“Ah, yes, sir, we’ll be sure to be there.”
“Excellent, now is there anything you would like to declare? Any weapons you may have that we should be aware of?”
“We just have a pistol with a handful of bullets. That’s all,” she says while crossing her fingers behind her back. She once again notices Private Ortiz taking notes.
“Very well then. We will see you all tomorrow at o’ eight hundred hours for the town meeting. Have a nice day, folks.”
They turn and walk down the driveway and toward the neighbors’ house. Maggie looks out with her friends right behind her at the seemingly hundreds of soldiers moving into the area. With jets screeching as they fly by and helicopters hovering over the town, Maggie thinks how the scene looks like something out of the movies. Yet this is real, this is really happening. She closes the door and walks into the kitchen and opens the fridge. Heather and Kristie follow her in. Eric and Nate go into the living room.
Kristie comes up behind Maggie and gives her a big hug from behind and says, “We’re going to be okay, right?”
Maggie turns around and hugs her back, and Heather walks over and joins the hug. “I hope so, Kris. I hope so.” Once they finish hugging, they all decide it’s safe enough to stay upstairs for the night, and then Maggie goes back into the bunker to call her uncle.
Chapter 19
After a good night sleep in her normal bed, Maggie wakes refreshed and full of energy. The house is quiet, and outside seems surprisingly quiet as well. She looks over at Eric, still sleeping, shakes her head, and laughs. She thinks to herself how mad her parents and her uncle would be if they knew her boyfriend was sleeping in her bed with her, but due to the circumstances, she didn’t want to put him on the couch. She quietly gets out of bed, gets dressed, and uses the bathroom. She goes downstairs and starts cooking breakfast for everyone, thinking it would be a pleasant surprise when they wake up.
With the smell of sizzling bacon in the air, the rest of the group slowly start moving downstairs and into the kitchen where Maggie is finishing up cooking a huge breakfast. “Well, good morning, everyone. Hope you all slept well, and I hope you guys are hungry for some eggs and bacon?”
Everyone nods and grumbles something that sounds like a ‘yes,’ so Maggie proceeds to dish out the eggs, bacon, and home fries. Eric gets up, walks over to Maggie, and gives her a kiss on the cheek. “This looks great, babe. Thanks for cooking. Now, go sit down and enjoy your breakfast. I got this.”
“Aw, you’re so sweet, thank you. Is it as good as it smells?” She grabs a plate and joins them at the table.
They all nod their heads yes and continue to eat. As everyone finishes up, Heather and Kristie grab everyone’s plate and they clean up the kitchen. As Maggie finishes up her matcha tea, she looks at everyone and sighs, “Well, you all know we have to go and meet the military people in a little bit. So, should we go over anything before we go, or do you think we’ll be alright?”
Eric gulps the last bit of his coffee and sets his cup down. “I don’t think we need to go over anything. Just as long as no one mentions the bunker to anyone, we should be all set. They probably just want to go over some details and rules about how they are going to operate. Should be pretty straight forward – just the typical ‘do everything they say, and we’ll be fine’ sort of thing.”
They all come to an agreement and soon drive down to the campus where they follow the soldiers directing them where to go. After finding a place to park, they walk down to the football field where hundreds of people are waiting. They walk around for a little while trying to find anyone they know but only running into a couple of Eric’s and Nate’s ice hockey teammates, who tell them that most of these people are from the front range after being pushed west by the infected. An announcement comes over the PA system, and the crowd quiets down.
