by Lopez, Rob
Climbing another fence, they crossed some railroad tracks and into the shadow of more trees. If it wasn’t for the houses, this suburban area would be considered heavily wooded. There was more than enough fuel here for the winter. Watching the squirrels scampering along the branches, Rick thought there were also enough critters for them to eat. He didn’t want to waste a bullet shooting one, though. He made a mental note to pick up some wire for snares.
There was an apple tree in a yard that hadn’t been fully harvested. Rick pulled out a street map of Charlotte and marked its location for the future. There weren’t many pencil marks on the map yet, but he hoped to have everything useful in the city systematically plotted.
As they got closer to the downtown area, tree cover grew more sparse and they crossed parking lots by burger joints and restaurants, staying low among the abandoned cars. The commercial lots looked to have been heavily looted already, though Rick wouldn’t have expected to find anything edible that hadn’t spoiled by now. Moving carefully through the alleys and across a small park, he halted within sight of The Presbyterian Hospital.
Rick took out his binoculars to scan the upper floors of the multiple blocks within the hospital lot.
“You’ve got to be careful of high buildings. For someone in one of those windows with a rifle like your mother’s, we’d be an easy target.”
Josh stared at the building, unease growing on his face. “How do you avoid getting shot?” he murmured.
“Stay off the street as much as you can and avoid wide intersections. Apart from that, it’s just luck. A good sniper doesn’t allow himself to be easily spotted.” Rick turned to his son and, seeing the obvious fear, realized he was overdoing the combat stuff. “But I don’t think there’s a sniper up there,” he added gently. “It’s just a precaution before we go in.”
“I don’t want to go in,” said Josh hastily.
Rick studied him, trying to work out the sudden change of mood. He could see that Josh was more than just afraid. He was petrified.
“You have to,” said Rick firmly. “There’s a reason why we go out in pairs. I need you as an extra pair of eyes and ears. We’re going to skirt around the side of this parking lot. Stay close.”
Making their way to the edge of the parking lot, they dashed across the road to the entrance of the hospital parking deck. Inside the gloomy interior, Rick halted behind a pillar and waited for his eyes to adjust to the gloom. Leaves and trash had blown in from the street, but among them were discarded boxes with complex medical names on them. Rick suspected the hospital had already been looted. It was such a big place, however, that maybe something had been overlooked.
Seeing nothing move in the shadows, he gestured for Josh to follow him and double timed it to a stairwell door, hunched over and aiming his rifle as he fast-walked. In spite of what he’d told his son, and as far as Rick was concerned, he was in a combat zone and he was in automatic room-clearing mode. Unfortunately, he didn’t have Scott to back him up. A quick glance at Josh convinced him that his son was indeed too young for this, and this might not be the best place, or time, for a father-son bonding exercise.
Lauren was right, though. Childhood was over, and there was no ideal training area.
Miming the removal of a revolver from the bag, Rick watched as Josh followed the mute instruction, satisfied to see the finger kept clear of the trigger like he’d taught him. The last thing Rick needed was for Josh to accidentally shoot him from behind.
They made their way quietly through the hospital, with Rick following the signs to the pharmacy. Unlit candle stubs lined the floors of dark corridors. Snack vending machines had been forced open, their contents taken. The steel shutters of the pharmacy had been peeled back like a banana skin. Rick climbed in through the gap and found all the drawers and closets cleaned out. Computer screens, keyboards and stationery had been scattered across the floor next to overturned desks, with fluffy work-station mascots and pharmaceutical branded mouse pads trampled on. There wasn’t so much as an aspirin left in the place.
It was pretty much what Rick expected, but he had to check anyway.
Wandering the deserted hospital produced more of the same: sheets pulled from mattresses, hospital beds askew in corridors from hasty evacuations, burned out computers at nurses’ stations, rancid odors from blocked toilets and discarded bed pans. It looked chaotic, but Rick noticed that, as they climbed the levels, the prescription cabinets on the wards had been unlocked rather than forced open. Even the antiseptic hand-rub dispensers on the walls had been removed.
