by Cross, Amy
Copyright 2019 Amy Cross
All Rights Reserved
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, events, entities and places are either products of the author's imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual people, businesses, entities or events is entirely coincidental.
Kindle edition
First published: September 2019
Having finally returned to New York, Elizabeth finds herself still struggling to come to terms with Toad's death. Haunted everywhere she goes by reminders of her dead family, she finds refuge in a surprising place. But when people start dropping dead in the streets, Elizabeth and her new friends face the horrifying possibility that the zombie threat is far from over.
Meanwhile, Thomas makes an important decision. Finding nothing worth staying for in New York, he decides that it's finally time to go and search for his missing sister. Can he persuade Elizabeth to go with him? What dangers will he find once he hits the road? And will he finally find Martha waiting for him at the farm?
Days 195 to 202 is the ninth book in the Mass Extinction Event series. The book ends with a cliffhanger, and readers are advised to start with the first part of the series.
Table of Contents
Prologue
Day 195
Day 196
Day 197
Day 198
Day 199
Day 200
Day 201
Day 202
Epilogue
Days 195 to 202
(Mass Extinction Event book 9)
Prologue
Several years ago
“Working late?”
Startled, Joseph looked up from his desk and saw that Maddy was watching him from the doorway.
“Uh,” he began, before finding himself once again tongue-tied. Maddy was so beautiful, he never quite knew what to say. “Yeah. I guess.”
“And how are you finding it here?” she asked, stepping into the room and sauntering over to his desk. “I remember my first few weeks on the job. Being part of Project Atherius can be a little daunting.”
“It's fine,” he replied, allowing himself to loosen up just a little. “I just wish...”
His voice trailed off.
“You just wish what, Joseph?”
“I just wish I knew a little more about the project,” he replied. “I get told what I need to know for my work, but that's kind of limiting. If I understood the overall thing, if I knew what we're really aiming for, I think I'd be able to get on with things better. I guess what I'm saying is that I don't really understand what Project Atherius is aiming for. Not in the long-term.”
“Join the club,” she said, “but Mr. Carver likes it this way. To be honest, I don't even think that it's up to him. I know he's the ultimate boss here, but he has people to answer to, people way higher up the pecking order.” She hesitated, and now she seemed a little nervous. “Sometimes,” she added cautiously, “I feel like the people he answers to are...”
Joseph waited for her to finish.
“Are what?” he asked finally.
“I don't know, exactly,” she replied. “I don't want to sound like some crazy conspiracy theorist.”
“I would never think that.” He smiled. “Go on. Tell me.”
She glanced around, to check that they couldn't be overheard, and then she leaned across the desk.
“Sometimes,” she said cautiously, “I feel like there's a whole level of power that we don't even know about. People who operate above everything else. Above politics, above the news, above all the stuff that regular people know about. They're completely in charge, and we don't even know their names.” She paused. “Sometimes, I think that they're the people Mr. Carver reports to.”
“Which would make Project Atherius...”
“Something that's very important to them,” she continued. “Like I said, I really don't want to sound crazy, but there are Project Atherius sites all over the world. I once caught sight of some secret papers, and I saw that this thing exists all across the planet. In which case, I kind of have to wonder why so much work is going into these viruses. Are they trying to save us from something, or...”
Joseph waited again for her to finish, but now he could see the fear in her eyes.
“Or are they trying to create something to use against us?” he asked finally.
“You said that, not me.” She hesitated again. “Please don't tell anyone that we had this conversation, Joseph. It's talk like this that can get a person into a lot of trouble, real fast. I mean, it's one thing to sign an N.D.A. but some of the things I've heard about are downright scary. There are people who used to work here, who just disappeared from the face of the planet after they left.”
“Spooky,” Joseph said with a chuckle. “You almost make it sound like you think they were assassinated.”
“Again, you said that, not me. I should go.”
She turned to walk away.
“Hey,” he called after her, as he got to his feet, “do you want to get a drink some time?”
As soon as he'd said those words, he froze. Never in all his life had he asked a girl out, let alone someone like Maddy who was so completely out of his league. She should have been dating movie stars or billionaires, he realized, and now he felt like the biggest fool in the world. He'd felt a very brief spark of connection, and he'd taken that way too far.
“Sure,” she said disarmingly, with a faint smile. “I'd like that a lot.”
“No worries,” he replied. “I just thought I'd ask anyway. Sorry.”
“I said I would like to go for a drink with you,” she said. “You did hear that, right?”
“You...”
Again, his voice trailed off, and he felt a sudden rush of panic.
