The End of All Things - Book 2: The Desolation: (An Epic Post-Apocalyptic Survival Series) by Mike Kraus

Author:Mike Kraus [Kraus, Mike]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Muonic Press Inc
Published: 2023-03-16T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

President Thomas Birk

Mount Weather, Virginia

President Birk casually pored over reports while sitting at a plain metal desk in his side office away from the arguments and stress of the others, where the constant flow of updates shouted back and forth across the room had driven him to more peaceful surrounds. His office in Mount Weather was hardly built for comfort; its thick army green walls carrying vibrations from upstairs, heavy booms as massive doors closed and opened, the movement of equipment and materials throughout the facility that felt more like a prison than a refuge.

Still, it was a place of security where he had time to gather his thoughts and sit quietly until the next meeting as the best strategists they could find still living tried to come up with answers to the earth-shattering crises they faced. A single picture of himself and his wife sat near his monitor and was one of the few things he’d been allowed to bring from the bunker in Washington. The two of them were smiling with their arms around each other on a sunny California beach with the beautiful waters spread out behind them beneath the blue sky, on a vacation they’d taken before he’d been sworn in as President and began bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders. There was a terse knock on his hard steel door, echoing slightly in the room devoid of carpet and tapestries, just a single United States flag behind him with emergency communication gear nearby. He’d forgotten to ask if any other presidents had ever worked from the Mount Weather office, though even if they had, there was no doubt that none had faced a situation like his administration was facing. Still, Birk didn’t complain, not even to himself as he perused reports and orders that constantly flooded down his screen.

With a sigh, he tore himself away from the monitor, straightened, and raised his voice. “Come in!”

“Excuse me, sir?” Staffer Cindy Strode pushed open the door and poked her head through. “May I come in?”

Between her strained smile and the tears standing out in her eyes, Birk gripped his chair in anticipation of bad news. “Yes, of course, Cindy. Step on in.”

“Thank you, sir.” The staffer entered quietly and shut the door behind her, wringing her hands as she came to stand before his desk.

“Please, sit down.” Birk gestured to another chair just like his sitting directly in front of his desk.

“Thank you, Mr. President.” The staffer lowered herself into the seat, her hands still trembling as she took a few deep breaths.

“What is it, Cindy? More bad news?”

She nodded wordlessly, caught in a terrible trap she couldn’t escape. The hairs on the back of Birk’s neck began to tingle, and he pushed away his keyboard, clasping his hands in front of him. “Go ahead. What is it?”

“It’s… your wife, sir. She…” Cindy’s voice caught in her throat.

The tingle was overwhelmed by nausea that washed over him, a dreadful vibration that moved to

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