Since The Sirens Box Set | Books 1-7

by Isherwood, E. E.

  When they reached the end of the barge, they saw what was beyond the hull. A large gap to the water below. There were a couple of zombies splashing down there. If they'd rushed their plan, they'd have slid off the edge and fallen twenty or more feet into the water.

  Liam re-adjusted Grandma so she was next to him. Victoria dropped the ten feet over the side, to the deck of a small commercial fishing boat jammed in among the empty barges. It was covered in mud, as if it had been dredged from a mud bank before floating here.

  “I'm sorry, Grandma, you're going to get messy.”

  “It's OK, I'm due for a washing anyway.” She gave him her patented wink as she dropped over the side with his help. Victoria was on the bottom to grab her and make sure she reached the bottom safely. Together, they slipped on the muddy planks.

  Liam was about to drop down himself when he saw the powerful tug start to push through the debris. In slow motion, he watched the towboat move faster and faster into the wreck, as if drilling inward. It broke through. The far pylon that once supported the bridge above fell over as everything broke loose. It made a huge splash downriver and threw water so high in the air he could see it over the wreckage pile.

  The blockade runner blared his horn in triumph as he chugged through.

  Knowing it was impossible for Grandma, he still said it.

  “Run!”

  4

  They were very close to Missouri-side pier of the fallen bridge. Liam took some comfort the pier was still there, as it would hold some of the wreckage in place even if the rest of the dam cut loose. However, as more and more pieces of debris peeled off the blockage to follow the towboat, the middle would continue to get smaller. They wouldn't be safe until they were off the water.

  There was no obvious path to get to solid ground. Most of what remained were various sizes and shapes of barges jammed together, but they shifted dangerously up and down with the wave action and impacts from arriving debris.

  “Liam, I'm done. I can't cross that. Al said I wouldn't make it to safety.”

  “Moses is already ashore. You'll make it to the promised land of Missouri.” He knew she wouldn't know he was talking about his rifle, which was laying somewhere near where they launched the motorboat.

  Scanning the debris, he wondered if they could cross the variously spaced decks while they bumped and separated in the turbulence.

  I'll die trying.

  “All right, Grandma. No way Grandpa would tell you not to try. I need you to get on my back again. We're going to give it everything we've got.”

  “Oh Liam. You can't. It's too much.”

  “We have no choice.” Victoria spoke quietly given the noises around them, but they heard her. “Liam has to try to run you across. I'll try to help where I can. I'll go first and be there when he has to jump with you. Please, just try?”

  Liam looked back one more time. The barges spilled through the gap like curious cows heading for an open gate. It wouldn't be long before the barges on their part of the wreckage started to draw backward to seek their own freedom. Then he'd literally be stuck in the middle with no way out.

  Grandma wasn't finished; she tried to use every option she had. “Maybe we could just get in one of these barges and ride out of here?”

  Liam spoke as fast as he could. “Well, Grandma, I guess if we have no choice we can drop into one of them, but we have no assurance the barge won't flip or otherwise get damaged as it goes through the gap in the wreck. Also—,” he surveyed the sky as if to add emphasis, “Duchesne's helpers are still out there. We'd be sitting ducks in a barge.”

  Victoria added, “We could also float all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico before we came ashore, if at all.”

  Grandma let herself be put on Liam's back.

  “Hold on tight. Don't let go!”

  His dad had often said that when he was on the swing set, the climbing wall at the playground, or learning to ride his bicycle. It seemed appropriate.

  Victoria went ahead. The first jump was a difficult one. It was from a lower barge to a higher one. She had a rough landing as she hit her knees on the side, but she scrambled up and over. Liam used a similar running jump technique and also hit his knees as he tried to clear the deck. Victoria steadied Grandma at the very edge and helped them both up.

  “I think she passed out on your back. Hold her tight.”

  They ran lengthwise down the next barge. They were 200 feet closer to shore. The next jump was onto a barge that was alternating between too high and too low. It was sideways relative to the one they were on.

  “We have to time this just right.”

  It was easy for Victoria. She planted the landing perfectly, then crouched down to keep stable on the bouncing boat. She faced the hold for a long time before spinning back around with a chipper plea.

  “OK, Liam. Come on over.”

  The gap widened as he ran with Grandma. The barge under him started heading backward to the hole in the debris field. He didn't dare stop. He landed as the other boat moved lower, but he was just a bit short again. He landed hard, tipping to his left side. Grandma somehow managed to hang on, even though her left side took some of the brunt of the fall.

  The entire debris field was disintegrating. The barge they'd just left was already fifty feet away.

  “Now or never, Liam!”

  Victoria got up and ran a short way lengthwise along the walkway of the deck, then she turned and dashed across the front. Liam looked into the hold as he caught his breath—it was full of living zombies. They were packed in like sardines but someone tried to hide them by throwing a huge black tarp over them. The canvas moved up and down everywhere, and where it was torn there were heads and arms sticking out.

  “You could have told me what was down there!” He shouted to Victoria, though he knew what she would say. They had no choice in any of it.

  “I didn't want to scare you!”

