A New World: Chaos (35 page)

“Hmm, I’d wait as long as I could if I were you.
 
Well, back to the grind,” he says crushing his cigarette butt in the ash can and starts off across the sandy strip towards his building.

“See ya later,” Lynn says, heading back to her building.

With her hand on the door handle, its heat radiating into her palm, she hears a shout from behind her.
 
Turning to look over her shoulder, she sees Sergeant Drescoll standing mid-way between buildings looking at her.

“What?”
 
She says shouting back.

“Lunch?”
 
He calls back.

“Sure,” Lynn answers opening the door and steps into the darker and cooler building, wondering if there is anything to what Drescoll said.

The same rumor from two different sources, but rumors were rumors and she has tried to stay away from the rumor mill during her fourteen-year career; thus far being mostly successful.
 
Even so, Drescoll worked in Intel and so may have more of a clue than others.
 
And, he wasn’t one to pass on rumors or talk just for the sake of hearing himself.
 
Shrugging it off but keeping it in some small part of her mind, she settles into her desk to finish some paperwork before lunch.
 
The others inside have also settled into their seats working on their assigned tasks.

Finishing up her lunch with Sergeant Drescoll, Lynn and he step out from the dining facility with the sun hammering down; the heat instantly bakes them and causes a sheen of sweat to quickly appear on their foreheads.
 
A squeal over the loudspeaker mounted on a pole close by them greets them as well indicaing a coming announcement.
 
“Attention all personnel. The Cape Town Flu vaccinations are temporarily suspended at this time.
 
Repeat.
 
All
Cape Town
flu vaccinations are suspended at this time.”

“I guess that takes care of that,” Lynn says after the echo of the blasting loudspeaker silences.

“Guess so,” Drescoll says.
 
“Glad I waited.”

“Me too,” Lynn responds and they part company, each heading back towards their respective areas.

On her way, Lynn wonders again at the validity of the rumors.
 
The military loves their shots so wouldn’t cancel a vaccination unless there was something very wrong.
 
What if people were actually getting sicker from the shot?
 
How long until people are back?
 
I sure hope this doesn’t delay my return home
, she thinks arriving back at the office
.
 
Oh my god, I hope Jack didn’t get one.
 
What am I thinking?
 
Of course he didn’t.
 
He wouldn’t even go to the doctor for his knee.

Back at her desk, there is an email from brigade stating that the flu vaccinations are suspended verifying the loudspeaker announcement.
 
With the other personnel out sick, there is actually quite a bit to do and the day passes by quickly.
 
There has been no sign of Captain Braser and most of the others in the office left at 1600.
 
At 1700,
Lynn
logs off her workstation and heads out of the now almost empty building.
 
An odd feeling settles over her,
this building has never been this empty
, she thinks heading out into the late afternoon after making sure there is coverage through the night for the operations center.

The suffocating heat still permeates the outdoors but is cooling somewhat as Lynn finishes her dinner and heads back to the barracks.
 
I hope the internet is up
, she thinks approaching the door to her convex barracks.
 
Only a couple of weeks and I am outta here
.
 
Opening the rear door to the barracks, the coolness of the interior rushes out, chilling her and causing goose bumps to run up her arm.
 
The large interior is broken up by bunk beds with wall lockers breaking the area up into smaller, more private cubicles.

Her “roommate’s” bunk is just inside the door to the left sharing the private space with her own against the left hand corner.
 
Her roommate is lying on the lower bunk.
 
Just as the door begins to close, the loudspeaker squeals once again.
 
Knowing retreat has already sounded, Lynn turns to hold the door open and listens, “Attention all personnel.
 
Anyone experiencing flu symptoms are to report immediately to zone 2.
 
Repeat.
 
Anyone experiencing flu symptoms are ordered to report to zone 2.
 
If you notice anyone with flu symptoms, you are to notify security immediately.
 
That is all.”

Wow!
 
This is getting serious
,
Lynn
thinks heading to her corner and grabbing her laptop out of her footlocker.
 
Finding that there is still not an internet connection and suspecting it is purposely being blocked, she reaches for her book as a chill runs up her spine accompanied by a sad and lonely feeling.
 
Tomorrow is her day off and this was supposed to be one of the times that she and Jack could talk longer.
 
I hope he’s okay
, she thinks settling onto her lower bunk and opening her book.
 
She reads until the lights go out at 2000 and falls asleep in her fatigues with her boots by the side of her bunk.

A groaning sound awakens her in the middle of the night.
 
It sounds as if it is coming from the bunk next to her; her roommate’s bunk.
 
Groggily,
Lynn
opens her eyes to a mostly dark barracks lit only by the exit lights at either end of the building.
 
Accustomed to the various sounds of people sleeping in close proximity, she rolls over and closes her eyes attempting to get back to sleep.
 
The moaning sound penetrates her sleepy mind once again.
 
I can’t wait to get out of this place and have some privacy
, she thinks, the sleepiness slowly vanishing.
 
Not wanting to get up but remembering the loudspeaker announcement, she shucks off her blanket and sits up, rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes.

Swinging her legs over and setting her feet on the cool concrete floor, she reaches overhead grabbing her flashlight.
 
