Morning Star Full Novel

Chapter 27

Jackson tossed roots and berries on the ground next to Tony. "You better eat this," Jackson said, looking down upon his starving companion.
"Do you think this thing is safe?" Tony said, examining the long stiff root. He looked up to Jackson and blocked the sun from his eyes. "I’m not sure about this."
"If you don’t eat, you won’t last long. You better take your chances on these." Jackson bit down on a root, tearing off a piece.
"How’s it taste?" Tony asked.
"Like plastic," Jackson replied laughing. The root crunched in his mouth as he chewed it like a cow.
"You’re a brave man Jackson." Tony said, picking up a root from the dirt.
"The Lord will carry me through."
"You really believe that don’t you?"
"Of course, only a fool would choose not to believe in God. He is my protector."
" How does he do that? Protect you?" Tony asked snapping the root in two.
"Pray my friend. Just pray," Jackson replied.
"I envy you in a way, private."
"Me? I’m just a grunt. You are a doctor. You can’t possibly want anything I have."
"You have something to believe in," Tony said "That is more than I have. Right now my qualifications don’t seem to be helping to much."
"I see your point sir."
Tony held the root in his hand and looked at it again. "I suppose you prayed before you ate?" Tony asked smiling.
"I was brought up that way. I always give thanks. You ought to try it some time."
Tony sniffed the root and nibbled a piece off the end. "I’m not sure what I have to give thanks for," Tony said discontentedly.
"You see that?" Jackson said pointing to the dead corpses across camp. "You can give thanks that you are not in that pile."
"I can’t. I don’t have the sincerity in my heart." Tony said looking away.
"That’s ok doctor," Jackson said. "I prayed for you already."
Tony looked to Jackson and took a bite of the root he had been nibbling on. It tasted like wood. He did not care, for it felt good in his belly. "What about the commander?" Tony asked.
"He gave me the roots. He wanted you to test them out."
Tony’s eyes opened wide.
"I’m just kidding, now eat." Jackson said laughing.
Tony picked up a handful of the red berries covered in dirt and wiped them clean. He tossed one in his mouth and his face puckered like he had just tasted a lemon. "Damn that’s sour!" he said then swallowed. "I need something to drink."
"So do I. I’ll grab some water."
"No, I’ll do it," Tony said and stood up shaking the dust off his pants. "I can’t wait that long," he added and walked over to the water storage bin at the other side of camp. Tony moved ever closer to the remains of the men scattered about the camp, keeping his eyes away from the site. The main pile had settled with gravity and spread out covering a thirty feet area. Flies swarmed about and the smell of death drifted upwards from the rotting flesh.
Grabbing the aluminum cup from the side of the plastic water bin, Tony pushed the button at the bottom of the container allowing the cup to fill with warm stale water. His back to the death scene, he could still see remains splattered before him on the trees and ground. The water bin had spots of blood on it that Tony tried to ignore as he filled his cup.
"Hurry up!" Jackson yelled from across camp.
"I’ll be there…" Tony said, and stopped frozen in mid sentence. Before him, smeared on the water bin, he saw one of the bloodstains pulsating. About the size of a quarter, the stain collected itself like a water spot on wax paper. With a steady vibration it slowly slid down the side of the container as if it was seeking out a destination.
Tony backed up and looked around noticing more of the blood moving on its own. He turned to the trees and saw large sections of blood and flesh crawling on its own, down the sides of the trees and moving towards the body pile behind him. He was too scared to turn and face the pile alone. "Jackson! Get over here now!" he yelled and set the cup back on top of the water bin.
"Jackson ran over to Tony and stopped by the water bin. "What is it?" he asked.
"Look," Tony said pointing to the blood crawling down the leg of the table.
"What? It’s just blood," Jackson said.
"Look closer."
Jackson bent over and examined the blood. "Oh my God!" he said and stood up. "That thing has a mind of its own."
"If that is moving…" Tony said and again stopped his sentence. He looked to Jackson and then turned to face the pile of bodies behind him. Jackson followed his direction and gazed upon the pile.
Both men noticed right away a severed head lying on the ground looking up at them. Its eyes blinked and its mouth moved but no sound came out. "Oh Shit," Tony said. "They’re coming back."
"It didn’t take as long as the others," Jackson said staring at the eyes of the severed head.
The men could see the pile moving, as body parts reformed and reanimated. Flesh and blood crawled across the ground collecting in the ever-growing mass of bodies. Coherent shapes were forming as the body parts reconnected and wounds healed.
Jackson grabbed his radio and called his commander. "Ramsey! We have an emergency! Get over to the water bin ASAP!"
