Stryker: A Post-Apocalyptic Tale Read Online Free Page B

find. The group included doctors and scientists, as well as
tradesmen and farmers. The plan was well thought out and their survival was all
but assured, absent an outside threat. Each man had selected two wives to
accompany him to the area. The caves had been widened and winterized, and
contained enough food and water for two years. For the next two years, if
anyone approached their enclave, they would be shot, and the body burned. They
each vowed not to tell relatives and friends where they were going and each of
them kept their word.
    The freighters
that would carrier them to America were mothballed in ports around the Middle
East, and the crews were quarantined on the vessels. When the time came, they
would travel to the country that repressed them for decades, take over their
infrastructure, fertile land, and abundant water. The playing field would be
tilted in their favor for the first time in history, and they would inhabit the
land of plenty.
    He took a
moment to rejoice in his victory. It had been four years of cajoling and
lobbying his Council’s leadership to get the approval for the virus contagion.
At first, they didn’t understand what he proposed to do, and they couldn’t
comprehend the carnage that would ensue. They were simple men who wanted to see
things explode and burn. They wanted to be present when the death occurred. It
was their way, and they were slow to accept a more efficient, if less
satisfying, means of destroying their enemies.
    He resorted to
graphic descriptions of American cities filled with bloated corpses, and
explained how it not only would the kill the Great Satan, but all the allies as
well. The military of those countries would cease to exist and no longer pose a
threat to their religion. Even the hated Sunni would be eradicated, and their
blasphemous form of Islam would die with them. Only one religion would survive.
They would emerge as the single unifying faith on earth. Things would be as
they should have always been, but for the ceaseless interference of the
infidels.
    He explained
to them why powerful countries like America became dominant. It did not come
from being American, but rather the good luck of being born in a vast country
with a mild climate and fertile soil that made them a world power. Vast mineral
deposits and lush forest were part of the answer as well. He explained that the
barren, rocky ground of the Middle East, and the lack of water, doomed them to
be subservient and, once the virus passed, they could go anywhere with
impunity.
    In the end, he
won them over. The money for the purchase of the virus was approved, and the
inexorable path to them obtaining a world where they were dominant appeared. He
was given the honor of being the instrument of death. He would be named a
Prophet and his name would be whispered in reverent tones for eternity. A
single tear inched down his cheek, and he took a deep breath.
    Mohammed
opened the vial and walked through the airport. As he moved to the security
area, he let several drops fall from the vial that was now cupped in his hand,
hidden from view. He then went to the ticketing area and did the same. He
continued moving through the airport until the vial was dry. Over the next few
days, close to 500,000 people would be infected. They would travel through
other airports, infecting more people. These human vectors would end up in
almost every country in the world, and they would all be asymptomatic carriers
of the disease. Nobody would know they were infected until the virus’ countdown
clock expired and the entire world became ill at the same time. When the dying
started, it would start everywhere at roughly the same time, and countries
would not be in a position to help other countries. The infidels would not die
quickly or without suffering. The symptoms would start with sore throats and
fever. Then, they would begin to vomit and suffer from diarrhea. Eventually,
the kidneys and liver would begin to fail, and ultimately, they