“But there is hope. Our military and several thousand courageous civilian militia volunteers have been able to stall the creatures at the twin cities of Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey. Due to their combined efforts, we’ve been able to evacuate the countryside around the city and we expect to hold them to the east of the Appalachian Mountains until America can mount a counterattack to take back the Eastern Seaboard.

  “We may have lost the cities of New York, Boston and Philadelphia; the birthplaces of our nation, our heritage. Yes, we may have lost hundreds of thousands of citizens to A-Coll because they had the initial benefit of surprise and terror, but we will win out in the end. We know what is required to defeat them now and once the creatures’ advance is completely halted, we’ll counterattack and destroy them once and for all!”

  Several people in the room applauded and the president held up his hands to quiet them down. “I have ordered the full mobilization of every National Guard unit in the United States and if they aren’t already in place along the defensive line, they are headed eastward as we speak. Additionally, this morning I signed the Presidential Order that waives all background check requirements to purchase a weapon. The goal is to arm the general population and allow them to defend themselves and their families against these creatures.”

  The president waited to continue as the reporters in the room shouted questions. In North Carolina, Asher looked at Rachel and said, “That’s big news. On one hand, it may help everyone defend themselves, but on the other hand, it opens up the possibility for more deviant behavior and then the inevitable vigilante justice.”

  “What are you gonna do though?” she asked him.

  “No, you’re right. That’s probably why the president authorized it; it’s better to defeat the known enemy and then deal with the unknown in the future.”

  On the television, the president had finished his speech and opened it up for questions from the media present. He pointed off camera and said, “Yes, Kendra.”

  “Sir, what do you say about accusations that you riled up the zombies by going into the city last spring to retrieve the Constitution?”

  “Kendra, that’s just ridiculous. They’d obviously been biding their time until the conditions were right for them to escape unnoticed. The creatures didn’t suddenly overwhelm a gate somewhere. They snuck out, under the cover of darkness and struck Philadelphia before we even knew that they’d gotten out.”

  “How did they escape then?” a male shouted from the crowd of reporters.

  President Wilson searched the group for a moment and then said, “Oh, there you are, Christopher. The truth is that we don’t know how they got out yet. The zombies don’t show up on infrared and all satellite imagery of the city was negative for mass movement. We still had all of our forces on The Wall surrounding the region and none of the gates were breached. They didn’t tunnel out or else the ground penetrating radar would have seen it, so they didn’t go under The Wall. That only leaves the Potomac. If they were somehow able to breach the gates underwater, where we haven’t discovered it yet, then that may be an explanation. We’ll keep everyone informed as we learn the truth over the next few weeks. Next question?”

  A hand shot into the view of the cameras, “Mr. President!”

  “Jim,” he pointed toward the upraised arm.

  “How do you respond to the allegations that the federal government is holding out on the A-Coll vaccine?”

  “I wish that was even remotely the case, Jim. The sad truth is that we only have about, what?” He looked off camera toward Dr. Jeremy Collins, the doctor who’d developed the antidote, who called out the answer. “Right. So, we’ve only got about two thousand vials of the antidote left.

  “It’s important to stress that it’s not a vaccine—we’re still working on that. We can’t administer the antidote until after someone has been bitten. The antidote only works if it’s administered immediately upon transmission of the virus. Once the virus really gets going in someone’s system, there’s no cure besides a bullet in the brain. We’ve kicked the production facility up into high gear, but it’s an extremely slow process since it needs to be completely synthesized.”

  “Sir! Sir! Over here!”

  “Yes, um… What’s your question, Miss?”

  “Julie Arnston, CNTV. You mentioned that our military stopped the zombies’ advance in New Jersey… Is that just a strong point in a sea of zombies or is that a reference point in a line all the way from the north to the south?”

  “Good question,” Asher said to Rachel.

  On the television, the president began, “Miss Arnston, I think you know the answer to that. We held the city against a concentrated mass of the creatures headed right for it. Next question.”

  The reporter jumped to her feet, “Mr. President, does that mean the zombie advance has been halted?”

  The muscles in the president’s jaw jumped up and down as he ground his teeth together. “No. They continue to advance to the north and south of the city. The point is that we can stop them. They’re not the unstoppable horde that people think that they are. We can beat them, but we have to set the conditions to allow for separation. Once they get up close, they use mass to overwhelm defenders, but if we can engage them at a distance, then we can stop them.

  “I want to be very clear, Miss Arnston. We have found a way to kill them, now we just need the time to set up a proper defense and then we can defeat them.” He folded his notes and said, “No more questions.” Then he stepped away from the podium and left the room.

  Several journalists called after him as he strode confidently out of the briefing room. “Mr. President!” “Sir!” “What about the weapons policy?”

  Asher flipped the television off and placed his empty plate on the coffee table. “Are you ready to leave? I think things may have just changed.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked in alarm.

  “They’re going to canalize the zombies into the passes through the Appalachians so they can engage on the back side at specific areas. You heard him; they don’t have this figured out yet. They’re trying to get it, but part of that involves keeping them from spreading out too much. If I was in charge of this operation, I’d begin by blocking all the roads somehow and forcing the group where I wanted them to go.”

