Influenza: Viral Virulence

by Ohliger, Steven

  “I see that you woke Prince Charming with your kiss,” he said to Lorie.

  Blushing, she smiled and stepped back. “He just woke up,” she explained. “Michael, this is Corporal Brett Framer. He leads the Kentucky Guard.”

  “Well,” Corporal Brett corrected her humbly, “I lead this particular unit of the Kentucky Guard. Not the whole Guard. It’s nice to meet you, Michael. You really made an impression on everybody when you came barreling across the bridge.”

  “I hope it was a good impression,” Michael replied hoarsely.

  “What you did was really dumb,” Corporal Brett exclaimed, “but you managed to pull it off. You’re the first to make it across the bridge alive since Krank’s group shut it down. I still can’t believe that you two actually made it. And from the radio chatter we’ve been monitoring since then, it seems that Krank is extremely upset with you. He wants your head on a plate.” Then, he smiled. “Nice job!”

  “We watched that jerk burn two people alive the other night,” Lorie said. “A bullet in the head would be too good for him.”

  “I know,” Brett sighed. “Unfortunately, they weren’t the first victims that he’s tortured. He likes to burn people for us to watch. I think he fancies himself a modern day Nero. Remember the Roman emperor? Nero burned bodies in his garden at night so that he could have light to eat his dinner. This leader, Krank, is worse. He’s a lunatic…a serial killer…a mass murderer. But we don’t have the personnel to take out his heavily armed gang of psychopaths. We can barely hold our own.”

  “How did your unit survive the…?” Michael began.

  “Epidemic?” Corporal Brett finished. He sighed and said, “Really, by pure luck. Probably the same kind of luck that got you over the bridge.” He pulled up a chair and sat down by the side of the bed. “My squad was out in the deep woods engaged in a two-week tactical and survival training against Corporal Manning’s squad. It’s really just like a group of grown-up kids playing war games. Like a serious game of capture the flag for adults, except we carry guns and can’t go home for dinner. Radio silence was mandatory during the whole training, so we didn’t even know the flu virus was starting to destroy the country. I guess our superiors were so busy dealing with the situation that they completely forgot about us.

  “When we hiked the long miles back to base,” he continued, “we were forced into quarantine. They feared that we would bring the flu virus into the compound. Unfortunately for them, the opposite happened. The military base was wiped out, and only Corporal Manning’s and my squads were spared, because we were kept in isolation. We had just enough food and water left in quarantine so we could stay until most of the danger had passed.”

  “What happened then?” Lorie asked. “How did you end up here, guarding the Ohio River?”

  “We moved what family we had left to Lexington, just south of here. We recognized the growing threat posed by Krank’s gang of meth addicts and wanted to protect this side of the Ohio River. We figure that once Krank is done looting and wreaking havoc in Cincinnati, he’ll want to expand his reign of terror. My squad and Corporal Manning’s squad take turns guarding the bridges. We switch out every week so we have a chance to be with our families. If you stay a few days, you’ll get the chance to see Corporal Manning’s squad come and replace us.”

  “But are we safe from Krank here?” Lorie asked.

  “As safe as you could be. I don’t think Krank and his jacked-up gang of psychopaths would dare attack us here. Even though they might have the numbers, we have a good, defensible position with highly trained soldiers and equipment. I wouldn’t trade one of our soldiers for twenty of Krank’s men.”

  “Thanks for taking us in,” Michael said.

  Brett smiled at him. “No problem. I would have paid to see the look on Krank’s face when you broke through his blockade.” Brett laughed. “Oh, I almost forgot. You know that little explosion that you set off? Well, not only did you take out Krank’s main fuel supply, but you also managed to blow up his meth lab in the resultant explosions. So, I think you’ve earned your keep here. I’m the one that has you to thank.”

  Corporal Brett stood up from the chair. “Anyway, I have to run. Duty calls.”

  “It was nice meeting you,” Michael said.

  After he left the room, Lorie turned to Michael and said, “Now, you need to rest.”

