H7N9: The Complete Series [Books 1-3]

by Campbell, Mark

To Ein’s surprise, Devin laughed.

  “I get that a lot. I was born with good genes, I guess. Folks gave me a nickname, but they’re not brave enough to call me it in my face.”

  “May I ask what it is?”

  Devin shrugged. “May as well tell you since you’ll hear it soon enough. They call me High School.”

  “That’s not too bad of a nickname. Kind of juvenile.”

  “Most of the people here have juvenile mindsets. I’m 32.”

  Ein looked genuinely surprised.

  Devin saw his shocked face and started laughing again.

  “Can I go see my friend?” Ein asked, hopefully.

  Devin held up a finger. “In a few minutes… Just getting something first.”

  “What’s that?”

  Devin ignored the question and asked his own. “May I ask what made you come to a place like this when you knew that you were wanted men?”

  “He’s dying… These zones are the only place I can think of that has medicine.”

  “Risky and not very smart.”

  Ein sighed. “I’m sure he’d say the same thing…”

  “Nothing wrong with being cautious. Your face has been plastered all over town. If someone recognized you, it wouldn’t be good. They’re offering enough ration stamps to last someone a lifetime.”

  “Neither one of us look like we did back then, so I’m not worried.” Ein stared at him. “Can I ask you something?”

  Devin nodded.

  “Why are you helping us?”

  “I think you two will be useful.”

  “We’re not fighters. We got into some scuffles, sure, but we just got lucky.”

  “I don’t need you to fight. I just need you both to stay alive and avoid getting arrested.” Devin ran his thumb and index finger over his chin. “The authorities want you badly judging by the price on your head. If we start making videos showing that we have what they want, it will make for some good PR.”

  “PR for what exactly?” Ein gave him a searching look. “I don’t understand what that accomplishes…”

  Devin just smiled. “We can talk about that later. I’m sorry for not going into more detail, but I find it best to play my cards close to the chest.”

  Reggie returned to the room.

  Devin glanced over at him and nodded. “Right on time.”

  Reggie tossed a yellow jumpsuit and an orange reflective safety vest at Ein’s feet. “Put these on and follow me.”

  Ein looked down at the items and then up at Devin. “Why?”

  “You need to blend in,” Devin said. “The yellow jumpers are worn by group four—city sanitation. You’ll be able to move freely as long as you avoid the checkpoints and scanners.”

  “Hurry up and get dressed,” Reggie told Ein with annoyance.

  Ein picked up the jumpsuit and stared uneasily at the two men. “Where are you taking me?”

  Devin smiled. “Time to see your friend.”

  CHAPTER 35

  The three men wore yellow jumpsuits and walked down the middle of an empty avenue.

  Others wearing yellow swept the sidewalks, and power washed the caked-up grime off of the shuttered storefront windows.

  A few officers stood next to an old newsstand but didn’t pay the workers much mind as they went about smoking their cigarettes and drinking their lukewarm coffee.

  An announcement boomed over the city speakers: Attention, a civil reminder—vagrancy is prohibited under community health and sanitation guidelines. Occupancy of abandoned buildings is an offense punishable by law.

  Ein noticed that many of the buildings had been cleaned and repaired, yet looked empty for the most part.

  Busy electronic billboards and flashy neon displays did their best to try to obscure the empty windows and draw attention away from the padlocked shops. Still, the vacancies were all too apparent nonetheless.

  Ein wondered just how many people lived in that part of the safe zone.

  Devin followed behind Ein and watched him as he curiously glanced around. “Not as grand as you thought it would be, is it?”

  “No,” Ein admitted. “Judging by how many people I saw this morning, I expected it to be more… well…”

  “Busy?” Devin offered.

  “Yeah—busy.”

  “The one you were in is more active and can even resemble a city sometimes. This borough is uninhabited for the most part.” Devin stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked up beside Ein. “If we want to keep you safe, it’s not wise to do it in the busiest part of town.”

