Pandemic: The Innocents: A Post-Apocalyptic Medical Thriller Fiction Series (The Pandemic Series Book 2) Read online

  Thank you for downloading THE INNOCENTS, Book Two of the Pandemic Series, by Author Bobby Akart

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  Other Works by Bestselling Author Bobby Akart

  The Pandemic Series

  Beginnings

  The Innocents

  Level 6

  Quietus

  The Blackout Series

  36 Hours

  Zero Hour

  Turning Point

  Shiloh Ranch

  Hornet’s Nest

  Devil’s Homecoming

  The Boston Brahmin Series

  The Loyal Nine

  Cyber Attack

  Martial Law

  False Flag

  The Mechanics

  Choose Freedom

  Seeds of Liberty (Companion Guide)

  The Prepping for Tomorrow Series

  Cyber Warfare

  EMP: Electromagnetic Pulse

  Economic Collapse

  Pandemic: The Innocents

  The Pandemic Series, Book Two

  A novel by

  Bobby Akart

  CONTENTS

  or Start Reading

  Dedications

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author, Bobby Akart

  Author’s Introduction to the Pandemic Series

  Previously in The Pandemic Series

  Epigraph

  Prologue

  PART ONE WEEK FIVE

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  PART TWO WEEK SIX

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  PART THREE WEEK SEVEN

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Chapter 62

  Chapter 63

  PART FOUR WEEK EIGHT

  Chapter 64

  Chapter 65

  Chapter 66

  Chapter 67

  Chapter 68

  Chapter 69

  Chapter 70

  Chapter 71

  Chapter 72

  Bonus excerpt from The Loyal Nine, The Boston Brahmin Series

  Copyright Information

  ACRONYMS Used in The Pandemic Series

  Dedications

  This book is dedicated to my darling wife, without whom life would be hopeless. Thank you for loving me. Bullie and Boom, seeing your wiggly butts at the end of a long day behind the keyboard makes it all worthwhile.

  My friends and readers, please heed the warning of this series. A global pandemic can strike in an instant. I write this book to entertain you, but also to get you ready for the next global war.

  Thank you for supporting me!

  Finally, the Pandemic series is dedicated to the disease detectives, the shoe-leather epidemiologists of the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service, who work tirelessly to keep these deadly infectious diseases from killing us all. They are selfless, brave warriors, risking their lives and the loss of their families in order to fight an unseen enemy more powerful than any bomb.

  Acknowledgements

  Writing a book that is both informative and entertaining requires a tremendous team effort. Writing is the easy part. For their efforts in making the Pandemic series a reality, I would like to thank Hristo Argirov Kovatliev for his incredible cover art, Pauline Nolet for making this important work reader-friendly, Stef Mcdaid for making this manuscript decipherable in so many formats, John David Farrell and Kris Adams, who together with Marshall Davis have brought my words to life, and the Team—whose advice, friendship and attention to detail is priceless.

  The Pandemic series required countless hours of research. Without the background material and direction from those individuals who provided me a portal into their observations and data, I would’ve been drowning in long Latin words. Please allow me to acknowledge a few of those individuals whom, without their tireless efforts, the Pandemic series could not have been written.

  Brant Goode, CDC CEFO Supervisor.

  Colonel Mark G. Kortepeter, MD, a preventive medicine officer in the Operational Medicine Division at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, USAMRIID, where he teaches the medical management of biological weapons casualties.

  Rear Admiral Stephen C. Redd, MD, Director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (OPHPR) at the CDC.

  Thank you and thank you for your service to humanity!

  About the Author, Bobby Akart

  Bestselling author Bobby Akart has been ranked by Amazon as the #3 Bestselling Religion & Spirituality Author, the #5 Bestselling Science Fiction Author, and the #7 Bestselling Historical Author. He is the author of fifteen international bestsellers, in thirty-five different fiction and nonfiction genres, including the critically acclaimed Boston Brahmin series, the bestselling Blackout series, and his highly cited nonfiction Prepping for Tomorrow series.

  Bobby has provided his readers a diverse range of topics that are both informative and entertaining. His attention to detail and impeccable research has allowed him to capture the imaginations of his readers through his fictional works, and bring them valuable knowledge through his nonfiction books.

