Of Apophenia and Augury, Part II

"The Chief is... currently missing," Leon said.
"So sad," Captain Zwingli said. "Sounds like you're on your own. Doctor West, anything we should explain to local officials?"
"Nothing we can tell them without bring up more questions than answers," Dr. West said. "No reason to cause confusion."
"I gave up my weapon, I at least need to know what you're doing to keep these citizens safe!" Leon said.
"Do you see all these soldiers?" Captain Zwingli asked. "They'll contain things, as ordered."
"And what are we containing?"
"Them." Dr. West pointed into the tent, where half a dozen zombies lie strapped down, struggling clumsily against their restraints. "We don't want anyone to get injured unnecessarily, and we certainly don't want a panic."
"You have them inside the camp?!?" Leon said.
"Why don't you say it a little louder?" Captain Zwingli said. "They need to be here so we can monitor how quickly they spread. Now why don't you go direct some traffic and leave the heavy lifting to the professionals."

Amid the crowd, Liv saw the injured woman and one of the men from their transport stumbling against the fence nearby.
"This woman's hurt! Is there a doctor nearby?" Liv yelled above the din of frightened people. "Reed? Get one of the doctors!"
Reed looked up and saw the two passengers. The woman straightened up slowly, looked into the man's vacant eyes, then turned. Both began walking toward Liv and the children.

"And if one of these 'patients' breaks loose? It's pretty crowded over there, you know," Leon said.
"The soldiers have orders to fire on anyone exhibiting revenant behavior," Dr. West said. "There are guards all around these tents. There's no scenario in which they could get to the crowd."
"Revenant??" Leon asked. "What the hell is that?"
"That's science talk for zombies," Captain Zwingli said. "You did get that that's what we're up against, right? The walking dead, like in one o' them movies."
"Not precisely," Dr. West said.
"Look I don't care what they are right now," Leon said, not quite convincingly. "Are you sure you can contain them? There are worse things for these people than just dying, right now."
"Yes, I suppose that's true," Doctor West said. "More true than you know, really."
"Anyway, if we actually have to euthanize them, one head shot from the live ammo in those trucks," Captain Zwingli gestured to two trucks between a humvee and the energy equipment truck," right over there does them nicely."

The pair stumbling toward the crowd stared blankly at Liv.
"Are you alright?" Liv asked.
"Liv, get the kids away from them," Reed said. He reached into his pocket, pulling out the revolver he had concealed and loaded several rounds into it.
The third injured man, the one who had spoken earlier, ran out from the crowd toward the woman. "Nancy," he said, "did the doctors see you??"

"The live ammo's in storage? What are all the soldiers using??" Leon asked.
"Riot control," Captain Zwingli said, "as per our orders."
"You're using rubber bullets?!? That bleeping airman was serious?!?!?!" Leon ran toward the crowd of refugees.

Nancy grabbed the man's arm, throwing him against fence and biting him. The other man moved toward the crowd and moaned.
"Hey! There's a fight over here! Break it up!" A dozen civilians descended on the couple against the fence. Amid the crowd, the second man tried to grab Liv.
"Liv!" Reed raised his pistol and rushed forward.
"Look out! That guy's got a gun!"
"...Get off of him, lady, break it up!..."
"...GYAAAHHHH! he bit me!..."
"...Dizzy... UUNNGHH..."
Reed reached his family and shot the zombie in the chest. Screams from the crowd. The zombie stumbled back and fell, but just as quickly began to get up.
"Reed!" Leon shouted as he ran up. "The head!"
Liv wrapped her arms around her children's faces, turning them away from the gore.
Reed fired once. The zombie fell dead.
Screams and moans billowed from the crowd by the fence. As soldiers moved in, the crowd began to spread out, all eyes vacant. The soldiers began firing on the crowd, but the zombies merely stumbled back.
"Leon!" Kurt shouted as he tossed Leon his pistol. Kurt had apparently never stored it as ordered.
"We've got to get out of here," Leon said to Kurt and Reed. "Something is not right about this!"
"Agreed. Airman Russell, do they leave the keys in those trucks?" Reed asked, pointing at the energy equipment trucks.
"Yes," Kurt said. "You lead, we follow."
"We need to help some of these people!" Liv said.
"Get your kids on the truck," Leon said. "We'll round up whoever we can."
Bullets and screams were flying freely. Leon and Reed managed to move a couple dozen people toward a Humvee and a nearly empty weapon truck as the soldiers distributed the guns. Kurt and a few more piled into one of the equipment trucks. They drove straight through the now unmanned gate as the sun started to rise.

The three vehicles kept driving through the deserted suburbs. Up ahead, they saw a group of roughly a dozen refugees walking along the road.
"Reed, I think that's the Reddings!" Liv said. Reed slowed the truck as they approached and leaned out the window.
"Mr. Redding, were you in one of the camps?" Reed said.
"No," Mr. Redding said. "Rose got us out of the house and moving before the soldiers came through."
"They managed to find Walter and us in time," Daisy Newman said, holding her daughter. "Walter, it's Reed Wright! Is your family OK?"
"We're all here, thanks. About thirty of us managed to escape," Reed said. "It was bad."
"Where are you headed from here?" Rose asked.
"We're sort of playing by ear right now," Reed said. "They seem to be following my lead, but I have no idea where to take these people."
Walter Newman walked up beside Daisy. "Sounds like you're going to need us as much as we'll need you, Reed. We have a plan."

