Light Little Zombie Tale

[kconan]

Enjoy it!

The first time I saw the WRBs in action my 5-man squad had been assigned to eliminate a small enemy base in the disputed territory between Lower Stanistan and Mujibar Province. Its a great place to vacation, if you enjoy war-torn wastelands of disabled vehicles, blown-out buildings, and mined paths. This was not a covert operation in terms of our task (i.e. blowing stuff up), but it was clandestine in that we were ordered to dress as "regular Joe" mercenaries and carry no traceable personal effects. Top brass also saw fit to replace our captain with an SSA (jokingly referred to as Super Secret Agency) agent, who told us to simply call him "Boss" and during the mission briefing advised not to engage the enemy unless absolutely necessary. As the SSA spook explained, "observe the prototype WRB soldiers from a distance as they overrun the base and stay out of the way unless otherwise directed." A frizzy-haired scientist complete with lab coat and pocket-protector was present for the briefing, but said nothing (though to complete the cliché I safely assumed he had a German accent). I recall wondering why our new captain used the word "overrun" when referring to the WRBs taking the base. I also couldn't figure out why we didn't simply bomb the base from the air.

My squad along with the SSA agent/captain Boss HALO jumped into a decently secure location roughly thirty kilometers from the enemy base in the middle of the night. We hid parachutes, double-checked our gear, and met up in a small clearing near an old Soviet T-34 battle tank that had likely been inoperable since well before I was born. My continued queries regarding the WRB soldiers were bluntly ignored by captain "Boss". It was during my latest attempt to gather at least some form of intel that the modified APC (I guessed it was outfitted for silent running and long distance remote-control) pulled up from seemingly out of nowhere. The Boss ordered us to follow the APC, which we did without incident until it stopped next to a large hill relatively close to the enemy base. He then pushed a small button underneath the back of the APC, the door opened, and ten soldiers filed out in an organized manner. Each was clad in spiked, hard leather armor and wore a thick helmet with a dark visor. The mid-section of this odd getup was additionally armored with some kind of machined metal breastplate. They didn't appear to be armed, and none said a word.

The Boss reminded my squad to do a weapons check; each of us were locked and loaded with a silenced MP5/40 submachine gun, .45 sidearm, and Ka-Bar knife. Next, he handed me a pair of binoculars and said that I was to follow him and the WRBs to the base. He pointed to the rest of my team and quietly ordered, "Carefully fan out around the perimeter and scout. Your job is help prevent us from being flanked and/or shot by snipers dug in outside the base grounds. Whatever happens, do not go anywhere near the WRBs to engage their targets or otherwise assist them."

The WRB soldiers quietly marched in an orderly fashion, while myself and the Boss followed with our MP5/40s in the low-ready position. There were no lookouts, and as the base came into my view, it appeared to be fortified by a cracked, concrete wall which was low enough to allow anyone approaching a view of the tops of the shacks contained within. There was one tall concrete structure in the middle of the base. Expecting to be ignored again as we crept along with the mute, biker gang rejects, I asked the Boss what WRB stands for. He whispered, "You are being told everything on a need-to-know basis for a variety of reasons. But if it will satisfy your curiosity and shut you up: Weaponized Reanimated Being. Now stop talking, watch my back, and while the WRBs overrun the base I want you to observe their behavior. I was told you had the best overall attention to detail of the group, and so I need you as a second pair of eyes to record what takes place." I was amazed this guy knew anything about my "attention to detail" since he doesn't even refer to me - or anyone else - by name or even a unique designation. I tried to pry more information out of him regarding the WRBs or our mission, but to no avail. The third time I asked he put his hand on his Ka-Bar knife sheath and mimed a kidney stabbing - I got the message.

We dug in on a small hill near what appeared to be the weakest section of the concrete wall at the South side of the base, and used a row of thick bushes as cover. The WRBs were standing right behind us in a staggered but orderly line, creepy as ever, quietly waiting for orders. The Boss checked in with the rest of our team, and all was well on their end. He told everyone that the WRBs will make their move shortly, right at 06:00 - which should be just barely enough light for us to see the base and surrounding area from our vantage point. To my amazement none of the enemy had been alerted to our presence so far - perhaps out of sheer arrogance on their part or luck on ours. In fact, considering the lack of intel this mission was going perfect...and then a gargantuan bird landed on the lead WRB soldier's helmet. The soldier grabbed it and began loudly smashing the poor thing into the front of his/her/it's helmet. All of the WRBs went crazy trying to grab a piece of the bird, and it was ripped to feathered shreds in the process.

The Boss muttered curses, pulled out what appeared to be a remote control, and hurriedly mashed buttons. The WRBs went even more beserk and fast-walked with arms flailing towards the wall. Automatic weapons fire erupted from the base. It was hard to see in the early light, but I could make out that some of the WRBs were hit. They bashed an opening in the weak barrier, charged into it, and through the dim light I saw exactly what military application they were designed for: Instilling fear via merciless, chaotic, and seemingly unstoppable destruction.

