Mass Extinction Event (Book 11): Days 349 to 356
Page 18
Like a virus.
Joseph's lips began to move slightly, but he said nothing.
“Here you go,” the bartender said. “On your tab?”
“Sure.”
“Watching another bunch of overpaid assholes as they parade around?” the bartender asked. “I can change the channel if you like.”
“No, it's good,” Joseph replied, “I like to see the...”
Enemy.
He'd been about to say that he liked to see the enemy in their natural environment, although he was glad that he'd restrained himself. The last thing he wanted was to sound too crazy. Then again, he figured there was no way he could ever become as crazy as the general population. As far as he could tell, people all around the world had begun to take leave of their senses, so even a half-crazy guy would be at an advantage.
“Leave it on,” he muttered finally. “I don't care.”
The bartender said something under his breath as he walked off, leaving Joseph to stare down at his whiskey. He'd only planned to have one drink, but this was his fourth and he realized now that he probably wouldn't get any more work done. Still, a little downtime would be useful and he knew that deep down his brain was working on problems. Tomorrow would be another day, and he'd finally manage to figure out how to make the virus do what he wanted. He'd finally achieve something that nobody else had ever achieve. He'd finally show the world that he -
“Hey there, soldier,” a voice said. “Care for some company?”
Startled, he turned and saw Maddy Crozier standing nearby. He immediately looked around, worried in case she'd brought a bunch of gunmen, but then he turned to Maddy and saw something unusual in her expression. Something different.
Fear.
Loneliness.
“I'm not gonna pretend that this is a coincidence,” she said, not waiting for an answer as she stepped closer and took a seat next to him at the bar. “I tried your place, and then I figured I'd try the local bars. This is the fifth – no, the sixth – that I walked into. I almost gave up looking, it seemed impossible, but somehow I felt in my heart that I just had to keep trying. I'm really glad I found you, Joseph.”
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“I shouldn't have told you what I told you,” she continued, and now the fear seemed to be getting stronger. “About Project Atherius, I mean. About it being rich guy prepping. The thing is, I just feel like it's very easy to talk to you, and I want to tell you more things that I shouldn't.” She paused. “I want to tell you everything. Well, everything that I know. But I'm scared, because Project Atherius is so huge, and so powerful, that sometimes I feel absolutely terrified.”
“You can tell me anything,” he replied.
“That's sweet, but I'm really not so sure.” She looked over at the bartender for a moment, as if she suspected him, and then she turned to Joseph again. “The thing is,” she continued, “I'm starting to think that Project Atherius is very bad for the world.”
“In what way?”
“The people with power and money are preparing for something bad. I don't think they know what it is, I think they simply believe that the world can't continue on its current path. They think some kind of cataclysmic event is on the horizon, and they want to be the survivors.”
“What kind of cataclysmic event?”
“I don't think they know. War. Disease. A goddamn meteor smashing into the planet. I think they're trying to cover all their bases, but I think they kind of sense that something's on the way. Does that make sense, or is it too wishy-washy?”
“It makes sense,” he replied. “I think. So the work I did, it wasn't for a weapon, was it?”
“All your work has been stored away, so that it can be accessed in the event of somebody else creating something like it. These people want to be prepared for any eventuality.”
“Good luck to them,” he said. “If they think I put everything into those reports, they've got another thing coming.”
“You held back?”
“Of course I did. What kind of idiot would just turn over all his best ideas to a bunch of -”
Stopping suddenly, he looked around, just in case anybody might be listening. He watched the bartender for a moment, and then he turned to Maddy again.
“Sure,” he continued, lowering his voice a little. “You read my reports, right?”
“I did.”
“I'm smarter than I let them know,” he explained, with a faint smile. “You'd better believe that I kept the juicy stuff back. You know, every night when I left that office, they used to search. Every single night. They'd scan me to make sure that I wasn't smuggling stuff out, they'd make me go through a full-body scanner, they were relentless, but do you know the one thing they could never scan? The one place I could always hide things?”
“Where?”
“Here.” He tapped the side of his head. “There's stuff in here that I would never, not in a million years, stick in some dumb report for a bunch of morons. They don't deserve the really good ideas that I've got, that's why I only gave them the lesser material.”
