by D G Leigh
“They're not my kids!” Jo automatically replied, how old did she look?
“We're heading to Pohakula.” Leslie informed the teacher. Did she have any news?
“It's overrun.” Making no attempt to hide her anguish from the young passengers. “They're coming this way. Thousands upon thousands on the march. We barely make it out alive. The army held them off for as long as they could before the fences came down.” Wiped her tears. “I can save the children. Put them in.”
Leslie and Jo would face their fate alone on the roadside. Ushered Akamu forward. Trust in this new world given in a blink of an eye.
“Wait!” Leslie obstructed the transfer. “Where's safe? Where do you think you're going? You can't just circle the wagons!”
“In the panic heard people mention Hilo International Airport.” Eager to be on her way. “If you're lucky somebody else might stop and take you guys but I've only got room for the boy and girl. Please let me save them.” Pleaded for the final time.
“Excuse me Miss, the airport caught fire.” Akamu had seen first hand what happened there.
She wasn't interested. “Rescue planes will come. That's what we were all waiting for at Bradshaw. They'll be diverted to Hilo.”
Planes were never coming. Leslie couldn't believe what he was hearing. “Have you seen the bamboo? Nothing can land. No one is coming.” The fleeing caravan of assorted vehicles started to decrease. Anyone left behind at Pohakula were surely a plantdrone by now.
“I can't be the last. There won't be enough seats.” The teacher floored the gas peddle, not waiting for Jo to close the passenger door.
Leslie yelled after them. “Come back. You're killing yourselves!”
“Where do we go now?” Jo's leg feeling the burn. The barracks no longer the place to head in. The rocky land around them desolate. They'd no alternative plan.
Susan pointed to the masked summit beyond the clouds. “Mr Leslie, my class went on a school trip to the top of the volcano. There's dome buildings with telescopes. We could hide in them.”
“The observatory.” Leslie picked Susan up, spun her round. “You've just been promoted to.....” Didn't know what rank came next? “Supreme Special Agent Shaunessy.”
“It's okay Mr Leslie, you don't need to pretend any more. I know you're not really a policeman.”
“I'm going to buy you the biggest unicorn in the world.” Squeezed her tightly before putting her down. “There's an access road between us and Pohakula. We'd better hurry though.”
--- Three ---
Quickening their gait arrived at the junction twenty minutes later. A highway blue signpost read. Mauna Kea observatory and visitor information station nine kilometres. An arrow pointed to a steep loose gravel track. The road between here and Pohakula Barracks an engineering souvenir left over from World War Two, a winding five kilometres tarmac strip laid to stopped enemy aircraft using the road as a runway. Jo struggled to reach the sign. That last bout of increased pace drained her. Couldn't take another step. She knew it, Leslie knew it too, neither of them wanted to admit it.
Movement far off in the distance. Not more survivors this time on foot. The figures lurched unnaturally. These were Zaks heading their way, pursuing the fleet of cars, mindlessly following the curve of the road instead of as the crow flies.
“Leave me for a minute. Let me catch my breath. You lot go on.” Jo rested against the signpost. “I've got plenty of time.” The children set off towards the track.
“Don't be stupid.” Leslie wasn't going to abandon her. “Hop on my back.”
Jo gave him the most beautiful smile. In pain she can only hold it for a second. “You can't carry me uphill for nine kilometres. They'll catch all of us for sure.”
Susan hesitated. Stopped, glanced back. “Jo?”
Leslie manoeuvred to hoist Jo into a fireman's lift. “They might not follow.”
She blocked him with her staff. “Don't make me bang some sense into that thick noggin of yours!”
Susan, tears streaming down her face, returned to the pair. Tried to place herself under Jo's armpit. “We'll carry her together.” Couldn't understand why Leslie wasn't helping?
Jo gently, using the last of her strength, released Susan towards Leslie. “You've got to go honey.” The child clung tighter.
Leslie forcefully pulled Susan away. She didn't kick or scream.
None of them were going anywhere. A pack of infected casualties that must've taken a more direct approach had cut off their route to the volcano's tourist centre.
--- Four ---
Leslie prepared for the ultimate encounter. Not enough bullets to take them all down. He'd use Jo's long cane to smash as many of the monsters heads in he could. Create a channel for Susan and Akamu to evade through.
“Whatever happens don't stop running, don't look back. Keep going until you reach the top. Do you understand? No matter what, keep running.” Jo hugged the children. Kissed each.
“I can fight.” Susan unafraid. “I want to stay with you and help.”
Akamu wasn't going to be upstaged by a girl, especially one younger than him. Not as brave he put on a tougher voice that didn't fool anyone. “I'm staying to.” Picked up a rock, threw it at a closing zombie.
To the astonishment of the entire group that particular Zak's head exploded, vaporized into mist. Its body slumped to the deck.
