by JT Sawyer
“The CIA—what the hell are you talking about? Are you part of the recovery team sent down here to the bunker?” She stood up, rubbing her wrists. Her face was pale and it looked like she was going to fall backwards. Runa grabbed her arm but she pushed it away. “I’m fine. I just need a second. When I heard that door open, I thought my time on this earth was nearly over.”
“What happened? I mean, to you and your people—and the bunker?”
She brushed aside a strand of brown hair from her face then adjusted her torn shirt. “A few of my staff and I along with some Secret Service agents made it out of the Capitol, but were stuck in a hotel just outside of DC for two days as those things tore apart the city.” She let out a shiver, then grabbed a leather jacket off a coat rack and slid it on. “Just before the power outage, we were able to get word to Central Command in Florida. They routed a helicopter out of Fort Bragg before it collapsed. That’s what got us from DC to here. Only we were inside the bunker for probably six hours when those creatures started killing everyone.”
“How did they get in?”
“They didn’t—one of the guards must have gotten some of those worms on him or in him during an attack earlier, and it spread like wildfire after that.” She let out a deep breath, her shoulders sagging. “Within two hours, we went from eighty people down to twenty-three. The whole place was overrun. The Secret Service and anyone else able to fight held them off for a while, but there was nowhere to hide.” She thrust her fist towards the window. “We tried to get back to the helicopter, but there were too many creatures in that direction. With the batteries dead in our SAT phone and the power out everywhere, we had no way of getting in touch with Central Command.” She held her chin up, pulling her shoulders back. “We held out on the run for a few days, stealing cars and moving through the towns; then we ran into these bastards. They ambushed our convoy down this narrow dirt road. Next thing we know, they’d killed most of my protective detail and rounded up the rest of us like we were cattle. By the looks of them, I’d say they’re escaped convicts.”
“Well, Madam Secretary, my team may not be much to look at, but we’ll get the rest of your people freed and you out of here.”
He removed another pistol from his belt and handed it to her. “By now, you probably already know how to use this.” He raised an eyebrow, awaiting her confirmation.
She partially slid back the slide, checking for a round. “Hell, my father was a Marine LRRP in Vietnam. He never thought you should wait for an apocalypse to learn to defend yourself.” She extended her right hand. “Karen Hemmings, and I’m sure grateful for your help, Mr. Runa.”
He gave her hand a hearty shake. “Honored, ma’am. Right now, we’re going to make our way back to the forest then cut around to the east and remove the rest of the garbage holding your people captive. After that, we’ll have to figure out how to get down to MacDill or get them to come to us.”
Chapter 33
Runa was standing behind a heap of broken wooden pallets near the treeline, eyeballing the positions of the remaining five thugs near the campfire. Two men were making a bet on who would get the remaining women locked inside the makeshift cell. The redheaded thug was standing before a Secret Service agent tied to a post, pounding the man’s side with his fist. At first, Runa thought it was to extract information, but then he realized the goon wasn’t asking any questions. He was just beating the man for the sheer pleasure, his eyes aglow with amusement. The last two men were huddled around the campfire, cutting up sections of bicycle tires and tossing them into a nearby pile of discarded rubber.
Runa turned on the radio on his belt and spoke into the ear-mic. “On my command, Valerie and Megan, take out the two men near the fire.” He looked back into the apprehensive faces of Mark, Jody, and Jason, who were squatting beside the secretary of state. “The rest of you drop the two guys near the captives. Be damn sure you acquire your targets, meaning killing only the sons-a-bitches standing outside the cell.” He glanced over at Hemmings. “And ma’am, it sounds like you’re probably a hell of a shot, but I’d appreciate it if you just kept low and waited for this to be over. This country has lost enough of its leaders and I don’t want you risking your neck unless—”
“Agent Runa, I understand your concern, but the only leader worth anything is the one who sticks their head out into the fray.” She raised her 1911 pistol and leveled the sights on the nearest thug. “I will take care of my end if you’ll take care of yours.”
