Dark Days

Dark Days is a book written by Dan J. Hawkins. It is the seventh book in the Hawcross series and is set in a fictional reality. The book focuses on the character Rex Lincoln stuck in the middle of a Viral Epidemic resulting in him fighting for his life. This book marks the first of a partial Trilogy in the Hawcross Series.

Synopsis
When British Prime Minister, Peter McFarlane's daughter is kidnapped and held for ransom, his personal Bodyguard; Rex Lincoln accompanies him to pay for her freedom. After travelling to the small town of Bartley, the Plan goes haywire when the Criminals let loose a Virus that sends the infected Insane. During the chaos, Rex finds himself named Public Enemy Number 1 and is forced to flee from the Authorities. Allying himself with a SWAT Team and barricading themselves inside an abandonned Warehouse, Rex finds that the situation is far too serious to simply fight his way out of.

Plot
Set only a few months after his defeat of Prisoner 16, Rex is being eased back into Government Field Work by acting as a Bodyguard for political officials. Becoming greatly admired by the Government not only for his part in the Prisoner 16 Incident but as well debunking several terrorist attacks.

On one such occassion he has been appointed to safeguard the Primeminister and his wife as they make a deal with criminals in order for the return of their kidnapped daughter. The deal is to be made in a secluded castle in the outskirts of a small village named Bartley.

The Criminals arrive and exit a large black van and enter the castle with the girl handcuffed at their side. They reveal they have a toxic chemical which they have derived from a group of Prisoners they are meant to be transporting to Blue City. The Grime Tribe have been experimented on and their blood is now toxic and poisonous, the criminals threatening that they will inject it into the girl if they are not paid their ransom.

The deal goes awry however when one of the criminals identifies Rex as a member of the Juggernaut Battalion and remembers that he was responsible for his brother being killed during the war when Rex refused to rescue him at the risk of over 50 other humans being killed in the process. The criminals let loose the toxic chemical and forcibly inject it into the Primeminister's daughter. All hell unfolds when the daughter starts splurging vomit and chemicals at her family and the criminals. After a brutal and gore soaked shoot-out, Rex is left fighting for his life once again.

While teaming up with the last surviving Criminal, Rex learns that teh Grime Tribe were being transported to Blue City as a means to infect and kill all Blue City Inhabitants for good. Rex is furious to learn that because of his presence at the Castle that he has prevented this and engages in a brawl with the criminal until Rex gouges his eyes out and awaits the Infected.

After trying to reason with the deranged Primeminister, Rex is forced to murder him and massacre the entire ensemble of infected maniacs. Come the morning, Rex is visited the local Police Force who arrest him. However, Rex is once again put into a world of terror when one of the Police Officers breaks open the Criminal's Black Van which inadvertidally releases the Grim Tribe Members who begin attacking and infecting the police officers. In the ensuing chaos, Rex is knocked into the nearby swamp, the van following after him, being pulled under in the current of a van exploding. However, after finding his footing on a deep tree root, Rex climbs into the tree and escapes out of the swamp thropugh the hallow of the stump and hides from his persuers.

Rex is once again forced back into the saftey of the Castle. Rex is immediatley apprehended by three surviving Police Officers who lock themselves in the Top Room of the Castle. Rex becomes furious and tries to explain the situation only for one of the Officers to begin beating him with a Batton. Rex manages to kill the Officer and threatens to kill the other two if they don't cooperate but is horrified when he learns one of teh Officers was carrying a Radio and the whole situation has been monitored. Rex breaks open the door and allows the Grim to storm into the room, killing the Officers while he escapes out the window.

After a lengthy battle, Rex is persued into Bartley; the nearby town surrounding which leads to the towns people being infected and butchered in the on going attack. News of the dilema hits the rest of Hawcross which results in the surrounding area being closed off in Quarentine. Rex fends off the infected inside a residential home, receiving help from a Mother, her Daughter and her Boyfriend. Things once again go wrong when the Father makes his way back and is a local Police Officer. Knowing Rex to be a Wanted Criminal, he attacks him but Rex knocks him out and locks him in a Cupbopard under the stairs. The Boyfriend eventually overpowers Rex and lets the Father out. While preparing to execute Rex, he manages to get a hold of a Shotgun and murder them both. Rex then flees from the House.

Taking to the streets, Rex is picked up by several SWAT members stuck inside the town who all travel to an abandoned warehouse where they reside within for several days. Rex builds up a romantic relationship with one of the members; Saffron Errington whome he eventually reveals his situation to. Conflicted; Saffron tells another member, Tom Ford who instantly takes a hostile approach to Rex but spares his life so he can take him in when they get out of Bartley.

After one of the SWAT members goes insane and opens the doors to the warehouse, the building is infested and Rex along with Saffron and Tom escape into the underground sewers where they make a break for the Railway Station. As they reach a nearby Train, Rex catches Tom as he is about to stab him in the back. Rex and Tom engage in a brawl which Rex eventually wins by punching Tom's head into a pile of mush. Rex hotwires the Train and heads for the TANK Barrier closing off Bartley. Saffron begins trying to flee from Rex when she fears for her saftey leading Rex to chase after her. Before he can calm her down; she shoots herself out of fear. At this point Rex sees the Trainline has been blown up by TANK and runs to stop teh Train but is too late and the Train derails and crashes.

After falling unconcious, Rex is thrown among many dead bodies that are carted away in the "Garbage Planes" andto be air dropped into the archaic world of Blue City. Rex wakes up in the pile of dead bodies and begins frantically scraping at the walls to get out. When he is out he disovers he is in Blue City and awaits his fate.

Characters and Look-Alikes

 * Rex Lincoln - Jake Gyllenhall
 * Saffron Errington - Emily Blunt
 * Tom Ford - Tom Hardy
 * Claire Styles
 * Terrence Bennett
 * Charlie B. - Martin Freeman
 * Bradley Bennett
 * Jodie Bennett
 * Luke Bennett
 * Anna Thomas
 * Commissioner Holmes
 * Officer Jackson
 * Peter McFarlane - John Hannah
 * Sandra McFarlane
 * Chloe McFarlane
 * Riley Bates