by S A Ison
“Don’t worry, we aren’t leaving right this second.” Miles laughed at the dog, who then resumed his marking. Thinking it a good idea, Miles stepped down from the jeep and found a tree to mark himself. He thought it was a bit unusual that he hadn’t seen any traffic during his outing. He rarely saw many cars on the roads, but he did see one from time to time. Then it struck him. Thanksgiving. He snorted at his dimwittedness. Of course, people were tucked away, enjoying the celebration.
“Come on boy, let’s go home. We can have a go at it tomorrow.”
Albert leapt into the jeep and Miles climbed in behind him. He started the jeep and executed a U-turn. He would go another route tomorrow, he thought perhaps that would be the right direction. He wasn’t sure what was driving him so hard to find the crash site. He was sure that whoever had survived had been rescued. But there was a small voice deep within that asked, what if they hadn’t been rescued? He supposed that small voice was what was driving him. Miles knew to listen to that voice.
That voice had brought him here. The voice had told him to take the key technical formulations to a weapon that could kill a small country. For Miles, it was one thing to kill someone who was trying to kill you, but it was another thing to murder for gain, for power, for money. To him, that was what Pythagoras meant, not a deterrent, but a weapon of mass destruction. He knew he was naive, believing that the United States would be above such heinous actions. He had been, after all, one of the key scientists in the development of the weapon.
He had been as guilty as Abellano and Torch. He wondered if Wiems knew the true breadth of the weapon? Wiems had been working on the EMP aspect of the weapon. It had all been theoretical and possibilities when Miles had vanished, taking the crucial files with him. Had he not overheard the conversation between Torch and Rondeau, would he have wised up? Would he have known the true intent of the government’s requirements? Or had it been the military’s wish for a more powerful weapon? He doubted it. Though Lt. Col Rondeau was aware, he was only the liaison to Fort Bliss. No, someone very high up in the government wanted this weapon made. Who, he didn’t know, but it had been funded with black money.
Ω
Lewis and Clark National Forest
Taya wiped at her nose with her gloved hand, and sniffed. She was at the end of the row now. They had been walking for hours and still, there had been no sign of rescuers, nor anyone else. Around her was a vast primeval forest. If she hadn’t been so afraid and heartbroken, she would have admired the beauty of it. Taya had fallen back and had taken a quick potty break. She easily caught back up with the group. They were all so very kind to her.
She felt miserable, she and her mother had argued, just before the plane went down. She hadn’t had the chance to apologize for being a brat. Now, she could not and that hurt deep to the bone. She looked down at the packed snow, at least walking was easy. Phoenix had been right about walking in a line, it pushed down the snow enough to walk easily. When she’d had her turn at the front, it had been exhausting, pushing through the snow. It had been up to her knees.
Lydia had tied plastic bags around her shins, to help keep her legs dry as she pushed through the snow. She liked Lydia; she was really nice. Everyone was so nice. Taya was normally nervous around big dogs, but Thor as gentle with her and seemed to understand her sorrow. His large eyes looked at her with love. Taya smiled at the notion and the sweet face of the canine. Ahead, she could hear him barking, and whining.
She could see that Phoenix and Julian were looking around. She watched the interlocutors, one tall and dark, the other shorter and blond. She thought they were both nice looking guys, for older men. She thought about Luke, in Seattle and couldn’t wait to see him again. She missed him and hadn’t wanted to go with her parents, to her grandmother’s funeral. She hadn’t really known her Nana Mary. Taya had wanted to stay in Seattle, she was sixteen after all and could have stayed by herself.
She and her mother had gone round and round over it. Taya had still been miffed and holding a grudge. She had been quarrelsome with her parents and now they were gone. She felt fresh tears and wiped angrily at them. Crying didn’t help, and it made her nose all stuffy. She wondered what would happen once they got to civilization? Would she go to Seattle? Or to her Aunt Loretta’s home, in Virginia? If she went there, she’d never see Luke again.
