by Poe, S. B.
“Grab them, you’ll need to bring all your things.” The soldier said.
Joel and Abby grabbed the backpacks and put them on. He held the pistol out to the soldier.
“You don’t want it?” The soldier asked.
“I wasn’t sure if I could keep it.”
“You better. You may need it.” The soldier said. “Come with us.”
They started walking. Joel could hear the thunderous whisper of the jet engine on the Chinook singing. They walked towards the helicopter.
“Where are we going?” Joel asked again.
“Honestly I don’t know. But you and your daughter are now my responsibility to get you there.” The soldier said.
“If you don’t know where we’re going, how do you know how to get us there?” Abby asked.
“Who are you?” Joel asked.
“I am Sergeant Michael Ponzi. This is Corporal Meyers. Call him Shrek, he loves that.” Ponzi smiled at Meyers.
“I’m Joel Patterson and this is my daughter Abby. What is this all about Sergeant?” He asked.
“You.” Ponzi said. “You and your daughter.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You fit the parameters. You and your daughter walked through a bunch of infected without so much as a whisper. That qualifies as unusual behavior. And my orders are to transport those who exhibit unusual behavior around the infected to somewhere else.” Ponzi said.
“Where is that?” Joel asked.
“I don’t know. I won’t know until we’re in the air. Operational security.”
“What if we don’t want to go?” Abby asked.
“Mam, at this point, you don’t have a choice. Besides, staying here is bad news. This place won’t last a week the way things are going.” Meyers said.
“But it’s safe?” Joel asked. “Where we’re going, it’s safe?”
“Safer than this place.” Meyers said.
“That’s enough Corporal.” Ponzi said. “Sir, we’re under orders to transport you and that is what we’re going to do. Is that going to be a problem?” Ponzi glanced at the pistol stuffed in Joel’s belt.
Joel looked at him and followed his gaze down to the gun. He looked up.
“No. No problem. I just need to know my daughter is going to be safe.” Joel said.
“I can promise you this, that bird right there doesn’t have any infected on it and it will be a few thousand feet above any infected down here. Right now, that’s about as safe as you can get.” Ponzi said as he pointed to the Chinook.
“And when we land?” Joel asked.
“I guess we’ll find out together.” Ponzi said.
A squad of four more soldiers stood at the ramp of the helicopter. The blades were turning slowly but he could hear the whine of the engine. They walked up the ramp. The two soldiers and the squad that greeted them followed them on board. He had never been on a helicopter. He had never been around any real military equipment, unless the old tank in Memorial Park counted. It was loud. The steel floor felt unnatural under his feet. The soldiers walked normally but he felt himself feeling unsure, as though it was slippery but it wasn’t. Maybe it was the vibration coming through the aircraft, maybe it was his imagination. The seats were heavy netting wrapped around a steel frame. They set their backpacks in the middle of the aircraft and sat down. The helicopter got louder. He felt it start to lift. He looked through the little porthole window and then at Abby. She was looking through the other window. He tapped her shoulder and smiled.
“We’ll be okay.” He said. Maybe he convinced her, he still wasn’t sure. He turned to the soldiers seated across from them.
“So we’re up. Where…” He started.
The soldier shook his head and reached behind him to grab a headset hanging on the wall. He pointed over Joel’s shoulder. Joel turned and saw another headset hanging behind him. He took it and put it on.
“Can you hear me?” Joel said into the mic.
“Go ahead.” The voice in ear said. The soldier put his thumb up as he spoke.
“We’re up, where are we going?” Joel asked.
“Don’t know yet. The pilot said he would let me know when they told him.” Ponzi said.
“Who are they?” Joel asked.
“Just sit back and relax. You’ll get answers when we get where we’re going?”
“And that is?” Joel asked.
Ponzi looked out the window. “South.” He said.
Joel put the headphones back on the hook and leaned back. He reached over and held his daughter’s hand.
“What did they say?” Abby asked.
“They said we’re going to be safe.” Joel answered.
The helicopter banked into the sun and the portholes cast beams of light across the cabin. He watched the dust swirl. The ramp they had boarded on was not completely closed. The air was chilly but waves of heat from the exhaust swept through when the helicopter tilted one way or another.
“You awake back their?” The pilots voice came through Ponzi’s headset.
“Not really.” Ponzi said.
“Well, wake up. We have a target and follow-on. I think you’re going to like it.” The pilot said.
“Yeah, why’s that?”
“Per General Eckerd, ‘Transport HVP to Navarre Station for delivery to project. Proceed to USS Ronald Reagan at given coordinates.’ It’s sitting in the Gulf.” The pilot said.
