Tomorrow's Dawn (Book 2): Fractured Paradise

by Wohlrab, Jeff

  She still had her Bersa and her M4 readily at hand, but that was somehow reassuring as well. It should have been frightening that she could need them, but it wasn’t. It was a subtle reminder she could defend herself if necessary. She’d been assaulted before, now she could make sure it wouldn’t happen ever again.

  When Daniel trudged back in again from his ‘patrol,’ she almost laughed. The poor guy did not react well to his dinner. He just looked worn out. As he entered, he announced he’d found the owner of the home. She was in the pool, with her cat, and had clearly been there for some time.

  He followed that up with, “I would not advise going swimming. It’s gross.” He sighed, “I’m not going to lie. I puked.” He sat down heavily in a chair. “I might again.”

  Jensen called from the kitchen, where he was sitting on the granite-topped island. “It was probably the MRE.”

  Daniel grimaced a little, “Maybe, but I feel like absolute shit. I’m glad I joined the Air Force and didn’t have to eat those things.” Daniel got back up and moved away from the fireplace. “It’s hot in here. Mind if I open a door or something?”

  Jensen noticed Sheila looking up with a concerned look on her face. She got up from the sofa and moved toward where Daniel was standing. He was midway between the chair and the door, as though he was waiting for someone to give him permission to open it. The big man watched her curiously as she approached.

  She put the back of her hand up to his cheek, then moved it up to his forehead. “You’ve got a high fever Daniel. Fever, vomiting … diarrhea?”

  Daniel nodded, “It’s that damn MRE.”

  Sheila shook her head. “No, it’s not. Did you have the flu?”

  Daniel took a step back, “No. I figured I was immune since I hadn’t gotten it yet.”

  Sheila shook her head. “As far as I know, we haven’t found anyone that was immune yet.”

  Daniel protested. “I haven’t been around anyone with the flu. Doesn’t it die within a few hours outside the body?”

  Sheila nodded in the dim room, lit only by the flickering fire. “This one seems to be able to last at least 24 hours on hard surfaces, maybe longer. It has a 24-72 hour incubation period before you start to show symptoms. Have you come into contact with anyone new within the last 96 hours?”

  All eyes in the room turned toward Aaron, who had just arrived from Dahlonega about 24 hours earlier. Sheila asked, “Was anyone sick when you left?”

  Aaron shook his head. His face had gone pale. “Sasha was really tired and achy, that’s why she didn’t come with me, but she wasn’t showing any symptoms of the flu. She’d been having hot flashes, so we figured it was menopause. She’s 52; it made sense.” Aaron stood abruptly. “I have to go. I need to make sure Sasha’s okay.”

  Sheila looked at Daniel, then looked at Aaron, torn between going with the older man or simply trying to take care of Daniel. She knew she’d be most likely to succeed with the younger man, who was still in the early stages of the flu, but she also knew she could be the difference between life and death for Sasha if she really did have the flu.

  Brent seemed to realize the same thing. “Has anyone else not had the flu?” Emmy raised her hand. He turned to Jensen. “You two, take your tub and go back to the mountain. Quarantine Emmy in the reloading shed. The rest of us are going back to check on Sasha.” Sheila felt a sense of relief. If both patients were in the same place, she could try to save them both.

  Aaron held up his hands. “You don’t need to do that. Take care of Daniel. I’m sorry.” Brent quickly overruled him. “Sheila’s a doctor. We also have six people and only three vehicles. Someone has to go with you. We need her to look after Daniel, too. It only makes sense. I’ll put out the fire. We’ll leave now.” He turned to Jensen and Emmy. “You two get out of here. You might still be okay since Daniel’s been outside most of the time.”

  Jensen picked up his rifle and turned toward Daniel, but he didn’t move any closer. “I’ll see you soon, brother. Within a week.” He remembered his own battle with the superbug after he returned from Colorado. He’d lost 20 pounds from his already slender frame. He’d felt as though he were dying, and he probably was. He turned slightly toward the door, dimly lit as the fire started to die in the fireplace. “Kick this thing’s ass.”