"Roger!" the commander snapped over the radio.
"We have to do something now!" Jackson said scared.
"We have no gasoline! What should we do? Shoot them again?"
"We have to buy some time. I have an idea," Jackson said and grabbed his radio again. "Ramsey, meet us at the ammunition depot!"
"What is it Jackson?" Ramsey asked over the radio.
"I’ll explain when we get there. Jackson replied.
Jackson and Tony both ran across camp into the woods where the ammunition was stored. Ramsey met them there a few minutes later. "Grab everything you can carry!" Jackson yelled.
"What is it?" Ramsey asked again.
"I’ll show you in a second," Jackson said grabbing up boxes of shells and clips. "We need grenades. Stuff them in your back pack."
Tony stuffed his pack with grenades and Ramsey filled up on shells and clips.
"I’ve got all I can carry," Tony said.
"Me too," Ramsey said.
"Ok lets go," Jackson said and he led the other men back to the water bin at a full sprint. The weight of the ammunition wore on them like a ton of bricks but the adrenaline powered them onward.
At the water bin, Ramsey looked on in shock. By this time many of the bodies were well formed and on their way to regeneration. Ramsey stood close to the pile and did a quick survey of the situation. "Everyone grab a grenade," he barked and reached into his pack. "When I count three, we pull pins, toss and duck. Got it?"
Both men nodded in agreement.
Ramsey counted off, "One, two, three," and they pulled pins and tossed the grenades into the pile. Diving to the ground, the men covered their heads as the grenades exploded. The blast sent debris flying, covering the men in flesh and blood as the three explosives exploded in the heap. Ramsey stood and looked at the bodies again. "Once more!" he yelled and all three men grabbed for another grenade. Ramsey looked at the doctor and said, "You look like shit," with a grin on his face. "Ready, one, two three," Ramsey yelled and they again tossed the explosives into the pile. Three explosions rocked the area sending more body parts flying in all directions.
Wiping the blood from his face Tony asked Ramsey, "Now what are we going to do?"
"We are going to make a run for it," Ramsey replied.
"Run to where?"
"Does it matter?" Ramsey barked back at Tony. Ramsey pulled his M-16 from behind his back and swept the pile in a wide arch mixing up the body parts one final time. Allowing the smoke to clear, he examined the pile looking for any bodies that were far along enough to cause them trouble. He stepped in close and got down on one knee poking the remains with his rifle barrel.
"Do you have to do that?" Tony asked.
Ramsey looked over his shoulder at Tony and said, "Yes, why don’t you give me a hand?"
"I think we should just get the hell out of here!" Tony snapped back.
Ramsey turned back to the pile before him and watched a hand and forearm crawl out from under the pile. He put the barrel next to the hand and let it grab onto the end lifting it into the air. The hand gripped tightly to the hot metal. Ramsey turned to Tony and flung the arm at Tony letting it land at his feet. The hand grabbed Tony’s ankle hard scaring him, sending him into a panic. Kicking his leg, the hand lost its grip on Tony and landed three feet away from him. Tony pulled his pistol and shot the arm several times. The arm continued to move in his direction crawling on its fingertips.
"You’re a real jerk!" Tony said to Ramsey.
"You’re a real chicken shit!" Ramsey snapped back. Ramsey walked over and picked the arm up off the ground and flung it back on the pile of body parts. "Let’s get out of here before anymore of these things come back!" Ramsey yelled
The three men took off across camp into the tall grass prairie. The grass, three feet tall was easy enough to maneuver in, but did not allow them to see the ground they were running on. In a sprint the three men ran through the field in a single file. Ramsey led, followed by Tony and Jackson.
In less than a minute, the woods became a distant spot on the horizon. The men stopped for a rest bending over and panting like dogs. Trying to catch his breath, Tony asked, "Where to commander?"
Ramsey scanned the horizon looking over the endless sea of tall grass. "We’ll continue on this direction until we come across a landmark."
"Fine, let’s go," Tony said and they continued on at a slower jog ever mindful of the uneven surfaces of the ground. Further and further they ran, carving a path through the untouched grasslands. The blue sky met the green grass on the horizon, dotted with intermittent clouds and a bright sun that glared in their eyes.
Two miles had passed since they abandoned camp and Ramsey once again stopped to catch his breath. Tony and Jackson pulled up behind him and released their packs, letting them fall to the ground.
"Do either of you have field glasses?" Ramsey asked between breaths.
"Yes captain," Jackson said and dug through his pack producing a pair. He handed them to Ramsey.
