by J. W. Vohs
She laughed, her eyes twinkling with mischief, “That’s all right, Sir Jack of The Castle on Baseline Road; I rarely notice clerks either.”
Jack raised his hands in a defensive gesture, “Hey, at least I wasn’t ogling you like most of the guys must have been doing!”
She smiled and agreed, “You’re right. My name is Andrea Carrell—Andi—sorry if I’m giving you a hard time.”
A little blonde girl who looked to be about five came in and smiled at Jack, then put her arm around Andi’s waist and stared at the stranger.
“This is my daughter, Greta.”
Jack took a knee and smiled, “Hi Greta, I’m your neighbor, Jack.”
With large, serious eyes Greta replied, “Hello Mr. Jack.”
Jack chuckled as he stood up to continue his conversation with Andi. “Is your husband home?”
“No, we haven’t seen him in a long time, and when he does show up I have some legal papers for him to sign. My three year old is taking a nap, her name is Cassandra. Now, what were you saying about the virus in D.C.?”
Now Jack didn’t seem to know where to begin. “Well, you’ve heard about what’s been happening in the capitol?”
“Yeah, and other cities too; I’ve been following the story very closely.”
“Good,” Jack exclaimed, “We’ve been following the situation very closely as well.”
“We?”
“Yeah, I share The Castle with my Army buddy Carter, and his wife, Deb. Right now we have over fifty people in there worried about the spread of the virus, including most of our Ranger squad and their wives. We also have several nurses and a doctor. Carter and I faced this virus in Afghanistan ten years ago and always worried it would get loose from the mountains over there. “
Andi eyed him skeptically, “If the Army faced this before then why weren’t we told about it? And if it was ten years ago why aren’t we ready for it now?”
Jack explained, “Over eighty soldiers guarded the infected village. Fifteen of us survived the battle with the infected and we were sworn to secrecy. If we would have said a single word about our experience with the virus they would have locked us away in Leavenworth for the rest of our lives. As to why we aren’t ready for it now, we can only guess. Carter and I suspect that the Army infectious disease people covered up the mistake in Afghanistan and buried the story. Either that, or there’s some sort of conspiracy going on at high levels and I don’t really want to consider that possibility.”
Andi pursed her lips for a moment, then asked, “Have you heard the reports about the virus being in Fort Wayne?”
“Yeah, I heard the reports, so I went in to Riverview hospital to check it out for myself. The virus is there, and infected people left the hospital without warning.”
Andi’s eyes were wide, “What happens to the infected? Do they really become like zombies?”
Jack held her gaze for a long moment, “They don’t feel pain. You can shoot them through the heart and they keep coming at you. They try to eat anyone they catch, and the only thing that stops them is smashing the brain. I don’t know what they are exactly, but the word ‘zombie’ seems to fit.”
Andi just shook her head for a moment, “Do you know how hard it is to believe all of this?”
“Yeah, I do. Everyone feels the same way, and that’s why the infection is going to spread so fast. If you want to protect your family you are welcome in The Castle. None of the neighbors have accepted my offer so far, but most have agreed to a phone connection with us; we have a lot of old field wire and Army telephones so we want to set up a communication network in the area. I know leaving home is a huge deal, but maybe you could just drop by and check out the place later?”
“Are other single women there?”
“A few, including a baby and a grandma.”
“Are you married? I’m sorry if that’s an awkward question.”
“Nope, not even a girlfriend over there. But to be honest, if I see you again I’ll probably ask you out for coffee.”
They both grinned for a moment, then Andi promised, “I’ll bring the girls over and check things out in the morning. Are we safe till then?”
“Probably, but I’ll give you my cell number just in case. If things get as bad as I think they will we won’t have power or cell service within a week or two, so if you decide to stay here I hope you’ll let us run a phone line over here.”
“Of course I will. To be honest, I have been freaking out over the news lately; sounds like you guys have a plan.”
“Well, to be honest with you I never really stopped freaking out after facing the infected in Afghanistan. I went on to earn a doctorate in history and work in a museum, but Carter and I were always looking over our shoulders. In a way, I’m relieved to know I’ll soon be fighting something more than ghosts, if you know what I mean.”
Andi looked at him as if she knew what it was like to battle ghosts, “Yeah, I might have some idea of what you’re talking about. So you really have a Ph.D. in history?”
“Yeah, as if it matters now.”
“Well, I teach social studies at Central so we might have a few interests in common.”
Jack smiled, “No more Quickie-Mart huh?”
“Paid for most of my school, and I still help out in an emergency, but I teach for a living now.”
Jack nodded, then grimly stated, “Only work for history majors if this virus isn’t stopped will be as soldiers. Can you handle that?”
“I’ve never been in a fight in my life, but I’d battle Satan himself to protect my girls.”
“Fair enough, he may be on his way. Ask for me or Carter when you come over; tell the gate that I told you to stop by. I have to get back to The Castle, but I am looking forward to seeing you again.”
