For Those In Peril (Book 2): The Outbreak Read Free Page A

again; better to be
safe than sorry.
    Suddenly, the man’s eyes snapped opened. His breathing was now slow and steady:
something had changed. The man sprang to his feet and lunged at the policeman,
clawing at his face and throat, sinking his teeth deep into his neck. The
policeman punched his attacker as hard as he could, sending him staggering
backwards into the surrounding onlookers. A woman screamed as she jumped out of
the way and the man seemed to notice the bystanders for the first time. He leapt
onto the nearest one, pushing her to the ground and biting savagely at her face.
In an instant, there was pandemonium, with people tripping over each other as
they tried to scatter. Distracted by all the movement, he broke off his assault
on the woman and went for a middle-aged man who’d fallen and was now scrabbling
to get back to his feet. He was only on him for a moment, just long enough to
bite and infect him, before he went for another, then another, bringing each one
down before moving on to the next.
    In all
the confusion, nobody noticed the injured policeman slump to the ground, his
wounds searing with pain as the infection took hold. Suddenly, he was burning
up, his heart was pounding, his breathing growing shallow. He tried to work his
radio, to get a warning out, but he was losing coordination in his fingers; his
eyes drifted out of focus and slowly his world faded to black.   
     
    ***
     
    ‘Sierra six-one to base. Sierra six-one to base. Man down, I repeat, man down.
We need backup. We’re on Argyle Street. There’s a man, he’s gone berserk; he’s
attacking everyone.’
    The
voice on the radio crackled with a mix of panic and confusion, and it was clear
to all who were listening that something serious was happening. ‘Scott’s down.
He’s been injured. I think he’s unconscious. Hang on, no it looks like he’s
okay. He’s getting back up.’
    The
voice sounded relieved, but only for a moment. ‘Shit! He just bit a woman ...
Now there are more of them. People are just attacking each other.’
    Fear
replaced panic in the voice. ‘It’s just like on the news; it’s like what
happened in Miami!’
    Those
listening heard the transmission key being released, only to be pressed again a
fraction of a second later. ‘I’m getting the fuck out of here!’
     

 
    Chapter One
     
    I
stared down the length of Buchanan Street. It was amazing to think how much it
had changed since I was a kid. Back then it had been little more than a
cut-through from one shopping street to another, but now it was awash with posh
boutiques and fashion-hungry shoppers. Even the steps I was sitting on were new,
built on what had literally been a bomb site in my youth. Now, in its place,
stood a concert hall where the more cultured could come to listen to operas and
orchestras, but for most, it was a place to rest from the hustle and bustle of
the street, eat lunch, meet friends or just watch the crowds going by. I glanced
at my watch; it had just gone quarter past twelve, but the street was already
packed and, as usual, Tom was late.
    I’d
met Tom not far from this very spot, just after I’d graduated from university.
He was working as a street entertainer and helped me turn juggling from a hobby
into a lucrative money-spinner. For the rest of that summer we worked a patch
halfway down the pedestrianised street, performing our show four or five times a
day, and earning enough money to ensure that I didn’t have to think about
getting a real job right away. Soon, I’d wasted a couple of years. Well, not
really wasted, as I’d had a lot of fun, but it wasn’t something I wanted to do
forever and I thought I should at least try to make use of my marine biology
degree.
    Tom
wasn’t pleased, but he understood, and whenever I was in town I’d make sure I
made time to catch up with him. He was still working our favourite spot, and
every now and then he’d persuade me to