Orpheus: Homecoming (The Orpheus Trilogy Book 2) by Dan DeWitt Page B

instructions and safety protocols. After about a minute, the first of the hatches opened. Soldiers clambered onto the roof and took up firing positions. Ethan looked at each man and confirmed that each one had a safety tether attached. The tethers only had two feet of give and would prevent any of them from falling off the roof. The team leaders motioned to the soldiers in turn, and each one responded with a thumbs up.
    A single word came over the radio. "Engaging."
    Everything was quickly drowned out by the rapid reports of men who were shooting at will. Zombies shook and danced as non-lethal shots racked their bodies, until the headshots put them down for good.
    Ethan, once as carefree as a young man could be, kept a wary eye on his surroundings, looking to see if any more mobs had been attracted by the gunfire. A few stragglers found their way to the kill zone, but they posed no threat to the overwhelming firepower.
    It was over quickly.
    Ethan cast a sideways glance at his father, who was smiling as he said, "Our turn."
     
    O
     
    Orpheus ordered the Jeeps to be parked at the base of the fire escape. They were arranged so that they would block any approaching zombies from ascending the stairs if they managed to spot any of the team, but would allow for easy access for the team if things went wrong inside the school and they needed to beat a hasty retreat.
    The eight of them climbed out. "Whoa, whoa, not you two," Orpheus said to the two newest members. "You wait here and get ready to drive if we need you. Lena, start mapping it."
    "Gimme one sec." She took a reinforced laptop out of her bag and booted it up. Once the map of the school was loaded, she gave him a thumbs up.
    "What? Why?" German sounded indignant, demanding a response, which came in the form of more than one angry glare.
    Tino was wise enough to take up residence on one of the vehicle hoods. He grabbed his friend by the arm and pulled him backwards. "You got it, sir."
    Satisfied, Orpheus led his people up the fire escape. The last thing he could make out was Tino asking, "Have you lost your fucking mind?"
    That made him chuckle.
    They reached the top of the fire escape. As expected, the window was locked from the inside. Orpheus brought his arm across his body, intending to break the glass with his elbow.
    Ethan pulled out a glass cutter and smirked. "Seriously?"
    Orpheus dropped his arm and moved aside. "Since when are you the subtle type?"
    Ethan attached a small suction cup to the glass and made several revolutions with the cutter. He popped out the cut piece with only a modest effort. Tim shined his light through the hole and surveyed the hallways, while the remaining three trained their weapons on the window.
    All of this happened with no cues from Orpheus, no talking at all. Now that's a team, he thought. I wish I could take credit for it.
    Tim rapped on the glass several times, not loud enough to carry to the first floor, but it would attract anything close. After a moment, he said, "Nothing," and flipped the lock. He slid the window up and nimbly vaulted through.
    Fish, who had been uncharacteristically quiet during the entrance, stage whispered, "Ninja!" and followed him.
    Rachel went next. Ethan said, "You go last, Cap. It'll take all four of us to help you through, anyway."
    Orpheus found that he had no witty retort chambered. God, getting old sucks.
    He climbed through the window, no assistance necessary, thank you very much.
     
    O
     
    Orpheus reached into his pocket and pulled out a small coil of neon orange rope and duct tape of the same color. During their strategy session, they went over how to clear the school as a group and still be sure that no zombies had gotten behind them. Ethan and Rachel had proven to be a tremendous resource, especially regarding the school. They'd come up with answers for things when Orpheus hadn't even known some of the questions.
    He tied an end of the rope to a fire extinguisher and ran it across the hall,