Just as the two finished the inspection of each others gear and had their quick conversation about Connall’s spear. The helicopter began its descent coming to a hover about 50 feet from the ground and Murphy shouted. “Alright everyone it’s go time. Scouts, get ready to fast rope to the ground in 5….4…...3…...2…… NOW!”

At his shout the 5 Scouts, who had already attached the ropes to themselves, jumped from the helicopter and fast roped down to the dry earth.

Their mission was simple and they got to work immediately. Moving silently they first headed away from the LZ each going in a different direction . Once they were in the best possible positions to allow maximum area coverage while still providing them the ability to provide support if needed and the helicopter’s noise had faded into the distance. They put specialized earplugs in that allowed them to communicate with each other but blocked out the soon to be blaringly loud noise of the speakers that were attached to each of their chests. Turned them on and moved with clinical precision to their pre-determined location. Drawing as many Romero’s as possible with them.

After dropping off the scouts the blackhawk moved to the next drop point. “Alright fellas we’re next” The helicopter slowed and began to hover the members of Alpha squad moving to connect the fast ropes. “We move in 3…… 2……. 1…… GO! GO! GO!” 4 of them jumping at the same time followed closely by Murphy. Each detaching the ropes and raising their weapons to scan for any threats. After all of them safely hit the ground they spread out giving each person around 10 yards between them and moved in a V formation to cover as wide an area as possible while maintaining close support for each other.

Murphy was at the head of the V with Saunders and Valerio at the 2 and 3 positions followed by Connall and Farrell at the 4 and 5 positions on each end. Murphy keyed his mic “All positions report in” each member keyed in “ Scout 1 all clear” “Scout 2 all clear” “Scout 3 all clear” “Scout 4 all clear” “Scout 5, 1 target eliminated and marked for cleanup.” “Alpha 2 all clear” “Alpha 3 all clear” “Alpha 4 all clear” “Alpha 5 all clear” Murphy then keyed into a secondary channel using a secondary button for his mic “ Alpha all clear. Charlie what’s your status.” “Charlie all clear” Murphy keying in again this time to a 3rd channel said “Command, all units clear. Moving forward, next check in in 20.”

The teams each moved smoothly and cleanly to their positions going through 2 more checks until they reached the point where the majority of Romeros had been grouped together and calling for a halt. Murphy keying in his mic “Alpha team in position. Scout team alpha, initiate silence protocol and move to secondary objective.” keying into the second channel “Alpha in position Charlie what’s your status” “Charlie in position ready to go on your mark” Murphy then keyed into both channels.“Alright gentlemen begin extermination in 3…….2…...GO!”

The members of both teams having settled themselves into their preferred firing positions and began firing at the romeros. The romeros falling in droves.

Connall gazed at the romeros through his M4’s sight focusing in on a woman dressed only in shorts and flip flops loose remnants of a shirt hanging in tatters. Her grey mottled skin had a series of scratches from her right shoulder to her left breast and a small bite wound was on her left hand which was raised grasping towards the men with a deep hunger. Her dyed blonde hair blew freely in the wind small patches matted down by dried blood. Dull brown eyes were locked onto Alphas position.

Setting his reticle squarely between the former woman’s eyebrows. Connall Breathed out and slowly squeezed the trigger. The rifle surprising him as the muffled crack of the bullet sounded out. Black gelatinous blood spraying from the back of her head as she fell to the ground, animated no longer.

Connall moved onto his next target a tall and thin bald man wearing nothing but cowboy boots. His left pectoral a bloody mass and was oblivious to the shame that dangled for the world to see. Mouth gnawing at the air in hunger. Blue eyes greyed over locked directly onto Connall. Who again placed his reticle on the man’s forehead breathed out and squeezed the trigger. Connall was drawn into a trance as he moved from target to target. Each one's head reduced to a grey mist as he fired. Noticing that his current target began sprouting black mouths of gore across its chest and realising the cause Connall keyed into his mic growling out “Headshots fellas you’re wasting ammo out here ya fucken dip shits.” He let go of his mic and returned to the task at hand. He managed to blow through 4 of his 6 magazines by the time the last one dropped.

Murphy keyed into the comms again. “All units cease fire and provide status reports.” there was a brief silence then the units began chiming in. “Alpha 2 all clear” “Alpha 3 all clear” “Alpha 4 all clear” “Alpha 5 all clear” “Charlie 1 - 5 all clear. Charlie Scouts 1 - 5 all clear” “Alpha Scout 1 reporting in. We have an issue. Looks like a small horde of romeros were left outside of the containment zone. They have a group of civvies surrounded next to a disabled vehicle.” Murphy cursed under his breath “God fucking damnit all to hell. Stupid fucking civvies what the fuck are they still doing out here.”

With a scowl and a grumble he keyed back in “What’s the status of the civilians. Can you tell if any are injured from your position?” The scout replied “It’s hard to tell but it looks like none of them have any injuries as of right now. However they’re surrounded by romeros and are cut off from their vehicle. Looks like they’re using makeshift weapons to hold em off but i don’t think that will last for long. We’re about 4 klicks from your position North by northwest. Would you like us to engage and try to help em out?” Looking up to the sky and running a hand through his hair Murphy sighed and gave his orders “Try to engage the ones on the outside. See if you can’t cut a hole in em for the civilians to retreat out of in the process. We are heading there immediately.”

