The Gemini Virus by Wil Mara Read Free Book Online

. Her body was nearly black and covered with vesicles. When the trauma cleanup crew cut her down, her head came off.” He shivered. “I’ve seen a lot of bad stuff in my time, but this … I saw the body down at County. What that woman must have endured.”
    “And the police touched her?” Porter asked.
    “They said they didn’t. In statements given before their symptoms became severe, they both insisted, independently, that neither one touched her. The younger cop said they didn’t even go into the room. If that’s true, then we’re talking about mighty powerful contagions.”
    Beck stopped walking. “When did this happen?”
    “What, exactly?”
    “The officers’ deaths. When did they succumb?”
    “On Monday, both of them. Yesterday.”
    “And when did they find the woman?”
    “Friday afternoon.”
    “From exposure to death in four days ?”
    “Yeah.”
    “My God, Ben…”
    “I know. This is what I told Sheila. We’re not dealing with chicken pox here.”
    “What else can you tell me?”
    “Not much. I’ve only been here since yesterday, remember. When the first case arrived on Sunday afternoon, the specialist called the NJDHSS, who then called me. As soon as I examined the bodies, I called her. That was this morning. Then she called the two of you. Everyone has followed the procedure to the letter.”
    “How many deaths so far?” Porter asked.
    “Twenty-six.”
    Beck’s eyes fixed on Gillette. “How many?”
    “Twenty-six.”
    “Sheila said ten.”
    “That was two hours ago.”
    “There have been sixteen more in the last two hours ?”
    “That’s what I’ve been told.”
    “All in this town?”
    “No—seventeen here, four in Mahwah next door, and five in nearby Upper Saddle River.”
    “What’s the mortality rate?”
    “Based on the cases we know now, almost ninety-five percent.”
    Beck stopped again. “What?”
    “That’s right—just under ninety-five percent of the people who contract this thing die.”
    “And the others?”
    “Beyond salvation. Physically disfigured, brain and organ damage. They’re all comatose. Extent of the damage varies, but certainly none of them will return to their former selves. Machine-assisted living.”
    “Worse than dead.”
    “Yeah.”
    They began walking again. “Do you have any live patients right now?” Beck asked.
    “We’ve got two, both brought in last night. We have them isolated, of course, and sedated.”
    “I need to see them, Ben. Right now.”
    “Of course.” Gillette looked at him sheepishly. “One of them, Michael … um.”
    “What?”
    “Well … follow me.”
    *   *   *
    The corridor terminated at a steel door with the words INFECTIOUS ISOLATION AREA—KEEP CLOSED in bold letters. Underneath was a variety of hazard symbols. On the other side was a second corridor, dimly lit, eerily quiet, and reeking of disinfectant. Beck and Porter could also hear the increased air pressure. This was by design to contrast the reduced pressure of the isolation rooms. About forty feet down, the walls became large panes of glass—observation windows. The first two rooms had empty beds; the third did not.
    The patient was a white male, late twenties to early thirties, dyed blond crew cut, muscular. Around him, a series of machines stood blinking: machines that, Beck knew, would not be removed from the room because they, too, would carry the contagion. Most of the patient’s body was covered by a hospital sheet; only his arms, upper torso, and face were exposed—and they had been ravaged. There was a tattoo on his bare biceps, but the image was too distorted by the massive blistering to be recognizable. The fourth finger on his left hand was black and gangrenous. It took Beck a moment to realize this was due to the strangulation from the wedding ring when the tissues began to swell. What was most horrifying, though, was the suffering visible on the man’s face. In spite of the heavy sedation, he’s still feeling