First Weeks After

by Jay Vielle

  “There’s just so much we don’t know about them,” said Wendy. “Why they ended up this way is really a testament to the strength of their DNA. The orange tone in their skin is likely a permanent erythema, perhaps even an activation of melanin in the skin, probably triggered to be a defensive reaction to the Brenerium. The white hair isn’t uncommon and shows a stronger reaction than straight hair loss. But why some have actual DNA alteration and recession into lower primate-like status, and others end up like Laura—that’s a total mystery. And their loss of speech is obviously due to trauma to the brain, but how they are able to communicate almost instantly with grunts, shrieks, gestures, and understand one another—that’s a mystery too,” Wendy said.

  “She spoke,” Jake said. “Laura spoke. She formed words. It looked like she had to work at it, but she was able to do it.”

  “Really? Unbelievable. Was it her voice?” Wendy asked.

  “It was kind of raspy, but yes, it was her,” said Tommy.

  “What did she say?” Wendy asked.

  All three Fisher men looked at each other uneasily.

  “What?” asked Wendy, noticing the awkwardness. “What did she say?”

  Tommy and Vinny shared a glance.

  “Kill him. She said kill him,” said Jake.

  “What? Kill whom?” asked Wendy.

  “Me,” said Jake. Wendy grimaced.

  “Sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to press.”

  “So, what’s next?” asked Jake.

  “I don’t think we’re going to get to Laura for a while, Jake. I want her to be safe and get the best shot at a cure, if there is one. I’m going to recommend putting her into an induced coma while we work on the other mutates we have here. It’s the best way to keep her from being traumatized. We don’t know what they go through under restraint,” the Colonel said. “Are you alright with that? I know you’ve come a long way, but answers don’t always come quickly.”

  “Yes. That’s fine. I, we, greatly appreciate all you’ve done. I know very well what kind of strings you’ve had to pull for all of this. Just for her. Just for us. I’m thankful. We all are,” Jake said.

  “I owed you, Marine. You saved my life and got me back here. You risked your life to do it without hesitation. That’s the kind of gesture that merits repayment.” Jake swallowed hard.

  “Well, I might have to square the deal myself soon,” Jake said. “I might need another favor.”

  “What is it?” the Colonel asked.

  “You remember Maureen and Al, right? Well, they just called. Seems that they and the girls Morgan and Estela have stumbled upon some kind of Russian plot to take over the town we’re from.”

  The Colonel made a skeptical face.

  “I know. It sounded pretty kooky to me, too. But the short version is this church was dumping the same two chemicals you and Wendy have here to treat these mutates into the town water of Emmitsburg, and they are definitely working with some individuals who are Russian. According to another guy I work with, one of those Russians tried to kill the girls, and he it took a rock to the skull to stop him. Now they’re hiding out and not sure what to do,” said Jake.

  “Holy cow? That’s all a little too specific to be completely unbelievable,” said the Colonel.

  “My thoughts as well. I mean, Tommy and Vinny and I can check it out, but if there’s actually a Russian military faction behind all of this, then this thing is way above my pay grade,” said Jake. “I was hoping you could steer me the right way on this one.”

  “It’s actually not quite in my field,” said the Colonel. “But I can refer the information to my colleague who will absolutely investigate this. It may take a few days, as people are dispersed a bit, but I can promise you he’ll treat it seriously.”

  “What about everyone up there right now? If they foiled a murder, they could themselves be in danger,” said Jake.

  “That’s true, but I’m afraid I can’t be of too much help in the short term. My contact will have to be above board, according to regulations, and will require a report of how I got the information, which is basically from you. They’ll look into it, but right now, they’ve got big fish to fry. Not that this doesn’t sound serious, Jake, it’s just that I can’t promise you how quickly it’ll get done, and I know you need to look into this sooner.”

  “That’s okay, Colonel. I appreciate whatever you can do,” said Jake. “The boys and I can look into it.”

  “And what if you find a hornets’ nest, and you only have fly-swatters?” the Colonel said.

  “Guess we’d better not kick it, then,” said Jake. The Colonel pressed his lips together tightly, took a breath, and nodded.

