Ashley, on the other hand, was highly intelligent, yet she was a very quiet person, the polar opposite of Trent. She had graduated with the others and had decided to continue her education at graduate school, seeking a master’s in astrophysics. Just the night before she had shared with Kevin intricate details about the star Rigel, which from Earth resides in the constellation Orion. She went on to describe that it’s forty thousand times brighter than the Sun and that it radiates blue, her eyes widening like a child’s would as she explained it.
And then there was Sabrina, the natural leader of that group. She had an inner strength and determination that made her tough, but she too was smart. A chemist, she had just secured a job working in a laboratory in San Francisco.
With their pedigree educations, Kevin felt a bit self-conscious at first; he’d spent his first two years at a community college before going to the University of Utah. He’d gotten his degree in marketing and went straight to work for an advertising firm in Salt Lake City. His job had been good, but he wasn’t raking in millions. When he’d discussed his past with them, they didn’t say a thing, nor did they seem to judge him, making him realize that he was the only one concerned with where he went to school and what he did. How odd that we’re our own toughest critics, he mused.
“I think I should go,” Trent said to Sabrina.
“No, I agree with Kevin; you should stay and watch the campsite while Ashley sleeps,” Sabrina said, with Kevin just behind her, loading up the truck.
“Can’t Paul keep an eye out?” Trent asked.
“No, he needs more time,” Kevin shouted from the truck.
Trent leaned in close to Sabrina and said, “Paul is a pussy. He needs to step up.”
“The guy just lost his sister; give him a break,” Sabrina said, defending Paul.
“I understand that, but he’s incapable of contributing to watch, hell, even getting firewood,” Trent said, clearly annoyed by Paul’s lack of effort.
“I’ll talk with Kevin and sort some things out. I hear what you’re saying, but right now we have a good thing. Kevin is sharing their food; he seems very capable and has weapons, something we didn’t have,” Sabrina whispered to Trent. She nodded to the shotgun leaning up against the tree.
“I’ll stay this one time, but talk to Kevin, sort this out,” Trent said before grabbing the shotgun and heading back to the campsite.
Sabrina and Kevin loaded up and began their trek to investigate the gun battle from the other night.
They hadn’t gone a mile before Kevin said, “I’ll talk to him when I get back.”
“Who?” Sabrina asked.
“Paul, I’ll talk to him. I agree that he will need to start venturing out. I also need you to understand that I gave my word to Megan to take care of him. If you haven’t noticed, he’s a bit simple sometimes.”
“Can I speak my mind without offending you?” Sabrina asked.
“Sure, go ahead,” Kevin answered.
“I think it’s an act. I think he’s been coddled, and now he’s used to doing nothing. He’s been programed to act childlike sometimes. He’s been rewarded for such behavior by his sister, and now it’s how he goes through life.”
“I thought you were a chemist?” Kevin quipped.
“My minor was psychology,” she said
“Like I said, I’ll talk to him. He needs to be part of the team,” Kevin said.
“So we’re a team now?” Sabrina asked.
He looked at her and said, “Yeah, for right now we are.”
“I like that,” she flirted.
“At least until we all determine what’s next. I know you want to go to Twin Falls; me, I have no idea,” Kevin said, seemingly backtracking.
“You can come with us,” Sabrina offered.
“That’s nice of you, but right now, I don’t know where to go,” he said.
“What about your parents?” she asked.
“They moved to Florida a couple of years ago—got tired of the Utah winters,” Kevin answered.
They came to a fork in the road and slowed.
Kevin leaned over the steering wheel and said, “I think we go left; that leads us out to the freeway, where I think all the shooting came from.”
“You’re in charge. Let’s go,” Sabrina said.
They followed the left fork until it intersected at a tee. Left took them to the northbound lanes of the freeway, and right to the southbound lanes.
“Which way?” Kevin asked, looking left.
“Right,” Sabrina said.
“Why right?” Kevin asked, his gaze still fixed to the left.
“On account there’s bodies and military vehicles all over the place,” Sabrina said, pointing.
Kevin snapped his head around and looked. “I think that’s it.” He turned the steering wheel to the right and accelerated. He slowed as they came upon the first abandoned crashed Humvee and stopped just after it. “Let’s get out and look around.”
They both exited the truck, Kevin with his Glock firmly in his hands. Around them lay the carnage of a battle.
“This looks like it sounded the other night,” Sabrina said, scanning the site. In total she counted twenty-six bodies, some uniformed soldiers, others in civilian clothes, all laid out around two Humvees and a five-ton truck, which was lying on its side.
“What were they doing here, and how did they get attacked this far out from a major city?” Kevin asked.
“That’s why,” Sabrina said, pointing to a makeshift sign that read SHELTER/FIELD HOSPITAL.
“Now it makes sense. These are National Guard troops, and they must have been supporting that field hospital.”
“Who do you suppose won?” Sabrina asked.
“They did,” Kevin said.
“What makes you say that?” Sabrina asked.
