The Vermilion Strain

by S A Ison

  “Wait til Daisy comes into heat, they’ll really be getting along.” Brian laughed.

  “Oh crud, she’s intact?” Emma said, her eyes growing wide.

  “Yeah, my neighbors, Pat and Terry were going to breed her next year. And if I’m not mistaken, Buddy wasn’t neutered. So, I guess we’ll have a good supply of guard dogs, handy.” Brian grunted and he wiped at his forehead.

  “Well, guess that’s a good thing, an early warning system!” Paadi smiled broadly.

  “I’d say you’re right. Guess we’d best be getting plenty of meat set aside.” Emma said, thinking about the dog food she’d picked up. She had several hundred pounds of it, but that wouldn’t last that long.

  “Don’t worry, I picked up a nice smoker at Lowes. I’ll be going hunting in a few weeks, let the deer put on a bit more weight. I’ll also be hunting bear. The more meat we can put away, the better.” Brian said.

  “I’ve never hunted, but I’d sure as hell like to try.” Paadi grinned, her dark brows moving up and down. She had such an expressive face, it made Emma smile.

  “I’d be happy to show you the ropes Paadi, it just takes patience and we can perhaps build a tree stand near a natural deer trail. That helps too.” Brian said. He went to the gas can and began to refill the tiller. He’d cleared an area of about fifty feet long by twenty feet wide.

  “How big are you going to make this thing?” Emma asked.

  “As big as I can. Not sure how much we can grow, but I’d like to give it a try. When we go back, I’m going to pick up a few more fruit trees that were in the garden section of Lowes. I’ve planted some over there. It wouldn’t hurt to have a few more pear and apple trees. That way in the fall, we have fruits. I’m not sure if they have any nut trees, but we can take a look. I do know that this park has walnut trees, but I can’t remember where I saw them. When I’m out hunting, I’ll keep my eyes peeled for them.” Brian said.

  “Having walnuts would be great for cooking. That’s a good idea about more fruit trees. Maybe in a couple years, we’ll have a good batch of apples and I can try my hand at apple sauce and apple butter. Let’s also see if they have grape vines. We can always use those and make raisins.” Emma said, her mind already thinking ahead. Brian began tilling again and she and Paadi went back to pulling up clumps of grass and shaking the dirt out. There were so many things to do and get before the gas ran out. She could only hope that they could get it accomplished.

  Ӝ

  Paadi shook her bucket out, they were making great progress. Brian had really done a hell of a lot in the very short time he’d been there. She liked the chickens a lot. She’d never been around farm animals and she watched them as she worked. Something about the scratching around and the soft clucking was soothing to her. It reminded her of her family, talking all at once. Soft and continuous. Her eyes scanned the lake. There were ducks, though she didn’t know what kinds they were. She watched as the babies trailed behind their mothers.

  The place was pristine and peaceful, and she now understood why Emma had wanted to come here. With the supplies they had, combined with Brian’s, they should do very well here. Bar anyone taking their things. That would be something they’d need to be ready for. At least there was the two dogs. She was pretty sure that Buddy would guard the place and Daisy might as well. Buddy might teach her to be a great police dog.

  From just the little she gleaned from Brian, he seemed like good people. Taking the child in and caring for him. It would seem that he’d lost a lot, as had they all. Paadi was sure it would be a common theme with anyone they met. Here in this place, she was sure their souls could heal. It was peaceful and beautiful. She’d never been the outdoor type, a city dweller all her life, but she could appreciate this place, and what it would mean for their survival. She’d been lucky that she’d met Emma and that Emma had taken her with her. Life was funny, she’d have never envisioned herself here. She’d never been camping or grew things. She’d been a cop and that was all she’d ever wanted to be. Now, this was a whole new world to her. A whole new life. She’d jump in with both feet.

