Decay (Book 1): Civilization (24 page)

“Find another car and some gas cans. Whoever wants to go is welcome,” Jonathan exclaimed before quickly stepping away.

“Wait!” The group turned to Deacon as he quickly stood. He looked at Jonathan, then to Elliot. “What about Hawaii?”

Chapter 24

Sophia had been pacing back and forth for several hours now. Their mission was simple. Make it to the gas station, fill up gas cans, and return home. She was filled with emotions as she stomped around in the front yard, her arms crossed. Sadness swirled with anger in a torrential downpour of fear.

Andy walked up to her and reached out to grab her hand, which she found comforting. “Deacon will be back soon. I know he will, because he’s the strongest man alive.”

Sophia laughed through her worried tears. “He is. I have no doubt about it.” She knew, however, that his strength may not always be enough. The fiends in large numbers could devastate a small group of survivors in moments. Kneeling down, Sophia put her arms around Andy and hugged him tight. She couldn’t risk having children of her own right now, so she was prepared to guard the twins with her life.

“Why don’t you run back inside and make sure your sister is ok,” she said.

“Ok. I found a worm anyway, Amie will be so grossed out.” Andy held up the slimy pink worm, turned, and ran up to the house. Sophia found this amazing. Despite all the bad things that happened in the world, children could find joy in life.

The soft rumble could be heard from down the road. Sophia climbed the ladder and peeked over the wall. A truck turned the corner onto the street in front of the house. As it moved closer she could tell it was the Tundra, but Sophia was told to wait for the signal before opening the gate in case there was trouble.

Three flashes of the headlights told her that everything was alright, and she did her own inspection of the street for fiends. Feeling satisfied, she climbed down to the soft grass and pressed the button on the wall to open the gate for them.

As the big truck rolled through the gate she reached up to the button, as she pressed it the white Prius pulled in. Unsure of whom this was, Sophia grabbed the shotgun from off her back and readied herself to fire. They must be alright if Deacon brought them here, yet she knew better than to not be prepared for the worst.

“They‘re with us.” Deacon waved to Sophia as he walked around the front of the Tundra.

Sophia ran to him and wrapped her arms around his chest. “Who are they?” Sophia felt excited to be meeting new people, yet she remained cautious.

“This is Tyler and Layla.” Deacon introduced them as they climbed out of the front, “And Elliot and Nora.”

“Nice to meet you all,” Sophia smiled. Although she found comfort in Deacon’s trust of these new people, she kept her lowered shotgun in her hand. Her index fingered rested lightly on the side of the trigger. She felt that the man named Elliot looked as if he could be dangerous, and she was certainly correct.

“I thought this place would be a little bigger,” Layla said with disgust as she looked around at the single story white house.

“You could have left her where you found her,” Sophia whispered to Deacon who muffled a laugh.

“Make yourselves comfortable. There is food and drinks in the fridge. Running water from a well my father installed. I have never consumed the water from the faucet, but it seems great for bathing. Someone can show everyone around later.” Jonathan noticed the look on the other’s faces as he said this.

“You have electricity?” Layla asked. The disappointment began to fade as she rushed into the house. “I could use a nice hot bath.” She didn’t waste any time letting herself in. Quickly finding the bathroom, she grabbed a towel from the rack. She let out an excited scream as the water rushed out into the tub.

Jonathan explained to the rest how the house was running off of solar energy and the propane generator. This was a setup that his father and brother Michael had worked hard on. “For the most part, the solar panels will run everything. Once in a while, however, the generator will kick on. There is plenty of propane there.”

“This is awesome. You have been living it up here,” Elliot said as he looked around.

“Yeah, I guess I have had it pretty good.” Jonathan knew this, but hearing it from Elliot stung a little.

“Hey, I didn’t mean anything by it.” Elliot noticed that his comment had bothered the young man.

“Do not worry about it. It is just that everyone else has had it pretty tough out there while I have been warm and snug here. You all have these horrific stories of survival and all I can do is complain about being lonely while I eat fresh vegetables and canned meat.”

“Hey,” Elliot placed his hand on Jonathan’s shoulder. “Even you have suffered loss. Besides, it’s because of you that these people have a safe place to call home. Think about it, without you, how long do you think any of us would live out there? I know we were struggling pretty bad.”

“I guess you are right. I just feel awful about what you all have been through, and to make it worse, it was my father who helped start this.”

