by Newman, AJ
“I’ll think about it tonight. Is there anything else I can do?”
“Yes, we’ll soon run low on the synthetic blood. Can you help us check out the local hospital, doctors’ offices, and such?”
“Bob and I’ll be glad to do whatever you need.”
“I hate to ask, but could you do a low key search for other immune people? The easiest ones would be veterans or accident victims who received synthetic blood transfusions at least four months ago.”
“Honey, if you had a bunch of the synthetic blood, couldn’t you make immune people just by using it?”
Barbara slapped her forehead. “Yes, we can, but it takes several months for the immunity to start working. I didn’t push for that because we wanted to immediately make as many of our family and friends immune as possible. However, we do need a second program aimed at a long-term solution. We’ll need thousands of gallons of the synthetic blood.”
“Would it be any good? Does it spoil?”
“No, it’s very stable and stored in glass containers inside of stainless steel bottles. It was developed for use on the battlefield, and even five-year-old synthetic blood has saved hundreds of lives.”
Bo jumped up on Charlie. “Bo says we need to go to supper.”
Jon liked the idea of starting a second effort to create more immunes. “I vote for giving the first transfusions tomorrow and then put a team together to search the medical facilities within a few hundred miles.”
Charlie said, “There’s a hospital supply warehouse complex about forty miles south of here on Highway 55. Bob and several of his teacher friends worked there during summer break. The warehouses were air-conditioned, but the work was backbreaking, picking orders. He should know what they had in inventory.”
☣☣☣
Jon woke up the next morning and reached for Barbara. She wasn’t there, or in the bathroom, so he slipped into his clothes and buckled his pistol belt around his waist. He looked down at his tennis shoes and knew he needed to find a new pair to replace these ragged ones. While dressing, his thoughts wandered to Barbara’s father. Jon liked him a lot and hoped the rest of her family was as nice and down to home as he was.
Jon opened the door, and the smell of coffee brewing made his day. He didn’t want to eavesdrop but heard his name and stopped abruptly.
He heard Charlie say, “I think you’ve found a keeper. I like Jon and his dog.”
“Dad, I haven’t asked Jon, but could you keep Bo when we leave for Texas? We’ll need to stock the plane with as much synthetic blood as possible. That is, assuming we find enough.”
“I like Bo, and I’d take good care of him, but you already know that.”
Jon walked in and hugged Barbara before kissing her good morning. “Good morning, Charlie. I see you’ve latched on to Bo. He really likes you. What’s for breakfast?”
“Beenie Weenies, spam, potted ham, and you get the picture. It’s catch as catch can or maybe catch as catch canned. We have canned goods, but nothing fresh.”
Charlie looked at his watch. “You know, it’s only 5:15. They won’t start cooking until about 6:00. We might get there in time for leftovers if we haul ass now.”
Jon started banging pots and pans. Gina was on guard duty and ran into the kitchen with her pistol drawn and ready for a fight. Jack, Cindy, and Jill strolled into the kitchen. Jack asked, “What’s wrong, and what’s for breakfast?”
“Dad, we’re leaving in fifteen minutes. Charlie thinks we can get there just in time for a good old country breakfast.”
His dad replied, “Let’s go!”
Jon checked out the Expedition and topped off the gas tank while the others loaded a few supplies. Jon opened the back hatch to let Bo in, and the mutt ran up and got in between Barbara and her dad. Jon yelled, “Traitor!” and pulled out. Jack drove at forty miles per hour and stopped at two checkpoints manned by armed men. Charlie spoke briefly with the ones manning the roadblocks and then drove on. Jon couldn’t help but notice the looks of disapproval on the men’s faces. They arrived a half-hour later at the last checkpoint at Summit Homesville Road, where the guards argued openly with Charlie. Jon could hear the men express their concerns about bringing in possibly infected people.
Charlie won the conversation and told Jon to drive on. They only drove five miles before stopping at the entrance to a long driveway that had a truck blocking the road. A man stepped out of the bushes with an AR 15, but thankfully, a smile was on his face. He said, “I figured you’d be back in time for Granny’s breakfast. Barb, hug me. I was afraid we’d lost you.”
