Reed considered saying something funny to ease the tension, yet nothing popped into his mind. “Sorry. Been worryin’ about you my whole life. Some habits never die.”
Jesse smiled for the first time in days. A real, genuine smile that tugged at Reed’s heartstrings. The grin spurred memories of only days before, when Jesse rushed around getting ready for work, constantly on her phone either texting or talking to Turner. The smile reminded him of the normal life they’d once lived.
And how they never would again.
“Got your radio tuned to channel forty?” Martha inquired.
“Yes,” Reed answered, startled back to reality by Martha’s question.
“Good. Spring’s about half-a-mile that way,” Martha pointed behind Reed. “Follow their footprints. We’ll be back soon.”
“Be safe, sweetie. You, too, Martha,” Reed swiped a kiss on Jesse’s cheek. “See you soon.”
Martha and Jesse turned and headed down the trail. The first rays of the morning sun filtered through the trees, providing them with plenty of light. Though the temperature hovered near the freezing mark, the crisp air helped clear the clogged images inside Reed’s head. He watched their backs until the trail turned and he couldn’t see them any longer.
Reed followed the steps made by Turner and Walter, eyes scanning the dense forest for any signs of movement. The stillness in the woods was eerie. No birds chirped. No sounds of forest creatures scurrying around, busy searching for their morning meals. No squeaks or noise from bugs. He wondered if whatever disease had befallen mankind affected other living things, too.
The thought made him shudder.
Less than three days ago, the inhabitants of the planet went blindly about their daily lives, just as Reed, Regina, and Jesse had done. People filled their moments alive with trivial, mundane bullshit. Some more than others. All the ridiculous obsessions with vapid, surface-level crap was over. There would be no more breaking news with the latest celebrity gossip. Not another program full of self-proclaimed political experts vying for attention to get their messages heard across the airwaves. No more plastic-riddled celebrities living extravagant lifestyles from the hard-earned money of the mid and lower class groups of citizens.
No one would worry about getting enough rest after a long day slaving at work, just to get up and do it again, day after day, until their bodies gave out. No panicking about low funds in the bank, or whether enough money had been squirreled away for retirement. Those out of work searching for an income before they found themselves on the streets—over.
Those left were already on the streets, living in a world gone mad.
The abundant worries of the world were over in one swoop. Now, those who’d survived the first purge only had to concentrate on living another day. Finding food. Shelter. Weapons. Society was now free from the constant bombardment of meaningless drivel.
Reed craved those mindless distractions, because the new world they were in sucked.
Big time.
Stopping at a large outcropping of boulders to his left, Reed pushed the thoughts of what used to be, away. The beautiful view of the Ozark forest was tainted with plumes of gray smoke languidly floating on the light breeze. Turning to look south, Reed noticed the majority wafted from the direction of Little Rock and Conway. Though he couldn’t see any flames, Reed knew the cities lay in ruin, just like Malvern.
Unaccustomed to hiking, Reed decided to catch his breath while staring at the vast forest. Walter had done a fine job finding a secure, off-the-grid location to hole up in. They had food, water, medical supplies, weapons, a surgical nurse, bedding, and soon, apparently hot water. All fine and dandy things to have, considering what they were facing.
The question of how long jackhammered inside Reed’s head, vying for complete and total control. How long, really, did they have? A day? Week? Month? Years?
The thought of living inside the cave for an extended period of time made Reed’s head thump.
Though he’d only given a cursory glance at the first night they arrived, Reed wondered how long the staples would last. Even though Walter and Martha had prepared for a disaster, he doubted they counted on having so many mouths to feed.
And clothe.
Or the vast amount of bullets they’d need to keep the dead at bay. Reed’s mouth went dry. They were safe now, the walking monstrosities far away from their location.
Temporarily. If things continued to go downhill, the dead would eventually run out of food and start shambling around the hills and mountains for more.
How long could they, realistically, last underground? How long would it be before they succumbed to the disease? Other than being bitten or scratched, they had no idea how the sickness was transmitted. Was it possible they were immune, and if so, were there others like them? Ones scavenging for food, shelter, water, a fucking life?
