Text copyright ©2017 by the Author.
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Table of Contents
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
EPILOGUE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BOOKS BY G. MICHAEL HOPF
MOTHER
AN EXTINCTION CYCLE NOVELLA
G. MICHAEL HOPF
PROLOGUE
On July 10, 1968, in the jungles of Vietnam, a new biochem weapon was tested. Its purpose? To create super soldiers. Its name? VX-99. The test subjects? Thirty-two Marines.
The desired outcome was not reached. The Marines weren’t turned into super soldiers; instead, they became vicious, bloodthirsty killers, with no discrimination for whom they killed. The test was a failure and resulted in the deaths of the Marines. The program was immediately shelved with all samples and data ordered destroyed.
Forty-seven years later, a team from the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, located at a military facility on San Nicholas Island, began experimenting with VX-99. Its purpose this time? To combat and hopefully eradicate a deadly new strain of Ebola. Once more, the use of VX-99 failed with catastrophic consequences. The VX-99 nanoparticles didn’t destroy the Ebola virus; instead it bonded with it, giving VX-99 an efficient delivery system. On April 18, 2015, the situation went from bad to worse when a doctor fled the island unknowingly infected. By the time he reached his destination, the city of Chicago, the virus had morphed him into something never seen before.
From that single infected doctor, the virus spread rapidly. Within four days, there were reports of infected in every major city. By day seven, it had reached around the world, from Europe to Asia to South America.
Scientists scrambled to find a cure for what was now being called the hemorrhage virus or X9H9. They quickly discovered there wasn’t a cure because the epigenetic changes caused by the VX-99 were irreversible. A plan was then devised to create a new bioweapon, one that would target and kill those infected; its name, VariantX9H9.
On May 2, 2015, sixteen days after the initial outbreak, Operation Depletion was launched. It was a massive endeavor with one objective: deploy VariantX9H9 across the country to kill all the infected. The operation was deemed an overall success, as it killed over ninety percent of the infected. Those infected who recovered were not only virus-free, it enhanced their mutation. These survivors, these Variants, were stronger, smarter, and faster. The VariantX9H9 had created a more lethal version of the original.
With much of the human population decimated and a majority of the infected killed, the playing field was leveled. This was now a war. Not one fought only by soldiers on some faraway frontline thousands of miles away. This war stretched from coast to coast, city to city, house to house—humans battling Variants in an all-out war to prevent the unthinkable, extinction.
CHAPTER ONE
Six shadowy figures emerged from the dry cornstalks at the edge of the road. Like a perfectly choreographed maneuver, they swiftly moved into positions opposite a large warehouse.
Kevin, the leader of this ragtag group of civilians, promptly pulled out a set of night-vision goggles and placed them to his face. His eyes carefully scanned the building, paying close attention to doors and windows. The half-moon helped illuminate the grainy green view of their target, the C & J Food Company, a large distributor of grains and beans.
Like their ancient ancestors, life was simple, meaning their hours awake were spent finding food and water. However, simple shouldn’t be confused for easy. As each day passed since the outbreak, food became more and more scarce. And to complicate matters, they had to not only contend with other scavengers but Variants. No, easy wasn’t in their vocabulary.
“It looks clear,” Kevin whispered.
“I think we need to reconsider this,” Paul replied, his tone indicating fear. He sat clenching his bolt-action rifle tightly. His back was plastered against an abandoned car.
“We agreed, nighttime provides us cover,” Kevin argued.
“But those things, I hear they can see in the dark,” Paul countered.
Kevin ignored Paul. He squatted down, pulled out a radio and keyed it. “Everyone ready?”
One by one, the others replied, “Yes.”
Kevin turned to Paul. With an outstretched arm, he handed him the night-vision goggles. “Keep an eye on us.”
“Kevin, listen, this is a bad idea.”
“Bro, we got this. We’ve been watching this place for a solid day, no movement, nothing. I think it’s clear.”
“Let’s give it another day,” Paul protested.
“No. We voted, now is the time. Plus, I’m starving. If this place hasn’t been touched, this will be a gold mine, the proverbial motherload of food,” Kevin replied.
“It just doesn’t feel right,” Paul groaned.
“Get your shit together, man. You’re our eyes and ears out here,” Kevin said.
“We’re ready. What’s the holdup?” Sabrina radioed.
Kevin patted Paul on the shoulder and asked, “You good?”
Paul nodded.
Kevin keyed the radio, “On the count of three, I’ll lead the way to the front door. Ashley and Jason, go around back. Trent, Sabrina, you’re with me.” He gave Paul one more assuring look and began the countdown. “One, two, three.”
On cue, Ashley and Jason bolted from the hide position and across the street towards the left side of the warehouse.
Kevin, with his Mini-14 in hand, took off for the front entrance, a set of glass doors.
Sabrina and Trent were close behind Kevin.
