by David Peters
Doc looked extremely tired and there was an edge of sadness around his eyes, “The woman has died. There was nothing I could do to save her.”
Dylan lowered his head, “I’m sorry, Doc. We were all hoping that you were onto something. It’s a good thing that we didn’t get anyone’s hopes up.”
“Don’t get me wrong, the Dust works exactly as I had hoped it would.”
“I’m sorry?”
“The woman is dead but she is completely human. Well, that is kind of misleading. Let me clarify by saying that what remains of her now is completely human, but she is not a complete human. I will need to do a full autopsy when I have had a little rest but the results of the test are actually quite positive.”
Niccole gave him a puzzled look, “If she died, how is this in any way a positive? Isn’t death the end result either way? Why does it matter if a life is ended with a bullet in the head or being comatose in a bed and having your switch turned off?”
“I am basing this on initial findings, but the Corruption had progressed too far. The Corrupted have a different organ layout than humans and that is at the core of the change. The two primary changes that occur first are in the heart and lungs. The victims heart bifurcates,” he paused as he saw the questioning looks, “pardon me, splits into two separate hearts before growing into two independent organs. Her heart had already split, so when the Corruption was removed, her human organs could no longer function. She never regained consciousness so she did not die in pain.”
“So what are you telling us, Doc?”
“If we can administer a dose of the purified Dust within three hours of a bite, I think a person should recover without any long term effects. It isn’t a cure, but it is a start. Keep in mind that three hours is not flexible in any way. If someone is right on that line, it can be an incredibly long, suffering death as the body struggles to stay alive with partially functioning organs.”
“Can you use it to immunize us?”
“It doesn’t work that way, think of it more like antivenin than an inoculation. I can’t give you anything before a snake bite, but afterward I can fix you up. I have fairly well written notes, now I need to draft a formal white paper and get this information out to other towns.”
“Niccole and Jen have already been talking about how to do that. Is this something we can do over a radio or is there a road trip in our future? How complex is the entire process?”
“It is really going to depend on what the townships have. Some parts of the process could be extremely difficult to process if they don’t have something like a microscope or a fine filtration system. I think our best bet is to begin organizing shipments of the Dust. We have the people-power to crank the stuff out.”
“Travis, how much total Dust do we have aside from our own needs?”
“In the processing shed we have somewhere in the range of four hundred gallons of raw, unprocessed Dust. That is what we use in the weapons grade version of the Dust. Doc has about four kilograms of processed, medical grade Dust.”
Doc added, “We also have a very large hive to deal with. Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves just yet.”
Dylan nodded, “Any idea when the other two will be in some sort of condition to talk?”
“With a little more rest and hydration, I think tomorrow morning is about as early as we can expect them to be up for that sort of thing.”
“Let’s meet up in the Q-Hut at ten o’clock tomorrow morning and go from there. Aside from that, I think a toast is in order. Doc may have changed things for us on this planet.”
Chapter 5
Dylan leaned against the outside of the Q-Hut sipping tea with Caperson, “If these guys came from the fighting in Folkesburg, they traveled a hell of a long way on foot. No maps, no equipment. Scouts found them to the south so that adds even more to their trip.”
“I guess one of them was only wearing the remains of a pair of pink furry slippers when they brought him in. Can’t imagine what that would be like with ‘Rupts chasing you the whole damn way. The poor guy looks as if he was dragged through a mile of broken glass to top it off.”
The door to their right opened and Doc stepped onto the porch, “From what little I have gathered, these guys have been through hell. Only one of them is awake and he is anxious to talk with anyone in charge that will listen. His name is Michael and he was one of those who volunteered to stay behind while the rest of the town attempted to escape.”
The two turned and followed Doc back into the medical building.
Dylan and Caperson sat down on opposite sides of the man’s cot. He looked tired but had an edge of eagerness in his face.
Michael gave each of them a tired look, “How’s it going? Is one of you Dylan Murphy?”
“That would be me. This is Chris Caperson, he is in charge of the security for Paradise Falls. How are you feeling? Is there anything we can get you?”
“I can recall a few times when I have felt a little better. My feet feel like I’m still wearing barbed wire shoes and my stomach feels like it wants to be somewhere I’m not. On top of that my entire body feels like I just played ten or fifteen football games back to back.”
“Caperson is more of the sports guy than I am. Did you play in the Old World?”
“Little bit, yeah. Mostly a bench warmer but I was a quarterback when they needed me on the field.”
“What did you do in Folkesburg?”
“Pretty much the same thing you do here, try to survive. I spent most of my time working in the lumber mill. It seems that I had a natural born talent with large machines and keeping them running.”
“Would you mind telling us what happened in Folkesburg? Do you remember any of it?”
Michael shook his head and stared at the ceiling, “I don’t even know where to start.”
“Tell us what you saw.”
“I saw more Corrupted then I ever imagined existed. I think I saw the beginning of the end.”
