[M] Dead zone: Opperation Extraction

[garnetfrog]

The Kestrel buzzed quickly over to Charlie and hovered over one of the main streets, behind a group of attackers. One of them looked up and had barely enough time to cry out in surprise before Nail opened fire with the mounted Browning M2 HMG. The .50 caliber rounds tore through the civilians and the vehicles they were hiding behind like tissue paper, leaving smears of blood and bullet holes where they had been before. "Oh shit! This might be too much gun for them!" Nail exclaimed.

"Never mind that, just keep hitting them. We don't have time to be picky." Clover yelled back at him. The Kestrel ascended over the buildings again and moved into a position next to a nearby building. This time the pilot fired two tomahawk missiles into it, reducing the building to rubble. A single assailant managed to limp out of the remains of the building, but was quickly gunned down by soldiers inside Charlie.

A moment later, two more Kestrels arrived and began taking out their own targets. The screams of civilians were drowned out by heavy machine gun fire and explosions as the door gunners and pilots took out their targets. "Blue leader, this is Charlie actual, we have infected moving up 12th, take them out." Spades heard from the cockpit.

"Roger that Charlie actual." The pilot responded. The Kestrel lurched to the left as the pilots positioned it above 12th street. A large group of infected were indeed moving down the street toward the fighting. "Engaging targets." The pilot stated. He then flipped two switches, waited a second, then pulled the trigger. The two mini guns on the front of the Kestrel whirred to life, then opened fire, sending bullets down into the swarm of infected effectively ripping them into bite sized chunks of infected flesh.

"All units be advised, civilians are retreating, infected are closing in from all sides. Fortify your positions and hold the line!" The radio said. The pilot ceased fire and brought the Kestrel back to a position over FOB Charlie. It hovered in view of the entrances to three streets then resumed fire on 12th. Nail began shooting down 11th while Spades opened fire on 13 1/2 street as he couldn't swivel the gun to aim down 13th.

[bluemoon]

Using the human ladder technique, Thin Man, Cog, and Toad had climbed atop a semi tractor trailer to take out their tail. They had begun firing on the infected when the targets began to dance in the streets, literally falling to pieces. Thin Man raised his hand in thanks towards the general direction of the friendly fire, but his relief was short lived. The attacking civilians were leaving the area only to encounter more of the infected that had been drawn to the fight. The trio took aim on the approaching horde, also taking out any unfortunate attackers that were grabbed by the diseased.

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Caught between two groups of infected, Jo had retreated to an abandoned warehouse once the three men had stopped moving. She was aware of the continuous sound of gunfire and hoped to stay out of trouble while observing the fight. She was on the second flight of stairs when she heard a sound below her. Pausing, she turned and looked down the stairwell. The sound was repeated. Holding her breath, she crept slowly up in reverse, keeping her eyes trained on the steps. Her next step took her to a landing and she was about to turn around when the back of her heel bumped into something. In a gush, she exhaled, the puff of air the only sound as she froze, waiting for the inevitable. There was a scrape, a bump, and more footsteps from below, but nothing from behind her. Daring to turn, Jo slowly spun around and came face-to-face with an infected man. Eyes closed with skin the color of death, the bloated body appeared to be asleep. Jo could see black veins through the thin skin as it undulated under the torn clothing.

"Don't touch it!" a voice commanded from below her.

Jo spun again, her gun coming into play this time, but she was too late. The man below already had her caught in his sights. "Don't..." he commanded again and she let her arm drop. The man was haggard, his clothes covered in blood and ill-fitting. His skin was pale and although she could see strength in his eyes, she could also sense a wariness in him.

"You touch that thing and we both die. It's full of infected rats. Move away."

Jo did as he instructed, hearing the sound of others on the stairs seconds before they called out.

"Dave? You up there?"

"Keep it down you imbecile!" he replied. "We have a nest up here....and one of the soldiers."

Jo glanced down at her military-issued body armor. "No...I'm like you...a civilian."

The man named Dave gave her a once over. "Weapons...and the armor too. Hand them over. I should kill you right now after what you did to us. Lucky for you we need to keep our heads down. Damn Kestrels are taking us out like rats!"

As Jo striped off the armor and handed over her two pistols and walking stick, the other three men arrived on the landing. Dave pushed her against the wall, forcing her legs apart and her arms outwards. Quickly he patted her down, finding her knife and ammo in her front pocket. He held them out in front of her, a look of distrust on his face. "Take her up to the third floor and watch her. Military or not, her being here is more than a coincidence. If nothing else, she may prove useful as a human shield."

Jo didn't resist, but she tried to slow them down by dragging her feet. The infected man's skin continued to bulge and recede with the movement of the rats underneath as they passed. Jo trudged up the next flight of stairs, hoping she had time to convince these men she was harmless before they were found by the military.