by Ellis, Tara
Once they’d gotten away from the large city of Guayana, and the end of another day rolled around, they’d only passed three cars. Two of them were sketchy, with multiple people inside, and they sped up as they passed. The third was an old man who stopped some distance out and flagged them down. Tyler would never forget the terror in the guy’s eyes, and how…empty he looked. He spoke rapidly in Spanish and Devon tried to calm him down enough to have an intelligible conversation, but once he found out they weren’t part of some magical global strike-team to end the pandemic, he started muttering to himself and took off.
The Venezuelan woman staggering toward them had the same, vacant look about her. Tyler thought it was a pretty safe bet that she wasn’t a decoy or part of a ploy to rob them. She held her hands out in a pleading gesture, so that she looked more like a sleepwalker. Tyler refused to acknowledge that she might have also looked a little bit like a zombie. Just a little.
“Por favor,” she cried, stopping and dropping to her knees twenty feet away.
Devon jumped from the truck and jogged over to the woman, helping her back to her feet. As he stood and had a hushed conversation in Spanish with her, Tyler looked back down at Hernandez, and was relieved to see he was still breathing.
“The ferry is gone,” Eddy said, already dismissing the woman. He pointed out toward the river, and the two islands in the middle. “There.”
Tyler looked to where he pointed, and sure enough, he could see the top part of a large boat sticking out of the water.
“I can see some smaller, personal boats down at the dock,” Jason said, turning to look at the truck, and where Tyler was still poised in the back. “But it looks like this is where we lose our ride.”
“She’s by herself,” Devon said as he rejoined them. “Got stuck here a few days ago after getting off the ferry and her ride never came to get her. Everyone else here has died since then.”
Peta shook her head. “I imagine there’s similar stories all over the place.”
“When I told her we need to go across, she kinda lost it,” Devon continued, rubbing at his head. “But I told her she could take our truck once we’re gone. Use it to get as far as she can.”
“Good idea,” Peta said quickly, watching the woman as she disappeared back inside the building. Pivoting so she could study the river again, she sighed. “I agree with Jason. We need to go check out those boats. They don’t look very big, but I guess they don’t have to be.”
Tyler stared at the three small boats tied up out on the pier, and then back at the water. They were motorized, of course, and were obviously safe to use or else they wouldn’t be there. Shrugging, he considered it just one more snag to get over. At least they had another option besides swimming.
“This may be where the trip becomes impossible for Hernandez to continue,” Eddy said, like he was discussing a to-do list rather than suggesting they leave someone behind.
Peta bristled. “This again?” she spat, throwing her hands up. “I’m sure there’s a terminal on the other side. There’ll be abandoned cars and trucks there, too.”
“And if there isn’t?” Eddy countered. “We’ll be on foot until we locate transportation. Perhaps you should ask Hernandez what he prefers. We’ve already put him through more pain than necessary.”
“That’s enough,” Jason barked. “We’ve been over this, and—”
“He’s right,” Devon interrupted. When Peta and Jason turned on him, he rushed to explain. “Hernandez woke up. He, uh…he wants to take all the pills.”
There was a moment of heavy silence, broken only by a sharp wheezing sound as Hernandez took an irregular breath. Tyler watched as several emotions played over Peta’s face, and as both Jason and Eddy waited for her to react.
“What if he could still be one of the Cured?” Peta asked, her voice strained. “Until he’s taken his last breath, we don’t know which way it’ll go.”
Eddy was shaking his head. “Yes, we do. Even with the medical intervention, if he was going to fall into a coma, it would have happened by now. I treated hundreds of patients at Harborview, Peta. None of the coma patients had progressed this far, or for this long.”
Peta turned away from Eddy and looked instead at Jason. Tyler guessed she wanted confirmation. He didn’t blame her for not trusting Eddy, but Jason looked grim. “I’m afraid I have to agree with him,” he confirmed.
Marty whimpered, drawing Tyler’s attention back to the man in question, as the heated debate continued. Dropping back down to sit near Hernandez’s head, he held his breath for a moment and just stared. “Alex,” he whispered, setting a hand on his forehead.
“You can stop fighting about him,” Tyler gasped, his voice a harsh whisper. He realized Peta was reaching over the side of the truck, and she grabbed him by the arms. Tyler looked back at her, and saw his own grief mirrored in her eyes.
His shoulders sagged under the weight of acceptance, and Tyler said the words that made it real, releasing Alex from his pain. “He’s gone.”
Chapter 20
JASON
Suriname Border, Courantyne River Ferry Terminal
Thin bands of light penetrated the small windows high in the vaulted ceilings, casting intermittent highlights on the macabre scene inside the terminal.
Jason hesitated when he saw the first two bodies. Someone had taken the time to arrange them on the floor with various items, like a jacket or towel, to cover their faces. He assumed it was the woman they’d met in the parking lot, though she’d disappeared inside the building and hadn’t come back out.
Reaching up, Jason tugged at the gas mask to make sure he had a good seal. After opening the door, he’d immediately gone back to the truck to retrieve it. The smell of decay was overpowering, and he’d been incredibly grateful he’d left the mask clipped to his pack. Since they were all immune to the virus, no one thought to add the others to everything they had to carry.
