The Last Tribe

by Brad Manuel

  Paul looked at his brother. “You’re kidding.”

  “I waited for the girls to die. I buried them. I burned the house. I was nervous about talking on the phone with all of you after Fritzie was taken, but I had to know the plan. I had to know where to go.”

  “I can’t believe the government, as desperate as it was, would snatch people up like you describe. It had to be something else.”

  “I went to his house a day later, late at night, like some fat ninja dressed in black sweats. His front door was still open and his cell phone was on the ground, smashed. You believe what you want to believe, but I know what happened. I crawled into a hole I made for myself and drank muddy water for two months. It was a better alternative to being grabbed by the Feds.”

  “Did you hear the stats on how many they thought would live?” Paul asked. “You had a radio, right? Something to stay connected?”

  “I monitored the broadcasts a little. I tried to make my batteries last. I didn’t have the radio on all the time.”

  “They theorized that one out of every million people was immune. Some of the immunologists thought maybe no one, but finally estimated 300 people might survive in the US. If the government was able to find a few of these people, I wonder if those unlucky people survived the government. How crappy would it be if your buddy was immune to the rapture, but died locked up in a government facility?”

  “You don’t have to ask me. You know my answer. I holed up, I listened to the radio every once in a while for an hour or so. When I found dead air for a few weeks in a row, I came out of my hole. I didn’t bury my family in the dead of night behind my house, like some criminal, to end up getting prodded and poked by government doctors.” He picked up his coffee and cradled the warm mug in his hands.

  “You know why I think they had those meetings? Those handouts or information sessions?” Hank continued. “I’ve had two months to think about this stuff, so if I sound crazy, well, maybe I am a little crazy. Anyway, I think the government lost so many smart people, and the technology companies shut down so fast, the Feds didn’t have the capability to monitor cell phones or regular phones or email or anything. They were so short staffed, and the people left were probably so dumb, the Feds had to trick people like Fritzie into outing themselves. The community meetings were a ruse concocted to find healthy people.” Hank shook his head. “Poor bastard, who knows if Fritzie was really immune. There weren’t a million people in Dayton. If I lived, the odds both of us played golf together and were immune? Whatever. Damn Feds. I didn’t like them before the whole thing happened, I certainly don’t like them now.”

  Hank finished his coffee and stood up. “Look who lived and look who died. I win. Let’s focus on the future, not the screwed up past. What does this town have to offer? I think we need to find snow shoes and warmer jackets. Not today, but after our day off.” Hank walked over to the front desk and looked for pamphlets or a town guide. He opened the desk drawers and pulled out a Rutland yellow pages. “Look at this!” Hank held up the floppy book for Paul to see. “Internet my ass, right?”

  Paul laughed. “Internet my ass.”

  “Do you think we can find a couple of snowmobiles in this town? How far can a snowmobile go on a tank of gas? Can it get to Hanover?” Hank had the yellow pages opened to ‘S.’

  Paul could tell this was Hank’s first coffee in two months. His brother was wired.

  “If we find a dealer, I’m sure it’s on the specs.” It appeared their day off was fast becoming less of a day off than Paul wanted.

  16

  Todd and Emily played catch with their sons in the cul de sac on October 1st. A football was thrown between kids and parents. They had not heard or seen another living person for months.

  Raleigh was dead. The government pulled out when the pandemic spread to other cities and towns. Scientists needed survivors. Raleigh did not have any that they were aware. Healthy people evacuated in July, and the residents who stayed were dead the same month. The power went off in September.

  Todd went on regular patrols, usually at night, sometimes during the day. He had not seen a sign of life in the last eight weeks. He went in homes, took food, water, soft drinks, and supplies. He never saw a living soul. He did not see smoke from fires. He did not hear machinery or cars. Todd was positive he and his family were the only people alive in Raleigh. He knew for weeks, but he kept Emily and the kids safely confined to their house.

