Plague: Death was only the beginning! (10 page)

“We were always told that there was safety in numbers. Now the opposite was true!”

-Thoughts from the Author

Chapter 28

Worldwide Deaths: 0.67 Billion est.

Tom stopped just outside Winnemucca, Nevada and stretched his legs by the side of the road. The long hours of driving the massive rig had stressed his arms and legs before he finally got used to driving between the lines again. Now, he just got up to speed, set the cruise control, and leaned back into the leather seat. And while there wasn’t a single station on the radio, he had brought along his supply of CDs from his truck after seeing the installed player. Now he jammed to the music while setting his brain on pause to pass the time. With no destination and no timetable for being there, he was free to roam as he wished. After finding a cache of maps in a drawer, he looked in one direction, then another, for some place that might guide him to a new home. Cities were out; the smell alone would drive him away. And survivors would have long since left to better ground. Looking further east, he said to himself, “Nebraska, no damn way I’m getting into that mess. I read the book! Besides, I’m not looking forward to Stephen King’s worldview!”

Back on the road, he stopped again at Wendover, Nevada and hit the casino parking lots to top off his gas tank. Pulling up next to another RV, he used a tire iron to pop the side door and went inside to look for some keys. The RV was towing a small trailer with a big ATV on it. It was just the thing to run the streets with. Pulling out a drawer, he found a set of keys that seemed to be the right ones and went outside to check. Yeah, they fit, and the engine turned right over on the first turn of the key. Jockeying his RV around, he parked it at an angle, used the wheeled jack on the trailer to unhook the ATV, and rolled it over to his own tow bar. Plugging in the brake cable, he searched the other RV for useable bits before making a big strike under the bed. Most RV beds have a large storage area underneath, which can be accessed by just lifting the end of the bed. In this case, the treasure was a gun owner’s dream. There were three AR-15s, still in their cases, several handgun cases, a scoped rifle, an M-1 Carbine, and two cases of ammunition. Packed around them was case after case of MREs, camping gear, and backpacks. Someone had thought long and hard and had prepared for the event when the RV had to be abandoned.

After throwing up again from siphoning gas, he broke into an auto parts store and found a gas pump and 12-volt battery, along with several feet of plastic hose. Hooking everything together, he set the pump on the ground and one plastic tube into the gas tank. The other exited the pump and ran into the gas can next to him. Connecting the battery, he was awarded with the sound of gas being pumped into the can. Finding extra gas cans amongst the different cars and trucks, he filled those as well and placed them into the back of the trailer. Now he felt better, safer, and he pulled out of the lot and back onto the road toward the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Ahead of him, the salt flats stretched for miles in every direction. Pulling into the rest stop there, he walked up the overlook and looked deep into the night air. The stars shone brightly overhead, and the air was fresh and clean for the first time in hours. The cities were driving him out into the wilderness, and he welcomed each new breeze as his mind wandered. Finally, high over the mountains, he saw a moving light. The International Space Station now looked over an empty world, and he wondered if the people inside were still alive. Were they looking down at him as well? Could they even consider coming home to a
plague-filled
world that would give them only death? He had heard that amateur radio operators could call and talk to them when they were overhead. Maybe he could find a radio and do the same thing. Maybe they knew where to go that was free of sickness and death. There were stranger things loose in the world now. And if so, someone might welcome an ex-gym teacher with no prospects, especially if he brought a handful of astronauts along for the ride!

“And silence covered the globe as it held its breath. Would the sun rise tomorrow on an empty world? Or one with life still?”

-Thoughts from the Author

Chapter 29

Worldwide Deaths: 0.71 Billion est.

Sally opened the front door and welcomed Heather inside for the first time. She had been given a ten-day quarantine period after she had arrived. And while she waited, they had talked through the intercom system. Each welcomed any news the other might have after so many days alone and isolated. Heather told them of the final hours of the author and how the city had died around her. Tom and Sally, in turn, told her of the radio calls they had heard from across the world. The radio calls had slowly died away as well, silence now reigned against the static. Over the next few days, everyone was able to walk freely from compound to compound, as they too were now free to roam. Dave and the nursing staff from Mountain View welcomed Heather like a long lost soul. And they quickly organized themselves for when it might be safe to go outside the walls again. After a deep discussion, it was decided to wait a few more weeks for the plague to burn itself out before venturing forth again. No one wanted to welcome the plague back into their lives, and the few survivors that were left would just have to wait as well.

