Before Elim could respond, the woman was gone.
As he closed his eyes, he realized that if he survived, he would be immune to whatever the terrible pathogen was. He could help others. He could go back to work without worry. That was something to look forward to. That was something to live for.
Chapter 25
Twenty miles from the Kenyan border, at a training camp in southern Somalia, a member of the al-Shabaab terror network turned his smartphone on and opened Daily Nation, Kenya’s largest news site. He scoured the stories, looking for opportunities to advance his group’s cause. The top headline immediately caught his eye: Outbreak in Mandera He sat bolt upright when he read the article’s subheading: Health Workers from the WHO and CDC Investigate Possible Ebola Outbreak in Mandera County He rushed to the barracks and began waking the members of his cell. They had work to do.
Peyton and Jonas sat in the back seat of an SUV, bouncing along the hard-packed red-dirt road. The engine roared as they plowed through a cloud of orange dust. There were six SUVs in the convoy, plus two armored troop carriers—one leading the procession, the other just behind the SUVs—and a Nora B-52 self-propelled artillery vehicle bringing up the rear.
Peyton and Jonas had used Dr. Kibet’s notes and the CityForge website to trace Lucas and Steven’s travel route. Based on their interviews with the sick villagers at Mandera Referral Hospital, as well as what they’d learned from the videos posted online, they had identified a village they believed to be ground zero in the outbreak. They were en route to that village now.
“What was that about in the hospital?” Jonas asked.
“What?”
“All the talk about Desmond Hughes. Is he connected to this somehow?”
“I don’t know,” Peyton said. She considered telling Jonas about the call from Desmond but decided against it.
“Do you know him? Hughes?”
Peyton hesitated. “I used to.”
Jonas scrutinized her, as if trying to read through her words.
“I think we’re missing something here,” Peyton said.
“Such as?”
“I don’t know yet. Something just doesn’t… feel right.”
“You think…”
“I think someone is responsible for this outbreak.”
“Bioterror? Here?”
“I know. There’s no strategic, political, or symbolic importance.”
“Unless…” Jonas thought for a moment. “Unless you wanted to test a pathogen before wider release.”
Peyton wanted to continue their conversation, but the car slowed, and the noise from the engine died down. And as the convoy’s cloud of dust dissipated, Peyton got her first look at the village.
Her mouth ran dry. “Back up,” she said, struggling to speak. “Tell the other units to keep their distance.”
Chapter 26
Transcript
CNN Situation Room Segment
Good morning, and thank you for joining us. Our top story this hour is a deadly outbreak in Kenya. It has already killed dozens, including one American and one British citizen, and anonymous sources at the CDC and State Department say the symptoms are similar to Ebola—though they’ve cautioned that tests to identify the disease are not yet in.
Most alarmingly, CNN has just learned that an infected patient is being transported to the United States as we speak. Authorities at the CDC say that Lucas Turner, a recent graduate of the University of North Carolina, contracted the disease while traveling in northeast Kenya.
We’ll be updating this story as details unfold, but we want to hear what you think. Should the CDC be bringing patients with an unidentified, deadly disease back to the US? Let us know on Twitter, using hashtag OutbreakInAfrica.
Chapter 27
When Desmond came to, he was zip-tied to a chair in an airplane. The plane was level—it was apparently at cruising altitude—but it was encountering a fair amount of turbulence.
His hands were bound to the armrests, his legs tied below. He opened his eyes just slightly. Across from him, a muscle-bound man with a buzz cut sat gazing at a tablet, white earbuds plugged into his ears.
An escape plan took form in Desmond’s mind. Keeping his eyes just barely cracked, he began rolling his head around, mumbling. The man pulled out his earbuds and set the tablet aside. His hulking form leaned over Desmond, straining to make out the words.
Desmond jerked his head forward, slamming the highest part of his forehead into his captor’s face. The soldier fell to the floor in an unconscious heap.
Desmond bent forward and bit into the right armrest, trying to tear it open. If he could take out a big enough bite, he could slide his hand free, take the man’s gun, and— A hand grabbed him by the back of his neck, pulled his head up, and covered his mouth with a cloth. A sweet aroma filled his nose and mouth, and his vision faded to black.
Chapter 28
Her first glimpse of the village had spooked Peyton. It was too quiet, too deserted. Something was wrong here, and she feared the worst.
She, Jonas, and their team trudged toward the village, all wearing PPE, several members carrying cases with sample collection kits, bottles of ORS, and medications. A white tent complex stood behind them. With the sun setting across the barren red landscape, they looked like space explorers walking on the surface of Mars.
Ahead, two dozen round huts baked in the last rays of sunlight, their mud-packed walls and thatched roofs weathering the heat. Goats wandered down the village’s central road, weaving in and out of red dust clouds drifting in the wind.