  The looting and rioting that plagued the rest of the U.S. was not present in Raleigh. People fled or died before panic began. Todd found provisions and helpful items at malls, supermarkets, and warehouse stores. He acquired a solar generator and solar powered lights. He had gas generators for cloudy days and cold evenings. He had boxes of batteries, a dozen propane tanks, and more fire wood than he could use in two years. He had ten rain barrels running along the side of his house, and another ten on his neighbor’s house to catch water. Todd and his family were outfitted for the upcoming winter. There was not a single item he or Emily could imagine they would need that he had not already found and brought back to the house, except, of course, other people and something to occupy their time.

  Todd could not alleviate the boredom. Emily was becoming a caged animal in the house, wild from not being able to go about her normal routines or leave her neighborhood. She was a social person, much more than Todd. Emily craved friendship, companionship, and excitement. Before the rapture she was in two book clubs, had regular lunches with three of her friends, and was a fixture at her kids’ school as a board member of the PTA. She also worked full time as a senior partner for a risk management firm.

  Todd was happy seeing only his family and remaining at home. Emily needed to be on the move. Her type-A personality was stifled by the lack of stimulus.

  “I want to go today.” Emily did not whine, she stated her argument. “You promised if we did not seen anyone by today, and it was sunny, you’d take me.” Emily had ideas about how she could become ‘unbored.’

  She threw the ball to Jay, and continued to plead her case. “Let’s all go downtown and we’ll just try the front door. If you want to stay here, fine, the kids and I will go, or maybe I will go alone, and you and the kids can stay here.” She was determined. Todd knew he could not contain her, not after two months of sequestration in their house and yard with only a few trips around the neighborhood and surrounding areas.

  “Fine, fine, I give.” Todd held his hands above his head in an expression of surrender.

  “Yea!” Emily cheered and high-fived her children. “We’ll pack some snacks, drinks, and go in a little while.”

  Brian, 7, was supposed to be attending 2nd grade. Jay, 6, should have been in 1st. Emily used her energy to home school the kids, splitting lessons between reading, writing, math, and survival training. The kids learned how to read, and they learned how long to boil water before they could drink it. They learned how to use fire without getting burned, while also learning how to add two digit numbers. Emily alternated between one day of school and one day of fun. She did not have to comply with a traditional calendar. She did what worked for her and the kids. Todd brought a whiteboard home from the nearby office supply store along with several hundred boxes of markers in a multitude of colors.

  Today was a day off from school. Emily was tired of staying in the neighborhood. Raleigh was known for its wonderful parks, one of which, Pullen Park, was downtown and had a gas powered train ride, paddle boats, and playground equipment. She wanted to take the kids on an outing. She wanted the kids to see the governor’s mansion, both inside and out, and visit the local library for more books. Todd kept her at bay for a few months, but today was her day to break free.

  Todd gave Emily a small pistol to keep in her pack. He slipped a large caliber pistol in his and off they went. They drove a hybrid SUV before the rapture, and saw no reason to upgrade.

  One of Emily’s favorite things to do before the world ended was touring homes. She loved to attend open
houses or go on home and neighborhood tours. It fulfilled her curiosity into how other people lived, and gave her ideas about how to decorate and coordinate her own home. Suddenly every home in the country was open for a tour. She walked through as many as she could in her neighborhood, and most of the surrounding neighborhoods, only venturing into homes that had a “V” painted on the driveway.

  Emily was not weird about touring homes. She understood the horror that preceded her opportunity, but she was bored. She rationalized her sojourns by assuming the identity of an anthropologist. Raleigh was a snapshot in time. The hasty evacuations and lack of looting left homes in pristine condition. Emily walked through houses and enjoyed how people really lived in them. She did not steal from the homes, and she was not looking for decorating ideas. Emily approached the homes as shrines or museums to a dead world.

  She wanted to tour the governor’s mansion for years, having seen pictures of it in a North Carolina magazine. She had a few other places she wanted to check out too, homes that always caught her eye when she drove by, or homes featured in local magazines and newspaper articles.

