by Chesla, Gary
Linda looked at Mike and frowned because she knew what he was thinking.
Mike wasn’t a cat person and had made jokes about leaving George behind every chance he got.
“I’m serious Mike, I’m not sure I’m ready to move again so soon,” Linda said.
“I agree, this place is amazing, but I wouldn’t make up your mind until we find out more about what is at Cheyenne Mountain,” Mike replied. “If the president is there, who knows what they might have.”
“Would they have ice cream?” Jamie asked. “I haven’t had ice cream for a long time. Why don’t we have ice cream anymore?”
“I don’t think you have to worry about that yet,” Tony laughed. “We have a lot of work to do before we go exploring Cheyenne Mountain. Even if we find the president there, Doc doesn’t like politicians. It would take a lot of convincing to get him to move in with a politician.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Linda smiled. “But I can’t possibly imagine what could be there that we don’t have here.”
“The president!” Mike grinned.
“That doesn’t do anything for me,” Linda grinned back. “I didn’t vote for him.”
Tony laughed and decided to change the subject.
“What’s on the menu today?” Tony asked.
“Skettie,” Jamie piped up.
“Alright, that’s my favorite!” Tony smiled.
“Mine too!” Jamie grinned.
Salt Lake City Airport
Rogers guided the helicopter over the airport to have a look around before landing next to the tanker truck.
It was his second trip to the airport today, one trip to get an air sample for Doc to verify that it was safe, and now the second and real trip to the airport to get fuel for the turboprop.
“Circle around that McDonalds one more time,” Davis said. “I swear I saw just something moving inside the building.”
McDonalds sat about two hundred yards across the runway next to the terminal from where the tanker was parked.
“I think you are seeing things,” Rogers joked. “Maybe coming down here and seeing the aftermath of what happened here is making you jumpy? Not that I don’t blame you, this place gives me the creeps too.”
“No, I swear I saw something moving around inside McDonalds,” Davis replied.
“We better check it out,” Pete said. “It was probably just a shadow, but who knows, we shouldn’t assume that there isn’t anything there. God knows we’ve had our share of surprises and we don’t need anymore.”
“I’m not assuming anything, I’m just saying I think that Davis is seeing things,” Rogers laughed as he maneuvered the helicopter around to make another pass by McDonalds.
They flew around McDonalds one more time.
“Did you see anything this time?” Rogers asked.
“No, Pete was probably right, it was probably just a shadow,” Davis replied. “Take us down and let’s get our fuel.”
Rogers landed the helicopter next to the tanker and shut off the engine.
Pete hopped out of the helicopter, turned and dragged out the long roll of hose and the hand pump the guys had found in one of the bays back at Granite Mountain.
“I’m familiar with these tankers, so I’ll climb up on top and set up the pump,” Pete said. “All you need to do is put the hose inside the barrel and signal for me to stop when the barrel gets full. When I get up on the truck, wave when you want me to start.”
“OK, I’ll be ready in a second,” Rogers replied.
Rogers opened the cap on the first fifty-gallon barrel, grabbed the hose and put the end of the hose into the barrel as Pete climbed the ladder to the top of the tanker and prepared the pump.
“OK Pete, let her rip,” Rogers shouted, waved his arms and watched as Pete began to work the handle on the pump.
Soon the sound of fuel splashing into the barrel started.
Rogers looked up at Davis, who was standing guard next to the helicopter, staring out towards the McDonalds.
“Are you still worried about something being in McDonalds?” Rogers asked.
“I don’t know,” Davis replied. “I just have a creepy feeling there is something strange going on here.”
“Yeah, this place gives me the creeps too,” Rogers said. “The smell, the burned-out shells of planes, the rotting bodies, it makes me wonder if this is what Fallon is like now.”
“We know this is what Fallon looks like,” Davis replied. “Chervy showed us on the computer.”
“We saw this airport on the computer too but being here is a lot different than looking at pictures,” Rogers added. “I guess what I mean is that it feels different being here in person. Just keep your eyes open and relax, we looked this airport over with Chervy, there isn’t anything here to worry about. Doc says the air is safe to breathe so we just need to do our job and go home. Besides, if you do see anything, we’re out here far enough from everything that we could take off before anything can get near us.”
“Do you hear something?” Davis asked.
“Yeah, this barrel is full, hold on a second,” Rogers replied as he turned and yelled up at Pete.
“Pete, hold up,” Rogers yelled waving his arms.
Pete stopped working the handle when he saw Rogers waving his arms.
Rogers removed the hose from the barrel and screwed the cap back onto the barrel.
Rogers pulled the hose around to the other side of the helicopter, removed the cap on the second barrel, inserted the hose and waved back at Pete to start pumping again.
“What were you saying?” Rogers asked Davis.
“I was asking if you hear anything,” Davis repeated.
“Like what?” Rogers asked. “I don’t see any birds or animals doing anything to make any noise. It’s dead quiet around here, pardon my pun.”
