Extinction Level Event (Book 1): The Turn

by J. Walker

  The farmstead was at least a two hour drive from any major population center but there was a smattering of small towns and villages nearby. Being well away from the most travelled roadways, we had to follow side roads and eventually dirt concession roads just to get there. The property was well hidden from the road by a densely forested area in the front. It hid the core of the property from the view of passerby on the dirt road.

  The main driveway wound its way through the same tree covered expanse. There were also conservation areas surrounding the entire estate and a small river located a short distance behind the property for a water source. The entire estate was very secluded and well hidden amidst a dense covering of trees.

  Without knowing the dwelling was there, it was very easy to drive right past it. The only evidence to suggest there might be a homestead hidden among the thick old growth forest on that lonely dirt road was the red mailbox sitting forlornly at the end of its shaded driveway. Even the opposite side of the road was another densely forested conservation area and the nearest home was more than half a kilometer down the same dirt road.

  Upon entering the property, the trees eventually cleared to reveal a very large expanse of land. There were actually two beautiful homes built on the site. They were both of an older and larger Victorian style. There was also a large barn for maintaining small farm animals and storing farming supplies. There was another large but more modern storage structure beside it.

  I had noted on previous visits that there were two greenhouses in good usable condition and a number of smaller outbuildings that we could use for more storage. Between the two greenhouses there was a small orchard with fruit bearing trees and bushes. There was also plenty of arable land available for planting and growing. The area was large enough to grow plenty of food and alternate the plots each season to maintain the viability of the soil.

  It was a Saturday morning in late March and we were bringing another U-Haul of supplies to the homestead. Marcus pulled off the highway and onto the exit ramp that led us down one of the smaller country roads.

  The truck had been quiet except for the radio the entire trip. We’d barely spoken since dropping the twins off at the in-laws. The entire process of preparations and planning had been physically, mentally and most of all, emotionally exhausting.

  We barely had time for sex, let alone conversation. I rarely slept anymore without the help of a big, fat joint and some melatonin. My nights were then plagued by nightmares even though I hadn’t viewed any more videos or images from the flash drive. I’d seen more than enough with that one video but my curiosity always had the better of me. On more than one occasion I found myself peeking over Marcus’ shoulder to view another video he’d found online.

  After another two hours of driving in awkward silence, we found ourselves pulling onto the winding drive leading up to the main property. John, Amy and Lauren moved in about a week ago and were busily setting up house in the smaller of the two homes. While Amy unpacked and organized their belongings, John discussed and negotiated what needed to be done with the various contractors. Within a short span of time he had everything taken care of.

  Marcus parked the U-Haul and we stepped into the cool air of the early afternoon. Oddly enough, Marcus and John had quickly become the best of friends. Amy and I were also getting along surprisingly well. I actually liked her and there was a strong bond growing between us.

  “Hey!” John greeted us with a wave and a big grin. “We’ve got our permits!”

  Marcus was very pleased by this news and heartily shook John’s hand. “That is great news!”

  “The fences will be going up as soon as possible, maybe next week. Normally they prefer to wait until later in the spring, closer to summer when there is no chance of another snowfall or frost but I’ve stressed that it needs to be done before the end of April. It’ll cost extra because they’ll have to use a special concrete mix and they’ll be working on it seven days a week. Shouldn’t take any longer than two to three weeks.”

  “How about the underground storage?”

  “All good.”

  They had both decided that it would be in our best interest to have underground storage for non-perishables and other important supplies. It was going to be built beneath the larger, modern storage shed with access through a trap door hidden in the ground. The excavation would begin at the same time as the fences, weather permitting.

  There would also be a decent security system around the perimeter with cameras and alarms. Motion detectors would be great but anything from a rabbit to a deer might set them off. We settled for alarms that would sound within the compound if the wall or gated entrance were breached or tampered with.

  The fences would be very similar to the high concrete and steel abatement walls seen beside major highways to reduce any noise that might affect the urban sprawl. It wouldn’t be the most aesthetic but it would be highly functional and serve as protection from whatever might find us out here. The only exception to the concrete barrier would be a thick, sliding metal gate at the entrance to our new domicile. It could be opened and closed electronically using a pass-worded keypad camouflaged behind a panel on both sides of the wall. Manual operation of the gate in the event of a power failure would also be an option. There would also be two smaller, camouflaged exits located at different points that were close to the main houses, in the event of an emergency evacuation.

  Also in the works were small wind turbines for the entire property as well as solar panels for both houses and all of the outbuildings. Large cast iron wood stoves would also be going into both homes as alternatives to electric or gas heat. The homes existing fireplaces would be reconditioned to their original working state. The gas lines would be shut off and disconnected and so would the electricity. The entire facility was going to be completely off the grid.

  It truly was a beautiful piece of property and the two old Victorian homes were absolutely stunning. I’d always wanted to live in the countryside and for a short span of time it would be nice to forget the real reason for undertaking such a vast project. Pretending there was no pandemic slowly creeping across the globe was a far more appealing thought. Even if it was just for a few moments.

