ARISEN, Book Eleven - Deathmatch Read Online Free PDF Page A

fought through three million dead in Chicago to pull out the scientist who can do this. And he’s made it clear: a very early sample of the virus is the last piece of the puzzle. And he’s got to have it. It’s this or die. We’ve got to get it done.”
    Left unsaid was: And you’re going to help us .
    But Jake didn’t need to hear that last part. He got it. He visibly shook off the fatalism and despair that had grown on him like a dark coat over the last six months. He took a breath. “Okay. There is a bit of good news. The singularity around the Stronghold is relatively mild. It’s stayed below the level of their walls.”
    Handon said, “Our experience has been that once they start coming, they don’t stop. The moans draw more.”
    “Yeah, that’s been our experience, too. But there are exceptions. In this case, the singularity was actually drawn by the fight we were having inside the walls.”
    Henno shook his head. “Not very clever, that.”
    “Even less than you know,” Jake said. “That massive herd I mentioned, that swept all the local dead out? Yeah, that was on its way in when we conducted our assault. But they were holding one of our teammates.” He looked toward the sangar on the wire. “We had to get her out. Before the herd arrived.”
    “Her – along with Patient Zero?” Henno asked.
    “Yeah. That was the plan.”
    Henno’s expression betrayed his dim view of which one they had emerged with.
    Handon had to look away. He was thinking Henno just kept chafing his ass. He didn’t mind about his own discomfort, but worried about what this signaled – that trouble was still brewing in the team. And an ugly dominance contest was still to come.
    Jake also looked away from his staring contest with Henno, and back to Handon. “Point being, the herd had so much momentum that the front edge of it drew the majority of those that came behind. Some were attracted to the firing behind the walls, and stayed, but most moved on. And al-Shabaab managed to get their walls repaired and hunker down – and stay quiet enough that the dead outside lost the scent, and calmed down.”
    “But they didn’t leave, either.”
    “No. I don’t guess those inside could be completely quiet. Or maybe the dead had the scent of them. There was a lot of blood on the ground when we left.”
    Henno looked unimpressed. “It matters nought – they’ll perk back up fast enough if we come round.”
    “There’s something else,” Baxter said. “Godane built an underground escape tunnel that emerges outside the walls. Trouble is – it doesn’t emerge far enough away. It’s inside the ring of dead. We know they’ve been sneaking people out quietly, at night, for recon and scavenging. So it’s at least possible to slip through.”
    “That also doesn’t help us,” Handon said. “If they have a back way in, they’ll have it wired with explosives, so they can shut it – fast and hard. It would be a death trap for any invaders.”
    “So what’s the plan, then?” Juice asked.
    Yeah , Handon thought. What IS the plan?
    But, instead of answering, he looked up at the sky as a fat raindrop landed on his face. The clouds had darkened and thickened up without anyone quite noticing. Within seconds, more heavy drops were falling, and it would be raining in earnest soon. The operators got up and gathered their gear.
    “Figures,” Jake said, standing and letting the rain put the fire out.
    “What figures?” Handon asked.
    “We’re three-quarters of the way through what’s supposed to be the short rainy season. Normally it’s a lot of light, little showers. But, instead, this year, it’s rained like a sonofabitch, chucking it down constantly, all through the early part of the season. But then it was dry as a bone for the last two weeks.”
    Juice looked up. The Horn of Africa was like that, always lulling you – then putting the boot in.
    “Is that going to be a problem for us?” Handon asked. He knew rain and