“Wait so we drop these folks and then head to a carrier in the Gulf? Away from all this shit?” Ponzi asked.
“That’s what the man said.” The pilot said.
“Well hell flyboy, doesn’t this thing go any faster?” Ponzi smiled.
“We’re wide ass open right now. We should reach Navarre Station in about thirty minutes.” The pilot said. “As soon as you can get our guests to un-ass the platform, we’ll be sipping drinks on a boat.”
“You get me on the ground, I’ll get them out the door.” Ponzi said.
Joel watched Ponzi having his conversation. He saw him look their way and smile several times. Maybe it was good news. Joel grabbed the headset.
“Any news?” Joel asked.
Ponzi held his hand up and Joel watched him switch over to the cabin channel.
“Say again.” Ponzi said.
“I asked if there was any news.” Joel said.
“Yeah, you’re going to Navarre Station just outside of Pensacola.” Ponzi said.
“And what happens when we get there?” Joel asked.
“We leave.” Ponzi said.
“That’s it? What is there? What happens when you leave?” Joel felt a little panic rise inside his chest.
“That’s all I know.” Ponzi said.
“Can’t you tell me anything else? I have to make sure my daughter is safe.” Joel said.
“I can’t tell you what I don’t know. You are high value personnel and we are under orders to deliver you to Navarre Station. I guess you’ll figure out the rest when you get there.”
“Where are you going after you’ve delivered us to wherever the hell you said?” Joel asked.
“That’s classified.” Ponzi said. “And that’s all I know. Sit back, we’ll be there in half an hour.”
Joel took the headphones off again. Abby was turned around in her seat watching the world go by through the window. He smiled at her. He could feel the soldier watching him. He glanced down at the pistol. That was a non-starter and he knew it. He was not going to change what was going to happen. The feeling of helplessness began to creep over him again. Had he failed? Was going to the refugee camp just the last in the long line of mistakes he had made in the last few days? A wave of fear and panic swept over him when Abby turned in her seat.
“They’re flying over the ocean, look.” She smiled.
He swallowed hard and turned to look. The aircraft was out over the beach but turning back towards land. He felt the helicopter begin to settle towards the ground. When the wheels touched back to earth, he felt sick. Ponzi a
nd another soldier stood. They grabbed Joel and Abby’s backpacks and waited for the ramp to lower. They tossed the packs on the ground outside the helicopter. Ponzi turned to Joel and yelled.
“This is where you get off.” He said.
“But what is out there?” Joel asked.
He looked out the back of the helicopter but didn’t see anything but a fence. The field looked like the same one they just left from but it wasn’t.
“Where are we? What is this place?” Joel yelled.
“Navarre Station. You have to get off. Now.” Ponzi pointed down the ramp.
“No. Not until you tell us what this place is.” Joel demanded.
Ponzi pulled out his pistol and pointed it at Joel.
“You will exit this aircraft right now. My job was to get you here and you’re here. Get off my bird.” He pointed it at Abby. “You too.”
“Okay okay. We’ll go.” Joel grabbed Abby’s hand and they trudged down the ramp.
He looked back at Ponzi. He motioned with his pistol. Go on. And to make his point aimed it one more time at Joel. They stepped off the ramp onto the grass and walked from under the spinning rotors. As soon as he turned around, the engine began to rev up again. The prop blast blew sand into their eyes and they had to turn their heads as the helicopter lifted off again. They watched until the sound was gone and they could barely see the blinking red light from the helicopter as it headed out over the Gulf. He looked around.
The place was dark except for a few vapor lights along the fence he saw when they landed. As his eyes searched, he settled on the mound to his left. Everything else was flat but the mound rose from the ground with a concrete wall and a steel door in the front. A bunker. He had watched enough shows about world war two to know a bunker when he saw one. Or so he thought. As he was trying to figure out what it was, the door slowly opened.
“Abby?” He said.
“Yeah, I see it.”
They both waited for whatever was going to come next. He was surprised by what he saw. A girl not much older than Abby, he thought, came through the door. She started walking towards them.
“Hi.” She said.
“Hi.” Joel said.
“You just get here? Of course you did. What am I saying? I heard the helicopter leave. I’m dumb.” She said.
“Sorry?” Joel was confused.
“My fault. I’m Hannah.” She held out her hand.
“Joel, Abby.” He said.
“Welcome to the POD.” Hannah said.
“The what?” Abby asked.
“The POD. Primary Operations Depot.” Hannah said. “At least that what the sign says.”
“Sign?” Joel asked.
“Yeah, inside. Everything is inside.” Hannah said. “Let me ask you something.”
“Okay.” Joel said.
“You been bit?” She asked.
“Why?” Joel asked.