Runa raised his eyebrows, pleased that she was as staunchly confident in person as she had appeared on televised broadcasts he’d seen over the years. He resumed his gaze upon the field and focused his AR sights on the right front knee of the red-haired man, who had just pummeled the bound agent again. There’ll be no quick death for you.
He gave the order and the treeline erupted with the sound of gunfire. One of the men beside the firepit collapsed from several rounds punching into his chest from Valerie’s rifle. The second brute darted to the right as Megan tried to shoot him. He unleashed a volley of automatic weapons fire from his UZI, spraying wildly at the two women then over towards Runa once their muzzle blasts became evident. Runa had already dropped the red-headed man, who was writhing in pain, clutching his shattered knee to his chest. Runa heard the bark splinter apart above his head and aimed his sights upon the man with the UZI, dropping him with a single headshot just as he fired off another wild volley of gunfire in their direction.
There was still one man alive near the prisoner containment area. He was squatting between a pile of truck tires, and Runa knew that would provide suitable cover from their rounds.
A second later, Runa saw a hint of the man’s camouflage jacket through an open swath of tires. He fired two rounds, hearing one impact the tire and the other emit a dull thud. Runa saw the goon slump backwards, dropping his rifle and holding his throat.
He did a quick scan of the field, then sprinted out from the trees towards the mortally wounded shooter. The man was already dead when he arrived, and Runa walked over a few feet to the red-haired bruiser still thrashing on the ground, trying to crawl towards an AK-47 resting against a blue cooler.
Runa stepped on the man’s hand, then drove his boot into his chest, flipping him over.
“Are there any more in your group that are going to be returning here soon?” When Runa didn’t get an answer, he pressed his muddy boot onto the splintered kneecap. Once the man was done screaming, Runa repeated the question.
“No, just us here.”
He thrust his chin towards the fire. “What’s with the rubber on the fire? Is that to signal another group or to keep the creatures away?”
“Burns the eyes of those fucking things. They can’t tolerate it.”
Runa lowered the barrel of his rifle, leveling it at the man’s sooty forehead.
The thug ground his yellow teeth together then spit at Runa. “You expect me to beg for mercy? Well, fuck off. We were just trying to survive, like you.”
Runa pointed over his shoulder to the prisoners a few feet away, their hands clutching the bars. “Those people are trying to survive, and my group too, but you—you’re just a leech. And this world has no place for such filth.” He stepped closer, firing a round into the man’s forehead, then casually leaned over and removed a keyring from his belt. Runa radioed Valerie and Megan to stay in place and keep an eye on the meadow in case they had overlooked someone, then he walked to the cargo container and unlocked the door of the cell.
He heard weeping and thought it was coming from the group of captives, but turned around and saw Jody and Mark leaning over the body of Jason, his limp form slumped against the tree with a gunshot wound above his right ear.
“Shit—no, no!” Runa said over and over as he ran back to the others. He leaned over Jason, running his hand over the young man’s brown hair while looking into his lifeless eyes. Runa lowered his head, fighting back the anguish of losing someone so young and innocent. He immediately scolde
d himself for not making sure Jason was better protected behind suitable cover.
“This is on me, lad,” said Runa, his voice faint. “You were a fine man and I am grateful to have known you.”
Mark moved off a few feet, leaning against a tree with a nauseated look on his face while he pounded the bark with his fist. Runa looked up into Jody’s teary eyes and moved closer to her, putting his arm around her as she wept. He glanced at the bloody meadow beyond them, realizing that this was more than just a war against the creatures. The other fierce struggle would be for the triumph of human spirit and the preservation of dignity.
***
Two hours later, after they had laid Jason to rest in a grove of oak trees and tended to the wounded members of Hemmings’ group, Jonas gathered everyone around the dwindling flames of the campfire.
“I know you’ve all been through a lot, but we need to figure out a way for either getting to MacDill or having them send a bird to us.”
“Our best option is to make for the coast and get a sailboat, then head to Florida,” said Krebs, the injured Secret Service agent. “That was going to be our next course of action before we were ambushed.”
