She demonstrated how to read the device. If the display showed anything more than a yellow alert, we would need to get to a shelter immediately. A blue alert would alert us to moderate radioactivity levels, and a red alert would alert us to high levels.
She also talked to us about how to block radiation. If we were in a high radiation zone, we would need to seek out an inner room of a building, because the walls would provide shielding. Mass blocks radiation, so the more stuff we could put between us and the radiation source the better.
By the time we exited the room, we had a backpack full of items and we were each carrying a radiation suit. We were then led to an armory room, and were told to take whatever we needed. I saw boxes of ammunition, and I proceeded to fill up my empty magazines.
After we had loaded up on ammo, Samantha told the others to take the elevator down to the clinic. However, she told me to stay put.
“We need to talk with you,” she said.
The other scientist who I had told about the demon, Samantha, and myself began to discuss the situation in regards to the extraterrestrial attack.
“Can you please tell us your story?” she asked. “We can record it and send it to Washington.”
I proceeded to tell them about the events in the basement of the church, how the demon spoke through the freak, and how the angel appeared. They recorded what I had to say onto a digital voice recorder.
“Would you like to see the face of our enemy?” they asked.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“A picture of one of the extraterrestrials,” she said.
I had been interested in extraterrestrials all my life. As a SCIFI buff and even an armchair UFO researcher, the chance to see a real picture of an extraterrestrial biological entity was a dream come true.
Samantha led us into a small room. A sign on the door read, “RESTRICTED ACCESS.” In the corner of the room was a computer. They urged me to watch as she sat down, entered a password, and opened an image file.
“The government had known about the existence of extraterrestrial life since before the Roswell UFO incident,” she said. “For the last couple months they have been informing more of us about the reality that we’re not alone. They knew they wouldn’t be able to maintain the cover-up forever, so they started distributing information packets to those of us with security clearances.”
“Here you go,” she said.
On the screen I saw four images. She informed me the image on the upper left was an autopsy photo from Roswell. The short creature with an enlarged head looked similar to the descriptions I had read about from witnesses of the crash. The second picture on the right was a short creature walking with a military officer. She said that one of creatures from Roswell had survived, and it had been kept at a military base for many years until it died. On the lower left was an image of a wedge shaped craft, and on the right was another photo of one of the extraterrestrials.
“Where do they come from?” I asked.
“They claim to have bases and outposts all over this sector of the galaxy,” she said.
“I was told earlier that we were in negotiations with them,” I said. “What did they want?”
“They wanted us to cease all communication with another species,” she said.
I then saw another picture on the screen. It was of a beautiful woman.
“So is that another alien?”
“Yes,” Samantha said. “She’s human though.”
“So there are more humans out there?” I asked.
“According to this species, God created humanity on multiple planets and our species has also spread across the galaxy,” she said.
“This is amazing,” I said. “I wish I had more time to talk to you about this.”
“Here,” she said as she handed me a folder. “There’s a lot of information for you to read. It is supposed to be classified, but I don't think I'm going to get in trouble for giving this to you.”
“Why don't you come with us?” I asked the woman.
“We have to stay,” she said.
“But this place is going to meltdown eventually -- you might die,” I said.
“We signed up for this job and we knew the risks,” she said.
“Let’s go meet your friends,” she said.
“I have one more thing for you.”
Chapter 6
Samantha led me to the clinic where my friends and the soldiers were instructed to go. When we entered the clinic I saw Meredith in a chair. The medic was carefully moving one end of a long, rectangular shaped device over the wound on her arm. She let go of a button on the device and I heard a click.
“What is that?” I asked.
“This is a portable gamma emitter. There is a tiny amount of Cobalt 60 inside of it. Here, hold it for a moment,” she said.
I took the device from her and it felt very heavy.
“The device is lined with lead. Radiation is only emitted from one end when the button is pressed,” she said. “When you let go of the button a shield falls into place.”
“How did you figure out that radiation kills the pathogen?” I asked.
“When the outbreak happened the family of one of our employees came here. Her daughter was bitten and we gave her several courses of antibiotics, but they didn’t work. Out of desperation I took a sample of skin tissue and put it under a microscope. I could see the infected cells. They were obviously altered. But when I exposed the sample to gamma radiation the cells reverted back to normal,” she said.
“Take it with you,” she said. “We have more of them.”
“Both of your friends have been treated,” she said.
“Was Meredith infected?” I asked. “She’d been scratched, but we thought she only had a staph infection.”
“I treated her just to be on the safe side,” the medic said.
Looking at the medic, I noticed she was quite young.
“How old are you?” I asked.
“I'm twenty four,” she said.
“You seem too qualified to be just a medic,” I said.
“I have a master’s degree in cellular biology, but I couldn’t find a job. At least working here I can pay my rent,” she said.
“What's your name?” I asked.
“Candy,” she said. “Candy Beetle.”
