Strange, that this could have happened so fast.
The silence didn’t bother me anymore. We could hear the sounds of nature clearer, now that the traffic of the nearby highway had stopped. Now that the noise of hundreds of thousands of humans and their ways had gone. What could be heard were the river down in the valley and the songs of birds. No cars, no air planes, no other human noises discernible, not even if one tried to listen very, very hard. On the sky no streaks of air planes passing high above. Nothing! Where ever we turned and looked, nothing, no trace of other human beings – none at all! We were alone.
But like I said, it didn’t frighten me anymore. On the contrary; I guess what would these days really freak us out and make us dash for cover would be to hear human voices.
As we walked through the grove toward the farm house and the barn with “our” car, Yuki mused. “I would never have thought that I could feel happy so quickly again. I mean after all that has happened these last few weeks and days, I thought I would be depressed and frightened. But look now, it’s just gorgeous! What a wonderful day!”
“Maybe we ought to be extra careful.” Nin murmured.
“Don’t spoil it for me, Nin! Whatever will be tomorrow, or even in an hour, let’s enjoy this beautiful moment while it lasts!”
Yuki turned and planted a quick but passionate peck on Nin’s cheeks. Then she ran forward taking Alice’s hands.
“Come, Alice, let’s run a bit. Who’s faster?”
Alice gladly obliged her and they both ran ahead. Nin looked alarmed and hastened after them, gun at the ready. It was probably for the better that at least one of us remained cautious and vigilant and didn’t get carried away by spring-feelings.
The car was waiting in the barn, just as we had left it.
Nin drove it out, the others climbed in while I closed the door. The fresh car tracks we left in front of the barn worried me a bit; but then again, everything seemed safe. Let us worry about this when we’d come back.
We drove along a small tarmac road that led from the farm to the main road.
It sure felt strange and exposed like hell. Especially once we had left the relative cover of the trees surrounding the farm house.
“Uh, I don’t like this!” Yuki exclaimed as Nin joined the main road and headed south; the road passing along fields and open farm land. “Can’t you drive somewhere less obvious, Nin? We must be visible for miles around. We might as well announce our presence by shouting. We are such an easy target!”
“Easy, Yuki, I know what I am doing,” Nin replied. “This is the quickest way and I know all the little roads here. So, should anything happen I will be able to find a detour and get us safely back, in no time. For now, I prefer to follow the main road. We have a better overview and will see any approaching vehicle in good time.”
“But Yuki is right; it really feels weird, you know.” I agreed with her.
“I think it’s nice.” Alice chirped. “May I open the window?”
Without waiting for an answer she opened the window and stuck her head out to enjoy the breeze.
It was just as well, because we were passing another farm-house by now. A place where they had kept cattle and horses; and I could see a lot of dead horses lying in a coral. They had probably starved to death after their owners had died. Alice couldn’t see it because she was enjoying the scenery to the other side of the car.
But Yuki had seen and she quickly turned to check my reaction. We locked eyes for a moment and I nodded to her. We would see more of this in the following weeks. It would be a while before these bodies would disappear, eaten and disposed of by flies, maggots, dogs and nature in general.
Soon we passed through a little village and I wondered at the number of dead bodies hidden inside the houses we passed. After the release of the Pathogen many people must have died in their houses and flats. We had smelled the decomposing bodies the other day when we had passed our neighbours house. We would have to take care that Alice didn’t get to see any decomposing bodies. Skeletons should be difficult enough for her, but to see the decomposing bodies of human beings was a sight I really wanted to spare her.
Nin took the exit toward the next bigger village and we drove through a little forest. Instantly I felt better, at least for a short moment we were out of view. But it didn’t last; we soon got to the next little village then over the hill toward our goal. As we drove over the ridge of the hill down toward the village nestling in the bottom of the valley I felt terribly exposed.
Everyone could, everyone must see us!
But apparently no one had, because after about two minutes we reached the street with the optician shop without any trouble whatsoever.
Nin parked the car right in front of the shop but turned it around so that we would be able to make a quick exit if need be. Wise move.
We got out and looked about us. The streets were empty; everything looked normal, except for the missing people.
The door of the shop was locked but Nin broke the glass door with his gun, no problem. We stepped over the broken glass and entered the shop. I brought up the rear and remained standing at the door to keep watch. Nin nodded to me, acknowledging my decision.
It didn’t take them long to find the drawers with binoculars. And they had soon selected three.
“Make it five or six.” I said. “We’ll never know when they’ll come in handy.”
“Good thought, sis.” Nin smiled. “Now let’s see if they have some more sophisticated equipment. There ought to be night vision goggles somewhere here. At least they used to advertise them.”
He searched the shop but found nothing. Then he disappeared down in the basement. He found them, but he shouted that no one was to come down there. When he reappeared his face was white and his lips pressed together tight. He looked as if he were to keel over soon. Alice thankfully didn’t notice, but Yuki looked alarmed and would have run over to him, had he not motioned her to remain where she was. He thrust the box he’d carried into my arms and stepped outside, bending over and taking some deep breaths.
“How many?” I quietly asked.
