Strong Will Vol. 1: A Warfighters Tale of the Plague Apocalypse: The NOSOI Virus Saga World: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Series - Companion Series, #1

CHAPTER 1:

Under a cold, grey Seattle sky, both of the venerable FN M240 machine guns lay quiet, impotent, useless. They were caked with carbon and grime from constant firing. Empty .308 brass casings and ammo links blanketed the rooftops of the up-armored Humvees on which they were mounted. The small war wagons were jammed tight amidst the massive sandbagged works.  An effort to block off the cavernous entrance to the mammoth building. The arena had a beautiful glass frontal facade, cutting a sizeable V-shaped opening into the interior of the structure. It was designed for mass entries and exits.  Allowing visitors to quickly and efficiently access all parts of the building through a series of doors and escalators.

IN BETTER TIMES, THE Angel of Winds Arena was home to both minor League Hockey and Arena League Football teams. But now, the open-air entrance was crammed with up-armored Humvees and sandbags. All other openings to the large building were sealed shut, doors welded and roll up doors blocked by abandoned vehicles. All in an attempt to seal the occupants of the Arena, off from the outside world.

THE WIDE FOUR-LANE intersection that faced the cavernous opening of the Arena was littered with bodies, two deep in some places. Only small patches of concrete were visible amidst the destruction. Broken bodies and abandoned cars lay sieved and shredded from the heavy machine gun rounds. It was reminiscent of those terrible places where the most significant struggles of humanity had taken place. Places like Normandy Beach, Tarawa, and Stalingrad. It was almost incomprehensible that this scene would play itself out, on an average American street on the outskirts of Seattle.

WILL SAT QUIETLY, REMEMBERING those first few days when the reports on the news broadcasts were just starting.  In the beginning, reporters told the naïve public that it was just another synthetic drug gone wrong.  Then the stories began to change, there was a flu epidemic spreading across the United States, they started calling it the NOSOI virus.

IT WAS HARD TO BELIEVE Will could focus his thoughts at all, amidst the screams, noise of gunfire, and the pungent smells that now surrounded him.  You just never think that all these people jammed together could be so horrible.  The light was dim; the power was off, and they only used what electricity they absolutely had to, trying to preserve precious fuel for the generators.  His nostrils were filled with the odor of rancid, sweat-filled clothes, including his own.  The smell of blood and vomit were almost overpowering amid the pure horror of what was happening.  Their secure location was becoming a prison, a death camp. Will hoped reinforcements would arrive soon, but he was beginning to doubt.

WILL TRIED TO REMEMBER how it had started, what had led him to this point.  It all seemed so unbelievable, coupled with the thoughts of the things he had done to safeguard his men. Things he had done so they could survive.

HE REMEMBERED HELPING Sheriff Walker prepare his hometown in Concrete, Washington, for the flood of refugees that were coming.  It wasn’t long after that he and his best friend and fellow soldier, Staff Sargent Robert Gardner, received the call to report for duty with their National Guard unit.

In the beginning, the media downplayed the danger, but as time went by, no one could deny this was no mere pandemic.  It didn’t take long for society to collapse as the numbers of the infected grew.

Once Will reported for duty, his mission briefing had enlightened him to a portion of the unbelievable truth.  As the unit commander began the presentation, he and the other officers of the MP battalion sat in stunned amazement.

Gentleman, the commander emphasized. The DOD has described this as the world’s deadliest bio-weapon, it is called the NOSOI virus. We believe its release was accidental, but we are not certain.  Be aware, this pathogen is virtually unstoppable. It is a level four contagion, meaning it is not only spread by physical contact but is an airborne contagion as well. According to the information I have been briefed, NOSOI was not designed to kill its victims. It was designed to destroy entire nations. Essentially, this was a weapon of destabilization.  The virus turns the victims into crazed psychopaths, super aggressive, with heightened strength, making them extremely difficult to kill. And killing them is the only answer, once infected there is no saving the victims.  The commander took a pause to let his words sink in.

Men, our job is to try and save those that are uninfected.  Understand this, the virus destroys the brain and nervous system of its host, even though they are physically alive, they are no longer your friends, fellow soldiers, or neighbors.  You will be put in situations that will require you to kill the infected to save yourself, your unit and those under your care.  Quarantine procedures will be in full effect and enforced by lethal actions.  I expect you to aid your men through this difficult task.  With that, he assigned duties and went over the mission outline.  Will was still in shock from the contents of the briefing and prayed that he and his men could get through this.

