Desolation

by Mark Campbell

  “Doesn’t seem to be many of you survivalist types left,” Andrew said, leaning back on the sofa.

  Witt cackled. “A survivalist?! Me?!” he continued to laugh and slap his knees. “Hell, it doesn’t take much knowledge to open a can of green beans! Once my supplies run out, I’m fucked. But know what? I’ve made peace with that fact.”

  Andrew and Jerri looked at him in silence. “Save the last bullet, that’s my motto,” Witt said. He methodically chewed on one end of the toothpick and then rolled it over to the opposite side of his mouth. “There are more of us held up in the city than you might think.”

  “Why didn’t they come out when we were walking around like idiots? Why didn’t they say something? Do something?” Jerri asked, shaking her head.

  Witt stared at her, studying her face in the flickering lantern light. “Oh believe me, they were watching. I’d bet my golden pocket watch on it if I had one. You just didn’t have anything they wanted. Why would they try to approach a stranger? People get killed that way. The only reason I saved you is because I saw that little baby you got bundled up there. It didn’t feel right to ignore you.”

  “We almost did get killed,” Andrew said. “We busted a lock and went into a grocery store… It looked empty but a man was inside and pulled a gun on us.”

  Witt looked over at him.

  “You broke into someone’s hiding place? Was he alone?” Witt asked, scratching his beard.

  Andrew shrugged. “His wife and kids were in there with him,” Jerri answered for him as she tried to feed Jacob. She was getting annoyed that the baby wasn’t taking the formula. “His wife gave me the baby formula.”

  Witt rocked in his recliner and gave a tsk. “I would have blown your heads off. I don’t know why he hesitated. I bet he didn’t even have any ammo in that damned thing!” Witt said, laughing.

  Another awkward silence. Jerri broke it.

  “Is it just you or…?” Jerri asked, studying the collage of framed photos on the living room wall. Witt gave a hearty sigh and stood. He walked over to the wall and took down a framed photograph of a beautiful woman with long brunette hair standing next to a teenage girl on the verge of becoming as beautiful as her mother. A clean-shaven Witt wearing a suit stood next to the two girls. He handed the photograph to Jerri and sat back down in the recliner.

  Jerri stared at the picture a moment and placed it down on the coffee table, smiling politely at Witt. “They’re beautiful,” she asked.

  Witt smiled.

  “Thank you,” he said as he picked up his cup of tea and took another sip. “They were.”

  Jerri frowned. “Was it the virus…?” she asked. The question felt redundant to her; she knew what happened. It was the same thing that happened to most of the population. It was a question she asked out of habit more than anything else.

  Witt gave her a half-smile and nodded.

  “I was immune to the Piedmont Flu,” he said, rolling up his left pant cuff. Scarred human bite-marks covered his calf. “See? I guess Jess took after her mother’s genes in the end. They both wanted to evacuate… but they were already showing symptoms. I thought that Acexa was the answer…”

  “I’m sorry,” she said apologetically, looking away.

  “Don’t be,” Witt said.

  “Are you the one who had to put them down?” Andrew asked, curious. Jerri glared at him for asking such an insensitive question. Witt didn’t seem affected. He simply smiled.

  “While I don’t mind offering you a hot meal and a place to rest your head, you really can’t stay here,” Witt said. “I don’t have the supplies for an extended stay and, frankly, it’s not safe here. I think your presence bothers them. I’m sorry.”

  Something knocked against the padlocked bedroom door down the hallway and jiggled the doorknob. Jerri and Andrew startled but Witt seemed unaffected. “Is that…?” Andrew turned towards Witt, baffled and horrified.

  “Sometimes it’s hard to do what you have to do when you really love someone, Andrew,” Witt said as he dug his fingernails into the recliner arms.

  Andrew was going to say something but fell silent. He knew what the man was talking about. After all, his adoration for Jerri made him do what he did to Chris just to keep his past a secret.

  “So what is your plan, if I may?” Witt asked.

  Andrew looked over at Jerri and hesitated a moment. Finally he turned towards Witt.

