The Ark of Asylum (The Ark Series Book 1)

by Kotrous, Scott

  Sasha snaps her fingers and points at Evgeni. “GI Joe, you got the name from the old GI Joe cartoon!”

  “Excellent, Sasha, very good. Here’s your quarter!” He pulls a quarter out of his pocket and flips it to Sasha who grabs it and smiles.

  “Oh, ah, wow. Okay, thanks?”

  “Now if you’d excuse me; I have much work to do. Good day.”

  They all shake hands, and Evgeni sits back down and gets back to work on his computer. The three of them leave the room and head back to the elevator. Adam walks ahead of the group and stands in front of the elevator.

  “Do you mind telling me what’s going on and what this is all about and why we are building something called ‘the Havoc’?”

  “Oh, right, of course, you guys still don’t know what this is about, sorry. Ah well, we’re going to go get Maggie out of Boulder and bring her back here. That’s it.”

  John pats Adam on the shoulder as he walks by and gets on the elevator. Adam stands there stunned and turns around just to catch the door as it is closing. “We’re what, sir? We’re going on a rescue mission in some prototype vehicle to save your niece?”

  “Are you getting on the elevator or not? I told my sister and my brother-in-law that I’d do everything I could to get her out of there, and this is it. There’s no other way. We will have two ten-man teams go out and rescue her and her friends from that tomb they are going to be living in if we don’t help them. I’m sorry if you have a problem with this, but Maggie is like a daughter to me and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her, and that includes risking my life and nineteen others in the process!”

  “Wait, what? Your life? You’re not planning on going, are you?” He lets go of the door and steps onto the elevator.

  “Well, yes, of course. This was my idea. I’m not going to send out any of my men by themselves. And the nineteen people I’ll be bringing along will be on a voluntary basis. No one will be forced to go.”

  “I, I just wish you would have ran this by me, sir, that’s all, since you will be taking some of my men with you.”

  “I just did, and this really doesn’t concern you all that much. Any man or woman that comes from your department will be replaced by someone fully capable. By the way, you need to start training candidates soon.”

  “Thanks for the heads up, sir, and when do you plan on making this rescue mission?”

  “As soon as they’re done building the three Havocs, hopefully sometime in the spring.”

  The elevator gets to the apartment levels, and John gets off, leaving Adam and Sasha standing there in disarray.

  “Listen, I’m sorry to drop such a bombshell on you guys, but that’s just the way things are going to be around here for now on. No more easy times, only extreme measures in these extreme times. We can’t stand by anymore and wait for things to happen because if we do, it might be too late. And like I said I’m not going to force anyone to go if they don’t want to, but I’m naturally going to need some of our best, most highly trained men and women we have. So, Adam and Sasha, we’re going to have to start training everyone, men women, and children, on weapons and tactics, combat and fighting. You need to gather your best men and start training all adults and teenagers as soon as we can on how to handle a weapon along with hand-to-hand combat. Any child under the age of sixteen will not be trained because that’s just too young to be learning this kind of stuff, but everyone else needs training. Okay, so do you guys have any questions for me? If not let’s get to work.”

  Both Adam and Sasha shake their heads no and say nothing as the elevator door closes. John walks down the hallway saying hi to anyone he passes and then goes back to the apartment to talk to his wife.

  Chapter 22

  Peter runs over to the First Aid kit hanging on the wall and pulls it down. He carries it over to Dave and hands it to him. Jason sits in the chair and proceeds to remove his shirt to expose the wound. Kelly quickly grabs the alcohol and pours some on a cotton swab and gently presses it on the wound, causing Jason to flinch.

  Dave begins to prepare a surgical suture by threading the suture thread through the needle. He takes his brother’s arm and begins to stitch up the wound. “I want all of you to watch how I do this in case something happens to me or any of the adults. You kids need to know how to stitch up and care for a wound in the case of an emergency.”