“Don’t blame him, man. I didn’t know your father, only met him briefly, but I could tell he was a genuine, honest man. He wanted nothing more than to help people. The other guy, Greg, he only wanted recognition and glory — and to bring a dead child back to life so he wouldn’t go to prison for murder.”

This made Jonathan smile. He also began to think about isolating the chemical that controls the fiends. Jonathan excused himself and went to his room where he began writing.
If I can contain the chemical then perhaps I can find a way to stop it. There has to be a way to neutralize it. There has to be a way to kill the dead in one large chemical attack.

The group had settled inside and everyone had a hot shower. Clothes were cleaned, and dinner was made. The new members of their group had not had a good meal in months. Most of their meals were canned food warmed up over a fire.

Brian’s canning of meats had proved wonderful for the group. He had canned beef, fish, chicken, turkey, and pork while preparing his family. Jonathan had been a bit hesitant of the canned meat at first. While alone, most of the meals he made for himself using the meat were just sandwiches. After the others showed up, however, Sophia had prepared many different meals while still rationing supplies.

Jonathan had stood in the supply room while Sophia cooked. His father stocked everything down here with the intention of feeding his family for years, but that wouldn’t have happened. He could see his father’s estimates had been way off. If they kept eating like this, they would starve to death in a year or two. He could see that taking some of the group and leaving would be the best thing for the few who remained, but he would still talk to Sophia about rationing a little tighter.

Tonight, Sophia had prepared lasagna with homemade garlic bread. They even broke out a bottle of wine for the adults. The chatter at the dinner table was lively. Everyone wanted to tell their story and ask questions about everyone else’s stories. It was almost like a reunion of old friends.

Elliot broke what had become a long silence after the excitement died down and bellies filled. “So Jonathan, you seem pretty sure that your family is still alive out there. I hate to bring you down, I really do, but there are worse places out there then Clay Hills. Many small cities have been completely destroyed.”

“My brother is alive, I know that. The only real questions are whether or not my mom is alright, and where they are. I think I know about where my brother is.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I have been having dreams—of the things he has been working on. I know what he is doing.”

“What do you mean? You think you’re a psychic?” Elliot asked skeptically.

“Not at all. There have been many studies showing that twins have the ability to read each other’s minds or share the same feelings. In some cases they can feel each other’s pain.”

“You’re twins?” Deacon cut in.

“Yeah,” Jonathan replied matter-of-factly, “I guess I never thought to mention it. I mean, has no one looked at any of the pictures around the house?”

No one knew what to say. None of them have really paid much attention to the few pictures that hung on the walls. There were not many, but they showed the brothers always standing by each other as if one was a mirror image of the other.

“That sounds a bit like BS to me,” Elliot said.

“Look at Andy and Amie,” Jonathan said. He pointed to the twins who were eating their supper at the coffee table in the family room. “I bet they know exactly what I am talking about. They may not realize it, yet, but they can probably sense each other’s thoughts or share their dreams. Honestly it has become stronger over the past few years. Michael and I shared a room until about three years ago.

“All that time spent together, I guess it was not as necessary. When we started spending a little more time apart, however, we both noticed that we could feel each other’s thoughts and emotions. I am willing to guess that he has felt, or even dreamt, many of the things we have done here. Hopefully he knows we are coming for him.”

“Ok,” Deacon said, “so what is your brother thinking right now?”

“I cannot read his mind, but I do know that he has been working on outfitting a semi. He has travelled with a group all around the Midwest picking up supplies. Bullet proof panels and glass, military weapons, that sort of thing. He seems to be preparing for a fight. An airplane quite often appears in my dreams as well.”

“Man! A beefed up semi would put my Tundra to shame. I’m going to miss it because you guys want me to stay here,” Deacon said. It was obvious he was still angry about being left behind.

“I need to be preparing to head out within the next couple of days. Guillermo, do you still plan on going with me?” Jonathan asked.

“Absolutely. I will be by your side ‘til the end.”

“I would like to go as well,” Elliot said. “I set out on a mission to find out what is going on and if there is a way to stop it. It seems to me that you are the best bet in completing that mission, so I would like to do whatever I can to help.”

“I said before that I’d like to go with you,” Tyler chimed in. “If it’s alright with you, of course.”

“I guess if
stupid
is going then I’m going, too,” Layla said with contempt for her husband. Sophia let out a sigh of relief as she said this. Tyler rolled his eyes. “I saw that Tyler, you asshole.”

