Dom started to sprint off, and Meredith trailed behind. Jackson ran, cradling his rifle. The private lugged an M240 machine gun from the back of the jeep and followed. They slid to a stop along the side of a road behind a line of trees. The Skulls were running parallel to the street, and the brunt of Fort Detrick’s defenses was firing on the creatures from the Provost Marshall’s office, which kept the Skulls’ attention away from Dom’s group. A dozen or so men and women took positions between vehicles in the office’s parking lot and let loose a vicious barrage of gunfire.
“Get ready!” Jackson ordered as he shouldered his M16.
The private dropped to a prone position and sighted up the M240 mounted on its bipod. He pressed its stock into his shoulder.
Dom traced his muzzle over the running Skulls. He kept a bead on one built like a linebacker with wide shoulders covered in yellowed plates. Its hands ended in stubby claws, and crooked spikes tore through the remnants of a suit jacket flapping around the creature’s body.
“Open fire!” Jackson bellowed.
The bark of the M240’s fire drowned out the blasts from the other three rifles. Dirt and grass flew up in chunks around the Skulls as the private followed them with the machine gun. The recoil of Dom’s rifle sent shockwaves through his shoulder while he poured round after round at the beasts. He took down the linebacker and then half a dozen other Skulls, but the number was paltry compared to the mass of creatures leaping over the fresh corpses with only one thing on their mind: Kill.
The majority of the Skulls still churned forward toward the Provost Marshall’s office. But two, attracted by the new source of gunfire, turned and sprinted at Dom. He readjusted his aim and squeezed the trigger to take several measured shots. The two creatures spilled across the grass, blood already seeping from their cranial wounds.
The bark of the M240 continued. Rounds chewed into the Skulls’ flanks. Their lives ended by the machine gun’s stream of bullets, the creatures crashed to the ground, tripping up others. Skull corpses piled up along the lawn, and the flow of the beasts started to dissipate as the monsters dispersed. A few dozen still charged toward the soldiers entrenched near the gate, and another twenty or so of them turned, careening toward Dom, Meredith, Jackson, and the private.
But distance was on Dom’s side. At twenty yards, the Skulls went down under a fresh barrage of bullets. One Skull limped toward them, its face caught in a malicious snarl. Its leg had been devastated by machine-gun fire. Dom caught the creature’s face in his sights, pulled the trigger, and watched it fall.
He breathed a momentary sigh of relief. The rifle chatter grew more sporadic, and the distant yelling of the soldiers barricading the commissary and Provost’s office seemed to quiet. But the still air was soon rent anew by howls. A fresh surge of Skulls forced themselves through the razor wire and tumbled across the asphalt and grass.
“When is this going to end?” Meredith shouted and jammed a fresh magazine into her rifle.
Dom reloaded and resumed firing, the crack of his rifle the only answer he could offer.
Weapons bristled from the windows in the buildings as soldiers took shots at the Skulls. More men and women fell back toward the commissary. But some weren’t fast enough. A trio of Skulls broke through the wall of gunfire. Bullets smashed into the pavement and punched into the parked sedans and Humvees around them. Dom watched in horror. The beasts clawed and bit at the soldiers bravely defending their posts.
While the creatures rushed the buildings to the east, several dozen more rushed toward Dom’s position. The rattle of the M240 suddenly ceased.
“What the hell’s going on?” Jackson yelled.
Without the encumbering machine gun fire, the Skulls charged almost unhindered.
“Jam!” The private moved the safety forward, pulled up the cocking handle, and then returned it. He clicked the safety again before checking the feed pawl assembly then the feed tray. “Found it.”
He fixed the ammo belt as he cleared the jam and replaced the cover assembly. He pulled the cocking handle again and rode the bolt forward. The M240 burst to life, and a hail of bullets smashed against the oncoming Skulls.
But it was too late. They’d already gained too much ground.
“We’ve got to pull back,” Dom said.
Jackson cursed and stood, picking off the closest Skulls.
They retreated to the jeep. Dom threw himself in and helped Meredith after him. The private jumped into the driver’s seat, and the engine rumbled to life. The tires kicked up sod when they shot forward.
