A World Apart (Part 1): 8,000 Miles Page 6

  After the dust settled, the other group members were angry with Susan, for ruining such an ideal location to wait the epidemic out. The chow hall had more than enough food and water for the small group. Thankfully, Shelly and Ed, the fifth member of their group, had the sense to grab a case of MREs each, on the way out. An MRE is a shelf stable meal designed for the military. It stands for Meal Ready to Eat. A case has twelve individual meals in it, and a single meal could sustain a single person for a day or two if it had to. Fortunately, they had found a supply closet in the headquarters building with four more cases of MREs, and each office in the building had several cases of bottled water. A week ago, when they occupied this building, they had six cases, which meant that they each had fourteen or so meals. Shelly had insisted that they only eat one meal a day until they figured out how to get more food. With John joining the group, that meant that they had less than a week’s worth of rations remaining.

  “Someone needs to stay with our new guest until he wakes up; we wouldn’t want him to freak out when he wakes up in a strange place, without someone there to bring him up to speed.” Ed told the others. Edward Chase was a Sergeant Major, and the oldest member of the group. Ed had been in the military for twenty-eight years and was looking forward to retirement after this deployment. He was the senior ranking individual in the group, but rank didn’t seem to have much meaning anymore. He took charge in the first few days of chaos, but as time wore on and things got worse, they started making decisions as a group. They stopped addressing each other by their ranks and everyone was pretty much on a first name basis at this point. Damien still addressed Ed as Sergeant Major, every time he talked to him, even though Ed told him to stop each time. Even though rank structure wasn’t relevant anymore, most of the group still looked to Ed for guidance, more due to his age and experience than because of his rank. “Let’s do it in shifts, so we can all get some rest,” Ed said, “I’ll take the first shift.

  “That sounds good.” Shelly responded. “I’ll come get you in two hours.”

  ***

  A few hours later, Shelly was sitting next to John reading a book she had found in one of the desks of the building. After they had put John in the room she was using, she had moved to another part of the building to sleep. The same closet they had found the rations in, also had about a dozen cots, so she had no problem securing one and moving to another room. There was a candle burning on the desk that she was using to read; they had lost the use of power about five days ago, when the generators had burned through the remaining fuel.

  John shifted in the cot. Shelly looked up from her book to see if he was okay just as his eyes opened. He shot up to a sitting position and looked around. It looked like he was waking up from a bad dream, only it wasn’t a dream, Shelly thought, the nightmare was real. She wondered how much he knew about what was going on.

  John seemed to settle once he looked at Shelly, with recognition in his eyes. He swung his legs off the side of the cot and reached up to rub the sleep from his eyes.

  “Welcome back to the land of the living; no pun intended.” Shelly said.

  “Thanks,” John said, “what do you mean by no pun intended?” He asked.

  “What do you know about what’s going on out there?” Shelly asked. “Where did you come from?”

  “I was captured when my convoy was attacked by insurgents.” John told her. “I was knocked unconscious in the attack; I don’t know how long it has been. I woke up in a compound where I was being held. I escaped when one of those infected people attacked my captors. I heard some of the reports of the virus, before I went out on patrol, but I had no idea it had gotten so bad. It must be making people crazy, hostile.”

  “You are right about one thing; this craziness is a result of the virus you heard about.” Shelly told him. “You are wrong too though; the virus isn’t making these people crazy; it’s making them dead.”

  “Dead? What do you mean? John asked her. “Those people out there are going to die from it?”

  “Going to?” She asked sarcastically. “Those people that chased you in here, they are already dead.”

  “Already dead?” John asked in disbelief. “How can they be dead? They were moving around; they were chasing me.”

  “Dude, they’re fucking zombies.” She replied.

  John laughed. “That’s funny.”

  “I’m not joking.” She affirmed. “The virus kills them, then they get back up. Didn’t you see how fucked up some of them look? Didn’t you see how no one could walk around with the wounds that some of these fuckers are sporting? Trust me, they are zombies.”

  “It’s just not possible!” John replied in astonishment. “How is this possible?”

  “I don’t know how it is possible, but it is real.” She shot back. “Those ‘people’ out there are not people anymore; they are zombies, and they will fucking do anything to get their teeth deep into your flesh.”

  “This is unreal.” John gasped. “I can’t believe it.”

  “Believe it my friend.” Shelly said. “We have been evading these fucks for almost two weeks now.”

  “We?” John asked.

  “There are five of us; you make six.” She answered him. “you will meet everyone soon enough.”

  “Two weeks? Do you know what day it is?” John asked her.

  “Yeah, it’s the eleventh of June.” She answered.

  “Holy fuck.” John responded. “My patrol left this base on the twenty-sixth of May. That was two weeks ago, I was out for two weeks?”

  “War is hell.” Shelly said. “Name’s Shelly.”

  “John.” He told her.

  “Get some rest John, we’ll talk more in the morning.” Shelly stood up, patted John on the shoulder, and left the room.

  John fell back to the cot, put his arm over his eyes, and tried to come to terms with all that he just learned. He felt sick when he thought about his family; they had to be ok though; things must be better in the States. He brooded on it until he fell asleep.

