Rise of the Prepper: A Story of the Coming Collapse Read Free

right now?"
    "Yes. They are working 'round the clock but they still don't have a definitive cure. They say that it could take weeks or months at most."
    "We don't have that kind of time. Going by how fast this virus works, half of the country's population would be wiped out by the time a cure is found!" Hillary nearly screamed.
    Sheila flinched. "I'm sorry."
    Composing herself, Hillary shook her head. "No, I'm sorry for raising my voice."
    "Has the virus infected civilians yet?"
    "None that we know of so far but we're diligently looking out for any word of an infection among the general public."
    Hillary nodded thoughtfully. "Good, good. When this gets out to the public and they learn how this virus got made, we can't protest our innocence, not when the government publicly signed the Biological and Toxin Weapons Conventions back in '72. We hoped that signing that convention would strengthen America's modern warfare—not kill our citizens!"
    Hillary slumped in her chair, suddenly feeling drained. "What has the world come to, Sheila?"
    "Your guess is as good as mine, Madame President."
    Hillary sighed. “We have to find out exactly what happened at the lab. In the meantime, we’ve got to get everything under control and take great precautions to not let this virus spread out too far.”
    “Understood.” Sheila nodded.
    "What's our next move?"
    "For now, we have to get you to safety, ma'am. A helicopter is already headed this way and will be here in a few minutes."
    *****
    Hillary and Sheila stood side by side outside of the White House, waiting for the helicopter to arrive. They didn't have to wait long before the Marine One appeared. It landed on an open field, scattering grass and sand everywhere violently. The whirring of the helicopter's blades blasted in Hillary's ears.
    "The chopper's here, ma'am. It will take you to the Mountain Weather Emergency Operations Center in Bluemont." Sheila escorted her onto the waiting aircraft.
    Before getting on, she paused and looked at the person who had been her most trusted confidant. "Will you be all right?"
    Her Chief of Staff gave her an assuring smile. "I'll do my best. We'll all do our best. Don't worry."
    Hillary nodded and got on the helicopter. Sheila watched the helicopter lift off and fly away. "Yeah, we'll try our best." She said. "But there's no guarantee that we’ll survive."
     

 
    Chapter Four: Ghost Town
    [April 8, 2016 – Seven Days after the Outbreak]
                  Seth was in his truck, driving to his favorite coffee shop in Boone called Hazel Brews. It was his habit to stop over Hazel every morning to have a cup of coffee. The road to Hazel Brews was narrow, just enough for one vehicle at a time. The coffee shop was located in a bit of a secluded area in the corner of town but Seth wasn’t complaining because they made the best coffee he’d ever had. The road leading to it was smooth and well-paved. It was also situated near a small river, so driving there offered a pretty, scenic view.
                  Seth focused on his driving, not once taking his eyes off the road. As pretty as the river was, there were some pesky critters that liked to cross the road when drivers least expected it. He won’t be responsible for running over some chipmunk.
                  A few more minutes of driving and he’d be at Hazel Brews ordering a cup of his morning caffeine boost. He was leisurely coasting along when he noticed a blue Chevrolet pickup. It looked old and well-used. It was parked halfway off the small road. Can’t say that he found it odd to find a car parked out there that early in the morning. Hikers came to Boone all the time to go see Silver Stretch Falls and spend their mornings chilling by it.
                  Still, something about the scene made him feel uneasy. Call him paranoid but years in law enforcement had honed his instincts. He can tell when something was wrong.
                  He