  “Why is it so empty, though?” Ein asked. “I thought that everyone wanted to live in a place like this.”

  Reggie scowled and spat as he walked. “In a prison?”

  Ein frowned, remembering Topeka. “I’ve seen worse.”

  “We all have,” Devin said. “Even so, they have a real population problem… People keep sneaking out. The high-class, educated individuals have it nice here, but others have started to wonder if they can manage better outside the walls on their own.”

  “I guess frequent terrorist attacks don’t help matters much…”

  “We don’t hurt our own,” Devin replied sharply. “We attack checkpoints and disrupt the government district. If some collaborators get hurt in the crossfire, then so be it.”

  Ein looked over at him. “What’s the ultimate goal?”

  “Make them turn tail and abandon the safe zone.” Devin gave a little shrug. “Once they’re gone, we’ll set up our democratic system of government.”

  “I still don’t understand how Teddy and I fit into those plans.”

  Devin simply smiled and pointed at one of the skyscrapers. “Come on—he’s inside that one.”

  As they approached the building, Ein stared at the red sign stapled to the lobby’s wooden doors: Warning—Biohazard—Unattended Property—No Trespassing—By Order of Baton Rouge Federal Police Department.

  “Biohazard?” Ein stepped back.

  Reggie walked ahead, quickly checked for any nearby officers, and then pulled the door open. “Hurry up and get in fool.”

  Ein hesitated.

  Devin patted him on the back. “Relax. It’s clean. That’s their way of keeping people from sneaking inside.”

  Ein followed Devin into the lobby.

  Reggie quickly ducked inside and closed the door behind them.

  Broken bottles and loose trash covered the lobby’s marble floor. A dim chandelier hung above the abandoned reception desk.

  A short, middle-aged man with a puffy face and crew-cut gray hair stepped out of the mailroom holding an AK-47. He adjusted his narrow eyeglasses and stared at them as they entered.

  “Relax, David, it’s just us.” Devin stepped out into the light and waved his hand.

  The man lowered his weapon and nodded. “Was wondering when you’d come by.” His beady eyes shifted uneasily towards Ein. “Is he the other one?”

  “Yes. Ein Becker.” Devin looked at Ein and gestured towards the armed man. “Ein, meet David Jones. He’s one of ours.”

  David approached Ein and extended a hand. “Nice to meetcha. You sure don’t look like your wanted poster.”

  Ein shook his hand. “Probably a good thing, no?”

  David laughed. “Yeah, guess so.”

  “Any company?” Devin asked.

  David shook his head. “No patrols, no drones. The doc is finishing up upstairs, I think.”

  “Good.” Devin looked at Reggie and pointed at the door. “Stay down here and help him keep an eye on the door.”

  Reggie nodded and pulled out the revolver. He sat down on the old reception desk, put the pistol on his lap, and carefully fished a crumpled half-smoked cigarette out of his pocket.

  “Which floor?” Devin asked as he approached the elevators.

  “Fifth,” David answered. “Apartment 524.”

  They took the lift to the fifth floor and walked down the narrow hall.

  Most of the fluorescent tubes overhead
were either dead or flickering, but there was enough light for Ein to make out the apartment door’s silver numerals.

  Nearly every door had faded spray-painted FEMA X-codes left behind by search-and-rescue teams.

  Ein stared at the cryptic markings and frowned. “Are the bodies gone?”

  Devin nodded. “Believe it or not, they were pretty efficient in clearing the corpses out of the safe zone. The dead never bothered me for the most part—it’s the ones who are alive who worry me.”

  “People aren’t all bad.” Ein thought about Lizzy. “We found a small community where people seemed decent.”

  “Oh yeah,” Devin recalled. “You told Reggie about that place, right? Dover, wasn’t it?”

  Ein nodded.

  “I meant to ask… Why didn’t you just stay there?”

  “Teddy thought it better not to.”

  “Why?”

  Ein considered it a moment. “He had his heart set on going south for whatever reason.”