~1~
Michael finished packing his dishes back into his storage bag and stepped out of his current home. His bright orange tent had some company’s name splashed across the side in bright red and blue letters. Some company that didn’t exist anymore and probably never would. He waved at several others as some of them were starting their day and others were in the process of ending theirs.
He strapped a large hunting knife around his waist and started heading toward the main warehouse where the lumber was shaped for whatever project was currently the priority. His shift was from ten in the morning until six in the evening and it kept him busy for the most part. His shift was fairly boring as long as Hastings didn’t decide to make his presence known by wanting to run a drill or quiz someone on operating procedures in the event of an attack.
He had yet to be able to get anyone to explain why the man was allowed to wander around creating chaos the way that he did. Martha didn’t want to deal with him and any complaints about past behavior were met with a laugh and a pat on the shoulder. They called his particular brand of leadership Drive-By-Hastings. He would offer his worldly advice on anything and everything related to his old military days. Most felt he was simply making it up on the spot and didn’t have a clue about any point he was attempting to make. Half the time he seemed to be talking about something completely unrelated to the world they lived in, present or past. If anyone listened to his stories long enough, they would get the impression that General Washington had consulted with Hastings before crossing the Potomac.
Michael heard the crunch of gravel as someone fell into step behind him.
“Morning, Mike. How goes it this fine day? You ready for another day at the office?
He turned to see his friend moving to catch up, “Hey there, Dean. No rain and no heat make for a good morning. As far as work goes, another day, another dollar.”
The two of them made their way toward the hastily built barricade. The wood workshop was on the outside of the small wall that surrounded the town of Folkesburg. For the most
part, it was dirt piled up behind posts sunk deep into the ground but it gave them higher ground to watch the surrounding area and some defense from attacking Corrupted.
“How are things going with that girl, what’s her name? Kelly? Haven’t you been fixing the roof of her cabin? Or maybe I should say pretending to fix it? You have been working on it for a week now. You could have built her an entirely new roof by now. I think someone is spending their free time drinking tea instead of putting new shingles on a roof.”
Dean was always a little bashful when it came to conversations about girls and he blushed slightly, “Yeah. I worked on it until well past dark last night. She made me some dinner and we wound up talking all night. That’s where I’m coming from now.” Dean blushed heavily, “Nothing happened though!”
Mike punched his friend lightly on the arm, “You sly dog. Good for you though, you two make a damn good couple. She really digs you.”
“What about you, man? Anyone caught the eye of the camp football star yet?”
“I’ve been so damn busy trying to not die that I haven’t even thought about it. By the way, I haven’t even seen a football for nearly four years. I’m not sure I could even throw a spiral anymore.”
“You aren’t going to be happy until I see you as nothing more than human, are you?”
Some commotion on the wall caught their attention. One of the wall guards was pointing excitedly at something the two of them couldn’t see in the distance.
“Something going on up there, Ben?”
“Scout is coming in fast. Guy is riding like he is on fire!”
The two climbed the stone stairs to the top. Folkesburg was on a ridgeline that was fairly flat to the east but dropped into a steep valley to the west. They could see the dust from the rapidly approaching horse more than a mile away. The plains stretched out to the west for nearly three miles before they met the foothills of the nearest mountain range and heavy pine forests.
Mike lowered his binoculars, “Damn, that guy is balls out. Get Martha, whatever got this guy going is pretty heavy.”
Dean looked at him, “Yeah, a scout, why does Martha need to know?”
“Because the scout is looking over his shoulder. I don’t think he’s curious about the view, he’s worried about something following him.”
Dean’s eyebrows rose and he turned away to run down the stairs to get the town leader. This early in the day she could always be found in the main office going through supply sheets and meeting with various shift leads.
As he made the jump to ground level he heard Mike on the wall yell out, “Open the gate, he ain’t going to slow down before he hits it!”
With the gate pulled back and out of the way, the scout flew through the opening. Not until the young man had turned to verify he was fully inside the town did he stop his horse and dismount.
“Where’s Martha, we need to get out of town now! We can’t stay, we have to go! Now! Everyone should just run! Get out now!”
Mike grabbed the man’s shoulders and spoke quietly, “Slow down. Martha is on her way. Why do we need to leave, what’s coming? What did you see?”
“All of them!” The man nearly screamed, “All of them!”
“All of them? All of who?”
“Corrupted. Thousands of them, maybe ten thousand, I don’t know. I saw them coming through Jacob’s Cut, they can’t be more than thirty minutes behind me, hour at the most. We can’t fight that many off! We have to run! It’s too damn many!”
Mike looked around and noticed every wall guard was at ground level listening to the man, “You two, get the hell back up on the wall and keep an eye out. You there, get to the barn and start saddling up every horse and getting all the carts ready. Grab every person you pass and get them to help you. You two, one of you hit the siren and stay on it until you are told otherwise. I want the other one to make sure the escape tunnel hasn’t flooded recently, run it all the way to the end and come back.”
