by Alice Sabo
“I’d feel more comfortable with a few more miles behind us.”
Wisp’s words sent a shiver down Nick’s back. He radioed the other two cars to let them know that dinner would be late.
Chapter 37
“There were the normal roving bands of evil men who felt the easiest way to survive was to take whatever they needed wherever they found it. When their surroundings became depleted, they moved on to a new source.”
History of a Changed World, Angus T. Moss
It was full dark and spitting rain when they rolled into Tupelo Station. They had circumvented a small settlement. Nick didn’t want any complications right now. They had been forced to go out of the way several times to find acceptable roads. The driveway into the station parking lot was shattered into hard lumps of broken pavement and barely negotiable mud pits. The vans wobbled slowly through the worst of it up to the drop-off area. Nick was achy with tension and glad to finally be done for the day. Still, he had everyone stay put, engines running, while he and Wisp checked out the station.
The building was fairly new with an extremely low profile. They walked down a short flight of stairs into the main waiting area. The ticket booth was closed up with dusty glass and a door rusted shut. The floors were shiny from a recent buffing, which made Nick relax a little. This station was in use. He checked the supply room and was glad to find it full of the usual stocks of Stew-goo and Crunch. Not the most appetizing dinner but a very convenient one.
“Anybody around?” he asked Wisp.
“There’re two people in the cubbies.” Wisp turned in a full circle frowning in concentration. “Otherwise, no one closer than that settlement we passed.”
Nick huffed out a sigh of relief. “We’ll man a watch for tonight.”
Wisp nodded as he continued a visual inspection of the area. “Let me catch a few hours sleep. I’ll take the midnight to dawn.”
Nick started to say he didn’t need to, but realized he was the best resource for it. And how quickly he had gotten used to Wisp’s talent. He accepted it without a thought now. “Thank you.”
Wisp’s mouth quirked in a half-smile. “Just makes sense.”
Nick went out to give them the all clear. He helped with the unloading of the prisoners, who were exhausted by the trip, the change in routine and surroundings. There were nine people from the lab and eleven prisoners. Nick reminded himself to start learning names. These people weren’t prisoners anymore. The sooner he stopped treating them that way, the sooner they would begin to feel normal. On a last trip out to the van, he dug through the supplies until he found some light colored tape and a marker. Then he went back and put a name tag on everyone while they ate.
He should have known it would have an impact on things. The ex-prisoners were delighted to be named. And all but one was able to remember his name. An older man, confused and frail wasn’t sure who he was. Nick couldn’t say if it was the drugs or an underlying condition that made him unable to answer. They agreed on a name in the meantime. Apparently he wanted to be called Cyril. It was such an odd choice that Nick was sure it must be his real name.
The people from the lab didn’t seem to be as pleased about the nametags. Nick didn’t give them a choice. He put one on himself and Wisp also. Then he noticed the looks. Several of the scientists, Kyle and Ruth included, were staring at Cyril.
Nick went over to Kyle. “Is there a problem?”
Kyle turned a thoughtful frown on him. “Is that really his name?”
Nick shrugged. “Does it matter?”
“That was a project name for a...” Kyle paused, his eyes automatically turning to Ruth.
“Classified?” Nick asked.
Kyle made a point of looking around the station at the people gathered there. “It may not matter anymore. It was a research project on blood-borne illnesses.”
“Like West Nile?”
“Mm. More like Ebola.”
“Don’t like the sound of that. Do you think he was involved in it?”
“It was a large project that continued over nearly two decades. Many people were involved.”
“Were you?” Nick asked.
Kyle ducked his head, then hesitantly nodded. “It was the first thing I worked on after the army took possession of me.”
“I’d appreciate it if you would think it over and see if there is any reason why your lab would want to keep someone from that project imprisoned.”
“You mean Dr. Rutledge’s lab.” Kyle corrected him automatically.
“Right.”
“I cannot imagine what it would have to do with the work that was being done there, but I will consider the coincidence and try to form some hypotheses.”
Nick bit his lip to keep the smile off his face. Kyle’s extremely formal response had struck him as remarkably absurd in the current circumstances. Nick started to leave, but Ruth reached out toward him, which stopped him in his tracks. “What can I do for you?” She seemed a little unsure, so he forced a smile for her.
“Well, I was just wondering...it isn’t a criticism, you know, just, I was just wondering...”
“Yes?”
“Are you specifically avoiding towns?”
Nick stared at her, trying to gauge her intent. “How long have you been in research?”
She seemed startled by the change in topic. “Since college. I started working with the army right away.” An honest smile graced her face. “It was where I met Kyle.”
Nick thought about how to phrase it. She was obviously completely in the dark about the true state of the world. He tried to make his voice gentle. “There aren’t any.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Nick licked his lips and the moment stretched a little too long. A worried frown creased her forehead. “I’m sorry, Ruth. There are a few settlements, a couple of med centers within a day’s train ride from the lab. We did circumvent a small settlement two-three miles back. I don’t like to show up at places I haven’t already checked out. But there aren’t any towns as you remember them. Largest settlement I’ve been to is Westridge. They’ve got about fifteen hundred folks spread out. It’s an old summer camp. They’ll let folks spend the night, might even let you stay permanent, but it isn’t like a town.”
