Spore Series | Book 2 | Choke

by Soward, Kenny

  He dug his spoon into his cereal and shoveled some into his mouth. As he chewed, he looked around at the bustle in the food court. His eyes stopped when they spotted Tricia, and his breath caught when she turned her attention his way and stared back at him. Her expression was stoic, her hazel eyes cold and unfeeling. But something in her face softened, and a tiny smile lit the corners of her mouth. Randy returned the smile and felt his uncertainty melt away.

  Jenny made a gagging sound. “I guess she’s okay if you enjoy having rocks for friends.”

  “Shut up, Jenny,” he said, glancing at his sister with an annoyed expression. “Can’t you see it’s an act? She’s a good girl.” Seeing her scoff, Randy pressed his point. “We’re all good people, but some of us have to make tough decisions. We know that as well as anyone.”

  Jenny frowned and dug around in her oatmeal. “I’m just looking out for you.”

  “I know you are,” he said. “We need to go along with the program here.”

  “Or we can leave.”

  Randy turned to Jenny with a look of genuine concern. The thought of leaving had never crossed his mind. “Are you kidding me? We reached civilization, and you want to leave?”

  “I’m all for civilization,” Jenny said. “But this isn’t what I had in mind. I was thinking a nice, dry town out west where they don’t get fungi, and people treat each other okay.”

  Randy understood her sentiment. “If a place like that actually exists, we’ll find it. Until then, this is all we’ve got.”

  Jenny nodded, but didn’t look convinced.

  “Okay, let’s go!” Tricia shouted. “My group to me.”

  “The mistress calls us,” Jenny said with a sneer on her lips.

  He only rolled his eyes as they took their bowls up and stacked them on a collection table like they’d been told. A group of workers stood by to take the dirty dishes and, Randy presumed, clean and put them away. They gathered around the corporal, and when everyone in their group was present, they followed her to the end of the terminal at gate thirty-one.

  “Give your clothing tags to John, and he’ll get you squared away,” Tricia shouted, gesturing at a man standing at the head of some carts.

  The twins handed John their tickets, then he brought their clothes. Randy took his clothes, happy to see someone had washed and folded them.

  “See, this isn’t so bad,” he said, holding up his clothes to Jenny.

  His sister placed her clothes in a seat and checked through them. “They forgot my socks.”

  “Where are the dressing rooms?” someone called out.

  “Good question,” Tricia called back. “To your right you will see a tarp for the ladies, and on your left, a tarp for the gents. If you’re shy, you can change your clothes behind them. The people to your left and right will become your new family. You’ll depend on them to watch your back, and you’ll watch theirs. You’ll be as tight as brothers and sisters within a week.”

  Many took advantage of the tarps to change in private, including Randy and Jenny. Others stripped down and changed right out in the open. He figured they’d been around a while, and it didn’t bother them to be naked in front of strangers. He also noticed a competitiveness between the young men and women. They saw an advantage to being young in the demanding new world. Many took an outright pride in it.

  After Randy dressed and stepped out from behind the tarp, he saw some in the group wore white bands on their arms marked with symbols of black raptor heads. He thought it looked cool, but it seemed arrogant, too. No one was a raptor in this world. They were all clinging to life, trying to keep their heads above water and hoping for the best.

  “All right,” Tricia called out. “Everyone follow me. We’re going down to a tent where we’ll suit up in our protective gear. Then we’ll load you into the back of a troop transport and head into the city.

  They followed the corporal through the gate and across a bridge to a set of steps. From there, they descended down a staircase and through a tunnel that led to a tent filled with racks of protective garments: Tyvek coveralls, hoods, air filtration masks, gloves, and duct tape. Randy picked out a pair of coveralls that fit and put them on. Since he and Jenny had a lot of practice, they slipped into theirs quickly while others struggled.

  After that, he picked out an air filtration mask, hood, and gloves. He and Jenny used duct tape to seal any gaps around their wrists or neck areas. Within fifteen minutes, they’d sealed themselves tight.

