by Gary Chesla
“I can’t see,” Fran complained.
“Here, grab hold of my hand,” Flash said.
Flash grabbed Fran’s hand and led her out of the room and then out of the house.
There was a full moon out tonight and Fran had a much easier time once they were out in the yard.
“I can see a lot better out here,” Fran said.
“Good,” Flash replied. “We have about a mile to go before we reach the food. For the rest of the trip we need to stay quiet. If you have any trouble seeing or you need to talk to me, grab my arm.”
“OK,” Fran said. “I have one question before we start. You said we are leaving now so we would have enough time in case we ran into any trouble. What kind of trouble were you talking about?”
“There isn’t anything around here for us to worry about,” Flash replied. “But a few nights back I did run into about a half-dozen zombies. I don’t know where they came from and I haven’t seen any since, but we should be careful just in case there are any more around.”
“You can see in the dark, right?” Fran asked.
“I’m sure I can see in the dark a little better than you,” Flash laughed. “But just in case, keep your ears open for any strange sounds.”
“Maybe we should bring Snoop?” Fran asked.
“No, he would just bark and make more trouble,” Flash replied. “I do this all the time. Just stay close.”
Flash led Fran through the fields.
Fran listened nervously as they walked, but felt confident with Flash leading the way.
After a long slow walk, Flash stopped and turned back to Fran.
“The food is right up ahead,” Flash whispered. “I want you to wait here while I go over and make sure they didn’t set any traps.”
“What do I do if I hear anything?” Fran whispered back.
“Can you whistle?” Flash asked.
“Not very well,” Fran replied.
“That’s OK, I will still be able to tell that it’s you,” Flash replied. “But wait as long as you can before you whistle. I’ll be back in a minute. I just want to make sure it’s safe, then I’ll have you help me get the food. OK?”
“OK,” Fran replied, then Flash turned and disappeared.
Fran began to nervously look around, feeling uncomfortable because she couldn’t see anything but shadows in the moonlight.
Fortunately, nothing moved except for Flash, who scared Fran as she returned almost as quickly as she had disappeared.
“Is everything OK?” Fran asked. “You were only gone a few seconds.”
“I was gone longer than a few seconds, but yes, everything is fine,” Flash replied. “There isn’t anything close to the food. It’s just sitting out there like it always is. Come on.”
Flash led Fran out to the crate of food.
“Open your suitcase,” Flash said as she started packing the suitcase she was carrying.
When she had her own suitcase full, Flash started filling Fran’s suitcase.
After she was done, Flash felt around in the crate for a moment.
After she was satisfied that she had taken all the food items, she turned and snapped Fran’s suitcase closed.
“OK kid,” Let’s get out of here,” Flash said.
“We’re done?” Fran asked. “I’ve never been able to get food this easy.”
“Don’t say it was easy until you lift that suitcase,” Flash chuckled.
Fran lifted her suitcase and let out a soft grunt.
“What’s in here?” Fran asked.
“I think the Navy was extra generous tonight,” Flash replied. “I think by the feel of things that we got a few canned hams tonight.”
“Really,” Fran asked. “I haven’t had a ham since last Christmas at school.”
“Well, don’t get too excited until we see what we found in the morning,” Flash replied. “I could be wrong. It could just be cans of lard.”
“Not you,” Fran chuckled. “From what I hear, you’re never wrong.”
“You’ve been talking to John too much,” Flash whispered. “I see I still have to teach you not to believe everything a guy says.”
They picked up their suitcases and started the quiet trip home.
When they got back in the house, Flash locked the door.
“Go to bed Fran,” Flash said. “We can sort the food out tomorrow morning in the day light.”
“Can we have ham tomorrow?” Fran asked. “That is if you were right about us finding hams.”
“If I was right, you and Snoop can have a whole ham to yourselves,” Flash replied.
“Thanks, Abbey,” Fran said and smiled to herself in the darkness.
“Go to bed Fran,” Flash replied. “I’m tired.”
Flash turned and went to her room.
It had been a long time since anyone had called her Abbey.
It was hard to think about the way things were before, being called Abbey brought back a lot of memories.
Fran was a good kid, Flash liked her, it felt nice to be called Abbey by someone that you cared about again.
Maybe it was time to start using her real name again.
She had suffered and tried to hide her feelings long enough.
Maybe she could learn to be herself again.
Maybe.
Chapter 24
Granite Mountain, July 4th
Chervy walked down the tunnel until he came to the bay where Doc was working this morning.
As he entered the bay, Doc was giving instructions to Davis and Rogers.
“Carry these three boxes down to the bay I have set up to be my lab,” Doc said. “Unpack them and put the equipment on the back table. I’ll finish setting them up later today.”
“Morning Chervy,” Davis said.
“Good morning,” Chervy replied. “When you are done working for Doc, I would like for you to go down and finish unpacking that stack of communications equipment we set out in the tunnel yesterday.”
