Teddy put his elbows on the table and ran his fingers through his hair, groaning. Despite the sour taste, his stomach was gurgling and his throat was parched. His body begged him to do what his mind refused to do. He ignored the pangs of hunger and thirst and looked at Perry with tired eyes.
“You really should eat,” Perry said as he stared at Teddy’s sunken face. “Trust me… With your job, you’ll need the energy.”
“You never even explained it to me. What in the hell kind of detail am I on?” Teddy asked. “What am I getting into with this CDT thing?”
“Corpse disposal team.” Perry pushed his emptied tray aside and leaned over the table. “You collect the dead bodies and disinfect the abandoned buildings so that another team can go clean up everything and make it habitable again.”
“That sounds about as fucking wonderful as I imagined it would be,” Teddy said. “So that’s my day—carting away dead folks?”
“Dealing with the dead is a part of it—that’s why they call you vultures. There are other things involved, like moving vehicles out of the street, but CDT crews are all immune so you guys get stuck doing the nasty jobs nobody else can do.”
“You know, it’s funny, but I figured that surviving the virus was the hardest thing I’d have to do. I thought that the worst was behind me after that,” Teddy said. “The longer I stick around the more I find out that I would’ve been better off if the damn thing took my life.”
“Don’t be so gloom about it,” Perry said with a forced smile. “You really are doing the rest of us a favor, and people are grateful. As the city expands, people get relocated there and given a new life—a second chance.”
“What about the immunes?” Teddy asked. “Do we get a second chance?”
“Well… I, uh, suppose, yes, after it’s finished, I assume…” Perry said with some hesitation. “Normally, because you can’t get the virus again, they keep you working.”
“Until?” Teddy pressed.
Perry shifted in his seat uncomfortably.
“I, uh, don’t really know when, exactly…”
“Bullshit,” Teddy scoffed. “They’ll work us until we catch some other fucking disease or drop dead from exhaustion.”
“That’s, uh, well, not exactly—”
“Then there are other risks, right?” Teddy asked. “I’m sure not everyone who survived are holding hands and waiting for Uncle Sam to come save them. What about the people living outside of FEMA’s control? Do you think they’ll be welcoming us with open arms?”
“I—I really don’t see why they wouldn’t,” Perry said.
“Bullshit!” Teddy scoffed again, shaking his head. “It’s anarchy out there! I imagine most folks on this team end up catching a bullet.”
“You’ll have some officers riding with you providing security,” Perry explained with another fake smile.
“How many?” Teddy asked as he peered at Perry.
Perry lost his smile and scratched the back of his neck. “Not enough… There aren’t enough officers to go around.”
“So in other words, those of us who survived the virus or are naturally immune are an expendable asset.”
“Yeah, but a valuable one, if that makes any difference.”
“It doesn’t, Perry—It really doesn’t.”
“I wish I had better news for you, but that’s just the way things are. I know work sounds harsh, but you have to believe me when I say that things aren’t so bad here.” He held his arms up and gestured around the room. “They’re really building something here—they’re building a community.”
“No, Perry, they’re building a prison.”
“You don’t understand yet because you’re new. Those walls are here to protect us, not to cage us in.” He leaned forward and emphasized his words with his hands. “Eventually the walls will come down and things will be like they were before.”
Teddy stared at him. “Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”
Perry fell silent.
Teddy looked down at his bowl of soup—his stomach growled and his parched throat stung.
A shrill tone emitted from the overhead system.
“Well, in any case, that’s the bell,” Perry said as he grabbed his tray and stood up. “We have to go.”
Attention, the dining hall is now closed, the PA announced. Bus your trays and report to your work details or dormitory immediately.
Teddy remained seated and kept staring at the bowl in front of him. “Fuck it.” He picked up the bowl of soup, slurped the noxious concoction down, and prayed it wouldn’t come back up.
“Wise choice,” Perry said.
