AB (The Blake Reynolds Chronicles Book 1) by Bret Dee Landon Read Free Book Online

will
return to your seat. If you are A or B blood type, you will be escorted by an
MP to a temporary holding area that we have set up. You will remain there until
further notice.”
    Everyone
immediately looked at their dog tags. Most of the men had seen multiple tours
of duty in combat zones, but that couldn’t prepare them for this. Slowly, they
all walked to the back of the room. Blake and Stetson were two of the first soldiers
in line.
    Blake let out a
long breath and tipped his head all the way back as he stepped in line. He knew
that he wouldn’t be infected. He also knew that his family wouldn’t be
infected.
    But as Stetson
stepped forward, his shoulders curled forward, which caused his chest to cave
in. He had the blank stare of a dead man. Before Stetson reached the MP, he turned
to Blake with a face that had turned ashen white. “Blake, I want you to promise
me one thing: If I get sick and start to turn into one of those things, I want
you to take me out. Can you promise me that?”
    Blake stared
back at his lifelong friend with a fake grin. “I’m sure that it won’t come to
that.”
    Stetson grabbed
Blake’s shoulders tightly. “Promise me!”
    Blake dropped
his sad eyes to the floor and muttered, “I promise.”
    When they reached
the front of the line, Stetson’s tag was checked and then he was escorted out
of the room by two MPs. Just as he was about to walk out the door, he glanced
back one last time to look at Blake. It was the look of a man headed to the
gallows to be hanged. Blake knew that he would never be able to get that look
out of his head for the rest of his life.
    As Blake
returned to his seat, his heart was heavy and survivor’s guilt started to set
in. He found himself wanting to be at Stetson’s side.
    The separation took
about twenty minutes. The ones that remained in the commons area sat there,
mostly staring blankly at the floor taking shallow breaths.
    Blake sat in
silence, staring at his dog tag. He was worried for his friend. His thoughts
then shifted to his wife and daughter. He knew that Tara was type O because she
had given him blood on the battlefield once when he had been wounded in
Afghanistan. He assumed that his daughter was type O as well, because both of
her parents were. But he wondered what would happen to them if people started
changing like the doctor had described. However, he was a soldier first and
couldn’t just leave the base to go save them. Blake clenched his fists angrily,
hating feeling so conflicted.

 

Day 4: Tara

 
    Tara clutched
the TV remote tightly. She had sent Kaya into her room to play with her toys.
The TV stations were reporting about the infection that was spreading around
the world. As she scanned the channels, she watched video footage of the
carnage that was taking place. The non-infected people were being hunted down,
killed, and slaughtered. The non-infected were trying to stay alive by banding
together with militia groups in neighborhoods. Some reports showed vigilantes
roaming the streets, killing anyone that might be non-O blood types.
    One of the
experts gave his opinion about how this was the beginning of an alien invasion,
and a reporter said this was God’s punishment for the wicked ways of the world.
But the most common topic was that the non-O blood types were at risk.
    The news also reported
what the different countries around the world were doing to prepare for the
infections before they ran out of time. Some nations were doing nothing, and
others ordered prayer and fasting. Some countries had even started executing
all potentially infected citizens, while others waited until the infection
started before executing and burning the bodies.
    One advantage
that Tara had when she was in the military was that she was well informed about
what really was happening in world events. She hated this feeling of being out
of the loop.
    It was late
morning before Tara couldn’t take it anymore.
    She had to try
and get ahold of Blake.