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PART ONE

CONTAINMENT

But I’ve a rendezvous with Death

Attown

—Alan Seeger, “I Have a Rendezvous with Death”

CHAPTER ONE

DOLL FACTORY ROAD

STEBBINS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

“This is Billy Trout, reporting live from the apocalypse…”

The car sat in theat full blast

All four doors were open

The ere cracked and there was one slass

The voice on the radio was saying that this was the end of the world

There was no one in the car, no one in the streets No one in any of the houses or stores There wasn’t a single living soul there to hear the reporter’s e

It didn’t h

They already knew

CHAPTER TWO

STEBBINS LITTLE SCHOOL

STEBBINS, PENNSYLVANIA

Stebbins County police officer JT Hammond pushed on the crash-bar and the door opened There were bodies outside in the school parking lot Scores of them, crumpled and broken

JT looked around for movement and saw none “It’s clear”