Reset (Book 2): Salvation (5 page)

“No. Somewhere big, open, but away from everyone.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Any time Malcolm worked on something he was far removed from the rest of us.”

“You know a lot about Malcolm.”

“I used the time to learn about everyone. Even you,” she said as she reached the top of the steps. “Let’s try back there.”

“This place is a tomb.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean it was just left. Sealed up. It’s sad. Hey Nora?’

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry I never saw your comedy routine.”

Nora paused and smiled with an odd look. “Thanks. Um, I’m sorry I never got to see you preach. Maybe because we have so much time on our hands, we can show each other what we did.”

“You mean you make me laugh and I preach God to you?”

“Yeah.”

Jason laughed. “I don’t think preaching God will work under these circumstances.’

“With all the death around, neither will laughter. But it’s worth a try. I need to be me again. Despite everything. While I search for my husband and daughter. I need to feel like me. Don’t you?”

Almost in an inaudible mumble, Jason said, “I’m not sure exactly who ‘me’ is any ...”

“Here.” Nora cut him off and pointed to the small nameplate on the door. “Malcolm.”

Like every other room on the second floor, Malcolm’s office was light, the sun peeked through the slats of the blinds, and Nora opened them wider.

“He wasn’t here much,” Jason said standing by the desk. “Not much on this desk at all. Notes left for him. One picture frame.”

Nora turned and faced him. Jason held up a dual frame with two small pictures. “I’ll take that. Anything on the desk of use?”

“Doesn’t look it. I mean they thought he was dead, so his desk may be cleaned out.”

“No, it’s not. It’s empty because he was rarely here, not because they cleaned it. If they did, why would that picture be there?”

“You sure you weren’t a detective?”

“Positive.”

“That was my attempt at humor.”

“Oh,” Nora said dismissively and opened the middle desk drawer. “Check the other drawers, then we’ll do those shelves.”

“What are we looking for?”

“I don’t know exactly, anything. Something. Whatever may be personal so he can have like a life souvenir.”

“What about something for his son?”

Nora stopped rummaging. She glanced to her right, Jason held a large envelope. It was thick. “Where did you find that?”

“Bottom drawer, under a pair of running shoes. His name is Trey, right, the son’s name?”

“Yeah, yeah it is.” Nora reached out and examined the sealed tan envelope. “This is heavy.”

“Do you think Malcolm left it for his son or someone
else
left it for the son?”

“Maybe Malcolm intended to give it to him, but you know, spent thirty years frozen or .... Seeing how they all thought Malcolm was dead, it was from the company.”

“In the bottom drawer?”

“Apparently, they were waiting for the wife or family to clean the desk, so that makes sense.”

“I wonder what’s in it.”

Nora looked again at the envelope and then to Jason. “One way to find out.”

She opened the clasp.

“No.” Jason stopped her.

“Why?”

“Because if that was from Malcolm it is for him to see. It’s not our business. It’s personal.”

“You’re right. You’re right. Let’s keep looking.” Nora replaced the clasp.

<><><><>

Just about twenty-five feet into their walk, John realized it wasn’t a trap. No one was there to bash in his brains in or take a sexual deviant turn at him. These Wreckers were different. And a part of John started to think that they were afraid of the ‘bad Wreckers’ as well. Or why else would they have guards?

He didn’t know where in the U.S. they were. As near as he could figure they were supposed to be near Deep Creek Maryland. He began to think Meredith headed east instead of northwest.

John packed a lot of things he had taken from the storage room when they were at Genesis. The raid of the Wreckers didn’t diminish the supplies that were hidden in the Buggy. They stole some items, but not the ones John secured. One of the items was a personal radiation detector. It looked like a keychain, and John grabbed it when he grabbed the medical kit.

Readings were good. That was a positive thing.

They came down a path and emerged at the top of a small hill. Or rather, as John believed, a crater. It was a heartbreaking sight, yet something about it was beautiful. Just outside the crater were the remains of a city. Twisted metal, still reaching for the sky, some buried in dirt pushed outward by the bomb. It was without a doubt a bomb.

Mostly everything in the center of the crater was obliterated at one point. But the Wreckers made their homes more on the edges, using the crater’s shape as protection.

A fence created of dead trees protected the outlying areas, at least five Wrecker men walked the perimeter carrying a weapon that looked like a bow.

How were they doing it? It was the middle of the day, didn’t Rusty say they couldn’t see in the sun? Clearly something was different between the Wreckers that attacked them and the ones at the camp.

It was actually more than a camp.

