Read Brent Acuff - Undead Nation 03 for Free Online Page B

of a heartbeat, and the copilot was all too quickly yelling orders through the headset. "We're coming in for drop off. Hook up zip lines and get ready to drop."
    In unison, the Stryker team stood and presented their safety hooks to the copilot, who snapped them on the line in order. Luke nearly pushed everyone out of the helicopter in hopes of being the first out the door.
    The chopper slowed and hovered only feet above the warehouse rooftop. A red light above the door flashed to green, and the copilot ordered everyone out.
    Luke was out the door almost before the copilot finished. He slipped quickly down the line, and misjudged the landing. His legs buckled under him and he crumpled to the rooftop. The copilot placed a hand on Alex's chest to keep him from stepping out the door.
    The rest of the team watched as Luke struggled to his feet. Behind Alex, someone yelled "Contact!" Immediately everyone began scanning the rooftop for the threat. A zombie slowly shuffled towards the struggling Luke, its terrible moans drowned out by the thumping of rotor blades.
    Donovan pushed through to the helicopter door, leveling his rifle at the creature. The weapon erupted, spraying sparks across the rooftop all around the zombie. "Nice shooting, Tex," Alex joked. Donovan scowled at Alex and squeezed the trigger again.
    A fresh set of sparks flew up around the zombie, but this time one found its mark. The zombie's head snapped back and the creature fell back to the rooftop. "Bout time, Scooter," Alex dug again.
    "Shut up," Donovan snipped and fell back in line.
    The copilot checked the landing zone to make sure it was clear before slapping Alex on the shoulder. "Go!"
    Alex stepped out of the open door, sliding quickly down the zip line. He bent his knees and rolled to absorb the shock. He was on his feet instantly and moving out of the drop zone. Kneeling down next to Luke, the two men scanned the perimeter looking for threats.
    "You okay?" Alex asked Luke without looking at him.
    "I'm okay," Luke said sounding a bit hurt. "Just a little too eager to get out of that thing."
    In rapid succession, the remainder of the Stryker team exited the helicopter and took their positions in the every growing circle on the roof. Once everyone was safely down, the helicopter pulled up and headed back towards Tulsa. As the sound of the rotors faded into the distance, Alex began issuing commands to his team.
    "Liam, Dr. Cahn, on me. Camp team. Everyone else on Donovan clearing the building. Remember to barricade all entrances and report back if this is a defendable location."
    Without a word, every man jumped to their task, dropping their camp supplies in a pile as they headed for the rooftop access.
    "Dr. Cahn," Alex called after the others had cleared the area. "We need to get rid of that body. Liam, finish clearing the rooftop. Make sure there aren't any others."
    Muffled sounds of sporadic gunfire could be heard from below. The timing between the brief spurts of gunfire led Alex to conclude that there were some undead inside, but no more than could be safely handled.
    Putting on the barest of safety equipment, Dr. Cahn and Alex carefully moved the dead body to the edge of the building, then over. The corpse seemed to float through the air as it fell towards the sidewalk below before impacting with a sickening wet crunch. A trail of black-red ooze showed the path across the rooftop that the body had been carried. A bright withe powder would be liberally spread over this gore, both to soak up the mess and as a warning to stay away from it. No man would ever come near it.
    "Rooftop is clear," Liam said, rejoining Alex and the doctor.
    "Good," Alex said, throwing the last handful of powder at the gore. "Lets get the shelters up." Each man tore at the pile of backpacks stacked on the roof. Canvas tents were unrolled and quickly raised into place. The tent supports were specially modified to allow them to be secured to the rooftop, anchoring the stakes into the