Genesis Virus

by Pinto, Daniel

  Matthew’s voice gets louder. “Phillip. I can help you find the Boss’s other camps.”

  Phillip squeezes the top of the Lou’s gun. “Don’t. He could be of use.”

  Lou says. “This is one of those fuckers that killed my brother and who the fuck are you?”

  Phillip yanks the gun out of Lou’s hand. “I’m the friend of the man and woman who fucking brought you here. They’re the only reason I haven’t shot you. Focus on your people, the living.”

  Fire is the great equalizer; it surges onwards and cleans all.

  27

  The inscrutable cries of the living and the dead have ceased with the advent of the final death for all. A bittersweet feeling in David stirs up. He swoons at the sight, the beautiful disaster, his elysian fields, it contains more bones than a graveyard. We won, but I don’t feel happy.

  David steps over the bodies and viscera, pain lancing through his body, cuts and welts over his face and he has to squint at the double exposure of reality.

  With each step, his boots slosh with blood. David drags his feet on the scorched earth and treks across the array of charbroiled carcasses. Dirtied to scraped knees, his shirt is mauled to shreds, raw skin peeking through.

  David takes a footstep, wobbles like an old man and collapses; a dusky cloud drifts away from him on impact on the dead floor. “Meh.”

  He remains quiet in the heart of the devastation, the busy others are none the wiser, satellites orbiting his pain. David puts his fingers into the holes of his shirt and tries to stretch it off; he applies pressure where he thinks the blood is overflowing. His hands spasm in agony. “Shit.” A flood of endorphins pumps through David’s drained body and tranquility washes over him as he lays on sleep’s doorstep.

  David’s a fallen soldier on the battlefield without dog tags, fading into obscurity like the opposition. His world turns black. Funeral easels made up of colorful bodies are his only goodbye. A tear rolls down the side of his crestfallen face and his body becomes lax.

  28

  Lou and Youngblood throw their black ski masks into one of the many fires on their way to the Chief, who’s stowed away in an enclosure in the left side of the carwall.

  Lying on the ground, the Chief squeezes and pulls Lou’s hand close to his shivering lips. “You have it in you to keep our people safe.” Half his face is burnt and his chest is flesh colored bubbles arising from within the skin around a black hole over his heart. Youngblood’s struggling with getting his bulletproof vest off.

  Lou slides the human debris out of the way and puts a jacket over the Chief’s shaking body. “Why couldn’t you and Ava just wait for David’s plan, you old fool?”

  Youngblood lowers to his knees crying into his lap.

  The Chief says. “Not all of us were ever going to make it out of here alive…David and I knew this from day one…I wanted to look the Boss in his eyes like a man and kill him in retribution and give you a chance to kill the rest as they fought for the power like the weak men that they are.”

  Lou says. “We got ‘em all because of you, my Chief…I’ll get David to work his voodoo on you and you’ll lead us home in no time.”

  The Chief’s lips laboriously pull apart. “Don’t bullshit a bullshitter.” Lou grins to conceal his duress. “See your spirit is still with us, old man.”

  The Chief turns the good side of his face towards Youngblood. “Nephew, I’m proud of you, a lot of brave men didn’t want to come, you never hesitated. You don’t have to know everything in life, but always remember to ask for help…don’t be sad, I had a long life with plenty of regrets, but my family isn’t one of them.”

  Youngblood picks up his gun. “I’m going to kill David.”

  The Chief coughs, then says. “No. Find your mother and our people…David is an honorable man, we all used each other for a good cause, whatever happened on the way is only white noise because of this victory.”

  The Chief coughs up blood; his hands and chin have a coat of red. “If I helped Coop and David…maybe me and him would have got to see our family again…you have to go on and be better than me. Tell your mother I…”

  Youngblood leans down an inch from his uncle’s face. “Don’t worry about that…Uncle.”

  The Chief’s mouth is moving, but they can’t hear him, Lou leans his head as low as he can. “David’s Maria is alive, near locust farm and black knights, tell him.”

  Lou straightens back looking at Youngblood, not knowing what to make of what he just heard.

  The Chief’s hand releases Lou’s hand, his head slants sideways and a wheezy breath leaves his body. His last.

  Lou stands, points his gun at the Chief, Youngblood comes at him. He holds Youngblood back with his left hand as he shoots the Chief in the head. Lou turns his head in the dark and rubs his eyes with his knuckles. “He died as a man, not a monster.”

