A Darker Shade of Dead by Bianca D'Arc Page A

didn’t seem to take offense. In fact, she smiled and Matt had to kick himself mentally to refocus on the discussion. Damn, the woman was dangerous when she smiled. “The science team had developed a toxin. I used it to take care of the problem in the woods. All the Marines who’d been infected, as well as my former teammates.” Simon’s expression grew troubled and sad. Matt well understood, as did most of the men around the table. Mariana reached out and took Simon’s hand, visibly confirming what Matt already knew.
    â€œSimon came to the on-base clinic after one particularly bad night and I patched him up,” Mariana took up the thread of the story. “I’m a navy doctor, but was totally unaware of the research going on at Quantico until then. I was stationed there and rented a cabin out on the edge of the base, practically in the woods, so it wasn’t long before the zombies showed up at my door. My next-door neighbors, an elderly woman and her granddaughter, were attacked, as was my postman before we could put an end to the problem.”
    â€œThat’s when they disbanded the research team,” Sandra added. “We’d been kept sequestered until then, only asked to develop a toxin that could reverse the effects and destroy the reanimated cadavers. We did that, but were still held until they’d all been dealt with.” Sandra looked guilty, and Matt couldn’t help the little bug of suspicion that rode his shoulder where she was concerned. “We thought we were going to be charged with something but in the end they decided to disband the research team and made each of us sign documents stating that we would never follow that avenue of research again on pain of arrest and detention.”
    â€œBut you did continue the research?” Matt prodded. He probably shouldn’t have, since it would take them off course in the chronological retelling he was after, but he couldn’t help himself.
    â€œOnly on a serum to counteract the effects of infection,” Sandra said quickly. “I was afraid some of the senior members of the research team wouldn’t let their work go that easily. As it turned out, I was right.” The challenge in her green eyes made him want to go head to head with her—and not entirely in a combative way. Damn, the woman got under his skin.
    â€œAll right. Let’s move to the next outbreak.” Matt needed to get back to the job at hand. He couldn’t let Sandra distract him. “All was quiet for about six months and then a zombie turned up here at Fort Bragg.”
    â€œJust one at first,” Xavier Beauvoir spoke up. “It was sighted in the woods and reported to the MPs, though nobody realized what it really was, of course. They checked out the report, but couldn’t find it. That night they sent out my unit to look for it.” Devastation and anger crossed the Green Beret’s face. “I woke up to discover I was immune and most of my unit was dead. By that time, you’d been brought in, sir.” Xavier nodded toward Matt. “And Simon was here, already at work. I helped him until you ordered me to pick a small team and head to Long Island.” Xavier turned to the woman sitting next to him, pretty in her new black fatigues.
    â€œI was sent out on a prowler call to an abandoned building near Stony Brook on Long Island. Up until recently, I was a county cop on Long Island,” Sarah Petit informed the group. “There were two of the creatures waiting for me in that abandoned building. They attacked and smashed my head on the concrete floor. I woke up almost a week later in the hospital. Xavier had come in and taken over. I started working with him the next day and we began investigating. We discovered Dr. Sellars, a member of the original research team, had set up shop on Long Island and was actively working on the research again.”
    â€œHis new, improved zombies