Relay for Life Read Online Free Page A

of his calf. He fell to the ground as his shoe came loose in the infected’s hands. He kicked off the other one and stumbled to his feet to keep on running. He’d rested too long that time. He’d set his watch for three hours instead of two and hadn’t taken the proper cover.
    He threw himself toward the river, knowing that safe haven existed there. Zombies avoided water like it was an acid bath or something. Deep water especially disturbed them. It was one of the reasons that most modern cities were built with deep water trenches around them. It had been a godsend to find a fast-running river through the sector after he’d gotten separated from his field unit on the third day of the races.
    As the river took him further downstream and further from the finish line, he wondered if he was ever going to get home. He’d scavenged food, but he was still losing weight. Being constantly on the run didn’t help. He’d starve to death before they found him, or worse, he’d be picked off by one of the monsters running around.
    They’d been idiots to try the run to begin with. The Necro King that had been in the south when the race began rearranged the hunting grounds effectively, slowly separating the runners and field teams until they were easier to take down. The kind of predatory thinking was unheard of even in Necros. It was the scariest thing Andrew had ever witnessed. At least the scientists will have something to think over from the experience . It gave him little comfort. If Deadzone or the UMF didn’t find him soon, he was a dead man.
* * * *
    “We know he’s sticking close to the river. We need to move now ,” Marcel said, slamming his hand down on the tabletop where the maps of the area were laid out in neat rows for everyone to look at. Matthew Gibson watched as the table erupted into loud debate about the worth of sending a rescue team after a runner who may or may not be turned already.
    “If his field team had done their jobs, we wouldn’t be here,” one of his fellow SCAB officers, Kris, said. “The United Military Force won’t get involved at this point.”
    “Fuck you. I was on his field team,” Marcel snapped. “I know for a fact that we did everything in our power to protect him. We lost four men in the attempt.”
    “Whose fault it is, is a moot point,” Brooklyn interrupted. The new head of the Deadzone field units was holding his own against the SCAB and UMF operatives. Matthew had practically grown up with him, and he was impressed. “The man is a national hero and a treasured employee at our company. My fathers called you here to ask for volunteers. We can’t get approval for a helicopter landing and a government-sanctioned field unit, but Deadzone is willing to do an air drop into the area with instructions on how to walk out to the boundary line for a pickup.”
    “I volunteer,” Marcel said automatically. Matthew sat back and watched. There was no way the rest of the men would be volunteering. The situation at the running grounds had unnerved many seasoned field men. The scientists were even now speculating that some of the infected were getting smarter, evolving into predators that were almost human-like in their appearance and reasoning capabilities. But they had the hunger as well. It was a terrifying possibility.
    “I just need a small team to drop in with me. I need a weapons specialist and a medic if I can get one,” Brook continued, nodding his acceptance in Marcel’s direction.
    “I’m a medic,” Matthew said, daring his team to disagree with his volunteering. “I’ll have your back, Brooklyn.”
A short little pudgy guy stepped out from behind one of the UMF guys. “I’m going, too.”
Brook shook his head. “No. I need you here to guide me out. Okay, so far it’s me, Marcel, and Mattie. I need one more.”
“Are we going to be compensated?” one of the men asked.
Brook nodded. “Yes. My fathers are pledging fifteen thousand credits for every man on board.