Brad and Ryan ran until they were out of breath. They were in sight of the parking lot, and struggled against cramps until they reached Brad's jeep. Once there, Brad hit the gas, and didn't slow until they reached the nearest police station. Through deep, ragged breaths, they told the on duty cop what had happened on the beach. He paled, and immediately disappeared into the back room, where he dialled a number. Brad and Ryan were taken into another room, given bottles of water, and told to wait. Several minutes later, they heard the sound of helicopters flying low overhead.
000
(On the beach)
The fight was long and messy, but eventually, all the things were taken care of, save one, which would be transported back to the medical facility to be examined by a team of Doctors. The only information they had about the virus, or whatever the hell had caused these things came via a Dr. Edwin Jenner at the CDC, and he had stopped broadcasting several months before. They hadn't been able to contact him for some unknown reason. Some technician postulated that at some point during or after the outbreak in Atlanta, his equipment must have been damaged, leaving him with the ability to transmit but not receive messages.
"Make sure that door is secured," an older man shouted at his subordinates, who had just tosses a bound and gagged individual into the back of an unmarked van.
"Sir," a younger man in green combat fatigues called out, waving the other man over.
"What is it Nelson?" the older man asked once he reached him. Nelson pointed at the sand.
"The cop who called this in said two kids reported it. You can see their foot prints here. See how they are evenly spaced and don't cross each other? They just run parallel too each other?"
"So?" the older man asked.
"Sir, two people means two sets of tracks. Four at most, if you count them coming onto the beach. I counted sixteen sets of tracks. None of which match the prints of the boots our men are wearing. At most, taking in the tracks the kids left, that leaves twelve sets of footprints unaccounted for."
"So that leaves possible twelve of these things wandering the island," the older man surmised.
"Correct sir."
"Contact the police. I'll notify command. And get those kids to the base. I wanna interview them myself."
000
Brad sat in a bare cement interrogation room with two mute Navy SEALS who were armed to the teeth. He had tried to talk to them, to alleviate his boredom, but all he had gotten in reply was a curt "Remain seated and Captain Rourke will be in shortly." He was tempted to go over to the one way glass and tap on it, and was about to get up and do so, just for the hell of it, when the door opened and an older man came in. Brad guessed he was old by his grey hair, but his body looked toned. He sat across the table and opened a file.
"Bradley Cooper. Born the fifteenth of May, 1998, to Margaret and Henry Cooper. Two younger brothers. You are in the top two per cent in your class and are on the football and swim teams. You work at the subsistence farm a mile from your house one day a week. You are in the ROTC and you expressed a desire to join the military once you graduate school. Have I missed anything?" Captain Rourke asked.
"No sir," Brad answered promptly.
"Hmm. I think I have. Or, to be more accurate, you have missed something. Like what you were doing down at the beach today," Captain Rourke said.
Brad shrugged.
"Blowing off steam. I had a day off and just needed to get away from everything for a short while," Brad responded. Captain Rourke nodded in understanding.
"Were you followed out of the forest?" the Captain asked.
Brad frowned, thinking.
"Well, we didn't see any coming after us, or hear them, but it's possible," Brad said.
"Possible?" Captain Rourke asked.
"Yeah, I mean, it's what they do, isn't it? Chase after living people to eat them."
"I suppose it is," Captain Rourke said grimly. "According to my file, you arrived at the beach around fourteen hundred hours, and reported the attack at fifteen twenty. Given the speed you were doing, the police station is ten minutes away. Allowing ten minutes to get to the beach through the forest and another ten out, what were you doing on the beach for fifty minutes?" the Captain asked.
"Chatting and having fun with my buddy," Brad answered, aware that it wasn't the whole truth, but not exactly a lie either.
Captain made a none committal noise in his throat, and jotted down a few notes.
"Well, thank you Mister Cooper. Lieutenant Hanes will see you home," Captain Rourke said, nodding to one of the guards. With that, he left.
000
Captain Rourke stood behind the large viewing panel and watched as the Doctors dissected the thing strapped to the table. Behind them, the screen was filled with the face of Dr. Edwin Jenner, talking about his initial research into the infection. Captain Rourke was joined by a colleague.
"You get anything out of your kid?" she asked.
"Nothing useful," he answered. "Just that is was probable that the things chased after them."
"I got the same from my interrogation. You really want to use them for the plan?" she asked.
"We don't have the personnel to carry it out. We will have to start recruiting from the civilian population. Washington has gone dark, and we need to intercept that scientist if we want to find a cure."
"Yes, but these two are only kids."
"They are physically fit and strong. They meet the criteria. Anyway," he smiled, "you know the argument the government will make. 'If we start recruiting now, we will only take away people from the subsistence farms.' The kids only contribute one day a week. They can't make that argument then. Maybe recruiting a few kids will help them change their stance."
They stood in silence while Captain Rourke made a decision.
"Pick them up Friday next week. School lets out for summer vacation. We will start training then. When the time comes, we find a way to drop them into the last know location of that scientist. Where was it again?"
"Just south of Atlanta."