Theodore hopped back into the pilot chair.
“Alright, Bill. Ready to hit the road? You don’t have to take care of any business?”
“I’m good to go. Took care of that earlier.”
Theodore swiped around the tablet, and the propeller fired to life. The plane moved down the road, and once it hit 70 miles per hour, it lifted off, and they cleared the nearest mountain with plenty of room to spare.
Bill glanced out the window, enjoying the forest and looked at the river below, snaking through the mountains.
“If all goes well, we will touch down in L.A. in four hours,” Theodore said.
“When has anything ever went right?”
“You bring up a valid point, but lady luck has to swing our way sooner or later.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Bill said as he glanced in the back seat, which still had plenty of guns and ammo. “We got all the luck we need back there.”
“We don’t know what the concrete jungle in L.A. has in store for us.”
“Does your cousin James have any guns or ammo?”
“Given the current situation, it would not surprise me if he is armed, but I doubt he has a stockpile like you. He’s no connoisseur.”
“What’s the plan?”
“The tentative plan is, we fly in and land as close to his apartment building as we can, get him and fly out and make it somewhere remote and isolated to charge up after that.”
Bill ran his right hand through his beard.
“You and I both know it ain’t going to be that easy.”
“Bill, you take the controls. I’m going to call James and see how he is doing and give him a preliminary ETA.”
Bill quit stroking his beard and grabbed the control. Theodore grabbed his sat phone.
10
Life in the Concrete Jungle
James Harkley, who looked like a 58-year-old version of Tom Hanks, peered out his window with binoculars. Keeta, his loyal Blue Healer, laid on the ground next to him. She was a mixture of black, white, and orange. Outside the window of his penthouse apartment on the 12th floor at the Fontenoy Apartment Building, just a few blocks off Hollywood Boulevard, the world had descended into a place much darker than Bill and Theodore could have imagined. James put the binoculars down.
“Keeta, I talked with cousin Teddy, and he’s coming, girl.”
She wagged her tail as James patted her on the head.
Besides some two by six boards on the floor, the apartment was spacious and minimalist. It had views of the Hollywood sign to the north and the Capitol Records building to the east. The front room had a black leather sectional couch and a glass coffee table. The apartment had an original oak floor.
James laid out on the couch. It had been a difficult few months since the virus/zombie outbreak. He was one of the few that took it seriously and living in a city; he didn’t want to play musical chairs with everyone else in the city and face empty store shelves, so once trouble was on the horizon, James stockpiled.
Never too much at one store. He’d get a little bit at this Costco and then go to a Ralphs and get a bit more. This early planning worked wonders, and once things got horrible and people were desperate, and zombies became abundant, James was locked and loaded.
Since he had a penthouse sweet, he broke the elevator so that no one could come up. That left the stairs as the only way up, but James had a plan for that. He had lots of tools leftover from his construction days. He brought a circular saw with plenty of concrete blades, and he destroyed enough of the stairs so that the only way anyone could manage to get up to the 12th floor would be to build a makeshift bridge.
That meant no zombies and probably no people either—too much hassle. James would use a few two by six boards to make a bridge once it was time to leave. It had been a pretty comfortable life besides running out of fruits and veggies. The apartment had a little balcony, and Keeta could do her business there, and James would send it down as a gift to whoever was below. With no power, he had to use camp stoves for cooking, but he had plenty of fuel canisters.
James had only one job now. Wait for Theodore and make sure he could make it to the plane on time, which in theory, should not be hard. That is, of course, if Theodore could get the plane close enough. James didn’t want to risk a recon mission. The sat phone sat next to James, as he was eager for the next call. He was about ready to punch his ticket out of the concrete jungle.
11
Crash Landing
The San Gabriel Mountains came into view. Poking up behind them, Theodore could see the tall buildings of downtown Los Angeles. He had never seen visibility like this in the city of angels. There were some buildings on fire and black smoke, but it wasn’t as bad as normal pollution.
Theodore glanced at the tablet and saw the battery was at 18 percent, which exceeded his expectations. Bill peered out the window taking in the mountains and the ocean.
“Can you feel it, Teddy?” Bill asked.
“Feel what?”
“A knot in your stomach. I can feel it. LA will be crazier than anything we’ve seen so far. We are heading into war.”
Theodore had been more preoccupied with landing the plane, not the craziness that would ensue.
“You decide where you are taking the plane down?” Bill asked.
“With no airfield close by, I’ve decided to chance it and take it down on Hollywood Boulevard.”
“I got to thinking, and do you think Trump is still alive?”
“Why would you be thinking about such a thing?”
Bill shifted in his seat.
“I don’t know, it just popped into my head, but do you think he is alive.”
“Given the current world situation, who cares?”
“Always kind of liked the guy. It would be a shame if he were a zombie.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I hope he is a zombie. Now, please, let’s focus. It is almost game time.”
Bill reached into the back seat and grabbed a thirty-aught-six rifle.
“Teddy, you should know by now, I don’t need pep talks.”
