Wish Us Luck

by Jennifer Wedmore

  With a nod, Mitch grabbed Lucky and held on tightly. Catherine stared at the soldier, her gaze never shifted off him. Satisfied they would follow his directions, Jake raised his right hand in the air and opened the door with his left.

  Once he stepped out of the car, he left the door open and put both arms up. “My name is Captain Jake Deakon. I was on assignment when my unit was attacked. I holed up in the house of Catherine Perse and her son, Mitchell, for the last six months. We have seen two animals who were infected attack each other on the way here. We are not infected but would like to leave this area. Can you help us?”

  The soldier stared at Jake for a few moments. “I will call this in, and someone will be here shortly.”

  Jake stood outside the car for another moment, digesting what the soldier said. “Thank you, we appreciate that.” He climbed back in the car and shut the door. “Make yourselves comfortable, someone is on their way to see us. I imagine they are going to want information about what we have seen and how we survived. Are you up for this?”

  Catherine laughed, and Jake could hear an edge of hysteria in her tone. “Do we really have a choice? I feel like they just left us there to die. I’m not sure I can do this and not sound like a shrew.”

  Jake reached over and took her hand. “We will find out what happened, and how we were left behind. Mitch, you okay back there?”

  Lucky let out a bark, he apparently wanted to be included on the conversation. “Yeah, it will be cool to meet more soldiers.”

  Apparently, the military were close by because it was only a few minutes before they saw vehicles approaching the fence. Jake hadn’t looked before, but there was a gate and the soldier he spoke with earlier opened it for the Humvee to drive through and closed it again behind it. The truck stopped just in front of the Jeep, and two soldiers with guns came out first.

  “Please step out of the vehicle and keep your hands where we can see them,” one of the soldier’s called out.

  Catherine looked over at Jake, and he said, “It’s okay, do what they say. We have to show them we are fine and no one will get hurt.” Jake nodded at Mitch to open his door. “Hold onto Lucky’s collar for a few minutes okay, bud?”

  Mitch’s face had gone white, but he nodded and reached for the handle.

  “Catherine get out and put your hands up. Don’t worry about shutting the door, just do what they ask for now.” Jake opened his door once again and climbed out, with his hands in the air. He looked over to make sure Catherine and Mitch had done the same thing. The soldiers walked toward them, keeping their guns trained on each of them. “They may tie our hands up for now. They need to guarantee we are safe, so do not freak out. Just go with it for now.” Jake hoped they both listened and Lucky didn’t attack.

  The soldiers came close and stared at them for a moment, then down at Lucky. “They appear to be fine, sir, we see no signs of infection.”

  Catherine looked over at Jake, and he shrugged. He wasn’t sure who the soldier was talking to either. When Jake looked at the Humvee, he saw a tall, middle-aged man emerge and walk toward where they stood.

  “I’m sorry to scare you, ma’am. Especially in front of your son. My name is Colonel Stephen Jacoby. I had to come out and personally meet you three when I heard you had survived. We hope you will forgive us about this intrusive greeting, but we needed to be sure you were safe.”

  Catherine spoke up before Jake could formulate any kind of reply. “We do understand and appreciate the safety measures.”

  Mitch apparently didn’t want to be left out of the conversation any longer. “Can I put my arms down now?”

  Thankfully, Colonel Jacoby had a sense of humor and agreed. “Captain Jake Deakon, we thought we lost you when your unit was attacked. We are thankful you made it and helped keep Ms. Perce and her son alive as well. If you would allow, my soldiers will follow us in your Jeep, I would like you all to ride with me. We have much to discuss.” Jake saluted the Colonel and walked around the Jeep to Catherine. “Are you two okay?”

  Mitch was squatting on the ground petting Lucky, and Catherine appeared confused. “Yeah, we are fine.”

  “We will get your answers, let’s get in the Jeep and see what he has to say ok?” Jake almost felt bad for Colonel Jacoby, because an irate mother was not something he would want to deal with.

