by Tristan Vick
Taking in the sights of the ruins of Newcastle, Rachael suddenly looked over at Alyssa. They shared the same sense of bewilderment. Both had been held captive when the city was falling apart all around them. They really had no clue of how bad it had gotten until now.
Amid the rot and decay, the road they had just traversed now looked as though it had been flooded by a river of blood. The red tributary glistened in the twilight of the setting sun. It was almost serene.
Worn with fatigue, each of them watched in silence as the convoy pulled out of Newcastle City. General Greer got back on the two-way and, with a bit of brevity, announced, “We are officially leaving Nightmare City. Sit back and enjoy the ride, and if anyone dare asks when we’ll get there, I swear to god I will leave you by the side of the road. Over.”
Smiles of elation topped with relief stretched across everyone’s faces. They were scot-free.
PART THREE
The Third Coast
THE LAURENTIAN GREAT LAKES
40
The Third Coast
With a mechanical clunk, the heavy duty, thirty-foot tall blast doors unbolted, and a whirr of screeching gears rattled as they slowly opened. A streak of light cracked through the massive steel doors as they opened.
Mitchell Reinhart, a tall bearded ginger bordering on the Paleolithic, and Linda Sheridan, a stout woman with darkly painted eyes, a bobbed haircut, and a full sleeve of tattoos on both arms stood and watched the massive gates of the North Portal open as the convoy of vehicles entered into the bay area of Sector Twenty-Seven.
Leading the caravan was a tan military issue Humvee, followed by a yellow school bus, a Winnebago, a mud-spattered sapphire-blue Toyota Tundra with an extended crew cab, and finally, taking up the rear, a Komatsu LAV painted with the muddy color of dried blood.
Once the caravan was safely inside, the gargantuan doors shuddered to a halt, reversed direction, and began to close again.
General Greer was the first to step out and approach the two military personnel waiting to greet them.
Mitchell Reinhart raised his Paul Bunyan-like arms, waved at his friend, and bellowed, “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes!”
Greer smiled as he took Mitch’s hand and gave it a hardy shake. Mitch and Linda were only the manpower behind Sector Twenty-Seven; the brains of the outfit belonged to the late Patricia Hemingway. Everything from biological engineering, to pharmaceutical development, to virology and toxicology were all overseen and guided by Hemingway’s brilliance. Sadly, Greer knew that if she wasn’t already there waiting to greet him with the others, she likely had not made it back alive. He suspected as much when he saw Rachael Ramirez return without saying so much as a word about her disappearance. It wasn’t hard to put two and two together.
“Nice to see your still up and kicking, General.”
“Likewise, Mitch” Greer looked back to make sure nobody had stepped out of the vehicles yet. Turning back toward Mitchell, he asked the imperative question, “Any word from the president?”
“The president is on Olympus,” Reinhart informed him in a hushed voice.
Greer merely nodded in the affirmative. Olympus was code for the International Space Station. If the President of the U.S. was off-planet, that meant things were far more serious than he had originally believed. It also meant that Greer wasn’t the fuckup he felt he was. Greer knew that the quarantine failure of Newcastle City alone wouldn’t be enough to scare the president off world, so something bigger was going on. Olympus was a last resort for a global biological attack. Unlike a nuclear attack, where you could escape underground, things were a little trickier with biological warfare.
Nodding her chin at the train of cars, Linda quipped, “Looks like you brought the whole circus with you.”
Greer whipped out a cigar and lit up.
“Picked up a few stragglers along the way,” he said between puffs.
Stepping out of the vehicles, curious passengers consisting of men, women, and children looked around with probing eyes. Sector Twenty-Seven was built inside an underground cavern so massive it could easily fit a five-story building. The cave contained an entrance built right into the face of the rock walls. It looked like something out of a James Bond flick. A black tank, a black Humvee, and six heavily armed Marines, dressed in full gear, guarded the entrance.
“Holy shit-balls!” Zanato exclaimed, stepping out of the Komatsu. “I don’t freakin’ believe it! It’s like the Bat cave.”
Jennifer, Rachael, and Alyssa got out of the Humvee at the same time and came over to where the General was standing. Others gathered around too, and waited for someone to inform them as to what was going on.
“Welcome to the Third Coast, ladies and gentlemen,” said Mitch Reinhart in his booming voice. His balding head gleamed under the halogens, which dangled from the cave ceiling like Chinese paper lanterns.
Addressing the crowd, Reinhart said, “As you know by now, you are in what is designated Sector Twenty-Seven, but we commonly refer to it here as The Third Coast. This is the science division of the United States Military. Our work here is beyond classified, but since it also happens to be the safest and most secure location in the country, if not the world, we welcome you to join us here as our guests.”
Immediately several hands went up without his prompting, including Zanato’s. Linda shot Mitch a look that said he had better address some of their concerns. He knew she was right, of course. She almost always was.
Among the dirty and weary faces looking at him, many appeared as though they were still in shock, so maybe a little reassurance would go a long way to provide some much needed peace of mind. Pointing to Zanato, Mitch asked, “Do you have a question, son?”
“Where are we, exactly?”
