by Tim Moon
Ben nodded at her, confirming that what Charlotte saw was real.
“Nuke,” Anuhea said simply.
“You’re hurting my hand,” Oliver said, wriggling free of Charlotte’s grasp.
Charlotte looked from Anuhea to Ben, her eyes glistening. It was worse than seeing videos of the attacks on September 11th. The pain and emotion was immediate for all of them. Charlotte squeezed onto the bridge and hugged Ben.
No one spoke for a long time.
“Hey, hey, what’s that?” Anuhea squinted and pointed up the river.
Ben turned his head. There was something moving in the river. It looked like…
“Oh shit, a wave from the blast,” Kaholo said, wiping silent tears off his face. “Everyone hold on, it’s going to get bumpy.”
They watched as not just one, but three waves came barreling down the valley at them. Wave number one was big. The Kiska rolled over it no problem. Wave number two was tall. The ship reared its head like a dragon and slammed down on the other side, just in time for the third wave. It was a monster wave, larger than the others combined. The kind of wave that would give Ben nightmares for the rest of his life.
Amplified by the relatively narrow valley and relatively shallow water, the third wave coming toward them was almost as high as the bridge. Ben could hardly imagine the amount of damage the bomb and the waves must have done at ground zero.
“Hold on!” Kaholo shouted.
Everyone yelled and screamed as the ship tilted wildly throwing them back against the wall of the bridge. Waves crashed up, spraying the windshield with water and splashing through the open door. Chadwick slipped in the water and cursed. He curled into a ball, clenching his leg and didn’t move. As the water cleared from the glass, they looked down the backside of the wave. It felt like riding a roller coaster that paused just before racing down a near vertical drop. Ben held onto the handrail and yelled. The ship raced down the slope of water with stomach wrenching speed.
Reaching the bottom of the drop, water shot up in the air. It splashed the deck and sprayed the bridge again. But they had survived.
Ben maintained his grip on the handrail, but he was soaked and sprawled out on the floor. He slowly pulled himself up and peered over the edge of the control panel to look outside. Water dripped from his hair, his shoulder hurt like hell, but he was alive.
“We made it,” Ben said softly. Then he shouted, “Oh my God, we made it!”
A small cheer erupted as everyone collected their wits, stood up and realized that they had survived.
Chadwick groaned. He lay balled up on the floor, clutching his injured leg. Blood soaked through the bandage and turned the water on the floor pink. “I hate ships.”
They laughed as they helped him up.
Anuhea stayed on the bridge while all the injured people went below deck with Charlotte to get checked up. Kaholo reluctantly left the bridge in Anuhea’s hands, but only after turning the ship around and reducing the speed. They would have to find somewhere else to dock.
For now, Ben at least, needed some pain medication and a fresh bandage.
64
Several days after leaving the Kiska outside Longview, Washington, Ben and the group finally reached his mom’s house.
Ben, Charlotte, Anuhea, Chadwick and Oliver had bid their farewell to the brothers Keanu and Kaholo, who felt obliged to check in at a Coast Guard Station to find out how they could help with any emergency response the Coast Guard was mounting. Their journey from Longview was long and difficult, but it was worth it.
Now that he finally arrived, Ben wanted to run up the steps, burst inside, and say, “Mom, I’m home!” But he held his enthusiasm in check. He knew that doing so would be foolish. Bursting into someone’s home during the apocalypse was how you got shot. If she still had the pistol he had bought her, it was a real possibility. So, Ben walked slowly up the steps to the front porch of his mom’s house, holding his rifle at the ready.
Ben still hadn’t decided what he would do if his mom was infected. Would he have the strength to put her down? His heart fluttered and the back of his neck tingled. He dashed those negative thoughts from his mind.
The block was quiet. Just as it had been since they had got out of the center of Vancouver. Roadblocks, abandoned vehicles and massive pileups forced them closer to downtown than he wanted to go. Despite the struggles of his entire journey, standing on the porch of his mom’s home, moments from entering, was more unnerving than anything else he’d done.
