Fall of Night (Dead of Night 2)

“What are you saying?” demanded the president.

“What I’m saying, sir, is that we cannot afford the luxury of treating anyone as potentially uninfected. We have to respond as if every person coming across those fields is a carrier. Every single one.”

The president got to his feet and towered over Blair. “Are you insane?”

“No, sir. You asked for my recommendation. That is the only possible course of action.”

“I refuse to accept that, goddamn it.”

Blair rose as well. “Refusing to accept the truth about Lucifer 113 is what brought us to this point, Mr. President. We have acted timidly and slowly from the beginning and we are fighting an uphill battle.”

“Those are survivors?”

Blair pointed a finger at the screen. “They’re already dead!”

“No,” said the president with a stubborn shake of his head. “Simeon Zetter will contain this.”

Blair gaped at him, simply unable to speak.

On the screen, with every second that passed, the images told a story that anyone with eyes could understand, but everyone with hearts refused to accept.

Except for Blair.

CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR

STEBBINS LITTLE SCHOOL

STEBBINS, PENNSYLVANIA

Dez and Trout called a meeting of as many of the adults as could be spared from guard duty and childcare. Trout suggested that everyone meet them downstairs in the gymnasium.

“Why here?” asked Dez as she and Trout went down to wait for them to gather. “People died down there today.”

“Right,” he told her. “Where better to make your point about how safe the school isn’t?”

“You want me to play these people?”

“Of course I do, Dez. Play them and then lead them, because you are the best chance we all have of getting out of here.”

Dez studied him for a moment, then gave him a small, wicked smile. “If we ever get ourselves out of this thing, Billy, I’m going to bang your eyes crooked.”

“You’ve done that more than once.”

“I ain’t saying we’re getting back together, but … yeah, I think a littler recreational yee-haw might take some of the edge off.”

“That’s all it’ll be?” he said, arching an eyebrow. “Something to settle the nerves?”

“You have a problem with that?”

“Not even a little one.”

Dez bent and gave him a quick, wet, delicious kiss. But instead of the quick catch-and-release he expected, she took his face in both hands and

looked deeply into his eyes. Her smile faded away completely.

“I—wasn’t screwing around back there.”

“When?”