Humanity Gone: After the Plague

by Derek Deremer

  We sit in silence for a few seconds and then Carter adds, “We may not get along, but we have that in common.”

  “What do you have in common?” I responded, looking up at him. I notice that he looks nervous. He’s working his fingers together and keeps looking down at them.

  “We both would die for you.” Carter looked ahead as the sun reflected over the pond. I put my head on his shoulder and grab his hand. I look up to see him looking right back at me.

  I stretch my neck forward. Our lips meet, and my body feels warm all over.

  Chapter 25: Sara

  “Turn that down.” I yell out of instinct. It sounds like someone left a TV on and that static fills the cabin. My eyes widen as I realize what I am saying.

  A muffled voice joins with the static. I sit up straight to see Carter already in front of his radio. He turns it on every sunset and sunrise to check the emergency bands. We thought he was crazy. Boy, were we wrong.

  Carter picks up the radio and begins to slowly tune it. It alternates between clear and fuzzy until Carter finally stops it on a station. In a heartbeat the five of us gather around the small speaker. I don't think one of us is breathing.

  “This is an emergency signal to the Ohio River Valley. The UN Relief and Relocation program will have a station established at the Trinity Shopping complex on August fifteenth and expects to be operational for six months. Please report to this facility immediately. This is an emergency signal to the ...”

  Before it sets in, Jon picks my sister and me up in a huge embrace and is shaking us right to left in his arms. A giant smile stretches across his face. Carter and Jo hold onto each other and then they join us and all of us embrace for the first time.

  “Does this mean things are going back to normal?” Caitlyn asks. For a second I almost think she's worried she will have to leave her forest, but then the excitement lights up her face. Carter runs to his pack and pulls out a map.

  “Now, if I remember correctly that is right at this intersection.” He points to the map as Jo leans over and checks.

  “That's exactly where it is,” Jo exclaims. She embraces his arm and their eyes lock for a second. I may be young, but I know those two have something going on. It makes me happy. I grab Jon's arm tighter and he looks down at me with a smile.

  “So when should we get going?” Jon looks at Carter and Jo. The two quickly separate.

  “Let's spend today getting everything ready and then head out in the morning. It's still a day's drive and we are going to have to stop for fuel,” Carter directs. He takes a few deep breaths and his grin diminishes. He quiets his voice, “We also need to consider that this may not work out. We should hide everything we have here in case we need to come back. We don't want someone else to come along and take everything we worked so hard for and have problems on our hands.”

  That doesn't seem necessary to me, yet I spend the next four hours putting all of our tools and equipment into containers and then burying them in the woods. Jon tries to convince Caitlyn that she should leave the bow, but she demands to take it. She can be so silly sometimes. We won't be hunting for food anymore where we are going. As Jo and I are burying the last of the pots and marking them with some sturdy sticks, we hear yelling coming from the cabin. I start to walk toward it but Jo puts a hand on my shoulder.

  “Stay here for a sec.,” she says. “It's Jon and Carter, you know how they get.”

  “You said like fire and dynamite?” I respond. Jo laughs.

  “Yea.”

  Those two have had trouble getting along. Sometimes they seem like best friends in front of me, but when we're gone, they are at each other like snakes. I don't understand it. Jo gets tired of it, but usually it’s over such small things that she tells us not to worry at all. She laughs about one of them being the “alpha male.”

  Boys are so stupid.

  By the time I come back to the cabin, everything seems resolved. We have a canned dinner since everything we need to cook is hidden away. It reminds me of the first dinner we had here. Sometimes I thought things were going to be bad, but they turned out alright. When we celebrated Caitlyn’s and my birthday in February, I could not believe the feast those three created. However, Jon and Carter were really worried about this winter coming up. Last year when winter came, we had a lot more food from the grocery store, and even then we were hungry a lot. Now we're down to almost nothing in the reserves.

  At dinner, we talk about things we hope they will have wherever they relocate us.