  “Colonel, can Lucky ride with us? Mitch would be more comfortable with him close.” Catherine asked the question, but Jake could hear it was more of a statement than a request. She was not going to take anything other than a yes.

  Jake bit back a smile, his woman was a force to be reckoned with.

  “Of course,” the colonel obliged. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Mitch, you and Lucky can jump into the very back row and your mom, and Jake can sit in the middle. Does that work for everyone?”

  Jake was worried, why would the colonel be so accommodating? Was he worried they would sue for being left behind? Was he gearing up to tell them really bad news? Or was he really just that type of guy?

  No matter which it was this would be an interesting trip.

  “I left the keys in the ignition.” Jake looked at one of the soldiers as he walked to the Humvee. He climbed in and checked on Lucky and Mitch. Then he glanced at Catherine to make sure she was okay.

  The driver wasted no time turning around and pulling through the gate. Jake watched as the soldier he spoke with earlier closed the gate behind the Jeep and walked back to his booth.

  “Sir, what can you tell us about what happened here? How far spread is it? Is it just animals or are humans infected too?” Jake was tired of waiting and wanted answers now.

  The Colonel held his hands up. “Slow down. I will answer all your questions in due time. I have a few for you too.”

  Jake reached over and grabbed Catherine’s hand that rested on the seat next to him. “Can you tell us where we are going right now at least?” Jake squeezed Catherine’s hand and waited for the colonel to answer his question.

  “We have a command center set up in the next town over. It won’t take long to get there. Tell me, how did you survive for six months?”

  Catherine bit her lip, Jake didn’t know if she was trying to hold in a laugh or to keep from giving him a sarcastic reply. Jake decided to answer before she did. “After my unit was attacked, I was able to drive the supply truck back toward the neighborhoods. I went straight to Catherine’s house. We had a previous connection, and it was the first place I thought of going to seek safety.” Jake squeezed Catherine’s hand again, hoping she would go along with his slight exaggeration of the relationship. “I grabbed as much of the supplies I could from the truck and brought it to her house. It was six months’ worth, and if we were careful it would feed the three of us instead of the two it was planned for. Catherine had a good supply on hand already, and she had started boarding up windows and doors, so I just helped after I got there.” Jake smiled at Catherine again, she had done an amazing job of protecting her home, and he was proud of her. He would have to remember to tell her later how proud he was of her bravery. “We were getting short on food so we decided we would head out today. We didn’t know how big this quarantine was, how far it reached or what we would find out there. I scavenged some supplies from the neighboring houses, but most were empty. I did find an occupant who had passed away.” The Colonel listened intently as Jake talked, never interrupting or asking questions.

  “We did see something interesting on the way out of town though,” Catherine paused and glanced at Jake, he nodded at her to continue telling the story. She saw it firsthand, so it was her information to pass on.

  Twenty-One

  Catherine was afraid of where the colonel was taking them, of finding out what happened, and of finding out that they were left behind. She couldn’t stop thinking about the soldier just stationed at the gate and how he’d been clearly shocked to see them. At least the way his mouth had gaped and his eyes rounded indicated he’d been surprised by their arrival. No
way he had expected to see anyone on the other side of the fence. That meant the military had to assume everyone in their neighborhood was dead or evacuated, right?

  Either way that didn’t sit well with Catherine. She faced the Colonel to tell him what she’d seen firsthand on their drive out of the neighborhood.

  “There is a small store a few blocks from my house, Mitch and I stopped the day before the quarantine. The owner mentioned getting a new delivery the next day, and Mitch had to try a new flavor of slushie he had coming in. When we went by today, it was empty.” Catherine inhaled to calm herself. “I don’t mean like the houses in my neighborhood, it looked like it was systematically emptied. Even the neon 24-hour open sign was gone.”

  Catherine stared at the Colonel to see if he understood what she was saying. Did he grasp the enormity of the emptiness?

  Holding his gaze, she leaned back in her seat waiting for him to deny what she’d begun to suspect. No one said anything for a few minutes, and Catherine grew antsy.

