What Remains (Book 3): Epidemic

by Barrett, Tyler

  Kenji thought about it for a second. Maybe Muller was right, putting effort into helping the situation would help Kenji overcome himself. Maybe what he needed was to help others, to redeem those he couldn’t save.

  Muller leaned back, “Think about it, you don’t have to say yes, but I could really use people who know what they are doing. It’s a lot to ask, I know.”

  “What about Nobuto and Ren? How will they do without me being around?” Kenji asked earnestly.

  Muller nodded, “I doubt they would understand you wanting to work with me, but they are doing just fine last, I knew. Ren is an adult and can take care of Nobuto. But we aren’t talking about them, we are talking about you. You are the one that I think working with me will help you get back on your feet.”

  Muller paused for a moment, leaning closer again, “Look, I know you hate being of no help to anyone in your current life. I get that more than anyone else around. I need people I can trust, people who are natural leaders, like you, Kenji. I know you beat yourself up about all those who died before, but you think I don’t. I watched many of my friends die, sacrifice themselves so I could do what I’m doing now. You’d be doing the same, honoring them in the best way you can.”

  Kenji knew it was true; lately, Nobuto and Ren were less reliant on Kenji and were hardly around anymore. He could be more helpful with a new cause, something that would give him purpose. It would be how he lived up to his fullest potential.

  “Alright, I’ll think about it, but I want to know more about the IVC,” Kenji said, giving in to Muller’s speech.

  “Good! Ask away, and I’ll answer all your questions,” said Muller with excitement.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Muller had been in quarantine for a week when the ship had finally completed its journey back toward the mainland. No one on board the ship could leave even though everyone had been triple checked for the virus. The military didn’t want to take any chances. After being anchored in port for a week, they finally sent a pair of doctors from the CDC to retrieve the drives with the data on them. Muller hadn't let anyone else touch them since they had boarded the boat. Just as they were taking no chances with the infection being on the ship, he wasn’t taking any chances with anyone accidentally destroying or misplacing the data.

  He requested the officer’s mess hall for the meeting with the doctors, wanting to deliver the drives to them personally. What no one else knew was he had borrowed another serviceman's laptop and had transferred what files he could to the laptop as a backup. The data was too valuable to only have one copy, as well; he wanted to make sure the data was handed to the right people. He was skeptical after purposely having information withheld from all the soldiers sent into “recon” after the outbreak. He had a feeling someone knew about the virus and its true potential, which mean someone had decided to try and hide what was going on. Muller was damn sure that after everyone they had lost, their sacrifice for this data wouldn’t be classified and hidden away.

  He prepared himself to go into the meeting with the doctors, ready to be told a story about the data being used for good, only to never hear of it again. Muller wouldn’t let that happen, even if it meant releasing the data to the public and being labeled as AWOL. This was a deadly virus, only being held back by natural geographic boundaries. All it would take to happen anywhere else is someone getting infected and slipping past the blockade, reaching a populated area, and starting the process over again.

  As Muller walked into the room, he saw the two doctors sitting at the table, talking to each other. Both doctors stood as he entered, moving to greet him and shake Muller's hand. They introduced themselves as Dr. Victoria and Dr. Hamden, before sitting down.

  “Now, we understand that you were successful in obtaining extremely valuable research data that was compiled from multiple worksites before the infection outbreak occurred. We were also briefed on your mission and how it nearly failed. We wish to hear the story from your perspective before moving onto our further questions,” stated Dr. Victoria seriously.

  “To clarify, our mission did fail. We-I was lucky to escape with this data. But, may I ask why you want to hear my story if you read the report? It was all in my debriefing,” asked Muller, arms crossed.

  “Simply put, Mr. Muller, we would like to hear it from your perspective, before we make our decision. Our job is to determine what steps need to be taken and how serious the response to this outbreak is. While we feel the report is a good glimpse of the event, we would like the full picture before anything else. The civilians that escaped with you have all been asked to give as much information as they know, and now we ask you for your story, not from the report, but from you,” said Dr. Victoria.

