The viewer looked in through snow covered lenses at the sleeping survivors.
On such a date and such a time, he stood in wonder at a fulfilled promise.
Three bore a distant familiarity, but none were the one he expected. The masked figure took his time examining each one closely. The pregnancy of the one seemed like a horrendous situation to be in. No part of him envied her.
“Wake,” he yelled into the silence.
Connor woke first and immediately looked around him. Ashamed he’d fallen asleep, he quickly used the wall to rise to his feet. Only then did he see the snowy figure occupying the window.
Without words, Connor drew his weapon and pointed it directly at the man. Connor found it odd how the man did not even flinch or try to discourage Connor’s attack.
“Connor,” Sara yelled as soon as she opened her eyes to see the situation. Sara struggled but managed to get to her swollen feet.
“Who are you?” Connor asked.
By now the rest of the company woke and likewise pointed their guns at the newcomer.
“You are from Colorado Springs,” the newcomer said. “I remember you and you,” he said pointing to Connor and Val. “I’m curious to hear how you survived the nuclear blast.”
“How do you know us?” Connor asked.
“First tell me how you survived the blast,” the newcomer replied coldly.
“Very narrowly,” Connor answered. “We just happened to be gathering new recruits in a town south of there when they bombed Colorado Springs. We barely survived. Several of us had radiation poisoning we were so close.”
“But where is the one I sent?” the man asked solemnly.
“Tell us how you know us!” Andrea grew angry.
“I also travelled here from Colorado Springs like you. You may not have known me, but I knew you. Connor and Val. You two look much the worse for wear. Is the captain of the Fire Hawks dead?”
Connor hadn’t heard Val called this name in some time. Connor lowered his weapon seeing this man truly was a friend. “No, she’s unconscious. She was exposed to some sort of chemicals and then attacked. She’s in bad shape.”
“And you’ve lost your leg,” the stranger said.
“Who are you?” Connor asked again.
“Do you knock up all prisoners and then allow them to carry weapons?” The others thought they heard a smile in the voice as it exited the mask.
In an attempt to be dramatic, Sara removed the bloodstained shirt tied around her eyes to see if he would recognize her. The eyes behind the mask stared intently at her but far too much had happened. The withered and twisted frame of her slipped through his mind without conjuring recognition.
“Did you know Sara from before,” Connor asked the man.
The mask twisted a little to the left as if to gain a different view. “This is Sara?” the man asked. “Have you come all this way with child?”
“I have,” Sara replied softly.
“How far along are you?”
“I will deliver shortly.”
The masked man leaned in as if in new respect for the woman before him. “You are very brave for having done what you have done. Running around in this chaos while pregnant must have been difficult, yes?” He waited as if to see if she would reply. But when she did not, he continued. “I will help you in any way I can.”
“Where is Moses?” the stranger asked.
“Dead,” Andrea replied.
The masked turned to Andrea and asked, “How?”
“Whatever chemicals Val was exposed to,” Connor answered, “killed Moses. He had already been blinded and badly hurt.”
“Why have you come here?” the masked man asked.
“We’re chased,” Connor answered. “Zalac chases us and we have nowhere else to run.”
“Take off your mask,” Andrea almost yelled.
The man simply ignored her. “Are there no others you’ve seen along your way?”
“None who can help,” Connor replied.
“Take off the mask!” Andrea yelled.
“Have you been through New Orleans?” the man asked.
“Yes, we just came from there,” Connor answered.
Not being able to see the man’s face was starting to drive Andrea insane. “Why won’t he take off the mask?” Andrea asked Sara.
“Because,” the man replied through his mask, “I lost two good men as they travelled into the West. The third returned and claimed some terrible disease or chemicals killed the others. If she’s been exposed to this same thing, your Val will probably be dead in a day or two. And she’s likely infected the rest of you.
“So, no, I will not take off my mask just yet.”
This new information gave Connor a sinking feeling in his gut.
“No one else has felt sick,” Connor said. “Just Val.”
“I don’t know the symptoms of this,” the man replied. “I wasn’t there. It’s very likely you’re just not showing yet.”
“Zombie,” Andrea yelled and pointed out the window.
In a single motion, the masked man jumped from his perch onto the concrete floor to join the others. Once down, he whirled around and marked the zombie.
Andrea raised her gun but the newcomer said, “Don’t shoot it.”
“Why not?” Andrea asked.
“You shoot one and the next thing you know you’ve got a dozen on your hands. I don’t know if they give off a smell when they die that attracts others or what but I’ve seen it time and time again. I try to avoid them if possible.”
The company watched from within the building as the zombie searched through the snow but eventually passed by. When the undead’s frame could no longer be seen, the masked man turned to Connor. “Do you know if the zombies followed you?”
Andrea laughed at this. “Uh, yeah. You could say that.”
“Do you know how many?” the man asked through the mask.
Connor leaned in as if telling a secret. “A lot. Sara says it’s everything Zalac has.”
“And how many is that?”
“Millions,” Sara replied.