  That sobered Daniel up in a hurry. He knew rationally that most people who had contracted the superbug had died. Most reports put it around 70% of those afflicted. Until that moment, it hadn’t concerned him. He felt indestructible most of the time. He was smart, he was strong, and he was funny. He could disarm or end most threats pretty quickly. The fact that Jensen hadn’t insulted him as he was getting ready to leave was a stark reminder that continued life wasn’t assured for him.

  “Aaron, can I grab those NVGs again? We can run back to the mountain lights out.” Aaron nodded and reached into his backpack, then paused. “Emmy, how are you feeling?” He was thinking about them driving together from the mountain refuge to investigate the stalled train.

  “I feel fine,” she replied.

  Jensen reached out his hand and touched her forehead. “No fever.” He turned to Sheila, “Where’s your medical bag? Is it still in the tub?”

  Sheila shook her head. “No, I’ve got it in the bedroom over there. It’s on the bottom bunk.”

  Jensen seemed relieved. “Do you have any alcohol pads or antiseptic wipes?”

  Sheila nodded. “Of course.”

  “I want to disinfect the NVGs before we go. If Emmy hasn’t contracted this thing yet, I want to minimize the likelihood that she will.” He turned to Emmy. “Why don’t you head outside, I’ll meet you on the porch.”

  Sheila went to the bedroom to grab her bag. She returned and unzipped it, rummaging around inside a few moments in the dim light to find alcohol pads. She held up a strip of five, strung together with perforated tear lines. “Use these.”

  Jensen accepted the night-vision goggles from Aaron and tore open several of the small packets. He swabbed the NVGs as well as he could, particularly the area near where the strap attached to the goggles. That’s where Aaron had been holding them as he handed them over. Then he used the same small squares on his hands and forearms. As he left, he turned back to the group one more time. “Get back as soon as you can.”

  Chapter 16

  The drive from Ayersville back to the mountain was quiet. Emmy seemed lost in her own thoughts while Jensen concentrated on driving. The lights in his cockpit made focusing on the dark world outside difficult through the narrow windshield. The screens and indicators gave off a glow that interfered with the goggles. More than once he had to swerve slightly to remain on the road.

  The leaves he’d noticed earlier in the day were now troublesome. He had difficulty determining where the shoulders of the road were under the leaf litter. It was around 10:00 p.m. when he got on the radio and called back to base. He didn’t know who was manning the radio, so he simply called out, “Base, this is Canada. One vehicle returning. How copy?”

  He let the silence draw out for the next 30 seconds before he tried again.

  “Base, this is Canada. One vehicle returning. How copy?” He was already beginning to imagine a scene like the one he’d returned to in Helen, where outsiders had murdered his entire group and stacked the bodies like cordwood in one of the rooms. Then he got a reply.

  “This is Abby. Sorry, I had trouble working the radio. Did you say only one vehicle?”

  “Hey, Abby, this is Jensen and Emmy coming back up. Everyone else went to Dahlonega with Aaron.”

  He could hear the relief in her voice. “They’re okay?”

  Jensen paused. “We think Daniel caught the bug. Is anyone up there feeling ill?” Abby didn’t respond. After a few more moments, he repeated himself. “Is anyone up there feeling ill?”

  When Abby came back on the radio this time, she was crying. “I think Dylan is getting sick. He was coughing.” She had gone from calm to an emotional wreck within seconds.
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br />   Emmy motioned for Jensen to key the comm again. “Abby, this is Emmy. We’ll be there in ten minutes or so. Does Dylan have a fever?”

  Abby was sobbing now. “I don’t know.”

  Emmy motioned to Jensen again. “Just hang tight. We’ll be right there.”

  Jensen was ready to write this off as just an overly emotional young girl. If Dylan didn’t have a fever, a cough meant nothing. It was turning to spring in northern Georgia and anyone with allergies was going to be seriously affected. He admired Emmy’s patience with Abby. It could simply be that Emmy was worried about her own exposure to the virus, but he admired her empathy for the young girl. Empathy was something he struggled with.

  When they got to the top of the mountain, Jensen noticed the barrels of the machine guns swiveling to follow their vehicle. He got back on the radio. “Hey, this is Jensen. Can you swing those barrels away a little bit?”