  “What about that kiss?” Michael asked, grinning at her like a little boy.

  “You need to be quiet and rest if you ever hope to get another one,” Lorie said as she turned to leave. As she walked out, she looked back at him, smiled, and then turned out the light and left.

  Michael did rest for the next few days. He spent only one more day in the infirmary before the squad’s medic let him get up and leave the room. Together, Michael and Lorie walked around the camp and watched the men work on the defensive fortifications. All the soldiers greeted them like they were heroes. They all congratulated them on breaking through Krank’s blockade. They introduced themselves to Michael, but after so many “Private This” and “Private That,” Michael couldn’t keep their names straight. When engaged in conversation, he had to rely on glancing at the name tags on their uniforms.

  They all took a liking to Lorie. It wasn’t often that a petite, beautiful blonde showed up in their camp. But they treated her with dignified respect. The soldiers also loved Sandy. She would run up to them, smiling and wagging her tail, and gratefully accept any petting or treats they offered her.

  The camp had a supply of jeeps and other military vehicles which they used to patrol the bridges. The vehicles also transported the soldiers back and forth to Lexington to see their families when their weeklong shift was over. Corporal Manning had acquired an ample supply of fuel for both the vehicles and the generators. As a result, not only did they have running cars, but they also had lights, hot meals, and showers.

  Michael and Lorie were given a small tent to stay in, and Michael brought in two cots for them to sleep on. They ate meals with the rest of the squad, and Lorie got to know the cook. She and the cook would often talk about food, especially about the art of making dehydrated food edible and even tasty.

  For their part, the squad made Michael and Lorie feel at home and comfortable. They would often ask Michael to recount the story of his and Lorie’s bridge crossing. They never seemed to tire of hearing how he “accidentally” blew up the gasoline trucks and meth lab. They laughed hysterically when Michael told them that he didn’t even know about any drug lab being there. On the other side of the bridge, everything remained quiet, or so they thought.

  Chapter 33

  About midmorning on the fifth day, after Michael had refreshed himself by enjoying the camp’s heated shower, Lorie caught him in the tent just as he finished dressing. The medic had said that Michael suffered from a mild concussion and that he would be okay. He warned Michael that he should take it easy and rest for a few weeks, but Michael wanted to get moving south again when he was well enough.

  “Oh, I see you’re good and ready,” she said to him upon entering the tent. She was wearing a bright, flowery sundress that Michael had never seen before. Her hair had been recently washed and was glowing like the morning sun. Lorie was a breath of fresh air. The sound of her voice was a favorite melody in his ears.

  Pulling his shirt over his head, Michael asked, “Ready? For what?”

  “A surprise.” She smiled secretively at him. “That is, if you feel healthy and ready to go.”

  “I feel great,” Michael said. He did, in fact, feel better every day. Although his bruises were fading to an ugly yellow and black, he was healing rapidly, and even his cuts and scrapes were slowly disappearing.

  “Good,” Lorie said. “We’re going on a little trip.” She turned and left the tent without an explanation.

  “What?” Michael asked an empty tent. Curious, he ducked outside, and he immediately spotted Lorie’s back as she walked to his truck. The bottom of her dress was swinging from side t
o side as she moved. Following her, he watched as she opened the rear cab door and let Sandy jump in. She then got into the passenger’s seat and closed the door behind her. “Just what is she doing?” Michael wondered to himself.

  He walked around the front of the truck and saw Lorie grinning expectantly at him from her seat. He opened the driver’s door and climbed behind the wheel.

  “You brought your keys, right?” she asked.

  “Of course,” he replied, pulling the key ring out of his pocket and dangling them in the air so she could see. Looking back at Lorie with confusion, he asked, “What is going on here?”

  Sandy stuck her head into the front seat and panted at him as if to say, “Let’s go!”

  Lorie reached down and picked up a wooden basket from the floorboard by her feet. Michael hadn’t seen it, and now that she had the basket on her lap, Sandy seemed to take a keen interest in it. Her nose was working overtime trying to smell the air near the basket.

