“Southwest tower, clarify. Movement, motorized or not?”
“Negative on motorized. We think it’s foot traffic, but it’s tough to tell. It might just be something in our goggles screwing up.”
“Base command to southeast and northeast towers. Can either of you get a line of sight on what the southwest tower is reporting?”
Estes listened as both other fire teams replied in the negative. No line of sight.
“Perkins, it’s Estes, do you have a radio?”
A brief pause of silence was interrupted by the sound of an aggravated voice held too far away from the microphone.
“Yeah boss, I heard. I’m working on it. Give me five minutes more to cool it down, and then I should be able to flip it on for a least a few minutes before it overheats and crashes again.”
Estes acknowledged Perkins, and then caught the wave of Sergeant Keene’s hand.
“You might want to consider sending the night vision goggles from the northeast fire team down to the southwest until the thermal comes back on.”
Estes nodded and gave a quick thumbs up to Keene as he relayed that directive. No sooner had his orders been acknowledged when an unfamiliar voice came across the radio.
“Delta Green Halo, Delta Green Halo, this is Scorpion Flight Two inbound, ETA three minutes, can you confirm accessibility to LZ?”
Scorpion Flight Two was the call sign of Major Larrabee’s helicopter. It was about time, Estes thought. He nodded toward Keene, who keyed his own radio in response.
“Scorpion Flight Two, this is Delta Green Halo, affirmative on the LZ. It will be a tight squeeze and you’ll need your own landing lights, but you can make it once we give you clearance. Recommend you hold above station upon arrival until we confirm or contain a potentially hostile situation.”
“Roger that, Scorpion Flight Two inbound, ETA two minutes, will hold above LZ and wait for final clearance.”
“I think this conversation is going to have to take a backseat for now,” Estes said. Major Sullivan, Sergeant Keene and Corporal Henry all nodded in agreement as they stood. “Let’s see what’s happening outside, and then go welcome Major Larra . . .”
Estes’s words were cut off in midsentence by a frantic call over the radio.
“Southwest tower to base command, we have movement, repeat, inbound people. Oh snap . . . there’s a lot of them!”
Estes, Keene, and Henry sprinted out the door as Estes keyed his radio. “Perkins, give me that thermal now!”
“If I flip it back on before it’s totally cooled off, you’ll only have about a minute until it shuts down again.”
“Do it now—we need to know if they’re infected or not.”
The approaching thump thump thump of the helicopter registered in their ears as the trio ran down the hallway toward the exit.
“Do we have permission to fire? Base command, this is southwest tower, we have multiple targets, do we have permission to fire?”
“Hold one, southwest tower.”
Estes burst through the door that led into the fenced parking lot they were using as a combination vehicle and supply storage area, and helipad. Rotating left, he dashed toward the Hummer that contained PFC Perkins, and hopefully, a working thermal sight. Five seconds later he entered the vehicle in question, just in time to hear the high pitched, whining hum of the thermal view screen coming on. Estes had used thermal equipment enough to realize that the bright white figures glowing in the phosphorescent video image were abnormally hot. Infected! Estes could see a long, bulbous line stretching from the highway all the way into town. And the line was moving in surges his way.
The rotor wash of the helicopter overhead made Estes look up as he keyed the radio. “Scorpion Flight Two, this is Delta Green Halo. Negative on landing, repeat, negative on landing. Hostiles inbound. Base command to all fire teams, I want a fighting retreat to northwest wing. Conserve your ammo and prepare to evacuate.”
The electronic crackle of the thermal sight clicking off coincided with the chatter of gunfire erupting from the roof of the school. Estes slid out of the Hummer’s front seat, immediately followed by Perkins. A brilliant searchlight emanating from the hovering helicopter lit up the roadway, revealing an undulating chain of gray skinned walkers almost upon them. Flitting on the fringes of the line, fast moving shapes disappeared into the shadows.
Estes keyed his radio again. “All support teams, gather up the civilians and get to the transports immediately, repeat, all support teams, gather up all personnel, civilians and military, and report to the trucks immediately.”
