The Alpha Plague Read Online Free PDF Page A

government a hell of a lot easier. Keep the people scared; that’s the way to keep a society ordered. Moreover, because we aren’t allowed to make weapons, we send men into space just to prove our technological prowess. This cold war won’t end until there’s a fucking flag on Mars, or a gerbil on Jupiter, at the very least.”
    When Dave sat back, Rhys laughed. A lot of the stuff that came from Dave’s mouth made sense, but he often took it too far. “And there it is; the world according to Dave.” Although he didn’t turn to face his friend, he could sense the two fingers that had been raised in his direction.  
    A glance to his right, and Rhys looked at the driver of the car next to him. The man sat with the same posture as his and stared straight ahead. Every car moved at the same speed. Every driver sat in virtually the same position.
    “You know what though? The thing that scares me so much more than the threat of an all-out war, is that it won’t happen. That the next thirty years will pass and I won’t know where it’s gone. I’ll still be fighting for custody of my thirty-six year old son, and I’ll still be working this shitty job.”
    “Why don’t you quit?” Dave said.
    “For the same reason that you don’t see me out with the boys on the weekends; I need the money. This job pays well. Not well enough to get me a good solicitor, but a solicitor nonetheless. This custody battle would take even longer if I earned less money. The thought of being able to see my boy more often, of being able to have him stay over once a week and make him breakfast on a Sunday morning, of being able to go on holidays with him—that’s why I do this. That’s why I do everything I do. It’s all about Flynn.”
    When Dave’s heavy hand landed on his shoulder again, Rhys straightened his back and stared straight ahead. It’s all about Flynn.

Chapter Three

    For twenty minutes, Wilfred stood in the corridor with John and listened to Alice attack the door. Every time it went quiet, he breathed a relieved sigh and his pulse settled. Then she returned with more venom than before as she growled, screamed, and pounded against the small window.
    When the quiet persisted, Wilfred walked to John’s side and peered into the room. The glass had turned slick with blood. It threw a red filter over everything.
    They watched Alice, lost in her own private hell as she paced the room. When she crashed into a chair, the loud screech made her turn on it. She dropped into a defensive crouch and snarled at the inanimate object.
    John laughed. “Look at that. She’s scared of a bloody chair.”
    Violence coiled in Wilfred’s muscles, but he swallowed it down and continued to watch Alice.
    As if taken over by another surge of rage, Alice snapped her jaws and screamed. An arch of her back, and she roared at the ceiling. Blood sprayed into the air.
    “Do you think she’s in pain?” Wilfred asked.
    With a shrug of his bony shoulders, John said, “Probably.”
    The man didn’t have a shred of empathy. He should be the one on the other side of the door, not Alice. Several hard gulps did nothing to banish the lump in Wilfred’s throat. She didn’t deserve this.
    The intercom buzzed when John pressed the button, and his cold voice came through the speakers in the room. “There, there, my dear. Now listen to me.”
    She stopped still, tilted her head to one side, and shuffled up to the glass. It seemed that her frenzied mind still recognised her husband’s voice. When she was just an inch away from them, she stopped. It was the first time she hadn’t crashed into it.
    “How does she know where the door is?” Wilfred asked.
    “I don’t know. Maybe she can see.”
    “Through bleeding eyes?”
    A shrug, and John turned to Alice. “We’ll have a cure for this, my love. When we do, you can congratulate yourself for having helped your country. The vaccine will mean we can drop the virus on The East and end this Cold War. You’re