“Fine. Please be quiet so I can focus on the landing.”
They flew in silence, and soon they were over Burbank and North Hollywood. Theodore flew the plane to the east so he could get a direct line on Hollywood Boulevard. He could see the massive sprawl of LA.
Theodore hoped the street wasn’t littered with cars, but they had to take the risk. The tall buildings of Hollywood came into sight. The elevation of the plane decreased as they passed over Highway 101.
The plane was in-between ten and twenty story buildings on each side of it. The ground was getting closer and Theodore had sweaty palms as the landing gear smashed onto the pavement of the street. He slowed the propeller and pumped on the brake to slow the plane. There weren’t many cars, and Theodore was able to avoid most of them.
Then, he heard a loud crunch—the right-wing clipped a parked SUV. Theodore had misjudged the distance, and the plane spun to the right as a chunk of the wing broke off.
Crap. The plane smashed into a pizza place. Bill and Theodore jerked forward but their seat belts kept them from smashing into the windshield. The propeller came to a halt, but was still operational. Theodore grabbed the sat phone and punched some numbers on it.
“James, this is Theodore. We are on the ground, but the plane got damaged during landing. Should we come to you?”
“Let me think for a second,” James said.
A few long seconds passed. Theodore focused on his phone call. Bill, on the other hand, scanned the perimeter, looking for humans or zombies.
“Teddy, how bad is the plane?” James asked.
“I’m not entirely certain, but the right-wing smashed a car and part of it broke off. The plane will never fly again,” Theodore said.
“Damn. Can you still drive it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Does the propeller still work? If so, maybe we can drive it down the street, if it stil
l has battery life.”
“We’d have to test it, but the propeller was working until we crashed into the pizza place and powered it down. Even if we could, where would we go?”
“We could go to the harbor and get ourselves a boat. How else will we get back? It might be the safest way.”
“No, there has to be another way.”
“Teddy, I don’t think there is. Good luck finding enough gas for a car. Can’t go to the airfields because they have all been sucked dry. With a sailboat, we have a shot.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Well, Keeta and I are coming down. See you soon.”
Theodore put the phone down.
“Crap, crap, crap.”
Bill patted Theodore on the shoulder.
“It’ll be okay, buddy,” Bill said.
“No, Bill, it won’t. I can’t and won’t go on the water, and you know why.”
12
Keeta, lets go
James took a glance out the window of the apartment building, taking in the familiar sights. He was a little sad to leave but was more concerned about staying alive than nostalgia.
“Okay, Keeta. We are out of here, girl.”
James had two huge hiking backpacks filled to the brim. They had had a few pieces of clothes but mostly was food that he had hoarded. Now that the flight to Coos Bay got canceled, they would need every bit of food.
He would have to carry one pack on his back and another on his front. It wouldn’t be easy, but they weren’t far away. The only problem would be if he had to run. First things first, he thought.
James unbolted the three deadbolt locks that secured his front door. Next, he grabbed a few of the two by sixes and went to the stairwell. He laid the boards down so that he could bridge the missing steps, and the boards were at a 45-degree angle. It would be tricky to navigate it. He grabbed a drill that had a full battery thanks to the solar power bank he tapped into from the roof. James drilled in big concrete grade screws to fasten the board so the wood wouldn’t slide when it was crossing time.
One by one, he threw the backpacks across the gap. He didn’t want to try to walk across the boards and lose balance. The bags were across, and he decided to leave his sat phone. Theodore already had one, so no point.
James whistled, and Keeta came. They walked out of the apartment to the stairwell.
“Alright, girl, time to go across.”
She was skittish and didn’t want to cross it.
“Come on girl.”
James gave her a nudge, but she wouldn’t budge.
“Looks like I will leave without you.”
The idea of using boards as a bridge seemed like an easy plan, but now that James stared down at the 45-degree angle, he was intimidated. He took a deep breath.
He put his left foot on the board and then went for it. His heart was pounding like a jackhammer, but he made it. Keeta was still at the top of the stairs. There was no chance in hell that James would leave her behind.
“Keeta, come on. It is okay.”
She wouldn’t budge.
“Fine. I will see you later.”
James wasn’t sure if the dog would call his bluff, but he managed to load up both packs. He put one strap from each bag over one shoulder. It was awkward, but it would work for a short time.
He went down the stairs hoping Keeta would come. A flight down the stairs and guess who showed up. Yep, Keeta came smiling and wagging her tail.
13
Getting James Harkley
Theodore’s foot tapped as Bill sized up the zombies moving toward the plane.
“How much longer is your cousin going to be?” Bill asked.
“He should be here any minute.”
“With all the ruckus we made coming in, we got every zombie in the area coming.”
“Perhaps we should try to back the plane up and straighten it out so we can try driving down the road.”
Around twenty zombies ran toward the plane.
“Screw this. I’m getting out and cleaning up shop.”
Bill got the ammo vest in the back that had extra magazines attached to it. With his trusty thirty-aught-six, Bill got out guns blazing.
