Class of 1989: A Post Viral Apocalyptic Story

by Jack Hunt

  “Who are the ladies?” he asked.

  “Wives of Tom Daniels and Edwin West, you know them?”

  “Vaguely.” Although Gerlach was a small town and most knew each other back in the ’80s, some of the kids came from Empire, south of town, he knew the names but putting a face to them now was a little hard.

  They strolled over to a makeshift bar that amounted to a folding table and several open coolers that were packed with ice and a variety of bottled beverages.

  Behind the table a grizzled man with spectacles beamed.

  “Dave Carrington?”

  “Jonesy. Hey man, good to see you,” he said giving him a firm handshake.

  His eyes bounced to the female — Kaylee, who sidled up beside him, draping a hand over Dave’s shoulder. She was now sporting short spiky pink hair and ink down her arms, certainly unlike her good girl image in high school.

  “You remember Kaylee, right? My better half.”

  “You two… are together? Wow. I thought…”

  The two of them had never spoken to one another in high school because Dave was a stoner, and Kaylee, well she was more of a floater, she never really fit in anywhere.

  “I know. I know,” Dave said. “So you back in town for a while?”

  “Just for a while.”

  “Ah, taking in the Burn?”

  “Yeah. My wife’s idea. Oh,” he said pointing to her. “Jenna. Dave. Kaylee.”

  They gave a nod at one another.

  “So what can we get you?” Dave asked.

  “I’ll get a Budweiser, and a vodka and orange juice please.”

  “Coming right up.”

  Miles turned around and scanned faces, trying to remember names. There were a number of round tables and chairs dotted throughout the room. Some in the room picked at finger foods from paper plates while a few ladies busted a move on the dance floor. It still looked as dumb as it did back in the day.

  “Hon, where’s the washroom?” Jenna asked. Miles pointed to a door across the way and she darted off leaving him to collect the drinks. Holding both he strolled over to a large bulletin board that held Polaroids taken from different events, classes and school retreats throughout the ’80s.

  As he glossed over them, someone appeared at his side. A pleasant aroma of perfume wafted his way, the light smell of strawberries, with a tinge of peach.

  “Damn, we have aged,” a female remarked.

  He turned while replying. “I know, we…” He paused and a smile formed. “Molly?”

  Molly Banks still looked as attractive as ever with a form-fitting black dress, jacket and black heels. Her hair was dark with strands of blond highlights and it came down to her jawline in waves.

  “Here in the flesh,” she replied before he opened his arms and gave her a hug. Molly had been an old school hook-up. A crush, you could say. It happened at a party, both of them had drunk too much. At the time she was dating a jock but was going through a rough patch. One thing led to another and they wound up making out in a white Camaro. After that night, her boyfriend had groveled for forgiveness and being the good-natured person she was, she gave him a second chance. He never knew as she didn’t tell him. The following years were spent eyeing each other across classrooms, in hallways and on the track. Flirting was par for the course but there was always something that got in the way. Either she was dating or he was and by the time they were both single and graduation rolled around, life kind of took over and they went their separate ways. He’d always wondered where she went after graduation.

  “Listen, I know everyone will be shitfaced by ten and these events can really suck but were you planning on drinking both of those?” she asked.

  He chuckled. “No, no, this is for my… wife, Jenna.”

  “Oh, wow.”

  “You seem surprised I’d get married.”

  “No, out of all the folks here I knew you would.” She glanced around. “You were one of the good ones.” They stared at each other for a second, he swallowed hard and she turned back to the board. His eyes scanned her briefly before doing the same. She looked good. Really good. He then mentally berated himself for going there.

  “So… have you practiced your…wow I’m surprised face, for when people tell you what they’ve been doing with their lives but you already knew because they’d plastered it all over social media?”

  She looked at him and smiled.

  “No, I spent too long working on my awkward small talk.”

  She laughed as he pulled out a blank card.

  “You are kidding?”

