by SD Tanner
Gears also asked him to look for an alternative base. Their current base had originally been a bunker styled storage facility. That meant it had about 150 rooms of varying sizes that people used to store their goods. It was a single-story windowless concrete facility with four wings leading from a central reception area. It had five access points with wide corridors that originally allowed people to move their goods through the site. The building had a compact footprint surrounded by a wide access car park. With its small footprint it was easy enough to set up perimeter lights and sentries on the roof of each of the four wings, and the five access points meant it was impossible to get trapped inside the building. They used the storage rooms as bedrooms and each room housed two to six people. They set up a water pump to a lake in a nearby park, and the storage site offered environmental control and already had generators. When they took over the site, the rooms contained all sorts of junk people stored there and some of the items they found were actually useful.
The storage site was never designed to be lived in and there were few toilets and no showers. They solved the problem by scavenging a bank of chemical toilets and jury-rigging shower bags. That worked for a while, but with 150 people at the Base, sanitation was becoming a real issue. He worried that without better sanitation, disease could spread rapidly through the Base. As he searched for survivors and supplies, he kept an eye out for anywhere that would be a better alternative to the Base. So far, he hadn’t found a better option and he was running out of places to look. He could travel about eighty miles in a day and still make it back to the Base at night. That gave him an area of about 150 miles across to search, which was a decent area to cover, but the region hadn’t been densely populated. He was running out of options and he knew he needed to extend his search area. When he did that, he’d need more than just Benny with him and he figured they’d need to work with a combat team.
He and Benny were working with a couple of the guys from the group, siphoning and transferring fuel, when a pretty young girl in her late teens walked over to them. She walked straight up to Benny and smiling, she said, ‘Hey! I’m Lucie. Lydia said you might need a hand.’
Benny looked up from the tank he was siphoning, immediately blushed and said, ‘I’m Benny.’ Flicking his head in his direction, he added, ‘That’s TL.’
Still pouring gas into a battered looking people carrier, he looked up, smiled at her and said, ‘Hi, nice to meet you, Lucie.’
Smiling back at him, she turned her attention back to Benny and said, ‘Lydia tells me you guys have a base that’s pretty well set up.’
Looking flustered by Lucie and talking too fast, Benny said, ‘Yeah. We do. It’s safe. It’s got supplies. It’s real organized. You’re gonna love it. We’ve got a mess that feeds us three times a day. We’ve even got power so you can use a tablet to record stuff, listen to music and watch movies and stuff. Of course it’s rationed, but having it makes everything seem a bit more like normal.’
Lucie didn’t seem at all taken aback by Benny’s anxious enthusiasm and he supposed a pretty girl like her was used to men being nervous around her. Smiling to himself, he thought, some things in life never change. Men chase women and women love to be chased. That thought reminded him of Lydia. She impressed him with more than just her beauty. This was a large group and she was able to hold them together even under such tough conditions. He didn’t think she looked like she had any combat skills, and he knew she had no medical supplies either. He figured she must have held them together through sheer willpower.
As an army grunt, he knew Lydia was well out of his league, but times had changed. It was probably optimism on his part, but he thought he’d detected a flicker of interest from her. Even though Lydia was a long shot, it still felt good to have the headspace to wonder about her. He hadn’t had the time, energy or opportunity to think about a woman in a long time. Still smiling to himself, he thought life was starting to feel normal again and so was he.
Benny radioed ahead to ask Fagan, who led the scavenging teams, for a secure route back to the Base. Fagan kept maps of the region and his scavengers cleared the commonly used roads, and they made the trip back to the Base in good time. Kat, who was responsible for the day-to-day management of the Base, was going to meet them in the car park in front of the original reception area for the storage site. Through Fagan, they told her they were bringing in thirty-seven people. Lydia’s group had twelve women, sixteen men and nine children under the age of twelve. Lydia told them they would need rooms with cots for twenty-two family units. By now Kat would have their rooms ready and have let Harry, the cook, know there were thirty-seven more mouths for dinner. Back before the world ended, Kat was a soccer mom and she’d needed to know how to multi-task while dealing with everybody else’s problems. With her kindly disposition over a steely nature, he thought Kat had the patience of a saint.
As they pulled into the car park in front of reception area, he saw Kat waiting for them. Swinging himself out of the truck, he smiled broadly at her and said warmly, ‘Hey Kat. How’s the home front?’
Kat gave him a welcoming smile and said, ‘All good. Did you have a good ride out?’
‘It went well,’ he replied. Holding his hand out towards Lydia, he added, ‘This is Lydia. She’s a doctor.’
Kat looked at Lydia, smiled and said, ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lydia. Welcome to the Base.’
Lydia walked over, shook Kat’s hand and said, ‘Pleasure to meet you too, Kat.’
‘We’ve got 150 odd people here and that number is growing daily,’ Kat said. ‘You probably know TL is an army trained medic and we do have a couple of nurses and interns, but we still need an experienced doctor.’
Lydia replied candidly, ‘I was a general practitioner, but I was training to be a forensic pathologist.’
