Allen: I’m fine Damian, my legs just hurt like hell.
Damian: Did you just say that your legs hurt?
I looked down at his legs and it was unbelievable; He was wiggling his toes and moving his legs.
Damian: Allen your legs are moving!
Allen: Holy shit Damian, My legs are moving, MY LEGS ARE MOVING!
I could not find words to say, I was so surprised that this was happening, the doctor said that there was no human force that would cause him to walk ever again, and I lay here looking at his legs moving.
Damian: Allen, try getting up.
He moved his legs to side of the bed and slowly slid down to the floor feet first. I heard a thump on the floor and it was not his whole body. His legs were weak and not as muscular as they were a month ago. The atrophy to his legs made it a little harder for him to stand at first but sure enough he was standing in front of me and he was not falling. He walked around his bed slowly and trembling, but he was walking.
“You look like my grandmother,” I laughed.
It was hard at first due to the inactivity of his legs for a while, but he looked so happy to be moving around without a wheelchair.
Allen: Damian it’s a miracle!
He then dropped to his knees and started crying. I could not imagine how happy he felt, He was so excited to get better and get home to his little girl.
Allen: Damian it’s a new day, and God has answered my prayers.
Chapter 8
It was slow and gloomy in the infirmary, and everyone had the same look that soldiers do after a bad encounter with the enemy. The sad thing is that they were struggling to find places where they could put the bodies of the deceased. It was very eerie when you looked around and you can still see dead bodies uncovered and still lying in their beds. We had about forty or so soldiers staying in the infirmary and if I am correct, it looked like they ran out of bags for bodies after twenty-five. The losses could not have been more sorrowful.
I’m happy that Allen is walking now, he has been going around helping in any way he can. I have also been helping by bringing food and water to the remaining soldiers that are alive. Some of them are actually doing much better than they were yesterday. They all exclaim to have no pain and they just want to get up and move around, but the doctors are being strict about them staying in bed. One soldier, Albert Gonzalo, has been having a lot of stomach pain, and is constantly throwing up. I have been giving him soda water in hopes that it will ease his nausea.
Damian: Here Gonzalo, you need to drink some more of this soda water, it will help your stomach feel better.
Albert: Alright, give it here, I can open it myself I don’t need you treating me like a vegetable pal.
As he opened the can, his finger slipped and he cut himself on the inside part of the can.
Damian: Here I’m gonna bandage that for you.
Albert: I don’t need it, it’s just a paper cut buddy, no need to make a big deal.
He was right, we all have seen worse injuries than that, so I let it be. I feel very productive today, despite all of this horror, I think we did some good for the remaining soldiers.
Chapter 9
Things have calmed down here at the infirmary, but it took doctors over an hour to get Gonzalo’s finger to stop bleeding. It wasn’t like normal bleeding though, his finger was bleeding almost like a water spout. The doctors have no clue why this happened so they did some blood work on him and it looks like they may have found something.
Doctor: It seems as if your blood has no sign of the clotting factors needed for your blood to clot and stop the bleeding.
Albert: Speak English buddy.
Doctor: Apparently you have a severe form of hemophilia.
Albert: Hemophilia? What does that mean exactly?
Doctor: It means that your blood cannot clot and that means that without constant blood deliverance or proper treatment, you would have bled out and died.
Albert: Ain’t that the way to go out huh... a paper cut!
Doctor: However we did find an abnormality in your blood that has doubled the length of your telomeres.
Albert: And this means what?
Doctor: It means Mr. Gonzalo that if we can get you to stop bleeding out and get you all healed up, your life expectancy would nearly double and you would age half as fast, which means you could live to be 130 years old.
Albert: Wow, 130 years old huh, that’s a lot of extra years.
Doctor: However, you would live with this severe Hemophilia disorder for the rest of your life, and your flesh will heal twice as fast due to the abnormalities in your blood.
Albert: Kind of like wolverine huh?
Doctor: It is not miraculous healing, it is just faster. If you get cut and you do not treat it, you will die of blood loss.
This had to be the craziest conversation I have ever heard.
Damian: Allen, How did a completely healthy man contract hemophilia?
Allen: Technically you cannot contract Hemophilia; Hemophilia is a hereditary disease Damian.
Then what the hell is going on here? And how is it that his life expectancy has doubled?
Chapter 10
It has been three days since the incident in the infirmary and still no word from the doctors explaining what happened. A bunch of us get to go home today including a lot of the doctors. They have looked like hell for the past week, so it is good that they get a break.
They brought in a whole new staff of doctors to finish the work here. Allen and I are part of the lucky group of people that get to go home, however, we have to go to a meeting first. They started calling names to get us lined up to go to the meeting. I figured out toward the end that they were calling out our names in alphabetical order because I got put in line right next to Allen. Since my last name was Walker and his name was Westmore it was pretty obvious. We walked down a long hallway, the same hallway that the medical room all of the soldiers raided. I could hear Allen behind me laughing under his breath, so I turned around and asked him what was so funny.
