“Let’s go!”

Jameson’s legs vanished through the hatchway as the soldiers fell into line. Maria took lead with Omondi right behind her. The bolt weapon on her back bounced against her hip as she moved and she adjusted the strap one last time before pulling herself onto the roof of the carrier. As she stood and surveyed the area, she was sure she was in hell.

The sunrise filled the sky with deep oranges, reds and pinks, making the clouds appear on fire. The twisted, snarling faces of the Scourge spread out as far as she could see. The sheer number was almost incomprehensible.

“We got a lot of heads to bash,” Jameson said beside her, grinning.

“Yeah,” she answered in an awed voice.

Making her way across the top of the vehicle, she pulled out her binoculars and pointed them in the direction of the gate. As expected, there were less Scourge up by the entrance to the valley, but the creatures from the southwest had compacted into a horde that was heading toward the carrier. Glancing at the display on her helmet visor, she saw it was empty of any new orders. They were truly on their own.

Omondi joined her, standing with his feet apart to keep steady on the rocking carrier. “Getting to the gate is going to take longer than we thought.”

“Oh, yeah,” Maria agreed.

“Why aren’t they calming down?” Jameson asked. “They can see us, right?”

Twisting around, Maria saw that most of the soldiers were now on the roof, weapons ready, trying to stay balanced as the pitching of the carrier grew more violent.

Omondi glowered into the howling faces below him, then at Maria. His dark eyes held an unspoken question and doubt.

The crowd was even more raucous now that the soldiers were visible. The carrier was rocked hard to one side and a few people fell to their knees.

“Sir?” McKinney called out, his face strained behind his visor.

Coleman, at his side, leaned over to stare at the crazed creatures below. “Sir, they’re not identifying us as Scrags, sir!”

Omondi moved so his back was to the soldiers and looked at Maria questioningly. She didn’t know what to say. The Inferi Scourge were out of control below them and the carrier shuddered under their assault.

Again the carrier lurched to one side.

Maria heard a strangled cry.

“Coleman!” Cruz screamed.

“Coleman fell!” Mikado shouted.

There was a mad scramble to grab the fallen soldier. Maria reached the side, falling to her stomach, just in time to see Coleman dragged into the crowd. The outline of his comrades peering down at him was reflected in his visor just before he disappeared under the tumult of gnashing teeth and tearing hands.

“Our helmets! They can’t see our faces!” Maria tore at her helmet clasps, trying to get it off.

Around her the Inferi Boon Special Ops hastily tore off their helmets. Maria leaped got to her feet and faced the crowd. The Scourge below her stared up at her, mouths agape, then started to fall silent.

“Spread out! Let them see you!” Omondi ordered.

Slowly, the Inferi Scourge howls faded as the crowd of undead saw their own kind standing above them. The need to bite and infect was what controlled their violence and as they identified the soldiers as Inferi Scourge, the need dissipated. Maria could literally see it in their faces as their jaws went slack and their gazes dropped. A low moan swept over the crowd.

“We need to get Coleman,” Denman said from behind her. “Do you think it’s safe?”

Together they moved to the spot where Coleman had fallen. Cruz was already there staring in silence at the Scourge clustered around the fallen soldier. Slowly, the Scourge that had attacked Coleman drew upright, falling into their torpor state.

“Mother of God!” Denman exclaimed. He scaled down the side of the carrier and into the crowd.

Maria followed, her hands shaking. She had caught a glimpse of what lay beneath the feet of the now quiet Scourge. Beside her Cruz and Omondi were also climbing to the ground. She dropped the last few feet, knocking aside the now still Scourge. Shoving a few more away, she knelt next to Denman. The gloom was thick near the ground in the shadow of the carrier and the undead. Denman had activated a light on his armor and was examining Coleman.

Examining the pieces of Coleman.

The armor was old and the many sharp fingernails and teeth had managed to rent tears along the seams of his arms and legs. One arm was completely torn from his body, another was a mangled mess. Numerous bites covered each.

Coleman’s mouth was moving, but no words were coming out of his lips. There wasn’t a throat to push air through, no larynx to speak. His neck had been torn open, bits of flesh strewn about his head. His spine was exposed and that was all that connected his body and head.