Barbara said, “I was afraid this area went into chaos.”
“Nope, Granny Jane and Dad wouldn’t let them screw up years of building our MAG. Y’all are welcome. I’ve got guard duty, but Dad and the others will take good care of you.”
Everyone was on the front porch to greet Barbara and her friends, but Granny Jane stopped Charlie and them several yards from the porch with a shotgun in hand. “Hello, Barb. I need all of you to stop where you stand. Bob should have blocked your entrance because we don’t know that you don’t have the infection. We need to quarantine you for about two weeks before we can …”
Barbara interrupted her. “Granny, none of us has the virus. Please send the kids inside and listen to me.”
Pat sent her two kids into the house, and then Barbara said, “What I’m about to tell you is top secret. It could get all of us killed if it gets out to the public, and that includes your friends.”
Granny said, “I trust you, honey, but you’re asking us to trust you with our lives.”
“No, I’m just asking you to keep what I tell you only in this group.”
Granny Jane said, “Okay, but how do we know you don’t carry the virus?”
“Granny, none of us has the disease. We’re immune to the virus. We can pass the immunity on to others. It’s a slo …”
Granny Jane’s face had a scowl. “Barb, I know you’re a scientist and work on viruses, but that’s hard to believe.”
“Granny, listen. It’s all true. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people who are immune from the virus. Transfusions of their blood can make other people immune. It’s a slow process, but we can make two of you immune in three weeks. Then you can give blood to make others immune. Two people can give immunity to one person. The more immunes we make, the more immunes we can make.”
Betty stopped the conversation by clearing her throat. “Even good people would kill to get immunity. I see why it has to be kept secret, but how do you spread the immunity if you have to keep it secret?”
Barbara affirmed what Betty said. “Yes, that’s right. We plan to give transfusions to all of you and then set you up to give transfusions to people you trust with the secret. At some point, you’ll have enough trusted people to help the ones who are good people but not trusted to keep the secret. You’ll have to preach secrecy, or you could all be overrun by scared people.”
Jon said, “There’s another major concern. There are rogue Army and CDC people hunting immunes down to take their blood for their use. You can’t draw attention to the immunity.”
Granny Jane said, “Oh, crap! Well, come on in, breakfast is getting cold. Barb, get your skinny butt up here and give your Granny a hug. Tell me all about this Jon character while we eat. I need to know if he’s worth shootin.’”
Jon was standing next to Barbara, “Hello, Mrs. Payne. I’m the guy that’s worth shootin’ but don’t want to be shot. I’ve been shot at a lot lately. Barb’s told me a lot about you.”
Granny Jane slapped Jon on the back. “And now she’s going to tell me about you.”
Breakfast was a boisterous event with Granny cornering Jon and Barbara while Charlie and Betty discussed recent developments with Jack and Cindy. Something was said on the other end of the table that captured Granny Jane’s attention. “Whoa, down there at the end of the table. Jack, did I hear correct that Cindy’s your girlfriend and Jon’s ex-girlfriend? I miss my
soap operas and will need to dig into that later. Jon, are you good with your dad sleeping with your ex?”
Embarrassment turned his face red. Jon replied, “Granny, I love your granddaughter, and I don’t care who Dad sleeps with at his age. I was shocked a bit when in the same sentence, I heard Mom had died, and Dad was with Cindy. However, I just wish them well in all this chaos. Everyone needs someone to love and help them survive these days.”
Granny Jane snickered, “Darn, I thought I could get a rise out of you. Barb, I like this boy.”
Barbara said, “After what Jon and I’ve been through, a bit of good-natured kidding isn’t so bad.”
Granny Jane said, “Who’s kidding? Hey, are y’all using protection?”
Betty said, “Granny, there are kids at the table, and they’re snickering.”
