<\/p>\n
\u201cDaddy, I\u2019m hungry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The President of the United States of America patted his young daughter on the head. \u201cI know, sweetheart. We\u2019ll get you something to eat once we\u2019re up in the air. Now buckle up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n A man in a black suit sitting across from the President leaned forward. \u201cSir, I can have one of my men bring her something from the galley.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The President shook his head. \u201cThanks, Riker. She\u2019ll be okay until we\u2019re up. Did the galley staff even make the flight?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSome,\u201d said Riker. \u201cIt\u2019s a skeleton crew, at best.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Seated next to Agent Riker, Press Secretary Olivia Saunders pulled a package of peanut butter crackers from her purse and offered them to the child. \u201cWould you like these?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Lilly\u2019s eyes opened wide and she nodded enthusiastically. \u201cYes, please.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Olivia handed the crackers to the young girl who began to tear at the plastic wrapping. Olivia smiled until her eyes drifted down into her purse. On top of neatly filed papers and makeup was a small photograph of her own children. Olivia felt the President staring at her and quickly snapped her purse shut.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure they\u2019re safe,\u201d said the President. Outside his window, the darkness had begun to envelop Washington D.C. <\/span><\/p>\n All of them knew. Nobody was safe.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The engines of Air Force One spun to life; louder than usual, the President thought. The 4,000 square foot plane had so many rooms and amenities that after only a few flights the President realized how easy it was to forget he was hurling through the air, but not this time. The whine of the engines continued to climb until every passenger was pinned into their seat. Interior panels vibrated and rattled as the plane launched hard to the sky. <\/span><\/p>\n As they pulled away from the tarmac, the President looked out his window and saw what looked like oil, spilling over into the runway. <\/span><\/p>\n The safest plane in the world passed through a layer of clouds and began to level off. The force pressing them into their seats began to ease, and the aisles and hallways of Air Force One quickly filled with people.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAre you still hungry?\u201d the President asked Lilly, touching her hand. The President looked at Agent Riker, who looked down at one of his men, who got the message without a word being spoken. As Lilly and the agent left for the dining hall, the President also unbuckled and stood. Olivia and Riker followed his lead and the three of them moved next door into the conference room.<\/span><\/p>\n The table in the center of the conference room seated eight, while the white chairs and couches circling the room could hold another dozen. The President took his normal seat while other staff and cabinet members entered the room. During a normal meeting in the conference room all of the seats would be filled. This evening, more than half remained empty.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIs this everybody?\u201d asked the President.<\/span><\/p>\n Riker, with a finger on his earpiece, nodded. \u201cI\u2019m afraid so, Mr. President.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n As each person entered the room their attention was drawn to the large flat panel television mounted on the far wall. On it, a cable news broadcaster was describing the chaos below.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c…not completely sure of the\u2026 Denise, are you there? Did we lose Denise?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The right half of of the screen was black, with Denise\u2019s name printed at the bottom. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019ve lost our video feed with\u2026 wait, something\u2019s moving. What is that?\u201d asked the reporter.<\/span><\/p>\n Denise\u2019s window expanded to fill the entire screen. The remote feed wasn\u2019t dead; something large and black had filled the entire shot. Whatever the blackness was, it was moving. Pulsing. Occasionally, a pair of eyes or set of teeth flashed in the middle of the mass. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s sideways,\u201d said Agent Riker, pointing at the screen. \u201cThe camera is laying on the ground, sideways.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Everyone tilted their heads to the left and the images began to make sense. It was a mob of people, their bodies packed so tightly that they had blocked out the light. Their clothes, their skin, even their hair was dark. They were moving together, shuffling, but there were so many of them it was impossible to tell where one person ended and the next began. One big black, throbbing tumor.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cJesus Christ,\u201d said the President. \u201cWhat the hell is going on?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know yet,\u201d said General Banes, entering the room and taking a seat across from the President. \u201cI\u2019ve got twenty reports and don\u2019t believe half of them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWho are they?\u201d asked the President.<\/span><\/p>\n The General looked down at his notes and then back at the President. \u201cAbout an hour ago, we began receiving reports of large crowds of people moving through the streets of Washington D.C. Local police called on the Guard, but neither was able to control the crowd. So far, both nonlethal and lethal measures have been ineffective.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIneffective?\u201d asked Olivia.<\/span><\/p>\n General Banes looked at the President. \u201cPermission to speak freely?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The President nodded. \u201cI suspect we\u2019ll be doing a lot of free speaking before this is over.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n General Banes addressed Olivia. \u201cIt means after firing tear gas into the crowd they started firing bullets. Neither one had any effect.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHow is that possible?\u201d asked Agent Riker. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere are lots of ways,\u201d said the General. \u201cMaybe they\u2019re wearing body armor. Maybe they\u2019re all under the influence of some drug. Pump enough PCP into the city\u2019s water supply and this is the result I would suspect.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou think someone has contaminated the city\u2019s drinking water?\u201d asked Olivia.<\/span><\/p>\n The General shrugged his shoulders. \u201cI did, at first.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPermission granted to keep speaking freely,\u201d said the President.