The Extinction Switch: Book three of the Kato's War series by Andrew C. Broderick

utter darkness. Their heavy breathing could be heard over the chaos outside. It gradually subsided, as more vehicles came past.
    “I think one stopped,” Annabelle said. “I can hear the soldiers yelling.”
    “Yep,” David said. “I just hope they don’t look in here.”
    “Our stuff’s still outside,” Vivianne said.
    “Forget it, it’s too dangerous,” David said.
    “Come back this way,” Antonio said. “There’s light back here.”
    “Okay.” The group followed Antonio, until they entered the area with low red lighting. “Turn right.” Antonio opened the first metal door at the end, and light flooded the corridor. The others covered their eyes, which were now dark adjusted.
    “What is this place?” David said.
    “I don’t know.”
    “Wow…” Annabelle said, once she was through the door.
    Once they were all there, Antonio said: “There’s a bunch of empty rooms where we can camp out.” He led them through the first door on the left, which led into one of the partially-dark disused control rooms. They went through it, and out of a door at the back. They were then in another room, which was very similar—about the size of a small living room. The lights came on as they entered, revealing white walls dotted with gray control panels. There were buttons, switches and displays on them, but they were all dark. Gray wiring conduits connected them.
    David ran his fingers through his hair. “At least bullets can’t penetrate into here.” Nods from the others.
    “It’s totally silent,” Annabelle said.
    “Yes.”
    “Now what?” Kassandra said, looking at each of the others in turn.
    “I don’t know,” Vivianne said.
    “I guess we just wait it out,” Annabelle said. “We can’t go back out again if they’ve got control of this area. We’d probably be shot on sight.”
    David nodded. “Let’s just try and make the best of it for now. There could be others hiding in here too. Come with me, Tony. Let’s see what all there is here. And possibly who there is, too. How did you know about this place, anyway?” Antonio related the events of the night before, to stunned expressions from the others.
    “Wow…” Annabelle said. “I wonder who, or what, it was?”
    “Don’t know,” Antonio said. “I do think it was human though. It might come back again. We should probably try and hide out in this room as much as possible so can’t be seen from the main corridor.”
    “Can I come and explore with you?” Kassandra said.
    “Sure.” They exited back to the corridor, and then entered the next room.
    “So, four rooms off this corridor, two on either side, and each one has another room behind it,” Kassandra said, after the short excursion. “All pretty much the same.”
    “Nobody here, and no signs of recent occupation,” David said, “though someone’s keeping the lights on here.”
    “Hmm,” Antonio said. “The big problem is there’s no food or water. Anywhere.”

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER ELEVEN
    The Excluded
     
    “Oh God, why does this have to be?” Vivianne cried. It was now evening. She held Etienne in her arms. The child was tired and red-faced from having cried for hours from hunger and thirst. “She’s getting dehydrated fast,” Vivianne said. “I’m not a doctor, but I don’t think kids can go much more than twenty-four to thirty-six hours without water. We’ve been in here twelve hours now, and she hasn’t had a drink since last night, so it’s already been twenty-four.”
    All six sat with their backs against the walls, lining both sides of the room they had entered that morning. David shook his head. “It’s much too dangerous to go out.” He buried his face in his palms. “We can’t even get to the stuff in the cart. Someone might be lurking in the dock.”
    “But Dave, she could be dead within a day!” Vivianne said.
    Annabelle’s eyes widened. “We’ve got to catch it!” she said. “That thing or person you saw last night,