Read Outbreak (Book 2): The Mutation for Free Online Page A

defend.
    That had been two years ago. Today, Fort Hood had a little over a thousand soldiers and around five-hundred civilians within its walls. Everyone contributed, and everyone fought. Butsko and Wilder had set up training programs that taught civilians how to fight hand-to-hand and how to handle various types of weapons. When the world became a battlefield, everyone was a soldier. You either learned to fight, or you died.
    *****
    Wilder made his way to Butsko’s command office and gave Butsko a sharp salute as he entered the room.
    “Good to see you back, soldier, ” Butsko said as Wilder sat down.
    “That was a rough one, Sir, ” Wilder said.
    “I know, ” Butsko sympathized, “and I hope you enjoyed it, because that was your last running mission.”
    Wilder’s eyes perked up. After the first few successful ‘running missions, ’ as they’d come to be called, word had spread of their success, and many military-based operations still functioning in Texas, Arkansas, and Florida had begun to carry out similar missions based on Butsko’s recommendations.
    “What happened? ” Wilder asked, already knowing the answer.
    “They … learned, ” was all Butsko said.
    “Learned? ” Wilder asked. “What the hell did they learn?”
    “They learned to stop chasing soldiers into an abandoned building, ” Butsko responded as he met Wilder’s eyes.
    “But how? ” Wilder asked, not knowing if he really wanted to hear the answer.
    “We’re not sure of the exact details, Dan, ” Butsko said. “All we know is that the base in Eglin was doing their first running mission and everything went pear-shaped.”
    “Wait, ” Wilder said, almost cutting Butsko off. “It was their first running mission?”
    Butsko nodded.
    “Then how the hell did the zombies ‘learn ’ anything? ” Wilder asked.
    “I’ve been asking myself that exact same question, Dan, ” Butsko said as he stood and walked over the map of the U.S. on the wall.
    “It happened here, ” Butsko said, pointing to a black-tipped pin sticking in the map. The pin was near the Eglin Air Force Base about three miles southwest of Valparaiso, Florida.
    “Was the base attacked? ” Wilder asked, the concern in his voice noticeable. The majority of the military bases in the U.S. had been completely wiped out. The few that had made it were damaged and were barely functional. The last thing they needed was to be attacked by a large group of the infected.
    “The base was completely wiped out, ” Butsko said somberly. “The only details I managed to get was that Eglin was carrying out their first running mission into a small hanger by the airport. Everything had been going exactly according to plan. ” Butsko stared at his hands as he related the story to Wilder.
    “Just as their runner entered the hanger, a group of infected branched off and ambushed the soldier guarding the back door, ” Butsko said.
    Wilder looked at Butsko with heavy eyes.
    “The runner had no escape and was torn apart, ” Butsko said. “Every soldier around the hanger was slaughtered. It was like the zombies knew they were there.”
    “What about snipers and other supporting soldiers? ” Wilder asked, hoping to get some good news.
    “Those details are unknown, ” Butsko responded. “But I knew Colonel Wolfe, and just like us, he’d never endanger any of his soldiers or civilians by not providing the proper backup.”
    “How did you find out these details? ” Wilder asked.
    “Wolfe managed to relay some intel over the CB radio before… ” Butsko hesitated. “Before he was torn apart. ” Butsko then looked straight at Wilder: “I heard those fucking things as they tore him apart, Dan. He could’ve saved himself, but I think he was trying to warn us of something.”
    “Are you sure the entire base was wiped out? ” Wilder pressed on. “Should we mount a search and rescue mission?”
    “You know we don’t have the manpower or the means for a search and rescue,