Books of the Dead (Book 3): Dead Man's Land by R.J. Spears Page A

let these thoughts play out in his head for a few seconds before conceding that Rex had a bit more going upstairs than he had ever given him credit.  “Okay, but have a second set of soldiers loaded and ready to go.”
    Rex turned and shouted into the bay, “Felix, get your ass moving, and load up that second bus.”
    Felix sputtered out, “But…”
    “Don’t give me any lip, or you’ll have my boot up your ass,” Rex yelled, and Felix went into motion. How efficient and effective those actions was in debate, but, at least, he was moving.
    “We’ll handle this,” Rex said, giving Anthony a reassuring smile.  What’s in the bag?” Rex asked.
    “Oh, just a little surprise,” Anthony said, “A little secret weapon.”
    “If this is ‘need to know,’ then I think I need to know it,” Rex said.
    Anthony wanted to put his little surprise to use himself, but he knew that it would be effective with whoever put it into play. He also knew he was being petulant, but, with some reluctance, he told Rex about this ‘little surprise.’
    Rex’s away team consisted of the best handlers, which were Roy and Maggie.  The newer recruits stayed behind with Felix.  Rex only hoped Felix could handle them. Sometimes he wondered if Felix wasn’t just a liability, but he was moderately effective at times.
    Taking everything into account, the wheels on the bus went round and round, and they were out of the door in less than twelve minutes. That wasn’t too bad, considering they had just loaded up over forty zombies, along with a boatload of weapons and ammunition.
    He knew, of course, that the incoming truck would beat them to the city limits, but they had measures in place that would slow them down. Anthony had seen to that earlier.

Chapter 11
    A Day Late and a Dollar Short
     
                 
     
    The team had come together in a haphazard fashion, with men scrambling this way and that.  Brandon did his best to bring order to the chaos, but Paige’s expedition took them all by surprise. 
    Russell wanted to leave right away, but Brandon insisted they gather a team and outfit it properly. Everyone had to have two weapons and a backup, along with enough ammunition to last in a small scale war. Russell fretted over every lost second. Brandon conceded and cut a few corners, leaving them a man short, in his opinion, and without a couple weapons he felt they should have. 
    In the end, they were out and on the road in just twenty minutes. The air was moist and heavy with a thin layer of fog blanketing the road as they sped along.  Brandon was at the wheel, and Russell had the shotgun seat. Travis and Devin were in the backseat. Devin looked his usual nervous self, fidgeting with his gun most of the way.  They’d have left him home, but Brandon insisted that the team have at least four people. Travis, on the other hand, seemed distracted, looking out the side window for most of the trip. Brandon had questioned taking him at all, but he was one of the best marksmen they had.
    Brandon had the pedal to the metal, as the truckers used to say, reaching eighty on the straightaways and swerving in and around abandoned cars, barely keeping the truck on the road.  Whereas preparation had been everything for Brandon, execution was a bit sloppy.  This recklessness only added to Devin’s anxiety as he felt he was about to toss up his breakfast at any moment.   
    They didn’t set a land speed record but made it to the edge of town in nearly record time. They only slowed on the final curve into town. (If they hadn’t, they would have most certainly ended up down in the ravine along the side of the road.)
    Just as they got around the curve, they immediately saw the worst of it. The picture was an ugly one.  The truck Paige had commandeered sat just a hundred yards down the road, burning out of control, flames leaping into the morning sky.  There was a body in the street beside the truck, and zombies surged toward the