Allen: I'm glad I went with the boys to find that medicine because now I can walk, I just think that is the greatest.
Although I was happy for Allen I felt a hint of disappointment in him. I never thought Allen would be happy about destroying a military medical room full of thousands of dollars’ worth of machines and medicines.
We finally reached the room where we were going to have our debriefing and the man at the head of the table was a new face to all of us.
General Levi: Please, have a seat gentlemen... Now, I am General Leviticus Blehm, and I am here with your orders. I am aware that you have had a few incidents within the last couple months that have resulted in major losses. I could not imagine how you all feel, but let’s get to the point of this meeting. You all are being honorably discharged from the service and will receive the medal of honor and the purple heart due to the fact that during the attack on the base you showed true valor in which the president and congress feel you should be awarded. I am also aware that you all were injured in the line of duty, and whether it was critical or not you deserve these medals. I am proud to call you American soldiers and I hope you will enjoy life after war. Transportation will be provided tomorrow at 0500. Please be ready to board the plane and head back home. You are all dismissed.
I couldn't believe that I just received these two prestigious medals. I had trouble grasping the reality of this situation and realizing that I am going to have to try and live a normal life now, but at least I was rewarded well for doing my job. As we were leaving I took a final glance at the General. I saw him shaking hands with one of the new doctors and the commander of this base. I only could hear a few words being muttered before being escorted out of the room: incident...contained...quarantined...cover up...
Chapter 11
0500 came faster than I imagined, considering I did not sleep at all. I was too busy worrying about what I was going to do now that I am considered a retired soldier.
I don't want to end up in some burger joint or be a waiter for a restaurant. I quickly realized that nothing else will suffice. At least some of us have something to go home to. Allen is very excited to see Charlotte again and spend more time with her. He will also have quite a tale to tell when he gets home. I do not personally know anyone besides Allen that lost their legs and then got them back. Actually we will all have a story to tell. Things were really crazy during this tour, and I can honestly say that this was the most surreal feeling tour I have ever had. We lost so many people and then there was the incident with Karber. Then there was the whole thing with the General, what were they hiding and trying cover up? Now that I have left the base I have no way of figuring anything out. I guess I can say that one thing hasn't changed about me being a soldier, and that’s that I get sent away again without knowing all of the details.
We landed in New York, and I as I woke up all I could hear was loud cheering and people screaming. Immediately I thought, “Damn it another attack? What the hell?" I failed to realize, though, that the noise was directly outside of the plane. As we got off, there were people with signs that read "Our Heroes" and "Welcome Home Survivors." I guess our base attack and the incidents at the infirmary made news quickly and we instantly became military celebrities. We were escorted through the roaring crowd to a hangar that housed another plane that was just a little bit bigger than a private jet. We all boarded the plane and over the intercom we heard the pilot say, "Next stop D.C., everybody."
These plane rides do not get any easier over time. Every plane ride is just as long as the last one regardless of where you’re going. I figured I would try and sleep during this plane ride. Hopefully D.C. is worth all of this traveling.
When we landed, it was quiet and the area was unoccupied. It was very different from New York, and honestly, I kind of missed the crowd cheering for us. We were being escorted to a few SUV's, and still we had no idea what was going on or where we were headed. We began driving and the more we drove the more apparent our destination became. We were going to the almighty White House. Waves of adrenaline passed through my body as I hoped I would get a chance to meet the President, an honor very few got to have. We pulled right up to the White House and we were put in line and escorted in. The courtyard was beautiful. All of the trees, the fountain, and the grass looked like they were tended to perfectly. As we walked in the door, I saw a man whose hair had slightly greyed, whose posture looked powerful, and whose voice was familiar to everyone in America. It was the President of the United States.
President: Welcome to The White House gentlemen. Please follow me.
Walking through The White House was an immeasurable experience. The President waved his arm towards a room and instructed us to take a seat. We all were excited to hear what he was going to say.
President: I have brought you gentlemen here because we will be discussing some very important things today. I would like to begin by saying that I am proud to call you American soldiers, and I hope you feel honored to have served for such a wonderful nation. The medals we have awarded you will forever symbolize your valor and sacrifice that you showed in the line of duty, and you will be seen as heroes by the public for many years to come. I know that the attack on the base was unexpected and devastating, but you all handled yourselves wonderfully and with extreme precision. I am glad that you all were able to survive such a horrible incident and that you are able to come home to your families. As for the incidents that occurred during your stay at the infirmary, we have not allowed for those incidents to be made public. The infirmary is considered confidential information and will never be shared with the civilian population. I wanted to be the one to tell you this personally so that you gentlemen understand how important it is that this information stay hidden. You will from this point forward be monitored by the U.S. government and be under constant surveillance. Our Central Intelligence has been ordered to handle anyone who attempts to tell anyone about the incidents that took place in the infirmary. I hope you all will be cooperative and live your lives as normally as possible. You will all be permitted to go back to your respective homes and see your families and go on with your life. I wish you all luck in your future endeavors, and boys remember… confidential.