“I suspected as much,” Maddy replied softly. “Carver made a huge mistake when he let you go.”
“Of course he fucking did!” Joseph snapped. “He and his buddies think they've got some kind of insurance against biochemical warfare? They've got nothing!”
“Clever,” Maddy said. “I bet some of your ideas are so smart, I wouldn't even understand them.”
“You?” Joseph stared at her for a moment. “No, you're smart. I can tell that. You're better than all those assholes at Project Atherius, you know what's really going on in the world. You'd understand.”
“You're cute for saying that,” she told him, “but we both know it's not true.”
“I'll prove it,” he replied. “Come back to my place and I'll show you just one thing that I'm working on. Just one. That'll be enough for you to understand, and for you to see that you're smart enough.”
She began to shake her head.
“Let me show you,” he continued. “Please. I want you to know that you're better than all those idiots at Project Atherius. I want you to know what you're truly worth, Maddy. You shouldn't let them push you down. Let me help you lift yourself up.”
“You'd do that for me?” she asked cautiously.
“Of course,” he replied, feeling a flicker of nervous anticipation in his chest. “No doubt whatsoever.”
For a moment, they simply stared at one another, as if neither of them wanted to speak. Joseph looked into her eyes and saw fierce intelligence, and he realized that he was going to be the one to heal her and to make her reach her full potential. For the first time in his life, he felt as if he had an ally, someone who could share in his work, and he imagined them toiling away together in his lab, getting closer and closer. He wanted to be the key to her world, and wondered whether she might change his life a little in return.
“I'm changing the channel,” the bartender muttered suddenly, stopping nearby and grabbing the remote. “I've had enough of watching this crap.”
Joseph glanced at the TV, and then he froze as he saw a shot of more attendees arriving at the gala.
“Wait,” he stammered, “is this live?”
“Yeah, it's some bullshit out in Los Angeles. Can you believe it?”
Staring at the screen, Joseph saw camera flashes lighting the face of Maxwell Carver. A few steps behind Carver, wearing a low-cut jewel-covered dress, stood Maddy Crozier. Both of them were smiling for the camera.
Turning, Joseph looked at the empty stool next to him, and then he looked at the door, and then he turned to the screen again.
“I'm gonna close up soon, anyway,” the barman muttered, setting the remote back down. “Sorry, but you've been my only customer for the past two hours. I'm gonna shut a little early tonight.”
Barely hearing those words, Joseph could only watch the screen as Carver and Maddy walked along the red carpet and entered some kind of bu
ilding. Maddy looked so happy, so carefree, but Joseph felt a sense of anger growing in his chest as she walked out of view. Sitting all alone at the bar, he looked down at his half-finished drink, and then finally he got to his feet and stormed out.
***
“You think you've bought yourself some kind of insurance policy,” he muttered a few hours later, as he sat at his desk and mixed more virus samples. “Smug assholes. You're so wrong, all of you. You've made an enemy of all right-thinking people in the world, and soon there's gonna be a day of reckoning.”
He slid another dish under the microscope and peered down through the viewfinder.
“I'm gonna show you all,” he said through gritted teeth. “I'm gonna make this whole stinking world pay for what they've done.”