  “Nice,” Tricia said with an appreciative look. “Make sure you grab a working flashlight out of the box, too.”

  As Randy got himself and his sister each a flashlight, the others gave the twins dark looks. That was fine by him. People could look at them anyway they wanted, as long as they didn’t get into their space or keep them from doing their jobs.

  “All right,” Tricia called, “down the tunnel and into the trucks.”

  They followed the corporal down a long, canvas tunnel with fans blowing in the direction they were walking. Randy assumed that was to ensure spores didn’t flow back up the tunnel to infiltrate the gate area.

  They stepped into a sunny early morning, and he squinted into the sunlight that reflected off his visor. Asphyxia covered the grassy parts of the airfield, though he noted it seemed dry and brittle, and the crimson color had all but faded.

  Was it dying?

  Tricia ushered them into a troop transport, and they took their seats as the truck pulled out.

  The corporal stood and grasped a leather handle above her head. “When the truck stops, you will all follow your respective squad leader and move to your assigned block. From there, you will go house to house, four to a house, collecting in this priority; bottled water, food, disinfectant, bleach, first aid supplies, and bedding. Other supplies may hold value. Check with me if you’re not sure.

  “The strike teams should have already cleared all the houses of people and weapons. If you find either, you are to notify a leader immediately. You are not to pick up weapons, do you understand? You are not to move or hide anything. Simply carry all collectibles out to the wooden skids already placed in the streets and driveways. The collection team will come behind us to pick those up and drive them back to the Colony.”

  Tricia almost sounded like an airplane stewardess reciting seatbelt instructions prior to takeoff. Everyone nodded, and Randy rolled his shoulders and prepared for the workday ahead.

  Chapter 20

  Randy and Jenny Tucker, Indianapolis, Indiana

  The troop transport rumbled through the outskirts of Indianapolis until Randy got the direction of the Colony turned around in his head. The truck eased around turns and rumbled down straightaways, giving the impression the driver didn’t want to remain in one spot very long.

  He expected more wrecked vehicles in the roads, but when he looked behind them, he saw someone had moved aside the wreckage and dragged the fungus-ridden corpses into neat rows on the sidewalk. Randy had to turn his head to keep from gagging.

  He should be used to dead bodies, though he was grateful they still grossed him out. That made him feel a little more human. Aside from the bodies and wreckage, there were dozens of unblemished vehicles Randy assumed the Colony would confiscate.

  There wasn’t much time to think about it, because the truck turned the corner and came to a hard stop in the middle of the street. Tricia and the other squad leader lowered the truck’s tailgate and jumped out. They gestured for the scavengers to follow, and a moment later they were all gathered in a suburban street, looking around at the houses. He noted that two houses had burnt to the ground, but the rest were undamaged.

  “Randy, Jenny, Kirk, Stephanie.” Tricia pointed at one house. “You’ve got that one. The front door should already be open.” Then she pointed down at a pair of skids near the curb. “Bring scavenged items out and stack them on these skids here.”

  The twins exchanged a glance, and Randy gestured for Jenny to follow him inside. As they climbed the
driveway, Kirk and Stephanie jogged up to the front door and hustled inside. He didn’t know the two scavengers; they were regular teens like the twins, but they seemed like busybodies to him.

  “Not too eager, are we?” Randy mumbled to himself as they entered a plain but simple living room with a big screen television, a couch, and a recliner on the far end.

  Judging by the noise coming out of the kitchen, Kirk and Stephanie were already scavenging the food stores.

  Randy walked down the hallway leading to the bedrooms when he stopped to open a door that led down into a dark basement. He held up a flashlight, flipped it on, and aimed it down the stairs. There was carpet on the floor.

  “Score,” he said. “It’s probably a finished basement.”

  Jenny’s voice rose with muted enthusiasm. “They might have a storage room down there, too.”

  “Exactly.”

  The twins descended the stairs and looked around. It was a small family room space with a full bathroom and spare bedroom. He found the storage room in a sectioned off area that housed the furnace and air conditioning units.