They made their homes out of pieces of old cars, remaining structures, and trees. They weren’t small structures and they were creative. The homes were in a circle, outside laundry hung to dry, along with food being smoked.

John could smell the food, it was pleasing and he hoped it wasn’t human meat.

One thing was missing.

Wreckers.

There were a few but not as many as there were homes. Where were they?

Wrecker woman from the road led them to a building. By the colors and letters John knew it was formally a Subway sandwich shop. The building was partially buried and after they walked through a curtain, they had to step down to get in

His first thought upon stepping in was that the Wreckers were indeed creative. The woman could not have been all that old; she was obviously born post-nuclear war. It was apparent by her disfigurement. One that was shared by all of them. They all had the same features, it was something that happened genetically.

The floor of the home was the original Subway tile, and it was clean. Animal skin rugs graced the floor.

John couldn’t help looking around at the home. He was impressed. They were civilized.

Placing her hand to her own chest, Meredith spoke to the woman. “Meredith. Name. Meredith,” She then grabbed John’s hand and pointed to him. “John.”

Just as he was about to say they weren’t getting it, the woman responded. “Ana.” She patted her chest, then coughed, shook her head and said it again, “Ana.” She pointed to the male that was on the road with her. “Lun.”

“Ana. Lun.” Meredith nodded in greeting, then indicated to the child. “Him?”

“Bada.”

“Ana.” Meredith showed her the medical bag and opened it. “I am going to try to help Bada. Understand? I am not a doctor.”

Ana nodded, she coughed again,

John cleared his throat. “Looks like she’ll be needing help soon.” As soon as he said it, Lun coughed. “Oh boy.”

After holding up a finger to Ana, Meredith pulled John to the side and whispered. “What is going on?”

“Why are you whispering? They can’t understand you.”

“I know. Habit. John, you don’t think this is the virus, do you?”

John shook his head. “No, absolutely, one hundred percent not.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I have to. Rusty said the virus was dormant for ten years. Ten years after it had hit every single season. If this is the virus, then I think it’s more than a coincidence that it has revived about the same time as us.”

“Even if we did cause the virus to return. This can’t be us. How did it get way out here?”

John slowly shook his head and stopped. His eyes transfixed elsewhere.

“What?”

“MRE.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Genesis MRE. Not brown or green packaging, it is solid white.” He pointed. “There.” Sitting off to the side of the room on a shelf was an open white bag. It was clearly one of their MRE’s.

It was at that moment John believed he could have been judging the group of Wreckers all wrong. If they had the Genesis MREs, then they were the ones that attacked them.

John was torn between helping them or just getting the hell out.

Malcolm didn’t wear a protective suit when they removed him from his room, but they did however put him in a plastic barrier. He likened it to an old movie,
Boy in a Plastic Bubble
, he was like a hamster in a ball. Malcolm had to inch his way as he walked. The first few steps, he was clumsy. He wondered where they came up with the idea. Had they watched old movies? It was awkward and not nearly wide enough. The single hallway route was a journey to him. He walked and rolled himself to the end of the hall, escorted by Maggie who was wearing a hazmat suit. He had to keep backing up and turning the unit so Maggie could attach the ball to an expandable plastic corridor that was connected to another door. From there, Malcolm opened the hatch of the plastic bubble and stepped into the short extended doorway. The hamster ball sealed, keeping Malcolm in the clear corridor for a moment while it filled with a mist. When the mist cleared, Maggie signaled him to open the door and enter the room.

When he was finished, he would leave the room and go through the steps again in reverse. Malcolm didn’t need the bubble to protect him or anyone else on the way to the room. The bubble and decontamination process was needed when he emerged from visiting with former President Will Thomas.

The president, or rather Will, looked surprised when he saw Malcolm. No one had told him Malcolm was there. Will looked at him, started for a moment, and then turned away, as if he were put off by Malcolm’s presence.

“President … I mean, Will. How are you?” Malcolm asked.

Will hesitated, then looked at Malcolm. “You look familiar. Where do I know you from?”

“Cut the bull,” Malcolm said. “It’s been twelve days. Not nearly long enough for you to forget. No, wait, shorter than that, we woke up twelve days ago in Genesis.”

“Oh that’s right.”

“Oh … that’s right?” Malcolm chuckled. “You left. I mean … we thought you were dead. We almost went below to save you.”

“Then you would have been wrong.”

