The Emerald Virus

by Patrick Shea

  “You can count on me. I don’t know enough not to do what you ask to tell you the truth.”

  “I’m counting on you. I would have rather brought Jane simply because I’ve seen her react the right way under pressure, but you and Charlotte convinced me she needed to stay with the kids. But your arguments about me needing help were persuasive, so here we are.”

  “Where do you want to start? What can I do while you’re driving?”

  “First open that satchel between us and take out the maps I’ve printed. We’ll pretty much follow the routes I’ve marked, and you’re the navigator. I want to start in Delaware, and I haven’t yet decided if we can use the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel, which runs from Norfolk, Virginia to the Peninsula across the bay and north into Delaware, or if we need to go past Washington DC and then east to Annapolis, Maryland and cross the bridge there. It that bridge is blocked we could end up going as far north as Wilmington and back south from there.”

  Heather looked at the map and then asked, “Why wouldn’t we take the bridge and tunnel on the south end?”

  “I’d hate to get stuck in the middle of the tunnel for any reason, especially if it’s been breached. I know the suction fans won’t be working, but we’ll be the only vehicle driving so we should be okay, as long as we don’t have to spend any time sitting in the lowest part of the tunnel.

  Jack laughed and then said, “For the sake of honesty I have to admit that while mountain tunnels don’t bother me at all, tunnels under big stretches of water seem creepy to me, not so creepy that I don’t use them, but creepy nonetheless.”

  Now Heather laughed and said, “I didn’t think anything bothered you. Didn’t you use to do dangerous field work in foreign countries?”

  “I see Jane has been talking when she shouldn’t be.

  “Yes, I used to do field work for our government. I tried to track down terrorists wherever we could find them. You need to realize that while people do dangerous things, it’s almost always really scary. That’s not something you let yourself think about, or talk about to anyone except maybe a spouse, and for some that’s too much.

  “Well if it always scares you why do you do it? Isn’t being scared a means for you to tell yourself that this is too dangerous and you shouldn’t do it?”

  “No, I don’t subscribe to that theory at all. I think fear is made up of a couple of different components. One is real fear that lets you know that you are on the edge, but if you can control yourself and your circumstances you won’t fall off. That’s a good kind of fear. The other kind of fear feels just as real but it’s in part a figment of your imagination. If we let ourselves go, this fear becomes debilitating. In the beginning both kinds of fear feel exactly the same.

  “With a little experience though you learn the difference between the two and you learn to make judgments based on the circumstances, which is not always what the voice in the back of your mind would have you do.”

  “What you’re telling me is that you can’t train for something like that, you have to go through it to understand it, and to learn to react the right way?”

  “You can train in ways that help you prepare, but the real thing is always more intense than whatever training you go through. At least it was for me.”

  “That makes sense. I don’t think I want to learn too much more about that though. When I was driving to get the RV and Karl Schumann ran into me from behind it scared me to death. But it happened so fast it was over before I even knew what really happened. I sat on the side of the road and cried and shook and was really scared, but that was after it all happened.

  “And then when Karl had his gun on you I was scared, but I knew from what he said he wasn’t planning on killing me. That helped me stay a little calm. Before I really thought of what would happen to me later, Jane shot him and it was over. Those were probably the two worst things I’ve been through, and they’re enough for me.”

  “That’s more than any sixteen year old should ever have to go through. But you did really well getting through both of them. You haven’t let either incident keep you from living your life and I’m proud of you for that.

  “I’m not planning on endangering your life on our trip so I don’t think you need to worry about that, but I do need to say one thing. We won’t discuss it, but you need to know it.

  “If I’m wrong about what we’re getting into, and it turns out to be dangerous, I’m going to send you home without me. I don’t want any arguments about this. If I have to worry about you and about me I’m more likely to make mistakes that may get both of us killed. Just remember that I can take care of myself, and there are millions of vehicles and more RVs out there. I’ll be able to get out of anywhere on my own.

  “If that happens, I’ll call you when I’m okay and we can meet up again. If I have to spend a couple of days planning something you’ll be home before me. If you don’t hear from me just go back to Charlotte and Jane and wait for me.

  “As we discussed, I’ve got a lot of experience with this kind of thing, and I’ve learned the virtue of patience when I’m planning, so I won’t be in any hurry unless someone’s life depends on me moving quickly.”

  “I’ll do what you ask Jack, I’ve already committed to that. But I would hate it if we had to separate.”

  Jack smiled and said, “I know, I feel the same way, so I’ll do everything I can to keep us together.”

  Heather smiled inwardly and went back to reading the maps.

  Later she asked where in Delaware they were going.

  Jack answered, “We’re going to explore an area in the very southern part of the state called Sawmill Pond. When you look on the map you’ll see a large bay on the Atlantic Ocean just south of the Delaware state line. It’s called Assawoman Bay. Just north of Assawoman Bay, but connected to it by a canal, is Little Assawoman Bay, it’s in Delaware.”

  At this point Heather couldn’t control herself any longer and busted out laughing. She said, “Jack, you’re making up those names aren’t you?”