  “Alright, I'll start this out.” Carter jumps in. “I hope they have some video games. It's been forever since I went all ninja.” Carter karate chops the air in front of Caitlyn while making a slap sound through his lips.

  “Figures,” Jocelyn begins. “Call me shallow, but I wouldn't mind spending a week shopping for new clothes. Granted we don't have any money at the moment, but as soon as I get new credit card, I'm maxing it out.”

  Caitlyn joined in, “I am going with her.”

  I look down at my outfit as she says this. The five of us have worn basically the same things for months. Sure we do a good job of washing them but they are starting to look pretty beat up. After a lot of hesitation and a few arguments, Jon and Carter finally went to a department store when the temperature got dangerously low in January. They found some stuff that fit Caitlyn and me, despite the fact that the store was mostly empty, but now we are growing and need another trip. I guess we have grown at least four inches since we arrived here. Caitlyn is now taller than me.

  “Fried food.” Jon admitted. I feel my mouth salivate. Real flavor has been rare here.

  “…School...” I force out. They all laugh. I do miss it. We finish our food and soon find our way to the beds. I usually try to think of mom and dad before bed, but it is getting harder and harder. When I think of family, everyone here comes to mind. I want to spend the rest of my life with Jo, Carter, Caitlyn, and most of all Jon. I drift to sleep.

  * * *

  “I didn't want to have to spend a night out here.” Jon exclaims. “This wrong turn killed us.”

  “If we keep going we can be there by 2 or 3 AM,” Jo adds in.

  “It's too dangerous at night. Besides, we have been on the road all day. We're tired, and we don't know what awaits us at this place,” Carter observes. The three of them continue to discuss our course of action as the SUV keeps traveling down the road. Caitlyn and I just stare out the window. We got off to a little bit of a late start this morning, and the journey has been anything but smooth. The highlights? Siphoning for gas and traveling a few miles in the wrong direction – twice. We are going to arrive at the UN relocation center much, much later. However, no matter what happens, my family will keep me safe. I smile at the back of Jon’s head.

  Carter points ahead and taps Jon with his other hand. “Wait, what’s that?”

  I press my head against the glass. We’re driving through a wooded and relatively hilly area, and it seems like some modest houses were built along the side of this route. Up ahead is a series of turned over cars in front of one of these buildings. Several boys are standing around, and one is waving his hands over his head. It has been a long time since I have seen anyone else. As we get closer I can tell he is smiling. He is wearing a clean navy blue jacket, like what my dad wore to work, and he even had a red tie. He must be around the same age as Jocelyn. Carter shuffles in his seat. She puts her hand behind her, to the gun she usually carries in her belt.

  “They look like they want me to stop. What do you think guys?” Jon asks us. He looks nervous. “I can floor the pedal and blaze past them.”

  Carter squints his eyes at the boy. “He looks harmless enough and I can see both his hands. Those other boys are what I'm worried about.” A few boys dressed the same stand in front of a boarded up house. “See what they want, but if I tell you to gas it, gas it.”

  “Carter, I don't know the last time Jo and I did this we...” Jon responds.

  “Stop,” Jo say
s. “He looks like a schoolboy. Maybe they need help. Show them some humanity.”

  I can see Jon struggle to obey them. The SUV comes to a halt and the waving boy comes up to Jon's side. Jon rolls down the window.

  “Can I help you with something?” Jon asks sternly.

  “Hey, how you all doing?” the boy replies, not really answering Jon’s question. He looks into the car and smiles at each of us. Especially Jo. “It's more the other way. Is there a way we can help you?”

  “Why the kindness?” Carter inquires.

  “Sorry for my rudeness, sir. I am a representative from the Sanctuary. This is one of our outposts.”

  “What the hell is the Sanctuary?” Jo asks leaning forward between the boys.

