“Well, from what we could determine, we were able to stop the spread of the infection before it could move out beyond Route 95,” Lewis replied. “We have covered every inch of ground between the base and Route 95. This morning we went out and eliminated all the infected. We spent the rest of the day burning the bodies and anything that we felt contained any blood or bits of infected flesh that could still play a role in the spread of the infection. If we found evidence that any of the infected had been in a building, we felt it necessary to burn the building to be sure we had eliminated any chance of infection. If you lived in Kingsland, I’m afraid your home might have been destroyed.”
“Bill and I live on the other side of Route 95,” Dave said then looked at Michelle.
“I live about a mile past the Springfield Inn on the other side of Route 95,” Michelle added. “That means my house will be OK?”
“You should be fine,” Lewis said.
“Do the people outside of Kingsland know what happened?” Dave asked.
“As of this morning no one knew anything about what happened here last night,” Lewis replied. “I’ve been too busy to know if anything has been reported on the news today, however I do know that the President is going to make an announcement over all the major networks tonight around 1900 hours.”
“What is he going to say?” Bill asked.
“Are we going to war?” Michelle asked.
“I have not been informed as to what he is going to say,” Commander Lewis replied.
“If anyone asks us about what we know,” Dave asked. “What should we say?”
“Tell them what you saw,” Lewis replied. “Why would you tell them anything else?”
“I just thought this operation was some kind of secret,” Dave said. “I thought maybe you wouldn’t want us to say anything for fear it would spook the public.”
“Something this big would be impossible to keep secret,” Lewis replied. “Why in the world anyone would even want to try to keep this a secret is beyond me. The best thing for the public is for them to know what happened, no matter how horrible, and to know that we have dealt with the situation. Besides, I’m sure the President will fill the public in on everything later tonight anyhow.”
“So there aren’t any restrictions on us?” Dave asked.
“Why would there be any restrictions?” Lewis asked.
“I just wanted to be sure,” Dave smiled. “I wouldn’t want to step on anyone’s toes.”
“Just be happy that you are still alive,” Lewis grinned, “and go home before I change my mind.”
“Yes Sir,” Dave replied.
“Ensign, can you arrange a ride for our civilian friends and get them out of my hair.” Lewis said. “We have enough to deal with without adding to our responsibilities.”
“Yes Sir,” Adams replied.
Lewis looked at Dave, “Good Luck, I hope you find everything and everyone safe and sound.”
“We left my car outside the first gate,” Michelle said.
“If you could just give us a ride to Michelle’s car, we can take it from there,” Dave added.
“Feel free to come back to the base if things out there aren’t what you hoped to find,” Adams said. “Just don’t cut any more holes in our fence. Barbus, get a Humvee and give our friends a lift to their car.”
Barbus turned and ran off to find a vehicle.
It was 5:30 PM when Barbus dropped them off at the front gate, wished them luck then turned around and headed back to the base.
Dave, Michelle and Bill tossed their masks and tanks in the back of the Humvee before Barbus left.
The air was still smoky but seemed to be clearing and Dave decided the tanks and Masks were becoming too much trouble.
When Barbus was out of sight, Bill turned and looked at Michelle.
“I probably should have asked you earlier, but I don’t suppose you still have the key to the car?” Bill asked.
“No, it’s in my clothes back at the base,” Michelle replied seemingly unconcerned.
“Well how are we going to get the car started?” Bill asked. “Can you hot wire a car, I can’t.”
“We can use these,” Dave said as he pulled his hand out from underneath the back fender of the old Toyota, holding a mud covered small box in his hand. “Michelle is always losing her keys so she has a few spare sets.”
“How long did you say the two of you were trapped inside the Public Safety Building together?” Bill asked. “You two are like an old married couple, you know each other’s thoughts and the next thing I know you will be finishing each other’s sentences. How did you know she didn’t have the keys to the car and how did you know where the spare set was?”
“We’ve talked,” Dave replied. “What do you say we go home?”
“Go Home,” Michelle repeated. “I never thought I would be happy to be able to go home. As long as I can remember I’ve been waiting for my chance to leave home, now all I want to do is go home and sleep in my bed.”
“You heard what the Commander was telling us,” Bill said. “Don’t get your hopes up just yet.”
“I know,” Michelle sighed.
“Do you want to drive this time?” Dave asked.
“No, you drive,” Michelle laughed. “I’m too excited to drive right now. Besides, with the zombies eliminated, I don’t have to worry about you wrecking my car any more than what it is.”
“No one wondering if I would want to drive?” Bill asked.
“Nope, it never crossed my mind,” Dave replied. “Get in the back seat.”
“Did Dave tell you that I’m a bad driver or something?” Bill asked Michelle.
“Of course not,” Michelle replied.
“I didn’t have to,” Dave grinned. “She figured that out all by herself.”
“You two are a barrel of laughs,” Bill complained then laughed.