With the power out, most of the interior space of the terminal was in shadow. Jason shone a flashlight into the corners to make sure he wasn’t missing the door he wanted. He tried to ignore the other shapes. The dozen or so piles of decomposing flesh and bones that used to be someone’s wife, husband, daughter, or son. The building was now a tomb, and as with the other places he’d been that contained multiple bodies, Jason felt a sort of implied reverence. He could feel them. The remnant of who they used to be and what they’d meant.
The creaking of a swinging door was loud in the heavy silence, causing Jason to jump involuntarily and spin around. The Glock was gripped tightly in his hands, and he forced his breathing to level out as he slowly lowered the gun when he spotted the old woman walking hesitantly toward him. That she appeared unphased by either the smell or grim surroundings emphasized how far-gone she was, mentally. While Jason didn’t consider her a threat, she was definitely unstable and therefore unpredictable.
“Policia?” Jason called out when she was still at a good distance. “Office. Policia office.”
They needed keys to the boats parked out on the river. They were all marked with official insignia, and patrulla fronteriza, which Devon said meant border patrol. It made sense, since they were at an official border crossing. Jason could see there were different customs stations inside the building, so all he had to do was find the security office. At least, that’s what they were all banking on.
Eddy was stationed at the main door, which they’d propped open. Peta, Devon, and Tyler were still putting the final touches on Hernandez’s grave. They hadn’t been able to find any shovels, and ended up using various items to dig a shallow hole in the tough soil riddled with tree roots. The man deserved a lot more, but it was the best they could do.
The woman shifted from foot to foot, her hands in constant motion between her hair, mouth, and tugging at her clothes. Her eyes were wide so that the whites of them stood out in the dim lighting and added to her wild appearance.
“Policia,” Jason repeated, ready to begin the search on his ow
n. The unexpected ferry crossing was a huge setback all on its own. But the death of Hernandez, on top of losing their truck and having to get across the river, had the potential of throwing them far off track.
He kept thinking of the people back at the CDC lab. In addition to Tyler’s dad and the dozens of military personnel and scientists, there was an equal number of “patients” trapped underground. They were the only ones to make it to the surface after the alarm sounded, and everyone left behind were as good as dead, unless they came up with some additional information for the CDC team. It had been over three days. Three days since they left, and based on what he was seeing in South America, they had already run out of time for the majority of the world’s population. Jason felt the deaths of countless more with every minute that passed like it was a personal failure.
“Policia?” The woman suddenly shouted, sounding surprised, like she’d finally understood what he was asking. Waving her hands in the air, she spun around and began running back the way she’d come. “Policia!”
Frowning at his lack of options, Jason followed her around a counter and in between several desks with papers scattered across them, frozen in time. After turning a corner and entering a short hallway, she stopped and pointed at a door. Bold letters across the center said ‘PATRULLA FRONTERIZA’, which he figured meant border patrol, same as on the boats.
“Perfect,” he muttered, moving to try the handle. “Gracias.”
Jason was relieved when the door opened easily, but it was an interior room without any windows. It wasn’t until he shone the flashlight around that he saw the front desk was manned by a corpse.
The pattering sound of retreating footsteps followed him inside the room, as the woman ran away. Jason didn’t blame her. It was a gruesome scene. His guess was that the lone border officer left behind, decided to control his own fate after becoming sick. His service revolver was still in his hand, resting under what was left of his head.
It took another fifteen minutes of searching, but eventually Jason found a cabinet on the wall that contained the boat keys. He used another ring of keys still hooked to the officer’s belt to open it, along with a safe that had two automatic rifles and several boxes of ammo.
Loaded down with his bounty, Jason reemerged into the daylight feeling much better than he had going in.
“Excellent!” Eddy proclaimed when he saw the rifles. “Those might end up coming in handy at some point.”
Jason scooped the boat keys out of his pocket and held them out. “Can we get the hell out of here, now?”
Eddy nodded toward the small grassy area on the far side of the terminal building. “They’re still finishing up with things. Why don’t you fill them in while I find us a ride?”
His mood souring again, Jason grunted in response before heading up the slight hill. Saying goodbye to friends was never something he handled well. He’d rather push on through the day and revisit his feelings later, when he was alone.
Tyler’s eyes widened when he saw the automatic rifles slung over Jason’s shoulder. “Cool!” While the happiness implied by the response didn’t reach the teen’s face, it at least got him to move away from the mound of fresh dirt.
Peta was holding a scavenged wooden plank, while Devon smacked it with a rock to set it firmly into the ground. All it had was his name, Alex Hernandez, and a heart. Based on the rough lines, Jason guessed Tyler had carved it. Marty sat obediently off to the side, watching them all with an unusual intensity.
“We don’t know his birthday, and he didn’t have a wallet or anything,” Tyler explained, when he saw Jason looking at the plank. Reaching out to touch the butt of one of the rifles, his face pinched up. “We should have known his birthday. I should have asked him.”
Jason placed a hand on Tyler’s shoulder, but didn’t respond. Anything he said would have sounded trite, so it was one of those times where it was best to remain silent.
