H7N9: The Complete Series [Books 1-3]

by Campbell, Mark

  Startled, Ein dropped the bag of cheese puffs that he had been snacking on and looked towards the noise. He sat up and peered at the hospital bed. “Teddy?”

  Teddy’s head lolled as he gazed around the room with a confused, agitated expression. He stared down at the IV line that fed into his arm and tried to sit up. He cried out in pain and laid back down.

  “Teddy!” Ein got up and hurried to the bedside. He looked down at him, smiling. “I’m glad you made it back!”

  Teddy locked eyes with him, reached out, and weakly grasped his shirt collar. “Where am I?” His voice was hoarse and quiet. “Is this… a hospital? Is this FEMA?”

  “No, of course not,” Ein assured. “It’s okay—someone is taking care of you. You almost died.”

  Teddy let Ein go and looked around the room. “I don’t understand… Who is taking care of me? What is this place?”

  “They’re good people, Teddy. They’re hiding us here…”

  “Who?”

  “Devin. He leads a group of resistance fighters here.”

  “Where is here?” he asked with annoyance.

  “We’re inside an apartment in Baton Rouge.”

  Teddy turned his head towards him, and his expression fell flat. “Baton Rouge… The safe zone?”

  “Yeah, I snuck us in a few days ago when you got sick.” Ein gestured around the apartment. “This place belongs to Devin’s group. They’re the ones who took us in and helped you. As I said, they’re good people.”

  Horror washed over Teddy’s sickly face. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

  Ein looked perplexed. “What? I was quick getting here—stayed out of sight of the cops.”

  “You brought us into a safe zone and got in bed with some rebels?!” Teddy’s grip around Ein’s shirt collar tightened. “You’ve killed us all! Didn’t Topeka teach you anything?!”

  Ein became frightened and pulled away. “They’re on our side! We’re—”

  “They’re on their own side!” Teddy interrupted, practically screaming. “They don’t give two shits about you, me, or anyone else! They’re using you, lying to you, and they would slit their mother’s throat if it furthered their demented cause!”

  Ein shrank away from the bed. “You don’t know them!”

  “Grow up!” Teddy hoarse voice broke, and he erupted into a chain of raspy coughs.

  Ein backed away from the bed and watched him cough with growing concern. “Just relax and take it easy for a minute… Let me explain.”

  Teddy caught his breath, and vehemently shook his head. “No! We’re leaving—right now!” He yanked the IV out of his arm and tried to sit up.

  The gauze bandage blossomed with crimson.

  Teddy cringed in pain and flopped back down against the pillow.

  “Stop!” Ein pleaded. “You’re going to rip your stitches!”

  Teddy ignored him and tried to sit up again, but with the same disastrous effect.

  After trying to sit a few more times, Teddy eventually gave up and stared up at the ceiling. Tears rolled down his ashy cheeks as he shook his head.

  Ein looked at the soaked bandage. “I’m going to get the doctor. I think you tore something.”

  He hurried to the front door and tried the knob.

  The tumbler was locked.

  Ein noticed for the first time that the tumbler’s lever was removed and couldn’t be operated from inside the room—they were trapped. “The door… I can’t unlock it from this end.”

  “What did you expect?” Teddy asked hoarsely from the bed. “Ain’t shit in this world for free… We’re their prisoners.”

  “No…” Ein staggered back from the door with wide-eyed disbelief, shaking his head. “They wouldn’t do that to us… Why would they?”

  “You’ve learned nothing, kid.” Teddy placed his forearm over his forehead and closed his eyes.

  Ein retreated to the futon and plopped down. He stared at the door with a distressed look.

  Suddenly, all the frills of electricity, television reruns, and bags of junk food lost their allure.

  The two men were silent as they waited with bated breath for the next move.

  CHAPTER 37

  JANUARY 11th

  5:07 AM

  Ein jolted awake as soon as the front door swung open. He sat on the futon and peered at the two shadowy figures lurching inside the room.

  Teddy lay motionless on the hospital bed—the same way he had done every time a nurse entered ever since he woke up.

