Read Online The Beginning of the End (Book 2): Toward the Brink II by Craig A. McDonough - Free Book Online Page A

highway, keep a watch for any abandoned cars. It’ll be time-consuming but safer.” Mulhaven took one more look at the bloodshed around him. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t seen this before, but the taste in his mouth wasn’t any more palatable.
    “Okay, let’s roll,” the Tall Man roared.

Seventeen
    “Two days from now?” the president queried. “Isn’t that a bit soon?”
    “I’m sorry, sir, but the estimation we have based on …”
    The president cut General Stodge off.
    “Estimations be damned, General.”
    Stodge had kept his position as chairman of the joint chiefs after he was made aware of the possible treason charges. He was a career military man, and if nothing else, he was loyal to the United States of America. He couldn’t bear the thought of his wife and children living with the knowledge that their husband and father was a traitor.
    “Mr. President, I don’t like how it sounds either, but we simply have no choice.”
    The meeting with Stodge, Transky, Secretary Weisman, and Director Conner in the Oval Office had been called to discuss a new plan to combat the legions of undead in Idaho. Conner had never been in Hadlee’s corner, but had led him to believe so. Conner had played a major role in the downfall of Shaun Hadlee. Stodge had come forward with a plan of using fire. “We’ll burn the bastards out, sir.”
    “If the estimations are correct, these foamers will have advanced as far as Northern California, Nevada, Montana, Washington, and into Canada in less than a week. Do you have any idea of how many we are talking, general?”
    “Yes, sir, err … unfortunately, I do,” Stodge answered Director Conner hesitantly, but added, “It’s why we have to act now. There’s no denying the damage, it’ll take years to rebuild, but it’s still far better than the nuclear option, which would have left a toxic wasteland forever.”
    The Oval Office went quiet as Stodge’s words were considered. Hadlee’s “limited nuclear strike” was off the table, but the United States was without a viable response of any sort. To show his trust—but against Tom’s advice—the president had invited Stodge to the meeting. When the chairman of the JCS arrived, he had brought with him a new battle plan. He told everyone present that fire was an old remedy used to eradicate disease. He referenced the plague of the mid-fourteenth century in Europe and how infected houses, villages, and bodies were burned to control it.
    “We should treat these … foamers … as plague victims and call them such. We’ll be in a better position to ease the population’s concerns if we release a statement that identifies the disease as a mutated form of cholera and dismiss all reports it’s related to the experimental potato crop as anti—establishment propaganda.”
    The president rose and went to a cabinet beside of the famous Resolute desk. He took a bottle of twenty-year-old bourbon from within.
    “Gentlemen, General Stodge is correct. It would be preferable to a nuclear strike.” The president placed the bottle on the table in front of them. “And Director Conner is also correct about the number of … plague victims. We have to do something and do it quick.”
    As Tom poured drinks for everyone, Stodge outlined his initial plan. He admitted time was a luxury they couldn’t afford, but said they nevertheless needed to mobilize forces from eastern and southern states with “whatever they damn well got!” Air Force jets and helicopters outfitted with napalm rockets and bombs would be used to push the vile creatures back and keep them in Idaho.
    It was agreed it was the best they could do, but the question was whether it could be done on such short notice.
    “I’ll damn well see it’s done. All military bases go on full war alert as of right now. We also need to evacuate people, unaffected people, from the surrounding states.”
    “I’ll get onto it right away, Mr. President.” Tom stood up.
    “Wait,