Her heart plunged at that thought. Maybe she could find a way to stay in Seattle? It was a hope, anyway. She looked up again at Thor’s barking. Phoenix and the group had stopped. They were far ahead of her and she realized she’d been slow in catching up.
Her next thoughts were of confusion as she was knocked to the ground by something heavy. It pushed her down hard and she heard Lydia screaming and the men shouting and she heard no more.
Ω
Chaparral, NM
Jordan hadn’t made it very far the night before. It had been relatively warm when he had started walking toward Fort Bliss, but as the sun had gone down, so had the temperature. Near midnight, he’d found an abandoned car and had crawled into it to sleep. He had been gratified to find a blanket and he had curled up and gone to sleep. He thought that he was perhaps five miles away from the base. He was seeing more and more abandoned cars along the way, though he saw no people.
He was tired, hungry and thirsty. He had already gone through all of his water. But he thought he would be okay, since he was close to the base. The sun was beating down now, not too hot, but he was warm. His bladder and bowels were also screaming at him and so he walked off the road. There were dried weeds, low scrubs and tumble weeds. There were also low barbed wire fences in the distance. He also saw squat homes far away. He wasn’t a desert person; he liked the warmth of it however. He had been looking at possibly Houston or Virginia as his next assignment. But now, he didn’t think that was possible.
Or, at least until the United States got help from Europe. It would take some doing, but Jordan thought that perhaps if the United States got the right equipment, they could bring the power grids back up. Only time would tell. That is, unless whoever had acquired Pythagoras didn’t aim it at Europe. Jordan didn’t know which parts of the country had been targeted. It may well have only been New Mexico. Or, perhaps Washington D.C. as well. Once he got to Fort Bliss, he hoped he would have a better idea of what they were all facing.
He had gone roughly twenty feet from the road and found a large scrub. Shoving his pants to his ankles, Jordan squatted. He should have brought TP, but hadn’t thought of it. He looked around and thought he saw paper under the bush. He reached in and then screamed, jerking his hand back. He got caught in his pants around his ankles and fell forward into the bush, his glasses flying off his head and into the bush. He screamed again, hearing the sound of numerous rattles, shaking angrily at him. He then felt the burning bite at his neck and another at his chest.
Jordan looked down in horror, there were two large rattle snakes attached to him, their bodies dangling obscenely from his neck and chest. He scuttled backwards, awkwardly, his pants twisting and winding around his ankles. He shrieked again, trying to pull the snakes from him. When they let go, Jordan flung the bodies away from him. He turned on his belly and began to crawl across the rough ground, trying to get away from the angry rattling. He then turned over on his back and began to pull his pants up, rocks, biting into his bare rump.
He managed to stand, shaking hard. He had to assess the damage, he had to get to base and fast. He was sure they had anti-snake venom. His hands shook badly as he refastened his pants and he turned around in a circle. He was now unsure which way he was heading. He’d also lost his glasses, maybe in the bush, but he wasn’t getting near those snakes. His heart was pounding hard in his chest and he watched as he saw his hand swell. He felt frantically at his neck. It too was beginning to swell.
“How much venom did they pump into me?” He asked the air around him, his voice hoarse with fear. He could feel the sweat pop out on his flesh, but he didn’t know if that were due to the fear
or the venom. How fast does it work, he wondered? He tripped and fell, banging his knee into a small rock. He cried out in pain and anger. Angry at himself. He should have been more careful. Why did he go off the road to take a crap? Christ, he could have just squatted in the middle of the road.
Tears mixed with snot as he made his way back to the road. He turned in a circle, now confusion filling his once ordered mind. Was fear messing with his mind? Or was it the venom? Jordan didn’t know and he kept turning in a tight circle. He had to act; his life depended on it. He made up his mind and started walking quickly. His knee throbbed, his hand throbbed, his neck and chest burned and his heart raced with fear and dread. Jordan tried to calculate how long it would take to walk five miles. Perhaps he should run.
