Apocalypse Empire (Book 1): Apocalypse Origins (15 page)

"Steel yourself, Doctor," Terrence said. "You
said yourself it has to be done."

Henry nodded and selected a syringe from a nearby tray. He
nodded towards two of his techs and they approached wearing thick rubber
gloves. They pried the infected's mouth open and Henry used the syringe to
collect a saliva sample. He then moved over to the woman and looked for a vein
on her arm. He could simply deposit the sample orally, but the bloodstream
would probably allow the experiment to progress more quickly.

"Wouldn't it be faster to just let the infected bite
her?" Terrence asked.

Henry shook his head. "We couldn't guarantee it
wouldn't kill her in the process. This is more efficient."

"What are you doing?" the woman asked. "What
are you doing with that?"

Henry smiled sadly as he found a suitable vein. "I'm
sorry," he said, and plunged the needle into her arm. She whimpered as
Henry depressed the plunger. 

"What's next?" Terrence asked.

"Now, we wait," Henry replied. "From my
earlier observations, it takes approximately two hours before the infection
takes over." He directed his techs to start the monitoring equipment.

"Let's get her into the MRI. I want to see what's
happening to her brain as the infection takes hold."

Terrence nodded and directed some guards in protective gear
to escort the woman to the MRI. Henry sat at the table to observe the results
on the computer. There were two monitors, one to display results of the scan
and another that showed a live shot of the woman's face. Henry could see that
she had already lost some color.

Terrence sat down next to Henry. "I'll observe with you
if don't mind, Doctor."

Henry shrugged.

The next two hours passed slowly for Henry. He could have
left and simply returned later for the results but that felt too much like
cowardice. If he had consigned this woman to death, the least he could do was
be present for it. Henry examined the computer screen as the results began to
appear. He'd be busy with this for a while. He glanced at Terrence who was
watching the live screen intently. Looking over, Henry saw the woman open her
eyes, no trace of humanity remained. 

An idea began to form in Henry's mind but he'd need more
test subjects. He wasn't sure the ones they had would be enough. He sighed as
turned to Terrence. "I have a few ideas," he said.

Terrence nodded. "Excellent, Doctor. What do you
need?"

"More test subjects."

"I'll see it done," Terrence said. Terrence took a
few steps then turned back.

"I have a question, Doctor."

"Yes?"

"I don't think it's been said out loud at this point,
but this infection, there's no way this could occur in nature, right?

Henry nodded. "It's man made. Nature would never come
up with something like this."

"Is there any way to trace who did this? 

Henry thought for a moment. "I have one of my techs
working on identifying some elements of the virus. Once that's done, you might
be able to check those results against labs that were known to work with those
substances."

Terrence nodded. "Good. See that your man informs me as
soon as he's done. I mean to find the bastard that did this and put a bullet
between his eyes."

***

Penthouse Office, Emerald Tower

Emerald Falls, Illinois

William stood in his penthouse office and looked out over
his city. That's right, his city. His plans had been executed brilliantly for
the most part. The city was nearly purged and his men were in control. William
took a moment to swipe a speck of dust from his immaculate pinstriped suit. He
took a moment to bask in his success. All the years of planning had finally
paid off. The city was purged of the dross, those that added nothing to the
country. Those that hadn't fled had been killed by the infected. The only
remaining people were his soldiers and few members of the city's elite. They
wouldn't be around for much longer either.

They thought themselves the elite but William had simply used
them to further his plan. Why spend his millions when they were so willing to
spend theirs? So he cultivated them over the years, found those receptive to
his views and pretended to bring them into his fold. They were part of what was
wrong with this country. No loyalty whatsoever. Whenever he told them about his
plans, each was quick to jump on board. Not one sent out an outcry for all
those people that would be killed when his plan was set in motion. They were
selfish and therefore no use for the kingdom he would build. 

The mayor was the worst. He fancied himself a king and
treated the city as his playground. The city was rife with corruption. The poor
faced harsh sentences while the rich would get away with a mere slap on the
wrist. That would all change now. He would establish order. The rule of law,
his law would prevail. It was fitting, who could match his vision? He saw the
need for a purge of the filth from society. The rich were selfish and the poor
were greedy children looking for a handout.

His intercom chirped and he moved to answer it. "Yes,
Alanna?" he asked in his deep baritone.

"Sorry to disturb you sir. Watkins and Reel are ready
for the conference call."

"Thank you, Alanna. Excellent work as always."
William picked up a remote and hit a button. Moments later a sixty inch screen
lowered itself from the ceiling. William thought of Alanna as the screen came
on. She was a good worker. She showed the proper deference and knew her place
in life. She was good a knack for anticipating his needs and had even made
significant contributions to his plans over the years. When he was ready, he
felt she would make an excellent mother for his offspring. His kingdom would
need heirs after all.

