Authors: James Cook
The radio crackled as the person on the other end replied. “Negative, sir, too many people with bites made it past the quarantine. They must have turned after they got past us. It only takes one infected person to start a whole new outbreak. Over.”
“I don’t understand, what bites are you talking about, it this thing spread by mosquitoes or something? Over.”
“Negative, sir, the bites are from other people. That’s how the infection spreads. The dead ones get up and go after the living. Over.”
The Captain furrowed his brow in confusion. “Dead ones? What do you mean dead ones? Over.”
“I mean dead people sir. The ones who die, whether from wounds or from the infection killing them, they get back up. I know this is hard to believe, but they are walking dead people. No bullshit, I’ve seen it for myself. We all have. We’ve suffered pretty heavy casualties from the damn things. Nothing seems to hurt ‘em. I threw a grenade at a group of them, blew them to pieces, and the damn pieces started crawling for me. Freakiest shit I’ve ever seen. The only thing that kills them is a head shot. Over.”
Captain Wilson paused for a moment, and exchanged an incredulous look with the sergeant driving the humvee.
“Let me get this straight, you’re saying that the infection brings dead people back to life, the dead attack living people, and that’s how the disease spreads? Over.”
“Yes sir, that’s correct. Over.”
“Is your commanding officer aware of what you just told me? Over.”
“Yes sir, he’s on the radio right now trying to get word out to all the squads about how to kill these things. You might want to let your men know to aim for the head when the fighting starts back up. Over.”
“Could you get your CO on the radio? I need confirmation from him. Over.”
“I can do that sir, but it might be a minute or two. He’s pretty busy right now. Over.”
“I’ll wait, and corporal, you had better not be fucking with me. Over.”
“Affirmative. I’ll get the Colonel Jacobs on the line as soon as I can. Bravo one out.”
The reporter remained silent for a moment, then picked up his microphone.
“Captain Wilson, did I hear correctly that the soldiers from the other unit think that this is a disease spread by the infected biting people?”
Wilson turned around and glared at the reporter. Evidently, he forgot that the news crew was sitting behind him.
“We haven’t confirmed anything yet. I’m going to have ask you to stop shooting until I can get more accurate information.”
The reporter began to ask another question, but the sergeant driving the humvee interrupted him.
“You heard the Captain. The camera goes off. Now. You ain’t gonna like it if I have to do it for you.”
The reporter began to protest, but the cameraman was a little smarter, and turned off the camera. That sergeant was a big man, I wouldn’t have argued with him either. The report from the Tennessee National Guard convoy caused newsrooms and internet sites around the world to go completely ape shit. Fox news showed footage of a church in Arizona where hundreds of people had gathered to listen to a preacher standing in the bed of a pick-up truck.
“The end is nigh!” He ranted. “This is the time that was foretold in the book of revelations! Repent! For as it says in the scripture; and the sea gave up the dead that were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead that were in them! The hell mouth has opened! God has passed his judgment on this world! Repent! Repent now!”
I was about to turn the television off when the network cut back to the newsroom. They had received word that the White House was about to address the nation regarding the disaster in Atlanta. A few minutes later, the broadcast cut to the President sitting behind a massive wooden desk in the oval office.
“My fellow Americans, by now most of you are aware of the tragic events unfolding in Georgia. I would like to start by reassuring all of you that every effort is being made by local, state, and federal authorities to contain the disaster, and our military leaders on the ground in affected areas have informed me that they expect order to be restored very soon.
For the people living in and near the affected regions, please remain calm and do not attempt to evacuate. Disaster relief workers need access to your areas, and if large numbers of people attempt to flee simultaneously, it could block roads and prevent aid from reaching those who need it. Please remain calm, stay in your homes, and wait for military and law enforcement personnel to restore order. I have authorized military personnel in the affected regions to arrest and detain anyone caught looting or otherwise violating the law.
Military and medical personnel assisting with relief efforts in Georgia have provided us with more information regarding the cause of this tragedy. Now, much of what I am about to tell you may seem difficult to believe. I admit that I had a hard time believing it myself, until I saw the evidence. This information has been verified by some of the best medical minds in the country, and let me assure you that everything you are about to hear is the truth.
Yesterday morning in Atlanta, there was an outbreak of a disease that the Center for Disease Control has not yet been able to identify. While we do not know what the disease and its origin is at this point, we do know how it spreads, and what its effects are.
The disease is spread by direct physical contact, such as fluid transfer. At this time, it does not appear to be airborne. Most of the people who have been infected became so as a result of a bite wound received from an infected person. The disease initially causes flu like symptoms that quickly deteriorate into convulsions, hallucinations, and eventually death. Now, as terrible as it is, what I have told you thus far is not the worst of what this disease is capable of.
After the infected person dies, the disease somehow reactivates the body’s functions, and the person regains consciousness. For reasons we do not yet understand, the people who awaken from this stage of the disease become extremely aggressive, and exhibit psychotic, animalistic behavior. A person in this stage of infection will attack and attempt to bite any person who comes into contact with them.
Let me be clear, people suffering from the advanced stages of this disease are extremely dangerous, and should be avoided at all costs. If you see an infected person behaving in such a manner, please do not attempt to approach or subdue them. The disease renders its victims impervious to pain, and even severe injury will not deter them from attacking. They also seem to be incapable of communication, and will not differentiate between strangers, or family and friends. They will attack absolutely anyone that gets near them.