“We would have been dead. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because I knew when we woke up how long we had been out. Or about how long. And how was I to explain that to everyone? No, my best recourse was to keep silent and just follow my instructions, which were to locate the safe in the security office and get further instructions. My instructions were dated eight years after we went into stasis. I wasn’t certain Salvation would really be there, despite the note and directions.”

“How did you know how long we were out? Did you have a special clock?”

Will laughed. “No. I had special knowledge. The units can only sustain power for so long. So they are constructed by the basic concept of survival. Only the strong survive. After one year, in order to ensure survival of the fittest, the units of the weakest inhabitants start shutting down to convert power to the other units. Bio scans say which are the weakest. The computer system selectively shuts down one unit every hundred days or so. Three a year.”

“Except you.”

“Of course.”

“You still should have said something. You should have told us about this place.”

“Why?” Will asked. “Hmm? You’re here now. You found it. How?”

Malcolm started to explain about his son, but stopped. “I ran into an insane woman on my travels.”

Will folded his arm and nodded. “And I assume the others are here?”

“No. Just me.”

“Did they die?”

“It shouldn’t matter. Look, when we emerged we found evidence that mentioned other Genesis projects around the world. Do you know of any?”

“Of course.”

“Do you know where they are?”

“Why would I share this information with you?”

Malcolm grew irritated. He stepped to the president. “Why did you come here?”

“To survive. To live.”

“Do you know why you are in this room?”

“I assume the same as you. A precautionary quarantine.”

“Wrong,” Malcolm said. “You’re infected. I’m a link to your cure. You are a carrier of the virus that wiped out the world. You’re a dead man because … those behind these walls hate what the virus did to their world, what it took from them, deprived them of. They learned from news outlets this population control virus was your baby. They need a face of evil to conquer and you’re it. So if you know anything, this is your one shot to stop this virus from getting out again, and to possibly save your own life.” His voice was firm. “Now where are the other projects?”

Will looked at him for a second, then as he did when Malcolm entered the room, he turned his back to him.

It was a good hour after his talk with the president, that Malcolm met up with Maggie. After she escorted him from the room, to the bubble and to decontamination, she waited for him in his room.

“Sorry about all the decontamination and such,” Maggie said. “I know you aren’t a hundred percent yet and …”

“It’s fine. It really is. I had some time to think after the talk and of course, our talk through the plastic shell.”

Maggie nodded. “So what do you think?”

“I think you should map it out.”

Maggie smiled and exhaled in relief. “That’s excellent. It’ll be a team, so it will be safe. I would like for you to rest and then we’ll leave. I was thinking of inviting your son, since he did bring you to us. Now …” she walked to the table and opened a folder with enthusiasm. “He told you five United States locations. You were in G3 or Genesis Three. One of them, G5 won’t be any use to us. It’s North East, New York. That’s post war zone.”

“I understand. What I don’t get is why it is so important for me to go.”

“You know the projects. The labs where they kept the units.”

“Hardly.”

“You were there for several days, awake. You know more than us. You had time to learn at least one set up”

“I’ll give you that.

“And that’s all we need.”

“Listen, we were a group. We split up. We were supposed to meet. If I don’t show up that’s not fair to them. We have a bond.”

“I realize that. But we need you. When are you supposed to meet them?”

“About two weeks.”

Maggie nodded. “We can’t wait that long to take them.”

“I not suggesting … you know what? Never mind. We had a plan. They’ll leave word there if they leave. I’ll find them.”

“You may not have to. With the world the way it is, they may still be there when we get done.”

“Then let’s do this.”

“Good.” She motioned her hand to the folder to show him what she had worked out. “We appreciate your help. What’s left of this world cannot face another outbreak. We won’t survive it.”

<><><><>

John had a breakdown. Something just snapped. He couldn’t pretend or live in fear. Just as Meredith was about to administer some medication to the child, Bada, John lost it. His mind flashed with memories of the attack and he grew outraged.

“Stop,” he grabbed her wrist.

“What are you doing?”

Ana looked on with confusion.

“This.” John stormed over to the MRE. “This.” He held it up with a strong voice. “We …” He indicted to Meredith and himself. “Have these.” He brought the MRE to his chest. “Ours. We …” He pointed to his bruise then to Meredith’s bruised face. “Taken.” He mocked the MRE being snatched from his hand. “Taken.” He showed an angry face.

Immediately, as if she got it, Ana held up her hands and waved them frantically, shaking her head. “Ter ade.”

“I don’t understand,” John said.

“Ter ade.” She repeated, touched her chest, and then lifted a blanket. “Ter ade.” She handed John the blanket and reached for the MRE. She nodded calmly. “Ter ade.”