  “Basically we are people that have made the best of this world. We want for nothing and welcome anyone we can into our home. The more the merrier is our philosophy, especially if the more includes beautiful ladies like each of you.” He gives Jo and me a wink. She blushes, and I am pretty sure I do, too. Carter and Jon look uneasy. “But seriously you five, I imagine you are headed to that UN center up ahead.”

  “How do you know about that?” Carter shoots back at him.

  “We have people checking frequencies night and day to see if others are in need. Also you are not the first car to pass us with that destination. Most people this week pass us a lot earlier in the day than you. Nonetheless, you still have a lot of travel ahead of you, and it will be dark in an hour or two. We turned an old motel into our home, and I guess it’s still kinda used as a motel. You all would be welcome to spend the night. The past few nights, we have been a haven to those traveling to the aid and relocation center.”

  “What's the catch?” Jon asks. Carter nods with him.

  “None. I promise. We have made a very successful life and know children and teens like us are really struggling out there. It's why we call it the Sanctuary, because we want to help all of the people we can. Our car is heading back in a few moments and you can just follow us there. You all look like you could use a good night’s sleep.”

  “Why aren't you all headed to the UN center?” Caitlyn asks.

  “Well, it may seem hard to believe, but many of us have found purpose out here. We aren't ready to leave this world just yet.” Caitlyn nods back, she seems to understand him. I don't know why anyone would choose this way of life when they could go back to the old way!

  The boy continues, “It's just fifteen minutes down the road. Through that neighborhood. It's up to you.”

  “Give us a minute” Jon informs him.

  “Alright well we are going to load up here in a moment. You can choose to follow us or not. Either way, I wish you all the best.” He smiles and walks away.

  We talk it over, and we settle on following them. They tell Caitlyn and me if things get bad to keep our heads down as we get out. Their car leads us through a neighborhood and up ahead we see the Sanctuary. It is a sight.

  Chapter 26: Jonathon

  Over the entrance to the motel is a large banner that says, “Sanctuary.” The large motel is centrally located and has a brick wall that partially surrounds the main building. It looks like they’ve added in a few flipped cars and some barbed wire to make it more secure. I turn to the twins and can tell that they feel unsure. From the outside, this place looks like a jail. Although keeping people out is pretty similar to keeping them in.

  I pull the SUV into a parking space beside the car that led us in. I see a few dozen boys come out of various rooms and approach us. Obviously new people cause a bit of excitement around here. The older boy who I talked to walks over to the office. The rest of the boys don’t seem to know what to make of us. As we get out of the car, our original host returns with someone. It does not take much effort to tell that this was the man in charge. He looks to be just about my age. His brown hair is long and parted to the sides of his forehead. His attire matches the navy blue and red of the others. He has a smile of confidence that I would hate to be on the wrong side of at any time. He extends his hand to me.

  “Jon.” I say with my outstretched hand.

  “Jon?” the boy checks. “Call me Saul. Glad to meet you. Welcome, Welcome. I'm glad my boys found ya'll out there. You are going to come to find this is quite an establishment my boys and I have made here.” His eyes go up and down each of us. I can tell he was taking us all in. Saul motions with his right hand and the group of us begin to walk around the perimeter. The fence around the building is very extensive. Floodlights are mounted all over the complex and wooden watch towers have been constructed on every corner. Safety will not be an issue here.

  “Thanks for you and your boys’ kindness, sir. The road is dangerous and this is definitely better than spending a night out there alone.”

  “Why are there no girls here?” Caitlyn jumps into the conversation. Saul lets out a slight laugh and looks down at her.

  “Well, ya see, young lady, all the boys you see around here, we all used to go to the same all-boys school. When the plague struck, the school started to take in students as parents began to die. Our numbers grew and grew and soon, we students were the only ones left. One night the school caught fire and we had to relocate. Surprisingly this motel was deserted so we made a home of it. I'm sure you know how dangerous it is out there, so we reinforced it and armed ourselves. A bus full of people took advantage of us once and we were not going to let that happen again.” Saul taps the side of the holster on his hip and winks at me. “We have prospered here. We have a garden in the back, and there is a secluded farm a mile in the woods where we keep some livestock. We also have patrols that scrounge for supplies. The Sanctuary gives its residents the best quality of life in America – or so I have heard.”

