“I’ll be back in a couple of weeks. Maybe you can take me sailing. Until then, you take care, Robert.”
“You too, Captain. Ah, with the world dying and all, what’s with this medal shit?”
“Sometimes, the questions are complicated, and the answers are simple.”
“Thanks, Captain. So what are you, Plato now?”
“No. It’s Dr. Seuss.”
He started to turn, but stopped. It was as if he wanted to say something, but at the last minute, changed the subject. “So, Robert, what are you reading?”
“Moby Dick, ever read it?”
“No.”
“Don’t worry, most people haven’t, unless forced to.”
“Are you being forced?”
“You might say so.”
“Have a good day, Robert.”
“Good luck, David.”
“Thanks, we’re going to need it.”
Later that day, Robert went down to the shore. The sun was about to set and the water was exceptionally calm. He could see the Providence moored about a quarter mile up the beach. Everything was so peaceful. He took out his knife and opened the box, carefully cutting off the dark blue ribbon with the gold strip and putting it in his pocket. The medal was heavier than he anticipated. With the water like a pane of glass, he was sure he could get four. He focused and calmly let it fly. Seven skips! John would be pleased. Goodbye, John.
Robert turned and slowly walked back to his cabin. He looked forward to finishing Moby Dick and finding out what was to happen to the Pequod and her crew. He had a feeling that things were not going to go all that well.
THE END
Read on for a free sample of The SAGA of the DEAD SILENCER: Book One BLEEDING KANSAS
Definitions/Abbreviations
Abiotic decomposition - degradation of a substance by a chemical or physical process.
Aft/Stern - The rear part of the ship.
AK47 - A selective fire (semi or full) assault rifle. 7.62x39mm cartridge. Effective range ~ 400yd semi-automatic, ~ 300yd automatic. Standard magazine capacity is 30 rounds.
Algor mortis -. Cooling of a dead body to ambient temperature. Time duration is dependent on environment and manor of death.
Alveoli - The smallest endpoint in the lungs. Where gas exchange takes place (oxygen and carbon dioxide).
Ambient Temperature - The temperature of the environment.
Archetype - An original model or type after which all similar things are patterned. The prototype.
ASAP - As soon as possible.
Atacama Desert - Desert covering the north of Chile and southern Peru. The oldest and driest desert on earth.
ATP - Adenosine triphosphate. ATP transports chemical energy within cells for metabolism.
Auscultation - The act of listening for sounds made by internal organs, like the heart and lungs. Usually with the aid of a stethoscope.
Biological Anthropology - A branch of anthropology that studies the development of the homonid line (also known as physical anthropology).
Biotic decomposition - The metabolic breakdown of material into simpler components by living organisms, usually microorganisms.
Bow - The forward part of a ship.
BPM - Heartbeats per minute.
BS - Bull Shit.
BSL - Biological Safety Level. Level four is the highest rated labs and used for the most virulent pathogens.
BXP - Milkor 9mm BXP sub-machine gun. 9x19mm parabellum. Effective range 75 yd.
Cassandra - From Greek mythology. She is the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. Apollo gave the gift of prophecy but when she declined his advances, he cursed her so no one would believe her predictions.
Cavlvaria - Skullcap. Top dome of the skull.
Cerebellum - A structure of the brain in the bottom back of the cranial cavity.
Cerebrum - Large rounded structure of the brain. Divided into two hemispheres. Controls higher mental function (thought, reason, emotion and memories).
CDC - Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
CGI - Computer-generated imagery.
COG - Continuity of Government. Condition levels vary but similar to DEFCON for the military.
Demographics - The quantifiable statistics of a given population (e.g., age, sex, marital status, etc…).
Desalinization - A process that removes salt and other minerals from seawater to make potable water.
EAS - Emergency Alert System. National warning system in the U.S.
Echelon - A formation in which its units are arranged diagonally.
ELISA - Enzyme-linked ImmunoSorbent Assey.
EMP - Electromagnetic pulse. A burst of electromagnetic radiation released on nuclear warhead detonation damaging unshielded electrical/electronic systems.