“Why do you insist on acting this way?” asked Tyler. “I’ve done nothing but provide for you the best I can. You know what? I’m done fighting. We live in a collapsed society where we face death every moment we’re alive. I’m done wasting energy on you.” Tyler stood up and walked toward out to the garage.

“Now I’m a waste of energy?” Layla yelled as she chased after him. She was obviously far from done fighting with him.

“I say we take her for sure,” said Elliot. “You never know when we might need live bait or a distraction so we can run for our lives.” He noticed that everyone was staring at him. “What? All I’m saying is if I had to cut her feet off and feed her to the dead so we can run away, I certainly would.”

“Thanks.” Jonathan said hesitantly. “You are more than welcome to come with us. Nora, I would like you to stay here. You will be safe here.”

“Of course, as long as I won’t be a bother.” She looked at Sophia, who gave the older woman a warm smile.

“You won’t be a bother at all,” she responded. “We’d love to have you around, and it would be great to have someone with experience to help us teach the twins as they grow.”

The thought of teaching what would now be the true future of the nation brought tears to the woman’s eyes. She reached for a napkin and dried her face. “First thing tomorrow I’ll work on setting up a few lessons just to see where they are at.”

Jonathan looked at the remaining group sitting around the table. They would be able to start rebuilding the world right here. Together they could succeed. He knew it was all about having faith in the humanity that remained in each of them. He just hoped everyone here was ready for the responsibility that would follow.

Chapter 25

The two days of preparing and planning went by quicker than Jonathan had thought. Elliot had asked many questions about Sam and anything else they may have found at the BCRC building. He was also curious to read through the notes they brought back. In their free time, Elliot taught everyone a few of his combat techniques, while Guillermo tended to the plants in the greenhouse with Sophia and the twins.

Deacon did a little bit of work to the Prius in an attempt to increase its survivability out in the world. With a lack of supplies, all Deacon could really do was bolt a few stainless pipes to the frame to protect the tires and undercarriage. The small plow made from the pipes would push most light objects off to the side and away from the tires. He then changed the oil, and made sure everything was running well.

Tyler and Layla fought the whole two days. “You should probably stay here,” Tyler said.

“Why? Because you want to be rid of me?” Layla shot back.

“No, because I want you to be safe. Besides, there probably won’t be any hot showers.”

“I’m riding with you two,” Elliot said to Jonathan and Guillermo as the arguing couple passed by. “I would shoot them both.”

“I have something for you, Elliot,” said Jonathan. “Follow me.” He led Elliot back into the house and to his room. He opened the safe in his closet and pulled out the Steyr HS50 fifty caliber rifle. “It is far too much for me to handle, take it and all the rounds if you want.”

“Wow, this thing is a beast! I’ve only shot a few fifty cals in my time. This isn’t really something you find in the possession of civilians very often.”

“Yeah, honestly I do not even know why my father bought it. He did shoot it a few times, and he really enjoyed having it. I do not think it was worth picking up though, but maybe in your hands it will be.”

Shaking Jonathan’s hand, Elliot said, “I suppose everyone should finish their preparations. We set out first thing in the morning. I’ll double check that we are fully stocked and fueled up. I showed Guillermo and the love birds the route we planned on the map. I think everyone is up to speed.”

“Thanks. Make sure to get plenty of rest,” Jonathan said.

Jonathan spent a few minutes talking with Deacon and Sophia before deciding it was time for bed. He was restless for much of the night. He watched as the minutes ticked by on the clock, tossing the blankets and sheets, and then he would pull them back up over himself. Dizziness struck him, sending his brain swirling in his skull as if it had been flushed down a toilet.

He climbed out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. Dropping to his knees, Jonathan bent over the toilet. One good heave, followed by a second, and then his supper came up into his mouth in a warm chunky liquid. He held onto the side of the toilet as his head continued to spin. The vomit splashed into the water as it spewed from his mouth. A thick slime that contained traces of his supper dripped from his nose.

After several more rounds, he flushed it all down and leaned back into the sink. He reached for the hand towel hanging on the wall and pulled it down to wipe the mess away from his face. Jonathan climbed back into bed after cleaning up. Feeling better now, he was finally able to sleep.

