Free The Dead Don't Bleed: Part 1, The Outbreak by S. Ganley Page A

against possible methane exposure , the area immediately surrounding the epicenter of the earthquake is being cordoned off while authorities assess the potential dangers of this event. Residents caught inside the zone..." at this point the view cut away to a computer animated map of southern New Jersey with a red circle drawn over an area several miles in diameter, "are asked to remain in their homes for the time being to limit their exposure to methane fumes. Anyone within the highlighted area suffering from sudden flu like symptoms, dizziness or nausea is asked to call the 1-800 number being displayed on your screen at this time. Doctors and health experts will offer advice on over the counter medications as well as home remedy treatments to help with your symptoms. Health officials are asking that residents avoid going to hospitals and local health clinics except in dire medical emergencies, those facilities throughout the area have experienced large crowds of symptomatic patients that are stretching their resources and making it difficult to treat those with more urgent medical needs. Health experts are telling us that exposure to the gas will only result in a temporary period of flu like symptoms that is easily treatable with over the counter medications, rest and by limiting further exposure to the methane."
    The report continued on and explained that as a precautionary measure, roadblocks have been set up on major thoroughfares leading into the area and traffic is being diverted around the impacted zones. The camera once again panned across the soldiers and state police officers manning the roadblock on the western edge of the zone. Garrett remembered the news segment from the day before about a minor earthquake in that same region and how unusual it was for that area of New Jersey. What he found really interesting about this particular report was that it occurred to him that it was pretty much utter bullshit. A methane gas leak could not possibly impact an area so many square miles in diameter. Plus, the use of armed troops in full chemical warfare gear backed up with armored vehicles pointed to something much more significant. The first thing that came to his mind was some kind of biological or chemical attack by terrorists. He had serious doubts that methane gas would be responsible for the type of symptoms the news just reported. First of all he knew that the gas was not toxic, while it could cause respiratory problems when in a situation where the amount of methane displaced the majority of available oxygen such as in underground mine shafts. Out in the open environment the worst he thought that could happen was danger from an open flame causing a flash fire or explosion. While he was no doctor or scientist he thought that the symptoms being described by the reporter were a little extreme and unlikely. Garrett flipped the channels and saw that at least three other networks were carrying the same story. Two of the other networks were showing video from roadblocks along different stretches of road leading into the area, in each case a similar deployment of soldiers and state police w as visible. Garrett thought that at least an entire mechanized brigade was being used to support this effort. The patches on their uniforms identified them as National Guard troops and Garrett was pretty sure that it took a minimum of a presidential order to activate such forces on American soil. Whatever was really going on inside that sealed off section of New Jersey was something that must have the highest levels of leadership worried and that thought alone made him shiver.
    After watching the news reports continue until they pretty much started repeating the same information along with a video loop of the same images he had already seen multiple times , he switched the television off and finished getting ready for his run. He was now pushing his available time to the limit but was still determined to get at least a three mile run