He began to trot, then run, his gut bouncing painfully. The sweat was now in his eyes and burning and he wiped and wiped. The tears weren’t helping either and he tripped once more and fell hard, to the asphalt. He hit his chin on the road and bit the tip of his tongue and howled in pain. Bringing a trembling hand to his mouth, he pulled his fingers away and they were bloody.
“Shit, I need to get a grip.” He cried. He got back to his feet and began to run again. His legs felt like rubber and didn’t want to move faster. He was now going at a fast walk, his gait jerky and uneven. His heart felt as though it would burst in his chest and his mouth was filled with blood. He spat it out and wished he had water, to rinse the blood away. He nearly fell again and slowed to a walk. He didn’t want to fall again and bust out a tooth.
His hand burned and throbbed with each heartbeat, he looked again and the wound was swollen and angry looking. He put a tentative hand to his neck and it too felt swollen and hot. He pulled his shirt open and saw that his chest was swelling at the puncture site. His heart hurt now, even though he had slowed down. The world around him was wavering wildly but he knew he couldn’t stop walking. He had to get to Fort Bliss and fast. His only chance was getting some anti-venom. That was the only thing to focus on.
He began to run again, his legs going loose and wobble wildly now. He staggered like a drunken sailor on payday, with a fist full of dollars. Part of his brain knew that he was losing his coordination. The venom was wreaking havoc on his nervous system. If he could just get some water. If he could just get to Fort Bliss. If he could…
Jordan Hillman never finished that thought, his body dropped in mid stride, in mid thought and he was dead before his head hit the pavement.
Ω
Fargo, GA
Blake brought the string of fish to the porch. It was getting on in the day and he needed to get the solar panels up on the roof and he needed to hook up the inverter and deep cell batteries. He knew Alice was upset, but perhaps having a little power would make her feel better. He looked up as Alice walked out of the house, she let the screen door slam behind her. She had a cautious and uncertain look to her, her face pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. She was having a hard time with this.
“Are you up to frying some fish? I’ve already cleaned them. I’m going to get the solar panels on the roof, so we can get some power going in this place.”
“Why do you seem so happy? Why aren’t you upset, like me?” Alice asked, a petulant tone to her question. Blake wanted to pull what was left of his hair out. She still didn’t understand.
“Come and sit down on the swing.” Blake laid the fish on the steps. He walked over with Alice and they sat beside each other on the cypress wood swing. He knew he needed to be patient with her, because her life depended on her doing what she was told and following a security protocol.
“Okay, out there, maybe a couple miles are people who no longer have the ability to get food. As in there will be no more food deliveries to grocery stores. Dear, in a week, more or less, people will be running out of food that is in their pantry. How often did you go grocery shopping?”
“I guess twice a week. Sometimes more, if I needed something I didn’t have.”
“Imagine that as of yesterday, whatever you had would have to last you years. So, if you have five pounds of flour, maybe three pounds of beans, a few canned vegetables. Since we had an electric stove, how would you have cooked?” Alice opened her mouth to speak, but closed it.
“Okay, maybe we could have fired up the grill, and cooked on that. Then, after maybe a week, we run out of food. There is no place we can get food, because by now hundreds of people are panicking and have broken into the stores and cleared the shelves. What do you do? And say two people come to our home, and they want the last few cans of food, will you give them our last food?”
“I wouldn’t give them the food.” She said, her eyes fill with fright and determination.
“What if they took it, what if they had a gun and said they would kill you? Believe me Alice, it may not be this week or next, but people will be killing each other over a can of beans. Dear, you need to understand that our world, our reality has changed. I know it seems the same right now, but if or when someone comes here, they are going to be looking for food and they aren’t going to take no for an answer.”
“But.. but what can I do?” Fear was now in her voice.
“I’m going to teach you how to handle a weapon, and you’re going to start practicing shooting targets.”
“I don’t want to use a gun. I’m afraid of them.”
“We’ll go slow, and you’ll get comfortable. You’ll need to carry a weapon on you at all time. I have a small Beretta, it is called a Beretta Nano, just right for your hands. Please trust me in this Alice, because if you don’t, you’ll not survive this life.”
