Five Roads To Texas (Book 10): Salvation Read online

  The Korean soldier couldn’t even hear the whine or the thrum of the helicopter. Maybe Kang and his men had indeed left him for dead. Right now Woo-Jin wished they had abandoned him rather than face the humiliation of being found cowering in the damaged, overturned, SUV. Shoving the dead infected woman’s body out of the way, the sergeant slowly climbed out the crushed, driver side window. Before he could get to his feet he heard the familiar sounds of multiple automatic weapon slides being racked.

  Woo-Jin stopped, still on his knees, and raised his hands in the air. He’d lost his pistol somewhere in the SUV during the helicopter attack so he was unarmed and at the mercy of whomever was now pointing their guns at him.

  “Sergeant Woo-Jin?” A familiar voice from the past greeted him. The kneeling soldier's vision was still impaired, filled with dust and micro pieces of asphalt.

  “I can’t see. My eyes…”

  “Put your hands down. You’re amongst friends.” The voice said. Woo-Jin nodded and dropped his hands down to his sides. He could make out several dark figures standing around him. One stepped forward and told him to put his head back. The Sergeant, still visibly shaken, complied as a stream of tepid water splashed down on his eyes, rinsing away all the debris that had been obstructing his vision. After several long seconds, Woo-Jin could finally see more clearly. He shook his head, flinging off the excess water and wiped his face with his dirty uniform sleeve.

  Leaning back on his haunches he saw that he was surrounded by a dozen fellow North Korean soldiers in UN uniforms. Relieved, he let out a tired sigh.

  “Better?” Sergeant Hahn, who had been the one to step forward and pour the water bottle over his eyes, asked.

  “Yes, yes. Thank you Hahn.”

  “Good to see you’re alive Sergeant Woo-Jin. Must be quite embarrassing losing your entire patrol.” The young but imposing Lieutenant Kang said as he moved forward and extended a hand to help the Sergeant to his feet. Woo-Jin ignored the officer’s hand and stood up on his own.

  “Thank you Lieutenant Kang.”

  “Uh huh. So what happened here Sergeant. I was told you had this under control.”

  “We did.” Woo-Jin said, glancing around at the dozens of bodies that were piled up around the area. Kang’s troops were spread out around the SUV watching for any infected or surviving bikers. Some of the soldiers kicked at the remains, making sure they didn’t move. “We were ambushed.”

  “I see.” Kang grinned impatiently. “Where is the American, Ramacher?”

  “We lost him on that street over there.” He pointed to the right. “They can’t be far.”

  “For your sake, you better hope not.” The Lieutenant waved over to the Little Bird pilots, who were standing beside the helicopter. The men nodded and quickly climbed inside the aircraft. The engine started and whined to life as the rotors slowly spun up.

  “Lieutenant!” A corporal shouted from behind. “Sir!”

  “Yes!” Kang turned to see three of his men dragging a tattooed American woman toward him. The officer noticed that she fought the men with every step they took. Sergeant Woo-Jin could see the female wore similar attire of the men who had ambushed them.

  “She saw the American we are looking for.” Corporal Soo said as he helped shove the woman forward.

  “Fuck you Chan!” Tarot spat.

  “Shut up!” The Corporal slapped her hard across the cheek. “Bastard!”

  “Stop!” Kang raised an open gloved hand. “I need you to tell us about the man and woman we’re looking for.”

  “Screw you dog eater!” Tarot struggled against the soldiers' grip. “Why the hell should I tell you japs anything?!”

  “Japs?” Kang smiled. “Listen. If you don’t want to die you will tell us where they are.” He grinned mirthlessly and drew his handgun, pressing the barrel against her chest. “I will surely pull the trigger if you do not.”

  Tarot wanted to say ‘my names not Shirley’ but now wasn’t the time to be a smart ass. She knew this guy would definitely pull that trigger. Tarot wasn’t in the mood for any new holes in her body and plus, she didn’t owe those two fucks anything after they killed her friends and left her for the cannibals.

  “Okay. Okay. It’s cool Chan, it’s cool.” She nodded. “They took our moving van. Fuckers. It’s big and green. You can’t miss it. They’re north bound on Dagenais street.”