“How about tomorrow night?” she continued. “There's a little diner, way out of town. I'd rather go there, because it's easier to avoid being spotted. Not that I don't want to be seen out with you, Joseph, but I'd just rather not arouse any suspicions. And... I guess I need to talk to someone. About the things I've seen here, I mean. There are some aspects of Project Atherius that weigh really heavy on my conscience.”
“Okay,” he replied. “Tomorrow night's fine.”
“You know the diner I mean?”
He nodded.
“Great,” she said, briefly biting her bottom lip. “I'll see you there at eight. And don't be late. It's bad form to miss the start of a date.”
“Sure,” he replied as she turned and walked away, and then he stood all alone in his office for a moment. “Did you just say... date?”
The question hung in the air, but of course there was no-one to answer. Still, despite his natural skepticism, Joseph knew that 'date' was the exact word that she'd used. He had a working theory that suggested women picked their words very carefully, which meant that someone like Maddy would never in a million years use that word accidentally. Which meant that she saw their meeting as a date.
“Wow,” he said as he sat back down. “Just... Wow.”
He stared at his laptop's screen for a moment, before forcing himself to get back to work. There'd be time to worry about his date the next day, but for now he knew he had to focus on the transmission problem. He'd been tasked with designing a very particular type of virus, but he'd been given parameters that made it virtually impossible for the virus to pass from human to human. He'd been told, however, that the virus had to be particularly contagious. Not that it would ever be released into the wild, of course. He figured he was being used to identify possible bio-terror opportunities in the world at large, to help cut any potential attacks off at t
he pass.
As he worked, however, he couldn't help thinking about his impending date, and about the fact that Maddy had actually agreed to go out with him. With his new job at Project Atherius, and now a hot date lined up, Joseph finally allowed himself to think that maybe – just maybe – his life was heading in the right direction.
Day 195
Thomas
“No,” the woman at the desk says, “I'm sorry. There's nothing.”
“Can you try alternate spellings?” I ask. “Try spelling Edgewater without the middle 'e'.”
“I've already tried alternate spellings.”
“Can you try again?”
She sighs.
“Please,” I continue, “she might -”
“There hasn't even been a system update since you were here last week,” she adds, as she closes the folder. “Listen to me, and this time try to actually hear what I'm saying. There's no-one by the name of Martha Edgewater in any of the files. That means that either she hasn't made it to a reconstruction zone yet, or the system hasn't been updated to reflect her arrival yet, or she's using a false name, or...”
Her voice trails off.
I know exactly what she was about to say.
“She's not dead,” I tell her. “I know it.”
She sighs. I can tell that she feels sorry for me. She probably thinks that I'm pathetic.
“And why would she use a false name?” I add. “That doesn't even make sense.”
“I have no idea,” she replies, “but people are weird.” She pauses. “I'm just trying to give you a little hope here, but the fact remains that there's no Martha Edgewater listed at any of the zones. And before you ask... No, there are no records of anyone having tried to trace you, either. No-one has searched for your name in the system.”
Somehow, it's that final sentence that sends a shiver down my spine. There's no-one out there looking for me.
“When's the next update due?” I ask finally.
She shrugs.
“You must know,” I continue.
“We don't get much time on the cables,” she explains. “It's a miracle that even this tiny part of the old infrastructure has been put back online. I'm afraid the citizen location program just isn't that much of a priority, we have to use lag left over from military and government operations. That's why I keep reminding you that no news isn't necessarily bad news. The system is very imperfect.”
“I'll come back tomorrow,” I tell her.
“There definitely won't have been an update by then. Come back in a week.”
“I can't wait that long!” I snap, before reminding myself that there's no point getting angry at this woman. She's only doing her job. Sighing, I look at the handwritten name-badge on her shirt. “Thank you, Rose,” I add, as I take a step back. “I just know my sister's out there somewhere. I know she's alive. I can feel it somehow.”
“I'm sure you can,” she replies, with a faint, sad smile. “I wish you nothing but the best. Maybe I'll see you at the rededication ceremony next week.”
“Maybe,” I mutter.
Turning, I start making my way out of the office. On the way, I pass a woman who's sobbing at another desk.
“I know she's alive,” she blurts out to the man who's checking another set of files. “I can feel it in my heart. I just know it!”
Thomas
“Don't forget to start planning for the rededication ceremony!” a girl calls out as she rushes past me in the street. “You don't want to be the only one who hasn't made an effort.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I watch as she hurries away. I swear, I've bumped into that same girl almost every day for the past week, and she's always telling people that they have to get ready for the city's rededication ceremony. I admire her determination and her enthusiasm, but at the same time I kind of wish she'd give it all a break. After all, the rededication ceremony's really just another attempt to get everyone to 'pull together'. Rededicating a building as a new town hall isn't exactly going to change much, and there's only so much enthusiasm I can stomach right now.
