《Task Force 1228》


 Prologue

    The night was moonless and overcast with grey clouds. The silence marred by the sounds of drunken revelry. Connall breathed softly as he moved across the rooftop. Each silent step rolling from heel to toe on the outside edge of his foot. Any noise he might have made covered by the clubgoers below. He stopped 20 feet from the edge.


    In front of him was his target, a hooded figure cloaked in darkness. It crouched at the edge of the rooftop watching the clubgoers as they exited below. It seemed to be waiting for something to happen below.


    Connall knew he didn¡¯t have much time and that he needed to remain completely silent. The need for silence solidified in his mind as he drew his blade from the sheath on his hip. The blade was short, only about 16 inches long thin near the handle and growing wider towards the tip. Its front half tilting forward making it perfect for chopping. He lifted the naked blade and stepped forward once again in preparation for his next move.


    Now close to the perfect striking distance, he took one final step. The hooded figure, seeming to notice a change in its surroundings, abruptly stood up and turned to look behind it. However it was already too late as Connall¡¯s blade was moving swiftly towards its neck. The figures hood fell from its head as it moved, revealing its sharp red eyes and pale face. It snarled in anger revealing its teeth to have enlarged canines as sharp as a viper¡¯s.


    The blade made contact with the creature¡¯s neck biting deep and chopping cleanly through its vertebrae. Blood sprayed from the wound and the creature¡¯s eyes widened in surprise not believing the fate that had befallen it. Connall didn¡¯t manage to chop all the way through its neck. The head still hanging on by the last vestiges of muscle and flesh. So he swung again to completely sever the creature¡¯s head allowing it to fall to the rooftop and the body to topple over.


    Leaning down he wiped the blood from his blade on the creature¡¯s clothing. Sheathing the blade he drew a wooden stake from the holster on his left thigh and a pair of pliers from a pouch at the small of his back. Moved to the creature¡¯s chest and drove the stake into its heart ensuring that it wouldn¡¯t be getting back up. He proceeded to grab the creature¡¯s head and using the pliers, he removed it¡¯s fangs and placed them into a small leather pouch hanging on his hip. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    With a small smile Connall reached across his chest to the radio placed in one of the many pouches attached to his vest. Pressing the talk button ¡°The target is down with no collateral damage cleanup crew requested.¡± The voice on the other end responded ¡°confirmed, proceed to extraction zone alpha.¡± Acknowledging Connall took a deep breath, shook the adrenaline from his hands and climbed from the rooftop heading towards extraction zone alpha.


    Once he arrived to the extraction zone the rest of his squad was waiting for him in various states of relaxation waiting for the helicopter to arrive. Smiling he raised his hand in greeting saying. ¡°Damn don¡¯t you all look like a lazy bunch of assholes.¡± Laughing Alejandro looks up in surprise and says to the rest of the squad mates ¡°Pinche Connall always appearing out of nowhere. Damn near had to change my chones. I have no idea how your big ass moves so fucking quietly. If only this cabron over here could be as quiet as you life would be much nicer.¡± pointing his thumb at Jason.


    Before Jason had a chance to reply Murphy barks at him and Alejandro telling them ¡°enough of the bullshit we¡¯re still on mission.¡± Motioning for Connall to come over he holds out a smartphone for him saying. ¡°You got a phone call MacHagan it seems urgent go ahead and find out what they wanted¡± Taking the phone Connall frowns looking at the phone saying. ¡°It says it¡¯s from my brother. Looks like he left a voicemail. Must be important he never leaves voicemails.¡± Murphy looks at Connall¡¯s frown, a change from the normal carefree smile he usually carries and gives him permission to walk off to the side and listen to it.


    Walking a few paces away from the group Connall listens to the voicemail. His frown deepens, his eyes open wide and his hands go limp. The phone falls from limp fingers as tears threaten to pour from his eyes. He drops to his knees letting out a soft sob of pain. Hands lying lifelessly at his sides he forces back the tears.


    The rest of the squad look at each other in surprise. All confused by the sudden change in their squad mate and friend who is always so jovial. They rush to his side and Duffy, gently laying his hand on Connall¡¯s shoulder, asks in a soft voice ¡°Oy mate whats wrong?¡±. With a deep sadness in his eyes Connall looks at his friends and brothers and steeling himself ¡°That wasn¡¯t my brother. it was the police. Apparently there¡¯s been accident him and his wife were killed by a drunk driver. They need me to go and pick up Tristan since I¡¯m going to have to take care of him now.¡±

 Chapter 1

    ¡°A coward dies a thousand times before his death, but the valiant taste of death but once. It seems to me most strange that men should fear, seeing that death, a necessary end, will come when it will come¡±


    -William Shakespeare-


    Tristan kept looking at the clock above his teacher who was standing at the front of his class.Hewas having trouble keeping his attention on the lesson since he had already learned all of it previously and also because he was very excited thathis parents were supposed to be home today. They had been out of town for the past week and he had been staying with his baby sitter. Although he really wished he could have been staying with his uncle instead, but he was always gone himself. He tookanother quick glance at the clock then went back to trying to concentrate on the lesson.


    He was finally able to concentrate on the lessonwhen the teacher¡¯s phone rang.Itwas quicklyanswered after only a couple rings and the teacher who stopped her lesson said.¡°Hello this is Mrs. Martinez." there was a breif pause before her kind voice sounded out again. "Oh ummm ok, I¡¯ll send him right over¡±She set thephone down and scanned the classroomthen called out. ¡°Tristan, the principal would like you to go to his office please.¡± The normally well spoken Tristanstutteredinresponse ¡°yuh yuh yes ma¡¯am i i i¡¯ll head right over there¡±. Hejumped out from his desk and startedto rush out the door. He glanced at Mrs. Martinez who caught his gaze and smiled to reassure him that he wasn¡¯t in any trouble and told him to not forget his things.


    He quickly gathered his things andput them in his backpackthen rushed down the hallway to the Principal''s office. He was followed out by the loud snickers of his classmates. They all assumed he mustof been in trouble for something, since you only wentto the principals office if you were in trouble and they always delighted in seeing others getting in trouble. Especially with such an uncharacteristic response coming from the quiet kid who never got in trouble.


    Tristan couldn¡¯t help but wonder why he was being sent to the principal''s office. He hadn¡¯t done anything wrong and had never had to go to there before. He always tried to follow the rules, just like his parents had taught him,then smiled at the thought of them. He really missed them but was excited since they were going to be back today and were going to be there to pick him up when school ended.


    He quickly arrived atthe Principal¡¯s officeand could see several tall figures talking to each other through the shadowed glass. He opened the door slowlyand looked around at the figures. It was a group of police and a large man with short blonde hair in a military uniform without insignia. Tristan''s eyes immediately lit up as he Recognized the man and a smile that went from ear to ear grew across his face dropped his things and rushed towards the man. ¡°Uncle Connall!"Connall gave him a sad smile as heknelt downwithhis arms opened wide for a hug ¡° Hey there little buddy¡±.


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    Tristanwrapped his uncle into as tight of an embrace as he could. His arms barely wrapping around his uncle''s large body."What are you doing here. Is it cuz mom and dad are gonna be here soon?" The joy was palpable in his voice as he looked up athis massive uncle.


    The deep sadness hidden in Connall''s eyes grew as he held his nephew. ¡°Yeah little buddy that¡¯s sort of why i¡¯m here, your parents aren¡¯t gonna be home tonight.¡± Tristan released his hold on his uncle and took a step back filled withconfusion.He looked around at the men inthe roomand recognized the looks on their faceswhichfilled him full of anxiety. It was the same look his parents gave to the homeless man that always hung out next to his favorite burger place.As well as the look they gave him when they told him his dog Sassy died. ¡°what do you mean they¡¯re not gonna be here. But they¡¯re supposed to pick me up. They told me so, they¡¯re driving back today and they''re supposed to be here to pick me up after school.¡±


    A hand took hold of Connall¡¯s heart in a fierce grasp as he Looked at Tristan and saw the change in him. ¡° I know little buddy. We have a lot to talk about. Why don¡¯t you come with me and we can talk somewhere private. I can explain everything to you.¡± Tristan took another step back from his uncle. His voice raising in volume and pitch ¡° Explain what. What''s there toexplain! Just tell me now! Why aren''t my parents gonna be here to pick me up!¡±


    These things were always so hard for Connall and even though the hand that gripped his heart squeezed even tighter. He felt being blunt was the best choice even with his own nephew. This choice was one of the hardest things he had done in recent memory. Destroying monsters was nothing in comparison to telling his only nephew that his parents were hit and killed by a drunk driver. Especially when he was still fighting desperately with his own emotions which wasn''t helped by the knowledgethat the drunk driver had walked away without a scratch.


