Chapter 24

@CDC: We are actively working on a vaccine but urge people to stay in their homes and avoid contact with others as much as possible. Hydra-1 is passed by transmission through touch, fluids, and air. Self-quarantine is the best way to preserve your life and the lives of others. If you believe you are ill, contact our hotline, and we will arrange for transport to one of the nine hundred triage locations that are being established throughout the United States. It is crucial to report if you are ill. Hiding your condition only puts your life and the lives of others at risk.

Lincoln knelt beside the man who lay slowly dying.

"Rick?" he asked, and the man nodded weakly. "I'm Lincoln Atwood."

"I'd shake your hand, but." Rick gave a raspy chuckle. Lincoln grasped Rick's hand, ignoring the possibility that the man was infectious. If Lincoln hadn't died by now, he wasn't going to, at least not until the virus mutated.

"You military?" Rick asked as he studied Lincoln.