“Oh, shit! Sorry.” Shaw let Doc go and watched the color came back into his face.
Doc looked up at him, wheezing. “How the hell can you hug Allison and not kill the poor woman?”
Shaw laughed and slapped him on his back.
“We’re good, brother. I know where your head is. It’s cool, Shaw.”
Webb walked over. “We’ll find him, big man, you have my word on that.”
Webb then walked back over to the console in the CC and announced on the facility comms, “I need all hands on me ASAP.”
Within minutes, all were present. “Ok, here is our situation: We have lost communications with Priest and after a preliminary search, we can’t find him or his bike.” Lia’s eyes went wide.
Webb put his palms up, “Believe me; we will find him. I promise. Unfortunately, we have a bigger problem at the moment. These local fucks are leading a massive horde this way. Their plans are to have the infected storm this place, kill all of us, lead the infected away and then take the place for themselves. This is all speculation at this point, but we strongly believe that is their intentions from the get-go. So, our immediate effort is to address this large group of infected. Whether we kill them, redirect them or something in between, they are the immediate threat. I don’t like leaving Priest out there any more than you do, but we have to prioritize our risks and plan accordingly. We have a few ideas, but I want to hear from the scientist staff. Dr. Caulfield, any opinions?”
Dr. Caulfield looked at him quizzically, “You gentlemen are the problem solvers, why are you asking me?”
Webb walked closer to him, “Based on what little you know about the behavior and trends of the infected, we wanted to know your opinion on the matter.”
“Hmm, well, I believe once they focus in on this place, it will become a beacon for them. Once they realize they are uninfected in here, they will do everything they can, to get in. So they will need to be put down.”
Webb turned to Bethany. “Dr. Rand?”
“I would have to agree with Dr. Caulfield. They will key on this place. So, I believe you will have to deal with them again if not eliminated.”
“Duly noted. Dr. Holtz?” He wasn’t really paying attention. Once they brought the live specimen in, Dr. Holtz had been totally focused on it.
“Yeah, whatever. I agree with them,” he said with a wave of his hand.
“Okaaay, Dr. Santiago. Any opinion?”
“I really have little to offer. Once I spend more time with the specimen, then I will figure out where I stand on things.”
“Last but not least, Dr. Costa?”
“From interaction with these things, I believe they will have to be eliminated. Once, they have become focused on a potential killing field, they will focus and will continue to return. Especially if they have nothing else in the region to focus on.”
Webb nodded. “Ok, then eradication is our agreed upon solution?” All nodded in agreement “Then let’s plan for Armageddon.”
CHAPTER 41
Brody walked into Thomas’s makeshift office with a dejected air about him.
“Well?” Thomas asked, as he eyed the man.
“He ain’t going to tell us shit, and I don’t think he will help us get into the compound. Between you and me, that is one hard ass mother fucker. I’ve seen no one take that kind of punishment.”
“Hmm, well, if all those scars were any indicator…” Thomas made a face like the image repulsed him.
“You didn’t see all the ones on his back. It was like they whipped him like a dog.” Brody added.
“Ok, we haven’t dealt with anyone like him before, but no worries. We will see if his friends are as hard as he is. Bring his gear here, and we’ll see if we can contact his friends over at the facility. We will use him as a bargaining chip. If that doesn’t work, then I guess we will just let the infected do the dirty work. It’s much more cumbersome, but we have waited this long to take over. A few more weeks won’t kill us.” Thomas had a satisfied grin on his face.
A little while later, Brody returned with all of Priest’s gear and his communication equipment. Thomas patched it in to their equipment.
He looked at Brody, “Hopefully, it is still on the correct frequency.” Thomas keyed the mic. “Hello? Hello, I am trying to reach those in the CDC facility in Boone, North Carolina. Can you hear me?”
The Light Reaper Team had been planning their defense against the infected when a voice came over their comm system. The team looked at each other and then all turned to Webb. He cautiously walked over to the microphone like it was a rattlesnake ready to strike.