  CHAPTER 10

  It took them a few hours to secure the gas station so they could feel safe as they slept. Jerry’s truck was pulled around the back of the station, out of sight of the interstate, and all of their gear was moved inside. They found the keys to the station on the dead attendant. After moving his body out of the store, they locked all the doors to secure themselves inside. There were several five-pound bags of crushed clay, basically kitty litter, in the storage room. A lot of gas stations use this product to clean up oil or gas spills. They piled these bags against the rear exit to further brace it from being opened. Jerry and Schmidt moved several of the shelving units against the glass store front and the glass door. They left a few inches between each one to allow them to look outside for any danger. Angie was busy looking around for any unclaimed supplies they could use. She found a few bottles of water, some canned fruit, and a candy bar. She also found a box of .38 shells behind the counter. It was full except for six rounds.

  They cleaned up an area in the middle of the gas station floor and laid out some sleeping bags from the camping gear. By this time, it was totally dark outside and they had to use a battery powered florescent light to see. Once they settled in, Jerry covered the light with a plastic bucket, which dimmed it considerably. He was afraid someone might see the light and investigate. It was bad enough to deal with flesh eating monsters, he figured morally questionable people were worse. They were sitting on the sleeping bags in a circle around the covered light. There was just enough light coming through the plastic bucket that they could see each other’s faces in the dark room. Jerry was looking at the lieutenant and figured they better get to know their new companion.

  “I’m sorry about your men, Lieutenant Schmidt.” Jerry told him. “I wish we could have gotten them out as well, but everything went down so damned fast.”

  Schmidt nodded his appreciation. “I’ve only been in the Army for a few years, but I have lost men before.” He told them. “I ser
ved in combat last year. I’ve seen my men shot and killed during enemy contact; I lost one young man to an IED, and another one to a grenade lobbed by some fanatic. It tore me up. I thought about those men all the time, but today was something different. To see those boys being torn up by those monsters. I just don’t know how to deal with it. I don’t blame you for leaving them. I understand that it was impossible to get to them. I really appreciate what you two did for me out there, seriously, thank you.”

  “We only did what any decent human being would have done.” Angie responded. “We are glad that we were able to at least get you out of there.” Jerry nodded in agreement.

  “Thanks again.” Schmidt said appreciatively.

  “Well I’m not in the Army and neither is Angie here, so we’re sure as hell not going to keep calling you lieutenant or by your last name. What’s your first name son?” Jerry asked him.

  “Derek.” He replied.

  “Well Derek, that pretty girl there is Angie, and her boy is named Sam. My name is Jerry. I’m her father-in-law. That was Angie’s house you found us at. Her husband, my son John, is deployed to Afghanistan. I figured with all that is going on, I better get up here and keep her safe.” Jerry told Derek. “I thought that the military base would be a safe place to hold up, but you know as well as I do, how that worked out.”

  “I’m pleased to meet you all.” Derek said in response. “I’m sorry that we lost control back there. I thought we would be safe in the compound on post, but I doubt it withstood that horde of zombies we encountered. You made the right call getting us out of El Paso.”

  “I didn’t see any other options in the heat of the moment, to be honest.” Jerry confessed. “My guess is that horde originated across the border in Juarez. There was just too damn many. No way they were local. I’d bet my last nickel, you have a fence down on the south side of that army base. I think we would be best served by avoiding any big cities from here on out. My logic tells me, the less people there were before this outbreak, the less zombies there will be.”

  “Makes sense.” Angie agreed. She looked down at Sam. He was fast asleep. “It’s been a crazy and long day for him. He doesn’t understand what’s going on, not that I do.” She ran her fingers through his hair, then looked back to Derek. “Tell us about yourself, Derek.”

  “Well, I was born and raised in Michigan, and lived there until I went to West Point.” Derek told them. “I was commissioned after I graduated and left right away for Fort Benning, Georgia, for training. After that, I was assigned to Fort Bliss, where I have been for the past three years. I deployed once during that time. I didn’t have anyone in my life, besides my family back home and the other soldiers in my unit. All I ever cared about was my career, but I guess that is over now. I miss my parents and my brother, of course. I am worried about them with all of this going on, but there is obviously no way to check on them. That’s about it.” He finished.

  “I’ll pray for your family Derek.” Angie told him. “We don’t know how bad it is in the rest of the country.” He just nodded.

  “Well Derek,” Jerry began, “I am truly sorry about you losing your men, but I am happy you are with us. I’m sure your training will come in handy. The days ahead of us hold a lot of uncertainty. We need to figure out our next step. Let’s all get some rest and we can come up with a plan tomorrow.”

  ***

  The small group slept through the night without incident. They had decided that a guard was probably unnecessary, considering the measures they had taken to secure the place. Even if someone or something did try to get inside, they would wake up to the noise before entry was gained. Sam had slept with his mom in her sleeping bag, from the camping gear they brought with them. Jerry slept on John’s sleeping bag and Derek slept on the undersized sleeping bag that belonged to Sam. He had decided he would keep an eye out for a man-sized sleeping bag when the opportunity presented itself. When dawn broke, Jerry woke up the others.