Sitting at the table, Sally poured tea and placed a small handful of homemade scones between them. The fare was simple but welcome after so many days of canned goods heated over a candle stove.

“I cannot tell you how thankful I am that you welcomed me here. After my family died and the hospital was shutting down, I had no place to go. And staying in town sounded so ugly. The dead seemed to be everywhere, and I couldn’t stand the smell any longer. When Don told me about this place, it seemed ideal, and he was sure I would be welcomed here,” Heather said as she sipped her tea. “I’m actually surprised to find such a well-developed complex here in the Ozarks. I would have thought people would have headed out west into the mountains or something.”

“Well, many did at first. But then the local town boards started to mess with the gun laws and building codes, and raised the taxes way high to fund public welfare. Kiss of death for most people. So, they started looking in other places to be free. Missouri was a great state for that. As the gun laws were fair, the taxes low, and the building codes were almost non-existent outside of town,” Sally replied. “Tom and I settled here after leaving Minnesota. Because it was just like the area we were from in southeast Minnesota, the Bluff lands. And the price was right! We invited others to join us here, and over time, we bought out all of the older landowners and started to build. So that by the time we were done, we had a nice place that also paid the rent. With the others normally living outside the valley, they paid us to care for their property while they were gone.”

“So, you started all of this?”

“Yes, over time. We lived here for several years before we reached out to others. The ground isn’t good for planting, so we had to build aquaponics tanks and water systems to raise fish and vegetables in. The environment was prefect for that,” Sally stated as she munched on a scone. “The fishpond gave us a source of both fish and water, and solar panels supply the power for the pumps. We harvest chickweed from the pond to feed the fish, the fish poop feeds the plants, and we get to harvest fresh fish and veggies year round. Perfect system, as I said.”

“Hey, that’s pretty slick! I can see that’s really handy right now as well. There were tons of dead cattle in the fields, and we won’t be feasting on beef anytime soon. But, fried fish is always good.”

“Yeah, we heard about the cattle. Maybe a few will survive so we can breed more later on. We do have some rabbits that we kept inside the shelters. We filtered the air inside on the odd chance something was in the air. But, being so far from other people seemed to have done the trick for now,” Sally stated. “Hopefully, the plague will burn itself out soon, and we can go outside the compound again. It gets pretty boring to stare at chain-link fences and four walls.”

“Ha-ha, you have no idea how nice they were for me after living in the city. I only wanted to feel safe again, no matter what the conditions were. Now, I feel I can have a future again. Thank you so much!”

“No, thank you. You cared for the final hours of our friend. And with your skills, we prayed that someone like you would be found. Dave and his group are great for what they know, but it’s limited. You can cover almost everything else.”

“Then I’m happy to be here!”

“Terror describes the world today. What can we say of tomorrow?”

-Thoughts from the Author

Chapter 30

Worldwide Deaths: 0.83 Billion est.

The siege of Troy had lasted ten years. The City of London had lasted less than a month before the plague overran the defenders of Buckingham Palace. The royal family had planned to fly out by helicopter to Balmoral Castle, the Queen’s estate in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. But word soon arrived that the aircrew had become infected, and the airbase was on lockdown to try to control the spread of the disease. So, the Welsh Guard was withdrawn onto the grounds and the exterior doors closed to try to isolate the royal family from outside contact. The storerooms were always filled with cheese, fresh foods, and literally tons of flour and bottles of expensive wine and beer. They dined well, and the backup generators kept the lights on well into the siege. The danger came from under the walls, not over them as the rat population, now heavily infected, made their way through the steam tunnels and sewers in their efforts to escape the massive die-off that was taking place in the buildings above. Similar to New York, the rats had spread the plague into the subway tunnels, steam tunnels, sewers, and finally into the buildings, apartments, and houses above the street. From there, they spread out into the storerooms and fresh water supplies and added to the spread. The first to fall in the palace was a cook’s helper that had run right into a rat as he opened the storeroom door. The rat ran between the cook’s legs, biting him on the ankle for his troubles. From there, the entire kitchen staff went on a rat hunt that only caused the rats to vomit and piss on the floors and in the food stocks as they ran for their lives. In the end, Prince Charles became King only days later, soon followed by Prince William. Prince Harry became a distant third while sitting in a bunker far from home. After that, the title became unclaimed as darkness overran the bunker, and the British people faded from the scene.