  The Colonel had turned around in his seat to stare out the front window, when he began to speak, he shifted to look at Catherine. “Do you think he was notified in advance of the quarantine? Or do you think he knew something bad was happening and was told to run while he could?”

  Catherine gasped at the options either question implied. If he knew about the quarantine, then someone in the military most likely tipped him off, and he knew nothing about the cause of the quarantine. Or he knew what caused the quarantine and left before he was trapped inside. Which also would imply he could tell the military the cause of the spread, where it started, how it was started and probably more.

  She turned to Jake and shook her head. “Either of those questions leads to more questions, and neither are positive. We didn’t know Jerome, the owner well, but he’s been around for as long as I can remember. His store was a staple in the neighborhood.” Catherine’s eyes started to tear up, this time in anger and her faith in humanity. “Either option means he knew something and just left everyone to fend for themselves or even die. I can’t imagine the man who gave Mitch presents every holiday could be so cruel. I don’t want to believe it.”

  Catherine knew she was basically an optimist, she believed in the best in everyone. Even when she was proven wrong, she still believed most were decent. This last act of self-preservation really shook her faith in everyone. Jake scooted closer to her on the seat, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side.

  In her ear, he whispered, “Fear and terror can change a person. He may be a good guy, but a gut reaction is fight or flight. Not everyone can stand their ground and do the right thing. I’m sorry, love.”

  Catherine thought about what Jake said. He was right, the military was full of men and women who chose to fight in those instances, and Jake was a prime example. Catherine glanced over Jake’s shoulder to check on Mitch and Lucky in the back of the Humvee. Mitch stared out the window, and she hoped he didn’t grasp the treachery she felt. She had to hope she was wrong and there was another reason the owner packed everything and vanished.

  The Colonel continued to stare at them, and she realized she hadn’t answered his question. “I am not sure, sir. I didn’t know him that well beyond the times I stopped in the store, but he seemed to like Mitch and talked to him more than me honestly.”

  The colonel nodded at her. “Did he ever mention family in the military? Do you know where he got his supplies? Anything you can think of that could help us narrow down his involvement?”

  Catherine opened her mouth to reply then shut it. She needed to think of their conversations over the years, maybe something he said in passing could be a clue they needed to figure out why he left when he did.

  “All right, folks, we are at our command center.” The Colonel interrupted her thoughts. “I promise to answer all your questions once we get inside.” Once the SUV came to a stop, the colonel stepped out of the Humvee.

  “Jake, they won't separate us, will they?” Catherine stared at Jake and gripped the door handle tightly. She feared his answer. So far, they had been nice and accommodating but would that last?

  Jake sighed and closed his eyes for a minute. “I’m not sure honestly. I don’t see why they would, but I will request to stay with you two the whole time. We will be fine, okay?”

  Catherine relaxed slightly and opened her door. “Mitch, hold onto Lucky when you get out just to be safe, okay?”

  Once out of the car, she looked around, and they appeared to have pulled into a warehouse. The room was large and empty.

  From in front of the Humvee, she heard, “Come right this way, and we will get you all comfortable and start explaining everything.”

  Catherine grabbed Mitch’s hand and walked around the vehicle to meet with Jake, then took his hand too.

  The Colonel led them to a door that was hidden but only because of the bright lights of the Humvee. Once the driver shut them off, she could see the whole room, and it was filled with military vehicles. They went through the door and found a lounge type room and a table filled with food.

  “We weren’t sure how much you had to eat lately, so I instructed my soldiers to bring a variety here for you.” The Colonel looked down at Mitch. “Private Jenkins would like to take Lucky outback to run and use the bathroom. Is that okay with you?”

  Mitch looked up to Catherine and Jake, she assumed to get permission. “Mitch, why don’t you go with him, that way you can watch Lucky.”

  Catherine was surprised Jake offered, but it would be better to talk without him hearing the gruesome details. Mitch nodded and followed the soldier out of the room looking back at them once.

