Vampire's Day (Book 2): Zero Model

by Yuri Hamaganov

  “No reinforcements! Not until we’ve taken a look at what we're dealing with. That will eliminate any risk of spreading the infection.”

  “Got it.”

  “What’s the number of infected at the moment?”

  “I can’t give an exact answer. We don’t know exactly how many people lived in this city, it’s somewhere between seventeen and twenty-five thousand, maybe more. We don’t know how many died yesterday, last night and in the morning; we don’t know how many got out of the city, and how many have stayed here.

  “Based on the survivors, the numbers of the infected are large, hundreds, perhaps even thousands. It’s possible that at least half of the total population have been infected.”

  “What happens now?”

  “There are fights in the villages near the city. Those who prevailed in the city stopped for a time, but now they’re beginning to advance deep into the valley.”

  “If this is rabies, how the hell are the infected coordinating their actions and using complex weapons? I thought that was impossible.”

  “Palmer says that it isn’t rabies. According to her, it just looks like rabies. Don’t forget that we may be dealing with an extraterrestrial origin for the infection. Apparently, it causes a state of heightened aggression, but doesn’t reduce mental faculties. It isn’t clear why the infected don’t attack each other – they attack only those who aren’t infected. Without the sample in our laboratories, it would be difficult to say how this infection operates. Palmer has a living infected man and…”

  “Transportation infected to the United States excluded, Palmer should dealt there herself. Supply of food and ammunition only by air. What about the civilians on a gas platform?”

  “There are almost two and a half thousand people, many with families. Yesterday we announced martial law and cut off communications. Passenger aircraft flights have been canceled. But if the infected arrange a serious attack, like this morning in the city, they won’t stand alone. There are few guards armed only with rifles and several machine guns, with out fortifications and armored vehicles.”

  “So we’ll evacuate the civilians to the base.”

  “Sir, if reinforcements are not coming, we’ll need the local army to ensure strict quarantine.”

  “The local government is on the brink of revolution; the only thing that can save it is a big loan, and the president will do anything to get hold of our money. So we will provide the protection of the borders. Now give me a link to Bronson, I must give him instructions.”

  38. Priorities

  “The geographical location of the valley has served the Cartel well for a long time, and now it will serve us. The mountain range that surrounds the valley on three sides served as a natural line of defense during the last civil war, which meant that government forces couldn’t regain control here. Now we will use this line to prevent the spread of infection. All that is required is to take a position on a few passes and peaks. Using artillery and mortar fire from these positions, we will stop any attempt to break out of the valley into the country through the mountains.

  “The local army will take the passes; they have already received orders to kill anyone who tries to pass them on the mountain roads. The only thing that they may need from us is aerial surveillance, which will be provided by my drones.”

  Richardson expounded this simple plan, highlighting with his laser pointer the possible sites of breakthroughs, all the time thinking furiously about Bronson and Palmer sitting next to him. He was disgusted about this combat operation, where they had to try to contain by any means possible spread of infection, which these two idiots bring here. Okay, not them personally, but their officers, to whom he had to portray the role of diligent aide. And he would play this role, because it would give him the opportunity to remove this sweet couple from leadership.

  They were smart enough to start it all, but he would be the one to deal with this mess. Palmer wouldn’t pop her nose out of her toy town, and Bronson had too few people or the technology to provide quarantine and evacuation of civilians from the gas platform. So, make room folks, now it was his turn to give orders. And then they would see what would be; he would see how their actions were evacuated. Richardson had already received a fair compensation for all the excitement of the last day from the drug lord, and now it was necessary for him to think about promotion, since he had this opportunity.

  “The Cartel’s light aircraft and helicopters were destroyed yesterday afternoon during the fire in the port. So, after government forces have captured the passes, the only way to leave the valley is to get out on the water. Most of the boats and fishing schooners were burned yesterday, and the rest will not be able to go far, because my patrol boats have already started patrolling.”

  “You have to give clear instructions to the crews – they have to immediately destroy anything that moves on the water in the quarantine zone, even if it’s an inflatable mattress. They must not try to capture or inspect them. They have to make sure there are no survivors.”

  “Roger.”

  The local fighters would guard the passes, and his boats had closed off the sea, while the garrison was alerted and ready to repel a possible attack. And the Colonel had left for himself the most honorable and promising job in terms of future promotion - the evacuation of civilians. There were almost two and a half thousand men, women and children who needed to be rescued from this chaos. He would save them, and then be rewarded for his role.

  “Requisition all necessary transport and all supplies of food, medicine, clothing and tools, along with anything else that may be needed to ensure the survival of the civilians. Leave only the marines there and a team of technicians who will look after the equipment.”

  How long would he need to provide for two and a half thousand men, women and children? The original plan had been to take the civilians out on planes from his airport, but now he had to provide for them. He wondered how much food there was, and what they could do if there was very little.

