The Vermilion Strain : Post-Apocalyptic Extinction Read online

  Corpses littered the sidewalks and streets as he walked and he had to step around them. The sight of it didn’t bother him anymore and he’d gone nose deaf to the noxious stench. On one of his outing, he rarely went back to the apartment, sleeping in various buildings, he’d gone to the zoo. As a child, he’d adored the zoo and he and Rachael had spent many hours there as well. The animals were dying, no one feeding them. Something inside of him wouldn’t and couldn’t stand for that.

  It took three days, but he’d busted open, broke, bent and unlocked every cage. He wasn’t sure if most of the animals would survive in the city, but they would most surely die in their cages. He’d smiled at the big cat enclosures. The big cats kept their distance from him. He apparently didn’t smell very appetizing. The animals had skirted him while making their escape. The bears did the same. He was walking death, a ghost. Albeit, a benign and friendly ghost. He’d sniggered at that thought. He’d named himself Casper, since his old life and old self was over, dead and gone. Rotted and gone to corruption of the body, soul and mind.

  He’d wandered for days, not seeing another living soul, then he’d gone into Old City Hall and found two men, twin brothers, who’d, like himself, had actually survived. He’d gone quickly to a convenience store to get bottled water and sat for hours, helping the two brothers. He’d cleaned them and cared tenderly for them. He understood their pain. They’d been large men, but the virus had taken its toll. The brothers, Javier and Ramon Pena were visiting from Orlando. They’d been caught in the city when the virus had struck and like himself, had been hit in the first week.

  By the third week, it was apparent that he and the brothers would have to fend for themselves. They’d been attacked by several men, and nearly killed. Casper had found a gun store and had armed himself and the brothers. He inherently knew that his brain had changed, that he and the brothers had slight brain damage, but he wasn’t too far gone to realize that he’d have to go on the offense. Javier and Ramon were loyal to him and over a few days, Casper had recruited people with brute efficiency.

  If he and his new friends were to survive, they’d have to secure the city and all its resources. Casper also knew that showing compassion and humanity would be perceived as a weakness. Only to Javier and Ramon did he reveal his true self and compassion. He sent his growing band outward, to secure food supplies. One person per store. They were to inventory and live at those locations. He figured this way, that person would have a very personal and good reason to guard the supply with his or her life. Then, should Casper need the resource, he’d have the ability to tap into that. He only had about thirty-five people, but day by day, that number grew.

  He and the brothers had come across a man, raping a woman who’d resembled his Rachael. He’d been so enraged; he’d taken the man to Love Park and had skinned him before horrified witnesses.

  “Any who cross me, any who do not obey, I’ll tear your skin from your body.” He’d raged, spittle flying from his mouth. He was nearly drowned out by the scream of the man. He’d then slit the man’s throat. He left the bloody corpse as a reminder. Word quickly spread that he was not a man to cross. The brothers slowly regained their strength and bulk. They were his shadows, his confidants, guarding him. From a mild-mannered man, he’d grown into some kind of deadly legend. Javier and Ramon killed all threats. There weren’t many, and Casper ensured that the few who’d survived the virus, would survive a dead Philadelphia.

  He was building something here, something greater than himself. He was building a new world, a small world perhaps, but he was building a vision. He would hand pick the people to populate his new world.

  FOUR

  Paadi’s eyes narrowed, she didn’t like what she saw. Her eyes scanned around the tree line, but she couldn’t make out anyone hiding among the trees and bushes. She pulled her Sig Sauer P226, it was her service weapon. Looking over, she was gratified to see that Emma had also pulled her weapon. She heard a low rumbling growl from the back, the dog had picked up on their concern.

  “Slow to about ten meters, keep your weapon hidden. Let’s see what he wants.” Paadi said calmly.

  “I don’t see anyone else near the truck. You think it could be an ambush?”

  “Might be, I didn’t see anyone in the tree line, but that doesn’t mean much if they are well hidden. I’d say ram the bastard, except the airbags would stun us. That wouldn’t do.” Paadi grouched and tugged at her long black braid.