  Peter nods his head enthusiastically. He has been watching everything Dave has done since he began. Stephanie and Mia just shake their heads as they sit in the corner on the floor holding each other. They haven’t said a word since Kelly got them to say their names. Understandable, as they had watched their father die, and obviously traumatized by the day’s events.

  Simon exits the back room holding a container and stops and looks at Jason, who’s not even making a sound as his brother finishes stitching him up. He sets the case next to the door and walks over to the Hazmat suits and begins putting one on.

  Everyone looks at him, puzzled.

  “I have to begin testing on the samples, and the only semi-safe place to do that is where I left them, and that’s the decontamination room. I have no idea how long it will take, but I need everyone to just stay put while I try to determine what we’re dealing with. I will be doing this alone, so, please, no one bother me unless it’s an emergency, alright?”

  Jason stands up and admires the nice work his brother has done on his arm and holds it out so his wife can bandage it up. “Are you sure now is a good time to do that? Being outside the bunker and all when Denver just got napalmed? Who knows what else could happen? Maybe that should wait until things settle down out there.”

  Simon finishes putting on his suit and goes over to the door and picks up his case. “This is extremely important. I have to know what is causing this. You can contact me through the intercom if you have to, but please let me concentrate. I should have some preliminary results within a day or two, and of course make sure you close the door behind me.”

  He presses the button on the wall, and the door opens. Simon leaves the bunker, and Peter presses the button to close the door. Simon enters the decontamination room, sets up his supplies, and begins testing the samples. Peter then turns around and puts his hands up in the air, not knowing what to say. He walks over to the supplies and grabs a few water bottles and takes them to the girls still cowering in the corner and still crying.

  A day goes by and the door opens to everyone’s surprise while they sit at the table eating. Simon enters the room, takes off the suit, and sits down with everyone. “Alright everyone, I’ve been running tests for the past day, and I’ve determined that this biological weapon is some form of a bacterial strain unknown to modern medicine. So far it is antibiotic resistant to every antibiotic I’ve used on it. It multiplies quickly and mutates when transferred by blood to a new host. But I couldn’t determine if it can be transferred by saliva since I couldn’t recover any. And since I’ve only been able to do testing on a cellular level, my conclusion is limited, but so far it’s nothing I’ve ever come across in all my years of studying all types of biological weapons.”

  Dave sets his coffee cup down and folds his hands. “Okay, then what are we looking at here? Is it something that can be cured with medication or what?”

  “So far, everything I’ve used on it hasn’t worked. I have every form of modern antibiotic available, and nothing has even started to work. Now, I don’t know if weeks of continuous doses of antibiotics will eventually work, but I truly don’t think so. Usually with this type of thing, we would see at least a little bit of progress after the first twenty-four hours of testing on cells, but with this I see nothing.”

  Jason lowers his head and rubs his temples with his hands. “And that’s probably the conclusion the CDC would come to if they are still operational. Fuck! Well, what are our options then? Is there nothing we can do to fight this? Maybe you just don’t have the proper equipment or something. There has to be something we can do, so we need to think out of the b
ox, people.”

  “Well, there is something that we could try that may be a long shot, but it may work. Since retiring from the military, I’ve been working freelance for many different research teams, and one of them was research in the use of natural antibiotics as treatment for some of these superbugs out there that are antibiotic resistant. There were surprisingly good results. Herbs like Echinacea, Goldenseal, garlic, and Pau D’ Arco worked well, but the one we had most success with was something called Manuka honey. That stuff pretty much destroyed almost every harmful bacterial strain we subjected it to but left the good bacteria unharmed, it was remarkable.”

  Kelly lets out a sigh of relief. “I’ve heard of most of those, I have. I had a neighbor who swore by that Manuka honey, but where the hell are we going to find that stuff nowadays? I’m not sure, but I don’t think Amazon’s making deliveries anymore.”

