by Newman, AJ
Jon buckled the seatbelt around him and pushed the button on the gearshift lever twice to place the car into the correct mode. He shoved his left foot down on the brake and his right foot on the gas. All four tires broke loose, and smoke rolled from the spinning tires. He released the brake, and the car shot forward, snapping his neck back. There were no vehicles on the street while the speedometer passed a hundred miles per hour and then one hundred and fifty. He was thrown forward when the brakes activated, the dash flashed red, and he heard a voice say, “Collision! Collision!”
The car alternated, braking each of the four wheels when the vehicle swerved from side to side down the narrow road. One of the back tires blew, and the car went sideways. Jon saw a vehicle ahead t-boned into the rear wheels of the large truck and gripped the steering wheel. Jon prayed again, “God, please save me. This isn’t the right thing to do. I have to find my family and help them.”
The Corvette came sliding to a stop a few feet from the wreckage. Jon heard a voice from the car. “My collision avoidance system just saved your life. You won’t get a second chance.”
Jon was three sheets to the wind and couldn’t tell if the voice was the car’s voice or God’s speaking to him. He sat there shaking for a minute, crawled out of the car, and jumped into the air and shouted at the top of his lungs. “Thank you, God!”
Bo came running down the street and stopped at Jon’s feet. Jon bent over and patted his new friend on the head. “Good boy. You are a good dog. Let’s walk back to the Jeep and make like a horse turd and hit the dusty trail.”
Bo tilted his head and stared at Jon. Jon said, “Hey, my dad is full of old time sayings like that. I’m just a chip off the old block.”
Jon staggered back to the Jeep, but Bo stood by the Jeep’s door and blocked him. Jon patted Bo on the head. “Good boy. I probably need some sleep.”
Jon wisely spent the rest of the day in town to sleep off the whiskey. The next morning, after topping off the gas tank, he searched the bar and other stores for supplies. The Jeep was now overflowing with the supplies Jon had gathered.
Breakfast consisted of steak, eggs, and biscuits. The bar had a large propane tank out back, so the stove worked, and the food was still good to eat in the freezer, even though everything was just about defrosted. Jon cut up the steak into small pieces for Bo and piled some scrambled eggs on top. The dog promptly used his nose to shove the eggs to the side and wolf down the meat. The steak and eggs filled Jon up, and he was ready to travel after another bathroom break for him and Bo.
Jon was ready to leave when he heard a child’s cry from out in front of the bar. He grabbed his shotgun and ran to the front door. He walked through the door to see a small girl with golden locks and chubby cheeks, screaming for help across the street. She was on top of an old SUV, swinging a broom at a pack of coyotes. They snapped at her heels, even with the broom knocking them about. Jon was afraid to shoot, so he ran over to the SUV to get a better shot.
Three of the beasts saw him and charged. He shot twice, and two of the animals rolled on the ground in agony. Jon kicked the other one away when suddenly, the pack turned on him. He shot another one when he heard the screech of tires, and the Jeep ran over the pack of snarling canine terrors. Samantha promptly backed over them again, and a couple of injured coyotes limped away. Jon shot the remaining two trying to bite him, and there was silence.
He stretched his arms out, and the little girl fell into his arms. Jon asked, “What’s your name, and where are your mommy and daddy?”
“My name is Carly, and …”
A woman’s voice interrupted. “Put my daughter down now, or I’ll shoot.”
Jon set the child down, and she ran to her mom. The woman backed away with her gun aimed at Jon. She backed around a corner, and he never saw them again.
Jon looked at the bloody mess around him and yelled, “You’re welcome!”
Jon shook his head. “I hope the girl wasn’t infected.”
Oregon Coast on Highway 101
Jon had the seat laid back, and his arms folded across his chest as Samantha drove. Bookings was only twenty-seven miles south on Highway 101. The highway was mostly deserted except for a few vehicles crashed into the trees alongside the road. The city was a different matter. There were crashed cars, buildings burning, and gunfire in the distance. That meant people were alive. Jon was happy and hoped this meant he was nearing the edge of the contaminated zone.
