by Brad Knight
“Thank you, that’s good of you. But no. We’re heading to the coast.”
“The coast, huh? You sure?”
Mack nodded and smiled politely.
“Okay. Well, at least let us give you a ride as far as our camp. There are still some of those things wandering around out here.”
“That sounds fine. Thank you.”
Chapter 8
: The City of Angels
Doctor Devi Bawja squatted over a bucket behind the New Babylon Apartments. She sighed as she looked around. The building had seen better days.
Like all of Los Angeles, the apartment building didn’t survive the outbreak in one piece. Aside from the myriad of bullet holes, a whole quarter of the structure was blown apart. In an effort to halt the spread of the virus the military bombed the city, then sent in troops to clean up the leftovers.
The military’s destruction of Los Angeles was called an “unfortunate and acceptable loss”. Every day for months, Dr. Bawja woke up to the results of that unfortunate and acceptable loss. The City of Angels resembled post war Baghdad or Berlin.
Dr. Bawja finished relieving herself, stood and slipped up her underwear and jeans. She took out a pack of cigarettes. After hitting the bottom, a single smoke popped out. Three years earlier she stopped smoking. That changed when the world went to hell. There were much worse ways to die then lung cancer or a heart attack. Few would know that better than her.
Sins have a way of haunting men and women. They are rarely at the forefront of the sinner’s mind. Usually it takes seeing or hearing something that reminds them, something that forces them to confront what they’ve done. The problem for Dr. Bawja was that everywhere she looked, the consequences of her sins were apparent. Because of her, the world was ending.
Dr. Bawja put the cigarette sticking out of the pack into her mouth. She took out a plastic lighter and lit it. For the few minutes that it lasted, she forgot her problems. Those brief respites were all she had to look forward to every day. Once she came out from the back of New Babylon, the horror she had a huge part in causing would stare her in the face.
Finished with her cigarette, Dr. Bawja threw away the butt and snuffed out the burning embers with the bottom of her boot. There was no escaping the day. Her short time away from the world had ended. She steeled herself then headed towards the New Babylon back doors.
Immediately upon entering the New Babylon apartments, Dr. Bawja smelled the strong aroma of coffee. That time in the morning almost every resident drank some. It was easy to make and took a while to go bad. If you went to any hotel or motel, you could find boxes of the individually packed instant version of the hot beverage. So its popularity was really a matter of availability, not preference.
Holes in the walls from bullets and bombs let in light from the outside. Any dark room in the apartment building was lit by gas or battery powered lanterns. Finding her way from the back of New Babylon to the lobby where her comrades met every morning wasn’t hard for Dr. Bawja.
Along her way, she passed the families and friends of the resident fighters. They came in a variety of ages, sexes and races. All of them had jobs to do in their new post infection lives. And they all got up at the crack of dawn.
Bawja smiled and waved at the residents of New Babylon that she knew. They were her friends. She had no family in the United States. Her parents and siblings both lived across the Pacific in Mumbai, India. As far as their safety, she could only guess and speculate. Every family she saw at the apartments made her think of them.
On her way to the lobby, Dr. Bawja stopped in her apartment. It was silent and empty. She grabbed her machete and semi-automatic rifle she found at a sports supply store outside the city. Armed, she was ready to start her day.
The lobby of the New Babylon apartments were filled with men and women healthy enough to fight and salvage. Like Dr. Bawja, each of them were armed with weapons they found across the city. They drank their coffee and ate what little food there was for breakfast while waiting for their assignments.
A man in his early forties with graying hair and beard stood up in front of the boarded up front doors of the lobby. He coughed to get everyone’s attention. The man was known simply as “Lincoln” by the residents.
“Good morning, New Babylon. I know all of you are wondering about any news from the attack on Galatea last night. I’m afraid no one has heard anything. The Center, Hollywood, Venice Beach and Griffith haven’t had any contact with their teams. Neither have we.
“I know many of you are concerned about what happened to them or if they are coming back. I get it. But you need to try your best to get your mind off of it. I promise as soon as we hear something, we’ll let you know immediately.
“Now, for today, I’ve informed team leaders on what needs to be done. Meet with them and get your assignments. Remember, you need to be back by nightfall. Be fast and be safe. I’ll see ya’ll again tonight.” When Lincoln finished speaking, he met with his own team.
Teams consisted of anywhere from five to ten people. All of them were armed and experienced at venturing outside. All understood the danger they were willingly putting themselves in.
Dr. Bawja's team consisted of two twins, Stephanie and Simon, two former police officers, a teenager named Freddy and rather mysterious older man named Ulysses. The older man was their team leader.
“We’ve got a scavenging mission. The kitchen needs propane. We’re to scour the city for any we can find. Questions?” Ulysses was straight to the point. As per usual.
“Propane again perro? Has nobody told Lincoln how hard it was for us to find some last time? I don’t think there’s any left in Los Angeles County.” Freddy Martinez was a typical teenager. He had to question everything and give the adults a hard time. Even after a half a year he hadn’t learned that Ulysses wouldn’t be swayed by whining.