  “Please, eat and then join me at the table so we can talk.” Catherine was too anxious to eat so she went directly to the table to sit, and Jake sat next to her while they waited for the Colonel to start talking. “Okay, we can talk first. Just over six months ago we were notified of an incident at a farm a few miles out of town. The animals had gone on a rampage killing the farmer and his field help. The wife got away and notified the authorities. We have been trying to get more information from her, but she was apparently not informed of the day to day running of the farm.” Catherine wasn’t sure why that mattered but didn’t want to interrupt to ask questions yet. “Jake, I am not sure what you saw before you had to take refuge but we can confirm, cows, horses and even the chickens were infected.”

  Catherine had to bite back a laugh, it was not a funny subject and chickens could be mean, but chickens!

  “Sir, were there other animals on the farm not infected?” Jake had leaned forward in his chair and braced his arms on the table.

  He wasn’t fighting the urge to laugh, and Catherine felt a bit childish now.

  The Colonel sighed. “No, there were no other animals. We have been able to examine the farm and the areas the animals were kept in. But I will come back to that in a moment.”

  Catherine thought it sounded like they had information on how this happened or even why. She wanted him to tell them now, but she also wanted to know how the hell they were left behind. “Please tell us how the town became quarantined, why we weren’t evacuated and why you left us?” By the time she finished those questions she was yelling, but she refused to apologize.

  Colonel Jacoby’s face was a bit pale, whether from her outburst or his guilt she wasn’t sure, but she would find out. “When we were notified of the attack the animals had already been on a rampage. They attacked people and animals on farms and roads on the way into town. We weren't sure how far they had made it. If they could transmit the infection or if humans could become infected. When we arrived, no one had survived, people or animals. We made the decision to block the town and systemically work our way through every street and house until we could determine how far the animals got and how many were infected or dead.”

  The Colonel stared off into space for a minute. Catherine assumed it was out of character for a military man to show weakness but she ha
d to assume this was a situation they were unprepared for and he regretted decisions he’d made.

  “I authorized rations to be delivered to each home and sent soldiers to find the animals and kill them. We do know that we blocked them in the town and none escaped. That was the good news. Sadly, it was the only good thing that came out of this situation.”

  Catherine froze in her chair. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear more. What could have happened? Beyond animals attacking and killing for an unknown reason, it sounded like a horror movie plot, not her reality.

  “As you know, Jake,” Colonel Jacoby went on, “your unit and several others were sent in to search the area and deliver the rations. What you don’t know is most of the units… didn’t make it out. They were blindsided by the number of infected animals, and at some point, they stopped killing and started infecting others.”

  Twenty-Two

  Jake was stunned. They were trained soldiers how could they have gotten blindsided by this situation? “Sir, when we left we saw only two animals in town, they did attack each other. Do you think that is why there aren’t as many around? Once the uninfected were removed from the area or hidden they only had each other to attack?”

  The Colonel smiled at Jake. “That is exactly what we have surmised and seen ourselves.” The Colonel’s smile fell away again. “About two weeks after initial spread we sent more soldiers in. This time to scout for survivors and help them evacuate. We had a much better success rate and got responses from the majority of the town. Your street was the last to be checked, the number of animals around had dwindled. The soldier radioed in he was knocking on the last door. I assume it was yours?”

  Jake nodded. “We heard a knock once, and a voice called out U.S. Military, but before we could get to the door, we heard screams and nothing else.”

  Colonel Jacoby sighed. “Yes, he was attacked, and another soldier who was on the street with him dragged him away. He was not bitten thankfully. The dog got his jacket and never broke the skin. When he was attacked, he fell and hit his head. He suffered from a severe concussion.” Jake understood but was still confused why no one had come to check and make sure the house was empty. “The soldier was questioned and was positive the house was empty. He swore he was attacked a few minutes after he knocked. I can only assume the concussion made him confused and for that, we owe you an apology we can never fully give.”