Several of the people stared at him with stunned looks, “Move now, damn it!”
They sprinted off in different directions as the urgency finally hit home. He watched them grab several stunned onlookers as they made their separate ways into the center of the town.
Built out of an old water treatment facility, Folkesburg had extensive underground water lines and large water mains to move the different stages of clean water around the facility. The main intake line was more than twelve feet wide and extended for two miles before it opened into daylight at a large man-made lake. With the arrival of the Corrupted, the reservoir had been slowly draining but if the rains got too heavy the lake would fill into the tunnel. If there was enough water in the tunnel, some places could be too deep for anyone to pass safely and there would be no way they could get the wagons through if their escape route was flooded.
Mike started running toward Martha’s cabin and met her as she stepped off of her front porch.
“Dean gave me a quick rundown of what the scout saw. We can’t hope to fight off that many. Even if we had ten times the weapons we do, we can’t defend ourselves against that and not have massive casualties.”
“I’ve got the initial evacuation in play but we need every single person in this town working on it right now.”
Just then the old style air raid alarm began to wind up. Doors began to fly open around the town as people ran outside and toward the meeting stone.
Martha ran to the center and held her arms up for silence, “We have a very large army of Corrupted coming and we will not be staying to fight them off. We must abandon the town for the time being. You have fifteen minutes to grab what you can. You will have to carry whatever you grab so only clothing, any weapons, bottled water and easy to carry food. I need fifteen volunteers to meet me by the gate. Everyone else, meet at the evacuation tunnel once you are ready, we will regroup on the far side of the tunnel. Go now and don’t waste a second! Spread the word to anyone that isn’t here! Move quickly, people!”
The crowd scattered, several people were crying but most could only think of the job at hand, grabbing only what was necessary to get their family to safety. Rumors were already circling about how many of the Corrupted were coming and with each retelling of the story the numbers grew larger. Panic was beginning to take hold and visibly move through the crowd. The terror building would become a problem if it built up too much but for the moment it was an excellent motivator.
Mike followed Martha to the gate. She walked rapidly but stared at the ground as she walked. She was a very rational and logical thinker. He could see she was playing everything out in her mind and not liking the results she was getting. She shook her head several times as they made their way through the growing crowd.
“Michael, I need all of the heavy weapons up here at the gate,” She pulled a chain with a key on it from around her neck. “Here is the key to the armory. Don’t leave anything behind, if it shoots or blows up I want it up here.”
“Won’t those trying to escape need them?”
“Not if we do our job right. I assume you are one of the volunteers?”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way. I don’t have any family waiting for me.”
“We are staying behind. We need to provide a strong enough diversion that we slow them down and make them think they caught the town unawares. Make them think they are fighting the entire town while the others get out through the tunnel. If we can manage to kill a few of them in the process, it’s that much better. Every minute we can fight is another minute head start for those people.”
“Once they realize there are only fifteen people defending the town, they will turn us inside out.”
“Before they breach the wall, we seal the tunnel and make sure they don’t get through it. I don’t think they could figure out where it goes. Even if they did, it would take ages for them to find the end.”
“That door can only be done from this side, that’s suicide for the one pulling the lever.”
“I know. I
will be the one closing it. I can’t ask that of anyone but myself.”
The exit tunnel had a large, rolling steel and concrete door. When the facility had power, they could roll it back out of place using powerful electric motors and two large hydraulic pistons. Now that there was no power for the breaking mechanism or the hydraulic motors, cutting the lines was the only option to close the door. Once the twenty ton door rolled into place, it was there for good. Anyone on the Folkesburg side would need to walk two miles of open ground and barbed wire fences before they would be able to meet with the other end of the tunnel.
At least four dozen people grouped around the main gate as Martha and Michael turned to face them, “One moment, please.” She carefully looked at the faces in the crowd, she began to point at one person after another, “You nine people, go pack and get ready to leave. You all have families and will be needed there.” She then pointed to several others, “You six, you are too young, please follow the others.”
She scanned the remaining eyes and pointed to fifteen people, “Do you understand what it is we are about to do?”
A few confused looks were passed through the crowd.
“We will be the holding force while the rest of our families and friends make good on their escape. We will fight a delaying action, we will not be able to beat them and will probably remain behind after the causeway door is closed.”
A random voice asked with a quavering tone, “So we ain’t goin’ with the others?”
“We will stay so they can make it out.”
There was a disruption as a single man forced his way to the front, “I’m here, I’m here. I have a battle plan formed and am ready to deploy my forces, Martha! We can win this!”
Martha sighed heavily, “Hastings. I will be leading this with Mike in overall command.”
Hastings scowled at Mike then turned back to Martha, “Mike doesn’t have the experience I do! The man hasn’t been battle tested as I have, he played football for Christ’s sake. I already have a plan in place that will allow us to flank and destroy these incoming forces. Our small size and lightning quick attacks will wither their superior numbers! It’s simple guerrilla tactics!”
