by AJ Adaire
They moved to their makeshift kitchen, taking seats on rocks or stumps. As Paige set out her treasures, Peri removed the wash water they’d boiled for Paige and set a pot for tea on the stove. They sampled the treasures Paige had brought back to camp, while they waited for the water to boil.
Peri licked the jam from her fingers. “The crackers are bordering on stale. I’m not complaining though. The jam makes them bearable. And the honey in my tea is delightful. Thanks, Paige.”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying our little windfall. I got Murdoch some nice dog food, too. I didn’t find the dog.”
***
Lunch over, Paige stood. “I’m going to clean up.” Paige stripped off her T-shirt. “Come here, boy.” She used her shirt to clean Murdoch’s paws and wiped his dense fur with her socks. She noticed the disapproving looks on her fellow travelers’ faces. “I know it seems gross. They’ll wash up though, and it’s all I have.” She ordered her dog to sit in the shelter before stripping off her wet jeans. Wearing only her panties, she dug into her pack and pulled out a pair of dry cargo pants and a fresh shirt. She stepped behind a tree that offered a small amount of privacy and washed up.
Paige came back to the shelter and sat on her sleeping bag, to dust off her feet and put on her socks and shoes. “I’m going to take my clothes down to the creek and wash them up. I doubt they’ll dry, but at least they’ll be clean.”
Once she was sure Paige was out of earshot, Kim gave a low whistle. “Did you see her body, those abs? And those legs…be still my heart! She could wrap them around me any time she’d like.”
Peri turned toward Kim, her expression one of puzzlement. “Who are you, and what did you do with my friend? Aren’t you the same one who, only hours ago, was missing your wife?”
Kim shrugged and scowled, not liking the criticism. “I do miss Becky, but she’s not here anymore, and Paige is. You don’t want me. Everybody’s dead. Now you and she are getting all chummy.” Kim mocked Peri. “'And the honey in my tea is delightful. Thanks, Paige.'”
The look Peri shot Kim could have curdled milk. “Stop it!”
“I hate being alone, Peri. Who will there be for me?”
Murdoch gave a quiet woof, anticipating Paige’s arrival. She strode into camp looking clean and refreshed and hung her clean clothes over the line supporting the tarp. “Okay, Murdoch. Want some chow?” She popped the top off the dog food and scooped it onto his dish.
“Oh, man. That smells fantastic. I miss steak…and hamburgers. Hell, I even miss chicken.” Kim sat on a fallen tree, chin in hand and elbow propped on her knee, shoulders sagging with her sigh.
Peri gave her a direct look, still miffed from their earlier conversation. “Knock it off. And don’t sit like that. You look like The Thinker.”
“I am The Thinker.” Kim chuckled. “I’m deep.”
Peri shook her head “Kim, you’re about as deep as a puddle. I’ve never known you to have a serious thought in your head.”
“Is that so?” Kim stood up startling Murdoch. “Do either of you wonder about what the hell happened? I do. I wonder about it all the time. I mean, where did the illness come from? Was it an experiment gone wrong? Maybe, biological warfare that somebody screwed up? Have either of you figured out why we’re alive and most of the world is dead? I have a theory. Do either of you?”
“I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I still have no answers.” Paige said. “It was obviously some virus. I’m interested in hearing your theory.”
“What similarities have you noticed about the survivors?” Kim took her seat again. “I’m interested in hearing your observations.”
Peri’s brows furrowed. “You find there is one?”
Paige nodded. “Yes.” Glancing around at the others, she confirmed her guess. “We all have blue eyes.”
“Think about it. The first people who got the illness had dark, almost black eyes, like Becky.”
“My wife was Hispanic,” Paige said. “She had dark brown eyes. My daughter’s eyes were dark, as well.”
“Trish too.”
