“What?” I asked.
I could not believe that a company would make seeds for plants that could not reproduce. He gave me a ‘
what can you do
’ face and lifted one eye brow in emphasis. I shook my head and thought I had heard just about everything.
Not long after that we got back onto the highway and I started to get excited. We would be back at the lodge soon; I surprised myself how much I wanted to see everyone, my sisters, Janey and even the Kyle and Karen even though I had not got to know them very well. Mile after mile my anticipation grew and I laughed at myself as I realized my right leg was bouncing about as if all on its own. We slowly took the exit ramp then went across the overpass and then back tracked on the service road. Now we had experienced my sister’s camouflage efforts I knew what to look for and I pointed out the well concealed path that zigzagged its way off the service road and eventually intersected the gravel road that led up to the lodge.
I started to breathe out when suddenly I was overcome with fear that maybe we would find them all dead. My heart pounded in my chest and I started to ask OMT if he thought everything was okay when I felt the Humvee slow and looking ahead I saw a pair of huge military vehicles, a type that I had never seen before.
“What the hell is that?” OMT asked.
“No idea” I answered.
I could tell he was debating what to do when I saw my older sister Elaine and a soldier walking out the front door of the lodge. She did not look to be distressed and she had a rifle slung over her shoulder so I figured it must be okay. I looked over at OMT and was surprised when I did not see relief on his face. I realized that he could not see them so I said
“Look, there’s Elaine, everything looks like it is okay.”
He leaned forward and squinted
“Oh right, good”
He pressed on the accelerator and the Humvee jerked forward; Elaine and the soldier turned and walked towards us, waving to us, a smile on her face. But it was not the bright, excited smile I had anticipated and I realized something was wrong. The soldier at her side looked relaxed though and she did not display any concern towards him, he was Hispanic, broad shouldered and his head was shaved. He struck me as confident and probably not a guy to mess with.
OMT put the Humvee in park and shut it down once we had pulled as close to the big military vehicles as could. We got out and Elaine came and hugged me tightly and when she did she whispered to me
“Something has happened Johnny”.
I looked over at OMT who was introducing himself to the soldier who turned out to be PFC Rico Hernandez, 10
th
Mountain Division. The soldier didn’t seem to try and disarm OMT and they seemed pretty relaxed so I looked over at Elaine but she was looking up at the porch.
My gaze followed hers and a tumble of people came out of the lodge; Janey, Karen and Kyle, and behind them, much to my surprise, the Livingston’s. Mr. Livingston came down the stairs and walked up to OMT. They shook hands and Mr. Livingston seemed to have a sad smile on his face, Mrs. Livingston followed her husband and hugged Old Man Tucker. I couldn’t hear what they were saying exactly but then all of us looked up at the porch to see Mrs. Driscol holding Lucy’s hand and next to her was a very tall black soldier. He was thin but well-muscled, he had an automatic rifle slung on his shoulder and I knew right away who it was because of how much he looked like his sister; it was Darnell Livingston.
I was waiting for the young soldier to shoot OMT and I had not yet decided how I would feel about that when I caught a pale yellow streak out of the corner of my eye. I saw Lucy and she was racing towards Old Man Tucker; she reached back and with all the force she could muster she nailed OMT in the privates with her fist.
“OOOPH!” he said as he involuntarily bent over.
“YOU SAID ONE DAY! ONE DAY!” she yelled.
“But Miss Lucy...” he began.
She kicked him in the shin,
“I DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR BUTT, YOU SAID ONE DAY!”
OMT was now limping away, holding his hands up in front of him;
“Miss Lucy, PLEASE...” he begged.
She made a fist and acting as if she were going to hit him again but instead she said
“YOU ARE A LIAR AND I DON’T LIKE YOU ANYMORE!”
Lucy spun on her heels and stormed up the stairs and into the lodge. At last, someone else saw him for what he was, a monster, and one worse than the things out there; he was right here in our own group. I felt a smirk on my face but when I looked at the Old Man he seemed deflated and small. If I didn’t know better I would have thought that he had actually been hurt, that he actually had feelings.
Mrs. Driscol walked up to him and I stepped close enough to listen in
“Mr. Tucker, don’t be mad at Lucy, she was terribly worried about you and Johnny.”
I looked at him and I saw despair in his eyes. He said quietly
“I’m not mad at Lucy, Mrs. Driscol”.
Darnell Livingston walked up beside Mrs. Driscol and said
“Kids huh? Can’t live with ‘em and can’t eat ‘em.”
He laughed. OMT looked at him and then walked away. Mrs. Driscol said
“Mr. Tucker...”
But the young soldier grabbed her arm and whispered to her softly to let him go.
After that we all gathered in the Lodge dining room and full introductions were made. Our band had grown significantly. It seems that Darnell, as he insisted that I call him, had indeed been in California when his unit was overwhelmed from inside and out. A dozen soldiers had got obtained a bus somewhere outside of Reno and made it to Colorado before things started to fall apart. Apparently things had become ‘fluid’, whatever that meant, people came and went but he and two of his friends stuck together as they tried to head home. They had been picked up by another band that was heading east and that group had just split into two after leaving Covington. That was where they had gotten those huge army vehicles, they were called M-RAPS, which I found out stood for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles. Anyway they were big, armored and not eco-friendly.
