Authors: H. A. Rhoades
The next morning, the survivors collected the dead and buried the bodies. The infected were burned. The marines had lost 12 people.
Three had been turned before being put down. The others were killed by explosives. A young female private from southern
California
was bitten and killed by another Marine. She was bitten on the shoulder and as she cried for help, she was shot in the head. The Marine that had killed her, was killed almost immediately after by an explosion. I remember hearing her scream as the host that bit her, tore the flesh from her body. I lost consciousness shortly after.
Levitt walked out of a smoldering command tent. He looked tired and broken. He had suffered some injuries during the fight. His arms were burnt, a still bleeding cut was visible on his forehead.
“Gather round folks” Levitt had some papers in his hand as he waved to the group. “We have gotten some radio traffic from
Cheyenne
Mountain
in
Colorado
”.
Cheyenne
Mountain
was an air force complex located deep in the mountains outside of
Colorado Springs
. Over the last couple of days the Air force had locked down the mountain and begun transmitting instructions over military bands. Levitt's group had picked up a set of instructions that directed any unit west of the Rocky Mountains to mobilize and regroup on a secluded plateau near Teluride
Colorado
.
“A central command has been organized in
Colorado
and they are coordinating remote bases throughout the western
United States
. We have been ordered to collect survivors and head for a strategic placement on the west side of the
Rockies
. There is no other information at this point. After last nights attack, I am eager to get moving anywhere away from here. Lets pack it up and get the hell our of here. One hour folks”
32
.
-Troop Movement-
The journey would be long. Our destination was over 1100 miles south east, and we would be traveling through sparsely populated areas, across three states to get there.
I couldn’t help but think that the trip might be a little pleasant. After all I would be traveling with an armed caravan. And if the weather was nice, the landscape would be beautiful. Traveling with
Sofia
would be nice to.
The thought of spending so much time close to
Sofia
, tucked away in the back of one of the trucks looking out over the landscape began to feel very appealing. We had been talking and growing closer over the last 24 hours and even though there had been many brutal moments over that time, we had found some peace with each other.
I gathered my things and helped load the cargo truck. I hadn't seen
Sofia
since the funeral service we had for the marines that were lost the night before. I set out to see if I could help her load her things when I came across the medical tent that hadn't been taken down yet.
In this new world there were few comforts, but here in the camp, the Marines had set up hot showers, and they were located in the back of the medical tent. I blindly wandered into the tent not aware that the water was running because of the noise from the rest of the camp. As I wondered into the shower area I noticed the steam rising from one of the stalls and just as I turned the corner,
Sofia
stepped out of the stall in front of me.
She was completely out of the shower and was reaching across the narrow path to grab a towel hanging on a hook.
“Excuse me” She said startled, and a little angry.
I was a little startled myself. I felt ridiculous for finding myself in this position. I stood dumbfounded in front of a very naked woman dripping wet from the shower. I couldn't take my eyes off of her though. I stood frozen in place.
She looked intently at me and covered herself as best she could with her hands. I stammered and began to apologize. I flushed with embarrassment.
She softened and began to smile at me. Without uttering a word she dropped her hands and her expression changed to a mischievous look. For that brief second I let my eyes scan her figure.
She was incredibly beautiful. She was exotic, and her bronze skin was intoxicating as she stood in front of me, still wet from the shower. I studied her form. She had no tan lines, her curves were smooth and inviting. Her breasts held a teardrop shape and stood firmly off her chest. Her nipples were dark and erect.
I hoped it was because she was excited to have me ravaging her with my eyes but I knew it was likely because she stepped from the hot shower into the cold air. I started telling myself to look away, and as I began to turn, I dropped my eyes to her stomach and to her neatly trimmed hairline. I felt an instant stirring in my gut and a brief but intense urge washed over me.
“I am so sorry” I said sheepishly. “I didn't hear the water running and I am apparently to stupid to connect the steam with there being someone in the shower”.
“Its quite alright
Duncan
.” I could hear playfulness in her voice “ I didn't mind, but next time its your turn”
“Ahem!!” Janice, the female corpsman was now standing in front of me, tapping her foot with her arms crossed. “Are you finished?” She looked at me annoyed. “did you take a good look?”. Janice was not an attractive woman and was very manlike in stature. I think I was a little scared of her.
“I uh, shit” I looked at the floor of the tent, mortified at being caught. She was playing with me, and she just took the opportunity to make me as uncomfortable as possible. “I am going to find something else... anything else to do”.
As I walked away I could hear the two of them giggling behind the canvas curtain. Even in this mess there was some levity. I let the image of her naked form wash over my mind, smiling I ran off to help disassemble some of the remaining tents.
Within the hour the caravan was loaded and ready to move. I climbed on a large transport at the end of the caravan and
Sofia
followed. We sat down on the floor in the back, surrounded by tents and sleeping bags. She looked at me, smiled, and leaned forward to give me a kiss. I felt like a little kid getting his first kiss from a girl.
As the caravan moved out of the field we could see smoke in the distance from the burning detention center. There was several miles of road between us and the city. I squinted hard and I could just make out a wall of bodies on the road a mile or so away.
