The Emerald Virus

by Patrick Shea

  Jack and Ron arrived in Kansas City at 7:30 that evening, ten hours after they left the bunker. They had yet to see another moving vehicle. Jack knew it was a couple of days too early for everyone to have died, so he was surprised that they saw no vehicles. They did see a lot of abandoned vehicles and quite a lot of junk along the Interstate. Some of the vehicles looked like they had either broken down or simply run out of gas; others had been involved in accidents and were left where they had stopped.

  As they approached Kansas City they started to see dead bodies lying on or along the road. Jack said he assumed that those were victims whose cars no longer worked, and that had died of the virus while they were walking to their destination. He was also sure that some of the wrecks were from people who had died or lost consciousness while they were driving. He thought that if it looked like this in Kansas City, things would be much worse once they reached the congestion of the eastern corridor.

  They stopped at the first truck stop west of Kansas City and felt they had gotten lucky. The pumps were still working and there was fuel available for them to fill the truck. They did not see a living soul.

  Jack was surprised at the number of big trucks that were parked at the truck stop. These must be truckers that were trying to get home but for some reason couldn’t. None of the engines were running and Jack looked in a number of the cabs. There were no bodies in any of them.

  While Jack was looking in the trucks, Ron looked in a number of cars that were parked at the truck stop. Ron said he thought that the truckers had left their rigs here and continued the journey home in automobiles. Almost all of the cars were unlocked with the keys in the ignition. Most of them were totally empty, although there were a few packed with belongings, and one of these had two dead bodies in the front seat. They agreed that someone must have arranged for extra vehicles to be left here for the truckers. Word of that would have spread quickly.

  Two of the parked big rigs were fuel tankers. They toyed briefly with the idea of driving one of the tankers just to be sure they would have fuel for the trip home, but they immediately discarded that idea as impractical and overly cautious.

  Twenty minutes after stopping they were back on the road heading east. The next large city would be St. Louis, and they should arrive there in a little over three hours.

  Jack and Ron were now changing drivers every two hours to make sure they stayed alert. The truck was equipped with cruise control and they found if they put the driver’s seat all the way back they could easily change drivers without slowing down.

  As they approached St. Louis Jack was driving and Ron was sleeping in the back. Due to the number of abandoned vehicles Jack had slowed down going through the city but now as they approached the Mississippi River Bridge which sat at the base of the Arch, he had to brake sharply. It looked like a war zone. There were multiple pile ups of cars, some burned out and a couple still smoking. Across the river it looked like the entire city of East St. Louis, Illinois was burning. There were so many wrecked cars Jack wasn’t sure he could get across the bridge.

  Just as Ron walked into the cab and asked, “What’s going on?” a number of shots rang out.

  Ron took in the situation in a flash and yelled, “stay right and take the ramp that says I-64 West. I should’ve thought of this sooner. Not because of the trouble but because I used to live in St. Louis and taking I-270 North around the city and then back to I-70 on the east side saves time.”

  As Jack careened onto the I-64 West ramp Ron continued, “I don’t know who’s shooting at us and I don’t much care. We’ll take 64 back to I-270 and take that across the river north of the city. We’ll lose maybe thirty minutes if we can maintain speed. There are at least a couple of other bridges if this one doesn’t work so there isn’t anything to worry about.”

  By now they were headed west and there were no more shots. That answered one question that Jack had wondered about. There were still some people alive out here, but not many it seemed.

  Jack asked, “Should we stop and check for damage? I felt at least one of those shots hit our truck.”

  “No, let’s not, this thing is covered in light armor and it takes a large caliber bullet to pierce it. Unless they hit a tire we should be fine. If they did hit a tire you’ll get a low tire pressure warning lamp on the dashboard. If that happens we’ll drive until the tire rips off, but we won’t stop. We have eight tires on the rear of this thing and we can get along fine on seven.”

  It was now midnight and they had rejoined I-70 near Glen Carbon, Illinois, just east and north of St. Louis. The drive remained uneventful through Indianapolis and then hours later into Columbus, Ohio. They pulled into a truck stop at seven o’clock.

  They had lost a little time slowing down through the cities, always due to the number of abandoned cars. They felt lucky though that they didn’t need to leave the pavement at all, instead they were able to weave around the abandoned cars.

  The first truck stop they tried was closed up. The windows had been broken out, and the mini-mart had been burned. Neither Jack nor Ron wanted to sift through the remaining shell to see if they could get the pumps turned on.

  The second place they stopped was working, but it was overflowing with cars and trucks lined up to get at the pumps. Many of the occupants had died sitting in line. Someone had used an eighteen wheeler to clear a path to one of the pumps and Ron found he could pull up to that pump and use it. They filled up and got out of there as quickly as they could. They didn’t even bother looking around this time.

  As they drove into eastern Pennsylvania the roads became more and more congested. Abandoned cars and trucks were everywhere and the sides of the Interstate were covered in junk. They were lucky to maintain forty miles an hour now, but they were still moving steadily forward.

