by Kyle West
“We were on I-10, along the caravan routes, hoping for a lucky train that another raid hadn’t yet gotten. But instead, we came upon a sick man – a government man, because he wore a Bunker 114 uniform.
“Brux stabbed him, and we dragged him off the road and left him for dead. Little did we know that we were so close to Bunker 108. That Bunker ended up taking him in, and that man spread the Blight sickness to everyone there.”
“Wait,” Samuel said. “Bunker 108 is gone, too?”
I nodded. “It is. I am the only survivor.”
Samuel looked at me with pity. I tried to ignore that.
“So, going there is no longer an option,” Samuel said. “I had hoped to learn more from a certain Dr. Keener. Did you know him?”
A flood of emotion overwhelmed me when I heard that name. “He was my dad,” I said.
Samuel’s eyes widened. “Really? I am deeply sorry. He was a scientist, wasn’t he? He studied the xenovirus.”
I nodded. “He did. He knew a lot, but I don’t know as much about it. How do you know about him?”
“Everyone who has spent any amount of time in Bunker 114 is aware of Dr. Keener’s research. From time to time, notes would be sent back and forth between us.”
“Why were you hoping to speak with him?” I asked.
“To learn more about this xenovirus…I had hoped…” Samuel shook his head. “I’m sorry, Alex. I will not speak of it anymore.”
“It’s fine,” I said.
Makara waited a moment, before picking up where she had left off.
“After the incident with the sick man, we headed toward Raider Bluff. We camped on some hills, and waited by the Twin Routes, as we had in the old days. We might yet come back to trade for enough batts to last the winter.
“But that night was unusual, because Brux slept deeply. It was even more unusual when I saw a boy crawling into our camp. You can imagine my surprise. My eyes half-opened, I watched as he crept up to Brux’s backpack, picked it up, and simply walked off with it. The backpack with all the batts and Brux’s reserve weapon. Instead of stopping him, I let him go. He disappeared into the darkness. I waited. Then, I saw my chance to get out of there. If the boy could share the batts with me, then I could buy my way into one of the towns and never have to raid again. It was a gamble, but my life was not getting any better.
“I left the fire, and the raiding life forever. And here I am now, speaking to my brother.”
Makara then went on to explain everything we had gone through…how Brux had attacked us again, the attack on the caravan, the sandstorm and the monster that had been outside, the meeting with Ohlan, and our agreement to find the lost patrol and recover its supplies in exchange for citizenship in Oasis – all up to meeting Samuel.
Next, I told my story – a little of my life in the Bunker, and what had happened with the infection. I kept it brief. Though it was hard, I talked about losing both my father and Khloe. Samuel seemed especially interested when I talked of my father’s research into the xenovirus. I told him what I knew, however little it was. Samuel nodded, as if he had heard most of it already.
“I have read all of your father’s research,” he said. “He makes some interesting observations on the evolution of the xenovirus. Tell me, did he…”
“You’ve made him talk enough, Samuel,” Makara said. “He needs to recover from the week he’s had.”
I couldn’t argue with that. It was all I could do not to fall asleep on the couch.
“Alright, then” Samuel said. “We’ll sleep. In the morning, I can tell you about what I’ve found out since being here.”
We each went to our rooms, and to our beds. I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
Chapter 20
I slept fully and deeply. When I awoke, I was sore all over – especially my legs, which felt like jelly. I stretched them out, and headed to the kitchen to find some breakfast.
As I was warming up a ration in the microwave, I frowned. A trail of water led from the hallway into a room on the other side of the kitchen. It definitely wasn’t there yesterday.
I left the hum of the microwave behind, and went toward the door. It was open a crack, and dark inside. I paused a moment before tapping it open.
The door opened slightly. Inside, I could see a form.
It was Makara, toweling herself off after clearly taking a shower. She was facing away from me, and was naked and dripping wet. I panicked and backed out just as she started to turn.
I didn’t think she saw, but I felt horribly awkward. I hadn’t realized that was where she was staying. She had been in a different room yesterday.
I went back to the kitchen, embarrassed, where the microwave was now beeping. I took out my food. I looked back at the door. Makara was still in there.
She emerged, wearing new clothes – camo pants and a black tank top. Her hair was still wet. She wore a knowing smirk.
“Showers are down the hall,” she said.
I fumbled my tray, nearly spilling my food on the floor. “Yeah. Okay.”
She looked at me, shaking her head. “You’re so cute when you’re embarrassed.”
“I…I didn’t know you were in there. I’m sorry. I just saw the water…”
She rolled her eyes. “Shower up. Samuel’s already in the break room. I think he wants to get started.”
“Am I the last one up?”
“Yes. We don’t have a lot of time, so try to hurry.”
“You guys could have woken me up.”
“We tried. Twice. Like talking to a rock.”
I felt myself go red. “Fine. Just…”
She raised an eyebrow.
“I’ll meet you there, then,” I said.
I practically swallowed my food and headed for the showers. I let the cold water run over me for about two minutes before the shock of it made me step out. I couldn’t even get suds. Still, it was better than nothing.