If you are attacked by a victim of the infection, please report to the authorities immediately. If you know of anyone who may be infected, please do not hesitate to turn them in to the authorities, even if it is a member of your own family. I know it will be difficult, but an infected family member must be reported, or else they run the risk of infecting the rest of their family.
When we have more details available, we will give additional updates. My staff and my press secretary will be working closely with the media to make information available to the public, as soon it is obtained. I would ask that all Americans keep the people of Georgia in their thoughts, and in their prayers. After this broadcast, a list of organizations assisting with disaster relief efforts will be released, and I encourage all citizens of our great nation to do whatever you can to help. I believe in the American people, and I believe that we will all exercise wisdom and charity in this difficult time. Thank you, and may God bless America.”
The message was shorter than I expected. The President’s speeches were usually long winded. I figured he probably had a lot to do, and wanted to reassure the public that his administration was working hard to help restore order in Georgia. I wished him luck, and then picked up my cell phone and called Gabe. After several tries, I finally got a ring.
“Did you see the President’s address?” I asked.
“Yeah, I saw that. I’m glad he’s the one handling this, that last asshole we had couldn’t find his dick with both hands and a flashlight.” Gabe replied.
“You think they’ll be able to get things under control? They know what they’re up against now, that’s good news, right?”
“I don’t know, man, we’ll see. I hope so, but I’m getting ready for the worst anyway. Knowing how bad the Phage can get, and stopping it, are two completely different animals. There must be thousands of infected out there now, roaming around the countryside, and all it takes is one of them to start another outbreak. I don’t think the military will have the manpower or the know-how to round them all up.”
“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.” I said. “I feel a little better knowing that the government isn’t trying to feed the public a line of bullshit on this one. Honestly, anything but the truth would be more believable than what’s happening. From what I’ve seen on TV, people aren’t taking the news very well…” I stopped, remembering something.
“Hey Gabe, I forgot, I need to call Vanessa. Is there anything else you need to tell me, just in case I can’t get you back on the phone?”
“Everything you need to know to survive is in that little manual I emailed you. Do what I said, and memorize it. You’ll have plenty of time on your hands pretty soon. If I don’t talk to you again before the networks go down, good luck to you buddy.”
“Same to you, Gabe. Take care. Bye.”
After I hung up with Gabe, I tried calling Vanessa. It went straight to voice mail. After over a dozen futile attempts, I finally gave up. I would just have to try again later. I hoped Vanessa had managed to convince her parents that what I told her the day before was the truth. The footage of the outbreak being broadcast by every network in the country certainly supported everything I had said.
I spent the rest of that day watching the news. The situation in Georgia continued to get worse, and by the time I got too tired to keep my eyes open any longer, the outbreak had spread to all of the states bordering Georgia. Police and military forces were being overwhelmed. Hospitals filled up with patients, and nearly all of them became the sites of new outbreaks. The President ordered FEMA to withdraw its people from the quarantine zones until the military could get things under control. I began to worry that Gabe was right, and that the government wouldn’t be able to stop the Phage from spreading across the entire country.
I fell asleep on the couch, and by the time I woke up the next morning, the Phage had spread to Charlotte.
Chapter 5
Shelter in Place
The fall of Charlotte happened in much the same way as most other cities when the Phage reached them. No one could pinpoint exactly when or where the outbreak started, but it spread quickly, and soon engulfed the entire city. Local news networks provided coverage for the first few hours, but when it became clear that police and military forces could not halt the destruction, they cut their broadcasts and abandoned their headquarters. Roads and highways clogged with tens of thousands of cars as people tried to flee the city. Fires broke out all over town, followed by riots and looting.
News networks based in other cities continued to broadcast coverage of the carnage in Charlotte even after the undead completely overran the city. One broadcast showed three of the tallest buildings in downtown burning like gigantic torches over a ruined landscape. Hordes of infected wandered the streets looking for prey. Those who could not get out of the city either found a place to hide, or joined the ranks of the undead.
Not long after Charlotte went to hell in a hand-basket, Congress approved a motion by the President to declare martial law in all U.S. territory east of the Mississippi River. Canada and Mexico closed their borders. The President ordered the shutdown of all nuclear power plants in the area under martial law as a precautionary measure. It was probably the best decision he ever made. Unfortunately, for the nuclear plants in regions already overrun, shutdown was not an option.
The President also ordered all military forces deployed overseas to return to the US immediately, effectively abandoning the war in the Middle East. The various jihadist groups, and about a million of their friends, were dancing in the streets proclaiming victory over the “Great Satan” as U.S. troops scrambled to get back to American soil. The International news media went into a frenzy over the events in America, speculating wildly as to the implications of the disaster for the rest of the world. The stock market crashed to unrecoverable levels, and people all over the country began to panic. Mobs of frightened people converged on grocery stores, gun shops, and gas stations. Even in areas not yet hit by the Phage, chaos began to take hold.
Army troops were able to keep the nuclear plants near Charlotte and Raleigh safe long enough to shut them down, but the plant near the southern coast of North Carolina fell before government forces could reach it. I was relieved that I was not facing an imminent nuclear disaster, but after the nuclear and coal plants were abandoned, the entire city lost power.