  Todd suspected they would be taking “side stops” on their trip to and from the park. They had plenty of food and water for the day out. The weather was clear and warm for October, and he felt like the family might enjoy a normal day, or at least a day outside of the neighborhood.

  Pullen Park was twenty minutes away. One habit that Todd could not shake, even after months of driving on empty streets, was observing the speed limit. He might drive a few miles per hour faster, but if the posted signs read 45 m.p.h., he stayed within that range. He wasn’t sure if the habit stayed with him because he had been driving for so long, or because he trusted that the signs were the proper safety speeds. He assumed he would not be driving much past this winter, unless they found an oil well and a person who could refine oil into gasoline.

  Their hybrid SUV used batteries at lower speeds. Fuel was abundant, but Todd still conserved when possible. The process to siphon gas from other tanks was time consuming and dirty. He drove slowly down the road towards the park. The windows were down. His arm rested on the open frame.

  Jay and Brian were ecstatic to get out of the neighborhood. While Emily ventured on house tours, and Todd explored the town for safety and scavenged for food, the two boys had not left the cul de sac or backyard for three months. A television show played on the car entertainment system, but the kids ignored the media and opted for the view outside of the car window.

  “Where is everyone?” Jay asked. “Is it Sunday morning or something? Why are there no other cars?”

  Todd and Emily looked at each other. Three months of telling the boys that people were “gone” and their friends were “not around anymore” was obviously not specific enough. The 6 year old could not grasp the idea that everyone was dead. It was difficult enough for Todd and Emily to comprehend.

  “Honey,” Emily started. “We talked about this. Everyone is gone. Remember watching all of the cars leave that day you were sick? Remember watching the television and hearing about how everyone was getting sick?”

  “Yeah, but everyone?” Brian responded with amazement. “I just thought maybe they all left for a while, and were coming back. You mean everyone is dead? You think Charlie is dead too?” Charlie was Brian’s best friend at school.

  Todd stopped the car and placed it in park. He turned around to look at his sons. “Guys, I don’t know if everyone is dead, but they probably are. I’m sorry if Mom and I were not clear about this, but it’s one of those times that parents try to protect their kids from bad stuff. I know two months ago your cousins and Uncles were alive. If we are alive, and they are alive, maybe other people survived too, but no one here in Raleigh did. I’ve been around the city for the last month, up and down streets, blasting music, yelling for people, there isn’t anyone alive that I can find.”

  There was a quiet moment as the boys processed the information. They were sad, but they seemed to understand and process the information.

  “So the power is never coming back? We’re never going to have TV again?” That was the response of a 6 year old.

  “No, probably not. It depends on who survived and if anyone who survived knows how to fix things and get electricity going again. As for TV, well, we can use it sometimes, we have power for that, and Mom and I have all the DVD’s for all the shows we could find, so we have like 50 years of TV to watch.”

  “Can we just go to the park? I want to feed the ducks.” Jay was not a patient child, particularly when the discussion was topics about death and not having TV.

  Todd turned around and started downtown. He spoke over his shoulder to the boys.

  “Mom wants to go on a house tour, do you want to go before or after the park?”

  “Seriously? We get out of the house for the first time in like 10 years and we have to do a house tour? Really?” Brian was 7 going on 13. His cheeks were wet with tears, but his sadness was quickly replaced with outrage.

  “We can drop Mom off at the house and go to the park ourselves. She could call us when she’s done, and we will come back and get her, or she can walk over.” Todd was not interested in the house tour either.

  “Now it’s my turn to say ‘seriously’?” Emily looked at Todd, who stared at the road instead of making eye contact. “You want to leave your wife alone in a dead city? That’s how you want to play this?”

