Run: A Post Apocalyptic Thriller Read Free

bizarre and eerie silence. 
    “Daddy? Daddy!”  
    Rick tore his gaze from the screen. 
    “Weren’t you listenin’?” Sam asked looking at him. 
    “Sorry honey, there was some important news on the TV,” Rick answered. The baggage carousel began to rotate, and luggage began to spit out from a square portal in the back wall. “Let’s get your stuff,” he finished. 
    A pink Littlest Pet Shop backpack came around on the carousel, and Sam shouted “That’s it!” Rick grabbed a strap and shouldered the pack. “How’s it look?” he asked. 
    “Daddy!” Sam barked, “It totally doesn’t go with those shoes.” 
    The pair walked from the airport terminal laughing. 
    A crowd had gathered in front of the silent TV, the baggage carousel forgotten. 
     

 
    2
     
    Sam had been in San Francisco for three days, and she readily went to bed between eight and nine. Rick and Sam had eaten some burgers from McDonalds for dinner, and he put her to bed at about eight thirty with her stuffed tiger from the newest Disney movie. She had gotten it in her Happy Meal, and was instantly in love. After carefully closing the door to his daughter’s room, Rick turned on the TV in his apartment. The TV was still buzzing with news about this outbreak. The words infection and plague were thrown about almost casually earlier in the day, but now the news anchors looked frightened.
    No real information was coming out of New England, and Rick couldn’t get in touch with his ex-wife Brenda, who had moved back east with Sam following their divorce three years ago. He was becoming more and more worried about his ex-wife. Brenda was the type to call every night to talk to Sam while she was visiting her father, and she hadn’t yet called. Not only that, but Rick couldn’t get in touch with her. Neither her home phone nor her cell was active. The home phone gave the “Not in Service” recording, and the cell went right to voicemail. He just couldn’t get through. Rick had a buddy in the SWAT program in Boston, but there was no reaching him either. 
    Suddenly the phone on the end table rang loudly. Rick picked it up on the first ring, as he didn’t want the phone waking Sam. “Hello?”
    “Rick, this is Meara, I’m gonna need you to come in tonight,” said a disembodied voice. 
    “Mike? You scared the ever-loving-shit out of me!” Rick breathed into the phone. 
    “Rick, you’ve got to come in tonight, no shit.”
    “Are you kidding, I’m on vacation, I’ve got my kid here, you know that!”
    “Cancelled, get a baby sitter. We’re calling in all uniforms and detectives. There’s some uber weird shit happening, something like what’s been happening on the east coast,” Mike said. 
    Rick’s blood went cold. He had been hearing some strange things on the news concerning this outbreak, people acting violent and attacking strangers. 
    “It’s ten o’clock, I can’t get there until 7 AM at the earliest. I can’t get a sitter until tomorrow.” Rick replied. “Maybe I can get my dad,” he added. 
    “That’ll have to do then,” Mike said. “See you in the morning.” 
    Mike hung up, and Rick followed suit, cursing under his breath. “How am I gonna tell Sam?” he thought. “She just got here and I need to go to work?” Rick picked the phone up and dialled his father. 
    “Hello?” Rick heard. “Hey Pop, how you doing?”
    “Rick! Hi! Are you guys still coming tomorrow?” Rick’s father asked. 
    “Yeah Dad, about that,” Rick started. 
    “Rick, if you cancel on me I’ll friggin’ kill you,” his dad said. “I haven’t seen Sammy in two years.” 
    “No, no Dad,” Rick began, “I got an emergency call to work, and I need you to take Sam for the day.” 
    “Oh, that’s ok, no problem. Is everything ok? It isn’t anything to do with this crap back east is it? I saw some stuff on the news about it, some type of super-rabies or something.” 
    “Might just be, Pop. Meara called and