The Last Mission of the Living (The Last Bastion #2)(17)

“Yeah, but for their own reasons. A soldier running with me took a hit from one of the rifles. I didn’t realize she was down until I took cover, and then I couldn’t get to her. One of the Abscrags took off her glove and bit into her hand.”

“Shit,” Rooney swore.

“They’re making more Abscrags because they want more numbers to their cause. They want into the city.”

“They won’t make it,” Vanguard Rooney replied, her eyes hard.

Torran appreciated her determination. “The two most dangerous ones are in Constabulary uniforms. A white woman and a black man. I heard their names: Alkan and Reese. They’re a lot smarter and faster than the rest. The only really stupid thing they did was take off the helmets of most of the squad to infect them. Which means it’s a lot easier to kill those particular infected. Though, three bullets to the faceplate of a helmet will shatter it.”

Rooney nodded. “Understood. Hobbes, get to the top of this structure. Giacomi, watch our backs. Franklin, join Hobbes. You’re our best sniper. MacDonald, you’re with me.”

“Yes, sir!” was the chorused reply.

The man named Hobbes sprang onto the top of the wall, then leaped and caught the edge of the roof. Boosting his body up and over the lip, he disappeared out of view.

Behind the clear facemask of her helmet, Vanguard Rooney was obviously assessing the information scrolling across it. She was young, blond, and had a fierce look in her hazel eyes that Torran instantly respected.

Franklin’s weapon continued to bark out single shots while swiftly following in Hobbes wake. Giacomi and the vanguard took over weeding out the strays while Franklin ran along the back wall and jumped to grab Hobbe’s hand. He easily swung her up onto the roof.

The newly made Abscrags sprinted into range, screeching at the top of their lungs. In the mix were a few of the older Scrags, but Torran saw far too many of the faces of people who’d been comrades and friends. There were many more in the herd than he’d anticipated and, unexpectedly, the chance of any of them surviving was questionable. Yet now that he was in cover, the illusion of protection made it harder to pull the trigger. Gritting his teeth, he fought his hesitation, fired, and watched the bullets shred through human flesh and skulls.

On the ground, the three soldiers had their weapons at full auto. On top of the structure, Hobbes and Franklin took up sniper positions.

“Aim for the heads,” the vanguard growled, her frustration clear as a few Scrags managed to evade the bullets peppering the ground.

Six Abscrags raced through the killing zone and straight for the three soldiers taking cover below the low wall. They were all former SWD soldiers and their weapons slapped against their backs.

“Hungry,” their voices growled through din, animalistic and terrifying.

“If they’re so smart, why aren’t they using their weapons?” Giacomi pounded up a few steps and fired directly at the helmets of several of the approaching Abscrags.

It was a legitimate question. Torran had already seen two of the Abscrags, the more intelligent ones, using weapons. His mind whirled at the possibilities.

A second later, Giacomi gasped and toppled over.





Chapter 6


Lindsey heard Giacomi’s voice rasp through her helmet speakers, then caught sight of her crumpling at the top of the steps. Straightaway, she climbed upward to grab Giacomi and drag her back into cover. “Hobbes, Franklin, cover me!”

The bark of the weaponry was reassuring as she reached for Giacomi. A Scrag toppled to the steps not far from her, thrashing violently until another bullet killed it.

“Don’t touch her!” MacDonald exclaimed, grabbing Lindsey’s arm to prevent her from doing so. “An electroshock disc hit her!”

Following the invisible line from the tip of his pointing finger to Giacomi, Lindsey saw the small black disc clinging to the old Constabulary armor, sparking with energy. It took only a second for Lindsey to realize what was happening and skirt back down the stairs.

“Shit. They’re herding the dumber ones to distract us while they move into position! Hobbes, Franklin, get down here!”

The two soldiers scrambled to comply.

Franklin let out a startled cry.

Lindsey’s heart skipped a beat.

“It just dinged my helmet,” Franklin said breathlessly, dropping down.

It was impossible to hear the electroshock rifles discharging over the roar of the heavy weaponry firing around her. Lindsey aimed for an older Scrag rushing toward them just as Hobbes landed with a hard thump behind her.

“They got Hobbes,” Franklin exclaimed, scrambling to get into a better position to fire, yet stay out of sight. She used the railing as a foothold and lifted herself into a better spot.

Lindsey gave Hobbes’ vibrating body a brief look, but knew she couldn’t touch him until the disc ran out of juice.

“They’ll try and flank us,” MacDonald said to Lindsey. “That’s what they did earlier.”

“Then cover our asses,” Lindsey answered briskly.

MacDonald immediately scrambled to comply.

Lindsey continued to fire, aiming purposefully at the helmets of the former SWD squad and the exposed heads of Scrags. Their numbers were diminishing, but the swarm continued to rush their position. A few fell just a scant foot from their cover. So far, only one had made it over the wall, but for how much longer?