Free Particle Z (Book 1) by Tim Scott

the Changed that were gathered outside. The convoy was on its way. The airport was about ten miles from their location on a good day, and today was anything but a good day. The first thing Mike noticed as he pressed his face up to one of the windows was the obvious. Chaos reigned supreme in a city that only hours before had been filled with businessmen and women trudging their way into work.
    Abandoned cars were everywhere. Many of the unlucky drivers had taken to the sidewalks in an effort to avoid the wave of misery that had descended upon the city. Shops were shut down or simply abandoned, and absent was the normal movement or sounds a person would generally hear on a Monday morning. The occasional individual or small group of people would appear at the sight of the convoy only be to torn down by the Changed that seemed to be roaming everywhere now. Davis was forced to be judicious with the application of the chain-guns as they moved further into the city, where normalcy was just now facing the horror that had begun at the Port. The Changed were bad enough; friendly fire would only exacerbate the situation.
    Mike was overwhelmed at the speed in which this nightmare was overtaking the city; glancing down at his watch, he was having trouble comprehending the fact only a few hours had passed since he had arrived at work. It was also incomprehensible to him that an entire city was on schedule to be reduced to a living morgue in less than a day if someone didn’t get this shit under control. What or who could have caused such a sick and violent end to so many innocent people kept running through his head; he didn’t have an answer but suspected Middle Eastern terrorists, most likely ISIS as they were sicker than even the sickest. Regardless, this would take months if not years to recover from.
    Mike hoped Julian would keep his word and let them know how bad the situation really was once they reached their destination, wherever that was. Then there was the issue of Marlee and this latent thing Julian kept mentioning. It sounded ominous but it could be worse, Mike thought, Marlee could be one of those things. He decided he would look at the positive side of things until that was no longer possible.
    He was unsure how Marlee ended up with some of the symptoms of the Change. The medical team had told him she was mark- and bite-free, so how she had contracted it was a mystery to him. Mike also knew for sure he wasn’t dreaming or imagining things, remembering with a shudder when those changed freaks got a look at Marlee’s eyes and went berserk. He felt sick to his stomach at what all of this meant for Marlee. If he was being honest with himself, Mike was also a little nervous. What if she completed her change and attacked them? He hadn’t figured out a way to prevent an event like that without pushing everyone around them even further toward the ragged edge. What did this mean for her future, and how would Mike protect her if she had a resemblance to one of the Changed? People tended to shoot first and ask questions later when faced with certain and painful death by flesh-hungry freaks.
    The MRAP ground to a sudden and bone-jarring halt, pulling Mike from his morbid contemplations. He waited for the impact of the trailing vehicles but was relieved when it didn’t happen.
    “Why did we stop?” Reid asked nervously, trying to get a look out one of the windows.
    Julian called up to the driver, “Why have we stopped?”
    I could’ve done that , was the look Mike clearly saw cross Reid’s face.
    “Mr. Fairchild, there’s trouble ahead. The highway’s blocked and it looks like secondary roads may be our only option if there isn’t a way around this mess,” the driver answered back.
    “How many vehicles need to be cleared?” Julian asked.
    “It’s not vehicles causing the problem, sir.”
    Julian stood up, in more of a stooped position than standing due to the cramped space inside the MRAP, and threaded his way past the