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Electronic Release: March 2014

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.

A new strain. A brand new war…

Cogan MacKenzie, Sullivan Gates and Jake Gibson aren’t your typical recon team. Firefighters in their previous lives, they lack the tactical presence the other teams have—a fact no one’s willing to let them forget. But when they get the chance to go searching for another missing team, they don’t let a lack of well wishes stop them. They just never counted on running into a woman fighting off a horde of undead. Or that she’d give them the answer to the one question that’s been on everyone’s mind.

How the whole damn thing got started.

But the knowledge reveals a deadly new development in their fight against those infected by the parasitic plague—a secret that could destroy what little remains. They’ve got one chance. One last shot at stopping the infection from spreading before there’s nothing left worth saving.

To the ladies of the cabin in the UP—where I’m not the only one who says ‘eh’.
The Watermelon Oreos are for you. Just don’t expect me to eat any—EVER.

And to Bronwyn. The VHS tape is for you.

Chapter One

“This is fucking bullshit, and you all know it.” Cogan MacKenzie speared his fingers through his hair, tugging on a few of the strands in the hopes of maintaining some form of control. He was standing in front of the resident committee—five men and the compound’s doctor—trying to justify his team’s worth.

Again.

Or was it still?

The members glanced amongst themselves, the unspoken message more than clear. A chair scraped back as Barrett pushed to his feet, rounding the long table in front of them to stand at Cogan’s side. The man shoved his hands in his pockets, looking as if he wanted to be anywhere but there.

He stared over Cogan’s shoulder, taking in the other two men leaning against the wall. Cogan followed Barrett’s gaze, trying to see his men from Barrett’s point of view. Granted, Sully and Jake weren’t quite the picture-perfect team that Barrett’s was, or even Hunter’s for that matter. Dressed in well-worn cargo pants and frayed shirts, with limited weaponry strapped to their bodies, they didn’t have the military presence the other men carried about them like armor, but Cogan trusted the two men with his life. In the end, that’s all that mattered.

Barrett sighed, placing one hip on the edge of the table. “While we appreciate the offer, we can’t—”

“Can’t what? Accept? Did another team offer to go after Gunner’s crew in the past few hours since we’ve last asked? Did Gunner miraculously return when we weren’t looking?” Cogan took a step closer. “Did the damn zombie apocalypse suddenly end?”

Barrett arched a brow, glancing back at Colby and Darcy before facing Cogan again. “Cogan—”

“We’ve been over this a dozen times, yet none of you have given us a plausible reason as to why we can’t go looking for them. It’s been a month. Either they’re dead or they’re in serious need of backup. I’d like to think it’s the latter of the two.”

Darcy palmed the table as he pushed to his feet. “We’ve explained our position. We can’t lose what few recon teams we have left to go on some godforsaken crusade. Not without any intel to go on. Hell, we don’t even know where to start looking.”

Cogan allowed a hint of a smile to curl his mouth. “How about their last known destination?”

Darcy snorted. “And if they never reached it? If they had to veer off to avoid a horde? Maybe their Hummer broke down.” He shook his head. “There’s a reason they’re not back. And we all know it’s not a good one.”

Cogan fisted his hands at his side when Sully stalked forward, stopping beside him.

The man scowled, his expression matching the way Cogan felt. “So we’re just going to write them off? Forget they ever existed? That’s cold, even for you guys.”

Darcy glared back. “We’re not writing them off, we’re merely saying we need the right tools to launch a viable rescue mission.”

“And we’re not it.” There was no mistaking the accusing tone to Sully’s words. “That’s what this all boils down to, right? Because we’re the only recon team that isn’t ex-military then we obviously don’t possess the skills to save their asses.” He crossed his arms on his chest. “How does Emersyn put it? We couldn’t find our way back from town, let alone across the state?”

Barrett chuckled before resting more of his weight against the table. “Emersyn definitely has a way about her. And the girl means well. But she has a point. Gunner’s ex-Navy SEALs. Hell, Wolfe and Hamilton are, too. No offence but if they got waylaid…”

Sully snorted. “Maybe that’s because they tend to go at things head-on. All ‘hell yeah’ and ‘balls to the wall’ bullshit. We’re more of a finesse squad. A different approach might be all that’s needed.”

When Barrett just stood there, Cogan cursed and pushed forward.

“Let’s just cut to the chase. We’re all you’ve got.” He held up his hand, silencing any protest before it started. “The three of you and Abby are a family unit. Even if Abby wasn’t pregnant, it’d be idiotic to send you. And now Emersyn, Hunter, Rhys and Kace are a family group as well. And yeah, I know they’re still active, and that they’d go hunting for Gunner in a heartbeat. But are you really going to risk them? You know Kace would insist on accompanying them on that kind of mission, if nothing else than to administer his damn serum to the masses, even though there aren’t any. Are you willing to jeopardize his expertise as a biochemist just because we’re not your first choice?”