Andi smiled in response, “We’ll stop by, I promise.”
As evening fell everyone gathered around the television again, eager to discover what was happening in the world beyond The Castle’s walls. The news wasn’t good. The national broadcast explained that Washington D.C. was in chaos, with the Army battling for control of the streets against thousands of presumably infected individuals who were attacking any healthy people foolish enough to leave their homes. The clearly distraught anchor advised viewers to head to the network’s website for video coverage of the events unfolding in the capitol, explaining that most of what had been recorded that day was too graphic to show on television. The reports from other sites across the United States were little better, with confirmed cases of the virus now coming in from every major city in the country.
The situation in the rest of the world was no better than that in America, with the virus having spread around the globe through the airports before authorities could contain the spread of infected individuals hurrying to return to the presumed safety of their homes. A few countries such as North Korea seemed to have avoided the virus thus far, and the Israelis had quarantined their airports thirty-six hours earlier. Jack knew it was only a matter of time before the infection spread to every country; panicked refugees would render borders meaningless in the end.
At six-thirty the networks cut to local news broadcasts, promising to return at seven with what would now be continuous coverage for the duration of the crisis. When the Fort Wayne news opened with a story about a fiasco involving local police officers attempting to subdue a deranged nurse on a rampage through her neighborhood, Jack knew his own containment efforts had failed. The infected healthcare worker had killed two civilians who died from blood loss due to bites, and wounded five others who were now being observed at local hospitals. The crazed nurse had finally been tackled and cuffed by four officers, all of whom suffered minor bite-wounds during the ordeal. On-the-scene reporters interviewed shaken witnesses describing the carnage they had seen, but the mayor and police chief had little to say beyond claims that the city was confident the attack was a tragic but isolated event.
At that point Jack left the room, followed quickly by Carter, Deb, an
d Carey. Jack led them to the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee, inviting the others to do the same as he sat down at the large table in the adjoining dining room now being referred to as the cafeteria. As soon as everyone was seated he calmly explained, “Well, that’s it. Two or three days from now we’ll be like D.C. is today. We man the gate and guard towers twenty-four-seven from now on. We keep our people in The Castle; if anyone goes out they have to gear up, and doc has to clear them before they get back in here.”
Everyone was quiet for a moment as they considered the implications of Jack’s words, then Deb asked, “How long before we see the infected around here?”
Jack thought a moment before answering, “Now that the virus is loose forty miles away we can’t take anything for granted. If we’re overly cautious we only create some inconvenience for ourselves, but if we take our isolation for granted we could end up with an infected individual inside The Castle before we know it. Plus, I think the virus is mutating, growing stronger as it spreads. Those health care workers in the hospital turned in a day, from the way the news is describing the spread of infection I think people may be turning faster than that now. “
Carter added, “When we first saw this thing in Afghanistan it seemed like the infected started turnin’ faster as the days went by, ‘til all of a sudden the whole village was nothin’ but zombies!”
Jack nodded and considered, “One thing is sure, without effective containment this thing is going to spread exponentially. That probably isn’t even the right word because this isn’t even two becomes four becomes sixteen becomes, well, more than I can compute off the top of my head. If these creatures aren’t put down right away each one of them could potentially infect dozens of people. The bottom line is that we don’t know what we’re dealing with so we need to be careful.”
A silence fell upon the group as the reality of what was about to take place in the world truly hit home. This was the last normal night of their lives; tomorrow the war would begin.
CHAPTER 7
Carter shook Jack awake shortly before five AM and whispered, “Get up, you gotta see this.”
Jack followed in a stupor, rubbing his eyes and mumbling as Carter led him out into the living room where the TV still blared news images from around the nation. CNN was showing live coverage of what seemed to be thousands of zombies attacking a crowd of protesters who had gathered outside of the White House. The surreal image was illuminated by floodlights set up inside the fences, as well as searchlights from helicopters flying above. The camera crew was obviously positioned in a window above the scene, where the reporter struggled to find words to express what they were witnessing.
Jack wasn’t listening anyway as he watched the footage showing people being pulled down to the ground by groups of infected and eaten alive. Perhaps more disturbing to his experienced eye, dozens of individuals were managing to pull away and run off despite the horrific bite-wounds being inflicted by the zombies. What followed next was shocking, yet totally predictable to one who studied human nature: the protesters rushed the fence around the White House.
The guards should have shot every person climbing the fence, those were the orders, but if any of them did kill their fellow citizens their actions were forever forgotten as the fences quickly collapsed under the crush of terrified protesters attempting to escape the zombie attack. As the fences fell the crowd didn’t hesitate to continue their push toward the White House, rapidly covering the distance to the now horribly vulnerable residence of the most powerful man in the world. Even as the protesters reached the building, helicopters were lifting off from pads around the structure, presumably evacuating the president and his family to a safer location.
