Exit Zero

by Neil A. Cohen

  Pat ran over and climbed into the passenger side, and before his ass touched the seat, the copter was back in the air.

  “Dan sent me. I was dropping off a bunch of goombas in Cape May and ran into the bald bastard. He told me you would be here.”

  “We have to go back!” Pat yelled over the noise of the copter’s motor. “Ivan and his wife are still in the house!”

  “No can do right now,” BMW responded. “I’ll come back for them, but right now you have work to do.”

  “What do you mean work?”

  “Man, a lot of people are looking for you,” BMW responded cryptically, and handed Pat an iPad.

  Chapter 63

  Election Day

  On board the Gulfstream jet of Maxwell Gold, James Sullivan was conversing with the pilot. He smiled and put his hand on the pilot’s shoulder in appreciation for the good news that the pilot had shared.

  He walked back to the private cabin of Max Gold and walked in without even knocking.

  “They got him,” he announced. “They got him and he is okay.”

  Max looked up at James from his leather chair. “I never doubted it. Tell your brother Daniel when Patrick arrives, not to take him to D.C. Tell him we will have the press conference right there in Cape May.” Max took a deep breath. “Look at what we’ve accomplished. In under two hundred hours we have done what every leader has tried and failed for over two hundred years. We have unified this nation. Fear unites people, not love, not God, but fear.

  “For decades, political leaders have asked me to perform the impossible. The president approached me two years ago and asked me to perform the most difficult task I have ever been asked, find common ground among all the elected and selected political leaders. I set out to find that one elusive issue, the one idea, concept, desire that all of them coveted beyond their own partisan blinders. And then I discovered it, and it was so simple. While I could not find anything that they wanted, I found something they did not want. None of them wanted to abdicate power. None wanted to turn over the reins.

  “It took some time, but I convinced them of my idea to keep all of them in power indefinitely. To create a situation where the American public would willingly give up their rights for security, and in this case, their right to choose their leaders. It was surprisingly simple to convince them all to go along, Republican, Democrat, Independent, Tea Party and leftists. No one wants to give up power once they have experienced it. What they did not know is that while they approved the plan, all along, I had no intention of those involved being the leaders to sit on the throne.”

  James sat down across from Max. “Pat encountered the infected, he was up close with them. At one point they even attacked him. But they never bit him, did not try to harm him at all. Why?”

  Max smiled. “We needed a leader that would unite the new America. Black and white, rich and poor, living and…otherwise. I created a circumstance where that can now happen.

  “Later today, Patrick will address the nation. He will read a speech that I have prepared for him in which he will suspend elections until this recent ‘medical mystery’ affecting the nation can be resolved. He will announce his newly appointed cabinet and military leadership that will serve until new elections can be held sometime in the future, when things are more….stable, of course. when he speaks, the nation will listen. The infected, those that have progressed in their transformation, will be almost hypnotized by the sound of his voice, because they can sense they are of him. His stem cells were determined to be the most stable during the process. I am sorry, James, I had hoped it would be you that could take this leadership role, but the tests worked with Patrick alone. Science is unpredictable. But then again, I guess politics and business are unpredictable as well. The agency had hired me to come up with a plan to pacify the people, get them to accept no further elections and be happy with the status quo. They thought that all the current leadership in Washington would be safe and would remain in place until they, and they alone, decided they wanted to relinquish power. I realized that this country is much too important to be ruled by those whose only desire is to rule.”

  Max leaned back in his chair and looked off in the distance. “Please tell the pilot to land at the US Coast Guard training facility at Cape May. There will be no objection from ground control, I assure you, though he may want to keep an eye out for any objects on the runway.”

  James’ mind was swimming. “Sir, the infected people?”

  “Don’t think of them as infected people, James. It is better to think of the entire country as a living being that has an infection. Like all infections, it will run its course and burn itself out. Let the military and local law enforcement do what they can, and then you and Daniel will lead and mobilize our own troops across the nation. You will retake control of the weaponry, MRAP vehicles, and body armor that the Pentagon has so willingly donated and allowed us to disburse around this country to police departments large and small. You questioned me when I pursued that federal contract to oversee the repurposing of old military equipment. You could not see how PCRC could profit from simply moving equipment from Iraq and Afghanistan and donating it to small town police departments whose biggest crime wave was kids drinking beer on prom night. Now you see the big picture. Our private security force will clean up the leftover infected and establish order and control. We will provide security to this homeland.”

  James countered, “And if Patrick does not go along with the plan?”

  “He will go along,” Max assured him. “He is a good man, he loves his family, he loves his country. And in time, he will understand that this was the only way.”

  Chapter 64

  Continuity of Government

  BMW flew over Cape May, then began his descent towards their arrival location, Congress Hall Hotel. The beautiful yellow façade was already running with cables leading to news van satellite trucks.

  A robust phalanx of soldiers surrounded the entire perimeter of the hotel, behind berms, barbed wire, and large steel spikes that encircled the historic hotel.