"William Dray," a voice said from the screen.

Giving his attention to the screen, William greeted his
counterparts. "Watkins, Reel," he said as he nodded briefly to each.

"Any news on the problem with the infected?"
Watkins asked.

"Yes," Reel said, "you said the infected
would die out within a week, two tops. It's been nearly three weeks now."

William controlled his facial expression. How dare that ant
talk to him so? He was the architect of this grand plan. These two fools would
have been swept away along with everyone else if he hadn't included them in his
grand design. Unfortunately, he had needed them to implement certain aspects of
his plan. He couldn't wait to have them killed the moment they ceased being
useful.

"It appears the virus underwent a mutation of some
kind," Williams replied. "They should have died off due to paralysis
but that component of the virus seems to be missing."

"What do we do?" Watkins asked. "The infected
are overrunning my city. I'm not sure how much longer my forces can
hold out."

"I have the same problem," Reel added. "I've
lost a lot of men. I'll have to evacuate if this keeps up."

That looks like your problem William thought smugly. "I
suggest that you hold out, gentlemen. It would be a shame to see all our
preparation go to waste because you can't deal with a few infected."

"A few infected?" Reels asked in frustration.
"There are thousands of those things knocking on my door."

"Exactly so," Watkins said. "We hadn't
planned for a siege. These things were supposed to have died out days
ago."

"This is an unfortunate turn of events," William
replied. "But it doesn't change our plans. The country has been purged of
the dross that made her weak. We are now in a position to rebuild her and make
her strong."

"You are right, of course," Watkins said.
"Forgive my outburst but I find the situation extremely troubling. How are
you hold up on your end?"

"My forces are clearing Emerald City as we speak,"
William replied. I will establish a two block corridor from the tower to the
city's edge. My men will then construct and electric fence to keep any remaining
infected at bay."

"You expect to kill all the infected?" Reel asked.
"How?"

"I don't plan to kill 
all
 the
infected, Reel. I'm clearing a corridor. The fence will keep the rest at
bay."

"Would you be able to spare some men, Dray? It seems
you're doing pretty well there. I could use some help."

"I'm afraid I can't, Watkins. It's taking all of my
forces to maintain the order I've established here. Sending my forces out would
put things here in jeopardy. You are more than welcome to evacuate to the tower
if needed, gentlemen."

Watkins nodded. "Yes, it might come to that. I'm just
not sure that I can hold the west."

"Don't hold your breath, William. I'll manage just
fine," Reel said.

"Of course. I by no means intended to imply that you
were incapable of holding your city," William said with a slight smile.
Watkins would think nothing of his comment but Reel would feel the sting.

"I welcome your assistance," Watkins said. "I
think I'll begin preparations to evacuate should it be needed."

"I'll do just fine on my own," Reel said angrily.
"I don't need help holding what's mine."

Williams spread his hands as if he had meant nothing of the
sort. "I would never say otherwise, Reel. The offer stands should you
change your mind."

"Enough of this," Reel responded. "There are
matters that require my attention." Reel ended the call on his end and
Watkins side resized to fill the whole screen.

"Why must you antagonize him so, William?"

"I merely offered my assistance," William
replied. "It is no fault of mine that he's too proud to accept it."

"Well I most definitely appreciate your help, William.
Thank you for the update. I'll be in touch." The image winked out and
William hit the button that cause to screen to retreat into the ceiling. 

He had been furious when he'd learned the infected wouldn't
die out as planned. But this was the silver lining. The thought of sharing
power hadn't sat well with him. Why should he? His was the vision, the grand
plan. Watkins and Reel had only been necessary for certain aspects. Why should
they rule as he when he'd done all the work? This would work out very well.
Watkins was terrified and would be easy to control. Reel would likely die in
his city as his pride wouldn't allow him to come to him for help.

William's intercom beeped and he answered. "Yes,
Alanna?"

"Forgive the interruption, sir. Mr. Dunst is here to
see you again."

William sighed. He had little desire to interact with the so
called members of his elite. They'd already served their purpose as far as he
was concerned. He did find himself somewhat curious though. Jeremy had been
turned away several times over the last two weeks but he continued to ask for
an audience. "Send in him."

"Right away, sir."

A few moments later Alanna opened his office door and Jeremy
Dunst stepped into the room. He spent a few moments looking impressed at the
decor of the room and then remembered himself. "Thank you for seeing me,
sir."

