Chapter 19

"Should we try the front door first?" Edward asked me as we looked at the much larger mansion in front of us. "Or do you think we'd be better off finding an open window?"

"I'm leaning towards a window," I replied. "Hopefully we can find a room that's not occupied by anything and take turns resting," I looked at my teammate as he rubbed at his eyes. "I'm not sure how you feel, but I'm fucking exhausted."

"Window it is," Edward said as he took a turn and looked at one of the windows just out of reach of the two of us. "You still got that crowbar?"

"Yeah, I'll boost you up and you can get that window open," I agreed as I passed him the tool and boosted him up to give him access to the window.

"Ha!" Edward cheered. "They left it unlocked, just let me clear it and then I'll help you up."

I waited at the bottom of the window and turned around to look at the undergrowth. Sure that there was something watching us I raised my AR-15 and began to scan the tree line for whatever was causing the feeling of being watched. Then I heard a trip of gunshots from the window and decided I wasn't waiting any longer. Moving a solid six to eight feet back, I took a running leap at the wall and boosted myself up enough to get myself in through the window. Coming up from my roll I pulled my handgun from its holster because my rifle was trapped underneath me before aiming it at the doorway that I heard something banging against.

"I could use a little help here!" I heard Edward's voice and so I stood up and exited the bedroom that I had found myself in to find Edward holding off one of the reptile creatures that we had encountered in the HIVE with his SMG.

"Duck!" I barked as I squeezed the trigger and a 10mm round left the Glock 20 and blew a massive hole in the creature's head.

"Did it scratch you or cut you anywhere?" I asked as I patted my teammate down, physically going over him as if we had just been in a gunfight.

"I'm good," Edward replied. "I managed to avoid the claws until it got too close, but I don't think my MP5 made it out in the same condition," he handed me the SMG for me to see that the thing's claws had nearly cut through his weapon while he was holding it off.

"Yeah, your SMG is done for, man," I replied as I began to unbuckle my holster for the Glock 20. "Here," I pulled Edward up into a standing position and tossed the holster to him. "Secure this somewhere on your chest rig so that it can't be mixed up with your Beretta."

After Edward had finished securing the pistol holster to his upper chest in a way that he could draw it I handed him the Glock and all of the spare mags that I had for it.

"You've only got around thirty or so rounds left for that," I said as I checked the magazines that I was handing to him. "So use it sparingly. You'll need to rely on your main sidearm for the most part unless we face another one of these things." I kicked the reptilian that was at our feet.

"What about you having a backup?" Edward asked. "I thought this was the gun you've used since you started working with the RPD."

"Yeah, I've got a backup," I replied as I walked into the bedroom and tossed my pack on the bed before pulling a spare thigh holster out of it and strapping it on. "I generally conceal it though."

"I forgot you had that Sig," Edward said as I moved my backup piece to the thigh holster. "You need any extra 9mm to go with that?"

"Nah," I shook my head. "If I need more than the rounds I have then we're fucked anyway."

"Alright then," Edward responded. "Can you toss me one of those incendiaries that you picked up?"

"Sure," I tossed him the grenade. "Going to make sure that thing is dead and gone?"

"The last thing we need is a zombie version of whatever those things are," Edward replied as he left the room and threw the grenade at the corpse. "Now, let's barricade this room and get some rest. And seeing as you got to sleep on the chopper, I'm taking first watch."

I just stood there in shock for a moment as the other man fell into the bed and went straight to sleep.

"Alright, I guess it's up to me to barricade then," I muttered as I began to shove a chair up under the door handle and then sat in the hard corner of the room with my rifle pointed at the door.

"Did anyone else hear that?" Kenneth asked as they got closer to the mansion.

"I thought I heard a couple of thumps," Rebecca replied. "Why?"

"I could have sworn that I heard Mark's 10mm being fired," Kenneth said as he shook his head. "But we're still about a half mile out and it's unlikely."

"If Mark brought out the hand cannon for something then you can bet it's dead," Forest chuckled. "Remember that one op?"

"What op?" Rebecca asked.

"It was before you were recruited," Captain Marini said with a laugh. "As sworn law enforcement officers there are certain things that we're not allowed to do."

"But Mark isn't a law enforcement officer, he's just a member of the STARS and SWAT Teams as a medic. He's allowed to carry weapons and can fight back, but he can't arrest people," Richard explained to the young woman. "Back to the story, Forest."

"So this one suspect isn't cooperating as far as telling us where the stash of drugs and stolen cash is," Forest broke out into a slight laugh. "Then Mark pulls out his Glock and shoots the dummy they had been practicing knife throwing at. The dummy breaks into a million pieces and Mark just gives him a look while tapping his now holstered weapon."

"The guy started telling us everything," Richard laughed. "He didn't know that Mark wouldn't actually shoot him, but it didn't matter. The guy still sold out not only the stashes, but also the rest of the gangs along the street."

"Biggest bust of our career," Captain Marini agreed. "And now we're working on the next one," he gestured towards Kenneth and the evidence that he possessed right now. "Let's get up to the mansion and see if Mark and Edward are alive, they might have some evidence for us to add to the collection."