Only the Dead Live Forever Read Online Free Page B

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and wore part of a Marine Corps utility uniform. Its face had been torn open
above the cheekbone, and a large portion of its scalp was missing, but it didn’t
seem at all bothered by the wounds. It slapped at the steel doors of the
building but quickly lost interest and started to make its way closer to the
team’s current position. Quickly and quietly they backtracked up the stairs and
to the landing pad.
    “Stay quiet. If
we start a fight, we have no place to fall back to,” Sean whispered.
    When they returned
to the pad, they silently dropped their packs and laid flat on the deck, trying
to hide. They could see through the drainage slots in the decking to the
walkway below. The primals were still moving slowly along the path, presumably following
the leader that had been pounding on the lounge door. The rains were still soaking
everything, but the primals seemed unaffected by the downpour. When they made
it to the landing they stopped and appeared to contemplate climbing the stairs.
The primals stirred back and forth as they decided on a path. The leader lashed
out at another member of the pack with a screech, and they moved on towards the
storage deck.
    When it was
again clear, the three men stacked back up and moved down the stairs. At the
landing, they quickly checked for signs of the pack and thankfully found none. The
primals seemed to have moved on beyond the storage deck. The team quickly
rounded the landing, headed down the final steps, and back to the lounge. They
moved past the double doors and waited. Sean tapped a pre-arranged code at the steel
door and waited for a response from inside. Brad had moved past the entrance
and was covering forward, while Brooks was still looking through his rifle back
toward the stairs to the landing pad.
    Brad stepped
away from the wall and turned to look back at Sean. Sean was visibly frustrated,
tapping at the door in the code and waiting for the officers to unlock it. He
paused, and hearing no response, tapped again. Brad shook his head, then turned
back to the front … and gasped in shock.
    He found himself
face to face with one of the largest primals he had ever seen. Before Brad
could raise his rifle to fire, the primal lunged at him. The impact of the
thing and the weight of his pack threw Brad hard to the ground.
    They landed
awkwardly on the deck. Brad fell crunched against his large rucksack in a half sitting
position, with the primal grabbing at his clothes. Brad grabbed its neck;
pushing it away with his right gloved hand, he buried his thumb into the soft
tissue of its chin while his fingers gripped its throat. His free left hand was
battling with the primal for wrist control as he wrapped his legs around the
creature and tried to pull it tightly into his guard; locking his legs, he then
held on for dear life.
    At the sound of
the commotion, Sean turned. Afraid to fire a shot and risk hitting Brad, he
leapt past them and threw himself onto the back of the creature, placing it
into a strong rear choke hold. Sean had the choke in deep and was pushing the
thing’s head forward for all he was worth. With the down and forward pressure
relieved from him, Brad was able to dig a heel in to the creature as he
maintained control of the primal’s left arm. He rolled hard and pulled himself
into a sloppy arm bar. Not waiting for a tap, he applied maximum pressure and
felt the elbow joint break and dislocate.
    Without the
strength of both arms, the primal fell flat on its face with Sean still
securely on its back, its last good arm wildly flailing. Brooks grabbed Brad by
the straps at the top of his pack and pulled him away from the beast. With the
tight choke applied, the primal was unable to scream or moan. Sean applied more
and more pressure but the creature failed to die. Finally, Sean crushed its
wind pipe and rolled hard; the creature’s neck made an audible crack as its spine
was broken. Sean held tight as the primal’s body stiffened violently, then