"Of course," William replied. "What can I
help you with, Jeremy?" While curious, William hoped his wouldn't take
long. He had another project he wanted to look in on. He was only granting this
audience because Jeremy was the mayor's son. 

"I need you help finding someone, sir."

Williams raised an eyebrow. "You're bothering me
because you lost someone?"

"It's my fiancé sir. Her camera man took her and ran
off from the shelter."

"Why should this concern me, Jeremy? There are
important matters that require my attention. Finding you wife to be doesn't
rank high on my list."

"The man that took her was capable sir. I'm thinking he
might meet up with other survivors."

William thought for a moment. That might be useful. The
dross had to be purged and it would be useful to know where they were hiding.
Armed with that knowledge, he could send his men to remove them at will. But,
Jeremy seemed kind of desperate. The woman had probably run off rather than
remain with him.

"I can see the usefulness of that," William
replied. "I'll give you a few men to assist you. You will of course inform
me if you find any groups of survivors."

"Of course, sir! Thank you sir!"

William nodded, indicating his dismissal. Jeremy left the
room with a huge smile on his face. He seemed a bit obsessed frankly. But his
fascination with that woman might prove useful. Now, William thought as he
rubbed his hands together, to look in on that project.

William sat at his desk and turned on his monitor. It was
good that matter had worked out in his favor but it was still unacceptable that
the purge hadn't gone completely as planned. He typed in a sequence on the
keyboard and a new screen pooped up. The image was of a room in an undisclosed
location in the tower. There was a scrawny man strapped to a table while
another bent over a nearby table rummaging through some tools necessary to the
craft.

Williams pressed a button and spoke into his microphone.
"Perkins."

The man leaning over the table stood and faced the camera.
"Sir? How may I be of assistance?"

"Has Mr. Culber explained what went wrong with my
virus?"

"I'm afraid not sir. He maintains that he has no idea
why the virus is acting this way. I will of course continue ministrations. I'm
about to begin another session if you care to observe."

"I do," William replied. Perkins nodded and
selected a tool from his tray.

"Let's begin again, Mr. Culber. What did you do to the
virus?"

William smiled as the sound of Culber's screams echoed from
his speakers.

"This is taking forever," Carol said from the
passenger seat.

Greg nodded. "I know. I don't see a way around it
though." 

They were on their way out of the city, but it was slow
going. Traffic had been bad on the main roads no doubt due to other people
fleeing the fire. The side streets were little better. There was less traffic
but there were a number of accidents. Twice now they'd had to drive along the
curb to avoid wreckage. It would take some time to get out of the city at this
rate.

"What's that up ahead?" Carol asked.

Greg looked ahead and saw that the road was blocked by two
cars. Head on collision maybe? Worse, there were several infected banging on
one of the cars. Was someone trapped inside? Greg slowed the car down as he
thought. They needed to get out of the city but could he just stand by and
nothing? What if they were infected? Greg sighed. He wouldn't be able to live
with himself if he didn't check it out. 

"You're gonna check it out aren't you?" Carol
asked.

"Yea, sorry," Greg replied.

"No," Carol said with a shake of her head, “we
should stop and check on people if it's not too dangerous. Don't know how I’ll
sleep otherwise."

Greg smiled at the echo of his own thoughts. "Alright.
I’m gonna stop here." Greg pulled the car to a stop and exited, making
sure his pistol was on him.

James pulled his van to a stopped behind him and got out.
"What's wrong?"

Greg nodded towards the infected that were about fifty yards
out now. "I think someone's trapped in that car up ahead."

James looked ahead and nodded. He took a moment to explain
what was happening to Laura and she laid their shotgun across her lap in case
anything went wrong.

"Alright, let's check it out then." He drew his
pistol and Greg followed suit.

"What do we do if they're infected?" James asked
as they walked towards the infected.

Greg sighed. "We'll have to leave them, but I won't
feel right if we don't at least check."

James nodded as they came to a halt about twenty yards away.
"Warning shot to get their attention," he said.

Greg nodded and James fired his pistol once into the air. At
the sound, the infected all turned in their direction. They roared and began
sprinting towards them. Greg counted five infected. Hopefully they could put
them down from range and that would be that. 

"Ready?" James asked.  Greg nodded and they
opened fire. The five infected fell quickly under the onslaught and James
nodded in satisfaction.

"Let's make sure they're down," Greg said. 

James nodded and they cautiously approached the infected.
Greg sighed in relief when he saw the results of their handiwork. Each infected
had been take out with a shot to the head or upper torso. Greg glanced towards
the car where a woman stared at them with wide eyes.

"You're safe now!" Greg called out.