“I’ve been bit. Cyrus has been bit. Figured that’s why we’re here. If you’ve been bit too, that kinda confirms it.” Hannah said.
“Cyrus?”
“Yeah, he was here when I got here. He doesn’t stay in the POD though.” Hannah pointed to the other end of the field they were in. Joel could make out the shape of a tent. “Claustrophobic or something. He doesn’t talk a lot either. Think he’s kind a slow in the head myself but he’s nice enough.”
Joel’s head was swimming. The fear was replaced with confusion.
“Anyway, there’s plenty of stuff in the bunker. Food, weapons, clothes. Everything we need.” Hannah said.
“Need for what?” Joel asked.
“To stay here.” She said.
“Why?” Abby asked.
“I guess to keep us safe. I figure someone will come to collect us at some point but if they don’t, man we got a lot of stuff to make do with.” Hannah said. “You didn’t answer my question. Have you been bit?”
“Yes but there’s a lot of people who have been bit. Why bring us here?” Joel asked.
“Ah but I bet the dead ignore you, don’t they?” Hannah said. “Yeah, me too. Well, they didn’t at first obviously or I wouldn’t have gotten bit. But after it happened I was, I guess, special. Cyrus too. They ignore you too don’t they?”
“Yeah, they do.”
“Both of you?” She turned Abby.
“Yeah, both of us.” She said.
“I knew it, I knew it. YOU HEAR THAT CYRUS? THEY’RE JUST LIKE US. I TOLD YOU.” She yelled. “He ignores me most of the time. Come on. Let me show you around the place.”
Joel looked at the strange girl. He looked at his daughter. Food, shelter, isolation. Maybe things were getting better. At least for them. He grabbed his backpack, Abby grabbed hers and they followed the strange girl into the bunker.
Part 2
What Remains
Keys and Locks
Tilly raised the binoculars and looked down the road. She could see the five of them heading towards the gate.
“They’re coming.” She said.
“Kind of early isn’t it?” Raj asked as he raised himself from the chair on top of the bus.
“Maybe they’re done.” She said.
“Well, we haven’t seen any deaduns in the street in a few days. Maybe you’re right.” He climbed down the ladder and waited by the gate. A few minutes later he heard the knock.
“Welcome back.” Raj said as four of them came through.
“I’d like to talk to Kate and Bridger, do you know where they are?” Naomi asked. Raj nodded at the big man standing outside as he closed the gate. Cyrus nodded back.
“Bridger is probably at his house. You know which one it is?” Raj asked.
“Yes. And Kate?”
“I would guess she’s at the big house helping Evelyn and Emma Grace get supper ready.” Raj said.
“Back kind of early.” Tilly leaned over the edge of the bus. “Running out of deaduns out there?”
“Just about.” Joel said. “We got all the way to the edge of town before we found a decent sized group of them.”
“Why do you call them that?” Abby asked. “Deaduns.”
“Not sure. Ed started calling them that and it just kinda stuck. But not all of us call them that. Ham calls them stringers and Emma Grace and her crowd call them goners.”
“We’ve just always called them infected.” Abby said. “But I don’t guess what you call them really matters.”
“Guess not. We all know what they are.” Tilly said.
“What’s that?” Hannah asked.
“Forgotten.” Tilly said. “By everyone they ever knew, everyone who ever knew them and everyone left alive. Just part of the landscape now.”
“That’s kinda sad.” Abby said.
“This world is kind of a sad place now.” Tilly said. “But maybe it won’t be by the time this one grows up.” She nodded at her own belly.
“Boy or girl?” Abby asked.
“I hope so.” Tilly smiled. Abby smiled back.
Joel, Abby and Hannah started walking up the hill. Naomi paused and turned back to Raj.
“You spent time with Ramey? The one that was outside your walls?” She asked.
“Just briefly.”
“I’d like to get your assessment.” Naomi said. “When you have time.”
“There wasn’t much to assess. I don’t know what was happening to him physiologically so it would just be cursory.” Raj said.
“Maybe I can fill in the gaps of his physiological condition for you and you can maybe apply that to your observations.” Naomi said. “But like I said, when you have time.”
“We get off in a few hours.” Raj said.
“Hey if you wanna go do that I think I can handle sitting up here getting a suntan all by myself.” Tilly said.
“You sure?” Raj asked.
“Sure.” Tilly said.
Raj agreed. He and Naomi started up the hill behind the others. They got to Raj’s house and he led her back into the little exam room.
&
nbsp; “So tell me, what were your initial impressions of Ramey?” Naomi asked.
“First let me ask you something. Charlie said that you and he visited Ramey and that he had begun to, I guess, be more like the deaduns.”