His friends fanned out behind him. Chadwick sat on the first step, watching the street with his rifle propped up on his good leg. Oliver sat beside him, looking around nervously. Charlotte held a rifle and stood near the sidewalk, watching Ben creep toward the front door. Anuhea was just behind Ben, holding a pistol, with her rifle slung on her back.
Ben glanced back at Anuhea and held a finger to his lips. He reached down and tried the doorknob.
“Locked,” he whispered, letting out a sigh of relief. A locked door was a good sign. Walking to the corner of the porch, Ben tipped a large flowerpot to the side and lifted up a key. There had been a key hidden there for years. He grinned at Anuhea as he quietly walked back to the front door.
The key slid into the lock, the metal grinding against the tumblers was louder than he would have liked, but only because it was quiet as death outside. Ben turned the lock and it clicked. He opened the door and pushed it open.
Peeking inside, he saw that the hallway was clear. He strained to listen. There was nothing to hear though. It was quiet inside, a perfect reflection of the silence in the streets.
If his mom was home, she would probably be in the living room. Ben didn’t hear the TV, but hoped that wasn’t a bad sign.
“Hello? Mom?” Ben said in a loud whisper.
Nothing.
He stepped inside and turned toward the library, which was the room that most people used as their living room. Ben motioned for Anuhea to go the other direction, toward the dining room and kitchen. It was far less likely his mom would be there. He wanted to be the first to see her.
From the hall, the library looked empty. Taking a deep breath, he began to walk forward with the rifle at the ready and his finger near the trigger, but not on it. Glancing around the room it was obviously empty, save for the shelves of books, a small couch, oak coffee table, two overstuffed chairs and a pair of antique end tables.
Stepping around one of the chairs, he walked toward the other doorway that would lead to the living room. Ben never understood why she had the living room and the library so close together. His mom always explained that the noise didn’t bother her and his dad wasn’t around enough to care about it. When he was home, he was usually in his office downstairs anyway. He rarely saw his dad watch TV, with the exception of the occasional movie.
“Mom?”
Ben walked into the living room and nearly fell over in shock.
His mom stood in the other doorway of the half-bathroom that sat in the far corner of the living room. She had a pistol aimed at his chest with surprising steadiness.
She let out a breath. “Benjamin?”
Only his mom called him by his full name.
“Mom! Thank God,” Ben said, lowering his rifle.
Anuhea came in through the kitchen. His mom raised her pistol with a surprised look on her face.
“No, it’s okay. She’s my friend,” Ben said. He strode forward and wrapped his mom in a hug.
“I’m so glad you’re safe,” she whispered to him as she held him.
Anuhea walked out quietly, leaving them to their reunion.
“Same to you, you have no idea how relieved I am,” Ben said, pulling back.
“Have you seen what happened?”
“The bomb?” he asked.
She looked up at him and nodded.
“Yeah, we saw it,” Ben said. He wasn’t sure what to say about it, so he changed tack. “I have to introduce you to everyone. Come on.”
Ben
took his mom’s hand and led her out toward the front door to meet his friends. As they walked down the hall, Ben saw the cloud framed in the doorway. It was incredible.
Focus on what’s in front of you, he thought. That’ll come later.
Dead Evolution
Necrose Series Book Three
65
The front door creaked like the joints of an old man as Ben Chase entered the poorly lit house. Anuhea followed right behind him while Chadwick stayed at the front door to watch their backs. Water, food and supplies were on their agenda and securing those meant hunting for infected.
Ben and Anuhea stalked through the halls with their rifles at the ready. They moved like wraiths, clearing each of the rooms. Neither were military veterans, but they had a rough idea of the procedure, and after some practice at his mom’s house, they had felt comfortable enough to test their strategy for real.
So far, so good.
