Red Death: A Post Apocalyptic Thriller Read Online Free PDF Page A

to panic. Tara was baffled by this, knowing the truth. Their neighbor’s fate made anything else the CDC said unbelievable. If they would cover that up, then all of it was probably a lie. Lee didn’t say much. When she asked him what he thought, his response was, “What else can they do once the toothpaste is out of the tube?” Tara thought he’d pretty much described things right there.
    ~
    The days passed this way, with both she and Lee tinkering around the house. Tara made one last run for supplies at the dollar store, avoiding every other human being she saw. She took a canister of hand wipes in the car with her, so she could use them as soon as she got back in.
    She saw Mary one day across the street, and yelled that Lee was taking his vacation for the next month. Mary gave her a wave and a thumbs up.
    Everything seemed normal otherwise. It was the lull before the storm.
    ~
    Bright and early one morning, at the end of Lee’s second week off, his boss called. Tara answered and Lee took the phone, glancing at her with raised eyebrows. Tara could only hear one side of the conversation, but after saying “Hello,” she heard Lee’s boss’s voice coming over the phone, rising in either excitement or fear.
    “You’re kidding,” Lee said. Then, “Yes. I understand. Okay. Good luck.”
    He listened for a second or so, then thanked her and hung up. Lee just stood there with his eyes narrowed in thought, and this really scared Tara. “What?” she cried.
    “Half the plant is out sick. They decided to close it down today. She said military people were there.” Lee stared off unseeing, stroking his chin. “They told her not to tell anyone, but she wanted me to know.” He turned away. “She said they threatened her.”
    Tara could feel her heart beating hard. It’s on. It’s really starting. Lee looked at her. “I think this time, Tara, you might be right.”  Tara didn’t want to be right. She wanted them to be okay. She wanted a normal life. She wanted the whole world to be okay.
    Thank God, I made him take vacation! She wasn’t going to say this out loud, but then Lee hugged her, and said it.
    “Thank you. I think I dodged a bullet.” His brow furrowed again. “I wonder why the military came? What is their involvement? That’s what worries me the most. I mean, if half the plant had the flu, the military wouldn’t come.”
    “If someone from the plant tested positive for Ebola, they’d get involved fast, Lee. I need to talk to Mary. She told me her daughter Julie was possibly exposed too. I wonder what she knows.” 
    They sat in the front room talking and just then, the mailman came. Tara leaned outside to get hers, watching for Mary. Sure enough, Mary poked her head out and reached into her mailbox.
    Tara came out on the porch and called her over. She watched as Mary crossed, suddenly aware there was much less traffic than usual. Tara, you’re getting really paranoid. But she knew she had to be. The smallest sign might mean the difference now.
    “Mary, I’m so glad to see you! I need to tell you something—my husband’s boss just called—their plant has been closed—half the employees are out sick! And the military was there, but his boss didn’t know why, only that they threatened her to keep quiet.”
    Mary leaned in, her face pale and distressed. “I heard from both my daughter Julie and my cousin this morning. I was going to come over later and tell you. My cousin’s boy works for Universal Heating and Cooling. They’re national, with a satellite office here in town. He has a desk job there and knows all the orders that come in. He also sends crews out to do the job orders.” The older woman swallowed hard, as though what she was about to say was stuck in her throat.
    “He says they have crews out all over the country, fitting grates on the ductwork in each Wally-World store. Not only did their crew do it here in town at our store, they also put them on the old abandoned K-Mart