“Just a hunch, but I think we should grab what we can use and get out of here,” Kevin said, picking up an M16 rifle.
“Should we take one of those?” Sabrina asked, pointing at a Humvee.
“Looks like only one is in good shape,” Kevin said, walking to it and opening the driver’s door to find the driver still behind the wheel, his throat ripped out. Blood and guts covered the inside. “I think we should pass.”
“What’s wrong with you? A big old military truck like this can come in handy,” Sabrina said, pulling the corpse from the vehicle. His body hit the pavement with a thud.
“Then you’re driving it,” Kevin said.
“Fine with me,” she said, looking inside. “Wait, how do you start this thing?”
Kevin looked over her shoulder and said, “Switch to the left; follow the instructions.”
“What’s that?” she asked, pointing at the WAIT light above the switch.
“Oh, that makes sense; it’s a diesel. You turn the switch to RUN, and that light should turn on. When it turns off, turn the switch all the way to the right, and start it like any other car.”
“Were you in the army?” she asked.
“No, grew up in Utah. We know stuff like this,” he quipped, giving her a wink.
The two spent the next ten minutes loading up all the weapons, ammunition, MREs, water cans and gas masks they could find. Like the other day, Kevin was feeling better about their situation after discovering all these necessities.
A branch snapped just off the road.
Sabrina was loading the back of the Humvee while Kevin was at his truck doing the same thing. They both looked up and towards the direction of the breaking branch.
Sabrina took an M16 in her hands and pointed it. She didn’t know how to use it, but she felt safer with it in her hands.
Pulling his Glock, Kevin stepped away from the truck. He whistled to Sabrina and motioned with his head for her to take cover behind the Humvee.
She did as he said.
He stepped slowly back towards his truck, ready for anything to happen.
Out of the woods came a man wearing civilian clothing. On his back he had a pa
ck, and slung against his chest was an M4 rifle. He looked weary and disheveled.
Kevin raised his pistol and shouted, “Stop right there. Don’t take another step.”
The man raised his arms and said, “I’m not a feral.”
“What’s that? Is that one of those crazy people?” Kevin shouted.
“Yes, it’s what we call them,” the man said, his arms still raised high.
“Who’s we?” Kevin asked.
“The United States government, that’s who,” the man replied.
“How do I know you’re not one of those ferals?” Kevin asked, his heart rate elevated and his hands shaking.
“’Cause I haven’t attacked you,” the man answered.
“Listen, we’re just leaving. You stay where you are and let us go,” Kevin said, backing up a couple more feet towards his truck.
“Do me a favor and leave some of that food,” the man asked.
“Were you part of this convoy?” Sabrina asked, popping her head above the back end of the Humvee.
“No, I’m from Nellis Air Force Base,” the man said.
“Where’s that?” Sabrina asked.
“Listen, you two, I’m tired, my arms are feeling really heavy right now, and I’m hungry. I don’t want to play this back-and-forth question and answer. I’ll answer any question you want about what has happened, ’cause I know what happened; I just need to eat. Can we make a deal?” the man asked.
Sabrina and Kevin gave each other a look, with Kevin deciding to make the call. “Fine, but if you try anything, I’ll shoot you,” Kevin warned.
“I won’t try anything. Just let me have one of those MREs,” the man said.
Sabrina walked out from behind the Humvee, reached into the back, and took a single MRE from an open case and tossed it into the middle of the road, feet from her.
“I’m going to lower my arms and advance towards you. Please don’t shoot me,” the man said.
Kevin lowered his pistol but stayed at a safe distance.
The man approached, grabbed the MRE, and walked back towards the crashed Humvee. He sat down next to it and rested his back against the rear right tire. He ripped open the MRE and poured out its contents. He fished around, found the entrée and opened it. After the first spoonful, he sighed heavily and said, “Let me give you some valuable advice. Don’t touch a damn thing that has blood on it. That’s how it’s transferred.”
Kevin and Sabrina gave each other a concerned look.
“Wait, you touched some blood recently, didn’t you?” the man asked.
“My girlfriend was killed by one of those ferals. We all touched her body as we buried her,” Kevin confessed.
“When was that?” the man asked.
“Over two days ago,” Kevin replied.
“Then you’re fine. The mutation happens fairly quickly. Some people turn within an hour; others it takes up to six hours. There are no accounts of days; I think you’re fine,” the man said.
“What’s going on? What happened to the government, the military?” Sabrina asked, stepping towards the man.
“You see this convoy? That’s what happened. We got ambushed, so to speak. We didn’t take the threat seriously, and then when it was too late, shit went sideways. What’s left of the government has gone underground. The military and other EMS are in shambles. It’s a total shit show, so if you’re expecting the government to come riding in to save you, you’re mistaken. They’ve retreated to the safety of their luxury bunkers and plan on waiting this thing out. The rest of us have to fight it out now; my bets are on the ferals. Last estimate is there are tens of millions of them around the world.”
“Wait, this is around the world?” Kevin asked.
