to gut and sending warm blood and entrails spilling out over his hand. Jeb kicked him away to maintain distance, and swung the blade in a huge figure eight. Twice his Kukri met meat and bone, and both times it came out the other side.
Nakai felt strong hands grab him from behind, trying to pull him down. He spun and stabbed the man’s torso with quick motions. After the fifth stab, the man fell forward against him, blood gurgling from his mouth. Nakai shoved him off and turned, pressing his back against the wall.
A third infected man pushed his way past them and stumbled out into the night. He was bleeding from the hip and shoulder. Nakai darted out after him, and Jeb immediately stepped back and covered his retreat, windmilling his blade to prevent anyone from following.
The infected man only made it about ten feet before Nakai came up from behind, pulled his head back, and cut him from ear to ear. As he lowered the body to the ground, he scanned the night. The air remained quiet and still. When he was satisfied that they hadn’t been detected, he turned and hurried back into the building.
Jeb was about five feet inside the room, fighting with a fourth man. They were struggling for control of the machete. Before Nakai could intervene, Jeb flipped the infected man over his hip and drove the machete deep into his chest. He ripped it free and spun back to face the room. Nothing moved.
They stood for nearly a minute, listening to the sounds of their own heavy breathing.
“I think we’re clear,” whispered Jeb.
“For now.”
They went back outside and dragged the body back into the building.
“What do you think?” Jeb asked, looking around. “Want to hole up here for the night?”
Nakai thought about it a moment, and then shook his head.
“Let’s go find an open storage unit. They’re less likely to stumble upon us if we’re out of the way.”
They went back outside, closed the door, and recovered their rifles. Then they walked slowly down the long row of rental units. About halfway down, they found several that didn’t have locks on them. Nakai went to the middle one, set his rifle down, and prepared to slide the door up.
Three... two... one!
CHAPTER
9
President Glass studied the three men sitting across from her, trying not to let her gaze rest on General Carr longer than on anyone else. Despite her position, she had never considered herself very good at keeping secrets. She liked to lay her cards on the table early and often in order to make the best possible decision. But she had agreed to keep their discussions about the chemical attack private until they knew more, and that was exactly what she intended to do.
She had called the meeting under the guise of having a general discussion on national security, but in truth, she hoped to learn more about who might have the means and inclination to conduct such a heinous crime against the US Marshals.
“Gentlemen,” she started, “I’ve asked you here to have a frank discussion about the security and recovery of our nation. We’ve experienced serious deterioration of every national infrastructure, and I believe it’s more important than ever to remain vigilant against both foreign and domestic threats. General, let’s start with you. Have you had time to assess how secure we are from those outside our borders?”
General Carr had a large stack of folders, all marked with various Secret and Top Secret cover pages, but he refrained from opening any of them.
“Madam President, our enemies largely remain the same—only their capabilities are diminished. Russia was devastated and is in a situation as tenuous as our own. St. Petersburg is the only city that remains even under partial government control. It is not expected that the current communist authority will remain in power for much longer. As for China, every major city is now uninhabited, except for the infected survivors of the virus. The rural areas fared a little better, mainly because
Nakai felt strong hands grab him from behind, trying to pull him down. He spun and stabbed the man’s torso with quick motions. After the fifth stab, the man fell forward against him, blood gurgling from his mouth. Nakai shoved him off and turned, pressing his back against the wall.
A third infected man pushed his way past them and stumbled out into the night. He was bleeding from the hip and shoulder. Nakai darted out after him, and Jeb immediately stepped back and covered his retreat, windmilling his blade to prevent anyone from following.
The infected man only made it about ten feet before Nakai came up from behind, pulled his head back, and cut him from ear to ear. As he lowered the body to the ground, he scanned the night. The air remained quiet and still. When he was satisfied that they hadn’t been detected, he turned and hurried back into the building.
Jeb was about five feet inside the room, fighting with a fourth man. They were struggling for control of the machete. Before Nakai could intervene, Jeb flipped the infected man over his hip and drove the machete deep into his chest. He ripped it free and spun back to face the room. Nothing moved.
They stood for nearly a minute, listening to the sounds of their own heavy breathing.
“I think we’re clear,” whispered Jeb.
“For now.”
They went back outside and dragged the body back into the building.
“What do you think?” Jeb asked, looking around. “Want to hole up here for the night?”
Nakai thought about it a moment, and then shook his head.
“Let’s go find an open storage unit. They’re less likely to stumble upon us if we’re out of the way.”
They went back outside, closed the door, and recovered their rifles. Then they walked slowly down the long row of rental units. About halfway down, they found several that didn’t have locks on them. Nakai went to the middle one, set his rifle down, and prepared to slide the door up.
Three... two... one!
CHAPTER
9
President Glass studied the three men sitting across from her, trying not to let her gaze rest on General Carr longer than on anyone else. Despite her position, she had never considered herself very good at keeping secrets. She liked to lay her cards on the table early and often in order to make the best possible decision. But she had agreed to keep their discussions about the chemical attack private until they knew more, and that was exactly what she intended to do.
She had called the meeting under the guise of having a general discussion on national security, but in truth, she hoped to learn more about who might have the means and inclination to conduct such a heinous crime against the US Marshals.
“Gentlemen,” she started, “I’ve asked you here to have a frank discussion about the security and recovery of our nation. We’ve experienced serious deterioration of every national infrastructure, and I believe it’s more important than ever to remain vigilant against both foreign and domestic threats. General, let’s start with you. Have you had time to assess how secure we are from those outside our borders?”
General Carr had a large stack of folders, all marked with various Secret and Top Secret cover pages, but he refrained from opening any of them.
“Madam President, our enemies largely remain the same—only their capabilities are diminished. Russia was devastated and is in a situation as tenuous as our own. St. Petersburg is the only city that remains even under partial government control. It is not expected that the current communist authority will remain in power for much longer. As for China, every major city is now uninhabited, except for the infected survivors of the virus. The rural areas fared a little better, mainly because
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