“You think the police will be after us too?” Jordan asked.
“We have to assume the army will communicate with them and let them know we’re fugitives,” Kyle reasoned. “Until they find the truck, we’re being hunted.”
I pulled the map out of my back pocket. “I thought we could use this,” I told him, opening it up. Kyle grinned. I found our location on the map and studied the nearby northern routes. “It looks like as long as we head northeast between I69 and I275 through Michigan, we can get through to Toronto. Once we cross the border, we can get to authorities and let them know what’s going on here.”
Kyle glanced over, and I showed him the route. “That will work,” he said. He turned off the highway and onto a northbound rural road, which was a narrow, two-lane route leading through the countryside.
“I’m going to turn the radio on so we can monitor military communications,” I said, flipping up the power switch. There was nothing but static.
“Just leave it on low,” Kyle said. “We’ll hear it if anyone transmits.” “Is anyone else starving?” Jordan asked from the back seat.
We had been so busy working that I hadn’t thought about food, but my stomach started growling almost on cue. “Yes, let’s eat,” I said.
Jordan climbed into the back and rummaged through the boxes. He climbed into his seat with an armload of cans and some plastic forks from the convenience store. He handed each of us two cans of food and a fork. Beef-a-Roni and potted meat. The ping of pull tops and the whoosh of breaking vacuum seals, followed by the click of plastic utensils sounded as we ate.
“We should reach the border of the contaminated zone in a couple of hours, right?” I asked.
“That depends on what we run into,” Kyle said. “When the sun goes down, we may have to get off the road, especially if we hit a town. We’ll drive until we get close to Ellington, and then we will have to cross the border of the contaminated zone on foot.”
“On foot?” Jordan called out. “Can’t we just keep driving?”
“There will be roadblocks,” Kyle explained. “They’re not going to just let people drive out of a biohazard zone. We’ll have to walk to find an unpatrolled place to cross over.”
“Assuming there is one,” I whispered.
Kyle looked at me and nodded, his jaw tensed.
By nightfall, we had made good progress. I flipped on one of the lights above my seat and looked at the map. “Looks like we’re about two hours out from Ellington,” I said. “There aren’t any more towns on the map between here and there.”
“I think we need to find a place to pull off the road where we can spend the night,” Kyle said.
“Shouldn’t we keep going?” Verna asked. “We’re out in the middle of nowhere.”
“If we get some rest tonight, we’ll be in better shape to walk tomorrow,” Kyle said.
“Kyle’s right,” I agreed. “We should rest up.”
As Kyle drove, we both looked for places to pull off the rural highway. We came to a field with a graveled road leading up to an old barn. “Let’s stop here,” Kyle said, pulling the van up close to the barn and turning off the engine and the radio.
Verna looked around the deserted-looking homestead. “I don’t like this.”
“Don’t worry,” I said. “We can sleep in shifts. I’ll take the first shift for two hours, and then I’ll wake Kyle. He can take over for two hours and then wake Verna. Verna can observe for two hours and then wake Jordan. Give me your watch, Kyle.” He unclasped his timepiece and handed it to me.
“I have to go to the bathroom,” Jordan said.
“Me too,” Kyle admitted.
“Maybe we should all go. We could each take turns while the rest of us stand guard,” I suggested.
We all climbed out with our guns and formed an arc around the side of the van. We took turns going to the bathroom in the middle. It felt ridiculous, but it worked. We climbed back into the van and locked the doors. Those of us who were sleeping adjusted our seats into reclining positions, and soon Verna, Kyle, and Jordan began emitting the soft snores and deep breathing that signaled they were asleep. I sat listening to the sound of their breathing, my mind racing with thoughts of tomorrow’s mission. Waiting in the darkness with no one to talk with, I thought I’d try the radio. I carefully turned the keys back in the ignition to the accessory position. I turned the volume dial to its lowest point and flipped the switch. Slowly increasing the volume until I heard the familiar static, I just sat there letting for a long moment letting the noise push all thoughts from my mind. I’m not sure how long I’d been listening when I heard a voice break the interference.
“Base to all units. Base to all units,” the voice said. “The depot research center has developed the first successful treatment for the virus. BioGenetics has begun producing the serum. We anticipate that distribution will begin next week. Continue maintaining a secure perimeter around the contaminated zone until further notice. Over.” The static resumed. I switched off the radio and turned the ignition key back to the off position. I looked at Kyle’s watch. My two-hour shift was up. I nudged him awake.
