The Vermilion Strain : Post-Apocalyptic Extinction

by S A Ison

  “Absolutely. We’ve got several and honestly, we can bring one of them by on the next visit. You’ll need to build her an enclosure and keep her on a sturdy chain, you don’t want her getting into your garden, she’ll eat it all.” Barb laughed.

  “Thank you, thank you so much. That will be nice for the kids to have fresh milk.” Emma grinned. Brian got up and handed Cooper over to Emma.

  “I want to show them around.” Brian said and the men stood. Emma grinned up at him and he winked. He and Jeff as well as BJ walked around the camp, Bradley followed, after pouring more coffee. Bradley was impressed with the structures and how well they were built.

  “You guys do precision work. This is nice. The interior is really cool.” Bradley said, looking inside the canning shed. Brian could feel the coolness coming out of the shed. It was holding the chill very well. Being in the shade of the trees helped a great deal.

  “I like the way you used the tree stumps as the supports for the floor. It keeps it well off the ground and I’d say that will go a long way in keeping the rotting down.” Jeff said, bent over at the waist, looking under the structure’s bottom.

  “We wanted the structure built into the trees, this way, it keeps it well in shade and the sun off it. There are so many trees, we had to cut them down and figured they could be structural support for the structure.” BJ said, smiling.

  An hour later, the girls got up and came outside. Their guests were getting ready to leave. The girls were enchanted with the horses who snuffled their outstretched hands. Handshakes and hugs went around.

  “Wow, that was so nice.” Emma breathed, walking back to the firepit.

  “It will be nice to have a goat and milk. That will be better for baking, instead of the powdered milk.” Paadi chirped.

  “I’m glad they’re nice people. You never know anymore and I’m sorry to say that I’m very paranoid about meeting new people.” BJ said. All agreed. Emma began to make breakfast all around. The children were fed first and then were off playing. Brian would make sure Cooper and the other kids brushed their teeth after he ate. He was slightly disappointed about not going hunting, but he was looking forward to two hundred pounds of pork. He was going to use that smoker. Sweet!

  A week later Jeff had been good to his word and had brought half a hog, early in the morning. He brought his truck, and there was an angry goat in the bed, trussed up. Barb had come and had even brought a long chain and metal stake, so the goat would not go anywhere near the garden.

  “Until you’re about to can and smoke it, I’d keep the carcass in the lake, to keep it cool.” Jeff had advised.

  Brian had set up cold smoking for the bacon. It took longer but would preserve the meat longer. He used hickory chips to flavor the bacon. Both he and BJ tended to hover by the smoker. They had used BJ refrigerator for the soaking part of the process. They’d also spent the week freezing water in baggies to put into the freezer once the meat was done. This ensured that the temperature was low in the freezer. The smell was tantalizing and Brian grinned when he saw Emma and Paadi standing near the smoker.

  Brian wanted to go hunting, he’d heard turkeys earlier that morning and thought maybe roasting a turkey would be a wonderful treat. BJ offered to keep an eye on the smoker. The women were canning much of the pork. They’d set up the gas camp stove and had a propane bottle hooked up. They could only do one pressure canner at a time. The kids were swimming and playing at the shore.

  “I’m heading out, hopefully I’ll get a turkey.” He grinned.

  “That would be nice. Early Thanksgiving.” Emma laughed.

  Ӝ

  Emma watched Brian disappear into the woods. She and Paadi had set up a processing station by the firepit. The work table was there and there was a good breeze blowing off the lake. They had a tub with a lid that sat in the lake, keeping the meat cool until they could cut it up and process it.

  “The next batch we make, I think we should spice it with cumin, along with the salt and pepper.” Paadi suggested.

  “That sounds really good. We can then fix it with canned tomatoes or fresh if we have it, along with the jalapeno peppers, onions and regular peppers. Maybe we can make four tortillas and have a burrito or fajita night.” Emma said, wiping sweat from her face. They had found several cases of Tattler canning lids. The Tattler lids were reusable, and because all they had would be all they had, it meant that they could keep canning indefinitely.

  “The cilantro has been growing like crazy, along with the basil and thyme. I think we can make a nice salsa to go with it.” Paadi assured her.