  SIX

  Flynn walked along the streets. The stench was still there, but was now mixed with the smoke and foulness of burned hair and skin, rubber and plastic, toxic he was sure. Casper, because Flynn could no longer think of his friend as Cramer, had ordered pyres build and bodies thrown on. There were more people showing up, pledging their loyalty to Casper. Flynn thought their loyalty was over rated. They were hungry and desperate. Also, brought in at gunpoint. He didn’t like it one bit, they were not given much of a choice. He’d found himself a place to stay, though it was nothing like a home. It was hot as hell, and finding a place for a toilet was difficult. It was only a matter of time before the bottled water was gone. Then what?

  Not only that, but the bodies of some of the animals were popping up. There was a dead hippo over on the corner of Filbert street and North Juniper street. When it had died, Casper had his people build a fire to cook the meat. It had stunk badly, since no one knew how to butcher the animal. Several of them had gotten sick from eating the animal. Now the remains of the carcass were rotting. Flynn felt he was caught in some kind of bizarre apocalyptic nightmare. And Casper was at the eye of a shit storm that would not end well.

  Flynn considered himself an average joe. He’d been fine with that, and knew he’d never amount to anything more than a middle-class working man. He’d hoped one day for a wife, couple kids and a mortgage. He never had any ambitions to be rich, or make a ton of money or climb a corporate ladder. His needs and wants in this life were very simple. A few beers, some game time on TV and a girl. Now, he was trapped with a madman, he’d once called friend.

  He knew he had to leave and soon. He’d been smart enough in high school, during science and biology classes, to know disease would run rampant in the midst of large-scale decay and corruption, fires notwithstanding. He thought about the girl, Xandra, he’d started dating and thought perhaps today, he’d go and look for her. Maybe if she were alive, they could escape this hell hole. She’d been a sweet girl and he’d really hoped something would have bloomed, before EV-01-H. He was only sorry that he’d been such a coward as to not checked on her. Now, a month or better had past and he wondered.

  He saw Casper, sitting at the LOVE Park fountain and walked over.

  “Hey Casper, I’m going to head out and do a bit of scrounging, I’m also going to look for more survivors. I’m just sorry I’d not done it before.” He confided honestly, though not the complete truth. He’d been busting his ass to gain Casper’s trust and confidence. He’d done everything he’d been told with a smile on his face. It had damned near killed his soul.

  “Good, that’s good Flynn, yeah, go ahead. The more we can gather, the better. We can start our own rebuilding of the human race here.” Casper smiled a rare smile. It sent a shiver down Flynn’s spine. Rebuild here? Hell no. And what woman would want to willingly bring a child up in this place, he wondered, horrified at the thought. Would they force women to become pregnant? Rape them to accomplish it? Christ, no. His mind recoiled at the thought of it.

  “Okay, if I have to go a little out there, is that okay? I don’t want your people blowing my brains out.” Flynn laughed nervously.

  “They’re your people too. No, just give them the password. If you have new people with you, don’t let them hear it. The password is King Casper.”

  “Good to know. Is there any specific foods you’re looking for right now? Or just everything I can gather?”

  “Everything you can gather, you can also check with the occupied stores and make sure our people are still there, guarding our supplies.”

  Flynn nodded and turn to leave. He held his breath, he just wanted to get the hell away from Casper. The man gave him the creeps. The two brothers, Javier and Ramon gave him the creeps as well. Yesterday a man had been arguing with Casper and the two brothers had stepped in and beat the man to death. Casper sat calmly, watching. Flynn shudd
ered. His friend Cramer had indeed died. He could only hope that Xandra was alive. She lived over on Clay street and Mt. Vernon. There was an apartment building there. He’d only been there once. She lived on the third floor.

  It took him twenty minutes to walk to his Honda. It was parked well away from the city center and it made him nervous. He heard the intermittent roars and grunts of the lions. He looked around him, feeling the hair raise on his arms and back. He was now the prey. He’d not been given a weapon yet. He had to earn that. He wasn’t sure how to do it. He did know that once he left this place, he’d find him a few weapons and kill anyone who tried to stop him. Now, he was defenseless with wild animals roaming around. How could Casper have let them go? He’d found out in their long chats, that Casper had indeed let the animals out of the zoo. Who the hell would set predators loose?