    He Forced the emotions that were threatening to take control down and reached a trembling hand out towards his nephew. Then sighed and spoke in a quiet voice that was barely audible to the surrounding men, but was like a banging drum to Tristan''s ears. ¡°There was an accident early this morning. Your parents were on their way back from the airport when they were hit by a drunk driver. Theydied at the scene before the ambulance could arrive.¡±


    Tristan¡¯s world closed around him and a throbbing pressure constricted his body.Blood throbbed through his head and blocked outall otherwords that were being said as he became lost in the darkness that was takinghold of his world. He shook his head and tears sprang from his eyeswhile sobs broke free from his throat.Through the tearshescreamed. ¡°No! You¡¯re lying to me they can¡¯t be dead! I talked to them just last night! There¡¯s no way! Why would you lie to me about this! No!¡± His words trailedas his small body became wracked with emotion.


    Connall moved forward and wrapped his arms around his nephew just as tears sprang from his eyes as well¡°I¡¯m here little buddy i¡¯m here¡± Tristan shoved his uncle away and turned and ran down the hallway slamming the door to the principal¡¯s office behind him.


    He was bombardedby pain and confusion as he ran through the hallways taking turn after turn. Getting lost in his pain just as he got lost in the disused hallways. His running slowed as his breath ran out. Hefinally came to a stop in a dark corridor that was no longer used. Then collapsed into a corner, wrapped his arms aroundhis knees and lost himself to the pain. Rocking back and forth on the floor.


    He cried until strong arms wrapped him into a tight embrace. He opened his eyes and saw the tear stained face of his uncle and hugged him back as he buried his face into his uncle¡¯s chest. Connall Pulled him deeper into his embrace and kissed the top of his head while whispering ¡°I¡¯m here little buddy, I¡¯m here. I¡¯ve got you¡± They lost themselves for an unknown amount of time until he managed to coax Tristan to get up and leave with him. There was a lot they had to get taken care of in the coming days and a lot they still needed to talk about.

 Chapter 1.5

    Tristan ended up moving into his uncle¡¯s house across town just outside the military base. The days passed by quickly and he walked through them in a daze. After a week His parent¡¯s funerals were held at a local church with all of his parents friends visiting. The only family that was left though was his Uncle Connall and himself. The rest of their family had been gone for a long time.


    He only heard bits and pieces of the service and through his daze found himself at the cemetery watching as his parents bodies were lowered down and the graves filled. The pain grew with each spec of dirt that was shoveled into the grave. His tears had already dried up and all he felt was pain and the numbness of his loss. As he sat watching the dirt cover the coffins in front of him, his pain started to transform.


    It started as being angry at the beautiful day. How could a day so sad be enjoyed by so many. As they moved and played he sat at his parents funeral. It was so unfair why didn¡¯t the sky cry out in pain like in the movies. Releasing torrential rain to help hide his tears. Why did other people get to be with their loved ones. Why did other kids get to play with their parents when he no longer had any. Everything was so unfair and he was just so very angry. Angry at everything. Angry at the world.


    He hadn¡¯t noticed as everyone around him had already left for the reception. It was just him and his uncle. Connall drew him out of his angry musings with a gentle hand on his shoulder. ¡°Hey little buddy I know it¡¯s tough but it¡¯s time we headed out We need to head over to the reception.¡± Shrugging the hand of his shoulder Tristan walked away in a huff heading for his uncle¡¯s car.


    Watching him walk away Connall could only sigh as he saw the anger and hatred that had started to bud in his nephew¡¯s heart. He was concerned that one as young as him would start to be so angry. The boy was only 9 he shouldn¡¯t of had that kind of anger in his heart already. He only hoped it would fade and that Tristan would go back to his old self. Even if he knew it to be a pipe dream he still hoped. Hoped for the sake of his nephew.


    The drive back to Connall¡¯s house for the wake went in silence as Tristan stared at the passing buildings and houses around them. The anger in his heart festering and growing. He still didn¡¯t understand how people could be so happy around him. He watched the smiles of the people outside the car and hated them for it. He hated the noises and hated the people. He banged his head against the window and drew the attention of Connall. Connall frowned as he looked at his nephew the bright blue eyes he remembered and the smile that was previously omnipresent was gone. Replaced by red rimmed eyes filled with anger and hatred and a deep frown of sadness. He was concerned that the boy wouldn¡¯t be able to get over this. He had seen that look before and it never boded well.


    When they arrived back at Connall¡¯s there was already a large group there eating and drinking. This upset Tristan even more. How could people be eating drinking and being merry when his parents had just died. All this only reinforcing the anger in his heart.


    The people at the reception, seeing him and his uncle walked, up to them and gave their condolences. To Tristan though it seemed like they were full of it. The words didn¡¯t matter. They only pitied him they didn¡¯t understand. They all gave him the same look as the policemen and the principal did that day at the school. They didn¡¯t care that he was alone now. They didn¡¯t care that his parents were gone. Their only thoughts were to pity him. He went and hid in his room and his anger exploded.


    He started off by screaming into his pillows he didn¡¯t need anyone coming and checking on him. Screaming into his pillows wasn¡¯t enough though so he moved on to punching his bed. Which degenerated into tearing his room apart screaming out his rage to anyone that could hear.He no longer cared if anyone noticed. His world was now only the rage in his heart. He started smashing everything in his new room. He hated this room, it wasn¡¯t his room. He wanted his home back he wanted his life back and most of all he wanted his parents back.


    Connall could hear the ruckus coming from upstairs and was looked at by the guests around him. One of his brothers friends came up to him and with concern asked ¡°are you gonna let him keep doing that it sounds like he¡¯s causing a lot of damage up there¡± Connall just narrowed his eyes at him and walked away. He grabbed another beer opened it and walked upstairs. Walking to Tristan¡¯s room he lifted his hand to knock on the door but decided against it and leaned against the wall next the door and stood there waiting for Tristan to tire himself out.


    The noise coming from the room continued for an hour then slowly moved from wild screams and loud crashes to soft sobs and moans. This was when Connall decided to walk inside.


    The door slowly creaked open and Tristan lost in his pain didn¡¯t notice. He just kept repeating to himself ¡°why, why, why, why why why¡± this continued over and over. Connall stepped all the way into the room and walked up to Tristan knelt down and wrapped his arms around him. ¡°I¡¯m here buddy. I know it¡¯s hard kiddo. The pain will leave it takes time little man. It takes Time¡± With anger and sadness in his eyes Tristan looked up at his uncle ¡°but it hurts so much uncle it hurts so much.¡± Burying his head into his uncle¡¯s chest ¡°It¡¯s not fair! It¡¯s just not fair how could they leave me like this! It¡¯s not fair¡± Tears broke from Connall¡¯s eyes as he held him. They remained like that for the rest of the night just taking comfort in each other¡¯s embrace.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Days passed by and Tristan had to return to school. Everyone had heard about what happened and he was given cards that really didn¡¯t mean much to him. He felt everyone was just being nice because that¡¯s what you did when someone had a tragedy. There was no sincerity behind the gestures. They were as empty as his heart felt.


    As the days continued to flow past his attitude grew darker and darker. His replies to people grew sharper and sharper attacking anyone who tried saying a kind word. He stopped caring about showering or even changing his clothes most days. The only times he did shower and change was when Connall forced him to. Those days didn¡¯t happen often though since Connal was busy with his work. The other children in his school started noticing this and at first they just pitied him but then as it went from days to weeks of this attitude the children started picking on him. It was small things at first. Snide comments behind his back or sitting down at lunch where he was about to sit claiming that seats were taken when they clearly just did it to hurt him. Direct insults became more commonplace. Less and less of the students would talk to him without it being something cruel.