“You are approximately two hundred and fifty feet under Lake Erie. The entrance to the facility you see behind me goes an additional four hundred feet underground.”
Linda jumped in and began spouting off statistics with impressive fluidity.
“Lake Erie is the shallowest of all of the Great Lakes. It sits at a hundred and sixteen cubic meters in volume, is fifty-seven miles across, and is the ideal location to put a base for all the obvious reasons. The first is that it provides adequate cover for both protection and secrecy. Secondly, the lake provides enough fresh water for all our basic needs. Of course we filter and purify it before we use it, but it’s enough water to supply us for decades. The water also generates our power, and keeps everything from the base’s electricity to the air purifiers running. Finally, I hope you all like fish, because that’s what’s we’re having for dinner.”
One of the small children tugged on his mother’s sleeve and protested, “But mamma, I don’t like fish.”
This caused a bit of amusement among the rest of the group, and, looking somewhat embarrassed, the boy’s mother shushed him. After the small interlude, other hands shot up. Mitch pointed his thick forefinger at a skinny woman wearing baggy clothes, a hemp bracelet, and thick black-framed glasses that made her look like a librarian hipster. Sexy and nerdy all at the same time. “If this is the safest place on the earth, does that mean the president is here?”
Mitch looked over at Greer and said, “This one is all yours.”
Greer cleared his throat. “My name is General Thompson Greer, First Homeland Science Division, and I will keep you posted on any and all important updates as they come in. As for the lady’s question, no, the president has declared a national state of emergency and is currently in an undisclosed location coordinating with the National Guard and military officials as Commander in Chief.”
More hands shot up.
“Yes, you sir,” Mitch said, raising his voice to match the volume of excitement of the small crowd.
A tall man with rugged features spoke up. “How bad it is? I mean, the epidemic. Is it just the East Coast or everywhere?”
“I’m afraid it’s bad. The last reports of the viral threat were of large-scale diffusion.”
Noticing the General’s consternation, Reinhart stepped up to the plate. Putting his fist to his mouth, he cleared his throat and said, “That is correct, ma’am. Although today’s wire hasn’t come in yet, the last update I received mentioned reports coming in from every major airport from Tokyo to Seoul, Hong Kong to Berlin, and back again. The only place that hadn’t reported any signs of the infection was Moscow.”
Gasps of exasperation broke out across the crowd. People were stunned, shocked, and dismayed.
A large burly man, with two full sleeves of tattoos, a Harley Davidson sleeveless biker vest, and a salt and pepper beard that would make the patriarch from Duck Dynasty envious, stepped forward. “I have two kids in college. Is there any chance in hell I can contact them?”
“I have kids too!” a woman shouted.
“I’ve got grandchildren,” another said.
“What about our children?”
Soon the roar of the crowd drowned out the general’s pleas for everyone to calm down. Rachael stepped forward and took her place next to Greer. Her bright yellow biker jacket and super-tight dress that amplified her buxom form caught everyone’s attention. She turned to the audience, raised her hand, and waited for the chatter to die down.
“I lost my son to this, this plague. We’ve all lost loved ones. Friends, family, colleagues. I’m sure you all have been to hell and back, but we’ve made it this far. Let’s just take a deep breath, calm down, and get something to eat. We’ll regroup later when we have our heads on straight and can hash out a real plan.” Spinning back around she looked at the general. “Does that sound alright to you, General?”
“I couldn’t have put it better myself,” he answered, taking another drag on his chubby cigar.
Linda put her fingers to her lips and blew a sharp whistle. Everyone’s attention snapped onto her. “Listen up folks. Lodgings are limited, so if you’re not with your own family, you’ll be assigned a roommate. If you find your bunk mate disagreeable and have a problem, we will do our best to work something out. Until your rooms are assigned, I invite you to join us in the mess hall and get some chow. Let’s just get y'all situated.
“If you’ll just come with us,” Linda said, motioning for them to follow her. The band of survivors did as requested and followed Linda into the main base. Automatic sliding doors, which looked like something out of an episode of Star Trek, swooshed open and let them inside.
Before Rachael could enter into the base, out of the corner of her eye she caught the sight of a tall man with medium brown hair staring at her in utter disbelief.
“Rachael? Rachael Ramirez, is that really you?”
It was weird hearing her name like that. Who on earth would recognize her all the way down here? Rachael turned to see who it was. Seeing his face, she could hardly believe her eyes.
“Levi? Levi Hurley?!”
41
Twist of Fate
Levi ran up and wrapped his arms around Rachael and hugged her. “I don’t believe this. I never expected to see anybody I knew alive ever again.”
“If you think this is amazing, wait until you turn around,” Rachael said, pointing her finger at a familiar face standing behind him.
Levi looked at her with a bout of confusion. “What do you mean?” he said, turning around. Levi’s heart skipped a beat when he saw his estranged wife, Jennifer Hurley, staring at him with eyes full of tears ready to gush out at any moment.
“My God!” Levi exclaimed. “Jen? Is it really you?”
Feeling a tinge of green-eyed jealousy, as it was yet another man he had to compete with, Zanato snidely remarked, “Do you know that wanker?”
