The Vermilion Strain : Post-Apocalyptic Extinction

by S A Ison

  “That’s a damned good idea. I’ve been wearing the same clothes for a few days. Guess it’s time to wash them. I do have liquid laundry detergent, but you might want to pick up a few more. Extra strength.” Brian sniggered and held his nose.

  “Goof. I sure will.” Emma laughed.

  “Yeah, we got to do it the old fashion way. Man, my poor hands. Maybe we can set up a dish washing station by the lake as well. We can pick up a couple of large plastic tubs, for washing and rinsing, and also a drying rack.” Paadi piped in, grinning at Brian.

  “Got it, couple of T frames and a washing station. Then can I start on the storage shed ladies?” He looked at both women pointedly and they laughed.

  “My honey-do list is getting longer by the day.” He grumbled good naturedly.

  “At least you’ll have Coop and the dogs here to help you.” Emma laughed and Brian shook his head and both women laughed. All looked up when both dogs barked in low chuffs. The small group looked and Brian pointed up the beach. There was a man, roughly three hundred yards up the beach. The man stood still, he had containers with him, and was clearly gathering water. Brian wondered if he was the one who’d fired the weapon the other day?

  Brian lifted a hand in hello, but didn’t get out of his chair. The man lifted a hand, though cautiously and waved back. The watched for a few minutes and Brian figured the man was trying to decide to come over and introduce himself.

  “Should we go meet him?” Emma asked.

  “Naw, if he wants to be sociable, he can come here. We don’t want to make him nervous.” Brian said softly, his eyes not leaving the man.

  “Buddy, come.” Emma called and the dog trotted over. She placed her hand on his head and Daisy came over and sat beside Brian.

  “He’s coming this way. Should I go get my weapon?” Paadi wondered.

  “No, I’ve got mine on me. Maybe start carrying it on you at all times from now on. This guy might be nice, but the next one that shows up might not be and you might not have the time to go and get it.” Brian said softly, watching as the man approached.

  The man was of medium height and had brown hair and fair skin. It looked like he wasn’t an outdoorsman. He had a rifle slung across his back, but had no sidearm that he could see. He’d left the containers back and carried nothing in his hands. He had a solemn, if not worried look on his face. Brian guessed that the man had run into trouble before and was cautious. Well he should be. These days, you never knew who you were meeting.

  “Hello friend, welcome.” Brian called in a friendly voice.

  “Hello. Wow, looks like you’ve done a lot to this place. Nice work.” The man said, looking around.

  “We’ve been hard at it.” Emma said, a soft smile on her face.

  “I’m BJ, and I got here a week and a half ago. I’m over at the cabins. Trying to get settled in. Have a fifth wheel, so it is pretty nice.”

  “Oh, that’s good. I heard those RVs are pretty spacious and nice inside. I’m Paadi, by the way, and this is Brian and Emma. Cooper, he’s still sleeping.” Paadi said, and the man’s brows went up at her heavy Boston accent. Brian hid a grin in his coffee cup.

  “The fifth wheels are nice, my family and I used to come here camping, during the summer breaks.” BJ said, sadness etched into his face at the mention of his family.

  “I take it you lost them?” Emma asked softly.

  “Yeah, my two boys, Brody, nine and Timothy, eight. My wife, Clair, too.” He said and cleared his throat.

  “I was a carpenter and assistant youth pastor and well, I lost all our parishioners and their families. Pretty much everyone I knew, families and friends. I figured I’d make my way here, see if I could survive. Cincinnati was horrible, just a nightmare.” BJ said and shuddered.

  “Boston was the same.” Paadi said, shaking her head.

  “I lived in Boston as well. Plus, there was a lot of gun play starting up when I left. I ran into Paadi on the road here.” Emma said and smiled at the other woman.

  “On my way here, I was robbed four times, or rather, my supplies were confiscated. I just don’t understand it, there are so few people, why would you take away someone’s chance to survive?” BJ wondered, confusion on his face.

  “Crazy people out there, we ran into a man who was charging a toll, to go past him. Sadly, he was either stupid or high, but I ended up shooting him.” Paadi shrugged. Brian could hear the pain in Paadi’s voice and knew that incident bothered her a lot.

