Free Scourge - A Medical Thriller (The Plague Trilogy Book 3) by Victor Methos

from a sinking ship. Only two planes remained by the time we ran into the terminal. The crowds of people took my breath away. They were smashed in like cattle, but even cattle seemed to have a sense of decency to the other cattle. There, I saw full-grown men kick little girls to get ahead of them in line. I saw the young injuring the old, the strong injuring the weak, the smart injuring the dumb… anyone with any type of advantage was using it now to harm everyone else around them.
    “The poor clerks at the counter were shouting, trying to calm everyone down. Explaining to them that there was only so much room on the planes and that not everybody would be allowed to board. I don’t know who fired the first shot, whether it was one of the airport police or one of the potential passengers, but I know that after that first one, a series of back and forth started. We ducked low and headed for the escalators as the sound of gunfire filled the airport and the crowds ran. But they weren’t running away, they were running toward the gates and the last two planes.
    “To take three spots on that plane would mean three other people wouldn’t be able to leave. That didn’t sit well with me, considering how many families were there. But Luther told me, ‘You can’t think that way anymore. You can’t think about their survival or the survival of your friends. Look around you, Sam. This is the end of the world. You have to think about the survival of your species. And right now, you have the best chance of developing something that can stop this madness. You have to survive.’ I don’t know if I believed the part about me being the best chance to develop a vaccine or a cure, or even to find one that had already been developed, but I knew I had a better chance than anyone else at that airport. In terms of survival of the species, I had to get on one of those planes.
    “The gates were guarded by several airport police, all with their guns drawn. You should have seen these men. Barely in their twenties, shaking, their faces pale with fright. They looked like kids in Halloween costumes. I don’t think they ever expected for a second that they would have to draw their weapons. We ran to the first one, a young kid probably no more than nineteen. He swung his gun around at us and shouted, ‘Don’t come any closer!’
    “I held up my hands. Slowly, I reached down to the lanyard around my neck that held my identification from the CDC. I held it up. ‘My name is Dr. Samantha Bower with the Centers for Disease Control. I’m a virologist. I’m studying this outbreak and trying to find a vaccine. I need to get on one of those planes and get out of the city.’
    “He glanced around but didn’t budge. ‘You’re lying,’ he shouted. ‘You’re all lying!’
    “ ‘This is my identification. Look at it. It has a watermark . It can’t be forged. This man next to me is a physician as well. He’s helping me find a way to stop this.’ I paused. ‘I know you have family somewhere, family you’re worried about. I’m trying to help them, too. The only way to stop this is if someone finds a vaccine. Otherwise, our entire species will become like them .’
    “The boy swallowed and looked down at Jessica. ‘Who’s she?’
    “ I placed my hands on her shoulders. ‘My daughter.’ He stood there a long time, his gun aimed at us. The crowds grew more restless. Even with guns, the police wouldn’t be able to hold them back for long.
    “ ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘Back there, now. Now, go!’
    “We ran. I clutched Jessica’s arm , and we ran past the two officers in front of the gate then one of the airline employees. The crowds behind us became enraged. I could hear their roars. Shots were fired, and people screamed… but I didn’t look back.”
     
     
    “On the plane, I could see that most of the seats were taken , but there were some empty ones. These quickly filled with employees of the airlines. No announcements came, nothing