“While you were sleeping, I heard on the radio that BioGenetics has developed a serum to treat the virus,” I told him.
“That’s good news,” he said.
“But it doesn’t change anything for us, does it?” I asked. It wasn’t really a question.
“No, it doesn’t,” he said. “They’ll still want us dead. We know too much.” He laid his arm on my shoulder. “Get some rest. Tomorrow we head for Canada.” I stretched and then curled up in my seat to go to sleep.
The next morning, I awoke to the sound of the van starting up. Kyle drove us back onto the road and headed toward Ellington. Jordan was in the back munching on some crackers. Verna was still in a deep sleep.
“It’s great they’ve found a treatment for the virus.” Jordan offered his opinion when he saw that I was awake.
“Yeah, I guess it is,” I said. “At least there’s hope now.”
“You don’t sound happy about it,” Jordan commented.
“I am glad that it will all be over soon,” I admitted. “But life will never be the same for us.
Our families are gone. We’ll never be able to go home. Nothing we had before exists anymore.”
“We have each other,” Kyle said, touching my hand.
I glanced at him and managed the closest thing to a smile I could muster before looking away. The fact was, we all had changed. Our world was nothing like what we believed it was, and there was no way to return. I missed the mind-numbing predictability of my old life, even with its imperfections. I believed now that Mom and Derek were both dead. Aunt Janine could be alive, but even so, I would never be able to seek her out without putting her in danger.
“Looks like we’re all our new family now,” Jordan offered with a wistful expression on his face.
“I think I can live with that,” Verna concluded. “What about you, Kyle.”
Kyle shrugged. “I’ve got nowhere else to be,” he said. “You, Casey?” He turned to face me.
My breath caught in my throat as my eyes met his. I swallowed hard as the familiar ache of tears that won’t come tugged at my eyelids. I could only nod.
We were less than five miles outside of Ellington in a heavily wooded area when Kyle pulled the van off the road. He pulled into a thick swath of trees several feet off the pavement to a spot well-hidden from the highway. “We should walk from here,” he said, shutting off the engine.
I turned in my seat and woke Verna. We each grabbed bags of food, supplies, and a gun and made our way into the woods. The ground was uneven, making it difficult to walk while carrying a load. The thin slippers they’d given us at the compound weren’t good for walking on the rough terrain. We cut deeper and deeper into the woods, constantly heading northeast.
“We should be close to the end of the contaminated zone,” I said, estimating that we’d walked about a mile.
> “Yes, I suppose so,” Kyle agreed. He stopped and scanned the area. “Looks like we’ve found a safe place to cross over.”
“Thank goodness,” Verna sobbed, a tear running down her cheek.
“Yeah,” I said, taking Kyle’s hand. “Let’s go.” THE END
◆◆◆
From the Author
I hope you enjoyed reading this expanded version Viral Dawn as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'd love to hear your thoughts about the story! If you enjoyed this book, I invite you to consider leaving an honest review on your favorite online bookseller. Your reviews are helpful to me because they support my ability to continue bringing you the stories you love. I hope you’ll connect with me through my social media links below. I love hearing from readers and look forward to getting to know you all.
About the Author
Skyler Rankin has been in love with writing since her teenage years when she used to write stories for her friends. “I used to imagine all kinds of made up scenarios and alternate realities for my classmates,” she says.
Professionally, after many years of writing non-fiction, she has turned her attention to the fiction stories that first enticed her into the world of writing. Currently, she lives in Kentucky with her family and her fur babies, two cats, and a dog in her woodland cabin where she gardens, does crafts, and of course, writes.
“I write because I can't imagine not telling stories. My author mind is always looking at people and situations and wondering "what if?" I'll be driving down the highway imagining what would happen if a tornado appeared over the next hill. I might be sitting in a restaurant watching someone eating and wonder what if he's secretly an alien visitor from another planet sent here to case the joint. I love being able to put imagined ideas on paper. In essence, I get to help people escape their everyday realities and dive into a good story, and that makes me happy.
Connect with Skyler Online:
Fiction Blog: https://skylerrankin.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Skyler.Rankin.Author/
Check out samples of Skyler’s audiobook narration projects on the Woodland Media Creative Services page on Youtube.com: https://bit.ly/2FME0W4
Viral Series (Book 1): Viral Dawn [Extended Edition] Page 29