Eden Rising

by Brett Battles

  Sorrento, a skinny guy in his late twenties, seemed to have shrugged off the disappointment of missing the main mission, and smiled as he checked to make sure everyone had a seat.

  “All right. Let’s get going,” he said.

  “Just a second,” Ash told him.

  Sorrento paused, his hand ready to shift the truck into gear.

  Ash sat motionless for a moment, running everything through his head again.

  “Captain?” Sorrento said.

  Ash glanced at him, and then picked up the handheld radio they were using to communicate between their two vehicles. He switched to the same band Chloe had set the radio in the plow to—one they were confident Matt would not be using—and clicked the talk button.

  “Davis?” he said.

  “Yes, sir,” Davis said. “Ready to go when you are.”

  “I think for this first part, you just follow us,” Ash said. “If we run into any problems, you can swing around and take care of them.”

  “Okay, sir. If that’s what you’d like.”

  Ash looked at Sorrento. “Let’s hit it.”

  Sorrento put the Humvee in gear and drove them toward the parking lot exit.

  “Go left,” Ash told him.

  Sorrento slowed the vehicle. “Sir?”

  “Change of plans. We’re taking the interstate.”

  “The exit for 160 is only a mile or so down,” Sorrento said, confused. “It’s actually quicker if we go through town.”

  “We’re not taking 160.”

  “We’re not? But Mr. Hamilton said—”

  “I don’t care what Matt said.”

  “Okay, but if you’re thinking we should go through Albuquerque and head west from there, that’s kind of the long way around.”

  “We’re not going to Nevada,” Ash said. “Not yet, anyway.”

  Sorrento looked completely lost now. “I’m not sure I—”

  “We’re going south.”

  “But Mr. Hamilton thinks we’re going to Nevada.”

  “That, he does.”

  The truth of Ash’s intent seemed to slowly dawn on Sorrento. Brow unfurrowing, he tilted his head back. “We’re going to follow them?”

  “Now you’re getting the picture,” Ash said. “Won’t be a problem, will it?”

  Sorrento eased off the brake and smiled. “Not at all, sir.”

  “Hold on,” Dr. Gardiner said from his seat behind him. “Did I hear you right? We’re heading into New Mexico?”

  The Humvee rumbled onto the street and turned toward the interstate.

  “That’s correct, Doctor.”

  “No, no, no! We’re going to Nevada. That’s where my family is.”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll get you there eventually,” Ash said. “At the moment, your services may be needed elsewhere.”

  “Uh-uh. No way. I didn’t sign up for this.”

  “You didn’t sign up for anything,” Chloe said. “We saved your ass. I saved your ass. You and your family would already be dead otherwise.”

  “This isn’t the old world anymore,” Ash said. “We don’t get to sit around in our living rooms while someone else fights our fights.”

  “I don’t consider what I’ve been doing just sitting around a living room,” the doctor argued.

  “No, that’s true, but there’s more work to be done. What Matt and the rest of the team are planning will go a long way to saving a lot of people. They’ll be putting themselves in harm’s way, which means they will very likely need medical attention, probably more than Lily can handle on her own.”

  “So we’re following them because they might need me?”

  “No,” Chloe said. “We’re going because they will definitely need Ash and me. You are an additional benefit.”

  Davis’s voice came over the radio. “Weren’t we supposed to take that?”

  Ash glanced outside. They had just passed the US 160 exit off the I-40.

  He picked up the radio. “Change of route,” he said. “I’ll explain when we take a break in a while.”

  “All right, sir.”

  Ash looked back at the doctor. “Is this going to be an issue?”

  He knew Gardiner was a good man who was still trying to come to grips with all that had happened. The doctor wanted to be with his family, to know they were safe. But these days, the best way to keep loved ones safe often meant risking one’s life. Ash was sure that on some level, the doctor understood this.

  A few moments later, his hunch paid off.

  “No,” Gardiner said. “Not an issue.”

  ISABELLA ISLAND, COSTA RICA

  7:02 AM CST

  “ROBERT, YOU UP?”

  Someone knocked rapidly on Robert’s door.

  “Hey! Come on. Wake up!”

  Robert forced his eyes open and checked his watch. It was already after seven. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept that late.

  “Robert! Wake up!”

  He recognized Renee’s voice now.

  “Just a minute,” he said.

  Estella stirred beside him, her body draped over his side. “What’s going on?” she whispered.

  “I’ll check.”

  He extracted himself from the bed as Renee began pounding on the door again.

  “I’m coming,” he said.

  He grabbed his shorts off the floor and pulled them on as he moved out into the small living room that made up the rest of his apartment. Since he was now in charge, he could have moved into Dominic’s larger place, but that seemed wrong.

  “Robert!” Renee yelled.

  He pulled the door open and stepped onto the threshold in case she had been planning on coming inside. But the moment she saw him, she turned and started walking away.

  “Come on,” she said, hurriedly. “We’ve got to go.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “Another plane,” she said. “They just radioed and said they’ll be here soon.”

