by J P Whitney
Tucker sighed and leaned back in his seat, eyes closed.
After that exchange, Eli was left to deal with his growing sense of guilt in the collective silence. Tucker was right. He certainly didn’t feel worthy of life while this family had already done so much for him. Maybe he could have been decisive in the heat of battle in order to save Bryce. And if a personal sacrifice was needed, it would have been worth it if Tommy was still alive. Eli knew this kind of thinking was dangerous and didn’t change anything, but the guilt was also a familiar blanket that was all too easy to hide beneath. He couldn’t help returning to his wife's battle with breast cancer. It wasn't fair to keep living while she suffered and eventually died. And now, why should he be the one to live while this beautiful family was torn apart after all their struggles to just survive?
Unfortunately, the effort the five of them had put into clearing the checkpoint roadblocks on the way to the coast made the return trip far too effortless. Each would-be checkpoint was another brutal reminder that Eli was still alive while so many had died. And that the boys were now alone.
Chapter 24
Plan B
Eli pulled into the neighborhood adjacent to the Olsen property and repeated the tasks Tommy had performed on their way to the coast. He put the ‘For Sale’ signs back in the windows, popped the hood, and removed the starter relay. He then locked the doors and jogged to catch up with the boys. He caught the tail end of Tucker telling Bryce they’d have to get onto their father’s blog and ‘contact that Ruth person’. There’d be no vaccines for her and she could start leaving them the hell alone now.
Eli inserted himself into the discussion, “Tucker do you mind if I help make contact? I know you’re angry with Ruth for dragging us into this mess and have every reason to be, but keep in mind there is something else at work here. You, me, and Bryce all dreamed about this person and the complex she’s located in. I think it is important to see what she has in mind. I completely understand if you want nothing more to do with her, but I need to know how we’re all connected.”
“What do you think Bryce? Mind if Eli helps,” Tucker asked.
“That’s fine. I really don’t care much what happens to the blog, or Ruth for that matter. The Internet is probably down anyway. I’m going to the garden. I think mom would want us to eat and that always included something green.”
Once inside the house, Tucker led Eli to the office and pulled up an extra chair so they could huddle around his father’s computer.
“Bryce is probably right about the internet. It has been down more often than not lately,” Tucker said pressing the power button on Tommy’s custom-built desktop PC. His dad loved that machine. It was technology he could make his own by ‘turning the screws’ with frequent upgrades of the performance so Tucker and his brother could play the latest games. As it booted up he continued with this line of thought, “My dad said, with all the power outages, our internet service provider would have kicked over to backup generators in an attempt to keep the service up. Once the generators run out of fuel, it will be game over for the 5G network.”
“Tucker how do you know all of this,” Eli asked?
“You might have noticed my dad was kind of a tech geek. It left an impression on me at an early age so I’ve always been interested in technology too. I still remember sitting on his lap when I was just three years old playing a first-person shooter together. We were a team. He controlled the motion of our tank with his left hand on the keyboard. And my right hand was on the mouse. He let me aim and shoot. We were two separate sets of hands and eyes and brains providing input to a single game. I remember feeling connected and proud, in my three-year-old way, to be able to help my dad complete a mission. It was loads of fun until my mother walked in and scolded both of us. She wasn’t a big fan of her toddler killing things in some stupid computer game. Dad slept on the couch for weeks for that one.” Tucker smiled, lost in the memory.
Tucker pulled up a web browser and navigated to stopblue.gov. The response was almost instantaneous.
“I can't believe it. We’re still online! There doesn’t appear to be any updates but the date and time are accurate so the web is still alive. Maybe we’ll be able to reach Ruth after all.” He hesitated, not quite ready to pull up his father’s blog.
“Do you know what you want to say to her?” Eli asked.
“I’m thinking of keeping it really simple. Just the facts, as far as the vaccine goes. But what I’m really struggling with is what to do with the blog. I feel like I should honor dad by picking up where he left off. At least for as long as I can. Just in case anyone out there is still listening and hoping they are not alone.”
Clicking on the bookmark for the Tabor Mountain Blog, Tucker was stunned to see changes at the top of his father’s page. They’d been hacked!