“Will do,” Rogers smiled. “You know Cherv, the last few days around here, it is starting to feel like we are back in the Navy again.”
“We never stopped being in the Navy,” Chervy laughed.
“I meant it is starting to feel like we’re on a mission again,” Rogers replied. “We’re busy doing things again, everyone we talk to has a job for us to do. Up until now, it seems like we have just been fooling around.”
“In other words,” Davis laughed. “For Rogers nothing has changed. It’s just another day in the Navy for him.”
Doc laughed, “I know what you mean. Up until now, we have been waiting to do something. The prospect of finally being able to talk to someone on the outside is exciting. Working as a team once again to accomplish our goals is a refreshing feeling.”
“Speaking of accomplishing something, did you check to see if our visitor was back again last night?” Davis asked. “That was exciting yesterday, seeing our visitor meet up with another survivor.”
“And now we know exactly where they are staying, too” Rogers added. “If the walkie talkie trick doesn’t work out, are we going to go out and try to talk to them today?”
“Yeah, I just finished going over last night’s activity,” Chervy replied.
“And?” Davis asked. “Don’t keep me hanging.”
Doc looked at Chervy, but didn’t say anything, but Chervy could tell that behind Doc’s cool calm demeanor, he was anxious to hear the answer.
“Our visitor was back,” Chervy smiled then continued, “and she had a helper.”
“They both were at the food drop?” Davis asked.
“Our visitor scouted the food drop area out first, then brought out her helper to carry the food back to the farmhouse,” Chervy replied.
“Did you get a look at the food crate this morning?” Davis asked. “Did they take the canned ham with the radio?”
“I examined the drop sight,” Chervy replied. “I can’t say for sure, but there weren’t any large items lying aro
und the crate. It’s my guess that they took the ham.”
“Alright!” Rogers exclaimed. “We’re in business.”
“Did you get a good look at the assistant?” Doc asked. “From what we say yesterday, it appeared that our visitor met with and returned to the farmhouse with another female based on the long hair we saw blowing in the breeze. Did the motion detectors activate the night vision cameras to confirm or give us any additional information?”
“We got a few pictures, but only one of the pictures had a clear picture of the second person’s face,” Chervy replied. “The second person was another girl and if I had to guess, I would say they were sisters. They both appeared to be about the same size, had the same hair and facial features. It was only one picture, but they almost looked like twins. The new girl appeared slightly younger and didn’t look as comfortable out there as the other one.”
“Sisters,” Doc said as he thought, “That might explain why they two of them haven’t become infected. They would have the same genetic makeup.”
“It could also explain why the first girl knew when and where the second girl was going to be, so they could meet,” Chervy added. “They may have made plans earlier to meet where they did.”
“Or they had a way to communicate,” Doc said. “For some reason they met during the day instead of at night. Since we never spotted any activity in the area during the day before, I have to assume all their prior movements were at night. After being so cautious to only move around at night before, this day time meeting suggests that they somehow had a way to communicate to make this change. If this is the case, how did they communicate?”
“I’m having the guys unpack some satellite radio equipment we’ve located in those boxes,” Chervy said. “If we strike out with the walkie talkie idea, maybe we might pick up some activity with that.”
“I don’t think so,” Doc replied. “Where would two girls running for their lives the last few months get a satellite radio. That equipment will help us try to locate any surviving military units, but here, it has to be something much simpler. After the boys unpack the satellite radio equipment, I think you should look through the boxes and try to find the most basic equipment you can find. Something any civilian might have found commercially available and then be able to operate without having any special skills or training. Think low tech.”
“We could have Rogers look through all the boxes and pull out anything he recognizes,” Davis smiled. “I guarantee you it will be something low tech.”
“Very funny,” Rogers replied then laughed, “but I’m willing to give it a try if you think it would work.”
“We can try that after I get back,” Doc said.
“Where are you going Doc?” Chervy asked curiously.
“We still have to see if they are going to answer our call on the walkie talkies,” Doc replied. “If they do, I feel like I should be the one to talk with them.”
“I agree on that point,” Davis laughed. “If Rogers talks to them, we may never see them again.”
“Good idea, Doc,” Chervy added. “But you don’t plan on going out there by yourself?”
“No, for our own protection, we need to work in teams of two,” Doc replied. “I was going to take Rogers with me. If we run into any trouble, Davis, you will need to come rescue us.”
“If that were to be necessary,” Davis replied. “How do I get the second helicopter out of the bay? I don’t think I could fly it out the outer bay door like you did.”
“Rogers and I will take the second unit,” Doc said. “That way the other unit will already be outside the tunnel, but I don’t believe that will be necessary.”
“I certainly hope not,” Chervy added.
“If I can have you and Rogers finish taking these boxes down to my lab and unpack them, then fuel up both helicopters,” Doc said to Davis.
Davis nodded, grabbed Rogers and the two men picked up the boxes and went out into the tunnel.