  I smiled in spite of everything and breathed deeply of the cool, fresh country air, struggling in vain to silence my restless thoughts. Yet the endless procession persisted, regardless of my conscious attempts to muzzle them. Interminable lists of ever growing supplies and inventories tallied in my bookkeepers mind like a nightmare month end. My eyes closed and I groaned inwardly, my breath escaping in a ragged sigh. My head dropped and I stared at the muddy ground in frustration.

  I heard a door open and close. The soothing sound of a child’s laughter reached my ears and I turned towards the house. Amy and Lauren had come outside to join me while our husbands began to unload the contents of the U-Haul into the empty barn.

  Already I began to feel a little lighter. It was good to know there was someone to share this burden with. We met each other half way across the front lawn of their new home. I reached out to give Amy a big hug and she held me very tight for longer than usual.

  “Everything okay?” I asked.

  She looked a little upset but she was doing her best to hide it from Lauren, who had just turned four. “Another outbreak. I saw the article this morning. We both did.” She replied in a low voice.

  I glanced toward the truck and saw that Marcus was in deep conversation with John. I assumed from their serious demeanors that they were discussing the same subject. Marcus seemed to feel my gaze and looked over at me. His face was lined with concern.

  I returned my attention to Amy. “It’s too soon.”

  “I know but it’s happened. Come inside. I’ll put coffee on, set Lauren up with a Disney movie and we’ll take a look.”

  “I don’t want to see anything, Amy and I’m dead serious. I’ve seen enough. I believe you. But show Marcus, he’ll want to see it.”

  “No it isn’t a video.
It’s a news story on RT. An outbreak in Harbin, China.”

  “That’s quite a distance from where the original outbreak occurred. It’s not a small isolated village either.” I said with concern as we climbed the stairs to the house.

  I took off my coat and shoes in the vestibule. Amy herded Lauren into the living room and set up a movie for her to watch while I went into the kitchen to start the coffee. Glancing out the kitchen window I watched Marcus and John while I filled the glass carafe. They were unloading the truck again but still deeply engaged in conversation.

  I called out to Amy. “How’re you coming along with your inventories? Finding everything? Let me know if there’s anything else I can get in the big city.”

  “I’m going to be stepping it up this week. I’m going to be headed into the city every day to get as much as I can, as quickly as I can. I found a sitter for Lauren during the day when she isn’t in school, so I can really get shit done.”

  “Funds holding out?” I asked.

  “Yep, we’re doing okay for now. I was able to get a line of credit at the bank.”

  John had injured himself at work about a year ago and was receiving money from worker’s compensation. Just before the move, Amy had gone to her doctor to ask for sick leave from her job as a personal support worker. She claimed the stress of the job was getting to her and was given a six month leave of absence from her job for depression. So while neither of them worked, they were still receiving a decent income every week. I was beginning to think that I should do the same thing. I was getting to the point where I could use some happy pills.

  Amy smiled when she entered the kitchen. She had a small tablet in her hands that she set on the cozy kitchen table. The coffee was brewing and the aroma was delightful, despite the conversation we were having. A cloud passed over the sun and darkened the kitchen for a brief moment.

  “Here’s the article. It’s short but there it is.”

  Sure enough the article discussed the recent bird flu outbreak in Harbin. The military had been called in to assist the local officials in maintaining order. Some eye witness accounts claimed that individuals who had been exposed to the virus but were not yet showing symptoms had been rounded up by soldiers. Infected persons were being rounded up, as well as the bodies of the dead. The location they were being brought to was unknown at this point. This story is developing.

  “Have you told anyone else?” I asked. “About Derek. About what his wife sent you.”

  “No. Have you?”

  “No. Ash still doesn’t know. But she’s getting really suspicious about our sudden friendship.” I answered with a grin.

  Amy laughed. “Can you blame her? It is a little weird!”

  It felt good to laugh at our situation because the four of us truly formed an unlikely alliance. Our laughter slowly died away as we became lost in our own thoughts, staring absentmindedly out the window at our husbands unloading the goods into the barn. Eventually, the moment passed and we decided to make lunch for everyone, grateful for the distracting chore.

  It had been a unanimous decision not to tell the younger children anything at all. The younger ones wouldn’t understand but Ashley was at the age where she would. It was getting more and more difficult to hide things from her. Marcus and I were being secretive and going away every weekend. Sometimes we brought the twins but most of the time they stayed with their grandparents. Ashley was old enough to stay home alone for a night or two but she didn’t like to. Instead of always staying home alone, she’d been staying with Sarah or Sarah had been staying with her.

  Her father, step-mother and little sister had moved far away and that was upsetting her. She enjoyed her time with them and was disappointed that she would not be seeing them every weekend like she’d been doing for so long. She was also very puzzled by our new friendship with them and she had no problem telling all of us that it was just plain weird. Deep down inside I knew Ashley was no fool and she was well aware there was something much more serious to the newly forged friendships.