  Muller began his tale, careful to hold back no detail. He told them everything he could remember, even the details he tried to forget, grimacing through it. He wanted them to understand how serious the virus was and how determined he was to prevent it from spreading. As he finished his story, several hours had passed, and he felt a small wave of relief wash over him. It felt good to let it all out.

  Dr. Victoria took a deep breath, taking it all in, shifting in her seat, “I’m sorry if that was hard for you to get through, It’s as I thought, it seems some of your details didn't make it into your report. I never did like the debriefing reports filed by the military; they like to downplay certain things sometimes. I’m glad I was able to get the facts straight from the source. Now, I haven’t been completely honest with you. Before you even agreed to the meeting, I already had enough information given to me by the other survivors to determine that this outbreak is very serious, and it could easily happen again if lax security was appropriated for this.”

  “Well, I'm glad that you feel the same way I do. This virus is extremely deadly; it could easily become Humanity’s biggest threat if left unchecked. I lost many good friends to this outbreak, and I saw what it can do to a nation. I don't want to see it happen again,” said Muller with conviction.

  Dr. Victoria stopped to pull out a thick bound set of paperwork from a briefcase that she had under the table, “This is a contract, albeit a basic one for now. This document releases you from the branch of the military you are affiliated with and moves you over to the IVC, where you would take the position of Operational Coordinator. The position would involve you overseeing all operations including, search and rescue, quarantine control, and operational training oversite.”

  “You're offering me a job?” Muller asked with some confusion.

  “Yes, we are,” she said with an extremely serious face, “I can tell you take this as seriously as needed. Not only do you have the conviction, but you have first-hand experience in dealing with the infected. That is invaluable to this organization and moving forward in the right direction. You will be able to make sure that the spread of the virus doesn’t happen, personally. We have approval from the president himself to do whatever it takes to handle this. This will be important work and will require all your time and focus.”

  Dr. Victoria stood up, “We will give you a little time to look over the contract and decide what you want to do, we know it’s not an easy deci-“

  I’ll do it,” Muller said steadfastly, practically barking at them.

  Dr. Victoria smiled, “Good! Meet us outside in an hour, and we will take you to our facility and get you up to speed on everything.”

  Chapter 5

  “S

  o, as part of the IVC, what do you do exactly? With the quarantine in place, in what ways can the Virus escape? What else is there to do?” asked Kenji.

  “Well, rarely, we have people who don’t take the virus seriously, and they think they can sneak into Japan and loot the place. Also, occasionally, a boat with infected that slipped by either before the quarantine or just by chance will be found, and we contain it. Lastly, we listen for any survivor’s calling for help; you never know if anyone survived, we did, after all,” explained Muller.

  “Well, how about we finish up here and
I’ll take you back home. Take the night and think about it, I’ll stop by in the morning to get your answer, okay?” asked Muller, “If you don’t, I’ll give you a ride to work, since we left your car there.”

  “Okay,” Kenji replied as they both moved to throw away their trash.

  After they had left the deli, Kenji climbed into the black SUV, noting how clean the vehicle was. He figured it was new since it still had the smell. Muller started their drive, doing his best to avoid the early evening traffic.

  It wasn’t long before Muller pulled up to Kenji’s house, parking in his driveway. Kenji opened the passenger door and walked around the front of the SUV, where Muller rolled down his window.

  “I’ll be here at nine in the morning, I’ll see you then,” Muller said, before backing out onto the street.

  Kenji entered his house, looking around the place. He lived here, along with Nobuto and Ren, but it didn’t feel like home. It was a place that he slept and kept his meager belongings in his room, which consisted almost solely of his clothes. Nothing else in the house was his; even the other two had bought small things that signified they had moved on with their lives. Pictures of new friends and places they had visited.

  Nobuto and Ren are fine without me; they don’t need me. They have new lives and are moving on. Muller is giving me a second chance, a way to prove that I still have some use, some way to help this world. I need to move on with my life as well, and this offer is my chance. I have to take it.