  A spark of fear entered into BJ’s eyes at the news.

  “She was a Boston police officer, Emma was a nurse, and I was a firefighter.” Brian smiled and saw the man’s face relax.

  “I know this is presumptuous of me, but do you think I might move my RV here? Maybe park it over there? It would be easier getting water, and I could help you guys. You don’t have to answer now, maybe think about it?” BJ asked, his eyes wide with hope.

  Brian looked at the women and he saw their slight nods. He looked up at BJ and smiled.

  “We’d love to have you. You help us and we’ll share what we have with you. I think if we can defend this place, we’ll be able to hold on to it. I don’t know if others will come, but hopefully, if they do, they’ll be like us, good and hard-working people.” Brian said.

  “Are you sure? Thank you so much! Bless you and thank you. I’ll head back to my camp and hook up the RV and I’ll come on back. It’ll take me a bit; I’ll load up all my supplies.” BJ smiled.

  “I’m building a storage shed, for a lot of our supplies.” Brian said.

  “Might I suggest that with some of your things, maybe bury it? If someone comes, and they take the supplies, you’ll at least have some hidden.” BJ suggested.

  Brian looked at the women, startled. They looked back at him and then at BJ.

  “That’s a good idea BJ. With all we have, storing them in one place would be easy picking for bad guys. Thank you for suggesting that. Maybe you women pick up a bunch of fifty-gallon containers and more duct tape. We can dig holes, put the containers in the holes, seal them against moisture and then cover them.” Brian suggested, rubbing his face. Why hadn’t he thought of that? You can’t think of everything, he thought.

  “Sounds good, we’ll take the trailer. I’ll go get Cooper up and fix us some breakfast. Would you like to stay for some eggs and oatmeal, BJ? And a cup of coffee?” Emma asked, getting up.

  “Oh, yeah, sure, thank you.” BJ said happily, the tightness in his face vanishing.

  Ӝ

  Emma found the Walmart and pulled in. Paadi was watching out for others around. Emma carried her weapon, but she depended on Paadi to watch her back. She felt safe and confident with Paadi at her side. She’d be terrified alone and by herself. She smiled, thinking about BJ. The man practically wept at the large breakfast and coffee.

  After breakfast, she and Paadi left Cooper with Brian, who’d begun to build the clothes line poles. When they got back, they could hang the lines and then start on laundry. They had a long list of things to get. Each trip out, they tried to fill the trailer to capacity. Getting out of the truck the women each grabbed a cart. Emma had parked the truck in front of the doors. They each had a flashlight, as well as a headlamp, since the lights from the windows didn’t penetrate very far into the store.

  “You know, sometimes I hate coming into these places. It is sooo damned quiet and it’s spooky.” Emma grumbled.

  “Yeah, it’s wicket spooky. I’m not a chicken, but I’ll admit, these places make me nervous. If we hear screechy violin music, run!” Paadi agreed, and laughed, eliciting a laugh from Emma as well.

  “It still stinks in here, from all the produce rotting. What a waste of food.” Emma bemoaned.

  “You got that right. But, while we’re here, I want to pick up egg cartons. I’m sure the eggs that are in them are more than likely bad, but we could use the cartons for our own eggs.” Paadi suggested.

  “Let’s do that first. Here, I brought some Vic’s rub, just i
n case we needed it. Put some under your nose. I don’t think it will stink horrible, but you don’t want to take a chance.” Emma said, rubbing ointment under her nose. She handed the small bottle to Paadi, who did the same.

  “Tingles.” She laughed. Going to the cases, they found the eggs. Milk cartons were bloated, some had exploded. It did stink, but not as bad as Boston had. Carefully taking the eggs out, they lined them up on the floor. They took a dozen empty egg cartons with them.

  Both women then went to where there were the laundry items were located and picked up packs of clothespins, clotheslines and liquid laundry detergent. They pushed the carts back to the truck and unloaded.

