Deserted (13 page)

I made
my way to the window and started to peel off the broken boards. They were
sturdier than anticipated, but still came loose with enough force, bathing
sections of the room in glorious moonlight. When the barricade was cleared, I
glanced skyward towards the twinkling stars above. Fears seemed to wash away in
the dark blue sky – like my problems were insignificant in comparison. A clear
night like this one was fairly rare but always appreciated – even by my mother,
who often sat with me as a child to watch the sparkling lights. A moment held
few and far between.

A
reflection on the dirty glass brought me back to reality. A small, blinking
light: red and very faint. It seemed to shine only once every few minutes, as I
had strained my eyes trying to find its source behind me. And then, there – on
the computer that lay hidden underneath the massive keyboard that stretched
across the centre of the computer station. This beast was still alive?

I rushed
over to it, realizing that the light was attached to a small protruding button.
Unsure of what else to do, I pressed it – famous last words, I’m sure. Suddenly
the room was bathed in a radiant white light as the monitors roared into
action. While the smaller screens swam with words and numbers I could make no
sense of, the main, largest screen had a video open. While I had never used a
computer myself, my father had had many self-help books on the subject and so I
reached out to what I assumed to be the
‘mouse’
and I clicked the cursor
on a triangular image on the screen. The room went suddenly black…and then the
video started, encompassing every screen before me.

It was
this very room. Everything was a sparkling white, although the dim lighting
made it difficult to see much else. But the window – the very one that now
stood behind me – showed a world I had hoped still existed somewhere. Large,
prosperous trees waved in the wind, their vibrant leaves scuttling through the
air as they occasionally fell. Birds chirped somewhere within the foliage and
the tips of hedges were barely seen through the glass.

Then the
birds stopped.

 The
very wind seemed hesitant…confused. Suddenly a swarm in the sky – birds fleeing
their nests and joining others in some kind of hasty retreat. All was still and
quiet…then, slowly, a leaf on the nearest tree started to curdle. It twisted
and contorted on its branch until it fell free, its colour fading into a dark
brown as it plummeted towards the earth.

And then
another.

 Soon
the whole tree was withering, and those next to it. Dead leaves were everywhere
and tree’s trunks bent and shrunk in agony – I had never known trees to behave
in such a way. They eventually disappeared from view, as though they were
swallowed up by the earth. Even the hedges were gone. The world outside was
dark and the room within the video slowly started to shudder and shake, the
video becoming choppy and discoloured until it stopped completely and the room
was bathed in darkness once more.

I barely
had time to process this when the video hummed to life again. A young, handsome
man was now on screen. He looked like a well-maintained individual: a clean
shaven face and bright blond hair that was slicked back by some sort of gel. He
had a bright smile and wore a pristine white coat – a lab jacket. He grinned at
me through the screen.

“Wasn’t
sure she’d catch it all, but the video looks great,” he started, “took some
work to get her running again after that shake but I managed.” There was a
slight accent to his voice and his words were heavily enunciated. He suddenly
cleared his throat and sat up straighter, attempting to look more professional.
“My name is
Tsvetan
Krastanov
,”
the man started again and my heart dropped – I knew that name! I whipped my
knapsack in front of me and rummaged through it as the scientist continued,
“…and I have just recorded the effects of the Essence of Life.”

I stared
up at the piercing blue eyes of
Tsvetan
and mouthed
the words.
“Essence of Life?”

