Death After Life: A Zombie Apocalypse Thriller by John Evans Read Free Book Online Page A

He’d alluded to his plans of amassing a war chest, building a little stronghold in isolated eastern Washington and living out his days in safety and comfort. She assumed he was stealing prescription drugs somehow, though there were still operational surveillance cameras placed throughout the center.  
    “You’ve heard the horror stories,” Lena argued. “People don’t call them ‘camps’ for the canoeing and kumbayas. Conditions are horrific.”
    “Sure, they’re understaffed, overcrowded,” Voskuil acknowledged. “But we don’t know—”
    “We know,” Lena interjected, staring at him. “Have you ever met anyone — I mean, one single person — who came back from any of those places?”
    Voskuil waved a hand. “My social circle is pretty small these days.”
    Rather than chastened, Lena felt increasingly outraged. “Forgive me if I think twice before I send someone off to die! I can’t do it anymore, James. I just can’t.”
    “Okay, fine,” Voskuil said, standing up. “You shouldn’t have to. Let’s take this to Hegeman. Right now. Come on. We’re both off for the night, right? Let’s swing by his office.”
    Lena was surprised. “You’re serious? You’ll back me up?”
    “Sure. I agree with you. It’s a dirty little secret. Let’s get to the bottom of this, shall we?”
    “Great,” she said. For once, he’d exceeded her expectations.

    #

    The director’s office was hastily decorated, owing to the center’s ad hoc genesis and general state of chaos. But Hegeman did have a very large mahogany desk and a city view.
    Voskuil and Lena sat in plush chairs across from the small, balding man who held so many lives in the palm of his hand.  
    “Believe me,” Hegeman was saying. “We take these concerns very seriously. In the morning, I’ll run this inquiry up the chain of command. Rattle some cages.”
    Lena had the measure of this diffident bureaucrat and knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he was paying them some truly half-assed lip service.  
    “Maybe I'll join the protest movement, issue a nice press release detailing what’s really going on. See what America thinks,” she said. “There are still some news outlets who would jump at this story,” she added, bringing out the big guns. “They’re not all in the corporatocracy’s pocket.”
    “Can you say as much for this facility?” Voskuil said, warning her with his eyes. Hegeman’s stare carried its own threat.  
    “I don’t recommend that course of action,” he said. “The system isn’t perfect — no one says it is. But we’re in a national health crisis of medieval proportions. There simply aren’t the resources to give every citizen the care they deserve. We’re doing the best we can…”
    “There are still plenty of resources, it’s just who they’re going to that I question,” Lena said, but it was a lost cause. She sat back in her chair, defeated.
    “Look, doctors,” Hegeman said, leaning forward as if in friendly conspiracy with them, “Candidly, I do think the lid is coming off that story, sooner or later. But we don’t know that the consequences will be good. What I do know is you sure as hell don’t want to be the first to try.”  
    He added, ominously, “Though I would guess that you aren’t.”  

    #

    After leaving Hegeman’s office, Voskuil startled Lena by grabbing her arm. “Are you trying to get yourself killed? I hope so, because talking about going to the media is a great way to do it!”
    She shook him off angrily and kept walking. “I’m just trying to figure out a way to do this job and live with myself. And right now the job doesn’t seem that important.”
    He pointed up at the blank, implicitly judgmental eye of a security camera. “Careful. You sure those aren’t wired for sound?”
    That gave her pause. Lena looked at the camera, her imagination seeing in its blank stare an executioner’s gaze.

C HAPTER F OUR

    HOME

    QUARLES FOUND ANGIE pacing, upset. There