Page 10 of Alpha Infected
“I’m afraid that’s not the only logistical issue you’ll have to deal with. The architect who designed the building went for something a little different than usual with the stairs.”
“How so?” Ice asked.
“Each flight only goes up one floor. You have to cross the length of the floor to get to the steps that go up to the next level. The design is supposed to foster movement and interaction among staff. Unfortunately, that means you won’t have a straight shot up the stairs from floor twenty-nine to thirty-seven. You’ll basically have to zig-zag your way to the top.”
Jax whistled soft and low. “Fight our way through eight floors of super powered, face eating zombies. Sweet Mother Wolf.”
“Don’t forget the three floors we’ll have to pass through to get back to the helo on the roof,” Ice said.
Jax choked on a laugh. “Thanks for pointing that out, Captain.”
“You’re welcome,” Ice dryly replied.
“I don’t know about you all, but this is exactly how I wanted to spend my Halloween weekend,” Hazard joked. “It’ll be like we’re in a real life haunted house.”
Ice huffed a laugh at his mate’s joke. A year ago, he would have been annoyed at the chatter. Now he appreciated the attempt to keep them loose before a dangerous mission.
“Alright, boys. We have all the info we need. Let’s gear up and get after it,” Ortiz said.
The four of them stood. Ice was already mentally shifting intoGomode, his mind clearing, body humming with the urge to take action. But before they could salute the officers and leave, General Stone called their team leader’s name.
“Major Ortiz.”
Ortiz paused to look at him on the monitor. So did everyone else.
“Yes, sir?”
“If anyone on the team is... compromised you will need to eliminate them. Immediately.”
Colonel Gibbs sucked in an audible breath but didn’t speak.
Ortiz clearly didn’t like that order. She crossed her arms over her chest and rocked back on her heels. “The doc said there’s fifteen minutes before the virus takes effect. And once we have the antidote, the infected can be saved.”
“I understand that,” the general agreed with a nod. “But we can’t afford to have one of you turned and attacking the other members of the team. You heard what Burke said. If you’re infected, you won’t have the mental acuity to complete the mission. It is vital that we get this antidote out of ground zero and into the hands of the people who can fix this situation. A compromised member jeopardizes that task. Eliminate anyone bitten.”
Stone’s tone made it clear he expected his order to be followed.
Ice looked to Colonel Gibbs. He appeared as if he wanted to protest, but Brigadier General Stone outranked him.
Ortiz was silent for a long moment before she gave a single, sharp nod. “Understood, General.”
Stone nodded in return. “Good. Don’t fail, 448. Tulsa, and the rest of the country, are counting on you.”
Chapter 4
Saturday, October 29th, 1983.
1830. Thirty-one hours after outbreak.
Downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma
Ice sat in the open doorway of the helo. Thechop chop chopof the spinning ‘copter blades were loud overhead as they took off from Broken Arrow. It would be night soon. The sun, a big orange ball low on the horizon, sank inch by inch as they approached Tulsa.
When they reached the city, Ice stared down at the wreckage on the ground. Dozens of unmoving vehicles filled the streets, doors opened, some sandwiched in multi-car pileups, others crashed into light posts, all abandoned. Dead bodies lay decomposing on the sidewalk, waiting for the coroner to be able to safely move in and collect them.
Infected raced through the streets at inhuman speeds, seeking out their next victim. Armored fighting vehicles slowly patrolled the area, the bullhorns mounted on their rooftops blaring out a warning for all citizens to remain barricaded indoors. Occasionally, soldiers popped out of the AFVs to catch the infected they came across. Each one snarled and fought to evade capture right up until they were shoved into the containment trucks following behind the AFVs. Some were shot and killed when they got too close to overpowering and biting the soldiers trying to capture them.
The scene was an apocalyptic nightmare from high in the sky. It had to be terrifying for everyone down there in the thick of it.
