The QuaranTeens, #1

by Keith B Darrell

  “Mine too. Do you think every day outside is like this? No wonder people built bunkers underground.”

  “Remember those trees we passed a few hours ago? We need to find more trees, or something we can hide under to shelter us from the sun’s heat.”

  Kai pointed. “Over there. Way in the distance. I see something.”

  Corona scanned the horizon. “I don’t see it. Is it a tree?”

  Kai shook his head. “It’s bigger than a tree if I can see it this far away. Not the same color, either. Maybe it’s a building… Or even a city. According to the books in the library, there were lots of cities all over the world.”

  Corona pulled her canteen out of her sack and took a swig of water. “I hope whatever it is, we can find water there.” She swished the water in her canteen, listening to it reverberate against the metal. “There’s not much left.”

  “It’s the heat. It’s making us thirstier than normal. If we run out of water…” Kai left his thought unspoken. “It’ll take us a couple hours to reach whatever that is. We could wait until dark when it’s cool but then we wouldn’t be able to see where we’re going. Your flashlight can’t shine on anything so far away.” He looked at the younger girl. “Or, we could try to make our way back to the bunker.”

  “Remember those stars we saw last night? Our ancestors built spaceships and launched them into space. They didn’t know what to expect or what they’d find. Some died in the attempt. But they did it anyway. Despite the risks and dangers of plunging into the unknown, they did. Ancient sailors did the same thing. It’s what explorers do.”

  “Is that what we are? Explorers?”

  Corona shrugged. “I don’t know about you, but the books are filled with tales of men and women who ask ‘What’s out there?’ and have to find out. I’m not turning back until I know.”

  “I just want to find a place where I can make my own rules and not live under someone else’s. Life in the bunker may have been easier but I want to make my own choices; do things my own way.”

  Corona nodded. “Then, let’s go on while we can still see whatever that is ahead.” She offered Kai the canteen. He shook his head, deciding she needed the water more. Corona replaced the canteen into her sack. “And let’s hope it has water.”

  A pebble that had slipped into Corona’s shoe rubbed uncomfortably against the sole of her foot. She ignored the discomfort, not wanting to slow down to remove it. The small object on the horizon they had been heading toward had grown immense as they neared it, while the sun had begun to set, taking the daylight with it. Kai had wrapped his arm around her, the two supporting each other in their weakened states, dehydrated and suffering heatstroke. Kai stumbled and fell to the ground. Corona tugged at him. “Come on, we have to keep going.”

  Kai shook his head, beads of sweat flying off his face. “Let me lie down. I need to rest. You go ahead and I’ll catch up.”

  Corona became resolute. “No, if we split up it’ll be impossible to find each other again, especially once it becomes dark.” She slid her arm beneath his underarm and helped him to his feet. “Lean on me.”

  “You’re not strong enough to carry me.”

  “No, but I can support your weight. Just put one foot in front of the other.”

  Kai rose unsteadily, placing his arm around Corona’s shoulder.

  “Upper body strength my ass,” Corona said. “I’ve still got one thing you don’t.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Stamina. Now shut up and walk.” The continued their grueling journey, shuffling forward toward a series of white buildings encased within a huge transparent dome.

  Kai faded in and out of consciousness. Corona lugged the dead weight as she trudged forward. “Stay with me, Kai. Don’t die on me.” She wondered what life would be like if she survived, alone. Corona didn’t want to think about it, but she couldn’t help it. It was becoming a distinct possibility; assuming she didn’t also succumb to heatstroke. “Well, maybe if you were the last man on Earth… And I was feeling desperate.” She couldn’t tell if Kai had heard her but she thought she detected a smile on his lips.

