What Remains (Book 3): Epidemic

by Barrett, Tyler

  What’s our next move? We have the infection dealt with, for now, we don’t know who or where the person went, but we have security teams sweeping the entire campus.

  “Have you checked on the Congressman yet?”

  Damn, I forgot about him, I’ve been so busy chasing this ghost around. We should get him out of here, away from the assassin in case they learn that he knows about the Phoenix Project. He could be their next target.

  “We need to get the Congressman back to his helicopter and get him out of here. He’s our last hope for stopping the Project.”

  “’Ang on a sec, the Project?” King asked, confused.

  “I promise I’ll explain later. Let’s just say this whole thing has been a lie,” Muller explained, motioning for him to wait.

  “Alright…”

  “Sorry, King. I need you to go back, grab the pilot for the Congressman’s helicopter and check it over really quick, make sure nothing has been tampered with, okay?”

  King nodded, jogging back toward the airfield.

  Muller turned back to Kenji, “Alright, let’s just assume from here on out that the Project knows about the Congressman. We need to protect him with our lives and get him to the helicopter, okay?”

  “Lead the way,” Kenji said, following Muller.

  Jogging past a group of security heading in the opposite direction, Muller tried to inspect them as he passed for any signs, they didn’t belong but didn’t spot any. He didn’t have the time to double-check, wanting to get the Congressman to safety first and foremost. Eyes darting back and forth at anyone within view, Muller was skeptical of everyone.

  Opening the door to the admin building, they found Rodger at the desk with a rifle, surprised to see them. Muller looked around the lobby, raising his eyebrow.

  “Where is the Congressman?”

  Rodger let his rifle drop, moving to the security room, “He’s in here. It’s the most secure room in the building currently.”

  With a beep, the door opened, and the Congressman’s face appeared, worry plain as day, “Is it safe now?”

  “Sir, we haven’t found the person responsible yet, but we want to get you to safety,” Muller stated, ushering the Congressman out of the room.

  “You want me to go out there?” The Congressman said with a gulp.

  “Yes, don’t worry, Kenji, and me will protect you until we get to the helicopter.”

  “I’m not sure-”

  Muller pointed to the outside, “Our safest bet is to get you to the helicopter and get you out of here. We still don’t know who or where the assassin is.”

  “We will make sure you get to that helicopter,” Kenji said sincerely.

  “Well, who am I to doubt the Hero of Japan?” The congressman said, uneasily trying to smile.

  With Muller stepping aside for the Congressman to go to the door, Kenji unlocked it. He stepped outside, looking around for anything suspicious. After a few moments, he waved them both out, and Muller led the Congressman outside.

  “Just stick with me, and we’ll be there in no time. Stay low.”

  With Kenji in the lead, they crossed the campus courtyard at a fast walk. Muller's head was on a swivel as he scrutinized his surroundings. Anyone could be hiding in a bush, behind a tree, around the corner, waiting to ambush them.

  Reaching the edge of the courtyard, they had made it halfway to their objective. Muller's skin goose bumped as they trekked across the open area, feeling completely exposed. He hated being so open, but they had no other choice to reach the Congressman's helicopter.

  Every step he took to get closer to the aircraft, resounded. Every second that ticked by felt like a lifetime, key in nature, His body bracing as they neared their goal, expecting some sort of attack. However, nothing happened as Kenji stopped to open the side door of the helicopter.

  The congressman quickly climbed on board the helicopter, as the pilot began to finish his preflight checklist, “Thank you, Muller! I promise as soon as I get back to DC, I'll start looking into this. I won’t let this go away!”

  “Good luck, sir! We’re counting on you!” Muller back in reply, before crouching to back away from the downdraft.

  Muller watched the helicopter take off, slowly rising, before tilting forward, heading West. As it became smaller and smaller, his eyes never left it, half expecting at any moment, it would explode into a million pieces, but nothing happened. Holding his breath, he exhaled as It became just a small black dot against the blue sky above.

  He's safe. We got him out. Now let's hope he sticks to his word. We have a lot of work ahead of us, starting here with what’s going to happen with the IVC.

