The Vermilion Strain : Post-Apocalyptic Extinction

by S A Ison

  “I think we’re all blessed to have found each other here, BJ.” Brian said, his voice thick with emotion. He ran a dark hand through the pale blond hair. He bent down and kissed the crown of the golden head. All three began to shovel, Cooper mostly moving the dirt around. As the sun rose higher, the progress was rapid.

  Ӝ

  Flynn stepped on the accelerator and his eyes kept going to the rearview mirror. His heart was racing and his mouth was dry. He could feel tears of joy, fear and triumph, sliding down his face. He’d need to get off the main roads and find his way on secondary roads. He was pretty sure that his friend, Cramer, would be sad and disappointed at his departure, but he was certain, that Casper would be enraged. He didn’t know what that madman would do and he sure as hell didn’t want to find out.

  After twenty minutes of going nearly eighty, he saw a billboard ahead. T.H. Smithwell’s Gun Shop and Gun Club. Slowing, Flynn took the exit. That was his first priority, getting weapons and killing anyone who got in his way. For too long, he’d been a coward and too passive. He’d hidden in his apartment in terror, while the world around him burned. Xandra had paid for his cowardice and nearly with her life. He was better than that, he knew, or hoped.

  It took a bit of going up and down streets, but he finally found the gun shop. He looked around cautiously, not seeing anyone. There were no vehicles parked at the shop. Nor along the small shops that lined the street. There were a few stores, it was kind of like a strip mall. There was a Payless Shoes, Hobby Lobby, CVS, QuickClips, Clothes for Less and a small food court. He’d hit up the shoes, clothes and CVS. He was sure he would find what he needed in those stores.

  He got out and looked in the backseat. Xandra was sound asleep, soft snores emitting from her slackened mouth. He looked around once more and then ran up to the gun shop. The door was locked. Looking around, he went back to the car. In the trunk, he found the jack and tire iron. He went back and broke the glass door of the gun shop. Going in, he grinned. Guns and weapons of all kinds. Running up to the case, he found an AR15. He and Roger had watched videos on how to operate the gun. Roger had threatened to get one but he’d never done it. He picked up the weapon and then ejected the magazine. He found shells and began to quickly load the mag. He found more mags and ran back out to the car.

  Xandra was still asleep and he reached in and got his backpack. Running back in, he filled it with mags and boxes of ammo. He then chose a Ruger LC9S and several boxes of shells for it as well. He found a shoulder holster for the small gun. He loaded it and then secured it away. Last, he chose a Ruger mini-14 Ranch. He picked up a couple of gun cleaning kits and several knives. His heart was racing. He didn’t want anyone to stop him. He knew he needed to be armed but he didn’t want to kill anyone. Not if he didn’t have to.

  Leaving the store, he put the weapons, except for the hand gun, into the trunk. He walked over to Payless. That door was unlocked and he opened it. He immediately smelled decay. He’d not be detoured. He got a bag and kept his eyes solely on the shoes. He picked out heavy wool socks and white athletic socks. He then went to his size section and grabbed a pair of boots, running shoes and leather sandals. For now, those would have to suffice. He didn’t want to stay long and ran out of the store.

  He checked once more on Xandra. Getting into the car, he drove it down to the next store. At the entrance, he grabbed several bags. He was sure they didn’t have winter gear out, but he’d settle for a few pairs of jeans and some shirts. Making his way through the store, he found the men’s department. He quickly grabbed five pairs of denim jeans, a few packs of underwear, more socks, T-shirts and six button-down shirts. The clothing wasn’t high quality, but right now, he couldn’t be choosy. His clothing was back in the heart of Philadelphia, with Casper.

  When he got back to the car, Xandra was sitting up, looking confused.

  “Hey, how do you feel?” He asked her, looking in.

  “Hungry and thirsty.” She croaked, rubbing her eyes with grimy hands.

  “Let’s go to CVS and I’m sure we can find plenty of water and some food there. Also, we can pick up soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes and shampoo. Maybe some TP as well. Are you up to it?” He asked and at her nod, he got back into the car and drove over to the CVS. He helped her out of the car and they walked to the store. It was locked.