  “I see… Teddy never once shared where he planned to go? Never mentioned any communities or anything like that?”

  “No. His mind was all over the place. One moment he mentioned the Caribbean, and the next moment he was talking about barrier islands or something.” Ein looked over at him. “Why do I feel like I’m being interrogated again?”

  “Sorry.” Devin held his hands out at his side in an innocuous manner. “I’m just curious by nature, I suppose…”

  “I can tell.” Ein gave him a thin smile.

  Devin smiled back. “I’m just trying to wrap my head around why the government wants you so badly.”

  “I guess they didn’t like what happened on the train.”

  “See, at first I thought that too, but it doesn’t make much sense, does it?” Devin paused and considered his words carefully. “I mean, my men have caused them a lot more grief then you two did on that train, yet the bounty on my head isn’t anywhere close to what they’re offering on you two.” He laughed. “Hell, a lesser man might have been offended!”

  “You’re asking the wrong person.” Ein stared at him as he walked, frowning. “I don’t know their reasoning.”

  “I figured you might have an idea is all,” Devin said as he walked. “Was the train carrying anything particularly important?”

  Ein almost mentioned the scientists, but then stopped himself as he gave a more measured response. “Just soldiers.”

  Devin whistled. “Must’ve been some pretty important soldiers.”

  “Guess so.” Ein began to feel uneasy in the man’s presence, but his desire to see his friend trumped his instincts.

  Devin dropped his line of inquiry and stopped outside of an apartment that had an armed man standing guard. “All quiet?”

  The man nodded and stepped aside with his shotgun across his chest. “Doc’s still inside.”

  Devin opened the door and motioned for Ein. “He’s in here.”

  The curtains were drawn in the small studio apartment, and sunlight poured through the dusty picture windows. Most of the furniture, an assortment of Wal-Mart particle board pieces and cheap Ikea showpieces, had been pushed aside. Teddy, wearing grey sweats and a t-shirt, lay on a hospital bed that sat in the middle of the room next to an IV line.

  A thin, bald man wearing black trousers and a white button-up stood next to the bed with a medical bag at his feet. He took off his latex surgical gloves and tossed them on top of a pile of bloody gauze. He turned towards them as they entered the room. “Fortuitous timing.”

  “What’s the word, Doc?” Devin approached the bed and stared down at Teddy.

  The doctor adjusted his bifocals. “He’s sedated, but stable. I’ve cleaned the wound and stitched it shut.”

  “Will he survive?” Devin asked grimly.

  “I’ve done everything I could, given the circumstances.” The doctor put a few more items back into his medical bag and fastened it closed. “The infection nearly killed him. Sepsis is the pressing concern at the moment.”

  “That’s not what I asked you…” Devin narrowed his eyes at the doctor. “Will he survive or not?”

  The doctor shifted uncomfortably and picked his bag up, nervously clearing his throat. “It’s hard to say at the moment. I’ve pumped a strong cocktail of antibiotics into his system, but in the end, it all depends on his system’s ability to fight off the infection.”

  “When will you know for sure?” Devin asked.

  “If he responds to the antibiotics, he should show marked improvement within 48 hours. Since I have no imaging available or any way to detect possible bullet fragments still embedded in his internal tissue, I cannot give a reasonable timeframe for a full recovery. You should’ve brought him in when it first happened.”

  “Circumstances dictated otherwise,” Devin said quietly. “He can’t die, understand?”

  “I’ve done everything I could,” the doctor repeated.

  Ein neared the bedside and looked down sorrowfully at Teddy’s pale face.

  The doctor cocked a brow at Ein. “Who are you?”

  Before Ein could speak, Devin cut-in.

  “Don’t worry about him! Just worry about your patient.”

  The doctor’s eyes shifted back towards Devin. He nodded. “Of course—I’ll do my best. I need to get back to the hospital before people start asking questions.”

  “Thank you for taking this on such short notice.”

  The doctor extended an open hand.