  “How would they ever do that?” Rachel asked. “It’s just too much area.”

  “I don’t know, but I bet he’s got people working on it. I don’t want to get trapped on the wrong side of a barrier.”

  “So you’re saying that we have to leave now?” she asked as she frowned slightly.

  “It’s probably best.”

  Rachel shifted her hips and pressed in close against him. “I was going to ask this tonight, but since we’re going to leave before then… Make love to me, Asher.”

  “Um…”

  She pulled her shirt up over her head and unclasped her bra, allowing her breasts to fall from their support. “I want us to be together here, in your home before we leave.”

  It didn’t take him long to weigh his options.

  *****

  17 October, 0751 hrs local

  Swamp Fox Campgrounds

  Florence, South Carolina

  Asher rubbed his eyes to remove the crusted discharge in the corners and then stretched his arms above his head. His hand bumped into the back of the dinner table cushions which made up the bed’s headboard when the camper’s dining area converted into a bed. The morning air was cold on his exposed arms, but his body was warm and comfortable with Rachel’s naked body pressed tight against him.

  After they’d gotten cleaned up and finished loading their last few possessions, they left his house a little after eight the night before. They traveled the five hours to the campground just south of the Interstate 95 and 20 changeover before they decided to stop for the night so they could make the decision whether to travel west from Florence or if they were going to go all the way south to Jacksonville and take the I-10 along the coast. The more he thought about it, the better the coastal route seemed to Asher. It would allow them to swing far to the south of the current threat, hopefully avoiding the large push westward that might happen along his previously planned route.

  During the trip south, he called Allyson’s parents in Charlottesville, Virginia and implored them to leave. Whitney Harper accepted his recommendation immediately, but her husband refused to leave their home. Asher countered with the president’s plan to abandon the land east of the Appalachians, but Mr. Harper couldn’t be swayed. They’d lived their entire adult lives in Charlottesville and their daughter was buried only a few miles from their home. Allyson’s father ultimately convinced his wife that they were better off staying put where they knew their surroundings. Asher finally relented, but made Mrs. Harper promise to stock up on enough food to last the older couple through the winter.

  The conversation irked him for the rest of the trip to Florence. The trip normally would have taken less than three hours to drive, but they were delayed outside of Fayetteville, as the road clogged with people trying to make their way onto the perceived safety of the Army installation at Fort Bragg. The Highway Patrol and military police were on site directing traffic to allow the people who were passing through to continue on their way while trying to sort out who was legitimately able to go onto the installation.

  Once they’d cleared the traffic jam in the Fort Bragg area, it was open until they got to the interstate changeover where it seemed like everyone was crammed in tight. Rachel had found the Swamp Fox campgrounds on her phone’s map application, so they continued the couple of miles down 95 until they arrived at the RV park. They rented a space and Asher expertly backed the camper into their space in case they needed to make a fast getaway.

  “Hey, gorgeous,” Rachel said as she covered her mouth to block the morning breath.

  “Isn’t that supposed to be my line?” he asked.

  She nuzzled her nose against his neck and replied, “Nope. I said it first, so you can’t use it now.”

  “Well, good morning beautiful. How about that?”

  “Doesn’t count, it’s from a song,” she teased.

  “Huh? What song?”

  “It’s a country song,” she replied. “Ooh, I’ve gotta pee, let me out!”

  He obliged while she climbed over him and he admired her naked ass as she stepped lightly across the camper’s cold linoleum floor. God, she’s got a nice butt, he mused. It’s the perfect pear shape, reminds me of… he shut the thought down. Allyson was gone; there was nothing to be gained by thinking about her sexually. She’d been an amazing person and he’d been lucky to be a part of her vibrant life, but she was gone. If he didn’t let his memories of her go, then he’d never be able to connect with Rachel fully.

  Asher groaned as he sat up. His back was stiff from the shitty mattress, they’d have to stop somewhere and buy a mattress topper. His muscles were still hard as nails, but he was feeling the years of abuse that he’d put his body through. He pushed himself off the bed and took the single step over to the kitchenette where the coffee pot sat.

  He let out a yelp of surprise as Boomer’s wet nose touched his own naked rear end. “Stop that!” he snapped at the dog before reaching down to scratch idly behind her ears.

  By the time that he’d gotten the coffee brewing, Rachel had come back and pressed up close to him for warmth. She pulled the blanket off the bed and wrapped it around the both of them. “So, what’s the plan?”

  “I’ve been thinking about it,” Asher answered. “If we stick to our original plan to travel west from here, we’ll get into more traffic jams like last night since everyone from the East Coast is trying to get away. What do you think about continuing south to Florida and then heading west along the Gulf Coast?”

  She thought for a moment and then said, “Do you think it would be safer to go that far south than it would be to try and get over the mountains as soon as possible?”

  “I don’t know. They’re up in the northeast, but it’s going to spread south quickly if those Army units hold in New Jersey and the zombies try to flow around them. We have the advantage of being able to go over sixty miles an hour while they walk, but if we get caught up in some kind of monster traffic jam on the 20, then we lose that advantage.”