EMS - Emergency Medical Services.
EpiPen - An epinephrine autoinjector. Typically used to treat acute allergic reactions.
ER - Emergency room.
Eutectic Point - Formed at the lowest possible temperature of solidification for any mixture of specified constitutes.
EVA - Extra Vehicular Activity.
Exponential Growth - Increases at an expanding rate.
FEMA - Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Fibrin - A fibrous protein that forms a mesh assisting in clot formation at the site of a wound.
Fibula - A long thin bone extending from the knee to the ankle lying lateral (on the outside) to the Tibia (shinbone).
Flotsam - Floating wreckage of a ship or its cargo,
Forensic entomology -The use of insects and arthropods that inhabit decomposing remains to aid in legal investigations.
FUBAR - Fucked/fouled up beyond all repair.
Glock17 - A 9mm semi-automatic pistol. 19 rounds (extended). Effective range - 55yd.
Homonid-The taxonomic family that includes chimpanzees, gorillas, humans and orangutans.
Hypotension - Low blood pressure.
IFA - Immunofluorescent antibody analysis.
ISS - International Space Station.
IV - Inter-Venous.
Jetsam - Part of a ship or cargo that is thrown (jettisoned) overboard and either sinks or washes ashore.
Jump Kit - Advanced medical bag used by EMT and Paramedics.
K - The International System of Units abbreviation for one thousand.
Ketoacidosis - A metabolic condition when the body has inadequate levels of insulin and breaks down fat for energy (instead of glucose).
LCAC - Landing Craft Air Cushion.
LD50 - Dose required to kill half the members of a tested population after a specific test duration.
Linear Growth - Increases at the same rate.
Livor mortis - Settling of blood to lower portions of the body after death. Results in purplish red discoloration of the skin, similar to a bruise.
M82A - Barrett M82A1 is a semi-automatic anti-material rifle. 50 BMG or .416 Barrett cartridge. Effective range 1,900+ yd.
Medulla - Lowest portion of the brain and continuous with the spinal cord.
Meninges - Three layers of membrane that envelops the central nervous system.
Morbidity Rate - The incidence or prevalence of a disease in a population over a given period of time.
Morrigan - Goddess of battle, strife and sovereignty in Celtic mythology.
Mortality Rate - The number of deaths in a population in relation to the population size over a given period of time.
NAS - National Academy of Sciences.
National Response Network (NRF) - Guiding principles on all domestic levels to provide a unified national response in times of national emergency.
National Strategy for Homeland Security - Outlines strategic considerations as well as cooperation between federal and state governments, private enterprises and ordinary citizens in times of national significance.
Nucleotide - Organic molecules that act as a subunit of nucleic acids, the building blocks of DNA and RNA.
Oorah - A Marine battle
cry.
Peritoneum - A membrane that forms the lining of the abdominal cavity.
Pod - A social group of whales, like Orcas.
Port - When facing the bow, the left side of the ship
Prion - An infectious protein in a misfolded form. Affects brain and other neural tissue.
R-zero - The average number of individuals each infected individual will infect in a population that has no immunity to the disease.
R&R - Rest and relaxation.
RIC - Rhode Island College.
Rigor mortis - Chemical changes in muscles after death that causes them to stiffen.
RNA - Ribonucleic Acid.
Rorke’s Drift - Battle in the Anglo-Zulu War. In 1879 a small group of British and colonial troops successfully defended a mission station against overwhelming odds.
Ruger-SR9 - A 9mm semi-automatic pistol. 17 rounds.
RV - Recreational Vehicle.
SAW - Squad/Section Automatic Weapon.
SCATANA - Security Control of Air Traffic and Air Navigation Aids.
SI - Sports Illustrated.
SOL - Shit Out of Luck.
SOP - Standard Operating Procedure.
Starboard - Facing the bow, the right side of the ship.
Stolichnaya - A popular Soviet era vodka brand.
Storm surge - Low pressure weather events, like hurricanes, cause high winds that push water inland causing flooding.