The woman nodded and opened her door. She approached them
and Greg sighed sadly as she got closer. There was a clear wound on her neck,
the blood had flowed down the front of her shirt.

"Can you help me?" she asked. "My husband
went crazy and bit me. Made me crash into that other driver. James gave the
woman a wide berth as he went to investigate the second vehicle.

"What's going? Why did those people attack me like
that?"

"You listen to the radio this morning?" Greg
asked.

"No, I hate the radio. Too much talking. My husband and
I were on our way to Wisconsin for vacation."

"Anything unusual happen to your husband this
morning?"

The woman thought for a moment. "Well, my husband got
attacked at the gas station a few hours ago. It was the weirdest thing. He'd
gone inside to pay for gas and the attendant attacked him. Managed to bite his
hand."

The woman gestured towards her neck. "Do you have some
bandages or something? This thing won't stop bleeding."

Greg took a step away from the woman. "I'm sorry,
there's nothing I can do for you."

"What do you mean? I just need a bandage, a towel or
something." She took a step towards Greg who took another step away to
keep the distance between them.

"Stay back please," Greg said.

The woman looked confused. "What's going on? Why are
you treating me like this?"

Greg sighed. This poor woman had no idea what was going on.
"There's an infection going around," he explained.

"An infection? I'm not sick? I feel fine!"

"People that get sick, well they get really aggressive.
They'll attack anyone near them."

The woman's eyes widened as the pieces fell into place.
"You mean...my husband?"

Greg nodded. "The infection is spread through the bite.
Your husband got it this morning and he just passed it to you."

The woman crumpled to the ground and started sobbing.
"You...mean I'm gonna end up like them?" she asked as gesture towards
the infected in the road.

Greg nodded. "I'm sorry."

"There's got to be a cure! Can you take me to the
hospital?"

"I don't know if there's a cure," Greg responded,
"but the hospital isn't gonna happen. It was overrun by infected this
morning."

James approached then, still giving the woman a wide berth.
He gave a small shake of his head as he and Greg made eye contact. The other
driver must be dead then. Greg sighed. Time they were on their way. He nodded
towards James and they turned to head towards their vehicles.

"Please!" the woman begged, "don't leave me
like this. Just give me a ride to the next town. I'll find my own way to the
hospital from there."

Greg stopped but didn't turn around. "I'm sorry but
you'll turn soon. I won't put my family at risk."

James glanced back towards the woman and saw that she was
starting to sweat, way more than the weather called for. "It's
starting," he said in a low voice.

Greg nodded. "Let's go." They started walking
again and the woman called out behind them.

"Don't leave me like this! You might as well kill
me!" She yelled a few more things but she quickly turned to sobbing again
as the reality of her situation sunk in.

Greg and James reached their vehicles and drove along the
side to get around the accident. Carol patted his knee in sympathy.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Greg nodded. "Me too. That poor woman, her husband too.
They had no idea what they were driving through."

"I heard her screaming. Do you think it would have been
kinder to put her out of her misery?"

"Probably," Greg said with a nod, "I can't
bring myself to do that though. Fighting the infected is one thing, I don't
really think of them as human. Just animals that need to be put down really.
And if someone else attacks us," he paused as thought back to the fight in
the grocery store, "well I'll do what I have to do. But this? She was
infected but she was still talking. She was afraid and confused. I couldn't
bring myself to do that."

Carol nodded. "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to suggest
anything."

Greg shook his head. "No, you're fine. It was a valid
question given the circumstances." He shrugged. "If this goes on,
maybe that'll become the order of the day. Maybe it would be a mercy instead
letting them become one of those things. That's not today though."

Carol nodded and they drove in silence for a while. Greg
considered turning on the radio but figured if there was anything on, it would
just be about the crisis. Looking ahead he saw another road block. He glanced
at the odometer and saw they had made it about ten miles. Hopefully things
would clear up soon so they could make better time.  He slowed down and
used the shoulder of the road to get by. Glancing over, he saw that the
accident looked like another head on collision. Both drivers looked to be
slumped over their steering wheels.  Greg briefly wondered what had
happened. Was one of them riding with someone infected? Or was it just a
regular accident?

"Have you decided where we're going yet?"

"No," Greg said shaking his head, "We'll keep
trying the radio and hopefully someone has a shelter or something set up."

Carol nodded towards the rearview mirror, "James is
flashing his lights."

Greg nodded as he looked for a good place to pull over. They
were in the outskirts of the city now. A few more miles and they'd officially
be out. Greg glanced at the clock, they'd been driving for around two hours
now. The trip out would normally take maybe half an hour, he hoped the roads
outside the city were better.