“I didn’t even know his first name,” Peta added, wiping her hands on her jeans as she stood. Placing her hands on her hips, she nodded in approval at their work before turning to Jason. “Please tell me you found some keys along with those guns?”
“Rifles,” Jason corrected out of habit, before he could stop himself. “And, yeah. Eddy’s down finding the magic—”
The low rumbling of a large motor turning over made them all stop and turn toward the river. A puff of bluish smoke was wafting up from the long, tall dock, indicating which of the boats had been brought to life.
“Excellent!” Devon shouted, shaking a fist in the air. His smile wavering, he turned back to the make-shift headstone and traced his fingers along it before looking at Tyler. “Time to go, my friend.”
Tyler glanced at Peta who gave a barely perceptible nod, and then he looked up at Jason. “Will you teach me how to shoot those?”
The idea of having something other than The Kuru and the fall of civilization to focus on was incredibly appealing. Jason chuckled as he marveled at their ability to find ways to persevere, no matter how small the gesture. “I expect you to be a marksman by the time I’m done with you. But later, after we’ve made it to wherever it is we’re going.”
Devon called to Marty, and then grabbed at Tyler’s arm, leading him across the parking lot and to the truck. “Our next challenge is to consolidate all the crap we’ve collected into something we can carry,” Devon explained.
“I’m not the one who demanded pillows and a camp stove,” Tyler said. “I’m good with just the sleeping bag and a flashlight.”
“Okay, Mr. Survivalist,” Devon scoffed. “Let’s have this conversation again in a few days after sleeping on the floor of the jungle without any way to cook the snails.”
“Snails?”
The conversation faded as Peta moved around the grave to stand next to Jason. She took a moment to watch Eddy preparing the boat in the distance, and then raised an eyebrow at him. “What was it like?”
Jason grimaced. “About what you’d expect. Fortunately for us, one of the border patrol officers stayed behind, so I was able to use his keys.” He opted not to explain how the man had taken his own life.
Turning, they began walking together to the truck, where Devon and Tyler were already tossing things out of the bed and onto the ground. Marty was leaping from one thing to the other, sniffing at it and occasionally barking in excitement.
“You knew enough about Hernandez,” Jason said, after they’d gone a few steps.
Peta stopped, frowning at him. “I didn’t know how old he was, what his actual name was, or who he’d loved in his life. All I really know, is that he felt a deep shame for his involvement with ICONS, and I don’t know if he was able to find any redemption, before…” her voice broke, and she looked away toward the jungle. Birds and other unseen animals made occasional noises, painting what felt like a fake backdrop to the rest of their world.
“You knew he was a good man.” Moving in front of Peta so she’d be forced to look at him, Jason tilted his head and stared until she met his gaze. “I get that he was a hard man to read, but while I didn’t know him as long as you did, I understood him. We thought a lot alike. He found his redemption, Peta. You…all of us. We were his redemption. None of us would be here if it wasn’t for him.”
Taking a hitching breath, Peta wiped at her nose and pressed her lips together. A warm breeze tugged at her hair as she cleared her throat. “You’re right,” she finally said. “He was a good man.”
By the time Eddy jogged back up to the parking lot, they had everything sorted and their bags repacked. Though it had felt like they’d been there most of the day, Jason was relieved that it was actually only around ten in the morning. If they found a vehicle they could use on the other side, they might still get to the Libi Nati by nightfall.
The thought energized him, and he hauled his overloaded pack onto his back with some extra vigor. Marty picked up on the shift, and began running in circles around him. He’d eaten the last can of Alpo that morning, so the
y’d need to score him some more Kibbles as soon as possible.
“What?” Devon whined, hugging the camp stove to his chest when Peta gave him an exasperated look. “Why not bring it? I’m choosing to think positive, and that there’ll be an even bigger truck waiting for us over on the other side.”
The boat ended up being more impressive up close, than it had looked from the terminal. Jason wasn’t well-versed on water vessels, but he guessed it was very similar in style to the SAFE boats the military used. It was around twenty-six feet long, with dual motors and plenty of power to get them across the river.
Thankfully, Eddy’s personal experience with the large Baycraft he kept on Lake Washington gave him the necessary skills to pilot it. The crossing didn’t take more than a half-hour, but it was still a nerve-wracking and somewhat eerie ride.
The deep-running, brown water swirled around them and drowned out the sounds of the rainforest. When they came abreast of the partially submerged ferry, it was obvious there’d been some sort of fire onboard. It added to the atmosphere that made them feel like they were the last people left alive, and the isolation the water emphasized only intensified the sense of abandonment.
Jason was so relieved when they reached the other dock, that he wasn’t the first one to notice the parking lot. With the mooring rope clasped tightly in his hand, he was getting ready to jump out when Tyler pulled at his arm and pointed at the span of cement in the distance.
The feeling of desertion threatened to overwhelm him as he took it all in. “It’s empty,” he gasped, looking around at the forsaken terminal and vacant grounds. “There’s nothing here.”
Chapter 21
JESS
Amazon Jungle near Kumalu, Suriname
Northeast interior of South America
