Death is only the Beginning (EDITING)

Chapter XXIII

Aboard the fleet carrier 'Fists of Liberty'

on the Lower New York Bay 13:35 pm

30 minutes before the begin of Operation Dead Mist

23 Days following the Outbreak

"Beautiful speech Mr. President I'll take it from here" said General Morrison as the middle aged man in a crisp blue suit with an American flag pin handed him the receiver. After straightening his combed back hair he and his two guards in black suits and ear pieces left the bridge of the fleet carrier.

"Captain Lloyd?" shouted General Morrison through the radio as he watched several F23 Wolverines appear at the flight deck, ready to take off.

"Sir?" responded Lloyd through the intercom.

"Is the Battalion ready?"

"Let me check sir. Alpha-Battalion! Report!"

"This is Alpha Company, ready to go"

"This is Charlie Company, ready"

"Strike-team Charlie, ready"

"Fire-team Alpha, engines are hot"

While the entire Battalion is reporting in, a smile formed along Morrison's face.

"Good," he said as he got out a cigar and lit it, "Lieutenant, you may start."

The female officer nodded, took in a deep breath, and said "The moment we all have waited for. Commence Operation Dead Mist; 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Fighter's away. The technicians on the flight deck raised a green flag and one by one, the 25 F23 Wolverine left the fleet carrier in a high pitched mechanical roar.

"Good luck boys," Morrison thought to himself as he watched the jets fly towards New York City. In the mean time, loud music being played from Time's Square drew in the ocean of infected covering every spot among the desolated streets of New York. They then heard the roar of the fighter jets and looked up as several flew over them, dropping a large cylinder onto the streets. Then, a red gas cloud filled the streets of New York. Morrison watched with a smile as he saw a red mushroom cloud form from the center of the city and the red gas spread into New York's neighboring towns like Brooklyn and Queens.

"Beautiful work Fire-Teams. All Companies, you may proceed" shouted Captain Lloyd through the radio.

"You heard the man boys, it's time take back our fallen cities" shouted Mike as he and his company climbed aboard their UMB-1's and took off. The ten helicopters, followed by ten Titan-Lifter's carefully flew into the red fog that began to disappear. The twenty helicopters split off and headed to their checkpoints. Half dissolved infected littered the street as Mike, his squad, and the Titan got out of their helicopter. As the helicopters disappeared the ten soldiers looked around the desolated street and waited, but nothing came towards them. Just their moaning could be heard.

"Seems welcoming" said a soldier named Johnson as he stepped offer the skeletal remains of a police officer.

"Attach bayonets!" shouted Mike as he took out his knife and attached it to the barrel of his rifle. The soldiers did the same.

"Alright lets start the party. Play the music" shouted Mike.

Loud heavy metal music blurred from the Titan and soon, several hundred infected appeared from the buildings and half dissolved from the alleys and streets.

"Single shot only. Stick together. Titan will offer support if the streets get too swarmed" shouted Mike as he opened fire, one shot at a time, while moving slowly forward. His squad did the same and the Titan hummed as it slowly moved forward, its 13mm side turret firing onto the approaching infected. All around them dozens of infected poured into the streets only to get mowed down or stabbed in their rotten face. Slowly, Alpha company began pushing through the streets, now being littered by the fallen infected. Their bones crushed as the Titan ran over them.