  “We need a way to get to the Air Force Base,” Andrew said. “Do you know how to get there?”

  Witt raised an eyebrow.

  “The military left months ago,” Witt carefully explained. “Well… most of them left. I think quite a few stayed behind, deserters.” Andrew shook his head.

  “It doesn’t matter,” he said. “I just need a plane or a helicopter that they left behind. Can you get me there?”

  Witt thought about the question as he chewed on his toothpick. “I know how to get there,” he finally said. “I can take you to the base at sunrise and give you some supplies for your journey, but I don’t think it will do much good. What is the ultimate plan once you get the plane?”

  “We plan on flying to the Capital,” Andrew said.

  Witt laughed and shrugged.

  “You’ll have to forgive me,” Witt said, “I’ve been a little bit out of the loop it seems. We have a Capital or a government for that matter? I’ve heard jokers come though saying that they formed a new government based out of California called the Allied States… Then I’ve heard that Texas took over half of the country… Now you’re telling me that the old shitty government that started all of this mess is still around. Hell, I can’t even keep track of who collects the taxes. I just give up on the whole mess.”

  Jerri giggled.

  Andrew frowned.

  “ Yes, we do have a central government. The Continuity of Government Act made sure of that,” Andrew explained. “Our Capital is Camp 7 in North Dakota. We even have a president.”

  “Oh? Another black fella here to promise change? Or is it a woman this time? A slick-talking republican? Who did I elect this time? What is their name?”

  Andrew flushed, embarrassed.

  “No idea,” Andrew muttered.

  Witt laughed. He took the toothpick out of his mouth and slid it back into his pocket. He rocked in his chair and looked over at Andrew earnestly.

  “I lost my faith in them,” Witt explained. “Do you know that they tried bombing us a few weeks ago?”

  Andrew blinked and looked at him in confusion. “They dropped some sort of ordnance from the sky into the middle of downtown but it was a dud. Now it’s just setting there… collecting dust and attracting scavengers who keep trying to pry it open,” Witt said.

  “Was it a nuke?” Jerri asked.

  Witt shook his head.

  “I doubt it,” he said. “It doesn’t look like any type of bomb I’ve ever seen…” Andrew thought for a moment and then nodded.

  “Thermobaric, I bet,” Andrew said.

  “Bingo,” Witt answered as he pointed his finger at Andrew. “That’s what I’m assuming. I think they tried to fry the entire city. Those scavenging jackals are in for a nasty surprise if they keep messing around with it.”

  Andrew shook his head and closed his eyes.

  “Regardless, I need to get to that base,” Andrew replied.

  “I’ll get you to your base,” Witt said. “What you do from there is on you. Nothing in life is free but we can discuss the details of our arrangement in the morning.”

  “It’s a stupid plan, isn’t it?” Jerri asked, looking down at the floor. Andrew glared at her.

  “What is a stupid plan? Your flight to Camp 7?” Witt asked. Jerri nodded.

  “You know,” Witt reflected, “When I was about nineteen, I went hiking in the mountains with nothing but a cell phone and the clothes I had on. Mind you, I was a city boy all my life and knew nothing about hiking. I found this really nice trail that twisted all throughout the forest. I walked tha
t trail for miles… Then the trail abruptly ended. Know what I did?”

  Andrew thought a moment.

  “I’d imagine that you’d just walk back the way you came right?” Andrew asked.

  Witt cackled. “Hell no! I cut my own path through the forest. Saplings slapped my face, my legs got cut up, my shirt became tattered, and, naturally, I didn’t have any goddamn cell phone reception. When I finally staggered out of the forest onto a small road hours later, I was covered in ticks and had spider bites all over my face. I was so dehydrated that I passed out next to the road. When I woke up, I was lying in a hospital bed wondering what in the fuck happened.”

  Jerri and Andrew laughed.

  “Know what I learned from that little experience?” Witt asked with a smirk.

  “Don’t go wandering off into the woods,” Jerri mused. “Nope. I learned to bring a water bottle and some bug spray next time,” Witt said, laughing.