“Maybe, but that’s going to be a helluva gauntlet to run. There’s probably thousands of creatures between here and the Atlantic, and more around the coastal cities. We’d considered doing the same, but now I’m not so sure.”
“What about getting back to their helicopter and using the radio on board to signal for help?” said Jody.
Runa’s eyes widened as he looked over her shoulder. “Yes, that will work,” he said with fervor, patting Jody on the back as he moved past her towards the table full of stolen goods. He picked up the Iridium SAT phone and flipped it over.
“I already mentioned that the battery is shot in that thing,” said Hemmings.
“This is the same type we used to use in Pakistan and Africa on missions. Only ours had a solar charger with it.”
“Not ours—that’s all we had,” said Krebs, wincing as he tried to stand.
Runa palmed the phone, turning it over and over in his meaty hand as if it were a crystal ball. He looked up, his grin widening as he thrust his chin out in the direction of the RVs. “But with those solar panels and some improvising, we might be able to get a partial charge on this thing.” He grabbed his rifle and walked back towards the shed adjacent to the solar array. “Give me half an hour and I’ll let you know how it looks.” He looked over his shoulder at Jody. “I’d have everyone round up the food, weapons, and water, then check out the vehicles here—just in case we have to bolt early.”
He clutched the phone like it was a gold brick, hoping he would be able to get a call through to Central Command, assuming it was still intact. Runa forced away the latter thought, knowing he had to stay utterly focused on the task ahead—which was, in part, about obtaining comms, but more about keeping Hemmings alive at any cost. She was the new face of the United States, and her recognizable face would bring assurance that the continuity of government was still intact. Cent-Com will be there, and they will come for us—they have to.
Chapter 34
The northern edge of Santa Barbara was visible from the cabin of the Blackhawk, and Selene looked out over the once-sprawling city that was now silent. The streets were filled with abandoned vehicles clogging every highway, and several buildings were either smoldering or reduced to rubble.
Selene’s thoughts drifted back to a lecture given by one of her epidemiology professors: Nature always finds a way to endure. But looking out at the derelict streets below made her wonder just how many human beings throughout the world had actually survived. Has the species reached a tipping point? How much more can we take before the hope of recovery is beyond us? She tried to ask herself those questions as an objective scientist, but found her sense of dread overtaking her rational mind. She lowered her head into her hands, trying not to weep for the millions of lives that had been lost to this virus. A virus constructed in the lab of a scientist who should have been using his gifts for saving others, not destroying the world.
Selene felt disgust and shame, knowing Hayes was a fellow epidemiologist, and she tried to fathom how such a brilliant mind had been led astray. Working as a doctor in hot zones in third-world countries where she had seen the best and worst of humanity, she had questioned the politics and morality of the governing rulers, but never her fellow colleagues, who were driven by a passion to help others. Now her construct of reality had been shredded in the past week, her soul grasping for a reason to believe there was still hope for humanity beyond merely surviving this catastrophe. Her heart ached to see her parents again, and she wondered if either of them had survived back at her childhood home in Ohio. The last time she spoke to them was just after arriving in Taiwan during the initial outbreak.
Selene felt a hand on her shoulder and raised her head, looking into Reisner’s brown eyes. He had a sense of calm in his expression, and she immediately felt the tension in her face drain away. How can he keep going after all he’s been through? She let out a long exhale, then brushed her fingers along his cheek, a thin smile inching out from her lips. Maybe there is still hope left for our race if we can build upon the joy of small victories.
“You seem far away,” said Reisner as he moved closer to her, pressing his side against hers.
“I was just thinking about my parents and wondering if they made it.” She pointed to the empty highway along the coast. “I was here with them in Santa Barbara three years ago. We took a week and traveled along Highway One, starting in Monterey and then working our way down the coast. It was the most fun with my family I had had in years.” She paused and wiped the corner of her eye while gazing away from Reisner for a moment. “My dad was the kind of guy who worked in a Ford plant in Ohio his entire life and saved every penny. It was a big trip for him and my mom, so he went all out. I remember that every restaurant we went into, he had to let everyone know his daughter was a big-shot virus hunter—at least, that’s what he called what I did for a living.” Her smile was framed by trembling lips.