After the men had left, Chervy looked at Doc.
“What’s in the boxes?” he asked.
“Some equipment that I will need if by any chance we are able to bring the two girls back to Granite Mountain,” Doc replied. “I first need to be sure they are safe to bring into our environment, then if they don’t pose an infection hazard, I intend to find out why they have not become infected with the high level of virus saturation in the Stone area. It may seem like closing the barn doors after the horses are out, but I still feel an antidote or vaccine against the virus would greatly increase our chances of survival.”
“Is there anything you need me to do?” Chervy asked.
“Keep the satellite on the area where I will be attempting to make contact,” Doc replied. “If you see any signs of trouble, send Davis out to assist us.”
May 5th Woodridge Terrace, UT
“Wake up, Abbey,” a soft soothing voice whispered into Abbey’s ear.
Abbey wasn’t fully awake, but she was alert enough to recognize the voice and it made her smile.
Woodridge Terrace was a pleasant community on the east side of Salt Lake City.
Abbey and her husband had moved here three years ago.
They moved here from their home in Montana when her husband was offered a job as a delivery driver for the Salt Lake City Post Office distribution center.
Abbey had just finished college and had her nursing degree, but in Montana, nursing jobs were almost nonexistent.
When her husband was offered a job with the Post Office, they felt it was a perfect opportunity.
Her husband, Dave, would be taking a job with a great pension plan and benefits, and Salt Lake City had a lot of hospitals where Abbey was sure she would be able to find a job with her recently acquired RN degree.
They found a nice little house in a good neighborhood and made the move.
That was three years ago.
Right after the move, before Abbey could find a job, little Tabatha joined the family.
Their little girl was named after Abbey’s grandmother.
Abbey decided to be a stay at home mom, at least until Tabatha was old enough to handle daycare.
Abbey knew that the first three years in a child’s life were the formative years.
The years when a child developed into a smaller version of who they were going to be, their personality, their sense of right and wrong and who they were.
Abbey wanted to be the one to instill these values in her child and not some underpaid daycare worker.
Finances were tight, and after three years, Abbey and Dave decided it would now be OK for Abbey to find a job.
She soon found a job at Salt Lake General as a nurse in the emergency room.
Six months had gone by and life had become everything Dave and Abbey had hoped for.
Tabatha had adapted well to day care and Abbey enjoyed listening to her telling Abbey what she had learned that day.
Mostly she learned about the family lives of all the children in daycare with Tabatha.
Kids were honest and had a habit of telling everything they heard and saw.
Abbey was happy that she and Dave didn’t have any secrets that she didn’t want spread all around Woodridge Terrace.
Abbey’s job was going well, Dave was happy, and Tabatha appeared to be blossoming and becoming a real socialite at daycare.
Their lives were great, until the orange rain fell over Salt Lake City.
“Come on Sleeping beauty,” Dave whispered and kissed Abbey’s ear. “It’s time to get up and go to work.”
“You’re not going to get me up if you keep kissing my ear,” Abbey grinned.
“You have to be at work in an hour,” Dave smiled. “It’s seven o’clock, we don’t have time.”
Abbey grinned and rolled over to face Dave.
“Why are you still in your underwear,” she smiled. “you have to be at work at seven-thirty, are you sure it’s not six o’clock and you just decided to harass me.”
“No, it’s se
ven o’clock, but I don’t have to go to work today,” Dave replied.
“Why don’t you have to go to work?” Abbey asked.
“I’m not sure, something about the entire area around the distribution facility being overrun with rioters,” Dave replied.
“Rioters?” Abbey said looking at Dave suspiciously. “Who would be rioting around here? This is the most peaceful place in the country.”
“I have no idea,” Dave replied. “The phone chain said rioters were everywhere and the boss decided to close the facility for the day. I was getting a day off, I wasn’t going to complain.”
“Maybe I won’t have to go to work either,” Abbey said.
“Sorry,” Dave smiled. “The hospital called to make sure you were coming in today. They said they are being swamped with patients and need everyone they can get to come in. Maybe the rioters are beating each other over the head with sticks and are being taken to Salt Lake General for treatment.”
“Just my luck,” Abbey said.
“No, just my luck,” Dave smiled.
“Are you sure it’s not really six o’clock?” Abbey smiled.
“I wish it was,” Dave said looking disappointed, “You have to get up.”
Abbey sat up and gave Dave a kiss, “Then I guess I better get up.”
“If you don’t object, I think I’ll keep Tabatha home with me today,” Dave said.
“No, I think she’ll like that, getting to spend a day all alone with her dad,” Abbey replied. “At least one of us girls should have a nice day.”
“I’ll call her daycare and let them know that Tabatha will be staying at home today,” Dave said.
“Don’t spoil her too badly, dad,” Abbey grinned. “No ice cream until I get home.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Dave laughed.
Abbey got up, took a quick shower and got dressed.