  “What? I get tongue-tied unless it’s to do with work.”

  Then he flipped it over and showed her it was some membership card.

  “Ah, work. Nice segue. Go ahead, ask away,” she said without looking at him. “It seems everyone is asking the same questions. What do you do for a living? As if our lives are measured by what we do. Can you believe it’s been thirty years? Well shit, of course I can, it’s written in the invite.”

  He laughed. Her humor was one of the things he missed the most. She’d always had a mouth on her and was never one to think before opening it. Too many people, especially in his line of work, were too caught up with watching their P’s and Q’s as if some deity was going to strike them down. Maybe that’s one of the reasons they got on so well.

  “It’s really good to see you again, Molly.”

  She gave him a playful jab on the arm. “You too.”

  Miles tapped a photo on the wall. “So…where did this girl go?” He pointed to her in the background of a bunch of party girls. Though she gave the impression she was one of them, she wasn’t. But like many in their teenage years, peer pressure was strong.

  “She grew up and moved to Salt Lake City. Yeah, I work from home as an architect.”

  “Married?”

  “Me? No. Never.”

  “Then who’s the lucky man?”

  “Why do you assume it’s a man?”

  His eyebrows shot up and she nudged him in the ribs. “I’m yanking your chain.” She laughed. “His name was Bryan.”

  “Was?”

  “Passed away, three years ago. Hodgkin’s lymphoma.”

  An awkward beat.

  “Wow, I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. He’s at peace now.” She pulled a face. “We didn’t know until it reached stage four and he had a lung biopsy. After that he went downhill pretty quick.”

  He sighed.

  “I know. It’s a real buzz killer, isn’t it. That’s why I wasn’t going to come.”

  “What changed your mind?”

  “You actually.”

  He took a step back. “Me?”

  “Hal said you were coming. Couldn’t let you endure this alone.”

  “Hey hon,” Jenna said appearing at his side reminding him he wasn’t alone. Molly’s eyes bounced between them.

  Miles was about to introduce her when she beat him to the punch. “You must be Jenna. I’m Molly.” She extended a hand. “An old friend, therapist, you could say to this one, isn’t that right, Miles?” He chuckled. “Miles used to talk my ear off, didn’t you?” she said. “Which reminds me, he has a lot of good things to say about you.”

  Jenna threw him a smile. He stared at Molly; aware he hadn’t even mentioned Jenna other than to say he was married. “Only good things I hope.”

  “Of course,” Molly replied. “Well, I should mingle. Good to meet you, Jenna.” She jabbed a finger at Miles. “Go easy on those drinks.”

  With a grin she sauntered off into the ever increasing crowd.

  At this point there were at least forty in the room, some stood by the bar and food area, others clumped together in groups. It was hard to tell at a glance who the jocks, metal heads, cheerleaders, brains or plastics, as everyone just looked old.

  “High school crush?” Jenna asked.

  “No.”

  She cocked her head. “Miles. I know that look.”

  “We had a fling. One
time. She’s more of a friend.”

  “More?”

  “Jenna.”

  “Don’t worry, I expected you to run into a few tonight.”

  “A few?”

  “Always figured you for a ladies’ man.”

  “Did you?”

  He laughed but it soon faded as the doors opened and in stumbled none other than Wayne Crawford. Now there was a man who had the pick of the crop. A jock in high school, he was an asshole to most, jabbing them in the gut and putting people down any chance he got. He walked in with two drop-dead gorgeous models draped over either arm. They were half his age. Of course if anyone would brag about what they’d achieved in life it would be him. Six foot, athletic, more beard than man, he ambled into the room like he owned it. He was decked out in a white V-neck T-shirt and dark navy pants slightly rolled up to reveal his tan, with white sneakers.

  “Who’s that?” Jenna asked.

