The Alpha Plague Read Online Free PDF

an integral part to keeping power in The West.”
    John had never been more compassionate to his wife. One of the few guests at their wedding, more as a witness than guest—a lab partner in an experiment—Wilfred had watched John recite his vows as if they were an apparatus list for the most basic experiment. For the entire service, he wanted to scream for it to stop. He’d have treated her so much better than John ever could. John behaved as if marriage to his beautiful bride was a necessary inconvenience, at best. Alice had tears in her eyes the whole day. When Wilfred asked her why she’d married John, she said she loved his wonderful mind, and she wanted to learn from him. She realised they were the wrong reasons but lifted her ring and said, ‘Bit too late now, isn’t it?’
    When Alice hissed, Wilfred recovered from his daze. She pressed her forehead against the glass and bit at the air.
    Playing a part in this heinous act, no matter how unconsciously, had sealed Wilfred’s fate. When his time came, he’d be judged for his actions. He took several steps back and arrived at the end of the corridor by the second reinforced door. “So, we need to use this area for quarantine?”
    “I wouldn’t worry, Wilfred.” John knocked on the glass and Alice snapped at his movement. “This door can survive an atomic blast.”
    With a swipe of his card through the reader, Wilfred watched the light turn from green to red, and the door slid open. John seemed oblivious.
    After he’d stepped through and closed the doors behind him, Wilfred listened to the click as they locked. The finality of the sound tied a weight to his heart. Sure, John didn’t deserve anything else, but he was about to end this man’s life.
    As if he’d heard Wilfred’s thoughts, John turned to him and his eyes narrowed. “I’m ready to come out now, Wilf.”
    For the first time since Wilfred had met him, uncertainty hung from John’s words. He’d never called him ‘Wilf’. After he’d cleared his throat, Wilfred sighed and looked at the floor. “I’m afraid that isn’t going to happen.”
    A glance at the security camera in the hallway with him, the one currently trained on him, and John looked back at Wilfred. “Now come on, Wilf, don’t be silly.”
    “I’m sorry, John, I really am, but they need to study how this virus spreads.”
    The slight pink hue to John’s skin vanished and his grey face sank. “What about my research? How will you find a cure?”
    “They have your research. They’ve been copying it for months now. They always like to have a backup in case something goes wrong.”
    John marched toward the door and lashed his bony fist against the glass. It did nothing. “How can you do this to me? You’re supposed to be my friend!”
    Like he knew what the word meant. “We need another subject for this experiment, John.” Wilfred’s voice shook and his face burned. “When you chose your wife to test this thing on, you showed that you weren’t someone to be trusted. If, in the name of science, you’re prepared to do this to her, then what would you do to us if the need arose?”
    John pressed his long bony hand against the glass. “Wilfred, wait! There are things in my head that no one knows.” He jabbed a skinny finger at his temple. “It’s in here. I have the cure.”
    Grief buckled Wilfred’s mouth. “You understand that it’s not me making these decisions, don’t you? I didn’t even know about this experiment until you’d sat down with Alice. The only reason I agreed to come down here was because I thought I might be able to stop it. But now I’ve seen what you’ve done to her…” Wilfred sighed again and rubbed his temples with a shaky hand.
    “But who’ll find the cure? I know this virus inside and out. No one else will discover it.” A vein throbbed at John’s temple and his eyes widened. “You need me!”
    “There’s no doubt that you have a great scientific mind. The best I’ve