“John?” Meredith whispered his name. “She traded for it.”

“Bull.”

“No. Seriously. Ana … Ter Ade.” She pointed to the MRE and then lifted her hands with question.

Ana lifted the blanket once more. “Ter ade.”

John knew it was apparent he didn’t believe the woman. To him she was lying or so he thought. Trying to convince him they traded some random person for a blanket. Unless they traded one of the violent Wreckers for it. To John there was no difference. Like a mutant racist he saw them all the same. “Who?” John asked. “Really who did you Ter ade?”

After setting down the blanket, Ana took hold of John’s arm. Repeating her word for trade and led him from the Subway sandwich shop home.

“Where is she taking us?” John pulled from her grip and reluctantly followed.

“I don’t know.”

“Probably to take us to a corpse.”

“John.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me if that was the meat they were hanging. Oh wait, we’re on to her, she’s leading us to slaughter.”

“Can you please just …?”

Ana stopped at a tent like structure. She opened the flap and pointed in. Just as John was about to step through, Ana stopped him and frantically grabbed John’s hand bringing it to cover his nose and mouth.

She did the same to Meredith.

John stepped in with the mindset he was covering his nose and mouth because of some sort of smell, he was wrong.

Laying on the ground, covered with blankets, a light by his head was a man. Not a Wrecker, he looked normal to John. He was barely conscious and his body shook with a steady cough.

Meredith, hand still over her mouth crouched down. “He’s sick. Look at his eyes. He has whatever Bada has.”

“Or Bada has what he has,” John said. “It’s the chicken and egg thing. “

‘Where did he get the MRE?”

“That’s an easy answer. Look at his clothes.”

Meredith lowered the blanket a little more. The sick man wore the white over shirt and drawstring pants. The same exact clothes that were left for John, Meredith and the others when they came out of stasis. With the MRE, the clothing, it was obvious he was rebirthed through Genesis. He wasn’t part of their group, so where did he come from? Wherever it was, had to be close.

<><><><>

“They’re all here,” Jason finished sorting and counting the playing cards as he sat at a table in the employee lunch room.

“Good and …” She stepped back from the old vending machine. The glass was covered with a black substance and dirt. When Nora popped the cover with a screwdriver, the inside looked as if time and the elements never touched it. “Holy cow it’s filled.”

Jason laughed.

“How long do you think it’s been?”

“Since they filled the machine?”

“No, since everyone left.”

Jason shuffled the cards. “Well, the letter at your house was at least fifteen years after we disappeared. Rick was living there, so it has to be another fifteen or twenty. At least.”

“You think?”

Jason tilted his head. “It’s a very wet area. Snow, rain, humidity. So it could be ten. But honestly, that much growth, I can’t see it being any less than ten. I’m sticking with twenty. I saw the pictures of Chernobyl.”

“You are obsessed with that.”

“That’s the only one I know.”

Nora walked to the table. “There was an amusement park here in Ohio called Geauga Lake. It was overgrown too. I loved looking at the pictures. Just can’t believe I’m living it now.”

“Me either.” Jason noticed Nora looking again at the wallet size double frame she found on Malcolm’s desk. “Why do you keep looking at Malcolm’s family?”

“Because I have no pictures of my own. Rick took them all. Everything. Every picture. If for anything, I want to get to Salvation to get pictures. It’s hard to process, you know. I mean. It’s been almost two weeks since I saw them. Alive. How am I supposed to believe they are dead? It doesn’t feel it. It’s like we’re on this apocalypse vacation and I need to get back home to share the adventure.”

“I’m sort of feeling that way,” Jason said. “But I saw my wife’s grave, my daughter’s grave.”

“You didn’t see them, though. I feel guilty for not being torn apart, for not feeling grief as badly as I should. I lost my child. But I just don’t believe it.”

“Will we ever?”

“It will never be real. I’ll miss them terribly. I do miss them now. I just don’t know if I’ll ever miss them as if they died. It’s too surreal. Enough serious talk, go pick your poison for our game.”

Jason grumbled and stood. “What did you get?”

Nora quickly covered her vending machine items. “Not saying. I’m playing high stakes here.”

“I have news for you that vending machine food is at least twenty-five years old. It’s all high stakes.” He stood and walked to the machine. “Back to what we were saying.”

“No, let’s not.”

“One more thing. Okay? Just know … how you feel, is justifiable. Whether it will change, we don’t know. It may. It may not. Only time will tell. Like I mentioned when I did my sermon for you.”