Ramsey scanned the area ahead of them and then swept back looking towards camp now five miles away. "Shit!" he said looking through the glasses.
The other two men looked back to camp, squinting, trying to see what he was looking at.
"What is it?" Tony asked in a panic. Ramsey handed him the glasses. Tony looked back to camp and saw tiny figures of men cutting through the tall grass running towards them. The figures grew larger and larger in his view, seeming to be running at a full sprint. "They’re not slowing down!" Tony yelled.
Jackson could now make out tiny figures with his naked eye. With mechanical precision, he dug through his backpack and retrieved a powerful riflescope. In seconds he had the scope mounted and a clip inserted in his sniper rifle. Chambering a round he placed the sights to his eyes and snapped off three shots. Pop, pop, pop went his gun without a hint of a flinch. Tony saw three men fall in the tall grass.
"Damn you’re good!" Tony said under his breath.
Three more shots and three more disappeared into the tall grass. The smoke from the rifle dispersed into the wind. In rapid succession another three shots popped.
"That’s nine, there should only be four left," Ramsey said.
"There’s more than four!" Tony said looking through the glasses.
"What?" Ramsey asked.
"There not staying down very long. The first three are already back up!"
Jackson shot until his clip was empty and dropped it with a flick of a lever. Wasting no motion he placed in a new clip and began firing again.
"They’re getting back up as fast as they drop!" Tony yelled.
"How close are they?" Ramsey asked.
"Mile and a half at the most," Jackson replied between shots.
Ramsey looked around trying to find shelter. It was if they were in the middle of the ocean and the sharks were bearing down on them with no place to hide. "We got to run!" Ramsey yelled.
Tony stood fast, watching the action unfold through the field glasses. His heart began to sink as he realized it was only a matter of time before the enemy caught up with them.
"Come on!" Ramsey yelled taking a few steps away. He stopped amazed that the other two did not follow. "What’s wrong with you?"
Tony put down the glasses and looked to Ramsey. "We need another plan if we are going to get out of this."
"Getting the hell out of here is my plan!"
"Where are we going to go?" Tony yelled at Ramsey. "Maybe it is time to surrender."
"Surrender?" Ramsey shot back. "I will never surrender! Do what you want doctor. It’s your hide, not mine!"
Ramsey turned and took off running leaving Tony and Jackson to defend their position alone. Jackson brought his gun down and let it dangle at his side. Looking to Tony he said, "I never liked that bastard anyway." Jackson turned to face the enemy. "I have one last plan before we surrender."
"What? You can’t kill them!"
"We don’t know for sure. Maybe they can only regenerate so many times. Maybe we are using the wrong approach."
"What else is there? I don’t think harsh language will work."
"I have nerve gas." Jackson said. "In a grenade."
"Nerve gas? Are you kidding?" Tony asked.
"Do you have a better idea?" Jackson asked.
"Yes. Let’s just give up."
"Maybe Ramsey was right. Anyway we have about thirty seconds before they get here."
"Won’t the nerve gas kill us too?" Tony asked.
"Only if you get some on you. Just make sure you throw as hard as you can and then duck. Put your head in your backpack if you have to."
Jackson reached into his bag and pulled out two nerve gas grenades. He handed one to Tony and kept one for himself. "We need to lead them a little. Pull the pin and wait for me to yell "now". Toss that thing as far as you can, then hit the ground and hold your breath."
"I thought nerve gas…"
"You’re right. Forget the breathing thing. If it gets on your skin you are dead. Get ready." The enemy was now within a hundred yards and closing fast. "On three," Jackson said calmly. Fifty yards and closing fast. "One, two, three…" Jackson said. "Now!" he yelled and the two men threw their explosives as far as they could. Tony and Jackson both hit the ground hard and waited for the sound of the detonations.
Two loud explosions rocked the area. The sprinkling sound of dirt falling back to the ground surrounded them in all directions as they listened to hear if anyone was still running through the tall grass. All they could hear was their own breathing and the sound of the breeze blowing above them.
Minutes passed and still no sound of their pursuers. Jackson and Tony could see each other through the grass and Jackson signaled to Tony to keep silent. Jackson looked up through the grass to the sky keeping an eye for anyone that may come along. More time passed and they both began to feel better about their predicament. A cool breeze blew over the prairie bending the tall grass over like the waves on the ocean creating the only sound besides their own breathing.
Then from a distance they heard a familiar voice calling out to them. "Doctor Rhine! Jackson!" Jackson signaled to Tony not to move. The voice was that of Captain Ramsey, somewhere off in the distance.
Tony whispered, "It’s Ramsey!"
Jackson used his hand to signal Tony to be silent.