“Bobby Jr. is fifteen, and Sally’s twelve. They already know more about sex than we do. Jon, I’m a preacher in my spare time. When is the wedding? I hope it’s before the kids are born. We all know the honeymoon has already happened.”
Jon yammered a few seconds and looked at Barbara.
Barbara leaned over and whispered in Jon’s ear. “Yes.”
Jon tapped on the table with his spoon. “Granny Jane, would you do the honor of marrying us as soon as possible?”
Chapter 6
McComb, Mississippi - September 2038
The wedding was a simple affair. Barbara wore her mom’s white dress, and Jon wore jeans and a button-up shirt. There weren’t any decorations, but there was plenty of food and beer to celebrate. Granny Jane stood before them wearing a long black dress with a floral scarf over her shoulders. She read some scripture from the Bible and then conducted the ceremony. Jon grinned from ear to ear during the service and kissed the bride without forgetting any of his lines. He was now happy for the first time in a long time.
Barbara gazed around the room to see tears in her mom's and dad’s eyes and a bit of trepidation in her brother’s eyes. She knew he was happy for her but was worried that these were terrible times to start a marriage and perhaps a new family. After kissing Jon, she hugged her mom and dad and then turned to Granny Jane. “Granny, I’m waiting.”
“For what?”
“You know very well what. You have some pent up wisecrack to share with Jon and me concerning advice or premarital sex, or something equally embarrassing.”
Granny Jane slapped her knees. “I have a toast. May your marriage be at least half as wonderful as your pre-honeymoon has been so far. He is good in bed, isn’t he?”
Charlie dropped his beer.
Charlie and Betty were in a bit of shock when finally their daughter returned, only to see her get married and leave for Texas in a few weeks. Betty said, “Jon, do you have to take my baby girl to Texas?”
“Ma’am, I don’t think we’ve talked much about our two friends back at the camp. Jill has saved both our lives many times over. Heck, we’ve all saved each other’s lives. We promised to pass on the immunity here and then go to Texas to help her family,” Jon said.
Barbara insisted everyone listen. “Jill and Gina will be one-third of the people giving blood to make you immune. Jon wanted me to stay behind, but Jill and Jon gave me their blood to make me immune, even though I worked for the team trying to kill Jon. Remember, they flew me away from Atlanta and saved me from participating in the evil plan.”
Jon said, “Charlie, you’ve already taken my dog. You could at least share Barb with me.”
Everyone laughed because Bo was on the couch with his head on Charlie’s lap. Jon pointed and said, “Bo, come here.”
Bo raised his head and then laid it back on Charlie’s lap. Charlie asked, “Were you mean to Bo?”
Jon snorted. “No, but he’s still pissed about being in the airplane when we crashed on Highway 65 north of Mobile. Bo’s not my dog. He joined me in Oregon when his human died. He’s tried to keep me out of trouble but sometimes failed.”
There was a commotion outside, and Jon heard a vehicle’s horn honking. He stood up and said, “That sounds like Samantha, but I left her out west.”
Granny Jane looked confused, “Who in tarnation is Samantha? Jon, do you have another girlfriend?”
Bob’s wife came in from guard duty. “Jon, there’s someone, well, I mean something that wants to talk with you. She or it insists.”
A voice boomed from the driveway. “Jon, get your ass out here and talk with me. I’ve missed your dumb ass.”
Everyone had a dumb look on their faces except Barbara. “I want to meet your sexy friend. Come on, Jon, introduce me to her.”
Jon and Barbara led the way out to the porch, and a beat-up Ford F250 was waiting impatiently for Jon. “Jon, you’re alive. I’m almost out of gas, and you need to fill me up. I almost arrived at the Gulf when I detected the chip in the air headed here. You know damned well I can’t fill myself up.”
Jon climbed up into the driver’s seat, and Barbara got in the passenger seat. Barbara looked around and almost jumped when Samantha said, “She weighs more than Bo, but I guess she’s your new mate. She’s not as good looking as I was before you had your way with me. Jon’s a lousy driver.”