  Jack had talked to Jane yesterday morning and told her he was going to come and help her. She told him not to bother, that she would be fine by herself. Jack didn’t like her tone but he couldn’t say anything that seemed to help. Jane hadn’t answered the phone since then.

  As he approached Baltimore he called her every fifteen minutes but could not get through to her. He didn’t know if it was her cell phone, or if something had happened to Jane.

  Jane was living on the west side of Baltimore and once they left the Interstate it was only a fifteen minute drive to her parent’s house. Jack was amazed that everything looked normal. Especially after the last twenty-seven hours of devastation they had witnessed on the highway. There were few abandoned cars, no junk was left lying around and there were no visible bodies.

  When they stopped in front of the house Ron asked if he should wait. Jack said no. He was sure she was here, and if for some reason she wasn’t he would simply take a car and go to the nearest survivor RV place.

  Ron handed him a card on which he had hand written an address and said, “If worse comes to worse, this is where you’ll find me. You’re always welcome.”

  Jack thanked him, they shook hands and Jack grabbed his backpack and hopped out of the truck. Ron was smiling at him as they waved for a final time.

  Jack was grateful for Ron’s approach to saying good-bye. He had said so many good-byes lately he didn’t think he could do it anymore. Obviously Ron felt the same way.

  Jack walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. When no one answered he tried the front door and it opened for him. The first thing he thought was that Jane could not be staying here. The stench of death had already permeated the house.

  Jack called for Jane and got no response. He quickly walked thought the living room and up the stairs to the bedrooms. If she was in the house she had to be with the kids, and this was probably where they died. He looked in all three bedrooms. One was empty, the master held the bodies of an older couple, and the third bedroom looked lived in, but was also empty.

  Jack walked downstairs and into the kitchen. Through the window he could see an RV with a trailer sitting in the back yard.

  He didn’t
bother to knock; he jerked the door open and stepped quickly into the RV expecting to find the worst. He heard the scream before he saw her. She was sitting on a sofa with a photo album in her lap and a scared look on her face as she screamed louder than Jack would have thought possible.

  Finally she recognized him jumped up and threw her arms around him saying, “Jack, where did you come from, you scared me to death? Why didn’t you call me? I’ve been waiting for you to call but no one did. What happened? How did you get here? Why did you come in here like that, you almost scared me to death?” She was crying and smiling at the same time and she looked so relieved Jack was surprised.

  “Jane, I’ve been trying to call you since I left New Mexico, the calls must not have gone through, and I’ve called a hundred times. I’m glad you’re okay; I didn’t know what to think after the last time we talked.”

  “I don’t know what happened. After you told me you were coming to help me I knew everything would be alright. I called you back to tell you that, that I really wanted you to come, but you didn’t answer your phone. I didn’t know what to do so I looked at a map and figured you would take at least two and maybe three days to make the drive so I thought all I could do was wait here, even though I’m ready to go anywhere now.” She turned to the table by the sofa and said here’s the phone I’ve been using, is something wrong with it?”

  He was amazed that she looked so different than when he saw her last. Her hair had gone from a vibrant blond to a mouse brown, and it was straggly, her face was lined, she was wearing no makeup, and she had lost too much weight.

  But he almost smiled with relief now that he knew she was okay and had been waiting for him. He also thought it was funny she was asking him if the phone was okay, as if he would be able to look at it and tell if it was working. But he did look at it and pushed the redial button and said, “Well part of the problem is that this is my office number you’ve been calling, not my cell number. I guess I never told you I was using a hard line in the bunker.” Jack took his cell out of his pocket and pushed redial.

  He read the number as it dialed and Jane said, “That’s my old cell number, I left that phone in the house. I thought I was supposed to use the new one that came with the RV so that’s what you’re holding.” And then she laughed. Not loudly and not for long, but with a great deal of relief.

  “Jack, I can’t believe both of us have been through this much angst because of a darned phone screw up.” She looked at him and hugged him again and said, “I still can’t believe you’re here. I was so worried after our last call that you weren’t coming and there was nothing I could do but wait and see. How did you get here so fast, you must have flown, but how could that be possible?”

  Jack laughed and said, “Slow down. We took a military vehicle and shared the driving. We only stopped twice on the way for fuel. Other than that we tried to drive eighty miles an hour all the way, and mostly it worked. None of that is important. What’s important is that you’re here, and that you’re ready to leave. Is there anything at all you need from the house? If there is I’ll go and get it for you.”

  “Jack, I don’t need anything from the house but I need you to help me bury my parents. I’ve buried the kids but I can’t carry my parents downstairs. Can you help me?”

  “Of course I will. I’m really proud of you for taking care of the kids by yourself, and I don’t mind helping at all. Do you know where you want me to dig the graves?

