Apocalypse Empire (Book 1): Apocalypse Origins

by R. A. Neely

  "Hi there," she said, "I'm Roberta King. I'm in charge of greeting arrivals."

  "Hi," Shirley responded, "I'm Shirley and this is Jackson."

  "A pleasure to meet you. If you'll come with me, I'll give you a quick tour."

  She led them towards the bunks. "There isn't much here but it's enough to meet our needs for the few days we'll be down here. She led them towards an unoccupied bunk.

  "This will be your bunk. You can decide amongst yourselves who gets what." She glanced at them for a moment. "If you're sharing a bunk, let me know. Someone else could use the space."

  Shirley blushed bright red. "Oh, it's not li-"

  "Not my business," the woman said interrupting. "If you're sharing, or decide to share let me know as we can use the space. Some people have brought in more than the alloted amount of dependents. They've paid enough money to be here that we can't just turn them away so any extra bunks will be needed." Shirley nodded. The woman motioned for them to follow and led them to the middle of the room.

  "This is the common area. We've got various games to keep everyone occupied."

  Shirley and Jackson looked around at the tables and nodded. The woman then pointed to the right side of the room. "That's the hygiene area. You can shower and use the facilities there." The woman glanced at her watch.

  "Rations won't be for another few hours. I hope you had something to eat before this all started."

  "We'll be alright," Jackson responded. "Thanks for the tour."

  The woman nodded. "Everything will be fine. We'll just be down here a few days, a week at most. By then, the government will have this infection under control."

  Shirley nodded. The woman smiled and headed off, presumably to wait for more arrivals. Jackson motioned for her to follow and led the way back towards their bunk. Once there he leaned forward and whispered in her ear.

  "So, which bunk do you want? Or should we do the selfless thing and share?" He chuckled as she blushed.

  "I'll take the top she said."

  Jackson smiled. "You sure? Someone might need the extra bunk."

  "Yes, I'm sure," she said, still blushing.

  "Alright. On a serious note though, I want to pick different bunks."

  "Why?" Shirley asked.

  "I think this place is a disaster waiting to happen."

  Shirley noted that he was still speaking quietly and matched her voice to his. "How? We've got food, water, and shelter."

  "True, but I already saw a huge red flag when we were on that tour with Roberta."

  "What's that?"

  "She mentioned that they were letting extra people in. People they didn't plan for. That's why she made the comment about us sharing a bunk."

  "How is that a problem? A few people will have to double up at some point. Doesn't seem like that big a deal."

  Jackson shook his head. "The bunks aren't the problem although it doesn't help the situation. Think about it. If they're short on beds, what else might they be short on?"

  Shirley thought for a moment. "The food," she responded.

  Jackson nodded. "Exactly. How long are people going to stay calm if they're not getting enough to eat?"

  "What's the worst that can happen?" Shirley asked. "They'll have to lower the ration amount or something."

  "That might work for a bit. But what happens when everyone realizes the government isn't coming to the rescue?"

  "They should get here eventually. They won't be here today, of course. But a few days? A week? They should be able to get people here by then."

  Jackson shook his head. "I don't think that's going to happen. Tell me, what's the population of Emerald Falls?"

  Shirley shrugged. "I don't know. Around two hundred thousand or so I think."

  "Alright. We've seen firsthand what happens when the infected attack. Most of the time, they just kill you. But every now and then, someone survives an attack and becomes one of them. If just a fraction of that two million becomes infected, how can anyone deal with that? You said yourself that the police couldn't handle this. How is the military any different?"

  Shirley frowned as she considered his words. "The military has better gear. Surely they can deal with the infected."

  James shook his head again. "Look, take Emerald Falls. If just ten percent of that two hundred thousand turns, how many is that?"

  Shirley paused to do that math in her head. "That's what, twenty thousand?"

  Jackson nodded. "And that's just Emerald Falls. What about the larger cities? There's not gonna be any stopping this outbreak. Not man to man anyway. Maybe they'll bomb some cities to contain it. Maybe that would work. But that doesn't help us. Either we die to the infected or we die along with them if the government bombs the city."

  "What do we do then?"

  "We're gonna need to get outta the city at some point," Jackson said. "Between the infected and the people, it's not gonna be safe."

  "When should we go?" Shirley asked. If you had asked her a few hours ago if she'd throw her lot in with someone, she'd have laughed in their face. She trusted Jackson though. He'd already proved he could keep her safe. If he felt they needed leave, then that's what they needed to do.

  "We'll give it a day or two," Jackson replied. "We need food and rest. I also want to see if I can get my hands on a better weapon at some point. Stay ready though. Sleep with your shoes on."

  Shirley raised an eyebrow. "Why on earth would I sleep with my shoes on?"

  "We might have to leave suddenly," Jackson replied. "If it happens that way, the last thing you want is to have and stop and worry about your shoes."

  "I'm in trouble if we have to much running," she said indicating her heels.

  "Give them here," Jackson said. Shirley frowned but handed the shoes over. Jackson quickly broke the heel off of each shoe and handed them back.

