Tanked Read online

  “What happened to you?” Garett asked.

  “Really, you don't have anybody watching outside?” Tank asked, pointing at the windows.

  Garett and a few of the others walked over and looked down.

  “Damn,” Garett said.

  “How did this happen?” asked William, one of the other survivors.

  Tank noticed there were two new people—a man and a woman—that kept glancing at each other. They were unarmed, looking frightened and in rough condition.

  “Who the hell are these two?” Tank asked.

  “I'm Ron and this is my sister, Betty,” the newcomer said. “We needed somewhere to hide and thought this would be a good place.”

  “Hide from what?” Tank asked. The siblings glanced at each other and he knew exactly what from. “How many?”

  “I don't know,” the man said. “A few hundred, maybe.”

  Tank cursed, running to the staircase that led to the roof.

  “Everyone get your gear together. We need to leave, now!” Garett said, taking charge.

  Tank was through the door and at the stairs when people started bombarding Garett with questions. Yes, he liked Garett. The man might've been overly cautious this morning, but he was ready to take action now and would do what needed to be done. He took the stairs two at a time, and when he arrived at the top, he was out of breath.

  Damn, Tank thought. I wish I would've been workin’ out a little harder before all this. Not that I’m out of shape… okay, maybe just a little.

  He jogged over to the edge of the roof facing the stadium.

  “Well, hell.”

  There was a wide expanse of lawn between the stadium and the rest of town. On the lawn were hundreds of undead slowly ambling toward the stadium. He cursed, realizing he should've left days ago. Now if they were to get out of this alive, they'd need to be lucky. His mind began to formulate a plan. It would be risky but it was the only option he could think of. Rushing from the roof and back down the stairs, he entered the press box. People ran around, gathering what few belongings they had, and then stood there awkwardly, unsure what to do next.

  “How bad?” Garett asked as Tank approached.

  “Oh, it's bad,” Tank said. “We need to move fast. Get the few that are armed down there to clear space around the vehicles and have everyone else load up. I have a plan.”

  “What kind of plan is that?” asked Chloe, the pouty brunette.

  “The plan that's gonna save all your dumb asses,” Tank said. “I told you we needed to leave. Now we might not even make it out.”

  “What's the plan?” Garett asked.

  “I'll go out there and distract as many as I can,” Tank said. “Once the road leadin’ out is relatively clear, the rest can sneak by and I'll catch up.”

  “Some of us need gas, like yesterday,” said Nick, a younger guy.

  “And where are we going?” one of the other survivors asked.

  “We're not going back into town, are we?” Eva asked.

  “Hell no,” Tank said. “We need to take Overland Trail north and head toward Laporte. Then we can get on the interstate from there.”

  “So where do we get gas?” Nick asked again.

  “We can get it in Laporte,” Tank said.

  “Some of the rigs won't make it that far,” Garett said. “They were running on fumes.”

  “Damn,” Tank said. “Well, if we have to, the King Soopers on Elizabeth and Taft is gonna be our best bet. But we’ll have to go back into town and it could get bad.”

  “That'll have to work,” Garett said.

  “Then it's time to move out,” Tank said, walking over to the door leading down. “Who else is gonna help me clear these undead?”

  Tank looked back as he reached the door. Garett and Nick had followed him, but nobody else immediately volunteered.

  “Really?” Tank said. “Anybody who has a weapon and can use it, let's go!” People started to follow now. Realizing something, he added. “Oh, and you need to aim for the head. I don't know if they can be taken down any other way, but that definitely works.”

  Tank walked out of the door, followed by Garett and Nick. He looked from the landing down at the vehicles. There are now about two dozen undead shambling around, most of them clustered at the bottom of the stairs, and a few had even made it up a couple of landings.

  “I'll take point and clear as many as I can with good ole Frostmourne,” Tank said, hefting his massive sword. “Garett, you and anyone else with a firearm cover me from the landing above.”

  “I’ll join you up front. I'd love to bash some heads in,” Nick said, hefting his baseball bat.

  Tank was beginning to adjust his opinion of the kid. He'd initially come off as a serious douchebag, but he was actually starting to step up now. That was good. The apocalypse would either make or break people. Hopefully, this kid wouldn't die before he could grow into his new manhood.

  Tank started down the stairs with Nick right behind him. He took down the first undead with a slash to the head. Stepping over the body, he came to the next one and stabbed it in the face. Nick came up next to him and took one down. They moved down the steps, taking out the four others that had managed to climb the stairs. When they reached the bottom, the dozen that were trying—and failing—to climb became even more aggressive. The ones that fell began to ascend the stairs on their hands, doing anything they could to get at the two people standing above them. With strokes and stabs of his sword, accompanied by swings from Nick's baseball bat, they took them all down. The remaining dozen that were wandering around the vehicles started to approach and Tank’s arms were growing tired from wielding the heavy sword.

  “Wanna thin those out for us?” Tank yelled up to Garett.

  He was answered by the sound of Garett's combat rifle going off. The undead closest to them dropped. Tank and Nick moved onto the ground as Garett continued to fire from above. Within a few minutes, they had the rest down, but there were still more coming around the sides of the stadium.