Of Apophenia and Augury, Part I

The family was herded into the back of a military transport truck with a few of their neighbors. Gun shots continued to sound in the warm night. The truck pulled away from the houses and drove to the highway nearby, where it met up with two other transports. The truck stopped and idled as the driver got out and met with the drivers of the other two.
"What's the hold up?" One driver asked.
"We're headed back toward downtown," another said. "Listen, we picked up a bleeping cop who wants to talk to 'somebody in charge.' Either of you headed back in?"
"I'm almost full," The first driver said. "Have him and any casualties hop on the back of mine, I'll go ahead and go in. This bleeping operation's gonna take all bleeping night." And no, the soldiers didn't say bleeping.
The drivers went back to their respective trucks. The Wright family (Reed, Liv, Wayne, and Eileen), still clad in their pajamas, children fighting back tears of fear, sat in the back of the truck with neighbors they barely knew and the soldiers who had rescued them from their own home. The gate at the back of the truck was lowered as a Hispanic man in a wrinkled city police uniform climbed into the truck with them, followed by three injured civilians.
"Thanks," the policeman said. "You three OK?"
"The two of us are OK, I think," said one of the men, "but she seems pretty bad, got a big gash in her arm. Let's hope we can get her to a doctor quick."
"Will someone please tell us what's going on?" Another passenger said. "These soldiers just broke into our house and told us to come with them!"
"I haven't been able to get any straight answers," The officer said.

When everyone was situated, the truck began moving again. The officer tried to start a conversation with the soldiers.
"I don't suppose you guys care to say what's going on either?" The officer asked. "Like why people are being attacked, or how you were ready to respond so quickly?"
"We're not FEMA," a soldier with a pistol said.
The officer laughed. "Thank you! That's the first answer I've gotten that wasn't some 'not authorized to discuss it' BS." The officer did say 'BS,' censoring his own speech after noticing the Wright family's children listening. "Sgt. Leon Romero," he said.
"Airman Russell," the soldier with the pistol said.
"Yeah, let's just get cozy," the other soldier said contemptuously. "Nice to meet you, the name's royal chief master sergeant bleeping awesome. We don't care who you are!"
"Hey!" Leon said. "There are kids listening, Junior Birdman." The soldier started to stand, but Airman Russell slapped a hand across the other soldier's chest, pushing him back down. Reed glanced at Russell's insignia, noticing that he was of higher rank than the other airman.
"Airman Russell?" Liv said. "I just want to thank you for protecting my husband earlier."
"Yeah, two to the head!" The airman basic said. "He's gonna get an earful for that bit of genius later."
"I noticed that was the only one you actually stopped," Reed said. "How come your rifle barely held them off?"
The airman basic frowned. "Rubber bullets," he said. Liv scoffed, clearly unconvinced. Russell remained silent, but seemed uncomfortable with the conversation.
"You don't say much, do you Airman Russell?" Leon asked.
"Nope," Russell responded.
Leon smiled. "You got a first name, Airman?"
"Kurt," Airman Kurt Russell responded. "No relation."
"Really?" Reed said. "Cause now that you say it, you look just like the actor."
"So I hear," Kurt said.
"How about you, friend?" Leon said.
"My name's Reed, this is my wife Liv, and my children Wayne and Eileen."
"Nice to meet you," Leon said.

The truck came to a stop for a moment, then pulled forward slowly. The passengers saw a make-shift checkpoint box and a high, chain-link fence pass behind them. The truck came to a stop and everyone exited the truck, the two airmen going first. An Air Force officer approached Leon.
"Sergeant, I'll be escorting you to speak to the Captain," the Lieutenant said. "But first I'll need you to relinquish your weapon."
"Excuse me?" Leon said incredulously. "You want my sidearm?"
"Yes sir, I have to insist," The Lieutenant said. "Senior Airman, please take the Sergeant's weapon." Kurt stepped forward and held out his hand to Leon.
Leon looked around. They were clearly in a military operated camp, probably set up exclusively to process civilians before taking them to a more permanent location. There was nothing to gain from making a scene. Leon handed over his gun.
"Armory tent," the Lieutenant said. Kurt marched off.
Leon turned to Reed. "Look after them. I'll catch up with you if I find out anything worth passing on." Leon and the Lieutenant walked toward a cluster of tents.
"This way," the airman basic said to Reed. The Wright family was led to a crowd of civilians, mostly also in their pajamas.

The Lieutenant delivered Leon to his superior officer presently. The Captain, who was standing next to a tent with several medical professional types wandering about, did not take notice of them. He seemed entirely engrossed directing transport trucks to their staging areas.
"Captain Zwingli? This is the police officer who wanted to see you," the Lieutenant said.
"Get that equipment in position for setup in the morning!" Captain Zwingli said. The truck parked next to several others directly opposite the main gate. Captain Zwingli then turned to Leon and the Lieutenant. "The Air Force says these camps need to be able to run on autonomous power, which would be fine by me; but since the whole bleeping world has gone green, they give us solar panels and some kind of bleeping windmills rather than gas generators. Bleeping nonsense, I say!"
"Great," Leon said. "What's going on?"
"That will be all, Lieutenant," Captain Zwingli said. "Now who are you?"
"I'm a Sergeant out of the sixth precinct, badge number 1013-..."
"I'm not impressed," Captain Zwingli said flatly. "Where's your Chief of Police?"
"The Chief is... currently missing," Leon said.
"So sad," Captain Zwingli said. "Sounds like you're on your own. Doctor West, anything we should explain to local officials?"
"Nothing we can tell them without bring up more questions than answers," Dr. West said. "No reason to cause confusion."
"I gave up my weapon, I at least need to know what you're doing to keep these citizens safe!" Leon said.
"Do you see all these soldiers?" Captain Zwingli asked. "They'll contain things, as ordered."
"And what are we containing?"
"Them." Dr. West pointed into the tent, where half a dozen zombies lie strapped down, struggling clumsily against their restraints.