Frontier Justice - 01 Read Online Free PDF

North Carolina. The virus has definitely hit here. Where are you, Jack?”
    Kate suddenly cut in.
    “Jack, are you close to California? We need rescue. Please, my son is only eight.”
    Jack took a moment before answering.
    “Ma’am, I’m sorry, but you’re nearly three thousand miles from me. I’m in Gloucester, Virginia. No way that I can reach you. Not in time anyway.”
    “Listen Kate,” said Mason, “we’ll get you help. Just hang in there. Do either of you know the state of the country? Has the National Guard been deployed? What areas remain unaffected?”
    Jack came back on.
    “Marshal, I was hoping you could tell us that.”
    When Mason didn’t answer, Jack continued. “From what I’ve been able to determine, this thing’s global. I have yet to find anyone in an unaffected area. As for the National Guard, I imagine they died right alongside everyone else. How is it you’re out of the loop on all this, Marshal?”
    “I’ve been in the mountains for a few weeks and am just now seeing the damage.”
    “I’d say you picked one hell of an opportune time to get away from other people.”
    “Does the virus require physical contact?” Mason asked, thinking about his encounters with those lying dead on the road.
    “No. It can definitely be passed through the air. Get coughed or spit on by someone infected and you’ve joined the walking dead.”
    “Then why didn’t I catch it? Or my son?” asked Kate. It was clear from the trembling in her voice that she had been crying again.
    “As with every virus, I suppose there are some people with a natural immunity to it. You and your son must be two of the lucky ones, if you want to call it that.”
    “What about you, Jack?” asked Mason. “Are you immune too?”
    “I seriously doubt it. When I saw things going downhill, my wife and I locked ourselves up tight. We haven’t left the house in over two weeks. I’ve been trolling the airwaves ever since, trying to piece things together.”
    Mason nodded. Jack was someone worth knowing, a prepper who’d had enough sense and supplies to hole up and wait things out.
    “What do you know about the virus? Is there a treatment? A vaccination?”
    “I’m pretty sure that the initial reports over the TV and radio were government-filtered to prevent panicking,” replied Jack. “But based on what I’m hearing, it’s bad. Real bad. Until I get out, I can’t say for sure. As for an antidote or vaccination, I’m not aware of either.”
    “There was an announcement by the CDC,” interjected Kate, “that they were working on a vaccine, but I never heard if they were successful. TV, radio, and the internet all shut down. My guess is there just wasn’t time.”
    “Even if they don’t have a vaccine yet, you can bet that scientists are working around the clock in a sealed lab somewhere,” said Mason. “Once this thing broke out, they would have put in place emergency protocols to ensure that the nation survived.”
    “I agree,” said Jack. “But it may have been too little too late. Not to sound like a doomsayer, but I think our country is all but dead.”
    “Listen, both of you, I need help,” Kate pleaded. “We’re going to die if one of you doesn’t help us. Do you understand? My son and I are going to die.”
    The airway remained silent for several seconds.
    Mason considered his options. The best he could do was to offer some advice.
    “What are your most pressing needs?”
    “Water,” she replied quickly. “We’ve been forced to drink from our neighbor’s swimming pool, and it’s making us both sick.”
    “Okay, that one’s easy. Start by draining your water heater. That should give you enough for a few weeks if you’re careful with it. You can use the pool water to flush your toilet, but use the water in your water heater for drinking and cooking. Do you think you can drain it?”
    “I’m … I’m not sure. I think so. You hook a hose to the bottom, right?”
    “That’s right,”