The Liger Plague (Book 1) (22 page)

The events of the last few days now seemed like a blur. He wondered who might have set off this disastrous chain of events, trying to recall all the names and faces he’d encountered at that infectious diseases conference at Harvard Medical School. Nothing came to him. Of all the people he’d dealt with at the Institute and the CDC, he couldn’t remember any one person in particular that he might consider an enemy, or crossed in any meaningful way. He’d been strict but had gone out of his way to be fair. In fact, he’d been lauded for his teamwork and ability to collaborate with his subordinates, as well as the scientists from various other agencies such as the CIA, FBI and CDC.

The treatment of lab animals was a separate matter altogether, although not an issue that came up often in his line of work. Of course, the animal rights issue could have been a red herring just to throw him off. Sometimes at the Institute, however, some of the staff did become upset when a primate got sick and died, especially one that they’d developed a bond with. Despite the constant warnings not to become attached to the lab animals, only a person devoid of human emotions could not help feeling sorry for one of the primates when staring into its humanlike eyes, knowing that it would die a slow and torturous death from whatever virus was shot into its veins. He’d witnessed terrible monkey pox diseases, hemorrhagic fevers, Ebola-like infections and avian flues, and had to admit that he hadn’t particularly agonized over the plight of the animals his team had experimented on. Even now, pondering the consequences of his experiments, he still thought it a fair trade-off in mankind’s relentless drive to save human lives.

“I’ve got a question for you, Tag. What’s going to happen when the sun goes down in a little bit and those sick people can see us?” Fez asked.

“I suppose we’ll have to find a place to stay for the night.”

“You’re not going to leave us behind, are you?” Fez asked.

“No worries, kid. I’ll have you in my sight at all times,” he said, finishing off his protein bar.

“Why did this thing happen to our island, anyway?”

“I don’t know. I suppose there’s a lot of evil people in this world who have nothing else to do but hurt others for no apparent reason other than they can.”

“Which is why I never wanted to leave this island,” Versa said, shaking her head. “There’s still plenty of local morons on Cooke’s to go around, but you mainlanders have royally screwed things up. Of all the lousy places in the world these derelicts could have attacked, the lousy rat bastards chose my home. Why couldn’t they have released it where it would have really made a real difference? Like Washington, D.C.?”

“Will these sick people ever get better?” Fez asked.

Tag shrugged. Despite all his medical training and academic credentials, he had no answers to their questions. As knowledgeable as he was in the field of human biology and virology, any time a new viral strain popped up throughout the world, it ended up taking a long time to identify and break down its genetic code.

“Answer me this, Tag. Why are these poxers attacking people?”

“The virus has wormed into their brains and made them do things they wouldn’t normally do. It’s caused them to become violent and aggressive. It has stripped them of all their morals and long-held beliefs.”

“Then if they’re not going to get any better and they’re trying to hurt us, why not put them out of their misery before they infect us?” Fez asked.

“I’ll tell you why, kid,” Versa said. “Because the colonel over there is a big-shot army guy in Washington, D.C. If it got out that he was killing these people, then he could forget about ever advancing his political career.”

“That true, Tag?”

“Don’t listen to her, kid. And for your information, Versa, I was planning to retire before this whole mess happened. Think about it. What if these sick people could make a full recovery, maybe return to a semblance of a normal life? Would you still want to kill them? Especially knowing that your own family was still out there, waiting for help to arrive?”

“Well, Colonel, I’d still kill them. Thank God I don’t have no snotty brats at home to worry about. All I got is me. And what kind of life could these people lead, knowing full well they ate their husband or neighbor for lunch? Not a normal one, I can assure you that. And if it was me in that condition, I’d sure hope someone would put me out of my misery.”

“Anytime you want that bullet, Versa, please let me know.”

“Stick it where the sun don’t shine, Colonel,” Versa snapped.

Tag laughed and reached for his pack. He slung it over his shoulder as an indication to the others that it was time to move on. Off in the distance he could see a lone helicopter buzzing over the island and flying at a severe right angle. Out in the ocean the silhouette of an oil tanker cruised slowly past, its lights shining in the dying light.