Jackson barked into his handheld radio. “All units are retreating from the breach. Warn everyone to stay indoors and out of sight. Repeat, everyone who is unarmed must stay indoors and out of sight.”
“Copy that,” another voice replied. Radio chatter accompanied the jeep’s growling engine. They curled onto another street.
From their vantage point, Dom could see the wave of Skulls crashing against the commissary. More Humvees tore down the street behind them and from the opposite side of the base, converging on the monsters. Several Skulls clambered around the building and threw themselves at the doors and windows.
The convoy of Humvees stopped along a ridge overlooking the commissary and fitness center. Soldiers spilled out of the vehicles and took up firing positions. Yet Dom feared these reinforcements wouldn’t be enough. The Skulls ignored the lead pouring down on them and continued their desperate search for a way into the building where fresh, defenseless prey awaited them.
“Where to?” The private asked.
Jackson surveyed the scene with his binos. The rattle of mounted machine guns and rifles echoed over the base. Even as Skulls fell, more seemed to take their place. A pair escaped the masses and climbed the side of the fitness center. They started heaving themselves into a skylight. A sharpshooter picked them off, but more scaled the building, whipped into a frenzy.
“The gymnasium,” Dom said. “If we can’t stop these things, we’ve got to get everyone the hell out of there.”
More Skulls climbed to the top of the fitness center. Bullets smashed into the side of the building, and another voice yelled over Jackson’s radio. “We’ve got friendlies in there. Watch your fire.”
The soldiers took more careful shots, and the gunfire slowed. Their caution allowed the Skulls to continue their assault almost unimpeded.
“There’s an entrance on the east side of the fitness center,” Jackson said. “I’ve got a visual of Skulls on top and around the south and west, but fewer contacts on the east. We make our move there.” He slapped the dash of the jeep. “Let’s go!”
“Yes, sir!” The private slammed the gas pedal. They jolted forward and wound between the other forces converging on the area. Jackson barked into the radio to call all available personnel carriers to position themselves behind the building.
As they drew closer to the fitness facility, the unmistakable shatter of breaking glass pierced the din.
Another voice broke over the radio. “Hostiles have broken a skylight. They’ve breached the shelter!”
-3-
Kara’s pulse raced as rapidly as the automatic gunfire outside. Two of the medics paused their work in the triage center. Their radios sprang to life with a bevy of voices. Even across the noisy room, Kara could hear the alarm and desperation in the orders transmitted across the radios. Three soldiers rushed to the doors of the gym. They clicked the heavy locks shut.
“What’s going on?” Sadie asked. Kara’s sister was sitting upright in her cot, Maggie at her feet. The dog cocked her head, her ears perked as if she too were asking the same question.
“I don’t know,” Kara said.
Seated on a neighboring cot, Nina Weaver hugged her children closer. Only a dozen soldiers were in the fitness facility, and they took positions near each of the four entrances. Several waited on the running track that overlooked the gym from the second floor.
The gunfire outside grew louder until the sound of bulle
ts pinging against the side of the building reverberated in the large room. Whatever was happening, it was getting closer.
Kara’s blood ran cold when she heard scratching above. She stared at a skylight in the gymnasium’s roof. The silhouette of a clawed figure, spikes along its back, appeared against the glass, clawing at it until its head exploded and its body went slack.
Skulls.
The creatures were in the base.
Sadie grabbed Kara’s arm. Her face had gone pale. “Don’t let them...”
Her voice trailed off. All around, wailing children clung to their parents, while the adults, exhausted and fearful, stared up at the roof.
Another creature crashed into the skylight above. Bullets tore into its flesh, and it lay still across the glass, its shadow looming across the people below.
“Come with me,” Kara said to her sister. Sadie nodded and grabbed Maggie’s collar. “Let’s find Miguel.”
Nina, her arms around her two children, got to her feet. “Do you see the Hunters?”