The fog horn sounded somewhere in the mist. Jonathan stood near the water trying to see through the thick fog. The fog horn sounded again. Gunshots erupted from all around. Explosions shook the ground. A distant rumble grew louder with each passing second, and then the fog horn once more. The rumble turned into a small airplane, and it buzzed over Jonathan. A rain of chemicals poured down onto him. His skin burned, but then the fog horn sounded yet again.

Jonathan sat up in his bed. His alarm had been going off for several minutes. Reaching over, he turned it off. From out in the hall he could hear the movement of the others as they made the last of their rounds before setting out. He climbed out of bed and dressed, double checking the small duffle bag that he had packed with his personal supplies. Jonathan took one last look around the room. He knew he wouldn’t see it again, at least not for a while. His gaze stopped on the mirror above his mother’s dresser.  Looking back at him was the man he has become.

“You can move your things into my room,” Jonathan said to Sophia. “I will not need it anymore.”

“I can’t take your room, Jon. You’re not leaving on a suicide mission. You’ll be back soon enough.” She pulled Jonathan close and hugged him tightly.

“I know. For now, please, take my room. Even when I return I can use one of the other rooms. This is your house now. You and Deacon will be in charge of it.”

“Thank you. Please be safe out there.” Sophia wiped the tears from her eyes as they let go of each other.

“I will, and you take care of Deacon and the twins. They will need you to hold everything together here,” Jonathan said. He had not expected to feel so much pain when saying goodbye to her, yet he felt like a piece of him was dying. “Even though I said goodbye to the twins last night, would you please tell them again for me?”

“Of course,” she said, “and I’ll keep an eye on the remaining supplies like we talked about.” They hugged one last time before Jonathan headed out to find Deacon.

“Everyone all set?” Jonathan asked as he stepped out into the garage. Tyler was standing next to the driver’s door of his Prius, Layla’s bare feet could be seen up against the window as she lay across the back seat, Guillermo was already in the driver’s seat of the BMW, and Elliot was climbing into the back.

“You be careful out there, mate. If you come back here dead tying to eat my face I’m going to kick your ass before I put a bullet in your head,” Deacon said with a smile. Before Jonathan had a chance to respond, the strong Australian pulled him in for a hug. “I’m going to miss you, mate. I understand why I’m not going, and I respect that. I’ll have a big party waiting for you when you come back with your family, and I’ll take care of mine here.”

“I really am going to need you when we get back, Deacon,” Jonathan said as he took a step back. He offered his hand to Deacon, who shook it firmly. By the time Jonathan was ready to go, Guillermo had already backed the BMW out of the garage and turned it around. The Prius was parked just inside the gate.

“Good luck!” said Deacon. Jonathan waved at him before climbing into the passenger seat of the car. Deacon pushed the button for the gate that was mounted to the wall inside the garage and began walking down the driveway.

Tyler turned wide as he pulled out onto the street to give Guillermo room to move past him and take the lead. Down the street, Elliot had built a barbed wire barricade to keep any fiends out. He and Deacon made a run back to the library to retrieve as much of the barbed wire, wood, and metal as they could. The two men made a plan to start slowly blocking off the street and secure a few other houses in the area for people to live in.

The house disappeared quickly as the two cars sped off north. They left the suburbs and entered the business district in the middle of Clay Hills. There was about a mile of office buildings, schools, and stores before they would reach one last suburb before leaving the city all together. Most of the cars had been moved out of the way by the military that came in shortly after the attack.

Guillermo noticed that the firehouse Deacon talked about sat to the right. The tattered and faded American flag still flew high. Sandbags and barbed wire were built around the flagpole as a small barricade to keep it safe. The large brass numbers, Thirty-Four, held firmly above the large doors. Seeing the firehouse stirred Guillermo up emotionally. He knew that this was a place for true heroes, and he knew one of those heroes as a friend.

It was about a half an hour drive to reach San Clemente. This town also appeared to be fairly empty as they moved along the San Diego Freeway. Fiends roamed about, but none of them would be a problem for the group. It wasn’t much longer before they turned off onto the Ortega Highway.

“I don’t know if the military would have had any reason to clear this road out,” Elliot said. “It may be harder to get through then the curves of the hills make it.”

“Hopefully this guard Deacon installed on the front will help clear the way then,” replied Guillermo. “As long as there is nothing too big.”

I’m more worried about the tactical advantages that others would have over us. Living or not
, Elliot thought. He didn’t want to worry anyone else, so he would keep that to himself.