  Deciding that he would accept Muller’s offer, Kenji went upstairs to his bedroom and began to pack his bag. It only took ten minutes to pack everything he owned, and he moved back downstairs, waiting for Nobuto and Ren to return home.

  After another hour, Nobuto and Ren walked in the front door, happily laughing and joking with each other. Their laughter quickly died down once they noticed Kenji sitting on the stairs with a packed bag at his feet.

  “Are you going somewhere?” Nobuto asked.

  “I am. Muller came to see me today. He offered me a job working with the IVC. They want me to help with the organization. I’m going to accept it,” Kenji replied.

  “Wow, that’s awesome!” Ren said.

  Nobuto moved closer, “I think that’s a good idea. This might help you. I know you’ve been struggling lately, and I fully support this decision.”

  Kenji nodded, “Thank you, both of you. I was hoping you guys would be supportive. I was worried you guys would be mad at me for leaving.”

  “We would never be mad at you,” Ren said, giving Kenji a quick hug, “I’m happy for you. This is a big step.”

  Ren walked upstairs, “I’ve got to get to bed soon, busy day at work tomorrow. Promise me you’ll say goodbye before you leave?”

  “Of course.”

  Nobuto sat down next to Kenji, “I’m going to miss you. I will always be grateful for you finding me and accepting me to be part of your group.”

  “We always had each other’s backs,” Kenji put his arm around the teen, pulling him into a hug, “If you ever need anything from me, you know my number. Call me for anything, I’m here for you.”

  “Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind,” Nobuto said, reciprocating the hug.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  The next morning Kenji sat on his front steps outside, waiting for Muller to arrive. It only seemed like yesterday to Kenji he had to dodge and avoid droves of reporters, but after a couple of weeks they moved on to bigger and better stories, finally leaving him in peace. Kenji had never found out how they knew where he lived, but it didn’t matter now. Since then, it had been nice and quiet, just how Kenji liked.

  Kenji had made sure to wake up early enough to say his final goodbye’s to Nobuto and Ren. In the early morning light, he checked his bag to make sure he had everything, trying to calm his nerves. Kenji had slept for only a short period, tossing and turning most of the night. Nobuto had urged him to go, in hopes of regaining some sort of normalcy, but on the other hand, Kenji didn’t know if he could make it in this new life.

  Nobuto and Ren both cried as they gave him deep hugs. Kenji began to tear up, thinking about how, since he accepted the job, he wouldn’t be able to see them. He thought he had made up his mind the night before, wanting to accept the job, but saying goodbye to the only thing he considered his old life scared him.

  Is it wise to give up my current life for a new one, attempt to pick up from nothing? I’m giving up all I know for something I know nothing about. I thought I was decided, but now I’m not so sure. Why can’t someone just make the decision for me?

  Muller drove up in the same SUV, breaking Kenji’s thoughts.

  I need to do this. I can’t keep hanging onto the past. I have to move forward…

  Kenji stood up, picking up his bag, moving to get into the vehicle. He threw his bag in the back seat before climbing into the passenger seat once more. Muller nodded at Kenji, understanding what the packed bag meant, and started off down the street.

  “So…” Kenji started awkwardly after a short silence had fallen between them.

  “So?” Muller asked, glancing over at him.

  “I guess I’ve decided to take the job. You said you wanted me for training? Who would I be training, and for what exactly?” Kenji asked, realizing he may have agreed before finding out any information.

  “So far, I’m leading a small team, people I personally recruited. You’ll meet them when we get there. Don’t worry, you’ll like them. I want you to train them on how to fight against the infected, and I think you could also learn a thing or two from them. I need my men to be ready if another outbreak happens,” Muller replied.