Ben licked his lips and tried to control his breathing. Tension filled him. Walking through silent, empty houses was intense. He blinked to keep his vision from blurring. Infected could be hiding around any and every corner. Not to mention the risk of startling survivors who might be hiding out inside.
Framed pictures in the narrow hallway revealed the family of four that used to occupy the house. Ben had never met them, but they looked nice. Strangers in pictures usually do though. Ben felt odd, as if he was invading their space. Never mind the fact that they would never return. It still felt like a violation.
After reaching the end of the hallway, Ben turned around to clear the back of the house. One picture in the hallway caught his attention. The mom and dad stood behind their two children. All four had an arm out gesturing like game show hosts at a beautiful lake centered behind them. Their smiles shone bright, eyes twinkled, with the stress and burdens of life melted away in that instant.
What had they really been like? he wondered.
There were many photographs on the walls. Reflections of a more peaceful and innocent time.
“The first floor is clear,” Anuhea said softly as she walked past him. She glanced at the pictures as she did and pressed her lips into a tight line.
Ben nodded and squeezed past her. “There’s no second floor. Let’s check for a basement.”
After thoroughly searching every room, closet, nook, and cranny, they returned to the front room. Chadwick was still watching outside. He glanced back when he heard them approaching.
“Good to go?” He asked.
Anuhea gave him an okay sign and make a clicking sound like a cowboy, indicating everything was fine.
“Time for the next one,” Ben said.
Chadwick let out a small sigh.
Two hours had gone by and they had cleared half of the houses on the block. A process they would keep repeating until the entire block, both sides of his mom’s street, had been cleared. So far, every home they checked was devoid of both the living and the dead.
Ben chewed on the inside of his cheek. Thinking through their strategy kept him from dwelling on the staggering loss of life these empty homes represented. He couldn’t change what was done. All he could do was work hard to keep his family and friends safe.
Their survival hinged largely on how well they fortified the area against the zombie hordes. The failure of the Quarantine Center in Kona proved that fences and other simple barriers were not enough on their own. He would have to do better. They all would.
The plan he had formulated with Anuhea and Chadwick used the houses themselves as part of a buffer zone. It would only be effective if each individual house was safe. Once each one was cleared, they could focus on defenses to plug the gaps between the houses or create funnels to lure infected or survivors into predefined kill zones.
“It’ll be worth it when we’re done,” Chadwick said.
“It’s only the beginning,” Anuhea said, scanning the neighborhood as they walked. “There’s still so much left to do.”
It was true, their current fortifications were minor. Or non-existent if Ben was honest with himself. Most front yards were wide open. The few that weren’t open were enclosed by short, decorative picket fences. Not exactly Fort Knox.
Backyards had proven to be better. Nearly everyone had a tall wooden or chain-link fence in the back. Only three houses had no fence at all, and two of those had simple shrubbery that could be easily breached or destroyed by the infected. Until they had scavenged the tools and material needed to take on a major construction project, they would have to be satisfied with frequent patrols and a guard to watch over the neighborhood.
So much work to do, he thought, and shivered in the cold winter air. So little daylight.
Once the buffer zone was established, Ben and the others would be free to move about the neighborhood. Being able to go outside in relative safety would be a nice change. Having to live cooped up in one house would eventually drive them all crazy. So far things had gone well, but that wouldn’t hold forever. Having space was the key to their long-term survival and sanity.
“We’re going to have a nice haul when we circle back through for food and supplies,” Anuhea said. “I never realized how much stuff most people cram into their homes. It’s crazy.”
“Good old fashioned American capitalism,” Chadwick said with a laugh.
“That stuff is going to be a game changer for us,” Ben said. “Water, food and weapons are the priority. They’re more precious than ever before. Anything else is icing on the cake.”
Chadwick looked up at the gray sky. “Do you think we’ll get snow?”
Ben shook his head. “I doubt it. We get some snow every year, but it usually doesn’t stick. Every few years we get dumped on. I have no idea what kind of year it’ll be. There’s one thing we can count on though.”