<\/span><\/p>\n General Banes removed his glasses. \u201cIt\u2019s not just happening in D.C. They\u2019re reporting similar mobilization in New York City. And Phoenix. And Houston. And Seattle.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIs it just the major cities, or\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d replied General Banes. \u201cAgain, the U.S. Military is not in the business of guessing. But if it\u2019s not every city, it\u2019s certainly a lot of them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Agent Riker leaned forward. \u201cIf this is an attack launched through the water system, it would be the most coordinated and widespread act of terrorism in the history of the free world.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe water thing is just a guess. There are other ways to control people. It could be some sort of mind control or mass hysteria. We just don\u2019t know yet. And there\u2019s something else bothering me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Everyone at the table leaned forward, prompting the General to continue.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe Air National Guard is estimating that at least a million people are marching through the streets of D.C. right now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIsn\u2019t the population of D.C. just under 700,000?\u201d asked Olivia.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSo where did they all come from?\u201d asked Agent Riker.<\/span><\/p>\n The General shook his head. \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen will you know?\u201d asked the President.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy phone is lighting up like a Christmas tree,\u201d replied the General. \u201cI\u2019ll let you know something when I know something.\u201d On cue, his phone buzzed again and the General glanced down at the screen. \u201cMaybe that\u2019s something.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the plan for now?\u201d asked the President.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTo keep you in the air,\u201d replied Agent Riker. \u201cWhatever\u2019s down there can\u2019t get to you up here. We\u2019ve got enough food in the galley to stay up here for a month. We\u2019ll get a fuel tanker up in the air and keep circling until we figure out what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n General Banes placed his phone down on the table without saying a word. His face had grown pale, and the chatter at the table died down.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it, General?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The General stammered briefly, searching for words. He grabbed the audio\/visual cable from the center of the table and connected his phone. The flat screen television on the wall switched to display the photo the General had just received.<\/span><\/p>\n A gasp broke the silence of the room. Then another.<\/span><\/p>\n On the screen was a picture of a million black ants, piling on top of one another to form a dome shape. <\/span><\/p>\n Another gasp.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhy are you showing us a mound of ants?\u201d asked Olivia.<\/span><\/p>\n One by one, people in the room realized what they were looking at.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t see it. What?\u201d said Olivia.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThose aren\u2019t ants,\u201d said the General. \u201cThey\u2019re people. And that\u2019s not a mound. It\u2019s the White House.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Once the gasps stopped, Olivia began to sob. \u201cExcuse me,\u201d she said, quickly moving next door to the press offices. Agent Riker followed her.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be okay,\u201d said Agent Riker, once inside the office. <\/span><\/p>\n Olivia stepped toward him and buried her face into his black suit, still sobbing. \u201cDo you think so?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Agent Riker could not tell if the plane was vibrating or his legs were trembling. \u201cI don\u2019t know, to be honest.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The woman took a step back and wiped her eyes. \u201cWhat is this? What\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Agent Riker shook his head. \u201cIt\u2019s my job to know everything, but I don\u2019t know what this is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened to everybody inside the White House? What about the kids?\u201d Again, she began to sob.<\/span><\/p>\n Agent Riker put his hands on Olivia\u2019s shoulders. \u201cListen. We don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on down there. But right now, we\u2019re up here. Up here, we have to remain calm. We will solve this. Why don\u2019t you go down to the galley and make sure Lilly got something to eat.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Olivia dried her eyes and nodded. \u201cYes. I… Okay.\u201d The woman wiped her eyes again, straightened her jacket, and left for the galley. <\/span><\/p>\n Agent Riker reentered the conference room and found the television full of static. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not us,\u201d said a middle-aged man with glasses, inspecting the television. \u201cThey\u2019ve stopped broadcasting.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n With the television out of commission, rumors filled the room. A woman said she heard the streets of Cleveland were completely filled with people. A man reported his cousin in St. Louis told him the interstates were completely shut down, blocked by people.<\/span><\/p>\n General Banes entered the room, holding his cell phone. \u201cMr. President, may I have a word with you in private?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The President looked up. \u201cIf it\u2019s about what\u2019s going on, I think everyone should hear it. We\u2019re all trying to put what little information we have together right now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The General looked around the room. \u201cI\u2019d rather not.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The President raised an eyebrow. <\/span><\/p>\n The General responded. \u201cAll right, sir. We currently have enough fuel onboard to keep Air Force One in the air for approximately four hours.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cUntil we dock with a fuel tanker,\u201d the President added.<\/span><\/p>\n The General shook his head. \u201cWe\u2019ve lost all air-to-ground communication. Either the satellite dishes have been knocked out, power\u2019s gone or\u2026 nobody\u2019s down there to answer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSo where can we land?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHopefully we can find an airport that\u2019s not overrun with people. If the towers stop responding we\u2019ll have to dip down for a visual, and that burns fuel.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The President took a deep breath. \u201cAny more good news?