“To make a long story short, I figured you were the first patient, and from what I can tell, the only survivor of Sympatico Syndrome.”
“But my symptoms weren’t like everyone else’s and you have no proof that’s what I had.” Elly would know more about what was the current thinking at the time the virus hit, but from what he recalled, there was no definitive test for the disease. There hadn’t been time to manufacture one.
Pete leaned forward, his eyes boring into his. “Listen, Cole, you had it. The doctors knew about it, but covered it up—but, I figured it out. They even had samples of your blood stored in the lab and were trying to make a vaccine before the shit hit the fan. Unfortunately, they never got a chance to finish.”
Cole shook his head, trying to deny what Pete said, but it all made sense and he couldn’t think of a reason this guy would make it up. “How did you get here?”
The abrupt change of subject caught Pete off-guard and he blinked a few times before he caught up to what Cole had asked. “The guys who hid with me were—are—pilots. One flies both helicopters and jets, the others are fighter pilots. We had to island hop a bit to change aircraft and find enough that were filled with fuel, but we finally made it to the west coast.”
Hope brimmed in Cole. Maybe the disease had been less devastating there. His eyes must have reflected his thoughts because Pete dropped his head, shaking it. “If anything, they were harder hit than here. And when flew to several states and towns between San Diego and New York, down to D.C. and it was the same everywhere. From the sky, it looks so strange. As if time had stopped. There’s no movement—no light.”
Cole pulled a chair out and sat heavily. He braced his elbows on the table and ran his hands through his hair. With next to no communication with the rest of the world, there had always been a drop of hope that some corner of the country had been spared. Now that drop had evaporated. “So, you still haven’t explained why you’re here.”
“Look, I’m not going to beat around the bush. I know who you are. I saw you on Aislado, and I recognize you, so don’t even try to deny it.”
He opened his mouth to protest when Holland held a hand up in a stop gesture. “I’m here to take you to Washington with me.”
Caught off guard, Cole pushed back from the table. “Like hell! I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“I need your blood so I can create a cure, and maybe one day, a vaccine. Only your blood carries the antibodies.”
Cole stood, his mind in turmoil. Of course he wanted a cure for the virus. Sympatico Syndrome had spread like wildfire last summer and with the warm months approaching, there was always the threat it could return. But would it? It began on an island with accidental transmission to military personnel. It wasn’t a naturally occurring infection and he wasn’t sure if there were still active cases out in the wild. Viruses often had some kind of reservoir even if they were dormant. He supposed as fast as it had spread, there had to be remote villages that had never been reached. At least, he hoped so. But what if there were still people actively spreading the virus?
Had his and his family’s isolation fooled him into believing that the threat had passed? There was really no way for him to know for certain. And if it was still a threat, and if he alone held the key to survival of the human race, then he had to take whatever measures he needed to take to unlock the door to a cure.
“I can’t leave. I have responsibilities here.”
“Your family? I take it they’re still alive? How’s your son? Hunter’s his name, right? And your brother’s family? They’re okay?”
Cole clenched his jaw, hiding his surprise at how much Holland knew about him. But if he found his medical records, it was just one more step to find out about his family and how Hunter had lived with Sean while Cole was stationed at Aislado Island.
“They can all come. I can’t bring them all at once due to lack of room, but in a few days, we can come back and get the rest.” Pete smiled as if offering to take them on an all-expenses paid vacation.
“No. That won’t work.” Even if he was for the idea, which he wasn’t, he doubted the others would want to go.. Hunter would come with him if asked, and Sophie would go where Hunter went. Elly would come also, he was sure, but the others might not want to leave the island. Sean would probably fight leaving, and if he stayed, so would Jenna and Piper. If Piper stayed, so would Jake. The kids would lose half of their new family too. After they’d so recently lost their own mother, he couldn’t do that to them. And Cole couldn’t even blame Sean for balking, if it came down to it. He’d throw on the brakes if Sean wanted to drag the whole group to D.C. What kind of life would await them in the capitol? Unless…maybe things were better there.“Is there even a government left in the capitol?” Maybe there would be law and order back East.
Pete gnawed on his lower lip before he replied, “I wish I could say yes, but from what I saw, there were two small factions that were fighting over who would claim leadership. Neither seemed too promising.”
“What about the President? Didn’t he survive?” His earlier adrenaline had drained away and with heavy steps, he paced between the door and the far wall, stopping to throw a few more sticks in the stove. The drying sweat chilled him.
“I’m not sure. He may have been sequestered away—you know, down in the bunker.” Pete spread his hands. “I wish I knew more, but things were chaotic.”
“Then why go back there?”
“Because it’s the Capitol, there are areas where power is still running for at least a few hours a day. I guess someone at the power company basically kept a skeleton staff locked in, unless they showed any signs of illness, then they were shot dead where they stood.”
“Seriously? How do you know this?” It sounded so cold and ruthless, but then again, with no cure and how quickly the virus spread, he understood the drastic solution.
“I don’t know for certain, but that was the rumor. They said the government sent the workers supplies—that somebody near the top had enough foresight to at least try to keep services going.”
