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She nodded "An hour fro an entire city What are they gonna do, claim an asteroid fell on it?"

Amy looked surprised, and said, "David, you don’t understand what it’s been like out there, out in the real world Everything has been just totally cut off fro on in [Undisclosed] is based one hundred percent on what REPER has told the The whole country is begging theo"

She spun around to face one of her ht up a video clip, froard-lookinga bank oftheuy, introduced as the head of the outbreak task force, spoke and confiriven permission by the president of the United States to use military assets to "disinfect" the entirety of Outbreak Ground Zero, and that this would proceed as soon as it could be confirmed that all military and REPER personnel were clear of the area

I pointed to Tennet standing in the back and said, "You see that guy back there, with the Caesar haircut? That’s my therapist"

"But ould he be--"

"It was all part of the setup He works for Them"

"Who? Oh, you mean capital ‘T’ Them"

John said, "He’s talking"

On the video, Tennet strode up to the microphone, his title displayed as DR TENNET, CONSULTANT, REPER

"Thank you, Mr Secretary, I’ll be brief You’ve all co days, and I’ve foundto the public the serious nature of this threat hat I hope you appreciate as frankness, honesty and transparency, while trying to ensure that caution did not turn into panic What I have been saying from day one continues to be just as true now, if not ious disease

"So with that, I want to address the question afrom the bombardment, that is, the thermobaric disinfection of the affected area that Secretary Fernandez just explained, which will, as he said, commence at noon local time This needs to bethis on the news, and for our children and grandchildren ill try to understand this act when it passes into the pages of history books As far as we know, there is no one left alive in the city of [Undisclosed] As you know, the National Guard andthe CDC, FEMA and REPER took decisive coordinated action to create a buffer around the city, a five-mile band that we referred to as the Yellow Zone but in the news media has been unfortunately redubbed the Dead Zone In this, ere successful, and werapidly and decisively to isolate the infection zone

"However, efforts to stop the spread of the contagion, which has colloquially become known as the Zulu Parasite, within the city itself have utterly failed The infection rate within city limits is now at or near one hundred percent This operation is about the disposal and disinfection of tens of thousands of highly--highly--infectious corpses Now, I have worked very hard all week to shoot down the more outlandish rumors that have spread about the parasite, and I suspect I will spend the rest of ion we call paranoia But the situation is this Whatever residents of [Undisclosed] are still walking and , are, for all intents and purposes, effectively dead We have explained this ad nauseum; the parasite completely breaks down and effectively rewires the victim’s brain tissue The victims retain some basic motor control and become extremely, extremely violent as the parasite continues to corrupt the central nervous system From then, until the victiious This stage of the disease is what has unfortunately led to some of the more sensationalist rumors of ‘zombies’ and the like But I want tomore than people who, after death, are able to reerous and infectious"

John said, "Well, that should put everybody at ease"

I snorted

A attention, all I can picture is you having sex with hi:

"… which is what erous if we don’t co all hts and the sounds of this terrible, but necessary, process, will be shocking This is so none of us wanted to see happen in an American city But letof the dead Nothing more Thank you"

John pointed at the screen and said, "You notice they even started using a ‘Z’ word to describe the parasite? Might as well have called it the ‘Zombie Virus’"

I shook ht That panic is just going to ripple out, like splashing a rock in a pond"

John said, "What do we do?"

I said, "We get the hell out of town and find some other place to live Man, I wonder if the insurance will pay forbombed…"

Amy said, "David, we can’t let them do this"

"Babe, I don’t think there’s a choice They set it up so that it would be the only option If they don’t scour this town off the face of the earth, then people will never be satisfied People will be killing each other in the streets, a new panic set off every ti person et what they want, but … this is kind of checkmate They kill [Undisclosed], or the world kills itself"

John said, "‘They’ What a bunch of assholes"

Anna walked up beside Amy

"Can I have so, honey Sorry it kind of got squished"

"It’s okay"

Daot working e-e to the New York Ti on?"