Krastanov
glanced over his shoulder at the wasteland through the window. “As
you can see, it was a colossal failure. I mean, I’m pretty sure that wasn’t
supposed to happen.” He chuckled at the screen and I raised an eyebrow – how
was this funny? Almost as though reading my thoughts,
Krastanov’s
smile faded and his face grew sterner. “I don’t know how far this reached or
what its affected, but we should know soon enough. I imagine we will be getting
picked up today, although it was supposed to be yesterday…not sure what’s going
on with that.” He leaned back into his chair, allowing more of the window in
the background to be seen. A few more scientists were wandering around the now
decrepit land outside, as though searching for something. One of them turned
absently towards the window,
then
did a double-take as
his face rested on
Krastanov’s
figure inside. The man
approached the window and knocked loudly, causing
Tsvetan
to jump in surprise and stare behind him. The scientist outside beckoned
Krastanov
to him and neither man looked terribly pleased by
the idea.
Tsvetan
finally nodded and turned his
attention back to the screen.

“Well, I
guess that’s it for now. At least I got some footage of the Essence. I know I
was told not to but it could come in really handy for future testing – what’s
wrong with having a little proof?” He smiled shortly at me with a small shrug.
“Until next time.”
Krastanov
reached up towards the monitor and the screens went black once again – just as
I was pulling out the book I was looking for.

The
screen flashed to life again.
Tsvetan
was once again
there but his hair was not quite as perfect as it once was and his eyes
appeared drained. He said nothing at first as I stared down at the book in my
hands – the book I had found at the campsite. Flipping it open, I studied the
name inside – the same name as the man that now spoke.

“It’s
been a week,” he was slow with his words, “and there’s been no word. I’m not
sure what we’re supposed to do now.” He sighed. “We were hiding deep
underground, in our bunker like we were told to do. We barely felt a thing.
Were we too late in coming back up? Did we miss them?” He stared off into
space. “We heard some sounds to the south. Saw smoke rise up. Not sure what’s
going on but we’ve decided to stay indoors for a while. I’m tending to my plants
but there’s only so much I can do to pass the time.” He leaned back into his
chair, allowing me to see him wringing his hands in his lap. “I was promised a
bigger lab…more resources for my plants. They’re too cramped here and there are
chemicals everywhere. This is no place for research.” There was a moment of
silence as
Krastanov
lost himself in his thoughts. He
bit his lower lip before continuing, “I have a bad feeling about the south.
It’s a slaver’s town – they’ve been said to take from the tribes that live in
these parts. I can’t help but wonder what the Essence might have done.” I was a
little shocked by his demeanor.
Krastanov
had seemed
so…excitable and honestly unprofessional in the previous video. Whatever
happened outside must have really unnerved him. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said
that…”
Krastanov
tossed his elbows onto the sides of
the keyboard and ran his fingers through parts of his hair. “They don’t want me
doing these videos. Afraid I’ll say something stupid, I guess. They’re always
on my case – they don’t want me here. But you know what?”
Tsvetan
looked up at the screen with weary eyes when a loud knock erupted at the door.

“
Krastanov
, get the hell out here!” The voice was loud and
riddled with rage.

Tsvetan
furrowed his brow. “What’s the point of having video software if
you’re never going to –“

“Now!”
The voice bellowed. “You’re really getting on my last nerve, bud.
Enough with the videos – just go play with your stupid flowers!” I could almost
hear the eye-rolling in the other man’s tone.

Krastanov
, visibly offended and almost pouting, replied, “They’re not
all
flowers, you know!”

“I don’t
give a rat’s ass
what
they are, it’s still useless. You better start
towing the line if you expect to go anywhere around here, kid. We never needed
a new guy, let alone a
botanist.
What good is that really going to do
us? I mean really?” The man cackled, his words still tense with anger.

Krastanov
slowly raised his hand to the monitor and the room went black once
again. I started to put the book in my hands back into my knapsack when
Krastanov
appeared on screen again, his hair wild and his
coat hanging sloppily off his shoulders. His eyes were large and crazed and he
was standing this time, gasping for breath.