Cole gazed at the men by the helicopter. One stamped his foot, probably starting to feel the effects of the cold and it made him think about Sean, Hunter, and Piper still out there. They’d be feeling the cold too. He should let them know that there was no imminent threat.
“So, they have power, but that still doesn’t mean I have to go to D.C. Take my blood here and now. I don’t object to that part.” He swept his hand out towards the lake. “We have plenty of ice to pack it in.”
“But we may need to run a few tests on you as well. And maybe having your family come out would also be a good thing. We could test them as well.”
“Oh, hell no!” Cole didn’t even have to think on his response. It burst out of him like a cork from a bottle. “My family isn’t going to be poked and tested by the very same people who destroyed humanity.
“I could make you go.” Pete gestured to the helicopter. “We have the firepower.”
“I don’t think you realize this, but I have snipers stationed right now who have your men in their sights. One false move and they’re dead.” It was a stretch calling Sean, Hunter, and Piper snipers, but they were out there— hopefully keeping an eye on the men near the copter.
Pete’s eyes narrowed as he ripped off his mask, his nostrils flaring. “You’re making this harder than it needs to be. If I go, I’ll just be back with a lot more back-up. I figured you were dead, even if you hadn’t died of the virus, you’d have died of something else, like so many others have.”
Cole crossed his arms, his gaze fixed on Pete, who shrugged. “I thought you were a reasonable guy, Cole, and with your background, you’d jump at the chance for a cure or vaccine. I guess I was mistaken.”
“Your mistake was in coming here in military helicopters, armed and threatening. I’ve offered my blood. It’s the best I can do right now.”
“But we may need to test your family too. They’ve all survived, which is prett
y much unheard of.”
Grief at Trent’s death tinted Cole’s next words, “We haven’t been left unscathed. Now, I’m not going to ask you again to leave. I will simply give the signal to my snipers.”
Pete’s mouth twisted into a snarl. ”If you kill us then there will never be a cure!”
“So be it. We’ve survived this long.” In the back of his mind, he wondered if he, Elly and Jenna would be able to create a treatment once they reached the Hoover Dam, if power was still up and running. There were universities there, computers with files and books. They wouldn’t be starting from scratch. It wasn’t crazy to think they might be able to pull it off. Especially Elly. Her background had more lab work than Cole’s own.
As the idea flitted through his mind, Pete strode up to him until they were nearly nose to mask. “Do you really want to be the last man on Earth?”
Refusing to back down, Cole leaned close, cocking his head. “It won’t come to that, but if it does, I’ll be sure to turn the lights off before I die.”
Chapter Eleven
“I think we should stay put.” Sean crossed his arms, his bottom lip jutting out as he leaned back against the kitchen counter. “Holland won’t be back, Cole. It was an empty threat. And so what if he does come back? We’ll be even better prepared this time.”
Cole rested his elbows on the table, sliding his hands up through his hair, tempted to pull it out. No matter what he suggested, Sean always took the opposing view. All he wanted was an open mind from everyone—was that too much to ask? He sighed. It would take an act of Congress to change his brother’s mind—and, since Congress didn’t exist anymore as far as Cole knew, he would get no help from that quarter. “Look, I welcome your opinion. That’s why I called this meeting. Everyone gets a chance to speak their mind.”
He’d striven to keep his voice calm and neutral but Elly’s light tap on his thigh beneath the table warned him that he was close to crossing the line. He reached under the table and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Sean…listen…I’m sorry if I made it sound like this was a done deal. It is still very much just an idea I had. I wanted to leave even before Holland showed up, but his threat to return with back-up does have me concerned. Even if we had a whole arsenal at our disposal, I don’t want to risk anyone in our group. We might win the battle but at what cost? I think we’d be better off leaving before they can return and try to force us to go to D.C. I’m no dictator—everyone can contribute valuable input before we vote on a decision.”
He’s wanted to discuss leaving even before Pete Holland arrived. The evening Hunter had fallen through the ice had been his first attempt, but first his son, then Mike, had dozed off, and everyone was tired, so they had tabled the discussion. Then the next few days had been taken up by moving the animals and horses back to the mainland. And then Holland had shown up. At least they had some preparations done already. That way, if they decided to leave, they could do so quickly.
Today, they had made several trips back and forth scavenging as many supplies as they could find. The air was warming and open areas farther out in the bay harkened the coming spring. Tomorrow, they’d make their last trip over via car from the north side of the island, where the ice was still thick enough. A narrow channel had opened on the south end, and if tomorrow was warm, he expected it to widen enough to get the boats through.
No matter what their decision, Steve and Mike had agreed to wait until Cole could return by boat to give them an answer as they were taking care of the horses. With the assistance of their plow, Cole had even been able to get to a few farms on the outskirts of town to find some feed and hay for the horses. He’d brought some back for chickens and goats as well.
Cole caught Elly’s eye, hoping she recognized that he’d made a conciliatory statement to his brother. She gave a brief nod before she swept the room with her gaze.
Everyone was gathered in the kitchen, either sitting at the table or leaning against a counter.
