before.”

  “Yeah, but each trip weakens the support that it’s anchored into.” Radwin moved to the edge of the roof. “I’m going after her.”

  “But you’re heavier. If the line breaks, she won’t be able to get back,” Tristan said.

  Sam Radwin cursed silently, knowing the boy was right. He unslung both jaegorrs from his back, handing one to Tristan.

  “We are going to wait by the edge of the roof and we are going to cover her. If anything happens, we are not going to let a single deader get near her. Understood?”

  “Yes,” Tristan said, his eyes as big as saucers as he took off the safety.

  The pair watched nervously, but the girl made it all the way across to the other roof and through the roof-access door. Ten minutes passed before they saw her again. She stood on the edge of the roof and shouted, “I got the message through. They will have a ship here within the hour.”

  Radwin gave her a thumb’s up sign and then gave her the quiet sign, putting his index finger over his mouth. The deaders were attracted to noise and he didn’t want any more of them paying attention to her.

  “We’ll wait until they arrive,” Radwin whispered, not wanting the girl to risk another trip.

  The deaders seemed to have other ideas. One of the zombies had made it up to a neighboring roof that was on the far side of the rubble. There was only an alley between those buildings, not a street. It leapt toward the town hall. Its legs weren’t powerful enough to get it the entire way, but it got close enough that its hands scraped the mortar as it slid and fell. Two more deaders had made it to that roof and looked ready to try leaps of their own. What deaders lacked in coordination they made up for in strength. They might not have enough momentum to land on the roof, but even a handhold could allow them to climb the rest of the way.

  The first of the pair made the jump and caught the roof.

  Noise be damned, Radwin wasn’t letting the deaders get the girl. “Julie I’m going to do some shooting. Stay where you are.” Radwin took a shot, shattering the deader’s wrist. It plunged to the ground. As it was usually deader see, deader do the second animated corpse jumped. This one didn’t even touch the roof, but three more had taken their place on the far roof.

  Radwin fired three times and got two headshots. The third deader took it in the shoulder and reacted by leaping into space. As if propelled by some undead sense of preservation, his jump was better than his fellows and he landed with the underside of his arms on the roof.

  “Fecal,” muttered Radwin as he pulled the trigger again. This shot took the dead between the eyes and he slid down and out of sight.

  Leaving the girl alone on the town hall’s rooftop for an hour waiting for a Harpy was too risky. If one made the jump, Radwin might not be able to stop it before it got Julie. The shots had attracted the walking corpses and at least a dozen were congregating on the far roof.

  The door at the base of the town
hall started to shake as deaders attracted by the gunshots tried to force their way inside.

  There were more than a dozen deaders working collectively. Even a good door might not hold up under that kind of barrage. Radwin searched for a way to get the bunker up against the side of the town hall. There was none.

  “Julie,” said Radwin. “We need you to get back over here along the cable, okay?”

  The little girl nodded, her face white from the sounds of the approaching dead.

  Radwin held his breath as the little girl stepped up to the edge of the roof on her tiptoes and reached for the power line. Her tiny fingers barely touched it, but she managed to jump up and get a grip with both hands, swinging her legs so they wrapped around the line. She did all this backward so she would be moving head first toward the way she had come.

  Radwin gasped as he saw one of the bolts anchoring the power line on the far side pop out of the wall. One of the zombies from the far roof made the jump, his hands grabbing hold of the town hall’s edge. Another leapt and missed the wall but caught the body of the first deader and was using him for hand and foot holds to get onto the roof. “Julie, come as fast as you can.”

  Julie started to scramble, moving arms and legs as fast as a seven-year-old girl could manage. The second of four anchors came free.

  “You’re doing great, Julie. Keep coming,” Radwin said, wiping the sweat from his eyes. The second deader had made it all the way onto the roof. Noise be damned, Radwin wasn’t letting the deader get the girl. “Julie, I’m going to fire my gun some more. Don’t let it frighten you. Keep coming.”

  His first shot caught the deader in the chest, the second in the throat and the round kept going out through the cervical vertebrae.

  The sounds of gunfire made Julie move even more quickly, but gravity was collecting its toll as the last two anchors on the power line popped out together. Gravity then claimed a bonus payment as the little girl plunged more than twenty feet down to the street. Unlike Radwin, she wasn’t close enough to even worry about hitting the wall, instead striking pavement feet first.