  The moonlit visages of Devin and one of his men came into view as they approached Ein.

  Devin slumped as he walked, and his bloodshot eyes had dark circles under them. Fever gave his cheeks a pinkish hue, and his lymph nodes were swollen and blackened on his neck.

  The man standing next to Devin carried an AK-47 and looked just as miserable as his boss. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a crusty handkerchief, and blew his nose before quickly stuffing it away again.

  Devin crouched down in front of Ein and smiled. “How’re you doing, buddy?”

  Ein pressed his back against the futon and took a hard swallow. “I’m good… Was just sleeping.” His voice was quiet and tense.

  “Sorry I haven’t visited… I’ve been fighting off this bug,” Devin said.

  “Is it the—”

  Devin answered before Ein could even finish. “No, it isn’t the flu. If it is, it isn’t H7N9—I checked it myself with one of the government’s own rapid field test kits. Probably a seasonal strain.”

  “Whatever it is, it’s going around,” the man with the AK-47 griped, sniffling. “Feel like shit…”

  “Our troubles aside, how’s your friend?” Devin thumbed over at Teddy.

  “Hard to say.” Ein glanced at the bed. “He hasn’t woken up.”

  “So I’ve heard.” Devin coughed into the crook of his arm and slowly stood back up. “The nurses said that his fever broke and that everything is stable. That’s good news on its own, right?”

  Ein nodded and brought his attention back to Devin.

  “I guess it doesn’t matter.” Devin sighed and wiped the sweat off of his forehead. “They wanted him alive. He doesn’t have to be awake, I suppose.”

  “Who wanted him alive?” Ein’s eyes darted towards the front door and then back at Devin.

  Devin hesitated and held out his hands, empathetically at Ein when he finally spoke. “Ein, listen, this guerrilla war we’re fighting can only be won one way… We have to have the hearts and minds of the people. Once we have their trust, we’ll have their support. Do you understand that? Do you understand how important it is for us to break away from the terrorist moniker that the authorities have given us?”

  “Yeah…” Ein looked doubtfully at the armed man and then shifted his gaze back to Devin. “That’s why we’re making the propaganda videos, right?”

  Devin frowned and nervously ran a hand up and down his forearm. “We need more than videos… We need to show the people that we’re on their side…”

  “How…?” Ein’s eyes went towards the gun again.

  Devin gave an apologetic smile. “Food.” He looked at Teddy and sighed again. “Do you have any idea how many people we could feed if we got our hands on the reward they’re offering on you two?”

  “A whole hell of a lot,” the armed man answered.

  Devin turned back to Ein. “A lot of hearts and minds…”

  Ein went pale, and his skin goosefleshed. He quickly stood up, fists balled. “You can’t turn us over to them!”

  The man with the AK-47 waved it menacingly at Ein and pointed at the futon. “Sit down!”

  Devin folded his hands together and simply watched.

  Ein didn’t move. “You can’t do it!”

  “It’s already done,” Devin said calmly. “They’re on their way right now.”

  The armed man shoved Ein in the chest.

  Ein flopped back down on the futon. He looked up at Devin with teary ey
es as anger contorted his face. “You’re a fucking liar! You betrayed us!”

  “It had to be done. I came here tonight out of respect and to express my thanks on behalf of our cause.” Devin coughed violently, and it took several seconds for him to catch his breath again.

  “They’ll kill us!” Ein shouted.

  “And, in time, we’ll kill them thanks to your sacrifice.” Devin wiped his nose and smiled down at Ein. “You’re martyrs and will be remembered as such. Whatever comes next, I feel it’s important for you to know that.”

  “Screw you!”

  Devin frowned.

  Police sirens wailed from the street below.

  “Boss, you should go…” the armed man said nervously.

  Devin nodded. He gave Teddy one final glance and then placed a hand on the armed man’s shoulder. “Stay behind and make sure they don’t get cold feet, would you?”

  The man’s eyes widened with alarm. “The cops will kill me the minute they—”

  “Thank you for your sacrifice, brother.”

  “Yes, sir…” the man said in a muted voice, resigned to his fate. He gave Devin a sorrowful look. “Just make sure Sara is taken care of, yeah?”

