The Virus Within: The Unranked (Book 4)

Prologue

Three battered vans with bars over the windows slowed to a stop near the drop-off above the river, right where the road ended. Several doors opened as people got out and stretched.

A man sighed heavily as he walked to the edge. "Well, this bridge is washed out."

Another joined him. "That's a solid twenty-foot drop, and even if we could get down there, we wouldn't be able to drive across it."

"Looks like someone tried anyway," the first man said, pointing at an upside-down armored van that rested on the rocks just out of reach of the water.

"That's some sort of military vehicle. None of the doors are open, so there might be some supplies inside. Let's check it out."

A few of their comrades watched from above as the two picked their way down the steep embankment. Soon, they were on the rocky shore beside the cold mountain river. When they opened the driver's door, several bones clattered onto the stones, making the men jump back.

"Shit! There's a body in there!" the younger man exclaimed, staring at the skull as he backed up a few more steps.

"Quit acting like it's a Runner. It's just a skeleton," the other man muttered, leaning over to peer inside. "No telling how long it's been here. The pelvis is still strapped to the seat, so they died while driving. I bet all their supplies are still inside, and if they were in the military, there could be some good trading supplies."

The younger man grimaced but obediently went to the rear door. He pulled the handle gingerly, ready to spring back if anything unexpected happened. The door swung open with an ominous creak, revealing a mess of objects and dried-out mud in the upside-down van. The other man opened the passenger door, and they began picking through the debris.

"Found a handgun," the older man said, holding up the mud-encrusted object. "Not sure if it will ever work again, but there might be bullets around, and those will be worth a lot."

They continued opening various boxes and examining the contents. Most were tossed on the ground like the garbage they contained, although some were put to the side, valuable enough to keep.

The younger man dug a hard plastic case out of the mud and pried chunks of dirt off the clasps so he could open it. "Hey, come take a look at this. It looks like a list of how various drugs affect zombies and something about triggers."

"Must be important if they were put in a waterproof case like that." The older man came over and leafed through the stack of papers. "DNA, triggers, Runner, Nightstalker, Terror, morphs, bloodlust, possible cure-"

"These papers must be old. The cure has been around for over three years," the younger man commented.

"Yeah, might as well leave- Hang on, what's this..." he flipped the pages more slowly now. "They were trying to control zombies? There are only five pages in that folder. There's more here about some sort of vapor. This might be valuable if we pass through a Stronghold with a lab."

"There's a couple if we head east," the younger man said as he pulled out several similar cases.

"Can't exactly continue west with the bridge out, and there's no sense returning to the north," the older man replied as he put the papers in the first case and closed it.

The younger man opened one of the other cases, and they both stared at the foam padding that held over a hundred vials. Liquids and powders were present in various colors, all meticulously labeled.

"Look for more cases while I open these," the older man said, already reaching for another.

Several of their friends came to help, prying up layers of hard mud with sticks as they searched every inch of the van.

Eventually, they stood around the six waterproof cases; one contained hundreds of handwritten pages, while the others held vials and containers. Several guns and cases of ammo sat to the side, along with a few other odds and ends.

"I think we hit the jackpot," the old man said smugly.