  An hour passed. And then another. The sun had set below the horizon leaving only a soft glow to light the sky. The temperature had cooled but Kai had not recovered and Corona’s head was pounding, her heart racing. With each step she forced herself forward. The canteen had been empty for an hour now. Sweat oozed from her pores, less from the sun’s rays than from the fever now rising within her body as the heatstroke took its toll. She took one more faltering step and dropped to her knees. Kai slid from her weakened grasp and lay unmoving on the ground, either unable or unwilling to get up. Corona plopped face-first into the grass, her facemask plunging into the soil. Feverish thoughts filled her mind. I should have said goodbye to Covid. But if I had, he’d have stopped me from leaving. Then again, maybe that would have been best. I guess he was right, after all. She was too weak to lift her head, yet she noticed the growing darkness encroaching as twilight was slowly subsumed by the night. It can’t end like this, Corona thought, her eyes shutting.

  Twilight had not yet settled into dusk so the two bodies lying in the open were still visible. The evening was still and quiet. The silence was only broken by the occasional high-pitched howl of a hyena miles away but the two unconscious teenagers were beyond hearing.

  A noise grew louder as a motorized vehicle approached. The modified Humvee stopped several feet from where Corona and Kai lay. From its mounted gun turret, a man swiveled his rifle as he nervously scanned the surroundings. The driver cut the engine and hopped out, cautiously walking to the still forms. He reached down to check their pulses.

  “Are they dead?” the gunner shouted down.

  “Not yet. But I’ve never seen anyone this pale before. Even with sunburn, they’re white as ghosts.”

  “Hurry up and toss them in back before more Raiders show up.”

  The driver lugged each of the unconscious bodies into the back of the Humvee. “I don’t think these are Raiders.”

  “What else could they be?”

  “Dunno. Maybe survivors from some encampment or city?”

  “Unlikely,” the gunner said. “Unless their horses ran off; they appear to have been walking. They couldn’t have walked that far.”

  “Maybe they had a vehicle. They might have been forced to abandon it if it broke down.”

  “Or they could have been dropped off by their friends in a vehicle. There may be others. We should resume the patrol.”

  The driver shut the back door of the Humvee and climbed into the seat. “Not enough juice in the battery. If we don’t head back and recharge it we’ll be stuck out here.” The driver glanced at Kai’s unconscious form. “Besides, he looks young and virile. If he survives, we can count this as a successful outing.”

  The gunner grinned. “And if not, a couple of dead Raiders is still worth celebrating.”

  The driver chuckled and started the engine. The Humvee turned around and headed toward the domed structure, kicking up dust in its path.

  Chapter Four

  Covid winced at the sound of the thick titanium door locking behind them. Leaving the bunker had been the most momentous decision of his life and one he would rather not have had to make. Corona had left him no choice. He turned to Destine. “Why did you come with me?”

  “You know as well as I do that Varian will make a shambles of things. When the others figure out they’ve made a mistake choosing him they’ll need a true leader to whom to turn. That will be you: but only if you return alive.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning you won’t last a day out here on your own.”

  Covid frowned. “I can take care of myself.”

  “Really? Have you studied biology? Can you tell which fruits are edible and which are poisonous? Have you read any books on medicine? Do you know how to clean a wound or set a broken bone?”

  “Well, no but —”

  “What about trailbl
azing? Sociology? Psychology?”

  “Why would I need to know those things?”

  “If we do run into other people and communities, knowledge of sociology and psychology will help us understand them. What about architecture? Can you tell the difference between a church and a school?”

  Covid became defensive. “There was no reason to study any of that stuff in the bunker. It wasn’t relevant; it had nothing to do with our lives.”

  “It does now,” Destine said. “Fortunately for you, I have studied all those subjects. I can teach you some of what I know and keep you alive.”

  Covid grimaced.

  “You’re welcome.”

  Covid looked around their surroundings. In every direction he could see clear to the horizon. He had never imagined such vastness. “It’s huge out here. How far does it go on?”

  “A long, long way. I told you it would be nearly impossible to find Corona and Kai. They could’ve gone off in any direction. And we don’t know what’s out there: wild animals; contaminated environments; hostile humans. We don’t even know if there’s an uncontaminated source of food and water. Their odds of survival are slim… Just like ours.”

