The Ark Series (Book 2): The Ark of Attrition

by Scott Kotrous

  “Well you’re sure as hell right about that.” She starts to walk up the stairs but then stops. “Ya know, Eric, I remember a time when you used to flirt like that with me, but at least then you didn’t have a girlfriend.” She doesn’t even wait for a response and walks back upstairs.

  Chapter 12

  Peter rests his head on the kitchen table, frustrated with the lack of progress they’ve made even after days of continuous planning. Their options are limited because of the almost four-feet of snow, along with countless frozen corpses that block their way in most likely every direction.

  They’ve all agreed to leave the bunker and travel to one of Simon’s old military colleagues, who lives near Evergreen and has a full biological testing lab under his house. After his colleague, Dr. Reynolds, was paralyzed years ago the government built him a state of the art facility so he could continue his research for the military.

  Even though Simon hasn’t spoken to him in years, and doesn’t even know if he’s still alive, he knows that his lab will give him not only the capability to study the infected, but it will also be fully stocked with survival provisions; something he learned from Simon during their military tour together—since they had both witnessed the same horrific event in Afghanistan.

  They’ve narrowed their limited options down to a few possibilities on how they are going to make the trip. The first option was the least liked amongst the group, and it would entail them walking there using snowshoes, but the likelihood of them making it was slim to none. Their second option was to possibly get their neighbors set of snowmobiles, but they didn’t think they could make it through the half-exposed bodies sticking out of the snow. The last option on the table was the most liked, but it would mean they would have to try and commandeer a snow plow from the Golden CDOT station across town.

  Peter lifts his head and clears his throat to get everyone’s attention. “Alright, we’ve been going back and forth for days and we haven’t made any progress. So let’s make a decision so we can get on with discussing the details and do this shit.”

  Simon drops the marker and turns toward his son. “We still need to discuss our options to give ourselves the best chance of survival. I don’t need to reiterate the fact that this trip will come with great risk and an unknown reward. Not only will we be battling the elements out there, but the possibility of encountering more hibernating incipients.”

  Dave rises from his chair, walks over to the whiteboard, and grabs the marker. “This isn’t complicated at all. This is what we do.” He erases some of the writing and drawings on the whiteboard and begins to draw something. “So we’ll never make it by foot, and the snowmobiles are way too risky, both ways leaves us way too exposed to the elements. So that leaves us one option—the snowplows. So let’s focus on that and how we’re gonna get them.” He continues on with drawing on the whiteboard as he explains his plan.

  After days of planning, preparation and loading of as many supplies in the back of the truck, they finally get ready to execute their mission—obtain a snowplow.

  Peter, Dave, and Jason will be the only ones going due to lack of cold weather gear available. They finish gearing up and check their weapons one last time while they stand by the door, obviously eager to depart. They say one last goodbye before unlocking the door and opening it. The storm door shakes as soon as they open the door; the wind testing the strength of the glass with every gust.

  Dave opens the storm door to the shock of the cold, snow, and wind trying to push him back into the house, almost like it’s trying to tell him something—to stay inside. He gives one last look back at Peter and Jason, the lack of fear in their eyes puts him at ease—he knows he’s trained them well—he knows he can trust them with his life.

  After everyone gives the “all set” over comms, they exit the house and a wind gust slams the storm door behind them, reminding them that they can’t go back. They try and find the path of least resistance through the seemingly hundreds of frozen bodies sticking out of the snow, almost like moving through a maze. But as soon as they get out to where the road should be, the bodies become less dense, and the snows not as deep, offering little hope for an easier trip.

  They move through the snow as quickly as possible, the light fluffy snow is not as bad as they expected, and so they pick up the pace. They stop every so often to survey the area, but visibility is still limited and almost impossible to see more than a few feet in front of them. As far as they can tell there’s not a living sole in sight, the arctic tundra not allowing anything to survive its brutal clutches.

  They eventually get to their destination—their neighbors house with the snowmobiles. They notice the windows are all busted out and the front door is practically wide open, which makes everyone nervous. Dave pushes the door open all the way and yells into the house and waits for some kind of response, human or elsewise.

  The house is silent, just the sound of whistling wind blowing through its corridors. They move into the house with their rifles up as they scan the interior, with nothing in sight. They don’t even bother clearing the entire house before moving to the side of the house where the garage is. They open the door to the garage and turn on their tactical lights, dim from being caked with snow. Dave wipes the lens and shines the light into the garage, revealing a newer looking car and riding lawnmower. They step down the two stairs and move around the car and see two brand new Ski-Doo snowmobiles glistening from the light bouncing off of them.

  They shoulder their rifles and walk to the back of the trailer and release the gate. Dave climbs on the back of one and is relieved to see both with a full tank of gas and the keys already in them. He turns the key and it fires right up along with the other one. Jason looks up to find the automatic garage door release and pulls it, unlocking it from it’s track. Peter goes to the garage door and pulls up and opens it, this time the blowing snow not even fazing him.

  Dave and Jason back the sleds down the trailer and onto the driveway. Peter jumps on the back of Jason’s sled, and gives the “all set” over the radio. They turn the sleds around and slowly drive down the driveway and get into the street, nothing in their way but snow and a few scattered bodies.

