The Night Sweeper: A Zombie Conspiracy Novel (The Sweeper Chronicles Book 1) by J. Steven Butler Read Free Book Online Page B

airport in the world, transporting nearly one hundred million passengers per year in its heyday. Encompassing over six million square feet, it’s one of the largest operational structures still intact in the States. I’ve heard stories from people who experienced the hustle and bustle of the behemoth place during its glory days, stories of thousands upon thousands of frustrated, busy travelers crowding in on each other and jockeying to make it to their flights on time.
    Imagining the scope of what was done there is awe-inspiring. The amount of manpower necessary to keep that one airport functioning was a monument to the ingenuity of mankind. In my opinion, you could lump it together with Stonehenge and Easter Island without doing a disservice to either of the latter.
    Now, air travel is virtually nonexistent with the exception of government officials and occasional Organization operations. Interstate commerce by flight has been relegated to extinction. For one, it isn’t necessary. Each refuge city has to be completely self-sustaining. The Council mandated it that way. If one city falls, it would be catastrophic for another city to suffer because they relied on that one for goods or food. Second, having excessive flights is considered an unnecessary drain on important resources.
    In a strategic move, The High Council made the airports the governmental housing structures of the refuge cities. It gave them quick access to travel, and made it easier to control unauthorized flying by any private citizens who had the means. Being the biggest, Hartsfield Jackson was selected to be the primary hub and effectively became the new capitol building of The States. Atlanta was the new Washington. I guess the South finally got what it wanted.
    Everything was chaotic after The Virus hit, and what was reformed of our government made a lot of changes that they felt were imperative given what the world was up against. There were very few survivors in comparison to the number of prior citizens, and it was decided they should be moved into a handful of the larger metropolitan areas where they could be better protected. New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Atlanta were the cities chosen, with the additions of a few smaller cities in the less densely populated areas of the country.
    The relocation was theoretically optional, but few chose not to participate. It was made clear that if you refused, you were on your own. In the wake of the disaster, it seemed like a fabulous idea to almost everyone, and had the added benefit of providing the emotional support of organized community.
    Sadly, what was left of our society fit quite comfortably into the refuges. And it was in these revamped metropolises that The Council reformed educational systems, trade, employment, and built a new way of life for what was left of our country. It was around this time that Cedric Archer formed The Organization with the approval of The Council.
    Mira and I sit at a small table looking at an overhead projection from an ancient camera showing a schematic of Atlanta.
    “Mr. Eckert created the necessity for a trip to Atlanta tomorrow to meet with some of the officials at Command. Population management issues,” Archer says as he stands at the head of the table with his hands resting on the edge. “He convinced them to do a nighttime meeting under the guise of needing to get back to Chicago to head up an investigation. He and Johnson have managed to obtain the location where Jonathan Harbin is being held.”
    He points to a building on the map in downtown Atlanta surrounded by a bright red circle. “This is the Georgia Pacific Tower. Once used for other purposes, it’s now used by the government. But in actuality, they don’t use it for much of anything. A couple of non-essential offices and storage mostly. It does, however, contain a peculiar addition. On the twentieth floor, a detention center was constructed after The Virus. Allegedly, it’s used to