“Five, Three adults and two children! I shall never forget their sight! It was awful!”
His voice sounded hoarse and uneven.
“Let’s get out of here. We’re done!”
Yuki took Alice by her hand and quickly led her to the car. I loaded the box inside and looked over to Nin.
“Shall I drive?”
“No, I am okay now. I’ll drive.”
He shot me a quick glance and I whispered. “Welcome to the club, bro.”
He raised his brow caustically and managed a hint of a smile. “You know, that’s really bad taste! Spare me that kind of humour, will you?”
I didn’t reply.
We got into the car and drove off. Nin chose the same way we’d come, but after about 100 metres, when he came to the roundabout where he was to take the first exit if we were to go home, he looked around and asked, “Shall we go for a longer drive? I don’t feel like going straight back. What do you think?”
“If you are alright, I would like us to go for a little trip.” Yuki replied; Alice and I agreed.
And so, instead of turning right, we drove on straight; all of us excited as if we were venturing into unknown territory.
We made a tour of about twenty kilometres, maybe a bit more and explored the area to the East and South-East of our house. Generally, it was farm land and by the time we were heading home we’d seen several times signs of dead and decaying animals. Alice looked shocked at first, she snuggled up to me and lost some of her cheerfulness. Yuki did her best to distract her, but I thought nothing of it.
“You know, Alice.” I explained. “I am sorry that you had to see this, but those animals died because they were locked up and couldn’t free themselves. They weren’t as lucky as the other ones over there.” I pointed to a group of cows with some calves that were ranging freely on a meadow.
“It must have ha
ppened to many hundreds, if not thousands of them.”
Alice looked at me, fear in her eyes.
“But once they will have decayed and only their skeletons will remain, it will be less gruesome, you’ll see. I know that it is distressing right now. It’s okay to be scared, little one, just don’t let it frighten you too much. Okay?”
Yuki looked at me scandalized. She clearly would have put it differently. And Nin just shook his head in disbelief and shot me a brief glance in the rear mirror.
“I am sorry if you don’t like what I said, Nin.” I retorted. “But it’s the way it is and to shield Alice from the truth will not help her in the long run. She has to learn, just as we have, that everything, literally everything, is different now. Nothing is as it used to be. And for the next few weeks the stench of rotting bodies will be a steady companion wherever we go; unless we stay indoors until this is over. But that’s no really an option, is it?”
“You may be right, Lia, but you could have told Alice in a different way, a little less harshly, you know.” Nin reprimanded me without looking at me.
“No, Nin, it’s okay.” Alice defended me. “It’s alright, Lia was right to tell me. I will have to get used to this. It’s just so cruel; they didn’t hurt anyone. And they had to die so horribly.” Her lips trembled.
I held her tight and whispered. “It’s all right, little tiger, it’s all right! I know it’s awful to think of all these poor animals that had to die because nobody was around anymore to feed them. Don’t feel ashamed to cry for them.”
Yuki shook her head in disbelief, clearly still not at all satisfied with my way of dealing with Alice. But Nin whispered. “It’s all right, Yuki, I think she’s right.”
“If you say so.” Was Yuki’s tight lipped response.
She turned in her seat and looked sternly forward, avoiding all our eyes.
I reached forward to give her shoulder a friendly squeeze. She didn’t flinch but also didn’t turn to look at me.
Then Alice climbed over my lap and embraced Yuki from behind.
“You’re sooo nice, Yuki. I think you will be a wonderful mum!”
Eh! What the …!
“Alice, you’re just swell!!” Nin roared with laughter.
Yuki lifted Alice’s little hands to her face and kissed them.
“Thanks, my darling, love you so much!”
I just looked on in stunned silence. Who would have thought that Alice had registered all that! She would never seize to amaze me!
Apparently my decision to be frank with her had done her no harm. She was able to face the world as it was. With our help and love, she could face it and overcome her fears. She would have to grow up fast now, much faster than she would have had to in the old world. Now that everything had changed and we were just the four of us, she needed to face realities as they were, no pussyfooting around things.
We got back to the barn without any problems and walked over to our house as the sun was already quite low over the Western horizon.
Inside we settle for some tea and examined the binoculars and the contents of Nin’s box.
He had chosen well, three of the binoculars were not only extra strong field binoculars with a high magnifying capacity but came with image-stabilization – a very handy detail indeed. The other three binoculars where of the same make like mine, field binoculars but nothing fancy, no high-tech and not especially high magnification. But they would surely prove a valuable asset for us once we’d start our journey.
The box, however, contained the real surprise and treasure: Four digital and very high-tech night vision goggles, a telescope with tripod and two microscopes – a binocular one and, wow, a heavy duty professional microscope!!
“Microscopes!” Yuki exclaimed. “Why did you bring those?”
“For Lia.” Nin replied with a wide grin. “Just look at her, she looks like a cat who’s happened on a cream pot.”
“Wow, Nin, I am speechless! Just what I always wanted!! And they will be soo handy!”
