Dead Air (Book One of The Dead Series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

the saviors of the hospital staff when the guard seated on the right suddenly rolled his eyes up into his head and started convulsing.
    " He’s having a seizure," Ned exclaimed the obvious as he reached for his phone.
    He pulled out a list of extensions to find the number for the emergency room and looked back up to see that the convulsing man had fallen out of sight beyond his desk and now the second man had also started to spasm. The rapid way in which the seizures had struck both men at almost the same time made Ned think that there was some contaminant in the air. Taking a small breath, he held it as he punched in the numbers for the E.R.
    A voice answered in a bored voice, "Emergency Room."
    Ned described what was happening as he took shallow breaths. When he was finished, he hung up and was about to evacuate his office , when from across his desk the first security guard slowly and unsteadily rose into view.
    Concern in his voice , Ned asked, "Are you all right?" He moved around his desk to lend a steadying hand, and said, "You need to sit down and take it easy. I called for help and they're on the way."
    As Ned Thornton laid his hand on the dead man's shoulder, the former security guard and father of three looked around vacantly as if to get his bearings. Focusing on Ned, two thin, ropy strands of saliva seeped from the corners of his mouth. Whipping its head around, it sank its teeth into the side of Ned's hand, severing two of his fingers.
    In shock, Ned looked at his mangled hand with disbelief. Did I just see that? He asked himself. A sudden rush of pain cleared his mind , and he screamed in agony. Instantly, he figured out the situation. The guard looked and acted exactly like the patient who had killed Doctor Rahjib. It must be some kind of infection that was being transmitted through the bites, he thought, but wouldn’t live long enough to share his theory.
    Backing away, he looked around for some way to escape the monster standing between him and the exit, his mind switching between thoughts of self-preservation , and how to warn the rest of the people in the hospital about the contamination. As he looked longingly at the door to the office, gauging his chances of making it to safety, it flew open to reveal two interns with medical bags in hand.  Ned opened his mouth to shout out a warning, but it was choked off by fear as he saw the second guard struggle to his feet and stagger toward the newcomers. Distracted by the arrival of the responders, Ned never saw the first guard coming toward him with mouth wide open.
    Once again, in the short span of a few hours, chaos reigned at the hospital. By the time it was all over, twenty-two more people had been infected.
    ***
    Suzy Wong lasted until after lunch. She had felt slightly feverish all morning but passed it off as not getting any sleep. When she had arrived at her parent's house in Nashville the night before, her great aunt, who was suffering from jet lag, met her at the door. After exchanging hugs they stayed up talking for hours while Aunt Koni regaled Suzy with stories of some of the places she had visited recently and what she had seen there.
    When the rest of the family woke, they ate a leisurely breakfast together and then packed up to go to the pavilion that they had rented by the river for the reunion. In all, seventy people showed up for the first day of what was supposed to be a three-day get together.
    After Suzy died and came back, she managed to infect seventeen of them. The first of these being her aunt before the woman managed to break free of Suzy's gnashing teeth and throw herself into a nearby duck pond. Four of Suzy's brothers finally managed to restrain her by physically forcing her face down into the ground and sitting on her. No one died as a result of the savage attack but needless to say, the rest of the reunion was cancelled. Some of the attendees stayed in Nashville, however most of them, Aunt Koni included, caught the first flight