Earth's Survivors: box set

by Wendell Sweet

  “Five, so far,” she told him. She moved aside so he could see and as she did the mother slid another pup out easily and quickly chewed at the cord and cleaned off the sack that surrounded it. The puppy was crawling around blindly, searching for a nipple in just a few seconds.

  These puppies were a little larger than Angel's puppies had been, but not by much, Josh thought.

  “Gonna be monsters,” Josh said aloud.

  “That's for sure,” Shar agreed. She leaned over and kissed Josh and then went back to watching the puppies. Content to have him by her. He reached out and took her hand, rocked back on his heels and watched as another puppy was born.

  ~

  At the large cave that opened into the field above the cave, Jessie Stone kissed Brad and then stepped out into the wide tunnel. She peeked out into the field. The gray sky hung above it. The clouds nearly touching the tops of the grasses in the field. It reminded her of snow.

  She and Brad were still building their home in the cave itself. Brad spent nearly every day working on it. Sometimes Jake or James would stop by to lend a hand or some advice, but for the most part Brad was doing the work himself and enjoying it.

  They had intended to move to the other cave that fronted the valley on the opposite side of the valley, but the plans for that cave had changed. One end of the ledge that overlooked the valley had only been about twenty feet from the valley floor, due to the way the rocky floor of the valley sloped upward. But it had prompted Jessie to ask why they didn't simply continue to build it up until it was level with the ledge itself. That way they could build the barn right there and run the animals in and out easily.

  “That would allow us to drive vehicles in an out to,” Josh had said.

  “Jessie,” James had said laughing, “I think you just talked yourself out of a home.”

  In the long run it had worked out for the better. They had moved the sheep right down into the valley using the tunnel to get them there and the new slope down from the ledge. It had saved days of work trucking or driving them around to the opposite side of the mountain. They had been there in a few hours. In the spring they planned to refinish the ledge in concrete, but for now it worked equally well with built up earth topped with stone and gravel from the creek bed and the slopes of the valley.

  Harvests, animal movement, meat, storage, it was all available from either side of the mountain now by vehicle or on foot. In another few weeks they would be opening up part of the main original cave to allow vehicles to drive through more easily. Now they had to maneuver through the main meeting area and twist around into the tunnel. A little work would change all of that. They had closed off the same part they now intended to open up very early on, but since the discovery of the tunnel to the other side of the mountain it would be a perfect entrance to make the trip nearly a straight shot and keep the vehicles out of the parts of the cave they used for people, storage and even animals.

  The only real obstacle was the slope that came up out of the valley to the ledge of the cave. It was passable as is, but they were already making plans to change the slope and lay down concrete there too. The four wheel drive vehicles had no trouble, but it would make things easier for other vehicles, wagons, and the larger trucks too. James was excited about a couple of the big trucks to use in the valley during harvest. They had four, so each side could have two.

  The big trucks could hold a lot and then drive right back through the tunnels to the storage areas.

  Jessie was on her way back down the tunnel to the first cave. Eventually there would be a stairway entrance straight down, but that would be after the electrical work was done.

  She had received the call on the radio from Steve. There was also a telephone system that they planned to install eventually. James had been against that at first, but he had changed his mind. They depended so heavily on the radio system now that it only made sense to make the jump to a telephone system.

  It was a short walk, but she quickened her pace. She had thought that they had plenty of time, or at least Steve had thought that the last time he had called. So she had pitched in to help Brad put up a long section of wall. That was when Steve called and said that Lilly's water had broken.

  The Nation was about to meet its first baby. Jessie smiled to herself as she walked along. And, she told herself, one more was coming: She had tested herself this morning and she was pregnant. She hadn't even told Brad yet. She was saving that for tonight. She smiled to herself again. She felt great. Life was good. She picked up her pace as she walked through the tunnel.

