Apocalypse Empire (Book 1): Apocalypse Origins

by R. A. Neely

  Several days passed in this vein. The doctor would rise early and spend around twelve hours in the lab. After that he'd eat a quick dinner and retire for the night. He could've pushed himself to stay up longer but knew getting this right was so critical that he couldn't afford any mistakes due to fatigue. It was another day in the lab when the sound of someone's footsteps gained his attention.

  "Doctor," a voice called.

  Henry turned and saw Captain Jacobson standing several feet away. "Captain," he replied.

  "There's been a change in plans. We're evacuating today. Transport will be here in an hour."

  "An hour? That's hardly enough time to pack up our lab equipment," he said, frustration evident in his voice.

  "Pack up your notes. We've already sent your specs ahead so you'll have new equipment. Right now, my men are in the process of preparing some specimens for transport."

  "What's going on? Why the sudden change?"

  Jacobson sighed. "We can't hold this position. The virus is spreading and there are just too many of them. We're starting to run low on ammunition. It'd be suicide to tray and maintain this position. We have to get out of the city."

  "Alright. I'll prepare my notes."

  "Any luck so far?"

  "Little," Henry replied, "it looks to be a modified version of rabies. That gives me a starting point but I have to identify the foreign elements before I can develop any sort of treatment."

  "That's some progress at least," Jacobson replied. "With a more secure location you'll be able to find what you need to do."

  Henry didn't share the captain's optimism but he nodded anyway. "Alright, captain. You said I have an hour. I've got work to do."

  Henry looked around and hoped his new facility would actually have everything he needed. He wouldn't be able to do anything with inferior equipment. But maybe the government wouldn't skimp on expenses. Henry set to work. They did the majority of their notes electronically so he just had to make sure he had up to date files on his tablet. They also had a server where everything was backed up so that was an added layer of insurance.

  An hour later, he stood on the roof of the building surrounded by his techs and the captain's soldiers. The helicopters were landing and Henry squinted to prevent debris from getting into his eyes. Once the helicopters were down, Jacobson had everyone loaded in short order. As they lifted off, Henry saw the reason for the quick evacuation. Looking down, he saw thousands upon thousands of people swarming the area around the compound. Already, they were over the barricades the military had erected. Jacobson had been right. They would have died if they had tried to stay in the building. Henry shook his head. The rate the infection was spreading was incredible.

  "Crazy, right?"

  Henry turned to the solider sitting next to him. "What's that?"

  "I said it's crazy," the solider replied as he nodded towards the chaos below. "I was out on spreading the word about evac. It's crazy down there. More of those things every single day."

  Henry nodded. Atlanta was a large city. If just a fraction of people attacked survived they'd be looking at thousands of infected. That doesn't even include the surrounding area. Counting the suburbs, those numbers could easily be much higher. Wait. Evac? Evacuation. Had the city been evacuated?

  "You said evac," Henry began, "has the city been evacuated?"

  The solider nodded. "The captain had a spread the word. We rode up and down the streets with bullhorns. Risky business let me tell you. Got chased by infected nearly every time."

  "How many people made it out?"

  The solider shrugged. "Don't know about that. Our orders were to keep the CDC secure. That didn't quite sit right with the captain though. He had us get the word out. Not sure how many people paid attention and got going while the getting was good if you know what I mean."

  Henry shook his head. "I don't. I haven't left the facility since this all started."

  "Ah," the soldier replied. "Well, it's like this. The first day or so things were pretty quiet. There were infected running around but there weren't a lot of people about. But then, there were rumors of a message from that O'Hara newscaster lady. Apparently she got on the air and told everyone that her interview with you wasn't the whole truth. That they needed to protect themselves. Far as I can tell, people didn't take her seriously at first. Thought it had to be a mistake. But after a third day of not hearing anything people thought that maybe she was telling the truth. That's when they started leaving their homes. Hitting grocery stores and the like. That's when things got bad. With so many people around, the infected had a field day."

  Henry nodded. With that many people about, the infected would have attacked everyone in sight. Those that survived would have contracted the infection and attacked others in turn. That explained what he was seeing below. He felt a bit of relief that Shirley had gone on the air to warn the people. That helped with his guilt a little.

  "How do you know all this?" Henry asked.

  "Talked to a guy on his way out of the city. He told me about the newscast. The rest I kinda just assume but it makes sense."

  Henry nodded again. "I suppose it does."

  "That's why I said I wasn't sure how many made it out while it was clear."

  "I see," Henry replied. "Thanks for sharing."

  The soldier nodded and left Henry to his thoughts. It made sense. Those that had heeded Shirley's warning would have had a relatively easy time compared to anyone trying to make it out now. With so many infected about, it would probably be impossible to get away without being attacked. Henry hoped lots of people paid attention to that warning. Atlanta was lost to the infected now.

  5 Greg: Willow Street, Emerald Falls

  The drive to James's house was uneventful. They pulled in to James's driveway and Greg led Carol to the door. He retrieved a key from his pocket and unlocked the door.

  "You have a key?" Carol asked.