Paul got to his knees and watched as his friends raced off. The dim light from the moon enabled him to see just enough.
Kevin reached the front doors. The others stacked up behind him. He looked over his shoulder and asked, “What are the odds this is unlocked?”
“Two to one, it’s not,” Trent joked.
“I’ll take that bet. My monies on that it’ll open.” Sabrina chuckled.
Kevin reached out and grasped the cold metal handle. He paused, said a quick prayer and pulled.
The door opened.
“Pay up, bitch,” Sabrina said, elbowing Trent.
“Fine, whatever, pure luck, nothing else,” Trent scoffed.
Kevin opened the door slightly and peered into pure darkness. “Hmm,” he grunted as he closed the door.
“What’s wrong?” Sabrina asked.
“It’s dark as hell in there. I can’t see a thing,” Kevin replied.
“Here, toss this inside. See if it stirs up anything,” Trent said, passing Kevin a rock.
Kevin took the rock, opened the door again and chucked the rock in. It banged loudly off something metallic before hitting the tile floor with a loud smack. Kevin listened intently. Nothing moved. Silence.
“
That’s a good sign,” Sabrina said.
“Kevin, we’re at the back door. It’s locked,” Jason radioed.
“Stay put. Front door is open; we’re going inside. We’ll let you in. Until then, keep eyes on that side for us,” Kevin replied. He craned his head back and asked, “You guys ready?”
“Yep, let’s go,” Trent said.
Sabrina nodded.
Kevin pulled out a flashlight and held it in his left hand. He slung his rifle, unholstered a Glock 17 nine-millimeter and readied himself. “No better time than the present,” he said and headed inside.
Paul’s hand shook and a cold sweat clung to his brow. It had been almost twelve minutes and nothing from the others. The urge to radio them was gnawing at him, but Kevin had given specific orders not to unless it was an emergency.
“C’mon, guys, where are you?” he mumbled under his breath.
A cool wind from the north sent shivers down his spine. As a native of Florida, he hadn’t yet become accustomed to the chilly midsummer Idaho mornings.
A loud clang echoed off in the distance.
He looked through the night vision in the direction of the sound. Slowly he scanned the area, but saw nothing. But he did hear something; that wasn’t his imagination. A cat, maybe a dog, he thought.
Growing impatient, he hit the light on his watch. It was four seventeen.
Kevin and the others had been gone for almost fifteen minutes.
A clacking sound came from the same area he’d heard the clang. He put the night vision back to his face and looked. This time he saw movement, but it was hard to tell what it was through the grainy lens of the old generation night vision.
“Argh, these things suck,” he grumbled.
The clacking grew louder. Whatever it was, it was getting closer.
“Holy shit, look at all this food!” Kevin yelped, his arms held over his head in a sign of excitement.
With her mouth stuffed, Sabrina smiled and said, “Sooo good.”
“What do you have there?” Trent asked, the beam of his light on her.
“Dude, you’re blinding me,” Sabrina snapped.
“Sorry, what you got there?” he asked.
“Rice crackers,” she said, holding out the box.
He took it and shoved his hand deep inside.
Stuffing her mouth with a handful, she purred, “They’re the best rice crackers I’ve ever had.”
“Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three…” Kevin said happily, counting the pallets.
“Has anyone contacted Paul?” Jason asked.
“Not yet,” Kevin replied.
Jason turned to the others.
They all shook their heads.
“Poor guy, we’re in here celebrating and stuffing our faces and he’s out there probably shitting his pants.”
“Kev, where did you find that guy?” Ashley asked as she pulled the Visqueen off a pallet of boxed cereal.
“C’mon, guys, give it a break. Paul’s a good guy. You all give him such a hard time. Plus, he’s my girlfriend’s brother,” Kevin replied, his attention still on counting their loot.
“The fact you gave him the job of watching over us is scary.” Trent laughed.
Kevin turned to face the group. “Guys, he needs to find a purpose. He’s got some good senses, he’s fine.”
“Like that time outside of Bear Lake?” Ashley mocked.
“Besides that one time, he’s done okay,” Kevin said.
“Kev, he up and ran off. Ash found him cowering in the fetal position in the ranger station,” Trent snapped, referring to the Bear Lake incident.
Kevin stepped forward. “Paul has his faults. We all do.”
“Yeah, but his could get us killed,” Sabrina quipped.
“Enough Paul bashing, he’s a person, a human being, and right now, there’s not a lot of us around anymore. As far as making sure he’s up for the challenge, how about talking to him, getting his skills honed. He’s not a star athlete like you, Trent, or an engineer like you, Ashley. Unfortunately, he’s just a store clerk, who didn’t have the advantages you had, Sabrina; going to Stanford to become a chemist wasn’t an option. But he’s on our team now. I gave him that job to let him know he’s one of us. He needs to build confidence, but if all we do is make snide comments and bully him, he’ll never be an effective part of our team. So just drop it. He’s fine out there; he has our back,” Kevin blared.