  “I’m gonna give you a contact,” said the Colonel. “And it’s going to be off-record.”

  “Sounds like my kind of contact,” said Jake.

  “Obviously, I can’t even be entirely sure this guy is alive. We don’t know who made it through the bombings and who didn’t. But this guy is a survivor, and he owes me a big one,” the Colonel said.

  “One guy?” Jake asked.

  “One knowledgeable, experienced, dangerous guy. I’ve seen you work. You’re talented, capable, and smart. You’re also out of your element about seventy percent of the time and have gotten lucky in my presence,” the Colonel said.

  “Fair enough,” said Jake.

  “This guy added to your stable will make you much more formidable. This job sounds right up his alley,” the Colonel said. “I’m going to get his card and give it to you. Eddie’s phone is working, right? You’ll need a code word for him to even pick up, assuming his phone works too.”

  “Lot of ‘ifs and assumings,’ Colonel. No offense,” Jake said.

  “None taken. This guy is both incredibly reliable and incredibly sketchy. You’ll take one look at him and think I’m a practical joker. But trust me. He gets it done,” the Colonel said. “You will need to text him first. Send him the message, ‘Blackbird sent me.’ He’ll know it’s me that’s referring you. More than likely, if he’s alive and in the country, he’ll text you back and help you out. I will also reach out to him first to make sure he knows you’re calling.”

  “This doesn’t sound a whole lot like a sure thing, Sir,” Jake said.

  “It’s not. Unless he picks up. Then it’s as sure as it gets.”

  “I’ll take what I can get. ‘Josh Rimone’ Sounds like a normal name to me,” Jake said.

  “It’s the only normal thing about him. If that’s his name,” the Colonel said. “Good luck to you Jake. If we have any changes in Laura before you return, I’ll let you know on Eddie’s phone. We won’t make a move without talking to you or your boys and will let you know if anything happens.”

  “Thanks again, Sir,” Jake said. The two of them walked back into the tent.

  “Time to go, boys,” Jake said. “New mission. We’ve done all we can here.”

  “We know,” Tommy said. “We’ve said goodbye for now. But we’ll be back, Mom. I swear.”

  Vinny patted his mother’s arm and took her limp hand briefly before backing away. Tommy turned to Wendy and extended his hand.

  “Ms. Yubashiri,” he said. “I was unpleasant and even harsh with you. I want to apologize. You have done everything in your power to help us find, catch, and help our mother. I was wrong to judge you. Thank you for everything.”

  “You were forgiven a long time ago, Tommy,” Wendy said, and she leaned in to offer a hug to each of the boys.

  “Jake, thank you for bringing me home,” Wendy said, extending her hand. Jake took her hand and shook it gently. They looked into each other’s eyes knowing that the handshake was so much less than they were sharing at the moment. Jake struggled to maintain a Stoic façade.

  “Thank you for my family, for everything. We’ll see each other again soon,” Jake said.

  “I understand you have a new mission, Mujina-san,” Wendy said.

  “Yeah. Talked to Eddie, did you?” Jake said.

&
nbsp; “Yeah. Another heroic rescue attempt. It suits you, Mujina-san. I don’t think you can be happy sitting still without damsels to rescue or dragons to slay,” Wendy said with a smile. Jake just nodded.

  “Good-bye. Take care of yourself. We’ll be back,” Jake said. I walked over to Jake.

  “Ready to saddle up?” I asked.

  “Saddle up? You’re coming with us?” Jake asked. “But your parents.”

  “Are already on a transport provided by the Colonel to the metro stop where they left their car. They’ll head back themselves to Thurmont and Emmitsburg. I told them I’m going with you,” I said.

  “Why?” Jake asked.

  “Because, you fat old badger, the safest place I know is behind your saggy artificial ass,” Eddie said. “Besides, our friends are in trouble, and if I don’t go along to keep you and your boys from slugging it out, we’ll never get there in time,” I said.

  “Colonel, Wendy,” I said. “As always, it’s a pleasure. I’m sure we’ll see each other again. Colonel, I have your contact info.”