  “No, really I’m not. Just look at the maps and you’ll find the names. Now I may not be pronouncing the name the right way, but that’s what it looks like to me.”

  “When you find them on the map you’ll see that on the northern edge of Little Assawoman Bay is the Assawoman Wildlife Area, and in the wildlife area is a number of ponds, one of them is called Sawmill Pond.”

  After a minute Heather said, “Okay, you’re right, everything is here. But I still think the names are weird, don’t you?”

  “I do, but I think they’re probably Native American names that mean something quite different in the native language.”

  “What Indian tribes are from there?”

  “Surprisingly enough, the Delaware Indians were from that area, they’re also known as the Lenapi.”

  Heather laughed and said, “I knew that. Or at least I learned it once. I read ‘The Last of the Mohicans’ last summer and James Fenimore Cooper talks about the Delaware Indians a lot in the book.”

  “He does at that, have you read any of his other books?”

  “No, just the one I mentioned. What else did he write?”

  “I think he wrote four or five in total. I remember one is titled ‘The Pathfinder’, one is called ‘Deerslayer’ and I think one is called ‘The Prairie’. I think Hawkeye is in all of them, but it’s been years since I read them so I could be wrong.”

  “Were they worth reading?”

  “They were to me. I read them as a teenager. My father and mother were great readers and they made sure I was exposed to all kinds of writers as I grew up. I had a second home in the library. My dad had read Cooper as a young man, and I found I liked him as much as my father did. It’s a different kind of writing, but reading about that period, in period writing, is interesting.”

  “Maybe we’ll have a chance to stop by a book store while we’re out. I wouldn’t mind seeing if any of them are still in print. I’d like to at least give them a try. Espec
ially since it looks like we may be returning to life as it was back then.

  “By the way, what makes you think that someone may be in trouble at Sawmill Pond in Delaware?”

  “The message that was erased simply said, “Someone please help me, I’m at Sawmill Pond”. I know it isn’t much to go on, and unfortunately there is a Sawmill Pond in Delaware, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Maine that I’ve found on the web. There may be more. Oh, and there is one on the California/Nevada border near Lake Tahoe. But that one is so far out of the way that if we don’t find anything on the east coast I’ll probably ask one of the western groups to take a look. The bad part is that the Sierra Nevada Mountains are probably buried in snow by now and it may be spring before anyone can get up to that Sawmill Pond.”

  “You said there might be a couple of people that need our help. Do you have leads on other people also?”

  “I’ve printed a couple of pages you’ll see in my satchel. There are other brief messages but it kind of looks like kids just playing around. I think that’s strange since I’m only looking at messages posted and erased during the past two weeks, so the messages are recent ones, and they have to be from survivors.

  “I still have work to do on those messages and I don’t yet know what that’ll turn into.

  “On the other hand, there’s a problem growing in Montana that I’m trying to keep track of. I don’t think there is anything we can do to help, but I’m still interested in the outcome. The lady leading that group is Sam Klein. She and I talk most days now, and the next time I call her I’ll introduce you.”

  “What kind of problem does she have?”

  Jack explained the problem to Heather who said, “It sounds like they have a good start on taking care of the problem. They’re well organized and they have a militia. Wouldn’t someone be crazy to attack a group that was prepared for them?”

  “You would think so but apparently Bob Turner is a real bad guy and it looks like he is most interested in getting revenge. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t planning on taking over the park and running things his way. Especially since Sam and her group are getting closer and closer to having everything they need to winter in the high Rockies.”

  “Is Sam’s group going to live in their RVs like we are, or will they move into the lodge you mentioned?”

  “I think they’ll stay in the RVs, although the Old Faithful Inn is large enough for them. I checked the web and the lodge has over 350 rooms. The problem is heating. They are currently running the generators a couple of time a day to keep the pipes from freezing. During the rest of the day they have some taps they keep open so the water is always moving. That makes it harder to freeze, although if it gets cold enough the pipes will freeze anyway without heat.

  “If they can find enough fuel tankers and get them to the park they may try to heat the lodge and live in the rooms. We’ll have to wait and see how things work out for them. My guess is that they’ll stay in the RVs. Since the park is closed each winter the lodge is probably not well insulated, which means that even with heat it’s going to be darned chilly in there.”

  They drove in silence for a bit and Heather asked, “We have a CD player, do you mind if I play a CD, I’ve brought a couple with me?”

  Jack laughed and said, “There are no conditions under which I’m turning the music over to a sixteen year old. Just the thought of it scares me to death.”

  Heather giggled and said, “How can you stereotype me like that? You might be surprised at the kind of music I listen to. Pleasantly surprised.”

  “If I like the music you brought it will be a major surprise. Let’s look at what you have, but if we’re going to play music we have to both agree on the CD. Deal?”

  “Deal. I only brought a handful. Now I like some of the modern music the other kids like, but I left that at home because I’m smart enough to know that might not be your music of choice. I brought a couple of country and western music CDs and a couple of CDs by folksingers. What do you have?”

