Chris Lowry [Lowry - Overland Zombie - a post apocalyptic thriller: Battlefield Z series

ACCLAIM for the BATTLEFIELD Z SERIES

More Books from the BATTLEFIELD Z SERIES

Battlefield Z
Children's Brigade
Sweet Home Zombie
Zombie Blues Highway
Mardi Gras Zombie
Bluegrass Zombie
Outcast Zombie
Renegade Zombie
Everglade Zombie

Flyover Zombie - the Battlefield Z series
Headshots - the Battlefield Z series
Overland Zombie

Battlefield Z Gone Dark

Battlefield Z Silent Run

Battlefield Z No Entry

TITLE PAGE

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

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OVERLAND

SHARP

Were low on ammo, Javier pulled Sharp to one side and spoke low into his shoulder.

The Captain nodded and slapped his second in command on the shoulder.

Well make do, he said.

Seamus Sharp watched Javier move back to the small group gathered by the gates. Javi looked tired. They all did.

Less than twenty four hours on the ground and the parameters of the mission scope had changed.

A rescue mission launched for a single female had turned into a cross country run with a thousand survivors. Maybe more.

Captain Sharp took a deep breath through his nose and let it out again in a long deep sigh.

That bad? Pam Ballentine asked from beside him.

He turned to regard the top of her head. She was tall and thin, long hair pulled into a dirty ponytail and tucked under rumpled clothes that looked borrowed. Her own fashion designer threads had probably been damaged in the plane crash that left her stranded in the middle of Kansas, he thought.

She plucked at the collar of her shirt and sniffed.

Do I offend? she smirked.

Sharp returned a tight grin.

Its just my face, he said. I have a resting bitch face.

Pam nodded.

My dad calls that a stone face. Hard to negotiate or play poker with those kinds of guys.

I dont play, Sharp answered.

The mention of her father made him wonder about their timeline. Her Dad, Roger Ballentine was the Chairman of the Council. Capital C on both.

He was the powerful figure who was responsible for what was left of humanity after a zombie plague swept the nation. His fast action and stubborn tenacity built a wall along the mountain ranges on the east and west coast, blocking off the middle of America and containing most of the damage to the interior.

Were ready, Javi called out.

Ive been in a foxhole made from the dead, Sharp told Pam as he marched over to join his men. Its gonna take a little more than feminine sweat to make me think stink.

Pam batted her eyes.

Why Captain, I do believe youll make me blush.

He realized she was kidding by the grin she wore, but it took him almost two seconds to do it. Then he smiled for real and she liked the way it made his eyes crinkle.

Listen up, Sharp addressed the group. Weve got a mission and a plan and were going to work together to execute.

He found the man named Turner on the edge of the group and motioned to him.

This man worked at a factory not far from here.

He was pleased to see Turner didnt blush and didnt shy away from the public inspection his men gave him. The top of his bald head blushed crimson, but that was the only outward display he made besides a small wave of his hand.

It was a bus factory, said Sharp. We have reason to believe there are buses there and were going to go get them.

He pointed to the twelve civilians Jacob had corralled into the group, including Jess and Chip, who he had worked with before when they needed to establish a communication link with home base.

You are driving those buses back here, he moved his finger to the surviving members of his squad. Were going to keep you safe.

Jess raised one of the arms crossed over her chest.

This isnt class, Miss, said Sharp.

I cant help but notice there are more of us than there are of you, she said.

Its not a one to one ratio, Sharp nodded.

So shouldnt we get weapons?

The other civilians nodded and muttered.

Sharp shook his head.

Youre not trained, he said.

So, Jess countered. You werent trained to kill zombies, but here we are.

She held up both hands as if to indicate the strange world they found themselves in. Sharp didnt have a good counter argument in his head. He cut it off instead.

Answer is no, he turned away. Move em out.

He made a small circling motion with his hand and indicated the gate.

SHARP

Outside was quiet. The way he liked it. Sharp eased through the gate last and made sure the guards locked it behind them. There were too many still inside that would want to open the gate and express their love to the zombie population currently occupying the territory around them.

Not on his watch. Not if he could help it.

He wasnt glad to be out of the barricade though. He kept his head on a swivel as they moved up the street and in the direction Turner had indicated in stealth mode.

Rifle at the ready, stock snugged to shoulder, both eyes open, moving at a shuffle jog that maximized forward motion and still kept sound low.

The rest of his squad was moving the same way, a stark contrast to the civilians paired up with them.

He was glad he didnt arm them. Even the way they moved bugged him on an instinctual level. Their arms too wide, their steps too noisy.

Sharp almost hissed out a warning and bit it back. At least they were trying. Trying to be quiet, trying to keep up.

Some of the people back at the compound werent even up to cooperating. That meant Pam Ballentine had the short end of the stick. She got to stay behind and debate.

Talks cheap, Sharp muttered as they rounded a corner after Javi motioned the path was clear.

They still had a long way to go, and he wanted them on a tight timetable. A cross country drive was going to take at least five days, probably longer since they had zero intel on the terrain between here and the Wall on the West Coast.

The sooner they started, the sooner they could be done.

Not safe though. He didnt think they would ever be safe again. The Z virus saw to that.

Shit, he saw Javi stiffened and cursed more under his breath. Thinking about the walking dead must have conjured them.

Dont move, Sharp heard the harsh whisper and froze next to the edge of the building.

He could see chipped peeling paint from the whitewashed siding flutter in the breeze, and wondered for a moment if it was carrying their scent to the Z up the street.

He shook his head. The truth was, no one knew how the Z tracked. It could be movement. They certainly seemed attracted to it. Even a plastic bag caught in the wind, dancing across a city street would draw their attention and draw them away.