  Chapter 43

  Congressman Rick Morris watched, face plastered to the glass window as the ground and the two men who helped him escape got smaller and smaller. The aircraft tilted forward and began to move, as the ground below them sped past, leaving the IVC headquarters. The Congressman leaned back into his seat, with a sigh of relief, grabbing the headset that hung next to him.

  The high-pitched sound of the engines was drowned out as he donned the headset, “Charles, good work back there!”

  The pilot didn’t reply at first, checking one of the gauges in the front of the helicopter, “It’s why they sent me, sir.”

  “Is it secure?”

  “Yes, sir. It’s in the briefcase next to you.”

  “Perfect!”

  The congressman leaned over to unbuckle the briefcase from the adjacent seat it had been strapped to. Setting it gently on his lap, he used the code to unlock the case, 777. He thought it was an odd code, but he wasn’t the one who set it. The locks popped up with a snap, but before he could open it, he heard the phone in his pocket ring. Pulling the phone out of his pocket, he slid the headset off his right ear, trying to hear over the noise of the helicopter.

  “Hello?”

  “Have you checked the contents?”

  “I just unlocked the case, hold on a second,” The Congressman replied, holding the phone with his shoulder.

  He slowly lifted the top half of the briefcase, smiling at his fruitful mission, “It’s all here. Complete success.”

  “Excellent. I look forward to your return to D.C. You have earned your place.”

  “Thank you. Charles did a brunt of the work though,” The Congressman said, elated.

  “Rick, we both know without you there to confirm my suspicions, we wouldn’t be able to move forward with our plans without you.”

  “Your praise means much. I look forward to our partnership.”

  “We will speak more about that when you arrive until then, keep the case safe.”

  With a sly smirk, the Congressman grabbed the phone, putting it back in his pocket. Still smiling, he gently dragged his hands against three black hard drives, neatly lined on the right side of the case. He was more interested in the contents of the left side, however, looking at the small foam section. He carefully lifted off the top part of the foam, revealing four vials inside. Lifting a vial out of the foam, he read the label.

  Blood sample #1 M. Evans

  Slipping the vial back down, he covered the blood samples back up, closing the case quickly, as the helicopter gently rocked from turbulence. He pulled the briefcase closer, squeezing it tightly. This was his ticket, his way in, and he knew he couldn’t mess it up. The Congressman checked his watch, counting down the minutes until he was back in D.C. handing the case over to the Phoenix Project.

  Epilogue

  Shun ran from his post along a stretch of the shallow river that bordered North Korea and China. The horde of infected had started off as a trickle, before growing steadily into a larger and larger exodus of the creatures. His battalion had held the line for the past few days, struggling to keep up with the constant demand to fight the infected. Before, the never-ending wave of bodies began to overflow into the river itself, creating an artificial landmass for infected to crawl across. The gunfire didn’t stop until Shun’s battalion had spent ever
y round available. A few had tried to fight hand to hand but were ultimately overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

  It was a blur, but the bits he was sure about were burned into his mind. The blood, the gore, and restlessness of the infected haunted him. Shun had only survived because he abandoned his post. Fleeing at the sight of the infected reaching the Chinese side of the river, knowing there would be more to come.

  He ran before the order had been given but didn’t wait to see if he could help before leaving. The screams of his fellow men at arms filled the night as he ran up the hill behind their makeshift outpost. The forest was thick here, knowing he was making too much noise as he crashed through, but only wanted one thing between himself and the infected, distance.

  Eventually, he stopped for a moment to catch his breath before continuing his steep climb uphill. Knowing the creatures below weren’t coordinated, he used the impossible climb to make sure he was safe. Reaching the top of the hill, he stopped, gasping at the sight before him; he was perched atop a cliff, overlooking the river below.

  In the dark below, he could make out the wreathing mass of infected crossing the shallow river in droves. More than he could count, Shun could only stare, knowing that it would be nearly impossible to stop this massive horde. They already had cleared the riverbank, heading into the expansive forest, out of his sight. The ground beneath him vibrated with the march of the dead.

  Falling to his knees, he began to cry, knowing that he was witnessing the death of his nation and more. Hopelessness like nothing else Shun had even come close to feeling before filled him. This was the beginning of the end, and all he could do was watch.