Genetic Drift (9 page)

He ran toward her as she scrambled to pick up the Troll’s orbitizer.  He pushed as hard as he could.  He had to save her again.  Maddie pried the Trolls’ fingers from the orbitizer and threw the disembodied hand to the side.  She lifted the orbitizer and quickly aimed at the center of the Troll, placing her fingers where she thought the trigger should be.  The core started to glow an island blue and the orbitizer felt ready to fire.  She squeezed the pad and the emission came out of the orbitizer, hurtling toward the Troll. 

Time stopped for that moment.  The Troll slowly watched the blue orb enter its abdomen.  The size of the blue orb started to shrink as the Troll’s skin dissolved.  Its outer layer disappeared showing its alien interior.  Marcus stopped and his jaw dropped.  She was the first person he had ever known to fire an orbitizer.  Even the other Troll watched with a disbelieving look, stunned that she had fired the gun. 

As time sped back up, the Troll with a hollowed body slumped to the ground and Maddie took aim at the other Troll.  She shot once, twice, three times, four times.  She continued to shoot until the core stopped glowing.  The second Troll fell to the ground in bits and pieces as Maddie looked down at the orbitizer.

With the two Trolls out of action, Marcus continued his sprint to Maddie and nearly collided with her as he stopped on some leaves, “How’d you do that?” he asked, really wanting the answer.  

“I shot them,” she aimed her doomsday weapon toward a nearby tree, “like this.”  The orbitizer core began to glow as she tapped her fingers on the soft padding.  A hum came out followed by another blue orb that went directly toward the tree.  

Marcus was still looking at her with amazement, “Let me try!”  She offered him the orbitizer and he was quick to grab it.  He aimed at the same tree and squeezed the padding.  No glow, no projectile, it was dormant.  Marcus dropped his hands in disbelief, the orbitizer resting on his thigh while he just stood there.  

“Let me show you again,” she pulled the gun out of his hands and started to show him what she did.  “Put your fingers here,” the orbitizer began to glow, dimmer than when she first started to fire it, “and then you squeeze here.”  A blue mass ejected from the muzzle again.  “And that’s how we do it,” she said, speaking to Marcus as if he was a schoolboy.  

Mac caught up with the two and showed the same amazement as Marcus.  “Do you mind if I give it a go?”  Mac wanted to see if he could shoot it.  He repeated what he had seen Maddie demonstrate.  Like with Marcus, the orbitizer just sat in his hands with no activity.  Marcus put out his hand and moved his fingers as he wanted another try.  

“It’s not working for me,” Mac said as he offered the weapon to Marcus, who aimed the orbitizer once more at the tree.  He placed his fingers in the exact same spot with no response from the orbitizer.  Just to humor himself, as if it would have worked, he squeezed the padding.  Nothing again.  He squeezed the padding a second time, a third time, he just started clamping his hand repeatedly onto the pad.  

“Here, you take it.” He jerked the orbitizer from the aimed position and handed it to Maddie, frustrated. “If you can shoot it, then you have it… and get the other one too,” he pointed to the other Troll, “those are the most powerful weapons out here.”

Maddie held her trophy proudly in her hand as she sprinted toward the other Troll.  Footsteps came through the trees, rapidly approaching the group.  Marcus raised his gun to engage, aiming directly at the noise.  Barron emerged from the darkness still running.  He saw the muzzle of Marcus’ gun and stopped to raise his hands. “Don’t shoot, don’t shoot, don’t shoot!” he screamed while closing his eyes and turning his head.  Barron had been turned around in the woods and had run in a complete circle.  

“It’s alright, you can stop running,” Mac let Barron know that it was safe for the moment.  Marcus lowered his firearm and scanned the area.  As Maddie was approaching with her second orbitizer, Marcus saw blue flashes continuing in the distance.  

“How’d you kill them?” Barron asked the group, still recovering from his sprinting.  

“With these,” Maddie presented the two orbitizers.  

Barron’s eyes opened wide, “I heard that nobody can shoot those orbitizers.  How’d you do it?”  He had never seen one and wanted to try it out, “Wait, can I try?”

“We have to go that way and stay away from the Trolls,” Marcus interrupted as he wanted to avoid any and all confrontations.  

They continued through the woods and could see the glow of the building lights above the tree line.  They followed the lighted area as the dawn of day began to rise.  The road that could be used for their exit came into sight.  With the blue lights behind them and the sun coming out, they made for the road to head back to militia headquarters.  They carefully left the wooded area and to their surprise, they intersected with Alan Pritchard and Zeke as they were walking in the same direction.  “Mac, you made it!” Alan flashed a grin through his great beard. “And the girl is safe too!”  He was surprised but also happy that he still had one of his deliverables for Supreme Command.  “You did a great job soldier,” he continued to smile.