  Pat watched the video that was loaded on the iPad for him. He was new to politics, but he knew it was not rare to see elected officials figuratively eaten alive after giving a public address on TV. However, never before had the nation watched all of their elected and appointed leadership literally eaten alive on TV.

  It started as a slight disturbance right when the president had begun his address to the nation, then a scuffle in the back of the chamber. Secret Service agents could be seen running off camera towards the source.

  Then a scream, then many screams, and then, as the networks cut away, C-SPAN continued its live feed while the congressmen, senators, Supreme Court judges and cabinet officials tore each other limb from limb, flesh from bone, in an orgy of gore.

  The few members who retained enough body mass to walk burst from the Capitol building, and a missile strike took out much of the National Mall.

  Continuity of Government led down the hierarchy to the last remaining member, a freshman congressman from New Jersey, one Patrick Callahan.

  Some say that most elected officials are born with politics in their DNA, Patrick would be the first president in history whose DNA was in his electorate.

  Patrick saw the Skells surrounding the living outside the secure zone. He saw men setting up large speakers facing outwards into the masses of monsters, so that they too would hear his words. Perhaps they could not understand him, perhaps they did not care. They could sense, correctly or not, that they were of him, and they should follow him unquestioningly. When he spoke they would be still. The giant voice systems parachuted around the country would play his voice and his message 247. When he was absent from their life, they needed to fill that void.

  After dropping Patrick off in the care of what remained of the Secret Service, BMW flew his helicopter back to Chatsworth Manor with Dan Sullivan to rescue Ivan and Marifi and to try and recover the body of Jerry Sullivan, but when he and Dan drew
close, they saw the building engulfed in flames.

  The surrounding grounds were littered with dead Skells, and the most of the remaining mobile ones were headless, wandering in circles.

  They searched the area for some time via air, but could find nothing but apocalyptic wasteland beneath them and returned to Cape May.

  Walking along the back roads, keeping out of sight of vehicles, were a couple walking south towards a destination unknown.

  The woman turned to the man and spoke with a tone that reflected the confused frustration of an old married couple as she muttered to her mate, “Ivan, why do you have to keep blowing up all of our homes?”

  Chapter 65

  G.R.A.SS

  Gary Ragu and his crew made their way into the old Victorian house owned by the Sullivan family for decades. The house looked as if it had not been updated since 1975—same wood paneling, same furniture, same corned beef and cabbage smell. Friggen micks.

  Gary told Little V and Vitamin Mike he needed some time alone and excused himself down to the basement. He walked past the bar and large pool table towards a painting on the wall. A typical oil painting, guys hunting, dogs sniffing…as if the Sullivans had ever gone pheasant hunting in their lives. He slid his hand underneath until he found a small latch and unhooked it, then lifted the heavy painting upwards. Behind the picture was a 4 x 4 space cut into the wall.

  The memories flooded back. As a kid, the Sullivans’ old man used to host all the dads for booze, pool, and cigars. In this spot were slot machines, and he and the other little kids used to kneel on barstools and put nickels into the machines and play while the old men laughed, smoked, and cursed at each other.

  The machines were long gone, and there was now a safe. He spun the dial to meet the numbers he was given by V and heard the heavy door unlatch.

  Inside were stacks of hundreds. Hundreds of hundreds. Also, the tools of a snitch: microphone and wire, stacks of small tapes, and SD drives, a cell phone. He picked it up and hit enter, and to his surprise it began ringing.

  After four rings, it was answered.

  "Virgil,” said the male voice on the other end; Gary did not recognize the voice.

  "V's gone," Gary responded.

  "Who's this?"

  "Don’t worry about it."

  "I am not worried about it. In fact I couldn’t give a shit about it. If you want to talk to me, tell me who you are or I will hang up and this phone will be as dead as every other phone in New Jersey and you can sit and wait to become zombie chow. 3...2..."

  "Gary,” he replied before the countdown ended.

  "Ragu? Well this is a surprise. You off V?"

  "Nah, your zombies got to him first. If I had known he was a rat, I woulda."

  "Don’t get so sanctimonious. I don’t think you called me to wish me a happy birthday. You’re trying to save your skin, just like V did. You never know what you’re capable of doing until your life is on the line. And I bet right now you’re looking for a way out of zombieland."

  "Yeah, I don’t see you fucking feds coming in and helping the people here. Thought you were supposed to protect and serve or some such shit?"

  "The Army went in to help, they didn’t last too long. There are problems everywhere. I just got back from California, the whole state is gone."

  "Zombies?"

  The voice sounded almost as chatty as if he had found a new friend. Perhaps this was his way of cultivating a new rat. "About as bad. You heard of GRASS?"

  "Yeah, I have partaken once or twice," Gary laughed.

  "You mooks ever watch anything other than Sopranos repeats? G.R.A., with the two letter S’s written how the Nazi's used SS. You know, like lightning bolts. A couple of months ago, some hard core radical vegan chick hooked up with a guy who was one of the leaders of the New Nazi Party. A match made in hell. Who knows, perhaps the fact they both had shaved heads drew them together. Anyway, they combined their groups of followers and formed Green Rights Action Schutzstaffel or G.R.A.SS.