“What is that?” Tyler’s voice came through the walkie-talkie that Sophia had found in the garage. The group had made it several miles into the hills.

“We see it, looks like an RV,” responded Jonathan. They had seen it a minute prior to Tyler asking, but they were still too far back to worry much about. “Maybe you should hang back just a bit, Tyler. We will move in closer and let you know.”

“Ten-four,” replied Tyler as he slowed down.

The beige Gulfstream RV faced them as they pulled up. The driver’s side tire was off and lying on the road. The RV had fallen off the jack. “Wyoming” was stamped across the top of the light blue license plate. Fiends were sprawled out around the large home on wheels.

Elliot climbed out of the BMW as soon as it stopped directly in front of the RV. “Wait here,” he said before walking toward a strange man sitting on the step in front of the side door. The man was staring off into the hills, blood and dirt on his face and body.

“You don’t have to rob me. Just kill me and take what you want,” the strange man said. He was in his late forties, his brown hair just starting to turn gray. The man never took his eyes off the hills. “I got nothing left on this earth.”

“I’m not here for anything. I just wanted to check on you. Are you hurt?” Elliot meant what he said, yet he kept his pistol ready in case this was a trap or the man had been bitten.

“There’s no good people in this world, anymore.” The man inhaled deeply before letting it out. “You might as well finish me off.”

“Have you been bitten?”

“No.” The man continued to stare into the hills. “I’ve lost everything. My wife and daughter wanted to see the ocean. I figured we could find a nice spot and live off of the sea. Then this damn tire went flat.” He started to cry as he continued. “I got out to change it. Never saw them until it was too late.

“They must have climbed in while my wife had her back turned. She was supposed to keep watch. They screamed so loud.” The man began crying harder. Elliot walked over and placed his hand on the man’s shoulder. “It was so violent, knocked the damn RV off the jack. I was able to lure ‘em out one by one and put them down. Then I had to put—
them
down. I buried them on the hill.”

“I’m so sorry, sir,” Elliot said. He signaled for others that it seemed safe enough. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Kill me,” the man said.

“I can’t do that, sir.”

“You’re a soldier? I’m Colonel Jim Sturnly of the U.S Army. If that outranks you, then I order you to put me down.” Colonel Sturnly looked Elliot in the eyes for the first time.

“I can’t, sir. Survivors are hard to come by. Besides, with your military experience this world could really use you, sir.”

Jonathan had radioed back to Tyler and Layla, who drove up and parked next to the BMW. Tyler stood watch from the top of his Prius while Layla lay on the hood. Guillermo stood watch at the rear of the RV. The heat from the sun beat down on the group.

Elliot had spent five minutes arguing and pleading with the older man. He knew that this man had many things to teach, and many more great stories to share. Elliot was a sucker for a good story when it came from a soldier. “Just consider coming with us. I can only imagine how hard this is for you, but we can take you somewhere safe. We are heading out to find a way to stop all of this.”

Colonel Sturnly shook his head and opened his mouth to speak. Before he was able to say a word, a bloody pair of hands grabbed the man. The fiend bit deep into the man’s neck, spraying blood on the side of the RV.

“NO!” screamed Elliot. He pulled his pistol out and put a single round into the head of the fiend. Colonel Sturnly fell to the ground, holding his neck as the blood poured out. “Oh shit. I didn’t see him, Colonel. I’m sorry.

“You… have a new… order,” Colonel Sturnly forced. “Bury me… with my… girls.”

The man closed his eyes, but Elliot wouldn’t allow him to suffer any longer. The shot to the head ended his pain and insured he wouldn’t be back. It took all afternoon to dig a hole with the small shovel the man had, yet Elliot didn’t let up until the man rested peacefully next to his family.

“We didn’t make it far,” Guillermo pointed out.

“Nope,” Elliot agreed.

“We might as well camp here for the night. We will carry on in the morning. Guillermo and I can take the first watch. If that is fine with you, Guillermo,” Jonathan said.

“Absolutely.”

“Where are we supposed to sleep? I can’t stretch out in the car, and I’m sure as hell not sleeping on the ground,” Layla complained.

“Sleep in the RV,” Elliot said with a smile that she couldn’t see.

Layla stomped off toward the RV and said, “Someone better keep watch on the door.” Seconds after the RV door closed behind her, there was a scream, and she ran back out. “I’m not sleeping in there,” she said before climbing into the back seat of the Prius.