UBER ZOMBIE

'YOU MUST BE the people who brought the vaccine.'

Strong-jawed and broad-shouldered, Colonel Ryder White looked every inch the capable and efficient army man. Even standing beneath the blazing sun, and despite his straitened circumstances, his green army fatigues were immaculate – every button fastened, trousers tucked neatly into the tops of his gleaming, tightly-laced army boots, red beret folded precisely beneath the epaulet on his left shoulder.

His wife's demeanor, however, could not have provided more of a contrast. Strapped to a gurney with thick leather constraints, the clearly once slim and pretty blonde woman in the beautifully-tailored white suit was a snarling, spitting harridan. Her eyes had already taken on the familiar milky glaze of the terminally infected and her skin was gray and discolored. Even her suit looked grubby and disheveled, as if she had been scrabbling around in the dirt, or as if the corruption of her body was seeping through her clothes.

One look was enough for Sam to tell there was no way back for her. If White believed that some miracle vaccine was going to restore his wife to life and health, then he was sorely deluded.

'That's us,' said Logan in response to White's question.

'Why are you handcuffed?'

'You better ask him,' said Sam, jerking his head towards Charon, who was at the rear of the group, herding them across the wide expanse of the tower roof with the aid of what had previously been Yerema's handgun.

'Despite the successful conclusion to what you no doubt perceive as a heroic mission, Colonel, these people are ruthless mercenaries and should be treated with the utmost caution,' Charon said.

Purna barked a laugh. 'That's a prime example of the pot calling the kettle black if I ever heard one.'

Despite asking the question, White seemed uninterested in either Charon's explanation or Purna's response. Looking at Charon with barely concealed desperation, he demanded, 'Where is the vaccine now?'

Charon patted the pocket of his overalls. 'Don't worry, Colonel. I have it here, safe and sound.'