After Everything Else (Book 1): Creeper Rise

by Brett D. Houser

  “If that dog gets into those chickens, the Chief is likely to put her down.” Sparky’s voice came from too close behind Sonya. She turned, and he was standing not more than two feet from her, too much into her comfort zone. She sidled away from him, pretending to be interested in what a particular chicken was doing. Honey moved with her.

  “I don’t think she’d hurt them. She’s a sweet dog. But it’s been a while since she had something to eat. We’ve been feeding her a little, and she’s been catching some stuff on her own, I think. Do you guys have anything?” Honey looked from Sonya to Sparky like she knew she was being talked about.

  Sparky approached again, bending down to pet Honey, but never taking his eyes off Sonya. Sonya was watching Honey, and she saw her tense under Sparky’s rough touch. Sparky didn’t notice. “Sure. We could find her a hambone, or some scraps. We don’t keep any dog-food on hand, though. Tell ya what, next time I make a run, I’ll stop at a store and get her some.”

  Sonya stepped away again. She looked around at the other buildings in the compound. “So what’s in all these buildings? I see the shop, and that funny building has a kitchen, what else is here?”

  Sparky laughed. “That’s a Quonset building. Takes a while to think of it as a house, but that’s where the Chief and Tracey stay. He calls it Main Quarters. I imagine you girls will probably stay in there, too. I bunk up in the shop. There’s a bathroom and a shower in there. That’s probably where me and Chase will stay, to start out I guess.”

  Sonya didn’t like the last part. Sparky seemed to be thinking they would stay already. She tried to hide her concern. “What about those other buildings?” She pointed to a couple of smaller sheds.

  “Well, storage mostly. I’m not really sure what all is in ‘em. They’re locked. The one I been in is full of guns and ammo and stuff.” He grinned. “The Chief was ready for World War 3. He told me he thought society was about to break down, and he figured he’d be fighting people off. Living ones, anyway. He didn’t plan for this, but he still thinks we’re going to need those guns. He says that when society’s rules break down, it’s better to hold a strong hand. I figure he’s right, but we ain’t really sure how many living people gonna come knockin’ now. The Chief says he has some idea, but I don’t think he really knows.”

  Sonya noticed that Chase, Marilyn, Tracey, and the Chief were moving toward what Sparky had called the Quonset building, or the main quarters. Suddenly, she wished she had gotten her pistol out of the Suburban. She didn’t want to be left alone outside with Sparky. She wasn’t sure he was dangerous like that, but there was something off about him. “Let’s go catch up with the others.” She decided that even if she didn’t like the way she was being ignored by everyone else, she didn’t want all the attention she was getting from Sparky. Sparky followed her at a little distance, and her feelings about his weirdness went up a notch. She could tell he was quite a bit older than her, maybe even in his mid-twenties, but he was pouting like a little kid that no one would play with.

  Sonya joined the group as they were entering Main Quarters. The Chief saw Sparky and told him to take the Hummer to the creek and wash it, then put it in the shop. Still pouting, Sparky left to follow his orders. Sonya couldn’t say she was sorry he was gone.

  Main Quarters was set up with one big entrance room, then a long hallway ending at a closed door. Doors to other rooms, including the kitchen and the dining room, opened off either side of the hallway. She assumed one of the closed doors off the hallway was Tracey’s. Tracey and Marilyn went to the kitchen to get ice water for everyone, but Sonya didn’t follow. She hung back in a corner of the room and listened while Chase and the Chief talked. She was a little upset that Chase wasn’t including her in these discussions, but after watching for a bit, she decided that it wasn’t really Chase’s choice. The Chief seemed to assume Chase was the leader, the decision-maker, and Sonya guessed she understood why. Chase was tall, obviously intelligent, and a good looking guy. Captain America. Sonya had to admit that to herself. He seemed to know how to talk to someone like the Chief, too. Sonya was uncomfortable around people like the Chief. She wondered if he had ever used the phrase “I don’t know” in his life.