  “Thank you.” Kang pulled the trigger.

  “Fuck you Wang!” Tarot screamed defiantly as she collapsed to the battle-damaged asphalt, fresh bullet wound in her chest. It only took her 5 seconds to stop breathing and join Bunny in whatever afterlife was waiting for the two of them. Kang stepped over Tarot’s body and looked over at Woo-Jin. “You ride with Sergeant Hahn. Let us finish what you could not, Woo-Jin.”

  “Too bad.” Corporal Soo said to Private Win. “She wasn’t bad looking.” “Still isn’t.” The Private added with a lewd grin.

  “Come on!” Sergeant Hahn shouted after them. “Your ancestors would be disappointed in you men. You two dishonor us all! Get on the trucks!”

  Chapter Forty-One

  EPIPHANY

  Somewhere in Arizona

  “Where are we Captain Sang?” Major KI-Moon asked as he took a drag from the American cigarette. His right hand slightly trembled as he flicked some ashes down into the boot of the Humvee. The Korean officer could tell he was burning up from the deadly virus. KI-Moon was quickly coming to the bitter realization he was truly infected and not one of the Supreme Leaders ‘Chosen Ones.’ Huh, he thought to himself. Just my bad fortune. The Major took another drag from the cigarette then glanced over at Sang.

  “According to the map, about an hour away from the safe house.” The Captain said from behind the wheel of the Humvee. The junior officer was tired and mildly annoyed at his commanders' insistence they follow after the American. Sang figured they were now on a fool's errand.

  Instead of glory they were in search of a cure for his infected Major. The Captain figured he would eventually end up putting a bullet in his commander's brain before too long. There was no way he would let KI-Moon infect him with the nasty virus. Captain Sang had plenty of time to run the scenarios in his head and all of them had ended with him shooting the Major. Just the officer’s bad luck.

  “You think the American will still be at the safe house?” Sang asked.

  “I don’t know Captain. Since we have lost our ability to track him, the best we can hope for is running into him along the way. Fortune has to eventually smile on us.” The Major took another drag from the cigarette then tossed it out the open window. “Right?”

  “Sir.” Sang nodded trying to keep the doubt from his voice. He’d noticed since the once physically imposing Major had become infected, he’d suddenly become more and more frail looking.

  “Pull over!” KI-Moon suddenly barked at Sang. “Sir?”

  “Pull over!”

  As the Humvee came to a sudden halt, the Major shoved the door open and half fell half jumped out. Sang climbed from out of the vehicle and ran over to where KI-Moon was sitting on his haunches letting out a nasty round of dry heaves. The thought of shooting the officer right here and now popped into his head. He’d put KI-Moon out of his misery and then the Captain would be free to find another unit or, crazy thought, lose himself in the vastness of America.

  “Water!” KI-Moon said loudly, disrupting the Captain’s flight of fantasy. “Water, Sang!” “Major!” Sang hesitated for a moment, trying to decide whether or not to grab the rifle from

  inside, instead he grabbed up a water bottle and slowly moved to the rear of the Humvee. Sang gave the infected senior officer the warm, partially filled water bottle. KI-Moon quickly swallowed the all contents then weakly tossed the empty bottle to the side.

  “Th-thank you Captain.” He said, wiping his mouth. “I think maybe I’m getting a little motion sickness.” KI-Moon smiled weakly. Sang nodded and returned the smile, helping the sickened officer to his feet.

&nbs
p; “Yes. Maybe we should sto...”

  “No, Captain.” KI-Moon cut him off. “‘We keep going. The American, Ramacher, is the key to this. We will not give up.”

  “Major.”

  “I’m fine for now.” KI-Moon said, waving Sang off. “The sooner we find him the better. Now get back behind the wheel and get us on the road.”

  “Yes, Major.” The Captain nodded, wondering if he’d made the right choice in not retrieving his rifle and just shooting the Major where he knelt. Well, Sang smiled to himself, there would definitely be more chances to put them both out of their misery down the road. Then the thought of being free from the Major, from the rules of his own country started to really play out in his head. He had no family to worry about back home, no punishments for anyone, only himself.