  “Do you want time to enjoy the mansion, or do you want the 15 minutes you will get if we all come? I can drop you off, use the long range walkie-talkies, let me know if there is a problem, everyone has a fun afternoon. There’s a bike shop downtown, just grab one of the bikes from the store and pedal over. It’s like three miles. You have protection in your bag, the mace or the other thing.”

  “Oh, I can do this, I know that, but I am letting it sink in that you would rather drop me off, abandon me, alone in the city, than do a house tour with me.” Despite her complaining, Emily knew Todd was proposing the best solution. She was not worried or scared, she milked the situation as much as possible.

  “Looks like we are dropping Mom off!” Todd said excitedly to the boys.

  “Yay!” They both yelled.

  “I just want to make sure you do one thing for me.” Emily said to Todd as he drove.

  “What’s that?” Todd asked, looking over at her.

  “I want duck for dinner, so after you feed them, they feed us.”

  “I am way ahead of you.” Todd said with a smile.

  The kids settled into a TV show in the back seat and did not pay attention to the last exchange. Todd and Emily grinned as they drove the rest of the way downtown in silence. They pulled up to the governor’s mansion within ten minutes.

  “Okay, it’s 10am, do you want us to meet you back here at noon? We can go to Marbles Kids’ Museum as long as we’re down here.” Todd wanted a plan to get him away from the outdoor park in a reasonable amount of time.

  “Let’s do this. I will meet you in front of Marbles on the square at noon. I’ll call you on the walkie-talkie if I need to get picked up sooner, but plan on being there for lunch. The kids can play in Marbles after lunch.” Marbles Kids’ Museum was a large indoor amusement area. Emily was not sure how much light would be present without electricity, but they would give it a try.

  Emily opened her door and got out. She walked to the back of the SUV to get her backpack. Todd met her at the trunk.

  “There isn’t anyone here, but be careful. You have a gun. As long as it isn’t me or the kids, I don’t care if you shoot anyone. Seriously, kill them if you have to. I want to make sure you are safe when I come around the corner at noon.” Todd helped Emily put on her pack, before giving her a hug and a kiss.

  “There is no one left to kill. I’ll be okay. Don’t let the kids get hurt. We don’t have an emergency room to take them too. I’ll see you in two hours.” She spun around and walked towards the mansion’s gate. It was closed but not locked. The iron hinges
creaked when she swung the doors apart.

  Todd got in the car, clicked on his walkie talkie and pressed the button. “Testing.”

  Emily’s voice crackled two seconds later. “Works fine. Love you.”

  “Love you too.” He put the car in drive and pulled away. The kids watched their video, oblivious their mother was gone from their sight for the first time in three months.

  Emily watched Todd and the boys pull away from the curb. “Okay,” she said to herself. “You’re on your own now.” She walked up to the door of the mansion. There was a large knocker and a doorbell. She lifted the knocker several times, letting it fall heavily onto the door with a loud thump. She yelled “hello, is anyone home?” She ignored the doorbell. There was no electricity. After five drops of the knocker she tried the door. It was locked.

  Emily knew the mansion was vacant. The Governor fled Raleigh at the onset of the epidemic, moving to her western residence in Ashville, announcing she would govern the state from there until a cure was found and she and her family could safely return to the capitol. The staff evacuated as well.

  Emily walked around the mansion to try other entrances before she broke a window. She went back down the fronts steps and turned to her left. She noticed a carport on the left side of the building, and thought the service door might be unlocked. Emily looked at the grounds as she made her way to the second entrance. What was once beautiful and manicured was now overgrown with weeds and out of control. Vegetation grows quickly in North Carolina. Without weekly weed control and pruning the mansion gardens and grounds were ruined.

  She arrived at the carport and turned the knob. “Success!” she said aloud as the door pulled open. She stepped into the mansion’s mudroom. She peered through the door on the other side of the small vestibule. She could see a sitting room on the right and a dining room to her left. The house was dim, but not dark enough to need a flashlight. Built in the late 1800’s, before electric light, its windows were large and illuminating.