  “The UN?”

  “Yes.”

  “Give me a second.”

  “I’ll be in the radio room.”

  Robert ran back inside to grab his shirt and sandals.

  “What is it?” Estella asked.

  “The UN. They’re coming back.”

  She pushed herself up. “With the vaccine?”

  “I don’t know. I would think so. Look, I’ll, um, meet you at the bar in a little while.”

  “Sure. Okay.”

  Robert went over to the bed, gave her a deep kiss, and ran out of the room.

  __________

  AFTER GIVING THE plane instructions to land in the lagoon, Robert and Renee—and pretty much all the rest of the island residents—headed down to meet it.

  The plane buzzed overhead as it did a flyby of the lagoon before coming in and landing smoothly on the calm waters. The engine noise increased again as the aircraft taxied across the bay to the main pier, where Robert and Renee were waiting. A few of the others were also on the pier, while most remained on the beach, with a mix of wary and excited looks on their faces.

  As the plane pulled up next to the dock, Robert counted six people inside—four men and two women. He grabbed a rope and tied the front of the pontoon to the dock while Renee did the same at the back.

  The plane’s door opened, and the first visitors the resort had received since the outbreak climbed out.

  Leading them was a smiling woman with brown hair and tan skin.

  Robert offered her his hand and helped her down. “Welcome to Isabella Island.”

  “Thank you,” she said. “We’re very glad to be here.” She had a hint of a Hispanic accent but her English was perfect. “I’m Dr. Vega, but please call me Ivonne.”

  “Robert,” he said. “Robert Adams.”

  The other woman was next, introducing herself as Helena Chavez, a nurse, and then one of the men, a doctor named Peter de Coster.

  “The others will join us in a little bit,” Ivonne said. “They need to unpack the su
pplies.”

  “We can get some people to help them out, if you’d like,” Robert offered.

  “That would be great.”

  He asked for volunteers and saw almost every hand shoot up. He picked out three, who quickly made their way to the plane.

  “We will need someplace to set up,” de Coster said.

  “Of course,” Robert said. “The bar will probably be best. Plenty of room there, and that’s where people tend to hang out anyway.”

  “Sounds perfect,” Ivonne said.

  “Follow me.”

  As they walked along the path back to the resort, Renee said, “I can’t tell you how glad we are that we didn’t have to wait long for you to come back.”

  “We’re glad we could make it,” Ivonne replied.

  “Can you tell us what’s going on out there?” Robert asked. “How bad is it?”

  Ivonne’s smile faltered. “About as bad as you can imagine. Billions have died already.”

  He stopped walking. “Did you say billions? With a b?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  Robert couldn’t get his head around the number. Did that mean whole countries were gone? Continents? Was that possible?

  “That can’t be right,” he said.

  “I wish it wasn’t, but there’s no part of the planet that hasn’t been touched.” She paused. “Except, perhaps, your island.”

  “No,” he said, still stunned. “We’ve been touched.”

  Dr. de Coster’s eyes widened. “The disease is here?”

  “Not anymore.”

  “How can you be sure?” he asked.

  Robert told them what had happened to Dominic.

  “No one else has come down with the flu?”

  “Not a one,” he said.

  Ivonne smiled. “Sounds like you dodged a bullet.”

  “Dominic didn’t.”

  “Of course. I’m very sorry about your friend.”

  They fell into silence for several seconds.

  De Coster finally spoke. “You were going to show us where we could set up?

  “Right,” Robert said. “This way.”

  FROM THE JOURNAL OF BELINDA RAMSEY

  7:23 AM CST

  I HAD TO go into the farmhouse this morning. I know I said I didn’t want to, but the one thing I hadn’t taken with me when I left the dorm was matches, and I really wanted to light a fire to warm up. There’s a side door that leads straight into the kitchen. I looked through the windows first. If I’d seen even a hint of a body, I would have just dealt with the cold. But the room looked empty, so—with apologies to the homeowners—I broke a window so I could unlock the door.

  I have to say that as I stepped inside, I was tempted to keep going until I found a fireplace, or, even better, a warm bed. That was before the smell hit me, though. It was so strong and putrid, I stumbled back outside and thought for sure I was going to throw up. I don’t know how I kept it down.

  Again, I thought about abandoning the search for matches and going back to the barn. But the thing is, this wasn’t going to be the last time I smelled death—far from it, I’m guessing. And if I let it keep me from what I need, then I might as well give up now. I’m not saying I’m ready to extend this newfound bravery to actually seeing bodies yet, but I’ll deal with the smell.

  I buried my nose under as many layers of my scarf as I could wrap around, and then went back inside. I could still smell the bodies rotting elsewhere in the house, but it wasn’t as potent as before. Searching through the kitchen, I found a large container of matches, an unopened box of Ritz Crackers, and a sharp knife that could come in handy if I ran into any unfriendly animals. Honestly, the knife is really just something that makes me feel safer. Not sure, really, how I would handle an attacking animal. It did get me thinking about guns again, though, and whether there were any in the house. I’ve never shot a firearm before, but I know a gun would be real protection. Of course, that would have meant moving beyond the kitchen, still something I was not mentally prepared to do.