Luckily for him, the man’s mask hid his face’s reaction to this news.
“Why have you come?” the masked man asked.
“We have nowhere else to go,” Connor replied. “Please help us.”
“You bring an army against me and then want my help?” The movement of Sara bringing her blindfold up to her head to retie it caught the man’s attention. He turned to her and asked. “Sara, where is your husband? Tell me, where has Brady gone?”
Sara leaned against a nearby wall for her feet ached. But in a resolute look, she gazed up into the eyes of the mask. Her face easily showed the hardened response even before she spoke. In somber words she said, “He is no longer the man you knew. He’s abandoned us to join Zalac. He is the very reason we run.”
The man took a moment as if sifting her words. “I find that difficult to believe. How did this happen?”
“Ask someone else. I will not be dragged through that miserable story again.”
“Nevertheless, I’m very sad he’s not with you. I was greatly looking forward to his useful insights. He would know what to do in this situation.”
“You’ll have to do without him, Adus,” Sara replied.
The use of the man’s name startled him. He could feel the loss of anonymity changing the situation. The mask turned directly to Sara. But no question passed the filter. For Adus had a way of keeping things to himself until he knew exactly what to say. And two more zombies passed by in the snow that distracted his attention and forced a decision.
“We have a quarantine room we use for situations like this,” Adus said. “I’ll take you there until we know how badly you’re infected. We can also remove your two fingers, Sara. And any other dead appendages.”
“There is a clothing store nearby,” he said. “If we can get their easily without encountering zombies, I suggest you all put on warmer clothes.” Adus climbed ba
ck into the window and leaned in to offer his hand to help Sara up.
The whole company walked together in the drifting snow. Adus looked back several times to see how Connor managed with his one leg.
In a short amount of time, they came to a clothing store just as Adus had said. Connor, Carlos, and Andrea disappeared into the store to find clothes for themselves and Val.
Sara and Adus remained at the front.
“You know me,” Adus said. “But you have not seen my face. You’re blindfolded and yet you see which way to go. Tell me how this is possible, Sara.”
“I can tell you but can I trust you?” she replied. “I kept my blindfold on and run like this because I know I cannot keep you from it. You will find out one way or another. I cannot stop it. But will you press this old, tired woman into your service as some have tried. Will you extract information out of me like someone might minerals of the earth?
“I give them credit some of my friends have tried to be cordial. But in the end, how could someone truly let their guard down and sleep when the possibility of the burning future screams only inches away? They want to know and I can’t hate them for it.
“But to you I give a new opportunity. Use me lightly. Use me well. For I am very old and very worn. My heart and soul are likewise forever scarred like this body. The ache in my heart goes beyond words and you cannot know it. Please do not add to it.”
Without another word, Sara waddled over to pick out a new pair of gloves.
Adus watched her completely enthralled by her words.
∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ • ∙
As they moved on, Adus carried Val. He helped Connor in any way he could but noticed he had become accustomed to walking on one leg long ago. Connor and Adus walked along together for a time.
One time while they waited for Sara, Adus asked Connor, “Sara sees the future?”
“I’m surprised,” Connor replied, “she hasn’t tried to hide it from you. She sees the future and the past. It’s come in handy many times.”
“Have you asked her about your future?”
“Not really. She came to me and told me some about what would happen next. Otherwise I’ve tried not to bother her.”
“And what does happen next?”
Connor looked at Adus and wondered if this was how Sara felt when posed such questions. “The end. Zalac rushes in with all its zombie army. And as far as I know, we all die trapped against the sea.
“But tell me your story. How did you come to live in Florida if you once lived in Colorado Springs?”
“I was freed thirtieth or some number right around there. You and Brady and everyone had just moved into Fountain. Out of the blue, Brady approached me asking if I could accomplish a secret mission. He asked me to take a large portion of the cure and secretly begin a colony in Florida around Orlando. He gave me very detailed instructions on how to conduct our actions to stay under Zalac’s radar. He gave me very specific tasks to accomplish here.”
“Like what?”
“Building an underground facility. Securing a Learjet from the sun’s EMP that destroyed the bulk of the world’s electronics. And he very specifically told me to make sure I kept the space shuttle safe and cured three NASA workers. He told me the exact day and the place where I would find them.
“Everything Brady has told me has come true. This is how I met you. Brady told me that all my plans would come about when a group of humans arrived today in that warehouse. And here you are.
“You see, I don’t believe for a moment that your Brady has defected or is chasing you. He gave me very specific details on how to construct a room in our underground facility. Now that I see Sara is pregnant, I know exactly why he had me do it. He cares for her a great deal. That much is obvious.”
“Adus, so much has changed since you left. I remember the friend who came to me and asked for a large portion of the cure. I pressed Brady but he would not tell me why. It must have been for you. Back then, things made sense. Brady made sense. Not always immediately but in the end. It’s kind of refreshing to hear you speak of him in the way it used to be. But I have firsthand seen Brady do awful things. I have seen him pierce Sara in a way I can’t describe.
