Read Designated (Book 1): Designated Infected for Free Online

through the door, his rifle pulled so
tightly against his shoulder it bruised his muscles sending a dull
ache echoing through his battered and tired frame. The door swung
back crashing into the dry, plaster covered wall so hard it buried
the handle in the sodden water stained surface as his sights zeroed
in on the Infected barrelling towards him. He squeezed the trigger
once, his finger curling around the concave metal barb and a soft pop
echoed off the walls as the bullet left the muzzle. Baker watched as
the back of the Infected Arab's head burst in a glistening shower of
bone and brain matter. The trickling patter of wet bone and cranial
tissue rolled through the still, warm air as Baker surged onwards.
    'Jenkins, where the fuck are you? Jenkins, you scrawny
Irish bastard; where the fucking hell are you?'

    Bakers gaze alighted for a second on the discarded rifle
lying in the middle of the corridor, the sling torn from its mounts
and the stock was cracked and split. Pieces of matted hair and scalp
were caught in the fissure running through the butt plate. A hard
lump settled in Baker's stomach as he neared the end of the corridor,
the smooth featureless walls drawing him to the only other place
Jenkins could have gone.
    Baker's throat went dry as he neared the open window, he
knew what he would find at the bottom as much as he refused to
acknowledge the thought. Staring down through the haze ridden air he
saw the broken crumpled form of his squad mate lying on the roadway
below. 'Fuck.' His ear bead crackled as he stood there staring down
at the body below him. Lifting his fingers, he gently pressed against
the small buzzing object caught in his ear.
    'We got two down; Dalescue and Higgins are down.'
    Baker cursed under his breath as he moved his hand to
his throat.
    'Confirm status.'
    He dreaded the reply; although, no doubt lay in his mind
as to what it would be.
    'Confirmed KIA.'
    Baker's heart dropped as his fears were confirmed.
Swallowing back his first reply he pushed gently against the
transmitter and spoke.
    'Acknowledged, confirmed KIA, relay confirmation of
Jenkins to top; he is confirmed down and KIA also.'
    Baker cut the connection and flipped himself out the
window, vaulting the edge of the window like a professional gymnast.
His feet kissed the ground as he rolled with the impact absorbing the
shock and rolling up to his feet he paused. Reaching down, he tugged
Jenkins' dog tags from around his neck, and then set off in a dead
sprint towards the end of the street.
    'This is Echo Six, requesting fire mission, danger
close.'
    The line fizzed and popped as the signal bounced from
the relays.
    'Echo Six, say again?'
    'I want you to burn this god-damned place to the fucking
ground!'
    Silence reigned for several seconds as the operator
pondered his next reply.
    'You do accept that you will be in the area of fire.'
    'I know it's danger close. I just fucking told you that
and I don't give a fuck. Just level the god-damned place. I'm marking
the location with an IR beacon. Give me a six hundred metre spread on
a three second chain.'
    'Fire mission confirmed E.T.A, three minutes'
    Baker cut the connection as he sprinted away from the
building, clutching the small black box in his fist. The heavy object
beeped twice as his fingers moved over it tapping out the codes so
deeply etched into his memory that he'd typed them out before he had
even consciously thought of them. Clipping the small device back on
to his vest he once more pressed his fingers to his throat.
    'Any one still on the link?'
    Rawlings, Kingsley and Bolton answered as one, their
unified calling lending a small measure of happiness to Baker's
actions as he sprinted deeper into the fire zone.
    'Get to fall back point Charlie. This is going to be a
hot one and you don't want to be here when it drops. Get our boys off
the field and out with you. They deserve to go home in one piece.'
    Kingsley's east Essex baritone rumbled deep within
Baker's mind as he ran