“Holy shit” I said “ there are thousands of hosts running towards us.”
Levitt knew they were coming. He hadn't said anything to the majority of the group because he didn't want to distract anyone from pulling camp and cause a panic. Only the patrols were aware. The caravan moved forward, keeping a pace fast enough to out run the approaching hosts.
We spent the better part of the day traveling. Each mile took us further away from the city. We passed little towns along the way. Small rural communities that were made up of farmers. These towns hadn't been effected yet. Behind us were thousand of hosts that were migrating out of the city.
We passed information on, telling people to get away from the main roads, to hide. There was little anyone could do. Some told us that this was the end of days and these hoards were gods messengers coming to take them. They were excepting the scourge as an act of god.
33
.
-Human Nature-
We had done this to ourselves. In an effort to continue to make profit, a human decision had poisoned the population of a city. We created a means for a lower life form to out evolve us. We are a stupid species, a species that would inevitably destroy itself to gain position and power.
I remember reading just before the second wave began, that the World Health Organization had begun to get concerned that our society would quickly be facing the threat of a post modern medicine era. We had so freely overused anti-viral medications, that bacteria began to evolve to be resilient.
There was a growing concern that drug companies would not make the investments in creating new forms of anti-virals because unlike other drugs, they were not a long term investment. The return on investment was too low. There was no profit to be made in killing staff infections or flu strains, just in creating drugs that people would have to take for their entire lives. Drugs like tranquilizers and SSRI's, blood pressure medications and others.
We had become a drugged up and controlled society. In parallel scientists had begun developing super bugs to test gene manipulation methods, and prove that infectious strains could be modified with just a few genetic code changes. Scientists were successful in modifying viruse's that spread only through contact, to propagate through the air. Potentially dooming our species if they were ever released. But this event happened first, this accident of adaptation that was a result of our own greed and stupidity.
34
.
-Frozen in Time-
As we approached
Boise
Idaho
the convoy pulled into a small suburban community. The convoy drove slowly through the deserted streets. There were no cars on the road or people walking anywhere. There was no human presence at all.
This little community wasn't far from the city. It was a quiet little suburb that had the feel of a Norman Rockwell painting. We made the assumption that hosts had moved through and the uninfected had evacuated. There was a eerie feeling as we went from building to building. All the stores were unlocked and merchandise was still on the shelves. I walked into a small restaurant and found cups of coffee and food still on the tables. People had run from here in a hurry.
The column of vehicles had been parked in line about 50 yards from a train crossing that split the little town in two. I had made my way into a book store. Knowing that there was nothing of use for the group in there I couldn't resist browsing the book racks for something I hadn't read. Before this all began I had become an avid reader of science-thrillers.
I was working on a manuscript of my own before this all started. I had been using it as a means to clear a difficult past and heal from my breakdown. I missed reading, the solitude of traveling to a new place on my motorcycle and finding that book hidden on a shelf tucked away in the back of a bookstore. I would sit out on the street in front of a coffee shop and crack the binding for the first time, feeling the crisp pages between my fingers. It was a tranquil feeling that I enjoyed very much.
I found a novel by one of my favorite authors that I hadn't read yet. As I opened the pages, the smell of paper rose and filled my senses. I started reading the dust jacket out loud.
“Jane Lilinthal, an accomplished bio engineer stumbles across the answer to stop genetic degeneration. But in a dark corner of a US Government building there lies a terrible secret. A man who has been watching her, wants her research and he will stop at nothing to get it” I chuckled to myself, and then I heard a faint rumbling.
It sounded like an earthquake from a distance. It grew rapidly louder and with the raise in volume, the ground started to vibrate. I slid the book into my jacket pocket and walked out into the street. Everyone who had been scavenging along the main street had felt the shaking and we all stood motionless, looking in the direction we thought is was coming from.
It became clear that a train was approaching. Everyone’s attention was now on the railroad crossing at the end of the street. Red lights at the crossing started to flash and the gates designed to keep traffic back began to drop.
The rumbling got louder and louder. We all walked towards the crossing, wondering why a train was coming. It seemed astounding that a train was running at all.
The sun was beginning to set and as the sky darkened,we could see a growing orange glow. When the train hit the crossing, it felt like a tornado. A passenger train, pulling 30 cars, came screaming through the intersection at what had to be close to 100 miles an hour. The passenger cars were on fire and debris was falling off into the street as it went past.
The train was moving so quickly, a strong blast of hot air pushed us back from the tracks. Fortunately this step back allowed us to dodge some large objects that had fallen from the train. A piece of flaming material came loose and bounced on the road, coming to rest a few feet from where I was standing. I looked closely at it and pulled back in horror when I noticed it was a human arm.
As each car passed we could hear the high pitch screeching that had become a common sign of the presence of hosts. These hosts were dying, many were burning, some were hanging from windows trying to escape the flames.
After the train passed we all stared in disbelief for a few moments. There were still some lingering flames on the tracks and in nearby trees. I walked over to the crossing and looked in the direction the train was traveling, which was now out of sight. In the failing light I could clearly see the orange glow moving off into the distance. The rumbling fading as it moved away, still gaining speed.