Free Plague Town by Dana Fredsti Page B

replied.
    “So far, humans are the only viable host, which is a blessing. If it could be spread by another vector—the way fleas spread what started as the bubonic plague—well, 75 million people were claimed by the Black Death between 1347 and 1351.”
    “No offense, but that doesn’t really answer my question.”
    “No... no, I suppose it doesn’t.” Simone leaned back in her chair, pushing her hair off her forehead as she massaged her temples.
    I glared at her.
    “So stop ‘infantilizing’ me.”
    “I’m sorry, Ashley.” She looked sincere. “Habits of a lifetime are hard to break. I’ll try to answer your questions as best I can.”
    I nodded, somewhat mollified. I began to speak, but something she’d said sidetracked me.
    “What do you mean, ‘started as’ the bubonic plague?”
    “I mentioned three outbreaks. The plague reached Sicily in October 1347, along with an outbreak of the walking death. Both diseases spread throughout Europe, nearly wiping out civilization. That catastrophe was, point of fact, what brought the splinter groups together.”
    “So what if there’s an outbreak that can’t be contained?” I repeated. “Nuke time?”
    “I hope not.” Simone stared at me grimly. “In this instance, special units trained to deal with this were mobilized immediately after the first sighting. But—” She paused, a frown furrowing her brow. “Something’s different this time. We haven’t located the source of this particular outbreak. It’s showing up spontaneously in pockets of populations, which would suggest that it’s mutated to an airborne pathogen. But so far tests have negated the possibility.”
    “So you don’t know why it’s spreading?”
    “No,” she admitted. “And to make things worse, the symptoms start out very much like a bad case of the flu. Specifically, Walker’s.”
    That sent a shiver down my spine, and I stared at her, horrified. Zara’s eyes had shown the same jaundiced, bloodshot whites. I wondered if my roommate was stillalive, or if she’d died in blood-soaked agony, only to reanimate as a hungry, walking corpse.
    The door opened and Gabriel dashed in. He addressed Simone as if I wasn’t even there.
    “Professor Fraser, Alpha Team found another pocket in a tourist stop ten miles up the road.” He paused and added, “It’s definitely spreading.”
    “Any more symptoms amongst the teams?”
    Gabriel nodded.
    “Three more Alphas are showing initial symptoms and another was bitten. I’ve quarantined them.”
    Simone took a deep breath and then let it out slowly.
    “Damn. This isn’t good. We’re running out of manpower far too quickly.”
    “I know. But I think we may also have another wild card—the soldier who was bitten.” He paused, then added, “It’s Gentry.”
    Simone blanched.
    “Oh, I hope you’re right. He’s a good man. I’d hate to lose him.”
    “He has a nasty wound on one leg, but seems to be shaking off the infection. Just like Ashley.” Gabriel nodded at me, his gaze skittering away when I made eye contact. “The outcome looks good.”
    Simone immediately brightened.
    “That is good news. I’ll be along to see him after I’ve finished briefing Ashley.”
    Gabriel nodded and left the room.
    “Briefing?” I tried to laugh, but it came out more like a feeble cough. “That sounds awfully military.”
    Simone sighed.
    “It is, Ashley. Which leads me to the real reason you’re here.”
    I didn’t like the sound of that, but I waited for her to elaborate. She didn’t disappoint me.
    “You are part of less than point-zero-zero-one percent of the population who can survive being bitten by azombie.” She stared intently at me. “You are what we refer to as a wild card.”
    I tried not to laugh.
    Do we all get membership cards and decoder rings with our Dr. Tachyon fan club?
    “Not only does some genetic predisposition enable you to survive a bite without becoming one of the walking dead,” she continued, “but