  No, Casper was a madman and Flynn had to leave and leave fast. But not before he tried to find Xandra Abano. Once more, Flynn was filled with shame over his cowardice. His selfishness. He’d not checked on Roger nor Cramer. If he’d have found Cramer and helped the man, would he have lost his mind? Flynn didn’t know. He only knew that the man was batshit crazy and he needed to get out of this place before disease or a lion killed him.

  He got to his car and breathed a sigh of relief. He started it up and pulled out. He wove in and out of streets, going farther away from Casper’s grasp and feeling all the better for it. Tears of self-pity and fear slid down his face. He wasn’t equipped for this kind of thing. Nothing in his short life had prepared him for this. He bit down on his trembling lip. He hated himself for the coward he was. No more. No more.

  To date, his biggest endeavor, was to avoid bullies in high school. Then, getting a job and finally, finding his own place. His father had died last year, heart attack. The man had smoked like a chimney. He’d mourned his father, but being young, he had moved on. He was glad his father didn’t have to live to face the Vermilion strain. Christ, he wasn’t sure if he could have survived his father’s agonizing death.

  Flynn slowed when he saw zebras running, there was a tiger close on their heels. He held his breath as he watched the zebras skitter and slip on the asphalt, and stumble. The tiger was nearly on them and they disappeared behind a building. His heart was racing wildly with the near miss of the tiger. He pulled up and looked down the side street, but there was no sign of the tiger, nor zebras. Good, he hoped they got away. He wiped at the tears, trying to get a grip on his emotions. He was exhausted.

  He’d not slept well since all this had begun. Even less now that Casper was trying to keep him here in the city. He’d stopped talking about wishing to leave and played along with scavenging and looking for things to better the small community. He knew the more he spoke of wishes to leave, the more that Casper would keep a tighter grip, so he’d gone on small scrounging trips, always coming back, faithful. The brothers watched him closely as well. This was the first time in days that he’d been allowed to leave by himself. And had been given the password. He knew about it, but no one had shared it, and he’d not asked.

  He pulled up Clay street and slowed down. It was like all other parts of the city, lumps of decaying bodies. He just hoped some of the predators hadn’t made it out this far. Seeing how there was plenty of food closer to the zoo. The stench was just as prevalent here, since there had been no pyres. He parked by Xandra’s apartment building and turned off the car. It was silent outside; the wind was blowing but there were no other sounds. No birds, no dogs, nothing.

  This place was truly dead. Trash blew across the streets and sidewalks. Grass had begun to grow between the cracks. It wasn’t but weeks, but it seemed like the nightmarish event had been longer, the devastation complete. He got out of the car. Because he’d not been given a weapon, there were very few people around Casper that carried weapons, Flynn walked around in constant fear. Casper had a stash of them, but he was not privy to them nor their location and Flynn felt naked and vulnerable out here.

  He’d heard that one man had been killed by the lions. Unable to defend himself. Casper hadn’t seemed bothered by the event. Once more, the hair rose, thinking of his long-ago drinking buddy. Crazy as a loon. He just hoped that Xandra was still alive. If she weren’t, he’d still leave. He had to get the hell out of there.

  Ӝ

  Javier watched Flynn go, he looked down at Casper. He knew Flynn was Casper’s weak spot. Because of their long friendship.

  “You sure he’s okay to go off by himself?” Javier asked, scratching his beard. The heat of the day made it itchy. Shaving was a waste of water.

  “Yeah, he’s a standup guy. We’ve been friends for years and years. I know he’s a little quirky, but he’s come through for us.” Casper said.

  “You say so.” Javier shrugged, unconvinced.

  “I’ve been watching him and I’ve had others reporting in on him. He’s getting along and busting his ass. He’d settled into his own place and he’s been talking to a few of the women. I think he’s just trying to find his own place here. Maybe once he finds a woman, you know, then you’ll see.”

  “True, a woman can truly help.” Javier smiled, thinking of a certain woman he’d met a few days ago. They were dancing around each other, the beginnings of courtship. It was very enjoyable.

  “Yes, they can, and don’t think I’ve not noticed your own interests.” Casper grinned a rare smile. Javier smiled back and nodded. Perhaps Casper would one day find a woman for himself. He hoped so, life was too short and too lonely without a woman to warm your bed and your heart.