  Andrew chuckled and shook his head. “My point is that just because something seems like a bad idea doesn’t mean that it isn’t worth pursuing,” Witt said as he waved a finger in the air. “That hike was one of my most memorable sober moments from my teen years and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

  “What’s your plan?” Jerri asked. “Like you said, your supplies won’t last forever. Why don’t you come with us?”

  Andrew looked over at her, leery of her sudden invitation. “No,” Witt said. “My plan is to build up the nerve to put my two angels out of their suffering one night and then use the last bullet on myself. That’s my plan... When it will happen I have no idea. I’m going to try to hold up here for another year. It will be our twentieth anniversary. I think it’d be fitting to end it then, you think?”

  Jerri and Andrew looked away from the man, clearly uncomfortable. “Ah, sorry, didn’t mean to be all bleak. Let me ask though… why Camp 7? Why follow a fractured government? Why not make your own path through the forest?”

  Jerri looked over at Andrew. After all, it was his idea. “What other options do we have?” Andrew asked. “Live in the ruins of the old cities and avoid the streets at night?” “No, that’s stupid,” Witt said in a dismissive tone. “The people hiding in the city know that they are doomed. This is a temporary fix at best. Once the supplies run out, the looting will start all over again. You need a permanent solution.”

  “Like…?” Jerri pressed.

  “Canada,” Witt said, nodding.

  Andrew scoffed.

  “Canada is gone. The world is gone,” Andrew said darkly.

  “Funny,” Witt said. “I saw two UN cargo jets fly over the city last week. They were moving nice and slow and loud. Whoever is left out there is clearly interested in what happened here but they’re smart enough not to land. Sometimes I even see some of our own jets… big bomber planes. After that failed thermobaric bomb they dropped, I was worried that they may try nuking again despite how horribly that went out east.”

  “You’re lying,” Andrew said, narrowing his eyes.

  “Silly thing to lie about isn’t it?” Witt said with a shrug. “I saw some planes.” Jerri leaned close, clearly fascinated.

  “Why Canada?” she asked.

  Witt looked over at her and nodded.

  “A group of people came through about a month ago and spoke in the streets to anybody who would listen about something called the Union of Free Nations. Apparently it’s a large network of selfindependent communal city-states in Canada.”

  Jerri’s eyes lit up.

  “There’s no way to know that’s for real,” Andrew said, waving his hand in the air. “Sounds like some hippie feel-good bullshit.” Witt closed his eyes and nodded.

  “True, gossip does come cheap but it’s worth considering if you don’t want to run back into another camp disaster.”

  “I’m an American and I’m not giving up on my country. We’re sticking to our plan,” Andrew said as he crossed his arms across his chest. Witt frowned. Patriotism left him flat. “America gave up on me and my family the moment they sealed us inside the city,” Witt said. “The authorities left and Tucson fell apart well before the infection ever arrived at our doorstep. They quarantined us. Military execution squads roamed the streets… Have you even seen the mass graves? Have–”

  Witt fell silent and sighed.

  “Well like I said… It’s just another option to consider,” Witt said.

  “I’ve considered it,” Andrew snapped. “And it sounds like a stupid idea. We’re going to the Capital and we’re going to be safe.” Jerri eyes flickered towards the ground, deep in thought. She found her way out. Now it was just a matter of getting there… Witt shrugged. “One bad idea is just as good as another I suppose,” Witt said as he stared at the concealed baby with fascination. “Young lady,” he asked, “may I hold him? It’s been so long since I’ve seen a baby…”

  A look of horror washed over Andrew’s face and he slowly shook his head.

  Jerri sat the bottle down, nodded, and gently handed Jacob to Witt.

  “Careful to cradle his head,” she said. Witt cackled with delight and held the child. The baby felt strange in his arms, cold and stiff. His smile slowly faded as he lifted the blanket off of Jacob’s face. His expression fell flat as he stared at the child’s sunken cheeks and closed eyes. The infant had been dead for quite awhile.

  Witt’s hands started trembling and his face lost all color as he held the still corpse.

