The Ebola Wall by Joe Nobody, E. T. Ivester, D. Allen Read Free Book Online Page A

employees. Most of his guards were young men with families and small children. His calm, in-control leadership style quelled anxiety and earned respect.
    So caught up in the events of his immediate surroundings, Taylor actually missed the president’s announcement of Houston’s quarantine, learning of the life changing news from an employee who was uncertain if he should leave his family and report for work.
    “Colonel, I hate to leave you hanging,” the former NCO had stated. “But there’s a lot of very upset people in my neighborhood. They’re mulling around down at the corner, and I can hear some pretty harsh words flying around. There’s going to be trouble, sir, and my wife and kids are scared shitless.”
    “Bring them with you,” Taylor had replied, something in the man’s voice making the retired officer’s small hairs come alert. “We can make them comfortable here, and you can keep an eye on them.”
    “It’s more than just that, Colonel. Have you watched the news? They’re showing video of empty grocery store shelves, mile-long lines at gas stations, and a lot of very angry people bunching up. Most of the banks have closed, and somebody threw a Molotov cocktail at a police car.”
    His employee’s words made Taylor aware he’d been hearing far more sirens than was typical. “I’ll check it out as soon as we hang up. Pack up whatever you can, and bring it with you. We’ll ride out the storm here at the complex.”
    Word had spread quickly amongst the tight-knit staff, the guards appreciating their boss’s flexibility and concerns for their loved ones. They also knew the security of being in numbers. By the end of the second day of the quarantine, the colonel found his facility had morphed into a combination daycare center and refugee camp. Girlfriends, children, parents, and friends scampered about turning one of the empty warehouses into a condominium of sorts. Some smartass named the building the “Hotel Zombie.”
    The events of morning Q+3 completely justified everyone’s concerns. Taylor, spending the night on a cot in his office, was awakened by a very upset watchman. “Sir, something’s going on down at the hospital. I know Mrs. Taylor is there, and I thought you would want to check it out.”
    Rushing outside, Taylor spied a column of smoke rising into the morning sky. There was a nearly continuous chorus of sirens. Hustling to his car, the colonel made for the hospital, praying his wife was unharmed. He soon found his way blocked by a huge crowd of people and a wall of Houston police officers. St. Mary’s charity hospital was burning, streams of water reaching skyward to fight the boiling smoke and flames soaring from the windows of the complex’s third floor.
    “They’ve got a cure in there,” someone in the throng was shouting. “Those doctors have a cure, but you’ve got to be rich before they’ll let you in.”
    Another group was chanting, “Cure the poor! Cure the poor!”
    Someone had even made signs, a mulling group on the sidewalk holding up placards accusing the government of everything from conspiracy to outright fraud.
    The colonel had seen his share of unrest. He’d been in Iraq when the regime had crumbled under the weight of American armor, watched an insurgency drum up local anger in Mosul a few years later. It was obvious that the situation in front of him was about to get out of control. It only took a rumor… a single misspoken word or partially heard phase to get it started. He had to get Jenny out. But how?
    Luckily, a Marine Corps officer isn’t easy discouraged. Taylor began circling the facility on foot, seaching for any opening to bypass the police and fire units keeping the public at bay.
    He discovered the hospital’s dumpsters unguarded. A few moments later he pulled on a blue, disposable surgery smock and skull cap. The distracted cops let him pass without question.
    Recalling the enormous facility’s floor plan, Taylor headed for the