  Covid gritted his teeth. “We’ll survive. All of us. Now which way should we go?”

  Destine perused the ground. “Footprints. They lead that way.” She pointed. Covid nodded and followed her. They walked for several miles before coming to a halt.

  “What’s wrong?” Covid asked. “Why have you stopped?”

  Destine pointed to the ground. “The terrain has turned rocky. Boots and shoes don’t make impressions on hard rocks as they do on soil. There’s no more trail to follow. They could have gone anywhere from here.”

  “We should head in the direction we’ve been traveling in.”

  “That may work for a while. They probably continued in the same direction but at some point they would have veered left or right. There’s no road or path for them to have stayed on. Even if they thought they were walking in a straight line they would have strayed in the dark.”

  “What do we do now?”

  Destine shrugged. “We could go back the way we came and return to the bunker…” She saw the determined look in his eyes. “Or, we can pick a direction and start walking.”

  Covid wiped the sweat from his brow. “All right. That way.” There was no logic to his choice, nor could there have been. All Covid knew was the one direction he couldn’t choose was the one from which they had come. He was determined not to return to the bunker until he had searched everywhere for Corona. He just hadn’t realized how massive “everywhere” might be.

  Destine slipped off her facemask and sipped water from one of the canteens she had brought. She offered it to Covid, who shook his head. “If you don’t drink, you’ll dehydrate. We’re not used to this heat.”

  Covid wiped his sweaty brow with his shirtsleeve, which was already drenched in perspiration. He nodded and accepted the canteen, removing his mask. “If this is what the days outside the bunker are like, we haven’t been missing anything.” He pointed to a grove of trees. “We can rest there. The trees will shade us from the sun.”

  Destine followed him into the grove. They were surprised to find a lake hidden behind the trees. “A pool of water!” Covid exclaimed. “I could use a bath to cool off and wash the sweat from my body. We can refill the canteens, too!” He stripped off his shirt and kicked off his shoes.

  “Wait!” Destine cried. “Don’t go near the water: it’s polluted.”

  Covid paused. “How can you tell?”

  She pointed toward the edge of the lake. “See the dead fish floating on top? There must be something contaminating the water that gradually kills them. It might not harm us immediately we don’t want that touching our skin or inside us.”

  Covid stared longingly at the refreshing, inviting water. “Damn. All I want is to cool off.” He pulled out his canteen and poured water down the back of his neck.

  “Hey! That’s our drinking water.”

  Covid recapped the canteen. “We’ll find more. There’s got to be drinkable water somewhere; otherwise, it doesn’t matter how much I use. We can’t survive out here if there’s no water we can drink once our canteens run dry.”

  “Let’s move on,” Destine said. “This lake is too tempting.”

  Covid nodded. They replaced their facemasks and headed back out into the sun. They walked for miles, the unchanging scenery making it difficult to know how far they had traveled. Then, Covid espied something in the distance. “That structure… Is it a school or a church?”

  Destine peered at it, squinting against the harsh rays of the sun. “Neither, I think. If it were a church it would have a spire. But it looks like there are other buildings clustered nearby. It could be a town. This rocky path we’ve been on may have been a road at one time.”

  “That means people… And food.”

  “Not necessarily. The virus may have killed everyone years ago. We could be walking into a ghost town.”

  “Even so, we might find something useful. If Corona and Kai came this way we might find some sign of them.”

  “Possibly, but don’t get your hopes up.”

  Nonetheless, as they drew nearer Covid grew excited. “It is a town. It must be; look at all the structures.” They walked through the center of the deserted street, taking in all the empty buildings on either side of them. Covid paused when he passed a glass window. “Look! We can see inside.” He pressed his face against the window. “There are rows and rows stocked with tins like one of the storerooms in the bunker. We might find food or even water inside.”

  “This must be what they used to call a store or market. See if you can break down the door.”