Davis looked around, “No birds or animals, it was just like back at Fallon before the infected attacked the base.”
“But we know there aren’t any infected around here, we looked at the satellite images and we just flew in and we didn’t see anything,” Rogers said. “That is if we don’t count what you thought you saw at McDonalds. I think you’re just being paranoid.”
“I know, but I swear I feel a low rumbling in my gut,” Davis said. “I’m going to walk over towards McDonalds and see if I can see or hear anything over that way.”
“Doc said that we are to stay together,” Rogers replied.
“I’m only going out to the middle of the runway,” Davis said. “You will be able to see me the whole time.”
“The second barrel is almost full,” Rogers said. “Wait a few minutes and I’ll walk out with you if that will get this feeling out of your head.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Davis replied. “It would be better to finish getting the fuel first.”
A short time later, Rogers signaled Pete to shut down the pump, then capped the second barrel.
Pete climbed down off the tanker and walked back over to the helicopter.
“Is there enough in the tanker for us to make another trip?” Rogers asked.
“The tanker is still almost full,” Pete replied. “The hundred gallons we just took hardly puts a dent in a tanker of this size. We won’t have any problem getting all the fuel we will need for our trip to Cheyenne Mountain.”
“Good, a few more trips and we’re done then,” Davis said. “I’ll be happy to get this over with, something doesn’t feel right about this place.”
“Davis said he hears a noise or feels something that is bothering him,” Rogers said to Pete.
Pete listened for a few seconds, “I don’t hear anything unusual. As for feeling anything, well there are chills running down my spine as I look at this place, but after everything we’ve seen over the past few months, I think any normal person would be feeling that way seeing all of this.”
“Well, you stay with the helicopter and I’m going to walk out on the runway with Davis,” Rogers grinned, “so we can get
this feeling out of his head or he is going to drive us crazy.”
“Maybe I should go with you, we are supposed to stay together,” Pete replied.
“No, you stay with the helicopter, we’re only going straight out on the runway where you can see us,” Rogers said. “Besides if something gets us, we need you to get the fuel back to Granite Mountain.”
“Don’t even joke about that shit,” Pete growled. “At least don’t joke about it until we get back to the base. I’ve become a little superstitious about this sort of stuff over the last few months. Just keep your eyes open and make it fast.”
“We’ll be right back,” Rogers grinned.
Davis and Rogers walked out and stood in the middle of the runway.
They stood side by side and turned slowly and looked around the airport.
“I don’t see anything,” Rogers finally said. “Are you satisfied now?”
Rogers turned towards Davis, but when he turned he saw Davis down on his hands and knees with his head to the ground.
“What are you doing now?” Rogers asked. “You look like a damn Indian scout listening for a herd of buffalo.”
“Come here,” Davis said. “Put your head down here and listen.”
Rogers shrugged his shoulders but got down next to Davis and put his ear to the ground.
“What?” Rogers asked.
“Listen,” Davis said.
Rogers rolled his eyes, but then his eyes stopped and narrowed as he listened.
“I do hear something,” Rogers said. “It seems to be coming from in the ground. It sounds like something rumbling, that’s weird.”
Davis sat up and looked around.
“Over here,” Davis said as he got up and ran twenty feet to the right of where they had been kneeling.
Rogers got up and walked over to Davis.
“Help me pry up this manhole cover,” Davis said as the two men stared down at the manhole on the runway at their feet.
The two men got down and got a grip on the edge of the manhole cover.
They started to pull at the cover.
“Damn this thing weighs a ton,” Rogers gasped. “I don’t think we can lift it.”
“It has to be heavy, they ran 747’s over it,” Davis replied. “I think we are going to need a crowbar or something.”
“You keep listening, I’ll run back to the helicopter and get something we can use to pry up this cover,” Rogers said, quickly stood and ran back to the helicopter.
He returned a few minutes later with a two-foot long metal bar and Pete next to him.
“Pete had to see what we were doing,” Rogers laughed.
“When you two got down on the ground and put your ears on the runway, curiosity got the better of me,” Pete said. “What did you find?”
“There is a sound coming from below,” Davis replied. “I thought if we pulled up this manhole cover we might be able to hear it better.”
Pete glanced around the runway, “OK, let’s pull it up then get moving. Even though there shouldn’t be anything here, I don’t like being too far away from our only means of transportation to get home.”
Davis wedged the bar under one side of the cover and the three men began to pull.
When they had pulled the cover up a few inches, they slid the cover off to the side of the opening for about six inches.
“Holy Shit that smell,” Rogers gasped as the odor hit him full force in the face as the cover lifted off the hole. “Is that what I think it is?”
“It could be that we just removed the cover from the sewage line that runs under the runway,” Pete said.
“Listen to that sound,” Davis said. “That low rumbling sound was what I was hearing. What is that sound? The air coming up out of this hole feels cool too.”
“If this was back at Fallon, I’d say the infected were trying to sneak up on us through the sewers,” Rogers replied, “but I know it can’t be that.”