    Like most things it escalated. It moved to shoulder checks in the hallway. Then to being shoved and direct threats to him. The people not participating stopped trying to stop it and started ignoring it. It kept escalating until one day a group of boys surrounded him at lunch and started pushing him. He started yelling at them to leave him alone but the boys had managed to corner him in a disused portion of the school hallways.


    The boys were pushing him and calling him names. The leader of the boys a tall white kid with short blonde hair named Donny sneered and said. ¡°Look at the little freak. He doesn''t even know how to shower. What mommy and daddy go and get themselves killed and you forget how to shower. Stinky little fuck.¡± another one of the boys. A mousy looking kid with long dark hair buck teeth and a hooked nose bared his teeth and said ¡°Maybe we should help him take a shower since he can¡¯t seem to do it himself.¡± looking at one of the other boys and held out his hand ¡°Hey Billy give me your water bottle. Lets clean this nasty little fuck up he¡¯s starting to stink up the whole damn school¡± With a cruel smile billy handed over his water bottle ¡°here you go Kieran he really does stink. Little bitch doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s good for him¡± The rest of the boys kept laughing as they were pushing Tristan ignoring his pleas as he fell to the ground and cowered from them.


    The leader of the boys smiled and said ¡°look he¡¯s starting to cry. Little cry baby misses his mommy. Throw the water on the ungrateful dickwad.¡± Kieran walked up to the cowering Tristan and started pouring water atop his head. ¡°There we go now he¡¯s not such a stinky little bitch is he. Fucking crybaby¡± Tristan started muttering ¡°mom ¡­.. Mom ¡­.¡± over and over again. With a laugh Kieran points at him and stopped pouring the water on his head. ¡°look at the little bitch he¡¯s crying for his mommy. Well you stinky little bitch she ain¡¯t coming. She went and got her slutty little ass killed didn¡¯t she.¡± Laughing and looking for the reassurance of the group he continued ¡°The way I hear it his daddy caught her fucking the neighbor so he grabbed her and went and drove himself wild.Swerving all over the place trying to hit people with his car. Lucky for us though a good samaritan stopped them and got rid of the sick fucks before they could hurt anyone else¡±


    The other boys laughed at his antics. Billy joining in ¡°No no no. You got it all wrong. The way i heard it was that his mommy was fucking the other driver and his daddy found them and ran into em to kill em all together. Lucky for the other guy though he knew better than to let the little slut stick around for too long so he wasn¡¯t hurt none¡± The rest of the boys kept and laughing Tristan lashed out screaming ¡°Shut up you fucking assholes that¡¯s not what happened don¡¯t ever say anything mean about them again!¡± Laughing at getting a reaction. Donny tsked and said ¡°See now we gotta wash your mouth out. Momma always told me that you can¡¯t be saying nasty words like that.¡± looking to Kieran who was laughing along and nodding his head he told him to ¡°Hold his head back and get his mouth open for me i got something special. Even better than that water for him¡±


    Kieran smiled his cruel smile and grabbed hold of his head. But Tristan kept trying to pull away from him so two other boys held his arms down. Donny Pulled a container of hand sanitizer out of his pocket and opened it pouring it onto Tristan¡¯s Face and into his mouth. Spitting Tristan shook his head trying to free himself from the grip of the other boy and managed to smack Donny¡¯s hand holding the hand sanitizer. Angrily Donny grit his teeth and growled ¡°Look now this little piece of shit went and hit me we gotta teach him a lesson right boys.¡± Kieran smiled and agreed ¡°yeah let¡¯s teach this stinky little crybaby bitch a lesson that you shouldn¡¯t hit others when they''re just trying to help you be a better person.¡± Looking at the boys surrounding Tristan he said ¡°Let¡¯s fuck him up already.¡±At this the other boys started punching and kicking him as viciously as they could. He tried fighting back, but everytime he tried to lash out and hit them they just hit him harder. Eventually all he could do was curl into a ball crying and taking a beating.


    The boys hit him until they were breathing heavily. Laughing the entire time and continuing with their taunts throughout. Once the boys were finally tired and started to walk away as tristan sobbed in pain and fear. Donny took one last look at him sneered and spit on him ¡°little bitch can¡¯t even defend yourself. Fucking pussy, your parents are lucky they¡¯re dead now they don¡¯t have to have such a worthless fucking son.¡±


    Tristan stayed curled in a ball crying and crying. Eventually a teacher happened to walk past and found him bloody from the beaten and sobbing inconsolably. Shock and concern crossed the teacher''s face as he rushed to Tristan¡¯s side. ¡°Are you okay son. What happened. How did you end up here like this¡± Through sobs Tristan told the teacher a group of boys beat him up and left him there but he was to disoriented to give any names or even many details. Placing a gentle hand on him the Teacher said ¡°it¡¯s okay now son no one''s gonna hurt you anymore. You¡¯re safe now.¡± At this Tristan finally passed out from the pain and exhaustion.


    Picking him up the Teacher carried him away. Taking him to the principal¡¯s office they called Connall and explained how they found him and what what they were told. Connall was livid screaming across the phone ¡°How could you let this fucking happen. He just lost his parents and now you let those little fucking monsters do that to him. What the fuck is wrong with you people do your fucking jobs and protect him! If he¡¯s seriously fucken hurt I¡¯ll have all your fucking heads you worthless fucks!¡±

 Chapter 2.1

    While Seeking revenge, dig two graves - one for yourself


    -Douglas Horton -


    Connall sat next to Tristan in his hospital bed. It had been several days since he rushed to the school to pick his nephew up and found him in such a terrible state. He glanced at the unconscious form of his nephew. The boy¡¯s straw colored hair laid haphazardly around his head. It had grown much longer since he first started living with Connall. It was now down to his chin and he refused to let Connall cut it.


    Connall¡¯s Anger seethed as the beeping of the monitors reminded him of why they were here. He sat with his has elbows on his knees hands clasped and his head leaned against them. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the monitors. All he could think about doing was destroying those people that failed to protect his nephew. They could have prevented this disaster the signs were there. Hell they mentioned it to him when he went to pick up Tristan. It wouldn¡¯t take much to find out where the principal lived or where Tristan¡¯s teacher lived. He could make it look like an accident. Faulty wiring maybe a loose log in the fireplace. Or he could just make some excuse claim that they were something that fell into his jurisdiction. No one would bat an eye.


    His musings were interrupted by movement and coughing coming from next to him. Surprised he jumped up and rushed to the side of the bed. ¡°Tristan how are you doing little buddy. Are you feelin okay?¡± with groggy eyes Tristan looked around in confusion ¡°where am i what happened how did i get here. I remember being at school and then¡± his voice trailed off as he remembered what happened. Tears burst from his eyes as he remembered the words of the boys. They had hurt worse than the beating and there was nothing he could do to stop them. He felt powerless and weak. Those boys had been able to insult him, hurt him and the worst of all Insult his mother. But he couldn¡¯t stop them he tried and it only made things worse. He was to weak to defend his parents.


    Seeing the tears Connall turned to him asking ¡°what¡¯s wrong kiddo what¡¯s wrong?¡± Looking at his Uncle with tear filled eyes ¡°Uncle I felt so weak. They said so many things and I couldn¡¯t do nothing.¡± Sobs broke from his throat interrupting him.


