Free The Tide: Breakwater (Tide Series Book 2) by Anthony J Melchiorri

of the cabin.
    “Definitely,” Hector said. “They’ve got the bony talons to prove it.”
    Dom’s heart sank as he looked at his daughters. He’d thought he was saving them by taking them to Fort Detrick. After Detrick had been compromised, however brief the scuffle had been, he’d thought they would stand a better chance at survival aboard the Huntress . He had only taken them from one disaster to another. It seemed there was no escaping the Skulls’ reach.
    “Everybody, stay low,” Dom said.
    But it was already too late. The Skulls didn’t need to see their faces to be interested in the chopper. The near-crash landing of the AW109 had piqued their curiosity. The two Skulls broke out into a gallop. Their screeching howls pierced the cabin.
    “I don’t think they realize we don’t have room for any more passengers,” Miguel said.
    Renee hoisted her rifle. “Should we check their boarding passes?”
    Dom held up a hand. “How’s it going with the computer system?”
    Adam shook his head, and Frank opened a panel in the controls.
    “It’s going to take us a while to diagnose the problem, assuming it’s software-related and not hardware,” Frank said.
    One of the Skulls leapt at the helicopter. Its bony claws scratched at the exterior. Sadie threw her hands over her ears.
    “Captain, mind if we take over as TSA?” Renee said. “I think we’ve got passengers trying to bring aboard unauthorized weapons.”
    “That depends,” Dom said. “Frank, how long ’til we fix this thing? I don’t want to attract any more Skulls than we can handle.”
    The two Skulls scraped at the side of the chopper and continued howling. A third Skull, dressed in a torn mechanic’s coverall, broke through the edge of the forest and sprinted toward them.
    “Shit,” Dom said. “Looks like they’re already getting riled up.” He nodded to Renee, Hector, Meredith, and Miguel. “Ready?”
    “Aye, aye, Captain,” the Hunters said again.
    Meredith shot him a thumbs up before wrapping her fingers around her rifle.
    “Girls, stay back,” Dom said to Kara and Sadie.
    They moved toward the opposite side of the cabin. Kara held Maggie’s collar as the dog growled. A fourth and fifth Skull burst from the foliage. Leaves and branches snagged on the skeletal spikes protruding from their shoulders and elbows. Another three Skulls tore out from the entrance to the hiking trails.
    If they were going to do something, they needed to act soon or they risked being overwhelmed. Hector sidled up to Dom, and Renee joined him at his other side.
    “Three, two”—Dom slid back the cabin door—“one!”
    He planted a boot into the coverall-wearing Skull’s chest, and the creature flew backward. Hector and Renee’s rifles barked to life. Blood and bone fragments exploded from the two other Skulls. Their bodies dropped. The one Dom had kicked recovered and stood. With a quick pull of his trigger, Dom sent two bullets through the beast’s head. Crimson liquid poured from its wounds. The other Skulls surged. Their claws clicked on the asphalt as they ran. Dom, Hector, and Renee filed out and formed a defensive perimeter around the chopper.
    Meredith and Miguel leaped out next. Miguel shut the chopper door as Maggie, Kara, and Sadie watched. He patted the side of the bird before shouldering his rifle.
    Muzzle flashes exploded from the Hunters’ weapons with each measured shot. One of the charging creatures let out a high-pitched wail. A chorus of other cries, some distant, others sounding considerably closer, joined the beast’s frightening song. A spatter of bullets knocked the monster off its feet. For a few seconds, the parking lot was clear of living Skulls. The last throes of the sinking sun cast long shadows over the crumpled bodies and pools of blood.
    “Everybody’s night vision in working order?” Dom asked.
    Meredith flipped down the NVGs she’d borrowed from Adam. “Seems good to me.”
    The other Hunters followed suit.