Supine - On your back.Troposphere - The lowest major atmospheric layer, extending from the Earth’s surface to the bottom of the Stratosphere (5 - 8 miles).
Todestrieb - Freudian psychoanalytic theory. It is the death drive to self-destruction and the return to the inanimate state.
Ulna - One of two bones that make up the forearm, the other being the radius. The ulna is the bone on the little finger side of your arm.
USAMRIID - US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases.
URI - University of Rhode Island.
Vivisection - Surgery conducted for experimental purposes on a living organism.
WAGS - Wild ass guesses.
WHO - World Health Organization. Part of the United Nations.
Wilderness EMT - Emergency medical technician trained to provide care in remote areas.
1
This is it, the day we’ve been looking forward to for so long, and it’s not starting well. Claire wakes up feverish and phlegmy, too sick to drive me to the airport. There’s not much to say but sorry, hope you feel better, before she crawls back into bed.
The next thing I know I‘m loading my luggage into the trunk of the cab because it turns out the cab driver should have called in sick himself. “Hey, sorry, man, you know how it goes!” he says. “Ya don’t work, ya don’t get paid!”
“Tell me about it,” I say, settling into my seat.
“Airport, huh?” The cabbie sneezes wetly, brings his hand up after the fact. “Where ya headed?”
“Kansas City.”
“Kansas City! Kansas City, here I—!” God help me, he’s trying to sing that old song but a burst of coughing cuts him short. I pull a handkerchief from my pocket and cover my nose and mouth.
He composes himself, sniffs loudly. “So what’s out there?”
“Job interview.”
“Yeah? All the way out there? I hope they’re paying for it!”
“Oh yeah.”
“Must be nice! Wish I could get a gig like that!”
“Me, too.”
“Ha! I hear ya! So whatcha been doin’ all this time?”
“Unemployed.”
“Oh. Nowhere?”
I have to wait for him to finish his latest coughing fit before I can answer. “Pretty much.”
“You don’t seem all that enthusiastic about this.”
“Lot on my mind.”
“Oh.” A short, barking cough, followed by a long, gurgling wheeze. “Yeah. It’s tough out there.”
“Yeah.”
“So how long you been outta work?”
“Long enough.” Four years, but who’s counting?
“Me, I got to work, know what I’m sayin’? I’d go crazy stayin’ at h—!“ The driver explodes into another round of coughing, his entire body bucking and convulsing behind the wheel. It’s all he can do to keep his eyes open to see the road.
After a terrifying stretch of seconds in which I wonder if he’s going to run the red light we screech to a halt, the taxi’s rear swerving with the force—“Here, you want a piece of none-of-your business to chew on?” I say. “If I don’t make this flight my house goes into foreclosure and my family is homeless as of next month! If you can’t make it to the airport, I need someone who can!”
“Whoa, man, it’s okay, it’s okay! I got this!”
“Can you do it without interrogating me like some nosy old biddy? Can you keep fucking quiet?”
“Hey, what’s with the language? I’m just making conversation!”
“Just get me to the airport! I’m running late as it is!”
“Jeez, mister, I said okay!”
The light changes and we roll. I’m embarrassed for letting the f-bomb slip. Professional class people don’t do that in front of their lessers. My problem as an old-fashioned working stiff is that, as much as most people annoy me, I don’t think of them as my lessers.
I take some satisfaction that the cabbie is keeping quiet, which, in turn, has eased his coughing. Still, I keep the handkerchief pressed to my face until he pulls up to the white zone at the airport. He pops the trunk and I step out into the blessedly germ-free air to grab my luggage.
I don’t know what the tip scale is for cab drivers. I can barely afford to pay him, let alone tip. I give him 15 percent. It’s more than this Chatty Cathy by way of Typhoid Mary deserves. Maybe I’ll get more than I deserve.
“We good?” I ask the driver before I walk away.
“Look, good luck,” he says. “I know you must be nervous.”
“Yeah. Try and get well.”