    Connall slid his chair up to his nephew so he could sit next to him and pulled him into a hug. All thoughts of vengeance washed away by the sight of his nephew¡¯s bright blue eyes filling with tears. Replaced by concern ¡°It¡¯s ok now buddy you¡¯re safe now.¡± Through sniffles and sobs ¡°I want to be stronger I don¡¯t want to feel that way anymore and I want revenge for what they did¡± Connall pulled back from his nephew and saw determination hidden behind the tears and pain in his nephews eyes. ¡°I believe that can be arranged little buddy. However first we need to get you healthy only then can we talk about it.¡± A hint of malicious joy overcame Tristan and the first smile he had in weeks tugged at the corners of his lips. ¡°Ok then once I get better.¡±


    The sound of a phone ringing interrupted their conversation. Glancing at the screen Connall sighed and lifted his bulk from his chair standing to his full height of 6¡¯5. ¡°I need to take this but I¡¯m glad to see you awake little buddy.¡± he smiled ¡°You gotta rest though you¡¯re still pretty beaten up. The doctors said you¡¯ll be sore for a few weeks. Luckily nothing¡¯s broken but you did have a severe concussion. So be careful and rest up some more kiddo.¡± Opening the door he took one last glance at his nephew and walked out of the room. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Tristan¡¯s heart pounded as he watched his uncle¡¯s retreating back. He wanted revenge so badly but he knew right now it wouldn¡¯t work. He already felt the consequences of fighting back without the ability, all too well. It would take time for him to get to the point where he could get his revenge. However he was patient. Far more patient than anyone his age had any right to be. At least that¡¯s what his parents had always told him. He would learn and gain strength first then get his revenge in time. Smiling he laid back and returned to the sweet abyss of sleep


    Connall answered the phone ¡°This is MacHagon¡± The voice on the other end of the phone replied ¡°Machagon we have a Romero outbreak. I know you¡¯re on leave but as of right now it¡¯s already a class three and HQ is requesting your team as y¡¯all are stationed closest to the affected zone. So you will have the fastest response time. We might be able to make an exception with your brother¡¯s accident and nephew being in the hospital and all. But we¡¯re worried this might escalate. Right now it¡¯s isolated in rural New Mexico outside a town called Clayton. But analytics are worried it might escalate into a class 4.¡±


    Connall pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll be there send a pick-up for me.¡± Pausing he glanced back at the door to Tristan¡¯s room. ¡°But give me about an hour i need to get some things taken care of before i head out.¡± The voice confirmed his request and said a team for pick-up would be on it¡¯s way.


    Hanging up Connall dialed Tristan¡¯s babysitter and got them to come stay with Tristan as he would be out of town for a couple of days. He then walked back into the room and found Tristan asleep again. With a gentle shake to wake him up. ¡°Hey little buddy I¡¯m gonna have to leave for a bit. Some work came up and they need me shouldn¡¯t be gone for more than 3 days though. Laceys gonna be here in a bit to keep you company so i¡¯ll hang out with you until then.¡±


    Lacey showed up after about 45 minutes. Connall explained to her what happened and what the doctors found. Shortly after his phone lit up with a notification that his pick-up was here and for him to head outside for it. He gave his goodbyes and reassurances that he would be back in just a couple of days then headed out to meet up with his ride. However on his way out he was stopped in the hallway by one of Tristan¡¯s attending doctors.


    ¡°Mr. Machagon I¡¯m glad i was able to catch you before you left. I wanted to talk to you about some anomalies we found in your nephew''s X-rays.¡± Confusion crossed Connall¡¯s face ¡° what do you mean anomalies?¡± The doctor glancing at the file in his hands ¡°It¡¯s the oddest thing. His history says he¡¯s never had any broken bones but there¡¯s a couple areas showing callus like the bone has been healing. We would like to do some blood tests to see if there are more signs of brokens bones being healed if at all possible¡± Connall frowned with confusion ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense. He didn¡¯t have any broken bones stemming from the assault. From what we could tell he was just unconscious for a few days with a small cut. Why would he have healing bones.¡± The doctor looked pointedly at Connall ¡°that¡¯s exactly what we are trying to figure out. We need your permission to run the blood tests since he is a minor and you are his guardian.¡± Waving his hand in a dismissive gesture Connall started to walk away ¡° Do what you need just don¡¯t cause the boy any more stress please. He¡¯s had more than enough and I have to leave.¡±


    He left the doctor behind as he wrote in the file and headed outside. Rather than leaving out of the front door to the parking lot he headed to the rooftop. On the hospital¡¯s roof sat a squat black helicopter with no insignia and dark windows. It¡¯s rotor¡¯s were still turning in anticipation for his arrival and immediate departure.


    Running up to the helicopter it¡¯s door was opened by a man, in a flight suit wearing a helmet with a full face mask, who was holding out a headset for Connall. Ducking under the rotors he grabbed the headset and took his seat. The speakers crackled in his ears as he settled it over the top of his head. ¡°Glad to have you with us MacHagon. Your squad is waiting for you at base. We¡¯ll head there first then you¡¯ll head out to the temporary forward command base.¡±


    Connall grinned in recognition of the voice. ¡°Sounds good. I¡¯m guessing you¡¯ll be going with us Brannon?¡± Reaching back the pilot held out his hand for a handshake and with a small chuckle and large grin ¡°What you got an issue with it?¡± Connall grinned as he reached over to return the handshake and glanced at the edge of the winged centaur tattoo on the man¡¯s forearm. ¡°Nah, but i do have an issue with that stupid fucking tattoo¡± With another chuckle the pilot turned forward and fiddled with some controls on his console ¡° Hey don¡¯t hate just cuz you couldn¡¯t make it with us. But you better buckle up we¡¯re heading out.¡±

 Chapter 2.2

    The helicopter took off from the hospital and directed itself towards the towering mountains in the distance. It was a quick flight that progressed in silence until they reached the base 30 minutes later. As it approached the mountain it flew to a sheer cliff face which slowly split apart. Revealing a large entrance with multiple helicopters lined up on either side inside of a massive cave dug out of the side of the mountain. The helicopter landed in a spot designated by flight line attendants. The massive doors closing behind with a muted thunk of interlocking metal pieces.


    Jumping out of the helicopter Connall was greeted by an administrative assistant. ¡°Please follow me agent MacHagon. The rest of your squad is waiting in the briefing room.¡± With a half smile Conall waved his hand in a gesture indicating for the assistant to lead the way. ¡°Right behind you.¡±


    Connall walked into the windowless meeting room which was around 15 by 10 ft. A large oval table taking up the majority of the room. A large Monitor was attached to the wall at the head of the table that showed a topographical map of NorthEastern New Mexico. With Murphy sitting next to it with his feet on the table reading something on his phone. Sitting around the table were the members of Alpha squad and a few members of the covert advanced scouts division.


    Everyone had their backs to the wall trusting Murphy, Who was the first to notice Connall¡¯s entrance, to inform them of any danger. Setting down his phone and standing he addressed Connall ¡°So very nice of you to finally join us Machagon.¡± the rest of the rooms occupants turned to look at Connall who gave a devilish grin. ¡°Sorry boss man been a lot going on. Had to get everything in order before I headed out.¡± With a loud guffaw Saunders¡¯ thick british accent filled with mischief  piped up. ¡°Oh quit yer lying we all knows you was busy giving it Alejandro¡¯s mum¡± Alejandro¡¯s retorted full of righteous indignation. ¡°Fuck you pinche whetto I¡¯ll show you¡­..¡± Cut off by Connall¡¯s gravelly voice before he could finish he returned to his seat which he had begun to stand up from. ¡°Oh you got me there Saunders. Except you were a bit off. It wasn¡¯t Alejandro¡¯s mom, it was your wife. And damn does that girl know how to work it. She kept me going for hours. I¡¯m gonna miss that pussy man but i can¡¯t be giving you a third kid ya know. So make sure you take care of my son and daughter.¡± then with a wink ¡° and also tell your wife Jodi says hi.¡± The rest of the room breaking out into raucous laughter.


    Before anyone else could jump in. Murphy cleared his throat calling for attention. ¡°Hey why don¡¯t all y¡¯all dipshits shut the fuck up already I know you¡¯re all happy to be seeing Machagon again but you¡¯ll have to save all the dick sucking for later. We got business to attend to.¡± The laughter subsided and Murphy picked up a remote for the monitor next to him.