Elly cleared her throat. “I won’t lie—I would love to go somewhere warmer than Wisconsin.” She put on an exaggerated Southern accent as she said, “I’m a Georgia gal, and I didn’t like snow before the virus and I really don’t like it now.” She smiled as everyone chuckled. “But, it’s not just a matter of not liking snow—I agree with Cole that if we head south, I think we’ll have a greater chance of surviving next winter. The growing season is longer, the winters aren’t as harsh, and if we get solar panels, going south means more sunshine and less need for energy to heat our homes. If we decide to try for Vegas with the hope that the Hoover Dam is still supplying power out there, then we can either get things running, or help out whomever else is already there.”
It was Cole’s turn to give her thigh a light touch, but only to convey his appreciation for her words of support. As someone who had grown up in the southern part of the country, she had first-hand experience with what it could be like. “You’ve made excellent points.”
“I could work in the hospital and have real equipment again.” Jenna didn’t look at Sean as she spoke, and Cole wondered if she was purposefully avoiding her husband’s eyes, or if she was just unaware that he’d stiffened as she voiced a differing opinion.
She continued, “Supplies might be hard to come by, but we could adapt; make our own bandages and such. Just having a real hospital would be a huge first step in re-establishing healthcare. If we had power, there’s no reason all of the equipment in a hospital wouldn’t work. Medical gases might be in short supply, but we could use oxygen concentrators picked up from home care companies.”
Cole knew she was losing the others when she started talking details so he cut in, “I agree, Jenna. What happens when someone here gets seriously sick or injured?” He hoped the question would refocus the group on how it might affect them all personally. “We have Sophie due in about three months, right?” He looked to Sophie, raising his eyebrows. Her hand went to her abdomen and she gave a shy smile and a brief nod. She still wasn’t showing much, but Jenna said with it being the young women’s first child, that was normal.
“So we move everyone across the country just because one girl is pregnant?” Sean rolled his eyes. “It’s a wonder people managed before electricity. Somehow the human race made it just fine without modern medicine.”
Elly squared her shoulders and leveled a look at Sean. “Actually, it shouldn’t matter if it’s one woman or fifty. And people—especially pregnant women—didn’t manage just fine before modern medicine. Maternal death rates were about one percent per birth. Let that sink in. So a woman who gave birth five times, which wasn’t unusual, had a lifetime risk of between five and ten percent.”
Jenna nodded as Elly spoke and added, “Sean, one of the most important things we have to do is protect any new babies and their mothers. What’s the point of any surviving if there’s nobody left after we die?”
Sean’s brow furrowed. “What are you talking about? The point is that we keep on living. We have to focus on the here and now, not some distant future.”
Glaring, Jenna shook her head and waved a hand dismissively before crossing her arms.
Cole glanced around, noting the squirming and uneasy looks the younger set sent each other. Clearly, they were uncomfortable being in the midst of the couples’ disagreement.
He didn’t want to add fuel to Jenna’s fire, but he had to agree with her. “She’s exactly right, Sean.” Cole stood and moved to the far end of the kitchen so he could have everyone in his view at the same time. “Elly and I have guessed, based on what we’ve seen as far as the survival rates and extrapolating that to the whole region, the country, and probably the world, that roughly ninety-five to ninety-nine percent of the human population has been wiped out by the virus or secondary effects such as dying in accidents, or lack of care. I’m talking about the elderly and children left parentless.”
Everyone looked at Zoe and Luke, who played in the living room. Over the months they had been here, he and Elly had become surrogate
parents to the siblings, but everyone doted on them. They were lucky to have been found and yet, Cole counted himself the lucky one.
He waved vaguely towards the mainland and the highways. “The roads are chock full of accidents and cars full of dead occupants—presumably from the virus. Hunter saw the same on his way here, and Elly and Jake gave us their account of what was left of Chicago. It’s not encouraging. Pete Holland confirmed what we’d already feared. He had no reason to lie.”
“Yeah, I get that. Millions—I guess billions—have died, but there’s nothing we can do about that. We have to worry about what happens today and tomorrow, not ten years or fifty years from now.” Sean had a point and Cole hoped to defuse the situation by acknowledging it.
“That’s true. We do have to worry, first, about our immediate survival and I think we’ve done a pretty good job of that so far. Staying here next year, we won’t have the same supplies sitting in unoccupied houses. We, or others, will have used them up or they won’t be good anymore. Didn’t just getting the feed for the animals took most of the day—what with the snow and all of the detouring around blocked roads?”
Sean shrugged and looked at his hands. Cole shifted his gaze to encompass everyone. “But, Jenna’s correct in that we can’t only worry about today, or even next month. We have to give careful thought to what we do in the next few years to assure the best chances of survival— not only ours— but those who come after us.” Cole swept the group, his gaze lingering on Hunter and Sophie. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my children and grandchildren to live short, harsh, lives, having to scrape every day just to get by and have enough to eat.”
“But we’re doing fine here.” Sean didn’t sound as certain as he had only moments before. Then he lifted his chin and shot Cole look. “And if you’re so worried about survival, why didn’t you go back to D.C. with Holland by yourself, get the cure going, and then return? Or did you think we couldn’t get by without you?”
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