“Nobody could figure how it spread, or why one got it or didn’t. Taking normal precautions, like using masks and gloves, didn’t seem to matter. They couldn’t figure out a shared element.“
“What about that guy, Chuck?” Kim looked between the two women opposite her. “He was only now getting the illness, weeks after the others are all gone.”
“Right. And his eyes weren’t blue. They were greenish, like hazel.” Paige recalled him looking up at her, his eyes glassy.
“Yes, and he held out for several weeks after most were dead. I suspect it took longer, due to his lighter colored eyes, for him to die.”
“So, you suspect some sort of germ warfare linked to the dominant, brown-eye gene and not to the recessive, blue-eye gene?” Paige paused. “Why? What’s the reason? Who wins?”
“I’m not sure.” Kim turned to Peri. “You know how you always used to tease me when we played trivia games, that I knew all the science and history answers? I used to read a lot of history and science related articles. They interested me.”
“Right. You always had some little fascinating tidbit to share. I remember.”
“Think about it. Here in the States blue eyes are not that common. I looked up worldwide statistics. Did you know that the percentage of people with blue eyes is something like seven or eight percent. The highest concentrations are in Europe and Asia, nearly one hundred percent in some countries. Here, in the States, about sixteen percent have blue eyes.”
Paige raised an eyebrow. “So you’re saying that this illness might be either an experiment gone wrong. Or maybe it’s a weapon of mass destruction by some country or organization who wants to dominate the world.”
Kim nodded. “The release may have been in error, although nobody owned up to it. The CDC denied knowledge of any leaks. However, many private companies do research. Would they own up to it if they had a breach? Another idea is that it’s a weapon of mass destruction. You know, meaning that someone is using a weaponized virus in an attempt to dominate the world, or take over a specific country. It’s abhorrent to think that one country wanting to control another might target people based on a singular shared feature. It boggles my mind to think a country could wipe out most of Scandinavia by eliminating people with blue eyes. Push a button and China, Africa, and India cease to exist by eliminating those with dark brown eyes. I don’t think it’s anything like that though, because the virus spread worldwide, to all nations. Besides, here in the US, the majority had dark eyes although we were of different races and ethnicities. So it doesn’t appear to be targeted to a specific nationality, race, or religion. Look at our country. None of that mattered. It just seemed to strike people with similar eye color. No other link seems to exist. If it were an act of war there’d have to be an antidote or a vaccine. By now, we’d have been invaded by an immune army. Maybe it’s as simple as somebody screwed up and released something by accident.”
Paige stroked her jaw. “It’s a disgusting thought to think that some government would attempt to wipe out a whole population or race of people with a virus. Inconceivable to us. But look at history.”
Everyone grew silent. Was the illness from a man-made virus? Had it been an act of war?
“Who would have released it? “ Paige asked rhetorically. “What would they gain? And how did it spread so fast? If it were germ warfare, wouldn’t the illness have been more carefully controlled and specific? Don’t you think this had to be an accident? Like you said, it didn’t discriminate on any specific race or ethnicity. Besides, I doubt there are enough people left in any country to try to take over another nation. I think it had to be a mistake or the work of some nut case.” Paige paused. “I wonder, if the illness is working its way from brown to hazel to green, are blue-eyed people next?”
Kim shook her head. “No way to know for sure. Logic makes me doubt it. Statistics indicate there are fewer green-eyed people than blue-eyed. I
f it worked its way from the most people with one color to the least with a specific color, those of us with blue eyes would be gone already.”
Paige pursed her lips. “You obviously have researched this pretty well. Interesting information.”
Kim shrugged. “I have. Did you know that Elberg’s article in the Journal of Human Genetics said that blue eyes came about as the result of a mutation of a specific gene? They think that we probably all originated somewhere near the Black Sea or Northern Africa. He theorized that all people had brown eyes initially, and that we all come from a single source of DNA. He also claims that DNA evidence proves that all blue-eyed people are related. It’s likely that their genes originated from people from those areas.”
