Read Online Extinction by Kyle West - Free Book Online Page B

little avail. There were so many monsters that it would only be a matter of minutes before they broke through – if they hadn’t already. Three Behemoths clobbered a northern section of palisade near the interior farms. One of the giants fell under a barrage of machine-gun fire from a turret in a nearby watchtower. The fallen Behemoth was replaced by another.
    On the southern section, the crawlers were so thick that they were piling up. The ones at the top leaped madly, trying to gain a foothold on the ramparts.
    There was no way we could rescue everyone inside.
    “We’re not going in there,” Augustus said. “It’s madness.”
    Ashton hovered a moment above the walls.
    “We could at least make a dent in their numbers.”
    Ashton swiveled, pointing Perseus toward the main body of the swarm.
    “Anna, fire in 3...2...1...”
    A missile streaked from beneath Perseus’s hull. In a couple of seconds, it connected with the ground, bursting into bright, fiery plumes. The remains of monsters blasted outward.
    There were thousands of them down there. My heart sank at the sight. There was no way we could survive this coming storm once it made it to Los Angeles.
    “Look to starboard!” Anna said.
    Ashton angled the ship slightly, to see the final nail in the coffin coming in the form of at least twelve xenodragons. They flew from the east in a wide V. They were still distant, little larger than specks on the horizon, but they would be upon us in minutes.
    “We have to get them out quickly,” Ashton said. “Sparks, cover me. I’m landing inside.”
    “No,” Augustus said, answering for his pilot. “You’re going to get yourself killed. We must retreat to Los Angeles.”
    “Our friends are down there, and I’ll be damned if I’m leaving them behind. Go back to Los Angeles if you like. This is something we have to do.”
    Augustus growled, but didn’t argue further. Orion remained hovering behind us, seemingly indecisive.
    “Fine,” Augustus spat. “We’ll distract those monsters while you land. But we aren’t fighting those dragons for you. You’re on your own for those.”
    At that moment, two missiles shot out from Orion , igniting near the crater where Perseus’s missiles had connected. A trail of bullets riddled the battlefield, tearing into the swarm.
    Ashton flew over the eastern wall. Men watched in amazement as we swooped overhead. In the chaos below, I saw no sign of our friends.
    We lowered onto the fields occupying the northern half of the town. We set down, crumpling crops beneath the ship’s landing struts.
    We ran off the bridge, me taking the lead. I pulled out my Beretta, stopping by the armory to see if there were other weapons I could use. I slid the door open, revealing various rifles, handguns, grenades, and body armor.
    I latched a couple of grenades to my belt, also snatching an AR-15 from the gun rack. I checked the magazine for bullets. It was locked and loaded. I already had additional bullets in my pack for when I needed them.
    “Let’s go!” Ashton said, drawing his handgun.
    Anna unsheathed her katana in the wardroom, and pressed the exit button to the blast door. It slid open, letting in a rush of cold, fetid air. I nearly gagged at the smell. The thousands of Blighters outside the walls had made this place smell like a garbage heap.
    We ran down the ramp and into the flattened wheat crop. The fields appeared to be empty of threats.
    That was, until three white eyes stared out from between the stalks.
    The crawler let out a primal scream as it shot forward. I lowered my AR against my shoulder, firing a stream of bullets. The crawler screeched and shuddered as it settled into the grain. Its exoskeleton was coated with purple slime. The insect-like corpse twitched, and even though it was dead, its three eyes blinked open and shut. Anna, with a grunt, buried her blade deep into the crawler’s head in the nape of its neck. Its muscles convulsed before it went slack.
    “We need