  The sleds roar into motion and elevate above the snow once they get up to speed. The wind soon penetrates some of their clothing making it an uncomfortable ride. The windshield’s not doing much to block the cold, yet they appreciated they had them at all.

  They fly across town making great time and without encountering any problems or any kind of resistance. The trip is brutally cold but peaceful at the same time as they float on top of the snow. The terrain and scenery is eerily the same, making it hard to navigate, but they still somehow know where they are at all times.

  They eventually arrive at the CDOT building and stop just outside the gates and dismount the sleds. They shoot the lock and push open the gates and move inside—not a sole in sight. They get up to the side of the building and try to look inside the frosted glass without any luck. Dave then slings his rifle around and slams the butt of rifle into the glass, shattering it with one swift blow. He clears the glass and then reaches inside and grabs the door handle and opens it.

  They enter the building and pull their goggles up before fanning out to sweep the warehouse and then regrouping. The faint glow from the upper windows cast just enough light to reveal the fleet of snow plows parked against the back wall. They waist no time to check the unlocked trucks and find full fuel gauges.

  Dave jumps down from the truck and then meets back up with Jason and Peter. They go over a few details before searching for the office to look for keys. After finding the rack of keys, they grab a few key rings and go back into the warehouse to find the corresponding trucks. Dave and Jason jump into separate trucks and turn the key, and they both start without hesitation, obviously well maintained.

  While Dave and Jason attend to the trucks, Peter searches around the warehouse for anything useful and comes upon a few steel ramps. “Hey, you guy
s, I found a couple metal ramps that look long enough to reach up to the truck beds. What if we empty the salt out of one of the dump trucks and load the sleds into it, they may come in handy down the road.”

  After a brief pause, Dave answers. “That’s a damn good idea, Pete. What’s your location? I’ll come to you.”

  “South side wall, back near the office.”

  Both Dave and Jason jump down from the trucks and make their way to his position. Dave takes one look at the ramps, gives the thumbs up, runs back over to the rear of the truck, and unlocks the tailgate. After he gets back into the cab, he pulls the truck forward a few feet and then presses the button to raise the tailgate and the dump body lifts up and the salt/sand mixture begins to pour out and onto the ground. He slowly pulls forward until he gets the “all clear” from his brother that the dump body is empty.

  After a brief discussion, Peter and Jason rush back outside and jump on the sleds and drive them into the gate and wait. They hear the roar of a truck from inside before it comes crashing though the giant warehouse door, not even slowing as it bursts through and comes to a stop once it clears the newly created entrance. Dave shuts down the engine and hops out of the cab while Peter and Jason drive the sleds into the warehouse and get them right behind the truck they will be taking.

  Dave enters the warehouse and meets up with Peter and Jason already walking toward the ramps. They carry them one by one to the rear of the truck and secure them to the tailgate, and they are the perfect incline for the sleds. Peter jumps on the back of one of the sleds and slowly drives it up the ramp that is just wide enough for the sled to fit. And after a little help from Dave and Jason covering the ramp with snow, he eventually manages to get it into the back of the dump body. They load up the second sled and prepare for departure.

  Dave jumps in the truck with the V-plow and full dump body, and Jason and Peter jump into the truck with the sleds. Dave slowly drives the truck out of the warehouse, closely followed by Jason’s truck, and they stop just inside the gate.

  Once Dave gets the go ahead from Jason, he drives forward, and after gently pushing the gate open, they are on their way. They drive back the same way they came with the V-plow blazing a path with ease, even hitting hidden cars along the way and not even effecting the power and force of the plow.

  After what seems like a short trip compared to the one getting there, they are soon back at the house, so they radio Simon and Kelly and wait for a response. They pull up in front of the house when they receive a response from Kelly telling them they are all set and will be pulling Simons truck out soon. They can barely see the garage door open and the truck pull out, followed by Simon closing the garage door and jumping into the truck.

  Dave receives the “all set” over the radio from both trucks, so he drives forward followed by Jason’s truck and then Simon’s. They make a short trip around the block to stop by Kelly and Jason’s house for supplies.

  Dave and Jason exit their vehicles and rush into the house. Not long after, Jason comes out of the house holding a bunch of snow gear and makes his way over to Simon’s truck. He hands the gear off and Kelly and the girls proceed to put it on. Dusty begins to bark and is obviously eager to get out and back to his master, so Simon opens the door and he jumps out of the cab and hops through the snow like a deer, knowing exactly where Peter is, and starts barking when he gets to Peter’s truck.

  They load up more gear and supplies and reshuffle their places in the trucks. Peter and Dusty jump in the truck with Dave, while Kelly gets in Jason’s truck and Simon gets behind the wheel of his own truck with Stephanie and Mia in the back seat.

  Once situated, the convoy moves out and they begin their trip into the mountains.

  Chapter 13

  John nervously pulls at his beard while he watches Evgeni and his crew run through their last inspection of the Havocs and Piercer. He’s still amazed at how fast they not only built these machines, but also fully tested them numerous times. He’s not even sure if Evgeni has slept in the last six months, but you would never be able to tell from his demeanor.