“I ought to,” Jennifer said with a soft voice which made her sound a million miles away. “He’s my husband.”
“Your husband?!” exclaimed Zanato, half beside himself.
Levi ran up to Jennifer, picked her up by her waist, spun her around, and set her back down. As she slid down his chest their lips met in passionate reunion.
“I thought I’d never see you again,” Levi said, tears rolling down his dirt-stained cheeks that plowed away the soot and left tracks in his skin.
Jennifer felt as though she were dreaming. She had no idea how to process the moment. She wasn’t even sure if she was relieved to see him again. Part of her was glad he was alive. But another part of her, a darker part of her, wished he hadn’t survived the outbreak.
Jen brushed her hair behind her ear as she thought of what to say to him, but nothing came to mind.
“Well, aren’t you going to say something?” Levi implored.
“I…um…it’s just that…well…”
Levi raised an eyebrow. “That’s certainly a mouthful,” he teased. “But I think—”
“Fuck it,” Jennifer said, throwing caution into the wind. Suddenly, she threw her arms around Levi’s neck, leapt up, and wrapped her legs around him. Grabbing swaths of his hair in her fingers, she yanked his head back so his face stared up at hers and then she began mauling him with hot wet kisses.
Zanato snorted and mumbled spitefully under his breath, “Harlot.”
Alyssa was within earshot, and she gave Zanato a dirty look and muttered, “Asshole.”
Storming off, she caught up to Rachael and joined the others as they made their way into the entrance of the base.
42
Some R & R
Sector Twenty-Seven was one giant labyrinth. It had taken Josh Hemingway what seemed like forever and a day to make his way back to his room. Light illuminated the hallway from behind inset paneling that ran the length of the ceiling and floor. The corridor he walked down looked like the futuristic halls of the starship Enterprise. Smooth surfaces, touch panels on the walls, high definition monitors built into every surface, and it was all clinical white to boot. He half expected to take a wrong turn and suddenly run into Captain Kirk or Jean-Luc Picard.
As exciting as Sector Twenty-Seven was, and as much as he’d love to explore every nook and cranny of the facility, his heart felt heavy as he grappled with the recent loss of his mother. General Greer had informed him as to the sad event of her passing, although the details seemed a bit sketchy.
All he was told was that her emergency evacuation failed when her chopper went down. He was promised a service once things calmed down some, but he wasn’t holding his breath.
Using the keycard to unlock his door, he walked into his room only to behold two beautiful breasts and a couple of bright pink nipples staring straight back at him. Caught naked, the girl looked surprised to find him standing in the doorway, mouth agape, and quickly pulled a light shirt over her girls. “Oh, shit. I’m sorry. I was just changing and—”
“No, it’s okay,” Josh answered before she could finish.
“They said we’d be getting roommates,” the girl said. “But I didn’t think it was going coed.”
“Well, you know what they say?” Josh chuckled. “First impressions are the most important.”
The girl put on her dark rimmed glasses, which provided contrast to her flushed cheeks, and laughed at his joke. She had a wiry frame, but Josh thought her skinniness looked just right to him. He’d already seen her breasts and they looked pretty damn fine, he thought.
“I’m Lindsey Olsen, by the way,” she chirped, holding out her hand.
Shaking her hand, he introduced himself in return. “I’m Josh.”
“Nice to make your acquaintance,” Lindsey added.
“Uh, yeah.” Josh replied. “Ditto.” Ditto? He instantly kicked himself. Who even used that word anymore?
“So,” Lindsey said, shuffling her feet and looking around the room trying to think of something to say. “Where you from, originally?”
“Well, I was attending college at NCU.”
“Newcastle University, nice,” Lindsey said, eyeing Jos
h up and down.
“And you?”
“I was just heading back from a trip. I’m from Portland.”
“I see,” Josh replied. Then he looked around for a bit and they both stood there trying to figure out how to end the awkward silence.
“So,” Lindsey said again.
“So,” Josh replied. It wasn’t much of a conversation.
“What’s your major?”
“Psychology.”
“Ah,” Lindsey said.
Josh laughed. “Ah? What’s that supposed to mean.”
“I had you pegged for either a psych major or anthropology major.”
Josh shrugged. “It’s okay, I suppose. You in college?”
“Nope,” Lindsey said, smiling at him. “Okay, you being a psychology major and all, please don’t read into this too much, but I have a question.”
“Shoot,” Josh said, curious as to what it might be.
“I know this is totally strange to ask someone I just totally met, but do you wanna have sex with me?”
“What?” Josh asked, taken aback.
“You wanna fuck?”
“Me and you?”
Lindsey looked around. “Is there anybody else here with us?”
“No,” Josh answered. “It’s just…so out of the blue.”
“Look,” Lindsey said forcefully. “I’m not a slut. I don’t sleep around with a lot of guys. It’s just that I have been running scared for what has been the worst week of my entire life, and I want to do something that will make me feel good. I don’t know when I’ll get another chance like this…another moment where I feel safe and relaxed. So I’m just asking. It’s fine if you don’t want to.”