“Yes, Freddy, propane again. If we can’t find any in the county then we’ll widen our search. We aren’t coming back here without some. So finish up your breakfasts and meet me in the garage.” Ulysses picked up his old shotgun and walked off.
“Leave the county? Is that dude serious?” asked Freddy.
“When is he not,” answered Karin, one of the ex LAPD on the team.
“What do you think, Doc?” asked Daniels, the other ex LAPD member.
“I think we should do what our team leader says,” said Dr. Bawj. She left the team to get some coffee and whatever snack cakes were available.
“Feels like deja vu,” said Simon. He looked at his twin sister, Stephanie.
***
Fifteen minutes later, Dr. Bawja headed towards the garage. To get there, she and the rest of her team had to go outside. It wasn’t very far but still, they were exposed. One foot felt like fifty.
Surrounding the New Babylon Apartment building were several miles of protective measures. Cobbled together from razor wire, sharpened metal poles, improvised explosive devices and chain link fence, the structure was safe from meat puppet invasions.
Dr. Bawja’s team walked through a path that connected the building to the garage. Both sides were flanked by chain link fence wrapped in razor wire. There were a couple of meat puppets who at one point tried to cross the barriers. They got caught in them and rotted way in the sun. The smell was terrible.
Inside the three story parking garage were ten different automobiles. Six of them were cars. Two were SUVs. And the last two were vans. Why no trucks? There weren’t many people who drove trucks in Los Angeles before the outbreak. Those that were within the limits were on the highways, which were death traps.
The work-area inside the garage was well stocked. Taken from garages and mechanics from throughout the city, New Babylon had all the necessary tools to fix and modify vehicles. Lined up against a back wall were numerous plastic cans of gasoline.
“Here comes my favorite team.” Louis Baez, one of three mechanics at New Babylon turned around and saw Dr. Bawja’s group enter the garage. “To what do I owe the
pleasure?” He wiped the grease off his hands onto his pants.
“Louis. You got a SUV for us?” Ulysses shook Louis’s hand.
“Your timing is perfect. I just got done with the finishing touches.” Louis turned and presented the SUV behind him. “This one’s a beauty. I’ve really outdone myself.” He looked over at the other two mechanics. “I mean, we’ve really outdone ourselves.”
“What’d you do?” asked Daniels.
“Other than the regular fixes and tune ups, we’ve put in a roll cage and a new grill. Check this bad boy out,” Louis showed the team the front grill of the SUV. It was three times as thick as a normal vehicle of its make and model. The grill was also extended about a foot and half out from the hood of the car.
There were other modifications to the SUV that were made months before. Every window had chain link fence over them. The protective measure was put on in layers so there were only openings big enough to fit the barrel of a gun through.
Every tire on the SUV was rated for extreme off road driving. That was necessary so it could drive over bodies, or whatever other forms of debris were in the streets. They were brought in by a scavenging team from a shop that customized vehicles.
Freddy started inspecting the SUV and speaking Spanish to Louis. They conversed and laughed, leaving the other members of the team confused.
“English please, Freddy,” said Daniels.
“What? Oh sorry. I was just telling him how much I admired his work. That’s all. Ain’t that right, dawg?”
Louis nodded and smiled.
“Enough giggling, we have a job to do. Louis, the keys?” Ulysses had little patience. It was because he knew they had a hard task in front of them. And it would likely take them most of, if not the whole day to accomplish, barring incredibly good luck.
Dr. Bawja’s team entered the modified SUV. Two got into the front seats, Daniels behind the wheel. Three sat in the backseat. The doctor and Freddy, the two smallest team members were in the trunk. All settled in, they were ready to go.
The SUV slowly drove through the parking garage towards the gated exit. There a man was posted to not only open and close the gate, but to check and make sure the coast was clear. If as much as one meat puppet got inside, the results would be absolutely disastrous.
There was protocol as far as letting any vehicles in or out of the parking garage. First the guard manning the gate had to look outside and check for the monsters. If there weren’t any close enough to be a threat of getting inside, the gate would be opened.
Whenever a vehicle returned to the garage, there couldn’t be any meat puppets coming after it. Once let inside, every person in the vehicle would be checked for bites, scratches or any other form of injury that could infect. Any potentially infected team member would be locked up in a cage built inside the garage. If the person in question didn’t display any signs of infection, they’d be let go. A mercy filled bullet to the head would end any who did display signs of infection.
Everyone in New Babylon knew the protocols. They all knew the risks of leaving the property. Still, no one ever backed out of a mission.
“Abandon all hope, ye who enter here,” said Dr. Bawja as the parking garage gate opened.
“What’s that?” asked Freddy as he opened up a piece of chewing gum.
“Nothing. I was thinking out loud,” answered Dr. Bawja.
“Nah, I’ve heard that before. Where’s that from?”
“Dante’s Inferno.”
“The game? I knew I heard it from somewhere.”
Dr. Bawja just shook her head.
***
The city was just as bleak as Dr. Bawja remembered it. Most of the dead were either rotted away by the sun or wandered around under it. Evidence of the hard fought battles for control of the streets, supplies and people’s lives were all over the place. Los Angeles was a warzone.
