Once Bitten, Twice Dead - By Bianca D'Arc Page 0,79
in your 0900 report.”
“How about the creature count at Bragg? Any increase?”
“No, sir.” That was the one small blessing in this whole messed-up situation. “After the initial creature that spread the infection before I came on scene, the instance of new cases has been minimal.”
“I’m concerned that we haven’t been able to locate the source of that initial creature. Where there’s one, there’s bound to be more. If someone is experimenting with the contagion in North Carolina, we need to find them and stop them.”
“Yes, sir.” Matt couldn’t agree more. It was how he was supposed to accomplish that feat with not a single clue to work with that had him stymied.
The admiral sighed audibly. “All right. Keep me advised. I’ll expect your next report tomorrow at 0900. If anything big happens in the meantime, call me directly. I don’t care what time it is.”
Matt was impressed by the instruction. Very few admirals would welcome being awakened in the middle of the night by a ringing phone. For that matter, very few admirals would have asked Matt to call after a dinner meeting. Matt knew this number was the admiral’s private encrypted cell phone, which he kept with him at all times. Most likely, the man was at home right now, after having put in a long day at the office.
After a short good-bye, Matt disconnected the call. The admiral’s dedication to the mission was inspiring. It gave Matt hope that Uncle Sam wasn’t trying to sweep this problem under the rug. When this was all over, Matt might still have a career left.
That question had been running through his mind for a while now. He knew where all the bodies were buried, after all. That could either work out to be a very good thing for him career-wise, or a very bad thing. Which it would ultimately prove to be was still up for grabs.
This early in the autumn, the night air wasn’t all that cold. The campus was hopping with life in the main areas as Xavier and Sarah drove through in her patrol car. They made a quick stop at the security office to let the campus cops know they planned to conduct a search on the premises. They had a little trouble with a supervisor until Xavier placed a call and had the rent-a-cop set straight.
“Lot of people around here,” Xavier commented as they rolled slowly around the loop road that ringed the perimeter of the main areas of the big campus. There was a network of smaller roads passing through the center of the grounds surrounded by wooded areas beyond the loop road.
“It’s well-lit, too. Even at night. Chances are the zombies won’t want to get caught in the lights near the center of campus.”
“They’ll be in the woods.”
“Yeah, but where? Nearly the whole campus has pockets of dense trees.”
“Well, they need someplace to hide during the day. Are there any dorms or empty buildings near one of the larger thickets of trees?”
Sarah thought for a moment. “Over near the train station.” She swung the car around. “It’s a spur of the Long Island Railroad that doesn’t get much activity compared to the rest of the system.”
The tracks were dark. Only the small station was lit by a few lonely light posts when they arrived. Sarah parked her patrol car near the edge of the big commuter lot. There were a number of cars still parked, waiting for their owners. The school offered night classes for those who worked during the day and Sarah knew more than a few students would be either walking to their cars or catching a late train in a few hours’ time as the night classes ended.
The tracks themselves were kept free of debris. Only scrubby weeds grew here and there—those that had escaped the conscientious LIRR trimming crews this time. The trees were well back from the tracks, but dense.
“Over there.” Xavier spoke in low tones. “If I were a zombie, I’d go for a spot like that.”
She saw what he meant. The gloom was intense. And to top it all off, a light layer of fog was beginning to form low to the ground. Fog wasn’t too unusual in certain areas of Long Island, especially at this time of year, but it still creeped Sarah out.
“Will that fog get any thicker?” Xavier asked.
“Not likely. Fog isn’t too prevalent out here. Just in certain spots and under certain weather conditions. Of course, I could be wrong.”