Marcus replied as it was his job, “Thank you, sir.”  

Alan looked at the road ahead and said to the group, “I hope you were planning to go to headquarters.”  He directed his voice to Zeke, “C’mon, it’s going to take all day to get there with all those trucks gone.”

DAY 38

JOHNSON PHARMACY

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA

Philip and Peggy Johnson were pillars of the community.  Not only did they own their own pharmacy, but they also tried to help everyone that they could.  Their only child, a son, Barron, was named after Philip’s father and was their pride and joy.  As a young child, Barron would play outside the shopping center until his parents closed the store.  He had just graduated from high school and was now in his first semester of college.  He was going to be a pharmacist too.  It was unfortunate that after the Attack, every service deemed unessential by the militia was shut down, including the college.

In his spare time, Barron volunteered as an EMT for the local Rescue Squad.  It had been five days since the Attack and the militia was consolidating all vehicles under their domain.  All of the Rescue Squad had become the medics in the Avalon Militia due to the conscription policy.  Barron, too, was now under militia authority.  There hadn’t been a need for any emergency medical services for the past few days and he wondered if he was ever going to get any experience.

He sat and waited.  That was until the evening of the first local attack.  The alarm sounded and everyone was bustling to go to the location announced.  “My parents are probably there,” Barron told his fellow EMT in the back of the vehicle.  Peggy and Philip had been working extra late since the Attack, providing additional support for the hospital.  Since Barron had been an EMT, every call they received was either an accident or an individual hurt.  The calls only caused moments of stress.

The response vehicle arrived on the scene.  It was like nothing that Barron had ever seen before and his mind shifted to his parents.  “I need to find my Mom and Dad,” Barron yelled as he jumped out of the vehicle.  He ran to the pharmacy, disregarding the carnage that surrounded him.  He jumped over and weaved around bodies missing parts and flowing blood.  He didn’t see anything but obstacles as he continued to look for his parents.  The door to the pharmacy was open.  He burst through it and spotted his parents on the floor behind the counter.

As he ran, he fell to his knees and slid to where his father was holding his mother in his arms.  Peggy was dead.  A hole had been burrowed through the side of her abdomen.  Protruding the semicircle of emptiness were the organs that were left untouched. 

Barron looked at his father, “Dad,” was all that he could get out.  He jumped to hug his father and when he connected, his father screamed in agonizing pain.  Philip crumbled, his missing leg providing counterbalance for the hug.  Barron gasped as he saw his father reach for where his leg used to be.  “Hold on Dad,” he said as he made his way for the door.

“Help, help,” Barron screamed as he looked for somebody to help him.  There were too many hurt people and not enough EMT’s.  The one stretcher was within his sight. His fellow EMT was running it to another victim of the attack.  Barron was quick to commandeer the platform and told him, “Follow me, I need your help.”

Barron and the medic loaded his father and his mother on the stretcher and wheeled them to the vehicle for hospital transport.  They shut the doors and the driver started to drive.  Barron glanced out of the back window to see hundreds of people lying lifeless on the ground, too much for the EMTs to handle.  He looked back at his father and grabbed his hand, “Hang in there, Dad.  We’re getting you to the hospital.”

The hospital was filled with people.  Barron barely got the stretcher in the door and was stopped by dead bodies in his way.  He looked around the corner and there was more death than life.  He screamed with urgency, “Help, my father needs help!”  But the scurry of nurses and doctors in the emergency area paid him no mind. 

He went back to the stretcher and pushed it over a body that was impeding his path.  He swerved around the other bodies and made it to triage. 

“Please help him,” he pulled a nurse from her course and pointed to his father.  She pulled away from his grasp and went over to his father.  The nurse took out her stethoscope and applied it to Philip’s chest.  She lifted his wrist to check his pulse.  She listened and felt. 

Then she dropped his wrist and put her stethoscope back around her neck, “I’m sorry, but there is nothing I can do,” she said as she sped off.  

“No, no, no, no, this can’t be.” Barron went to his father’s side while his mother lay on the other side, still.  “I wasn’t fast enough Dad.”  He cupped his father’s hand within his hands and held it tight.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” a hand was gently placed on Barron’s shoulder.  He looked up and saw a man.  “Philip was an old friend of mine.  We went to school together.” 

Barron spoke with a solemn voice to this stranger, “He was my Dad and she was my Mom.”  He pointed to his mother and father intertwined on the stretcher. 

The stranger spoke in the same tone, “I know Barron.  You probably don’t remember me but I’m Doctor McCluskey.  You can call me Mac.”