Peri looked from one to the other. “Hey, people are people. Wars have been waged for years over a variety of reasons. Religion is a big cause of wars. Other times it was as simple as greed. You know, I want what you have, so I’m going to take it. Why can’t people just live their own lives and let others live the way they want? When will everyone realize that we’re all just people?”
Kim stretched her legs out in front of her. “I don’t know. No doubt we could all come up with reasons why this happened. I keep wondering how it spread. Did anybody hear anything?”
Paige answered. “I heard it was possibly transmitted hand to hand or through personal contact, like the flu. Money is another suspect. Did you know that flu germs can live on paper money for over two weeks?”
“Hmm…I hadn’t heard that, but it sounds reasonable.” Kim scratched her ear as she wondered about the possibility. “I keep having a nightmare that there was some crazy scientist out there who was working on a project that got away from him.”
“Really Kim? You think that all this devastation was just an error?” Peri stood and approached Kim.
Kim looked up at her friend. “Hey, it’s as good an explanation as any. Besides, I’d prefer to think it was an error than a purposeful act.”
“I owe you an apology.” Peri leaned over and kissed the top of her friend’s head. “The information you shared was interesting. I admit that you are decidedly deeper than a puddle.”
“Truth is, chances are good that we’ll never know.” Paige ruffled Murdoch’s fur. The big dog yawned and rested his head on Paige’s knee. “Good idea boy. I think I’m ready to turn in, too.”
Chapter Ten
THEY PACKED UP CAMP the next morning. As the sun rose overhead, the flies returned with a vengeance. Paige returned to the bag that still contained some of the food items she’d found the day before. From the depths, she withdrew three packages. She stuffed one in her pocket and handed the remaining two to each of the women.
Kim was the first to open hers. She let out a whoop of joy and grabbed Paige, placing a loud kiss on her cheek. “A bug net. I love you. Oh, I may survive after all.”
Paige laughed. “Well according to you and your research article, we’re all one family. In this case I guess we’re sisters. Aren’t sisters supposed to share?” Turning to Peri she said, “Here, let me help you.”
Once the bug nets were in place, the three women stood in a circle and looked from one to the other. Despite trying not to, they eventually dissolved into laughter.
Peri placed a hand on Paige’s shoulder. “It’s definitely a fashion statement. We look like escapees from a beekeeper’s convention.”
Heading out and following along the stream, they stayed within the edges of the forest. The trail gradually began to climb. They stopped a few hours later for a break and a bite to eat. “At least we don’t need our beekeeper bonnets. The wind has picked up and it’s cooled off so the spray is enough,” Kim said. Everyone groaned as they hoisted their packs and pushed on.
“How can I be this out of shape already?” Peri wiped her brow. “We only had one day off. It’s not like we laid around for a week.”
“Some people pay a lot of money for this kind of abuse, uh, I mean exercise.” Kim turned around and snickered at Peri. “Try to keep in mind how good your butt will look.”
“Maybe. Granted, the appearance of my butt might improve. My fear is that I’m going to have calves like Paul Bunyan.”
They hiked for another couple of hours. Everyone agreed that the small space covered in pine needles was a sign to break early and set up camp. “Umm, smell that air,” Peri said.
With everyone doing her share, they set up the camp in record time. Paige turned to her traveling companions. “Before we start the fire, I’d love to have some nice brook trout for dinner. Who wants to go fishing with me?”
Both Peri and Kim raised their hands.
“It’s a good time for the fish to be hungry.” Paige got the two fishing poles out.
“Do we need our packs, Paige?”
Paige almost laughed at the expression of pleading on Peri’s face. “Nah. Let’s risk it. We’re far enough back in that nobody will see the camp. Bring your weapons though.”
They hiked a short ways up the stream, looking for a good spot to drop their lines. Paige held up a hand, turned, and put her index finger to her lips when Murdoch barked a soft ruff.
The two women squatted down next to Paige. “What is it?” Peri whispered.