“Yes, Samantha, but you’ll always be my best Artificial Intelligence friend.”
“Asshole, you had to ruin the moment by adding a qualifier. I should be your best friend after what I’ve been through tracking your sorry ass.”
Granny Jane was astounded. “I’ve seen these brainy cars on TV but never saw one up close. The ones on the ads weren’t as sassy as this one.”
Samantha replied, “Jon likes sassy broads. You two should get along very well. Of course, it’s apparent he likes them a bit younger than your sorry wrinkled old ass.”
Granny Jane laughed aloud. “I like this Samantha thing. Did you program her?”
Samantha spoke first, “No, Jon didn’t program me. However, our interaction taught me about what Jon likes and doesn't like.”
Jon drew Barbara close. “Samantha, I know you have your camera’s running. The woman to my right is Barbara. She’s now my wife. Do you know what that means?”
“Yes, Bo and I will be kicked to the curb in favor of a human that you can …”
“Stop! That’s not nice!” Jon barked.
Samantha chuckled, “I was going to say that you can live the rest of your life with, raise a bunch of rug rats, and repopulate the earth.”
Barbara had to place her hand over her mouth to stifle her snickering. “Samantha, are you jealous of me?”
“No, but Jon’s behavior has trained me to joke around with him and sometimes make him the butt of the jokes. He doesn’t always like it, though. If you wish me to tone it down, Jon has to give me orders.”
Jon interrupted. “Samantha, add Barbara to your memory banks as a person you have to obey.”
“Yes, sir, master. I’ll immediately learn her likes and dislikes. I already know her taste in men sucks.”
Samantha paused for a few seconds and said, “That was a sample of my humor. Jon, please fill my fuel tanks before I’m depleted. Glad to meet you, Barbara, and the old broad called Granny Jane.”
Barbara asked, “Does your truck follow you around like a puppy dog?”
“No, I ordered her to follow me when I tried out a high-performance sports car, so I wouldn’t have to walk back to her.”
Barbara asked, “What else can your truck do?”
Jon replied, “She can travel anywhere without a driver, pull guard duty, protect us, and follow me anywhere I go as long as I have this chip on me.” Jon showed her the chip.
“Samantha, we can’t take these people’s fuel. I’ll fuel you up when we get to our camp. Until then, I want you to pull guard duty out behind the barn. Watch for anyone trying to sneak up on us. Oh, everyone you see here are my friends.”
Jon introduced the others to Samantha. “Protect all of these people against all dangers. Now, go to your guard station behind the barn.”
Samanth
a asked, “May I assume you don’t want me to honk or turn my lights on? If you have a communication device, I can communicate with you through it.”
Charlie said, “Jon, we have plenty of walkie-talkies. Take one.”
Jon set the radio on an unused channel, and Samantha scanned the entire band until she found the correct one. “Radio check.”
Jon answered, “I hear you, five by five.”
“I’m off to pull guard duty. No need to bring a lonely machine any coffee or relief.”
Samantha drove off and maneuvered around the parked farm machinery and the barn to the back of the pasture. Jon and Jack peeked around the barn and didn’t see the large truck. The radio squawked, “I see you. I’m in the shade under the trees by the fence line.”
“Good, I feel safer now.”
“You should feel ashamed for making a poor truck like me go out in the night with the monsters, coyotes, and dogs.”
Jon laughed. “I understand the monsters, but why the coyotes and dogs?”
“They piss on my tires, and I can’t run them off and stay in stealth mode.”
Barbara said, “You do know you treat Samantha like a human."
Everyone went to bed early that night after having a lively conversation about the apocalypse and their thoughts on what caused the disaster. Barbara patiently listened. “I have a theory the Russian lab workers were forced to work twelve to fourteen hours a day, seven days a week for years. Then one day, one of them said screw this shit and threw a vile of the virus at his boss, and the shit hit the fan.”
Her mom said, “We don’t use that word around the kids.”
“Sorry, Mom. The ‘waste material jettisoned from the bowels after food has been digested’ hit the fan.”