Why didn’t the government prepare better for the disaster? Reed’s stomached jerked into a knot. He couldn’t help but to assume the government was at fault and did a piss-poor job of containing whatever unspeakable hell they’d unleashed.
What would they do when the food ran out, or someone suffered a major injury? Even if some miraculous solution to those problems manifested itself—like the good ol’ U.S. Government got their shit together and cleaned up their enormous cluster-fuck—what then? Were they all doomed to spend the remainder of their lives surrounded by rock? Go back to—literally—the era of the cavemen and devolve?
“I’d offer you a penny for your thoughts, but seems a waste. Money don’t mean shit anymore.”
Reed jerked at the sound of Kyle Pender’s voice. “Dammit, Kyle! That’s twice in less than twenty minutes my heart rate’s spiked to dangerous levels. Surprised it hasn’t exploded yet.”
Kyle stepped out of the shadows of the trees to Reed’s right and joined him. “Sorry. Figured you heard me walkin’ up.”
“No. Guess I just learned a valuable lesson. When outside, it’s not a good idea to start thinkin’ about things. Gotta concentrate on the surroundin’s. Pine over shit when underground.”
Kyle leaned back against a boulder and nodded. “No doubt. Nice scenery, huh? Well, except for the smoke and the eerie stillness in the woods.”
“I’ll take this view over what we’ve seen recently,” Reed added. Kyle held out a bottle of water. Reed nodded his thanks and took a long gulp. After finishing, he cast a sideways glance at Kyle. “You doin’ okay?”
Shrugging his beefy shoulders, Kyle answered, “About as good as you look, I suppose.”
“Well, that ain’t good, because I figure I look like hammered shit.”
“Yeah, you do. We all do.”
Blowing out a huff of air, Reed asked, “What’re doin’ out so early?”
Kyle turned his attention to Reed. “My mom always used to say that there wasn’t a better way to clear your head when full of sorrow than walkin’ in the woods. Said the trick was to soak up all God made and realize how small we really are compared to the vast expanse of what He created.”
Reed forced the smart retort dancing on the edge of his tongue away. Though not exactly an atheist, he never really gave much thought to a higher power. Then again, the anger swirling around in his mind, and the outburst directed at Pastor Trent, gave him pause. Why, if he didn’t believe, did he curse the man upstairs for allowing the world to fall apart?
Instead of responding with a negative comeback, knowing Kyle did attend church regularly, Reed decided not to broach the subject of a deity. Besides, he knew Kyle was grieving for Regina and didn’t need to add any more stress on his shoulders. “Did it work?”
“Hell no. Just pissed me off all the more. All I could think about was all the things I didn’t say to her when I had the chance. Now, it’s too late.”
“She knew, Kyle. I know my sister better than anyone. That’s why I knew about you two without her tellin’ me. Twin bond, you know?”
“Yeah. She talked about that a lot. Said it was like
you lived inside her head sometimes. She didn’t tell you about us because she worried about how you and Jesse would take the news.”
“Pft. That woman never worried a day in her life about how I’d take anythin’ she did. Regina’s only concern was about her daughter. After goin’ to all those counselin’ sessions, listenin’ to them docs yak her ears off, they had her so paranoid about how to handle Jesse, Regina couldn’t see straight.”
Kyle nodded. “I agree about that part. Whenever I’d bring the subject up about lettin’ our little not-so-secret relationship out, she’d start spoutin’ out shit about how addicts don’t handle change well. Frustrated the shit out of me. I wanted to shout from the rooftops about how I felt about that woman.”
Reed heard the heavy emotion in Kyle’s voice; the veiled innuendo. “She loved you, too. Never seen her so happy, even when she was married to Fred. He was a good man and he loved her, but he wasn’t Regina’s equal. She wore the pants in the family, so to speak. You? Well, you made her stronger, pushed her buttons, urged her to strive toward greater things.”
Kyle’s mouth gaped open. “How do you know that?”
“Because she finally learned to cook,” Reed said, smiling.