  Kenji fell silent, satisfied with the answer, watching as Muller drove them to the San Francisco International airport. Muller bypassed the terminals, heading down a road leading up to a gate, and small gatehouse. Slowing down, Muller rolled down his window, pulling out an ID badge. The vehicle stopped alongside the gatehouse, where a guard wearing body armor, and a handgun on his hip moved closer.

  The guard looked at the badge, nodding, “Welcome back, sir. I’ll radio ahead for your helicopter.”

  While the guard moved back into his small shack, using his radio, he buzzed the gate open. The gate rolled quickly, pulling itself back, and Muller wasted no time, driving forward.

  “That was easy,” Kenji stated.

  “One of the perks of working for an organization with high-ranking clearance,” Muller replied, with a smirk.

  Driving across the tarmac, Muller headed toward where a helicopter sat, waiting for them. Muller parked the SUV alongside the building nearby, and they both hopped out together. As Kenji approached the helicopter, the memory of the leaving the airfield in Japan, escaping the horror of the Yokai, flooded his mind. He remembered struggling to hold off the infected while preparing the helicopter, and those who didn’t make it. Back, in reality, he climbed into the helicopter, sitting behind the pilot opposite of Muller, who donned a headset. Kenji quickly put his own headset on. Before he knew it, they were in the air, and the ground below them got smaller and smaller.

  After a few moments of gaining altitude, the helicopter turned south and began to pick up speed. Kenji looked out the small window, taking in the awestriking view of the city and bay. As the helicopter looped around to the north, he spotted the sprawl of Iconic downtown San Francisco. The Golden Gate bridge ran across the bay in the distance, hiding its true size and length. In the waters below, he noticed many ships, but beyond that, the famous Alcatraz Island.

  “Hell of a view, huh?” Muller said, looking out the window as well.

  Nodding, Kenji watched as the city got smaller, giving away to mountainous hills as they headed Northwest. It wasn’t too long until another city dotted along a bay area. After passing over the bay, Kenji spotted wind turbines covering the fields below. Several minutes later, the barren fields with wind turbines, turned from brown into green farmland. It wasn’t long before they slowed down, hovering above an airstrip with a h
eavy cargo plane sitting on the tarmac.

  The final descent left them on the far side near the plane and its accompanying hanger, near several buildings. Kenji looked out the window, watching various people below near the plane, unloading cargo. Out the other side of the helicopter sat several, multi-story buildings, all fenced in with a tall concrete wall.

  “Welcome to IVC headquarters!” Muller said.

  “This is impressive,” Kenji replied.

  The helicopter landed, with a soft bump, and they climbed out. Kenji followed Muller, heading toward the closest and biggest building. Two guards stood outside the door in full gear, eying Kenji as he followed Muller.

  “He’s with me,” stated Muller to the soldiers as he scanned his badge and was granted access into the building.

  Together they entered the lobby of the building, which was bare, and approached a desk in the center of the room. Muller talked to the man behind the desk, while Kenji looked around the lobby once more. There were two sets of elevators and four unmarked doors; a small area had been set aside for a small seating area. The walls were white, the floor a light cream tile, and a few fake potted plants, all impeccably kept.

  Muller rejoined Kenji, “Here is a temporary security badge until we give you your permanent one, it’s like a visitors badge. Your actual one will give you access to all the buildings except the lab. I’m told the doctor wants to speak to you, though; she’s waiting in the conference room upstairs.”

  “What’s in the lab building?” asked Kenji curiously.

  “The lab is where our virologists attempt to make a vaccine or cure for the Demon Virus. That building is the most guarded in the States, besides the White House. In the event of a contaminate escape, the building is set to release incendiary charges to cleanse the whole lab; no chance for escape to the outside,” stated Muller as the ride the elevator to the top floor.

  The elevator doors opened silently to a stark white hallway, which led to a single door. At the door, Muller swiped his security card, and the door buzzed, releasing its lock, allowing him to open the door. Once through the door, it was as if Kenji was in another world. It was an open office space with multiple desks where people were filling out paperwork. It was bright with many windows and had a natural, relaxed warmth to the room.