  SIX

  Jake stood at the stone wall overlooking the valley. He had stayed inside, paced the ledge back and forth: Thought about going down the tunnel and helping Aaron and Conner. Rejected that idea. Reconsidered going in to watch the baby being born, a once in a lifetime experience, he agreed, but he just didn't believe he could do it. To him a man's place was in the waiting room, only they had no waiting room, so here he was looking out over the valley and waiting.

  The air was crisp and clear. The morning fog that usually covered the valley had burned off as the sun had risen, but the temperature had risen only a small amount. It still felt cold enough to snow to him.

  The door opened and Conner and Aaron stepped outside. Jake grinned, Conner patted him on the back and then Aaron did too as they both shook his hand. Conner handed him a cup of coffee he'd bought out to him.

  “Not gonna watch, huh?” Aaron asked.

  Jake shook his head. “I went in for a few seconds, but she's got the girls with her... That's all she needs,” he said.

  “I might try it... I mean when Aim is ready... I mean, it's a once in a lifetime thing, right?”

  Jake nodded. “That floor is stone... Be damn hard to hit when I faint.”

  Conner laughed. “I gotta go with Jake. Katie asked me just this morning... I don't know... I'm squeamish, I guess.”

  “So you're not gonna do it?” Jake asked.

  “Oh, I'm gonna do it. Are you kidding? She asked, and she wants me to be there, same as Lilly wants you to be there. I just don't know how I'm gonna handle it... Like Aaron said, it's a once in a lifetime thing.”

  “I'm squeamish too,” Jake said.

  “What's squeamish,” Aaron asked. “Some word you made up?”

  “You never heard of squeamish?” Conner asked.

  “I've heard of it... It means easily upset... Something like that,” Jake said.

  “Delicate?” Aaron asked.

  Jake frowned. “I don't know about delicate,” he said.

  “Yeah... Well, we were sent to tell you Lilly asked for you. She wants you in there, so it's a moot point... You gotta go,” Conner told him.

  Jake's face turned white. “Really?” he asked.

  “Really, buddy, she's about ready and she wants you there,” Aaron said.

  “You guys will go with me, right?” Jake asked.

  “Hell no,” Aaron answered. “It's bad enough that I have to go in when Aim gives birth.”

  Jake's eyes fell on Conner. “Hell no. Uh, uh,” Conner said. “Once will be enough for me.”

  “Damn,” Jake said. He took a deep sip from the coffee cup and then handed the cup back to Conner. “Here goes,” he said as he walked back into the cave.

  ~

  Jessie looked up as Jake stepped into the room. “Here's your man now,” she told Lilly.

  Jake stepped to Lilly's side and took her hand.

  “Talk to her Jake. Tell her to breathe. Push when she needs to. Encourage her, Jake. Help her through this,” Jessie said.

  Steve stood to one side with Sandy, a stainless steel tray next to him draped with a towel. He wondered briefly what it might be for and then Lilly cried out and everything left his head. “Breathe, honey,” he heard someone say. “I love you, hang on baby... Breathe.” And he suddenly realized the voice he heard was his own.

  “Push with the next one, Lilly,” Jessie said.

  “I did this time,” Lilly
panted.

  “I know, Honey, just push again... It's crowning. One more big push should be enough,” Jessie told her.

  “You can do it,” Jake said. “I know you can... Breathe like she showed us.”

  The contraction started and Lilly began to moan.

  “Push now, Baby, push,” Jake told her. His own breaths were coming short and hard. His eyes kept flicking back and forth from Lilly's face to the baby's head that had suddenly appeared.

  “Good... Good... A little... Good... Alright, honey, alright... Breathe... Take a breath, breathe,” Jessie said.

  Steve moved in and took the baby. Sandy clamped the umbilical cord off and cut it. Steve massaged the baby's chest as Sandy suctioned his mouth and nose.

  “One more push, Honey, just one more,” Jessie said.

  “Just one more, Honey,” Jake repeated. “Just one more.” His eyes were on the baby boy that was now waving his chubby arms and legs as he was being cleaned up on the top of a nearby stainless steel table.

  Lilly pushed one last time and Sandy caught the placenta in another stainless steel tray as Steve thumped the baby on his feet with one finger. He opened his mouth and bawled.

