The Pandemic Sequence (Book 1): The Tilian Virus Read Online Free

But, the signs and symptoms are there. My best guess is that she’s four months along…” The doctor’s voice trailed off.
    “Dammit,” uttered the lieutenant under his breath.
    Michelle looked to Mike, seeing the concern clearly etched across his face. “I don’t understand. Why is it a security issue?”
    From behind him, Mike heard his second in command’s voice, his tone a mix of pity and compassion.
    “Because, we don’t know if the virus is still airborne. Or if the baby would be immune to it.”

Chapter Three
     
    Sometime in the early hours of Wednesday, the glare of the television had lulled Mike into a brief, dreamless sleep. As the haze of slumber slid off him, he stretched his arms and legs, and was surprised to find himself still on the couch. Mike’s senses began to process his surroundings—the stiffness in his neck, the color images and the low hum of voices from the flat screen. The serenity of those first wakeful seconds was shattered as the previous day’s events came flooding back.
    Reaching for the remote, Mike raised the volume as he sat upright on the sagging couch. Gazelle dashed from her dog bed on the side of the couch and leapt into his lap, covering his face with licks.
    “Hey girl, good morning,” Mike laughed as he scratched her ears and neck. He moved her to his side as his focus drifted back to the broadcast. The anchor, a blonde woman in her mid-thirties, had clearly not found any rest of her own since he had last seen her, hours earlier. Normally a fresh-faced evening newsreader, this morning the strain of round-the-clock reporting was evident.
    Scientists now believed that the flu was a mutated strain of a virus called Inclusion Body Disease virus found in snakes. It was, however, still too early to discern how transmission to humans occurred. Great , Mike thought, first birds, then pigs, now snakes .
    A doctor was introduced by the anchor and he proceeded to list the early signs of infection. They were the standard symptoms of any flu. Elevated temperature, nausea, body aches and chills. His advice at this time was to seek treatment at the first onset of the symptoms.
    “No shit, ya think?” Mike said to no one. As if in response, his cell phone began to ring.
    “Hello?”
    “Mike, it’s Jim Ashcroft,” came the voice on the line. Jim was the principal at the high school. An affable man, he was well-liked by both staff and students. He had been head of the school for well over ten years, one of the longest serving principals in the district.
    “Hey, Jim. What’s up?” Mike asked.
    “I’m sure you have seen the news by now. Are you okay?”
    “Yeah, I feel fine. How about you?”
    There was a slight crack in Jim’s voice as he informed Mike that both his wife and her mother, who lived with them, had taken ill with the flu.
    “I’m sorry, Jim. Is there anything I can do?”
    “Well, the county has made the decision for schools to be open today.”
    Mike was rather surprised to hear that.
    “With so many parents either in the hospital themselves or caring for loved ones, the superintendent felt that the schools could help out the families by staying open so that the kids that aren’t sick have a place to go and at least two meals to eat,” the principal explained. “If you’re able, we could really use you today. If you have family to care for I totally understand.”
    With all of Mike’s family in the Northeast, he agreed to the request. After ending the call with his boss, he went to his home phone and dialed his parents’ house. No answer. He next tried calling his brother and sister-in-law. Again, no answer. Finally, he was able to reach his aunt on his mother’s side. She informed him that his father had taken his mother to the hospital late the night before. Likewise, his sister-in-law was at the hospital with both his brother and their young daughter. As she continued to update him, Mike pulled out his laptop and began searching for flights home.