Recovery: V Plague Book 8 (29 page)

Unleashed: V Plague Book One

Crucifixion: V Plague Book Two

Rolling Thunder: V Plague Book Three

Red Hammer: V Plague Book Four

Transmission: V Plague Book Five

Days Of Perdition: V Plague Book Six

Indestructible: V Plague Book Seven

Rules Of Engagement: A John Chase
Short Story

First and
foremost I want to recognize and remember a man who recently passed away.  US
Army Master Sergeant James Bost.  I was saddened to learn of his passing from
his son who told me that his Dad was the best man he’s ever known.  One tough
old warhorse, and a bad ass Green Beret, he fought in Korea and Vietnam.  He
survived two bloody wars, but in the end Death caught up with him.  Rest In
Peace, brother.

How much do
you really know about wolves?  I personally knew very little, having never
encountered one other than at a zoo.  As I began to research them for their
inclusion in Recovery, I was surprised by almost everything I learned. 

For example,
European wolves are much more aggressive than their North American cousins. 
Several theories abound for why this is, but I couldn’t find anything that
presented a rational scientific explanation for the difference. 

The farther
away from the equator, the larger the wolf.  Some varieties in more central
latitudes are no larger than a small dog, while the largest recorded (in northern
Siberian Russia) was more than six feet from nose to rump (tail not included)
and exceeded two hundred pounds.  Stories exist of much larger specimens but
lack even basic proof such as photos to support the claims.

I had always
assumed that wolves were strictly predators, consuming only freshly killed
prey, but it turns out I was incorrect.  They are opportunistic and will eat a
corpse without hesitation.

Wolves in
Europe contributed to the duration and spread of the Black Plague.  Though the
disease was transmitted to humans by fleas carried by rats, wolves would drag
the bodies of the dead into the wild to eat them, helping to spread the plague
into areas previously unaffected.  The same behavior is also documented in
North America when European settlers brought the Smallpox virus that wiped out
a huge percentage of the Native American population.

The Ballard
Locks.  If you ever visit the beautiful city of Seattle they should be on your
list of things to see.  They are a wonderful way to spend a sunny afternoon,
especially when the multi-million dollar yachts come through.  It’s a great way
to see how the other half lives!

Also, while
you’re there don’t miss the fish ladder.  The North Pacific is home to a lot of
salmon, many of them swimming through the locks, across Lake Washington and
into a myriad of streams and rivers to spawn.  The fish ladder is a stepped,
underwater passageway for the salmon.  At the locks there is a subterranean tunnel
where thick windows are set in the wall so you can watch the fish migrate from
the ocean into the lake.  The best time of year is July and the first half of
August. 

A final note
on the locks, especially before a Seattle area resident calls me out.  The
level of the lake is actually around twenty feet above sea level.  That
wouldn’t have worked for my purposes in this book, so I took a little literary
license with the facts and made it just a few feet.  If you haven’t figured it
out, literary license means I’m full of shit or I don’t know what I’m talking
about.  Usually it’s the former, but sometimes the latter slips in, too!

You can
always correspond with me via email at
[email protected]
  Visit my website at
www.voodooplague.com
and if you’re on Facebook, please like my page at
www.facebook.com/FearThePlague
 

I enjoy
interacting with my fans and I try to answer all of my email… eventually.

Thanks again
for reading!

Dirk Patton

2015