  Hal was nearby and quick to respond. “Gerlach’s Golden Boy, Wayne Crawford. When he wasn’t breaking sports records he was breaking someone’s face. Rumor has it he made the bulk of his money before the dot-com crash. His mother’s home is in Gerlach, and on occasion he graces us with his presence. Always driving some sports car. Nowadays he’s traveling around the country playing poker and filling up his Instagram with shots of exotic places, guns and bikini clad women. Why he bothered to come tonight is anyone’s guess.”

  Ten minutes after Crawford’s arrival, Nate burst through a side door, and slammed it shut. There was blood down the front of his shirt, and he was out of breath. “Shut the main doors,” he screamed.

  Five - I Know What I Saw

  He wasn’t making any sense. “Are you high?” Miles asked. He hadn’t been close to Nate in over thirty years but he figured three tours in Iraq would have thickened his skin or at least made him capable of rational thought under duress, but nothing that had come out his mouth was rational. Still, one glance at his face and it was clear he’d seen something or was hallucinating from a bad batch of weed, if that was even possible.

  Pinning him against the wall, they tried to calm him.

  “I’m telling you, I know what I saw. We need to barricade the doors, and call the cops. They’re out there.”

  “Who’s out there, Nate, who? And whose blood is this?” Miles asked, noticing he didn’t have a gash but the shirt was soaked.

  “The cop.”

  “A cop?”

  Hyperventilating, Nate looked toward the side door and jabbed a finger out.

  “Stay away from the door.”

  Wayne, finding the whole thing amusing, had wandered over and was about to exit the building. He stopped and grinned and muttered something to one of his ladies, and they laughed.

  Miles grabbed Nate’s cheeks and squeezed. “Nate. Look at me. Get a grip.” He pulled him farther away with the help of Hal, as Grady and Jenna tried to get everyone else to focus on the reunion. But that was impossible now. Murmurs spread throughout the gymnasium, most were eyeballing them and giving Nate a strange look.

  “Look, just tell me what you saw.”

  “I just told you.”

  Miles looked at Grady and he chimed in. “Yeah, I didn’t get it either.”

  “Again, slower this time,” Miles said.

  Nate took a few deep breaths. “So, uh… I… I went outside and sparked up a joint, right? Then I see a Care Flight coming down just beyond the building, you know over at the high school field. I figured I would wander over and see what was happening.” He was breathing hard and trying to catch his breath. Care Flight was common to Gerlach. As the town was so remote, most residents needed helicopter medevac insurance. It was the fastest way to get anyone alive or dead back to Reno where the nearest hospital was. “Anyway, I get around the corner of the building and I see two cop cars waiting as the helicopter is coming in for landing. A few of the officers were outside of the vehicles. Then all of sudden…” He swallowed hard. He blinked hard. “They just came out of nowhere. Ten, twenty, maybe thirty or more people rushed the field. They swarmed them like prey and began attacking. Like hyper-aggressive. Rounds were fired and one of the cops managed to get in the vehicle and drew them away.” He stared past Miles as if reliving it. “Once they were gone. I… I rushed over to help but it was too late. The cops were dead.” He pointed to his chest and then it began to make sense. He must have leaned over one and tried to perform CPR or check their airway. “There’s more out there. I saw them attacking others.”

  “Who? Who did this?”

  “Burners.”

  Miles took a step back trying to process it. His brow furrowed.

  Laughter erupted from behind them.

  “Well I don’t know what you’re on, but hell, hook me up,” Wayne said before continuing to laugh. He’d been standing a few feet away and listening to the whole damn thing. As Miles took his hands off Nate to tell him to go take a hike, Nate burst forward, fists flying. Had it not been for Hal, there would have been a brawl.

  “Get him out of here,” Miles yelled to a few others in the room.

  “Me? You better keep your dog on a leash.”

  That only got another reaction out of Nate. Wayne walked away but instead of going back to the party he approached the side door. He looked over with a grin.

  “Wayne. No!” Nate yelled.

  “Calm down, you freak. There is nothing out there. You’re stoned.”