  “I’ve got to tell you, Chief, this place is amazing. Ice water! I didn’t know if I’d ever have ice water again, or even see ice outside of winter.” Sonya thought Chase seemed honestly impressed. He wasn’t just kissing his butt.

  “I imagine anyone could have done it,” the Chief replied, but Sonya wasn’t sure he believed that. “The solar cells for electricity weren’t cheap, but I had the means. They were easy enough to hook up. For the solar furnace and everything else, well, I had the tools and there were plans available. Materials were cheap enough, and I tried to buy used stuff and repurpose as much as I could.” He waved his hand, gesturing at the room they were in. “Like this Quonset building. I bought it at an auction. It was cheap enough. Cost me more to move it in here and put it up than it cost to buy it. I made some modifications to make it livable. I did all that myself. The fence I bought at auction, too, for pretty cheap. Actually bought it at a few auctions. Old tennis court fences, old schoolyards.”

  “Wow.” Chase took an ice water from Marilyn, who had returned with Tracey. Marilyn walked over and handed Sonya one as well. Sonya sipped it, and thought plain old cold water had never tasted so good. “So how long did it take you to get the place like this?” Chase continued.

  The Chief frowned in thought. “I don’t know. Ten years? I bought the land, 200 acres, when I turned forty. Got it pretty cheap, too. I was still in the army, then. I found it online. I was just looking for a place back in the woods. I was at Fort Campbell, then. I came out one weekend to look it over, and I bought it.” He leaned forward and started counting on his fingers. “It had running water. It had a hardwood forest. It was secluded. And it had some other features I wanted.” He leaned back again and picked up his glass again, took a sip. “For the next ten years, I hit auctions for materials and did research. I’d take leave every so often and come out and do some building. I contracted some help with some of the bigger stuff, but I did most of it myself. Then I retired and put a camper trailer out here until I got the rest built. It’s been done for three years, and we’ve been living here since.”

  “We?” Sonya hadn’t meant to join the conversation, but she couldn’t help herself from asking. Everyone turned to look at her, and she found herself blushing. The Chief chuckled and replied, but he directed his answer toward Chase.

  “Yes, ‘we.’ Tracey is my daughter.”

  Chapter 22 – Chase

  Chase looked at Tracey, and then at the Chief. He hadn’t really noticed any resemblances, but he supposed there were enough to make the relationship plausible. Immediately, questions filled his mind, but he wasn’t sure which might be appropriate to ask. There was one that he needed to know immediately. He glanced at Sonya and then asked, “You both survived?”

  The Chief was studied him closely before answering. Those cold blue eyes were evaluating. To Chase, it felt like the first time he had walked onto the field as a quarterback and the opposing team, the fans in the bleachers, and even his own team were evaluating him, wondering if he had what it took. He returned the Chief’s gaze evenly, trying to keep his face interested, but not giving anything else away. Finally, the Chief replied. “Yes. We both survived. We don’t leave this place much, but we do listen to the news and watch news channels. We knew something was going very, very wrong out there in the rest of the world. And it is the rest of the world. From what I’ve been able to tell, it hit Eastern Europe first then spread outward from there. In the U.S., it appears to have started in Florida.” Out of the corner of his eye, Chase saw Sonya start. “It spread from there. We are…well, were a nation that moved around a lot. Business travelers, vacationers. It spread quickly.” He leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees. Chase leaned forward as well. “Chase, I have theories. But that’s all I have. Some of them seem cra
zy, even to me. Of course, I can’t get proof. And I can’t ask anyone or wait for anyone else to do research. So I’ll go ahead and believe what I have figured out to be my truth, and who will know?”

  Chase nodded. He wasn’t sure where this was going. He wanted to get back to the fact that both the Chief and Tracey were alive. “Chief, what is causing it? Why did so many people die, why are we left alive, and why are dead people walking around? I’ve thought and thought, but I don’t have any information beyond what I’ve seen myself, and that hasn’t really told me anything.”

