The Zone: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller (Infection Chronicles Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

and his squad climbed the ramp into the CAV. Within moments, the HK engines roared to life. The air beneath the exhaust ports blurred with heat distortion. The flying tank lifted into the air and lumbered forward, cresting the containment wall.
    The city was in ruins. Shattered glass and crumbling concrete. Roadways pocked with craters from bomb blasts and rocket fire. Most of the damage was done by the Army trying to contain the hordes of infected. The damage was worse around the perimeter. Less so in the interior of the city.
    At first, 90 miles of chain-link fence, topped with razor wire, was erected around the city. It was a stopgap measure until the concrete containment wall was built. Before the chain-link fence, it was sandbags, troops, tanks, and proximity mines. 
    The action was swift and decisive. It was a miracle they were able to contain the virus. In the early days, it was ugly. No one was allowed in or out, and at that time, there were still plenty of uninfected. Throngs of people tried to evacuate the city, only to be turned back by the Army. More often than not, forcibly so.
    The CAV flew low and slow over the city. Steele always had an eerie feeling entering the containment zone. The ghosts of 4 million people haunted him. Innocent casualties were always a part of war, but never to this scale. He tried not to dwell on that aspect. After all, had the virus spread across the country, it would be 300 million dead. It was easier to frame things that way. Put the tragedy in a nice, neat little box and store it away. But setting foot in the containment zone always opened that box. 
    The CAV slowed and descended upon a rooftop. An old warehouse on the east side of downtown. The ramp lowered, and Steele and his squad filed out. Within seconds, the CAV lifted off and continued on its trajectory. The short delay would have been barely noticeable to anyone tracking the CAV on radar.
    Steele dashed across the roof and took cover behind a large HVAC unit. The team followed. No sense in being careless. If roving gang members were taking pot shots at CAVs with RPGs, then they wouldn’t hesitate to snipe at ground troops. The latest intel indicated that power had been consolidated into the hands of a few rival warlords within the containment zone. By all reports, they were well armed and outfitted, having scavenged equipment and munitions left behind.
    Steele’s eyes scanned the rooftop and fixed on the roof access door. He signaled Delroy to advance toward the door. Delroy was there within seconds. Steele and the others followed. But the door was locked.
    With his titanium composite fist, Steele punched in the locking mechanism. It crumpled like tinfoil—the benefits of bio-mechanical parts.
    Delroy pushed through the door, his weapon in the firing position. The team funneled into the stairwell behind him, with Steele bringing up the rear. He pushed Ferris along, who fumbled over his own footsteps. 
    They spiraled down the metal switchback staircase, descending into the darkness. Once the door closed behind them, the stairwell was pitch black—apart from the beams of tactical flashlights mounted to their weapons. These types of dark nooks and crannies were prime hiding spots for lurking infected.
    Floor after floor, they cleared the area with textbook precision. These guys were pros, no doubt about it. Ferris stood out like a sore thumb.
    When they reached the first floor landing there was a woman lurching around in the darkness. Delroy’s flashlight spotted her face. Her eyes were blood red, and she snarled and hissed—clearly infected. Delroy’s finger instinctually gripped the trigger.
    CRACK!
    Muzzle flash lit up the stairwell. The woman’s head exploded. Dark, greenish-red blood splattered the white walls. The shell casing pinged and danced across the concrete floor. The woman’s body smacked the ground with a wet slap. Thick, sludge-like blood oozed from what used to be her head. 
    Delroy grinned from ear