Free The Pandemic Sequence (Book 1): The Tilian Virus by Tom Calen Page B

family in the area, he did not want to ignore the needs of the others. Agreeing to discuss it further in the morning, the three let the conversation drift to an end. Soon, he could hear the steady shallow breathing of Derrick and Erik as they slept.
     
    * * *
     
    Michelle was the first to wake, with the others quickly following suit. Though the room held no sunlight, the natural rhythm of the body brought them all out of their slumber. Mike informed the group of the plan of action he had devised during the night’s isolation.
    No sounds from the hall beyond the barricaded door were detected. Within half an hour the team to search the school—Mike, Derrick, Blaine, Erik, Josh, and Jenni—were loading weapons and ammunition onto their bodies. The others watched with worry, knowing how deadly dangerous yesterday afternoon’s excursion had been. Though sharing some of their concern, the six prepared themselves with greater confidence due to their previous success in collecting the guns from the patrol cars.
    Jenni Calente had insisted on being part of the group. With stereotypical minds, the males of the group at first balked at the demand. Derrick especially had wanted to keep her out of harm’s way. But the lean and agile senior would not be dissuaded. As the youngest of five, all brothers before her, she had grown up hunting, fishing, and camping. She was as adept with a firearm as she was with her hair straightener. Jenni often joked that she was an “Ah ha” baby, as the youngest of her brothers was seven years her senior. They had long since graduated from the high school and had moved to various parts of the state, with one establishing a residence in California. Though her 5’5” frame was diminutive in comparison to the others of the search party, her years playing soccer had conditioned and strengthened her body well. Her athletic prowess was matched by her intellect. At the last grading period, Jenni had been ranked fifth in her class. The combination of brains and brawn had secured her a full scholarship at the state school. Sensing a no-win argument, the others soon relented and she took her spot among the search party.
    Mike’s watch showed him that it was a little after 7:00 AM, as four students pushed aside the vending machine. Though a night had passed, he felt like his last two adventures in the hall had occurred only moments before. As much as he wished to remain in the relative safety of the faculty room, he knew that answers and help could only be attained beyond the door he now opened.
    Having passed on the revolver, which Erik now carried, the history teacher had armed himself with two semi-automatic handguns. Derrick had informed him that they were Beretta 92FSs, though the classification held no meaning to him. During the night, he had practiced loading and unloading the weapons to prevent any fumbling that could change the outcome from life to death. Checking that the hall was indeed free of infected, he motioned for the others to file out after him.
    Travelling down the stairs was more difficult than the day before as the bodies of their attackers lay in a congested mass on each step. As they passed the front office, Mike made note that while they might not have encountered any hostility thus far, the front courtyard was once again filled with roaming figures.
    A corridor to their left led to the Math pod, and was the first of the seven pods the group planned to search. The hall was lined with trophy cases displaying past glories of the school’s athletic teams. Their reflections in the glass startled Mike as he saw himself fully for the first time since this nightmare had begun. His clothes were stained with blood, one shirt sleeve torn where the sheriff had grabbed him. The back pockets of his jeans bulged heavily with the magazines he had stuffed into them. His face was drawn and haggard, which was perhaps the biggest shock to him. Twenty-four hours earlier he had looked similar to those