Code Black

by Sheri Velarde

  He shook his head, “No! It bit me!” Reaching for his gun he handed it to her. “Make it quick. Don’t let me turn into something like that.”

  “No, no. You said that the disease was airborne. It’s clearly already here on the island, yet both of us are fine. I am not going to shoot you.” She refused to take the gun. “You said it was airborne,” she repeated as if that would make it true.

  “That’s what the CDC thought, but they didn’t really know. It was the only way they could explain such fast transmitting time. All I know is that usually, if you get bitten by something with a disease, you get the disease. I can’t become something like that. Please, take my gun. First sign that something is wrong, shoot me and stop me from killing others. I have enough blood on my hands.” He once again thrust his gun in her hands as his eyes pleaded with her to take it.

  Reluctantly, she took the gun and slipped it into the back of her jeans. “Okay. I promise to take this as a precaution. Now, let’s get out of here before it comes back.”

  Nodding, Cameron slowly climbed to his feet, and they ran out. Sara was done knocking on doors. She wanted to see if her uncle was okay and to get the hell off the island. Once they were a safe distance from the house though, she stopped and pulled out some peroxide and bandages to clean Cameron’s wound. “What the hell are you doing? We need to keep moving. I’m probably already a goner. No sense wasting time with me,” he yelled and tried to shove her forward.

  “No, we don’t know that, but you will be a goner if that wound gets infected. Just let me take care of it, and then we can go to the docks. The longer you argue, the more danger we will be in,” she insisted stubbornly.

  Cameron relented, mumbling under his breath something about headstrong women that brought a smile to her face. If she could aggravate him that much, then he certainly still in control of his senses. It gave her hope that everything would indeed be okay, that Cameron would make it and she would have at least one person to help her fight her way through this nightmare. As soon as she finished, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and stood up and started jogging again. “See that wasn’t so bad, was it? Now come on.”

  “You’re a remarkable and a strange woman. You heard for yourself what the government is doing. You know what is really happening and have even seen the consequences, yet you are still going when others would have went crazy. Plus, you’re showing compassion for someone who is most likely infected. How are you holding it all together so well,” he asked with amazement and respect evident in his voice.

  “What choice do I have? If I panic, then I’m done for. Besides, I’ve had to survive more than my share of crises in my life. Just add this to the list of crap that has come my way. I’m a survivor, and I intend to keep it that way.” She managed a brief smile as she picked up speed. She had the sensation of being watched, just a tingling on her neck, but seemed to know someone followed their every move, and she certainly did not want to find out who, or rather what, it might be.

  Soon enough, she came to her uncle’s house, a quick glance around back showed that his boat remained docked, and she allowed herself to relax just a little, knowing that the means to escape was so near. Now, she only prayed that her uncle was okay—and himself. Bracing herself mentally, she knocked on the door and waited. At first, she heard nothing, then she saw the pale blue of her uncle’s eyes peering warily out at her from a crack in the blinds. Once she saw recognition in those eyes, the door flew open, and her uncle nearly cracked her ribs in a hearty embrace. “Sara! Thank god! I’ve been so worried. I couldn’t get ahold of you. The bridge has been blown up, and that’s not even the worst of it. I was going to come to your side of the island, but some of my neighbors…” He trailed off and gestured down the street.

  Sara turned her head and saw two bodies in the middle of the road and a few more in a lawn. She gasped, but shook her head and recovered quickly. She needed to get used to seeing dead bodies, she supposed. There was no way that this epidemic would disappear anytime soon if the doctors didn’t even know what it was. She came back from her own thoughts when her uncle Mark started talking again. “I shot Mike and Lynn, but they…they are the ones who killed the others. Sara, I don’t even know how to say this, but they attacked the Martins, their friends! They attacked them and were eating them!” Her uncle looked as if he were going to be sick to his stomach. “I had no choice but to shoot them.”

  “I know. We found Mrs. Hennigan dead. Her granddaughter attacked and killed her. Let’s get inside, and we can explain everything as we get ready to leave.” She pushed her uncle inside and motioned Cameron in before shutting and locking the door.

  It wasn’t until she said “we” and motioned to Cameron that her uncle took any notice of the other man. “You’re part of the National Guard! You have to know what the hell is going on here! Why the hell did you guys blow up the bridge?”

  “Settle down, Uncle Mark. Cameron is with the National Guard, but they are not the ones who blew up the bridge exactly. If Cameron hadn’t thrown himself on me during the explosion, I might not be here right now. Start gathering anything that we could use on the boat, medical supplies, food, and clothes while I try to explain. Cameron told me all that he knows, and it’s a little hard to believe, but I think you will understand after what you witnessed firsthand.” She went on to explain everything that she and Cameron knew…about the virus, about the government response so far and how they were on their own, especially now that the virus seemed to have already spread to Key Largo itself while they gathered up various items.

