Read Online August Burning (Book 1): Outbreak by Tyler Lahey - Free Book Online

as the bridge loomed larger
in the picture. Jaxton could make out the trusses and cables, even in the dark.
All the viewers peered into that mass of metal shadows, looking for any clues.
Without any warning, the camera focused and the picture exploded in movement.
There were hundreds of little figures streaming west across the bridge, leaping
and bounding over the blocked masses of stuck cars. “Jesus-“ Diane started. The
thunder of helicopter blades overran her voice.
    A flash of blinding light filled the
camera, and a curt voice boomed over a loudspeaker. “LEAVE THE BLACKOUT AREA
IMMEDIATELY. LEAVE THIS AREA NOW. THIS IS THE UNITED STATES ARMY. LEAVE NOW-“
The voice continued as the news chopper swerved violently and dropped to the
water. The other helicopter pointed two massive searchlights directly at them.
The camera view shook violently, but the viewers could see Diane clutching the
handholds with none of her previous poise. The news-helicopter appeared to
level out and rise on the opposite bank of the Hudson before motoring west,
back the way it came. The picture abruptly cut back to the news-desk and a
hopelessly confused staff.
    “It appears the government is on hand
to take care of this situation, and…uh…one can only pray for the safety of
those poor people in Manhattan.” Ted was beginning to look mightily flustered.
A glimmering sheen of sweat graced his upper brow. “Diane, hope you’re ok out
there.”
    The camera lingered on the silent and
befuddled news-desk before abruptly cutting back to the chopper-cam. Diane was
staring back towards the east, till trying to regain her composure. “We have
been told to leave, uh, by the authorities. The helicopter will now head back
to the undisturbed part of New Jersey for-“ Ted cut her off.
    “Folks, we have another reporter on
the ground at the edge of the blackout zone. Cheryl, what can you tell us about
the situation?”
    This time the view changed to a
well-lit woman, beautiful and ethnically ambiguous, standing in front of a highway
sign. The hills beyond her rose eerily in the darkness. “Ted, I am currently
standing on the edge of 78 East, just outside of Orange, New Jersey. This
highway leads directly to the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels, and surprisingly we
found it was not empty.” Her voice rang merrily in the dignified yet unnatural
tone all news-anchors train in. She paced a few steps to her right, and stood
in the road.
    “As you can see, the Army is surging
into the blackout Zone, which begins five hundred feet down this road. My
experts tell me these are not National Guard units, but instead are Fast-Response
Army Units designated for combat situations. My team has counted numerous
biohazard teams as well…” As Cheryl droned on, an endless stream of trucks and
armored vehicles filled with soldiers in gas-masks roared down the road into
the waiting blackness. One of the trucks stopped aggressively, and a crisp
looking sergeant major with silver hair bore down on the reporter. He grabbed
her roughly by the arm as the camera was jostled by unseen hands. The feed
turned to black, then the view cut inexplicably to Diane, who began fumbling
with a new set of ambiguous lines.
    Jaxton took a quick scan of the
student center. Every pair of eyes in the packed space was glued to the screen.
Dozens were furiously typing text messages or holding whispered phone conversations.
Elvis stood right next to Harley, his hand clutching her own where no one could
see. They all looked completely terrified, he thought. Only a fool wouldn’t be.
Only Bennett met his eyes, for a brief moment of mutual understanding. Jaxton
clenched his teeth together in anxious anticipation and hissed to his friend,
“the shit’s about to hit the fan.”
    Adira’s eyes snapped to his own in a
momentary rage, before cooling immediately and softening, almost to a plea.
    Diane’s cameraman was focusing on the
now distant city. The black skyscrapers were barely visible