  “Yes!” he exclaimed as they looked inside. “They’ve got water, paper towels, and some canned goods down here. Oh, and I see some cleaning products, too. I think those were on the list.”

  The twins passed through the bathroom and entered the bedroom on the other side.

  “There’s tons of bedding and towels here,” Jenny said. “We’ll need all this stuff.”

  “I’ll help you.” Randy grabbed the pillows and put them into a pile, and together they folded up the comforter. Soon, they had a pile of blankets, pillows, and towels on the bed.

  “You take this stuff out, and I’ll grab the bottled water and cleaning supplies.”

  “It doesn’t feel right.” Jenny held out her arms. “None of this stuff is ours.”

  “I know what you mean, sis.” Randy grabbed the bedding and began stacking it in Jenny’s arms. “Mom and Dad taught us not to steal. That it’s one of the worst, most disrespectful things you can do to someone. But things are different now. We can’t look at these houses and this stuff as someone’s property anymore. They’re resources, fields ripe for harvest, just like our fields were.”

  “I guess,” Jenny said, looking glum. Even though she felt guilty about doing it, Jenny never slacked. Once the pile was so high, she barely saw over it, she exited the bedroom and jogged the scavenged goods up the stairs to take them outside.

  He returned to the storage area and gathered up a case of bottled water. He turned to exit but found Kirk blocking his way. The young man was almost as tall as Randy, though he didn’t have Randy’s wide shoulders and girth.

  “Hi, Kirk. I didn’t hear you come down. We found—”

  With a sneer, Kirk shoved him back and lifted the bottled water out of his arms. Before Randy could retaliate, Kirk stepped out of the room and was gone.

  “Ass,” Randy murmured, his face going red with embarrassment as he reminded himself to watch out for Kirk in the future. He bent down and grabbed several bottles of bleach and cleaning solution from the bottom shelf and took it outside where Jenny was waiting for him next to the skid.

  Corporal Ames stood by, taking inventory on a clipboard. He put the cleaning items down next to the bedding and turned to Tricia to voice a complaint about Kirk.

  “You guys are way behind Kirk and Stephanie,” Tricia said firm-lipped before he could get a word out. “I hope you guys can bring back enough stuff to get your ration tonight.” The corporal shook her head at the twins’ small pile of things. “Remember, food and water get bonus points.”

  “There are different points for things?” Randy gave the corporal a sour expression, his face growing red with embarrassment as he realized Kirk had not only shoved him, but he’d taken his higher-rated goods.

  “I told you this was a competition.” Tricia smiled and pointed. “The next house is over there. Kirk and Stephanie are already inside.”

  Randy gestured to Jenny, and the two jogged over to the new house. Just as they were about to enter, Kirk came charging through with two cases of bottled juice in his arms, clipping his arm as he passed.

  “Ow!” Randy exclaimed, narrowing his eyes at Kirk’s back as Stephanie followed close behind the young man with a box of canned goods in her arms.

  “That guy rubs me the wrong way,” he scowled.

  Jenny’s eyes bored into Kirk’s back. “Maybe we need to step up our game.”

  “You’ve got that right,” he replied, then the twins entered and looked for things to scavenge.

  One thing that Kirk hadn’t counted on was Randy’s fierce competitiveness. He’d played sports his entire life and knew how to beat an opponent both through strategy and force of will. The twins moved faster, yet Kirk and Stephanie still beat them for the good stuff in the next two houses.

  “We need to try something different,” Jenny said. She stood in a driveway and panted in her mask. “Kirk and Stephanie aren’t going into half the rooms. They’re just racking up the food and water points and then leaving. And they’re already at the next house.”

  “I know,” Randy said. His hopes waned at having a good meal that evening. “I think I have an idea. Let’s go.”

  At the next house, Kirk and Stephanie had already taken the food stuff, so he led his sister straight into the garage. Shining his flashlight around, Randy revealed one car parked inside. Tool chests rested on rollers while children’s toys and metal shelves filled the rest of the space.