  Devin smiled and nodded. “Of course.”

  The man kept the AK-47 pointed at Ein while Devin crept out of the room, coughing as he walked.

  The sirens stopped, and the window lit-up in blue strobe.

  The man wiped at his runny nose and then let out a humorless chuckle. “Hell of a way to go out, isn’t it?”

  Ein stared earnestly at the man. “We can leave before they get up here—all of us.”

  The man frowned and shook his head. “Can’t do that… This thing is bigger than all three of us combined.” He regarded his AK-47 a moment before continuing. “I’ll give the first few hell when they come in… We won’t die as cowards.”

  Ein looked at Teddy worriedly. “Can I at least say goodbye to my friend?”

  The man seemed to mull it over a bit before shaking his head. “You should stay seated.”

  “Please,” Ein begged. “They’ll separate us, and I’ll never see him again… He and I have been through hell together. Let me say goodbye, at least.”

  “Fine, make it fast, and don’t do anything crazy.” The man stepped back and kept his AK-47 pointed at Ein. “I’d hate to use this thing on you.”

  “I won’t.” Ein hurried to his feet and went to the hospital bed. He clasped Teddy’s hands and peered down at him.

  The man lumbered behind him, coughing and sneezing.

  He kept his distance, glancing nervously towards the open door.

  Ein let go of Teddy’s hands and backed away from the bed with a shocked expression. “He’s dead…”

  “Who?”

  “Who do you think?!” Ein spun towards the man and pointed a shaky hand at the hospital bed. “He’s fucking dead!”

  The man took a step forward and stared at the body. “How do you know?”

  “He’s not breathing!”

  “Bullshit.”

  “Come see for yourself!”

  “Put your hands in the air and step back!” the man growled as he waved his weapon towards Ein.

  “It’s all over now!” Ein raised his palms and backed away from the bed as he glowered at the armed man. “Good luck with collecting your blood money! Your dimwit doctor killed him!”

  “Shut up and stay back!” The man anxiously approached the bed and loomed over Teddy’s body. Concern washed over his face the longer he stared at him. “Gawd-damn… What the hell am I supposed to—”

  Teddy’s eyes snapped open as he reached up and grabbed the barrel of the AK-47 and pushed it up towards the ceiling.

  The terrified man tried to wrestle the gun away and inadvertently pulled the trigger in the process.

  Plaster rained down as the shots peppered the ceiling.

  Teddy’s grip on the weapon weakened. “Now, Ein!”

  Ein struck the man on the back of the head with a porcelain lamp.

  The base of the lamp shattered, and the man let go of the rifle as he went down hard on his hands and knees.

  Blood poured out of the man’s gashed head and dripped on the floor.

  The man cupped a hand over his wound and started to get back up.

  Teddy sat up on the bed, turned the AK-47 around, and fired a three-round burst into the man’s back.

  The man jolted as the bullets tore through him. He slumped down and lay motionless as blood soaked into the beige pile.

  “Are you okay?” Ein side-stepped the dead man and went to Teddy.

  Teddy threw his covers off and handed the gun to Ein. “Sore as shit, but I’ll be fine once we get out of here.”

  Ein slung the rifle over his shoulder and held a hand out towards Teddy. “Come on. Cops are on their way.”

  Teddy took his hand as he struggled to get off of the bed. “Devin… I’m going to choke the living shit out of that arrogant little—” He stopped mid-sentence and grimaced in pain as he got on his feet and quickly wrapped his arm around Ein’s shoulders to brace himself.

  “Worry about that later. Right now, we need to hide.” Ein led Teddy towards the open front door and peered out into the hall.

  It was clear.

  At the end of the hallway, Ein spotted the elevator atrium.

  Ein brandished the AK-47 in front of him and started to lead Teddy down the hall towards the lift. As he walked, he stopped periodically at the apartment doors and tried the knobs.

  Every door was locked.

  “We have to try another floor,” Ein said.

  Teddy looked ahead at the lift. “Don’t use the elevator… Use the stairs.”