As the killing machines spilled into the base unfazed by the oncoming bullets and occasional grenade explosion, screams began drowning out the gunfire. Several of the enemy rushed their attackers with knives and makeshift clubs; their futile attempt at defense was clearly visible due to their proximity to the wall breach. One WRB soldier grabbed the throats of two base defenders - one in each hand - and decapitated both and started ramming the heads into it's helmet at the same time. Another WRB, ignoring a hail of clubbings and stabs, started punching through enemy bodies. As dawn approached, more and more of this slaughter was revealed. I started fumbling with the binoculars looking for the night vision function; the Boss quickly grabbed them and motioned for me to continue watching the carnage the old fashioned way. I witnessed bodies being pulled apart and arms ripped from torsos. One WRB crushed an attacker in a bear hug and unwittingly turned the body into a bullet shield as it stuck to the spiked armor.

The defenders were screaming, some were shouting orders in local dialect and others just making nonsensical fear-driven noise. The WRBs were literally destroying everyone in their path while moving deeper into the base. Two of them fell, and looked to be overwhelmed, but then rose again to rejoin the battle shortly after being left for dead.

While a bit slower than "standard" soldiers, I noticed that WRBs more than make up for this deficiency in raw strength, toughness, and overall brutality in dealing with the enemy in hand-to-hand combat. I thought the only real chink in the perfect soldier armor was the occasional, random way these freaks would mindlessly ram body parts into their helmet. This was no longer a mystery to me after several of them had their head protection blown off revealing gnashing teeth. They were trying to both eat their foes and fight them at the same time. I could clearly see the face of a helmet-less one as it chased some of the retreating enemy near our inital entry point. The skin was green and appeared to be rotten, and I could see it chewing on something as it fast-walked after the defenders.

By now most of the base was visible from my position in the dawn-light. This was helpful in that I could see most of the enemy not hiding behind cover - and not so helpful in that I could see the bloody, madness that was taking place. Myself and the Boss continued to be unnoticed by the enemy as they attempted to rally and repel the WRBs.

Most of the remaining defenders were either shooting, running, or both. I saw two enemy soldiers put their hands in the air in the hopes of being taken prisoner. A WRB put its hands the mouth of one of them and ripped the head apart. This not-so-subtle hint that no prisoners were to be taken caused the other defender to start screaming and sprinting off into the opposite direction. This scream was cut off by two WRBs who caught him coming around a blind corner; he was turned into a human wishbone and ripped in half. One of the WRBs tossed it's portion aside in search of new prey, while the other carried around a disembodied leg.
__________________

[kconan]

The slaughter continued. Eight WRB soldiers were visible at this point (I assumed the other two were just of out sight rather than out of commission), and roughly twenty defenders. I saw one aim and fire an RPG at a group of 4 WRBs fast-walking towards him. After the smoke cleared, one was on the ground and the other three were still advancing despite now having large smokey holes that peppered their bodies.

The WRBs now looked like monstrosities from a B horror flick due to their armor having been mostly shot away and the fact that several were carrying various body parts. I looked at the Boss. He had been smiling...until he saw a handful of the enemy attempt to retreat into a wooded area near the North side of the base. He radioed our squad, and all fleeing defenders were shot before any came anywhere close to the treeline.

I saw WRBs entering buildings within the base. Though I couldn't see what was going on inside since it was blocked from view, I was sure the action was as bloody and brutal as what was going on outside where one last agile base defender was blazing away with a large handgun while trying to avoid getting near the unstoppable invaders. He emptied a clip into a helmet-less WRB soldier, and managed to stagger and eventually drop it for good. I saw the Boss raise his MP5/40 and aim at the lone defender, who ran out of sight into a building just as he was in crosshairs.

There was a brief period of quiet. And then I noticed that the top of the concrete structure in the base housed a large .50 caliber machine gun. It wouldn't have been visible at the start of the battle, but too little too late...especially as the gun roared to life and began tearing into a WRB and actually beheaded it. The gun swiveled towards my position and began firing just as I dropped to the ground. I looked up to see the Boss lying dead with half his face blown off, and then I blacked out.


I wake up groggy, correctly guessing that one of the explosives my former captain had on him was set off by a .50 caliber round. As I sat up replaying the days events in my head in fast-forward, five gore-splattered WRB monster-soldiers are looking at me like I'm a five-course meal. It smells like rotten death. Their teeth are chattering, and one of them is clutching a spinal cord. I feel for my radio, which I'm now guessing doubles as a sort of sounding device to identify me as a "friendly" to the inhuman abominations my government has unleased onto the World. Knowing my MP5/40 had been sent flying in the blast, I reach for my sidearm as they all dive headfirst at my torso.

[ceedee1500]

Read this one.
as a writer I'd like to commend anyone who tries his (or her) hand at the art of story telling.
One may BEGIN or START something without using the words START or BEGIN or variations of same. You can LURCH DRUNKENLY through a doorway, HURRIEDLY SLAM ammo into a gun. FRANTICALLY REACH FOR something or WEARILy GAZE out into the cold, dark, night. . The use of adjectives before the verb is something any writer will wish to employ.

One little typo can murder a goode story. You meant to say" UNLEASHED" but stated "UNLEASED".

Was this story written from an OUTLINE or just free written?
with an OUTLINE you can give all the characters or at least the main characters, (protagonist, antagonist) a BACKSTORY. Need a goode backstory.

STORYLINE QUESTION: If the powers that be have enough money and time to create war zombies then wouldn't they have really cool cameras to film the results? maybe the kind of cameras that hover, swoop and flit around?

the main thing about writing is REWRITING.
this is a goode effort yet could be better.
thanks for sharing.
TD