    Clicking a button, the map change to show dozens of red dots grouped together near a small lake. ¡°As you can see the Romeros are currently grouped together around this lake. From what we understand there was a large event for the nearby communities where they go to the lake for some type of fishing contest. It appears that the outbreak erupted during that event.¡± Clicking the remote again the map changed to show a series of lines and arrows. ¡°Analytics believe the local¡¯s have all either been changed or have fled. Which means they will be heading towards the closest populated area shortly Which is here.¡± pointing at a red circle on the map ¡°We need to eliminate them before they can reach that point and prevent them from escalating this outbreak to a class 4.¡± Clicking again the map produced a series of blue and green circles and lines. ¡°The blue circles indicate Alpha squad the green are Charlie squad and the lines indicate the members of the advanced scouts..¡±


    ¡°Charlie squad is going to be coming in from the North East with their detachment of scouts drawing any roaming Romeros from that direction back to the main group. They will eliminate any that get to close. Our detachment will be doing the same from the South west where we will be coming in from. The two scout teams will cross paths here¡± Pointing at an area on the map that appeared flat for several square miles. ¡°This is area is the best spot as the main body of Romeros should be heading here barring any interruptions. Once Charlie''s scouts reach our position and our scouts reach Charlie¡¯s  they will move to the second objective at which point the scouts jobs will be complete and both squads will move in and clean up the threat. Any questions so far?¡±


    A soft voice from the back of the room sounded out ¡°Are we going in with lethal or do we have a cure for this strain.¡± Shaking his head Murphy replied ¡°No Farrell this is one of the strains that is incurable, sadly. So we¡¯ll going in full lethal.¡± Clicking the remote again the screen went back to the first image of the topographical map. ¡°We are going to be keeping this as quiet as possible so suppressors on all weapons and you¡¯ll be needing your hand weapons as well. Preferably spears as this strain appears to be more virulent than normal and we will still need to be taking out any crawlers that are left over after the main sweep.¡± Looking first to Farrell then to Connall ¡°you two will be overwatch during the secondary sweep so you¡¯ll also need to bring your long rifles. Any more questions gentlemen?¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    The room remained quiet so Murphy turned the monitor off and set down the remote ¡°Alright gear up and head to the hangar we leave in 20.¡± Affirmatives echoed throughout the room and they all departed heading to get their gear together.


    After gathering their gear everyone met in the hangar. Looking over the men around him, Murphy nodded in approval, Pointed at a nearby modified blackhawk helicopter and said ¡°Alright gentlemen make sure all your gear is secured and ready to go then load up. I want alpha in first then the scouts in behind¡± Connall checked the straps on his vest making sure they were secure. Adjusted the spear in his hand into a better grip for climbing into the Helo. Then hopped into the blackhawk followed by the rest of Alpha squad and the scouts.


    The flight to the first drop zone was quick and went mostly in silence. A few light hearted jabs thrown between the different operators. As they got close to the first drop zone Murphy asked the squad to do a gear check on the man next to them.


    Connall turned to Farrell to his left made eye contact for acknowledgement and pulled on the straps of his vest and checked the extra knives and 12 mags each carried for their weapons. Testing everything to make sure it was all held nice tight and secure. After checking his vest and attached gear he allowed Farrell to do the same for him. Connall then handed over his M4. Which was a matte black affair that had an ACOG scope an extended barrel for improved accuracy as well as a forward grip which housed a bipod all attached. Farrell¡¯s weapon was very similar except that it was modified to fire 7.62 and used a 4x ACOG.


    After ensuring both weapons were in proper working order. They moved to their long rifles that they had for overwatch. Farrell utilized a flat grey AXMC chambered in .300 Win. Mag. with a Leupold 6-25x52 variable scope and a collapsible tripod attached. Connall did a quick check to make sure all the moving parts were working properly and that the scope was clean and clear of any obstructions. Connall¡¯s weapon was a desert tan DTA SRS-A1 chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum which had a Tasco 3-9x40 scope as well as a collapsible bipod attached to it.


    Each also carried a black 4th gen Glock 17 in a thigh holster next to 2 additional magazines. They checked the other¡¯s weapon then moved on to their hand to hand weapons.  Farrell carried a 5 foot spear with a blackened 12 inch leaf bladed spearhead encased in a black leather sheath that held no adornments. Connall was also carrying a 5 foot spear but whereas Farrell¡¯s was beautiful in a very functional way. Connall¡¯s was magnificent. Causing Farrell to let out a low whistle of appreciation.


    The spear shaft was intricately carved from Ligustrum Lucidum and stained a dark mahogany. A two sided eagle¡¯s head carved at its based flaring out to prevent the hand from slipping and to provide some weight balancing. The body of the shaft was an uncommon oval shape to allow easy indexing when slashing. Intricate scroll work was carved into the shaft showing beautiful celtic knotwork traveling up and down either side. The blade itself was covered by a black leather sheath that was hand stitched. Da fhada an la tagann an trathnona. Surrounded on both sides by knotwork matching the shaft. When the sheath was removed it showed a 16 inch  spearhead that was just as intricate as the rest of the weapon. It was made from a dark grey damascus steel patterned to look like the veins of a leaf with small knots along the spine of the blade.


    Looking up from the spear Farrell was met by Connall¡¯s face splitting grin ¡°beatiful ain¡¯t she?¡± A soft chuckle escaping, Farrell nodded ¡°Yeah but man why you gotta bring something like this. When we¡¯re just heading out to take care of a couple Romeros. You trying to show off that blacksmith friend of yours again. I can¡¯t imagine the cost of something like this.¡± As impossible as it seemed Connall¡¯s grin lit up even further, light shining in his icy blue eyes ¡°Nah she was a gift. Didn¡¯t spend a dime on her¡± A smile breaking across his face, Farrell shook his head ¡°Oh well then i don¡¯t think i wanna know how you paid for it. Probably explains the new knee pads though.¡± Connall laughed in good humor at his friends jibe. ¡°Nah you had it right the first time. Gavin made it for me. He knows a bit about what we do somehow and made it for me specificaly to face what we face. He says the knotwork is some type of enchantment to help when fighting. Says it will help provide extra strength and endurance for me and help keep the blade strong and sharp as well as prevent the shaft from breaking. The runes on the sheath are supposed to be some type of prayer in old irish.¡±


    Laughing he continued¡° Don¡¯t know if i believe all that but man if she ain¡¯t a bonafide beauty i dunno what else to call her.¡± Chuckling at the supposed meaning of the intricate details Farrell shook his head ¡°I think i would have to agree with you there. We¡¯ve never seen anything of that sort as far as I can tell. Even with everything we¡¯ve seen and done that seems a bit farfetched.¡± Connall nodded his head the smile still remaining. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what i told Gavin but man who knows with everything out there it¡¯s still possible if not hugely unlikely. But when i said that to him he just gave me a small smile shook his head and said some bullshit about I¡¯ll be finding out soon enough. Whatever the fuck that means.¡±

 Chapter 2.3

    Just as the two finished the inspection of each others gear and had their quick conversation about Connall¡¯s spear. The helicopter began its descent coming to a hover about 50 feet from the ground and Murphy shouted. ¡°Alright everyone it¡¯s go time. Scouts, get ready to fast rope to the ground in 5¡­.4¡­...3¡­...2¡­¡­ NOW!¡±


    At his shout the 5 Scouts, who had already attached the ropes to themselves, jumped from the helicopter and fast roped down to the dry earth.


    Their mission was simple and they got to work immediately. Moving silently they first headed away from the LZ each going in a different direction . Once they were in the best possible positions to allow maximum area coverage while still providing them the ability to provide support if needed and the helicopter¡¯s noise had faded into the distance. They put specialized earplugs in that allowed them to communicate with each other but blocked out the soon to be blaringly loud noise of the speakers that were attached to each of their chests. Turned them on and moved with clinical precision to their pre-determined location. Drawing as many Romero¡¯s as possible with them.


    After dropping off the scouts the blackhawk moved to the next drop point. ¡°Alright fellas we¡¯re next¡± The helicopter slowed and began to hover the members of Alpha squad moving to connect the fast ropes. ¡°We move in 3¡­¡­ 2¡­¡­. 1¡­¡­ GO! GO! GO!¡± 4 of them jumping at the same time followed closely by Murphy. Each detaching the ropes and raising their weapons to scan for any threats. After all of them safely hit the ground they spread out giving each person around 10 yards between them and moved in a V formation to cover as wide an area as possible while maintaining close support for each other.