  “There’s no way I can lug your big ass up some steps. Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.” Ein continued to lead him forward while checking doors in the process.

  Teddy furrowed his brows. “Dammit, kid! If we’re some kind of wanted terrorists, they’re not going to send in some bumbling street cops! There will be a tactical team—they’ll cut the power!”

  “Would you calm down?” Annoyed, Ein pressed onward. “I know what I’m doing!”

  Inside the elevator atrium, Ein pressed the lift’s call button repeatedly.

  Just as the lift started to make its ascent, everything went dark, and the elevator fell silent.

  The backup batteries in the emergency exit signage engaged, and floodlights bathed the hall in dim yellow light.

  “Told you!” Teddy growled.

  Ein looked over at him, face blanched with fear. “What do we do now?!”

  Teddy let go of Ein and leaned against the wall. He slumped down and pointed over at the stairwell door. “I need to catch my breath… Go see if it’s clear!”

  Ein hurried to the door and swung it open.

  Inside the stairwell, it was pitch-black.

  Ein leaned over the iron handrail and peered down at the ground level five floors below. He pointed the AK-47 down towards the darkness.

  Suddenly, green laser beams shone on the wall below as a group of men wearing black ballistic armor and helmets with night-vision goggles attached to them marched in from the lobby and started to climb the steps. Their M4 rifles had laser sights and optics attached to their Picatinny rails.

  Ein gasped and backed out of the stairwell. He quickly closed the door and turned towards Teddy. “They’re coming up the stairs!”

  “How many?”

  “I don’t know.” Dismayed, Ein shook his head. “There’s a lot of them… Too many for me to shoot.”

  “Fuck.” Teddy forced himself off of the wall and limped towards one of the apartment doors. He placed a hand on the knob and rattled it. “Follow me.”

  “I already did that,” Ein said with annoyance. “Everything’s locked.”

  Teddy reared back and started to slam the side of his body against the door.

  “We should go back to the room and hide in the bathroom or something.” Ein glanced fearfully at the
stairwell door as he heard footsteps approaching.

  Teddy ignored him and continued to slam against the door.

  The wood frame splintered, and the door swung inwards.

  Teddy, face contorted in pain, stumbled into the opened apartment and motion for Ein. “Come on! Move your ass, kid!”

  Ein ran inside and closed the door.

  Teddy placed a hand against his bruised shoulder and started to walk deeper inside the small studio apartment, searching in the dark. “Once they discover that we’re not where that Devin asshole said we’d be at, they’ll start searching. The broken doorframe is going to draw attention. We need to hide somewhere.”

  “There’s a bathroom over here,” Ein pointed at a door next to the kitchenette.

  “Go in there then.” Teddy limped towards a narrow door between the electric range and the refrigerator.

  “Where are you going?” Ein asked, watching him.

  “Just get in there and keep quiet!” Teddy opened the pantry door, knocked the flimsy wire shelving units down, and got inside. He pulled the door shut behind him.

  Ein frowned and opened the bathroom door. He immediately retched from the noxious stench of decay.

  The skeletal remains of a man sat slumped in the bathtub. Dried blood and caked gore stained the fiberglass tub, and cockroaches covered the tiled floor and most of the wall. A boney arm hung out of the tub. A straight-razor stained with blood lay on the floor below it.

  Despite the grisly scene, Ein entered the room and shut the door.

  He stood silently in the dark—his weapon pointed shakily at the door, as he listened to heavy footsteps and jingling equipment pass the apartment.

  Ein noticed tendrils of white smoke rising from underneath the bathroom door. His eyes started to water, and his throat became scratchy.

  Tear gas, he realized.

  Ein covered his nose and mouth with his shirt collar and stifled his coughs.

  There was a series of loud BOOMS as flashbangs went off, followed by garbled shouting.

  Then, silence.

  Ein thought that they might have left, but then he heard a voice muffled by a gasmask: “Squad, break up and search the floor! Be advised; the body’s fresh, so be alert! Suspects are armed! Lemma, Echo—fall back on me!”

  There was the sound of wood splintering and glass breaking as doors were kicked in throughout the hallway.