  “Dang it, now I’m hungry.” Emma laughed.

  “That bacon is making me hungry. It smells good.” BJ said.

  “How is the ice coming? Is it staying frozen in the chest freezer?” Paadi asked, sipping coffee.

  “It’s coming, I’m glad we started a few days ahead, it takes time for it to freeze and the more I add to the chest freezer, the longer it stays frozen. By the time the bacon is done, I’ll have a lot of ice in there. If we keep trading out the thawing ice, and refreezing it, that freezer should stay nice and cool. During the winter, it will be nice to store a lot of meat in there. It should last us all winter. The same with the other chest freezer.” BJ said and poured himself more coffee.

  “It really feels good to have this meat. If we can stock up this fall, I’d like to can a lot of venison.” Emma said.

  “How is Daisy doing? And the pups?” BJ asked, Daisy had delivered four large puppies the night before. They’d put her in the storage room, away from the children who were making her nervous. They’d been warned to leave her alone. Two puppies had been stillborn and had been buried. No one told the children. Buddy was at Emma’s feet and had fretted and sniffed and worried over the puppies. Emma had brought him out to give Daisy a break.

  “She’s doing better. Between Buddy and the kids, she wasn’t very happy. I’d checked on her earlier and she was a lot better, calmer. The four babies are nursing well.” She smiled.

  “That’s good. I’m sure in a few weeks, those puppies will be running and ruling the roost.” BJ laughed.

  “It’s time to turn the fire off the pressure canner. We can let it set for maybe twenty minutes and then move it to the table to cool the rest of the way. That will give us enough time to process the next batch of meat, and use the spices.” Paadi said, looking at her watch.

  Emma turned off the fire and the rocker began to slow its insistent rocking. It got a bit quieter, since the hiss of the pressure canner was fairly loud. Both women got up and washed their hands in a bowl of soapy water.

  “BJ, can you get us another propane? We’ve been using this can for quite a long time. It’s feeling light. If it runs out, and the pressure canner is on, we’ll need to switch it out pronto, so the pressure doesn’t go down too far.” Paadi said, looking over her glasses. BJ grinned and nodded.

  “Take Buddy with you, I think he needs a romp in the woods, get some of that anxiety worked out. Daisy snapped at him, and I think he’s feeling a little abused.” Emma laughed.

  “Sure thing, we boys know when we’re not wanted, don’t we Buddy.” BJ asked in a sing song voice, and the dog’s tail wagged excitedly. Paadi snorted.

  “Glad you figured it out, chowderhead.” She laughed at the look on his face. BJ shook his head, grinning. Emma suspected that the two were actually flirting. She’d seen over the last weeks that the two had been getting closer. Spending more time together, with the two children. Emma knew both were still grieving over their loved ones, but she also saw a spark between the two. She was glad, they suited each other, he was calm and easy going, and she, well, Paadi was Paadi, a handful.

  Paadi helped Emma bring the container with meat from the lake. Setting it between them, they began to cut chunks of meat. Brian had deboned it for them and they’d used the bones for a hearty stew with the potatoes and onions from the garden. She’d also thrown in canned carrots, from the store. It wasn’t as good as fresh, bu
t it was good. She’d also thrown fresh spinach and chives into the mix. They’d made cornbread in the sun oven, a wonderful dinner. Cooking and eating outdoors had been nice. The house had a table set up inside, but it was hot.

  Emma had brought up the possibility of putting in a few extra windows. Brian and BJ had looked dubious about it. It had been discussed and the conclusion had been, though nice, they had the fans as well as the large tent out front for hot nights. Also, during the winter, the house would stay much warmer without excess windows. Since their front door was all glass, there would be a lot of heat loss via that. So, that matter had been put to rest.

  The women cut the meat into one-inch chunks. The pressure canners, All-American, were forty-one, quart canners. They could hold nineteen, quart jars each. They could do large batches at a time. Once they had the meat they wanted cut up, they put the container back into the water. They spiced the meat, turning it and then they began to load the clean jars. Paadi washed her hands and moved the still hot pressure canner to the table. Once they got the other canner loaded, they’d start the process of canning all over again.

