The Plague Years (Book 1): Hell is Empty and All the Devils Are Here Read Online Free PDF

my wife didn’t like it. She relented so I am getting another. I was looking at one of those Bayliner deck boats. I had the 190 before but I think I can get enough of a loan to swing a 215.”
    Dr. Jergen looked at Chad very carefully for what seemed like five minutes but probably only lasted for twenty seconds or so.
    “I’m satisfied with that ‘story’,” said Dr. Jurgen with a hint of a smile. “I suspect the Homeland Security team will be too provided you can back it up?”
    “Yeah, I have the bill of sale in my wallet and you can call Dave ….”
    “No need,” said Dr. Jurgen, his face softening. “Let’s get to work. What if I told you that early this morning, we had our first symptomatic case in this area. There were two police officers attacked at the junction of Interstate 82 and Interstate 182. One was bitten. Seems you were right and the Homeland Security folks were wrong.”
    “Yikes, that’s less than five miles from my home,” said Chad with alarm.
    “Homeland Security thinks it’s a fluke. What do you think?”
    “Not so much,” said Chad pensively. “What data do we have on the infected individuals? Are they lucid enough to question?”
    “Sadly, no as both are dead. We do know that both are Hispanic, they had no ID and just a little money. They had no personal belongings other than the clothes on their back and those were in very poor repair. I understand that it’s common for sufferers of AH10N3 to abandon things as they become more involved.”
    “Did either of them speak at all?” asked Chad.
    “The girl did. Her English was good. She said she was sorry.”
    “Maybe migrant workers or perhaps college students then,” said Chad. “That fits my assumptions.” 
    “Chad, I need a detailed briefing on a worst case scenario for 1:30 pm today. Our friend at the Department of Homeland Security has proposed a ‘low impact solution’ so use that as your base case. Thankfully, he left in a VIP jet last night so we can work in some form of peace. We will be briefing our staff, the Homeland Security people and some VIP’s from other government agencies. This needs to be first rate.
    “I’d like you to focus on the continental United States but I’d also like an overview of likely scenarios for Europe, Africa, and Asia. Provide Dr. Riley’s team with your continental analysis as soon as you can but no later than 10:00 am. There will be coffee and pastries delivered in a few minutes and you can borrow my antacids if you need them. Do you need anything else?”
    “More time sir,” said Chad. “I made a bunch of assumptions of the first prediction that I would like to run down.”
    “That is the one thing I can’t give you.”
     
    May 5 th , Friday, 10:37am PDT
    Mary Strickland was angry. The tasting room at Bookwalter Wineries opened at 11:00 am on Fridays but she had to be in at 9:00. The Bistro had to be ready for the lunch crowd and they had a rehearsal dinner to do at 3:00. The Chef was late, the cook staff was sleepy and to top it off, her husband had just spent fifteen thousand dollars on God knows what to prepare for the ‘End of Life as We Know It’.
    “That wasn’t completely fair.” Mary thought. Chad had always been a smart and thoughtful man. His reasons were logical, if vague.
    “Damn that NDA!” she said as she slammed down the wedding menu she had been working on.
    “Whoa!” said Heather Tunney. “You have another vegan marrying a cattleman and they’re fighting over the menu?”
    Heather was a good friend. They had worked together for six years and shared wine, what their kids were up to, complained about husbands, and were also a very effective team. She was forty-eight, but didn’t look it. She was an athletically slender brunette tending to a little gray. She kept fit from the Pilates they took together three times a week and her addiction to skiing and kayaking. The remark about the vegan marrying the cattleman was an old joke between them from