  The Chief clapped Chase on the shoulder. “I knew I had you figured right. You’re like me. You have to know the why and the wherefore or you can’t be happy. Well, I’m not completely happy with my explanation, but it is an explanation of sorts that I can live with.” He sat back, sipped more water and seemed to be gathering his thoughts. “Chase, what do you know about Neanderthals?”

  “Neanderthals?” Chase asked, wondering just how crazy the Chief was. “Cavemen. France, Europe. Replaced by modern man a long time ago. Couldn’t compete.”

  “That’s what we’ve been told. There’s lots of theories, though. Couldn’t compete, changing climate, interbreeding with modern man. But here’s what I’ve come up with. The Neanderthals were small groups, pretty scattered. Almost strictly hunters. There wouldn’t have been much interaction. Now suppose they had a disease. If a whole group of them died out, a tribe, I guess, it wouldn’t be a big deal. Small, scattered. But up comes modern man. Pushes them closer together as they take away their hunting grounds. This disease gets around much quicker, and wipes them out. And maybe this disease doesn’t attack modern man. So say a Neanderthal group gets this disease, and goes back in a cave, and dies there. Let’s say this disease isn’t a virus. It isn’t a bacteria. Let’s say it’s a fungus. Spores can live a long time. There was a discovery of Neanderthal remains in a cave in the Beskidy mountains. The cave sealed tens of thousands of years ago, and hadn’t been disturbed. It was opened when they were blasting for a new highway a few years ago. They sent in people to investigate. A professor and his team from the University of Florida who specialized in Neanderthals was called in. Now, none of these people got sick for a few weeks. But let’s say they did carry this fungus back. And maybe the spores affected these people because some of them carried just enough Neanderthal in them to be infected. And maybe the fungus mutated so it could affect modern humans. Doesn’t really seem likely, but neither does all this,” he waved his arm around.

  Chase was skeptical. “A fungus? That can kill people? And make dead people walk?”

  The Chief looked almost happy that Chase doubted him. “Did you know there is a fungus that has been around for millions of years that does virtually the same thing to ants? Oh, it doesn’t make them move around after they are dead. But it controls them. It makes them climb to a certain height in the rain forest canopy that is the perfect climate for the fungus. Then it makes them bite onto a leaf and hang there until it produces spores, and the spores fall to the forest floor, and it starts all over again.”

  Chase shook his head and gave a low whistle. “You’ve really thought about this, haven’t you?”

  “Yes. I have. When the world started falling apart, I started researching hard. I contacted people. I listened. But when everybody died, I couldn’t find anything else out. So I may be way off base.”

  “So why are we still alive?” Chase kept coming back to that.

  “I think…I think it’s because we are just genetically different enough that it doesn’t affect us. That’s why both Tracey and I are immune. I don’t know if that trait is dominant or recessive, though. I’m guessing recessive, but I can’t know for sure. One guy with the CDC told me that he guessed that about 70% of the population was susceptible to infection through airborne spores.”

  “But…well, Marilyn’s family.” Chase looked at Marilyn apologetically. “They all died.”

  The Chief looked at Marilyn. “Tell me about it.”

  Chase was surprised at how evenly Marilyn told the same story she had told before. When she was done, the Chief looked satisfied.

  “That sounds about right. I said 70% were susceptible to the airborne spores. The fungus started growing in them immediately. But I’m pretty sure we are all susceptible when bitten by a remnant. Have you seen their mouths?” This time, everyone present nodded. Chase thought he saw Sonya shudder. “Their mouths are black because of the fungus. I’ve studied them. The mouth is just about the only place you can see the fungus without cutting into a remnant. If that material enters anyone’s bloodstream, recessive gene pattern or not, then that person becomes infected. That’s not just a guess. That’s a fact. Anyone bitten will die shortly afterward and turn remnant themselves.”

  Chase heard Marilyn whisper “Seth” to herself. He looked at her, but her face was unreadable. “So this fungus controls people? And makes them come back after they die?”