“Good morning, everyone. My name is Coronel Stevens, and I’m one of the officers here at the Boulder base. As you’re all aware, the U.S. armed forces have begun moving into the areas affected by the terrorist attacks on our nation. Most of you probably know that cities like Denver, New York, Los Angeles and so on have been attacked by a kind of unknown chemical or biological weapon, and its full effects are still yet to be determined. But what I can tell you is that it turns your average human being into a mindless, violent, and psychotic monster of a human being. These things will stop at nothing to attack anyone who is not already affected, and may I just add they are very hard to put down. Rest assured that the U.S. military is taking the necessary steps, led by our president, to suppress this threat and keep people like yourselves safe. Now, unfortunately, I cannot take any questions or comment on any further detail of our operation. So, on to the next issue at hand, you will all be subjected to testing and blood work following ID checks. After you have passed our testing, you will be required to have an RFID chip implanted into your hand so that we can monitor this outbreak and make sure you’re not mistaken for an infected human being.”
A clamor erupts over the crowd as conversation throughout grows ramped.
“Listen, people, this is for your own good. It will keep you safe, and this is not an option; it is mandatory. If you do not comply, you will be detained and will not be able to stay here. It’s as simple as that. Now, these things are perfectly safe, so there’s nothing to fear.”
People are yelling and throwing things in the direction of the stage in their panic, forcing military guards to step in.
“With that being said, and once you have settled down, please start forming lines in front of the desks that are on either side of you, and we’ll get started with the testing. Thank you for your cooperation, and have a good day.” He walks off the stage and out of the stadium.
The crowd begins pushing the guards back, forcing them to get violent. Once a few people get put down hard and fast, the crown settles down again.
Maggie turns around to look at her friends, who are in as much shock as she is. Nate is still screaming at the top of his lungs, “Man, fuck you, you fucking cock suckers. Who the hell do you think you are!” People around them begin yelling the same and then some. Nate stops and looks at Kristie with a crazed look in his eye.
“Holy shit! It’s happening, what we’ve been warned about for the last ten years. They finally have the excuse to do it, implants, the sign of the beast, this is the fucking Apocalypse!”
Kristie looks at Nate and rolls her eyes. “Calm down. It’s not the Apocalypse. You watch too many zombie movies, and we don’t have a choice in the matter, so just suck it up!”
“Are you fucking kidding me? Do you know what this means? They will know everything about us, where we are, what we’re doing, everything. I never thought this day would happen! Holy shit!” Nate falls on the ground and puts his arms on his knees and rests his head on his arms and then starts shaking his head back and forth.
Kristie lowers her head and covers her face with her hand while shaking her head. “They’ve been able to track where we are for years. Hello? Smartphones! Now get off the ground, and take your implant like a man!”
Nate just ignores his girlfriend and continues to sit on the ground, mumbling something unintelligible. With the rest of the group just standing there, unsure what to do or say, a voice is heard from the crowd, breaking the awkward silence.
“Maggie! Maggie, is that you?”
Maggie turns around to see her friend Jennifer walking toward her. She puts her arms around her. “Oh my gosh, Jennifer! It’s so good to see you. How are you? Are you alright?”
“I’m so glad to see you, Maggie. What the hell is going on around here? The whole world is falling apart, but anyway how are you? Are you guys okay? What’s wrong with Nate?”
“We’re fine. Nate’s just in shock over this whole microchip thing, but I think we’re all pretty freaked out by all of this, ya know?”
“This is horrible Maggie, absolutely horrible. I don’t know what to do anymore.”
Jennifer starts to c
ry, and her boyfriend, Mike, walks over and gives her a hug. Maggie hugs them, and Kristie and Heather Join in.
“Listen, you guys, you know where I live, so if you guys need anything, anything at all, you come to my house, alright? Don’t hesitate. We have plenty of room and supplies.”
Eric rudely interrupts by pulling on her sleeve. “Ah, hey, you guys, sorry to break this up, but I don’t want to be standing in line all day, so we should probably get in line, don’t ya think?”
Jennifer wipes her tears and the ones off Maggie’s face. “Yeah, you’re right. We have some friends holding our place in line, so we better go, but thank you for the offer. We might just take you up on it. Bye, you guys.”