Teddy pinched his nose shut and gulped the cup of water down in one swig. His body attempted to retch it all back up, but he swallowed the acidic mixture and burped.
“Another wise choice.”
“Time will tell about that…” Teddy said as he woozily got on his feet and picked up his tray.
Clear the dining hall and report to your work details, the voice over the PA insisted. Community regulations reminder – failure to comply with official instructions is a punishable offense.
“Let’s go!” one of the officers shouted from the corner of the room as the last few people headed towards the door. “Get moving!”
“I’ll take you to your work detail’s staging area,” Perry said as he walked away. “It’s near the warehouse at the rear gate.”
Teddy followed Perry and dumped his tray in one of the black wash basins by the exit. He stepped outside once more into the chilly morning air and stuck his hands inside his coat pockets as he followed Perry along the footpath. Despite the ebb and flow of conversation and the sound of children’s laughter, he noticed a palpable tension in the air that, once again, was all too familiar to him.
They walked along a winding path that cut through makeshift bazaars and gambling huts full of elderly people. Young children ran out of the ramshackle shops and pushed their wares on the passers-by. Winter coats, gloves, and blankets appeared to be in high demand in exchange for canned goods and jewelry.
However, none of the children approached Teddy as soon as they saw Perry’s red armband.
Teddy stared at their frightened faces as the children retreated back to their stalls. “What do the kids do all day?”
“Until they get a school up and running, they just get into trouble,” Perry said with a grin. “The kids, old folks, feeble-minded, and some of the mothers don’t have work assignments and get to stay here all day.”
“A daycare center, a retirement home, and a prison all rolled into one ugly package,” Teddy said.
“That’s a pessimistic view, but I guess I can understand why you’d see it that way—you’re new.”
They turned a corner and arrived at a chain-link section with pedestrian turnstiles. Razor-wire topped the fence and officers wearing riot gear stood guard. A sign hung on the fence: vehicle staging zone – authorized individuals only past this point – use of deadly force authorized. People funneled through the turnstiles one at a time after the attending officers scanned their wrists and allowed them to pass.
“This is where we say goodbye,” Perry said as he came to a stop on the footpath.
Teddy stopped and stood next to him, staring ahead.
The rear gate waited just past the turnstiles where rows of white busses adorned with the Department of Homeland Security logo sat idling waiting for their turn to pass through the vehicular sally port. All of the busses had their windows blacked out. A handful of people lined up to board the last remaining buses while officers handed out rubber gloves, reflective safety vests, and flimsy dust masks.
Community notice, the PA echoed throughout the camp. Work call is commencing. Report to your detail supervisor. Failure to perform your assigned duties is a punishable offense.
Fully-loaded buses were escorted through the heavily fortified vehicular sally port, hosed with disinfectant, and then they headed down a dirt road that stretched out into the horizon.
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Teddy couldn’t help but notice that most of the men and women waiting to board looked like they were in ill-health—many were covered with sores and coughed violently. He prayed that Ein wasn’t one of the unlucky bastards boarding one of those busses.
“You’ll be reporting here every day so I hope you remember how we got here.”
“I’m sure I’ll figure it out.”
“Well, you best get to it. I’ll see you this evening.” Perry turned and started to walk away, but stopped. He looked back over his shoulder towards Teddy. “While you’re out there, take a look around. Maybe then you’ll understand that it’s not so bad in here.”
“I don’t think I’m the one who’s looking at it all wrong, my friend.” Teddy walked towards one of the turnstiles, but was stopped as one of the officers extended a hand and blocked him.
“Hold up,” the officer ordered. His husky voice was muffled by a gas mask. “I have to scan you.”
“I’m from dorm twenty,” Teddy said.
“Good for you,” the officer replied sarcastically. “Everyone has to get scanned.” He snatched Teddy’s wrist, pulled his arm forward, and scanned his RFID implant with a handheld device. He stared down at the screen and then let go.
