Beyond the Barriers Read Online Free PDF Page A

overhead view of New York City. There was no doubting that cityscape; it was like a fixture to the American public. A bird’s-eye view of that city was as familiar to people as the Golden Gate Bridge or the Statue of Liberty. The view shifted as the helicopter dropped a few feet, then adjusted as a shaking camera tried to focus on something down below. There was talking in the background, and it was pretty obvious the guys in the helicopter were thrown in without much prep time.
    Then a voice popped in.
    “Are we live? Live?” A man came into view who I had seen on the news many times. I couldn’t remember his name for the life of me. He had a blocky jaw, like an old-time movie star, and his pepper-gray hair reminded me of a politician’s.
    “… the city where the disease has run rampant. We are over Times Square now, and we are seeing some activity that is being called a riot. The police have been called in to handle the situation; we aren’t sure how many are available. The riots seem to have caught the authorities by surprise. NBC would like to warn viewers that what they are about to see could be graphic.”
    The camera shifted again, and then they went to an outside view that was crystal clear. They must have had another camera mounted to a strut to get such a good shot. Another helicopter shot past then slowed to a hover.
    The scene below was chaos, as hundreds of people ran in the street. Some moved slower than others, and if people stumbled, the pursuers fell on them like prey.
    “Oh my God.” It was the first time I had spoken since I got home, since I killed the man in the street. The undead man who had been like the attackers on the screen.
    Within minutes, the ‘riot’ had become a full-scale mob as people ran every which way. I watched the people attacked rise up and go at others as they tried to get past.
    A pair of ambulances pulled up slowly. Figures jumped out of both sides, and then some slithered out the back. They had bags in hand. Giant, black bags that reminded me of the bags they carry bodies to the morgue in.
    The paramedics were torn into on the spot, attacked and beaten down where they stood. A pair tried in vain to wrestle one of the slow ones into a bag. I was glad the camera was too high to allow viewers to hear the screams of pain.
    I sat in front of the TV for a long time. Once again, I thought of how Allison and I had watched the 9/11 attacks all day and most of the night. Somehow, this didn’t have the same impact, although it should have. An hour later, the street was covered with nothing but dead things, and I knew it was just a matter of time before it spread everywhere.
    I had to get out. I had been thinking of a place to hide, to wait out the end, and I had a good idea where I could go. The problem was that it didn’t belong to me. My buddy Ray had let me use his cabin in the woods up on Mount Arrow a few times, and I was pretty sure I could remember how to get there.
    I had gear, I had gas, and I had food. I could stay for a week or two, listen to the wind-up radio, and try to wait it out. I looked around my house at all the things I had accumulated over the years, all the things that Allison and I had added to it, and I knew there was no way to keep someone out once I left. I didn’t want to stay cooped up here, however, so I grabbed what valuables I had - that I wanted to come back for- and put them in big black bags. Portable hard drive and a smaller laptop. I planned to bring the larger one with me. I added some of my favorite CDs, some jewelry she had left, stuff I bought her. I pocketed her engagement ring, because it had cost me a small fortune. Then I wondered what I would do with the damn thing and tossed it in the bag.
    I put pictures in the bags, along with some canned goods that I didn’t want to have to try to carry. It was already going to be a long hike to his place, so I didn’t want to have to carry a hundred pounds with me. Then I opened the closet,