Josh continued to look nervous, as if he expected to see a ghost.
They reached the top floor and it smelled bad. Worse than the other floors. Treading warily down a corridor, Rick glanced around the corner down another corridor and saw a barricade had been formed with beds around the entrance of a side ward. Behind the barricade was a black security guard pacing back and forth with a shotgun.
The guard saw him and raised the shotgun to fire. Rick pulled back and a blast of shot took a chunk out of the corner and shattered a window on the other side of the corridor.
“There ain’t nothing for you here,” shouted the guard.
Rick pressed Josh back against the wall and motioned him to point his revolver back down the way they had come. If the man wasn’t alone, maybe someone could be circling around to cut them off. Picking up a large shard of glass, he angled it around the corner in an attempt to catch a reflection of the guard. In the dim light, he was a vague silhouette, but Rick couldn’t see any other movement.
“We didn’t know there was anybody here,” he called.
“Well now you do,” said the guard, “so git.”
Rick listened to the silence but couldn’t detect any other footsteps. The man appeared to be alone. If Rick blind fired around the corner, he’d have a good chance of hitting the guy. The beds wouldn’t stop a bullet. He was curious, however.
“What are you doing here on your own?” he called.
“That ain’t none of your goddamn business!”
“Actually, it might be. We’re not here to take anything off you.”
“You can tell that to the Almighty when you see him, which’ll be sooner than you think if you don’t get out.”
“I haven’t seen anyone else in the city until now. That makes us neighbors.”
“If you want to see how neighborly I can be, stick your head around that corner one more time!”
Rick pondered a series of strategies to end the stand-off. Most of them ended with the man shot dead. He wondered why the man had barricaded himself here on the top floor. It was a poor location, away from any possible water sources. Unless he had something set up on the roof. There hadn’t been a lot of rain lately, though. Did he have stocks of food? Fuel to sterilize water with? It didn’t seem all that likely.
“What are you doing here? You must know this building is going to attract scavengers. There’s got to be a better place for you to hole up.”
“Told you already. It’s none of your business.”
“I’m not here to hurt you. If I wanted to do it, I’d have shot you already. You’re not in a good defensive position. As far as I can see, you’ve got no way out. If I had a mind, I could smoke you out. Plenty of flammable material in the building.”
Rick caught a glimpse of reflected movement in the glass.
“Don’t do that,” called a woman’s voice. “We’ve got patients here.”
Rick studied the second figure in the glass. It appeared to be a nurse. “Didn’t say I was going to do that, ma’am. Just saying you’re not in a good location.” He paused. “I thought the patients had been evacuated.”
There was a whispered conference between the nurse and the guard. “Who are you and what do you want?” called the woman.
“Sergeant Rick Nolan. US army. I don’t want anything, but you’re the first people I’ve seen in the city. Maybe we can help each other out.”
“Is the army in control of the city now?
”
“No, ma’am, and I don’t think they’re going to be any time soon. It’s just us at the moment.”
There was another whispered conference. “Can you get word out that we need assistance? We’re running low on supplies.”
“I don’t think help’s going to come. Situation’s looking pretty bad out there. Listen, I’m going to come over so we can talk properly. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t shoot.”
“Wait,” said the woman. More whispers, then she said, “Come on out.”
“And keep your hands high where I can see them,” added the guard.
Rick checked the reflection, trying to read the body language. Judging it was worth the risk, he looked at Josh and motioned that he should stay hidden. Letting his rifle hang on its sling, he stepped out, arms spread.
The guard was unshaven and his uniform was heavily creased. A thick-set man, his cheeks had already acquired the gaunt look that came with hunger. The nurse was similar, and her uniform was covered in dark stains.
“You lay your weapons on the ground,” said the guard.
“That’s not going to happen,” said Rick, walking casually toward the barricade. “This is a parley. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
“You said you were army,” stated the nurse, eyeing his unorthodox rig and clothing.