From above, luminous tracers accompanied the roar of the twin miniguns as the Black Hawk tore into the line of infected. Estes, Keene, Perkins and Henry shifted to the left and crouched near the open door of the parked M113 as a wave of ashen figures poured against the chain link fence surrounding the supply area. Raising the radio to his lips, Estes was about reissue the order to evacuate when his eyes caught the glimmer of headlights cresting the low hill behind the school. Confusion quickly turned to alarm as the heavy, rapid-fire THRACK THRACK THRACK THRACK of the 25 millimeter cannons from the missing Bradleys poured their fire into the hovering Black Hawk. At that range they couldn’t miss, and the helicopter blazed like a meteor for a brief second before dropping like a rock toward the school.
Look for Darkness Ascending, book two of the Fade to Grey trilogy, available soon!
Dictionary
10/22 A .22 caliber, semiautomatic rifle made by Ruger. Shipped from the factory with a 10 round magazine, the gun is available in multiple finishes. Aftermarket items are extremely prevalent for this well liked rimfire weapon. Folding stocks, extended capacity magazines, custom triggers, barrels and much more are manufactured specifically for this firearm. Extremely durable and field tested for many years, it is probably the most popular semiautomatic .22 in the world.
11-87 Semiautomatic shotgun manufactured by Remington. Available in a wide range of configurations and gauges, it is exceedingly popular with American sportsman.
AED Automatic External Defibrillator. Small, portable heart defibrillator designed to analyze irregular heart rhythms in cardiac patients, providing an electric shock to correct them in many cases.
ACOG Advanced Combat Optical Gun Sight. Internally illuminated telescopic sight often used on top of military rifles. Manufactured in the United States by Trijicon.
AK-47 Soviet bloc main battle rifle. 7.62 mm. The AK-47 was the primary rifle issued to communist forces throughout its history. Military versions are generally selective fire weapons, capable of fully automatic functioning if required. Civilian versions are usually semiautomatic capable only. The AK-47 is legendary for its durability.
AO Area of Operations.
APC Armored Personnel Carrier. Military vehicles designed primarily to safely transport infantry in combat conditions. Manufactured in a bewildering variety of configurations. The American M113 and its variants are currently in service worldwide. Most versions are equipped with a light machine gun for defense.
AR 15 Civilian version of the M4. Mistakenly called “assault rifles”, they are limited to semiautomatic firing only. Highly popular for competition shooting. Manufactured by many different companies. A wide variety of aftermarket components and upgrades are available for the AR 15.
BOB A small, backpack type survival kit usually containing enough food, water and basic supplies that would enable someone to survive for a short period in emergency situations. BOB stands for “bug out bag.” Several other acronyms are equally applied. GHB, “get home bag,” and GOOD, “get out of dodge,” are two of the more common.
BRADLEY American made infantry fighting vehicle. Lightly armored and modular in design, it is capable of being equipped in both anti-personnel and anti-armor rolls. Most versions carry a crew of three, and up to six fully outfitted soldiers. The M2A3 Bradley is the most recent variant
CDC Center for Disease Control and Prevention. United States federal agency located
in Atlanta, Georgia that is dedicated to protecting public health and safety. The CDC is heavily involved in research on pathogens that can possibly affect the public health sector.
Colt Mustang A scaled down version of the classic 1911 45 caliber GI semiautomatic handgun. Available in 380 caliber, its small size makes it a favorite for concealed carry.
CZ Initials given to a line of weapons produced by Česká Zbrojovka, a manufacturer located in the Czech Republic. Renowned for their accuracy and durability, CZ firearms are extremely popular in many parts of the world. Eric’s duty weapon is a CZ-75 SP01 tactical model chambered for 9mm.
DHS Department of Homeland Security. Federal Agency created in response to the 9-11 terrorist attacks. Broad reaching powers and limited governmental oversight have enabled the DHS to virtually take over many agencies and systems whenever they desire.
DOD Department of Defense. Headquartered at the Pentagon, the Department of Defense is responsible for coordinating all agencies of the United States government dealing with national defense.
DMZ Demilitarized Zone. A narrow strip of land separating North and South Korea. Approximately 160 miles long and 2 miles wide, its name is a misnomer as it has one of the highest concentrations of military buildup in the world.
