Containment Read Online Free Page A

outrun the ghouls laying siege to the home that had become their bastion but they were traveling into the unknown, like jumping into a mysterious lake on a dark night. With the exception of young Jules and Danny, everyone in the van had lived in Anchorage for some time. The city, as its former self, was familiar, but as it appeared on that autumn day, they could just as well have been driving on Venus.
    Every street, every corner, every building held new mysteries and new dark secrets. The roads, once bustling with cars and pedestrians, were deserted except for the random wandering dog or the occasional plastic shopping bag that fluttered and danced on the gentle breeze. There were abandoned cars here and there, but except for the main intersections, which Neil was careful to avoid, the roads in the city were largely empty. Anchorage had become a ghost town.
    The mix of souls in the minivan made for an eclectic stew of ages, backgrounds, and personalities. At the helm both figuratively and literally, was Neil. Before the zombie apocalypse he’d worked in the mortgage industry, though that experience had obviously not hindered his ability to survive the zombie apocalypse. In point of fact, maybe such a ruthless business had prepared him to deal with soulless opportunists.
    Next to him sat the more senior Dr. Caldwell who, along with Jerry, who was sitting behind him, had come from Providence Hospital which was the origin of the outbreak. Dr. Caldwell had served in the military and had worked trauma centers, none of which had prepared him to deal with the horrible circumstances that came part and parcel with current events.
    Behind Neil was Meghan, who had been a manager at a Fred Meyer store. Neil had wandered in looking for supplies and had found Meghan. She had been at his side ever since.
    That’s not to say that Neil’s trip to Fred Meyer had been otherwise fruitless. Many of the spoils of that visit were still crowding the vehicle. There were piles of canned foods, boxes of crackers and other dry foods, and cases of water and juice all stacked in the back of the vehicle behind the rearmost seats. They had grabbed more than just food that morning as well. The group had a large variety of hunting rifles, shotguns, and sidearms as well as a large stock of ammunition for each. At the very least, the guns provided them all with a sense of comfort, whether it was justified or not.
    Beside Meghan on the middle bench sat the most troubled—and troubling—soul in the vehicle. He still wore the uniform of an Anchorage Police Department Officer, but his patrolling days were over. Officer Malachi Ivanoff was as distant from his companions in the van as he was from a firm grasp on reality. Old memories, lurking in the shadows of the past, were punishing him. And in his punishment, all that Malachi could truly feel was fear, but the terror produced only rage. But like a volcano concealing the wrath within its bowels, he contained the anger in silence.
    On the floor next to him was Jerry, a young man not even old enough to buy a drink from a tavern but who was far from a clueless kid. He was squeezed into the space between the edge of the middle bench seat and the sliding side door. Jerry had been a Certified Nursing Assistant at Providence Hospital and was finally getting his act together enough to get out on his own. He had a car and was ready to move into his own apartment when.... well, his story from recent weeks wasn’t much different than everyone else’s in the van. Since that morning, he’d found stores of confidence in himself that, until then, had gone unnoticed and untapped. All of which was rather fortuitous because on that morning, when their world was forever changed, he had been entrusted with the safety of a pair of children, Jules and Danny. The young boy, Danny, had been the best friend and family guest of Jules’ brother Martin, who had invited Danny to vacation with them in Alaska.
    The pair of youngsters