Looking back to the men around him who had all stood up from their positions and began stretching “Alright gentlemen you heard the Scouts. We got more work to do. Standard formation, take out any Romeros that we come across. Keep it clean. Headshots only, who knows how many more of those fuckers are out there. And make sure you mark em with a beacon when they are taken out.” Pointing at the mass of corpses in the field next to them “Valerio pop a beacon so the cleanup crews know where to go for this mess.” Keying into his mic again “Charlie begin your sweep. Make sure nothing is left moving. Mark all eliminated targets for clean up.”

The scouts first tried to draw the attention of the Romeros by turning on the speakers that were still attached to their chests. However, the promise of the fresh warm meat in front of them was far too tempting for the romeros. So the scouts began firing into the ones on the outskirts of the encirclement, taking special care to avoid getting too close to the civilians to avoid injuring them. Then worked their way in towards the civilians. Each Scout was able to take out a target every 2-4 seconds. Only pausing when they needed to reload. Something that didn’t happen often since they were all carrying M4’s with 30 round magazines. They managed to cut a hole through the mass of Romeros but as soon as the civilians tried to move through it they got separated and a 6ft tall and thin young man with shoulder length dirty blonde, wavy hair, was taken down by several romeros.

The ones that took down the young man immediately began tearing into him. Biting through his black t-shirt and ripping flesh from bone allowing white ribs the light of day them. Flesh torn into jagged strips. They ripped free his right arm, a skull and crossbones tattoo on the forearm, from the rest of his body. Breaking the bone just above his elbow into a jagged point in the process. The rest of his body was being torn into bloody ribbons. Blood from a torn artery spraying across his friends. His screams of pain and horror raising above the sound of gunfire and hungry moans.

One of the scouts took pity on him and fired a well placed round to end his suffering. Puncturing a neat black hole above his left eyebrow. One of the civilians, a tall and broad man whose white face and rosy cheeks was filled by the blood pumping through his veins. He held a half broken bow, the string long lost and let out a rage and pain filled roar “NOOOOOO!!!” and tried to move towards the still feasting romeros. Swinging the broken bow with a strength that only a man who was lost in his rage could muster.

Another one of the men a large bruit of a man standing around 6 foot 4 with dark brown skin a short beard and a 2f foot tall black mohawk who carried a large tire cross. Sent his arm, that had a green nautical star tattooed on it, darting out and pulled back the other one. Shouting something unintelligible at him. Forcing him to remain with the group protecting each other’s backs.

The group of civilians kept fighting. Just barely keeping the romeros at bay. With the scouts quickly losing the ability to assist as the romeros were to close and they didn’t want to risk hitting the men that were fighting for their lives.

This desperate fighting continued for what seemed like an eternity to the men but was in reality only about 15 minutes.

Alpha arrived right as another of the men fighting was taken down. He was a tall, thin and pale skinned young man. With short, light brown hair who was using a piece of wood shaped like a sword as a weapon. The brute with the mohawk saw this as it was happening and was able to save the other man in time by burying his tire cross into the head of the Romero that pulled his friend down. Dragging him back into the circle made by the remaining three men allowing him to collapse into the middle in a bloody heap. Then, shoving the closest romeros away he grabbed a massive rock and started using it to smash the heads of the undead romeros his tire cross lost.

Murphy quickly ordered his men to take out their hand to hand weapons and move in to eliminate the romeros.

Connall drew his spear that was strapped to his back set down his long rifle to allow easier movement while fighting and slung his M4 across his back. The spear’s blade shined brightly in the midday sun as he removed the sheath covering it.

All of alpha squad then advanced towards the romeros. Yelling out obscenities trying to draw their attention away from the civilians in an attempt to give them some breathing room.

Connall was the first to arrive having given up on the formation. Knowing that time was of the essence and having full confidence in his team’s ability to easily eliminate the romeros.

Yelling again, he drew the attention of a small elderly hispanic woman who turned towards him and bared her teeth. Towering over the diminutive romero, using his much greater reach in both arms and spear he swung horizontally, slicing cleanly through her neck. Sending her head tumbling through the air and her body falling lifelessly to the ground. Then stabbed straight into the back of the nearest romero. Right into the sweet spot where the head and neck joined together. Killing it instantly he kicked it to free his weapon. When a large rotund man turned to him and lunged reaching out to grasp hold of him. He squatted low to get underneath it and stabbed out with his spear. Slicing through the fat that guarded the monster’s throat and into its brain. Pulling back he forced the blade to the left and swung it straight into the crown of another’s head.

This continued for several moments. All of the members of alpha squad joining in to make short work of the remaining beasts.

The civilians all collapsed in exhaustion when the last romero fell to the dirt lifeless. The one who had earlier cried out in anger and sadness when his companion fell began to laugh in a loud manic voice. Wrapping his arms around himself and curling into a ball as he sat on the muddied ground. Fallen blood forming dark viscous rivers that flowed around the uneven earth. The mans manic laughter piercing the unnatural silence that had fallen with the last romero.