"Wow" was the only thought I had. Constant surveillance on my life from here on out? What was I supposed to do with my life now? I mean it’s not like I have people that are very close to me. I barely talk to my family, and girlfriends are pretty much non-existent. Maybe this will be easier than I thought. The other guys may not have it so easy. A lot of these guys actually have a wife and kids. I guess all we can do is attempt to make our lives normal.
Chapter 12
Six months of being watched constantly was easier than I thought, especially since I have not talked to anyone at all. The only person I have really talked to besides the usual telemarketers was Allen. He was having an easy time just like me because all he does is hang out with his daughter Charlotte. I really think she helps him forget about all the stuff that happened. He seems very happy despite the memories that lurk in his mind.
All I do is go to work, the gym, and back home. When you live in Colorado Springs it is easy to find a job where you can stay under the radar. I work in a small restaurant down in Old Colorado City which is just a street near downtown. To be honest, having a civilian job makes me feel insignificant and useless. I was a soldier who fought for freedom and now... I am just some guy. TV was the only entertainment I really had and it was always the same thing on the news: Weather, traffic, and tragedy. Tonight, however sparked my interest because one of the stories read "Horrific accident for one of the survivors of the base attack in Afghanistan." I waited to see the details and then the newscaster began.
Newscaster: A survivor of the tragic base attack in Afghanistan six months ago had a terrible accident today. Officer John William Vigol and his family were involved in a fatal accident that killed him, his wife, and their two sons. While the family was driving a man drove onto their side of the road forcing them off of a bridge. This incident is being labeled as a hit and run because the whereabouts of the other driver are unknown. There was only one witness and all they can remember about the vehicle is that it was a black sports vehicle. More details to come on this accident.
I could not form any thoughts. His whole family died and no one can find the person responsible for this. Unfortunately I only knew John from the two debriefings we had together, so I doubt I will get an invitation to the funeral. I immediately tried getting a hold of Allen by calling him.
“Hi! You have reached Charlotte and Allen, Please leave your message after the beep!"
Damian: Allen, its Damian call me back as soon as you get this message.
It took three hours before Allen called me back.
Damian: Allen did you watch the news today?
Allen: No, why?
Damian: John Vigol and his whole family just died. They were in a car accident and drove off of a bridge.
Allen: Are you serious Damian? He has only been home for a few months!
Damian: Yeah, the witness said they were run off the road by a black sports car.
Allen: So Bruce Wayne killed them?
Damian: Allen this is serious. I'm not kidding!
Newscaster: BREAKING NEWS, The entire population of Herat and Baghlan have been found dead today. There is no known source of what caused this massacre. The town had no signs of guns being fired and no signs of explosives. All of the occupants were found dead in their homes. Doctors say that the cities’ distance from one another rules out the possibility of a disease or virus. There is no known link between the two cities, but it was said that both cities are exactly the same in the way the population died....."
Part 2: The Apocalypse
It began in Herat and Baghlan and then soon consumed the entire country of Afghanistan. It quickly spread to the surrounding countries and began to move faster and faster. Australia, North-western U.S., Japan, Southern
Africa, and Europe all had outbreaks shortly after the Herat and Baghlan incident. It took only two weeks for two thirds of the world’s population to be destroyed. The United States is now divided into regions, and is under control of the Valkyrie Federation. Some people govern entire states, and some just have gained control of a city. The government is gone and electricity is scarce. The world has been reduced to pure survival.
Chapter 13
I feel alive. I have never felt so good in my life. After I contracted our man made hemophilia I had the energy of a twenty-one year old and looked younger by a few years. My back injury was gone and I no longer feel the occasional pain in my ribs.
I am forty-one and the world is much different now. The disease has killed the majority of the world and left us living in an unstructured society. The U.S. government shut down within a week of the outbreak and shortly afterward other countries followed suit.
When the disease hits, you begin to sweat, you feel feverish, your body starts burning up, and you feel like your blood is on fire, which is why it is called the Blood Fever. Shortly after the fever and burning up, your body stiffens and cramps intensely. This renders you immobile as you hit the floor like a sack of potatoes. Imagine being electrocuted while receiving acupuncture and cauterizing a wound at the same time. If you survive this process, you wake up feeling better than you ever have. You're faster, stronger, and more durable. Unfortunately when the blood fever hit, the majority of people could not survive the attack on the body. The elderly and almost anyone from an infant to adolescence died. Anyone who was sick, or just plain weak did not survive. I feel lucky to have survived, and sometimes I feel as if I was meant to be here still.
Apocalypse No.3 Page 2