Sharon and Simon must have felt like the British as they walked the empty streets of Bangor, Maine. They had entered a few stores and found some juice and cookies that they ate while sitting on the curved stones. The milk was spoiled, and neither of them wanted to even open a bottle that was swollen and filled with clotted milk. But the cookies were still fresh, and they enjoyed the crumbs as the best they had eaten in days. Simon laughed and played in the street with a rubber ball Sharon had found. They enjoyed the bright sunshine, and they talked about what they should do next. Sharon told Simon that she had never owned a car and could barely drive one. So, going to Phoenix to find his grandmother would be very hard to do. “No?” he said with tears in his eyes.

Sharon could only say that they would try very hard. But, they might not make it for a long time. He seemed to understand that and had another cookie. Now faced with raising a child, Sharon ran differing thoughts through her mind. Should she go back home or to Simon’s house? No, that only led to death and sorrow. What about a hotel? No, not so hot either as she had wandered through one or two already. The smell drove her out the front door in seconds. There were some nice bed and breakfast places that were not too far from here, and they were pretty nice on the outside. Maybe one of those.

After a long walk, they stepped up to the front door and knocked. Sharon had given up hope of finding anyone alive. But, you never know, and knocking on the door only took a second or two to be sure. They were both shocked and surprised when an older woman opened the door.

“Can I help you?” she said as she glanced at the dirty clothes that Simon was wearing and Sharon’s filthy bandage.

“We … we’re looking for a place to stay. I wasn’t sure if anyone was still living here, and we couldn’t stay in town.” Sharon blushed. ‘I’m so sorry we troubled you. We don’t have any money to pay you, and I’m sure we can find something down the road.”

“No, wait! I have clean rooms for you and your son. And you are welcome to stay here as long as you wish. Just hearing another voice is payment enough,” the woman said as she ushered them inside. “I was just enjoying a bowl of warmed-over chili, would you like some? I’m sorry; I don’t know your names yet.”

“I’m Sharon, and this is Simon. We are traveling together. And thank you, that sounds wonderful, and the air is getting pretty chilly out here.”

“Come in, come in! My name is Marsha Wiggins, and this is my bed and breakfast. My husband George and I bought it ten years ago, and we’ve been here ever since,” Marsha said as she walked into the kitchen. Bright and airy, it was just the opposite of the rest of the countryside. Sharon smiled at seeing the pictures of numerous former guests that covered one whole wall. Each was smiling and had one arm wrapped around Marsha and another man. This must have been George.

“Is George around?”

“No, dear, he passed away two years ago from cancer. But, he died smiling and thanking God for having been given a full life. Humble, that was my George. Now, sit, sit, and I’ll get you fed,” Marsha said as she hurried about the kitchen to get bowls, spoons, and glasses of lemonade. “I’m sorry, it’s not much. But, I wasn’t expecting company.”

“Marsha, please! We were sitting in the street an hour ago. But, I do have to ask, how do you power your lights?” Sharon asked after taking her first bite of the hot chili. “Hey, this is really good!”

“Yes, isn’t it! George’s creation, of course! I can make it, but coming up with something new is beyond me. The lights are powered by solar panels and batteries. And we also have a wind generator that adds more power when the wind is blowing,” Marsha said between bites of her own. “We got tired of the power company causing blackouts every winter when we were booked solid with hunters and skiers. The cost of installation paid us back in less than three years after the cost of electrical power jumped like crazy under Obama. Tax credits are wonderful!”