Free August Burning (Book 1): Outbreak by Tyler Lahey Page B

the
evacuations.
    Troy eased to a quick stop in front of
the wardroom, with his lungs calmly asking for just a little more air. He was
hardly out of breath, and sprung up the steps, past the little flagpole. He
entered without knocking, and burst into the main room. The same squat, salty
sergeant he was familiar with sat behind a cheap wooden desk. Troy saw he had
interrupted a conversation. The head of the ROTC program, an active duty Army
Major, stood hunched over the desk. At Troy’s arrival he straightened
noticeably, though it did little to fill out his baggy summer dress uniform.
    Troy clicked his heels together and
snapped out a quick salute, his eyes forward. The major returned it lazily.
“Who’s this?”
    “Cadet Troy McAdams, sir. I had a
question for the sergeant, sir.”
    Graciously, the sergeant nodded in
approval. Perhaps he wasn’t such a dick after all, Troy mused. “Troy’s one of
the toughest kids in the unit, sir. He’s going for Ranger school after he
collects his commission.”
    Troy felt the major’s eyes appraising
him for a brief second, before he looked back to the sergeant. “Remember what I
told you,” he snapped. The major walked briskly out of the room, and slammed
the door as he exited.
    Both men relaxed visibly. The sergeant
eyed Troy ruefully. “What are you doing here?”
    “What the hell is going on?”
    The seated man bristled. “Check your
tone. We’re not buddies.”
    Troy leaned closer, softening his eyes
and meeting the man’s gaze without faltering. “Jim, c’mon we are buddies. You
know me. Help me out here. Give me something, anything. I haven’t heard
anything since the program was frozen last night.”
    The sergeant relaxed slightly, and
then sighed deeply. “Look, Troy. You should get out of the city.” He spoke
carefully and slowly. His steely gaze never left Troy’s own.
    Troy didn’t speak, but continued to
stare, willing the man for more information.   “Lord. Alright, look. You need to start thinking hard and
fast about moving south. You think this evacuation is going to be contained to
those three states? It’s far beyond that. They’re calling up all reserves and
the Guard. Even the battalions from the West Coast. This is no fucking joke.”
    Troy whistled appreciatively, and
grinned brazenly. “A little action closer to home. About damn time. I coul-“ He
stopped midsentence as the sergeant’s hand gripped his collar in an iron vise.
He drew close enough to smell the coffee on his breath, staring at him with
furious eyes.
    “Listen here you arrogant prick.
There’s some kind of infection in New York. Turns people mad, into animals. The
Army is there, right now, trying to put it down with the ruthless application
of measured violence. If they fail, we could lose the seaboard.” Troy felt
himself withering under that relentless gaze. He could see the beads of sweat
forming on the man’s forehead, and traveling down his nose.
    The sergeant released him. “And if you
didn’t know that already, everyone here is about to find out within the hour
anyways. Get outta here cadet.” The sergeant plopped back into his seat, all
the fire gone. Once again, he looked exhausted and harmless.
    When Troy emerged to the sounds of
spring outside, he realized his heart had been pounding inside. He took a
series of deep breaths, mulling over the words. The ruthless application of measured violence . He was scared.
Anyone who wasn’t, was a fool. But he also felt unconditionally alive. With a
jump, he sprinted down the block.

 
    The girl behind the counter was
bagging her items with painful ambivalence. Her beady little eyes were fixed on
the TV monitor above the cash register, and her mouth opened and closed. “Hi!
Can we speed this up please!?” To her own disappointment, Harley’s voice rang
out shrill.
    The cashier regarded Harley curiously,
as if she were an interesting antique. Then her eyes flicked back up to the
screen. She continued to move