  "I come here a lot," Greg said with a smile. He held up a hand for her to wait and entered the house.

  "Laura?" he called in a loud voice. "It's me, Greg." He knew Laura was proficient with firearms and didn't want to startle her. If she'd experienced anything like they had this morning, he wouldn't be surprised to see her waiting around the corner with a shotgun or something. He heard footsteps coming from below and then the sound of the basement door opening.

  "Greg?" James called. "That you, man?"

  "Yea, it's me. He turned and motioned for Carol to come inside. James came around the corner and grabbed Greg in a bear hug.

  "I was worried about you," he said as he let him go. Seeing Carol he smiled. "Good, you got Carol here too."

  Carol smiled as she closed to door behind her. "Wouldn't have made it out of there without Greg," she said.

  James embraced Carol in a hug. "I'm glad you're here Carol. I didn't know how you guys managed at the office." He turned back to Greg.

  "Did you get my message? Phones are down so I had use the PlayStation."

  Greg nodded. "I saw it before we left the house. I was on my way here anyway once we got away from the office."

  James nodded. He knew he could count on Greg to watch out for his family if something happened to him. "Let's head downstairs. We're in the basement in case any of those things are walking around. They're drawn to noise."

  Greg and Carol followed. "They are?" Greg asked.

  "Yea, I'll tell you all about it. Got stuck in the hospital this morning. First things first, though. You guys hungry?"

  "We ate a bit before we left my place. Won't say no to more food though."

  James chuckled. "We've got some stuff downstairs."

  Downstairs there were hugs all around as everyone expressed how happy they were to see each other. Laura looked Greg over several times despite his protestations that he was fine. After some leftover cold pasta, James and Greg took turns relating their mornings.

  "So, it's the bite that spreads it then," Greg said. "That's good to know. O'Hara said the same thin
g but it's good to have some firsthand confirmation."

  James nodded. "From what I could tell, it looked to be a few hours before they get back up."

  "Things are gonna get a lot worse then," Greg said. "All those people that escaped the hospital..."

  Laura nodded. "So what do we do? I don't think it'll be safe to stay in the city for too long."

  "I agree," Carol said. "Especially with that message Shirley O'Hara sent out."

  "People are gonna be out in the streets," James said. "They'll probably go for grocery stores and such first."

  Greg nodded. "Are we agreed then? We need to get out of the city?" Greg looked around and saw nods from everyone.

  "Alright. I think we need a few things if we're going to do that."

  "We'll definitely need food," Carol said. "We've got a few days’ worth in the car but we'll need more."

  Laura nodded. "We've got a few days’ worth here also. We can stretch it a bit but we'll definitely need some more."

  "Should we hit a grocery store then?" James snorted. "I'm a cop and I'm about to advocate breaking and entering."

  Greg shook his head. "This is survival bud. I'm not sure the normal rules apply anymore. But hey, if the store's open, I've got no problem paying for what we need."

  James nodded. "You're right. It might not be bad yet, but it'll get there. I'll be fine."

  Greg nodded. He thought back to how he had felt in the office that morning. That moment when he realized he had to fight or die. Things were definitely going to get worse. If they wanted to survive, they would probably have to do lots of things they wouldn't normally do. They'd have to deal with any guilt later.

  "I'm not sure a grocery store should be our first stop," he said.

  "Why?" Laura asked. "We're going to need food."

  "Well, I mean maybe we don't want to hit the normal places. Anyone else sitting around like us is going to be coming to the same conclusions. So maybe we want to hit the smaller stores first. Also convenience stores and places like that."

  James nodded. "That makes sense." He looked around the room. "We'll also need camping gear. We can't sleep in our cars."

  Greg nodded. "You're right. Tents and stuff. Cooking gear."

  "Why don't we make a list?" Laura asked. "Then we can prioritize what we need to get first."

  Greg nodded again. "Alright. I think time is an issue so it would go faster if we split things up. Laura, not to sound sexist but you're probably best suited to take care of the foodstuffs."

  Laura snorted. "That's fine, Greg. If I left it up to you we'd probably have nothing but cans of beans."

  Greg chuckled. "There's nothing wrong with beans. Carol? Would you mind giving her a hand?" Carol nodded and moved to sit next to Laura.

  "James, let's take of camping gear and such. When we're done, we can compare lists and see if anyone missed anything." Everyone seemed to agree with this so Greg and James moved off to the side to discuss their list.

  Greg looked around. "Where are the kids?"

  "They're sleeping," James replied as he pointed to a corner in the basement. "Laura made them a pallet earlier. We've been keeping them down here all day so there's been little else for them to do."

  Greg nodded. "Alright, so let's go over this list. We definitely need camping stuff."

  James nodded. "Before we get to that, we need to discuss weapons. None of the rest matters if we can't keep ourselves safe."

  "That makes sense. I've got my machete and my two pistols. All of those replicas looked useless for any actual use."

  "Alright. I've got my asp, my service pistol, and few things around the house." He paused to think for a moment. "We've got the shotgun and couple more pistols. Think we've got a baseball bat or two lying around somewhere too."

  "How much ammo do you have?"