  “You know, this is a hell of a workout.” Paadi puffed, lining the large bottles of detergent in a row. Going back in, they picked up all the large plastic containers they could get.

  “We can store our winter clothing in theses and stack them up to save space. These are pretty rugged totes.” Emma said, gathering the lids to the containers and stacking them inside the large containers.”

  “When Brian builds the storage shed, it will be nice to move a lot of the things out into the shed. Storing stuff in these will keep the bugs and other yucky things out.” Paadi agreed.

  They also picked up more metal trash cans. They filled the totes with rolls of duct tape. They also picked up two heavy duty mop buckets with wringers. They filled the trailer. Emma thought it was very satisfying to build up their reserves.

  The women went back in and made their way to the baking section. Emma wanted to try and bake a cake with Brian’s sun oven. Doing a box cake mix would be the least waste of materials, if the project failed. They had a lot of eggs from the chickens. She was glad they’d picked up the cartons, they could at least store them better than a bowel. She’d also picked up several glass baking pans, along with a few nonstick pans as well. They were walking down the aisle, picking up bagged nuts, baking powder, baking soda, bread flour, yeast and anything that wasn’t nailed down. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught movement and nearly screamed, her hand slapping across her mouth.

  “What on earth is the matter with you?” Paadi asked, pulling her weapon and looking around. Her headlamp flashing across Emma’s face and down the aisle.

  “I think I saw someone run past us.” Emma whispered, fear tight in her voice. Paadi’s eyes grew large and she got in front of Emma, crouched over, her weapon pointing in different directions looking for the threat.

  “Which way?” Paadi whispered. Emma pointed and followed after Paadi, her own weapon in hand. Her finger was carefully outside the trigger guard, she didn’t want to shoot Paadi. Her heart flipped flopped at the thought. Paadi moved swiftly and Emma was right on her heels.

  Ӝ

  Flynn climbed the stairs. He was glad he had his flashlight. He’d hate to try to navigate this place without a light. He half expected to find bodies in the stairwell. The stench was nearly unbearable. He stepped into the dark hall and walked down, looking at apartment numbers. He found hers, 312. His heart was beating hard in his chest. He lifted his hand and knocked loudly. He winced as the sound was loud and reverberated around the hall.

  “Xandra? Xandra, it’s Flynn. Are you there? Are you alive?” He called, waiting and listening. He thought he heard something and banged again.

  “Xandra, it’s me. Please open up. Xandra, are you okay? I know I’m late in checking on you, and I’m sorry. It’s a long story, but please, open up.” Flynn called, desperation beginning to enter into his voice and his body trembled with fear and anticipation.

  He heard the deadbolt turn and he held his breath as the door cracked open. A woman, Xandra, he thought looked out at him. She was incredibly thin and she stank, he could smell her from three feet away. His heart nearly broke at the pathetic human before him.

  “Flynn?” Her voice cracked and she opened the door wider. Her lips were cracked from dehydration and her eyes hallow and dull.

  “Xandra, are you okay? Christ, what happened?”

  “I.. I was afraid to leave. Is it safe to come out?” She asked, looking up and down the hall. She opened the door and he stepped in, closing the door behind him.

  “Kind of. If you’ve lived this long, I don’t think you’ll get the virus. I think we’re immune. Here, I’ve got some food and water in my backpack.” He said, taking his backpack off and digging out a bottle of water. She snatched the water and began gulping it. He pried it from her hands.

  “Easy Xandra, you’ll throw it back up. Sip it honey. I’m so sorry it’s taken me so long to come. I’ve no good excuse.” He said and he led her to her couch and sat her down. It stank in the apartment and he gagged. The apartment smelled like an open sewer. He had to get her the hell out of this place and he had to get her out of Philly. He needed to get her out now, he didn’t think she had more than another day or two before she died of starvation and dehydration. He looked at her, her once dark glossy hair was now greasy and lank.

  The bones around her shoulders and neck protruded. Once more he berated himself for his cowardice. His selfishness. He felt his eyes sting.