    Murphy was at the head of the V with Saunders and Valerio at the 2 and 3 positions followed by Connall and Farrell at the 4 and 5 positions on each end. Murphy keyed his mic ¡°All positions report in¡± each member keyed in ¡° Scout 1 all clear¡± ¡°Scout 2 all clear¡± ¡°Scout 3 all clear¡± ¡°Scout 4 all clear¡± ¡°Scout 5, 1 target eliminated and marked for cleanup.¡± ¡°Alpha 2 all clear¡± ¡°Alpha 3 all clear¡± ¡°Alpha 4 all clear¡± ¡°Alpha 5 all clear¡± Murphy then keyed into a secondary channel using a secondary button for his mic ¡° Alpha all clear. Charlie what¡¯s your status.¡± ¡°Charlie all clear¡± Murphy keying in again this time to a 3rd channel said ¡°Command, all units clear. Moving forward, next check in in 20.¡±


    The teams each moved smoothly and cleanly to their positions going through 2 more checks until they reached the point where the majority of Romeros had been grouped together and calling for a halt. Murphy keying in his mic ¡°Alpha team in position. Scout team alpha, initiate silence protocol and move to secondary objective.¡± keying into the second channel ¡°Alpha in position Charlie what¡¯s your status¡± ¡°Charlie in position ready to go on your mark¡± Murphy then keyed into both channels.¡°Alright gentlemen begin extermination in 3¡­¡­.2¡­...GO!¡±


    The members of both teams having settled themselves into their preferred firing positions and began firing at the romeros. The romeros falling in droves.


    Connall gazed at the romeros through his M4¡¯s sight focusing in on a woman dressed only in shorts and flip flops loose remnants of a shirt hanging in tatters. Her grey mottled skin had a series of scratches from her right shoulder to her left breast and a small bite wound was on her left hand which was raised grasping towards the men with a deep hunger. Her dyed blonde hair blew freely in the wind small patches matted down by dried blood. Dull brown eyes were locked onto Alphas position.


    Setting his reticle squarely between the former woman¡¯s  eyebrows. Connall Breathed out and slowly squeezed the trigger. The rifle surprising him as the muffled crack of the bullet sounded out. Black gelatinous blood spraying from the back of her head as she fell to the ground, animated no longer.


    Connall moved onto his next target a tall and thin bald man wearing nothing but cowboy boots. His left pectoral a bloody mass and was oblivious to the shame that dangled for the world to see. Mouth gnawing at the air in hunger. Blue eyes greyed over locked directly onto Connall. Who again placed his reticle on the man¡¯s forehead breathed out and squeezed the trigger. Connall was drawn into a trance as he moved from target to target. Each one''s head reduced to a grey mist as he fired. Noticing that his current target began sprouting black mouths of gore across its chest and realising the cause Connall keyed into his mic growling out ¡°Headshots fellas you¡¯re wasting ammo out here ya fucken dip shits.¡± He let go of his mic and returned to the task at hand. He managed to blow through 4 of his 6 magazines by the time the last one dropped.


    Murphy keyed into the comms again. ¡°All units cease fire and provide status reports.¡± there was a brief silence then the units began chiming in. ¡°Alpha 2 all clear¡± ¡°Alpha 3 all clear¡± ¡°Alpha 4 all clear¡± ¡°Alpha 5 all clear¡± ¡°Charlie 1 - 5 all clear. Charlie Scouts 1 - 5 all clear¡± ¡°Alpha Scout 1 reporting in. We have an issue. Looks like a small horde of romeros were left outside of the containment zone. They have a group of civvies surrounded next to a disabled vehicle.¡± Murphy cursed under his breath ¡°God fucking damnit all to hell. Stupid fucking civvies what the fuck are they still doing out here.¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    With a scowl and a grumble he keyed back in ¡°What¡¯s the status of the civilians. Can you tell if any are injured from your position?¡± The scout replied ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell but it looks like none of them have any injuries as of right now. However they¡¯re surrounded by romeros and are cut off from their vehicle. Looks like they¡¯re using makeshift weapons to hold em off but i don¡¯t think that will last for long. We¡¯re about 4 klicks from your position North by northwest. Would you like us to engage and try to help em out?¡± Looking up to the sky and running a hand through his hair Murphy sighed and gave his orders ¡°Try to engage the ones on the outside. See if you can¡¯t cut a hole in em for the civilians to retreat out of in the process. We are heading there immediately.¡±


    Looking back to the men around him who had all stood up from their positions and began stretching ¡°Alright gentlemen you heard the Scouts. We got more work to do. Standard formation, take out any Romeros that we come across. Keep it clean. Headshots only, who knows how many more of those fuckers are out there. And make sure you mark em with a beacon when they are taken out.¡± Pointing at the mass of corpses in the field next to them ¡°Valerio pop a beacon so the cleanup crews know where to go for this mess.¡± Keying into his mic again ¡°Charlie begin your sweep. Make sure nothing is left moving. Mark all eliminated targets for clean up.¡±


    The scouts first tried to draw the attention of the Romeros by turning on the speakers that were still attached to their chests. However, the promise of the fresh warm meat in front of them was far too tempting for the romeros. So the scouts began firing into the ones on the outskirts of the encirclement, taking special care to avoid getting too close to the civilians to avoid injuring them. Then worked their way in towards the civilians. Each Scout was able to take out a target every 2-4 seconds. Only pausing when they needed to reload. Something that didn¡¯t happen often since they were all carrying M4¡¯s with 30 round magazines. They managed to cut a hole through the mass of Romeros but as soon as the civilians tried to move through it they got separated and a 6ft tall and thin young man with shoulder length dirty blonde, wavy hair, was taken down by several romeros.


    The ones that took down the young man immediately began tearing into him. Biting through his black t-shirt and ripping flesh from bone allowing white ribs the light of day them. Flesh torn into jagged strips. They ripped free his right arm, a skull and crossbones tattoo on the forearm, from the rest of his body. Breaking the bone just above his elbow into a jagged point in the process. The rest of his body was being torn into bloody ribbons. Blood from a torn artery spraying across his friends. His screams of pain and horror raising above the sound of gunfire and hungry moans.


    One of the scouts took pity on him and fired a well placed round to end his suffering. Puncturing a neat black hole above his left eyebrow. One of the civilians, a tall and broad man whose white face and rosy cheeks was filled by the blood pumping through his veins. He held a half broken bow, the string long lost and let out a rage and pain filled roar ¡°NOOOOOO!!!¡± and tried to move towards the still feasting romeros. Swinging the broken bow with a strength that only a man who was lost in his rage could muster.


    Another one of the men a large bruit of a man standing around 6 foot 4 with dark brown skin a short beard and a 2f foot tall black mohawk who carried a large tire cross. Sent his arm, that had a green nautical star tattooed on it, darting out and pulled back the other one. Shouting something unintelligible at him.  Forcing him to remain with the group protecting each other¡¯s backs.


    The group of civilians kept fighting. Just barely keeping the romeros at bay. With the scouts quickly losing the ability to assist as the romeros were to close and they didn¡¯t want to risk hitting the men that were fighting for their lives.


    This desperate fighting continued for what seemed like an eternity to the men but was in reality only about 15 minutes.


    Alpha arrived right as another of the men fighting was taken down. He was a tall, thin and pale skinned young man. With short, light brown hair who was using a piece of wood shaped like a sword as a weapon. The brute with the mohawk saw this as it was happening and was able to save the other man in time by burying his tire cross into the head of the Romero that pulled his friend down. Dragging him back into the circle made by the remaining three men allowing him to collapse into the middle in a bloody heap. Then, shoving the closest romeros away he grabbed a massive rock and started using it to smash the heads of the undead romeros his tire cross lost.


    Murphy quickly ordered his men to take out their hand to hand weapons and move in to eliminate the romeros.


    Connall drew his spear that was strapped to his back set down his long rifle to allow easier movement while fighting and slung his M4 across his back. The spear¡¯s blade shined brightly in the midday sun as he removed the sheath covering it.


    All of alpha squad then advanced towards the romeros. Yelling out obscenities trying to draw their attention away from the civilians in an attempt to give them some breathing room.


    Connall was the first to arrive having given up on the formation. Knowing that time was of the essence and having full confidence in his team¡¯s ability to easily eliminate the romeros.


    Yelling again, he drew the attention of a small elderly hispanic woman who turned towards him and bared her teeth. Towering over the diminutive romero, using his much greater reach in both arms and spear he swung horizontally, slicing cleanly through her neck. Sending her head tumbling through the air and her body falling lifelessly to the ground. Then stabbed straight into the  back of the nearest romero. Right into the sweet spot where the head and neck joined together. Killing it instantly he kicked it to free his weapon. When a large rotund man turned to him and lunged reaching out to grasp hold of him. He squatted low to get underneath it and stabbed out with his spear. Slicing through the fat that guarded the monster¡¯s throat and into its brain. Pulling back he forced the blade to the left and swung it straight into the crown of another¡¯s head.