  “Hold on, let me get my tire iron.” He said and went back to the car.

  “We won’t get in trouble? I don’t want to go to jail.” She said, her brow knotted in worry.

  “There’s no one around. No more police. No more anyone. We’ll be okay and we can load up on supplies. I want to find us a place to lay low for a day or two, so you can get your strength up. If I can find a place with a pool, maybe you and me can get cleaned up. I’ve not taken a bath in weeks.”

  Flynn tapped the glass and it shattered. He carefully guided Xandra into the store. It was dark inside and he took his flashlight from his back pocket. Waving it around, he saw some small LED flashlights at the register. He picked one up and clicked it on. It was bright. He grabbed a bag and threw a handful of flashlights into the bag. They’d be useful. He figured he’d also pick up batteries. He found bottled water and took his knife out and cut the plastic. He handed her a bottle and took one for himself. Both stood quietly, drinking the water down. She grabbed another and began drinking.

  “I want to apologize again, for not coming sooner. I’m really sorry Xandra. I was so afraid, and I was such a coward.” He said, shamed face.

  “Flynn, we’d just started dating. We didn’t and don’t know each other that well. I never expected it. I did expect the National Guard or the police to help.” She said softly, sounding coherent for the first time.

  “They aren’t around. I think the Vermilion Strain got everyone. I think it was worse than anyone thought. Here, eat some of this dark chocolate. That might also help. There is some canned fruit over there. We can load up on crackers and canned meats. I’ll get a couple of can openers. Oh, and there are some soups. If we can find a good place to hold up, I can make a fire and we can heat some of this stuff up.” He grinned, happy for what seemed like limitless food.

  He watched as Xandra tore at the candy and took a bite. Her gray eyes closed in bliss. Flynn found some cloth shopping bags and began to fill them. He went in and out of the store, shoving as much as he could into the trunk and then the back seat. He carried several bags out to the car. He might have to find a truck, something bigger to haul the supplies. The small car was getting full. He hated to leave without taking everything, but he’d just have to find another store, with a bigger vehicle. Hopefully one full of gas.

  He walked over to the drug and medical aisle. He filled a cloth bag with bandages, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, aspirin, triple antibiotic ointments and he picked up a couple bottles of Pedialyte, he thought that Xandra might want to drink that, since she lost so much fluids. He also picked up vitamins, and supplements for them both. Stopping by the refrigerated section, he pulled out juices and soft drinks. His hand hovered over the beer, but he stopped himself. He needed to be clear headed, especially if Casper followed after him. No, he needed to be clear headed for Xandra. To keep her safe.

  He found her and handed her one of the Pedialyte.

  “Drink this, it should help. I picked up some supplements to help you as well. Let’s get out of here, I don’t want to be out in the open.” He said nervously.

  “Why, what’s the matter? I thought you said no one is around.” Fear now clouding her face.

  “Remember, I said we were getting out of Philly? Well, there might be a few people that might not like it. That was why I was leaving. We should be safe; I’m going to take the back roads to Amish country.” He said, helping her into the front passenger seat.

  “We’re going to Amish country? Why?” She looked at him confused.

  “Look, there isn’t any more food coming our way. No more deliveries. Whatever supplies we gather will eventually run out. I don’t know how to
farm, do you?”

  “No, I’ve no clue.” She admitted.

  “So, I’m hoping that if we go to the Amish, I’m hoping they will maybe take us in. If they do, we can learn how to farm, grow things. We can survive. They’ve been living like that for a few hundred years. Other than the virus killing everyone, they probably won’t notice the lack of people and electricity. I think our best bet is the Amish. Unless you know of a place to go?” Flynn looked at her hopefully.

  Shaking her head, Xandra looked around her.

  “No, and you’re right. We need to find a place that can help us survive. I never even thought of that. I guess I was so afraid to leave my apartment, I didn’t think about the aftermath. Do you think the Amish will take us in? They are a closed society.”

  “I honestly don’t know, but I have to try. I don’t know how to hunt or fish or farm. I feel useless.” Flynn said despondently. He felt her hand on top of his.