“Sorry Bill,” Michelle smiled, “but I just feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off my back. I am so happy to know that this nightmare is finally over, that and with the lack of sleep, I guess I’m feeling a little giddy. I almost feel like I want to scream ‘Thank God it’s over’.”
“If you decide to scream, give me enough warning to wind down all the windows so I don’t go deaf,” Dave grinned.
The light mood continued as Dave turned left on Route 40 and headed towards Kingsland.
A minute later he turned right on to Kings Bay Road that would take them through the center of Kingsland.
As they began to approach the first buildings in Kingsland, their jovial mood turned serious.
The small but bright town took on the surreal appearance of a dingy black and white photo of Hiroshima after the atomic bomb was dropped on it during World War Two.
The buildings and landscape were black from either being burnt down or from being covered in a deep layer of black ash.
The conversation stopped as the three of them just stared out through the windows as Dave slowly drove into Kingsland.
“My God look what they did to Kingsland,” Michelle gasp.
“Everything has been destroyed, burned to the ground.”
“They had to be sure that they destroyed every trace of the infection,” Bill replied. “They had to make sure that there wasn’t any possibility that any thing infected could still be lying around.”
“Well if that was their goal, I think they succeeded,” Dave said.
They slowly drove into town, both sides of the road were lined with smoldering buildings and small piles of smoldering debris that Bill was sure had been where they had piled up and burned the zombie’s bodies.
“I guess I’m now unemployed,” Michelle said as she pointed to the burned out shell of what had been the Kingsland Public Safety Building.
“Bill and I will be in the unemployment line with you,” Dave said as he stopped the car. What was left of the police station and Medic One Ambulance Service sat across the road on his left.
“I guess we need
to look on the bright side,” Michelle said. “We could be in one of these smoldering piles of bodies.”
“I wonder if we will get paid tomorrow?” Bill asked then said. “I think I’m going to need the money to look for another car. I just spotted what is left of my car next to Medic One.”
“Speaking of cars,” Dave replied then asked, “Any objections if I drive around behind the Public Safety Building, I want to see if I can get my patrol car.”
Dave turned by the remains of the building and drove down the ash covered alleyway.
The car left a trail in the ash marking their trail like a sled going through a field of freshly fallen snow.
Dave stopped the car at the entrance of the parking lot.
“Ah shit,” Dave said as he looked at the parking lot where the half dozen cars in the parking lot were now nothing more than burnt black, windowless shells.
It looked like what he assumed Hell for automobiles would look like.
“You can use my car for a few days,” Michelle said, “until you get another car.”
“I can’t do that,” Dave replied.
“I won’t be needing it for a couple of days,” Michelle said, “and it’s not like you can hurt it any.”
“Thanks,” Dave replied. “I might have to take you up on your offer, but let’s get you home first, then I’ll see.”
“OK,” Michelle said. “I’m ready to get out of here. I feel like a bunch of zombies are going to come crawling out of those piles of ashes and start chasing us any minute now.”
“It sends chills down my spine too,” Dave said as he backed up the car, turned and drove back down the alley to the main street.
Dave turned right and began to drive through the final section of Kingsland on their way to Route 95.
“All of this is scaring me,” Michelle said as she looked out the windows and clutched the arm rest tightly. “Do you really think the Navy was able to eliminate all the zombies?”
“The Commander said they did,” Dave replied. “It doesn’t look like they missed much. They’ve destroyed just about everything in town. What do you think Bill?”
“I think I’ll just be quiet so I don’t jinx us,” Bill said quietly. “Besides, I’m sure you already know what I’m thinking.”
As they drove closer to the interstate, fewer of the buildings had been burned down.
In a way, things here almost looked like an average day in Kingsland, except it was quiet and there were no people moving around.
“I’m going to drive up on Route 95 to see what it is like up on the interstate,” Dave said. “I’m curious to see what it looks like.”
“It’s OK with me,” Michelle said. “Maybe we’ll see some real people driving around like they usually do again, that would make me feel a lot better.”
“Me too,” Dave said as he started to drive up the entrance ramp. “I’ll only be a minute, I’ll get you home right after a short detour.”
All three of them looked curiously as they drove up onto the interstate.
Route 95 was covered with abandoned cars for as far as they could see, nothing was moving.
“Maybe they have this section of the interstate closed,” Dave said.
“But why?” Bill asked. “If they have eliminated all the zombies, why would Route 95 still be closed?”
“Maybe they have to get all these cars off the interstate before they can reopen it?”
“But look at these cars,” Bill said. “Half of them have their windows smashed out and they are all smeared with blood. It looks like the zombies were just here.”
“Your point?” Dave asked.
“The Navy burned everything else that had any signs that zombies had been there, why didn’t they burn these cars too?”
“Hopefully they had a good reason,” Michelle said.
“Maybe they will burn them before the interstate is reopened,” Dave replied. “They’re still working at cleaning things up, maybe they’re not done here yet.”