  “Well, well, isn’t this just nice. Two beautiful women.” A man said behind them and both women jumped and turned around. Emma’s mind went blank for a moment. Then she thought, Mole and Pirate, the two men Brian and BJ had warned them about. Her eyes looked for the children, her heart slamming hard into her chest. She heard Paadi curse under her breath. They’d been caught with their guard down.

  “Smelled that wonderful food. Figured we’d come and check you out. Good thing we did, ain’t that right, Jeri?” Mole laughed, scratching his gut. He was filthy and Emma could smell him from fifteen feet away. His breath was redolent of beer and serious halitosis. The man had rotten teeth.

  “You got that right, Riley. Damn fine women and food. Looks like you girls need a couple of men. With all them brats you got.” Jeri said and nodded over to the children who were now huddled by the water. Amanda’s arms were holding them to her.

  “You need to leave here now. You’re not welcome here.” Paadi said angrily.

  “Don’t think about reaching for that gun, I’d hate hurt one of them kids.” Riley grinned nastily, as he turned and aimed the shotgun their way. Emma’s blood turned cold.

  “Yeah, that’s right, you got it. Now, here’s how this is gonna work. You’re gonna go with my friend Jeri, miss big mouth. He’s gonna take you in for a little bump and grind. You cooperate and we’ll leave the kids alone. You don’t and we’ll hurt you all. You got me?” Riley asked in a smug voice.

  “Shit, I ain’t had a woman in a long time. Girl, I’m gonna fuck you raw. Let’s go.” Jeri laughed with glee.

  THIRTEEN

  Flynn was trying not to hyperventilate. The mask he wore didn’t help. He could feel the sweat biting under his arms. His heart was hammering hard. He had the list of wants and needs that Beth had given him. He’d spoken to her at length. He and Cliff had hit the ambulances and they had been a gold mine. Like Beth had suggested, if the ambulance wasn’t pristine, he didn’t go in. Luckily, there were windows on the ambulance and he’d not had to open the doors. He’d found only one ambulance that looked like bloody hell.

  He’d pulled all the sterile gauze, tubing, instruments, IVs and oxygen tanks. He also pulled the gurney out and loaded it into the back of the truck. Cliff had given him a look and he’d shrugged. It could be used for the people at the house. It would be adjustable and could hold a patient. He figured Beth would appreciate it. There were syringes, as well as pediatric needles and he thought she’d like that as well, treating children. He also grabbed the portable suction machine.

  There were various sized catheters and he grabbed all those. Essentially everything he touched, he grabbed. He figured Beth could go through it and she’d know their uses. In each of the ambulances, he grabbed it all. He’d filled bag after bag with the equipment. He grabbed all the defibrillators as well. He shrugged; he had no idea how they used this stuff but he hoped that Beth did. It might not be for animals, but her education was extensive.

  He stood before the hospital’s emergency bay doors. They were halfway open and he could smell the stench. They’d gone to the veteran’s clinic and had found all kind of medical paraphernalia. He’d been given orders to find the pharmacy. Pull all pills out. Anything that was in a fridge, leave. Also, if he saw a PDR, physician’s drug reference and a Physician’s Desk Reference book, bring those back. Luckily, he’d found both of those at the veteran’s clinic. This was their last stop before they hit up the CVS pharmacies.

  He looked back over his shoulder and he saw Cliff setting up the cleaning station, away from the truck. Flynn would strip down completely to clean up. He was naked beneath the disposable coveralls. Cliff gave him a nervous thumbs up and smiled nervously. Flynn nodded his head. He moved slowly forward, between the opened doors, not touching them. He watched where he placed a foot. He was wearing an old pair of shoes, that would also be thrown away.

  He saw the first lump of bone and he shivered. It was covered with clothing, but the clothing was stiff and black looking. Dried blood. He averted his eyes and kept walking. He saw the reception area but it was clear, he saw nothing. He moved to one of the curtained rooms, which had the curtain drawn closed. He saw blood under the curtain and it covered the floor. He didn’t want to go near that. He moved to the next area, the exam table was bloody, with black blood crusted sheets, but there was no body.

