The Night Sweeper: A Zombie Conspiracy Novel (The Sweeper Chronicles Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

but then you all know this already.”
    I feel my cheeks growing hot from his praise, and I catch myself smirking like a goofy kid until I notice the goddess watching me again from across the table. There’s a look on her face that I can’t quite place. Amusement? Pity?
    Get a hold of yourself, fool! You’re acting like an adolescent.
    “Let's get to it,” Archer says. “Time is a commodity we don't have.” His demeanor shifts, and he takes on the hardened look of the seasoned leader that he is.
    “As you know, Cray, our venture with The Organization has been far more successful than I could have ever hoped for within the time frame we’ve been at it. Our latest intel suggests that less than ten percent of the original population of Festers in the refuge cities remains due in part to various factors: environment, lack of sustenance, and our work in no small part. This will come as news to you, but we’re beginning to train a small army of Sweepers. Their job will be to take the fight outside of the cities, to begin retaking the rest of the country. That's what's been consuming my time lately. I've been recruiting and prepping for phase two.”
    I feel a wave of excitement. Archer's long-term plan for eliminating the Festers was two-fold. Phase one, with the agreement and backing of the Council, was the implementation of the refuge cities and the Sweepers. The idea was simple. Protect as many people as we could, while letting the enemy come to us. In the meantime, we would build up resources and social organization.
    Phase two was a bit more grandiose, and it all depended on The Organization's ability to diminish the population of Festers in the cities. If we could sufficiently reduce their number, and reasonably verify that more were not coming in than we were taking out, The Organization would take the fight to the rest of the country.
    Part of my respect for Archer lies in the scope of phase two. The plan is to train paramilitary cells in guerrilla warfare and survival and send them out for months at a time to kill the Festers they find. Based on current estimates, phase two will take twenty years to bring about sufficient Fester depopulation to begin colonizing again outside the refuge cities. The man has already given the better part of his life fighting to rebuild. Most likely, he will never live to see the final outcome of the plan he's put into place.
    He continues speaking. His voice is deep and gravelly. It’s a sound that commands attention and respect. His is the voice of a warrior, of a man accustomed to being in charge on the front lines. He’s also smart. Not as smart as me, but he’s no lightweight in the brain department, and I’ve always gotten a kick out of the way he pontificates like some kind of narrator.
    “That being said, Cray, this little meeting is really for your sake. Everyone else here is up to speed.” He pauses, weighing his next words. “I’m going to let you in on a secret we’ve been made aware of.” Every eye is on Archer, and judging from the expressions, whatever he's about to reveal isn't good news.
    “As you know, The Virus was the creation of a rather brilliant geneticist named Damian Harbin. He wasn’t the most upstanding of citizens, and he sold it to the highest bidder, which happened to be our former President. Harbin was killed under mysterious circumstances right before The Virus was released on the public. The rest is history.
    “What The Council has recently discovered is that Damian had a son, Jonathan, who continued his father’s work. He’s successfully created a new waterborne strain of The Virus. The bad news is there’s no guarantee that those with immunity to the airborne strain will be immune to this one.”
    “Just what exactly is he trying to accomplish?” I wonder aloud. “As if the first Virus wasn’t bad enough,” I say pointing out the glaringly obvious.
    Archer runs a hand through his gray-flecked hair and crosses his arms across his