Voyage of the Dead - Book One Sovereign Spirit Saga Read Online Free Page A
Author: David Forsyth
words scrolled across the bottom of the screen.
“This is the Emergency Broadcast System. This is not a test. A state of emergency has been declared for the following areas: The United States of America. This satellite network will provide national alert bulletins from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Homeland Security. Please tune into local radio and television stations for news and instructions in your area. This is not a test. A state of emergency has been declared for the following areas: The United States of America. This is the Emergency Broadcast System. This is not a test.”
That disturbing announcement was followed by the familiar buzzing alarm tones and then the message repeated. Scott listened and reread the words as they scrolled across the screen once more. He felt a shiver run down his spine. Somehow this emergency announcement was more chilling than watching people tear each other apart. Those scenes on the news could have come from any special effects studio, but this announcement made it all too real. He changed the channel.
Interlude in Hell
Near Los Angeles International Airport: 6:25 AM, April 1, 2012
Carl Stiller was still awake when the first hint of dawn filtered through the windows of the ambulance. In fact, the thought of sleep had never crossed his mind. Snarling and moaning bodies continued to pound against the exterior of the vehicle. He knew that he was in shock, but he didn’t know what to do about it. Nothing made any sense.
His wife had turned into a homicidal maniac and apparently killed the cab driver. A paramedic that he had turned to for help had tried to kill him. And now there were a lot more lunatics outside trying to tear the ambulance open with their bare hands. Carl had sat there in disbelief for hours. But the thin light of dawn seemed to trigger his survival instincts again. He was alive and he wanted to stay that way.
Moving slowly, Carl made his way up to the driver’s compartment of the ambulance. He had been there once before to lock the doors immediately after climbing into the vehicle. After that he had moved back into the rear compartment and huddled in confused terror. But now he wanted to look outside and try to understand what was happening.
The taxi cab was still nosed into the side of the ambulance. Carl couldn’t tell if there was anyone still moving inside it. He knew that his priority should be finding out if his wife, Pricilla, was still alive and in need of assistance. But he couldn’t forget the image of her teeth ripping into the cabby’s neck. There was no way that Pricilla could ever have done that. Ergo: that was not Pricilla. His mind couldn’t explain it, but his soul was certain of it. So Carl’s attention slipped past the taxi and took in the crowd of other lunatics surrounding the ambulance. There were at least six of them in his line of sight and he suddenly realized that he was now in theirs too. The interior of the Ambulance was still quite dark, but at least two of the maniacs outside seemed to be staring at him and were moving towards the windows with outstretched arms and gaping mouths.
“What the fuck?” Carl muttered to himself. There was something about these people that triggered an instinctive and primal fear in his gut. They also reminded him of the creatures he had seen depicted in previews for zombie movies. Carl had never watched a zombie movie himself. He thought they were stupid and unrealistic. Now he found himself questioning that assumption when something that certainly looked like a zombie, complete with ripped flesh and bloody teeth, pressed up against the passenger side window next to him.
Carl glanced over and saw that the keys were still in the ignition. Without a second thought, except escape, he slid into the driver’s seat and
“This is the Emergency Broadcast System. This is not a test. A state of emergency has been declared for the following areas: The United States of America. This satellite network will provide national alert bulletins from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Homeland Security. Please tune into local radio and television stations for news and instructions in your area. This is not a test. A state of emergency has been declared for the following areas: The United States of America. This is the Emergency Broadcast System. This is not a test.”
That disturbing announcement was followed by the familiar buzzing alarm tones and then the message repeated. Scott listened and reread the words as they scrolled across the screen once more. He felt a shiver run down his spine. Somehow this emergency announcement was more chilling than watching people tear each other apart. Those scenes on the news could have come from any special effects studio, but this announcement made it all too real. He changed the channel.
Interlude in Hell
Near Los Angeles International Airport: 6:25 AM, April 1, 2012
Carl Stiller was still awake when the first hint of dawn filtered through the windows of the ambulance. In fact, the thought of sleep had never crossed his mind. Snarling and moaning bodies continued to pound against the exterior of the vehicle. He knew that he was in shock, but he didn’t know what to do about it. Nothing made any sense.
His wife had turned into a homicidal maniac and apparently killed the cab driver. A paramedic that he had turned to for help had tried to kill him. And now there were a lot more lunatics outside trying to tear the ambulance open with their bare hands. Carl had sat there in disbelief for hours. But the thin light of dawn seemed to trigger his survival instincts again. He was alive and he wanted to stay that way.
Moving slowly, Carl made his way up to the driver’s compartment of the ambulance. He had been there once before to lock the doors immediately after climbing into the vehicle. After that he had moved back into the rear compartment and huddled in confused terror. But now he wanted to look outside and try to understand what was happening.
The taxi cab was still nosed into the side of the ambulance. Carl couldn’t tell if there was anyone still moving inside it. He knew that his priority should be finding out if his wife, Pricilla, was still alive and in need of assistance. But he couldn’t forget the image of her teeth ripping into the cabby’s neck. There was no way that Pricilla could ever have done that. Ergo: that was not Pricilla. His mind couldn’t explain it, but his soul was certain of it. So Carl’s attention slipped past the taxi and took in the crowd of other lunatics surrounding the ambulance. There were at least six of them in his line of sight and he suddenly realized that he was now in theirs too. The interior of the Ambulance was still quite dark, but at least two of the maniacs outside seemed to be staring at him and were moving towards the windows with outstretched arms and gaping mouths.
“What the fuck?” Carl muttered to himself. There was something about these people that triggered an instinctive and primal fear in his gut. They also reminded him of the creatures he had seen depicted in previews for zombie movies. Carl had never watched a zombie movie himself. He thought they were stupid and unrealistic. Now he found himself questioning that assumption when something that certainly looked like a zombie, complete with ripped flesh and bloody teeth, pressed up against the passenger side window next to him.
Carl glanced over and saw that the keys were still in the ignition. Without a second thought, except escape, he slid into the driver’s seat and
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