Reisner squeezed her hand. “Sounds like yet another person who holds you in high esteem.”
She leaned forward slightly while canting her head up at his. “What about your folks—did you see them much with all the travel your line of work entailed?”
“My dad died a few years ago from cancer, and my mom disappeared from our lives when I was eight, so it’s always been me and my sister, Jody. She’s all I have left.”
“So was she in the spy business too?” Selene sat up, nudging him with her elbow.
“God, no. She had a normal life, thank heavens—a high school history teacher and a coach for the girls’ track team.” He looked out through the side window on the door, clutching his fist. “Hopefully, she’s hunkered down at my house in the country, riding this thing out until I get back home.”
He turned his attention back to Selene, who had a surprised expression. “What?”
“You have an actual ‘house’? It’s just hard to imagine you coming home from a top-secret mission abroad and mowing the lawn and wheeling the trash down to the end of the driveway. That’s just not how I pictured you living.”
“Yeah, well, I wasn’t home often.” He nodded towards the rest of his team around him. “‘Home’ for me has always been wherever these guys are.”
She gazed down at Amber, who was asleep on a stretcher on the floor in front of her. Selene looked over at the woman’s son, Chris, who was buckled in next to Ivins on the bench, the small boy’s head pressed into the side of the broad-shouldered SEAL.
“‘Whom we love is home’—that’s what my mom used to say. That Chris and Amber survived at all is a miracle. We need more of those in our lives right now.”
He raised his finger, pointing at a pod of whales several miles off the coast. It was like peering into a forgotten world, one so distant from the chaos and horrors that had befallen the human race that they were both lost in the
grandeur of the scene. Selene felt the comforting touch of Reisner holding her hand again as she continued marveling at the stunning sight below. Nature always finds a way to endure.
Chapter 35
“Sir, we have arrived at the westernmost edge of the Pacific Ocean,” said Zheng, who sat alone in his private office adjacent to his quarters on the submarine. Before him on the monitor was General Lau, whose pale expression made him look twenty years older.
“The carrier strike group consisting of the Reagan, two destroyers, and numerous civilian vessels has just arrived at the Johnston Atoll, presumably for refueling.”
Lau nodded slowly, then rubbed his fingers along the black stubble on his chin. Zheng was surprised at how unkempt the man appeared, and his bloodshot eyes seemed less intent than during their last video exchange earlier in the week.
“Excellent—the birds have almost returned to the roost.” Lau tapped on the keyboard on a laptop to his right, then returned to facing Zheng. “I have just forwarded current satellite imagery along with coordinates of a vessel that will need to be targeted for destruction.”
Zheng tilted his head slightly, wondering if he had accurately heard the orders he’d feared might be coming all these days. We’re going to attack a foreign Navy? Are we at war with the U.S. now? What’s happened in the world? He turned and looked at the computer screen to his right, his eyebrows scrunching together at the sight of the image, while letting out an audible gasp.
“Is there a problem, Commander?” barked Lau.
Zheng’s mouth was dry and he struggled to clear his throat. “Are you certain this is the correct vessel, General? This is an unwarranted target, even during wartime.”
Lau clenched his fists then folded his arms, a grimace coming across his face. “Commander Zheng, while you and your esteemed crew have been gone, much of the world has succumbed to a deadly virus. Our homeland has been decimated, with Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and even remote villages to the north laid to waste by a terrible scourge of beasts that consume everything in their path. In addition, most of the countries around the globe have collapsed into utter darkness within days. Our own population here numbers only in the tens of thousands now.” He leaned forward, slamming his palm on the desk, causing the video image to shake. “This was a deliberate strike by the United States to crush our existence, but it has grown beyond even their control. My analysts have verified that the bioweapon has their signature on it, so to answer your question—yes, I am one hundred percent certain that the coordinates for the target are correct.”