COMING SOON
Days 357 to 364
(Mass Extinction Event book 12)
&
Day 365: The Final Day
(Mass Extinction Event book 13)
ALREADY AVAILABLE
1. Days 1 to 4
2. Days 5 to 8
3. Days 9 to 16
4. Days 46 to 53
5. Days 54 to 61
6. Day 100
7. Days 101 to 108
8. Days 109 to 116
9. Days 195 to 202
10. Days 203 to 210
11. Days 349 to 356
BOOKS BY AMY CROSS
1. Dark Season: The Complete First Series (2011)
2. Werewolves of Soho (Lupine Howl book 1) (2012)
3. Werewolves of the Other London (Lupine Howl book 2) (2012)
4. Ghosts: The Complete Series (2012)
5. Dark Season: The Complete Second Series (2012)
6. The Children of Black Annis (Lupine Howl book 3) (2012)
7. Destiny of the Last Wolf (Lupine Howl book 4) (2012)
8. Asylum (The Asylum Trilogy book 1) (2012)
9. Dark Season: The Complete Third Series (2013)
10. Devil's Briar (2013)
11. Broken Blue (The Broken Trilogy book 1) (2013)
12. The Night Girl (2013)
13. Days 1 to 4 (Mass Extinction Event book 1) (2013)
14. Days 5 to 8 (Mass Extinction Event book 2) (2013)
15. The Library (The Library Chronicles book 1) (2013)
16. American Coven (2013)
17. Werewolves of Sangreth (Lupine Howl book 5) (2013)
18. Broken White (The Broken Trilogy book 2) (2013)
19. Grave Girl (Grave Girl book 1) (2013)
20. Other People's Bodies (2013)
21. The Shades (2013)
22. The Vampire's Grave and Other Stories (2013)
23. Darper Danver: The Complete First Series (2013)
24. The Hollow Church (2013)
25. The Dead and the Dying (2013)
26. Days 9 to 16 (Mass Extinction Event book 3) (2013)
27. The Girl Who Never Came Back (2013)
28. Ward Z (The Ward Z Series book 1) (2013)
29. Journey to the Library (The Library Chronicles book 2) (2014)
30. The Vampires of Tor Cliff Asylum (2014)
31. The Family Man (2014)
32. The Devil's Blade (2014)
33. The Immortal Wolf (Lupine Howl book 6) (2014)
34. The Dying Streets (Detective Laura Foster book 1) (2014)
35. The Stars My Home (2014)
36. The Ghost in the Rain and Other Stories (2014)
37. Ghosts of the River Thames (The Robinson Chronicles book 1) (2014)
38. The Wolves of Cur'eath (2014)
39. Days 46 to 53 (Mass Extinction Event book 4) (2014)
40. The Man Who Saw the Face of the World (2014)
41. The Art of Dying (Detective Laura Foster book 2) (2014)
42. Raven Revivals (Grave Girl book 2) (2014)
43. Arrival on Thaxos (Dead Souls book 1) (2014)
44. Birthright (Dead Souls book 2) (2014)
45. A Man of Ghosts (Dead Souls book 3) (2014)
46. The Haunting of Hardstone Jail (2014)
47. A Very Respectable Woman (2015)
48. Better the Devil (2015)
49. The Haunting of Marshall Heights (2015)
50. Terror at Camp Everbee (The Ward Z Series book 2) (2015)
51. Guided by Evil (Dead Souls book 4) (2015)
52. Child of a Bloodied Hand (Dead Souls book 5) (2015)
53. Promises of the Dead (Dead Souls book 6) (2015)
54. Days 54 to 61 (Mass Extinction Event book 5) (2015)
55. Angels in the Machine (The Robinson Chronicles book 2) (2015)
56. The Curse of Ah-Qal's Tomb (2015)
57. Broken Red (The Broken Trilogy book 3) (2015)
58. The Farm (2015)
59. Fallen Heroes (Detective Laura Foster book 3) (2015)
60. The Haunting of Emily Stone (2015)
61. Cursed Across Time (Dead Souls book 7) (2015)
62. Destiny of the Dead (Dead Souls book 8) (2015)
63. The Death of Jennifer Kazakos (Dead Souls book 9) (2015)
64. Alice Isn't Well (Death Herself book 1) (2015)
65. Annie's Room (2015)
66. The House on Everley Street (Death Herself book 2) (2015)
67. Meds (The Asylum Trilogy book 2) (2015)
68. Take Me to Church (2015)
69. Ascension (Demon's Grail book 1) (2015)
70. The Priest Hole (Nykolas Freeman book 1) (2015)
71. Eli's Town (2015)
72. The Horror of Raven's Briar Orphanage (Dead Souls book 10) (2015)