Nina and Kara stood on tiptoes. Kara tried to remain calm while they scanned the crowd. The last time she had seen the Hunters, they’d been working beside the nurses and medics to administer the chelation treatment Lauren had developed aboard the Huntress. The therapy seemed to be working on the people here, but it wouldn’t matter anymore if the Skulls were given free rein in the gym.
She spotted a man with a ruddy complexion decked out in black combat fatigues. “Miguel!”
Miguel waved and rushed through the crowd to them. “Good to see you all are okay.” He patted Maggie’s head and then led them between cots filled with the wounded to the rest of the Hunters. Kara silently repeated their names, forcing herself to remember the people she’d only just met. There was Hector Ko with his sharp jaw and his characteristic intense expression. And Renee. Dom had told her Renee was a former gymnast and fellow CIA operative.
Kara and Sadie made their way to Eric’s cot. His arm was in a sling, and his face was still scrunched in lingering pain. He and his girlfriend Shauna had been saved by Meredith while hiking the Appalachian Trail. Shauna now stood by Eric, and Renee sat on the edge of a cot next to her. An IV tube led to Renee’s left arm. Bandages covered half her face and her left arm, but there was still a hard, determined look in her eyes.
Hector greeted the group. “I got word from one of the Army guys that the Skulls breached one of the south gates. Something riled them up, and the defensive units couldn’t beat back the surge.”
More gunfire boomed outside the building, emphasizing Hector’s claim.
Another two Skulls began beating on the skylights. More screams erupted from the crowd. Sadie gasped, but she didn’t cry out.
Kara gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “We’re going to be okay.”
“You know how to use a gun, right?” Miguel asked her.
Kara nodded. Thoughts of the Skulls she’d been forced to kill swam through her mind. She had hunted with her father before and had logged plenty of time at the gun range. But the Skulls had provided ample opportunity to use those skills in a manner Kara had never imagined. Aiming a firearm at a person was not something that felt good or natural to her, but the Skulls had given her no choice.
“She most definitely does, man,” Eric said. “That’s how she saved our asses.”
Miguel unholstered his pistol. “This thing has a bit of a kick. You’ve used a handgun before?”
“I can handle it,” Kara said.
Miguel narrowed his eyes.
“Come on,” Renee said. “She’s Dom’s daughter. That’s good enough for me.”
“All right. We’re desperate here.” Miguel showed her how to chamber a round and change the magazine. “If shit goes down, I can trust you to use this rationally, right?”
“I promise.” Kara took the handgun.
“I don’t want your father to be pissed at me for giving you this.”
“Got it.”
“And watch your fire. This placed is filled with people.”
“I know, I know.” Kara held the gun at her side. She wanted to help these people. The last thing she would do was heedlessly risk their lives. “I won’t take a single shot unless absolutely necessary, and only if I know I’m completely in the clear.”
More gunfire sounded off outside. Several more Skulls clawed at the skylight.
“Here’s the thing, if our Army friends can’t hold these assholes off out there and they start dropping in on us, this is going to be a bloodbath,” Hector said. “We need clear firing lanes, and we need the people somewhere we can secure easier.”
“All right, see if we can get some help doing that,” Miguel said.
Hector nodded and ran toward the nearest soldier with a radio. The conversation was brief, but the soldier seemed to agree with Hector’s assessment. He spoke into the radio, and the soldiers started massing people near the locker room doors leading into the gymnasium.
“Sounds like the Army’s getting vehicles in position for us to exit out the east side of the building,” Hector said when he returned to the group. He raised his voice to be heard over the din of gunfire outside and panicked voices inside. “They’re going to try and route these bastards, or at least distract them so we—”
The clatter of breaking glass exploded from above, and shards rained down from one of the skylights.
Kara stepped in front of Sadie to put herself between her sister and the busted skylight. Two Skulls fell and smashed against the polished wood floor. Their bodies crumpled with a sickening thud. More yells and cries from the civilians filled the room.
Hector and Miguel strode toward the fallen Skulls. The soldiers on the running track aimed their rifles. One of the Skulls grunted and raised its torso, pushing itself up with one twisted hand. It wore the dirty green scrubs of a nurse or doctor. But the creature no longer had any interest in saving lives. Hector ended the creature with a single shot to its head. The second made no movement. Kara figured it had died on impact.