  Marcy came back over the radio. “Hey Jensen, we weren’t sure. Abby just said someone was coming up and took off. We weren’t sure who it was.” Moments later, Marcy appeared in the doorway and waved to Jess and Dave in the Humvees. “It’s Jensen!”

  Jensen watched as the former Marine and former law enforcement officer both turned their machine guns back toward the road, slid out of the turrets, and walked toward them. Once the barrels were pointed away, he unlocked the hatch and climbed out.

  Marcy was the first to speak. “Where are Daniel and the others?”

  “Long story. Short version is we think Aaron may have brought the virus up accidentally. Daniel was getting sick. They went back to Dahlonega to check on Sasha.” He sized up the four of them, Emmy, Dave, Jessica, and Marcy. “Emmy hasn’t had the flu. Has anyone else not had it?”

  For some reason, Jensen had assumed everyone in the survivor’s group had been exposed to the virus and survived. It had swept through the country like wildfire over the past several months. He hadn’t even thought to ask if anyone had been able to evade contamination.

  Dave, Jessica, and Marcy all confirmed they’d already had it. Jensen continued. “What about Abby or Dylan?”

  Marcy again was the first one to respond, “Abby has, but not Dylan.”

  Jensen was confused, “Aren’t they a couple? How did one get it and not the other?”

  This time Emmy answered. “They just got together when we were leaving. They weren’t a couple before that.”

  Once again, Jensen had assumed something incorrectly. Based on how close they seemed, he thought they’d been together longer. Maybe that explained why they were always off in the woods like bunnies though. It was the allure of a new relationship. A new relationship at the end of the world.

  “We need to check on him then. He could have picked it up when Aaron was here.” He turned to look at Emmy. “And we need to get you set up in the shed for a while.” He explained himself to the others. “We need to find a way to quarantine Emmy to limit any possible exposure to the virus. If she hasn’t gotten it yet, we don’t want her to.”

  Jessica wondered, “Do we still have enough stuff in the cars or tents? We probably shouldn’t use anything from inside the cabin. Aaron slept in there.”

  Dave nodded. “That’s a good point. I’ll check for sleeping bags and stuff. At least for tonight we can make you some sort of bed. I can probably dig up some food for you, too. We can worry about the rest in the morning.” They watched as he trudged off toward the parked cars with his flashlight sweeping the ground in front of him.

  Marcy smiled. Dave hadn’t been super helpful up to this point. She was pretty sure he had turned his attention to another pretty girl in the group. Jensen noticed and gave her a questioning look. She just shook her head; she wasn’t going to say anything with Emmy standing right there. She turned her head to the side instead and engaged Emmy. “Let’s go get it cleaned up a little bit in there. Jensen, will you go check on Dylan and Abby?”

  Jensen looked stricken. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with a super-emotional young woman barely out of her teens.

  Jessica came to his rescue. “I’ll come with you. Let’s see how he’s doing.” The two of them went into the brightly lit cabin to see how Dylan was doing. They found Abby with him in one of the smaller bedrooms that didn’t have electricity. Brent had used the wiring to get the solar system working.

  The light from the open door splashed across his face. He did look a little pale. Jessica asked, “How are you guys doing?”

  Jensen was relieved Abby wasn’t crying anymore. During the short time they’d been outside, she’d gotten herself together. Now she just looked concerned for her boyfriend.

  She answered for him. “He’s been coughing, and I think he’s got a fever.”

  Jensen broke one of his own rules about touching another man other than a handshake and reached down to feel Dylan’s forehead. He couldn’t tell if he was warmer than he should be or not. He’d been exposed less than a day and a half ago though, so even if he had the flu, it might not have invaded his system quite yet. He asked, “Do you have any allergies?”

  Dylan nodded. “Every spring. Georgia hates me.”

  Jensen followed up with, “Does this feel like that or like the flu.”

  Jensen watched one of Dylan’s shoulders rise, the one in the light from the door, and imagined it was a shrug. “I really don’t know. I’m coughing a little bit and I have a sore throat. It could be just allergies.”

