-2-
Carmen White was as the saying goes as American as apple pie. She was also as gorgeous as any super model in the fashion business. She was white, tall, long blonde hair, and had the body of a goddess. Needless to say she was highly sought after by many suitors (men and women included). Unlike the others I had met previously, money and looks were only secondary in importance to her. She was all about personality, old fashioned virtues, and how well a person fit with her likes and views in general. Because of her standards she chose to remain single waiting for the perfect one to come along.
The first time I saw her she was on a beach surrounded by admirers which she was quickly dispersing (as most were trying to impress her with their muscles, vulgar come on lines, or expressing their wealth and talents they possessed). When she was finally alone I decided to take a chance approaching her as others had done.
“Sorry to bother you. You seem to have quite the fan base here on the beach. You should be charging them since they appear to believe they are in an art gallery.” I told her with a smile.
“I do apologize, but I am actually quite exhausted from the endless gawking of my art today. Not sure I can handle much more appreciation.”
“Please allow me one chance to prove I am not only a connoisseur of art, but an individual whom has an appreciation of many things. I promise not to disappoint you as the others. Not today or hopefully ever.”
She turned and actually looked at me for the first time. She seemed to stare right through my soul with her beautiful blue eyes. She gave me a tiny smile, but I knew she was still full of doubt.
“I am Carmen. It is nice to meet you. You are quite handsome. Nice expensive watch too, is that a Rolex?”
“It is a pleasure to meet you Carmen. I am Ryan or Rye for short if you prefer. I may be handsome just as you are extremely gorgeous. However, I prefer a person with inner beauty above outer appearances. As far as the watch goes, a person has money or does not. It is not a defining factor of their principles or aspirations.”
For almost a full minute Carmen was completely silent. Obviously my words broke down one of her walls or she was in shock. Perhaps she simply just had disbelief in the authenticity of the words I spoke.
“Tell me Rye, what are your plans this evening for dinner? I would very much like to get to know you a little better.”
Dinner was followed by many more dates. We had endless conversations while strolling the parks. Eventually we began falling hopelessly in with one another. During the first year we dated I made many trips to California. In time I was introduced to her parents who had already known much about me from Carmen. Her father apparently had thoroughly researched on the internet including background checks until he was fully satisfied according to conversation during dinner. The evening went splendidly without problems. Carmen told me that I very much impressed her parents. They were delighted about the two of us being together. A few months later I proposed (after getting her father’s permission) having a small wedding with just family and a few close friends. I asked her if she preferred to find a house in California or somewhere between both of our families. She told me neither, that she would happily move to Texas. It was a big change for her, but after a couple months she grew accustomed to the odd weather changes, the wind and dust, and bad drivers. She also got used to the wealth, but never spent extravagantly or flaunted the money. She consumed a lot of time volunteering to help others in any way she could occasionally asking if it would be alright to give a donation to charity or for something small that would help out another family. Every day and every moment with her was full of amazement and wonder.
-3-
When the explosion occurred, we were both dumbfounded. We called around to see what we could do as far as aid or to help in any means (we both knew the government would be lacking in their duties to assist properly regardless of what they actually said). The propaganda speech from the President the following day made me just shake my head knowing fully that he was just another in a long line with their own agendas who spoke many promises while fulfilling a few. He spoke only as an absolute necessity to appease the public. I was not at all surprised about the riots when they began. I had known for a good ten years at least that the government was a complete failure being disgusted with it my entire adult life. I knew without a doubt what would be coming next (the dispatch of military to threaten the citizens into submission).
The government tried to mandate new laws making it impossible to buy guns or ammo, while at the same time began stock piling their armory on the greatest scale ever. These two things escalated the public into stock piling before the new laws could pass. Ammunition shortages became a huge thing throughout the nation. Prices of guns and ammo skyrocketed to new heights. Resellers made a killing on profit with ease. A large part of the population began making other preparations such as buying camping gear and survival items. Water purification tablets, filtration bottles, vitamins, and food with the longest shelf life were a few of the major selling items. Gold and silver prices rose to heights never imagined before as many prepared for the fall of the US dollar. The oil companies attempted to drain every penny they could with their outrageous prices creating a huge crime wave of gas thefts. So on and so on, the smart prepared and those who did not would soon wish they had or eventually become the ones who fought and killed for their supplies.
I was among the intelligent ones that prepared for the possibility of total military suppression. I even went so far as to fortify my property and make sure the cabin in Ruidoso was ready in case for some reason we needed to make a hasty escape to a secluded area with forests to easily disappear in.
I have already gone into detail of what happened once the military was dispatched to the major cities to the point of the top officials abandoning the United States to find support among allied Nations. The citizens celebrated ecstatic that the oppression and tyranny of a once great system was finally at an end. Just when everyone was beginning to relax and wind down, a new evil fell upon the nation.