  He huffed while carrying Grandma, but made it to the far corner of the deck with Victoria. She lined up to jump to the last barge next to the shore. It pointed into the debris but began to turn as it and the barge they were on were called out into the river. Liam thought she'd jump to the final barge, then to shore, but she changed her angle to make a much longer jump to a section of fallen roadway that linked directly to shore. Victoria fell hard on the pavement with a loud grunt, but recovered quickly and looked up at Liam, beckoning him to follow.

  Liam walked back a few steps to get in position to make his jump. His boat continued to drift.

  Holding Grandma tightly, he ran with purpose toward the edge. As the boat moved, it settled in the front. Liam kept his footing as the nose dipped—it allowed him to make the jump at a much lower altitude relative to the pavement. He was going much faster than he intended—falling as much as jumping.

  Hang on Grandma. This is going to be messy.

  Chapter 17: Looking Up

  Liam landed on firm ground and immediately fell forward. Grandma lost her grip and slid right over the top of him. But Victoria was there. She anticipated the glide path and put herself in position to catch Grandma or, at the very least, absorb her fall.

  Liam looked up to see Grandma on top of Victoria, who was on her back. They were hugging. Still alive.

  Grandma blinked her eyes as if waking up. For many minutes, he thought she had passed out on his back. He even allowed that he was carrying a dead body…

  But she made it. He helped them from the cobblestones.

  Grandma came out of her daze, and recovered her faculties quickly. “Lord, watch over us and protect us as we try to restore the Light to this world. And Lord, if it's your will, please look after my angel Aloysius, too. Amen.”

  Liam and Victoria responded in kind. Grandma's only complaint after all that had happened may have been a joke. “I think I broke some ribs.”

  Liam's shirtless upper body was covered in abrasions, scratches, and other filth after surviving the crossing. Some blood trickled off his head, dow
n the side of his face. He could see blood on his knees; they were raw under his jeans.

  “You and I finally look like we're on the same adventure. You're almost as bruised and hurt as me!” Victoria giggled as she helped steady Grandma on her feet.

  “And Grandma. You've done more than both of us combined and you still look as clean as the day we met.”

  Grandma laughed at the obvious falsehood, but countered, “Oh, you two never take things seriously. I may not look it, but I'm beat, bushed, kaput. And my clothes—they need to be burned.”

  “We'll get cleaned up as soon as we can, guys. For now, we have to get as far away from here as possible.”

  Liam urged the two women to get completely clear of the pavement of the bridge. They all limped as they exited the last bit of the collapsed bridge deck and returned to the cobblestone of the river landing. They were below the partially collapsed highway that formed a ramp up to the solid roadway above. It was where Liam and Victoria started their downtown adventure, much earlier in the day.

  Victoria and Marty collapsed to the ground, stating they were content for the time being to simply be alive. Liam watched the amazing breakup. The last of the nearby barges slid out the ever-widening gap in the river blockage. A great portion of the middle section was gone, and most of the floating debris near shore was gone too. Portions of the highway were still wrapped around the near pier, but the disintegration of the blockage took nearly everything else away. The debris from upriver once again had a free and clear path to head south. Somewhere in that floating mess, heading downriver, was the man who destroyed the world.

  Don't let the door hit ya!

  Liam began to think about what came next, but was drawn back into the present. A helicopter made its way low from the north, veering in their direction as if they'd just been spotted.

  He almost couldn't say the words, he was so beat down. “Up up! We have trouble heading this way.”

  Victoria turned her head to see if Liam was serious, and when he pointed to the helicopter, she slowly got up and helped pull Grandma off the ground. They trudged to the side of the ramp, where the debris of the fallen span provided some cover. Liam wanted to keep something solid between them and the helicopter.

  The pilot was very good. The copter came in low and tight next to the downed highway. The craft rotated so the rear cargo door faced them. As it slid open, Liam saw Hayes with a large pair of headphones and a mic. His voice called out from a loudspeaker under the helicopter, “Liam, thank you for helping me get rid of him. You've taken the heat off me so I can continue my research.”

  “Not again.” He had no energy for a fight, but knew he was once again going to be forced to surrender Grandma. It couldn't go on like this forever. He looked around for any kind of weapon. He might be able to use some rebar from the collapsed bridge, but against bullets it would be useless. They could run for it. They could swim for it. They could—

  “Liam, Victoria, you two have to run now. You've really done an unbelievable job of saving me out on that wreckage. You've spent every last ounce of energy to get me to this shore. But now there is no chance against guns. Once they land and come down here, it's all over. Now is the time to let me go—no matter what implications that may entail.”

  Liam could see it all going down. Grandma captured once again. He and Victoria would plan another caper to save her. It had a certain symmetry to it.

  Does our story just go on like this forever?

  Victoria spoke up. “I don't want to. But...” She looked at him expectantly. He knew she was right. There was a point when even the best men had to sound the retreat, and leave their wounded on the field of battle. But he didn't want it to be like this. Not when they were so close to victory.

  “Maybe we could make it to the Arch tunnel and hide there?”

  “Maybe we could get back on the wreckage of the dam and hide there?”