ATTENTION OLSEN FAMILY - ABORT MISSION TO RETRIEVE H1N1-B VACCINE. HIGH EXPOSURE RISK!
COAST GUARD BASE HAS BECOME QUARANTINE CAMP FULL OF INFECTED – ABORT MISSION!
ATTENTION CITIZENS OF THE WORLD: WE HAVE REASON TO BELIEVE THE ORIGINAL VACCINES WERE THE SOURCE OF THE BLUE VIRUS. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU BE VACCINATED!
VIRUS IS NOW CONTAGIOUS. ALL SURVIVORS SHOULD REMAIN IN-HOME QUARANTINE AND WEAR BIOLOGICAL PROTECTIVE GEAR AROUND STRANGERS. AVOID CONTACT WITH OTHERS IF POSSIBLE.
BURN THE DECEASED TO KILL THE VIRUS AND STOP THE SPREAD OF THE DISEASE.
CONTINUE TO MONITOR STOPBLUE.GOV AND LOCAL RADIO AND TV STATIONS FOR MORE DETAILS.
“Oh my God, Tucker. They tried to stop us from going to the base.” Eli whispered.
It felt like Tucker had been punched in the stomach. He doubled over and fought for air. His face buried in his hands, his words muffled, “a lot of effing good it does us now.”
Then he looked up, “Eli, how did you know to burn the dead? It’s like you read their mind. Or knew they were going to say it.”
“I didn’t. Not from their warning anyway. Like I said in the car, it just felt right. To protect others from potential infection,” Eli replied. Then he added, “What’s the time stamp on their blog posting?”
Tucker lifted his head from his hands and scrolled to the top of the last entry. “10:37 AM”
“We couldn’t have left more than five minutes before they posted this. All of this could have been avoided,” Eli thought out loud.
Something clicked into place for Tucker. Ashamed, he looked at Eli and offered, “I owe you an apology. I shouldn’t have called you a coward or wished you could switch places with my parents. I don’t wish you were dead, just that they were still alive.” He fought back tears as he continued, “And you were right about what I did to that body. It was savage and didn’t help anything.”
“I didn’t say your response was savage. I completely understand your need to let out the emotions caused by the sniper’s barbaric acts. I just wanted to know if it helped. Some people need to cry. Some need to take action. Some need both,” Eli counseled.
“I needed both. But I also think I’m about to find a new target for my rage,” Tucker said. “Someone unleashed this virus, and I’m going to find out who.”
Just then the computer beeped and a new line of text appeared in the chat section of the page.
PREPARE TO RELOCATE WITHIN 4 WEEKS: A SECURE COMMUNITY IS BEING ESTABLISHED AND WILL BE OPEN TO SURVIVORS. STAY SAFE AND CONTINUE MONITORING RADIO AND INTERNET STATIONS. COORDINATES WILL BE SENT WHEN IT’S SAFE TO TRAVEL.
Ruth Atkins
Director of ED3N Complex
A separate instant messaging window popped up on the desktop.
responsible for your loss and know my condolences don’t mean much, but it is all I have. Is there anything I can do for you?
“These people are unbelievable. They send us on a mission that risked all of our lives. They hacked our computers. And then promise a perfect city where everyone can build a happy future after billions are dead from vaccines the CDC recommended. Why should we trust them,” Tucker asked no one in particular.
“What does your gut tell you? What would they gain from luring you into a trap with the few belongings you can travel with over hundreds or thousands of miles? What about the future? If billions are gone, how long can the two of you survive alone on this farm? Is there nothing more you want out of life? This quarantine was supposed to be a temporary action. If the survivors remain isolated indefinitely, the human race will go extinct within one generation. You are now the man of this family, and you strike me as a man of action. If that cliffside scene was any indication,” Eli added as a joke. “So what are you going to do now? What is your plan for the survival of your family?”
“Well, thanks a lot for the light banter, Eli. Jeez, that’s some pretty heavy shit you just unloaded on me. The very survival of my family rests on my shoulders. No pressure.” Tucker pondered what to do next. It seemed cliché to even think in terms of becoming the man of the family, but it was definitely time to grow up and really become part of the world or what's left of it now. His parents wouldn't want them to give up. His father died protecting Bryce. His mother died protecting him and Eli. He could do the same and make these last days count. Or at least go out swinging.