  The most painful decision was not to inform anyone else. We would keep the matter to ourselves for the moment. We wouldn’t tell Marcus’ parents or his sister until it looked as though the virus was within our own borders. I had no siblings and both my parents had passed away before the twins were born. I had a small and tight knit group of friends that I desperately wanted to tell. There was no way I could leave them in the dark about this for much longer.

  Chapter Six

  “Good morning Barb, it’s Emily Hanson.”

  “Oh, hi, Emily!” Barb replied in her overly cheerful morning voice. “How are you?”

  “Well, Barb.” I hesitated. “I’m calling to let you know that I will not be able to return to my position. Urgent family matters have come up and they need my immediate attention.”

  Silence for a moment on the other end. “Really, Emily?” My supervisor replied in a deadpan voice.

  “Yes Barb, I’m very sorry. I wish I could give proper notice but I can’t. This requires my immediate attention.” I reiterated, knowing full well that I sounded like I was reading from a script but I didn’t care, the woman was a bitch.

  I was apologetic but firm and the minute I hung up the phone I was momentarily filled with regret. They had given me an excellent opportunity and I had invested the last four years of my life with the organization. I enjoyed my work but preparing for the outbreak was far more important.

  I wasn’t worried about the loss of income because we had decent investments and savings, most of which had been left to me from my parents’ estate. Some of the funds could be accessed immediately while others were locked in. This was supposed to be our retirement nest egg but now that nest was going to be the farmstead. If the shit didn’t hit the fan like we believed it would, I wasn’t overly concerned about finding work elsewhere but I was worried about reestablishing our financial investments.

  We continued to hear about outbreaks happening in remote rural areas and in larger urban centers. The reports were sporadic at first and then began to occur with some regularity, yet the news still had not been picked up by the major networks in the Western world. The smaller media sources kept posting steady streams of exclusive videos and interviews. It also seemed like more and more people were starting to pay attention.

  They were no longer reporting it as a bird flu outbreak. There was no real name for it because no one knew what it was or where it came from. Some sources were suggesting that it was a highly virulent and infectious form of rabies that was transmissible by bites or scratches from infected persons. There was no known cure or treatment and the mortality rate was one hundred percent. Other sources said it was more of a hemorrhagic fever and simply dubbed it ‘the fever’.

  Digging deeper, we eventually found the blogs of individuals who claimed that those infected with the fever were actually consuming the flesh of their victims. Eventually, the victims of these vicious attacks would die from either their wounds or from the infection. Then came what they called ‘the turn’ and the bodies of the dead would be completely overrun by the virus. The corpse would then reanimate to complete the virus’ life cycle, which was quite simple; to infect more people.

  These reports came from a small group of underground sources that claimed first-hand knowledge and experience with those infected by the fever. They were the only ones who called it exactly as they saw it, as we saw it, and they called them zombies. It had the sensation of a good horror movie plot but this was different, it was no movie. This was real.

  The four of us paid close attention to every news report, big or small, in the hopes of hearing any positive developments. There was never any news of progress by the countries dealing with the infection. There was only our growing disappointment at the slow response by governments around the globe.

  The time finally came to focus our attention to events within our own borders. We were at a greater risk due to our location in a border city. We began to pay attention to our Ameri
can neighbors as well. Our attention turned from the international front to the home front and we concentrated our energy on the well hidden country refuge.

  I decided to keep the twins in day care on their days off from school. During this spare time I spent my days purchasing supplies, building up our inventories and renting U-Haul trucks to drive everything to the homestead. I spent day after day buying an endless supply of non-perishable food, jugs of water, first aid and over the counter medical supplies, nutritional supplements and toilet paper. I bought everything imaginable.

  Think of all the things we take for granted each and every day. Milk and bread, easily found at the corner store, a five minute walk away. Cold medicine, fever reducers, a simple ten minute drive to the nearest drug store. It wouldn’t be long before these conveniences would simply no longer exist. We needed to be prepared for any eventuality.

  There were also gardening and farming supplies. We needed animal feed and maintenance supplies for the houses, vehicles and farming equipment. Aside from the supplies necessary for the upkeep of the farmstead, we also had to consider the solar panels and wind turbines, along with their maintenance. Everything was beginning to get very complicated and very expensive. The water purification system was by far the most complex and very costly. The items needed for its upkeep were hard to find and could only be purchased online.

  Then there were the weapons. While most of our firearms and ammunition had been purchased legally, there were a number of items that were illegal. John had obtained them through some questionable contacts but both he and Marcus believed we would need them. We ended up with a well-stocked inventory of various weapons and ammunition.

  I eventually removed myself emotionally from the preparations and the constant hyper vigilance. The situation defied the logical construct of the mind. Dead things did not return to life and attack living things. John and Marcus persistently forced Amy and I to stop thinking in those terms. It did not cause the infected to return to life, they simply reanimated. To which we would reply, well what the fuck do you call that?