  And America was huge.

  “Captain.” The Major's voice was thick and gravelly. “Drive.”

  “Sir.” Sang smiled to himself as he suddenly had an epiphany. “Major?”

  “Yes, Captain Sang?” The senior officer replied, his breathing was starting to become loud and ragged. Sweat was dripping down his forehead. Sang swallowed as he took in the other man’s weakened condition. The Major didn’t have long before he would turn into one of those mindless cannibals.

  “Yes?”

  “Have you ever thought about home?”

  “No.” KI-Moon shook his head, giving him that familiar look of irritation the Captain had grown accustomed to. Sang was glad he had looked at him with contempt, it made things that much easier. “Just drive you fool. We need to find that American dog! Drive idiot!”

  “Major.” Sang reached over and quickly removed the Major’s pistol out of his holster and pointed it at the officers face.

  “Sang… wait. Wait!”

  “I have waited enough KI-Moon. Now I am done waiting.”

  “Captain...” The Major said cockily. The Major shook his head, sure that Sang didn’t have it in him to pull the trigger.

  “This is where we part ways Major.”

  “Wait… You can’t be serious Sang. The Army will hunt you down. You’ll pay dearly for this. Put the pistol down and we’ll forget all this even happened.” KI-Moon gave him a fake smile, sweat dripping down his cheeks. “We need to find the American. Finish our mission.”

  “The mission is over for you Major.” The Captain said cooly. “You are infected.”

  “I am a Chosen One.” KI-Moon said in a tone that wasn’t even convincing to himself. “No, you are not.”

  The Officer suddenly saw something in his underlings eyes that made him reconsider Sang’s ability to pull the trigger.

  “Wait!” The Major protested, but it was too late and he knew it. “Let me go. I’ll walk away into the desert.”

  “I can’t let you go.” Sang shook his head, still aiming the Glock at his commanders face. “I can’t risk you stumbling into another unit and telling them about me. That would be bad. Though the thought of you wandering around as one of those pants defecating cannibals sounds tempting.” “I won’t tell anyone.” The Major was now sweating more profusely than before. He knew for sure the Captain would kill him. “I promise.”

  “I cannot risk it.”

  “Just wait…” KI-Moon pleaded. He even expected Sang to say he was sorry, when the Captain didn’t, the Major just sighed in defeat. “Do it Sang.”

  Sang pulled the trigger. KI-Moon's shocked face collapsed inside itself as the round smashed into him right between the eyes. Blood splashed the vehicle's window as the Major slumped lifelessly to its side. The Captain reached over and pushed the door open, shoving Major

  KI-Moon out into the road. The officer's limp body hit the asphalt with a heavy thud. After he shut the passenger door, Sang checked himself to see if he’d been splattered by any of the Major’s infected fluids. Seeing he was clear, he started up the Humvee. Killing the Major hadn’t been so hard, he thought to himself, deserting the Army was even easier. No one would come looking for them or him, simply because no one cared. The now former Korean Army Captain remembered he’d always wanted to see America, the Grand Canyon would be his first stop.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  BRRRRRRRTTT!

  Skies over Arizona

  The A-10 Thunderbolt sped across the clear afternoon sky on a routine maintenance sortie. Major Kat Campbell yawned as she glanced down at the deserted highways below her. Her plane had been having several different electrical problems, all of which her crew chief had promised her were fixed. Now, a hundred and fifty miles from the airbase, Campbell had lost both her communications and targeting systems. Her HUD and targeting PODS were dead. Long fucking walk back to safety if she got into any trouble.

  Cursing, the Major banked her A-10 to the left and headed back home. The pilot was working up an ass chewing Tech Sergeant Granziano wouldn’t soon forget. Campbell’s small Air Guard squadron had been pushed to the limit during the outbreak/invasion. These sorties she and the other pilots in her squadron had been flying were highly successful in beating back any of the North Korean army and fake UN troops that had been trying to squirt their way into Arizona.

  Kat watched the areas around her through a tinted helmet visor, with the HUD malfunctioning, everything was starting to look the same. The Major had hoped when she’d returned from her latest deployment in Afghanistan that it would be the last of the desert she would see in a long time. Well, she’d been dead wrong on that.