They say goodbye, and Eric grabs Maggie’s hand and starts walking in the opposite direction. “Babe, what are you doing? We don’t have enough room or supplies for any more people, so you can’t be telling people that. Now, I know you just want to help your friends, but we got to be smart about this.”
Maggie pulls her hand away from Eric’s. “They are our friends, Eric. Of course we’re going to help them. What the hell is wrong with you!”
“Well, you sure are your uncle’s niece, but the bunker is not a mountain, and you can’t help everybody.”
She walks away with Heather and Kristie, leaving Eric and Nate standing there. They soon follow and join them in line for testing. Four hours later and after thorough testing, they are all implanted with microchips, thus changing their lives forever.
* * *
They leave the football field and drive back up to the house with no one saying a word. They pull into the garage, and all exit the vehicle and enter the house. They go into the living room and sit on the couch. Nate soon jumps up off the couch and goes over to a cabinet in the entertainment center and pulls out a bong and a bag of pot. He puts the bong on the table and proceeds to pack a bowl.
Maggie shakes her head in disgust and says, “Are you kidding me? You’re going to get high at a time like this? What are you, nuts?”
Nate shakes his head slightly and grins as he puts the bong to his mouth, lights the bowl, and takes a huge hit. He blows it out and coughs a little. “You’re damn straight I’m hittin’ this shit. Todd’s dead, none of us can even get ahold of our families but you, and also the world’s fucked and we have implants in our hands and, oh yeah, I almost forgot, the Apocalypse has started. So, damn right I’m gettin’ high.” He passes the bong to Eric. “And don’t worry; the Army is here, so we’re all saved. You have nothing to worry about now that the government has decided to save us!”
Eric contemplates for a second, looks at Maggie and then back at Nate and then down at the bong. He takes a hit.
Maggie’s jaw hits the ground, surprised that he would do such a thing. “Wow, that’s some balls you have there, boyfriend.”
Eric blows out his hit and passes it back to Nate. “Sorry, babe, but he’s right. Life’s too short to not do what we want. We could be dead tomorrow. This country is fucked, and we’ve been through a lot recently. I think we can all use a little stress relief, don’t you?”
Nate hands the bong to Kristie. She takes the bong and looks at Maggie. “I got to agree with them, Mags. We’re all safe here now that the Army is here, so let’s let off a little steam and get a little stoned. We can all use it.” She proceeds to take a hit and passes the bong to Heather.
“Sorry, girl, but my anxiety is at an all-time high, so I need to get stoned. Just join us; like they said, who knows how many more days we will have to just let go a little?” Heather takes a hit and tries to pass the bong to Maggie, who just sits there and shakes her head.
She continues to shake her head, her arms crossed to show her obvious displeasure, which she can’t seem to express through her face. She allows a tiny smile. “Well, I’ve never been one to give into peer pressure, but I guess there’s a first for everything. Give me the damn bong.” She reaches for the bong while looking away.
Kristie scooches over on the couch and sits right next to Maggie. “Yay, I’m so happy you’re joining us. Now, I know it’s been a long time. Do you remember what to do?”
Nate jumps up off the couch and grabs the bag of weed. “Wait!” He walks over to Maggie and pulls the bowl piece out of the bong and dumps it out in the ashtray then proceeds to fill it back up again. “If she wants to smoke, then she gets a green bowl for sure.”
Eric puts out his fist, and Nate bumps it. “Good call, bro, such a gentleman. But are you sure you want to do this, babe? You don’t have to. Don’t let us pressure you into doing something you don’t want to do.”
“Well, since that seems to be the theme today, well, then why not? Just put the damn thing back in there before I change my mind.” Nate replaces the bowl and then lights it for her. She takes a tiny hit and blows it out and coughs a little. “Oh, that’s so gross!”
Nate smiles as he hands her a glass of water and takes the bong. “Well, I usually use a vaporizer, but this is all we got, sorry!”