  “Roger.”

  39. Priorities-2

  “At the moment we don’t know the exact cause of this infection…”

  Sure, the exact cause was unknown – the Colonel smiled, listening to Palmer, currently speaking to the staff from all screens. You sons of bitches brought this plague from outer space, and my people already know about it.

  “But we know that the infection isn’t transmitted by airborne droplets, only through blood. Therefore, reliable compliance with quarantine protocol will ensure one hundred percent security.”

  For all his hostility to Palmer, the Colonel hoped she wasn’t mistaken. A day previously over a hundred of his Marines were in the port area near the space ball, together with Bronson’s team. Then, returning to the base, they had been close to other soldiers; no one had thought to tell him about the quarantine. If this infection was transmitted through the air, they may have all been infected. If not, then he had only one confirmed infected - the driver. And a crippled nurse who was now in Palmer’s laboratory, with no reason to risk releasing her. Bronson was also in the warehouse yesterday; he’d been injured there, and was now healthy. Palmer didn’t seem afraid to keep him next to her, even without being wrapped in a suit. Okay, he supposed these bastards were right.

  “The infected have an increased aggressiveness, and they can attack everyone they see while using a firearm so…”

  “Thank you for your detailed consultation, miss, it was very helpful.” Richardson gently but firmly dismissed Palmer – it was time to remind his men about who was really in charge, while at the same time explaining the situation in a more accessible way.

  “So, we are under siege. There is a rampant epidemic in the valley, where the number of infected is growing. We don’t currently know how to treat this infection; the experts are working on it. In the meantime, our task is to provide protection for ourselves and the civilians in the factory. Our defense will be quarantine. The territory within a radius of three miles from the
border has been declared a restricted area. Set the minefields, make sure there is surveillance from the ground and air, and use mortars and automatic grenade launchers; kill anyone who tries to cross the line. I repeat – immediately kill anyone who approaches the perimeter, then burn the body with flamethrowers. Keep minimal contact with the outside world, and any absence without leave will lead to a military tribunal!

  “Now, about the civilians - we need to take two thousand, four hundred and thirty-seven people away from the plant; our engineers are constructing a temporary camp for them. We’ve alerted security on the platform, and no infections among the staff have been observed, but in any case fulfill all the necessary precautions. On the way back, if someone tries to stop the cars, shoot to kill without warning.”

  A large gate, thickly entwined with barbed wire, rolled back to the side, and heavy wheeled armored personnel carriers headed out on the road, followed by a long column of army trucks. The column was covered in the air by Black Hawks and scout drones, looking for possible ambushes.

  “Colonel!”

  “What else?!”

  Palmer found him at the moment when Richardson was about to take his place in his personal Hummer.

  “Colonel, I need material for research. I need more infected. A live infected.”

  “You already have the driver!”

  “That isn’t enough, I need a few more. Bronson’s team is prepared to catch a few, but they need a helicopter.”

  “Why are we introducing fucking quarantine if you want to bring the infected inside?!”

  “You and your people are at risk of infection. If you want me to make a vaccine, then help me! I can’t do the vaccine without studying the infection, I need test subjects!”

  “If I do this, you’d better not screw up, Miss Palmer!”

  As he left the perimeter, Richardson took up the radio – he needed to give the last order.

  He and some marines would now take out the civilians; and the others would put up the quarantine barrier. But part of his marine force the Colonel had allocated to perform a particular task, which would be the most important, if something went wrong. They had been ordered to secretly surround Palmer’s town and be prepared to immediately attack the research complex in the event of an emergency.

  40. Worse

  When yesterday they were thrown out of the plane back to the runway, Natalia thought that nothing worse in her life could happen. Soon she realized that was wrong. Seriously wrong.

  They were put in the old bus and taken back to the village, without any explanation. No one knew anything - why this flight had been canceled, when the next flight would be. The administrator absurdly spread his hands, referring to the order of some distant superiors. Back in the village, they found there were no Internet, as well as the usual temperamental telephone lines. But there were more guards. She saw strong men in uniform and with guns, patrolling the village border.

  “What’s happened?” It was the first time that day she’d said anything to her escort. Boris, who was usually silent and sleepy, was unusually lively and brisk, talking with others in English and Spanish.

  “I don’t know, but there is obviously some sort of mess. Have you any money?”

  “Yes, for what?”

  “Go to the store and buy some food - canned meat, biscuits, chocolate, dried sausages and bottled water.”

  They met again at the club. Three hundred people had already gathered in the large hangar, where there were billiard tables, bowling lanes and a bar. The number of bottles had dramatically decreased. Boris was waiting for her, watching Game of Thrones on the big screen. There was news on the next screen, but nothing interesting was being reported.

  “That's all you could get?”

  “There was almost nothing left.”

  “Use this reserve cautiously; I don’t know when more will be brought. The plane didn’t arrive today, and it won’t come tomorrow, either.”