“Yep, all it took were more than a few people to hop on a plane, and boom, spread like wildfire there too. Yes, there are pockets not affected. Northern Canada, many of the island nations, Australia and New Zealand made out just fine. The other countries acted like we did, didn’t take it seriously; then they were overwhelmed.”
“What is it?” Sabrina asked.
“You know, I’m not a scientist, but it’s some sort of genetic mutation,” the man answered.
“How?” Sabrina asked, her chemistry mind kicking in.
“I don’t know. I just know it can be passed from one person to another,” the man said.
“But how?” she asked, more to herself than him.
“I said I don’t know,” the man replied.
“What you’re telling us is it’s over, the government has abandoned us, no one is coming to help?” Kevin asked.
Shoving a spoonful of food into his mouth, the man replied, “Yes.”
Disheartened, Kevin sighed.
“Where are you going?” Sabrina asked.
“To the Yukon, I have an old buddy that has a compound of sorts. It’s so remote there isn’t a feral anywhere. You’re more than welcome to join me,” the man said.
“Wait, why would you invite us to come with you? You don’t even know us,” Kevin asked.
“On account you seem like nice people. You gave me some food; other people just shoot and don’t even bother to ask a question. I’ll admit I was watching you, and you look like you could use some help. I’m handy with a gun, and I have a secure place to go,” the man said.
Sabrina gave Kevin a look, unsure what to do, although her instincts were to allow him into their ragtag group.
Kevin walked up to the man, stuck his hand out and said, “My name is Kevin.”
The man wiped his right hand on his trousers and took Kevin’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Kevin. I’m Jason.”
“That’s Sabrina there,” Kevin said, nodding towards her.
“Hi,” she said.
“I saw you dragging a bloody body out of that Hummer there. I suggest you don’t think about taking it,” Jason said, getting to his feet.
“But we can clean it up,” Sabrina said.
“Remember what my first bit of advice was?” Jason asked, eyeing the inside of the Humvee.
“Don’t touch anything that has blood on it,” Sabrina recited.
“Exactly. You don’t know anything about the guy driving. The best practice is to avoid anything with blood. That’s why in the future, no burying people. They lie where they die, straight and simple,” Jason said.
Jason’s confidence allured Sabrina. She gave him a once-over and liked what she saw.
“But it’s a perfectly good Humvee,” Kevin said.
“Then you drive it,” Jason said, walking to the back and looking inside the open hatch. “Let’s load this up in the truck.”
Sabrina went to work doing as he said.
“Where are you staying?” Jason asked.
“A campsite at the park,” Kevin answered.
“Good, anyone else there?” Jason asked.
“A couple of other families, but we haven’t stayed in contact with anyone,” Kevin replied.
“How many vehicles?” Jason asked.
“Two, the truck and they have a Subaru Outback,” Kevin answered.
“Good, is the truck four-wheel drive?” Jason asked.
“Yeah.”
“Great, this is great. And how many others?” Jason asked.
Feeling uneasy that he was giving so much information up, Kevin asked, “How do I know you’re not part of a bigger group trying to get info on us?”
“You don’t, but I can tell you, if I was part of a bigger group and wanted info, I would’ve shot you before I came out of those woods, then forced you to give up your friends,” Jason said confidently.
“I would’ve shot you with this,” Sabrina said, holding up the M16.
“Show me how to use that,” Jason said.
She looked down at it and fumbled with it before he took it out of her hands and pointed at the open chamber. “The bolt is locked back; the weapon is empty.” He dropped the magazine and showed her. “You weren’t going to do anything with this.”
Feeling f
oolish, Sabrina asked, “Can you show us how to use these weapons?”
“Yeah, I can,” Jason said. “Let’s get this stuff loaded in there and go back to your camp.”
Kevin wasn’t sure about the arrangement yet, but he did feel more secure having someone who seemed to know their way around weapons, had knowledge and, more importantly, a place to go to.
***
Around the fire, Jason told stories of his travels from Las Vegas. He gave stirring details of fighting off both ferals and people, noting that desperate people were just as dangerous.
Kevin could only listen for so long. He got up and went to Paul’s tent. “Knock, knock.”
“What do you want?” Paul asked.
“We need to talk. Open up,” Kevin said.
“I don’t want to talk,” Paul whined.
“Remember what you told me before Megan died? You said you wanted to start taking a role, taking on responsibility.”
“So what? She’s dead now. What’s the point?” Paul said.
“Let me tell you what’s happening. These people—Sabrina, Trent, Ashley—they care but only to the extent that you’re willing to help. They feel bad for you, but this old game of people bending over backwards ’cause of your emotions won’t fly in this world. The new guy Jason told us the government has retreated, it’s just us now, and if you’re not going to help, we’re not going to help you. I understand you’re in pain, I’m hurting too, but Megan would want us to move forward to survive. I promised her I’d look out for you, but you need to also look after yourself. If you’re tossing in the cards and don’t want to try, then take my Glock and end it all.”
Paul didn’t answer.
Detour: A Post-Apocalyptic Horror Story Page 6