  The truck slowed and both women rolled down their windows. Paadi leaned out of her window, keeping her weapon down and out of sight from view. It was at the ready however, and she’d not hesitate to use it.

  “Hey, what’s this all about?” she called.

  “This is a toll booth. You got to pay, give over some of your provisions.” A man, roughly in his mid-thirties, missing several important teeth and filthy, stood before a beat down and rusted truck, leisurely cradling an AR15. Paadi smiled, the man didn’t see the women as a threat, good.

  “That’s just crazy. There aren’t any more people in the world for Christ’s sakes. I’m sure if you hit up any number of stores, you’ll find all you need. Why bother us?” Her tone was amiable, her features relaxed.

  “You must be from Boston. You sound like it, though you sure don’t look like it. Figure you’d have one of them red dots in the middle of your head. Just let me see what you got and maybe I’ll let you pass. Sides, ain’t see anyone for a long time now.”

  Paadi’s brow raised. This guy was an idiot. Stopping someone with a weapon was asking to get his ass blown to hell and back.

  “Look mister, I’m sorry you’re lonely, but we gotta move. It’s dangerous and as women, we can’t stay around to chit chat. Let us pass. We got nothing you’d be interested in.”

  “Well, you ain’t getting passed me unless you let me search your vehicle.” He announced obstinately.

  “What in the hell do we do now? We’re only an hour away from my home.” Emma asked, her voice tight.

  “Drive up closer, I’m going to wing him, if he doesn’t move. If he raises his weapon, I’ll kill him.”

  “Paadi, is that necessary?” Emma asked nervously.

  “I hate to do it, but I don’t see us as having a choice. He’s an idiot, and he’s either drunk or high. We can’t stop the truck and get out, that would leave us vulnerable, especially if he has friends. They shoot out our tires, we’re not going anywhere and I don’t fancy getting raped today.” Paadi said in a hard tone.

  “Well shit. Okay, I’ll leave the shooting to you and I’ll see about getting us around that truck.”

  “Keep us slow and steady on approach. If I see anyone from the tree line, I’ll take him out and then the others if I can, you just get us away from this.”

  Emma pulled the truck forward. Paadi drew herself up in the seat, pulling her legs under her, leveraging her body in a better firing position. She kept the weapon out of sight. As the truck was within ten feet, she raised her weapon. The man’s eyes went wide.

  “Alright mister, I’m a Boston police officer and I’m a damn wicked shot. Put your weapon on the ground and step back. You raise it and I’ll put one between your eyes before you can get that weapon sighted.”

  The man began to raise the AR15, backing up. Paadi could see the fear but also the desperation and anger in his face. She didn’t want to kill this man.

  “Drop the fucking weapon. Now!” She ordered; her gun trained on him. He continued to bring the AR15 up and she double tapped, two rounds going into the man’s chest. The weapon fell to the ground as the man crumpled in a heap. Paadi’s eyes looked around quickly, expecting others to come from the trees. Three heartbeats later, there was no sound. Nothing.

  “You stupid bastard.” She hissed, enraged that the man had forced her hand. If he’d have just left it alone, if he’d have just let them pass. But he’d not done that and he’d paid with his life.

  “Cover me, I’m going to retrieve his weapon and move that truck.
You see anyone, start shooting.”

  Looking at Emma, her face the color of day-old paste, nodded, her mouth hanging open in shock. Reaching over, Paadi shook her, bring her back into focus.

  “Emma, I mean it, keep a look out.”

  “Sorry, okay.” Emma said, snapping back to attention and looked at Paadi, then nodded again.

  Exiting the truck, Paadi hurried over to the dead man. He had a look of surprise on his face. She shook her head. Fool. She picked up his weapon and put the safety on. Going to the truck, she looked inside. The keys were in the ignition. She also saw odds and ends and several loaded magazines as well as several boxes of shells. Climbing into the truck, she moved it to the side of the road. Looking in the passenger floor well, she grabbed a plastic bag. Dumping it, she found bottles of prescription medicines. She used the bag to carry the ammunition.

  Exiting the vehicle, she ran back over to the truck and jumped in.

