by W. J. Lundy
He heard the sounds of an M2 machine gun thumping, rounds ripping overhead, and an MK19 barking as it fired grenades at the masses. Brad crept his head up and saw the Primals being ripped apart as they were turning to face a new enemy. They fell backwards in a wave as a large, olive green eight wheeled Light Armored Vehicle tore through the mob, crushing them under its tires and easily knocking disabled cars aside. Two more LAV-Strykers rolled forward, blasting away with their M2 machine guns, as the third launched projectiles from its MK19. The Strykers rolled past the truck, shielding the men.
The lead vehicle launched a rapid burst from the MK19 and destroyed the parked SUVs. A ramp dropped from one of the vehicles and a troop of men dressed in army combat uniforms rushed out, firing and providing security. They grabbed Brad and Sean and dragged them back to the Stryker. The crew piled back in and the ramp closed. The heavy vehicle rocked and crunched as it backed into cars in and attempt at a three-point-turn. A medic piled over Sean, cutting away his vest and shirt to work on his wound. For the first time, Brad saw that Brooks was on board. He was assisting the medic, sticking an IV needle into Sean’s arm. Brad fell back in his seat as the Stryker crunched over a vehicle as it raced down the road. He looked around the cabin into the solemn faces of helmeted and goggled men.
“How?” Brad mumbled.
A soldier wearing captain’s bars on his Kevlar helmet sitting in a seat across from Brad leaned forward. “We found your people up the road,” he yelled speaking over the noise of the engines. “Are you hurt, Sergeant?” the captain asked pointing at Brad’s face.
Brad touched the side of his face feeling the bloody cuts where the bits of SAW cut into him. “Oh, my rifle exploded,” he mumbled, causing the other soldiers around him to chuckle. Brad looked at them uneasily. “Where did you come from?”
“We’re out of Combat Outpost Savannah. What’s left of the 3rd Infantry Division, 75th Rangers, even have some Jarheads we picked up near Paris Island. Sounds like you folks had a hell of a party last night. Scouts heard the ruckus; we decided to send a patrol up the road and ran into your friends—damn, your friends are persistent, we normally don’t patrol this far up the highway.”
EPILOGUE
He walked alone down the long hallway and past the reception desk. The lights were dim; the base was running solely on diesel generators and some solar cells. Windows were open, allowing a cool breeze to flow though the hallways. Brad made his way to a closed door and compared the number above it to one written on a scrap of yellow paper.
He looked down at his fresh boots and new uniform and knocked at the door. He put his hand to the knob and pressed it open to find a man with a heavily bandaged chest and an arm hooked to machines. Sleeping in a chair by his side was Ella, curled in a ball under a thick blanket. Brad turned when he saw Chelsea jump to her feet and rush across the room to hug him.
“I heard you were back. How is Chief?” she asked, letting go and backing away. “Please have a seat,” she said motioning to a set of chairs. Brad walked across the room and sat by a window, Chelsea sitting next to him.
“He’s good, Chelsea. The Doc said he should be back up in no time. How are they?” Brad said indicating Shane.
“Doing good, considering… she was only bruised up in the car accident. Good food and water and she’s finally putting on some weight. Shane was hurt bad, lost a lot of blood; he will lose mobility in the arm, but he’s tough. He’ll pull through,” she said looking at Shane. “We gave the doctors the satchel; they’ll make sure the information on Ella gets to the right people.”
“That’s great,” Brad said, staring ahead.
“Who were they, Brad?” Chelsea asked, “Howard, the men in black, all of them?”
Brad shook his head and sighed. “I don’t know, but if the people here do, they aren’t telling us. Sean is determined to get to the bottom of it; he’ll find out. They have no records of a Doctor Howard,” Brad said, pausing. “Yeah, and Meyers has been relaying messages to Sumter via the sub. Kelli and the others are doing great. The Army has been able to resupply the fort and bring some of the survivors back here. We should be able to go there soon.”
Chelsea looked at Brad and touched his hand. “I’m not leaving, Brad. I’ll be staying here.”