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The General cleared his throat, and placed his cell phone on the table, face up. \u201cBefore I lost contact, I received a text message and this picture from my brother. The picture is of his television. He was watching the news and saw this. It\u2019s a picture of my father, walking toward the Washington Monument.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The President picked up the phone and looked at the picture. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. Is he okay?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMr. President, my father has been dead for four years. I watched them bury him in Arlington National Cemetery myself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The President looked up from the phone into the General\u2019s face. \u201cI\u2026 don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure I understand either, Mr. President.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAre you trying to tell me that the people marching in the streets are dead? Like zombies from a horror movie?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMr. President, I don\u2019t know what I\u2019m trying to tell you at this point.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n A rough patch of air shook the plane and the General grabbed the doorjamb to steady himself.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cGeneral, find out what\u2019s going on up front, will you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYes, Mr. President,\u201d replied General Banes.<\/span><\/p>\n On his way to the cockpit, General Banes passed Agent Riker. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAgent Riker,\u201d said the General. \u201cHave you seen Agent Martin or Agent Willrath? I need someone on the radio, scanning every frequency for any messages.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Riker shook his head. \u201cNeither one made the flight. I\u2019d say we\u2019re half-staffed, at best.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Another bout of turbulence caused Agent Riker\u2019s knees to buckle and he grabbed the wall to stay upright. The General stumbled forward, grabbing on to Riker\u2019s shoulder.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cRiker, I want you to do me a personal and professional favor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf I can.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to the cockpit. Don\u2019t let the President out of your sight. And if shit hits the fan\u2026 aim for the head,\u201d he said, motioning toward the gun he knew Agent Riker had tucked underneath his suit.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cShit hits the fan?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t let him out of your sight,\u201d said the General, before continuing up toward the cockpit.<\/span><\/p>\n Agent Riker watched the General disappear before continuing back to the conference room.<\/span><\/p>\n General Banes walked down the hallway leading to the cockpit and stopped to listen before knocking. Through the reinforced door,, the General could hear bumps and slams coming from inside. Two more steps and he banged his fist on the door. \u201cOpen up!\u201d he shouted.<\/span><\/p>\n The banging continued and the plane bounced twice more.<\/span><\/p>\n General Banes raised his fist again and the banging stopped. <\/span><\/p>\n Then, slowly, the handle began to turn. <\/span><\/p>\n General Banes took a step back.<\/span><\/p>\n The handle continued to turn. <\/span><\/p>\n The General took a deep breath.<\/span><\/p>\n Suddenly, the latch clicked free and the door flew open. The pilot of the plane flew through the open doorway toward the General like a madman. He headbutted the General in the chest and the two of them fell to the ground. The pilot, covered in blood, quickly mounted the General and clawed at the man\u2019s face with his fingers.<\/span><\/p>\n The General tried to roll and buck the maniac off of him, but his leg was caught between a row of seats and there wasn\u2019t enough room to maneuver. He brought his hand up from underneath himself and pressed his thumb into the pilot\u2019s eye.<\/span><\/p>\n The pilot\u2019s head was forced back, and then with a snarl he came down upon the General, biting his neck and removing a large chunk with his teeth. <\/span><\/p>\n The General\u2019s mouth begin to fill with warm blood. He struck upward with the palm of his other hand, hitting the pilot in the nose. Banes felt the man\u2019s nose shatter, but it didn\u2019t stop him. Banes jerked to his right and twisted back to his left, burying his elbow into the pilot\u2019s temple and knocking him off. The General tried to stop his neck from bleeding by inserting a finger into the wound, but the flesh was torn and there was no hole to plug. <\/span><\/p>\n The pilot was working his way back up to his feet when the General kicked him hard, knocking him back into the cabin. The lock on the cabin door was designed to keep people out, not in. General Banes began to feel light headed. The pilot was laid out with his back against the console, but was already beginning to stir. Behind him, blood covered the plane\u2019s instrument panel and windows. In the co-pilot\u2019s seat, Banes saw bits of the other man.<\/span><\/p>\n When the pilot was back up on his hands and knees, General Banes stepped forward and kicked upward into the bloody creature\u2019s ribs. The pilot howled in pain and his arms and legs frantically began to lash out.<\/span><\/p>\n General Banes, now completely inside the cabin, locked the door behind him. The pilot was almost upright again when Banes grabbed the fire extinguisher from the wall and bashed the pilot\u2019s head with it. The side of the monster\u2019s head caved in, spraying more blood across the cabin.<\/span><\/p>\n General Banes turned and smashed the door with the fire extinguisher in an attempt to jam it closed. He hit the door a second time and slipped in the sticky blood covering the floor. His head was spinning as he fell to his side, dropping the fire extinguisher.<\/span><\/p>\n General Banes reached for the extinguisher and spotted the pilot\u2019s feet. Banes looked up, and the undead beast launched a furious attack that the General was in no position to defend.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cEverything is fine,\u201d said Agent Riker, returning to the conference room. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s going on up there?\u201d demanded the President.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cGeneral Banes is in the cockpit now. Everything is fine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhere are we headed?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re circling, Mr. President, until a fuel tanker arrives or we find a place to put this thing down.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cLook out the window, Riker.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Riker looked and saw coastline approaching. They were headed out to sea.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWell Mr. President, I\u2019m sure they\u2019re\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n