Free Zombie Battle (Books 1-3): Trinity by Jacqueline Druga Page B

until he made it to camp. Whichever was first. It didn’t matter to Jack . What did matter was getting Carlson the help he needed as fast as possible. If Jack had to carry him all the way to camp, he would.
     
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    It was a wound. Plain and simple. About four inches long, a gash that needed stitched, and it was just on the inside of the forearm.
    Colonel Manning didn’t have a clue what type of wound it was. Scratch, bite, or some other injury. Jack wasn’t any help. He couldn’t recall how he received it.
    When Jack arrived at camp he was covered in blood. Most of which came from the young specialist that Jack toted over his shoulder.
    The strong veteran sergeant didn’t seem shaken by what had happened, just focused. It was when Manning debriefed him that he noticed Jack’s wound.
    Jack was tested. No sign of the infection was present. However, the calmer the victim the longer it took for the infection to show in the blood stream. So Manning couldn’t use that as a determination that Jack wasn’t bitten. Especially since Carlson still showed no signs either.
    In any event Manning couldn’t take any chances. He explained to Jack, until some time had passed, he had to treat Jack as if he were bitten.
    Jack understood.
    He and Carlson were placed on the transport going to Atlanta with the other injured soldiers.
    Captain Long was excited at the prospect of examining Carlson.
    When Manning told Long what Jack had done, Long replied, “Wow, really? That was really cool thinking.”
    Really cool thinking.
    Manning, a doctor himself, had to agree with Long, even though he wouldn’t have chosen those words. Jack’s actions were logical, and perhaps something thought of by medical personnel down the road but not practical when in the field.
    Maybe Jack was thinking if he took the limb, he would stop the virus from hitting the blood stream.
    Manning could only guess Jack’s motives.
    He questioned Jack about amputating the limb. Jack only shrugged. He seemed more distraught about having to leave Peru than the possibility of having been bitten.
    Jack told the colonel, “I can’t leave. My work is not done.”
    Colonel Manning simply told him. “No one said you were done working. You’re just finished in Peru.”
    If the injury to Jack’s arm turned out to be invasive and not infectious, then someone like Jack was needed in Atlanta should problems arise with the infected they were testing.
    What he also didn’t convey to Jack was that in all reality, in a few hours, everyone’s work was finished in Peru.

CHAPTER THREE
     

May 7 th
     

Berlin Brandenburg International Airport
     
    It was cloudy and damp, not very bright for morning and that gave it an eerie feel. Greg impressed himself. Despite the fact that he couldn’t focus, was scared out of his head, he landed the plane gently and probably the best landing he had ever made.
    He knew it would be his last.
    They didn’t roll into the gate, ready to have the passengers disembark. Somewhere just after he touched down, Greg brought the plane to a stop on runway 19 and shut it down.
    “What are you doing?” Marion asked. “What?”
“I can’t, not with a clear conscience, bring this plane near the airport. Not with what is happening in the back.”
    “But we don’t know what is happening.”
    “We know enough.”
    And Greg did. The load moans, the constant attempts to get into the cockpit were there. There were no more screams for help, no crying. Only sounds of the damned came from the plane, and that told Greg pretty much him and Marion were the only ones who hadn’t turned into those things.
    They weren’t on that section of runway more than a few minutes when the tower radioed to see what was wrong.
    “We have a situation on the plane,” Greg told them. “It started when we had to find Hans Riesman. He started it all. Things . . . things are out of control. People are dead. Lots. They’ve taken over the plane.”
    Tower asked them if they