While showering, I realized I’d forgotten to find some new clothes. However, after getting out, I found a clean set waiting for me on the bench. Makara had snuck in without me realizing it.
I put on the clothes. They fit remarkably well. I guess she had checked me out, at least a little bit, to know what would fit me.
I went into the break room, where Makara and Samuel were already waiting. As soon as I sat, Samuel began his story.
“I escaped Lost Angel Headquarters using an underground tunnel. It was hard to pull myself from the rubble, but I managed it. Raine was dead, and you were gone, so I had nothing there.
“I tried to find you, Makara. I went to every settlement in southern California, but none of them had seen you. After a year I had to face the truth…you were gone.
“Finally, I settled in Oasis. Ohlan was Raine’s brother, so I thought it might go well for me there. This was far from the case. I was unhappy. Ohlan runs it like a cult. There have been…killings. I felt I could not escape. At least, not until I was presented with the opportunity.
“One day, a patrol from Bunker 114 came by, led by a man named Dr. Luken. A few times a year, Bunker 114 would make contact in order to trade supplies. Ohlan had me stay with him as he brokered a deal between Oasis and 114.
“After the meeting, I introduced myself to Luken, telling him about my escape from Bunker One. When he heard of my firsthand experience with the xenovirus, he told me of Bunker 114’s research into it. I expressed interest in helping with their efforts. Luken offered me a position, and I accepted.
“Ohlan was not happy to see me go, but it was exactly what I needed.
“Over the next year, I learned much about the xenovirus. While the basic structure of it is the same, there are various strains – each strain affecting a different species, from microbes to, now, human beings. New strains were always being discovered in the wild. I would often go out to collect samples – there was a Blight about ten miles north of us.
“I’ve noticed a pattern over the past year, however: the xenovirus
was increasingly affecting more complex organisms. I knew from my experience at Bunker One that the xenovirus affected animals. However, I had never seen it here, in California.
“There were several connections we made – the bigger the Blight, the more complex its ecosystem. Bigger Blights are older, meaning the xenovirus has had more time to evolve and affect greater amounts of life forms. The infestation to the north was growing ever larger, until even the animals were becoming infected.
“We saw a great threat in this. Bunker 114, and even Oasis, would be in grave danger at current Blight expansion rates. Our research then switched focus from trying to understand the virus to trying to eradicate, or at least reverse it.
“As part of our research, we brought back a live rat specimen that was infected with the disease. Collecting one was difficult and dangerous, but ultimately successful. It was a nasty creature: hairless, pink, sticky skin, and totally white eyes. The turned rat was brought back to 114 and given into the care of a woman named Kari Wilson.”
Here Samuel paused, and gave a long sigh, as if dreading the part that came next.
“Dr. Wilson was a brilliant scientist, and my friend. One day, while transferring the rat to another cage, it escaped and bit her. We thought it was nothing at first. But then she became sick within hours. Apparently, whatever strain of the xenovirus that affected that rat could also affect humans. She left early that night to go to bed.
“That morning, she did not join us at breakfast. Me and someone else went to check on her in her room.” Samuel hesitated a moment before going on. “We knocked, but there was no answer. Finally, we opened the door. Kari was laying still, her face completely pale, her eyes open. I knew, without even feeling her pulse, that she was dead.
“We immediately quarantined her. We thought long about where to put her, but we eventually decided to cordon off an area in the labs that was not used often.
“Dr. Luken wanted to do an autopsy. I protested, but most of the other scientists wanted to know what happened.
“So she was there, in the operating room. I could tell she had visibly changed, even from that morning. All her hair had fallen out, and her face became deathly pale, revealing black veins beneath cadaverous skin.
“It became clear that she was not truly dead – her arms and legs began to twitch. There was hope that she might be saved.” He sighed. “Obviously, we were wrong.”
Samuel stopped talking. I thought he might go on, but what he had said so far had emotionally drained him. I wouldn’t be the one to push him on under those conditions.
Just when I thought he wouldn’t speak again, he willed himself to continue.
“What resulted was madness,” Samuel said. “They were able to restrain her, but she had fallen under the full influence of the virus. She was put in the holding cell, originally designed for prisoners. Dr. Luken told us that we were going to study the effects of the xenovirus on Dr. Wilson.”
Samuel shook his head. “Most agreed with him. I, and a few others, did not. I was the only one to leave. That is why I am the only one alive today. I went to Oasis, but kept everything to myself.
“Days later, Oasis received a distress call from 114. There were sounds of a struggle, and then silence.
“I knew what had happened, but Ohlan insisted on sending a team to investigate. Five other men and I were selected for the task.
“Even in the few days I had been away, the infestation had grown exponentially. Xenofungus covered the entire north face of Cold Mountain.
“The mission was a disaster. Kari ambushed us at the entrance of the cave. There, I got my first look at her. She had grown to twice her size, probably from having fed on the scientists who lived in 114. Whoever she had been was gone, now. Her face was twisted, grotesque, and she stank of death. Blood and flesh stained her mouth, where long, sharp teeth protruded. She had long claws, extending from elongated fingers. And those eyes – I will never forget those completely white eyes staring into me.