  “You did it! You did it, Lilly!” Jake said.

  Amy and Katie were on the other side of Lilly, one holding her hand, the other patting her shoulder.

  “You did it, Lil,” Katie told her. “He's beautiful.”

  “The first baby,“ Amy said. Her eyes were tearing up. “The first one, Lil, the first!”

  Lilly choked back a sob.

  “Here you go, Hon,” Sandy said as she eased the baby onto Lilly's chest. Lilly's arms came up protectively. Sandy laid a soft blanket over her and the baby. His head lifted and he began looking for a nipple. Lilly lifted her blouse and let him have it. His tiny hands clutched at her breast, his mouth found her nipple and he began to settle down.

  “Oh,” Amy said, a tear streaking her cheek. “That is so cool.”

  Tears leaked from the corners of Lilly's eyes. One hand smoothed the thick blonde hair on the baby's head. “He's perfect,” she said.

  “I have a son,” Jake said in wonder. “I really do.”

  “And you did good, Jake, you did good,” Katie said. She smiled at him.

  “I did, didn't I? I didn't pass out or anything,” Jake marveled.

  Lilly squeezed his hand. “You did great, Baby,” She said quietly.

  “So did you,” he said. He bent down and kissed her forehead.

  Jessie and Sandy finished up and while Steve held the baby they transferred her to the fresh bed next to her. Steve laid the baby back on her chest and she put him back to her breast.

  “Okay,” Jessie said. “Mommy needs her rest, everybody say your goodbyes now.”

  Katie and Amy kissed Lilly's cheeks and the baby's head.

  “We'll come see you later,” Katie said.

  “Get some sleep,” Amy added.

  Lilly smiled a sleepy smile. “I don't think that will be hard. Thank you guys for being here with me,” she said.

  Jake let go of her hand, kissed one cheek and then brushed a finger across the back of one of the baby's hands. The hand lifted, found Jake's finger and fastened around it. A second later the tiny hand went back to the warmth of Lilly's breast.

  “I love you, Honey, and I'll be back later on once you've gotten some rest,” Jake said. He turned to Jessie and the others. “Thank you,” he said.

  “My pleasure,” Jessie told him.

  “Number one,” Sandy said and hugged him tightly.

  “You did good, man,” Steve told him.

  “I love you too, Baby,” Lilly told him. Jake followed Amy and Katie out the door into the main area of the cave.

  October 18th

  Los Angeles

  Don Abrams stood on top of the low building and watched the street. It was nearly sunrise, and the dead held the streets at this hour. To look down at the street you could easily convince yourself that there was nothing there to be concerned about. That the fear they all held of the dead that had roamed the streets up until the last few months had been totally unfounded. And it wasn't because the dead didn't roam the streets any longer, they did, it was because you didn't see them. They were smarter than that. The hid themselves.

  Don paused a second and digested his thoughts. It was not the first time he had admitted it to himself, but it was the first time it had simply rolled right out during a chain of thought as though it belonged... As though it were real, as though they were real, changed, smarter, existing in some way that none of them could understand.

  Something clanked loudly in the darkness below and Don jumped.

  “What?” Iris from behind him.

  “Nothing... Nothing,” He whispered the words tightly. “A noise below.” Iris said nothing, but left her side of the building, walked over and scanned the street carefully as Don himself was doing.

  “Fuckers are so sneaky,” Don whispered.

  “Should have been gone already... We waited too long,” Iris said a little too loudly. Her voice was emotional, on the edge of another argument. It had, after all, been Don's idea to stay. It had been Don who had been convinced that Los Angeles would rebound. One of the biggest cities in the world, how could it not, he had reasoned, but time had written a different story. The dead owned Los Angeles. All of it, and what the dead didn't own the gangs did. They had no business being here at all. The dead were killing off the gangs and soon the dead would own it and them right along with it. When he thought about it like that it made his blood run cold: He could feel the chill in his veins; Iris had been right.