He got up to let her think about what he’d told her. He went out to the back of the house, to the large storage shed. He pulled out the keys and unlocked the padlock. Inside the large shed was a ladder and he pulled that out. He also brought out four boxes that held the precious solar panels. He came around the house and saw that the fish were gone, along with Alice. He could hear her inside, rattling pots and pans. He knew it would take her a while, but he hoped she could acclimate to this new life. If he were away and someone came by, his wife would be dead.
Ω
Lewis and Clark National Forest
Phoenix screamed and ran toward Taya and the massive mountain lion. It was on her back, its mouth biting down on her head and neck. Phoenix could hear the shattering crack of bone and an awful cry burst from his chest. Thor was ahead of him and going for the large cat. Thor’s snarls and barking fill the air around them. Phoenix could hear Lydia’s screams behind him and the scene in front of him blurred as tears obliterated the grizzly scene before him.
Thor hit the mountain lion with a meaty thud. The screech and snarling lasted but a moment, then the large cat bound away, leaping nearly twenty feet away from Taya’s downed body. Thor chased after the massive cat and Phoenix and Julian fell to the ground beside Taya. Yuma and Lydia came up from behind and Phoenix could hear Lydia’s harsh breath through her hands, that were clasped over her mouth. He wiped at the tears and he and Julian gently turned Taya over. A cry came from the depth of his soul and Julian grabbed Taya’s small hand and held it to his chest.
Taya’s large brown eyes were open in surprise and void of any life. She was dead, the blood spreading out from the back of her head. Lydia slumped to the ground and picked up Taya’s other hand and held it to her cheek. Her soft weeping filled the space around them. It had happened so quickly, one second the they were all watching Thor, then the flash of russet and tan, and Taya was knocked down and the mountain lion bit down on her vulnerable neck and head. It couldn’t have been more than five seconds, from start to finish. Taya never knew what had happened. At least Phoenix hoped that she hadn’t known.
Thor was still barking wildly and Phoenix thought perhaps the dog was still chasing down the cat. He doubted the dog would catch it. If the damned thing could jump nearly twenty feet, then it was long gone. Phoenix looked at those around him, their faces warped with sorrow and horror.
“I can’t believe this. I can’t believe that she survived the crash, only to be killed by a mountain lion.” Julian groaned, squeezing Taya’s limp hand in his own. He was rocking back and forth. Their hands gently turned Taya over and they moved her hair. There were deep puncture marks in her neck and skull. The slender neck was so very vulnerable and delicate and stood no chance against the massive jaws of the big cat.
“What should we do?” Lydia asked, her voice small and tremulous.
“We’ll find a spot to camp for the night and we’ll dig her a grave. We’ll mark it, so when we reach the rescuers, we can show them where we buried her. We’ll make sure she makes it to her surviving family members.” Phoenix said softly, his hand gently pushing the hair from Taya’s still face. He closed her eyes, and his hand lingered against the soft cheek, that still held the curve of the child she was.
Phoenix stood, and gathered up the slender body, settling her securely in his arms. He looked into each of his new friend’s faces and they all reflected his own sorrow. The group gathered up the dropped belongings, and began to move away from the area. Taya’s body was warm in his arms and it felt as though he were carrying a sleeping child. She had been delicately boned; her light brown skin was now losing the hue of life.
Thor came bounding from the forest, and Phoenix saw that there was blood on his coat. Once they made camp, they would have to check him out. He wasn’t sure if it were the dog’s blood or Taya’s. Ahead, he saw what looked like a good spot to stretch the tarps and make camp.
“If you guys start getting the camp set up, I’ll find a place and start digging the grave.” Phoenix offered. At their silent nods, Phoenix laid Taya’s body down gently. He opened his backpack and pulled out a length of metal that Lydia had found at the crash site. The metal fragment was from a seat. It had a fabric and cushion top and long metal protrusion. He had planned to use it to dig a fire pit, should they be stuck out in the wilderness another night. He never expected to dig a grave with it.
