ahead.
This can’t be good.
Jaxon squeezed along the truck slowly while pulling the bayonet from the muzzle of his rifle. Dan pulled out his machete, so I did the same.
Mayhem let out a low growl, and the hair on his back stood straight up.
When I looked around the wall, I was able to get a better look in the truck. There was a still form sitting in the passenger seat. As Jaxon made his way to the passenger window, he reached in with his bayonet and I heard the squish of skin and clunk of breaking bones. When he pulled the blade back through the window, it was covered in thick, black, congealed blood. He wiped the blood onto his pants. It happened so fast. He didn’t hesitate for a second. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the sounds of bones separating.
Jaxon looked back at us, then continued forward.
As I slid by I couldn’t help but look inside. It was an infected strapped in the seat belt. It had been unable to release itself from the belt, but now, slumped over, it was released from the burden of infection. The front windshield was shattered and blood stained the glass.
“Where’s the driver?” I whispered in Dan’s ear.
He looked back at me with a shrug.
Jaxon brought his hands up to his eyes again then pointed ahead. Another infected was sprawled on the ground, slowly dragging itself. Its head was partially crushed, and blood was slowly draining to the sand beneath. We had found the driver. Jaxon motioned for us to stay put as he crept over in a low crouch, head swiveling, scanning the area, and looking out for any others. When he reached the creature, he calmly drove his blade into its skull and rushed back over to us. His movement was so fluid, never missing a beat.
The inside was as small as Jaxon had described. There was one narrow street with five buildings on each side, ending in the emergency exit in the back of the compound. The exit was wide open.
“It looks like they made a getaway out the back gate,” Jaxon said with an air of relief.
“Do you think there’s anyone here?” I asked.
“We’ll find out. If we’re lucky, the infected followed them out and are chasing their dust.” Jaxon motioned us to follow him.
We were standing in what was the parking lot for the base. The guard tower above us appeared empty. We moved along the wall slowly and made our way to the back of the first building where there was an alley separating the buildings from the security wall. Jaxon crept to a low window and used the blade of his bayonet to try and pry it open. Locked. He looked through the window’s frosted pane for movement, and sufficiently sure that nothing was moving, quickly broke the window with the butt of his weapon. He carefully climbed into the window and disappeared. After what felt like an eternity, his hand shot out of the darkness, and I heard him mutter, “Give me your hand, let’s go.”
The broken shards of glass crunched beneath our feet as we entered. Dull red emergency lights lit the room. From the looks of it, we were in the supply room of the Medical Ward. The next room was larger with animal cages lining the walls and aquariums set up on an island in the center. Everything was empty. The room was untouched and still held its sterile smell.
We walked farther into the building, passing offices and smaller labs. Jaxon stopped at a door with a narrow glass window at his eye level. He leaned against the door, and the narrow beam of light from the thin window shone across his face.
“Something happened in there.” Jaxon’s tone was somber, the relief I had sensed before was gone.
“What’s on the other side?” I whispered.
“The main part of this facility. Quarantine rooms, testing rooms, offices. My wife’s office is at the end of the hall.” He turned to us. “Stay close.”
Jaxon barely made a sound when he opened the door. We followed him down the hallway, pausing at each room. The doors were glass with large viewing windows, allowing Jaxon
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