  29

  David’s experiencing immense heaviness on his body and lightheadedness as his head shakes and his eyes awaken from their eternal slumber. Struggling to think, thoughts alive somewhere in the brain vapors waiting to come into existence.

  David whispers. “Is this hell…” He opens his eyes as wide as he can like a newborn baby. “I did good by everyone, let me sleep.” Phillip let’s out a long sigh of relief with a hint of sorrow. He shakes David’s shoulders. “Stay awake. You’ll die if you don’t.” And takes off his own shirt, to try to stanch the elusive bleeding.

  With droopy eyes, David criticizes like old times. “That’s a myth, you should know that.”

  Phillip looks up at Lou and Youngblood hugging. “Still the smart ass. I see you made some new friends.”

  “Jealous?”

  Ava’s in the middle of Lou and Youngblood; with one arm on each of their shoulders stepping over all the insurrectionists.

  David says to Phillip. “I could use a cigarette.” He quickly chuckles with water in his eyes, he breathes in fast and rubs his mouth.

  Phillip rolls his eyes. “I’m cutting back…I thought I told you not to come after me, no matter what. I’m just one man, no better or worst, protect the group first. Right?” Phillip slides a stranger’s folded shirt behind David’s neck.

  David says. “I don’t love you, but I like a lot about you…no one can take that away from me. Gripe me out some more, it’s good for the soul.”

  Phillip turns to shout. “Ava over here.” She’s still lingering by the Indians with her attention wondering. “Meet me halfway, buddy.”

  David curls his lip in judgment. “I should’ve of killed Paul and Jude, the first moment I didn’t trust them…I’m sorry about Maria…I’ve killed a lot of people for that mistake, I deserve this end and worst.”

  Phillip points at the bunker. “Stop talking like that. Abigail is here.”

  David tightly presses his lips together and looks as far as he can, but only sees black. “Don’t let her see me like this or what I did. The stuff nightmares are made of.”

  Ava comes running up. “David.”

  David squeezes Ava’s hand. “I can’t believe we did it…you did it, I merely tagged along…at least Abigail has a chance to be happy now.”

  Ava says. “Get up and go tell her.” Phillip stands back watching the bunker door.

  David says. “Ava, only your tears can save me or a magical kiss.”

  She says. “Then you’re shit out of luck.”

  David says. “Remember the person I was when you met me, not this one.” He touches the bloody lines on her face.

  David closes his eyes, a migraine headache is peeping around the corner. Ava smacks David’s cheek. “People still need your help. I need your help.” Phillip wraps his hands under David’s underarms. “I’m taking you to see Abigail, so you can stop feeling so sorry for yourself.”

  David rapidly opens his eyes and grabs Phillip’s wrist, startled like a person catching themselves before they roll off the bed asleep. “Don’t. I’ve been hit by something. It feels like a thousand hairline fract
ures.”

  Phillip says. “Talk me through it before you pass out.”

  David pauses, then says. “I-I don’t want to die…” His eyes light up. “MY BIKE has a bag with medical supplies I got for…”

  Phillip pushes Ava away. “Get the bag.”

  David says to Phillip. “First, let no person leave or give them a weapon.”

  Phillip says. “I’m well ahead of you, buddy.”

  David says. “Well, I am dying.”

  Phillip rips David’s shirt in half. “From what I can tell you were hit twice. One bullet went straight through the vest and flesh and the other…” David screams and kicks Phillip off.

  Phillip says. “The other is still lodged in.” David’s skin looks like a zombie chew toy.

  David cries in pain. “My knife.”

  Phillip takes it and cuts David’s vest. David’s chest is black and blue, one side of his ribs are warped. Phillip looks away so David doesn’t see his anxiety. One of the bullets speared David between the ribs and it’s cutting into him, pooling blood beneath his scarred flesh.

  David says. “Use my belt to compress my broken ribs. Find styptics to stop the bleeding.”

  Ava rummages through the satchel, then hands it over to Phillip so she can use the bottom of her shirt to clean her ashen face.

  Phillip demands by pulling her down. “Help me.”

  She holds David up while Phillip takes off David’s vest. David says to her as they hug. “I’m mad at you…”

  Ava says. “I had to come tonight without you.”

  He says. “I love you too.”