  With a grin, Randy turned to his sister. “Go back inside and start grabbing the lower score items. Bedding, food that Kirk and Stephanie left behind. Stack it all out here.”

  “Okay,” Jenny said, and she jogged back inside to do what Randy asked.

  He made his way to the garage door and searched for the door release. He found it hanging down with a small plastic handle on the end. Reaching up, he grabbed the plastic handle and pulled down, releasing the door with a loud popping sound.

  The door raised up a few inches, and Randy grabbed the handle and swung it up to open it the rest of the way. Then he got behind a tool chest and rolled it down the driveway and into the street, pulling it up alongside the skid where Corporal Ames stood. The tools would have been worth several hundred dollars a month ago, though the end of the world made them worthless. Still, it was a start.

  “Can you count this?” Randy asked the corporal.

  “Tools are nice.” Tricia nodded as she took stock of the chest. “But it isn’t food or water.”

  “On it,” he said, and he jogged back into the garage, grabbed the handle of a red wagon, and pulled it over to some of the shelves Kirk and Stephanie hadn’t bothered to check.

  They’d left behind several boxes of paper towels, two cases of bottled water, and some disinfectant wipes. Randy stacked the items in the red wagon. He saw that Jenny had already stacked several piles of bedding and clothing items in bags, and he added those to the top of the pile.

  Randy quickly wheeled the items down into the street and stacked them on the skid.

  “Not bad,” Tricia said, twisting her lips in an impressed manner. “You’re inching closer.”

  With a smile, Randy and Jenny cleared the rest of the houses in the same manner. He would pop the garage doors and wheel his wagon inside. They brought out two or three loads to every one of Stephanie and Kirk’s, and soon there wasn’t enough space left on the skids to put everything.

  “Just leave it on the side,” Tricia said. “They’ll bring more skids.”

  By that time, Kirk and Stephanie had caught on to the twins’ strategy and started checking garages, too. But Randy and Jenny had a system down, and they had the red wagon. And he made sure one of them guarded the wagon at all times, because he knew Kirk would try to steal it if given half a chance.

  Their strategy caused Kirk and Stephanie to do a more thorough check of their houses, which they should have been doing anyway. And it gave Jenny and Randy
a chance to catch up.

  After an hour, he saw the opportunity he’d been looking for. While Kirk and Stephanie were on the last house in a row, he guided Jenny around the corner where he was sure the next house would be. Sure enough, the team who’d gone ahead of them had thrown down skids in the street, so the houses would be unlocked and ready to scavenge.

  They left the wagon on the front porch and plunged straight to the kitchen where they found a pantry full of canned goods, a case of fruit juice, several packages of chips and snacks, and an assortment of other items.

  They fit the entire pantry into the wagon, and Jenny had to follow behind Randy with her hands resting on top, so nothing fell out as they wheeled it down to the pallet. After transferring the items from the wagon to the pallet, Jenny pulled the wagon back up to the house to finish scavenging the pantry while he stayed behind to make sure their finds got counted.

  Kirk and Stephanie came around the corner with Tricia in tow. Their competition had kicked it into high gear, huffing and puffing as they leapfrogged Randy and Jenny’s house to go to the next one over.

  Tricia shook her head as she gaped at the amount of goods the twins had already collected. “I need to find a wagon for everyone on my team. We’ll kill the competition.” Then the corporal started counting their goods.

  Randy laughed and backed up the driveway. “And I’ll bet Jergensen gives you a week of leave if you beat everyone.”

  Tricia glanced up with a smile behind her visor. “Something like that.”

  After he and Jenny made one more trip to clear out the pantry, Jenny wheeled the wagon around to the front while he popped the garage. They found two plastic bins full of clothes, two bikes, and two five-gallon jugs of gasoline they’d have to come back for.

  As Randy wheeled the heavy wagon down the driveway, Jenny tapped the top of the pile and gestured to the next house over. “Hey. Look at that.”