“I don’t know, Dave,” Bill said. “If you ask me, this doesn’t feel right.”
“Can we go home now?” Michelle asked. “You guys are making me worry.”
“Sure,” Dave said and turned the car around and started back down the entrance ramp.
Dave turned right and drove under Route 95 on Kings Avenue and soon passed the Springfield Inn.
“Turn right up here on Grove Boulevard,” Michelle said. “I live up that way a few blocks.”
Dave watched the street signs until he spotted Michelle’s street then put on his turn signals.
Bill laughed, “Do you want to make sure we aren’t rear ended? I don’t think you have to worry about that today.”
“Hey, I’m a police officer, I obey the law,” Dave grinned. “Besides, I do it without thinking.”
Michelle was nervously looking up the street and didn’t hear Dave and Bill’s exchange.
Perspiration was beginning to run down her forehead and down over her face.
“It’s that blue house,” Michelle said. “We live in the upstairs apartment.”
Dave pulled the car off to the side of the road in front of the house.
“I’ll walk you to the door,” Dave said.
“Thanks,” Michelle replied nervously. “I hope everyone is OK.”
“Me too,” Dave replied as he got out of the car and met Michelle in front of the car.
“Have you and your family lived here long?” Dave asked to distract Michelle’s worried thoughts.
He could see her body trembling as they slowly walked up to the front door.
“All my life,” Michelle replied. “it’s not very big, but it was all my parents could afford, my parents never had a very good job. I was hoping when I got the job at the dispatch center that I would be able to get my own place, but I guess I can forget about that now.”
“For now,” Dave said. “Hopefully this is over or will soon be over. It shouldn’t take a smart girl like you long to find another job. Kingsland should start rebuilding soon and they will need a dispatch operator, you might be back to work sooner than you think.”
“That would be nice,” Michelle replied.
“I will also need a new dispatch person at the police station,” Dave said. “If you aren’t back to work by the time I have to fill that position, it’s all yours if you want it.”
“Honest?” Michelle asked.
“Of course, I like you Michelle, you’re OK,” Dave said and smiled. “You can work for me anytime.”
“Thank you for everything,” Michelle said as they stood in front of the door. “If it weren’t for you I would probably be dead.”
“We survived because we were a team, we helped save each other,” Dave replied. “Go check on your parents. I’ll bring your car back tomorrow after I check out a few things and see what the town is going to do next.”
“No hurry,” Michelle said. “I think I am going to sleep for the next week.”
“Make sure your parents are home before I go,” Dave suggested. “I don’t want to go and leave you stranded.”
“OK,” Michelle said and turned and opened the door.
Michelle had barely begun to pull the door open when the door exploded outward.
The door slammed into Michelle and Dave, knocking them backwards. They lost their balance and fell down the steps.
Dave and Michelle stunned by the fall, slowly rolled over on their backs and tried to shake off the confusion they felt after the fall.
They barely had time to realize what had happened when three grisly bodies came tumbling down the steps, falling in their direction with their arms outstretched and their teeth snapping.
Michelle let out a shriek and rolled out of the way as the first body landed where she had been.
Dave didn’t have time to roll out of the way but managed to raise his feet and deflect the falling zombie away from him at the last second.
Dave scrambled to his feet and ran towards Michelle wh
o was still trying to get to her feet.
Dave put his foot on the back of the zombie that was crawling towards Michelle and drove it back to the ground.
Dave instinctively reached for his club but quickly remembered that he was no longer wearing his uniform, so instead he reached down and pulled Michelle to her feet.
“Are you OK?” he asked as he eyed the three zombies trying to get back up and continue their pursuit.
“I think so,” Michelle replied nervously.
“Do you recognize them?” Dave asked.
“Yes,” Michelle sobbed as she looked at the pathetic figures and managed to choke out an answer. “They’re my parents and one of our neighbors.”
“Turn away,” Dave said as he turned and ripped off the top board on the hand rail.
Michelle turned her head as Dave used the board to put down the three creatures.
Michelle let out a loud sob with each loud thud she heard.
She jumped when Dave put his arm around her shoulders to comfort her after he was done.
“Sorry I had to do that in front of you,” Dave said.
“I understand,” Michelle replied as she wrapped her arms around Dave and buried her face in his chest and began to sob.
“That was close,” Bill yelled as he came running up to them. “I tried to get out here as fast as I could when I saw what was happening. Do you know you can’t open the right back door from inside the car?”
“Be quiet for a minute,” Dave said as Michelle continued to sob.
Bill got quiet until Michelle stopped sobbing and stepped back from Dave.
“I think I’m OK now,” she whispered.
“I don’t think so,” Dave added, “none of us would be after something like this.”
“Thanks for saving me again,” Michelle said softly.
“It looks like us going home isn’t turning out like we had hoped,” Dave said.
Apocalypse- the Plan Page 53