Her frown changed from worry to annoyance. “They can’t all be gone. Where are all the people?”
“In settlements and med centers. Angus is working on a census. He thinks there’s only about thirty-three million in the whole country right now.”
Ruth opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out as Nick’s words sank in. “Are you serious?”
“I’ve been all over. Well, anywhere you can get to by train that is. The population is shrinking every year.”
“But that can’t be right!” She grabbed Kyle’s arm and dragged him away.
Nick went to check on the others. Ruth would find out soon enough what the world looked like. His insistence wouldn’t speed that along any. As soon as everyone had finished eating, he herded them all down to the shelter cubbies and tried to escort the ex-prisoners in. Unfortunately, the drugs were wearing off, and they weren’t as accommodating any more. A few people balked at being sent into small rooms. He pointed out that these doors locked from the inside, which calmed most of them. One man refused flat out.
“We’re a family,” he said firmly. His nametag said Mike. He looked to be in his forties, pale and worn out, ragged brown hair with a few streaks of gray framed a square face with sad blue eyes. He had his arm around a woman his age and two teenage girls huddled against them. Nick felt sick. All four of them had been in separate cells at the lab. A whole family, imprisoned.
Nick gestured to the next aisle in the shelter which contained a few multi-user cubbies. “Take a big one. You can all sleep together.”
Mike blinked at him, surprised or appreciative, Nick couldn’t tell. Then he shuffled off, his family glommed on to him like limpets. It was a small step, but it made Nick feel that he’d given t
hem back some dignity.
Nick took the first watch. He checked all the cubbies. Then he went upstairs to the main waiting area. He collected enough Crunch for everyone’s breakfast and stacked it on the benches where they had eaten dinner. Then he went to the big map to check the lines. As he had suspected, the entire line from the lateral to Laurel was dark. Although it was true that the lab was no longer in use, there were probably a number of settlements using those train stations. Now they were without food and emergency shelter. That worried Nick. He couldn’t decide if it was vindictive or prophylactic for that line to be shut down. And if it was to prepare for something else, what could that something be?
He walked the perimeter of the station stopping from time to time to listen to the sounds of the night. A rumble underneath his feet told him a train was passing through. Other than that, a few night birds called to one another. The light rain had stopped but heavy clouds moved in, blocking any moonlight. A breeze brought the scent of wet pavement and cooling greenery. The air was heavy with moisture. The lights from the station were all there was in the vicinity. Once he stepped into the deep shadows of the surrounding woods, he could only see what caught the pale glow of the security lights.
He stood listening to the occasional spatter of rain shaken from the trees by an errant breeze. Cicadas started cranking out their deafening call. The night was suffocatingly warm, the humidity making it nearly unbearable. A tropical system must be moving up from the Gulf. There might be rain all day tomorrow. That could make travel difficult. He’d use the ether at the station to check the roads from here to High Meadow. He was just starting a second circuit of the station when he heard the crunch of gravel in the parking lot.
Nick slipped behind a thick tree trunk, into deep shadow. He stayed very quiet. Voices came to him. A man and a woman arguing. “I said we should go this way!”
“Why?”
“Because that’s the way we came. We don’t want to go that way.”
“But I think this way is quicker.”
Nick crept through the undergrowth as quietly as possible. Between the cicadas and the argument, he doubted anyone would hear him. He got close enough to see the two of them, standing in the lights in front of the station. Not intruders, ex-prisoners. They finished their discussion and started walking across the parking lot, after a few feet, they held hands. Nick smiled. They were probably going to get into a whole lot of trouble, but if they wanted to leave, that was their decision.
He finished his circuit of the station and went inside. The sudden change into air conditioning made his clothes feel damp and heavy. He did a quick round of the cubbies, but all was quiet. He went to the ether booths, there was a row of them all along the back wall of the main waiting area. He took one that let him see the room easily. He called up a mapping program. It didn’t open. He tried a geography plotter, to no avail. The weather site responded with information that was already three days old. A chill ran down his spine that had nothing to do with the air conditioning. More sites on the ether were failing. He checked a few more that he used regularly. Two produced errors. Nervously, he requested the site for High Meadow.
A sketch of wildflowers opened into the main page for the med center. Nick breathed a sigh of relief as the usual information scrolled across the page. There was a recent note posted that the center had flu cases and that there would be no vaccine this year. Symptoms were listed and suggestions for simple home remedies. The message bar indicating whether the center was still taking patients was green, which meant they were still open for business.
Nick sent Angus a short, vague text message. He knew that Angus might be awake at this hour, but he was nervous about a live call on a public line. It would let Angus know all was well so far, but not let anyone intercepting it know anything more.
“You should rest.”