I’d like to think that’s the end of it but I’m running a gauntlet of sneezing, coughing people all the way to the fat lady at the ticket counter. She got a red Hitler mustache of raw skin under her nose from wiping at it with her third wad of tissue.
I wish I had some tongs or latex gloves with which to take my boarding pass. For God’s sake, I can’t afford to get sick, not for the best chance for gainful employment I’ve had in years! It’s probably a matter of time, though. Turning away from the counter every other person I see is suffering from some degree of the “Mayday Malaise.”
That’s how the logo reads behind cable news queen Stefani Dunham on TVs all over the airport. “Now this is a different kind of cold bug,” she says. “Aside from the fact that one out of three people come down with it, you can actually sort of function through it! Of course, some are saying it’s because Americans with jobs are afraid to miss work for any reason, given the economic situation.” Our head cheerleader-cum-broadcast journalist makes a face to let us know what she thinks of some people.
“Whatever the case, doctors say it’s an aerosol virus, which means it’s all up in your air!” The shot cuts to a gray-haired eminence mumbling authoritatively in a plush office. Back to Stefani: “And we’re not immune here!” She coughs theatrically into a handkerchief. “All this and a runny nose! A big shout-out to my make-up people here in the News Center for keeping me presentable! Hey, we carry on, what can you do?”
With my Irish luck, that’s the strain I won’t be getting. Claire struggled to make it to the bathroom and that poor dumb cabbie I rode in with was barely functional. I call my contact at the company in Kansas City. Giselle finally picks up. “Mr. Grace! To what do we owe the honor? Aren’t you still in Colorado Springs? You’re at the airport, right?”
“Yeah, I’m right here at the gate. I just wanted to make sure the interview was still on.”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“That cold that’s going around. Everybody�
�s sick!”
Giselle laughs. “Oh, that! We’ve had a few people call in, but that’s not enough to stop us. You’re not sick, are you?”
“Oh, no, no! I’m fine! I was…concerned.”
“Well, give me a call when you make it to KC. Hopefully you can get here before Rob leaves for the golf course. You play golf?”
“It’s been a while,” I lie. “If nothing else, I’d make him look good.” I despise golf and the kind of people who play it. But this is the world I’m trying to bluff my way into. From out of the slave market and into the world of the Professionally Overpaid.
“Sounds to me like you’ll all get along. Again, give me a call when you land.”
“Will do. Thanks, Giselle.”
“Don’t get sick!”
Right. If my wife didn’t give it to me, if the cab driver didn’t give it to me, if the lady at the counter didn’t give it to me, if half the people at the airport didn’t give it to me—now I’m ducking into a narrow aluminum tube, settling in to breathe recycled air people have been coughing and sneezing into since last week.
We’re getting fresh germs all the time, too. Barely half the seats on the plane are filled but half of those people are sick. The flight attendants sit at their seats along the fore and aft bulkheads and scowl at us over their surgical masks.
If I can just stay well for 24 more hours. Twenty-four hours. Lord, that’s all I ask.
It’s a mercifully short flight. Eventually, I find myself in another TB ward of an airport, squinting through clouds of aerosolized phlegm to get to my luggage. I call Giselle. “Welcome to KC!” she says. “You know how to find us, right?” she says.
“Oh yeah. See you soon!”
At the rental car kiosk I check my pockets for the directions I’d printed from the Internet. “Uh, hey,” I ask the guy behind the counter. “Can I get some directions printed up here? I left mine at home.”
“What do you need those for?”
“To find my way to my job interview.”
He’s looking at me vaguely horrified, like I just pissed myself.
“Your vehicle has GPS.”
“Oh.”
“Man, really?”
Walking out to my vehicle, I have to work the keychain remote several times just to be sure this magnificent black luxury SUV is really mine. The new car smell is intoxicating. Nothing is slammed; the rear hatch closes with the touch of a button. I walk around to climb into the cab. Can’t slam this door, either. It’s like burping a Tupperware lid.
Brutal Planet: A Zombie Novel Page 35