  Dave looks at Kelly, not amused. “Cute, sis, real cute. So, do you think this special honey is our answer, and you don’t think it’s something the CDC will try?”

  “Not unless they’ve changed their policy, but if a pharmaceutical company hasn’t made it, then they probably won’t try it. Insane, isn’t it? So, that’s even reason why we have to try this; it could be the only thing that kills this bacterial strain. We have to try!”

  Dave looks at Jason and shrugs his shoulders. “What do you think, bro?”

  Jason looks at his wife and then back to Dave. “Could be the only cure. I think we have to try. The camera feeds from outside the house show nothing but peace and quiet, so the sooner we do this the better. Things could change any day now.”

  Simon gets up and walks over to a desk and pulls a map from one of the drawers. He walks back to the table and sets it down and starts pointing to areas on the map. “There’s a natural food store less than a mile from here, and that’s our best bet. We can go by foot and make it there and back in probably less than an hour or two. This is the house here on the map, and over here is the store. It’s in a little strip mall. We’ll take this route through a neighborhood and this small wooded area. That way we’ll be as incognito as possible. I know we’re taking another risk in going out there again, and I know this is a long shot, so whoever doesn’t want to go can stay here. The two girls are definitely staying, and Kelly I think you should stay with them. So, what do you guys think?”

  Jason stands up and starts putting on his gear. “I think we’re playing with fire by going out there so much. One of these days we’re not going to be so lucky. But once a soldier, always a soldier, and I’ve sworn to defend this country, so it’s our duty to go with you.”

  Dave follows his brother’s lead and puts on his gear. “Spoken like a true warrior.” They all gather their gear in complete silence and dress in complete black, as they will be going at night.

  Simon hands a sheet of paper to Dave and Jason. “Here’s a list of the items we need to try to recover. I’ve listed them in order of importance, so work your way down off the list. Peter, you’re once again going to be our eyes and ears out there, so you won’t be going into the store. And you won’t have Kelly watching your back this time, so you’re going to have to be as stealth as humanly possible out there.”

  Peter nods his head as he finishes inspecting his sniper rifle. Simon takes a look at everyone and then slams a fresh clip into his rifle.

  “Alright then, let’s move out.”

  They exit the bunker and make their way up the stairs with Dave and Jason leading the way. They clear the upstairs and get to the back door. Simon grabs the door handle but then waits.

  “Alright, everyone, all coms should be up and night vision should be active. I’m going to have to take the lead on this one since I know the way. We obviously need to move as quickly and as quietly as possible, which is going to be difficult through the wooded area; leaves on the ground, of course, make us noisy under foot. If everyone is set, let’s move out. Dave and Jason, we go on your clear.”

  They all nod their heads, and Dave opens the door and moves outside with his rifle up, followed by Jason. Dave moves out ten feet and goes to one knee and scans the area. Jason does the same thing on the other side of the yard, and they both give a “clear” over the radio. Peter exits the house followed by Simon, who locks the door behind him. As soon as they get behind Dave, Simon taps him on the shoulder, takes the lead, and crouches to one knee. “Alright, everyone, things seem nice and quiet out there, so let’s keep it that way. Let’s move.”

  Simon gets up and shoulders his rifle then pulls his pistol from his vest and moves toward the gated fence. He slowly unlatches the gate and opens it with a squeak that sounds louder then audibly possible, and he whispers “damn it” into the radio. They stand there for a minute, listening for any kind of sound, but hear nothing but silence. They look up and down the ridgeline and down the slope and see absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. They proceed to move in formation down the slope and get up against a fence line behind a row of houses.

  The faint moonlight casts an ominous glow over the pitch-black houses but gives them a little extra illumination through their night vision goggles. The slight chill in the breeze reminds them that fall is here and winter is on its way. They move along the fence line, protected by a row of houses and pressed up against the hill, making it the perfect cover from the unknown.