  “I have a real wide variety, but I like country and folk so let’s play yours first. By the way, I’m duly impressed with your choice.”

  Heather smiled and put in a CD by Gordon Lightfoot and said, “This is a CD with his greatest hits. My parents were big folk music fans so I grew up listening to performers like this. I know he’s getting older, I think he was born in the late 30s, but he still sings really well.”

  “What else did you bring?”

  “I brought a CD by Alan Taylor, A British folk singer you probably don’t know. He’s done a lot of music but I brought ‘So Long’ since it’s my favorite I think.

  “And then I brought a John Denver CD from 1988, it’s called ‘Higher Ground’ and it has ‘A Country Girl in Paris’, my favorite of John’s songs.

  “Oh, I forgot about this one. I love Eric Clapton so I brought his ‘Unplugged’ CD along.”

  They continued to talk as they drove north. Jack decided to try the bridge and tunnel across the bay and they crossed with no trouble.

  Heather had been changing CDs as they drove and she sang along with her favorite songs. Jack thought she was surprisingly good when she sang ‘Country Girl in Paris’ with John Denver.

  Jack said, “Heather, you have a really nice voice, you should sing more often.”

  Jack looked over and saw she was blushing.

  She said, “Don’t embarrass me please; I forgot you were here. I like singing but I don’t think I’m very good. I used to sing with my folks, they were really good together.”

  Heather had started to sniffle as she thought about her family and Jack thought that he needed to stay away from bringing up her past.

  He asked, “do you play any instruments?’

  “I play the guitar a little, and have played around with a banjo and a fiddle, but I’m not very good with any of them.”

  “Let’s stop and pick up a guitar. I’d like to see how good you are. I used to play a little guitar myself so maybe we can suffer through each other as we practice.”

  “I’m not sure how comfortable I’ll be playing in front of you but if you’ll try I’ll try. Tell me the truth, how good are you?”

  “I thought I was pretty good with an electric guitar as a teenager, but I haven’t picked up a guitar in years and years. Maybe you can help me get back into it. Live music is going to be at a premium in our world.”

  They fell into a comfortable silence as they listened to music, until Heather told Jack they were getting close to the turn. They were traveling from Pocomoke City through Snow Hill to Berlin and north to Selbyville, where they needed to turn east towards the Assawoman Wildlife Area. They were getting close to where they would turn right to the wildlife area. Sawmill Pond was near the southern boundary and they followed highway 364 into the wildlife area and stayed on the main road until they neared the pond. Jack remembered from the map that there was a road to both the east and west of the pond, and the road they were on passed to the north of the pond. There was no road on the southern side of the pond at all. It was close enough to the bay that Jack thought it might be marshland to the south of Sawmill Pond.

  Jack drove very slowly until he thought they were as a close as he could get to the pond without being heard. He then told Heather that they were going to walk quietly up the road and look around the pond. If they saw another RV they would come directly back to their RV and make a plan.

  As they got out of their seats Jack stopped in the living area and handed Heather a holster for the 9mm that strapped around her upper thigh and held the gun at her fingertips. He also had one for himself.

  He said, “Wearing a shoulder holster under our down jackets doesn’t make a lot of sense so I brought these along. I’d like you to bring your shotgun also. I’m going to bring this rifle.

  As he picked up his M-16 Heather said, “Jack, that isn’t the rifle we all received.” And then she said, “Never mind, I don’t know why that even surprised me. But if you like that rifle better
you’ll have to get one for me and show me how to use it?”

  “Okay, I’ll agree to that. Now it’s no talking until we’re sure everything is clear.”

  Jack approached the first road to the right very slowly and stayed along the right edge of the road. Even with the debris on the road it was going to be quieter than walking through the woods. There was a nice mixture of evergreen and deciduous trees so staying concealed was easy.

  Jack turned right and this time stayed on the left side of the road, very near the tree line. He whispered to Heather that he wanted her to look for any tracks that left the road to the right. He would watch and try to get a view across the pond as they walked.

  At the end of the road Jack signaled that they would return to the main road and approach the east side of the pond the same way.

  Fifteen minutes later Jack said, “I thought we might at least see a car from someone who came out here to die alone, but I’m glad we didn’t see anything. It will be dark soon so let’s plan on staying here tonight. But first I want to go back to that last group of houses and pick up a car for us. We’ll come right back here and then you and I will use the car to drive through the rest of the wildlife area. I’ll drive and you ride shotgun, literally.”

  Heather asked, “Jack, do you mean the Assawoman Wildlife Area?” and she giggled.

  Jack smiled and said, “Heather, I’m shocked that you would make fun of such a nice Native American name like that.”

  She giggled again and replied, “I wasn’t making fun exactly, but it is a funny name.”

  They finished reconnoitering the area and then settled in for the evening. They had both brought books with them and after dinner they read. Heather had insisted on cooking and Jack helped her cleaned up.

  After a while Heather said, “Jack I shower in the evening so I’m going to do that now. I might be awhile though; I’m pretty typical that way.”