  “Does that mean no dinner?”

  In the end dinner wasn’t cancel. But the number of meals decreased, and instead of salad there was a big plate of spaghetti with cheese and sausage, which Boris ate with gusto. Natasha herself didn’t eat spaghetti, especially with cheese, in order to protect her figure, but this time she ate every last mouthful.

  After dinner, there was nothing to do. She didn’t play billiards or bowl, so the girl had no choice but to return to her tiny room in the hostel. Fortunately it was still vacant, because the new shift hadn’t arrived. The Internet was dead, so she took a stack of old magazines, each of which she’d read several times. Magazines and Sex and the City on her tablet, what else could she do?

  Her restless sleep in the stuffy little room ended in a nightmare, filled with no terrible visions but a monstrous roar. She opened her eyes, but realized the roar was a reality; the siren roared every few minutes.

  “What is it?!”

  Outside the window it was already dawn, and the inhabitants of the village were out in the street from their individual houses and the hostel. Their eyes were turned toward the city, where thick clouds of black smoke rose in the morning sky. There was something burning yesterday, she knew, but now there were many more fires. She had never seen anything like it.

  And there was something else that she didn’t notice until after the siren was silenced. Shooting. She could hear gunfire from the city - shots merging into a single background, which was dominated by a persistent hacking clatter.

  “Shilka.”

  “What?”

  “Forget it.”

  This was Boris. He stood nearby, looking at the city through a telescope.

  “Feel it in my heart that we are on the verge of a grand nix.”

  After the siren had spoiled the morning, it took two hours for the sun to rise high above the mountains and the temperature to increase. Work at the plant had stopped, and the guards were forbidden to leave the territory. They were all waiting for something, but it was not clear what. They waited through the delay, managing to have breakfast, though this time it was very poor - a plate of porridge, sandwiches and coffee. While they ate, the shooting from the city subsided, but now helicopters could be heard, scurrying in a cloudless blue sky.

  “Attention! Attention!”

  “Oh, maybe they’ll finally tell us what…”

  “Quiet!”

  “Attention! Listen up! Because of the threat of terrorist attacks, work at the plant will be shut down until further notice. The entire staff will be immediately evacuated to a naval base.

  The plant will operate only a duty brigade under guard. I repeat - the entire staff, except for the duty brigade, will be evacuated to a naval base because of the threat of terrorist attacks! The evacuation will begin in an hour. Don’t take luggage, just documents and essentials. I repeat - no luggage, only documents!”

  “What does this mean? What attacks, evacuation, where?”

  “To a naval base. It’s around twelve miles from here. It looks like we might be stuck here for a long time.”

  “How can this be? I must be in Russia, I have vacation soon! I’ve already brought tickets for Paris…”

  Natasha’s screaming was drowned by the sounds of powerful trucks that came down the hill in a long column, heading for the main gate. A helicopter flew low over the village, raising red dust. Boris saw the shooter, sun reflected on his helmet light filter.

  “Now what?”

  “Now, lady, you should do what was ordered before things become worse.”

  “Maybe it's provocation? Provocation against me? Maybe they think I'm a KGB agent and…”

  “Yeah, and they want to frame you by burning the city. Calm down, it’s nothing to do with you.”

  “You… ah!”

  Boris in one motion wrung her fingers so that the acute pain has excluded all sorts of resistance.

  “Shut up, you stupid fool. Stop panicking and look around. The whole city was burned down, and not because matches were carelessly handled. There wa
s fighting all night, and a lot of people were killed, that’s clear from the intensity of the shooting.

  “And now the plant owners are quickly closing up shop and running to the nearest military base, which means that there is something very seriously wrong. Maybe it is a terrorist attack, or a full-scale armed conflict. War. You understand? We are in deep shit, and not we personally, but everyone gathered here. And if you want to get out of this shit alive and smelling of roses, be kind enough to carry out my instructions, help me to do my job and get your ass out of here without complications. Agreed?”

  He let go of her fingers, and she stared at him with a look of anger and misunderstanding. And fear.

  “I'm going to complain as soon as we get back!”

  “I'm also going to complain, with a detailed list of everything that has happened. But first we must return. And you will do anything on my orders, or you’re on your own. Which do you choose?”

  She managed to cope with her anger as her innate prudence suggested to her that this martinet was right. Now she had to work with him.

  “Fair enough! What should I do?”

  “To begin with quietly sit in the truck and leave for the base. I think that in this turmoil they don’t really care that a couple of Russians happened to be in town, but still, let’s not attract too much attention.”

  “And then what… hey!”

  Boris ducked, pulling Natasha down, and the screaming of people was muffled by the roar of helicopter engines and machine guns.

  A Black Hawk hit some unseen targets in the east. Then came the blast of mortars being fired somewhere nearby. Thirty seconds later the shelling stopped.