Nick jumped, startled to find Wisp at his side. “You scared me.”
Wisp smiled. “Sorry. I move very quietly out of habit.”
“Two people left,” Nick reported.
“For the best, if they weren’t happy with your plans.”
Nick shrugged. He gestured to the console. “Sent a note to Angus. Looks like the mapping program is down.”
“Odd coincidence?”
“Don’t know.”
“We are safe here at the moment. Get some rest. I’ll wake you if anything comes up.”
Nick gave him a salute and headed for the stairs. All of a sudden, he was feeling drained. He stumbled down to his cubby in a fog of exhaustion. The steel shelf felt like a real bed. He was asleep in seconds.
Chapter 38
“Although many people depended on the train food, the ubiquitous Crunch and Stew-goo, no one knew where it was produced. Very few witnessed the arrival of train cars full of packaged food or the stocking of the supply rooms.”
History of a Changed World, Angus T. Moss
Tilly went through the motions of her normal routine all the while knowing that they were in serious trouble. Three more deaths. Her heart ached with loss. She’d allowed herself a few tears at the graves, but no more. She had to be strong for the rest of them. Most of the time. Here, in her bedroom, alone, she could let down the wall for a little bit.
The people that had recovered from light cases of flu were now caring for the sick. It seemed logical that they would be inoculated. Angus couldn’t find any indicators that would let them know who might be hit harder than another. But in the end, she thought that might be a blessing. Who would want to know that this year’s flu was your death sentence?
Eventually it would come down to not enough hands to do all the work. She stifled a sob of frustration and loss. It all seemed so futile some days. Why fight the inevitable? Man had been stupid enough to sow the seeds of his own demise. She should just sit down and wait for death to overcome her.
Letting the grief and pain wash down through her helped ease it. You could only hold it at bay for so long without repercussions. She took a few deep breaths. Her image in the mirror showed her a stranger, a bony old hag with dark-circled eyes and chapped lips. This was the worst season in years.
She had a long list of things to do but couldn’t get started today. There were faces missing. Great gaps in the community that she didn’t know how to fill. The pain rose again, and she let the tears flow. Somehow she had to get everyone through this.
A knock on the door had her scrambling for a handkerchief. “Come,” she said wiping her eyes.
Angus came in with a steaming cup. “I brought you some tea, my dear.” He set it on the corner of her dressing table without comment. She loved him a little bit more for that. “Bruno has been foraging again and turned up three kinds of mint. Smells lovely, doesn’t it?”
She gave him a hug. He held her for a long time, not speaking. His arms were a familiar weight against her back. This was what made her put up with all his eccentricities. His ability to know when she needed him most. And the uncanny way he had of soothing her by doing nothing, just being present. “I love you.”
“And I you.” He kissed her forehead.
She slipped out of his warm arms and stood shivering for a moment. She felt so vulnerable all of a sudden. “Is breakfast done?”
“People have eaten, but they’re wandering around asking for you.”
“I take one day to sleep in a little and the world falls apart,” she chided with a forced smile.
“You are the queen of this small domain.” Angus gave her a courtier’s bow.
There it was again. He told her that she was needed without demanding she take her place, without accusing her of failing or insisting she work harder. He knew how hard she pushed herself. She didn’t need anyone to point out her lacks or failings. She just needed support. And she knew she could always rely on his.
“Is Martin pulling his hair out?”
Angus turned a hand up in a shrug. “Martin is always fussing about something. I don’t think we need to worry about some mysterious in
vasion in the middle of a flu season like this. Just about anyone with a brain will hunker down with family or friends.”
Tilly nodded. Like the ancients waiting to war until spring, bandits and bad guys waited for end of flu season to attack. People were more vulnerable then, recovering from illness and loss. Plus the med center had a plan in place now. If they were attacked, everyone would evacuate down to the storm shelters. Martin had rigged them to his own design, claiming they were highly defensible. Whatever that meant. And if the attack came from below, something Tilly hadn’t even considered, they should hide in the chapel.
“What would we do without Martin?” Her voice was a bit rough, but she managed to speak without a tremor to her words.
“We would muddle by,” Angus said gently. “I love them all too, dearest, but no one can be irreplaceable anymore. Including you and me.”
She chuffed out a sigh. “I suppose that means more planning.”
Angus paced a few steps in a way that warned her he wanted to broach a difficult subject. “This is a bad year.”
“Yes.”
“We need to make a plan for the center beyond our tenure.”
She smiled at his choice of words. “Planning retirement?”
He returned her smile. “Abdication at a proper age for the crown prince to come into his own.”
She chuckled. “We’ll talk tonight?”
“It’s a date,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. He spun on his heel and left with a jaunty walk.
Tilly smiled at the door. Angus had cheered her up. She was ready to go out and face the day.
Chapter 39
“The country was badly situated to lose its population. When the numbers were this low, in the 1800’s, local farms were hauling food into rapidly growing cities. We had no such infrastructure to fall back on.”
History of a Changed World, Angus T. Moss
