Ceara took the last bite of her steak and laid the fork on the plate and tossed the bone to Maximus. She looked back to everyone wondering how they would take what she wanted to say, “I worked at a Memphis State University as a tutor and part-time at the book store. I went there trying to get my degree in computer sciences, this would have been my third year
but I dropped out in my second year. I thought I knew everything
.”
She looked at her water bottle as she slowly turned it in circles, “My parents didn’t have money and thought that I should be happy with taking over the farm that had been in my family for centuries. That wasn’t the life for me and I left to follow my dream. I really never thought about how much it meant to my family to keep that farm but daddy turned his back on me and refused to help with anything.
Mom
would sneak me money if I really needed it but I did most of it on my own. I really wish I knew all this was going to happen, I would have stayed home and let daddy believe the farm would be in the family forever.” She looked up, into each of their eyes, “What good was it for me to hurt him so much just to have all this happen? The good part was about six months ago we did make up but we didn’t have time to rebuild our relationship before….” She looked off into the
woods;
she didn’t really exp
ect anyone to give her answers.
Colt cleared his throat, pushed the plate away and leaned crossing his arms on the table, “Well I guess it’s down to me and Charlie so I’ll go next. I’m thirty two and the director of IT at a company called Istech, well I guess that would be a WAS director. Anyway, I made very good money; yes I am one of those college grads but no silver spoon here. I married the love of my life, Jessica.” He smiled a little, “That girl made me chase her for a year before she finally agreed to even go out with me, took me another five to get her to say I do. We were trying to have a baby, she was my world,
and everything
I did was to m
ake sure I never let her down.”
He was silent for a minute then looked to Beth because she knew what had happen, “ but, I guess I let her down anyway, I’m here but I couldn’t save her.” He looked back down at the plate, “She got bit but I couldn’t shoot her, she begged me too but I couldn’t.” He looked to Alden, “Helpful tidbit, the monsters can starve to death if they don’t feed on humans. At least I think she did, when I thought she was really gone I left her tied to
the bed and made my way here.”
Not wanting any of them thinking too much about what he had done to Jessica, he looked to Beth, “We know where you worked, but
why would you pick that place?”
Beth took a very deep breath. There were so many different reasons but there was only true one. Feeling somewhat comfortable with Colt she looked over to him and began speaking softly, “I would always see
Mom
run into my big sister’s room at all times of the day
and night;
when Mary would be going into a diabetic attack. For a young girl to see all of this kind of commotion would raise certain questions such as, “Can’t there be a cure? Why does so many people have to suffer? What causes certain kind of outbreaks and does this happen to everyone?” Being normal and the youngest
,
I wanted to try to make everyone better, to cure everyone and end all sorts of suffering. I thought about being a physician but as I got older I would see all sorts of literature about what the Center Of Disease Control had to offer to help all people in all parts of the world.”
Beth continued talking more somber than she ever had before. The authoritative tone was long gone and Beth was just ordinary Beth. “So I thought of what a better way to try to get an edge on everything that was new or up and coming. Some things were not so interesting while others had many good advantages. When swine flu or H1N1 emerged in 2009
it
caused the first global pandemic in more than forty years. It resulted in substantial illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths. Civilians looked for answers and we had to get a handle on it fast. Once we did we gave facts and told everyone what they needed to do. We gave facts and solutions and what’s the most important
thing was that we were there.”
Beth began to slow her speaking down and then she gradually began to get emotional as she remembered, “But let me tell you all, it wasn’t just the flu or certain contagions. We were right on the front lines of everything and anything that was out there that may cause problems to everyone in the world. Our mission was plain and
simple; find
the expertise,
document the
information and
use
the tools to protect the people
. C
ommunities need
ed
to protect their health through health promotion, prevention of disease, injury and disability, and preparedness for new health threats.
We searched for cures f
o
r
cancer to tapeworms, from ticks that had lime disease, to simple cat scratch disease!!” Tears began to form in Beth’s eye as her hands grasped one another tightly, “Then
when the new president took office, w
hat does he do with it!!!!??? Well, the
answer was simple, budget cuts, t
o bring in his bottom line and to make him
self
look good to all of his upper echelon
.
H
e cut the old timers that knew what the hell they were doing!! He cut the fat, brought in babies to run the world. One thing led to another and here we sit today!”
Wiping her nose with the sleeve of her shirt and taking a deep breath, “My intentions Colt were good! I wanted to help end world suffering. To help little ones of the world that saw their
m
om
mies and daddies take care of their sick ones
but they knew
would never get better.
Beth knew this wasn’t what Colt was wanting but she just felt like everyone looked at her like Colt did, like this was all her fault.
Looking over to Tabitha then to Ceara, then Charlie and finally ending with Alden. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen and I damn sure didn’t think that it would ever happen. I sit here now thinking if I would of ran to work when I got the text from Chad instead of running to try to save my big sister and
Mom
and
Dad
then maybe I would of had a chance to pull someone’s head out of their ass. But what I have gathered it was too little to late cause the outbreak happened somewhere in
Philadelphia.”
