Never Enough Tomorrows: A Zombie Apocalypse Novel By Christopher Hugh Mills.

Interlude

     People were beginning to move into the underground facilities now. They did it quietly and in the dead of night. One day this person or this family was getting up and going to work or school, paying their bills and then they just weren't there. They called in sick or went on 'vacation'.

     Dr. Stephan Saunders went from room to room in his family's new apartment. Two bedrooms, a bathroom, a small kitchenette and a living area. It was world's away from the spacious home they were abandoning in their old lives.

     His wife and sons would be arriving in the next hour or two. He knew it was going to take a lot of getting used to. His family were all outdoors types, even he himself who spent most of his time in labs went for nature walks and played tennis whenever he could.

     His boys were both athletic and played football and soccer. Jeremy, the oldest had a scholarship and was going to college at USC. Well, he had been going. Their lives were all changing now.

     He had sat his family down it seemed ages ago and had informed them of what was happening. There was some push back at first but once he told them what was coming, the death and darkness that was going to cover the earth, they all got on board.

     Exiting the apartment he decided to explore a little bit. He and his family had all been given the Grand tour about a year ago so they would be prepared. The facility was massive and twelve stories underground. His family's apartment was on the fourth level down, with most of the other scientists and medical workers.

     Once it was filled to capacity, the facility would house a little over 2200 people, supposedly comfortably. In theory everything always went smoothly, but once you had better than two thousand people hustling and bustling in an enclosed space, that theory was going to be tested.

     As he walked the hallway he could see the curvature along the walls but they were also covered in large sized framed posters of the outdoors. Mountains, rivers, oceans, deserts and open skies were displayed in the hopes of giving people a not so claustrophobic feel.

     There were two gymnasiums for physical activities and two cafeterias for taking meals. On the sixth level was a movie theater and video game arcade for entertainment.

     As he walked a young lady jogged passed him going the other way. There were about three hundred people already in the facility, most of them maintenance workers running tests on operating systems.

     The stores had already been filled with dry and canned goods. An emergency cache of military meals ready to eat (MRE's) were on hand in case of emergencies. A water filtration system supplied the facility with drinking and bathing water. Up top were solar panels to supply power, but on the lowest level were also three giant generators.

     Everything was designed to last for years...in theory. There were plans in place to send out scavenger teams once things started to settle after the initial collapse topside. Teams made up of special operators, most of whom were ex-military who were also going to provide security.

     Stephan made his way to the elevators. He went up to the third level, where the labs would be. He still had the job, along with other scientists to continue to find a cure.

     No rest for the wicked, he thought.

     Upon entering the labs he saw Dr. Joan Galloway, a severe no nonsense woman of small stature examining a large vid screen. On it was a magnified image of the culprit virus that was devouring the human race.

     It looked like a curly French fry. It was black with hundreds of little red barbs that helped it to latch on to other healthy cells. Stephan shivered, thinking of that thing in his body, waiting for him to expire so they could reanimate his corpse to wreak havoc.

     He approached Dr. Galloway, "Joan, how are you?"

     She jumped a little and then chuckled, placing her hand on her chest, "Stephan, you startled me."

     "Sorry," he said, "I guess spending so much time studying that thing could make anybody jumpy."

     She chuckled again and pushed her glasses back up on her nose, "yes, very jumpy. What the hell are we going to do Stephan? We are no closer to finding a cure than our predecessors were years ago. It just keeps shifting and mutating."

     She was exactly right. Every time they got close the damn thing changed it's characteristics, it was like it was not only a living thing but also a thinking entity.

     "When will your family arrive?"

     "Within the next couple of hours," Stephan said, still looking up at the vid screen image, "only time will tell if we are going to be able to adapt to living underground."

     Joan looked up at the screen with him. She asked softly, "do you feel any guilt? I mean being down here away from the hell that's coming for those still up there?"

     Stephan thought about the question before answering, "I guess a little. But when I think about my family and their safety I can sleep a little better at night.
     "Besides, we are down here in hopes of finding a cure. It's not like we are going to be sitting on our hands."

     "I guess you are right," Joan said and sighed, "I am glad I don't have a family to worry about."

     The two scientists conversed a little longer and then Stephan left. He ventured topside and stepped out of the hanger that housed several military vehicles and a couple of Black Hawk helicopters. It also covered the secret entrance to the facility.

     The sun was setting as he watched it across the Arizona desert. He thought a little deeper about the question of guilt. He could truly say that he had no problem sleeping at night, his wife and sons would be safe and that was his number one priority.

     But he did think about all of those people out there. The government was now just letting it play out. No more special ops teams would be sent into hot spots to quell the out break or suppress information. The end was now in motion. God help them all.