He was about to wave for them to move out when his phone rang. The sound of the ringer startled him. He put it on speakerphone, suddenly worried what Versa and Fez might hear. He couldn’t just walk away from them and keep them out of the loop.

“Dr. Winters, Special Agent Bishop again. How are you holding out?”

“Things are rough over here, Bishop. I can’t find my wife and daughter because the outbreak has wreaked havoc on this island, as you probably already know.”

“Yes, we’ve been following the activities over there since this outbreak occurred. It’s a particularly insidious virus, judging by the looks of it. I’m watching the webcast as we speak. We’re getting live feeds from over twenty cameras situated on the island. Where have all the people gone?”

“The infected are holing up inside houses or wherever they can keep out of the light. The victims of this disease apparently suffer from extreme light sensitivity due to the effects of the pox. We’ve been out here searching while there’s still daylight. When the sun sets and the diseased come out again, we’re going to need to find shelter for the night.”

“Dr. Winters, we’ve recently discovered evidence of your ties to the group responsible for this plague. They call themselves the Futurists. Why don’t you cooperate with us, sir, and start by telling us the names of the cities where you’ve placed the other threats?”

He registered the horrified look on Versa’s face and turned away.

“Look, Bishop, I already told you that I’m not responsible for this, and I don’t care if you have all the video evidence in the world to prove it. Someone is setting me up to take the fall.”

“My team has interviewed most of your former and current colleagues, Doctor, and to your credit, they haven’t found a single person to say a bad word about you, if that’s any consolation.”

“It isn’t, because I haven’t done anything wrong! The person you’re looking for is on the island as we speak, although I have no idea who or where they are. They’re the same person, or persons, responsible for kidnapping my wife and daughter.”

“The goal is to send a tactical hazmat squad over to the island. Once that happens, we’ll set up medical teams to care for the diseased. We’ll try to identify the organism responsible for this event, unless you can spare us the time and effort.”

“I strongly suggest you refrain from sending a hazmat team unless you’re willing to chance an outbreak on the mainland. I’ve been given direct orders from the caller to make sure no one comes on this island until he gives his permission.”

“You’re either completely clueless, Dr. Winters, or some kind of evil genius.”

“What motivation would I have for doing this? I’ve never involved myself in political activity and have surely never heard of the Futurists.”

“We’re running out of time. People around the world are watching and wondering what’s going on out on Cooke’s Island. Families are worried about their loved ones. All the national news broadcasts and tabloids have set up camps along the dock, trying to find out what’s going on over there. We’ve been able to enforce a no-fly zone around the island. The bad news is that the webcams are still streaming live, although our technicians have temporarily managed to keep the webcasts from streaming over the Internet. What do you think will happen if the rest of the world sees what’s going on there? This event on Cooke’s Island could start a global war.”

“If I could just study this organism in the lab, I’d be able to help you, Bishop. Unfortunately, I know as little about it as anyone else. What I do know for certain is that our lives here are in peril. We’re hungry, tired and thirsty, and we’ve witnessed some terrible things. Our families have gone missing, and we have to find them before they fall victim to this plague. So do you really think I’d be as transparent as to leave evidence behind in such a blatant manner?”

“I don’t know what to believe at this point, but I’m running out of options. If word of this virus leaks out to the public, we’re going to have a major public relations disaster on our hands.”

“I wish I could say I give a shit, Bishop, but right now I’m more concerned about finding my wife and my daughter than generating good P.R. for the bureau. If you’re asking my opinion, and I know you’re not, this terrorist is not bluffing when he or she says they’ll release this virus into the general public if you put boots here on the ground.” Tag looked up the street and saw two people staggering out of a house. Fez tugged at his shirt.

“Understood, Doctor. No one will be allowed on or off that island until we decide on a plan of action.”

“The sun is about to set, and these people are coming out of their holes,” Tag said, gesturing to Fez to give him another second. “We’re armed and prepared to defend ourselves against these poxers if they attack us.”