  She’d left out the part where Cameron had been bitten and her promise to him, but it seemed he would not let that one go for he spoke up for the first time, “Sir, there is something else that you should know. I’ve been bitten, when we were checking on Sara’s neighbor. While the CDC was working under the presumption that this disease is airborne and has a quick incubation period, which I think we can all agree on after what we have seen here, that does not mean it cannot be contracted other ways. I have asked your niece, and now I ask you, if you see any signs at all that I am turning, shoot me. I do not wish to become a monster before I die.”

  “If this thing is airborne, why are we all seemingly okay,” Mark asked.

  Cameron shrugged. “Like any disease, some people have a natural immunity. Not everyone in Miami became infected, though it seemed a majority were. At least, that’s what I heard the members of the CDC saying. We could all be infected and just have a longer incubation period, who really knows. I personally think that we should all arm ourselves and be ready to put down anyone who seems to show signs of infection.”

  Mark nodded solemnly, but Sara still argued, “You expect me to shoot my uncle or for him to shoot me? No, I don’t think that I can do that. Uncle Mark is the only family I have left.”

  “I think this young man is right. If we turn into what our neighbors did, well then none of us will be around much longer anyways unless we put the diseased one down. And I must agree with Cameron here, I’d rather be shot in the head than turn into something that would attack you, or any other human being for that matter. I want to die with some dignity,” he said.

  Reluctantly Sara nodded. “Fine, I suppose I see what you two are saying, but it’s just not something that I want to think about. There are three of us, that’s not great odds as it is. Do you think that there are others on the island who are immune like us? Others that we should take with us when we leave?”

  This time Mark shrugged. “One can assume there are others, but we would have to go door to door to find them and that is too risky. I don’t know how you two made it across the island without being attacked. I was scared to walk down the street.”

  “If there are others, they will probably head this way. You said most of the boats are on this side of the island, as well as the fuel station. This is the best means of escape, the non-infected will come to that conclusion as well I’m sure. But I don’t know if we should wait. If the government
will blow up the one way of getting off the island by car, they will eventually think about destroying the boats. If they have any inkling that the virus is here, they will destroy every living thing on this island,” Cameron said, worry creasing his face.

  “You’re right. We need to get out of here as soon as possible.” Sara agreed.

  “And go where exactly?” Mark asked. “If the government is trying to contain this and keep it quiet at the same time, I don’t think that we will be welcome anywhere in the United States.”

  “Sara thinks we should head south. Caribbean, or further. Personally, I think South America. If we can find a way to reach it, it’s our best bet. The farther away we can get from here the better. Of course, if this thing cannot be contained, nowhere may be safe soon.” Sadness seeped back into Cameron’s voice.

  “Don’t make me slap you again. No more talk like that. If we are immune, others will be too. There will be doctors working on this day and night to find a cure. We just need to survive until they come up with one. I won’t have anymore self-defeating talk. We will do what we need to make it through each day. If we have to go to South America, we will go to South America. If we must go to the World Health Organization in Europe, we’ll go there. I don’t care if we have to go to Antarctica in order to live; we will do what we have to and not dwell on the bleakest possible outcomes. Do you understand me?” Sara snapped at Cameron, though she made sure her uncle listened too. She was scared shitless, but damn if she would let them talk about worst case scenarios all the time.

  Cameron actually smiled a little at her and shook his head. “You certainly are something; persistent and stubborn until the end. I have known drill sergeants less strict than you.” He turned to Mark. “Has she always been like this?”

  Mark laughed as well. “You have no idea. Drove her parents nuts as a child.”

  While the laughter sounded good, it also seemed strange and loud. They needed to get moving, and the sooner the better. Cameron seemed to be thinking along the same lines for, as his smile faded, he seemed more solider-like than ever. “Sara says that you have a boat. Is it fueled and ready to go? How much extra fuel do you think it will be possible for us to take with us? If we find other survivors, how many more would fit? What provisions can we easily get to and take? We need to be out to sea in less than an hour. We have no idea how long before the government finds out that the scourge is here and takes care of the island like they took care of the bridge. We need to be out of sight of the island before they come this way to check the conditions here. They will blow us out of the water if we are seen leaving the quarantined area.”

  Immediately, Mark went into his kitchen and began filling bags with food. As there were already bags by the backdoor that lead to the dock, Sara assumed that he’d been prepping to leave when they arrived. “Right, I have enough food and freshwater for the three of us to last a while. My boat is fueled and, if we use the sails more often than not, we can conserve fuel. If we can make it to some of the Caribbean islands, we can refuel there. Now, if we do happen to find other survivors, well, then things are going to get complicated real quick unless they have a boat and supplies of their own. My boat can only handle about five or six at the most.”

  Cameron nodded. “Well we need to get out of here and hope that others who are okay will do the same and follow our lead. Perhaps other survivors will leave once they hear one boat.”

  They worked quickly and quietly. Making sure that they had gathered everything of possible use before looking out towards the dock. It was only about twenty feet from Mark’s door to his boat, and nothing seemed to be moving. Just in case, they all checked their guns before quietly unlocking the door and stepping outside. They each grabbed supplies and rushed to the boat. The first trip went fine, and it looked like they were home free, but as they were rushing back with more supplies they all stopped as an inhuman, blood curdling scream pierced the air. Shrieking that could not possibly come from a person.