There was only one positive aspect of the jewel of the West Coast. Unlike many or even most major metropolises in the U.S., it was spread out. Buildings weren’t stuck up against each other. Getting from one side to the other didn’t take an hour, but several. Being spread out meant that the Los Angeles streets weren’t clogged with meat puppets.
Even though there weren’t many roaming creatures to contend with, there was an excess of debris. While fleeing the city and the infected, people left behind their vehicles, suitcases and other valuables. It was a good thing that the proper modifications were made to their SUV. Otherwise the team might have gotten stuck and stranded.
“Get ready,” said Ulysses as his team’s vehicle pulled up to a gas station. Outside of it were a couple of abandoned cars at the pumps and four wandering meat puppets.
Daniels tested out the new SUV grill by slamming into one of the infected. That got the other creatures’ attention. The others were newly turned. They screeched and ran at the vehicle. Their mobility caught the team a little off guard.
Stephanie, who was seated on the side of the SUV that the meat puppets were rushing, stuck the barrel of her automatic pistol out the chain link covered window and let loose. She managed to take down one of the creatures and injure another.
The remaining meat puppet ran full speed into the side of the SUV. Predictably it didn’t make a dent. Instead it knocked itself for a loop. Sensing an opportunity, Ulysses got out and quickly took the puppet out with a hatchet blow to its head.
“Let’s make this quick. Their screeches are going to bring more,” instructed Ulysses.
Everyone on the team got out of the SUV. As per usual, Stephanie and Simon stayed close together. They searched the outside. Daniels and Karin went inside. Dr. Bawja and Freddy kept watch. Ulysses coordinated.
The two former LAPD officers entered the gas station convenience store first. They entered with the same kind of tactics used when they were still enforcers of the law. It didn’t take long for them to realize there was nothing of use in there. Looters cleaned it out months before they got there. Next they moved on to the garage section.
Stephanie and Simon did a slow lap around the exterior of the gas station. Both were highly alert and aware of their surroundings. They knew that at any moment, from any shadow, a meat puppet could spring out and try to kill them. Having survived so much, they weren’t going to die just because they didn’t check every nook and cranny.
Dr. Bawja and Freddy stood almost back-to-back. They both checked different sides of the street. Neither saw any approaching infected or survivors.
“How does it look?” asked Ulysses. The question was directed at Freddy and Dr. Bawja.
“Clear,” answered Dr. Bawja.
“Clear,” echoed Freddy.
Ulysses removed his radio from his belt. “How’s it looking inside, officers?”
Daniels and Karin were inside the gas station garage. It was dark and hot. Like the convenience store, it was empty. An earlier scavenging team took all the tools and anything else of use inside.
The former LAPD officers scoured the garage for any propane tanks. There were none. Then they heard a muted screech and something moving.
Karin and Daniels tried to find the meat puppet they heard. Their search ended at a closet locked with a padlock. On it was written “Do not open!” in engine grease. Something inside pounded on the doors.
“How’s it looking inside, officers?” Daniels heard Ulysses’s voice over the radio on his belt.
“There’s nothing in here. It looks like someone’s already been,” answered Daniels into his radio. He motioned for Karin to follow him out of the gas station garage.
Simon and Stephanie were done searching the outside of the gas station. Like their other team members, they found nothing. It was clear that the place was already cleaned out. The gas station represented the futility of salvage missions at that point. Everything valuable or useful in Los Angeles had already been found and pillaged. Still, they weren’t discouraged.
Satisfied with their search, Ulysses called back the team. They all got into
the modified SUV and drove off to their next stop, a big box hardware store. It was about five miles away.
***
“This wasn’t here before,” observed Ulysses. He referred to what looked like a man made road block. Made out of burnt out cars, dumpsters and various other refuge, it completely blocked the street.
“I don’t like this. Ulysses, we need to get out of here,” said Karin.
“I agree,” added Daniels.
“I’ll try and find another way. Just give me a second.” Ulysses took out their map. Without the satellites, GPS was useless.
“What’s wrong?” asked Dr. Bawja from the back seat. She turned around from the trunk and tried to get a better look.
Freddy looked forward out of the back window. He didn’t care what his teammates were talking about up front. His attention was squarely on the three guys approaching the SUV with weapons in hand.
“Guys,” Freddy tried to warn everyone of the encroaching danger. They ignored him.
“It looks like we can take Stockton to Birch,” said Ulysses as he pointed out a route for Daniels on the map.
“Guys!” Freddy tried again.
“Not now, boy! We’re trying to find a way out of here.”
“Yeah but…” The three guys were within thirty yards of the SUV.
Dr. Bawja turned back around. “What is it?” she asked while looking at Freddy, not out the window.
“Raiders!” yelled Freddy as he pointed out towards the three guys who were within fifteen yards.
“Where!?” asked Ulysses. Freddy finally got his attention.
“Behind us!” answered Freddy.
The business end of a baseball bat connected with the back window of the SUV. That blow broke the glass but didn’t get through the chain link barrier over it. If anything it got everyone’s attention.
Daniels put the SUV into reverse and stepped on the gas. The vehicle hit two of the three raiders. With broken bones, they weren’t a threat any longer.