“Whatever sentiments he sent you with are nice but I assure you the Brady you knew doesn’t exist anymore. Sara has seen him. Commander of their army. He wants Sara’s child and nothing more.”
“How can you believe this?”
“Because we’ve heard it from his own mouth. Sara saw him say he wanted to eat and murder her and take the child away. And he is making good on all efforts to do that. I myself have seen how he treated her. He hated her and loved watching her suffer.”
“Then how have you survived all this? You say he’s after you. But if that’s true, he’s been horribly inefficient. Does it seem right that he has an army of millions and can’t seem to capture you? Do you really think you’re that good at sneaking with your one leg and your pregnant woman?”
“Sara has been the deciding factor. She sees time like he does. I can’t imagine the kind of chess-like combat they’ve been engaged in. Brady makes a move. Sara counters it. She’s been outwitting him. That is how we’ve survived. She wears that blindfold because she’s acutely aware of not only the distant future but the immediate future. Her mind sees what her eyes are about to. Combating Brady has taken its toll on her. God, just look at the woman! That’s how we’ve survived.”
Adus looked at Sara and thought for a long time. “I’m curious to see how you explain me then,” Adus told Connor. “How come Brady sent me here. Why did he tell me to meet you here at a specific day and time?”
“I don’t know that Sara would agree with me,” Connor replied, “but I’ve known Brady a long time so I think I have some credibility. I’m convinced Brady became corrupted as time went on. I think he meant well in the beginning. When he freed Sara. When he sent you. When he told you those things. Actually, it was about the time we took a trip to Chicago. Almost everything after that seemed different. He was motivated by something else then. He went to see where Zalac did experiments on prisoners to make the original zombies. Something happened there that changed him.”
“And what does Sara think?”
“That he was always conniving and manipulative. That he saw into the future and saved himself by screwing over anyone else. Apparently he made her several promises that have been completely broken now. She hates him.”
“Do you know what he promised her?”
“I know one of them had something to do with him not leaving. It’s one of the reasons she feels so abandoned and alone. The others? I’m not sure. Val would probably know.”
Adus thought again silently for a moment. “Well, whether by long dead good intentions or Sara’s miraculous guidance, you’re here and we’ve connected. We have a facility to make a stand against this army. I doubt it will be much of one but you’ll last longer than you would out in the wild.”
“We’re grateful. Just the thought of warm food makes my stomach ache.”
For a brief moment, the wind kicked up and split the dense clouds and drifting snow. At the edges of the clouds the company could barely make out the outlines of large buildings.
Sara knew it to be Orlando. As she looked on it, she felt a strange childishness in her as if she stood dwarfed before a great majesty. In her heart, she knew this to be the beginning of the end. A part of her rejoiced to be done with aimless wandering, aching feet, and frantic searching for food but the rest of her groaned at the horror about to come.
∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ • ∙
A far ways into the city, their journey ended. Suddenly, Adus slipped into a nearby building. The others followed to find him lifting a manhole cover for them to climb into.
Sara looked down the entrance unsure if she would fit.
Carlos asked for someone else to help him take Val down. Adus spoke a password into the hollow rail of the ladder and told Connor to hold the cover open.
With gr
eat effort Adus and Carlos took Val down without scraping her too badly. Next Sara untied her blindfold and threw it into the rubble. With that done, she started to descend and was granted a few scrapes to her back and belly as she narrowly fit through the tunnel. She spent most of the descent fighting thoughts of being stuck permanently in this tunnel.
Connor descended last and covered the manhole cover with rubble as he managed to squeeze into the entrance. Adus yelled up for Connor to secure the opening. Connor looked at the bottom of the manhole cover and found a wheel similar to a submarine door. He twisted it until tight and hopped down the ladder.
Beneath, a great open room greeted them. Its wide walls were made of solid concrete. Connor thought this whole place must be a part of the city’s sewer system. Several figures in similar suits to Adus stood at the base of the ladder to greet them. The company stood awkwardly under the prying eyes of these masked figures.
Two guard posts had been fastened to the concrete walls. Tiny finger holes had been drilled into the side wall to allow the guard to climb up into the post. The two unmasked guards looked down on the company with heavy machineguns close by.
“You can stay here until we’ve cleared you,” Adus said. “I’m going to get a doctor to examine you.” With that he moved towards a towering wall of twisted metal before them. It cut the cavernous room cleanly stretching from one end of the concrete wall to the other. As Adus approached, a small door in the rubble was opened and he slipped inside.
Val started to stir. Connor immediately rushed to her side.
“Good morning beautiful,” he greeted her.
She just groaned at him and opened one eye. Connor could see she moved her tongue around in her mouth. “Did I get some teeth knocked out?”
“I’m afraid so.”
She groaned again.
Adus and a doctor returned. With few words, the doctor looked them over. He asked everyone to take off their gloves and shoes so he could see if their extremities had signs of frostbite.
Val quickly looked herself over and saw several black toes.
“Alright,” Val said, “who was carrying me? Could you not lift me above the snow?”
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