  Devin reached inside his pocket, pulled out a folded wad of ration stamps, and handed it to the doctor.

  “Always a pleasure.” The doctor quickly counted through the wad. Satisfied, he stuffed the stamps in his bag’s side pocket. “I’ll be back in the morning.”

  The doctor left the apartment and shut the door behind him.

  Ein and Devin stared at Teddy in silence for several minutes.

  “You’ll have to stay here until he’s capable of being moved to a safe house,” Devin eventually said. “I can’t risk the off chance that someone might recognize you on the street.”

  “I don’t want to go anywhere,” Ein insisted. “I’m not leaving his side until he’s better.”

  Devin reassuringly placed his hand on his back. “He’ll pull through.”

  “Thanks for doing this.”

  “Well, it’s not for free, remember? Once he’s better, I want to get started on those propaganda videos.”

  Ein nodded. “Sure.”

  “I’ll have Reggie come by with some food, water, and a sleeping bag for you.”

  “Thanks.” Ein looked over at the ajar bathroom door. “Do the faucets work?”

  “I wouldn’t drink it, but yeah, it works.” Devin grinned. “Inside the zone, the hot water works, too.”

  Ein’s expression immediately brightened. “I know what I’m doing first then.”

  Devin laughed again. “I’ll have Reggie bring you a change of underclothes along with everything else.”

  “And a razor?” Ein asked, hopefully.

  Devin nodded. “Sure. Plus, some soap—Lord knows you need it.”

  A broad smile formed across Ein’s face.

  Devin glanced down at his watch. “I better head back. Stay inside and away from the windows. I’ll have Reggie come back before the evening. See you soon.”

  As Devin turned and walked away, Ein brought his attention back to Teddy.

  “You’re going to be fine.” Ein placed a hand on Teddy’s clammy arm and smiled. “We found a good place…”

  Ein was so happy about the shower and some semblance of normalcy that he forgot all about the misgivings he had initially felt towards Devin.

  Ein didn’t even notice as Devin turned the tumbler and locked him inside.

  CHAPTER 36

  JANUARY 10th

  10:15 AM

  Three days had passed since Ein last saw Devin, and since he had entered the room.

  Teddy had not yet gained consciousness, but the fever broke, and his
face regained some color.

  The doctor visited once and then never returned, but a few people who Ein assumed were nurses attended to change the IV and to record vitals.

  The nurses never entered alone—they always had an armed escort, and the door was always locked again after they left.

  Ein checked on Teddy every hour or so, but he was sure that the old man would pull through.

  With the fever gone, it was only a matter of time.

  None of the visitors said a word to Ein or even acknowledged him, but that suited him just fine.

  He was content sitting on the futon and feasting on the sugary snacks that Reggie brought him.

  After a rigorous shower and a clean shave, Ein felt like his old self again.

  He found himself roaming around the old apartment and marveling at simple things that he never even paid attention to before.

  The whirl of an electric can opener.

  The satisfying click of a light switch.

  The soothing way a warm lamp bulb felt.

  Ein played with every electric appliance and gadget that the apartment had to offer.

  In many ways, he felt like a child discovering some whimsical, forgotten things.

  It was hard to believe that it hadn’t even been a year since the world he knew had changed so drastically.

  Of all the electronic devices he discovered, one captured his attention completely: the television.

  There were only three stations available.

  One of the stations, NEWS1, was nothing more than government propaganda thinly disguised as a lackluster national news program recorded using ancient AV equipment from some community television studio.

  The second station, NEWS2, was supposed to be some government-owned national news outlet, but it came through as just static most of the time.

  The third station, BR-NOW, played reruns of old syndicated television programs that Ein remembered watching as a kid.

  The rerun station was Ein’s favorite.

  Ein sat on the futon and binged old sitcoms while stuffing junk food in his face.

  There was a certain comfort in familiarity, and he was able to forget that they were wanted men.

  Around noon, a ghastly moan came from the other side of the room followed by a chain of raspy coughs.