I heard Jennifer let out a little laugh, and the Candy shot dirty glance at her.
I turned around and looked at Samantha.
“This woman discovered a cure for the plague. She shouldn’t die here,” I said. “She’s too intelligent. She could save a lot more lives.”
“Go with them,” Samantha told the medic. “But that family downstairs, they may need me.”
“Just go,” she told her.
“Okay,” Candy said. “Let me pack a few things.”
“Does the family downstairs want to leave too?” I asked Samantha.
“Their mother is an employee here and she isn’t leaving,” she said.
“Why are they staying here if they know the place could meltdown?” I asked.
“Their mother is an engineer and is busy trying to keep the reactor stable,” she answered. “If the worst is about to happen, I'll urge them to leave.”
“Okay,” I said. “Thank you for everything, Samantha. One question: what’s your position here?”
“I am a staff scientist,” she said.
“Where is the director of the facility?” I asked.
“He never showed up to work the day of the outbreak,” she said.
We all proceeded to put on our radiation suits and exit the building. The suits were not comfortable, and it made grasping onto our weapons and bags very difficult. However, once the gates of the plant were opened and we exited, we saw that there were no more freaks in the area. This was a relief, because I didn't think I could fire my pistol effectively with heavy gloves on.
“Let’s go,” I said.
In the distance, I could see a few small specks of flame still
burning from the explosion that had taken place. We continued towards our vehicles. A moment later we were driving away from the nuclear power plant. When our convoy passed the area, all we could see was a crater and bits of debris.
Once again, we followed the Humvee ahead of us. We were headed towards the church. I hoped with all the evidence I had with me that I would be able to convince them to evacuate.
As we gained distance from the church, I decided to take my head cover and gloves off.
“Check the Geiger counter, Jennifer,” I said.
“It is still in the yellow,” she said. “I think we’re safe.”
As we continued to drive, I noticed that there were bodies on the ground. However, the freaks didn’t appear to have been shot.
“I was right,” Candy said from the back of the crowded van. “The radiation has killed the pathogen that reanimated them.”
“I wonder if the plant melts down how far the radiation will travel,” Meredith said.
“All of the plants in the United States are probably going to melt down,” Candy said. “There will be zones of high radiation over small areas and low levels of radiation will flood the nation. I don't know if it will be enough to kill all the freaks.”
“But we don't want all the remaining humans to get radiation sickness or cancer and die,” I said.
“You’re right,” Candy said. “If the plants by some miracle don't melt down we’re damned to live with the freaks, and if they do melt down we’re damned to live with radiation.”
As we continued to talk I began to regard Candy as something of a genius. It was amazing how much she knew about a wide array of subjects. We discussed how the pathogen might be reanimating the corpses, what she knew about the extraterrestrials, and even our favorite science fiction programs.
“Thanks for getting me out of there,” she told me. “You saved my life.”
Her flaming red hair reminded me of Ms. Suzy. In fact, she looked like a young version of her.
Candy positioned herself between Jennifer and me in the gap between the two seats. As we continued towards the church, our conversations went on and on. A couple of times, she rested her had behind my shoulder and I could see Jennifer was getting slightly irritated.
“So are you single?” Candy asked me.
“Um . . . hmmm . . . I'm not sure,” I answered. “But my heart belongs to the woman sitting beside you.”
“Then why aren’t you two together?” she asked.
“It's a long story,” I said.
Jennifer said nothing and looked out the window.
Eventually, we came up against a road that was blocked by a number of abandoned vehicles. I got out of the van and looked at our surroundings. There were a few freaks in the area, but they were barely moving. The radiation had weakened them.
We all worked together to try and unblock the road. The Humvee was used to push a few of the vehicles off the road, and we were able to start the other vehicles and park them on the side of the road. While we were outside I heard a beeping sound. I walked over to the van and looked on the passenger seat. The Geiger counter was showing a blue indicator.
“Candy, can you check this?” I asked.
She came over and looked at the device.
“The radiation levels are rising. We need to get out of here,” she said.
We quickly got back in our vehicles and drove out of the area. As we continued to go down the road, the radiation levels didn’t seem to be dropping quickly.
Suddenly, we heard a voice on the radio.
“Hello. This is Samantha from the nuclear plant. Can you hear me Hank? Can any of you hear me?” she said.
“Yes, I can hear you,” I said.
I knew we would be out of radio range soon.
“We have had a criticality in the reactor. It has exploded. There has been a massive release of radiation. Please get to the church and have the people there evacuate immediately,” she said.
“Are you alright?” I asked.
“No, we’re not alright. Our building is damaged and radiation has made its way inside. We can't go outside because the radiation levels would instantly kill us.” she said.
“Is there anything we can do to help?” I asked.
“No, in a short period of time we will all have received a deadly dose,” she said.
“Please just get out of the area immediately,” she said.