“Special forces, but I don’t think any of that matters now.”
The guard aimed his shotgun. “Special forces my ass. You’re a deserter.”
Rick halted, arms still spread. “I am, but truth to tell, there’s not a lot left to desert. Comms are down and it’s pretty much everyone for themselves. No reason we can’t cooperate, though.” Rick looked into the guard’s eyes, gauging intent. He made a judgment call. “Josh, you can come out now. Holster your piece.”
For a moment, nothing happened, then Josh stepped out, still holding the revolver, pointed at the ground.
The guard started at the sight of the extra weapon. In that moment of distraction, Rick watched him carefully, knowing that he could whip up his rifle and shoot if he had to. “He’s just a kid,” he said in an attempt to defuse the tension.
The guard was hesitant, and the nurse put her hand on the barrel of the shotgun, pushing it down. “It’s okay,” she said.
Josh froze, staring at the nurse.
“Are we good?” asked Rick.
The nurse relaxed a little. She was hollow-eyed and looked tired. “We’re good,” she murmured. “I’m Sally. This is Harvey.”
Rick put his arms down. “How come you’ve still got patients here?” he asked.
“They’re too sick to be moved,” said Sally. “Most of the others were evacuated, or their relatives came for them. We’ve got the ones nobody came for.”
Rick and Josh were allowed through the barrier and into the small ward. Six patients lay in beds, mostly elderly and barely conscious, looking pale. Around the ward were piles of soiled sheets, stocks of medicines, packaged needles, boxes of protein shakes and some bottled water. The place stank of urine and shit.
Sally sank down onto a chair. “We’re waiting for them to die, really,” she sighed. “We’re just caring for them as best we can. Started out with nine. Trying to give them some dignity and comfort, keeping them sedated. We’re going to run out of drugs, though, if we don’t get any more.”
“You had any problem from scavengers?” said Rick.
“We heard them in the early days, somewhere down below. Looting everything that we hadn’t already brought up. Haven’t seen a soul in a while.”
“No, most everyone’s gone. How are you doing for food and water? You got enough to last the next few days?”
Sally grimaced. “Maybe.”
“Look,” said Rick, “there’s a few of us not far from here. If you want, we can help you move the patients to a better location. There’s empty properties everywhere.”
Sally shook her head. “They can’t be moved. They don’t have the strength to handle much. We’ll be okay here for a while.”
Rick didn’t want to commit himself, seeing as he had his own problems, but he was impressed by the dedication these two had shown in volunteering to stay. “I can’t promise much,” he said, “but we’ll check on you from time to time and try to bring you something.”
Josh glowered at the nurse. Sally looked to him, narrowing her eyes. “I remember you,” she said. “Night of the storm. Something wrong with your feet, right? No, wait, it was your grandpa.”
Josh’s face hardened, and Rick looked at both in turn, wondering at this piece of history that he’d missed.
“I think we’d better go,” he said. “I’ll try and call in again tomorrow. In the meantime, you might want to strengthen your barricade with something a little more solid.” He turned to Harvey. “Have you got enough shells?”
The guard, who still hadn’t taken to Rick, was derisory. “That ain’t for you to know.”
“Yeah, well,” said Rick. “If you’ve got any to spare, and if you’ve got trouble, fire a shot out of the window. We’ll hear it and try to get to you as best we can.”
“Only shot I’m gonna fire is at the guy who tries to take our stuff, no matter how friendly they get.”
Rick didn’t waste any more words on him. As they left, he turned to Josh. “So what was that about in there? Have you seen that woman before?”
“She was the one who wouldn’t help Grandpa,” replied Josh sulkily.
“You don’t want to go worrying about that now,” said Rick. “Just focus on the things we need to focus on.”
Josh wasn’t particularly mollified by that statement, and Rick could see the memory still burned. He tried to think of something to say that would be more comforting, but no words came to him. In the end he just squeezed his son’s shoulder.