Flicking the light on but cupped in her hand, letting only a little light shine through her fingers, she stands up and quietly walks over to where her roommate is.

“Are you okay?”
 
She asks, letting a small ray of light illuminate her roommate’s face.

Although there’s only a small amount of light, Lynn clearly sees her roommate lying in the bunk with her blanket pulled up to her chin, her fingers gripping the blanket edges as if it might fly away.
 
Only her face peeks out from under it.
 
The sight of her roommate’s face sends a chill crawling, well, not crawling but racing up Lynn’s spine.
 
Peeking up from her sweat-soaked pillow, her roommate’s eyes squint against the light; they are swollen and her face is ashen.
 
Beads of sweat form on her forehead and run down her temples and cheeks.
 
Drool has formed at the corner of her mouth, ready to join its compadres on the journey down her face.

“I’m fine,” her roommate half breathes and moans attempting normal speech.

“You have to go to zone 2.
 
I’ll help you,”
Lynn
says reaching a hand out to her.

“I said I’m fine,” her roommate says shrinking further back into the pillow.

Lynn stands, walks back to her bunk, sits on the edge, and slips her boots on by the light of the flashlight placed next to her on the bed.
 
Lacing up her boots and donning her fatigue top, she picks up her light and, shielding it once more, passes by her roommate’s bunk and heads to the back door.

“Where are you going?”
 
A whisper calls out from the bunk.

“Out,” she responds and opens the back door into the night.

Her plan is to locate an MP on the way to her office, or, failing that, call from there.
 
Not wanting to walk all of the way to the security shop or a gate, this will be the quickest way to notify security that her roommate is exhibiting flu-like symptoms.
 
Plus, there is the fact of not wanting to be in a close proximity to someone with a reported highly contagious sickness.
 
Stepping out into the chill of the night air and into the circle of light cast by the light over the doorway, she starts off toward her work building and is swallowed up immediately by the dark.
 
The stars overhead cast a clear brilliance that only the desert can bring; the ground around is lit only at intervals by rings of light cast by the camp lights with the areas in between an inky black.

Strolling from one ring of lights to another, she rounds the corner of one building and starts up a central avenue lit at intervals by the pole-mounted lights.
 
Not taking three steps along the sandy avenue, a shriek shatters the stillness, coming from far away only to be followed a second later by a second one from the same area.
 
Coming to a stop, Lynn listens and unconsciously moves closer to the side of the avenue by a building.
 
The chatter of rifle fire erupts from the general area of where the shrieks occurred.
 
What the fuck is going on?
 
Lynn
thinks suddenly aware she is unarmed and wishing for her M-16.
 
Are we under attack?
 
Where’s the alarm?

Another shriek sounds out from across the camp followed by a much louder one close by.
 
Damn, that sounded like it came from just up ahead
, she thinks starting cautiously up the avenue again.
 
What the hell is that?
 
Up ahead, two figures emerge out onto the avenue a few buildings ahead and begin running in her direction, passing in and out of the circles of light.
 
With the reminder that gunshots were fired and people may be rather trigger happy, she shrinks back out of the circle of light she was standing in.
 
With an ear-piercing shriek, the two up ahead alter their course and race directly at her.
 
Crap, they saw me
, she thinks looking off to the sides and around her for some place to head just in case.

A building away, with the fatigue-clad figures racing toward her, another figure emerges into the area, skidding to a halt.

“Hey, you two!
 
Where are you going?”
 
The new figure calls out at the two running ones just ahead of him.
 
The two figures adjust their course in mid-stride, angling now toward the newcomer.
 
Standing in the shadows, Lynn watches the scene unfold.

The two running figures show no signs of slowing up as they quickly close their distance.
 
“Hey, what are yo….?”
 
He calls out but doesn’t finish as, with a combined shriek, the two plow into him, one launching into the air.

The soldier standing there only has time enough to raise his hands before he is catapulted backwards, his feet leave the ground, and he slams onto his back with the two on top.
 
Dust billows out behind him from the impact with the ground.
 
A struggle ensues, with more dust rising into the air around them, but it is short-lived.
 
With a scream, a human one this time, the lone figure under the two attackers becomes still.
 
On their knees, leaning over the stricken soldier, the two begin tearing into him with their teeth, gnashing like dogs and tearing chunks of flesh off.
 
One raises his head shrieking into the night sky, blood painting its lower face.

Lynn’s initial reaction is to run to the soldier’s aid but it is over so quick that she never makes two steps in his direction.
 
Another shriek sounds out of the darkness amongst the barracks close behind her.
 
Okay, that’s enough for me
, Lynn thinks and heads off across the road, using the shadows for concealment.

Settling between buildings and feeling somewhat protected in the dark,
Lynn
hunches down against one of the buildings.
 
What the fuck was that and what the hell is going on here?
 
She thinks remembering the rumors floating through her office and from her friend.
 
That could have been me and I would have been oblivious until it was too late.
 
More thoughts come at lightning speed, filling her mind as time progresses slowly in the physical world; who to trust and how to figure who to trust.
 
Is this an isolated event?
 
In seeming answer, the sounds of more shrieks and gunfire off in the distance reach her in the darkness, along with the closer sounds from the avenue in front of growling and the wet sounds of flesh being rendered and eaten.