Once again the voice called out to them, "Doctor Rhine! Jackson!"
"It may be a trick!" Jackson whispered back.
"That’s Ramsey’s voice! I would know it anywhere!" Tony whispered back.
"We can not expose ourselves."
"He might get killed!"
"That is not our problem!" Jackson snapped back. "Now shut up!"
Tony lay silent on the ground listening to the voice call his name, feeling guilty about not coming to his aid. He looked at Jackson, two feet away, and became angry with him for not helping the commander. The voice continued. Tony shuffled in the grass and got into position to stand. Seeing this, Jackson reached over and grabbed Tony by the cuff of his pants and tugged at him. Tony pulled away and slowly rose until he could see over the top of the grass. He looked around in the direction of the voice and saw Ramsey standing fifty yards away alone.
Tony sank back down and said, "He’s alone! I don’t see anyone else around."
"It’s a trick!" Jackson whispered as loud as he could.
Tony stood up and took the field glasses from around his neck. He looked through them finding Ramsey standing with his back to him. Ramsey continued to call out their names slowly turning like a lighthouse beacon. Tony yelled, "Over here commander!"
Ramsey turned around to greet the voice calling back to him. Tony’s heart sank as he saw the commander’s neck slit from ear to ear. Ramsey called out in an undistinguishable growl and forty men rose from the tall grass, surrounding Tony and Jackson in all directions.
"Jackson! Get up!" Tony yelled.
Jackson rose above the grass and spun around observing the soldiers surrounding them. "Damn!" he said realizing they had no way out.
"Who are those men?" Tony asked.
"We lost track of over half the platoon. They never made it to base camp. Now I see why," Jackson replied.
Ramsey signaled to the soldiers and they closed in on the two captives. Tony and Jackson looked around watching the men get closer, walking calmly through the grass covering all escape routes. In a few minutes they were completely surrounded. The soldiers were shoulder to shoulder in a circle facing the two men cowering for their lives.
Ramsey approached. "You are the last," he said to the frightened men.
"The last what?" Jackson asked looking at the gash across his throat.
"The last to be baptized," Ramsey replied.
Tony looked around at the men surrounding them and tried to see some life in their eyes. They were all alive, but they seemed distant and vacant inside. Tony looked back to Ramsey and noticed he was looking past them into the field behind them. Tony turned to see three huge hairy beasts lumbering through the tall grass, each carrying a rider atop. The closer they came, the louder the sound of the massive creatures became.
A section of the circle opened and the beasts stepped inside. The circle again closed trapping all inside. The three beasts came to a stop twenty feet from Tony and Jackson and the riders dismounted. Tony knew right away that it was Seth, Follett and Thomas.
"My nephew!" Seth said as he walked over to Tony. "It was only a matter of time."
Tony looked to Seth and felt helpless to save himself. "What do you want from me?" he asked.
"The ultimate sacrifice," Seth replied.
"I don’t want to die," Tony said calmly.
"Look around nephew," Seth said holding out his hand. "Does anyone here look dead to you?"
Tony looked around at the men. He looked to Ramsey and said, " His throat is slit. What kind of life is that?"
Seth looked to Ramsey. "Are you in pain?" he asked.
"I feel no pain," Ramsey replied.
Tony noticed that the cut was healing and was considerably smaller than it was a few minutes before. "What about his mind?"
"What about it?" Seth asked.
"He looks like Ramsey," Tony said and then paused. "But there is something different about him."
"Like what?"
"Ramsey would never give up. He would never trick his own men into giving up," Tony said.
"Is that true?" Seth asked Ramsey.
"That is not true," Ramsey replied.
"See nephew, you are wrong about that. I imagine you are wrong about quite a few things."
Tony brought his pistol out of his holster and chambered a round.
"What are you going to do with that?" Seth asked. "Don’t you realize by now your bullets do not kill us?"
Tony put the gun to his temple. "It is not for you. I will not let you take me. If I go it will be by my own hand."
Seth looked at Tony in shock. "Do not do this my nephew," Seth said trying not to alarm him.
"What do you care? You get me either way."
"It is not time yet."
Tony took the gun from his head and pointed it at Seth’s forehead. He pulled the trigger and the gun popped with a puff of smoke. Seth’s head jerked back and then recoiled back to its original position. Seth looked to Tony with a bullet hole in his skull.
"What did that prove?" Seth said angrily.
"Nothing," Tony replied. "It just made me feel better."
From behind, Tony and Jackson were tackled and wrestled to the ground. The soldiers they once relied on now bound them and tossed them on the backs of the great hairy beasts like they were saddlebags.