  Jerri gently picked Jacob back up and smiled at Witt. “Thank you so much for your hospitality,” she said as she covered the baby with the shawl once again. “I’m beat though… Where can I sleep?”

  Witt pointed a shaky finger down the hall towards the bedroom next to the padlocked bedroom. “J-just take the girl’s bedroom,” he said with hesitation. Andrew looked down, ashamed.

  “Night,” Jerri said, “And thanks.”

  She retreated down the hall and hurried into Jessica’s room, making sure not to even look at the padlocked bedroom next to it. As she walked past the padlocked door, something thumped against it again. Witt watched her retreat and tried to calm his shaking hands. Once she was safely inside the bedroom out of earshot, he turned his pale face towards Andrew.

  “H-how long?” Witt stammered.

  Andrew shook his head.

  “He was premature and doomed from the start… he died sometime during the night,” Andrew said with a long sigh. He slumped down on the sofa and stared off into the distance.

  “She doesn’t…?” Witt started.

  Andrew slowly shook his head with blank expression. “You saw her trying to feed it,” Andrew said quietly. “I don’t think she’s been able to come to terms with it so she’s…” He trailed off and shook his head. “She’s dealing with it the only way she knows how.”

  Witt raised an eyebrow and dug his fingernails into his knees. “She’s not dealing with anything, Andrew,” Witt said. Andrew blinked and looked over at Witt.

  “And neither are you,” Andrew said as he pointed towards the padlocked door. He stood up and stretched. “I’m not a psychologist and I don’t know what is wrong with her… but it will pass.”

  Witt stayed silent a moment and then looked over at Andrew, narrowing his eyes. “And if it doesn’t?” Witt asked.

  “It will pass,” Andrew said. “I’m going to tell her goodnight.” Andrew started to walk down the hallway.

  “If it doesn’t are you afraid you won’t feel the same way about her?” Witt asked.

  Andrew froze and closed his eyes. “I see the way you look at her,” Witt said. “I know you don’t want to admit it but you can’t fix someone and just put them back together again once they break past a certain point.” Witt paused. “There’s no fixing me.”

  Andrew thought about it a moment and then continued walking towards her room.

  “Sometimes,” Andrew said as he walked, “you just have to adapt to the challenges life throws at you.” Witt shook his head, muttering to himself. He was thank
ful that those two would be out of his hair in the morning; Andrew and Jerri were lucky that he needed their help with the issue at the base.

  34

  Jerri felt uncomfortable in the room. The décor was a mixture of innocence and teenage angst. The posters on the wall were a mixture of old pop singers and acid rockers, the lamps had Hello Kitty shades, and the dresser vanity was stacked with makeup that looked like it came out of a KISS merchandise catalog. The curtains were green and the comforter was some awful floral arrangement.

  It was all gaudy and painful to look at; she was thankful that her angst stage was a quickly passing phase when she was a teenager. On the plus side, lying on an actual mattress was exquisite, even if the comforter was awful and half of the bed was covered with throw pillows. She had forgotten how wonderful it was not to sleep on an army cot.

  She had taken out one of the dresser drawers and sat it on the floor next to the bed for Jacob. She emptied the dresser and stuffed it with pillows from the bed; God only knew that the bed had more than enough pillows to sacrifice.

  As soon as she laid Jacob down in his makeshift bed, he was out like a light.

  She was starting to worry about Jacob. It didn't seem natural for a baby to sleep for so long.

  Jerri ignored the thought and stretched out on the bed as she stared at the ceiling.

  Someone knocked on the door and startled her. “Come in,” she said, quickly sitting up. She almost expected the very hospitable Witt to be standing there holding a cup of herbal tea and some fresh linens.

  The door opened. “Just seeing if you’ve settled in okay for the night… next to the creepy padlocked room. I’m going to take the other sofa out there with Witt,” Andrew said. He looked around the room and shuddered. “Man… I’m so glad I never had a daughter.”

  Jerri laughed.

  “If you did she’d chew you up,” she said with a smirk. “You’d be a softy.”