  There was nothing he could say at all. Not an admission, not a denial. Iris knew the truth, she hadn't made the remark in hopes of convincing him, she was only stating a fact. They had stayed too long, and now, even though they were trying to make their way out it was proving impossible to get out. They were two in a city full of gang wars, flooded areas, explosions from the broken gas lines, fires, continuing earthquakes, and the dead who followed their every move yet made it seem they were only ghosts in their imaginations. Nothing more than smoke. The clank came from the street again, and this time Don zeroed in on their truck where it sat three stories below. Locked up tight: Welded steel plating over the glass. The doors protected with heavy lock-boxes that protected the door-locks and handles.

  The drivers side was in bright moonlight. Nothing there, but the passenger side was in shadow. He didn't believe anything was there. He hoped nothing was there, but he was unsure. Unconvinced. They were so quick. They changed more and more every day. What seemed beyond them today, hiding in the shadows of the passenger side and working at opening the lock-boxes, might be within their grasp tomorrow. Might even be fully within their grasp today. They simply may not have tipped their hand.

  A low metallic clicking sound came to them. They both raised their rifles, aiming down at the passenger side of the truck. A scratching, scraping sound, followed by some metal object falling to the pavement below, something like chains dragging on concrete, Don thought, and then full panic hit him just before he heard the coils of chain dragged through the eye bolts in the door below and falling to the concrete.

  “The door,” he managed, as he thrust himself away from the edge of the roof and ran back along the roof surface toward the door that was propped open with a length of wood, but before he reached the doorway and kicked the lumber away, he heard the heavy pounding of feet on the stairway. More than one, many, coming up the stairs fast: Even as the wood went flying he knew he was too late. He slammed the door shut with all of his weight and tried to hold it.

  Stupid, he told himself. It was a mantra in his head, Stupid, stupid, stupid! There was no lock on the door. None. He hadn't thought of it.

  He had just begun to wonder if the simple closing of the door would matter. Like it was some sort of horror story and the dead would need to speak some sort of magic words to pass the doorway, unlocked or not, when the first of the
m hit the door on the other side and it burst from the frame throwing him aside like a rag doll. A second later he was trying to scramble back to his feet. He was twenty feet away from the door, near the edge of the roof, a few steps and he could jump... Head first would do it. He dragged one leg behind him, moving as quickly as he could. Behind him he heard the rifle chatter as Iris opened up on the dead, and he realized he had not fired a shot at all. He tried to shift his direction in mid-stride, yanking the rifle strap from his shoulder as he did, but it was too much. His center of gravity shifted and he fell backwards off the roof.

  ~

  Black... Darkness... Nothing, and then something. Red beyond his eyes, a red film, something he didn't quite understand... He had been... He had been? He tried to force some kind of memory, but none would come.

  His eyes opened with a flutter and he found himself staring into a pair of red rimmed gold flecked eyes. The eyes were set into a face of tautly stretched skin: Yellow-green, split in places: Fine, black lines running below the surface. Lips stretched tightly across chipped and blackened teeth. The eyes watched him. Cold, calculating. Something off to his left caught his attention. A blur of movement, a soft purring-ripping sound, fabric, something.

  His eyes broke away for a second and settled on iris where she lay crumpled on the sidewalk. Three of the dead crouched over her remains, pulling pieces from her body in bloody chunks. Bile rose in his throat and his eyes darted back just as the face arrowed down, the teeth darted quickly to his throat and fastened: Biting, tearing, ripping...

  The Nation

  Janna unfolded the piece of paper as she looked out over the valley. Impossible, but there it was in black and white. The Nation stood at 1562 souls. She had been in possession of the note for a few hours now: Jamie had handed it to her in a hushed expectancy, as though she too could hardly believe it.

  Janna had known they had grown over the last few weeks, several parties had come in, like a huge influx trying to beat the weather, but she had not thought the numbers would be anywhere close to where they were. She had thanked Jamie, they had both laughed excitedly, and she had slipped the piece of paper into her pocket.