“Regina wasn’t exactly the homemaker type, that’s for sure,” Kyle chuckled softly. “Thanks for tellin’ me, Reed. I appreciate knowin’ she was happy with me. Shit. What am I supposed to do with this now?”
Kyle shoved his hand down deep into his pocket, extracting a ring. Reed’s stomach dropped. “You…really? Oh, damn. When?”
“Had it all planned for Sunday night. I made dinner reservations in Hot Springs at Regina’s favorite Italian restaurant.”
“Bella Arte?”
“Yep. Followin’ dinner and plenty of wine, the plan was to go see the lights at Garven Woodland Gardens. Was goin’ to pop the question by the forty-foot Christmas tree. It was time we took the next step…”
Kyle’s voice faded away. Reed stared at the ring clutched in his dirty fingers. Kyle tensed, lifting his arm over his head. Before he chunked the ring over the cliff, Reed grabbed his arm. “Don’t. Not now. You’re too upset. If it still feels right later, then by all means, let it go. Just…not now. Okay?”
Kyle took a deep breath. Reed felt the tightness in the man’s shoulders ease up. “Guess you’re right. It’s the last piece of a normal life I’ve got left. Been carryin’ it around like some stupid fool ever since I bought it, afraid I’d lose it.”
If Reed didn’t walk away, he’d fall apart. Regina would have loved the simple, yet elegant ring, and looking at it, knowing it would never grace her finger, made Reed’s heart pound with grief. He gave Kyle’s shoulder a rough slap then started walking. After taking a few steps, he said, “Was on my way to help Walter and Turner with the water pump so we can all take us a hot shower. We all need to get the last forty-eight-hours’ worth of funk off. Could probably use some help.”
“Of course,” Kyle answered.
Reed heard him sniffle twice while they made their way up the twisty trail. After a few minutes of silence, he whispered, “She’da said yes. No doubt.”
The crunch of Kyle’s footsteps behind him stopped. Reed continued forward, unwilling to turn around.
“I’ll catch up. Call of nature,” Kyle mumbled.
Nodding, Reed kept going, blinking back tears. Kyle’s voice had cracked with emotion, and Reed knew he needed a minute or two alone to compose himself. Reed wasn’t a sentimental kind of man, but considering any minute could be their last, he felt Kyle needed to know Regina really did love him.
I would have gladly called you brother, Kyle. Gladly. Hey sis, you watching from up there? Did you see that? Kyle bought you a ring! He actually wanted to marry your stubborn ass! Chief Pender sounds nice, doesn’t it?
Reed’s internal thoughts vanished when the sounds of yet another argument up ahead reached his ears. This time, it was Turner and Walt scrapping with each other. He was too far away to catch the words, but the angry tones rang across the valley.
Picking up his pace, Reed heard Kyle come up behind him.
“Sounds like someone woke up on the wrong side of a cot this mornin’,” Kyle muttered.
“Yeah. Guess they forget we should be grateful for the chance to wake up another day. Come on, let’s get in between them before Walt loses it. He’s runnin’ on fumes.”
“Ain’t we all?”
Reed and Kyle rounded the curve of the trail just as Walt yelled, “Turner? What the hell are you doin’?”
“I’m just, I see somethin’ down there. Oh, shit!” Turner screamed.
“Turner!”
Reed and Kyle ran faster. They made it just in time to see Turner’s legs disappear over the edge of a cliff.
STUCK IN THE MUD - Monday, December 22nd – 7:15 a.m. – Central Standard Time
Everett stopped writing when he heard footsteps approach the door. Chill bumps burst from his skin, wondering if Kevin, or one of the others, had come to take him out.
“Doc? Got a minute?”
“Of course,” Everett was thrilled it was Dirk and not someone who wanted to pound his face to a pulp.
Dirk opened the door and stepped inside. Everett noticed he’d shaved and changed clothes. He needed to do the same, but he’d been so wrapped up in researching, he’d neglected his own personal hygiene.
Dirk crinkled his nose. “Time for you to take a break and eat. Oh, and reacquaint yourself with soap and water. You’re kinda rank, Doc.”