Seconds later the scene spun around the inside of a room, then showed the ground rushing up to meet the lens as the camera obviously fell to the cement below. Screams could be heard before the image crashed, and a brief delay followed until the national anchor took back the feed and apologized for the “technical” difficulties at the scene.
Carter switched over to FOX News, where their on-the-scene reporter was somehow remaining calm from his own perch above the riot at the White House. The newsman exclaimed, “And there he goes folks, we must assume that those helicopters we just watched leaving the White House are taking the president to a secure location outside of the city, which at least symbolically, if not yet literally, has fallen to creatures people are now unabashedly calling zombies. Whatever we label these infected individuals, I cannot overemphasize the fact that they are tenacious and deadly. The only infected we’ve seen stopped today have been struck in the head by bullets, or had their skulls crushed by hand-held weapons. In addition, we’ve recorded hundreds of people escaping their attackers after being bitten and presumably infected. At this point we have no reason to believe that the virus is being contained within the city, and we have no way of knowing how authorities are faring in their efforts to halt the spread of the infection throughout the D.C. area.”
Again the channel was switched as Deb stuck a mug of steaming coffee into Jack’s hands. At CBS headquarters a junior anchor was manning the desk, interviewing the U.S. Surgeon General whom none of the people in the room recognized. The official explained, “I know we’re asking a lot of the American people to remain calm in this crisis, but that is exactly what we need them to do. Everyone should stay in their homes until authorities can contain the virus in their areas of responsibility.”
The anchor interrupted, “Sir, we now have confirmed reports of infection in hospitals in every major city in North America, and every other continent except Antarctica. Smaller cities and towns across the nation are also reporting outbreaks, and nowhere does anyone seem certain that the virus has been contained to health care facilities. How can you be certain that we won’t see the disaster now unfolding in D.C. taking place all over America by this time tomorrow?”
The nation’s top health official bristled at the young reporter’s question. “I have answered your question several times already during this interview; we are controlling this situation. Your inability or unwillingness to understand my answer is going to lead people to panic, and that will lead to more problems than the spread of the virus itself. If everyone will hunker down in their homes for a few days, the infected will be discovered and neutralized!”
The newsman was unfazed as he continued, “Is that what you’re advising the people in D.C. this morning?”
The Surgeon General declared, “Absolutely.”
“Sir, no disrespect, but I don’t see how your advice works for everyone. We have reports that the infected who are moving about are smashing through windows and doors, even breaking into cars in order to attack healthy individuals . . .”
At that point the Surgeon General nearly shouted, “That is enough; this interview is over!”
Carter continued his channel surfing and found a local morning news team beginning its broadcast. A young female anchor led with footage taken near Riverview Hospital the night before. “What we are showing you here was filmed last night by our own Alan Ganstler before he and his cameraman were brutally attacked by several infected health care workers. We are deeply saddened to report that both men were killed during the assault.”
The footage began with Ganstler standing with his back to the hospital and explaining, “Folks, as you can see the police have set up barricades and crisis control teams around Riverview tonight. We can’t get any hospital officials to speak with us, but people who have gathered here out of concern for their family members are claiming that nobody is being allowed into or out of the building. We have spoken with a number of people here tonight who are in contact with loved ones in the hospital via cell phones, and we’re going to play one of those conversations for you right now.”
The recorded call began with a frantic individual exclaiming, “I don’t know what to do Steven, I don’t know what to do! Those creatures are everywhere, and they’ll get me if I leave this room!”
; “Calm down, honey, calm down. Have you locked the door?”
“Yes, I locked it,” she sniffled in reply.
“Is anyone in there with you?”
“Yeah, I’m in the room where we put Judy after she was bitten last night.”
“Is she alert, can she help you?”
“Hold on, I think I hear her.”
The sound of the curtain being pulled back was followed by a scream, then the woman began shouting, “Let go of me, let go of me!”
“Honey, are you all right? What’s going on in there?”
The phone clattered to the floor but continued to record the sound of the attack as the woman screamed for help and her husband continued to shout into his cell, his voice rising in panic as he kept asking her what was happening. Finally the woman’s screams were cut off by a strange gurgling sound, followed by wheezing, grunting, and what sounded like flesh being ripped apart on a graphic nature program featuring predators devouring their prey.
The concerned face of the field reporter returned to the screen, “The man who owns this phone shoved it onto my hands and demanded that I air that recording before he tried to charge past the police and get into the hospital. He was tasered and arrested by officers before he could reach the doors, but obviously something terrible was happening to his wife inside the building.”
The report was suddenly interrupted by shouts from the police ordering someone to stay where they were when the camera swung back to the door of the hospital. Apparently nobody had thought to block the doorway from the outside, and a stream of infected were rushing from the building toward the police line. None of the officers seemed willing to fire on the people in scrubs and hospital gowns bearing down on them with hungry glares and menacing moans. The zombies smashed through the barricades and mobbed dozens of police officers frozen with indecision. A few shots finally rang out from beneath several piles marking feeding frenzies, but the battle was lost before it really began.