  Cameron’s training kicked in. He dropped the bag he had, pointing his weapon in the direction of the scream. “Get the boat loaded and ready to go. Now! I’ll cover us.”

  Mark was already on the boat, loosening the ties and getting the engine started. Sara threw her bags in and ran back and grabbed the ones Cameron dropped. Just as she stooped down and grabbed the bags, gun shots rang. She froze. Unable to stop herself, she looked in the direction that Cameron fired in. Coming down the rampart towards the dock were about a dozen or more of her former neighbors and friends, though they barely resembled humans the way that they moved disjointedly, a yellowish tint to their skin, some seemed to have lost teeth already and their clothes were soaked in blood, fresh and dried. A stench much like rotting fish reached her nose, and she felt the bile rise in her throat again. This time, she couldn’t contain it, and vomit hit the pavement before her. Cameron hit one in the head, its brains exploding as it went down. The others paused for a moment, seemingly frightened by the noise more than the death of their companion. In fact, one of the others dropped down on all fours and began ripping bits of flesh off its companion and eating it. Sara heaved again.

  Cameron grabbed one of his fallen bags, still firing shots at the creatures, hitting one with each bullet. He pushed her and yelled, “What the hell are you doing? Get on the boat! We have to get out of here!”

  Sara still stood frozen. All she could do was stare at the creatures that shambled inevitably closer and closer to them. How could people, human beings she’d known her whole life, have become animals in only a matter of hours? It just didn’t seem to make any sense. These were the people she’d been with at the bridge, people trying to escape, people who were in their right minds earlier in the day. She recognized Allan, her friend since high school. He had blood running down his front, his mouth filthy with what looked like flesh from another, and his ear had been ripped off by a different monster it appeared, pus and blood oozing down his side from the wound. Intellectually, she knew that she should be moving, getting away from this awful sight, from these beasts she once called friends; but her body simply wouldn’t respond. They came closer, their movements coming in jerking motions, some scrambling on all fours rather than walking upright.

  Cameron cursed behind her and grabbed her by the arm, dragging her towards the boat. Finally something clicked and she began moving of her own accord. She stumbled towards the boat, her stomach still queasy. Now that she was moving once more, Cameron let go of her and resumed firing at the hoard that kept getting nearer. The coppery smell of blood flooded the air. She threw the bags they’d both been carrying into the boat. Cameron kept firing shot after shot, but more of the infected kept coming as if the noise drew them to their location.

  Sara practically fell in the boat, her legs not working properly at the moment. Mark immediately went to the controls, ready to gun the engine and get them out of there. As soon as they began pulling away, she yelled at Cameron, “Jump! You have to jump! You can’t shoot them all.”

  Cameron fired off a few more shots, glancing back to make sure that the boat was indeed pulling away from the dock. Just when she thought he had waited too long, he jumped, barely making it. Sara raced to help pull him in. “You crazy fool. I didn’t think you were going to make it.” She hugged him tight, surprising both of them at the depth of her worry.

  “I had to make sure that you and your uncle would safely make it away before I let the infected get any closer. There are so many, they could have overrun the boat.” As if to prove his point, the hoard reached the dock they had just vacated. So many were swarming that the ones in the front were being pushing into the water. For a moment, Sara panicked until she realized that these creatures, no matter who they were hours ago, were somewhat mindless and couldn’t swim. As more and more fell in the water and none seemed to resurface, she began to relax just a little. They were going to get away after all.

  Her Uncle Mark and Cameron, however, both still had grim looks on their faces. “That looked
like most of the island coming our way. How can we be the only three people not infected? The odds do not seem to be in our favor.” Mark said, checking coordinates and busying himself seemingly to help block out the horror that they were living through.

  Cameron cleaned and reloaded his gun, “The odds were not this bad in Miami. The problem is that the infected tend to kill those who are not susceptible to the virus. There were likely other uninfected, but they are either hiding or have been killed. We cannot search for them, or we will be overrun and eaten. Maybe some of the survivors will be as lucky as us and get off the island as well.”

  “Lucky like us,” Sara whispered, a tear slipping down her face.

  None of them knew what to say to that. Sara and Mark both stared solemnly as the island they had called home all their lives began to disappear behind them. They traveled in silence for over an hour, each lost in their own thoughts. Cameron made sure their weapons were in order and that the ammunition had been distributed equally. Mark kept his eyes on the controls and the ocean before them, tears watering his cheeks as well. Sara felt useless, but spent her time sorting through what provisions they’d been able to bring. Thank god her uncle liked to sail and always kept prepared. She figured that if they were careful with their food, they had enough for the three of them for at least three weeks. Water might run out sooner, but she knew her uncle’s boat was fitted with a filtration system, so they could desalt the ocean water if it came to that. Fuel would be their main concern, depending on how far and how quickly they needed to get away.

  Just then, Uncle Mark called her out of her reverie. “Help me get this sail up, the wind is with us. No point in wasting gas. I’m pretty sure those things aren’t going to pursue us out here. They couldn’t remember to swim, let alone how to operate a boat.”