“Okay, we will,” I said, my heart sick at hearing this news.
The radio signal started to break up as she continued.
“Make sure you read those documents I gave you,” she said. “They have important information.”
“I will read them,” I said. “I'm so sorry this has happened.”
“I'm sorry too. Now just get out of the area as fast as you can,” she urged.
The soldiers in the Humvee must have heard her words, because they sped up.
“What is the radiation level?” I asked Candy.
“It's going down, slightly,” she said.
I kept my eyes on the road as we continued to the church. The only freaks we saw on the way were motionless on the ground.
“Is this a good thing or a bad thing?” Jennifer asked.
“I don't know,” I told Jennifer. “The radiation is killing the freaks, but at the same time it is increasing our chance of cancer and potentially could make us sick.”
“Both of you, take these now,” Candy said, handing us each a pill.
“What are they?” I asked.
“Potassium iodine pills,” she said. “They’ll help prevent you from getting thyroid cancer.”
“Hand me a water from the back,” I said.
She handed me a bottle of water, I put the pill in my mouth, took a sip of water, and swallowed the pill. Everyone else did the same.
“Do you think we’re going to get cancer?” Jennifer asked.
“I don't think so, but we need to be careful,” she said. “I also want each of you to take one of these.”
She pulled out a bottle of pills.
“These are broad spectrum antioxidants. They’re actually classified. In rats they both extend lifespan and prevent cancer after radiation exposure,” she said.
We each took one of the pills and swallowed it.
“The pills also activate the telomerase enzyme which both has an effect on aging and can defend against radiation,” she said.
“Do you take these pills regularly?” I asked.
“I've taken a few,” she said.
“Thanks,” I told her.
“You’re welcome,” she said.
As we neared the church the radiation levels had dropped a bit more, but they were still high enough to cause radiation sickness after extended exposure. A few minutes later, we were pulling up to the church parking lot.
Just as when Jennifer and I first drove up to the church, we heard gunshots. However, this time we were being fired upon.
“What the heck,” I said as I stopped the van. “Get down!” I told everyone.
A moment later a blast went through our windshield.
“Get off our property!” I heard someone yell, followed by more gunfire.
Jennifer and I slowly lifted our heads to try and see what was happening.
“It's us,” I said. “It's me Hank. Don't shoot.”
A loud gun blast filled my ears as I felt a piece of lead graze my arm. I turned and looked at Jennifer.
Small streams of blood were pouring from her chest.
She’d been shot.
“Hank...” she managed to say.
“Screw this,” I said.
I hit the gas and the van surged forward. I swerved around a couple patrols on golf carts as I made my way to the fenced off area behind the social hall. I heard more shots being fired and I felt another piece of lead graze my shoulder, but I didn’t let that stop me.
The gate to the fenced off area was ahead and I hit the gas again. We rammed through the gate and knocked it ope
n. A second later we crashed into the door of the social hall. An airbag in the steering column went off and knocked me backwards.
I shook off the impact and crawled out of the vehicle.
“We need help!” I screamed. “Help us!”
Two women from inside the social hall ran up to the vehicle that had knocked the double doors down.
“Hank, it's you,” they said.
“You idiots were shooting at us and shot Jennifer,” I shouted. “We need help!”
“Get some help for us!” I yelled.
Two patrols then drove up in golf carts.
“It's you,” one of them said.
“Yes, it's me. Why were you shooting at us?” I asked.
“We didn't know it was you. Since you left we have been fighting with a group of bandits. They have been coming in a white van. We thought you were them,” he said.
“Well, you just shot Jennifer!” I said. “Help me get her out of the van!”
We proceeded to drag Jennifer out of the van. She was still bleeding from the chest and long red blood stains went all the way down her shirt. Once we got her on the ground, Candy emerged from vehicle with her bag. She took her pulse, put her head to Jennifer's chest, and then took out a syringe and stabbed it into Jennifer's chest.
Jennifer's eyes popped open and quickly closed.
I then fell to the ground and wrapped my arms around Jennifer's head.
“Don't leave me,” I whispered to her. “Please don't leave me. Hang on.”
“She’s losing a lot of blood. I need to work on her. Get out of here, now!” Candy demanded.
“I'm not leaving her,” I said.
“I can't work with you here,” she said. “Leave or she dies.”
I stood up and realized Meredith and Robert were watching, and that the dog was barking wildly.
Then I felt blood pouring out of my nose. I also felt a stabbing pain. My nose had been broken by the airbag.
I started to feel dizzy and suddenly collapsed.
Blood Ties
Chapter 1
Where was I? As I slowly regained consciousness I tried to understand what was going on. When I opened my eyes I could see nothing but blackness. Wherever I was, it was cool, quiet, and devoid of any light source. Underneath me, I could feel a mattress of some kind, with uncomfortable springs in it.
Don't Dare Call Them Zombies : Books 1-4 Page 24