  “Let’s search for more supplies and get everything ready to move, before we start discussing our plans.” He told them.

  Angie started preparing some food for them all while Jerry and Derek moved the bags of crushed clay that were blocking the rear exit. They found some empty 5-gallon gas cans in the back room. Without power to operate the pumps inside the underground storage tanks, they had to figure out how to get some gas. Jerry inspected the caps of the underground storage tanks and found that they were unlocked and easy to open, but how to get the gas out was a mystery to him. He knew that it would be impossible to siphon the gas from underground without the assistance of an electric pump. He searched the gas station in and out, but could find nothing in the form of a manual or battery operated pump. Jerry had read once that the fuel injection system in most automobiles could be used as a pump, but he lacked the knowledge.

  “I don’t think we are going to be able to get any of this gas from the underground tanks.” Jerry told Derek. “We’ll have to see if those two abandoned cars outside have any fuel left and siphon it out. See if you can find a hose while I go check them out.”

  “Got it.” Derek replied. “I’m pretty sure I saw an old water hose out back when I came in yesterday.”

  Derek went to the back of the station and found the hose. He used his knife to cut a four-foot section and went around the building to join Jerry. Angie prepared a small plate of beans for Sam and left the rest in a pan to the two men. She had used the last of their propane to heat up the food, so she decided to take a moment and search around in the gas station. The store had been looted pretty well and she didn’t find much of anything on or around the shelves. She was hoping to find a bottle of propane for their stove, but there was nothing. She went into the storage room and searched some more. The back room was cleaned out too, but she did spot a first aid kit mounted to a wall near the door. Inside the kit were a few bandages, some band aids, and a bottle of peroxide. She went into the bathroom and snagged two rolls of toilet paper as well.

  Derek had joined Jerry at the cars with his piece of hose in hand. Jerry looked up and smiled.

  “That’s perfect.” He said. “Let’s give this a go.” He had already uncapped the gas tanks of both cars and was sure there was some fuel inside them both, because of the strong smell of gasoline. He took the hose from Derek and slid one end into the gas tank, uncapped one of the plastic gas cans, then put his lips around the other end of the hose. He sucked on the hose as if it were a giant straw. After a few moments, gas came running through the hose and into his mouth. Jerry hurriedly removed the hose from his mouth and stuck it inside the gas can. Immediately after, he spat the gas out of his mouth and coughed a bit. He quickly realized he wasn’t an expert at siphoning gas, but figured it was a skill he would become very accustomed to. When the flow of gas stopped, the can was about three quarters full. Derek took the hose and repeated what Jerry had just done at the other car. The second car had a little more gas than the first, but not much. They figured they had collected six or seven gallons when the task was done.

  “That won’t get us too far, but it’s better than nothing.” Jerry said.

  The gas tank on Jerry’s truck was almost empty when they arrived at the station the evening before. Both plastic gas cans were empty, after they unloaded the fuel into the truck. Jerry put the empty cans in the bed of the truck and went inside to join Angie, but Derek wanted to search the two cars for anything left inside. He found a lighter and half a pack of cigarettes in the glove box of one, but nothing else. He searched the second car. The glove box only had useless paperwork and the center console had some breath mints. He felt under the seats; under the driver’s seat, he found a gun. It was 9mm pistol. He dropped the clip and thumbed out the rounds inside. It was a fully loaded clip, fifteen rounds. He pulled the receiver back and another round ejected. This guy was ready to go, he thought. He quickly reloaded the clip, put it in the pistol and charged it. He dropped the clip again and loaded the last round and then put the clip back in the w
eapon.

  Derek came inside the gas station to find Jerry eating some beans and Angie packing up their gear. “I found another gun in one of the cars outside.” He told them. “I found a few cigarettes and a lighter as well, if anyone is interested.”

  Jerry tossed his empty plate to the counter and said, “yeah, give me one of those, I thought I had quit, but what the hell.”

  Derek handed them over with a laugh.

  “I found a first aid kit and some toilet paper.” Angie told the others.

  “Great.” Jerry said. “We got a few more gallons of gas from the cars outside. That should carry us a couple of hundred miles, but I think we can scrounge more along the way.” He told them. “Now to figure out where along the way is. We need to find out how extensive this mess is. We know from the reports, before they stopped, that this is global, but what we don’t know, is if it is under control anywhere. That’s what we have to find out. Any ideas?”

  “We should look for other survivors,” Angie put in, “and find out if any infrastructure remains anywhere. We should look for official people, like police or military.”

  “We know Fort Bliss is lost,” Derek said, “the next closest Army posts that I know of are Fort Carson up north in Colorado, Fort Sill, Oklahoma to the northeast, and Fort Hood, Texas even farther east. I’m sure there are some Air Force bases that are closer, but I’m not sure where or how far.”

  “I don’t want to set out on a mission to get to one of them larger bases without knowing if they are still standing.” Jerry said. “I think for now, we need to focus on smaller goals. We need four things in order to keep moving, so we can find out more information; food, water, fuel, and other people. I think we should keep heading north for now, along the interstate, and get off in the next town we see. Find out if there are survivors, or even better, local police that may have more information for us to go off of. What do you two think?”