“Something
came from the south. It attacked Andy – he was wandering alone outside. It made
its way inside and then more came – a horde of them. They look like people, but
something’s off.”
Krastanov
was barely looking at the
monitor, his words rushed and strung hastily together. “They’re mad, deranged…they’re
attacking everything in sight! Rhoda and Chuck made a run for the bunker but
the place is surrounded; they didn’t stand a chance. I told everyone I could to
meet here – the door is solid and may be our only chance. But did they listen?
No, of course not! But I have these –
“
Krastanov
held up some haphazard-looking boards and I glanced behind me at the wood that
now lay scattered on the floor. “I can board the windows with these.” He looked
wildly around the room. “Maybe Scott will bring food…he’s always in the
kitchen…”
Krastanov
said it more to himself than the
monitor.

His
rushed, unsteady demeanor started to make me feel uncomfortable. He almost
didn’t seem like the same man from the first video. I watched as
Krastanov
went to work, boarding up the glass with
surprising speed. When he was finally done, he plopped himself down in the
chair at the computer. He sighed, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. He
took a few minutes to compose himself.

“They
swarmed the front door, attacked anything that moved – including the liquids
being held in storage. Supplies were raided, chemicals were stolen and spilled.
I don’t know why they would want them but I saw a few trying to drink them…that
won’t end well.” He scrunched his face up at the thought. “There’s a stench in
the air now, and it’s only going to get worse. Some of the beasts took off into
the desert – I don’t know where to or why. Many were drenched in chemicals and
liquids, glowing far into the distance. Maybe they startled themselves into
fleeing? I don’t know and don’t really care – as long as they’re gone. I can’t
imagine what those toxins will do to their bodies, though…”
Krastanov
shook his head sadly.
“Or the environment for that matter.”
His glance meandered across the large keyboard before him. “I’m going to wait
for the others to show up…I’m sure they will. They might not like me but they
wouldn’t ignore sound advice, right?” His voice wavered and tapered off before
the screen went black.

I slowly
sat down on the cold stone floor, my head starting to swim. I worried that if
my sickness didn’t let up I may not be able to stay to hear the full story. The
screens flushed to life once again and
Krastanov
was
barely visible – the lights were off and with the window boarded, only the faint
glow of the monitor illuminated his face. His eyes appeared sunken and his skin
was pale. He was jittery and clearly overtired.

“They’re
still out there,” he whispered, “I can hear them scamper just outside the
door.” He looked over to where the entrance of the room would
be,
his eyes wild with fright. “I don’t know what day it is
anymore. No one is coming to save us. I had an email in my inbox – he calls
himself an
Elder
, now – claiming that the slaver’s town is done for. The
tribe they enslaved, they were root doctors or something; natives that
experimented with the afterlife and hoodoo.”
Krastanov’s
eyes were glossy now and he turned his face away from the monitor. “The town’s
been cursed. Guess that tribe didn’t take too kindly to being enslaved. The Essence
of Life couldn’t have helped, either.
Psh
.”
There was silence as the scientist’s wide eyes rested on
the door again, as though he could see more creatures running by outside. “The
Elder isn’t concerned, though. He actually sounded pretty happy at the news. I
don’t know what that means but it doesn’t matter in the end; my emails won’t
send. I could barely even read his message – the screen was all garbled and
choppy. The computer’s on her last legs, I think.” He stared hard into the
monitor, almost as though he could see me. “I tried to get food…but I couldn’t.
My co-workers…they were everywhere! And those deranged ones…I could see their
shapes upon the walls, their shadows distorted by what little light is left
inside here. I ran, straight back here!” His lips looked parched as he spoke,
cracking slightly in his voracious message. “The radiation is getting to them,
I think. Thankfully I have Potassium Iodide in my drawer here.” A sliding sound
was heard, then the smash of something hitting the floor.
Krastanov
cursed under his breath and then a large white container was shoved into the
camera’s eye. I couldn’t help but turn my eyes towards the spot on the floor
that the drawer would have fallen to and noticed a few stray splinters
scattered about. Following the trail, I strained my eyes to see the remains of
it tucked into the darkness of the world under the computers. I had hoped the
tablets were still in there.