  “Get us the hell out of here. There’s no telling if anyone heard me. The guy had a ton of scripts, either he was a junkie or an idiot. Either way, he’s dead.”

  “Christ. I can’t believe he was going to fire on us, you had him and he still raised his weapon.”

  “I don’t know what to tell you. He might have been too high to have used his brain, or his brain was just plain mush. Poor bastard paid with his life.” Paadi said darkly, looking back over her shoulder at the body in the road. Her eyes continued to scan the tree line.

  “I’m going to drive a lot faster; I want to get the hell to Lancaster. It’s getting late, maybe we can find a hotel and hunker down for the night once we finish at my folk’s house. I don’t think we’ll be able to stay there.”

  “I’m there with you sister. Get this baby up to eighty. Once we finish at your parents, we can find a nice place to spend the night. I’m sure there are plenty of empty rooms.”

  Emma was quiet now, concentrating on driving. Paadi looked out the window. In her years on the force, she’d never killed anyone. She’d never had to fire her weapon; she’d always used her cunning and her mind and her forceful personality. She’d chased down suspects, helped victims and walked the streets of Boston. She’d arrested drunks, druggies, addicts, homeless, thieves and gangbangers. She’d been kicked, bitten, spit on, puked on and smacked, but she’d taken it all in stride as part of her job.

  This however, she knew the idiot was more than likely high and stupid to boot. If the bastard had just let them pass, he’d survived the virus, only to be killed by his stupidity. She sighed heavily and watched the landscape pass by in a blur. She angrily wiped at her eyes; she wasn’t sure why she’d cry over killing a dumbass. Perhaps it was because she knew how few humans there were now, and each life was precious. She thought about her husband and felt more tears slide down her face.

  Shane was a sweet man and kind beyond words. He’d gone so fast as had the rest of her family. She’d held Shane in her arms as he bled away. The hospitals had been full, to overflowing and they’d told her to take him home and care for him. He’d either survive or he’d die. Her family had also died, her mother, father and two older brothers and their families. All gone. She’d hung around Boston as long as she could, but it only held the painful memories of lost loved ones. It was no place to stay. It was silent and lonely.

  She looked over at Emma, who seemed a good sort. She’d met plenty of nurses in her work. Especially with victims of crimes. It was good to have a nurse handy, in this uncertain world. It was also good to have a friend. She was fairly sure that friends would be few and far between. She only hoped that the two of them wouldn’t run into any more trouble. But, being a realist, she knew that it would only be a matter of time before trouble found them.

  Feeling the truck slow down, she looked up as Emma got off the highway and onto a town road. Sitting up and forward, her eyes scanned around. There were small stores, gas stations and restaurants. She didn’t see a soul, no one walked the streets, no vehicles, nothing. She saw dogs roaming the area, and a few cats sitting atop high perches. Those were the lucky animals; she was sure there were dead pets in many of the homes.

  Emma turned the truck down a residential street and began to slow down even more. The lawns were all overgrown now, some homes had broken windows and doors. It was odd, why break into a home? There was no telling. Perhaps a desperate person? Or just an angry person? Paadi gave up on trying to figure people out in this new world. The truck turned on several streets and Emma stopped in front of a one story, mid-century ranch. Looking at Emma, she could see the sadness written all over her face.

  Ӝ

  Flynn was sweating profusely; he was bringing down the last load of his life. He had shoved all the food he’d foraged into the Honda. He had two cases of water, seven large bags full of various canned foods, eight bags of flour, sugar, coffee, oil and every other box and bag of food he’d scrounged. He’d also packed most of his clothes. He paused a moment and bent at the waist. Going up and down the stairs had been the most exercise he’d done in well over a month. He’d gorged himself on cookies and canned fruit the previous night. He thought perhaps he was suffering from a sugar hangover.

  He wiped the dripping sweat away with his forearm and looked around. Remembering again, that there were now four legged predators out there. It wouldn’t do to forget, which he had. At night, he’d heard grunts and groans from strange things in the dark. It had caused the hair on his body to lift in primordial fear. He now heard the occasional screech of some animal or other. Dogs barked furiously at things he couldn’t see. He shivered.

