The Grave Diggers Read online

  Contents

  Title Page ebook

  Disclamer

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Review

  Join Newsletter

  Authors Note

  About the Author

  THE GRAVE DIGGERS

  A GRAVE DIGGERS SERIES

  - Book 1 -

  by

  Chris Fritschi

  DISCLAMER

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  The Grave Diggers

  Chris Fritschi

  Copyright © 2016 by Chris Fritschi

  All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

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  chrisfritschi.com

  This book is dedicated to my wife for her tireless support and encouragement.

  Acknowledgements

  A special thanks to all of you, you know who you are, for the encouragement and finger wagging that kept me on my toes through the development of this book. The critical, but honest, input from my beta-readers Cinnamon McNeil, Kevin Parks, Samantha Hampton and my wholly unbiased wife, Karen, shed light on areas where the book needed fixing. You guys make me look good.

  My thanks to my friend, Mark Stromberg, for his helpful suggestions. Enough can’t be said for my wife who spent endless hours listening to me brain-dump over this book. Her patience and support never flagged.

  PROLOGUE

  A NEW WORLD

  Once the sole heirs of eternal rest, the dead rejected their inheritance and swept down upon man, woman and child in a mindless horror.

  In some places of the world they had no warning. It spawned out of the darkness, and the ones caught off guard were wiped out. Maybe they were lucky. In other places, there were warnings something was coming, but they were ill prepared for the enormity and speed of it.

  The largest killer was panic. Whole cities imploded on themselves, weeks before any sign of the devouring horror appeared. Murder, looting, hoarding; nearly every conceivable variation of sectarianism to justify the brutality one human being could execute upon another was carried out in the name of racial superiority, religious right, the greater good, even humanity, but it all came down to 'better them than me'.

  Ironically enough, the 'tin foil hat' crowd and survivalists did better than others, and hunkered down in their fortified homes, lairs, or bunkers.

  The outbreak plumed across the face of the Earth. Infection was the favorite word of the spin-doctors, but few people bought into that, and those foolish enough, or unwilling to believe the reality of what was happening, tried to treat their 'sick' loved ones. Their mistake was short lived, and only added to the mounting millions of walking death.

  For whatever misguided reasons, a few governments, leaders and politicians played it down using euphemisms, causing further confusion. The grisly truth was that corpses were cannibalizing the human population.

  Perhaps the leading cause of pointless deaths was the United Nations. Countries were losing ground and people to the growing onslaught, and attempted to selectively eliminate the threat in areas where a population, living and undead, were tightly intermingled, by carpet-bombing entire towns. Wanting to save lives, but without offering a solution, the U.N. stepped in and threatened severe sanctions of food, medicines, and aid, unless the offending governments ceased their 'inhumane genocide'; a decision that only allowed the ranks of ravaging dead to swell.

  France, Italy, and Spain were the loudest critics of the "senseless murder" of human life, and chose to set the example of the humane way to deal with his outbreak. All three countries were on the brink of being swallowed up in less than two months. It was enough to convince them to change their position from "senseless murder" to "survival", and they mobilized their military. After that, the remaining countries told the U.N. they could shove their collective sanctions, and unleashed every conventional weapon they had at their disposal.

  In the United States, hard decisions had to be made to save many at the sacrifice of the few. The Federal Clean Border Act worked on the same principle of amputating an infected limb to save the rest of the body. Areas that were judged too far gone were closed off, or destroyed. There was resistance to the plan, based on past failures of government plans. Their concerns soon became justified; the short notice of the border locations and the 'cut off' time people had to reach them resulted in fewer than 25 percent arriving in time. As losses began mounting, the local governments took things into their own hands. Units of the National Guard were activated, but they couldn't bring enough forces to the fight.

  Projected losses were grim until the President held an emergency State of the Union address, where she announced a temporary suspension of all civilian gun control laws. The President made it clear she was calling on the citizens to help save their country, but would not condone lawlessness. To drive that home, she announced that law enforcement and military personal had been authorized to "shoot on sight" anyone caught committing capital crimes, robbery, or looting. People, who before had chosen to defend their homes, began to come out. At first it was only a few here and there, but eventually momentum grew and the National Guard had more help than they knew what to do with.

  Major cities were able to wipe out the undead long enough to erect fortifications. In the end, the US was for the most part, safe. From time to time, Costal Defense would catch a stray one that made its way from who knows where. Eventually, America settled into a skittish stability.

  While some countries were hanging by their fingernails, they were at least hanging. South America never had a chance. The rest of the world was fighting for survival, and the aid South America did receive it was too little, too late.