  Patting the basket with her right hand, Lorie said, “I managed to sweet-talk the cook and got a little special something for us to eat. Then, some of the guys told me about a nice, quiet place that would be perfect for a picnic.”

  Delightfully surprised, Michael asked, “Are we going on a date?”

  “Don’t get too cocky, now. Besides, isn’t the guy supposed to ask the girl to go on a date?” she shot back with a little twinkle in her lush, hazel eyes.

  Michael drove the truck out of the camp and into the countryside, following Lorie’s guidance. In her sundress, she looked like a glimpse of heaven. In the backseat, Sandy was torn between sticking her head out the window and smelling the temptations exuding from the picnic basket delicately balanced on Lorie’s lap.

  After about thirty minutes, Michael parked the truck along the country road. A grassy meadow on their left rose gently upward from the road. The field was full of bursting yellow flowers above the deep green blades of grass. The meadow was right out of a scene from a calendar picture, but it was real, and they were here.

  Lorie climbed out, carrying the basket, and let Sandy out of the backseat. Walking around the truck, she grabbed Michael’s hand and led him through the grass up the hill. While Sandy chased startled grasshoppers, Michael inhaled the rich smell of flowers, and his eyes embraced the vivid colors.

  At the top of the hill stood a large, old oak tree. Letting go of his hand, Lorie unfolded a blanket in the shade of the tree. Sandy temporarily paused in her explorations as Lorie made Michael sit down and began taking things out of the picnic basket.

  Michael looked around. The meadow continued in every direction as far as the eye could see. About a hundred yards in front of them was a large, calm pond. Giving up on getting any handouts from the basket, Sandy decided it would be more fun to chase the ducks. Running and barking, she scared the ducks into the center of the pond, where they angrily talked back to her.

  While Sandy unsuccessfully tried to make friends with the ducks, Lorie opened the basket and brought out a bottle of wine. It was a merlot. Handing him the bottle and a corkscrew, she asked, “Would you do the honors?”

  Michael peeled away the protective plastic and uncorked the bottle. Lorie unwrapped the sandwiches and placed them on paper plates. When he finally got the cork out of the bottle, she produced two glasses from her bottomless basket and let Michael fill them. “I know sandwiches don’t go with red wine,” she said apologetically. “But this is all the cook had to spare.”

  “Wow!” Michael exclaimed as he bit into the sandwich. “Real cheese and real deli meat?”

  “Yep,” Lorie said, smiling at her own accomplishment. They both took time savoring their fresh sandwiches and sipping on the dark, red wine.

  As Sandy ran happily along the shore of the pond, Michael turned his attention and let his gaze linger on Lorie. His heart swelled inside his chest as he looked longingly at her.

  “You know, Lorie,” he started as she returned his gaze. “I think I finally figured it out.”

  “Figured out what?” she asked as he caught her eyes.

  “Why I could never have a serious relationship,” he answered. “Remember our little discussion on the school lawn outside the library?”

  “I remember,” she said and blinked.

  “I could never have a serious relationship with any of the girls I went out with because I was already in love with someone else,” he admitted.

  “Really?” she asked, not showing any emotion, one way or the other.

  He reached out and gently cupped her cheek in his hand. Her skin felt so soft against his. “Not one girl that I went out with could hold a candle to you. I believe now that I was in love with you from the very first moment I saw you. Now that I look back, the only woman I ever wanted to have by my side was you. You’ve haunted both my thoughts and my dreams. I could never give my heart to anyone else because I had already given it to you.”

  Lorie sat unmoving, looking back at him. For a moment, Michael thought he had misjudged her and had just committed a huge mistake. Then, her eyes started to moisten, and she reached forward and gently kissed him. Her lips felt so soft and supple that he thought he would pass out. His heart leapt for joy as he realized she was returning his affection.

  “I fell in love with you, too,” she said as she pulled herself away. “I’ve never felt so…comfortable around someone else. You were my best friend, but I knew in my heart that you were also more than just a friend. But you would never cross that line. So, I just had to wait.”