Greg noticed a stretch of road up ahead free of obstacles,
that should work. They'd be able to see any infected coming their way. Greg
slowed down and pulled the car to a stop. He waited for James to pull up behind
him and motioned for Carol to get out of the car.

"Might as well stretch your legs," he said.

"Everything okay?" Greg asked as he met James.

"Yea," James said with a nod,” just thinking it's
about time for some lunch."

"I need to use the bathroom, Dad," Junior said.

"Alright, I'm coming." James headed off to take
Junior to the bathroom, probably a bush on the side of the road.

"Does anyone need to go?" Greg asked. "We can
take turns keeping watch."

"I kinda need to go too," Maddy said sheepishly.

Laura mussed her hair. "Come on, kiddo." Laura
rested the shotgun on her solider and led Maddy to the other side of their van.

"What about you?" Greg asked. "I can keep
watch."

Carol chuckled. "That's gross. You're not watching me
use the bathroom."

"What? Who wants to watch you use the bathroom? I was
talking about infected."

Carol laughed. "I know but the look on your face was
worth it."

James returned then with Junior. "What's so
funny?"

"Oh nothing," Carol said, “Greg just wants to
watch me use the bathroom."

"Eww," Junior said, “is that true Uncle
Greg?"

"No, it's not true. Carol's just being weird."

James laughed as he retrieved a cooler from the van. Laura
and Maddy returned and looked around at everyone laughing.

"What's going on?" Laura asked.

"Mom! Uncle Greg wants to watch Carol use the bathroom.
Isn't that nasty?"

Carol laughed even harder then along with James who nearly
dropped the cooler.

"That's not what happened," Greg said trying not
to laugh.

Greg gave up as everyone had a good laugh at his expense. It
wasn't that funny but maybe any humor they could find right now was a good
thing. Who knew how often they'd get to be like this? Carol and Laura set out
the things for lunch and everyone dug in. Greg sighed as he bit into the
chicken sandwich. This was the last of the meat from the freezer. From here on
out it was gonna be canned food or dry stuff. Laura was a good cook so it
wouldn't be torture, but he was gonna miss eating like this.

"So," James began around a mouthful of food,
"I'm thinking we need to find some walkie talkies or something. We need to
be able to talk while we're driving."

"Stop talking with your mouth full," Laura
admonished, "you've already taught junior enough bad habits."

James chuckled. "Excuse me. Junior, don't talk with
food in your mouth in front of your mom."

"Okay."

"James!" Laura shouted.

"What? I just did what you said."

She punched him in the arm. "You know that's not what I
meant."

"Yea, but it was funny."

Greg chuckled. "I think walkies are a good idea."

"Where can we find some?" Laura asked. "I
don't think going back into the city is a good idea."

"You're right," Greg said with a nod, "we'll
have to keep an eye out as we're driving."

"What about our phones?" Carol asked. "Think
they're working?"

"We can try," Greg said. "If they are
working, it'll only be for a little while though. I don't think power is gonna
be on for too much longer. How long has it been now? Three, four days?"

"Four," Laura replied.

James nodded. "So even if the phones work, the cell
towers are gonna lose power soon."

"Maybe it'll last long enough until we find some
walkies," Carol said.

"True," Greg said. He fished for his cell in his
pocket and called James, to his surprise the call went through. He frowned as
he realized something.

"What's wrong?" Carol asked. "It
worked."

"Yeah, but I just thought of why it worked." At
their look he explained, "So I'm thinking the phones didn't work the first
few days because everyone was trying to call at once. What does it mean that
the calls are going through now?" He stopped as he glanced at the kids.

James shook his head. "Go ahead, man. This might be the
way things are. We're not doing the kids a favor by keeping things from
them."

Greg nodded. "Okay, so I'm just wondering what happened
to all the people making calls?"

"Emerald Falls was lucky," Laura said,"We had
the warning from Shirley O'Hara."

"That's true," James said. "Without a
warning, people could easily have just stayed in their homes until it was too
late."

"So, how long do we drive today?" James asked.
"It's probably a good idea to find a place to set up before dark."

Greg glanced at his cell. "It's one now. I'm thinking
we can drive for a few more hours and then look for a place to set up." He
looked around. "Maybe somewhere away from the road."

"What about someone's house?" Carol asked. "I
know we've got the tents but why sleep outside if we don't have to?"

That's not a bad idea," James said. "We drive for
a few hours like you said and then find some small neighborhood to spend the
night in."

"I don't know," Greg said with a frown,"I'm
worried about drawing attention to ourselves. If we go into a town, there's no
way to tell who's watching."