Most of the convoy had turned south towards Florida; only two vehicles had headed here. It turns out that the two vehicles parked out front had contained five people when they arrived at the Livingston’s home in addition to Darnell there was: Rico Hernandez from the 10
th
Mountain Division, St. Louis County Deputy Sheriff Carl Weir, and two Marine Corps Reservists, Staff Sargent Vincent Barnes and 2
nd
Lieutenant Jessica Klein. Both were in the 1
st
Battalion, 24
th
Marine Regiment but although Lt. Klein was highest in rank apparently none of that mattered anymore. OMT said to her that he didn’t know women could be infantry officers and she said she had been in the second group of women to graduate from the school back in December of 2013. She had been in Motor-T for 8 years before being selected. OMT said that it was about time and that the women marines he knew had been strong and capable soldiers.
Everyone was talking and getting settled when I realized that I had not seen Mrs. Franks so I asked Elaine about her and she whispered to me that she was upstairs and that was what had happened. She swallowed and explained to me that not long after the soldiers arrived Mr. Franks had gotten a gun from the armory and shot himself. Mrs. Franks was upstairs and had taken some sleeping pills, Janey and Karen were taking turns watching over her. I sat back and thought about it, I had to figure this out, I didn’t like Mr. Franks but this was wrong. Why did he do it? I knew he had never gotten over what those people had done to him and his wife but this? Didn’t he care about his wife? I tried to be upset, I really did but it just wasn’t there. I decided I Mr. Franks was a coward, he didn’t help anyone and now he was dead, I decided that I just didn’t care.
Everyone took turns telling their story but to me it was just the same song with different words. I told everyone about our trip while OMT sat there next to the two marines as if their honor and courage could somehow rub off on him; good luck with that. Finally I turned it over to OMT so he could tell what he had found out about the monsters. He produced the cell phone and passed around the disgusting pictures to anyone who wanted to see them. He talked a good game, he sounded as if he knew what he was talking about anyway. I wondered how he knew about such things but I kept it to myself. Basically the infected people had evolved into something new. He said it was his opinion that the nerve bundles at the base of their skull were actually creatures who had taken over their human hosts; that somehow these creatures had re-written the DNA of the former humans and that whatever they were now, they were not finished.
I looked over at Lucy sitting on Mrs. Driscol’s lap as she stared daggers at Old Man Tucker and that was when I realized that even though she was mad at him now, she would eventually forgive him, damn it. I also saw that Darnell never left Mrs. Driscol’s side and that he was making quiet little jokes while OMT was talking and that Mrs. Driscol didn’t seem to mind so much. I was feeling pretty smug and relieved by this since I had been afraid that Mrs. Driscol was starting to like Old Man Tucker. This was much better after all, the handsome young black soldier was intelligent and charming and this, well, this was the end of the world.
As the discussion finished people started wandering off and Mrs. Driscol carried Lucy upstairs and I found myself becoming pretty drowsy. It had been a long day and I think the stress of things was wearing on me, I was sure glad to be back here at the lodge. I saw the lady Marine sit by OMT and she started a conversation. She was in her thirties, had short cropped blond hair, and reminded me of one of those lady Olympic high jumpers; all arms and legs, she was almost as tall as OMT. He told her that he had been in the 2
nd
Marines many years ago as an oh-300, whatever that was. He answered her questions and it seemed I was not the only one that was wondering about his past. In response to her he said that he had a degree in engineering and had taught at both the high school and college level. Teaching high school bio had given him the skills to dissect the monster and the background to know what was missing and what shouldn’t have been there at all.
The last thing I heard before I too dozed off was OMT saying that the monsters were searching out pockets of survivors and eliminating them. He told her about the humming circle and that he was starting to feel that we might have to change strategies if the human race was going to survive. More bull shit from a liar, a murderer and my own personal monster.
Day 17
Whispered voices woke me before the sun rose. I rubbed my eyes and sat up, my back sore from sleeping in a chair all night. I stood and walked into the kitchen but to my surprise there was only one person in there; Mrs. Franks smiled at me as I walked in and we exchanged good mornings. She asked if I would like some cereal and that it would be no problem since she and Mr. Franks were about to have some, she waved her hand at two empty bowls set on the table. I said that I might have some a bit later and she insisted that I sit down and have some breakfast tea with her and Steve. I found that my feet were made of clay as she continued her conversation with no one.
“I think we should go into town, do some shopping we are definitely running short on some things” she said to the empty place setting.
She laughed as if he had said something funny and I realized that I needed to get some help for her.
“You know Johnny, we were thinking of going to Europe and buying a couple of those unlimited rail passes. Doing the grand tour so to speak.” she said as she sipped her tea.
