Read Online Verge of Extinction (Apex Predator Book 3) by Glyn Gardner - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Glyn Gardner
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explain. He needed Mike to know he really did have his back.
“Jackson,” the older man said softly. “It’s ok. I know.” He slapped a hand on the trooper’s shoulder and smiled.
“Do you two need a moment?” SSgt Brown interrupted. “Maybe you guys need one of these empty rooms?” They didn’t laugh at his joke, but they got the point. Jackson and Josiah led the way to the stairwell.
The door was at the end of the hallway and opened inwards. Jackson peered over his shoulder at SSgt Brown. The NCO nodded his assent. Jackson pushed the door open a few inches. SSgt Brown cringed as the door squeaked loudly in protest.
Suddenly, there was moaning. Some of I was coming from the direction they had just come from. Some of it was from inside the stairwell. Jackson was the first to react. He shoved his shoulder into the door, slamming the back of the door against something soft. Zombie! His brain warned.
“Got one behind the door,” he announced in a not so quiet whisper. Josiah slid past him and dispatched the monster with his short sword. The zombie was dressed in flowery pink scrubs. Its long hair pulled back in a pony tail. The sword made a wet crunching sound as it sliced through the zombie’s head, separating the top of its skull from the rest of the body. Black and pink fluid oozed from the zombie’s half-head.
The rest of the team charged into the stairwell, Kerry slamming the door shut behind her. As she had entered, she had seen several zombies rounding a corner at the other end of the hall. One, a young child, had made eye contact with her. She had seen the child-zombie’s mouth open as it began to moan. She pulled the re-dead zombie behind the door. It wouldn’t be much, but maybe it would slow them down long enough to lose interest.
The landing was about eight feet in either direction. The lighting was the same as the rest of the hospital with one exception. The shadows at the bottom of the stairs seemed to be dancing. The moaning and dancing shadows told them all that the stairwell was occupied.
Jackson, Theresa and Mike charged to the first landing, weapons at the ready. Suddenly a zombie tumbled down the stairs, landing at Mike’s feet. Instinctively, he backed away and fired a single round into the zombie’s head.
The moaning grew loader as more zombies added their voices to the chorus of the macabre. Another zombie could be heard tumbling down the stairs. This one stopped with a crunch on one of the landings above them.
“They can’t go down stairs,” Theresa announced. Jackson and Mike looked at her quizzically. “They’re falling.” She could see they didn’t get it. “Just stay here and shoot anything that gets to that landing before me.” With that she charged up the stairs taking them two at a time.
A zombie tumbled onto the landing just as she reached it. Jackson’s rifle fired at the exact instant as her shotgun. The zombie’s head exploded in a hail of lead. “C’mon!” she ordered. “Everyone get up here.” She fired her shotgun up towards the next landing. A lifeless body rolled down the stairs, stopping at her feet. Its dark blood oozing under everyone’s feet.
She and Jackson charged to the next landing as the rest of the team covered them. The landing was the second floor landing. A small group of zombies was pushing its way through the door. Theresa shouldered the shotgun and began rapidly firing it at head height. The zombies dropped almost as one at the shower of lead.
Jackson reached the landing first. The door was still open, held by the bodies of Theresa’s latest victims. A quick glance confirmed how much trouble they were in. The floor was filled with the reanimated corpses of the patients and staff. There must have been at least three dozen zombies in site, and they were all walking towards the stairwell, right at him. “Go!” he
“Jackson,” the older man said softly. “It’s ok. I know.” He slapped a hand on the trooper’s shoulder and smiled.
“Do you two need a moment?” SSgt Brown interrupted. “Maybe you guys need one of these empty rooms?” They didn’t laugh at his joke, but they got the point. Jackson and Josiah led the way to the stairwell.
The door was at the end of the hallway and opened inwards. Jackson peered over his shoulder at SSgt Brown. The NCO nodded his assent. Jackson pushed the door open a few inches. SSgt Brown cringed as the door squeaked loudly in protest.
Suddenly, there was moaning. Some of I was coming from the direction they had just come from. Some of it was from inside the stairwell. Jackson was the first to react. He shoved his shoulder into the door, slamming the back of the door against something soft. Zombie! His brain warned.
“Got one behind the door,” he announced in a not so quiet whisper. Josiah slid past him and dispatched the monster with his short sword. The zombie was dressed in flowery pink scrubs. Its long hair pulled back in a pony tail. The sword made a wet crunching sound as it sliced through the zombie’s head, separating the top of its skull from the rest of the body. Black and pink fluid oozed from the zombie’s half-head.
The rest of the team charged into the stairwell, Kerry slamming the door shut behind her. As she had entered, she had seen several zombies rounding a corner at the other end of the hall. One, a young child, had made eye contact with her. She had seen the child-zombie’s mouth open as it began to moan. She pulled the re-dead zombie behind the door. It wouldn’t be much, but maybe it would slow them down long enough to lose interest.
The landing was about eight feet in either direction. The lighting was the same as the rest of the hospital with one exception. The shadows at the bottom of the stairs seemed to be dancing. The moaning and dancing shadows told them all that the stairwell was occupied.
Jackson, Theresa and Mike charged to the first landing, weapons at the ready. Suddenly a zombie tumbled down the stairs, landing at Mike’s feet. Instinctively, he backed away and fired a single round into the zombie’s head.
The moaning grew loader as more zombies added their voices to the chorus of the macabre. Another zombie could be heard tumbling down the stairs. This one stopped with a crunch on one of the landings above them.
“They can’t go down stairs,” Theresa announced. Jackson and Mike looked at her quizzically. “They’re falling.” She could see they didn’t get it. “Just stay here and shoot anything that gets to that landing before me.” With that she charged up the stairs taking them two at a time.
A zombie tumbled onto the landing just as she reached it. Jackson’s rifle fired at the exact instant as her shotgun. The zombie’s head exploded in a hail of lead. “C’mon!” she ordered. “Everyone get up here.” She fired her shotgun up towards the next landing. A lifeless body rolled down the stairs, stopping at her feet. Its dark blood oozing under everyone’s feet.
She and Jackson charged to the next landing as the rest of the team covered them. The landing was the second floor landing. A small group of zombies was pushing its way through the door. Theresa shouldered the shotgun and began rapidly firing it at head height. The zombies dropped almost as one at the shower of lead.
Jackson reached the landing first. The door was still open, held by the bodies of Theresa’s latest victims. A quick glance confirmed how much trouble they were in. The floor was filled with the reanimated corpses of the patients and staff. There must have been at least three dozen zombies in site, and they were all walking towards the stairwell, right at him. “Go!” he
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