  Ӝ

  Brian sat outside by the fire, thinking about the gunshot he’d heard the other day. Someone else was here in the park. Hunting no doubt. He was drinking coffee and letting the sun warm his back, it was just after sunrise. The days were getting hotter and the morning as well. It had been a week since Emma and Paadi had arrived. He looked at the garden and could just see the tips of green coming up. In another few days, the garden would be greener. He was excited. They’d have food for the future. If they could successfully grow a garden, that would go a long way in their survival. It was hard work and a gamble.

  Both women had worked just as hard and they’d managed to get the house separated into rooms, so they each had their own spaces. He’d taken the lumber and had built walls over in the concession area, away from the bathrooms. He’d taken a small office space for his own room. They’d also picked up doors at the hardware store, to ensure privacy. The women had helped him tear out the counters and after a day of demolition, they were able to build the walls. It wasn’t perfect, but each had their own small bedroom.

  They’d gone back in town and picked up beds, along with more building supplies. They’d also swung by and picked up bulk foods, along with more canning jars and lids. Emma said they couldn’t have too much. He smiled, she had boundless energy, just as he’d remembered and Cooper was becoming more animated with her and Paadi. The boy now had two mothers. Daisy and Buddy were by the water and he watched the two as they sniffed up and down the beach. The ducks edged out farther from the shore, not wishing to fly and leave their young. He’d seen more ducks on the lake and he suspected that now that there weren’t a lot of people splashing and making noise, that the wild life was coming back into the area.

  He looked over and saw Emma emerging from the house, he no longer thought of it as the Beach House, but their home. Cooper was still asleep. It was becoming custom to come out and have coffee in the early morning, gearing up for the day ahead. Today, he was going to start on a large storage shed. To put all their bulk items. He’d finished up the chicken coop and was very proud of it. He’d also made a brooder coop for the small hen. Her eggs had hatched the day before and they had six small chicks, nestled beneath her. Coop had been enthralled and watched them constantly.

  “Morning, how’d you sleep?” He smiled as Emma came to sit in a camp chair, her hand patting his shoulder. They’d build a large firepit, which could be used to cook food on, set
a camp coffee pot, to perk its magic. There was also a large stack of wood beside it. He’d taken the chain saw and cut down quite a few hardwood trees that were near the edge of their forest. He’d plan to cut them into smaller chunks, while he had the chainsaw working. It would supply them with firewood for years to come. They’d not need much to heat the space in the house, but they’d have what they need. For now, they had dead fall, the other would have to season.

  “Working this hard, I just about die every night now.” She laughed softly, her hands going to her tangle of long brown hair. Her green eyes held a spark of humor in them.

  “I hear you. I thought being a firefighter was a tough job, seems like post-apocalyptic survivor is harder.” He sniggered and handed her a cup of coffee. He smiled when Emma wrapped herself around the cup and rocked back and forth. She groaned when she took a sip and he laughed.

  “Don’t laugh, I need this brew. I’m so glad we got all those cans. I don’t think I could live in this world without coffee.” She whined in fake wretchedness. She petted her coffee cup and hissed, “precioussssssss.”

  “You’re just too sad.” Brian laughed and saw Paadi emerge from the house. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, her long black hair loose. Grinning, she made her way to the fire and sat in another camp chair.

  “Morning pilgrims.” Her voice rough with sleep. She fairly hummed when Brian handed her a cup of coffee, her feet tapping quickly. She took hers black.

  “What’s the plan for today?” Paadi asked, carefully sipping her cup.

  “I plan on building a storage shed. I’d like to get a lot of those supplies out of the house, give us a bit more moving room.”

  “That sounds good. I was thinking about going back into town for more shopping. I want to also pick up a couple of those big yellow mop buckets, the one with heavy duty squeegee. Also, some clothes line and clothes pins. I think it’s time we started doing some laundry and a couple of buckets with squeegees should do the trick. If you can build a couple of T frames, so we can hang the lines on, by the lake, that would help.” Emma suggested.