Chapter 93: To the South - III

Dobrev left four soldiers on the ground floor.

One pair remained in the lobby. The other secured the rear exit and the eastern corridor.

The rest formed near the stairwell.

The Guardian GI pair moved first. Both carried their shields forward, covering most of the narrow steps while the Machine Gunner followed behind them.

Dobrev stayed near the center of the group.

Several hostile markers remained on the second floor.

Most had gathered near the stairwell.

"Ready."

The first Guardian GI climbed. His partner remained one step behind, shield angled toward the upper landing.

The scraping above stopped. Nobody moved for several seconds.

Then a hand appeared around the corner.

The first infected stumbled into view.

The Guardian GI shoved his shield into it and forced it back onto the landing.

More bodies moved behind it.

"Contact."

The Machine Gunner fired.

A short burst passed between the shields and tore through the infected nearest the stairs.

Two fell.

The others pushed over them.

The first Guardian GI held the center while his partner moved one step higher and widened the opening.

Dobrev’s Army Soldiers fired past both sides.

Rounds struck the infected crowding the landing. Several continued forward despite the wounds, only to collapse as more bullets entered their heads and upper chests.

One reached the shield, hooking its arms over the top.

The Guardian GI drove upward and threw it against the stairwell wall.

Dobrev fired twice. The infected dropped.

"Landing clear."

The pair advanced.

Dobrev followed them onto the second floor.

The corridor extended in both directions. Offices lined the outer wall, their doors either open or hanging from damaged hinges.

Four hostile markers remained nearby.

Three moved inside the rooms to the left.

The last crossed the corridor too quickly for an ordinary infected.

Dobrev turned.

"Fast contact. Right side."

The Guardian GI nearest him shifted his shield.

A shape burst from the nearest office.

The Leaper struck the wall with one foot and launched itself across the corridor.

The first volley followed behind it.

Rounds broke the glass and struck the doorframe, but the infected had already crossed the soldiers’ aim.

It cleared the Guardian GI pair, landing behind them.

One claw struck an Army Soldier across the chest and threw him against the wall.

Dobrev fired. The first rounds struck the infected’s side, but it twisted before the rest could land and jumped toward another office.

The Machine Gunner shifted with it.

His burst struck the Leaper’s leg before it reached the doorway.

The limb folded under its weight and sent it crashing across the floor.

It pushed itself up with both arms.

Dobrev fired into its shoulder while another soldier struck its head.

The Leaper stopped moving beside the office entrance.

"Leaper down."

The soldier thrown against the wall forced himself upright.

Four tears crossed the outer layer of his armor.

"Status?"

"Operational."

Dobrev glanced at the damaged section, then returned his attention to the corridor.

"Stay behind the shields."

The Guardian GIs turned toward the remaining offices.

The three infected inside had begun moving toward the gunfire.

One appeared at the first doorway. The soldiers killed it before it entered the hall.

The second came from farther left.

Several rounds struck its chest. It stumbled into the wall before another entered its head.

The last remained inside the far office.

Dobrev signaled forward.

The Guardian GI pair advanced along the corridor while the others followed with their rifles trained past the shields.

The office door stood half-open.

One Guardian GI pushed the door with the edge of his shield.

The infected rushed out.

It struck the barrier and lost its footing.

The Army Soldier behind him fired once into its head.

"Second floor clear."

Dobrev checked the Radar.

More hostile markers remained above them. They were spread across the third floor instead of gathering at the stairs.

What are these infected doing? he frowned. "Move up."

The squad returned to the stairwell. The Guardian GI pair resumed the lead.

The third-floor landing remained empty when they reached it.

Dobrev stopped before entering the corridor.

Several office doors stood open. Others remained closed.

The nearest marker moved behind the room to their left.

Dobrev followed the marker and pointed toward the room.

The first pair covered the door while the others watched the corridor.

The Guardian GI pushed inside. An infected struck his shield from behind the door, but he forced it back.

Two rifles fired over his shoulders.

The infected fell inside the office.

The squad continued.

Room after room.

Some were empty.

Others held one or two infected that moved the moment the soldiers entered.

The creatures reacted sooner than those cleared outside, turning toward footsteps from deeper inside the rooms. None reached the formation.

The last three markers gathered near the northern office.

Dobrev halted outside the doorway.

The room beyond had been divided by low office partitions. Desks, broken chairs, and scattered files blocked most of the floor.

One infected moved between the partitions.

Another remained behind the far desk.

The third waited near the windows.

Dobrev divided the squad between the doorway and the adjoining office.

The Guardian GI pair entered from the corridor.

The infected near the partitions rushed them.

The shields caught both.

Gunfire then followed.

The third turned from the windows and charged toward the adjoining office.

Two Army Soldiers fired from the side, and it fell between the desks.

The room returned to silence.

Dobrev checked the markers again. None remained inside the building.

"Upper floors clear."

The squad searched the offices once more before returning downstairs.

The Army Soldier thrown against the wall moved without assistance. The claw marks on his armor remained visible, but his steps stayed even.

Dobrev found the lobby unchanged.

The four soldiers he had left behind still held their positions. Outside, Mercer Squad continued watching the intersection while Bastions One and Two covered the road.

"South One, Dobrev," he reported. "Building secure. One armor strike. No casualties."

Anton answered through the platoon channel.

"Copy. Leave one pair inside and return to the column."

Dobrev assigned two soldiers to the lobby.

The rear pair marked the eastern exit before joining the rest outside.

Dobrev crossed the shattered entrance and returned toward Bastion Two.

Behind him, the secured office building remained under guard.

Ahead, Echo One was already moving toward the next block.