“Come on,” he said. “We’ve still got a lot to do.”
6
Lauren heaved the last of the bean plants into a pot and filled it with soil. Together, she and April carried it over the fences and into the house. The dining room was now home to a pitiful array of bean plants, cucumber and tomato vines. The leaves were already starting to turn, however. Lauren hoped that bringing them inside would coax them back to life.
“Do you want to get out of here for a while?” she said to April.
April rubbed soil from her hands. “Why do you say that?”
“You haven’t been yourself, lately. Thought you might want a break from keeping house.”
April laughed. “You think going out there counts as a break?”
“Sure,” said Lauren. “Let’s have some fun. A ladies’ day out.”
April eyed her. “Want me to get my makeup or something?”
Lauren waved off her sarcasm. “You look great already. Let’s do it.”
Scott was stacking branches by the kitchen door, ready to drag into the garage. Lizzy and Daniel were both struggling to haul a slender branch up the yard.
“Scott,” said Lauren, “April and I are going out shopping. You okay minding the kids?”
Scott raised an eyebrow. “You sure that’s a good idea?”
“Absolutely. Just don’t eat them.”
Scott looked at the children, and they looked back at him. “Now that you mention it,” he said, “they do look kind of tasty.”
“Ewww,” said Lizzy. “That’s cannibalism.”
“Are you the big bad wolf?” asked Daniel. Lizzy had read the story to him that morning.
“If I was, it wouldn’t be cannibalism, would it? Do you want to be the little pig?”
Lizzy giggled and whispered to Daniel, “Say no.”
“No,” said Daniel emphatically.
“Darn, this kid’s smart,” lamented Scott.
“You’ll be fine,” said Lauren. “Want anything while we’re out?”
“Shrimp and grits would be good right now,” said Scott, bemused.
“We’ll see what we can pick up.”
“You sure your husband’s g
oing to be okay with this?”
“I don’t recall needing to ask,” answered Lauren archly.
Scott shrugged. “Okay. You ladies have a good time.”
“We will. Don’t wait up.”
Lauren picked up her hunting rifle and manually loaded the four .30-06 rounds into the internal magazine. It was a Remington 700 with a scope. Not necessarily Lauren’s first choice for a rifle, but with the .30-06 rounds, it was a monster in the power stakes. At the same time, it wasn’t too heavy for her. In a fanny pack that she wore on her hip, she had the Beretta pistol that she always carried with her now. She had the option of taking Scott’s body armor, which would make her the designated lead person according to the tactical system they’d devised for this situation, but she found it way too heavy and cumbersome. She preferred to retain her mobility.
April had the Mossberg shotgun. It was a good weapon, but the long barrel was more suited to hunting ducks than close-up urban warfare. It would look intimidating in a stand-off, however. Backing that up was the Ruger pistol, which she’d also used to good effect in recent weeks. Considering she was relatively new to firearms, she’d learned quickly, and Lauren was confident in April’s ability to support her if things got bad. All in all, they made a formidable duo.
“Got your lipstick?” said Lauren.
“Oh sure, if you’ve got the heels.”
Lauren laughed. Kissing their children goodbye, they stole out of the yard and headed downtown – or, as the Charlotte natives called it, uptown.
Lauren carried a map identical to Rick’s, with the extent of their explorations marked on it. Hopping from yard to yard, they reached the drawn border of houses they hadn’t entered yet. Crouched behind a fence, they spied out the first target for the day. They had a set routine for each house. Initially, they’d look for careless signs of occupation, like fresh trash piled up, or newly dug garbage pits. Then they’d look surreptitiously through each window. If everything remained clear, Lauren would tackle the back door with a wrecking bar while April covered the entrance with the shotgun. Lauren had become adept at cracking open a door quickly. After that was the smell test. If it smelled bad, it would mean there were bodies inside. In spite of the morbid thought, these were the houses to covet, as it meant the occupants had died before they could clear out their kitchen closets. There was a better chance of finding food, then.