  Shirley chuckled. "A few hours ago that would've pissed me off. But I guess that makes sense."

  Jackson smiled. "You're welcome. When we do leave, we'll try and hit a store and get us both some better gear. We're not gonna get far with what we've got."

  Shirley nodded. "I think there's a Rick's Sporting Goods not too far from here. A few blocks maybe."

  "That'll be our first stop then. We'll need better clothes. Tents and such too."

  "Alright. That's our plan then."

  Jackson nodded. "Will you be okay here? I wanna look around. See if I can't find another exit out of here. I don't trust those guards and their rifles."

  "You think there's another way out of here?"

  "Should be. Don't see them putting in an elevator without there also being a stairwell."

  Shirley nodded. "Okay, I think I'll get some rest until they feed us. Didn't sleep all that well on the floor earlier."

  Jackson nodded. "True. Not a bad idea. Don't know when we'll see a real bed again."

  Shirley shivered at the thought. She'd do what she needed to survive but the thought of not sleeping in a bed made the city girl in her scream in protest. Jackson chuckled at the look or her face.

  "You'll manage."

  "I know," Shirley replied, "doesn't mean I have to like the thought of not sleeping in a bed."

  Jackson smiled. "Fair enough. Alright, I'm gonna go look around. See you in a bit."

  Shirley nodded and laid down. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow. It felt like only a few minutes had passed when she felt someone shaking her awake. Opening her eyes, she saw Jackson sitting next to her on the bed.

  "Hey," he said. "It's nearly six so they're about to hand out the rations."

  "Alright," Shirley said as she stretched in the bed. "Did you get some sleep?"

  Jackson nodded. "I did. Also found what I was looking for."

  Shirley nodded. He must be referring to the stairs. "Good," she replied.

  "It's guarded but we'll deal with that when the time comes."

  "Okay. Where is it?"

  "It's just past the bathroom area."

  "Alright. Let m
e up. I could eat a horse."

  Jackson chuckled and moved out of the way so she could get up. They headed towards the common area and got in line. At the end of the line there were two guards that were handing out a small box to each person. They waited for their turn and found a table to themselves. They opened their boxes and saw a sandwich along with an apple and some potato chips. Normally, they might not find such fare appealing but they each dug in and were done in moments.

  "Is that all?" Shirley asked sadly.

  Jackson shrugged. "Better than nothing I suppose."

  "I'm still hungry though."

  Jackson nodded. "You and me both."

  "Shirley! You made it!"

  Shirley turned to see her fiancé, Jeremy Dunst, heading towards her. She stood up to greet him and he swept her up in a fierce hug. "I''d feared the worse when I couldn't reach you on your cell," he whispered in her ear.

  "I'm okay, Jeremy," she said as she hugged him back. "Jackson kept me safe."

  Jeremy looked over at Jackson who had been looking away to give them some semblance of privacy. "Thank you, Jackson. I owe you a debt I can never repay."

  Jackson shrugged. "I wouldn't let anything happen to her. Besides, don't think I'd be here if not for her so we helped each other in the end."

  "Still," Jeremy said, "it had to be rough getting here."

  "Nothing I couldn't handle," Jackson said with a small smile.

  Jeremy looked back to Shirley. "Everything will be okay now, you'll see. The government will be here soon and everything will go back to normal."

  Shirley smiled. "I sure hope so. Today was pretty terrible."

  "Tell me about it," Jeremy said. He led her away from the common area so they could talk. As they left, Shirley glanced back towards Jackson and he nodded in response. Reassured, she let herself be led away.

  4 Henry: Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia

  Henry sat at his desk with a glass of whiskey in his hand. Another drink or two and he should be at that place where thoughts didn't happen anymore. He wasn't sure he could live with himself. He had deliberately lied about the severity of the crisis in that interview this morning. By the time he had taken the interview he had known a few crucial things about the virus.

  The first was that there would never be a cure. Tests on subjects brought in by the army had shown this. Further testing since the interview had confirmed it. The virus induced a virulent fever that severely damaged the higher functions of the brain. Speech, problem solving, and so on were all affected.

  The virus was a work of art in a way. Fevers of over one hundred and seven degrees could easily be fatal if medical treatment wasn't provided in a timely manner. The virus somehow induced a fever, but only long enough to kill higher brain functions. The victim survived, but everything that made that person who they were was burned away.

  Autonomic functions remained intact. Subjects could breathe and take sustenance without issue. The subjects were extremely aggressive. Strangely though, they didn't attack other people that were infected. They'd learned this first hand. One of his techs had been unlucky enough to get bit by one of the first subjects the army had brought him. When he showed signs of infection, he'd been placed in the same room with the first subject. They hadn't attacked each other.

  Henry mourned the loss of his tech. What his name? Harry? No. Gary Wilks. He'd been a dependable worker but his loss did reveal some important information. The time from infection to loss of higher brain function took approximately two hours. Further, it seemed a bite is what spread the virus. Another tech had gotten infected blood on him in that first incident but wasn't showing signs of infection. He was currently quarantined for safety but it was probably safe since he hasn't shown signs of infection yet. He'd give the order to let him out in the morning. He took another sip of his whiskey.