  David opens his mouth in agony as he’s gently lowered down, his teeth are stained red, hands blacken, and lower back bite is purple. Phillip has a flashlight in his mouth as he cleans the wounds with rubbing alcohol. David keeps his head stiff looking as far down as he can, he takes in deep breaths each one harder than the last. Phillip tightens the belt around David’s torso it hurts like a noose around his neck, choking him with each breath.

  David says to everyone. “If the bleeding leaks into my chest wall or if my ribs punctured my lung I will get pneumonia.”

  Lou walks up. “What can I do?” Youngblood doesn’t even look at them, but continues towards the bunker.

  Phillip says to David. “We will cross that bridge if that happens.”

  “Don’t.” David tries to grab Phillip’s hand, but manages only to lift his arm halfway up.

  Phillip has a sterilized knife over David’s stomach.

  David says. “Leave the bullet in, it’s sterile because of the heat...You might severe a blood vessel.”

  Phillip says. “I’ll be damned, clever even now…I have to try, David.”

  David says. “Just don’t…” He tries to grin for old times’ sake to relieve the uncomfortable tension. “I could easily remove the bullet, fate is a bitch, but I can’t ask you to do it. And kill me quicker. Let’s just talk a little longer…” This will be the third surgery on this trip. Is this the third strike or third times the charm? Do I deserve to be as lucky as Delilah and the Queen’s doctor?

  Ava looks at Phillip with her mouth open; gaunt eyes widen, shakes her head. Then looks towards David. “Think happy thoughts.”

  David says, “fuck you,” knowing her plan by her eyes.

  She says. “I love you too.”

  She sticks her long skinny finger into David’s wound, the hole is big enough. He arches his back; the leather belt tightens around his protruding ribs. Phillip holds his shoulders with the flashlight back in his mouth and thinks. Pain is felt more, closer to the skin because of the nerves. This is just a metal splinter, he’ll pull through. Lou pins David’s pistoning legs to the ground. David’s screams and squeals echo off the mountain in an operatic fashion.

  Ava scratches the bullet with her nail. “It’s not deep, barely under the skin I can feel it.” David bites on the handle of her knife. Phillip and Lou look at each other afraid to look down.

  A minute passes by and David passes out.

  She takes out the bullet with a red fist. No one says anything for a while. Ava feels for a pulse, Lou holds the bullet and Phillip watches David’s chest rise and fall. The bunker door yawns open to ghostly wisps of dying fires.

  Voices crackle in his ears. David says in a hoarse voice and eyes closed. “I need painkillers and antibiotics before I go into septic shock…Now it’s up to the Gods of Chance.”

  Ava says. “You stubborn son-of-a-bitch, haven’t passed out yet.”

  Lou says. “His desire to be right outshines his pain.”

  David opens his eyes to Lou. “How’s the Chief?”

  Lou eyes grow distant. “Banged up, but he’ll make it.”

  Phillip kneels down by David’s head and cleans his chest with the alcohol again.

  Ava cleans off the bullet. “David I’m going to make you necklace, so you can remember you owe me one.”

  Phillip stares up at Youngblood and a crying Sora by the ajar bunker door. He says to David. “The leader of this place, the Boss, is the father of the young kid you killed in the forest with those Jumper monsters. Back when.”

  David bounces his head back. “Who cares?”

  Phillip says. “Well how do I put this...I think he’s your uncle because he claimed to be and constantly talked about your mother Diana and knew so much about you.”

  David says with the rest of his strength. “Where is he?”

  Phillip stares into the grey haze of night. “Running for his life I imagine…I couldn’t find his body or Thaddeus’s.”

  Youngblood’s talking to Sora and Coop’s wife by the growing crowd near the bunker door. David can see the group of crying women. He lies back down, closes his eyes. “I don’t have an uncle, he has my mother.”

  Phillip bolts up in anger and walks away; looking in every direction as if trying to pinpoint the sunrise to help him out. He strikes his thigh with a balled fist. “Damn it.” David touches Phillip’s ankle when he circles back. The Boss being David’s uncle was part of the reason I didn’t kill him on sight.

  Ava says to David. “Stop moving.” She’s suturing the two holes in his stomach. Lou’s walking David’s bike towards the group of three.

  Phillip says. “He has more camps and I know someone who knows where.”

  David looks up, fire in his eyes. “Will you help me?”