“I don’t know,” Paige answered in an equally hushed tone. “Have your gun ready.” Paige patted her leg to call Murdoch to her side. They disappeared back into the underbrush. “Down, Murdoch.” Paige rested her hand on her dog’s neck to keep him quiet and still.
Several minutes later, sounds of feet on rocks and muted conversation began to reach them. Thirty seconds later, a large man followed by a woman and a small boy came into view, making their way along the banks of the stream.
Paige signaled for the others to stay put. She stood and worked her way along the path, and descended to the shore of the stream. Paige stood still, her hands visible at her side, her pistol a quick grasp away, tucked in the back waistband of her cargo pants. The hikers still hadn’t noticed her. She whistled for Murdoch, drawing the hiker’s attention to her presence.
“Hello,” she called.
The male waved a cautious greeting. “Hey.”
A brief, quiet conversation ensued. Peri and Kim watched from their place of concealment, as Paige spoke with the family. They watched the man turn and gesture in the direction they’d come from.
Peri released the breath she’d been holding the instant Paige turned and led the people in their direction.
“You can come out.” Paige introduced the Jackson family, Paul, Lisa, and their son, Mason. The little boy immediately asked to pet Murdoch.
“Sure, I think he’d like that. Murdoch, sit.” Paige squatted down to get closer to Mason’s height. She put an arm around his waist and stood him in front of the patient animal.
“What do I do if he licks me?” The smile on Mason’s face indicated that it wasn’t as distasteful to him as he made it sound.
“You could lick him back. That’ll show him,” Paige joked, making Mason laugh and beam up at her.
“You’re kidding me, right?” His big, blue eyes were unsure.
“Yes, I am. I’m sorry. Here, let me introduce you.” She brought her new friend in front of her to introduce him to her dog. “Murdoch, this is Mason. Say hello and shake his hand.”
Murdoch gave a soft bark and lifted his right paw. A solemn-faced Mason grasped the dog’s paw and shook it. He then patted the big dog’s head.
“So tell me Mason, are you married yet?”
“No, I’m too young.”
“How old are you?”
“I’m going to be seven in December.” He beamed and puffed out his chest.
Paige scratched her chin. “That’s pretty old. Sure you’re not married?”
“Nope. I do have a girlfriend,” he said in a whisper, hoping his mom wasn’t listening. She wasn’t. She was talking with Kim, Peri, and her husband, discussing their trip down the trail.
“Mason, see that stick right there?” Paige turned
the serious little boy around to face her.
“Um hm.”
“I think if you take that stick and throw it as hard as you can, Murdoch would love to play fetch with you. Watch, I’ll show you how.” She gave the stick a toss and, on command, Murdoch retrieved it, laying it at Paige’s feet. She patted him on the head and gave him praise. “Okay, you give it a try.”
With the little boy’s attention focused on the dog, Paige tuned into the conversation with the others. She’d had one ear on the discourse between her friends and the strangers, while she worked with the boy.
“So you’ve had no serious trouble on the trail?” Peri asked.
“We haven’t really come that far. We started out yesterday, and you’re the first people we’ve seen out here.”
Kim jumped in to ask, “How far is it to the main road where the logging trail and snowmobile trails take off?”
“Hard to say. Depends on what you encounter and what trail you take. That’s some desolate country up that way. We’re heading to Lisa’s brother’s place southeast of here. It should take us only another day or so. Is the trail safe?”
“We found nothing dangerous since we got away from the populated areas. Of course, you’ll need to stay vigilant the closer you get to civilization.” Following a brief discussion Paige asked if they would like to share their camp with them.
The parents exchanged a glance. Paul answered for both of them. “We appreciate the offer. However, we have a few more hours of daylight left and we’re eager to get to our destination. Come on, son. Time to say goodbye.”
Mason and Murdoch both came when called. There were serious goodbyes. Mason hugged Peri and Kim before he tugged on Paige’s shirt. She glanced down and he crooked his finger summoning her to lean down.