  He knows the machines may not be perfect, and they may have flaws and issues, but with spring right around the corner, the trip must be done now. When he built Maggie’s bunker, he stocked it with enough supplies to last her and her roommates for a year. But with the unknown amount of additional guests living with her, he knows those supplies will be running out soon.

  Evgeni walks up to him wiping grease off his hands. “Well, Mr. John, you are all set to go. The trucks are running perfectly and your crew is ready to go.”

  John stops pulling at his beard and turns to face Evgeni. “Copy that, Evgeni, and thank you for getting these up and running in such a short amount of time. I always knew you were an exceptional engineer, but you really surprised the hell out of me.”

  “No problem, John. Like I mentioned before, we had drivetrain already built for other project, and da frame, weaponry, etcetera was concept of mine from years past. I never knew why I wanted to built something like this until you came to me with idea. . .was almost like fate you can say. After that it was only matter of time to put all together, it was easy.”

  “Well I don’t know what to say, Evgeni, only that you are amazing and that I’m eternally grateful.” He finishes talking just as Adam and Kate walk up behind them. He turns when Kate puts her hand on the small of his back. “Hey, honey.”

  “Hey,” Kate said.

  “Are you feeling any better about me leaving?”

  She drops her head, unable to look him in the eye. “Not really, but I know you have to do this, so I’ve accepted it.”

  “Thank you. I would hate to leave knowing you were upset about me leaving. But you’re in good hands here; Adam has agreed to look after you and the kids, you know, help out around the house when needed.”

  Adam nods his head in agreement and looks away. “I’m here if you need me, ma’am.”

  John takes Kate by the hand and leads her away from everyone. “I don’t want you to worry about me. I know we’ve talked about this many times, and I know we’ve already said our goodbye’s, but I’m gonna miss you so much. You mean everything to me, and I promise you I’ll never intentionally put myself in harms way, and I’ll be as safe as possible.”

  Some tears roll down her face as she tries her best not to burst into tears and cry hysterically. They haven’t been apart for very long since they’ve been married and she doesn’t want to show how torn up she is inside. “I’m okay, sweetheart. I’m just gonna miss you, that’s all. I know I promised not to worry about you, but you know that’s not possible. So you don’t need to say anything else. You go get your niece and get back here as soon as possible, ya hear.”

  He wipes tears from his eyes and bites his upper lip trying not to cry. “I will, babe, I’ll be back here before you know it. You be strong okay. I love you.”

  “I love you too, sweetheart. And don’t worry, I’ll be strong. Don’t forget, I’m married to you so I don’t have a choice.” She wipes her nose and manages a tiny smile.

  They embrace and kiss for a while, unsure if they will ever have the opportunity to do it again. There is a chance that he won’t come back, and even though neither of them say it, they are both thinking it. They finish hugging and she promptly walks away, not wanting to show how upset she really is.

  He walks back over to Adam and Evgeni discussing something, and they stop talking when he walks up. They walk around both Havocs while going over a few last details as the crew finishes loading in. They say their final goodbyes and John enters the front Havoc, and the door closes behind him.

  The Havoc fires up and that all too familiar rumble reminds him that this is for real, and not just another test run. He straps himself into his seat and focuses his attention to the monitor that displays the Piercer’s front camera as it begins to drive up the ramp. While they wait for the blast doors to open, John realizes his hands were shaking and his palms were incredibly sweaty
. He wipes his hands on his pants and folds them in an attempt to hide them from the crew.

  He stares at the screen until the jolt of the Havoc moving again breaks his concentration. He thinks to himself that this is it, and there was no turning back now.

  The snow blasts the camera as soon as the Piercer exits the Ark, turning his monitor into a white screen. He wonders how the driver can even see where they are going in this whiteout, but confident his crew won’t have any problem.

  The caravan makes its way to the perimeter gate and waits for them to open. As soon as they open the caravan moves out and the gates close behind them. They drive down the mountain gradually increasing speed, but the snow spraying off the Piercer’s plow blinds the drivers and forces them to slow down. Even with all the technology helping them see like radar and lasers guiding their way and helping them avoid obstacles, they know they can’t rely on them completely. They slowly make their way down the mountains toward their destination—Boulder.

  Chapter 14

  Maggie pushes her food around on her plate, not wanting to look up at anyone, but she can feel the eyes on her. Things just haven’t been the same since the other night when she found out that her boyfriend was getting stoned with her houseguests, and it’s just not sitting well with her. She wants to think she can still trust Eric, but she’s just not sure anymore.

  Maggie drops her fork and pushes her plate back, but she still doesn’t make any eye contact with anyone. “Okay, we still haven’t been able to get ahold of Brock yet. He knows we’ve been trying to get ahold of him, so what the hell, what’s he doing.”

  Eric throws his fork on his plate and leans back in his seat, crossing his arms. “I don’t know, Maggie. He knows we’ve been tryin’ to get in contact with him, so it doesn’t make any sense that we haven’t established communication with ’em.”