Human Extinction Level Loss (Book 2): Substation (The Last Stand of Gary Sykes) Read Free

sympathetic look, letting her know he would be right back.  Beverly continued to chew on her fingernail and stare at the phone. 
    Gary trudged over.
    “Look guys, tonight’s not really a good time—” he started to say, but was cut off as he stood behind the men, all staring at the television.
    “Shh! We’re trying to listen to this, Gary!” Johnson said.
    Gary sighed and looked at what they were watching.  His face went white and his jaw fell at what he saw.  Over scenes of gore, the news anchor was trying to offer commentary but was losing the battle to his fear.
     
    “Oh my God!  He was just ripped apart!”
     
    On the screen, what appeared to be a fast moving mob poured into frame from the left and swarmed over a terrified man.  There was a frenzy of activity and screaming then… blood.  What was a human being only seconds before, was now being devoured.  Blood and viscera flowed on the ground as the horde fed.
    The Newscaster, visibly shaken, tried to maintain an air of professionalism, his voice betraying his efforts.
     
    “To our viewing audience, I can offer only my apologies.  This is live, unedited footage we are getting, but it confirms other reports, reports that what had first appeared in Colorado has now spread to neighboring states.  If you’re just joining us, we are now able to confirm that… well, I don’t know what to call it.  No official statement has come out of the CDC.  But as I say, what started as a specious report of… and I can’t believe I’m saying this, Zombies, has now been confirmed in Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas… and yes, my producer has just informed me, Oklahoma.   All states bordering Colorado.”
     
    Gary watched the horde move on. In their wake, nothing of their hapless victim was left.
    “Is this for real, Gary?  Are these real zombies?” Reggie asked.
    Gary felt clammy and cold.  Sweat beaded his forehead and words failed him.  On the television, the anchor continued his report.  The footage was gone and the newscaster stared, shell shocked into the camera.
     
    “What has caused this activity and why this is happening are questions we simply cannot answer at this time.  We can tell you that what we are seeing now, appears to have had its origins in Colorado.  The fact that there has been an almost total media blackout in Colorado and the imposition of travel restrictions to and from that state has been a story we have been trying to follow.  We can only speculate as to the link between those events and… what we are seeing here, but it appears… Well, we are going to show you some footage now that hit the wire several days ago, footage that at first, because of its fantastical nature was dismissed by every reputable news organization as a hoax, but now… now looks to be entirely truthful.”
     
    The image on the screen changed from the newscaster to jostling images from a handheld digital camera as the operator tried to get his shot.  When the footage settled down, images of some slow moving people were seen.  They shuffled along, seemingly mindless.  Their expression was wide eyed and slack jawed.  The News anchor tried to offer commentary.
     
    “This footage, I am told, is from Golden, Colorado.  Golden is a town West of Denver…  What we have learned is that some kind of infection or disease is spreading among the populace at a rate never before seen.  It appears to be transmitted by human… bite.  This is a developing story with precious little that we can confirm from official sources, but it seems that once infected, a person becomes highly aggressive and will attack anyone around them. After the attack, which seems to universally involve the infected viciously biting their victim, the infected appear to grow calm and return to normal.  Reports coming in seem to indicate that at some point thereafter,  within minutes, but certainly no longer than several hours, the subject then enters into… well, I’ve said it