She hadn’t mentioned that back at the house and surprised, he asked, ‘Does that mean you study dead people?’
Lydia laughed and said, ‘Yes I guess so, but I should warn you I hadn’t finished my training.’
Now even more impressed by Lydia, he said, ‘Well, you’ll be able to finish it in the field now. We seem to have an abundance of dead people these days.’
Looking at him dubiously, she said, ‘During my practical training the cadavers stayed still. I’m not sure I know what to do with a dead person that’s still moving.’
Nodding sagely, he replied, ‘I know what you mean. Dead people used to stay dead.’
Kat left them to chat while she welcomed the group as they unloaded from the vehicles. She shook hands, smiled and welcomed them to the Base. She kept an old set of chairs and a wooden table in the car park where she registered new survivors joining the Base. Once everyone was standing in the car park holding on to their worldly goods, she climbed onto one of the chairs and ran through her standard speech.
‘Welcome to the Base. My name is Kat and I’m the Base Coordinator. My job is to make sure the Base is operating effectively. If you have any problems, I am the first person you should speak to. Please be assured the Base is well defended. It was originally a public storage site so there’s about 150 private rooms. Each room can house between two and six people. We’ve assigned a block of rooms to your group. Please sort out who you will be sharing your room with.’ Kat paused waiting for any comments or questions, and when nobody spoke Kat continued, ‘We provide three meals a day. Plus we have stores with clothing, bedding and other basic needs available. Right now, I need to check you in. This means I need to know your names, ages, family status, skills and any special needs.’
Kat paused again to see if anyone wanted to speak. Nobody did and she continued, ‘We believe the Base is only as strong as its people so, with the exception of children under the age of twelve, everybody is trained in basic self-defense. And, if you’re capable and willing, you may also be given advanced training in weapons, survival and combat.’
There was a murmuring from the group and Kat paused and waited for the inevitable que
stions. A voice from the crowd asked, ‘Is this an army base?’
‘No,’ Kat replied emphatically. ‘But the men who built this base were soldiers in the US Army. In addition to creating a home for survivors, they have a plan to clear the region of hunters, so they’re training combat teams to take on the hunters.’
There was more surprised murmuring from the group and the same voice asked, ‘Do we have to join this army?’
‘No,’ Kat replied, as looked at the group obviously trying to work out who was asking the questions. ‘No one is forced to join the combat teams. Basic training is to make sure everyone can protect themselves. The additional training is for the people who go outside the Base to scavenge for the things we need. And some of our scavengers are given more advanced training so they can work in the combat teams.’
The voice asked, ‘Can anyone can get the training?’
‘Yes,’ Kat replied simply. Finally, her interrogator stepped out from the crowd and he was a tall shaggy-haired gaunt-faced man who looked tired and underweight.
The group erupted into loud excited chatter. Kat raised her hand and said loudly, ‘We don’t have to deal with this subject right now. You’ll learn more about the Base in the coming days, and I’m always here to help you.’
Lydia stepped up to where Kat was standing and, addressing her soon to be former group, she held up both hands and said, ‘Look, these men have big plans. They’re setting up remote secured camps where people can live off the land in peace. They’re training combat teams to help take back our land permanently.’ Lydia paused, looked around the group and continued in a sincere voice, ‘We have an opportunity to be part of getting our lives back, but what we do is up to each of us. This is not a dictatorship or a democracy. It’s a structure that allows us to choose what we want to do.’
The tall gaunt-faced man spoke up again, ‘I thought we were just coming to a safe camp.’
People in the group nodded in agreement with him. Lydia said confidently and firmly, ‘And you have. It’s just part of a bigger picture. The Base is not a half-starved group of people barely scraping by. This is an organized community with a bigger plan, but no one is going to make you do anything you don’t want to do, and, honestly, you all know this is so much better than what we had back at the house.’
Another person in the group said loudly, ‘I don’t wanna give up our freedom.’
A sad look crossed Lydia’s face and, with deep regret, she said, ‘The hunters took our freedom. We don’t have it to lose.’
People heard the truth of what she said and, as he watched, the mood of the group shifted from anxious to accepting. He respected the effect Lydia had on her people. With her honesty and genuine care for them, people followed her and he knew then that she really did belong on their team.
The gaunt-faced man said, ‘Okay, Lydia. We trust you. You got us this far and we’re grateful for that.’
Lydia nodded at him and an unspoken understanding clearly passed between them. Kat looked over the group and said, ‘Thank you, Lydia. In addition to being trained, we also expect every person over the age of fifteen to work to maintain the Base. There are plenty of jobs that need to be done regardless of your skills, however we do have specific skill gaps, so if you have those skills we will need them.’
The gaunt faced man asked, ‘What skills do you need?’
‘Almost everything,’ Kat replied. ‘But specifically we need communications specialists, any type of medical expertise, electricians and plumbers. We have some skilled people in these areas, but nowhere near enough.’
‘One final point,’ Kat continued. ‘I try not to have too many rules here, but we need the Base to be a place people can feel safe and happy in. This is our home. Anybody who makes trouble here is likely to be told to leave. I know we’re just a bunch people thrown together under difficult circumstances, but please be try and be patient with one another.’
