Quincunx I

Quincunx I is a fast-paced urban fantasy/science fiction romance story that takes place in the small town of Neosho in Southwestern Missouri, where classified military research was conducted on prisoners of war detainees at nearby Camp Crowder during WWII. Unbeknownst to the locals, the abandoned military base is home to a subterranean species of human mutants. When local students suddenly go missing, law enforcement officials are alerted to the presence of thousands of violent creatures that quickly manifest to the surface and wreak havoc on the military and the American Midwest. The terrifying creatures carry a mysterious virus that is highly contagious and lethal. Scientists and military experts must work furiously against the clock to unravel government secrets and contain the bloodthirsty mutants. Dr. Judy Davis is a professor of Genetics and Anthropology at a University in St. Louis, Missouri. Over fifteen years ago, she was tasked by the government to complete a top-secret research project at Camp Crowder. Her findings were alarming and unprecedented; however, her report was never released to the public and she was led to believe that the human test subjects did not survive. When the Camp Crowder specimens present an immediate global threat to human health and safety, she is partnered with a humorless FBI Special Agent, Max Guthrie, to assist in the investigation. One of the missing students, Brian, is the teenaged son of a local high school English teacher, Paul Cameron. Paul is frustrated by the local sheriff's apparent apathy and goes to search for his son. Meanwhile, Brian escapes with Judy, Max, and a medical examiner, Dr. Janet Wiggins, after a failed attempt by the U.S. military and FBI to eliminate the formidable creatures from the area's underground caves. The survivors take refuge at Paul's great-grandpa Jake's farm house, located a few miles outside of Neosho, where the family is reunited. The creatures soon surface. Social media warns the general public about the pending epidemic and chaos ensues. It is soon discovered that the virus carried by the creatures is not only transmitted by contact, but after a brief incubation period, the virus becomes airborne. Troy Miller, another FBI agent, convinces everyone to travel to the west coast where his brother is waiting with a boat. They determine they have a better chance of survival if they flee to the Hawaiian Islands. The government shuts down all media communication in an attempt to control the flow of information. Paul and the others embark on a cross-country road trip from Neosho to Los Angeles to meet up with Troy's brother before it is too late.