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Preview of UPFTD Book 2 Pt 6
Title: UP FROM THE DEPTHS BOOK 2: The Journey Home Sneak Preview
Author: SLASH MARAUD
Rating: 18+
Disclaimer: Purely a concept derived from my demented imagination and too many Romero films
Summary: This story is written for mature readers given the content, violence and language issues therein contained. This story does contain some harsh adult language not just for the sake of typing it but to get the reader into the perspective of how tense the situation is as well as add credibility to the character. Hardened soldiers, especially Special Forces or Naval Special Operators or soldiers in general sure don’t use words like ’golly’, ‘gosh darn it’ or ‘dag nabbit’. There are some depictions of graphic violence and gore. Again this was not done in any attempt to gross out the reader but merely as a plot device to show how deadly the infected humans had become or how severe the situation is from the character’s perspective. There is no sexual content, although it might be hinted at. This is only a sneak preview of Book 2.
Willis watched as Hannaberry checked himself for injuries then turned as much as he could given the cramped space, and checked Brandon for visible injuries. His touch caused Brandon to moan a little and move. Once Berry determined that she could be moved, he reached over and unbuckled her belt. Supporting her with one arm and his body, Berry pushed her up into a position where she was leaning against the bulkhead. Willis reached down and grabbed the back of her vest and pulled her up to him while Berry pushed from below.
Willis got Brandon to the troop area he had been seated in and then dug through her medical bag. As he found an ammonia capsule, Hannaberry had pulled himself up to the ‘top’ of the wreck and perched on the side of the airframe watching Willis wave the ammonia under Brandon’s nose as he checked his rifle. Brandon coughed, rolled her head side to side then sat up suddenly grabbing her head with both hands.
“Ah ****.” She said to no one in particular. She opened her deep green eyes and surveyed her surroundings. Captain Angelina Brandon, U.S. Army, blinked a couple times then looked around at the devastation that their helicopter had caused. She jumped when Hannaberry chambered a round in his M4. The sound seemed unnaturally loud in the quiet that had descended onto this little valley.
“Where’s everybody else?” she asked. Willis indicated to the wreck below them. “We need to check them out.” She demanded. Wills dropped back into the wreck and squatted down on the side panel to look at the right side troop seating area. Amid all the loose gear that had been tossed around in the last few seconds of the crash, he couldn’t see much. Looking down, he saw a leg protruding from the jumble of packs and gear. It had civilian shoe on it. Willis began to move items out of the way, passing up packs to Hannaberry who dropped them outside the wreckage. Once he had enough items moved aside, he recognized Martha Kennedy, Robert’s wife. Last time he had seen her; she was seated next to Hannaberry on his right. Sometime during the crash her seat belt must have been damaged or cut from flying debris. When that happened, she was thrown forward into the rear of the co-pilots seat. The metal framework and armor plating had done the rest. Her skull had been crushed.
Willis hoped that she had died quickly. Turning back to the troop area, he saw Smith, another of his team hanging from his safety harness. Smith’s arms and weapon were hanging down towards the ground. Willis crouched walked closer to the hanging SEAL and checked for a pulse. There it was, steady and strong. Willis moved under Smith and hit the release to his harness allowing Smith to drop onto him. Crawling backwards with Smith on his chest, Willis crab walked out enough to maneuver Smith up enough for Berry to grab the handle on the back of Smith’s vest and haul him out of the wreck to Brandon’s improvised medical area.
Once Willis was sure that Smith was clear, he moved back into the same area, pushing aside debris and gear until he got to Jimbo. The teenager was hanging from his belt the same way Smith had been. Checking for a pulse, Willis saw the kid was alive and relatively uninjured. Performing the same maneuver he had done with Smith, Willis extricated Jimbo from the Blackhawk and then moved back to check on Jimbo’s stepsister, Melody. Willis had to use his small penlight to see, as the darkness was almost complete given that the helicopter had ended up on its right side and the ground was against the side windows. In the glare of his light, Willis saw that a large splinter from the plexi-glass windows on the troop door had skewered Melody through the chest, bisecting her heart as no surgeon could have ever done. It had pinned her to the bulkhead. Her head and arms hung down towards the ground and blood had pooled against the door and leaving a puddle before it had dribbled onto the ground below her. Willis moved her hair aside to check for a pulse in the off chance that she might still be alive. Her skin was pale and cold to his touch. Her eyes were open and lifeless, staring at the puddle of lifeblood pooled beneath her. Willis sadly shook his head and moved out the small space and climbed out of the dead Blackhawk.
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Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag and begin slitting throats... -H.L. Mencken
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Aug/9/2008, 10:53 pm
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