During the months that followed everyone was focused on the issue of creating a new system of government or if we should even have one. Most simply lost interest or forgot about the area under quarantine. Unbeknownst to the public we soon had a new war to fight. The infected that the military kept secret for months while eradicating as many as they could find were let loose in the vicinity after the military guarding ground zero had dispersed. Several were dealt with by armed citizens after the media showed live footage of a group of these most bizarre undead humans attacking a couple at a park. It was not difficult for anyone to connect the dots of where this live footage was taken in correlation to the area that had recently been a under quarantine. These things were given the name ‘Fallen’ by churches and spiritual followers to express that they had befallen a great evil done to them including the loss of life, humanity, and individuality. The media helped to spread the term.
While all became aware of the Fallen, no one was in the slightest prepared for what else was to come. The storm that originally arose after the explosion eventually dissipating reforming about six months after its initial structure had broken down. The cellular structure of whatever was in that storm spreading through the atmosphere in an inactive state. The new storm brought the first snow of the year. Millions immediately came down with Pneumonia like symptoms which eventually spread outside the United States (now called Allied Nation by many by former resistance members). Millions turned into a billion in a short period of time across the vast expanses of the planet. In that time it was discovered that those that caught the new pneumonia like strand (Pneumonia Mortughetlicatis) termed by most Living Death eventually died. No known treatment or experimental drug would make them better. A race for a cure led nowhere despite the massive efforts. Those who died from the Living Death were reanimated joining the numbers of Fallen that grew exponentially. Around twenty percent of the world’s population came down with the Living Death epidemic. A bite from o
ne of those Fallen led to an infection that would kill you in a few days becoming one of them. Looting for survival became a global thing for over half the surviving five billion population who were not prepared. In about three months food, water, and most other supplies became extremely sparse. Murder and suicide became a natural occurrence for many uninfected. Starvation killed off tens of thousands more daily. Without medication those in hospitals died and mentally ill became psychotic. Some of those mentally ill were basically harmless and wandered the streets talking to themselves until attacked by the Fallen. Others became a danger to themselves or others.
One particular individual that had previously been living a normal life was Chad Eckland. Thanks to his medication no one had a clue he was an MHMR patient that had a mental condition when he was much younger. He had worked for a leading bank in the US for the past fifteen years and had been promoted all the way up to regional bank manager. Once the medication became impossible to find (he searched everywhere possible being that his sanity was as important to him as the oxygen he breathed), he slowly lost himself to a newly stronger psychosis likely brought about by the environment and conditions around him. The living and Fallen all began to look exactly alike to him. They all appeared as monsters from the most horrific of nightmares. At first he would run and hide, then a survival instinct kicked in. He began killing these monsters when necessary to obtain things he deemed necessary to live. His illness grew worse by the day. Eventually with guns and other weapons of choice, he began his plan to eradicate all the monsters. According to one of the few news channels broadcasting all days long (the only thing you could find if you turned on the television) it was estimated that hundreds died in his wake within a few days before he simply vanished.
By the anniversary of the explosion the living still hanging on were few, grief stricken, and dangerous in their own right from surviving under frightening conditions.
-4-
Let me return to my own story and explain how all of these things personally affected Carmen and myself. Watching the news of the attack on the couple in the park was horrendous. It was unimaginable that such a thing could in the slightest possibility exist. At the same time it was evident that the government had often attempted to play God with genetics. They were always working on new methods of devastation for no other purpose than to have a weapon they could use if the occasion ever arose. It was actually surprising something like this had not occurred sooner (at least to my knowledge. No way of knowing what all they have covered up over the years).
When the snow began to fall it came down heavy. It quickly became waist high around our property. We sat around the fireplace drinking hot cocoa while making plans for worst case scenarios. We watched television occasionally although most channels showed ‘no service’ due to so many suddenly becoming ill. The now news only channel discussed the Living Death epidemic, crime on the rise, and the Fallen spreading throughout the streets.
I attempted to contact my siblings to see how they were doing. Of the three which were now spread out across the US, I was only able to get in touch with Leah. She told me that the rest of the family (her husband and kids) had come down with what she believed was the flu, but everything else was alright. I asked if they had been in to see a doctor. She laughed and said doctors were useless and charged too much. She repeated assuredly that she was sure it was just the flu. I knew that money was not actually an issue if they actually wanted to go to see a doctor seeing how as I had funds deposited into all of my sibling’s accounts on a monthly basis (Leah was the last to allow me to make that arrangement due to being stubborn with providing for herself especially since I had supposedly already done way too much for them). I eventually let her go after attempting numerous times to suggest they should visit a doctor. I was worried it might be worse than she suggested. I told her to keep in touch and let me know if she needed anything. I never heard from her again (the phone would ring endlessly when I tried to call her).
The power went out a few days after the last news channel stopped broadcasting. The backup generator kicked on lasting another couple days. I refilled it, but decided that we needed to use the electricity as little as possible. I really wished I had installed some sort of solar or wind source to recharge the generator since fuel would eventually be hard to come by. There was also the fact that we would need as much gas as we could save to get to Ruidoso if we chose to do so. We had a large stockpile of candles to use when necessary with near endless matches (the kind that always strike even if they get wet). Preparing meals was easy enough to do. At first with the small camp stove until it ran out of propane. Then we used the wood burning stove which gave the food a nice flavor. I closed off the doors through the house in an attempt to preserve the heat from the fireplace in the living room where we would now be sleeping.