  “So why has no one joined you?” Carter responds. He looks suspicious of Saul. Saul just grins back at him.

  “Many have come and stayed but they want to go on. Some continued the search for their families and others for the border. Recently people have had hopes about that UN center you all mentioned to my boys earlier. So recently we decided to call this place the Sanctuary because people seem to seek us out for temporary security on a journey. It is a safe place and I hope others will think about staying and not just passing though – as long as they can help out of course!” he grins at me. The five of us will definitely be able to earn our keep here. I smile and nod back.

  He takes us on a complete tour. There is a shed filled with generators and they have nearly the whole place wired with lights for the night. Containers of gasoline are safely stored in several drums just outside. Saul says they have enough gas to last almost six months, but they still go out daily to get more. He says a few of his intelligent boys are even working on finding and installing solar panels for the roof.

  The swimming pool is now a receptacle to collect and store freshwater. In the back they have a boy who spends the whole day sterilizing water for them to drink. Along with that they still managed to find a way to keep the bathrooms working. All of our faces light up when we hear that. In the office, he shows us their food supply. They have boxes and boxes of canned goods. Saul advises me that those are for emergencies. They prefer to use food from the gardens and farms if at all possible.

  He tells me many meals involve eggs and potatoes – but his chefs are finding ways to always make them taste different. Saul assures me that this Thanksgiving they will be having three turkeys. He tells us that we missed dinner, but he will gather the odds and ends that were left of the meal to hold us over until breakfast. His cooks will apparently have an especially large breakfast for us in the morning.

  I’m truly astonished by his Sanctuary. The food, the generators, and safety. It’s an amazing accomplishment. I don't know why people would leave. That UN center seems like a good idea, but this seems to be a better one. It’s the only certain thing.

  After the complete tour they show us to our room.

  “Let me know if you need anything Johnny-boy.” Saul says as he walks a
way. I don't care for the name, but I won’t bring it up. He’s just shown me that there are havens of humanity despite the crumbling of civilization.

  The room is on the second floor, right above where the car is parked.

  “I had this room prepared specially for you during your tour. I hope you enjoy the accommodations!” Saul says.

  One of the boys helps with our luggage. They go to grab Carter's bag and Carter quickly pulls it from his hand. He can be a jerk.

  Saul opens the door for us and gives me the key. He turns to me and Jo, but he seemed much more focused on her. “Lights out is at eight-thirty tonight. We don't like to use more of the generators than we have to. We advise you to stay in your rooms. It can be pretty dangerous around here in the dark. Last week I fell and had a lump on my head the size of a baseball.” He laughed to himself and rubbed the back of his head.

  “Thanks.” I respond.

  “Thanks!” the twins nearly yell at him in unison. They look incredibly happy as they run and jump on one of the one queen beds. Much nicer than our typical arrangements on the wooden bunks. It looks like Saul has arranged four beds into the one room. We were lucky that we found him today. The sun is beginning to set as I shut the door to the outside.

  Tomorrow Carter and I can go check out the UN place while the girls stay here, safely. On the slim chance that the UN place doesn't work out, we may be able to make a life here. The cabin worked, but to be in a community again feels amazing. To interact with new people and new ideas… it makes me feel different. Human.

  Everyone changes and lies down on the beds. The day has been long in the crammed car. My fingers interlock behind my head on the bed and I stare at the dark ceiling. I laugh for a second. It seems that someone had decorated the ceiling with little glow in the dark space stickers. I get everyone else to look at the ceiling and we all laugh. Carter begins to tell the twins the background of a few of the constellations on the ceiling.