“What’s that?” Chadwick asked.
“It will rain for sure.”
Chadwick chuckled. “Just like London, mate.”
“We should collect rain water, it could come in handy.” Anuhea turned and checked behind them, then pivoted back around.
“There are a million things we should do,” Ben said. It was a great idea though. “We have a plan we can add that to and it will all come together in due time.”
Ben was happy with their plan and if they found any flaws or new opportunities, such as collecting rain water, he had no problem modifying it. They had only arrived, what, a week ago? Ben scratched his chin. After the long journey to Vancouver, Washington, everyone had been content to stay put for a while. This was the first step.
Speaking of steps… Ben looked at Chadwick.
Chadwick limped behind them, clearly in pain. The gunshot wound he had sustained during the escape from Hilo was healing well, but it would take time. Lots of time. He had grit, no doubt about it.
In the tight confines of a house, Chadwick’s injury slowed him down and made him a liability. He insisted on helping though, so Ben had him watch the front door of each house. That way he could remain useful, yet out of the way.
“Don’t push yourself too hard,” Ben said. “We already know you’re a badass.”
“Thanks, mate.” Chadwick chuckled. “How much sitting around can one man take? It feels good to get up and do something.”
“Don’t feel bad if you need to rest though,” Ben said.
Chadwick scowled, waved off the concern, and continued to hobble along with a determined look on his face. Ben let it go. The man didn’t need coddling.
Anuhea led the way into the next house. It was a one-story yellow house with white trim and a short, decorative fence around the perimeter. The flower beds were full of wilted plants that made the bright house look sad. While Ben and Anuhea entered the house, Chadwick posted himself in the doorway, leaning against the frame as they cleared the living room. They quickly moved through towards the back.
Ben went to the left and found himself in the dining room. Moving on, Ben cut through the kitchen. All he found there was a bowl of moldy fruit on
the counter that gave off a sweet rotted odor. No survivors. No infected. From there, he met back up with Anuhea as she emerged from the last bedroom.
“All clear.” She lowered her rifle.
Even outside of the kitchen, the house smelled funny. It also lacked the family photos that the previous house had had in abundance. That void was filled with an odd mixture of all things kitten, mixed with Western-themed paintings. Kittens adorned every room in the form of kitten pictures, sculptures and even kitty pillowcases. Cowboys, sunsets, and horses decorated the spaces not occupied by tiny felines. The house didn’t have the ammonia stench that a bunch of actual cats would give off, so this wasn’t the home of the neighborhood cat lady.
Someone’s grandparents, I’d bet, Ben thought.
“That’s a wrap then,” Anuhea said.
“Done for now…” Ben’s voiced drifted off.
“That wasn’t too bad,” Chadwick said.
Anuhea gave Chadwick a curious glance.
“Sorry, I expected more dead people,” Chadwick said with a grave expression. “This area is pretty well cleared out.”
Ben nodded in agreement. “Strange isn’t it? I mean, where did they all go?”
Chadwick shrugged and patted him on the shoulder.
Anuhea stopped and stared at a shelf that was lined with small porcelain figurines. One was a kitten batting a ball of yarn; another was a kitten in a teacup, while a third looked up with its head tilted and a wide-eyed expression that melted even his heart.
“That’s weird too,” Ben said.
“The kittens?”
Ben tilted his head with a shrug and gestured at the shelf of figurines. “Yes, but I meant, it’s weird what people spent their time and money on. It’s all so pointless. Random knick-knacks to clutter up the house.” He paused and shook his head. “I don’t know, I’m just rambling.”
Anuhea looked at him with concern in her golden-brown eyes. He turned to leave, pretending not to notice her captivating beauty. Ben swallowed down the lump in his throat and walked outside. Anuhea followed, and Chadwick fell in behind her as they crossed the yard. Their footsteps made squelching sounds in the wet grass as they crossed the front yard.