DAY 277

THE FALL OF CHARLOTTESVILLE

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA

The tension from the onslaught had died down and the survivors of the night were walking to Charlottesville.  The morning sun was illuminating their path, giving them the confidence to stay on the road.  Trolls didn’t attack during the day.  “So… how exactly did you guys get away from those things?” Alan thought it was time to share stories, especially since Maddie was carrying two orbitizers with active cores.  He was very curious how they had come across those orbitizers and he knew they would be a welcomed prize at Supreme Command.  

Mac started explaining their journey, “We ran into the woods when the shooting began and Booby was shot.”  Mac continued telling Alan about how they had encountered and killed two Trolls but left out using the orbitizers.  He continued with the story of their experience until they met up with Alan and Zeke.  As he finished, he asked Alan, “What about you and Zeke?  How did you guys get out of there?”  

Zeke chimed in, “Ain’t nobody knows these woods better than me, they couldn’t keep up.”  

Alan, on the other hand, used a different tactic.  “I wasn’t going to get away from those Trolls.  There was a pile of leaves and I hid until they were well gone.”  

As big as Alan was, Mac found his story unbelievable.  “You just hid… in leaves?” Mac was cynical and suggested there was more to the story.  

“Yep,” Alan replied, “a big pile of leaves was all I needed.”  Alan was still staring at the orbitizers.  He would have loved to get his hands on one that worked.

“Hey girl, can I see your orbitizer?” Alan asked Maddie.  

She walked next to him and handed him one of her prizes, “My name is Maddie,” she said, wanting to make sure that he knew her name.  

“Alright Maddie,” he took the orbitizer with a grin.  He held it in his hands, looking at it like he knew how it worked.  

He noticed that the core wasn’t dark and empty like all the others he had found.  “I’ve never seen one with a core that looks like this, does it still work?” Alan put his hands on it as if he was going to shoot.  He squeezed the pad.  Just like with everyone else, the orbitizer was useless.  Instead of handing it back to Maddie, he put the weapon to his face and acted as if he was sighting his rifle.  

Maddie swung the orbitizer she picked up from the second Troll to the ready, “Yeah, check it out,” she was excited to show off her skills again.  The core began to glow and the humming blue orb left the orbitizer headed into the field they were walking past.  

Alan observed her every movement and mimicked her process.  His second attempt resulted the same as the first.  “Ahhh, it must be broken.”  Before he could ask Maddie, she had given him her orbitizer and taken the defunct one out of his hands.  

“Let’s see,” she aimed and fired again.  This time the core stayed dark.  It was like all of the defunct orbitizers they had seen.  

“Try to shoot it again,” Alan asked her.  She put her fingers on the padding and the blue glow was missing.  She looked at the orbitizer as if she had done something wrong.

Marcus walked up to Maddie and looked at the core, “This is the way we find them all of the time.  It must mean the core is expended and it won’t shoot anymore.”  Maddie was upset that the orbitizer was beyond its use.  

She turned to Alan, “I’ll take that back.”  

Alan turned his big body and moved the gun away from her reach, “I’ll hold on to it for the time being since you have been carrying it all this time.”  If she could actually use the things, there was no way that Alan was going to let her have one freely while he was around.  He survived the ordeal too and had no reason to trust her with it.  

“Do I look weak? I want it back,” she demanded the orbitizer with an outstretched hand.  

There was no way she was getting it back from Alan now.  Alan told her, “It’s a nice gesture but the correct response is to say ‘Thank you’ and we will continue on.”  

Maddie curled her lips in frustration but saw his point of view, “Fine,” she huffed and walked back along Mac and Barron’s side.

They reached the town line.  It was mid-afternoon and the sun had difficulty breaking through the clouds.  Marcus was concerned because there should have been someone looking about as a guard.  He scanned the high vantage points for any glimpse of life.  He didn’t have to worry about walking around because it was daylight and the “shoot on sight” rule was only active from dusk until dawn.  “Where the hell is everybody?” he wondered.  Alan wasn’t bothered by the absence of somebody on guard.  That was too low level for him to worry about.  He continued to walk through, looking straight into the city.

The city was lifeless as they continued to make their way to headquarters.  They walked past the medical center and it was the first time that Maddie had seen what had happened in the daylight.  The buildings were rundown and would have been condemned if it were before the Attack.  Every building had remnants of the Trolls’ orbitizers unleashed on them.  Every wall displayed some sort of pitting and periodically, she would be able to see through a hole that had breached a wall.  The pattern of destruction was plastered all over the shopping center.  As they walked past the hospital, she noticed that all of the benches in the park created their own pile of rubble.  Everywhere she looked was filled with reminders that the Trolls had attacked the town. 

“Halt,” a voice bellowed, “who goes there?” 