Then again, I guess it's a sign that things are getting back to normal. And that's not something I would have expected a few months ago.
When we left Boston, I was convinced that the world was ending. We fought against Patterson and Bloom and all the rest. We lost good people, like Toad and Carter. And somehow we ended up on that train, headed straight for New York. I very nearly jumped off, mainly because I was convinced that the city would turn out to be some kind of war-torn hell-hole. Frankly, I figured New York would be even worse than Boston. Against all the odds, however, we found something completely different. We found hundreds and hundreds of people who have gathered here to build some kind of new world. We found hope. And we found the first steps toward reconstruction.
Stopping in front of the building that'll soon be the new town hall, I see a large banner stuck to the wall. I immediately feel a flicker of concern in my chest as I see that the banner is announcing something I've been waiting for. I feel a mix of optimism and dread in my heart.
Another chance to go west.
I've been in New York for almost three months now, and my worries about Martha have been eating away at me. In all the craziness before, I was able to tell myself that somehow she'd magically be okay, but now I'm going to have to find out the truth. Or try to, at least. Primitive radio communications have been established between several key cities across the United States, and registration initiatives have allowed survivors to start searching for their families. I've managed to get some information from California, which is where Martha was when everyone went wrong, but so far there's no sign of her. And she doesn't seem to have been looking for me, either.
But now I can go and see for myself.
I step closer, edging my way toward the recruitment desk while trying not to draw attention. I definitely don't want to get the whole spiel again.
Still, the idea is tempting.
Apparently the situation in California is much worse than here, and volunteers are desperately needed out there. Last month, a train was organized to take people out that way, and I so nearly signed up. Ever since, I've been debating whether I should go when the chance comes up again, and now it seems that the chance is here. There's another train heading out that way tomorrow, and this time the promised benefits are even greater.
“Interested?” a voice says.
Startled, I turn to see a girl standing next to me. She's the same girl who keeps yelling excitedly about the rededication ceremony, and I realize after a moment that she must be involved with the California recruitment drive.
“Oh,” I stammer, “I don't... I mean...”
“I saw you last month,” she replies with a big, happy grin. “You were loitering around the desk during the last sign-up period, weren't you?”
“Maybe,” I say cautiously, “but -”
“You're exactly the kind of person they want out there, you know,” she continues, interrupting me. “Not that we don't need people like you here as well, but... If you're interested, I could tell you some of the benefits of the program. You'll get a free house, that's yours forever, and you'll get a guaranteed job somewhere in California. You'll also get a steady income, although the exact amount is still to be determined. We're still not quite sure how money's going to work. But the point is, you could really make something of yourself out there. It's like the wild west, all over again. There are opportunities for a strong, young guy such as yourself.”
“And what's in it for New York?” I ask. “Why are the council members so happy to send healthy, able-bodied people away?”
“We have to help our fellow citizens,” she replies. “Mr. Kendricks is always saying that. Don't you ever come to his meetings?”
“I try to avoid all that,” I reply, bristling at the mention of that guy's name. He's everywhere at the moment, seemingly trying to make himself a big figure in the rebuilt New York, and I can't shake some suspicions abo
ut his motivation. “I guess, after everything that's happened, I find it hard to believe in old-fashioned human decency.”
“Then you should try harder,” she replies, before holding a hand out toward me. “Victoria. Victoria Edmond. It's nice to finally meet you properly...”
She leaves a pause, and it's clear that she wants to know my name.
“Thomas,” I say cautiously.
“Thomas, huh?” We shake hands. “I don't want to try to pressure you, Thomas. I think maybe you're too smart for that. But going out to California could be a really great move for you. New York's well on the way to being functional again, and we have enough people to continue the work of sweeping through the city. What we really need right now, as Mr. Kendricks keeps pointing out, is a few strong allies. By helping California, we can create a coast-to-coast alliance that'll really help us define the way forward for the whole country. You want to be a part of that, don't you?”
“I guess,” I say cautiously.
“Do you have anyone keeping you in New York?”
I hesitate for a moment.
“Not really,” I tell her, although at the same time I can't help thinking about Elizabeth. “I actually might have some family out in California,” I add. “My sister. I've been trying to contact her, but so far her name isn't showing up on any of the lists.”
“You know those lists are very unreliable, don't you?” she replies. “You can't give up hope, just because she's not on them.”
“I know.”
“Where are you from, Thomas?”
“Oklahoma.”
“Cool. You're a long way from there.”
I nod.
“You're allowed to make a stop-off on the way to California, you know,” she continues. “It wouldn't be that difficult for you to take a little detour. I'm pretty sure the train swings down through Oklahoma, Arkansas and a few other states down there. If not, it'll go migthy close, and you can make your way home from there. You could go and take a look for some other people as well.”