A military Humvee came out of nowhere. Ploughed into the zombie ranks. From the roof turret a fully kitted soldier, flak armour and helmet, unleashed the full fury of the mounted 50cal. Ripped the rest of the drones to smithereens. When he'd done having his fun with Zak he trained his death-dealing machine gun on Jo and the others for what seemed to them an eternally.
“We're not infected!” Both Leslie and Jo placed their guns on the floor, raised their hands. “Please take the children.”
The passenger door unlocked. A voice from the front gave them all an order. “Get in.”
--- Five ---
The Humvee made light work climbing its way up the radiated dike. The driver also strangely enjoying himself.
Jo not impressed by the crew's cavalier attitude. “You do know that more will be coming after us?”
“I sure do hope so.” Chewing gum the driver blasted his horn.
“Are you in charge?” Leslie learnt forward to the vehicle's occupied front passenger seat.
“No, sir. That would be Major Wehrlein in command.” The soldier didn't swivel round to talk face to face. “You're lucky we came back.” Whistled to himself. His unit unbelievably hadn't witness any zombie horrors. Weren't stationed at Pohakula when it got overrun. They'd spent the entire time patrolling the highway between Hilo looking for stragglers. Nobody had come through the checkpoint for days. Got the call to regroup at Mauna Kea's visitor centre the same time as that ragtag convoy came charging through. “We keep missing all the action.”
Leslie ignored the soldier's naivety. “I need to speak with the Major.”
“The Major's too busy to speak with civilians.” Rolled his eyes. “We've got some Zak-bashing to be done.”
Leslie and Jo, with no training or proper equipment, had engaged the enemy more times than any of them. Veterans dealing with plantdrones. “It's important.” Showed them the sample.
“Bullets work better than stones against Zak.” The trooper held up his hand to stop Leslie talking. “There's hot food, water and warm clothes. Once we've reached Bravo-camp a medical team will examine you all. Take a look-see at your lady friend's leg. Before then you're required to relinquish your side arms. You're under the protection of the US Army.” The squad made hooting noises. Nothing they couldn't handle.
--- Six ---
Bravo-camp a cluster of already existing structures consisted of a hotel, volcano visitor centre and a Ranger station located approximately two thousand metres from the space research arrays perched aloft Mauna Kea's peak.
A party of rednecks not wishing to surrender their weapons took up residenc
y in the tourist information building. Turned that into their hunting lodge, overpowered rifles, beer and pick-up trucks. They'd fight tooth for tooth but this would be nothing like stalking and shooting deer.
Onizuka complex, accommodation and support facility for the many technicians that work at the observatories, got commandeered for civilian refuge. The diminishing army that protected them set up shop in the Ranger's cabin.
Didn't take long for the military to stamp its mark. Although beat down the troops efficiently worked flat out fortifying the hotel. Spotlights fixed to the roof accompanied by large calibre artillery emplacements gave a commanding overview to the approach. Cars positioned around its perimeter formed barricades and foxholes. Potentially this could be their final stand, nowhere to run after here.
An Apache gunship sat idle on a patch of lovingly maintain bordered grass. The word Hawaii written with nurtured flowers. The pilots, with the help of non-trained ground crew, carefully attached what was left of ordnance suitable for their bird. Low on fuel, the next flight would be their last.
Incubation that cause a victim to transform into a raving Zak took less than a minute from point of bite all the same the Humvee delivered them to isolation for vetting. Protocol for all new arrivals. The army loves its procedures, paperwork coming out the wazoo. Never mind the end of the world please sign here in duplicate.
Medtech Monroe shone her pen-light directly into Leslie's eyes. “Look up for me please.”
“I need to speak with Major Wehrlein.” Leslie itching to get out of the infirmary's chair. “I've got a rock the weed doesn't like.”
“Remain still.” The tech's request towards her patient caused the quarantine enforcement guard to flex, ready to step in. Hand on weapon.
“I told your cocky comrades in the jeep it's important.”
Monroe wasn't regular army. Serviced in the National Guard. Out on a training exercise when the zombie outbreak started. Grinned. “The big boys won't let you play.” Signalled security to ease down. “There's other less intrusive ways to get your message across.” Her openness calmed Leslie's twitching. “Once I've cleared you go talk with the eggheads.”
“Eggheads?”
Monroe finished ticking the final boxes on the administration form. “NASA brainboxes from the observatories. They're brainstorming in the games room.” Clipped a plastic barcoded bracelet around Leslie's wrist. “There, all done. An acute case of sleep deprivation. Nothing a good eight hours in the sack wouldn't fix.” She flirted. Under extreme conditions of pending doom the human body releases hormones that drive our sexual desire to reproduce. At the brink of extinction, with no prospect but a horrible death Monroe actually made a pass at Leslie.
Jo looked over opened mouthed. She sat in the next chair while another medtech glued her wound together. “This is good work.” The nurse impressed with previous triage. “I'd like to keep you here under observation for the next thirty minutes until you regain some of your strength.” Prepared a glucose solution intravenous. “What are the children's names please?”