  The Chief shrugged. “I think I’ve got that right. Even when people are just sick, before they die, it gets into their brains. Like the folks at Marilyn’s church. It was like the fungus tapped into their brains and made them want to go be with other people. Spread the infection. That’s why there aren’t many remnants in the country side. The sick people headed to towns, to populated areas. The fungus was trying to propagate as quickly as possible. And then, after they died, the fungus still drove them to head toward towns.” The Chief stood up suddenly. “We’ll have plenty of time to talk about this. It’s just what I think about at night before I go to sleep. All guesses. But what really matters is being ready. Let me show you around. I’m ready, and I’m proud of it. And I’m expecting more people. If 70% were susceptible to the airborne spores, and another 25% were bitten after the remnants starting rising, then that still leaves about one and a half million people alive and trying to stay that way. I don’t think most people are that smart. And they won’t all be around here. But if there are any in the area, we have to keep getting ready for more to show up.”

  Chase stood to follow the Chief and hear what else he had to say, and Marilyn joined him. Sonya lagged back, but when the Chief headed toward the door, she moved that way as well. Tracey said she had some things to take care of in Main Quarters and some things to check before buttoning down for the night, and then she’d have to make dinner. Marilyn volunteered to help with dinner when they got back, and Tracey thanked her. The Chief led the way out the front door, and Chase held the door for Marilyn and Sonya. Chase watched as Tracey walked the length of Main Quarters, unlocked the door at the end of the hallway, and entered what appeared to be a large, brightly lit room. He only caught a glimpse as the door opened, and then it closed. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he heard her lock the door behind her.

  Chapter 23 – Marilyn

  Marilyn followed the Chief outside. Behind her she heard Sonya, but once she was outside and following the Chief across the compound, she noticed that Chase wasn’t right behind them. He had taken longer to come outside. Was he talking to Tracey? She didn’t think so. When he did make it outside, she got his attention and raised her eyebrows at him, trying to signal to him that she wanted to know what was going on. He made a patting gesture that she took to mean “later,” so she turned her attention to keeping up with the Chief. Chase trotted past her to walk beside him. The Chief began talking to Chase, and Marilyn stepped up quickly to catch their conversation. The saying Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer passed through her brain.

  Now why did she think that? Neither the Chief, nor Tracey, nor even Sparky had done anything to make her think they were enemies. They had taken them in, offered them protection, and fed them. Fresh food, not out of a can, not sealed in cellophane, not loaded with preservatives. And Marilyn found herself thinking about them as enemies. She thought she should feel ashamed, but she didn’t. She had often been accused of being too trusting, so when she felt this way about someone, she knew there had to be a reason. She found
herself considering the phrase Love your enemy. That was Matthew, but she couldn’t remember the verse. She wanted to go back to the Suburban, get her pack, and read Matthew. She wanted to get away for a little bit and meditate. She wanted some time to just think. She felt she had no time to get used to anything anymore. She had put what had happened to her parents, to Seth, to her brothers, to her friends, in a sealed off part of her brain. If she let it out, she wouldn’t be any good to anyone. She needed to be thinking about now. She had decided to let God guide her, and this seemed to be where God had led her.

  Marilyn tried to keep pace with the Chief and Chase so she could overhear the conversation. She had negative feelings about this place that she didn’t understand. She would have to justify them somehow to share them with Chase. Judging by his expression and the way he hung on the Chief’s every word that was going to be difficult. She needed to try to understand her issue with the place and these people might be so she could explain them to Chase. She needed to listen, she needed to find something, some reason, some tangible evidence, but she kept getting lost in thought.

  Marilyn had watched herself since she had spent that second night in the Suburban. She felt as if she was watching a movie and an actress was playing her part, moving her around. Shooting the creepers that had threatened Sonya and Chase had been a strange experience, but not one she felt much of anything about. She felt she had given herself over to God, and God had made her more effective as a survivor in order to help Chase and Sonya. She felt better about her contributions as a provider. But in this new situation, she wasn’t sure what her role was. Her head was throbbing, but when the Chief stopped at the fence and stood surveying the field to the north of the compound, something he said caught her attention.