  “You came and you saved me. You’re not useless. We’ll figure this out together. Let’s find a place, like you said, to lay low. Let me regain some of my strength and maybe together, we can figure this out.” She smiled at him.

  Nodding, unable to speak, he turned the car on and pulled out of the strip mall. He handed her a map and let her navigate.

  “Just keep us off the highway. Secondary roads will do us good. Keep an eye out for a house with a truck. I’d like to trade up. Something with a crew cab. We can pile a lot of supplies into it.” He said, watching houses as they passed. There was no activity. No movement. It was just after one, and his stomach growled.

  “Look, there’s a couple of trucks in that drive way. Should we see if anyone is home?” Xandra said, pointing off to the left.

  “Yeah, but you stay in the car. I don’t know if it’s safe or not.” Flynn said, looking into the windows. He saw no movement. He parked his car on the street. It was a residential area. The lots were large, nearly an acre or better. There were lots of trees, a nice family kind of place. He saw a bike laying in the overgrown grass. It saddened him; he was sure that the kid was more than likely dead.

  He walked up the sidewalk that led to the front door. He knocked loudly. He was trembling. It was scary, not knowing if someone were behind the door with a shotgun, ready to blow his head off. He wiped his damp hands on his pants and knocked again.

  “Hello? Anyone home? Look, we want to maybe stay here, for a day. If someone is alive inside, let me know. I don’t want to intrude on you. I don’t want to disturb you. I’m going to open the door. Please don’t shoot me. I don’t want to rob you or anything.” He yelled. He looked back over his shoulder at Xandra and she shrugged. He then gripped the doorknob and twisted. It was unlocked. The scent of decay was prevalent, but it was old.

  “Hello?” he called, his eyes scanning the dim interior. He saw the kitchen, and it had large sliding glass doors that led out to the back yard.

  “Hello? Anyone here? I’m not going to hurt you. I’ll go away if you tell me to.” He called once more. He walked farther into the house. He went in and looked into one of the bedrooms. There was a lump in a small twin bed and he leaned in and closed the door quietly. It must be the child, the one who’d left the bike in the yard. He went to what he thought was the master suite and looked in. Two lumps covered and he shut that door as well. He then went around the house and opened the windows. Letting in fresh air. The house was hot.

  Walking back out to the car, he smiled sadly.

  “They’re dead, but the house doesn’t smell too bad. I opened the windows. Let’s take some food and stuff into the house. They have a back yard too. I’ll check both of the trucks and see how much gas they have. We can transfer the supplies to them if they have plenty of gas.”

  “Okay. I’m tired, maybe after we eat, I might bathe and then take a nap. Sorry I’m such a wimp.” She smiled.

  “Hey, you’re a champ in my book. Christ. I’ll get your suitcase, so you can have some fresh clothes.” Flynn said, walking around to the back of the car. He pulled her suitcase out and also got one of the bags of new clothing for himself. A bath sounded good. Hopefully the house had some bottled water, so they wouldn’t have to use their supply. Both walked back into the house and went to the kitchen.

  “Look, they have a pool out back.” Xandra said. Flynn came up behind her and looked. It still looked pretty good; it was just starting to get a bit of algae around the edges of the pool.

  “Hey, why don’t we use the pool as a bath. You can go first and I’ll see what I can fix for us. They have a gas stove, so I can at least heat us up some soup or something.” Flynn suggested.

  “Oh, that sounds like heaven. I’m going to their bathroom, see if they have towels. Thanks again Flynn, I mean that.” She smiled and then disappeared into the back of the house.

  Ӝ

  Xandra was trembling as she walked toward the bathroom. She was so weak, but pushed passed it. She felt slightly nauseated from the chocolate. When she got to the bathroom, she vomited. She sipped from her Pedialyte bottle and it cooled the burning from her throat. She it helped ease the nausea. She’d have to take it easy with food for a while, until her system got back to normal.