With the power out elsewhere in the city using water from the tap became impossible due to possible contamination. One morning while I was cozily sleeping in, Carmen become disgusted with not being able to take a bath. She didn’t want to waste the bottled water so instead took a huge pot outside filling it with snow. She made several trips continuously heating it over the stove to fill the tub in the bathroom closest to the back of the house.
After filling it she immersed herself in what was now mildly warm water. She cleaned until satisfied then fell asleep while relaxing. I woke up and went in search of her finding her in the tub with her eyes closed. I was at first confused as to where the water came from being slightly groggy and half awake. I simply asked if the power was back on.
“Sadly no dear. It was quite an exhausting chore, but this wonderful water is snow that I heated over the stove.”
I shook myself awake and my eyes grew in size from immediate worry. I found the words coming out of my mouth in a rush sounding like gibberish. I had to repeat myself slower to make the words comprehensible.
“Did you just say that you used the snow? Sweetheart, all those millions of people with the symptoms like pneumonia that lead to Living Death were likely caused by whatever is in that snow!”
“If it was the snow, shouldn’t boiling it have killed whatever was in it? Isn’t it possible that it could be something in the air brought on by the cold weather that caused all those people to get sick?”
“If it is in fact the snow, boiling it logically will kill almost any impurifications. However, there are exceptions to every rule. There are strands of viruses for example that will only die off it the temperature reaches a certain height. Even then we know absolutely nothing about this disease and there is always a chance that it can ignore all the rules completely being immune to heat or becoming active once it reaches a certain temperature for example.”
Carmen jumped out of the tub toweling off. Half way through drying herself she sat down and completely breaking down in tears. A few minutes passed before she regained enough composure to talk again.
“I feel so stupid. All I could think about was how filthy I was and that I must smell awful. I didn’t want to waste the bottled water. What have I done?”
“I’m sorry if I have made you overly worried beautiful. I just don’t know what I would do without you. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I’m sure I am just overthinking everything. There is probably nothing to worry about at all. But just to be safe, let’s not take any more chances. After the snow melts we’ll head for the cabin perhaps? There will be less of a chance of hordes of Fallen or looters finding us out there.”
Carmen stood up throwing her arms around me, her towel falling to the floor. We began kissing for several minutes which led to other things. We had a nice lunch followed by more kissing.
As night began to fall I added firewood to the fireplace (I had several trees worth stashed out in one of the adjoining garages as part of the preparations I had previously made). We laid near the fireplace cuddling. We pretended the outside world with all its problems did not exist. We talked about how many children we would have while thinking up the best na
mes for them. We spoke about where it would be nice to go on a vacation. We pretended we were simply a love-struck couple with nothing to stop us from fulfilling our dreams. As the fire died down we told each other how much we loved the other before falling asleep in one another’s arms.
At around five in the morning Carmen screamed. I woke up instantly grasping for my pistol. The next thing I heard was not quite clear as it was spoken softly in a mumble. I could of sworn it sounded like she was saying something about not burying her body in the snow because she would probably come back to eat me for dinner. My heart slowed down and I put the gun back on the coffee table. She was obviously having a nightmare although I cannot recall her ever having one before. I tried to cuddle with her (hopefully reassuring her in the depths of her mind while dreaming). As soon as I touched her skin I could tell she was burning up with a fever. Needless to say I woke her the best I could. I gave her medicine to reduce fever. When that didn’t work I used several cases of bottled water to fill the tub. I undressed her physically putting her into it. I checked her fever with a thermometer which read a hundred and three.
-5-
Regardless of the fact that I knew her illness was only going to get worse, around eight in the morning I grabbed the keys to my truck. Heading to the garage I took my automatic pistol, assault rifle, and a grenade (don’t even ask how I was able to obtain it). I also grabbed a small pack with water, first aid kit, and other various items just to be safe. Pressing the button to the automatic garage I remembered the generator was off (old habits I suppose). I lifted the door manually before driving to the main gate.
On the way into town I passed several of the Fallen which were even more terrifying to see in person than on the television. Most stood around or walked about at a slow pace. Others seemed to have some intelligence despite the fact they were not alive in the normal sense of the word. They would duck down beside a car or step into the shadows when they saw my truck (like secretly stalking prey from cover). The fact that they could also run was quite unsettling. I had assumed they would all walk around with their arms outstretched I suppose (like in the really old movies I watched as a kid). The streets were for the most part clear of cars as most stayed home after getting sick. I made my way to Drake pharmacy which was where I usually got prescriptions. The front entrance had already been broken into. I drove around the building several times to make sure none of the Fallen were lurking about. I backed up to the entrance blocking it off with the rear end of my truck leaving access only from the over the top of my tailgate. Grabbing the assault rifle I hopped quickly out of the truck and into the bed of the truck.
Darkness Falls (Book 1): Rise of the Fallen Page 2