They pass the bong around a bunch more times and end up smoking a lot of pot. By the time they are done, they are all so high they almost forget about all the problems going on in the world. Finally, they have their first chance to relax since this all happened. For once in what feels like an eternity, the house is filled with laughter and happiness. They spend the day just talking and playing board games. They all miss just hanging out together and having fun just being college kids. It’s as if they don’t have a care in the world—not even any tests to worry about.
They’ve all lost a part of their youth in the last couple weeks, and even if it only lasts for just one day, they are determined to gain a little bit of that back. The world dealt them the worst hand possible, but just for that day, in that moment, they could forget about all their troubles. That is until Nate begins to scratch at his implant, reminding them all how short-lived their levity and freedom will be.
Chapter 20
Peter lies on the couch, frantically changing channels, looking for any channel that is broadcasting the news but having no luck. All of the channels are broadcasting the emergency alert system information and nothing else. The broadcast is the same as it’s been for days, telling everyone to evacuate to the designated safe zones listed on the screen.
Simon grabs his rifle off the rack and steps in front of the TV. “We need to go back out there.”
Peter sits up and looks at his dad. “Are you crazy? Uh, sorry, Dad . . . But why would we go back out there?”
Jason, Dave, and Kelly simultaneously put down their cards and look over at Simon. Jason asks, “What for?”
Simon sets the butt of his rifle on the ground and lowers his head. “Because I need to get samples from the infected. I need to begin testing so I can determine what kind of bacterium or virus this is. I didn’t have a substantial chance to study it the first time in Afghanistan since— Well, you guys know why. So I need to get as much information on this as possible. We haven’t heard anything from the CDC, and so I have to go out there and see what I can find.”
Peter’s mouth is agape. He swallows then says, “Dad, what— ?”
Dave stands up and throws his cards on the table. “Okay.”
Simon looks at him, surprised. “Ah, okay. Well, alright then, we’ll head out in the morning.”
Jason looks at Simon and then at Dave. “Shouldn’t we discuss this first? I mean last time we barely made it back safe.”
Kelly grabs her husband’s hand and looks over at Simon. “He’s right, we need to discuss this.”
Dave walks over to the gun rack and pulls a rifle down. “No, Simon’s right. We need to know what we’re dealing with, so if we can gain some kind of intel by getting some samples from these things, then I’m all for it.”
Simon puts his hands in the air and then glances down at his son. “Great! Alright then, we’ll leave first thing tomorrow.” It does still take a little more convincing, but they all eventually agree to go.
Next
morning they follow the same prep and load out routine as they did the first time. But after not having any luck finding any samples nearby, they end up driving back to the grocery store. The identical spot in the woods was easy to find with its headless, decomposing corpse serving as an easy reminder. Dave scans the area from the bed of the truck and gives a thumbs up and says “all clear” into the radio. Simon gets out of the truck, grabbing his bag on the way, and walks up to the rotting carcass on the ground. He puts his mask and rubber gloves on and then attempts to take some blood and skin samples.
“These samples aren’t good enough. I need samples from a recently deceased infected and one with its head intact.”
Jason walks around the side of the truck and joins Simon. “Okay, what do you suggest we do?”
“We need to go hunting for the infected and not just for the initially infected and fast ones or, as I like to call them, an incipient, but I also need samples from the other ones, the slow, half-dead ones like the one in the parking lot.”
Kelly walks over to where they are and says, “Okay, I have to interject here. Are you suggesting we go out in search of these creatures? Are you insane?”
“I’m not suggesting it. That’s exactly what I’m saying we must do. We need a fresh body, and it’s the only way. The samples we obtain won’t just be to determine a cause, but I also need to see how it affects the cells, how it works within the body. They need to be fairly fresh because of accelerated body decomposition.”
Dave takes one last look around and jumps out of the back of the truck. “Then that’s what we’ll do. We’ll look for them.”
The Ark of Asylum (The Ark Series Book 1) Page 13