Free The Fall of Society (Book 2): The Fight of Society by Thonas Rand

didn’t know it.
                Fire crews did their best to extinguish the burning aircraft on the flight deck, but they were also fighting off the dead. The fire reached another plane and it exploded just under the bridge. The plane had a couple of missiles on it and a moment later—they exploded as well—a blast wave rocked the control decks and blew out windows, flames shot inside, eager to burn anything or anyone. Caustic smoke filled the bridge and deprived everyone of air.
                “Evacuate the tower!” Ardent shouted.
                They began to leave the bridge through the thick blinding smoke and when some of the sailors reached one of the doors—a few of the dead rushed in and attacked them—sailors shouted in pain as the corpses tore into them.
                “They’re here!” a sailor yelled as one bit into his arm.
                The corpses rushed in and caught them by surprise; many weren’t able to draw their weapons before being bit. Ardent and Bear fired on the dead that they could see in the smoke, which grew in thickness from the fire that screamed through the broken windows. More of the dead were coming; they could hear them ascending the stairs.
                “This way!” Ardent yelled to his men.
                He led them to another door for escape and they stood by to guide the men out. They noticed the ones that had been bitten and they glanced at one another because they knew what it meant. Ardent and Bear fired to cover the last of the sailors that were retreating from the attacking dead. Ardent couldn’t believe how many of his crew had been turned into those things—he recognized many, almost all of the things that were attacking them—some were civilians, so he knew they had reached or it had started in hangar bay two. He also knew it probably meant over four hundred of the civilians had been attacked, and that meant over four hundred of those things could be loose on his ship. Ardent knew the infection spread fast, but this was faster than he had ever imagined.
                This was the moment that Ardent realized he could lose the Ronald Reagan…
                If he hadn’t already…?
                His men made it to the door, except for one. As this sailor retreated and fired his weapon, the mob tackled him to the floor. His pistol went empty and, as the dead ripped him open, he looked at Ardent as he screamed in utter pain.
                “Captain, help me!”
                He had no choice; Ardent shot the boy in the head. The dead were too busy to notice the single gunshot, but then they saw Ardent and Bear. They sprang for them, but Bear slammed the door and locked it as the dead pounded for exit. They were outside on the walkway, called Vulture’s Row. Other sailors were above them in primary flight control, known as Pri-Fly, and they were exiting as well, climbing down ladders to get away from the fire and the dead. Everyone scrambled to get out of there.
                Ardent and Bear, along with a dozen or so others, made it down to the flight deck via ladders, and they dropped right into an ongoing fight with the dead. They were everywhere on the flight deck. All of them had to immediately defend themselves.
                “We have to get to the combat direction center,” Ardent said.
                “Yes, sir, but first may I suggest that we get to an armory for some heavier firepower before we proceed to the CDC,” Bear said as he fired at a corpse.
                “Agreed,” Ardent answered.
                They headed toward a catwalk at the edge of the deck and had to fight their way to get there. Some sailors from the security force with assault rifles joined them and covered their descent into the catwalk. Ardent knew one of them.
                “Commander Phillips, good