  The Fisher boys and I walked out of the tent with that same swagger we had when we were headed to the National Mall in HAZMAT gear. I was feeling adventurous and cocky again. We had gone about fifty yards without speaking, and then I realized I had no idea where we were going. We had gotten here by boat and on horseback, for crying out loud. How in the hell were we getting home? For a moment, I was sure Jake didn’t know either, and the mischievous thought of just letting him walk until he figured that out was foremost in my mind. I had a smug smile and couldn’t wait to spring it on him. He must have noticed.

  “What are you grinning about?” Jake asked.

  “I just wondered where the hell you think you’re going,” I said.

  “Back home, where else?” Jake said.

  “Yeah, smart ass, but how? Did you bring your horse? Your boat?” I asked.

  “Nope. Just this,” Jake said. We turned the corner on the parking lot and Jake stopped in front of a giant Hummer, clean as a whistle and in camouflage.

  “What,” Jake said. “You think you’re the only one the Colonel takes care of?”

  CHAPTER 31

  Al drove the car like a man possessed. In a small town when someone drives like that it draws attention, and Mark and Maureen were beginning to notice it as well.

  “Al, slow down. You’ll kill us before the Russians do!” Maureen said.

  “Yeah, at this pace you are more likely to draw attention than to avoid it,” said Mark. Estela and Morgan were holding onto the handles of the car with whitening knuckles.

  “Look, there’s the high school,” said Maureen. “Shame it’s full of snakes and assholes,” she said looking at Mark. “It was a good place to work.”

  “I wonder if we’ll ever go back,” said Al. “It was so weird how they let folks out early when word of the bombings started, and then just one or two days later all news stopped, all word from the outside stopped. Everything got cloudy.”

  “Good thing we had a survival expert, a full freezer, and a fortress of a high school to gather round to be safe. Oh wait, that’s right. We don’t. Some assholes threw us out of our rooms,” Maureen said, glancing at Mark.

  “I had nothing to do with any of that,” Mark said.

  “You voted us out,” Maureen answered.

  “It wasn’t even a real vote. It was most Wes talking,” Mark said.

  “And you stood there with him,” Maureen said.

  “Look, I regret the way it all went down, and I made my peace with Jake. I’m sorry if anything I did made you feel unwelcome or put you in danger,” Mark said.

  Maureen pressed her lips together in a half-scowl, half-smile.

  “I mean it,” Mark said. “Those people turned out to be assholes, snakes, and traitors, and I’m well rid of them. But they are good at what they do. They spin the truth; they seduce you with good sounding ideas that seem well-meaning. I fell for it. I admit it. I’m sorry.”

  “I hold grudges,” said Maureen. “It’s gonna take me a little longer for that. But you helped Morgan and Estela. You stepped up in a big way, and I respect that, and so I’ll help you now. But know that I am still pissed.”

  “Fair enough,” said Mark. “I’ll take what I can get.” A gray Jeep truck was following the car from about a quarter mile behind.

  “Who’s that?” Maureen said. “Nobody else is on the road.”

  “No idea,” Mark said. “But this road 140 to Taneytown is pretty major. It’s the shortest way to get to Westminster and Reisterstown from Emmitsburg, so it might be nothing.”

  Al drove four more miles and the Jeep was still there. He took a left towards the housing development where he was staying with Maureen. The Jeep did not follow, continuing straight past them as they turned.

  “See, we’re okay,” Al said.

  “No thanks to your NASCAR try-out,” Maureen said. Al smiled and took a right into the honeycomb of look-alike houses where Maureen lived. It was easy to get lose in the web of cul-de-sacs and circles in the development. Mark was losing track of where he was as they passed street after street. As Al began to slow down, Mark looked up at the next intersection. Sitting there on the corner was the gray Jeep.

  “Shit,” Al said. “Our friend is back. That fucker is tailing us for real.”

  “I agree. We have to keep moving, try to lose him. God knows who could be in there. It might even be Oleg,” Mark said.

  “There’s no way he lived through that,” Morgan said.

  “He seemed pretty tough to me,” said Mark.

  “What are we gonna do?” asked Maureen. They have been following us. We can’t hide you all if they know you’re with me, and they know where I live.”