  Thank god, he thought. Carefully, he moved to the cabinets with multi drawers. Careful of any blood spatter, he opened each drawer and emptied the contents into the large heavy black bag. He didn’t even look at what he was getting, he just dumped each tray into the bag. His hands were shaking so badly he dropped one tray. He left it. It landed in a black puddle of dried blood.

  “Get a grip Flynn, don’t freak out.” He hissed angrily at himself. Xandra had been upset about his trip to town.

  “Why do you have to go?” She’d asked, fear in her eyes.

  “Because we’ve been out there. If we were going to die or get it, we probably would have. If these guys go, they might bring it back. I’ll be careful and not touch anything. Believe me, I don’t want to bring it back here either. I want to do this Xandra. I do.” He’d said and she’d given in, though not gracefully.

  He took a deep breath and coughed it out, regretting the stench he’d just breathed in. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes. Trying to shake off the creeps, he went back to work. Once he’d emptied the cabinets, he moved to the next bay. This one was clean and he breathed easier. His hands shook less and he quickly dumped the contents. He moved from room to room, avoiding the lumps of bones and dried blood. His body was saturated with sweat and he felt nauseated from the heat that was trapped in the hospital.

  It took him over an hour to go through the rooms and offices. Some offices he didn’t enter, seeing a body or two within. It just wasn’t worth the risk. When he was finished, he moved outside. There was a bottle of betadine, sitting outside waiting for him. He began to squirt down the plastic bags, he knew it was probably overkill, but didn’t care. Then he took the bottle with alcohol and spritzed off the betadine. Cliff watched him from the truck, which was twenty feet away. He saw fear and worry on Cliff’s face. He couldn’t blame him; this was dangerous and not taking it seriously could kill people.

  He then stripped off the coveralls, mask, gloves and shoes. He was naked in the bright sunlight. He was self-conscious and quickly began to spray himself with the betadine. He’d been covered head to toe with the coveralls, but he sprayed himself completely. He looked like some kind of gory ghoul. The betadine pooled at his feet. Then he took the alcohol spray and spritzed himself. He had to hold his breath; the smell of the alcohol took his breath away. The breeze was cooling his body and it felt good. He hurriedly went to the back of the truck with the bags and put them in the back. He tied them together so they wouldn’t fly out.

  There was an old towel on the
tailgate and he dried himself off, then tossed the towel away, they’d not take it home. He got dressed and felt human again. He came around and got in the truck and looked at Cliff.

  “You okay?” Cliff asked, looking him up and down.

  “Yeah, I’ll tell you, I was scared to death. I didn’t touch anything or get near any blood. I only got into the places that had localized blood or no blood.” Flynn said, and grabbed a bottle of water.

  “Good, that’s good. Once we hit the CVS’s, we’ll head home. Sarah will have fixed the cottage up for us. With plenty of food.” Cliff smiled, though it trembled a bit.

  They’d all agreed that after the run, he and Cliff would go into quarantine for a week. If he or Cliff got sick, they’d stay in the cottage and when they died, the cottage would be burned to the ground with all the equipment, and supplies they’d gotten today. Flynn thought it was very brave of Cliff, because Flynn was fairly sure he was immune, but Cliff hadn’t been exposed, nor the people on the farm.

  Cliff pulled out and headed for the first CVS pharmacy. When Flynn walked into the store, there was no sign of death. The air was stale. He walked back out, and looked at Cliff.

  “This store has a bunch of coffee; you want me to pick up all the cans?” Flynn asked, smiling.

  “Heck yes, we’ll take all the coffee cans from all the stores. Thanks.” Cliff grinned; his face more relaxed.

  Flynn went back in and cleared out all the medications and creams in the back of the pharmacy. He figured Beth would know what it was all for, along with the help from the reference books. He moved through the store and picked up the cans. As he was leaving, he grabbed a handful of candy bars. He knew that Xandra would like that.

  They drove in silence; they were heading back. The other stores with the CVS pharmacies had been just as easy, with no one in the stores. The last one he’d had to break the glass door. It had been locked. He stared out the window, Cliff wasn’t driving fast, he was looking around at the homes that lined the road. The yards of all of them were overgrown and garbage blew across the road, it was desolate and lonesome looking.