McCloud stepped forward to shake hands with Captain Crenshaw and his companions. “Until tomorrow then,” he said, then returned to the Dolphin.
*****
Interlude in Hell
El Segundo, CA, 3:30 PM, April 10, 2012
The sprinkler defense of the refinery was working better than expected. Although zombies still thronged just beyond reach of the water, it kept them away from the fence line and even the gates to the refinery. Still, Carl saw the need to prevent the onset of a siege mentality among the survivors. They needed more supplies and they needed to prove that they were not trapped inside the perimeter fence, so Carl had organized another shopping trip. Now that they were armed with guns from the sporting goods store, and had proven that their modified vehicles were zombie-proof, they were ready to go to the local supermarket.
Departing the refinery gates had been easier than anyone had hoped. Though Carl positioned a dozen men with guns and the Panther with its water canon to stop zombies from coming in through the open gates, they proved unnecessary. Even with the gates wide open the sprinklers Carl had positioned in front of them kept the zombies from rushing in. Once that was clear, it was a simple matter for the zombie-proof convoy to drive out and plow through the zombies clustered beyond the spray of water. The big Caterpillar front loader led the way with its bucket scoop leveled five feet above the ground, smashing zombie heads and driving them to the ground to be crushed under its giant wheels. Carl followed in its wake, swerving the modified Suburban back and forth to cut down more zombies with the blades he had welded onto the SUV. Then came the zombie-proof big rig which smashed and crushed more of the infected in its path. The armored shuttle bus came next, carrying half a dozen armed men who would go into the supermarket to collect food. Finally the big Panther fire engine rolled out of the gate with its water canon poised to prevent any zombies from getting into the refinery. After they were all out on the street the gate slid closed to the obvious consternation of the remaining zombies beyond. It was an encouraging start to the expedition.
The convoy moved east along El Segundo Boulevard and turned south down Sepulveda Boulevard along the perimeter of the refinery, drawing hundreds of zombies away from the fence and into the road where many of them were cut down by the vehicles. They drove at a steady pace of 20 miles per hour, fast enough to flatten the zombies they hit, but slow enough to retain control when they drove over the bodies. It was a bloody business, but Carl and the rest of the drivers went about it with grim determination. The more zombies they could cut down on the road, the fewer would be gathered outside the fence.
Their destination was actually right across the street from the south-east gate of the giant refinery, but they had driven the long way around in an attempt to draw many of the zombies away from the fence line. They passed the Plaza El Segundo, their intended destination, and continued south on Sepulveda with hundreds of zombies in toe. Then the big Cat turned left, per plan, onto the dirt access road next to the train tracks leading away from the refinery. The earth mover went through a locked gate as if it wasn’t there and the rest of the convoy followed, throwing up a dust cloud in their wake. The zombies followed as well, but they were obscured by the dust as the convoy accelerated to over 30 mph. A quarter mile down the tracks the convoy turned left again at a rail siding that circled around the back of the shopping center. A horde of zombies followed them up the tracks, but had literally been left in the dust.
There was a chain link fence and locked gate separating the train siding from the shopping center. Carl sped
*****
Interlude in Hell
El Segundo, CA, 3:30 PM, April 10, 2012
The sprinkler defense of the refinery was working better than expected. Although zombies still thronged just beyond reach of the water, it kept them away from the fence line and even the gates to the refinery. Still, Carl saw the need to prevent the onset of a siege mentality among the survivors. They needed more supplies and they needed to prove that they were not trapped inside the perimeter fence, so Carl had organized another shopping trip. Now that they were armed with guns from the sporting goods store, and had proven that their modified vehicles were zombie-proof, they were ready to go to the local supermarket.
Departing the refinery gates had been easier than anyone had hoped. Though Carl positioned a dozen men with guns and the Panther with its water canon to stop zombies from coming in through the open gates, they proved unnecessary. Even with the gates wide open the sprinklers Carl had positioned in front of them kept the zombies from rushing in. Once that was clear, it was a simple matter for the zombie-proof convoy to drive out and plow through the zombies clustered beyond the spray of water. The big Caterpillar front loader led the way with its bucket scoop leveled five feet above the ground, smashing zombie heads and driving them to the ground to be crushed under its giant wheels. Carl followed in its wake, swerving the modified Suburban back and forth to cut down more zombies with the blades he had welded onto the SUV. Then came the zombie-proof big rig which smashed and crushed more of the infected in its path. The armored shuttle bus came next, carrying half a dozen armed men who would go into the supermarket to collect food. Finally the big Panther fire engine rolled out of the gate with its water canon poised to prevent any zombies from getting into the refinery. After they were all out on the street the gate slid closed to the obvious consternation of the remaining zombies beyond. It was an encouraging start to the expedition.
The convoy moved east along El Segundo Boulevard and turned south down Sepulveda Boulevard along the perimeter of the refinery, drawing hundreds of zombies away from the fence and into the road where many of them were cut down by the vehicles. They drove at a steady pace of 20 miles per hour, fast enough to flatten the zombies they hit, but slow enough to retain control when they drove over the bodies. It was a bloody business, but Carl and the rest of the drivers went about it with grim determination. The more zombies they could cut down on the road, the fewer would be gathered outside the fence.
Their destination was actually right across the street from the south-east gate of the giant refinery, but they had driven the long way around in an attempt to draw many of the zombies away from the fence line. They passed the Plaza El Segundo, their intended destination, and continued south on Sepulveda with hundreds of zombies in toe. Then the big Cat turned left, per plan, onto the dirt access road next to the train tracks leading away from the refinery. The earth mover went through a locked gate as if it wasn’t there and the rest of the convoy followed, throwing up a dust cloud in their wake. The zombies followed as well, but they were obscured by the dust as the convoy accelerated to over 30 mph. A quarter mile down the tracks the convoy turned left again at a rail siding that circled around the back of the shopping center. A horde of zombies followed them up the tracks, but had literally been left in the dust.
There was a chain link fence and locked gate separating the train siding from the shopping center. Carl sped
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