Free Orpheus: Homecoming (The Orpheus Trilogy Book 2) by Dan DeWitt

He hadn't been off the island long enough to forget the way to the school, so most of his attention was spent weaving around the zombies that had wandered onto the roads. 
    “Those things are everywhere,” Rachel said. “This is going to take a while.”
    Fish said, “The good news is that the school should still be clear. That building is like a fortress.”
    “Against zombies, anyway,” Ethan mumbled.
    Orpheus almost asked, What do you mean? but managed to catch himself in time. Ethan had lost a lot of friends to a different kind of monster in that school, and it was something that he and Rachel were going to have to deal with soon. He decided to give Ethan something to do, instead. “Get a radio check, Lieutenant.”
    “Got it.” He began to go through the call signs.
     
    O
     
    “You going to answer that?” Tim asked from the driver's seat. Tino didn't answer, so Tim reached over and tapped him on the shoulder.
    Tino's eyes had been glued to the scene outside, but he jumped and yelped when Tim touched him.
    “The radio,” Tim said. “They're calling us.”
    “Oh.” He brought the radio to his mouth. “Zulu 2,” he read off of a label on the truck's dashboard, “loud and clear.”
    “Sure hope it stays that way,” German added from the back seat. “Jesus Christ. Those are dead people out there.”
    Lena, seated next to him, said, “Sure are. And you don't ever want to get up close and personal.”
    “I mean, we talked about it during the mission planning so many times. It was kind of abstract. Seeing it is just … wicked screwed up.” German jumped as a zombie ran into the car and careened off. “Fuck me!” When his breathing returned to normal, he said, “I'm gonna die here.”
    Lena asked, “It's Mark, right?” German nodded. “Relax, Mark. You'll be fine.” She patted his thigh for emphasis.
    “Do you ever ...” Tino's voice trailed off.
    Tim finished for him. “Get used to it? I thought I would, but I was way wrong. Just stay alert, listen to the people with experience, and you should be fine. Probably. Lena's running the show, so you're in good hands.”
    Lena smiled and theatrically wiggled her fingers. “Magic hands.”
    Tim continued. “We survived with a lot less resources than what we have now. We have numbers, firepower, supplies, and whatever else we need whenever we need it. And we have Orpheus. The rest of us are pretty much along for the ride.”
    Tino craned his neck and looked at German, then at Tim. “Preaching to the choir on that one.”
     

Trial by Fire
     
     
    Well, that didn't take long.
    Orpheus put the Jeep in park and stared at the horde in front of them. They hadn't been noticed yet, but that wouldn't last forever. He turned in his seat and said, "Rachel, there should be some binoculars in the back."
    "On it." She bent over the seats and rummaged through the gear. "Got 'em."
    "Are they heavy?" Fish asked.
    Rachel weighed them in her hand. "I guess so. Why?"
    "Then they're expensive, put them back," Fish said with a smirk.
    Rachel rolled her eyes and handed the binoculars to Orpheus.
    "That was Jurassic Park, y'all."
    Ethan said, "Shut it, Fish."
    Orpheus hit a button on the ceiling and the moon roof slid open. He said, "Keep an eye out," and lifted himself through the opening. He sat on the roof and raised the binoculars. He scanned the tree line on either side of them. The visibility was good, and he was reasonably certain that, even if there were zombies in the woods, they would just be individual strays.
    The group in front of them, however...
    "About sixty," he said to the passengers below him.
    "You think we could find a way around?" Tim asked.
    "I know we could," Orpheus said, "but that's not why we're here. Might as well find out what kind of soldiers we have as early as possible. Just give me a minute to think of a strategy."
    Ethan put his hands on the roof and hauled himself up as Orpheus made room for him.
    "What's on your mind,