After a few moments, Tucker calmly said. “I’m going to find out who’s responsible for all of this. And if they are still alive, make them pay.”
“But first, I should update dad’s blog. Not sure if you ever read it, but he always attempted to add a bit of humor to the dark topic that is this plague. I would rate most of his humor as a fail but at least he tried. I know …”
8/12/21 – Tommy’s Tabor Mountain blog entry
Date
Event
Deaths
5/28/21
Jonathan dies in Bryce’s class
* 530 cases
6/30/21
State of Emergency Declared
100,000
7/3/21
Mandatory Home Quarantines
200,000
7/14/21
Tabor Mountain Isolation
218,400
7/15/21
Day 12 ramblings
247,517
7/17/21
Rules to live by
321,415
7/27/21
Unexpected Visitor
727,040
8/3/21
War Zone
15,000,000+
8/12/21
Code Blue
Billions & Billions Served
Status update:
Billions & Billions Served. Get it? This is Tucker Olsen, and that was my attempt at replicating my late father’s poor excuse for dark humor. His life was taken, along with my dear mother’s, while they defended our family from people trying to ambush us. We took four of their lives, in return for two of ours, but we still got screwed in the deal.
As far as status updates go, I’d heed the warning Ruth Atkins left when she hacked this blog. The CDC told us to take the vaccines. Now she’s in some government, super facility telling us not to. I don’t know who to believe, but I know we haven’t been vaccinated and some of us are still here to talk about it. We went to a quarantine camp and found thousands dead from the vaccinations. For now, we’re going to protect ourselves and what is ours with whatever strength and means we have left. Not sure what to think about this promise of a better place. Sounds like we have a few more weeks to ponder that subject. At least they are diverting power from the grid to keep the 5G network alive. So we’ll continue to monitor the situation for updates and in the hope, someone out there can play some decent tunes during this time of constant mourning. I don’t know, maybe it’s just the mood I’m in but it’s also appropriate under the circumstances. I could go for some ‘Die with your boots on’ if anyone is listening. It was one of dad’s favorites.
WOW!!! Someone in a position of power really is listening. I can’t believe they actually played my request. Now that’s what I call service!
Begin Eulogy:
Tucker Olsen – as I look at my surroundings, in the comfortable home that has become an oasis of life amid the wasteland of death that surrounds us, I am thankful for what my parents left us. Power has failed the entire country yet here I sit entering words onto my father’s blog thanks to his tech prowess. He and my mother also ensured we would have food and water and the means to protect ourselves from would-be attackers. In the end, they sacrificed their lives so that we might live.
But as I look around at the objects that have filled our home, I wonder if life can ever be the same again. I’m holding a bottle of Coke my father had been saving. A real one, with real sugar, from Mexico. It may be the last one ever produced. And after we’ve swallowed the last of its sugary goodness, will the empty glass bottle become a treasured item for the simple purpose of collecting water? Or as an agent of destruction as a Molotov cocktail? Regardless of its future purpose, it is now far more valuable than the 10¢ deposit stamped on its side.
I remember my parents arguing this morning about the mission to the coast in search of the miracle vaccine. Dad argued for a stealth operation he would embark on alone to move quicker and not risk exposing the entire family to the virus. Mom was having none of it and said we’d maintain strength in numbers. Weird how they were both right.
It was our first trip off the property in nearly a month and Dad was right about the risk of exposure to the virus … the bodies are everywhere. Mom was right about strength in numbers being needed. Dad wouldn't have made it out of town on his own due to the roadblock barriers that requ
ired all of us to move.
He would have been forced to return home. So he would have been wrong in his assessment of the best approach but both of them would still be alive. Ultimately, mom was right. We should have stayed here even for just another hour. We would have seen the warning.
But that isn’t the point. The point is we weren’t afraid to take action. We tried to do something to help others, to make this world a better place in spite of the ordeal we’re all dealing with. If I’m gonna die, I’ll die with my boots on.
Bryce Olsen - Thanks for believing in me. For always trying to do what was right. For preparing us to survive this disease, fighting for our lives, and even reaching out to the rest of the world to let people know they aren’t alone. I'm alive because of you, still living because of your sacrifices, and will continue to live in your honor.