Heat filled Everett’s cheeks. “Yes, I’m aware. You know it’s bad when you can smell your own scent. Just trying to tie up some loose ends.”
Dirk stopped about ten feet away from Everett, glancing over at the notes. “We all appreciate your dedication, Doc. Really. However, since we’re sharing living space down here, and there really isn’t much ventilation, we all need to make the effort to remain clean. Come one, the rest of the gang went topside. The shower’s all yours.”
Everett moved to the other side of the room and grabbed a suitcase. After removing a fresh pair of pants, underwear, shirt and socks, he turned to face Dirk. “Thanks for watching out for my safety. Part of the reason I’ve remained in my room is, well, you know. I figured out of sight, out of mind.”
Stepping back to the door, Dirk exited the room into the hallway. “I think you’ve overestimated how we feel about you, Doc. Yes, Warton is still upset, but he’s cranky with all of us, too. It’s not just you. He’s not handling what happened with Porterfield well. Can’t really blame him. They’ve been friends for a long time. Went through some heavy shit in Afghanistan together. They were more like brothers rather than friends. Being forced to kill someone you care about isn’t easy to recover from.”
“I can’t even begin to understand the depth of his pain,” Everett muttered while following Dirk down the hall. “I hope I never have to.”
“You might, considering any or all of us may turn up sick. If that happens, you’ll have no choice but to shoot. That’s the way of the world now. Kill, or be killed.”
“Yeah, then reanimate.”
“Again, that’s where you come in, Obi. You’ve had your head buried for the last two days. Any new developments? Ideas? Epiphanies?”
“The sticking point right now is the fungi. They’ve always been a virulent pathogen, destroying more species than all others combined. Scientists have identified over seventy-five thousand different fungi species, yet some researchers recently suggested in papers their actual numbers may be over the one million mark.”
Dirk groaned. “That’s comforting to know. Is that why you’re having such a hard time with your own research?”
“Yes. For one, I only have access to the few books I had on hand here. Without the ability to search the internet, or even communicate with other scientists, it’s kind of like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
“Because you can’t narrow down which particular fungus was inside Porterfield, right?”
/> “Correct.”
Dirk furrowed his brow. “I don’t understand. Aren’t you a microbiologist? Isn’t this like, your forte?”
“Yes, which is why this is so damned frustrating. I’ve never seen this particular species before. I’ve looked through all the books I have until my eyes actually crossed, but no luck. Until I can figure out what species it is, trying to create an antifungal will be impossible. Besides, I’m going to need more than what’s inside Porterfield to manufacture its opposite.”
“Why? I mean, it’s just a bug, right? Can’t bugs be killed?”
Everett almost laughed until he realized Dirk was serious. “Fungi are not insects. They aren’t animals or plants, either. They do share some common traits with us, such as breathing oxygen and getting energy from ingesting food. Both humans and fungi are eukaryotes.”
“Doc, remember, English please? Dummy this down for me.”
“Oh, sorry. What I meant was, the cells of fungi and humans are very similar. Each has a nucleus and organelles, which are enclosed in membranes inside each cell, and responsible for carrying out certain biological functions. We also have in common similar sets of genes and cellular processes.”
Dirk rubbed his forehead. Everett sensed his frustration. “So, what exactly does that mean, Doc?”
“Let me come at this from a different angle. Ever had athlete’s foot, or knew anyone who did?”
“Yes. Had a wicked case of that shit years ago. Thought I’d never get rid of it.”
Everett smiled, glad to have found common ground. “Exactly! The reason why it’s so difficult to kill off a fungal infection is because of the similarities in the cellular structures. When attempting to kill the fungus with an antifungal, oftentimes, the side effects in human cells are disastrous. Tissue death usually occurs.”
“Aren’t you full of good news?”
“Hey, you asked. Don’t shoot the messenger.”
They both stopped at the door leading to the small, community shower. Dirk took a deep breath before asking, “So, let me see if I can grasp all this medical mumbo-jumbo. The fungus in Porterfield isn’t a strain—”
Tainted Future (The Rememdium Series Book 3) Page 4