  “What if there’s the same kind of traffic jam in the south?”

  “You’re right. We just don’t know what the situation is like.”

  She splayed her fingers wide and ran them through the hair on his chest. “Then I think the southern route might be better. If I was by myself, I’d go west at the first chance, so I bet a lot of people from the Mid-Atlantic are thinking the same thing.”

  He felt her shift behind him as she stood up on her toes and kissed his cheek from behind. The fact that she’d already brushed her teeth made him a little self-conscious, but it couldn’t be helped right now. “So after we have some coffee and a quick breakfast, are you ready to go?”

  Rachel nodded into his back, “Yeah. I’ll get dressed and take Boomer outside if you want to cook something.”

  Asher turned around and pulled her into an embrace before disengaging and stepping back toward the restroom. “Sounds good. Eggs?”

  “Yes, please. With some cheese,” she answered from underneath a sweatshirt that she pulled over her head. By the time he came out of the bathroom, she was lacing up her shoes and then clipped Boomer’s leash to the dog’s collar.

  “Come on, girl. Your turn,” she muttered.

  Asher watched her unlock the door and go outside. Dammit, I like that woman, he thought as he opened the cabinet to get a pan.

  *****

  18 October, 1317 hrs local

  Highway 287 Defensive Line

  Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey

  “Say again, Command?” Mike asked into his headset.

  “I say again, you are ordered to reposition to Allentown, Pennsylvania,” the voice replied over the radio.

  “We’re the only ground support that the dismounted defenders have!” the tank commander said incredulously.

  “Understand, Chaos Six. The president has directed that we pull west of the mountains in order to maximize use of long-range weapons and give our bombers unrestricted targeting on the eastern side of the Appalachians. Once we halt their advance and remove the civilian population from their path, we will counterstrike on better, tank-friendly ground.”

  “What about the defenders? The civilians on the ground.” He couldn’t believe what they were asking him to do. They’d fought like the cornered animals that they were and kicked a lot of zombie ass over the last two weeks. The zombies had finally pulled back and stopped the constant westward push to make it around Mike’s company and the ragtag mix of civilian and military men and women defending the ground behind the tanks.

  “All efforts to evacuate are being made. As it stands, Parsippany is in danger of being bypassed. You put a major hurt on them, but the strategic fight isn’t going to be won in New Jersey, Chaos Six. We need to preserve your tanks for the fight.”

  Mike Miranda slammed his hand into the side of the Abram’s turret. “Dammit! They want us to relocate to Pennsylvania,” he told his crew.

  Sergeant Gilstrap leaned back and said, “What did they say about the guys outside, sir?”

  “They’re going to relocate them by truck and meet up with us at Allentown. Then we’ll load up the tanks on low-boys and transport across the mountains.”

  “Are we abandoning the East Coast, sir?” Specialist Walker, the tank’s loader, asked.

  “Command said that we’re going to trap them to the east of the mountains so we can go in and wipe them out,” Mike said. “I don’t like it, but it makes sense if we’re trying to preserve the entire nation and not just a little town.”

  “God damn, I’m glad I’m armor, sir,” Gilstrap said. “Those infantrymen are gonna be totally unsupported without us.”

  “I know it. God help me, I know it,” the commander sighed.

  He keyed the microphone on his headset again, “Alright Command, this is Chaos Six. Send me the grid to where we’re going and I’ll move my company.”

  “Sending it now. Good luck, see you soon.”

  He input the coordinates into his Blue Force Tracker and then made the call to the company first sergeant.

  *****

  18 October, 1328 hrs local

  Lanidex Plaza

  Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey

  The two observers watched the line of tanks drive south down Highway 287. “Hey, where are they going?” Maria asked.

  “I don’t know,” Shawn admitted. “At the briefing last night, they said the armor was going to stay in place along the highway and support an offensive in a couple of days.”

  “Well, it looks like they’re high-tailing it out of here,” she muttered. “Great, what are we supposed to do?”

  “I’ll call the sergeant and see what he says.”

  “Fine. I’m gonna go pee.” She walked over to the door that led down to the inside of the building where they were stationed. They’d been in the office building for the past two days after they were part of the successful repulsion of the zombie horde near the highway below them. Their sergeant had placed them at the top of this three-story building so they could look down on the highway below and report any movement by their enemy.

  They’d also been able to observe the tanks lined up along the highway. They’d watched in awe as the tanks fired across the open area to the east of the road through the few skeletal trees and across the vacant parking lots. The big metal beasts had been the key to turning the tide and allowed the guys on the ground to counterattack and drive the creatures back the way they’d come.

  It had been a learning experience for everyone involved. The main thing that the military learned was that the zombies were not mindless. According to the television documentary he’d seen on the initial outbreak, the zombies had acted differently then too. The ones in Indianapolis were more of the Hollywood shambling horde variety. But, the show alleged that the ones in DC had been semi-intelligent and conducted probing attacks against the defenders to try and escape.