  “Garett, get everybody down here!” Tank yelled up. “You can cover while they load up.”

  “On it!” Garett yelled.

  Tank rushed over to his truck, sticking Frostmourne next to his seat. He started it up, hoping the noise would distract the undead from the people coming down the stairs. Nick went over to his lifted blue Toyota truck and climbed inside. His truck would be better suited for distracting and running over the undead, but Tank wanted to have all the fun.

  The survivors started running down the stairs and into the vehicles. Garett and one of the others with a combat rifle took down the few undead that were within sight, allowing all the survivors to load up safely. Tank counted and realized a couple of people would have to ride with him. Of course, those last two were Chloe and Eva. The girls looked around, unsure where they should go. Garett took down the final undead and started for Tank’s truck, grabbing the girls on the way.

  “Need a ride?” Tank asked as they approached.

  “Yes,” Eva said and he smiled at her. She was really a nice person, and hot too.

  Chloe looked over at Garett. “How did we get stuck in the decoy vehicle with him?” she asked.

  “We don’t have many options,” Garett said.

  “Just be glad I don't make you walk,” Tank said.

  Chloe muttered something under her breath and climbed into the backseat, followed by Eva. Garett climbed into the passenger’s seat and Tank pushed the pedal to the floor, flying around the side of the stadium. They immediately rammed into an undead, which was crushed by the front of his truck. He tried his best to weave through the undead that were scattered around, but it was inevitable that he would hit a few. Blood and gore splattered the hood and windshield, making a mess of his truck. He tore off into the yard in front of the stadium, which was covered with hundreds of undead.

  He stayed on the outskirts, flashing his hazard lights and honking his horn. The horde reacted, making their way towards him and aw
ay from the road leading out. He continued to drive around, flipping donuts and spraying up dirt mixed with blood. He did his best to stay out of the thick of them, knowing that if he got in the midst of too many, they wouldn’t make it out. Finally, he saw the vehicles, led by Nick’s lifted truck, heading down the road toward town. Tank whipped his truck around, heading back toward the stadium.

  “What’re you doing?” Chloe asked.

  “Distractin’ the undead,” Tank said.

  “But everyone is at the road now,” Chloe said, looking back.

  “Yes, but we need to try and lure away as many as we can,” Tank said.

  “Smart plan,” Garett said.

  “Thanks,” Tank said.

  He drove around the back side of the stadium to where they’d started. Pulling to a stop, he slammed on the horn. The noise echoed and he kept it up until undead began to appear by the dozens from the sides of the stadium.

  “Oh, my,” Eva said. “They’re going to trap us!”

  Tank stopped honking the horn and slammed on the gas pedal. The truck sped off toward the side of the stadium with the road that led out. He smashed into a few undead as he made his way. They broke out of the main horde and hit the mostly open dirt road. Running over a few more undead, they finally hit Overland Trail.

  “I think that counts as my Vehicular Manslaughter medal!” Tank exclaimed.

  “Your what?” Chloe asked.

  “Ya know, Halo 3.” Tank said. She looked at him with a blank expression and he chuckled. “Never mind.”

  “You’re so weird,” Chloe said under her breath.

  He chuckled as he caught up to the caravan turning onto Elizabeth toward the King Soopers’ gas station. The late afternoon sun was hidden behind thick gray clouds, making the day look dreary.

  A lot had changed in the last few days. There was no longer anyone on the streets, save for the few undead here and there. Vehicles had been abandoned all over the road and belongings were scattered around. Bodies littered the ground and he was amazed at the sheer number he saw. How had it gotten this bad in only four days? The first day they were in the stadium, it had seemed like the military might be able to handle it.

  They made pretty good time getting to the gas station, considering all the obstacles they had to drive around. Lucky for them, there were ten pumps so only one vehicle would have to wait. Of course, that one happened to be the last vehicle in line, which was him. Tank pulled up next to the pumps and waited his turn. People were swiping their credit cards to get gas. If they just went into the little building and approved the sales on all the pumps, they wouldn’t have to pay. But then again, it was the end of the world and money meant nothing now, so why go to the extra trouble? Garett opened his door and stepped out.

  “Where ya goin’?” Tank asked.

  “I need to talk with Nick,” Garett answered, walking over to the blue Toyota.

  As he waited, Tank picked up his iPod and began to shuffle through it, looking for some music to pass the time. He landed on the new album from Demon Hunter. The music began to play softly and he turned the volume up a bit.

  “This makes sense,” Chloe said. “You would listen to this crap.”

  “Look,” Tank said, turning around in his seat. “If you want to be a bitch for the whole trip, get in another car. I don’t need to put up with it, but if you can be a decent human being you’re welcome to stay.”

  She began to say something but he turned the music up louder. Eva shook her head, a small smile on her face. Chloe opened the door and jumped out, slamming it shut behind her.

  Good riddance, Tank thought.

  He watched as she walked over to Garett and Nick, talking by one of the pumps. It was interesting that Garett hadn’t been elected the official leader of the group, yet there was no doubt who was in charge. Tank wasn’t surprised. Garrett was the most competent, but he was surprised that some idiot who wanted to be in control hadn’t tried to take charge. Then again, most of them were scared shitless and just worried about themselves.