  They get to the last house in the neighborhood and stop at the street, the wooded area looming in the distance, seemingly inviting them into its darkness. They scan up and down the street, listening for any signs of danger, but are surprisingly met with only the dead silence of the night air. Not a living soul is in sight, and the neighborhood looks completely abandoned. What was once an active community full of families and their children is now a desolate and deserted nightmare of the American dream.

  They quickly move in formation across the street. Once they hit the wooded area, they’re immediately met with the crackling of twigs and the crunching of leaves, forcing them to halt. They listen for a moment to the completely still woods with not even the wind disturbing the silence. They begin moving again through the woods but make much more noise than they want to make.

  Dave notices something in the distance and whispers into the radio. “Everyone, freeze. Get down.” The group immediately stops and gets on the ground. Dave gets up and takes a knee while looking behind them and aiming his weapon. “There’s something out there. I can hear it in the distance, and I think it’s following us. Does anyone else see or hear what I’m talking about?”

  No one says yes. They all get to one knee and scan the area trying to find what Dave is talking about but with no luck. Jason lowers his rifle and looks at his brother.

  “Are you sure you heard something, bro? It was probably just us making too much noise. I don’t think there’s anything out there.”

  “I heard a sound that wasn’t made by us, so, yes, something is out there, and whether it’s an immediate threat I haven’t determined yet. Listen, I want you guys to move forward fifty feet and stop and wait for me.”

  They all look at each other and nod their heads as Dave moves behind a tree. The three of them move up fifty feet and drop to one knee. Dave slowly peers around the tree and sees a medium-sized animal run out from behind a tree and move toward the group. He watches the animal get within twenty feet of them and lie down.

  Dave whispers into the radio and then quickly moves up to the group. “Did anyone else see that? I think we have a dog following us.” Everyone shakes their head no and relaxes a little. “It doesn’t look like a threat, so let’s keep moving. It’s probably just hungry, so we should be fine. I’ll take the rear just in case it’s infected, but it looks like a pretty intelligent dog by the way it’s watching and following us.”

  They move again through the woods with Dave stopping periodically to check and see if the dog is still following them, but he no longer sees or hears it anymore. They finally get to the hill overlooking the strip mall and stop to survey the situ
ation. The sight of dead bodies lying in the parking lot, along with burnt-out cars and semi-looted stores, startles them. But they see no movement of any kind, so they all huddle up.

  Dave pulls his goggles up and sets the butt of his rifle on the ground. “Alright, people, show time. Everything seems as peaceful as it possibly can. I know one of the last news reports said they were evacuating this area, but I still expected a little more carnage and chaos.”

  Simon pulls up his goggles as well and puts his pistol away in his vest and pulls his rifle around. “Yeah, they said they were evacuating everyone in this area to places like Evergreen, Boulder, and Fort Collins. And I guess they did a great job because this place is like a ghost town. Anyway, we all know the plan, right? Son, you go find a nice spot and get into position, and, Dave, you, of course, take point. We’ll keep it the same as when we entered the grocery store, as that seemed to have worked out well. So let’s move out as soon as everyone is set.”

  Chapter 23

  As everyone goes through a last minute inspection of their gear, Peter finds an area of overgrowth and sets up shop in some tall grass. Once Dave, Jason, and Simon are all set, they pull down their night vision goggles and proceed to move down the hill. Formation is tight when they get to the bottom of the hill, and they stop at the edge of the parking lot. None of the bodies lying on the asphalt have moved, so the tension alleviates a bit. They move across the parking lot with their rifles up, periodically stopping and taking cover behind abandoned cars along the way.

  They soon get to the first store in the strip mall, and they continue their pace, moving along the storefronts. The realization that most of the store windows are smashed and their contents looted slows the pace with every empty store they pass by. With doubt and fear of disappointment setting in, they finally get to the health food store that looks the same as the rest. They crouch down in front of the store and peer in at the sight of the unmistakably ransacked and almost empty shelves.