Frustrated and missing her family
,
Beth got up from the table and calmly but still very shaky continued, “Now, if you will excuse me
,
I really would just like to go take a shower and try to gain some composure. Alden, Sir, I really thank you for the lovely meal and I would like to make breakfast for everyone in the morning but right now I just need some time alone.
”
Slowly Beth walked back into the cabin and after she got inside and gently closed the door she fell to her knees and cried
very hard.
Charlie sat and listened to all of them talk. Once again he knew he was odd man out, even Tabitha had a
Mom
and dad. Yeah
,
they didn’t sound the greatest
,
but he was sure that at some point there was love from both parents. He had learned from the Sister’s that no one was totally evil. He kept eating his steak slowly not wanting to be involved in the discussion. Hoping that if he took long enough it would die down and change to something else.
It had too
… Beth had sort of a meltdown
. He never had a home and never knew the love these people were talking about. Hell he hadn’t even kissed a girl till Ceara kissed his cheek, and damn she kissed him not the other way around. Searching the area as Beth rambled on
, he got the impression she thought they blamed her specifically for the outbreak. When she left the table the silence hung in the air. Looking around for a change of subject
he saw a large metal ring in the gr
ound. “Damn that’s a fire pit.”
He finished eating and walked over to the woods gathering some sticks and small pieces of wood he brought it back and began to make a small fire. Taking a small bic lighter out that he had found he lit the kindling and soon his little fire glowed comfortably. He noticed that the iron ring had holes cut into it in the shape of trees and small animals. As the fire flickered the shapes seemed to dance around on the ground. He walked over to Alden truck and got out the coffee pot and the water, filling the bottom part with water he placed the coffee in the separate top. Then carried both halves to the fire placing the bottom up against the fire the way Alden had showed him. It was only a few minutes and he could hear the water begin to boil taking the lid off he poured the hot water into the top and quickly put the bottom back. He watched as Beth finished and walked away.
“Well at least that’s one I won’t have to impress.” He stood and went to get his coffee cup out of the van. Walking back over
,
he squatted and poured a cup then looked to the table “Coff
ee’s ready if ya’ll want some.”
Alden got up and went to his truck to get his own cup and was soon back sitting on the ground in front of the fire. He watched the flames but could tell the group was waiting to hear from either him or Charlie. Charlie had found a log and had drug it over by the fire
wanting to join Alden, he sat
on it staring into the flames. Alden knew Charlie’s story and he also knew that Charlie was ashamed of his past. Through their talks back before any of the others joined Charlie had told him what life was like growing up as an orphan. He poured himself another cup and went back to the table. Looking at Tabitha he gave her a little smirk. “Contrary to what you may have seen in the movies, the military life is not all guns guts and glory. We’re not all Rambo’s and Navy S.E.A.L.S.” He took a sip and saw Charlie chuckle over on his log. “I’m not one to
open up and
talk. I think I’ve made that clear, but I’ll tell you all little story so you know there’s a human side to me.
”
“
I was stationed in West Berlin in 1986. I was about 30 and had met a young woman from the states her name was Lynette Feldman. She was a student at the university. Lynette and I had been dating about six months and yes this old man was in love. We got an
a
partment and were making plans to get married. I’d even gone as far as putting in for a nice desk job. One night Lynette, myself and some buddies decided to go out for the night.”
Alden paused taking a sip of coffee, “
The guys had asked some of the other girls from our brigade to go with them. They were nice girls. Anyway we ended up having dinner with them and they all wanted to go dancing so we took them to a Disco tech
bar called La Belle. We laughed,
drank and danced. I left Lynette at the table with my f
riends to go use the restroom.”
Alden set his cup down and he folded his hands in front of him as he looked down and sighed then looked back up. “It was 1:50 a.m. I was in the john when I heard the explosion. It rocked the whole building and caused me to fall forward hitting my head on the urinal. It must have knocked me out for a few minutes. I woke up with water spraying on m
e
from the pipes. I realized what had happened and though I was groggy
,
I made my way back into what was left of the bar and found the table….
There was even less l
eft of it. There wasn’t a much left of the one next to ours
either
. The authorities said that was where the bomb was placed. I lost her that night, along with two of my closest friends.
”
Alden looked
up;
his eyes were as cold as black steel. “I went on from there and finished out my career. I made a vow that night that wherever this kind of evil dwelled
,
I would be there to stand in its way. I l
oved once and once was enough.”
He got up and walked over to the coffee pot and poured a fresh cup. He looked at Charlie, “I need you to go to my truck and get that big reel of black wire out of the back. Also you find some bottles and cans in a sack bring them too.” Charlie jumped at the chance and went straight to the truck as Al
den took his seat at the table.
“
We need to d
iscuss security for the evening,
it’s getting late. Charlie and I have run across some other living souls but I don’t think they are near here, but I’m not taking any chances.”
He looked
at Ceara. “I want the dogs left out tonight. If Max is as smart as I think he is he will stay with Tonto and they will be our guards. Charlie and I are going to set up a little alarm system in the woods using some simple wire and bottles and such. Anything that gets close will trip the wires which will rattle the cans and bottles which will wake the dogs
,
which will wake me.” He took a sip and smiled at Charlie who had returned with the items, “And God help the Son of a Bitch that wakes me tonight.” He looked at the rest
of the group, “Any questions?”