  “Maybe—”

  “No, Liam. You've done all you can do. Your jobs now are to protect each other.”

  He hated to admit she was right, but he knew how this would end if he didn't listen to her. They would either all die in futile battle, or all be taken—and Grandma would be killed in testing. He had to choose the only path where they all had some hope. Live to fight another day, and all that.

  He gave Grandma a long hug.

  “I'm so sorry, Grandma. I'll never stop looking for you.”

  “I know. I know. And I'll never stop praying for you two out here. Now go.”

  Victoria gave her a quick hug and left without saying anything. The tears spoke volumes.

  One last call from the underside of the highway, “Liam, you did great saving me. Never forget that.”

  He waved as the noise of the helicopter made it impossible to talk. It had floated closer.

  Hayes' voice blared out on the speakers. “You don't have to run. I'm not going to take Grandma. I don't need her. I have what I require from her already.”

  Frozen in his spot, Liam searched for a trap. There was always a “but” in these situations.

  When none were forthcoming, he looked up at Hayes and tried to yell something to him.

  “I can't hear you. I'm sorry.” And, after a hesitation, “I'm sorry for everything.”

  Liam had an inspiration. He made a very dramatic impression of someone injecting a shot into his arm. Then he pointed to Grandma. “Did you inject her?” he shouted.

  The helicopter hung for a long time. Hayes keyed his mic, but didn't speak right away.

  “Liam, your grandma is very special. You have to keep her alive. Find somewhere safe. I wish I could help, but you are looking at the extent of my resources now. It's just me and my wife against the world. If we look for you again, it will be as friends. Deal?”

  Not knowing what else he could do, he gave Hayes a thumbs up sign. Better to have him go away than do anything more traditional like a shooting or a kidnapping.

  Jane piloted the copter north up the river, then she banked left and went under the Arch and into the city, to points unknown.

  “Good riddance!” Grandma's shout was surprisingly loud.

  “Amen, Grandma. I hope we never see them again.”

  “Me too. Me—”

  They both rushed to help as her head slumped to her chest.

  2

  “You did it, Marty. I knew you were a fighter.”

  “What did I do? I feel drained. Empty.”

  “That's to be expected. You operated the computer. You affected things in the real world using just your mind. You reached out and touched someone using nothing but thought.”

  “Hmm. Sounds like an ad for a phone book.”

  Al chuckled. He stood with her next to the closed door to the computer room.

  “Well, take heart you are the only person who has figured it out as it relates to zombies, though many special people can sense this connection in each other. You've managed to weaponize it.” He stopped himself. “Oh, such an ugly word. How about, harness it?”

  “I forget everything you tell me once I leave here. Can you just explain it to me so I can understand what this place is, really. And do it so I'll remember it?”

  He laughed heartily. “Ah, Martinette, that's what I love about you. Always seeking the answers to the important questions.”

  He walked her out to the bench overlooking the dark ocean. The stars in the sky had returned to their former brightness. As before, she was swept off her feet at the beauty and grandeur. “Please, sit down.”

  “I regret I can never reveal everything to you. I know you want answers. Trust me, I want to give them. But there are things even I'm not sure about.”

  He took a seat next to her, and spoke as they both looked out toward the green waters of the infinite sea. “We are in your mind. This place, all you see, is how your mind interprets the raw data.”

  “You said you were going to talk straight.”

  “I am talking straight. Listen, this is both in your head and
real. You've developed a link with this place, and the only reason you have is because of the pathogen Hayes calls the Quantum Virus. He did inject you with it, yes. But Marty, you've carried the Quantum Virus since birth. You all have.”

  “We've all been infected? Who could do such a thing?”

  “My dear, you haven't been infected. It was a gift. A wonderful gift.” He paused for a long time.

  “A gift? From whom?”

  “Remember when I showed you the lights behind the planets?”

  “Of course.”

  “Would it surprise you if I told you Earth now has a light behind it? Would you be surprised if I said it was by your hand the light came on?”

  “Yes, I didn't know I was doing anything that magnificent. I mostly just rolled around in a wheelchair, rode in a bike trailer, or slept.”

  “Ah, Marty. Here's where you're wrong. You did much more than that. You drove your two young partners to do great things. You were there to inspire them. Advise them. Lead them to God, the Light, whatever you want to call the aura of goodness. But, they aren't the reasons the light was restored. That was all you.”

  He rubbed his hands in anticipation.

  “Can you guess what it was? What made you special among the millions of Doris's, Agnes's and Ezra's now perishing in the Zombie Apocalypse, as Liam likes to call it? Do you think it was your strength, or your speed, or the fact you once ran over your own daughter?”

  Marty winced at the painful memory, but Al was relentless. “Marty, none of that matters now. You established the link. When you walked into that computer room—that goofy 8088 computer—it was just a representation of what it really is. A link between your mind, and the minds of countless others. The Quantum Virus is very unusual in that it must...” He appeared to search for a word. “It must compile, for just over 100 earth-years. Only then can it start to interact directly with the mind of its host. Only then can it fight the abomination that is the zombie plague. Only then can that host begin to see the gift it was meant to see. A guidepost on the way to infinity. To God.”