Teddy rubbed his wrist, frowning.
“Teddy Sanders – dorm twenty,” the officer read from the screen. “Your bus today is number six hundred and nine.” He turned and pointed towards one of the last remaining busses idling with its doors open. “Hurry up—looks like you’re the only one your detail is still waiting for. Your sarge is going to be pissed.”
“Great,” Teddy grumbled to himself.
The officer stepped aside and Teddy walked through the turnstile.
As soon as he passed, a nozzle mounted on the fence rail above his head sprayed him with disinfectant.
Teddy’s eyes stung as he coughed and walked forward—the droplets felt like icy barbs against his skin. As he approached the bus, he saw an officer waiting by its doors holding a pair of yellow gloves, an orange vest, and a dust mask.
The officer was a young clean-shaven Asian man with a bald head and a frostbitten face. The ballistic helmet on his head was tilted askew and the embroidered name on his jacket read P. VUE.
“Sorry I’m late,” Teddy said as he neared. “I got a little turned around trying to find this place.”
“Yo, excuses are like assholes—everyone has one,” Officer Vue said with annoyance. He had a slight Brooklynn inflection in his voice. He turned his head towards the open bus doors. “Sergeant Parham! The new dude finally showed up!”
A short African-American man with a push-broom mustache and small eyes emerged out of the bus and angrily stared out at Teddy. His uniform bore sergeant insignias and was well-pressed. His black boots were polished to a mirror finish—they didn’t appear to have ever seen a day of combat. He wore a patent leather duty belt and a black beret.
Sgt. Parham puffed his chest out, balled his fists, and stormed off of the bus towards Teddy.
Teddy stopped mid-stride.
“Boss, I’m sorry for being late,” Teddy said.
Parham approached him and punched him hard in center of his chest.
Teddy dropped to his knees and gasped as all of the air expunged from his lungs. Veins protruded from his neck and his face turned red as he struggled to take in air. He clutched his chest, wheezing.
“That was from Lieutenant Hock,” Parham said in a Southern twang as he looked down his nose at Teddy. “Special request.”
Parham drove a knee against his face.
Blood shot out of Teddy’s nose as his head snapped backwards. He collapsed on the ground with his arms sprawled over his head.
“That was from me,” Parham sneered. “My time is valuable, so don’t be fucking late next time!”
Teddy coughed up strings of mucus and slowly rolled over onto his hands and knees with blood dripping from his nose.
Parham grabbed him by the collar and yanked him up onto his feet. “Now get your ass onto the bus!”
Disoriented and dizzy, Teddy was surprised just how strong the short man was. He stumbled forward as he gasped for breath in the cold air and wiped his nose. It took every inch of restraint not to turn around and strike back, but he knew that would only end badly for him.
He had to keep pushing forward—he had to find Ein and escape.
Vue shoved a reflective vest, yellow rubber gloves, and a crumpled dust mask against Teddy’s chest as he passed. “Real simple, yo… Be on time next time.”
Teddy didn’t have the breath to respond. He simply walked up the steps with his gear and entered the bus.
It reminded him of a prisoner transport vehicle.
The air smelled stale and reeked of body odor as warm air blasted out of the overhead vents. Rows of seats were sectioned off from the front of the bus by a wire security grille. Two rows of seats where the officers sat were outside of the grille and their windows weren’t blackened like all of the others.
The security grille door was open.
Teddy stared into the back and saw the sunken faces staring back at him—every seat looked occupied.
A burly white officer sat at the driver’s seat with nothing on but black tactical pants and a long-sleeved polo. He had his greasy hair slicked back and a long bushy beard. FEDERAL POLICE was lettered across the back of his shirt and J. Salguero was on his front left breast pocket.
“Kick rocks, dumbass – go find a seat,” Officer Salguero ordered as he gestured towards the back. “Don’t worry… Those pussies back there don’t bite.”