Paul sank down and scooted underneath the truck once he identified the clacking was the long nails of Variants running down the paved street.
His heart was thumping loudly in his chest, so much he worried they could hear him.
Three Variants paused their advance. With their heads craned high in the air, they sniffed.
Paul gulped. His mind began to question his decision to hide under the truck versus make a run for it. Can they smell me? Unsure of their full range of senses, he knew their hearing was keen. The last thing he needed was for the radio to begin blaring. He slowly reached down and clicked the handheld off.
A single Variant snapped its head towards the truck.
Paul pressed his eyes closed. His temples pulsed and sweat beaded on his brow. Did it hear that?
The Variant stepped towards the truck. Its head swiveled as it sniffed loudly, its teeth chattering incessantly the entire time.
It knows I’m here, fuck, it knows I’m here . His mind began to play out his own grisly death.
With incredible agility, the Variant leapt onto the roof of the truck. Its nails screeched on the metal as it dug in.
Terror overcame Paul. Unable to control his basic human functions, he began to urinate on himself.
The other two Variants turned towards the truck as the smell of urine hit their nostrils.
Tears welled in Paul’s eyes. This was it. This was how he would die. His shaking hand gripped his rifle. Feeling the wood of the stock, he then decided if he was going to die, at least he’d go out fighting. If today would be his last, he’d die with some sense of dignity.
The Variant on the roof began to slither down the side of the truck, its sharp nails digging in enough to hold it steady.
With two coming from the left side and the other Variant sliding down the other, Paul was surrounded. He needed to make his move now or never. He moved his rifle towards the right side and leveled it in the direction he guessed the Variant would appear. When it did, he’d fire. This, he hoped, would kill it and give him the chance to flee.
Gingerly the one Variant moved down the side of the truck. It was if it was toying with Paul for maximum psychological effect. The other two squatted down, no doubt they could see him now, but they had stopped their advance. They were waiting on the other. This attack was tactical, showing a sign of intelligence.
Paul waited for the Variant to show itself. The terror he’d felt at first was gone, replaced by a deep resolve to fight. Resigned to his fate, he told himself that if he could take one with him, then the war against the Variants was still even, one human for one Variant, a draw.
“I can’t reach him. He’s not replying,” Sabrina said, holding her radio in frustration.
“Did he run off and leave us?” Trent cracked.
“I bet he didn’t replace the batteries in his radio.” Ashley laughed.
“Jason, go out and check on him, make sure he’s alright, and let him come in. Take his place on watch,” Kevin ordered.
“Fine,” Jason groaned, grabbing his rifle and heading to the front door. “Don’t eat all the Toasty O’s.”
“How about we find a secure place to rest for the day? Go lock the back door,” Kevin said to Ashley. He turned to Trent and ordered, “Head up to the second level; see what’s up there.”
Jason reached the front door and paused when faint laughter came from within the warehouse. He frowned. His friends were having fun and celebrating their success while he had to go and ensure Paul could do the most basic responsibilities of all, provide watch. A sweet laugh hit his e
ars; it was Sabrina. He’d noticed earlier she had her eye on him. He liked her and it appeared she liked him. A smile creased his face as he imagined them together. What they needed was some alone time.
With his mind somewhere else, he exited the warehouse.
Any moment, the lone Variant’s head would appear, and then Paul would take his shot, a shot that would likely be his last.
The front door of the warehouse opened.
The two Variants whipped around and spotted an unaware Jason. They bolted towards him.
The sound of clacking nails on pavement tore Jason away from his arousing thoughts of Sabrina. He started to raise his rifle, but it was too late.
Both Variants tackled him to the ground.
The lone Variant back at the truck made its move. It jumped down on all fours and hissed.
Paul was ready and pulled the trigger. The high-velocity bullet struck the Variant in the face and exited with explosive force out the back of its head. Without a sound, it fell to the ground, dead.
Jason screamed in pain and terror as the two Variants ripped him apart.
The screams and gunshot were heard by all inside.
“Jason!” Sabrina cried out as she ran for the front door.
“Sabrina, wait. We don’t know what’s going on out there!” Kevin hollered.
“What do you think is going on!” she snapped.
“Ashley, is the back secure?” Kevin asked.
“Yes.”
“Trent, what’s the status up there?” Kevin asked.
“We can barricade ourselves up here. It’s a solid defensible position,” Trent replied from a catwalk elevated above Kevin.
“Ashley, go upstairs. You and Trent hide. I’ll go help Sabrina,” Kevin said, running off.
Paul scooted out from underneath the truck and stood. He took a step but found his legs were wobbly.
Jason’s screams ceased.
The Variants continued to rip and tear at Jason’s battered body.
Paul raised his rifle and cycled the bolt.
One of the Variants heard the distinct sound of the bolt action and turned towards Paul.
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