  “Yes, in the backyard next to the grave for the kids. I’ve started digging but I don’t know if the grave is big enough yet. I’ve buried the kids together and I want to do the same thing for my parents.”

  Two hours later Jack finished digging the grave, wrapped the bodies in plastic shower curtains, and then in sheets. He had told Jane to stay in the RV until he had everything ready.

  He carried the bodies down separately and placed them in the bottom of the grave as best he could. He then went to the RV for Jane and she came with her bible. Jane read a couple of passages over the bodies and prayed for her parents and her children. She cried the entire time but she persevered.

  When she was finished with the service Jack told her that he would fill the graves and meet her in the RV. But she insisted on helping him. When they were done Jack asked her to show him how the shower worked in the RV so he could clean up before they left. Fifteen minutes later he was showered, had put on a pair of khakis and a shirt from his backpack, and said he was ready to go.

  Jane said, “Are you sure you want to leave so soon after you’ve been driving for so long.?

  “Yeah, I’m sure, I’m not going to be able to drive for long but I at least want to get us out of the metro area and to a safe spot where we can talk.”

  With that Jack climbed in the driver’s seat and started the RV. As he waited for the engine to warm up he called Ron’s cell and let him know that he had found Jane and that all was well.

  Jane was in the passenger’s seat as they pulled through the yard and onto the street. Jack remembered the directions back to the Interstate and knew that once he got there he would drive to I-95 and head south. He had lived in the Washington D.C./Baltimore area for years so navigating out of here wasn’t going to be a problem.

  They drove slowly through the metro area and when they were south of D.C. Jack left the Interstate and took state roads to Shenandoah National Park. He knew the park well and knew he would find an isolated place that he and Jane could use as they talked through Jane’s future. Jack’s goal was to put her with a group of survivors and to get out of there so she didn’t have to go through another round of death because of him. He knew that the key to that problem was being able to act as carefree as the circumstances would allow.

  Since he felt somewhat carefree he thought acting that way should be easy. He was amazed at how good he felt about finding Jane in a good frame of mind, and being able to keep his promise to Harry.

  During the drive Jane told Jack everything that had happened to her in the last week. She talked about what Harry’s death had been like for her, about the death of her parents the day before her children died, and then about the kids themselves. She went to the living area and brought the photo album up front. She showed Jack pictures and he glanced at them when he could. He knew she needed this for herself, and it surprised him to find out that he needed it also. During the conversation he talked about Harry for the first time, he told her about A.J., he told her about the young people in the bunker who were going to the coast to die and he joined her in the process of grieving for her kids. Jane cried often and Jack cried some and they both found that they could still laugh a little at the funny stories about loved ones they had lost. Jack had had no idea how much he needed to talk to a friend, and as the day wore on he became more and more pleased to have joined Jane.

  He had loved driving through the park in the past and he found it just as beautiful now. He found a suitable place to stop southwest of Rockfish Gap just off the Howardsville Turnpike. His goal was to drive towards the Tennessee River Valley where there was ample hydroelectric power, and he thought the Blue Ridge Parkway would be a good way to go. He wasn’t planning on driving fast and he wanted to stay off the Interstate system. His fear was the parkway might be blocked; there weren’t too many options in the mountains. If that occurred he would have to backtrack.

  Chapter Twenty One: Where Next?

  Saturday Evening: Shenandoah State Park, Virginia

  Jane looked at Jack and he could tell by the look on her face that ‘the question’ was coming. She asked, “Jack, why did you leave the bunker and what’s going to happen to you now?

  Jack had been expecting the question and had prepared the answer. He said, “The reason I left the bunker is because the seals in all of the bunkers are failing. The bunkers with the Congress, the President, and the senior military officials are all now infected with the Emerald Virus. If the others are not yet infected they will be soon. The only seals that are holding are the ones at C
DC in Atlanta where the scientists are looking for a vaccine. If they ever do find one the only people they’ll be able to save are themselves. It’s already too late for the rest of the world.

  “As for what’s going to happen now, we need to talk about that. My thought is that we find a solid group of survivors for you to join. You spend the winter with them in an isolated area, just as we have discussed.

  “Once that happens I plan on leaving you with your new friends. I told you that two of us had left the bunker and driven cross country to Baltimore. My friend went on to a vacation house on Chesapeake Bay. Once you are settled, I’m going to go there and spend my final days with my friend.”

  Jack had intentionally not mentioned Ron’s gender in the hope that Jane would think he was talking about a female friend he wanted to spend his last days with. He didn’t remember using Ron’s name when he called him from the RV yesterday, and even if he had he didn’t think Jane would remember.

  Jack thought it would be easier for Jane to accept his leaving if she thought he was going to spend his end days with a female friend. She wouldn’t try to talk him out of that, as she might with a male friend. At least he hoped so.

  Jane looked at him and said, “Jack please tell me the truth. Do you really have a friend you can spend your time with?”

  Jack was relieved that he wouldn’t have to lie and he said, “Yes Jane, I do.”