Slow Burn: A Zombie Novel (7 page)

“
I think since we work in a predominately African-American neighborhood that also has had a recent influx of Hispanics, it is inevitable that tensions will be high. Confrontation and physical violence is bound to occur as new social boundaries are laid out.”

Stephen looked over at Roy through his fingers. “Learn that in a college, did you?”

“
Yes sir, Western Illinois University bachelor’s degree,” Roy replied.

“
That’s what I figured,” Stephen moaned. "Say, do me a favor and shut the fuck up. Since we’re parked a block from the housing projects, at least we won’t have far to go for the next ‘inevitable physical confrontation’ call.”

At that, Stephen’s cell phone rang, and he saw it was Mattie, that smoking hot Greek officer that just about the whole department was after. Taking the opportunity to ignore Roy, he answered the phone.

“
Hey what’s up, Mattie? Are you still babysitting that shit bag up at the hospital?”

Mattie filled Stephen on the circumstances that had left several officers already injured in disturbances all over the city, prior to her being dispatched to a fight call with Sherman. All eight or so suffered only minor injuries and had already been sent home. It seemed only poor Officer Sherman was seriously hurt, with a real nasty bite to his rib cage, when he had a crazy Hispanic guy from the Aztec bar in a headlock while trying to break up a fight. She further explained that she was still guarding the arrestee from that fight, and when he got medically cleared she would transport him to the county jail. However, it appeared this mutt was not doing well. He was feverish and had a pale, almost yellowish look to him. For the last hour he had been screaming incoherently.

“
I hope it’s not that new flu I was reading about online before work,” Mattie said in a worried tone as she then began to tell Stephen how she managed to handcuff the suspect by pulling the guy off Sherman and slamming his face into the push bumpers of the squad. Then, while he was momentarily stunned, she cuffed him and threw him in the back seat.

“
That a girl!" Stephen exclaimed after hearing the story.

Mattie just laughed and Roy could hear the seductive tone over Stephen’s phone and shot him a jealous look.

“
Oh yeah thanks, just part of the job. Hey, how was your camping trip by the way?” Mattie asked. "Did you have a good time?"

“
Real good," Stephen replied. "I hope we get a bit of a break in the action soon. When that finally happens I can get up to the hospital, check on Sherman, and fill ya in on all my neighbor drama up north.”

Almost on cue, their radios crackled to life. “Sector 1 from Joliet,” Janice from dispatch called.

“
Damn, we are getting a call, got to go. Tell Sherman to hang in there for me,” Stephen groaned and disconnected the call before responding into his radio.

“
Go ahead.”

“
Be advised we are receiving multiple calls on 911 of a very large fight in progress in the housing projects,” dispatch relayed.

“
10-4,” Stephen replied as he put the squad car into drive. He looked over at Roy, who had a look of anguish on his face and was now squirming in his seat.

“
What the fuck is the matter with you?” Stephen asked.

“
I, uh…um, I’ve got to pee,” Roy stuttered meekly.

“
Well you’re going to have to hold it, missy," Stephen snapped, " because it’s GAME TIME!"

Capt. Matvei leaned back in his chair in the state of the art, climate controlled command center that occupied a semi-trailer which was parked south of the border for the time being. He had found himself in better spirits the last couple of days. After the infected had left for America, Matvei spent a couple of days off at his new ranch to blow off some stream and catch up on some much needed down time. He knew the coming campaign would be long and hard. Tamera, his realtor turned lover, had accompanied him, and she made for a nice distraction. Matvei also brushed up on his shooting skills, getting trigger time with his USP .45 and newfound rifle, the HK G36.

“
The Germans sure know how to build a good gun,” Matvei smirked as he admired the rifle, which was now locked and loaded, leaning against his desk.

Compared to the simple yet effective AK-74 he was used to, the G36 was a refined, lethal work of art.

After the short leave, he felt much better. He allowed Tamera to stay behind at the ranch and even insisted that she invite a few close family and friends out for a week or so vacation while he attended to some business out of town. Matvei knew what was coming, and he did not need her turning into a basket case with worry as the world went to shit. He figured with friends and family with her she would handle it all a lot better. Matvei had grown fond of her, and he didn't know how many good women would be left after this all played out.

Now as he sat watching local news reports via satellite from the large bank of LCD HDTV screens, he had a renewed sense of confidence that this idea of his may actually work. Sure, the infection would spread rapidly and without any discretion, but there would still be survivors, and his men would soon be able to head in and clean up the mess. He now was afforded the luxury of watching it unfold around the country in real time. Several emerging stories caught Matvei’s eye.

In Atlanta’s Turner Field, where the Braves and Mets were in a four game series with the division lead on the line, a large disturbance had broken out. Several thousand fans stormed the field on live television during the third inning and images showing a large fight were now being shown via helicopter from WGCL in Atlanta. The game feed went down while camera crews fled the stadium in panic. One witness, who was trapped inside the park was being interviewed via cellphone, and claimed that the fight started when a Hispanic hot dog vendor attacked a small child in the stands. Screaming could be heard by the reporter and the line went dead.

In Los Angeles, a very large traffic accident occurred on the 405 involving several hundred cars. It seemed the culprit may have been a stalled eighteen wheeler on the highway, full of illegal aliens that jumped out of the trailer into traffic and caused a major pile up. KCAL news had a helicopter on that scene which was showing a huge mob of people flowing down the highway, away from the crash.