“I think I know what it is,” Pete replied. “It’s a sound you hear when you are flying in an airplane and someone opens a door in the back of the plane. It’s like the sound of air rushing through the back of the plane. It’s that same rumbling or vibrating sound.”
“How would something like that be happening here?” Rogers asked.
“We’re near the lake and it’s my guess that this sewage line empties out in the middle of the lake,” Pete replied. “With everything that’s happened, there could be another manhole open somewhere around here and what we are hearing is the wind blowing through the sewers.”
“I didn’t think they were allowed to empty raw sewage into a lake like that?” Rogers asked.
“A lot of things went on that people weren’t allowed to do,” Pete replied then smiled. “If we find the president at Cheyenne Mountain we can report them.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Davis said as he sat back on his haunches and analyzed the low rumbling sound coming from the manhole.
“Are you happy now?” Rogers asked. “Can we go home now?”
Davis listened for a few minutes then sighed, “Yeah, let’s get out of here.”
The men walked back to the helicopter, crawled inside and Rogers started the engine.
When everyone had strapped in, Rogers hit the throttle.
The engine began to roar as the rotors powered up kicking dirt and dust into the air around the helicopter.
The helicopter began to vibrate and bounce up and down on the runway, then a red light began blinking on the instrument panel.
“What’s wrong?” Pete asked from the back seat.
Rogers stared at the instruments for a few seconds.
“It says that we are too heavy,” Rogers replied.
“How much does that fuel weigh?” Davis asked.
Pete did some mental calculations before answering.
“I estimate each barrel weighs about four hundred and fifty pounds,” Pete replied. “What’s the weight limit on this vehicle?”
“I’m not sure, all I know is Doc said that each of these little helicopters can carry four people, max,” Rogers answered.
“Shit,” Pete said. “We aren’t going to be able to take all this fuel back to the base until we lose some weight. I’m guessing that we’re only going to be able to send two people on each trip from here on out and only be able to transport one barrel at a time.”
“Could we take one barrel off and come back for it on the next trip?” Davis asked.
“With the three of us, I think we might still be overweight,” Pete replied. “The barrel weighs about as much as two people and we still have three people to go back. It could still work except, we would need change how we are strapping the barrels to the skids. We have each barrel attached to the outside of each skid and if we remove the barrel from the left skid, the helicopter, if it can take off, would list too far to the right to be able to fly.”
“I don’t think this helicopter sits up high enough to attach a barrel underneath the craft between the skids where it would balance the load,” Rogers replied. “Maybe we could just put the barrel in the back seat?”
The men thought for a few minutes.
“I think what we could do is this,” Pete said. “Davis and I will get out. Rogers, you see if the helicopter will take off with just you and the two barrels. If it will fly, you take the fuel back to base and Davis and I will wait here until you come back.”
“I don’t think we should do that,” Rogers said. “Doc said we need to stay together.”
“We could try pumping half the fuel out of each tank so we could reduce the weight and all go back together,” Pete replied.
“Why don’t we call back and ask Doc what he wants us to do?” Davis asked. “Maybe he will want to send out the other helicopter so no one has to stay behind and we can finish this job today instead of stretching it out for a week?”
“Good idea,” Rogers said as he pulled the satellite radio from the pouch between the seats. “I almost forgot about this th
ing. We’re used to only having walkie talkies and they only have a range of a few miles.”
Rogers hit the transmit button.
“Hey Chervy, can you hear us?” Rogers asked.
“I hear you,” Chervy replied. “I was just getting ready to call you guys. Doc has been wondering what is taking you so long.”
“We have a problem, Cherv,” Rogers said.
“What kind of problem?” Chervy asked. “I have you on my screen now.”
“With two full barrels of fuel, we are too heavy to lift off,” Rogers replied. “We could try leaving a couple people behind or we could try pumping fuel out of the barrels to reduce our weight until we can take off, or you could send out the second helicopter to help us.”
“Or maybe you could go on a diet and stop eating so much lasagna,” Chervy laughed.
“Very funny,” Rogers said. “We called back to see what Doc wanted us to do before we start dumping fuel. Would you mind asking Doc what he wants, it’s creepy out here and Davis is starting to hear noises.”
“OK, relax,” Chervy grinned. “I’ll go find Doc and call you back in a few minutes. Just stay put and don’t go anywhere.”
“Is he always this humorous?” Chervy heard Pete ask Rogers before the line when silent. He could only imagine what Rogers replied.
Chervy got up and headed towards Doc’s quarters.
“I should have known those two would forget to take the weight of the fuel into consideration before going out there,” Chervy laughed to himself.
“Rogers shut down the engine, “We should save our fuel until Chervy gets back to us.”
“Good idea,” Pete said. “With the extra weight, we might need all the fuel we have to get back.”
“What do we do now?” Davis asked.
“Nothing,” Rogers replied. “We sit and wait until Chervy gets back to us. Unless he stops in to see what Reynolds is making for dinner, it shouldn’t be long. By the way, what is Reynolds making for dinner today?”