  Jensen wasn’t sure what to do. He didn’t want to overreact and get Abby crying again, so he simply said, “Get some sleep. We’ll see how you’re doing in the morning.”

  He motioned to Jessica and backed out of the room. She looked at him. “What do you think?”

  Jensen raised is hands to about chest level, spread them open and said, “I don’t know what to think. This isn’t the same as Daniel. His stomach went bad, but he hadn’t started coughing. Then again, my lungs were so filled with fluid they had to put me on a ventilator. I just don’t know.” Jensen looked more worried than he had been. “It seems like too much of a coincidence though. I don’t like it.” He dropped his hands to his sides. “I wish Sheila was here.”

  Chapter 17

  Sheila was staring down at the body of an older woman at Aaron’s home in Dahlonega. It had taken them over an hour and a half to make the 45-mile journey back to the bakery. They’d had to stop twice for Daniel to get out of his tub and vomit. She didn’t like the delay, but she was glad he vomited outside of the tub and not inside with her.

  When they arrived, Aaron had called out for his wife as he walked hurriedly into the bakery. When she didn’t appear, smiling, he walked faster, calling her name more and more urgently. They found her body in bed, still warm, in a puddle of urine. Almost frantic, Aaron had tried to wake her up. Relief had washed over him when he realized she wasn’t cold, but she wouldn’t waken. It wasn’t until Sheila tried to find a pulse and failed that they realized she was dead.

  She tried for nearly a minute. The neck, the wrist. She put her head down on the older woman’s chest and listened for a heartbeat, but found nothing. When she stepped back and looked at Aaron with pity in her eyes, tears immediately sprang to his. He frantically searched for a pulse himself for several minutes. The old warrior’s gasping sobs were the only sound in the quaint bedroom.

  It had to have happened while they were nearing the bakery. Even under all those blankets and with a fever, she should have felt cool to the touch if she’d died more than an hour ago, maybe two depending on how high her fever had been. He hadn’t been there to care for her and try to save her. He’d just missed the chance to hold her again and tell her how much he loved her. And he did. She was his entire world.

  Aaron crawled into bed with the woman he loved and tenderly touched her face. Through his tears, he whispered with broken words “I love you. I’m sorry.” He felt the three around him were intruding on this time, his last few moments with his wife. “You should go back. Take care of Daniel.”


  Brent asked, “Are you going to be okay?” He immediately felt stupid. Aaron wouldn’t be okay. Just like he wasn’t okay after the death of his wife and his son—Rebecca from the sickness, Jack from marauders that had shot him like a stray dog.

  Understanding suddenly filled Brent’s eyes as Aaron ignored him. He whispered to the others, “Let’s go.” Aaron wasn’t paying any attention to the world of the living anymore; he’d already made the choice to be with Sasha. Brent looked back for a fleeting moment as he left the room. Aaron had slipped his arm under Sasha’s neck and embraced her as he whispered words to her that only he could hear, keeping her alive in his mind for just a few more moments.

  Once outside, he asked Daniel and Sheila to wait for a few minutes. They seemed confused but complied. Brent was the only one who didn’t flinch when the gunshot rang out through the walls of the old building. He knew it wasn’t a matter of if, only when. Aaron had died the moment his wife had; it just took a little while longer for his body to follow.

  They waited for several more minutes before Brent asked them to wait there and went back inside. He returned about ten minutes later smelling slightly of urine and with a small dab of fresh blood smudged on his forearm. “I did what I could for them now. We’ll try to come back and put them to rest the right way.” He stopped, almost having to force the words out. “Now we take care of the living. Let’s get Daniel home.”

  He didn’t say any more. He just walked to Aaron‘s little roadster and started it up. The warrior had fought his final battle and wouldn’t be needing it again. Brent wasn’t sure if Aaron had lost or won. As he drove away, he looked to make sure the armored vehicle was behind him. The faint smell of pumpkin from the bars in the trunk reached his nostrils, fighting against the scent of death that was filling them.

  Behind him, Aaron’s Accuracy International rifle was stretched from end to end across the back seat. He thought maybe he’d bring it back with him and bury it with Aaron. Brent didn’t know why, but that ancient warrior custom seemed fitting at that moment.