  “Really?” Michael asked, astonished.

  “Really,” Lorie said.

  It was his turn to bend down and kiss her back.

  Sandy returned from duck chasing and shook her wet fur. Evidently, she had tried to follow the ducks into the pond. She showered Michael and Lorie with droplets of water. Lorie laughed, and Michael gently wiped the drops of water from her face.

  He tossed a little corner of his sandwich to Sandy and then lay down next to Lorie. She moved her head to rest on his arm. They remained there, frozen in time, as the gentle breeze rippled through the meadow. Grasshoppers and crickets sang to them as they hid in the depths of the field of flowers. The waves from the pond lapped rhythmically against the shore. For the first time in a long time, Michael felt completely at peace. He felt whole with Lorie here by his side. She was the part of him that had been missing. Now that he had found her, he would never let anyone take her from him.

  Hours flew by as they talked about things in their hearts that they had hidden from one another. Michael discovered that when Lorie was telling him about her dates, she was secretly hoping that Michael would be moved by jealousy to step up to the plate.

  As the sun started to set, they gathered up their things and put them back into the basket. They walked hand in hand back to the truck. Michael couldn’t stop smiling. Neither could Lorie. As they drove toward the compound, they continued to hold hands. Lorie slid across the seat and rested her head on his shoulder.

  As they pulled around the corner to the compound, the sound of gunfire assaulted their ears. Ahead, they saw numerous vehicles driving around and trying to penetrate the camp’s defensive barriers. Alarmed, Michael slammed on the brakes, and they both picked up their SCARs.

  Before dawn, Krank’s men had been busy, quietly dismantling the barricade on a little-known railroad bridge to the east. As his gang tore down the wall of twisted metal cars, Krank crept across the long bridge and took out the sole National Guard sentry keeping watch. Then, led by Krank’s big, black Humvee, a line of about thirty vehicles had crossed the bridge, undetected, to the Kentucky side.

  Krank’s gang was now attacking the compound. The Kentucky National Guard was furiously returning fire as the battle raged. Corporal Brett was shouting orders to his men as they remained under cover behind sandbags and military vehicles. One of Krank’s men was driving a jeep with a fifty-caliber machine gun mounted on the back. Another gang member, behind the gun, was causing the most damage. The
large ammunition was pounding the sandbags to dust and putting holes in the vehicles. Michael spotted Krank’s personal Humvee hanging in the background. He probably didn’t want to get his nice car scratched. Fortunately, since Michael came in behind Krank’s little army, his entrance onto the scene had gone unnoticed.

  Michael quickly aimed and killed the man firing the fifty-caliber machine gun. Then, he turned his gun, looking for Krank’s vehicle.

  Krank leaned out his window and yelled inaudible instructions to some of his gang members. Then, he caught sight of Michael in his truck. Screaming in rage, he pumped his arm repeatedly in Michael’s direction. Then, his Humvee pulled around and started racing toward Michael.

  Not having a chance to get a shot off at Krank, Michael spun the truck around. He saw the rest of the vehicles fall in behind Krank. Chased by more than thirty cars, Michael wanted to fight but had little option but to flee.

  Driving south as fast as the truck would go on the two-lane road, Michael tried to keep ahead of his pursuers. His truck was barely out of range of their guns. Looking in the rearview mirror, he thought he could see Corporal Brett trying to rally his men to go after Krank’s army. He heard sporadic gunfire, but nothing hit his truck. Michael’s mind was racing. How could he get away from all the cars? He could maybe outrun a few, but not a whole army. He would have to get to the open freeway to have the slightest chance. And I-75 was still more than a few miles to the west of them.

  “Michael! Watch out!” Lorie shouted.

  Up ahead, more vehicles suddenly appeared on the road, coming directly at them. His heart sank as he realized they were trapped. Krank’s lunatics were going to squish them like a bug. There was no escape―no side roads―so Michael had no choice but to continue to drive forward. The approaching vehicles were now upon him. But instead of firing at him or blocking his way, the vehicles parted and let him through.