In the present, the remnants of the Guard were all that was left.  Local law enforcement and National Guard units had been abandoned by the Federal government. The powers that be had gone to ground and disappeared, the whole continuity of government plan had been enacted. Or as Will liked to think of it as, the continuity of the lack of government.

In the chaos that had followed, his unit had sacrificed heavily to help save those they could. Will hoped their sacrifice would not be in vain....

His personal thoughts were cut short when he saw the young Private standing next to him, waiting to be acknowledged.  Will wondered how long he had been standing there.

Sir, Major Peters is requesting you.  The Private said, then turned to continue his duties...

LT. WILLIAM WRIGHT entered the complex of office rooms deep inside the Arena. The young lieutenant bypassed the other National Guard troops, who were frantically packing up their gear and preparing to bug out. He approached the office occupied by the commander of the ad-hock military outfit. When Will entered the room, he could feel the stress and anxiety hanging thick in the air. Major Peters looked exhausted. Will could tell his commander hadn’t slept in days. But then again, not many of them had.  The Major’s Multi-Cam fatigues were crumpled and stained with sweat. As the acting CO looked up from the paperwork that littered his desk, Will could see that he had dark circles under his eyes; and his thoughts seemed fogged and confused. This was a typical result of long hours of hard work and no sleep.

Sir, you called for me. Will said, reporting to the senior officer.

Yes, the Major replied. We are done here Lieutenant, we’re pulling out.

Will knew things were bad, so it was no surprise to him that they were leaving. But, the question was, where would they go? Guard and local units were under siege throughout the metroplex that made up Seattle. Small islands of sanctuary, falling one by one to the storm that was the NOSOI plague. They had completely lost control of the city, and the cavalry was not on the way. The Feds along with all full-time military units had vanished, leaving the local population and the Guard on their own.

We’ve run out of machinegun ammo. The Major informed Will. And we’re low on everything else, especially 5.56 rounds. I don’t think we can hold that damned entrance much longer.

Will waited patiently as the Major talked, wondering what his part of the evacuation plan would be.

I’m down to only a handful of officers, did you know that Captain Kelly disappeared last night?

NO SIR, I’M SORRY. Will knew they were losing Guard members steadily. But, he was surprised that the 2IC had bailed. This was a scratch-built unit, with an ad hoc command, comprised of personnel from a variety of different groups. None of them were infantry, the closest thing they had to a combat unit, was Will’s Military Police platoon. The rest of the troops had been formed from an HQ section, a Transport Company, a Signal Company and a Medical Battalion. Even with all those units present, they still couldn’t muster a hundred soldiers. Will understood why troops were disappearing. They were all citizen soldiers, who had been forced to leave their families in the midst of the crises. Abandoning them to be alone and unprotected. What man could stand fast in this hopeless morass, while his family was alone, vulnerable to the NOSOI plague?  All the while, the virus continued its destructive path to destroy mankind, with nothing to stop it.

Communication had become sketchy as of late. The radio net was nearly empty of regular traffic. Most units had gone off the air. It could be from the lack of resupply, meaning they were out of batteries. There could be equipment problems, crypto required a lot of attention to stay current. Or it could be that the units had been wiped out. Will tried not to think about that. To make matters worse, the cell towers were going down. Their situation had become untenable.

Will himself, was anxious to get back home to Concrete. His grandmother was his only remaining family, and she was all alone. Will had been raised in Concrete and other than his grandmother, his friends were his family. Thank God Bobby, was here with him now.

Major Peters began once more.

I want you to go to the interior loading dock and prepare our vehicles for movement. I want your MPs leading the way. The Major’s voice was muffled behind the dirty, worn hospital mask he wore. They had run out of almost all medical supplies, and there would be no replacements anytime soon. Everyone had to make do with what they had.

THE ARENA HAD A MASSIVE interior loading dock. It was big enough to handle semi-trucks and delivery vehicles, as well as a few busses for visiting sporting teams. And it was all safely hidden behind massive roll-up doors. This is where the Guard personnel had stored their vehicles, except for the up-armored Humvees that held the open Arena entrance. Their machine gun turrets had been vital in keeping the infected out. Will knew there was no way they were going to be able to extract the up-armored Humvees now. Those vehicles were packed in tight. It was a shame. The