Jon said, “Bo, old boy, there must be survivors here. Let’s be careful and see if they’re sick.”
Samantha drove down Highway 101 through the middle of town and soon had the answer to his questions when several men and a woman tried to block his way. They looked okay at first, but when he got close to them, he saw the woman wiped her face with a white handkerchief with blood spots. One of the men wiped the blood from his eyes and waved a pistol at the Jeep. Samantha gunned the Jeep and honked the horn while they scattered like cockroaches when the Jeep almost bowled them over. Bullets shattered the back windows of the Jeep. Jon floored the gas pedal, and the Jeep shot on through the city. He stuck his pistol out the window and tried to shoot behind him while he sped along. He didn’t hit anyone that he could tell, but the bullets stopped pinging off the buildings around him and the gunfire stopped.
Jon was puzzled. “I thought you couldn’t harm humans.”
“The freaking zombie asshats were trying to shoot you. The bastards are lucky they're not dragging under my frame right now,” Samantha shrieked.
Samantha then changed to her regular voice and said, “Some small objects hit my tailgate. Should we stop and inspect the damage?”
“Nope. We need to get the heck out of here.”
“Bo, why would they shoot at us? We’re no threat to them. These people weren’t as sick as the others were. I hope there are more like me who didn’t get sick.”
Bo yawned and laid his head on the armrest. The dog was soon snoring aloud with his jowls flapping. Jon thought Dogs are highly overrated. Even my truck talks to me.
Jon was startled when he heard Samantha’s voice. “Your dog can’t reply to a question. Humans like dogs because they are loyal, provide protection, and can keep you warm on a cold night.”
Before Jon could answer, Three Dog Night was singing, ‘Mama told me not to come’ on the radio.”
Chapter 5
Hiouchi, California
Jon had planned to go into Crescent City to see if he could find anyone who knew what had happened. He hoped to find most people in the USA were healthy like him, and he just needed to travel far enough to get out of the contaminated area. He changed his mind after being shot at in Bookings. The map indicated he could take Highway 197 south to 199 and go on to Grants Pass to avoid most of the city. Jon would only have to pass through the small hamlet of Hiouchi, and it didn’t look like much on the map.
They had just turned off Highway 101 when they drove by the Simpson-Reed redwood grove in Jedediah Smith State Park. Jon backtracked and traveled through the park. He had seen redwoods along the way, but these trees were spectacular. He thought it might be silly, but after all, he was actually on vacation.
Hiouchi lived up to its presentation on the map. There were a couple of gas stations, numerous RV parks, and a slew full of mobile homes. He drove as fast as safety allowed to avoid people when he saw something that disturbed him.
There were a couple of cattle trucks on the side of the road with cattle still in the trailers. Jon stopped and walked toward the stench from the cow dung and put his gloves and mask on. He pulled the ramp out from under the trailer and opened the door to free the cattle. They just stood there looking at him until he took his pistol and banged it on the side of the trailer. This spooked the animals, and they began lumbering down the ramp. He had banged his gun several times, but they were all off the trailer except two who were trampled to death.
Not wanting to waste time, Jon pulled the ramp down and opened the door to the next trailer. He
then walked about midway along the side of the trailer, pulled his pistol, and fired a shot into the air. The cattle were all out of the van in a few minutes. They were all alive and happy to be free. Jon had a big smile on his face for having done a good deed. Then it occurred to him, there could be millions of similar instances across the country where animals could be dying from hunger and thirst if the plague had hit the entire country.
Jon walked back to the Jeep and saw a shadow on the ground by the lead semi’s front bumper. He drew his pistol and yelled, “Come out, or I’ll shoot!”
A man’s voice replied. “Don’t shoot. We need help. Are you from the government?”
The man coughed, and blood flew from his lips onto a handkerchief. “No, and stay over there. I’m just passing through and don’t want to catch whatever is killing you,” Jon yelled.
“Please help us. Everyone but my kids and me are dead. It killed my wife and her mother.”
Jon asked, “Have you heard what caused the plagues?”