A third and fourth landed on the others. The Skulls both picked themselves up. Mangled and broken limbs didn’t seem to dissuade them from pursuing their prey. As they limped forward, Miguel and Hector again took careful shots to put them down.
Three more fell from the broken skylight. Two of the soldiers nearest the creatures’ landing point shot enough rounds into the beasts to keep them down before they recovered. Everything in the gymnasium quieted for a moment. No other Skulls dropped from the ceiling. Sadie’s fingers gripped the back of Kara’s arm.
“We’re going to be okay,” Kara said.
Gunfire erupted outside, louder than before. As if someone had turned a faucet on full blast, Skulls poured through the broken skylight. The sheltered civilians’ voices cried out, almost drowning out the sound of battle. Kara’s hand trembled as she held the handgun. She watched Miguel and Hector lead the efforts to quell the incursion. Even Renee fired her SCAR into the pile of Skulls despite the IV tube still attached to her arm.
One of the Skulls ducked under the gunfire and charged toward the civilians. A braid of matted brown hair whipped behind its head while it ran. The soldiers ceased their firing, too afraid of hitting the people they were trying to protect. Kara sprinted at the Skull, desperate to intercept it. She unlocked her handgun’s safety as she ran. Maggie started to bound after her until Sadie grabbed the dog’s collar.
Throwing herself between the crowd and the Skull, Kara fired her handgun. The recoil sent the weapon high and shook her arms. The shot went wide, blasting a small hole in the cinder-block wall, and the Skull let out a shrill howl. It lunged, claws cutting the air.
Kara steadied herself and fired again. Ready for the recoil, she readjusted and let off a second and third round. This time, she hit her mark. The Skull twisted and fell with freshly formed holes in its face and shoulder. With no time to celebrate, Kara spun and fired at the next Skull bounding from the center of the gym. It slumped, and momentum carried its muta
ted body forward.
Miguel ran to her side. Hector and Renee stood in front of people too injured to leave their cots. With no civilians in their firing lanes, Miguel and Kara let loose.
“I got left,” Kara said and aimed at one of two Skulls running on busted ankles.
Miguel nodded. He played his muzzle across the other. The creatures fell under Kara’s and Miguel’s fire. The soldiers on the overhead running track sprayed the mass of Skulls in the center of the gymnasium floor, and the Hunters picked off any Skulls that escaped the onslaught.
Kara’s slide clicked back, and she changed to a fresh magazine. Her ears rang, muddling the intermingling sounds of enclosed gunfire and the shrieks of those she strove to protect. Each time a Skull charged and she brought it down, she grew more comfortable with her borrowed weapon, adapting quickly to its iron sights and weight.
It seemed as though the flow of Skulls was dwindling to a trickle. She glanced across the room to ensure Sadie was still safe. Her sister was kneeling behind Renee and Hector with an arm draped across Maggie. Shauna was reloading a pistol she’d been borrowing since their initial trip to Detrick, while Eric stood behind her with his arm in a sling.
Maybe it was the ringing in her ears, but it seemed to Kara that the gunfire outside had lessened. Maybe the Army had actually regained control of the base. The hot ball of adrenaline burning in her chest kept her heart racing, but a slow tingling crept through her—a spreading sense of victory. She rubbed her ears, and her hearing settled.
“Nice shooting,” Miguel said. “Tell your dad I’ve found a replacement for him on the team.”
A smile spread across her face, but it quickly dissipated when she surveyed the faces of the others behind them. Most huddled with loved ones, eyes wide, brimming with tears. Others stood frozen by shock.
Kara shuddered and strode toward Sadie to make sure she was all right. But thoughts of her own mental health flooded her mind. She recalled the first time she’d killed one of these so-called Skulls, just days ago. The guilt was overwhelming, and her stomach twisted into a painful knot as she realized how many she’d ended since then.
The Tide: Breakwater (Tide Series Book 2) Page 2