  Covid approached the entrance and pressed against the door. “It wasn’t locked.” He pushed it open and stepped inside, followed by Destine. They wandered through the aisles, picking up various items from the shelves as they passed. “They have pictures on them. Do you think that’s what’s inside?”

  “In most cases,” Destine said, picking up a can. “This one has a picture of a ship. I doubt that’s what’s inside. Before the coronavirus, people used to sail ships on great bodies of water called seas and catch fish. There might be some sort of fish inside.”

  Covid frowned. “Do you think any of it would be edible after this long?”

  “The tins in the bunker are. They were vacuum sealed. These look the same.” Her eyes drifted to a plastic bag filled with candy. Destine ripped it open and, hesitatingly, lifted her facemask and placed one into her mouth. “Mmmm. Tastes fresh. Sweet. Try one.”

  Covid took one of the candies and sampled it. “Wow, that tastes good. Throw a couple bags into the sack.” He perused the various items on the shelves. “If the rest of the stuff is safe to eat then we won’t have to worry about provisions. Especially if there are more stores out there like this one.” His eyes fell on a package of potato chips resting on a top shelf. He reached up to grab it, clutching the bottom of the bag. An arrow sliced through the air spearing the package and pinning it to the wall. Covid and Destine turned in surprise.

  Two teenagers stood at the entrance aiming bows and arrows at them. Between them, a white-haired woman, her hair tied back in a bun, stood grinning. “Looks like we caught us someone raiding our stash,” she said.

  “They can’t be Raiders ‘cause we are, and we know all the other Raiders,” the boy said. “They must be Utopians.”

  The woman shook her head. “Do they look like Utopians to you? ‘Sides, Utopians wouldn’t have the stones to come this far in.”

  The girl gleefully targeted Covid with her bow and arrow. “Can I shoot him now, Granny? Bet I can pierce his heart from here.”

  “Now Robin, what have I done taught you about meeting strangers?” Granny asked. “The first thing you do is find out their names. How else you gonna know what to write on the grave marker?”

  The girl frowned, lowering her bow by a few degrees. “Yes,
Granny.” She looked up at Covid. “What’s your name, boy?”

  “Covid.” He glanced cautiously at Destine. He whispered, “What do those psychology books say about this?”

  “Covid,” Robin repeated. “That’s an odd name. You care how I spell it on the marker?”

  “With a C,” Destine said. “But I don’t think you really want to shoot us.”

  Robin grinned. “I like shooting things. I’m real good at it.”

  “I bet you are,” Destine said. “But I know how to help people who get sick or injured. I’m more useful alive than as a target.”

  “She's got a point there, Robin,” Granny said. “Archer,” she called out to the boy, “Don’t shoot her.”

  Archer lowered his bow. “Shucks, Robin always gets to have all the fun.”

  “I take it you’re her brother?” Destine asked.

  “Yep, and just as good a shot, too. I could shoot you right between the eyes without budging from this doorframe.”

  Destine turned to Robin. “Are all the boys around here like your brother?”

  Robin shrugged. “There ain’t many our age, but yeah, I guess.”

  Destine gesture toward Covid. “Do you really want to kill the only new boy around?”

  Robin lowered her bow. “Well, when you put it that way…” She stepped closer and perused his features. “He ain’t too hard on the eyes.” She turned back to the old lady. “Granny, can I keep him?”

  She stroked her chin. “We’ll see. We’ll take them back with us. Now load up your sacks.”

  “We’re looking for a girl and boy dressed like us.”

  “With them funny masks?” Granny asked. “Ain’t seen ‘em.”

  “Then, we’ll be heading on,” Covid said.

  “Nope,” Granny said. “You’re coming back with us to the Outpost.” She turned to Robin and Archer. “If they give you any trouble, shoot ’em.”

  Archer grinned. “Awesome.”

  Robin pouted. “You said I could keep him.”

  “Up to him if he wants to come home with us,” Granny said. “Either way’s fine with me; your brother could use the target practice.”