  It had all happened so fast, Flynn showing up and then gone and out of the city and away from her home. She thought she was hallucinating when he’d knocked. Then, he was there. She couldn’t believe it, but she was profoundly grateful he’d come to get her. She’d been so very terrified. Now, the world looked so different, so empty and quiet. She grabbed a couple towels and went back to the kitchen. She smiled at Flynn who was taking out pots and bowel. She went to a cupboard and got a plastic cup. She went out to the pool.

  Stripping down she went to the shallow end of the pool. The water was cool, but not cold. She smiled. Flynn had set out bottles of shampoo, conditioner and a bar of soap. She submerged herself and let the water support her body. She was thin, too thin and she could see her ribs and hip bones. It was frightening to see herself like this, so god awfully thin. The cloud was that fogged her brain was beginning to clear. She now realized that she’d been close to death, had Flynn not come, she knew she’d have died.

  She felt the warmth of tears sliding down her face. She’d been so close to death. She cleared her throat. Her fear had damned near killed her. She’d been a fool; she should have left her apartment. There was no help for it, but she’d never be that foolish again. Flynn had given her a second chance at life. She was going to live it and survive it. She promised herself, she’d not be that weak woman that Flynn had found. She’d step out and beyond herself. She’d fight for every day. She’d live with purpose every day.

  EIGHT

  Brian and BJ sat at the firepit. They were eating Ramen soup. Brian had fixed a large pot of it, he’d cracked a couple of eggs into it, cooking the eggs into the noodles. The chickens were turning out to be one hell of an asset. They were now in surplus of eggs. He’d started dating and coating the eggs in a light film of mineral oil. They’d turned one of the back offices into a large pantry, storing their food stuffs there. The rest of the food was stacked around the building. He really did need to get that storage shed build. The racks he’d picked up at the hardware store helped a great deal to keep their supplies sorted and neat, at least to some extent.

  He and BJ were also drinking soft drinks that had been cooling in the pillow case, at the water’s edge. Cooper had eaten earlier and was now taking a nap, though he’d not been happy about it. The trench had been dug and Brian and BJ had connected thirty feet of PVC pipe, set at a downward slope, away from the RV. Later, they would get gravel and pea gravel, along with the bathtub and insulation.

  “I think if we get some rigid insulation to place over the pipe, it should keep the pipe from freezing.” Brian speculated. The trench was a little over three feet deep and would be below the frost line. The rigid insulation would also aid in keeping the sewage pipe from freezing. Brian turned, when he heard a truck coming. He figured Emma and Paadi were com
ing back with a load, since the truck was traveling slow. He got up and walked toward the truck coming toward him and he quickened his pace when he saw Emma’s face and then Paadi’s face. Both women were pale, and their faces grim.

  “BJ, get over here. Something’s happened.” Brian called over his shoulder.

  Walking over to the truck, Emma and Paadi jumped out and went to the back-passenger doors and opened them. Paadi reached in and brought a little girl out, the child clinging to Paadi like a small monkey. Emma held the hand of an older child, who looked thin and frightened. He smiled kindly at the children.

  “I see our family has increased. Where did you find these girls?” Brian said mildly, keeping his tone even.

  “Over at the Walmart. I’ll tell you about it later. We want to get these girls cleaned up and I want to check them out, medically.” Emma said, her eyes, going over to the little girl Paadi was holding. A chill ran through Brian and his heart shattered for the little girl. Christ, what had this horrible world come to? Evil men abound.

  “Okay, I have some noodle soup, would you like to have them eat, after you clean them up? There are plenty of new clothing of different sizes, Cooper’s clothes, but I think that you can find something for the girls.” Brian offered.

  “Thanks Brian. This is Amanda, and that is Hailey. Girls, this is Brian, and that is BJ. Cooper, he’s asleep, I’m guessing? Nap time.” Emma smiled softly.

  “Hi girls, welcome to our home. You’ll be safe here. Coop is asleep, but I’m sure he’ll be excited to meet our two new friends.” Brian said kindly. Amanda lifted her hand and waved a little, shy and a little frightened. Brian knew it would take time for them to get used to all the new people.

  “While you two do that, we’ll unload the trailer and truck. Then BJ and I are going to head out and pick up more things at Lowes. How is the gas?” Brian asked.