  “We need another option,” said Al. “And one this guy can’t follow me to.” Just then Maureen smiled and slapped the seat.

  “I got an idea. Swing back around the circle and stop in the driveway,” she said.

  “At your house? But they’re watching,” said Al.

  “Let them watch. I have an idea. Remember the roofer that put the new roof in last month?”

  “Yeah. So?” said Al.

  “He left some things here. We’re going James Bond on this fucker,” Maureen said.

  Al stopped in front of Maureen’s house. The Jeep didn’t move, but a glint was visible from the front seat. Mark surmised that it came from a pair of binoculars. A few minutes later, Maureen came out with a towel wrapped around something. The glint reappeared. Maureen hopped in the front seat with a wicked grin on her face.

  “You know how to get to Kristen’s house?” she asked Al.

  “Yeah, we’ve been there a bunch,” Al said.

  “Floor it. And run right past that Jeep,” she said.

  “What the fuck was she carrying?” John Segen said to Wes Kent.

  “I can’t tell. It’s wrapped in a towel,” said Wes.

  “But you could see that all of those people were in the car?” John said.

  “Yes. All of the suspects that Father Joe mentioned. Longaberger and the two girls. Maureen Kelly and her boyfriend the science geek are sheltering them. That liberal gay-loving bitch!” Wes said.

  “All of them, right there. We’ve got ‘em. Want me to call Father Joe?” John said.

  “Does your phone work?” asked Wes. “Not everybody’s does.”

  “Yeah. Haven’t had any problems since the bombs. I paid a lot for this bad boy,” John said. “Don’t you remember? I put it on Facebook, and you liked it?”

  “You put this Jeep on Facebook too. Come to think of it, you put a lot of things on Facebook,” said Wes.

  “Not lately. Facebook crashed the first days after the bombing. Some kind of virus,” John said.

  “Whatever. Yes, call Father Joe and let him know we have found the culprits and we’re tailing them, and we’ll stay on them until they stop somewhere,” Wes said.

  “You got it. Wait—you’d better take the phone. It looks like th
ey’re moving, and fast,” John said. “Here, take it. My code is 0889, Troy Aikman’s number and the year the Cowboys drafted him.”

  “Cowboys fan, huh?” said Wes.

  “Isn’t everyone?” asked John. “At least everyone with brain.”

  “Whatever. I am calling him now,” said Wes Kent.

  Al jammed the accelerator and sped to the end of the street and hung a hard left. The Jeep started up and began rolling forward slowly. Al continued down the main thoroughfare of the Taneytown development, revving the engine as he approached route 140. He took a hard right, back towards Emmitsburg, and accelerated.

  “Not too fast just yet,” Maureen said, opening up her window.

  “What are you doing?” Al said.

  “James Bond shit, like I said,” Maureen quipped, and tossed the contents of her towel into the air and behind the car.

  “What was that?” Mark said.

  “Boxes of roofing nails,” Maureen.

  “Which are now in the road the next time we have to drive home,” Al said.

  “Uh, yeah. Good point. But it seemed like a good idea at the time,” said Maureen. “There are other ways into our development.”

  “Which we now have to take or risk a flat tire,” grumbled Al.

  “Let’s see if it works before you start bitching,” Maureen said.

  It didn’t. The Jeep ran right over two of the four boxes Maureen threw and kept on rolling. Mark frowned, Al scowled, and Maureen huffed. The two cars continued to speed along the highway.

  “Who’s in that goddamn Jeep?” yelled Al. “Are we about to get shot?”

  “I don’t know. But they are making no bones about following us. I guess they don’t care if we see them,” Mark said. “That concerns me.”

  “I’m scared,” Morgan whispered.

  “I am too,” Estela said, taking her hand and squeezing it.

  “Al, take the long way to Kristen’s house,” Maureen said.

  “Don’t take Simmons. Pass it and go left on Tom’s Creek Church Road,” she said.

  “Why?” said Al.

  “Throw them off a little, they won’t know exactly where we’re going. Plus, it gives us more time for those roofing nails to work,” she said.