    This continued for several moments. All of the members of alpha squad joining in to make short work of the remaining beasts.


    The civilians all collapsed in exhaustion when the last romero fell to the dirt lifeless. The one who had earlier cried out in anger and sadness when his companion fell began to laugh in a loud manic voice. Wrapping his arms around himself and curling into a ball as he sat on the muddied ground. Fallen blood forming dark viscous rivers that flowed around the uneven earth. The mans manic laughter piercing the unnatural silence that had fallen with the last romero.

 Chapter 3.1

    Know thyself, Know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories


    - Sun Tzu -


    After checking to make sure all the dead stayed that way. Murphy turned to Saunders ¡°Saunders go check them for any injuries. Let me know if any of them are infected.¡± Glancing back to the scouts he keyed into his mic ¡° Scouts mark the bodies for the cleanup crew.¡±


    Saunders went to go check on the civilians and introduced himself to them his thick accent showing itself.  ¡°Hello lads my name is Saunders. I¡¯m the squad medic. I¡¯d like to check each of you for injuries and get em cleaned up if possible.That way we can make sure nothing gets infected or anything like that.¡±


    He started off with the young man who had nearly been taken down during the fight. He was breathing softly still laying in the middle of the others and had curled himself into a ball, cradling his right arm. He looked up as saunders approached. Pain was evident in his features and his eyes were half focused and glazed over. Seeing the signs of an injury, Saunders held out his empty hand and knelt next to him saying. ¡°Hey bruv why don¡¯t you let me see that injury you got there? Maybe i can see if i can¡¯t fix what¡¯s causing you all that pain eh.¡±


    The young man uncurled and sat up, releasing the hold on his hand. The hand was covered in blood and had a jagged stump where his ring finger should have been. The finger was missing all the way down to the knuckle. The end of the bone was broken into a sharp point and there was a rotten tooth still stuck in the flesh below the wound. It had stopped bleeding and began to congeal into a viscous black and green goo.


    Saunders gave a sharp intake of breath as he looked at the wound and pulled out his med kit that was on the small of his back along with the canteen that was attached to his vest. He made a saline solution and cleaned the wound wrapped it in gauze and removed the tooth, putting the tooth into a clear plastic bag. ¡°Alright mate this will hold you over till we get you to the hospital. I¡¯m going to go check on the rest of your mates. Just keep pressure on it and you¡¯ll be alright.¡±  Smiling at the young man he got up and checked the other civilians who only had some superficial scratches and a couple of bruises. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    After he treated all of their wounds he walked back over to Murphy. ¡°Ey boss it looks like the kid over there was bitten.¡± Sighing and running a hand through his hair Murphy forced himself not to glance at the kid. ¡°You sure it¡¯s a bite Saunders?¡± Saunders made sure his back was to the civilians and showed the bag with the tooth in it to him ¡°Yeah pretty sure. I pulled this out of his hand when i was cleaning up the wound.¡±


    Murphy sighed ¡°This complicates things even more.¡± Then keyed into the command channel for his radio ¡°Alpha leader to Command.¡± and waited for the response which came quickly, a monotone voice responding.  ¡°Go ahead for command Alpha leader¡± Keying back in ¡°We have an issue. There¡¯s a group of civilians out here who survived. 3 with minor injuries and 1 infected but not changed. Please advise¡± after a brief pause command gave their orders ¡°Eliminate any infected. If the other survivors put up any resistance eliminate them as well. Detain them at your current location. We are sending specialists to take care of everything else. Don¡¯t worry about cover up. Just make sure all downed infected are marked¡± the transmission ended and Murphy muttered a series of harsh expletives under his breath before acknowledging the command.


    He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples then called the rest of the squad to a secluded area that was out of earshot from the civilians. ¡°Alright fellas i just got word from command. We are to eliminate the infected civilian and any of the others who put up any resistance. Then detain them until specialists from command arrive for the cover up.¡±


    The half smile that was on Connall¡¯s face instantly turned into a scowl as he growled in response. His rough gravelly voice was filled with anger ¡°They¡¯re just fucking kids man. What do you mean eliminate them if they put up resistance. Of course they¡¯re gonna put up a fucken resistance. They just went through probably the most traumatic event of their lives together. Their gonna fucking fight like rabid dogs and we¡¯re gonna have to kill a bunch of fucking kids goddammit!¡± Before he stormed off from the group in a silent fury not wanting to talk anymore.


    Watching his departing back Farrell¡¯s soft voice sounded out. ¡°He¡¯s right you know. Those kids are going to be fighting like crazy if we just go over there and try to take away their friend.¡± He looked up to the sky and thought for a moment. ¡°Maybe we could try talking to them and explain the situation. Kids their age probably know a bit about zombies from all the movies and tv shows out there.Why don¡¯t we just tell them what¡¯s going to happen and we might be able to do this quietly and without a fight. Hell commands sending in the specialists anyway so we¡¯ve got nothing to lose except maybe making them react sooner which won¡¯t be any different if we didn¡¯t tell them.¡±


    Murphy returned his gaze from Connall¡¯s retreating back and looked to the civilians still huddled in their small group. ¡° Yeah that might be the best choice. Since you came up with the idea though you get to go talk to em. We¡¯ll still be close by if anything goes south. I don¡¯t wanna have to kill no kids anymore than y¡¯all do. Saunders why don¡¯t you go talk to Machagon and explain the plan to him we won¡¯t start anything just yet.¡±

 Chapter 3.2

    Saunders nodded and ran to catch up with Connall who was still walking away from the group into the nearby field. Connall was scanning his surroundings as he moved looking for something to take his anger out on. Then hearing the footfalls coming from behind him he brought his rifle up from low ready and turned to see Saunders, with raised hands, trotting up to him and dropped it back down.


    ¡°Hey MacHagon, Murph wanted me to come and tell you the plan and have you come back.¡± Connall¡¯s rage flared up again and he opened his mouth to yell but stopped when Saunders patted the air with his hands in a placating gesture and said. ¡°Before you start yelling at me just let me explain the plan.¡± Connall grit his teeth and growled out for him to get on with it. ¡°Alright so since they''re sending in the specialists we want to go talk to the kids and explain the issues we have. Let them know that we don¡¯t have a cure and that the only thing we can do is to kill the kid since within the next few hours or so he will turn into another one of those bloody undead bastards. We think they might understand with all the shows about zombies out there. So it should be worth a shot.¡±


    Connall sighed releasing some of the pent up tension and anger he was holding. Leaving mostly just sadness in its wake. ¡°Alright let¡¯s head back and see what happens. I suppose there''s not much else we can do is there.¡± With his shoulders slumped he walked back to the rest of the squad and the civilians.


    With everybody together again. They walked as a group to the civilians stopping a few yards away letting Farrell go closer on his own. Farrell gave a sad smile to the group of civilians as he approached. ¡°Hey Fellas my name is Duffy and i would appreciate it if you gave me a chance to speak with you gentlemen for a few moments. We have some things we need to discuss with you.¡±


    The civilians all looked at each other in confusion and the brute with the mohawk nodded at Farrell saying ¡°Go ahead bro. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be going anywhere anytime soon without y¡¯alls help with the jimi broken the way it is. But before you start, mind telling us if there will be any help coming anytime soon Holt is in pretty bad shape with his finger missing and he seems to be getting worse.¡±