  Wayne gave the emergency exit a push and stepped out into the night. Miles followed, more so to make sure that if anything was awry, he could close the door in time, but there was no need. Wayne stood beneath the glow of the exit light with his arms out. “See. I told you. Your boy is loco.” He laughed and brushed past Miles but not before saying, “It’s good to see you freaks haven’t changed.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Miles replied. “Asshole.”

  He stood there in the doorway looking out at the parking lot. It was quiet. There was nothing unusual or out of place, no fire or smoke or anything different to the way it was when they came in. He frowned as he looked back at Hal and shook his head.

  “I’m not lying,” Nate added.

  Miles scanned the lot again before heading in.

  “Jenna. Can you get Nate some water, please?”

  She nodded and headed over to the bar area. While she was getting that, Grady strolled over and joined them.

  “Where do you think all this blood came from? Huh? If I’m hallucinating then so are you. I’m not making this shit up,” Nate insisted. He stumbled back and took a seat.

  “No one said you were.” Miles studied him. “You said the school field, right?”

  Nate met his gaze. “Yeah.”

  “Hal, you want to tag along?”

  He nodded but Nate bounced up, hands out.

  “No. No. Guys. I’m telling you, we need to call the cops.”

  “Nate!” Miles grabbed him by the arm. “Listen, you saw something and you have blood on you but we’re not calling the cops until we go and see for ourselves. Besides, if what you’re saying is accurate the cop that got away will have already radioed in for support by now.” As Miles said it he almost couldn’t believe he was buying into this. As much as he thought Wayne was an asshole, what he’d heard so far seemed too outlandish. Gerlach didn’t suffer from this kind of violence, it was a quiet town barring the nine days when burners showed up, but to be fair, he’d never heard of riots or any form of violence at the event. It kind of went against the whole utopian experience.

  “You don’t believe me, do you?” Nate said.

  “I didn’t say I didn’t.”

  “I can see it in your face.”

  Miles took a deep breath and exhaled hard. Jenna returned with a bottle of water and handed it to Nate. “Look, just stay here, we’ll be back soon.”

  “Miles.”

  He lifted a hand toward Nate. “Just stay here.”

  Grady hung back with Jenna to keep an eye on Nate while they headed for th
e door. Unsure of what they might find, Hal grabbed a fire extinguisher off the wall. He shrugged when Miles looked at him. “What?”

  They pushed open the door and peered into the blackness of night before venturing out. Gerlach was considered the darkest town in America. Of course to really experience that you had to go a mile or two outside of town but still, even with minimal streetlights it was darker than any other community in the USA.

  “What do you think?” Miles asked as he scanned the terrain and they made their way to the rear of the building. The gymnasium and the main section of the school were connected in an L shape with the gym sticking out to the south and the rest pointing to the east. Beyond that was the elementary and middle school. All of it was connected by a maze of corridors and doors.

  “Look, burners have been known for causing trouble. Every year a few fights break out in town between them and ranchers but killing cops? No, it’s never happened. Why would it?”

  “But if they were on drugs?”

  “Anything’s possible. Sure, Pershing County Sheriff Department seizes drugs every year but you don’t hear of murder. It’s a hippie event. Hell, my daughter is there this year.”

  Miles chuckled. “How is Bailee doing?”

  “Good, though her mother is still giving me grief. Can’t seem to do right in her eyes.”

  “She’s got to be what… eighteen, nineteen now?”

  “Nineteen. She’s planning on traveling the world for the next year with her boyfriend, and then maybe teaching yoga.”

  “Oh so she’s embraced the hippie lifestyle.”

  “I guess. I mean, she really had no interest until she met this guy. You should see him, Miles. Dreadlocks, ink, skin piercings, the works. Nice guy but…”

  Miles glanced at him momentarily before looking ahead as they came around on East Sunset Boulevard and made their way toward the field. “You don’t like him?”

  “It’s not that he just doesn’t seem to be going anywhere in his life. It’s all love, peace and…”