Free Infection Z (Book 4) by Ryan Casey

strived for. All along, that’s what he’d been tasked with creating. Part of his position. His position as the Minister of New Britain. A responsibility he’d been handed years ago, when he just worked as an MP in government. He never thought he’d see the day where an emergency election was called in. Where he was forced to actually lead a group of people. A society. A country.
    But he stood here. Looked out at the city. Looked out at his people.
    It wasn’t a dream.
    It was real.
    It was happening.
    “Got some more incoming, too. From the east.”
    “And nobody thought to pick them up? You know as well as I do how bustling the city is right now.”
    “It’s not as easy as just picking people up. People see this place and they aren’t as willing. We can take them to redistribution centres but it just… well, what happened at Crewe. What happened in Luton. Those things happen. And then when those people get out, they know about this place. People living here, they let the migrants in. Let them share their food. Share their warmth. Sorry, but I think… I think this place is getting unsustainable.”
    Unsustainable.
    The word made Terrance’s face twitch.
    He turned away from the window. Looked right back at Luis. “You say there’s another group incoming. How many?”
    Luis puffed out his lips. “Five hundred to a thousand.”
    Terrance shook his head. “Five-hundred to…”
    “We can always try the alternative method. The backup plan. You know.”
    Terrance thought about Luis’ words. He didn’t like considering the backup plan. It wasn’t ideal. It was reckless. And it ran a very real risk of backfiring on his entire leadership. A risk he wasn’t sure he was willing to take.
    But a risk he’d have to contemplate. Eventually.
    He looked back at the window. Looked out at his beautiful world.
    “We allow the migrants inside. Monitor the situation. For now.”
    Terrance heard Luis’ voice crackle like he was going to say something else.
    And then he sighed. Nodded. “Very well, Mr Schumer.”
    He walked away from the window. Left Terrance to look outside.
    “I do envy your view sometimes, sir.”
    Terrance smiled. “I’m a lucky man.”
    “We’re all lucky men, I guess.”
    “Yes. Yes, we are.”
    Luis walked out of Terrance’s room. Closed the door behind him.
    Terrance thought about returning to his meditation. Thought about picking it up again, right here, right now.
    Instead, he looked out at the city.
    Looked out at the streets.
    Looked out at the barbed fences.
    Looked out at the towering wall.
    The border between the old world and the new world.
    The border the migrants were approaching in their droves.
    The border he had to control.
    Somehow.

Chapter Fourteen
    “ W e’re lucky we only lost one. Coulda been a lot worse.”
    Hayden walked alongside Miriam. The sun was low, the day merging into night. Still pretty warm, though. Nice weather recently. A day his parents would’ve called an “early bloomer”. Summer rearing its head weeks before its true emergence.
    Hayden had always liked summer. Just unfortunate he’d never really taken the time to enjoy it in his adult life, choosing booze, pizza, video games and a darkened bedroom as much more suitable company.
    He looked at the fields ahead. The Salvation prison was way behind. They’d sprinted out of the gates and found their way out of the place easily. Much easier than he’d expected. Didn’t know why. There was something wrong with the place; he knew that much. Something quiet about the place on their way out. Something… off.
    The ease the group of twenty-something found getting away from the prison discomforted Hayden. Because no place was quite so easy to flee without a secret.
    “Not sure your people agree all that much.”
    Miriam looked over her shoulder. Looked back at the prisoners, following. “Yeah, well. They’re afraid. It’s new territory for them out here. And don’t call them ‘my people’.