  This viral outbreak and foreign invasion had definitely gotten in the way of her retiring from the Air Guard and focusing on her small law practice.

  The Major, whose father had flown A-1E Skyraiders in Vietnam, started her love of flying by taking her up in his Piper Cub every chance he got. It was his opportunity to escape the war that had tortured his mind. He’d been shot down in the last months of the Vietnam War and captured by the NVA. A week later he’d been rescued by an Army Long Range Recon Patrol.

  But during those terrible seven days he’d been beaten and abused by the Vietnamese soldiers. They’d almost broken him.

  Up in the sky in her father's private plane was his escape from those bad memories. While he was dealing with his PTSD, Kat saw those times with the old warfighter as some of the best days of her life. That old Piper Cub had cemented her love of flying and the freedom it brought along with it. Her Pop was never more prouder of his daughter than we she was selected to fly the

  A-10Thunderbolt. Kat suppressed a frown sadly remembering both her parents had been killed in the initial outbreak. The infected had swarmed the family house, leaving nothing but some scraps of flesh, bone, and puddles of blood. The thought of revenge, hollow as it was, kept her flying.

  “What the hell?” In her tinted helmet visor, she could see the dark outline of a vehicle speeding down the road below her. Quickly flipping up the helmet visor she initiated a rapid descent, rolling the fighter to her right so she could get a better look at the vehicle.

  “Humvee.” She said to herself as she made a pass by the vehicle that contained the fleeing Captain Sang. The two big letters stenciled in black on the roof of the vehicle caught her eye. “UN.”

  With a knowing smirk she banked the plane around to do another fly over. With her targeting system down she would have to do this the old-fashioned way. Point and shoot.

  “Adios, motherfucker!” The Major squeezed the trigger as the cannon's 30-millimeter rounds easily penetrated the skin of the Humvee. The deadly rounds threw up huge chunks of asphalt and dirt as the rounds passed through the vehicle and the unfortunate Captain Sang. The North Korean soldier was thinking about where to visit first when instant death rained down on him.

  Some of the empty gas cans in the rear of the Humvee were struck by the rounds causing the inside of the vehicle to erupt in flames.

  Major Campbell swung the A-10 over the now burning hunk of metal and rubber. Satisfied she’d killed the Humvee, Kat turned the plane back toward the airbase.

  “Fuck you, you invading
fuck!” Kat said to herself, thinking her crew chief was lucky she’d been able to blow off some steam before returning her broken bird back to the flight line.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  QUIT DICKING AROUND

  Salton City, AZ

  “Let’s move it Jessie!” Ram glanced outside of the cab of the moving van making sure there weren’t any infected still lurking about. “Looks like we’re clear of any shit bags.”

  “Alright partner.” She quickly started the engine and shoved the van into gear. “Get out of town?”

  “If you can find a way through this maze. I believe California is in that direction.” Ram pointed to his left.

  Jessie nodded as she checked the vehicle's mirrors then turned the wheel moving them off the sidewalk and back into the street. Ram watched the sky above for the UN helicopter, satisfied they weren’t being followed, he relaxed a little.

  “I really hated having to leave a lot of our supplies back in the Durango.” The old prison guard said as he checked the magazine in his handgun.

  “We didn’t have much of a choice Ram.”

  “Yeah,” He slid the magazine back into the weapon. “It’s just a bitch having to give up all of that gear.”

  “We’ve been in worse spots, Ram. Hell, remember when all we had was a couple of stale candy bars and I think, seven rounds between us?” She smiled. “I think we’re sitting high on the hog right now.”

  “High on the hog?” Ram chuckled. “Where did ya hear that?”

  “When I was a kid, one of the social workers would say that when one of us scored a decent foster home.”

  “Who was your social worker, Jed Clampett?” “Jed Clampett? ”

  “The Beverly Hillbillies?” “Who?”

  “Nevermind.” Ram shook his head. “It was nice having extra supplies.” “Still do, some.” Jessie steered past the wrecked shell of a Corvette.