Read Online Only the Dead Live Forever by W. J. Lundy - Free Book Online Page B

The men were
moving about, strapping on their armor and prepping their weapons.
    “What’s going on
guys?” Brad asked.
    “We're going
outside. Chief said we’re going to take back the top deck. Good shit, right
Sergeant?” Private Craig quickly answered.
    Brad moved
across the hall and into the lounge. He found Brooks drinking down a bottle of
instant coffee.
    “You have any
more of that?”
    “Sure, help
yourself,” Brooks answered, sliding a couple of packets of the instant coffee
across the table.
    Brad twisted the
cap off a bottle of water and emptied the packets in. Shaking the bottle, he
watched the liquid change color. “So the guys tell me we’re moving outside
today.”
    “Yup. Chief
wants the deck secured as soon as possible; with the sun shining bright it’s
the best time to take advantage of the momentum we built last night.”
    Brad took a swig
of the bitter, barely warm coffee just as Sean walked in the door from
downstairs.
    “Good morning
sunshine! I see someone decide to sleep in today,” Sean said, moving to take a
seat at the table. “I assume Brooks filled you in on this morning’s mission?”
    Brad nodded as
he yawned and took another long sip from the bottle.
    “You think
you’re up to taking Swanson and a couple of the new guys out on your own? Brooks
and I will pull the other two along. Probably best to leave the fly boys and
civilians to hold the fort.”
    “Works for me; better
if we move as fire teams out on the deck anyhow. When do you want to get
started?”
    “Get your stuff
together. We all meet below in fifteen.” Sean said, smiling.
    Brad tossed his
empty bottle into the trash can and moved back to his cell to prep his gear. The
Marines were up, slapping each other on the backs and getting fired up for
today’s operation. The bravado and camaraderie gave Brad flashbacks to a time
before all of this shit—back to a time when he was running patrols with his own
men. When Brad would get the pre-mission jitters and share in the excitement of
going out.
    Brad suited up
and stepped into the hall just as the last of the men were making their way
down the stairs. He found them assembled in the first floor lounge around the
pool table. Sean had a fire emergency escape map of the platform laid out on
the table. He had the three exits to the lower decks circled in red, and big X’s
drawn through the doorways leading into the other two structures.
    Sean looked across
the table at Swanson and the group of Marines. “We’re going to sweep and clear
the outside. Corporal, I want you to pick two of your Marines and join Sergeant
Thompson,” Sean said.
    “No problem, Chief,”
she quickly replied back. “Wilson? You and Craig are with me.”
    “Okay good. Captain,
I want you and the civilians to hold this position. Nobody gets in or out while
we are outside. Be ready to open the doors in a hurry.”
    “Understood,
Chief,” Bradley answered.
    “Brooks and I
will form the second fire team with you two then,” Sean said, pointing across
at Walkens and Nelson, who nodded back in acknowledgement. “Gentleman, this is
going to take a while but we’re not going to be rushed. Time is one thing we
have plenty of.”
    Sean broke down
the rest of the plan to secure the third deck. They needed to first barricade
the main stairway going down to the second deck. Then they would cut the
remaining two ladders that led below to ensure that nothing could sneak up
them. When they were sure that all ingress and egress routes were secured, they
would work on clearing the final two structures.
    “If everything
goes as planned, maybe we’ll have lights and running water tonight,” Sean
joked. “Let’s gear up and be ready to step out in five mikes.”
    ***
    Brad was stacked
against the exit door, looking at his team. “Let keep this simple, guys. Maintain
eye contact with one another and cover your sectors. Don’t go pointing your
weapons at your buddies. If we make contact, listen to the