“Mrs. Franks, if you will excuse me I need to use the restroom.” I said.
“Of course, of course” she said and she waved her hand in the direction of the bathrooms.
I left the room and rushed upstairs to find Mrs. Driscol, I looked in her room but it was empty, I checked our room and found Elaine and Lucy sound asleep. I went towards Janey’s room and knocked softly. She answered it the knock sleepily “come in.” I opened the door and saw that she was wrapped in blankets and she peeked out at me in a very cute way.
“Hey Johnny, sup?” she asked.
“Janey, something is wrong with Mrs. Franks. Please come quick.” I said.
She sat up in bed and put on a sweater pulling it tightly around her.
“What do you mean something is wrong with her?”
I told her what had happened downstairs and she looked very concerned. We hurried down the hall and then descended the stairs. I followed her into the kitchen and there were two empty bowls and two empty cups. Mrs. Franks was gone.
Janey called out loudly for her and we started to search the lodge, back upstairs we went. Everyone came out of their rooms and we hurriedly explained what had happened. The door to the roof top slammed open and Old Man Tucker hurried into the hall,
“Mrs. Franks just walked off into the woods.” he said.
We rushed down the stairs. Kyle and I were the quickest out the back door the others following along.
“Mrs. Franks!” we called.
We looked around, I didn’t see her but OMT finally caught up and he pointed up the hill,
“That way!” he called.
We ran towards the hill and Kyle looked over at me and said
“She’s pretty quick for an old lady.”
I agreed. When we got to the top of the hill Rico had caught up with us, the slope was gentle and we could see her about a hundred yards away, happily talking to herself, her arms swinging as if she were holding an invisible hand. It didn’t take us long and we reached her,
“Boys? What are you doing out here? Want to go to town with us?”
Rico smiled and said “Ma’am, we were thinking that we might take one of the cars, it’s kind of a long walk ain’t it?”
She looked over to no one and said
“What do you think honey?”
She then turned to us with a smile on his face and said
“Alrighty boys, you heard him, off to the cars!”
We started back up the hill and the rest of the group was waiting for us at the crest of the hill. The whole group escorted us back to the lodge while she went on and on about what she and her husband wanted to do in town.
What nobody paid attention to at the time was the behavior of Mrs. Livingston, she was gazing into the woods. Deep into the woods where OMT had hidden the cars.
“Come along dear.”
Her husband said to her as he took her arm and together they walked back towards the lodge. She kept glancing back over her shoulder at the woods but when her husband asked her if something was wrong she just shook her head no.
It was Mrs. Driscol, Janey, Karen, and strangely enough Rico who tended to Mrs. Franks. As the day wore on and most of us were involved with unloading the horse trailer, storing our finds and updating the master inventory. They had first row tickets to Mrs. Franks’ descent into madness. Her reality was so complex that she invented all sorts of details such as how Karen was her niece and was engaged to the handsome Rico. The fact that she was only 13 and he was 26 and that they had only known each other for three days seemed irrelevant. Janey was her maid, which I could tell was a source of hilarity for Mrs. Driscol albeit not so much for Janey. Mrs. Franks had long conversations with her dead husband and on two occasions berated his ghost for flirting with the maid. As little as I had felt for Mr. Franks when he decided to check out, this was growing harder and harder to watch. I noticed that Lucy had started to help with the unloading but she would not make eye contact with crazy Old Man Tucker.
At nearly two the horse trailer was empty and Mrs. Driscol appeared with Kyle, each carrying two huge platters of sandwiches. Most were fried ‘
bacon flavored’
SPAM, some were egg salad and all were on toast. We ate them sitting on the porch and front steps, all but Janey who was upstairs with Mrs. Franks who had declared that she and her husband were going to take a nap. As I talked to Karen, who I found out liked a lot of the same things that Billy had; things like
Magic the Gathering
trading cards and a bunch of Japanese anime that Billy had bored me to death about as he made a valiant but vain attempt to explain to me their complicated story lines. I decided I liked Karen though, she wasn’t Billy but she often was more than happy to just sit and not talk, that I appreciated for two reasons; first I needed the quiet and second I was trying to listen in on the Lt. and OMT as they talked to each other as the Staff Sergeant listening in. I decided I didn’t like Marines, even though the sergeant reminded me of a young Morgan Freeman, one of my favorite actors, it was like they had a club and no one else was good enough to join.
By silent agreement and after everyone finished their sandwiches we all just sat there in the afternoon sun, they spoke to each other quietly, some serious conversations but most were just boring crap like the weather and whether they thought we were the last people on Earth or not. I noticed that Darnell was trying to explain his rifle to Mrs. Driscol who was pretending not to have already fired about a 1000 rounds through one just like it. For some reason this made me angry, although I was happy it wasn’t OMT who was making her smile like that. I thought of Billy and suddenly everything seemed to be closing in on me. I looked over at Karen whose bright eyes were focused on me but her words sounded like the teacher from those Charlie Brown holiday cartoon specials.