“I was only able to escape by running into the cave, toward the Bunker. There was another with me…but he did not get his mask on in time when we reached the area with the fungal spores. He was knocked out, and Kari dragged him away.
“I ran into the Bunker, right to the dorms. There was only one entrance and exit, so I sealed the door, and locked it tight.
“That was two weeks ago. I’ve been here ever since. The power still works, and there is enough food to last me months. I thought of leaving earlier, but I wanted to take the opportunity while I was here to learn more about what happened after I left.
“In the research database, I found Doctor Luken’s research notes – the first description, however brief, of the human xenovirus.
“The notes detailed Kari’s transformation from human to…something else. Infection, sickness, followed by a comatose state, then a reawakening brought about by a physical stimulus. It was noted, even after the transformation, that Kari would not move unless she there was something alive in the vicinity.
“Luken described pre-infection as Stage 0. Infection was stage 1. The coma was stage 2. And the final stage – stage 3 – was where Kari was no longer human.
“I will not go into the details of how this virus works on all its levels. I am only concerned with telling you its ultimate purpose. Like any virus, it is to self-replicate, and it accomplishes this by directing the host to attack all living things in sight. Live specimens were given to Kari, to feed upon. She ate them alive, and only grew stronger. Her biomass increased – not just her weight, but her skeletal structure, her muscles, her hunger.
“Eventually, it became too much. She was able to use her strength to break free from her cell. They should have killed her while they had the chance.”
I hadn’t said a word up to this point. It was hard not to be sick at what I heard.
“So that…thing…” Makara shook her head. “It’s still alive?”
Samuel nodded. “Yes, very much so. I don’t know exactly where she is. But she is most likely by the elevators. After all, that is probably where all the people ran.”
I tried not to focus on the picture that popped into my mind – Kari, gnawing on human flesh and bone in the darkness.
“But…how are we supposed to get out?” I asked. “Surely there must be a way.”
“There are only two ways,” Samuel said. “One is the tunnel, but the exit is surrounded by the sleeping spores. There is only one gas mask. And it is not as if that area is safe, either; after all, I had come in that way on my return to Bunker 114, only to be ambushed by Kari. Of the six men, I was the only one who survived.”
“Wouldn’t the elevators be worse, though?” I asked.
“The elevators are our only option. We will have to climb up the shaft and take one of the vehicles out.”
“Vehicles?” Makara asked.
Samuel nodded. “There are several Recons in the motor pool near the top of the mountain. We could use one of those. They run on hydrogen and are all-terrain.”
Bunker 108 had a Recon, but it was hardly ever used because of the attention it would draw.
“Look,” I said, “a Recon sounds fine and all, but it will be of no use if we’re all dead. What about those gas masks your patrol was wearing? I could go out, get them, and bring them back for everyone to use. Wouldn’t it be safer to get into the motor pool from the outside?”
“It is impossible to reach if from outside. Everything is locked tight, and it’s a long way to walk. I wish it were that easy. I have another reason why we need to exit by the elevator.”
“That’s obvious,” Makara said. “Free Recons. If we could each grab one, we’d be rich.”
“I have another purpose in mind,” Samuel said.
“Of course you do,” Makara said, sitting back.
“While researching the xenovirus, I discovered a curious citation in the databanks, by a certain Dr. Cornelius Ashton.”
Makara looked up. “Cornelius Ashton? That name soun
ds familiar for some reason.”
“Because he lived and researched at Bunker One. He is the author of a research paper called the Black Files.”
My ears perked at that. “The Black Files…I’ve heard my dad talk about them. He’d wanted to get his hands on those for years.”
Samuel nodded. “The Black Files contain a wealth of information about the xenovirus that was lost when Bunker One fell. No one thought to save the data and transport it back west.” Samuel sighed. “To think of all that information…there may even be something about a cure, or how to stop Blights from growing…”
“How do you know if such information might be in the Files?” Makara asked. “Sounds like wishful thinking to me.”
“I don’t know,” Samuel said. “Dr. Luken, and Dr. Keener, both certainly seemed to think they held something. The way Dr. Luken describes it in his notes…” Samuel shook his head. “Though much of our knowledge of the xenovirus comes from the Black Files, no one I know has ever actually read them. Think about it, Makara: the xenovirus was in a higher state of evolution while we were living in Bunker One in Colorado, than it is here now in California. With their personnel and resources, Bunker One would have an amazing amount of research.”
Makara and I looked at each other. I had no idea what any of this meant, and why it meant we had to sneak past Kari, climb up a long elevator shaft in the darkness, and commandeer a Recon.
“Samuel,” Makara said. “What are you saying?”
“Think about it,” Samuel said. “We may finally know the origins of the xenovirus. Where it came from. How to stop it. Answers we cannot find here.”
“Oh no,” Makara said. “Samuel…”
“Don’t tell me…” I said.
Samuel looked at Makara, then me.
“We have to go back,” Samuel said. “We have to find Bunker One.”
Chapter 21
No one said anything for a long while.
Then, Makara spoke. “What do you mean, ‘go back’? You do realize Bunker One is nearly one thousand miles from here? Even with a Recon, that’s a lot of open terrain to cover. And winter is coming on. How do we even find…”