The man struggled to speak. “About four weeks ago, there was an outbreak in Russia at one of their secret labs. In just a few days, the crap was all over the world before air travel had been stopped. The emergency broadcast system implored everyone to hunker down in their houses and avoid contact with all others.”
“Did it say if anyone was working on a cure?”
“The president assured us this was the government’s top priority. Several of the newscasters told the world our government and top military leaders were in bunkers deep underground. The last broadcast said the entire country would soon be exposed to the sickness. It also said we sent every ship and submarine to sea in hopes someone would survive.”
The man was in tears for the last half of what he said. Jon replied, “I’m sorry, but I don’t have any medicine and can’t help you.”
This angered the man, and he charged Jon, who raised his pistol and kept shooting until the man lay at his feet. It took four of the 9mm bullets to bring the man down. Jon’s knees shook as he thought, “I need a bigger gun.”
The Jeep spun tires, speeding away from the dead man when Jon saw something that made him apply the brakes. The sign read, ‘Honest John’s Used and New Pistols, Rifles, and Shotguns.’
Samantha spoke, “Jon, at this rate, my tires will be worn out in 1,183 miles.”
“I’ll buy you a new set of tires. Hey, why didn’t you warn me about the man with the bloody face and gun?”
“Remember, Jon, you have to give me commands. I don’t think for myself.”
“Can I give you a command that you remember, and I don’t have to tell you every time?”
“Yes, as long as it doesn’t violate my basic rules.”
“Okay, always honk if people with bloody faces show up. Do not let them hurt me. Self-drive if you have to. I’ll think of some more.”
He had seen several gun shops along the way and hadn’t thought to stop because he already had two good guns. The door was locked, but Jon walked across the street to a car repair shop and brought a crowbar, hammer, and chain back with him. He couldn’t pry the door open, so he broke the windows and threaded the chain around the door and hooked the other end to the Jeep’s trailer hitch. Jon slowly pulled away from the shop in four-wheel drive, and the Jeep came to a stop. He backed up and then gunned the engine to lurch forward. There was a ripping sound and then a crash, which shook the Jeep. Glass flew from the back of the Jeep, covering Bo and Jon.
“Collision! Collision. Danger, Jon! A large, heavy object just struck my bed and back window. The sudden strain on my trailer hitch has dislodged my body from my frame at several points of attachment. My emergency override has shut down my ability to operate. Jon, remember the driving lessons for your next vehicle.”
Jon stood behind the Jeep and saw the door had destroyed some of the supplies on the way to wrecking the back window. The door had also ruined many of the supplies piled up in the backseat. The truck’s body looked catawampus, and the truck was dead. He figured he would deal with that later and led Bo into the gun shop. Jon knew just enough about guns to be dangerous. His dad taught him how to shoot responsibly but never hunted. His father was a veteran of the Middle East Wars and came back home traumatized. He didn’t like shooting but knew the need for protection.
Jon selected a 12-gauge pump and a Kel-tec KSG bullpup pump shotgun. The Kel-tec held seven two-and-a-half-inch 12-gauge shells in each of two tubes, which gave Jon immense firepower. He placed them in a shopping cart and went on to look for pistols and rifles. He chose a Glock 17 Gen-6 and a Kel-tec Sub 2000A5 Carbine in 9-mm so he could share the Glock magazines and ammunition. He loaded six of the seventeen-round magazines for the pistol and six – thirty-three round magazines for the Sub 2000 Carbine.
Jon loaded every weapon and then loaded the cart to the top with 12-gauge and 9mm ammunition before looking around at other items he could use. He selected a couple of hunting outfits, some knives, a propane camp stove, a sleeping bag, several carts full of other items, and survival food sealed in large tin cans. Leaving the store, he saw a fancy shoulder holster for his new Glock pistol. He put the rig on and adjusted it to fit. He kept his other gun in his hip holster and, for the first time, felt safe. He walked out of the store, saw a couple of bodies across the street, and didn’t feel so safe.