  The green Ranger driven by Bob moved from one of the pumps and Tank pulled his maroon Avalanche into the spot.

  Jumping out, he swiped his credit card and began to fuel up. Garett walked back over to his truck while Chloe went around to the different vehicles and talked to the drivers.

  “We’ll be leading the pack,” Garett said. “Nick will come second.”

  “Good call,” Tank said. He topped off the tank as Chloe came stalking back over to his truck. “Apparently, I’m not the only one who doesn’t want to deal with your shit.”

  “Shut the hell up,” Chloe said, climbing into the backseat.

  Tank chuckled. He was halfway into his truck when a noise caught his attention. There were multiple vehicles coming from the west, and they were getting close.

  “Hurry up people!” Tank yelled, getting in and starting his truck. “It’s time to roll out!”

  The rest of the group began to scramble into their vehicles. He didn’t know if the new people coming were friendly or not, and he didn’t want to find out. It was bad enough out there that he wouldn’t be surprised if people were already starting to turn into monsters worse than the undead.

  Three trucks pulled onto Elizabeth from the north, a few blocks back the way they’d come. The trucks were covered in blood and gore, with bodies of undead strapped onto the fronts.

  “I hate it when I’m right,” Tank said as Nick pulled out in front of him, heading east.

  William’s truck swerved in front of Tank as he tried to pull out. Tank cursed and pulled out after he’d passed. As he hit the road, the three new trucks behind them began to open fire on his group. Why would they just start shooting at living people? They had nothing to gain; his group had hardly any guns, but the people shooting at them didn’t know that. He wouldn’t be surprised if these were criminals or people who were already depraved before all this started. Glancing in his rearview mirror, he watched as six of his group were slaughtered trying to load into their vehicle still at the pump. Then the assholes began to fire on the last two vehicles in his caravan pulling out. Those two took all of the rounds from multiple automatic rifles. Blood splattered on their windshields and they swerved, crashing into obstacles on the road. The survivors bailed out and made a run for it but were mowed down as the three trucks pulled to a stop.

  Tank cursed, slamming his hand on the steering wheel.

  “Why are they doing that?” Eva asked.

  “Beats the hell outta me,” Tank said.

  “Some people are just evil,” Garett said.

  “But to slaughter innocent people like that?” Eva asked.

  “And we’re only four days into this,” Tank said, as they arrived at CSU and Nick turned south onto Shields. “It’s gonna get a whole lot worse.”

  The campus was covered with undead and they immediately began to stumble towards the line of vehicles as Nick turned east on Prospect. He was heading directly to the interstate.

  “Damn,” Tank said. “We need to head north. Last time I tried to come this way it was blocked.”

  “That was four days ago,” Garett said. “Maybe it’ll be clear now.”

  “Let’s hope so,” Tank said. “Otherwise, we’re screwed.”

  Arriving at College Avenue, Nick came to a stop and looked out the window at them. Tank began to pull up to him when suddenly Nick stuck his head back in and sped off across the street, still heading east. William followed and Tank shook his head, reluctantly following. When he crossed College, he looked north. There were about a hundred undead shambling down the street.

  “I guess that explains it,” Tank said, continuing on their way.

  The undead were far enough away that the other vehicles behind him would make it across just fine. Continuing on Prospect, their progress slowed as they began to run into more abandoned vehicles and bodies scattered around the street. However, there were only a few undead—nothing that would stop them.

  “This
is dismal,” Eva said in a small voice from the back seat. Tank glanced back at her. “All this death…”

  “It is the end of the world,” Tank said, “or so it seems. But there’s still hope.”

  “Hope for what?” Chloe asked. “What kind of life is there to live in all of this?”

  “The kind of life that makes you appreciate every second we have to live.” Garett said. “Some people will rise to the occasion, others will simply follow those who rise, and then there will be those who…”

  “Want to mess up what the rest of us have and cause chaos,” Tank finished for him. “Like the people back there.”

  “Exactly,” Garett said.

  “Not much of a life to me,” Chloe said.

  “It’s a whole lot better than being dead,” Tank said.

  “Yes, it is,” Eva said.

  Tank eased on the brakes as he noticed something up ahead past Nick’s truck. It looked like a train had stopped on the tracks right in the middle of the road. Nick pulled to a stop and Tank did the same. Glancing in both directions, he sighed.

  “Of course it’s one of those long jobs,” Tank said. “Couldn’t just be a short train.”

  “We should check it out,” Garett said, grabbing his AR-15.

  “Yeah,” Tank said, grabbing his hulking sword and stepping out. “Frostmourne hungers.”

  Walking around the front of his truck and joining Garett, they continued past the other truck and met Nick, William, and Kathy at the front. They all stopped, looking at the train.

  “What do you think?” Garett asked, joining the others.

  “Could be a trap,” Kathy said.

  “Could be,” William said.

  “Might as well check out the other side and see what we see,” Nick said, walking forward.

  “Might as well,” William said, following him.

  “Let’s make it quick,” Garett said. “Those people might be following us.”