  “Look Xandra, I’m leaving Philadelphia, today, now. I want you to come with me. There is a crazy guy who is running the city, but we can get out. Will you come with me? Please? We’ll die here if we don’t leave.” He asked, handing her a protein power bar. She tore at the paper and tried to shove it in her mouth, but he helped her and ensured she took small bites. His mouth trembled, she was like a starving animal and his heart broke all over again. I’ve been such a goddamned coward, he thought.

  He waited for her to eat and drink a bit more; he knew she wouldn’t hear him or listen to him while she was concentrating on the food and water. When she finished the bar, she looked up at him, tears in her eyes.

  “I don’t care where we go. Just get me out of here. I’ll give you anything you want; I’ll do anything you want.” She croaked.

  “You don’t have to give me anything. I’m so sorry, I didn’t come sooner. You own me nothing. Let’s just leave. I’ll help you pack your clothes, and we’ll head out.” He said, tears now falling down his face. She was so desperate, she’d do anything. He didn’t want Casper getting his hands on her. Shame filled him again and again. He dug in his backpack and gave her another water, this time, she sipped it. He pulled out a granola bar and handed it to her.

  “Okay. I got a suitcase in the bedroom closet.” She said weakly.

  “You stay here, I’ll go pack really fast. Just eat and drink.” He said, getting up and heading to her room. He gagged again when he went past the bathroom. The door was shut, but the stench wafted through. Going into her room, he pulled out the suitcase and then went to her dresser. Pulling out everything he could lay his hands on, he placed into the suitcase, shoving it in and packing more on top. They could stop and pick up more clothing, he wasn’t going back to get his own things. He’d also pick up food and any other supplies they needed. He just wanted her out of here.

  He found her shoes and shoved them into the suitcase as well. He’d find a place and pick up toiletries and he’d find a place to bathe her. She stunk of starvation and filth. He walked back into the living room and looked at her.

  “Do you have photos, pictures and such that you want to take?” He asked.

  “Over there, there’s an album.” She nodded at a bookshelf. Walking over, he picked up the album, and put it into his backpack. Her suitcase was full.

  “Okay Xandra, we’ll leave here. I’m going to warn you, there are bad people we’re going to meet and I’m going to tell them I’m going to look for food and supplies and I’m coming back. But I’m not. Try not to say anything to them, don’t answer any questions, okay? I can’t let them know we are leaving for good, otherwise, they’ll stop us.” Flynn warned.

  “I’m afraid.” She whimpered.

  “I know, but trust me please. I’ll get you to safety and I’ll make sure you have plenty of food and water.”

  “Okay.” An
d she grabbed onto his arm, her nails digging in as he led the way out of the apartment. He moved down the dark hall, pulling the suitcase. He held the flashlight, and they moved to the stairs. He could feel her body vibrating. He didn’t know if it were fear or anticipation of escaping this hellhole.

  They stepped out on the street; the stairs had been slow going. Xandra was very weak and he thought he might end up having to carry her down. He was sweating profusely, both from nerves and the heat that was trapped in the apartment building. He walked her to his car. He put her suitcase into the trunk.

  “Lay down in the back seat Xandra. Pretend you’re passed out. I’ll tell the road block that I found you and I’m looking for more people and supplies.” He told her as he helped her in. Her eyes were dark and she looked exhausted from their trek down to his car. He was sure she’d be asleep within minutes.

  He got back in and looked around. It was quiet out there and he wiped the sweat from his face. He could kick himself a thousand times over. He’d let her down. He’d left her to fend for herself. He’d not make that mistake again. He’d guard her and protect her. He’d make it up to her, if it were the last thing he did.

  He pulled out and drove toward the freeway. As expected, he came up to the road block. The two assholes who’d been there before, were still there, it must be their normal post. At least this time, he had a password. He did work for Casper after all.

  Slowing down, he rolled down his window. He leaned his head out and grinned at the two men. He noticed they’d build up a shelter, to keep out of the sun. He saw that they had water and a few boxes of supplies. That was no way to live.

  “Hey guys. How’s it going?” He asked in a friendly manner. Both men eyed him suspiciously.

  “What are you doing out this way?” The man, with the pock marked face, Danny, he thought, asked him.