“Poxers? Is that what you’re calling the infected?”

“Pretty creative, huh?”

“Good luck, Dr. Winters. I’m sure we’ll talk again before all this is through.”

“I’m sure we will, Bishop.” He disconnected the call and pocketed the phone.

“You bastard!” Versa yelled, pointing the rifle at him. “You didn’t tell us that the FBI thinks you’re the one who planted this crud. I ought to blow you into the bay, you traitor.”

“I swear I had nothing to do with this, Versa. Now put that gun down and relax.”

“Not until I get a straight answer from you, Colonel. You got some serious explaining to do.”

“Look, we don’t have time for this. Those poxers are pouring out onto the street and headed this way.”

She turned and saw the bedraggled people staggering out of houses, their scarred bodies reflected in the moon’s glow, their moans filling the air. Tag could have easily grabbed the gun out of her hand, but knew that whatever trust she had in him would soon disappear if he did. Versa glared at the poxers headed in their direction before looking nervously back at him, unsure of what to do. Looking over, he knew the first wave would quickly be upon them.

“You have to believe me, Versa. As God is my witness, I had nothing to do with this.”

“I’d blast your sorry ass if the kid wasn’t here. You better prove your innocence or else.”

“What are you talking about, lady?” Fez asked. “What are they saying Tag did?”

“Weren’t you listening?” Versa sighed. “They’re saying that the good colonel here stirred up all this trouble by intentionally making people on this island sick.”

Fez stared up at him. “Is that true, Tag?”

“I swear to you, Fez, I had nothing to do with this,” he said, squatting down to stare earnestly into the boy’s eyes. Over Fez’s right shoulder he could see the swarm of infected people heading their way. “Please, kid, you’ve got to believe me.”

Fez waited a few seconds before nodding his head. “I believe you.”

“Then why’d the son-of-bitch have all that stuff on his computer?” Versa snapped. “Probably had that kiddie porn on there, too.”

“I don’t care what they say about him, lady. I just know in my gut that Tag didn’t do it.”

“How about we sit down later and discuss this over some sodas? Right now we need to get the hell out of here.”

“Oh, we’ll deal with this, alright,” Versa said, lowering the rifle.

Versa followed him down the street and away from the howling mob. Once they turned the corner, another swarm came at them from the opposite direction. He thought about running down toward the beach, another full block away, but figured that the poxers there might be heading up to do the same. He saw two additional poxers walking out of the shrubs. He aimed the flashlight at them, and they instantly shielded their eyes and cried out in pain. The sores on their skin seemed to have worsened during the day. The pustules appeared bright red, and the whiteheads sitting at the peak resembled the tip of a bullet, hard and impenetrable. Tag couldn’t believe how fast this strain of pox had progressed. Never in all his years of studying infectious diseases had he ever heard of a case of smallpox developing so rapidly.

He looked for someplace to turn only to notice that the poxers had them surrounded. Someone in the distance screamed, and he saw a healthy young man being overtaken by the frenzied mob. The man must have been hiding out in one of the homes before being discovered. Tag lifted his Magnum and fired into the air, but it did nothing to scare the poxers off. In a matter of seconds they had the defenseless man on the ground and were tearing him apart.

The poxers had the three of them surrounded. With nowhere to turn, Tag shot the closest poxer coming toward them. The stench of escaping gases trapped between its skin and the subcutaneous layer of its body filled the warm air and kept him on the verge of nausea. He looked beyond the mob. If they could just get past the first wave, they had a chance of making their way over to one of the abandoned cars parked along the road. The other option was to barricade themselves inside one of the houses on the hill and sit tight until daybreak. Assuming they managed to hole up somewhere, Tag knew they didn’t have enough ammunition to remain there for very long.

“We’re surrounded, Tag. What are we going to do?” Fez called worriedly.

“You know your way around this island, kid?”

“Know it as good as anyone. I’ve biked just about every inch of this place.”

“Any woods or secluded place we can hide out until daybreak?”