“Oh… yeah, you should do that. They could use your help here, with the generators and…,” Brad paused then got to his feet. “You know, I should go; Sean and Brooks are waiting for me in the lobby, we have things to do.” He stepped quickly to the door. Chelsea stood and grabbed his arm, stopping him. Brad turned around facing her.
“You could stay too,” she said, looking him in the eye.
Brad shook his head. “You know I can’t.”
Chelsea clenched her jaw and looked away, not speaking. Brad hugged her tight and then turned to leave the room, closing the door behind him. He couldn’t stay; he still had men in the desert.
Thank You for Reading
If you have an opportunity Please leave a review on Amazon
Lundy W. J. (2014-05-01).
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: Volume V
*******
ALL NEW FROM WJ LUNDY
THE DARKNESS
The Darkness is a fast paced story of survival that brings the apocalypse to Main Street USA.
While the world falls apart Jacob Anderson barricades his family behind locked doors. News reports tell of civil unrest in the streets, murders, disappearances, citizens are warned to remain indoors.
When Jacob becomes witness to horrible events and the alarming actions of his neighbors, he and his family realize everything is far worse than being reported.
Every Father's nightmare comes true as Jacob's normal life, and a promise to protect his family is torn apart.
From the Best Selling Author of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot comes a new telling of Armageddon.
March 2015
http://amzn.com/B00QQIF93I
Thank You for Reading
If you have an opportunity Please leave a review on Amazon
Lundy W. J. (2014-05-01).
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: Volume V
W. J. Lundy is a still serving Veteran of the U.S. Military with service in Afghanistan. He has over 14 years of combined service with the Army and Navy in Europe, the Balkans and Southwest Asia. Visit him on Facebook for more.
OTHER WORKS BY WJ LUNDY
SIXTH CYCLE
Nuclear war has destroyed human civilization.
Captain Jake Phillips wakes into a dangerous new world, where he finds the remaining fragments of the population living in a series of strongholds, connected across the country. Uneasy alliances have maintained their safety, but things are about to change. -- Discovery leads to danger. -- Skye Reed, a tracker from the Omega stronghold, uncovers a threat that could spell the end for their fragile society. With friends and enemies revealing truths about the past, she will need to decide who to trust. -- Sixth Cycle is a gritty post-apocalyptic story of survival and adventure.
Darren Wearmouth ~ Carl Sinclair
DEAD ISLAND: Operation Zulu
Ten years after the world was nearly brought to its knees by a zombie Armageddon, there is a race for the antidote! On a remote Caribbean island, surrounded by a horde of hungry living dead, a team of American and Australian commandos must rescue the Antidotes' scientist. Filled with zombies, guns, Russian bad guys, shady government types, serial killers and elevator muzak. Dead Island is an action packed blood soaked horror adventure.
Allen Gamboa
INVASION OF THE DEAD SERIES
This is the first book in a series of nine, about an ordinary bunch of friends, and their plight to survive an apocalypse in Australia. -- Deep beneath defense headquarters in the Australian Capital Territory, the last ranking Army chief and a brilliant scientist struggle with answers to the collapse of the world, and the aftermath of an unprecedented virus. Is it a natural mutation, or does the infection contain -- more sinister roots? -- One hundred and fifty miles away, five
friends returning from a month-long camping trip slowly discover that death has swept through the country. What greets them in a gradual revelation is an enemy beyond compare. -- Armed with dwindling ammunition, the friends must overcome their disagreements, utilize their individual skills, and face unimaginable horrors as they battle to reach their hometown...
Owen Ballie
SPLINTER
For close to a thousand years they waited, waited for the old knowledge to fade away into the mists of myth. They waited for a re-birth of the time of legend for the time when demons ruled and man was the fodder upon which they fed. They waited for the time when the old gods die and something new was anxious to take their place. A young couple was all that stood between humanity and annihilation. Ill equipped and shocked by the horrors thrust upon them they would fight in the only way they knew how, tooth and nail. Would they be enough to prevent the creation of the feasting hordes? Were they alone able to stand against evil banished from hell? Would the horsemen ride when humanity failed? The earth would rue the day a splinter group set up shop in Cold Spring.
H. J. Harry