Matvei chuckled as watched. He had personally set that one up and expected a rapid infection rate from it as thousands of motorists would be trapped on the interstate with no possible escape.

Boston was reporting a story as well. WHDH Channel 7 news was reporting that a massive riot erupted in the waiting room of the Boston Medical Center. There was a long line due to concern over the flu, and a fight broke out amongst the patients. Responding security units were overwhelmed, and now it appeared that the police were being overwhelmed as well. Victims could be seen pouring out of the building in a state of panic. The reporter remarked how it already sounded worse than the riots after the last Red Sox World Series victory. They were scrambling to get a reporter on the scene as they had lost contact with a team that was already covering the flu story at the hospital.

WWJ-TV in Detroit was monitoring a developing situation where several men appeared to have taken hostages at a large grocery store. At this time the perpetrators were not responding to attempts at contact by police who were stationed outside. A cashier who escaped as the attack began, and was being transported to a hospital for treatment of some minor wounds, told police how several sick looking men had attacked customers in various checkout lines, and that gunfire erupted when one of the victims pulled a gun and started shooting. The shooting had all stopped, and the store was quiet upon the arrival of law enforcement. The police had not issued any official statements in regards to rumors of possible Al-Qaida involvement.

KCNC-TV in Denver was reporting on a possible attack at an urban elementary school. The story was just breaking and was still sketchy on the details. It seemed that a crazed man entered the school and attacked a classroom full of young students with only his bare hands. The camera shot from outside showed long lines of students filing out of the building. Several ambulances could be seen treating wounded students as first responders were pouring inside. Sustained gunfire was being reported from the area of the gymnasium.

And finally in Dallas, KTVT was reporting on a large fight at the Galleria Mall that started in the food court and escalated into a full blown riot. Images taken from the parking lot confirmed a huge police response in which officers were seen entering the complex with assault style rifles. People were seen streaming out of the hastily set up perimeter and many appeared wounded. The area was being cordoned off from the media and bystanders by police, and the reporter was now hearing gunfire coming from the large complex as well. One woman was screaming at the reporters about demons from hell and the end of days before being dragged away by police.

Matvei had the last television on CNN. As the anchor began to report unrest in several large hospitals around the country, Matvei turned to his aides that were with him in the trailer.

“
It has started,” Matvei told them. “Soon America will be ripe for the taking. All we have to do is sit back and wait. Once the virus reaches full strength in the population, it’ll take hold in a new host in mere minutes."

He knew that in a few hours reports would be flooding in from all over the country, and the full scope of the disaster would soon be known to the entire world.

“
Congratulations, sir,” Hector, one of the mercenaries, replied with a grin. “Soon all of it will be ours.”

Matvei smiled, “Yes, yes it will be.”

He remembered a quote he heard at the academy in Malinovsky, spoken long ago by Abraham Lincoln, a man who later in his life would become president of the United States:

"…Shall some trans-Atlantic military giant step the earth and crush us at a blow? Never. All the armies of Europe and Asia...could not by force take a drink from the Ohio River or make a track on the Blue Ridge in the trial of a thousand years…”

“
I just might need to go take that drink.”

Matvei walked out of the command center for a smoke and to take care of the one last thing he wanted to do to make himself feel even better.

Americans always did make the best smokes
, he thought as he lit a cigarette.

Matvei made the short walk to the infirmary and entered the room where the one remaining infected was kept. Matvei looked at the creature with sunken, lifeless eyes that once passed as human. His skin was yellow, drawn tight around his cheek bones, with dried blood around his nose and mouth. Even in this deteriorated state, the infected man let out a sickening hiss and tried vainly to grab Matvei through his restraints. In a smooth and calculated move, Matvei drew his USP .45 and shot the infected man once, right between the eyes.

The squad car crested the top of the hill that led into the housing projects where the fight was taking place. Stephen slammed on the brakes and stopped the squad car as both officers stared at what was unfolding before their eyes.

“
Holy shit!” Stephen said quietly.

Roy could only sit there shocked and shake his head, as if he was unconsciously telling himself he did not want to go in or even get any closer.

What both officers were witnessing appeared to be several hundred people involved in one huge melee. From this distance, about seventy-five yards, it was difficult to make out individuals. It was one huge mass of people in the street and parkway churning violently like ocean waves during a storm.

“
Call for backup,” Stephen ordered Roy who, as the passenger, was the designated radio man.

A few moments passed without a response, and he looked over at Roy, who appeared to be wrestling with “fight or flight” syndrome, and it looked like the “flight” half was winning.

Stephen reached over and punched Roy on the arm. “Hey, dipshit, snap out of it. Call for backup now!”

Roy, already geeked up and on edge, flinched from the contact, grabbed his radio mic on his shoulder and literally screamed, “Joliet, send more units NOW!!!”

Stephen shook his head at the rookie response to the large disturbance and prepared to tell dispatch to slow the responding units down but keep them coming as he heard his fellow officers on the radio answer the scream for help. As he was about to do so, his head snapped forward to stare at the mob when several sharp retorts of gunfire came from inside or near the vicinity of the melee.

“
Joliet, be advised we have multiple shots fired from the fight in progress in the projects with a few hundred people actively engaged,” Stephen calmly said into the radio. “We are waiting for backup to proceed in. Have all units meet at my location, at the top of the hill to the south of the main entrance.”