“Susan Shaunessy and Akamu Oka.” The pair tucking into hot chocolate and corn beef sandwiches.
The medtech entered the details into the laptop. By a miracle Akamu's parents were somewhere in the complex. Refugee registration bracelets issued back at Pohakula confirmed they'd past Bravo-camp's entry scans. Requested both be brought to the infirmary immediately.
“What about my mum and dad?” Susan could see the readout, she didn't miss a trick. “Are they here too?”
No records of any of their families checking into either location. Leslie only had an older sister and Jo's parents lived in LA.
“Doesn't mean they're hunt.” Jo reassured Susan. “Just means that they're safely elsewhere.”
“Hiding like I was.”
“Yeah.” Jo smiled warmly. “Only better.” Held out her hand for Susan to join her.
Susan thought about all the good places she knew. “Can I pretend you and Mr Leslie are my family?”
“We are family honey.”
--- Seven ---
Zak travelled by foot that's the only advantage survivors had. Getting far enough out front gave time to prepare. Though there's not really a great deal they could actually do against tens of thousands of zombies. Each passing day plantdrones numbers increased. An island soon runs out of land to keep ahead of the hungry horde. Onizuka centre a ticking time-bomb. A slowly closing vice. Surrounded by enemy. Drawn to the living.
Dormitories filled to capacity, additional sleeping arrangements sprawled along hallways and offices. Over five hundred sobbing individuals, all with terrifying tales of their narrow escape from Hell's clutches. The demons were still coming. They'd gotten past Pohakula's M1 Abrams tanks, what on Earth could stop them now?
Experts from the institute's laboratories discussed scientific solutions to the global pandemic. The games room's chalk scoreboard displayed the life cycle of the red weed from oceanic algae to parasitic human commination. Time scales and diagrams of mutated cell structures. Major Wehrlein assigned a sergeant to the group as a guard but really he's there to report back on any actions that might interfere with the Major's operation.
Interrupting their session the scientists sighed as Leslie drifted in to speak with them. “Reception!” They instructed without waiting to hear what he had to say. “Report to reception. They'll issue you with a blanket and hot food. Go elsewhere. Thank you.” Went back to exchanging hypothesis. Used the pool table as their sounding board.
Eugene's rock smacked dead centre of the table, landed with a non-rolling thud. The boffins gazed at lump. “Over a hundred years ago the locals coated that with something. Seems the algae doesn't much care for it. My guess it's sulphur?”
Unconvinced. “What's your field of expertise?”
“Builder.” Leslie proud of the fact. “I think that's what's keeping the rain at bay? Mauna Loa's active venting. Smelt it on the air.”
A low murmur came from the group. “Sulphur's an essential building block for plants, without it they'd die. There's no growth on the rocks outside because of the temperature at this altitude. Extreme cold is the key to eliminating this organism.” The team unanimous.
A researcher shock his head at Leslie's wild claim. “Rain abated by sulphur is nonsense. Released volcanic particles actually increase precipitation.”
Another sniggered without amusement. “Humanity has less than three months of absolute apocalyptic misery to go through before our species becomes extinct.” Out of sequence due to Leslie's throw organized columns of coloured post-it notepaper each listing a cataclysm domino effect laid scattered on the billiards table. NASA's academic began reading them. “Agriculture suffocated under a bio canopy that continues to grow as life beneath its shadow shrivels and dies. Infected humans attacking the surviving population resulting in producing more infected. Lack of fresh water. Choked oceans will effect our planet's climate. Weather patterns dramatically shifting.” Stopped. Picked up Eugene's rock threw it into the waste bin. “Thanks for the paperweight.” Waved for the guard to eject Leslie from the room. “Let us get back to our work. Why don't you go off and do what you do best? Hammer up some boards to reinforce these windows.”
“Nail boards!” Leslie's posture turned threatening. “That rock isn't from outside! Corporal Eugene retrieve it from below the treeline.”
Leslie left the room before the guard got physical. They weren't ever going to listen to him. He'd find a way to retrieve the sample.
--- Eight ---
Leslie, Jo and Susan like everybody, including the soldiers, waited. Waited for the inevitable to arrive. The guard from the games room finally found them camped in luggage storage. A secure locker area located behind reception, no windows, lockable by a solid steel door. The Onizuka centre built from architectural plans for a normal city hotel and requirements that go with that.
Scanned Leslie's bracelet. “Come with me please.” Sergeant Scott's request more of an ord
er. Lead them all outside. “Put these on.” The three survivors given NASA duffle coats. Nothing smaller than an adult size for Susan.
“Am I in trouble because of my outburst in the games room earlier? Expel me but let the girls stay.” Leslie felt he had another chance to explain. “I didn't just chose a random rock and concocted a story. It's all true.”
“Doesn't matter.” Scott's unit escorted them up the track towards the summit.
“Where're we going?” Leslie had a awful thought. “You're not going to shoot us are you?”