  In a staggering cascade, one country after another fell as the continent was overrun. In many cases, governments were abandoned more than they collapsed. Left with no leadership, or structure of any kind, it was in the hands of each individual whether they lived or died. Masses of people swarmed the harbors, airports, and train stations, but it was like spitting on a forest fire; with no way out they packed together ever tighter. Then the undead came, and the carnage was apocalyptic. It was the most horrific and tragic event the world had ever known.

  Desperation drove thousands to the ocean, grabbing anything that would float and walking into the sea with no other thought than to escape. Bodies of the drowned began washing up on shores all over the world, most along the coast of Africa and as far as Australia. Of an estimated population of 380 million, less than a quarter escaped with their lives. Of those, only ten percent survived to make it to another country.

  Not all died at the hands of the undead. When the global community saw South America was entirely lost, Uruguay and the eastern coast of Argentina were decimated by multiple nuclear strikes. Some speculated the attacks were mad
e in the desperate hope that others would follow suit and scorch the continent clean.

  Whatever the reason, those responsible for the nuclear attacks were never discovered, and the attacks only pushed the future of the human race closer to the edge of extinction. Accusations and threats flew between countries, and with many of them vulnerable and weakened came the fear of a full-out nuclear war breaking out.

  In the end, it was announced that the source of the attack could not accurately be determined. The United States claimed their satellites had been down for maintenance during that time, and didn't see the 'plume signatures' of any warhead launches. Russia also admitted their satellite was inoperable due to a sizable solar flare.

  As the fear of retaliation eased, attention turned back on South America and the threat it posed. As countries were beginning to make meager gains in staunching the horror spreading around them, there was a real worry South America could be the source of a sequel to this historic nightmare. Discussions sprang up regarding what to do. The problem was any talk of a nuclear option instantly started finger pointing and dangerous accusations about the first attack. South America was shaping up to be a political stalemate that could go on for years.

  But, in fact, it only lasted a few months. In a move that shocked the U.N., the American Ambassador, Henry J. Sontag, submitted U.N. Resolution 14982.c., stating “that while South America was allowed to continue to be infested and untouched, the 'living' world would be in constant danger”.

  An obvious fact, but the statement brought everyone back on point. The Resolution proposed that the United States be given sovereignty over South America.

  In his impassioned speech, Sontag said, "This danger lays at the very feet of our nation. America is the most threatened, and the bastion between the dark tide of walking dead and the rest of the world. If we fall, then Canada and Alaska will follow, adding their numbers growing by millions. Then they will cross the Baring Sea into northern Europe, and, ladies and gentlemen, they will cross. Let’s stop our posturing, and enjoy a refreshing moment of honesty. Each member here knows how dire their own country’s needs are. How each has suffered. I ask you, if any one of you believes their country can sustain another blow, another swarm of seething undead... then let them raise their hand. If not, then pass this resolution, and I promise you, you are guaranteeing that you will never see another of your country’s innocent children mutilated in the teeth of this walking evil."

  Although the other countries initially objected, calling it a bald-face land grab, they soon realized that this would save them trillions in financial aid, and placate the growing unrest that was threatening some governments, whose grip on control was balancing on the head of a pin. In short, South America was a ticking time bomb, and the United States had just volunteered to take it home. United Nations Resolution 14982.c. was unanimously signed on August 3rd, 2028. South America was annexed to the United States. Many in the Congress and Senate considered this to be political genius, while others said it was the worst mistake ever made.

  The U.N. Resolution had been conceived, written, and fast-tracked to the President’s desk in under a week. The immediate Cabinet members were given a two hour briefing that left no room to get into the details, let alone be reviewed by the advisers to the Cabinet members, who would have sent up more red flags than a Moscow parade.

  The gratification that came with the political victory of winning over South America was short lived. The reality of what the politicians had just laid at the feet of the American people set in quickly.

  In essence, the politicians had just bought, sight unseen, a 6.8 million square mile fixer-upper, containing three active, but abandoned nuclear reactors, countless smaller power plants, oil refineries and natural gas pumping stations, all of which represented a cluster of potential ticking time bombs that could go off without warning. And, just to make things interesting, the entire area was infested by an unknown number of inhabitants waiting to eat you alive.

  It was decided that traditional military resources would be used for the general eradication of the undead. Using a proven tactic from history, an area would be cleared, or stabilized, and then they'd create a forward operating base (FOB), much like forts of the old west. Using this strategy, the plan was to leapfrog ever further into the country, creating FOBs along the way. Once resources were established at an FOB, such as water and power, they would then populate the bases with civilians, create micro-economies and the FOB would expand, while transitioning from a military base to a secured civilian town.