  "At least a box for each type of weapon," James replied.

  "So do we want to add hitting a gun shop to the list?"

  "Not a bad idea," James replied. "We need to think about protective gear too. Something to protect us from a bite."

  Greg nodded. "Maybe a leather jacket or something? That would take care of the arms and torso. Then maybe some thick gloves."

  James nodded. "Need something for our legs too. Don't think jeans will necessarily stop a bite."

  Greg rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What about some overalls or something? You know, like construction workers wear?"

  "That should work. We'll need boots too. Every area needs to be protected. Something for our heads too."

  "Maybe a helmet, or a hockey mask or something."

  "That's a good idea," James said. "So we'll need to hit a sporting goods store for some of this."

  Greg nodded. "That about cover it for gear?"

  "I think so. Experience will tell us anything else we need. Hopefully we'll find out what else we need without anyone getting hurt."

  "Agreed, " Greg said. "Okay so we also need camping stuff. I'm thinking a sporting goods store will let us take care of both of those at once."

  James nodded. They spent the next half hour making a list of camping gear, trying to stick to the bare essentials as they would only have so much space in their vehicles. With that done they met with the girls and to see if someone had left something critical off of their list.

  "That looks good to me," Laura said. "We haven't been camping too often but I think that covers most of what we need."

  "The grocery list looks good too," Greg said.

  Carol nodded. "We stuck mostly to dry goods and canned stuff. We figure we can spend a few days here and eat our frozen stuff so we don't have to go off the fresh stuff right away."

  James nodded. "That sounds good. I've got one of those electric grills. I can cook some steaks tonight. Might as well eat good while we can."

  Greg smiled. "I'm not going to argue with that."

  "So how do we go about getting this stuff?" Laura asked.

  Greg thought for a moment. "I'm thinking James and I should go. I don't like the thought of one of us not being here but I don't know what we'll run into down there."

  Everyone nodded at this. "I have a request," Carol said. "I want you to teach me how to use one of those guns we have. I want to pull my own weight here."

  Everyone looked ready to protest but Carol continued, "I know there's other things I can do but I don't want to just stand by if we get attacked. I don't want to be helpless."

  James nodded. "I'll set you up with one of our pistols. We'll go over the basics before we leave." James thought for a moment. "Once we leave the city, we can do lessons."

  "Thanks," Carol said as she nodded.

  "Alright," Laura began, "it's best for you and James to go. When do you leave?"

  "I'm thinking sooner rather than later," Greg replied. "Give it a few days and we'll have to deal with desperate people, not just the infected."

  Laura nodded. "Maybe you guys should go now then. I can teach Carol the basics on the gun and we'll get dinner going why you guys are out."

  James nodded. "That makes sense. What do you think, Greg?"

  Greg nodded. "Laura's right. Time's a factor here. The longer we wait, the more chance we'll run into people. With what's happening, that could easily be a fight over resources."

  "Do you think it'll come to that?" Carol asked.

  "Definitely," James replied. "We might get another day or so of relative calm but people are gonna get desperate real quick. Just food alone will do it. Most people only have a few days’ worth of food in their house I'm thinking. I definitely think it's gonna get rough. You remember that Black Friday a few years back?"

  "I think someone got trampled," Carol replied.

  James nodded. "Exactly. Now, that was over toys and such. What are people going to do for food?"

  "That makes sense," Carol said. "Just makes me sad to think people will act like that when there are literally people running around trying to kill them."

  Greg sighed. "I don't really like to think it
, but I think it's pretty much us versus the world."

  Everyone sat in silence for a few minutes as they thought about this. Greg and James stood up after a few minutes and headed upstairs. It was time to get what they could off their lists. James took a few minutes to change out of his uniform and met Greg in the garage.

  "We'll take the minivan," James said.

  "Sounds good," Greg replied.

  They headed out and made good time for the most part. There were more people about now. Some had probably seen the O'Hara newscast and were also out gathering supplies.

  "More people about now," Greg said.

  James nodded. "Yeah, good thing we left when we did. Less chance of running into someone stupid this way."

  "True. So, how you holding up man?" he asked thinking about Jeffries.

  James snorted. "I don't need to be analyzed, Greg."

  "Not analyzing. Just friend to friend. How are you?"

  James shrugged. "I have no choice but to be okay. Now isn't the time to be sitting around crying. My family needs me. So I'm fine. If we can be really safe at some point, maybe I'll be sad then. No time for it now."

  Greg nodded. "Well, I've got a question for you then."

  "Shoot," James replied.

  "So this morning, at the office. When I had to kill Mr. Ramsey, I felt that I should have felt bad about it. But I didn't. I wasn't sad at all. In fact, I was actually kinda satisfied."

  "Well, I don't think we can really think of these things as human first off. The way they act..." James trailed off as he thought back to his ordeal at the hospital this morning.

  "I don't really think it's something you should feel bad about. You defended yourself and Carol. She's alive because of you."

  Greg nodded. "Alright. What about other people though. We're bound to run into someone at some point. If not today, then eventually. Anyone that survives is going to be looking for stuff just like we are."