  A cure wouldn't serve much purpose. The loss of higher brain function meant that the subject was dead for all intents and purposes. Even if he developed a cure, there'd be nothing but a vegetable left. The subject could eat, sleep, and eliminate waste, but that would be it. But this isn't what had him drinking. He'd lied on that interview today. The infection would spread. People would starve you to death in their homes waiting for help that would never come. That's would perhaps be a blessing though. The unlucky would survive an attack from the infected and then join their ranks. Perhaps they would even attack their loved ones.

  If he'd said something, people would at least know that needed to protect themselves. Part of him said it wasn't his fault. After all, the army had told him revealing that information would be considered treason. But, was that just cowardice in disguise? I'd he'd been brave enough maybe some people could have prepared themselves for what was coming.

  On the other hand, he was in a position to make a difference. Telling the country the truth might have assuaged his conscious, but he would have been removed from the project. The truth of the matter was that someone else could easily get it wrong. That wasn't arrogant. Henry was the best in his field. If any solution could be found, well he was the one to do it.

  He accepted that intellectually. The guilt however, wouldn't release its grip. He writes his empty glass. At least not without some assistance. One, maybe two more and the guilt would be gone, is only for a little while.

  The sound of his door opening ended his dark reverie. Looking up he saw Captain Nick Jacobson in the first, a look of duty on his face.

  "What are you doing?" he demanded striding into the room.

  "Just having a drink," Henry replied, his voice slurred from the drink.

  Nick crossed the remaining distance and knocked the glass from his hand. He leaned over the doctor, his hand on either side of his office chair.

  "The country I love is dying," he said in a low voice. "Not by an enemy I can fight, but from a virus I can't even see with my eyes. I can't do anything about that. But I'll be damned if I stand here and watch your drink yourself stupid!"

  Henry looked sadly at the shattered remnants of his whiskey glass. So close to quieting the guilt for a while.

  "Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

  Henry jumped. "Sorry. I'm just- the interview today."

  Nick posted away and stepped back. "The interview? That's what's bothering you? You had your orders. I don't agree with this orders, not with what's coming, but those were our orders."

  "I could've warned people," he mumbled.

  Nick shook his head. "The smart ones can read between the lines. That O'Hara dropped a few hints. But there's nothing you can do about that. You can make a difference. So do it."

  "I can't make a cure," Henry replied. "The virus destroys higher brain function. There's nothing left to save. I may be able to make a vaccine of sorts given enough time."

  "That you'll have. We'll be evacuated soon. The new location should have everything you need."

  "Alright," Henry said, "guess I'll get back to work."

  "Not yet. Sleep off the drink. Maybe there's no cure but stopping this thing from spreading works too. You can't waste time on mistakes. I'll give you four hours to sober up."

  Henry nodded and stumbled over you the couch on his office. His position frequently required long hours that made it more efficient to sleep here at times. Oblivion claimed him before his head got the pillow.

  ***

  He awoke later to someone knocking on his office door. He got up and stumbled towards the door. Opening it he saw one of Captain Jacobson's men, fist poised for another knock.

  "I'm up! You can stop with the banging."

  The soldier merely nodded, no trace of pity in his face. The jerk. No appreciation for a man with a hangover. He probably had knocked way harder than he had needed to. Henry sighed and headed towards the bathroom. He splashed some water on his face and was able to finish waking up. Next stop was the lab. He had to see what he could do to at least stop the spread of this thing. He was the only one that could.

  He made it his lab and nodd
ed to his assistants. He spent a few minutes letting them bring him up to date on the results of the tests that they had been running. As expected, there was no headway towards a cure. The one piece of good news was that they had been able to confirm that the infection was built using the rabies virus. That didn't necessarily make developing a solution any easier but they could at least focus their efforts on something they knew.

  Examining the results for himself he came to believe that whoever was responsible for this had somehow managed to modify the rabies virus. Rabies was nearly always fatal if prompt treatment wasn't administered. Paralysis usually occurred and the victim would die from cardiac arrest or respiratory failure. He'd have to keep a subject isolated for longer to see if this held true with the infection they faced.

  This confirmed his initial suspicions. The bite from an infected person spread the disease. That meant that it was the saliva that carried the infection. Could he develop something that would stop the virus from spreading? A treatment that would allow someone to survive a bite? Typical rabies treatment was extremely time sensitive. If a victim got medical treatment in time, a series of shots would prevent the virus from taking hold.

  That was a start but he'd first have to identify the foreign elements present in the virus. The incubation period was vastly accelerated. With rabies, one could usually expect an incubation period of days, weeks, or even longer. This infection took hold nearly immediately with full infection occurring within two hours. Anything he developed would have to be administered immediately.

  This was a tall order. Typical rabies treatment took around two weeks. Could he come up with something that could beat this infection? Henry sighed and stood to stretch cramped muscles. He'd been at this for nearly three hours. Prevention remained the key, he thought. That's how regular rabies treatment worked.