  THE AVEF

  With many countries in disarray, and their own military defense capabilities badly crippled, the more suspicious members of the U.N. argued that the rapid increase of American military forces may be building up an invasion force.

  Alliances were uncertain. Several foreign powers were fighting for their survival against coups and civil wars; you never knew who was in charge from one day to the next. The anonymous nuclear strike from the year before hadn't been forgotten, and it was decided it would be wiser to not provoke further doubts, so the United States agreed to embed U.N. inspectors to observe and report on troop movements.

  No country is comfortable with complete transparency, and the U.S. was no exception; it was felt that giving the rest of the world troop movements and locations could be used against them.

  There needed to be a way to augment the military, but bypass U.N. Oversight.

  With this in mind, the AVEF was created. The All Volunteer Expeditionary Force (AVEF) would be out of sight of the U.N. by establishing it within the existing 'non-combatant' military unit of Mortuary Affairs. The AVEF would keep its name, but throughout the entire military they would be known as the Grave Diggers.

  Primarily manned by volunteers, the men and women were put through FEWS; Fast Emerson in Weapons and Survival. Since they would not be facing an enemy that utilized tactics or any form of combined assault profiles, the need for training beyond the use of a weapon and triage medical aid was considered unneeded. In addition, it was deemed that the needs of the AVEF wouldn't require newer or top of the line weaponry used by other ground units. After all, it's not like they need to defeat body armor. So instead, they were supplied with surplus, which wasn't much of a problem, except that equipment like radios and more technically complex gear was prone to failure.

  CHAPTER ONE

  PATROL

  Eight figures moved with tense caution through the gloom of the jungle. The thick canopy of trees towered eighty feet above them, trapping air and wetness like a lid on a simmering pot, creating a thick, fermented mist below. Where sunlight could find its way through the canopy, it looked like misty pillars of gold.

  The uninitiated were exhausted after five miles, just from the effort of breathing. Sweating did nothing to cool them down, because the high humidity kept sweat from evaporating; dehydration could kill just as quickly as the scorpions, snakes, and spiders. The jungle was thick with the sounds of animals; monkeys, birds, frogs, bugs, all communicating over each other, making the rainforest anything but peaceful, and easily masking the sounds of approaching threats.

  The eight figures moved in single file and stopped when the one in the lead brought up a clinched fist. The leader crouched, as the other seven did their best to move quietly into the nearest shadows.

  Sergeant Lori Wesson knelt alone. Her pale green eyes scanned the surroundings. Almost everything looked normal. Almost.

  The radio in her ear gave a short hiss. "What is it, Sergeant?"

  Her mike boom was nearly close enough to touch her lips, making her whispered voice easy to hear. "One of our trip wires has been set off. I'm checking it out."

  By confirmation, her radio hissed again. "Okay. Squad, keep your eyes open. Wesson will recon."

  Wesson went forward a short distance, studying her surroundings, then stopped. With a final scan of the area, she bent down to examine the ground.

  "Staff Sergeant," whispered Wesson. "I got tracks."
>
  With a quiet grunt, Staff Sergeant Jack Tate shrugged off his combat pack, working his shoulders to ease the pain where the straps bit into his shoulders. Leaving the concealing shadows, he quietly joined Wesson.

  Tate took off his worn boonie cap as he knelt next to Wesson, and examined the tracks she had found.

  The camouflage of his Army Combat Uniform was faded and sweat-stained, but did the job of helping him blend into the surroundings.

  He opened his canteen and dribbled some water onto his boonie cap to cool his head, even though the relief was only temporary.

  He saw that the carpet of fallen leaves had been disturbed in a wide path that lead into the trees ahead. Tracks were expected, but still an unwelcome wrinkle.

  "What do you think? How long since they were here?"

  "A day, maybe two," said Wesson. She scraped away some dirt, exposing damp soil below. "This top soil has dried and it hasn't rained here for a few days." She pointed at a busy tail of fire ants. "You can see where these ants had to rebuild their path after it was disturbed." She moved up a few feet, then came back. "I can’t give an exact number, but judging by the tracks there’s more than five. Less than fifteen."

  Sighing, Tate ran his fingers through his short, ash-blond hair and keyed up his mike.

  "Team," he said, as he put on his cap and combat pack, "line up on me. We got signs of contact. Ten Victor Mikes, plus or minus."

  The remaining six members gathered behind Tate.

  The radioman looked around anxiously. All of his gear had that 'just out of the box' look, while the rest of the team’s were worn and faded.