  Getting into the car, he pulled out his map. He’d always lived in Philadelphia and had only left the city with his parents, or as a passenger with one of his friends driving. Now, he’d have to find his way to Lancaster. His GPS didn’t work and he’d miss that bit of technology very much right now. He hoped that the Amish would take him in, otherwise, he didn’t know how he was going to survive. He was pretty sure that all the big cities had more assholes like Casper running them. He was also sure that there was plenty of food around the city and for one man to monopolize it was complete bullshit. He took a deep breath, trying to tamp down the impotent rage.

  He turned the map around and around. If he could get to I95, he should be able to find it easy. He pulled out and did a U-turn and began to drive along the empty streets. The bodies were now unrecognizable. He looked at the lumps of black material and grizzled remains.

  Each of those things had been people, he thought, still trying to come to grips with his new reality. His eyes stung with the prickling of tears and he blinked rapidly. He came to a stop at a stop sign and started laughing at himself. Why stop? No one was driving but him. Shaking his head, he pulled forward. He was driving along W. Oregon avenue when movement from his peripheral caught his eye. He slowed down and looked over at Marconi Park. His jaw dropped open, he watched as several giraffes loped across the park. His eyes tracked the animals until they disappeared behind a stand of trees.

  It was then that he noticed the elephants as well. He slowed the car down and stopped. He wished he had binoculars, to see if there were any other animals in the park. He wondered if the polar bears were around and if in the heat, they would die? Perhaps they sought out the many large fountains? There was no telling. He was glad he was leaving Philadelphia. It was no longer suited to human habitation.

  He resumed driving, his head on a swivel. Curving around a turn he slammed on his breaks. Ahead was a road block. Cursing, he wondered what was going on. All he wanted was to get the hell out of the city and away from the growing nightmare. He pulled to within fifteen feet and leaned his head out.

  “Hey, what’s going on? I need to get the hell out of this place.” He yelled, feeling his face heat with anger, frustration and fear.

  “Casper has us blocking all major roadways into the city.” A tall thin man announced. He held some kind of rifle in front of his chest. Flynn wasn’t familiar with weapons, except what he saw in his games.
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  “Well I’m not coming into the goddamned city, I’m leaving. Let me pass, I just want to get the hell out of here.” He yelled. Another man, this one had a pitted face, and a broken nose, walked toward him, a handgun in his grip and pointed at Flynn.

  Goddamn it! Can’t I just leave in peace? He thought, near panic. He shrank back as the man bent down to look into the window.

  “What all you got in this piece of shit car?” He asked, his voice gravelly.

  “Dude, I only got a few things, from my apartment. Please, just let me get on my way. I don’t want any trouble; I just want to get out of here.” He pleaded.

  “You’ll need to see Casper first.” The man said unmoved.

  “And if I don’t want to go?” Flynn asked desperately and defiantly.

  “Then I shoot you here and we take your shit.” The man grinned nastily. He nodded and another man opened the passenger’s side door and got in. He grinned at Flynn and Flynn’s shoulder’s slumped. He really did need to find a gun.

  Ӝ

  Brian was tired, he’d gone back to the park and set up the temporary coop for the chickens. It had taken over an hour. He’d made sure he set up the water buckets for the chickens and gave them plenty of food. The sitting hen was still on her eggs, though the towel was on the bottom of the kennel beside her. She raised up threateningly when he placed the water dispenser inside her kennel. He dropped a handful of food in there for her and closed it again.

  He’d headed home after that, the day growing late. Poor Cooper had been exhausted and had slept the whole way home. He’d hoped to make a stop or two on the way home, but didn’t have the heart to wake the child. After getting home, he’d turned on the generator and had begun dinner and also preps for using the meat left in the freezer. He’d make sandwiches for tomorrow’s trip. He’d given Coop a bath and had fed him dinner. He had decided to leave the next morning. With so much of the supplies now at the new camp, he felt it was better just to leave in the morning, complete the move. There was nothing holding him here. Going back and forth to the park would be a waste of gas. He needed to work smarter, not harder. He was only putting off the inevitable.