“You know we aren’t, not when he’s still working on a possible cure using Rhys’ blood. As good as his vaccine is, it’s limited in both quantity and longevity. We need something more permanent if we’re going to really turn the tides on this war.” Darcy stared back at them. “And we never said you weren’t our first choice.”

“Good. Then we’ll head out immediately.”

Barrett blew out an audible breath. “Three firemen against an unrelenting horde of undead—whose numbers have yet to be determined. Sounds right up your alley.”

Jake walked forward, joining Cogan and Sully for the first time. Though the man generally trusted Cogan to voice any obvious concerns, it seems even Jake had reached a breaking point.

Jake crossed his arms, accentuating his sheer size. “Ex-firemen. We’ve been holding our own against these motherfuckers for well over a year. We do the same patrols, the same excursions as any other team. And it’s not like we don’t have other unique skills that are just as important.”

“We’re not saying you don’t. And when we were pulling survivors out of crumpled buildings and trying to put out fires, that expertise was indispensable. But this is different. The world and its demands are different.”

Jake gave Barrett a smug smile. “Good. ‘Cause so are we.”

Barrett shook his head, chuckling. “When the hell did you three get so damn pushy? That was always Hunter and Em’s thing.”

“They’re too busy making goo-goo eyes at each other to argue with you now, so someone had to pick up the slack.”

Barrett scrubbed a hand down his face, glancing back at the gathering of committee members. “How about we compromise? Give Gunner a couple more days. If his crew isn’t back in seventy-two hours, we’ll pack up a Hummer and send you three out. That’ll give Kace enough time to make a new supply of serum and inject you again before you leave. He might even have a spare or two you can take with you…just in case.”

Cogan scowled. “I don’t see how a few more days is going to put the odds in our favor. And Kace just injected us this morning, not to mention the fact we always carry a spare or two. We’re as ready as we can be.”

“You know the effect wears off within a few days, but Kace thinks that the more injections you receive, the longer the protection might last. Of course, we’re not willing to test that theory just yet.” Barrett pushed off, stepping over to Cogan. “This isn’t a debate. You’ve stated your case and you’ve won. Just give everyone a bit more time.”

“Not sure Gunner has any of that left to spare.”

“If the man’s still alive, he and the others will be doing everything they can to get back. We just don’t want to lose you three, as well.” He gave Cogan a shove. “Even if you are a sorry lot to look at.” He moved back to the other side of the table, offering his hand to Abby as she stood, her fingers resting on her rounded stomach, before he glanced at them over his shoulder. “I’ll go have a chat with Kace…see if I can drag him away from Emersyn long enough to spend some time in the lab. I believe you three just came off of sentry duty. Get some sleep.”

Cogan nodded, nudging Sully and Jake as he made for the door when Barrett’s voice stopped him.

“Just do us a favor and don’t mention the damn mission to Hunter or Rhys yet, or I’ll have two recon teams pissed at me. And Rhys and Hunter can be real pains in the ass when they get fired up, not to mention Emersyn.”

Cogan gave the man a curt smile then crossed the threshold, breathing in the cool autumn air as he walked across the compound. Sully shouldered up beside him, the grim line of his mouth reflecting his obvious mood.

The man glanced back at the building, cursing under his breath. “They still don’t trust us, you know that, right?”

“I’m not blind. This seventy-two hours crap is nothing more than a deflection. They’re just scrambling for a way to stall us so they can devise a better plan.” Cogan stopped and stared at his friends. “One that doesn’t involve us.”

“So why didn’t you call them on it?”

Cogan chuckled inwardly. Somehow he’d become their unofficial leader, though he supposed it stemmed from being their captain back at the station. Back when there was a station. A life. “And say what? Do you honestly think some glorious speech proclaiming our worth was going to sway them?”

“No. But I’ll be damned if I just sit here and wait for Gunner and his crew to run out of time. Hell, they were out of that two weeks ago.”

Cogan punched Sully in the shoulder. “Thanks for the update, jackass. I know how desperate this is, and I don’t like the situation anymore than you do.” He kicked at the dirt. “But I get where Barrett and the others are coming from. We aren’t ex-Special Forces or any of that bullshit—”

“So you’re siding with them? After everything Gunner, Wolfe and Hamilton did for us? Shit, if it weren’t for them, we never would have found this place.”

“Don’t be an ass. I was merely stating a fact. It doesn’t mean I don’t think we’re capable of hauling Gunner’s butt back here.” He shoved Sully this time. “And I’m more than aware of how much those men did for us, though I’d like to think we’ve paid it back threefold.”

“We have.” Sully lips twitched at the corners. “Sounds like you’re considering alternate arrangements.”

“Let’s just say, we’re going on a scavenger run today…an extended one. Gunner’s crew was headed southwest. About three hours to some of the smaller towns before continuing toward the state line. There was talk about another group holing up between Grand Junction and Durango. Sounded like a damn pipe dream to me, but… I say we recon those first few towns. Maybe get an idea if they ever made it that far. And if we don’t find anything, we can be back before anyone really misses us. Either way, we should gather at least some kind of intel.”

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