When no one spoke, Kat wrapped up her speech and said, ‘Okay, then let’s get on. Please form a line so I can register your details and then we’ll take you to your rooms before we all grab a hot dinner.’
The group shuffled into a vague line and there was a lot of excited chatter. As Kat sat down at her reception table to start work, Lucie appeared at her side and said. ‘Hi, I’m Lucie. Can I help you? I know all these people and we might get it done faster.’
Kat looked up at her gratefully and said, ‘Yes please! I could really do with a hand. Dinner will be ready in an hour and I’m sure everyone is keen on a hot meal.’
Smiling brightly at Kat, Lucie replied, ‘We sure are. Food has been kinda scarce for us lately.’
Kat smiled sympathetically. It was a common story from all the survivors as they arrived. They were always tired, hungry and near exhaustion. She patted the chair next to her for Lucie to sit, and both women started processing the queue together.
Lydia walked back to him and grinning at her, he said, ‘Thanks for that. I thought they might riot.’
Looking at him steadily, Lydia replied, ‘People have had a pretty hard time, TL, and what you’re trying to do is a huge leap of faith. You need to give them time to absorb and adjust.’
Feeling his eyes soften at her genuine concern and understanding of these people, he replied, ‘I know. That’s why we’re doing this. When you hit rock bottom, the only way is up. Do you wanna see what we have in the way of medical?’
Beaming at him, Lydia replied, ‘Love to.’
He knew their medical facilities were extremely poor. What they had barely supported the Base, much less what they would need to analyze Ip. Hoping to forewarn her, he said, ‘It isn’t much, but we’ll get whatever you need like I promised.’
Flashing a wicked smile at him, Lydia said, ‘That’s okay. Show me what you got for me.’
He heard the double meaning in what she said and hoped he was hearing right. He really liked this woman, but it was awkward for him. She was too important to what they were doing for him to mess it up by getting personally involved with her and he thought he ought to keep his distance. They really needed Lydia’s skills.
Almost winking at her, he grinned and said, ‘Happy too. I’m sure you’re gonna like it.’ Then he groaned inwardly at himself for acting like a smitten teenager.
Lydia laughed as they headed off, walking together closely as they did a brief tour of the small Base. Lydia decided the original back office behind the reception area could be used as the hospital and triage area. While they were surveying the room for their future hospital, Lydia asked him about the person they wanted her to study. He told her how they met Ip and her ability to kill hunters by touching them.
Arching her eyebrows in surprise, Lydia asked, ‘Do they die instantly or slowly?’
‘Instantly,’ he replied.
Lydia asked, ‘Do they continue to move after she’s touched them?’
‘No,’ he replied.
Looking interested, Lydia asked, ‘What does she look like? Human or hunter?’
Thinking about the question for a moment, he replied, ‘Mostly human. She’s lean and muscular, but no more than a very keen gym junkie. If she cuts herself, she bleeds blood like you and me, but she has odd blue eyes with a third eyelid that’s also blue.’
Nodding, Lydia asked, ‘Can she see in the dark?’
Nodding, he replied, ‘Yes. Hunters hide in dark places like buildings, and she goes in and either kills them or they run away from her out into the daylight.’
Lydia smiled and asked, ‘That’s very helpful. What does she eat?’
Shrugging, he replied, ‘The same things we eat.’
Lydia seemed to have run out of questions and said, ‘I need to examine her, but way back when all this first happened, I did hear a rumor that the CDC in Hattiesburg were testing viruses on human subjects.’
He remembered when they found Ip she was wearing a hospital gown and had bruises on her wrists and ankles as if she’d been restrained. They’d wondered if Ip was c
reated deliberately in a lab. It was one thing to wonder, but another to realize it might be true.
Screwing up his face in disgust, he asked, ‘What were they testing for?’
Shaking her head, Lydia said, ‘It was only a rumor, but supposedly they were trying to adapt the hunter virus to create a version that would destroy the original virus. For some reason the virus needed to mutate with the DNA of a human host, but I don’t know any more than that and even that was just a rumor’
As he processed this new information about Ip’s possible origins, he concluded, ‘Given the condition we found her in, that rumor might be true. Do you think these test subjects agreed to act as human hosts to a killer virus?’
Lydia said sharply, ‘Of course not. Why would anyone agree to be a human lab rat?’
What Lydia had just told him threw a whole new light on their plans for Ip. It sounded like she might have already been used as a human test subject and he wondered how she would feel about being used that way again.
Frowning, he asked, ‘How would you test Ip?’
Lydia replied pragmatically, ‘We need completely different equipment to a hospital. We need a lab and the only one I know of near here is the CDC in Hattiesburg. Then we need to take a range of samples from Ip including blood, skin, saliva and, depending on her physiology, probably some biopsies of her internal organs.’
He didn’t like the sound of that, and knowing Gears wouldn’t agree to use Ip like a lab rat, he said doubtfully, ‘We can’t do that to her. She’s a person. She has rights.’