Teddy walked down the narrow aisle clutching his belongings to his chest. He felt like the new kid in school—all eyes were on him and his bloodied nose. This is going to be a long day. He stopped in the middle of the aisle and searched for an open seat, squinting to see inside the darkened bus.
Behind him, Parham and Vue entered the bus. They slammed the grille shut, locked it, and took seats across from one another.
“New marching orders today,” Parham told Salguero as he fastened his seatbelt. He pulled out a red folder from beside his seat that read daily operational schedule. He flipped it open and scanned over one of the papers inside. “Take us to 10th and Jackson in downtown… Old government district.”
“No more residential?” Vue asked the sergeant.
“Plenty more, just none today,” Parham said as he put the folder away.
“Thank God,” Vue said with relief. He sat back with his rifle across his lap. “Man, those apartments smelled like straight shit for real! Gasmasks don’t even help.”
“Burn the whole rotting city down and start over I say,” Salguero muttered coldly. He gazed vacantly ahead.
“Just get us out of here.” Parham leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “We’re already late.”
Salguero picked up the radio mic and pulled the lever to fold the bus doors shut. “Transport six-zero-nine to Jayhawk Control… Permission to disembark—all souls present and accounted for.”
Jayhawk Control copies, six-zero-nine. All clear – proceed to the gate, a tired voice responded.
The bus jerked forward as the vehicle started moving.
Teddy stumbled, but caught himself against one of the seatbacks.
A man wearing an oversized jacket covered with burlap patches motioned over at Teddy. A wool cap covered his long red hair and a stringy goatee hung off the bottom of his pale chin. His nose was bulbous and red.
Teddy looked over at him.
“Window seat open over here, hoss,” the man said in a thick Midwestern accent as he scooted away from the window.
Teddy walked over, slid past him, and plopped down next to him. “Thanks.”
“You betcha! Window seats get chilly… I prefer the aisle.”
The window was painted black from the inside and only a few rogue beams of sunlight came through areas that the paint had been scratched away.
“Not much of a view,” Teddy said.
“None at all,” the man replied with a grin. “I promised you a window, but I never said anything about a view, now did I?” He extended a hand. “Name’s Roger.”
“Teddy,” he answered as he shook the man’s hand.
“Nice to meetchya, Teddy. I—”
Vue kicked against the security grille repeatedly. “No socializing back there! No talking!”
They fell silent.
Roger rolled his eyes and made a jerking motion with his left hand.
Teddy grinned and turned towards his blackened window. As the bus moved through the gate’s sally port, he heard the pressurized disinfectant wash over the exterior and pelt against the glass. He reached up and inconspicuously scratched away some of the black paint off of the glass with his fingernail. He peered through the tiny hole he had made.
He saw a group of heavily armed officers wearing MOPP protective gear standing guard as white-suites hosed the bus down. A dual-gun turret was positioned just outside the fence with its high-caliber barrels pointed towards the bus, and a watch tower with an array of spotlights stood nearby.
Their security detail looked surprisingly formidable— Teddy knew he’d never make it through the rear gate. He would have to think of another way to escape.
The bus cleared the sally port and picked up speed as it sped down the country road.
As the bus got further away, the full expanse of the camp came into view. The razor-wire topped chain-link fence stretched out for miles and concrete watch towers had been spaced every two-hundred yards or so. Behind the fence there were countless dormitories indistinguishable from one another.
Teddy looked at the sprawling compound and couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever find Ein again.
The camp went out of view as the road cut through a solar farm.
He leaned his head back against the headrest and sighed. Finding Ein would be a herculean task, truthfully, probably impossible, but he was determined not to give up. “I’ll find you kid.” He closed his eyes and waited.
CHAPTER 5
Nearly two hours had passed since they left the camp.
Teddy stared out of his window’s peephole at the depressing left-over remnants of the old way of life.
H7N9: The Complete Series [Books 1-3] Page 39