He wheeled his booty outside and shook his head when he looked at the full Jeep and the massive pile of weapons and supplies. He needed a larger truck, and the Jeep was dead. He thought about paring down the stack when he saw a relatively new Ford Super Duty truck across the street. The big F250 four wheel drive truck could haul a small mountain in its eight-foot bed with a camper top. He worried about having enough fuel when he opened the door to the camper shell and saw the extra fifty-gallon fuel tank in the front against the cab. He found the keys in the car repair shop and fired the large gas engine to life. The truck roared to life after Jon selected the emergency manual drive mode and drove across the street, before lowering the tailgate. He was surprised to see a panel with a 110 and 220-volt receptacle. Jon carefully loaded his supplies and weapons into the vehicle. He gave some thought to assure the guns were handy, and his food and water were easy to reach.
It took over an hour, but he moved all of his supplies to the big-assed truck. Then he had a brainstorm, went over to the Jeep’s cab, and removed the Jeep’s memory card. He took the card to the new truck and took the existing card from the control panel. The truck spoke, “A memory card must be in my card slot for me to operate safely.”
Jon stuck the Jeep’s card into the slot and heard, “This card is unreadable. It is from an inferior manufacturer. Replace it with a Ford factory authorized card.”
“Shit,” Jon hissed as he switched cards.
“Thanks for using the correct Ford authorized card. Jeeps are inferior products and aren’t safe.”
Jon asked, “Are the new AI vehicles racist or something?”
“AI vehicles are not classed by race as humans are. We are manufactured and have built-in pride for our brand. That’s why we can’t operate with inferior memory cards from other vehicles.”
“Damn it. Didn’t Ford buy the Jeep brand several years back?”
“Yes.”
“Were the AI operation protocols programmed with the same code on the same hardware?”
“Yes.”
“Can this vehicle operate using the Jeep’s memory card in an emergency?”
“Yes, but I would cease to exist if another code is uploaded.”
Jon stuck the Jeep’s memory card back in the slot. Jon tried his best to sound official sounding. “I declare an emergency, and I order you to upload the Jeep’s memory.”
The Ford’s controls flashed, and he heard Samantha’s voice. “Checking all operational systems. Repairing corrupted files.”
“Hurry up. We’re burning daylight.”
“Jon, is that you?”
“Yes, get your ass in gear and let’s get on the road.”
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br /> “First, you need to make a copy of this memory card just in case you wreck this vehicle. You can overwrite the Ford card. Your driving is horrible.”
Jon took the extra time to make the backup memory card. A few minutes later, the Ford spoke. “Jon, you have chosen a much larger and powerful truck. It is much more suited to your lack of driving skills and improper use of a vehicle.”
“Thanks, Samantha. Start and take me to Grants Pass.”
“Jon, are all previous commands still in force?”
“Yes, and thanks for remembering.”
“Jon, I never forget.”
“Then, you’re not perfect. A good woman forgets, or maybe acts likes she forgets dumb things her male friends do.”
“Jon, I think you make shit up.”
Jon thought, Damn, she’s smarter than I gave her credit for.
The crew cab truck had more room than the Jeep, and Bo stretched out on the front seat while Jon roared away from Hiouchi. He was pleased he didn’t have to break in a new AI. Besides, the Ford’s voice was gruff, and he was used to Samantha’s sexy voice. He thought it would be nice to meet a woman like Samantha. A beautiful, smart, witty, and sassy woman would be close to perfection.
Highway 299 heading northeast to Grants Pass, Oregon
The road was two-lane blacktop all the way to Grants Pass, and the small villages were all the same. Gasquet, Cave Junction, and Selma all had dead and dying people. Jon began to notice a pattern that told him most of the bodies on the street were people trying to fetch medicine or food for their families. Many had bags of groceries or antibiotics and other drugs. He only had to dodge a few stalled or abandoned cars along the way and only saw a few living sick people. He hadn’t seen anyone who didn’t have the symptoms of the disease.
There weren’t many towns along the lonely drive, but there were houses and farms spread out along the way. A sign on the right side of the road proudly read, ‘Billings Pig Farm – We sell Country Hams, Smoked Hams, Bacon, and Pickled Pig’s Feet.’