73. The Witch of Thaxos (Dead Souls book 11) (2015)
74. The Rise of Ashalla (Dead Souls book 12) (2015)
75. Evolution (Demon's Grail book 2) (2015)
76. The Island (The Island book 1) (2015)
77. The Lighthouse (2015)
78. The Cabin (The Cabin Trilogy book 1) (2015)
79. At the Edge of the Forest (2015)
80. The Devil's Hand (2015)
81. The 13th Demon (Demon's Grail book 3) (2016)
82. After the Cabin (The Cabin Trilogy book 2) (2016)
83. The Border: The Complete Series (2016)
84. The Dead Ones (Death Herself book 3) (2016)
85. A House in London (2016)
86. Persona (The Island book 2) (2016)
87. Battlefield (Nykolas Freeman book 2) (2016)
88. Perfect Little Monsters and Other Stories (2016)
89. The Ghost of Shapley Hall (2016)
90. The Blood House (2016)
91. The Death of Addie Gray (2016)
92. The Girl With Crooked Fangs (2016)
93. Last Wrong Turn (2016)
94. The Body at Auercliff (2016)
95. The Printer From Hell (2016)
96. The Dog (2016)
97. The Nurse (2016)
98. The Haunting of Blackwych Grange (2016)
99. Twisted Little Things and Other Stories (2016)
100. The Horror of Devil's Root Lake (2016)
101. The Disappearance of Katie Wren (2016)
102. B&B (2016)
103. The Bride of Ashbyrn House (2016)
104. The Devil, the Witch and the Whore (The Deal Trilogy book 1) (2016)
105. The Ghosts of Lakeforth Hotel (2016)
106. The Ghost of Longthorn Manor and Other Stories (2016)
107. Laura (2017)
108. The Murder at Skellin Cottage (Jo Mason book 1) (2017)
109. The Curse of Wetherley House (2017)
110. The Ghosts of Hexley Airport (2017)
111. The Return of Rachel Stone (Jo Mason book 2) (2017)
112. Haunted (2017)
113. The Vampire of Downing Street and Other Stories (2017)
114. The Ash House (2017)
115. The Ghost of Molly Holt (2017)
116. The Camera Man (2017)
117. The Soul Auction (2017)
118. The Abyss (The Island book 3) (2017)
119. Broken Window (The H
ouse of Jack the Ripper book 1) (2017)
120. In Darkness Dwell (The House of Jack the Ripper book 2) (2017)
121. Cradle to Grave (The House of Jack the Ripper book 3) (2017)
122. The Lady Screams (The House of Jack the Ripper book 4) (2017)
123. A Beast Well Tamed (The House of Jack the Ripper book 5) (2017)
124. Doctor Charles Grazier (The House of Jack the Ripper book 6) (2017)
125. The Raven Watcher (The House of Jack the Ripper book 7) (2017)
126. The Final Act (The House of Jack the Ripper book 8) (2017)
127. Stephen (2017)
128. The Spider (2017)
129. The Mermaid's Revenge (2017)
130. The Girl Who Threw Rocks at the Devil (2018)
131. Friend From the Internet (2018)
132. Beautiful Familiar (2018)
133. One Night at a Soul Auction (2018)
134. 16 Frames of the Devil's Face (2018)
135. The Haunting of Caldgrave House (2018)
136. Like Stones on a Crow's Back (The Deal Trilogy book 2) (2018)
137. Room 9 and Other Stories (2018)
138. The Gravest Girl of All (Grave Girl book 3) (2018)
139. Return to Thaxos (Dead Souls book 13) (2018)
140. The Madness of Annie Radford (The Asylum Trilogy book 3) (2018)
141. The Haunting of Briarwych Church (Briarwych book 1) (2018)
142. I Just Want You To Be Happy (2018)
143. Day 100 (Mass Extinction Event book 6) (2018)
144. The Horror of Briarwych Church (Briarwych book 2) (2018)
145. The Ghost of Briarwych Church (Briarwych book 3) (2018)
146. Lights Out (2019)
147. Apocalypse (The Ward Z Series book 3) (2019)
148. Days 101 to 108 (Mass Extinction Event book 7) (2019)
149. The Haunting of Daniel Bayliss (2019)
150. The Purchase (2019)
151. Harper's Hotel Ghost Girl (Death Herself book 4) (2019)
152. The Haunting of Aldburn House (2019)
153. Days 109 to 116 (Mass Extinction Event book 8) (2019)