When they all looked at me rather dubiously, I quickly added. “I mean just imagine, with this we can check all kind of things, for example the water quality, or check for microbes or parasites or, well.” I trailed of, not knowing what else to say. Of course, these things didn’t help us much, probably. But whatever. I would carry them wherever we’d go. I had always dreamt of getting such microscopes, ever since my first biology lab class. Suddenly a thought occurred to me, “And I can teach Alice the wonders of the micro-world with them, you know.”
At this Nin burst in a fit of laughter, while Yuki just smiled at me broadly. Alice, meanwhile, wanted a closer look. I showed her, glad that I had something to do, feeling a bit silly.
Finally Nin overcame his laughing fit.
“You should see yourself, Lia! Trying to justify your delight in these things. I brought them along because I knew you’ve wanted something like this since a long time. Whether they are useful to us, I don’t care. They are just for you. A present. Something to cheer you up, sis! No need to make us think they’d serve a wider purpose. Besides, how will you use them without electricity? And I hardly think that you will carry them all the way to Blue-Hill-Farm.”
Wow and wow again! I hadn’t expected that and I was speechless. I just sat there stunned and blinking.
Nin glanced at me tenderly. “Surprised?”
I nodded and managed to choke out, “Very. Nin, thanks a lot! You don’t know what this means to me! Thanks heaps, really!”
“It’s alright sis. Don’t mention it. Didn’t cost me a cent, after all, did it?”
He tried to downplay his generosity; but I just beamed at him happily.
The rest of the day passed, I was happily trying out the microscopes. Alice helped me a while but then she got bored and went over to Yuki who played with her, Piglet and Malinda.
Nin cooked dinner for us.
They teased me a great deal about how excited I was about these microscopes and I tried to explain a little.
“You know that I am one for gadgets, I mean useful gadgets.”
This made Nin laugh again.
“Useful gadgets, Lia! Honestly! Don’t try to bamboozle us! That’s just a way of justifying useless things. I own that these microscopes might turn out to be very useful. One day. Maybe. In the probably very distant future.”
Another fit of laughter prevented him from going on. Yuki smiled at this friendly banter.
“No, listen.” I tried again. “What I mean is that I have always wanted just two such microscopes. Mum used to tease me that I wouldn’t even know what to use them for, that it was just a whim. And I always knew that partly she was right. And yet, I still wanted them. And that you have now brought them. That you remembered these silly wishes of mine and obliged me, Nin, you don’t know how much I appreciate this and how happy I am! Thanks a thousand times, Nin!”
I didn’t get up to thank him with a hug; he looked uncomfortable enough already after all this praise. We understood each other that was all that counted.
I wished there was something I could do to repay this generosity.
In order to distract the attention from his person Nin suddenly suggested that we should go and check out the night vision devices.
We all happily agreed to this, and trooped outside and busied ourselves with getting acquainted with them, explaining to Alice how to put them on and walk with them. It was fun and by the time we called it a day it was late and we were all heartily tired.
I had expected Alice to have nightmares after our outing, but she slept tight, snuggling up to me most of the night.
Chapter 19 – more killings
Tuesday, 4th May 2072
For the next few days the weather remained perfect and we left every day for an outing with the car. One day we drove all the way to the Lake of Thun; then we explored the country to the West and North. Whenever we needed fuel we just stopped by a fuel station and filled the tank. It felt strange, but after two days we g
ot used to just taking things, without having to pay. We replenished our stock of food by passing at the local supermarket. We had to break some windows to get in. And there was, of course, no fresh food to be found. The former vegetable department wasn’t a nice sight, neither were the meat or cheese departments. But we took all sorts of canned food, pasta, rice and drinks. And while we were at it, we also organized some equipment that we thought might be useful on our trip south to Kenya.
Where ever we went there were no signs of other human beings. And after some days we also got used to that.
After about a week, Yuki who had made it her task to count the days said that it was the 4th of May by now. We decided to head for a short trip with the car to the East and for some walk in a nearby forest. We parked the car in a spot where in the old days lots of cars would have been parked on such a wonderful day like this. Lots of people would have come here to walk their dogs or just to enjoy the scenery. We were almost on top of a forested hill, on whose top a big radio antenna stood. There was a tarmacked road leading all the way up the hill, but there were also paths for walking and we followed one of them.
It took us an hour to reach the summit of the hill from where one had a wonderful view on all sides, especially if one climbed the radio antenna, which of course we did. Everyone was carrying their binoculars and when we reached the platform way above the trees we all sat down, peering at the landscape with our binoculars, even Alice. As it was windy up here and not too warm we all huddled together in a line facing south.
“I’ll be damned!” Nin suddenly exclaimed and we all looked enquiringly over to him. He didn’t lift his binocular from his eyes, but whispered. “There are people over there, ten or twenty of them! Look!”
Excitement rushed through me quickly followed by nausea. We couldn’t be at a worse spot! Visible for miles and miles around!!
I pressed the binoculars to my eyes and followed Nin’s instruction, as did Yuki and Alice.
“Over there, at the foot of the hill across the valley from where we are. Do you see them? They are walking along the edge of the forest, now they have just reached the road leading up into the forest. Do you see them?”
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