He locked onto another target and fired at it on the move. The bullet struck true, and the skinny man tumbled forward from the impact. James let loose a three-round burst into a mass of creatures charging at the storefront. Searching for targets of his own, Jacob locked in on another man who was running toward the docks. He eased back the trigger and fired, missing completely, the rounds dropping behind the creature. He continued to pull the trigger and watched a round impact at the man’s feet, missing again. More screams came from close by; so close he thought they were on top of him. Jacob rose away from the scope and saw that a small group had broken off and moved at them from a flank.
Concealed in a blind spot, they’d gotten to within a hundred feet and were closing at a dead sprint. Jacob stood and backed away from the barrier. Lifting his rifle, he fired quick shots and dropped the first runner. Jacob turned on the balls of his feet to fire into the chest of a woman with a torn shirt. She was armed with a steel rod and slashing at the air as she screamed while running toward him.
Two pulls of the trigger and she stumbled out of control, crashing to the ground. Jacob pivoted hard again and found himself looking into the devilish black eyes of the final attacker. Empty handed, it sprinted on with fisted hands, its teeth bared and lips curled back to reveal charcoal-black gums. It screamed as its arms flailed wildly.
Jacob aimed center mass and pulled the trigger. Feeling no recoil, he looked down and saw that his rifle’s bolt was locked back on an empty chamber. His left arm dropped down, frantically searching his chest rig for a fresh magazine. The screaming man closed the distance and became airborne, flying over the barrier as Jacob tried to feed a full magazine. The metal box slammed against the empty magazine that he’d forgotten to drop. Now fully panicked, Jacob yelped and gripped the rifle, lashing out at his attacker. James spun a half second before the creature impacted; he fired two quick shots, knocking the creature off its path and into the water.
“Well, you fucked that all up. Come on, it’s time to move, rookie,” James shouted. Gripping the first grenade in his hand, he removed the pin and threw it deep to the front. Before it detonated, James had the second pin pulled and arcing into the distance after the first.
He pushed Jacob ahead and together they ran to the small inflatable. The explosions cracked behind them in rapid succession. The gunfire softened, although the telltale sounds of rounds zipping overhead continued; the zips and pings sounded off as they harmlessly struck far away objects. Jacob ran with burning lungs down the dock’s maze of paths. As they neared the inflatable, they heard the engine running—the boat had already been turned in the water and was being held close to the dock, awaiting their return. Jacob neared its side first and poured off the wood surface, tumbling into the boat. Jesse reached out and, grabbing him, stabilized him against the rigid hull.
Jacob pushed back and let his head hang while he gasped for air. He watched as James casually stepped into the inflatable and took a seat at the controls near Rogers. He grabbed a bottle from his cargo pocket and took a long drink. He looked back at Jacob and winked. “Nice work, rook.” He slapped Rogers on the back and said, “Get us out of here. They’ll be hungry now.”
Rogers let the throttle move forward. The engine roared, causing the bow to lift out of the water. As the small boat picked up speed and smoothed out over the lake, Rogers navigated it to open water, aiming for the coastal patrol ship that sat in the dark blue waters of the lake. “Any of those friendlies get away?” Marks yelled over the engine.
James nodded. “Yes, sir; I saw three break out from the pharmacy and run for it once we joined the fight. I lost visual with them after that.”
Chapter Thirty-One
“Take her in slow,” Marks ordered. “We don’t need to go getting shot up by a nervous deckhand.”
Jesse sat up, leaning forward. “Those things don’t drive boats. Why would they be nervous?”
The soldiers turned and looked at him. Rogers smiled, showing his teeth. “You’ve been out of touch, boy. Deltas can do it all now.”
“No way? Drive a boat? What about a car; can they fly?” Jesse asked.
Rogers laughed. “Everything. Longer they cook, the more dangerous they are.”
“Damn,” Jesse muttered.
Jacob looked on as Jesse leaned back against him, shaking his head. Rogers eased back on the throttle. As they moved slower, the lake’s swells became more apparent, the boat rising and falling on the water. Objects on the large ship quickly came into view. Rogers killed the throttle, allowing the boat to glide along the surface toward a back corner of the ship. Two men on deck in digital-blue camouflage ran to the rail, one holding a shotgun at the ready, the other a bright flashlight. The man with the light leaned forward and aimed the beam.
“You all know the drill,” a sailor shouted down at them.
Everyone turned and opened their mouths into the beam of light. The sailor scanned their faces then lowered his light and tossed a line. James caught the other end and held the inflatable close to the ship then tied it off to the ladder, steadying it as Marks reached up and placed a boot on the ladder’s rung. Once he was away, Jacob climbed up next, following the lieutenant until he was on the deck
