Read A Darker Shade of Dead for Free Online
Authors: Bianca D'Arc
other doctor nodded in agreement.
âIâll take care of all of that,â Mariana volunteered. âPardon me for saying so, but you look awfully tired. I assume your trip down here took its toll on you. Why donât you grab a catnap in your quarters? The commander called a meeting for the entire team tomorrow. Youâre off duty until then. You might as well take advantage of it. Once the action starts picking up again, you probably wonât have time to breathe.â
Sandra had been told Mariana had dealt with the fallout of the outbreak at Quantico. The military had taken all the research team members into custody as soon as they realized what had happened. They had been sequestered and only allowed to research ways to stop the creatures. A few days of intense work had created the toxin the soldiers used to destroy the zombies. That was it. That was the only thing they had been allowed to work on after the initial outbreak.
They hadnât been allowed to see any of the victims or study their remains. They hadnât even been told about the single survivor of the SEAL team. Mariana, a doctor at a small base clinic near the edge of the training grounds and forest that surrounded the base, had been the only military doctor to treat a survivor. She probably knew better than anyone how tough things could get when zombies were on the loose.
âIâll take that advice.â Sandra pushed her hair back from her face with a weary hand. âIâm beat. I like driving, but this trip was just a little too long for my tastes.â
âWhy didnât you fly?â Sam asked, clearly curious.
âI wanted to pack up my personal belongings and bring some of them with me. Frankly, Iâm not crazy about flying and I really wanted to have my own wheels here.â She didnât like to tell people the main reasonâthat she was afraid because of what had happened to her dad. That was too personal. And it made her feel like a ninny to admit her fear.
âI guess I can understand that. Good thing you have the rest of the day to recover though,â Mariana said with a friendly grin. âThings have been quiet around here for the past day or two, but I have a feeling things are going to start to pick up any minute now. Starting with the team meeting Commander Sykes called for tomorrow. I think itâs the first time all of us will be in one place together. Itâll be interesting to see the full cast of characters that are involved now.â
âI guess itâs strange for you to have such a large and diversified team. You were one of the first to learn about the problem, werenât you?â Sandra asked conversationally.
âYeah, I found out the hard way. Damn zombies showed up on my porch with Simon right behind them, darts flying.â She shuddered at the memory. âAfter I saw the first one disintegrate, he had to tell me what was going on. Simon tried to keep my involvement a secret, but when the contagion spread and they asked him to help, I couldnât let him do it alone. Itâs strange to be part of such a large team though. At Quantico, Simon was the only one actively hunting the zombies.â
âReally? I wouldâve thought a lot more men would have been involved. They didnât tell us much, but I know the original six test subjects escaped and made more.â
âOh, yeah. Those six decimated a platoon of Marines and then all of Simonâs SEAL team. He was the only survivor.â
Sandra felt her heart clench in anguish. âThat many?â she whispered.
âYes, unfortunately.â Marianaâs tone had grown solemn as well. âHe took it hard. Heâd worked with some of those guys for years. He lost a lot of friends to the contagion.â
âThatâs awful.â The guilt Sandra felt compounded with every word.
âBut youâre on the team now and Iâm glad for it. Iâve been studying
âIâll take care of all of that,â Mariana volunteered. âPardon me for saying so, but you look awfully tired. I assume your trip down here took its toll on you. Why donât you grab a catnap in your quarters? The commander called a meeting for the entire team tomorrow. Youâre off duty until then. You might as well take advantage of it. Once the action starts picking up again, you probably wonât have time to breathe.â
Sandra had been told Mariana had dealt with the fallout of the outbreak at Quantico. The military had taken all the research team members into custody as soon as they realized what had happened. They had been sequestered and only allowed to research ways to stop the creatures. A few days of intense work had created the toxin the soldiers used to destroy the zombies. That was it. That was the only thing they had been allowed to work on after the initial outbreak.
They hadnât been allowed to see any of the victims or study their remains. They hadnât even been told about the single survivor of the SEAL team. Mariana, a doctor at a small base clinic near the edge of the training grounds and forest that surrounded the base, had been the only military doctor to treat a survivor. She probably knew better than anyone how tough things could get when zombies were on the loose.
âIâll take that advice.â Sandra pushed her hair back from her face with a weary hand. âIâm beat. I like driving, but this trip was just a little too long for my tastes.â
âWhy didnât you fly?â Sam asked, clearly curious.
âI wanted to pack up my personal belongings and bring some of them with me. Frankly, Iâm not crazy about flying and I really wanted to have my own wheels here.â She didnât like to tell people the main reasonâthat she was afraid because of what had happened to her dad. That was too personal. And it made her feel like a ninny to admit her fear.
âI guess I can understand that. Good thing you have the rest of the day to recover though,â Mariana said with a friendly grin. âThings have been quiet around here for the past day or two, but I have a feeling things are going to start to pick up any minute now. Starting with the team meeting Commander Sykes called for tomorrow. I think itâs the first time all of us will be in one place together. Itâll be interesting to see the full cast of characters that are involved now.â
âI guess itâs strange for you to have such a large and diversified team. You were one of the first to learn about the problem, werenât you?â Sandra asked conversationally.
âYeah, I found out the hard way. Damn zombies showed up on my porch with Simon right behind them, darts flying.â She shuddered at the memory. âAfter I saw the first one disintegrate, he had to tell me what was going on. Simon tried to keep my involvement a secret, but when the contagion spread and they asked him to help, I couldnât let him do it alone. Itâs strange to be part of such a large team though. At Quantico, Simon was the only one actively hunting the zombies.â
âReally? I wouldâve thought a lot more men would have been involved. They didnât tell us much, but I know the original six test subjects escaped and made more.â
âOh, yeah. Those six decimated a platoon of Marines and then all of Simonâs SEAL team. He was the only survivor.â
Sandra felt her heart clench in anguish. âThat many?â she whispered.
âYes, unfortunately.â Marianaâs tone had grown solemn as well. âHe took it hard. Heâd worked with some of those guys for years. He lost a lot of friends to the contagion.â
âThatâs awful.â The guilt Sandra felt compounded with every word.
âBut youâre on the team now and Iâm glad for it. Iâve been studying