    Farrell sighed as he knelt down next to the group which was still sitting on the ground where they had collapsed previously. Running a hand through his dark close cropped hair he said. ¡°That¡¯s more or less what we wanted to talk to you about.¡± He gave a brief pause ¡°Have you ever seen the movie Night of the Living Dead?¡± The group of civilians had another bout of confusion cross their faces and they all looked at each other and stared at Holt then the brute nodded ¡°Yeah but what¡¯s that got to do with anything¡± Farrell sighed again as he responded ¡°Well you know how the dead come back to life in that movie and attack people then those people come back as one of them.¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Farrell took a breath before he continued further but the young man who had cried out in rage previously jumped quickly to his feet. Taking a large step towards Farrell with his hands clenched into tightly balled fists yelling out ¡°The fuck are you saying?! Are you trying to say he is supposed to become some kind of fucking zombie or something?! That¡¯s a load of bullshit it¡¯s all just horror movie bullshit no space in reality! There ain¡¯t no fucking way he¡¯s turning into one of those crazy fucks we were fighting earlier! Y¡¯all are full of shit!¡± He started to raise his hand in preparation to throw a punch but was stopped by the brute who glared at him and yelled ¡°Shut the fuck up Mikey let the man speak!¡± Mikey stuttered to a stop ¡°What the fuck Paul you¡¯re ok with these fucks saying this shit about Holt especially right after Whitey just had his fucking guts ripped out right in front of us!¡± Paul shoved Mikey back a step and yelled at him. ¡°That¡¯s exactly fucken why we need to listen to these dudes because we would all be like fucking whitey if it wasn¡¯t for them. So sit the fuck down and shut the fuck up and let¡¯s hear them the fuck out.¡±


    Farrell had risen from his kneeling position and had taken a half step backwards to place himself into a bladed stance ready for a fight while watching the interaction between the two take place. He raised both his hands palms facing out in a placating gesture and said ¡°Just hear me out fellas.¡± The civilians glared at him but waved him to continue. ¡°Alright, so the reason I brought up zombies is because this disease that causes people to act like this¡± Waving his hand at the dead still lying strewn about the field. ¡°Is very similar to that fictitious disease and has been around for several millennia. One of the earliest mentions of the disease even goes as far back as around 150 B.C.E when a Roman controlled city state, in what is today around modern day germany, was annihilated by a large horde of them. We call the victims Romeros but the official name for them is Reveniens Mortuus which means returning dead. The official name of the disease itself is Revigus Mortus or just Revigus.¡±


    ¡°This disease is incurable. All those infected will change from within 5 minutes to 48 hours. Depending on the severity of the infection.¡± Mikey interrupting again in rage and yelled ¡°So what we can¡¯t help my fucking cousin!¡± Farrell shook his head and was about to start speaking but was interrupted by Mikey again. ¡°Why we can¡¯t just cut his hand off or something that shit works in the movies. If this disease is like the fucking movies then it should work now. Let me have one of your blades and I¡¯ll do it my fucking self!¡± He reached a shaking hand out for the hatchet on Murphy¡¯s hip but it was slapped down by Paul who said in a soft but angry voice ¡°Don¡¯t you think they would have already done that or at least mentioned it if it was a possibility.¡±

 Chapter 3.3

    Farrell gave another sad nod and said ¡°The disease is very fast acting and once it gets into your bloodstream you have no chance of amputation being effective. Well unless you were to sever the limb as soon as the romero bites into it since it takes less than a minute or so for your blood to travel completely around your body. But we are long past that option here. The only recourse to prevent another outbreak and to prevent the victim to succumbing to it is to destroy the brain.¡±


    Another outburst from Mikey was forestalled by Paul as he glared at him as he said ¡°So you''re saying we can¡¯t save our friend from death and that the only way to save him from becoming some kind of zombie is to destroy his brain? And there¡¯s nothing we can do to change that then?¡± Farrell shook his head ¡°Sadly no the only recourse is to end the suffering of the victim before they turn into a romero.¡±


    The civilians were all shaking with barely controlled anger and Paul again addressed Farrell ¡°Fine but at least let us do it. He¡¯s our friend and we would want him to do it for us. So we will do it for him.¡± They remained tense as they waited for the response from Farrell who looked back to see what Murphy would say. Murphy simply nodded his head in accent to their request. Farrell then drew his weapon to the surprise of the civilians who jumped back into a defensive stance. Then turned it around so the handle faced Paul.


    Before Paul could grab it. Mikey reached out and snatched it away from Farrell. ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself he¡¯s my cousin it has be me and only me.¡± He started to walk with determination to Holt who was now lying unconscious in the back of the disabled vehicle. After only a few steps he came to a sudden stop and in a soft voice asked Farrell ¡°how much time do we have until he changes?¡± Farrell, in turn, looked over to Saunders who walked over to check on Holt in the back of the disabled vehicle


    He checked his pulse which was slow and steady but a cold sweat had broken out on his forehead. ¡°Judging from his symptoms, maybe 3 hours. Could be more could be less. Every person is a bit different depending on the strength of the immunities in their bodies.¡± Mikey¡¯s head drooped and he stared at the ground for a moment then spoke softly ¡°Is it okay if we wake him up and see if he wants to wait to change or have it taken care of right away?¡±


    Murphy chose to step forward and introduce himself to answer the question. ¡°Hello gentlemen my name is Murphy I am the team leader and the on the ground commander of this operation. I checked with base command and they let me know we have about 5 hours until we have specialists coming to complete the clean up. We need to remain here until then. So if he wants to wait until the change that¡¯s fine but only so long as it¡¯s before the arrival of the specialists. They won¡¯t care about trying to help you guys out and will force us to eliminate any infected.¡± Mikey grit his teeth but nodded in acknowledgement.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    He walked over to wake up Holt and speak with him. Repeating the explanation that was given to him and what had been said. Holt decided to wait until the last moment before the change to let them end it.


    Paul, who had remained near the squad asked them ¡°So are you guys like some sort of government organization that kills zombies or some shit?¡± Chuckling Connall was the one to respond knowing whatever he told the civilian wouldn¡¯t matter after the specialists got there. ¡°Yeah something like that. Although we take out more than just these romeros.¡± Paul¡¯s eyes widened slightly at this ¡°So there¡¯s other monsters out there aside from just these romeros as you call em?¡± Connall laughed again ¡°Yeah there¡¯s a whole lot more than just these out there. In fact these are some of the easier ones to take care of as long as they don¡¯t get elevated into a class 4.¡±


    Their conversation lasted for several hours. Charlie squad arrived during this time having taken care of any remaining romeros. They also checked with command through murphy to make sure satellite imagery showed no further movements of the undead. Everything was clear so they were simply waiting for the specialists to arrive.


    The 5 hour deadline was quickly approaching when Holt started convulsing. Thick sweat covered his body and his skin was a pallid grey. Saunders who had stayed nearby caught sight of this and approached the convulsing young man. ¡°This is the final stage before he dies and reanimates as an undead. We have maybe 5 to 10 minutes. I would say your goodbyes if you haven¡¯t already¡±


    The mood grew increasingly somber and Mikey who still held the gun that Farrell had loaned him moved next to Holt and softly said a few words that only they could hear. He was followed by Paul who did the same. Again saying a few quiet words only they could hear. Then finally the third surviving civilian walked up. He was nearly forgotten as he had remained in the background quietly without saying anything to anyone. He was a light skinned young man of average height and size with long dark hair. He also quietly said a few words then went to stand next to Paul with his eyes glued to the ground and his hair covering his face.


    Everyone having said their goodbyes knew it was time to end it. Holt¡¯s convulsions had stopped and he had lost the last semblance of consciousness. His breathing had slowed to the point where if you didn¡¯t look closely you couldn¡¯t tell that he was still living. They moved him out of the back of the vehicle and onto a blanket that they placed on the ground as Holt had asked of them.


    Mikey walked up, his grip on the borrowed pistol causing his fingers to turn white while it shook uncontrollably. He put the barrel of the weapon onto his friend and cousin¡¯s temple as tears escaped his eyes. He said goodbye one final time and told his friend he was sorry then pulled the trigger. The report deafening in the silence. Gray matter and blood spraying from the wound. The gun fell from Mikey¡¯s hand as he turned away from his cousin and running away from the group. They watched him leave and allowed him to be alone.


    The sound of a helicopter grew louder and louder as it approached from the distance. Connall who was standing next to Murphy said to him ¡°Looks like the specialists are here. Should we gather the civilians for their debriefing?¡± Murphy nodded saying ¡°Go ahead and gather them together.¡± Connall was stopped as he started to walk away by Murphy¡¯s voice. ¡°You know I kinda feel jealous of the kids. Their friends just died but they won¡¯t remember everything that happened today. The terrible memories that were made will be gone. It would be kinda nice to forget some things. Especially these kinds of things.¡± Connall gave a sad smile and nodded as he walked away his voice trailing with him. ¡°Yeah wouldn¡¯t that be nice to be so ignorant again.¡±