  SIGN UP FOR EMAIL UPDATES and receive free advance reading copies, updates on new releases, special offers, and bonus content. You can contact Bobby directly by email ([email protected]) or through his website www.BobbyAkart.com

  Author’s Introduction to the Pandemic Series

  In the mid-twentieth century, a new weapon shocked the world with its ability to destroy the enemy.

  For centuries, another weapon has existed…

  One that attacks without conscience or remorse…

  Its only job is to kill.

  They are the most merciless enemy we’ve ever faced…

  And they’re one-billionth our size.

  Be prepared to become very, very paranoid.

  WELCOME TO THE NEXT
GLOBAL WAR.

  Biological weapons, delivered under the right conditions against an unaware, unprotected population, will, pound for pound and dollar for dollar, kill a million times more people than a nuclear weapon. A nuclear bomb doesn’t come close to matching the potential footprint of a biological weapon.

  Over the past half century, the number of new diseases per decade has increased fourfold. Since 1980, the outbreaks have more than tripled. With those statistics in mind, one has to consider the consequences of a major pandemic.

  Death has come to millions of humans throughout the millenia from the spread of infectious diseases, but none was worse than the Black Death, a pandemic so devastating that uttering the words the plague will immediately pull it to the front of your mind. From 1347 to 1351, the Black Death reshaped Europe and much of the world.

  In a time when the global population was an estimated four hundred fifty million, some estimates of the death toll reached as high as two hundred million, nearly half of the world’s human beings.

  This plague’s name came from the black skin spots on the sailors who travelled the Silk Road, the ancient network of trade routes that traversed the Asian continent, connecting East and West. The Black Death was in fact a form of the bubonic plague, not nearly as contagious and deadly as its sister, the pneumonic plague.

  Fast-forward five centuries to 1918, an especially dangerous form of influenza began to appear around the world. First discovered in Kansas in March 1918, by the time the H1N1 pandemic, commonly known as the Spanish flu, burned out in 1919, it took the lives of as many as fifty million people worldwide.

  Why does the history of these deadly pandemics matter?

  Because it has happened before and it will happen again—despite the world’s advanced technology, or because of it. People no longer stay in one place; neither do diseases. Unlike the habits of humans during the Black Death and the Spanish flu, an infection in all but the most remote corner of the world can make its way to a major city in a few days.

  Terrible new outbreaks of infectious disease make headlines, but not at the start. Every pandemic begins small. Early indicators can be subtle and ambiguous. When the next global pandemic begins, it will spread across oceans and continents like the sweep of nightfall, causing illness and fear, killing thousands or maybe millions of people. The next pandemic will be signaled first by quiet, puzzling reports from faraway places—reports to which disease scientists and public health officials, but few of the rest of us, pay close attention.

  The purpose of this series is not to scare the wits out of you, but rather, to scare the wits into you. As one early reader said to me, after reading the Pandemic series, “I now realize that humans can become extinct. Not a comforting thought.”

  The Pandemic series is a new dystopian, post-apocalyptic fiction series from fifteen-time bestselling author Bobby Akart (the Blackout series, the Boston Brahmin series and the Prepping for Tomorrow series).

  The events depicted in the Pandemic series are fictional. The events, however, are based upon historical fact.

  Note: This book does not contain strong language. It is intended to entertain and inform audiences of all ages, including teen and young adults. Although some scenes depict the realistic threat our nation faces from a devastating global pandemic and the societal collapse that will result in the aftermath, it does not contain graphic scenes typical of other books in the post-apocalyptic genre.

  I believe more of our young people need to lead a preparedness lifestyle. Studies show that our millennials do not have any of the basic survival skills. By writing this series free of vulgarities and gratuitous sexual innuendo, I’ve intended it to be suitable for everyone. Thanks.

  Previously in The Pandemic Series

  The Characters

  Dr. Mackenzie Hagan (“Mac”)

  Dr. Mackenzie Hagan, is in her mid-thirties, tall, long blonde hair, slender, athletic build. She graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science degree before entering post-graduate study where she obtained a dual master’s degree in Molecular Biology and Applied Genetics. She went on to receive her PhD in Microbiology from MIT and a Medical Degree from the University Of Chicago School Of Medicine.

  After completing her residency, Dr. Hagan began her career in public service as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer at the National Center for Infectious Diseases. Her successes in fighting the West Africa Ebola outbreak lead her to the CDC where she served as the Associate Director for the Office of Infectious Diseases.