Omondi swore under his breath. Cruz gasped, but didn’t say anything more. She knelt next to Coleman and rested her hand on his forehead through his shattered visor.

“I can’t save him,” Denman said in a stricken voice, looking at Maria. “Do you understand? He may be able to survive as a Boon, but we can’t fix this. No medicine can put him back together. We can’t resuscitate him like this.”

“We’ll med-pod him back,” Omondi decided.

Denman rose to his feet and shoved a few Scourge out of his way to draw closer to Omondi. “I’m out here to fix wounds that may occur from physical rigors of the job or accidents. Nothing like this was supposed to happen. The SWD was clear on my directives. Any mortal wounds are to be considered fatal. I am supposed euthanize anyone with this sort of massive injury.” He shook his head, agonized over the situation. “Dear God, he’s already dead. If not for being Boon...”

“Is Coleman okay?” a voice called from above.

The soldiers were lined up along the edge of the vehicle attempting to watch. The forest of Scourge standing over Coleman blocked their view.

“No, he’s not,” Denman answered in a bleak voice.

Omondi glared at Denman, his jaw flexing as though he was chewing over the words he was going to speak. He briskly gestured for Cruz to stand back. Shoving Scourge away as she obeyed her commanding officer, Cruz stared at Coleman with sadness in her gaze.

Maria moved to stand at her side. It was a strange relief that she couldn’t cry in this terrible moment. Coleman’s eyes followed her and she averted her gaze.

“Chief Defender Omondi, I need to take care of this now. It’s not right to leave him like this,” Denman persisted.

Omondi’s dark eyes glowered at Denman, then he gave a quick nod. “Do it.”

Falling to his knees, Denman opened the medical kit that hung from his waist. He withdrew what looked like a smaller version of the bolt weapon.

“Coleman, I’m truly sorry,” Denman said softly as the Scourge moaned and swayed around him. With more care than Maria expected, Denman turned Coleman’s head, the last bits of muscle strung across his ruined neck tearing apart. Pressing the weapon against the base of Coleman’s head, Denman hit the trigger. The bolt punched through the soldier’s skull and whirred as the blades inside destroyed Coleman’s brain.

Falling onto his backside, Denman covered his face with his gloved hand. “Oh, Jesus.”

Maria glanced at her wristlet.

Thirty minutes into their mission they had already lost one of their own.

Chapter 16

Jameson drew his weapon, and with anger twisting his young features, slammed his bolt weapon against the skull of one the Scourge and fired. It grunted, its body thrashing, then fell to the ground.

“Sir?” Cruz asked, unsure if she should follow Jameson’s bold action.

“Clear the area around the carrier,” Omondi ordered, his voice gruff as he stared down at Coleman’s broken body.

Weapons drawn, the Inferi Boon Special Ops butchered the creatures surrounding them. The metallic clang of the bolts punching through the Scourge skulls mingled with the moans of the swaying creatures. The Scourge didn’t fight back or even seem aware of the danger around them. The creatures fell all around Maria. Their skulls were a ruined mess of broken bone and mangled brains. The sight was horrific, yet Maria felt emotionally removed from the slaughter. The memory of Ryan being torn away from her by the Scourge buffered her emotions.

The stench was still pungent despite her muted senses. Maria pulled a scarf from her pack and wrapped it around her head and over her nose. Using hooks from their packs, Maria and Mikado dragged the corpses away, heaping them into a pile. Arms and legs covered in decades of filth and dried gore wove together in a knot of death.

McKinney climbed into the carrier and tossed out a body bag. Anger strained his features as he knocked over a few Scourge blocking his way.

“He was fucking terrified to be out here,” McKinney snarled. “I told him it was going to be okay.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s no one’s fault.” Denman snatched up the body bag and carried it over to Coleman’s body.

“We all knew the risks,” Cruz said.

McKinney wagged his lowered head angrily. “Fucking Scrags.”

“Calm it down, McKinney,” Maria ordered.

Cormier patted the big guy on the back, then guided him away from Coleman.