Refuge From The Dead (Book 1): Lockdown by Joseph A. Coley Read Free Book Online

suspicion as to why. The virus, as far as he could tell, was making the rounds through the news and social media, infecting all that it touched with a sense of urgency and panic. The virus itself was doing far more damage online than it was to the people actually infected with it. From what Lindsey had told him, it was highly contagious but ultimately harmless as near as they could tell. The government didn’t seem too concerned with it, at least as far as he could tell. There would be a sign up at Black Mountain before too long, asking if anyone had symptoms associated with the virus. Visitation would be the most affected, only happening on weekends. There were far more people turned away for less legitimate reasons than an infection.
    Uneducated people watch too much TV, and this is what happens. They believe all that stupid shit on Facebook, and call their equally ignorant relatives and friends. From there, the number of panicked ignoramuses grows exponentially until one of them decides to hit the road or raid the local grocery store for “essential supplies.” Once that first person goes to Food Lion to buy ten cases of water, the masses follow.
    On the other hand, it could be the end of the world. Maybe I’m just too cynical to realize it, Michael thought. No, it’s all those damn prepper shows. All those people that think the Yellowstone Caldera is going to explode any day now, or that guy that thinks that next year’s flu season will be the end of humanity. Those people are the ones responsible for the panic. They think that since they are prepared, they have some insight to what is actually going to happen out in the world, when in reality, they don’t know shit. Just let the grass-eating natives have their panic.
    Twenty minutes later, Michael was pulling into the parking lot at Black Mountain. Compared with the previous day, there were quite a few vehicles missing. Other than the state vehicles – vans and couple Crown Victorias – there was maybe another dozen or so cars and trucks. It was commonplace for a lot of the COs to carpool, but with the call-ins, he expected that wasn’t the case. They were short several staff members, and most of the office staff parking was vacant as well.
    Michael grabbed his duty belt once again and headed towards the admin building. The prison looked nearly abandoned from the outside. The only signs of life that he could see were the officers stationed in Black Mountain’s two towers. There was almost no sound, no movement, nothing to indicate that behind the locked doors and the fences waited nearly a thousand convicted felons.
    “Kinda creepy, ain’t it?” Ryan Helton said.
    Michael had been so caught up in taking a gander at the prison that he did not hear his friend and co-worker walk up behind him. Michael turned and smiled at Ryan.
    “Now I know there is some shit going down,” Michael said, extending his hand. Ryan met it and shook it quickly.
    “How’s it hanging, Caine?”
    Michael snickered. “Short, shriveled, and always to the left, Helton.”
    Ryan’s tone changed quickly. “So what in the hell is goin on around here. It looks like a damned ghost town around here. Something ain’t right about all this, Mike.”
    Michael absently looked around. “I know what you’re saying, brother. My wife was called in to Bluefield Regional ER right before I was called in here. There’s a shit-ton of traffic in Bishop Valley and a generally shitty atmosphere to everything. That about sum it up?”
    “Unfortunately, yeah. Your wife, she knows about this virus shit going around?”
    “Yeah, she said there are some cases at Bluefield Regional. If that shit is at a small West Virginia hospital, then you know it has to be everywhere else, too. Between the shit going on here and all that crap on the news, it looks like a full-blown panic is about to ensue.”
    Ryan turned towards the admin building entrance, waving Michael to follow. “Well, on the up side, we are