  “They cultivated quite a following. Who knew those two groups would find so much in common and find such a fast following? But that’s California for you. When word got out about what was happening in Jersey, within twelve hours they mobilized their followers and took over the state capitol building in Sacramento. They have a bunch of hostages in there. They see this recent trend of cannibalism that began in Jersey and is now catching on all around the country as a sign, a call to action. They are demanding all food production plans that involve meat, fish, or poultry be immediately destroyed and their executives executed via hanging.

  “I have been out in California dealing with their shit, but once the leaders of the free world decided to eat each other on live TV, I flew back to D.C. to help out here.

  “So enough small talk, what did you call about?"

  Gary took a long breath, he knew the next steps he took would change his life direction. "I have the tapes here. I have two guys with me, and I want safe passage out of here for all three of us."

  "That ain’t gonna happen. We'll take one of your guys, along with the tapes. You, my friend, now work for me. You will get close to Max Gold and you will continue V's work."

  "Fuck that!" Gary roared. "All three of us, or I burn these fucking recordings and you have nothing. And I ain’t your fucking friend."

  "Listen, my friend," the voice taunted. "My name is Special Agent Schaffer, but because we are now friends, you can refer to me as Special Agent Schaffer. You will do as I say. You have no choice. The rest of your so-called family is having a meeting in the Pine Barrens right now. They may be dumb, but they ain’t stupid. They caught on to V, were gathering to plan his early retirement right now. I am sure they are making plans for you and your crew of coke heads as well. You have nowhere to run to, no one to turn to, you’re on your own. Now here’s what you’re going to do. Pick one of your lackeys, give him the tapes, and have him be at the Cape May lighthouse tomorrow at 6am. You figure out how you are going to get into Gold’s inner circle. We figure he is going to hunker down right there at the Congress Hall Hotel and start running the country from there via his puppet Callahan. He feels protected there surrounded by his creatures.

  “You get close to him, and start contacting me every forty-eight hours. Your guy ain’t there tomorrow or I don’t hear from you, you’re on your own. And Ragu, from now on, I am the only friend you have."

  And with that the call was disconnected.

  Gary figured he had two options. Turn rat, or take this money, head to the Pine Barrens, and try to find the other capos. This money could buy him out of whatever contract had been put on his head.

  He walked over to the bar, grabbed a bottle of JW Blue, poured himself a glass and weighed his options.

  Chapter 66

  Ventriloquist Master

  After a quick primping, a dazed and confused Pat was briefed by the remaining White House staff as to the current situation. Washington was in chaos and he was the last survivor in the chain of command. Outbreaks of cannibalistic violence were flaring up around the country. A select group of handpicked journalists were flown into the green zone established around the Congress Hall Hotel in Cape May once word had reached the Pentagon that Congressman Callahan was found alive.

  The Congress Hall Hotel had been completely fortified for his address to the nation. Pat looked out the window of the top floor Presidential Suite and saw concentric rings of humanity, a podium where he would make his address. In front of that a half-circle area of no man’s land, secured by both military and Secret Service. Beyond that, large fences and barbed wire with the hand selected press members. Beyond them, a few hundred uninfected survivors who had been brought to hear their new leader speak. Beyond them, another half-circle of no man’s land protected by soldiers, and beyond that barricade of barbed wire fencing, thousands of infected Skells. Raging, surging forward, and growing in number by the minute. Barbarians at the gate.

  Pat was assured the protective measures would
hold and that both he and the uninfected civilians were safe.

  He was brought out onto the podium, where he looked out upon the delineated half-circles that resembled a rainbow from hell.

  He cleared his throat and began to speak.

  “My fellow Americans…”

  He had no idea why he said that, but as soon as those words were amplified via the huge speaker systems to his left and right, the Skells immediately calmed and, although seemingly confused and unsure why, looked forward towards the sound of his voice.

  “The nation has had a tough week.”

  Christ, he thought, did I just say that? Tough week? As if America is a sales rep who lost his big account. Focus dammit!

  He paused to consider more carefully his next words, and the silence was broken by a wave of fury. The Skells had again begun surging towards their desired meals, standing mere yards beyond their reach, like a salad bar with a steel and barbed wire sneeze guard.

  Pat began again. “Listen to me,” he said pleadingly, as if only to the Skells, who again settled. The old man smiled and nodded his head towards Pat.

  Pat turned to the microphone, and as he began to speak again, he and the crowd were startled by three military jets streaking low overhead towards inland. A few seconds later, three more jets streaked by, obviously launched from sea and heading north. And then one more deafening swoosh as a third set of three flew overhead.

  Panicked muttering began filtering through the uninfected and even the Secret Service and military seemed unsettled by the occurrence.

  Pat took a deep breath. “Please listen to me. I’m—”

  There was a squeal from the microphone, a pause, and Patrick found himself listening as his own voice delivered a calming, eloquent speech to the assembled masses looking on. The speech addressed the nation in crisis, informed them that he had been sworn into office and would reestablish a working government as soon as possible, blah blah blah.