POP. POP. POP. Twenty zombies turned into ten zombies. Soon the zombies were all on the ground, and their bodies dissolved.
Theodore opened the pilot’s door.
“Hey, Bill. I’ll steer, and you try pushing the plane back so we can get it away from the building.”
Bill nodded and moved toward the front of the plane. The wings of the Solar Plane have a metal tube that runs from the wing down to the base of the plane; this gave Bill a leverage point. He put the rifle strap over his shoulder so the gun rode on his back.
Bill crouched down and pushed with all of his might, and the plane slowly rolled back. Theodore steered the plane and they managed to get it away from the building and on the road.
Around the corner came a smiling James Harkley with his two huge backpacks. Knowing they were in a time crunch to get on the road before trouble arrived, Bill jogged over to help James. Keeta growled.
“Keeta, play nice,” James said.
It worked, Keeta mellowed out.
“I guess you must be James. Damn, you do look like Tom Hanks,” Bill said as he grabbed the second backpack.
“Thanks. So, are you, Bill?”
“The one and only.”
They moved their way back to the plane. With the backpacks, guns, ammo, three people and a dog, the plane woud be cramped. Bill opened the co-pilot door. He sat the pack on the ground.
Theodore smiled and said, “James, fantastic to see you. I only wish it were under better circumstances.”
James peaked in the plane and said, “Me too, cousin. Me too.”
Bill climbed in the plane and into the back seat. He moved the guns and chainsaw around and stacked them, so there was enough room for him to sit down.
“Okay, hand me the packs.”
James handed one pack at a time. The back was crowded, but it worked. James got in, and Keeta hopped in and sat on the floor by James’s feet.
Theodore swiped his finger around the tablet, and the propeller turned on. Since they still had one good wing, he couldn’t go too fast. They started going about 20 miles per hour, but it was working.
They started off moving their way down Hollywood Boulevard. The streets were empty.
“Was I the only one that wanted to see a famous actor who turned into a zombie so that I could blast them away?” Bill asked.
Theodore rolled his eyes.
“I think you are on your own, Bill.”
James turned around to face Bill in the back seat.
“Actually, once the virus morphed into the whole zombie thing, I killed a famous actor. Jared Padalecki.”
“Who?” Bill asked.
“Jared Padalecki. He rose to fame on the Gilmore Girls and was also on the Supernatural show.”
“I have no idea what you are talking about, but I’m going to take your word for it. I don’t watch TV. I’ll go to a movie once in a while, but when it comes to TV, I have no idea.”
“He’s not an A-lister, but he’s pretty famous.”
“I thought if we could blast away someone famous. Tom Cruise or Johnny Depp or something, but only if they turned into zombies.”
“Maybe we will get lucky on the way out of town.”
Theodore glanced at James.
“So, should we head to the Hollywood-Burbank airfield and try to find a new plane?”
“Theodore, I love you like a brother, but we aren’t getting a plane. I’m sure those fuel reserves at the airport got depleted. Any plane with enough fuel is gone. Trust me. You got 10 million people here. Marina Del Rey, it is.”
Theodore let out a huge sigh and stopped the plane.
“Guys, I haven’t been on that water since that day.”
Bill patted Theodore on his right shoulder.
“It’s alright, buddy. You helped me conquer m
y fear, and I can help you too.”
James chimed in, “We don’t have many options, and I know where you are at man. The first time I got on a boat,” James said as he petted Keeta, “I was in a dark spot, and I ended up in Dutch Harbor. It was winter and dark all day long. I was drinking like a fish. Through a buddy, I got a job on the back deck of a boat called the Half Moon Bay, a 126 foot San Marco drag boat. Luckily I wasn’t fired because I showed up to the boat drunk. The captain was a guy named Hank Danson. He and the rest of the crew helped. Either way, I fell asleep on the boat, and the next morning woke up in the middle of the Bering Sea. It was dark; the boat crashed around. The fear was long gone, and it gave me the opening to start living the rest of my life.”
Theodore’s eyes watered, and a tear rolled down his eyes. He turned the propeller back on and kept driving. Swerving left and right to miss cars and trucks. The sidewalk had a steady stream of gray, sad-looking zombies, but the plane was going too fast for the zombies to catch them.
They turned south and began heading through side streets, hoping for fewer cars blocking the road. They were in luck as they drove through the areas of Fairfax and La Brea. They passed nice neighborhoods with single-family homes with palm trees lining the street.
14
Marina Del Rey
They arrived at Marina Del Rey, which was still chock full of sailboats and small yachts. The 13 mile trip to the harbor only took about 45 minutes and provided less resistance than any of them could have imagined.
Theodore stopped the plane and clammed up. His legs felt like a million pounds.
“Woohoo, time to set sail boys,” Bill said.
James and Keeta got out of the plane. Keeta darted around, smelling anything worth smelling. The air was salty and fresh.
A Post Apocalyptic Virus Story (Book 2): Surviving The Virus [L.A. Rescue Mission] Page 4