Gator Utility vehicle manufactured by John Deere. Constructed in both gas and diesel models, two and four wheel drive, and available with either four or six wheels. Most models have a cargo bed for hauling loads.
GMRS General Mobile Radio Service. U. H.F., (ultra high frequency) FM (frequency modulation) radio service primarily used for short range two way communications. Line of sight usually limits transmission ranges to under three miles in flat terrain, usually much less in hilly or mountainous areas. Elevated antennas and repeaters can increase ranges to over thirty miles in certain situations.
Glock Polymer framed semiautomatic pistols designed in Austria. In use worldwide as the primary sidearm for many police officers and military personnel. Famous for their reliability, they are available in many common handgun calibers.
HS Homeland Security. Abbreviated acronym for DHS.
M 240 7.62 caliber belt-fed gas operated machine gun. Heavily used by infantry forces, it is also highly adaptable for mounting on different platforms. Currently manufactured for U.S. forces by FN Manufacturing.
M35A3 A medium duty military truck in the 2½ ton weight class, often referred to by its derived nickname as the "deuce and a half." Capable of serving in many different roles, the M35A3 is the newest incarnation of the classic troop truck.
M4 A gas operated, select fire weapon currently issued to United States and other countries’ military forces as a main battle rifle. 5.56 caliber, it is a direct, and refined descendant of the Vietnam era M16.
Mossberg 590 A 12 gauge pump action shotgun capable of holding up to nine rounds. Frequently used by law enforcement or special forces teams for close quarters combat. Available in a wide variety of configurations and finishes.
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization. International alliance of 28 member states based in Brussels, Belgium. Members agree to a collaboration of military defense if outside forces attack. Recent worldwide political upheaval has resulted in accusations that NATO forces are being transitioned to a role of global police.
NBC Nuclear, Biological, Chemical.
Quark AA High quality LED flashlight power by two AA batteries. Waterproof and shockproof, this small light is machined out of aircraft grade aluminum. Fully adjustable in intensity, it can produce up to 210 lumens of light at its max setting.
Remington 870 A pump action shotgun available in many different gauges and styles. Popular for hunting, trap shooting and other sporting uses, they are also offered in designs geared for home defense or law enforcement purposes.
RTB Return To Base.
Ruger Mark III 22 caliber, 10 shot semiautomatic pistol produced by Ruger. Renowned for accuracy and durability, these pistols are often used in competition.
SIG Acronym for Schweizerische Industriegesellschaft or Swiss Industrial Company. SIG Sauer is a manufacturer of firearms with German and Swiss origins. The United States division is located in New Hampshire, and produces many varieties of rifles and pistols, primarily used by military special forces and law enforcement agencies. Records indicate approximately one third of United States local, regional, state and federal police departments are equiped with SIG manufactured sidearms.
Smith and Wesson M&P A line of weapons manufactured by Smith and Wesson originally designed for use by “Military” units and “Police” departments in the United States. Available in both rifle and pistol configurations and a wide variety of calibers.
Springfield Armory A large firearm manufacturer located in Illinois. They produce many different types of weapons, including custom built models.
TOPO Topographical maps, usually provided by the USGS (United States Geological Survey) that show terrain and elevation changes. Previously available in paper copy only, they’re now commonly found downloadable in electronic formats.
UPS Uninterruptible Power Supply. Battery backup power often used on computers and other sensitive electronic equipment to allow safe shutdown in the event of a power failure. Larger capacity UPS’s can provide for extended run times when no AC Power is present.
USAMRIID United States Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases. Military facility located at Fort Dietrich in Frederick, Maryland. Dedicated to research for defense against biological warfare threats, it has often been speculated that they are involved in the creation of biological weapons as well.
USFW United States Fish and Wildlife.
WCO Wildlife Conservation Officer. Locally known as game wardens, wildlife officers, wildlife troopers or conservation officers.
Winchester model 70 Bolt action rifle manufactured in New Haven, Connecticut, primarily by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Exceedingly popular with sportsman, the model 70 has been chambered in over two dozen different calibers. Models produced before 1964 have a higher collector value due to perceived manufacturing quality.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Dictionary
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