The Infected: A Post Apocalyptic Thriller Read Online Free PDF Page A

interrupted.
    "I think a last word should be given to the prisoners." She wiped away the tears from her cheeks and then continued, "They should be able to say goodbye to any family they have left."
    Troy stroked his wiry goatee. Sam thought she detected a momentary look of compassion, but the horrible grin returned, and after a moment, he laughed. Sam braced herself and Jordan reclaimed her hand.
    "And what does your boyfriend think about this?" Troy asked
    Her heart dropped into the depths of her stomach. She tried to let go of his hand but his grip stayed firm.
    "I concur, your honor," Jordan said. His voice trembled as he said the words.
    "And the rest of you?" the Minister asked the crowd. "Do the rest of you concur ?" He emphasized the last word, mocking Jordan.
    A long moment of silence passed before a woman near the back of the crowd screamed, "Let them speak!" The crowd rumbled with agreements, although none were as brave or as loud as the woman had been. And none were as stupid as Sam had been.
    The Minister seemed taken aback by the support of the citizens. But he composed himself, straightened his coat and pulled the microphone from the stand once more. He walked over to Tyler Stevens and grabbed a handful of the man's sandy blond hair. Tyler cried out, and when he stopped, the Minister whispered something into his ear. The Minister pulled away and Tyler nodded his head.
    "It seems," Troy's words oozed out of him, "your peers have afforded you the opportunity for one last goodbye." The Minister moved the microphone from his mouth and shoved it into Tyler's face.
    Sam reached out and grabbed Abigail's hand with her free one. She gave a reaffirming squeeze, which Abigail returned, but never once took her eyes off her brother. The crowd went silent.
    "Abby," Tyler said and paused, tears welling up in his eyes, and then he screamed, "It's all a lie!"
    The moment froze and Tyler's last words hung in the air like the smoke from the burning buildings that haunted Sam's dreams. But that moment was just that: a moment—and it passed like all others before it.
    With one seamless motion, the Minister dropped the microphone and pulled a dagger from the hitch on his belt. Troy cocked Tyler's head even further and then jammed the dagger's blade deep into Tyler's throat. Sam's knees weakened as she saw the point of the blade reemerge from the back of his neck.
    Panicked screams broke through the crowd as they struggled to make sense of the horror that had just unfolded. Blood rushed from Sam's brain and the shouts from the surrounding crowd grew distant and muted. She could see Jordan was still holding her hand but could no longer feel it. On stage, blood squirted from the gaping hole in Tyler Stevens' neck and puddled at the bottom of the wooden block.
    "Take the girl into custody! Kill the prisoners!" the Minister yelled. His voice didn't come through the speakers, but Sam could still distinguish it above the roar of the crowd. The only noise coming through the speakers was Tyler gasping for his last breath and the sound of his blood as it gurgled through the hole in his throat. The light in Sam's eyes faded and her knees gave way.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    5
     
    Sam opened her eyes. Her chin rested on her chest and the room spun around her. She blinked, and it steadied. She lifted her head and wished she hadn't. Shelves full of leather-bound books covered the walls, and the room smelled of cheap cigars. She slouched in a leather chair in the center of Prime Minister Troy's office. He sat on the opposite side of a large mahogany desk and stared at the contents of a manila folder.
    "Where's Jordan?" she asked. Her voice was raspy. She pulled herself into an upright position.
    The Minister held up a long, bony finger and continued to scan the stack of pages paper-clipped to the folder. "Quite an impressive show you put on out there, Miss Albright." He glanced up at her, sneered and looked back at the file. After a few