  Dr. Hagan also holds the rank of Lieutenant Commander for the U.S. Public Health Service. As the daughter of a retired Commanding General of the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Dr. Hagan often says infectious disease is in her blood.

  Agent Nathan Hunter (“Hunter”)

  Nathan Hunter holds the formal title of Threat Reduction Specialist with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, an arm of the Department of Defense based in Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

  Hunter graduated with high honors from the Virginia Military Institute where he majored in International Studies with a minor in National Security.

  Never a serious dater, Hunter is thirty-three years old, 6’, 2”, well-built and single. He lives in his deceased parents’ estate on Lake Barcroft, Virgina. Upon their unexpected deaths, his father, a very successful defense contractor, established a financial trust for Hunter worth approximately one billion dollars.

  Hunter served in the United States Army as an Operations Officer (Combat Support Squadron), Master Sergeant, First Special Forces Operational Detachment: 1st SFO Delta, also known as Delta Force in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

  At the DTRA, Hunter works with other members of the Project Artemis team to hunt terrorists, especially those engaging in bioterrorism, before they can act.

  Janelle Turnbull (“Janie”)

  Janelle Turnbull is in her late twenties and single. Mac describes her as perky, but she is very serious about her career. Janie works for the CDC as a CEFO, Career Epidemiology Field Officer. Janie was educated as a veterinarian which attracted her to the CDC to study zoonotic infectious diseases. She currently lives in Atlanta. Her parents are still living, as is her younger sister, a student at Georgia Tech.

  Major General Barbara Stinchcomb Hagan (“Barb”)

  Mac’s mother and married to Thomas Hagan, her husband of forty years. The couple lives in Coos Bay, Oregon. Barb is in her early sixties and in good health.

  She is a retired medical doctor who began her career at Denver Health where she met Tommy. After they were married, Mac was born and soon thereafter, Barb joined the United States Army. After several years of service, Barb rose through the ranks of USAMRIID, the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases until she became Commanding General stationed at Fort Detrick, Maryland.

  During the Ebola crisis, Barb became a political pawn and scapegoat for the current administration and the media. She was forced out of her post and retired.

  Thomas Hagan (“Tommy”)

  Mac’s father, Tommy, is a retired high school chemistry teacher. He spends his day gardening and tinkering around the house. He loves to garden, hunt, fish, and train for the senior triathlete competition when he turns sixty years old. Tommy is a prankster and a jokester.

  Supporting Characters of Importance:

  President Tomas Garcia – In his final year of his first term, currently running for re-election. Indirectly responsible for the termination of General Barbara Hagan from her post at USAMRIID. Enjoys his brandy. Close friends with his Chief of Staff, Andrew Morse.

  Chief of Staff Andrew Morse – Right-arm and close confidant of President Garcia. Has a unique ability to manipulate and keep the President on message.

  Ali Hassan – ISIS operative based in Western Africa and the mastermind behind the bioterror operation. He is the son of Ali Abu Hassan, head of the ISIS Fighters Assistance Council, the arm of the Caliphate that supports foreign opera
tives throughout the world. Hassan was educated at St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London. His father Ali Abu Hassan, is believed to be the second-in-command to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the mysterious Caliph of the Islamic State.

  Donald Baggett – Former accountant and political appointee of the President charged with cutting the budget of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He is constantly at odds with Mac, who refers to him, privately, of course, as D-Bag, short for douche bag, due to his constant unwanted advances toward her.

  Doctor Kwame Okoli – Native Nigerian who battled Ebola in Africa. He is currently on staff at Memorial Medical Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

  USAF Master Sergeant Scott Jablonik - coordinator of Project Artemis within the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. Hunter’s immediate superior.

  Primary Scene Locations

  CDC - Atlanta – located near Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

  White House – Washington, DC. Politics plays a pivotal role in all aspects of our lives and the center of the political universe is the White House.

  Secondary Scene Locations

  Guatemala – Location of the initial outbreak was in the jungle near the small town of El Naranjo. Mac and Janie begin their investigation when they meet the mysterious operative with the DTRA—Hunter. The CDC has a regional office in Guatemala City, about a mile from the United States Embassy.

  Turkey – Several temporary camps for Syrian and Iraqi refugees were created in the western part of the country near Izmir, Turkey. In the surrounding countryside, migrant farms were established to pay the refugees and keep them busy during the day until they could emigrate to Europe.