  As much as I would have liked to build a fire inside the barn, I was afraid some of the sparks might burn the place down. “Girl Survives Plague Only to Die in Fire.” Hell of a headline, even if there would be nobody to read it. Or, I guess, write the headline in the first place.

  I cleared an area out front that was covered by the barn’s eaves and mostly snow free, if not exactly dry. I then gathered some loose pieces of wood and dried hay from inside, and arranged them in the way my dad used to when we went camping. The first match broke in my hand, but the second got things going, and soon I was warming my hands by the small blaze.

  I wanted to get an early start this morning, so I knew I couldn’t sit there for long. I still hadn’t made a journal entry, though, and that was something I promised to do every day, so I went back in the barn to retrieve this book.

  I barely remember last night. I was really tired, so I didn’t get a chance to look around. But now I noticed a workshop down at the far end. I figured there might be something there that was good to have, so I headed over to check. Didn’t make it all the way, though. As I was passing one of the animal pens the owners had turned into storage areas, I noticed several large objects covered with tarps.

  I grabbed one of the covers and threw it off, and I’m not going to lie—I started to laugh. A snowmobile. In fact, there were four of them. Guess who’s not going to have to walk anymore?

  I was concerned at first that I might need to make another trip into the house to find the keys, but I found a ring with keys for all four in one of the drawers under the workbench. The good news is, all four engines started on the first try. There’s no real bad news, but my problem is, I have no idea which one would be the best to take. I’ve decided to go with the one that looks newest. I’m hoping that means its engine is in the best shape.

  I found several gas cans stored in the same area, and used what was left in one of them to fill the tank. I’ve strapped two of the cans that are near full to the back end with ropes and bungee cords. If I don’t run into any trouble, I’ll definitely be able to make it across the border into Illinois before nightfall. If I push it, I might even make it all the way to Chicago.

  Here’s hoping for no trouble.

  SALINAS, CALIFORNIA

  6:50 AM PST

  BEN WOKE WITH a start. He’d been dreaming. Of what, he couldn’t remember, but his heart was pounding and his breaths were short and fast. As the rush receded, his body began to relax and his head sank back into the pillow. He lay there for a minute, trying to remember what it was that had caused such a panic, but whatever had occupied his unconscious mind was gone for good.

  He glanced over at the bed where Iris had been sleeping, but it was empty. He sat up and looked around. He didn’t see her anywhere in the showroom.

  Restroom, he guessed.

  Ben pulled on his shoes and headed to the back of the store, needing to use the facilities himself. After making a stop in the men’s room, he knocked on the door to the women’s.

  “Iris? You in there?”

  No answer.

  He pushed the door open a few inches.

  “Iris?” When she didn’t respond again, he said, “I’m coming in.”

  A quick check of the stalls confirmed what he’d suspected. She wasn’t there.

  Great.

  She’d probably run off again. The question was, should he once more try to find her?

  “No,” he told himself a moment later. She knew what was going on now. Maybe she just wanted to be alone. If that was the case, so be it.

  He walked back into the main showroom, thinking the sooner he hit the road, the sooner he’d reach Ridgecrest, where, God willing, he’d find Martina. After he’d repacked the few things he’d taken out of his bag, he unzipped the pouch where he kept his keys. But his keys weren’t there.

  “Son of a bitch!”

  Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he ran toward the front of the store, but long before he
got there, he could see through the big plate-glass windows that his Jeep was not where he’d left it.

  “Dammit!”

  He burst out the main door and ran out into the parking area. No Jeep anywhere.

  “No! No! No!”

  He jogged over to the street and looked both ways. Nothing moved in either direction, nor could he hear the sound of an engine, even in the distance.

  He yelled in frustration. It was his Jeep with his things in the back.

  Oh, God, he thought. The photo of his family, his mother’s favorite, it was still under the driver’s seat.

  And the earrings. The ones he’d bought for Martina. They were to be the first ever Christmas gift he’d give her.

  All of them, gone.

  He stared down the road, numb.

  25

  NB219

  LAS CRUCES, NEW MEXICO

  10:31 AM MST

  PEREZ MADE HIS way through NB219 to the barracks section used by the security forces. As he stepped into the common area, the men who saw him first immediately jumped to attention, with the rest soon doing the same.

  “I’m looking for Mr. Sims,” he said. “Anyone know where I can find him?”

  “In his room, sir,” one of the men said. “Keep going straight. B-09.”

  “Thank you.”

  The door to Room B-09 was open a few inches. Perez looked inside and saw Sims unpacking his bag.

  “Mr. Sims,” Perez said as he rapped a knuckle on the door.

  Sims whirled around. “Principal Director,” he said, surprised. “Did I get the meeting time wrong?”

  After spending the night in Denver, Sims and his team had arrived back at NB219 less than fifteen minutes earlier. He was due in Perez’s office for a debriefing at the top of the hour.