“Who in the hell do you think it is?” Alan was the first to respond.

The voice was silent.  The group kept walking toward headquarters and the voice called out again, “Commander, welcome back!”  Marcus searched for the source of the voice.  Whoever it was had been well hidden.  Ben had done a great job of placing the guards for the attack.  The group left the area where they thought the guard was setting up his post and they spotted headquarters.  They had finally made it.

Ben walked out of the door to greet them.  With a surprised look on his face, he asked, “What are you doing here?  What happened to the convoy?  You should have been there by now.”  Marcus told him about the ambush and that they were the only survivors. 

Ben listened to Marcus and replied, “Well, I’m glad that you are safe.  But what do you need?  We can’t spare anyone else and we are scattered throughout the city waiting for the attack.” 

Alan told him, “We need to start another convoy.  We still have stuff to deliver.” 

Mac changed the topic, “Alan, you said we were getting out to avoid the attack.  You never said anything about delivering anything.  If there was anything to deliver then we shouldn’t have to go with you, unless…” Mac turned his head toward Maddie. 

Quick to understand what was happening, she felt her cue, “Where are you delivering me to?” 

Alan stuttered at how brash Maddie’s question was, “Now, now, now I’ll tell you that…” 

Barron raised his hands to the sides of his head, grabbing his hair, “Supreme Command, Supreme Command, that’s where he was going to take you.  They collect and compile all things that are from the Trolls there.  That’s where the main research facility is conducted for defeating them.”  Alan glared at Mac.  He knew that Mac had told Barron and that wasn’t his secret to tell. 

Alan spoke with a low tone in his voice, “Mac, you son of a...”  Clearly displeased, he told Ben, “Get me an SUV and I will take Zeke, the soldier, and the girl.  Mac and his boy are going to stay here and do their duties for you.” 

Mac looked at Alan, “We’re not soldiers, we can’t fight.” 

Alan poked two fingers into Mac’s chest, “Mac, for all I care you can clean toilets or deliver water.  And as for the boy,” he turned to Barron pointing his two fingers at him, “and as for you… You have weaseled out of service long enough.  You are capable and you’re assigned to help Mac.  Mac is in the militia.  So you can strap on a gun and stand a post and help the militia.”  Barron just stood there.  He knew that if he tried to run, he would be shot for desertion.  Alan turned to Ben, “Employ these boys and get me my damn SUV so I can get out of here.” 

Ben stood tall and said “Yes sir.” 

Alan walked into headquarters with Zeke following.  He turned to Zeke, “Bring the girl in here and keep her in the planning area.  Make sure the SUV gets here and come and get me when it’s ready.”  Alan walked into his office and leaned the orbitizer onto his bookshelf.  He started to sit down and his door shut.  Zeke escorted Maddie inside and waited for the SUV to arrive.

Marcus went to Ben, “You can’t make these guys fight, I’ve seen them.  Plus, your perimeter doesn’t even defend the town.” 

Ben put up his hand to indicate a pause, “Smith, I mean Marcus. I’m doing the best I can with the people I have and don’t worry, Mac and the boy are leaving right behind you.”  Mac and Barron both heard Ben and moved closer to him.  Ben told them, “I’ll have another car delivered here and this is what I need you two to do.  You both go over there to the field and stay out of sight and out of mind.”  Ben turned to Marcus, “You need to go with the Commander and make sure that he doesn’t do anything stupid.”

Mac and Barron headed for the field where Ben had directed them to go.  The cornfield was covered with stalks ready for reaping.  The abundance of leaves and stalks provided the perfect camouflage for them when they entered.  They were instructed to wait until a second vehicle was prepared and a flash of the brake lights would be their cue.  The sun was setting and with the darkness approaching, that would be the only signal that they would be able to act upon.   They crouched in silence as they waited for the plan to come into action.

With the defenses all planned out, Ben fully focused his thoughts on the new convoy.  The new SUV parked in front of headquarters and the driver began to quickly load the vehicle.  A couple scavengers were still employed at headquarters and started to load bags of the leftover metal scraps into the back of the vehicle.  The scavengers made three hauls using a wheelbarrow with a flattened tire due to the weight.  They heaved the bags into the back.  The bags were shoddily thrown in and the scraps scattered about.  When the last bag was loaded, Zeke went to get Alan.  They would soon be on their way.

A second vehicle, a huge car built in the 1970’s, pulled up behind the SUV while the scavengers were loading it with the rest of the bunker’s remnants.   The old car stopped as the driver waited for instructions.   Marcus pulled Ben to the side, “You know that if they attack, you won’t be able to defend this place, right?”  

Ben was looking toward the ground as he listened. He slowly raised his head and looked Marcus straight in the eyes, “I knew this was a losing cause the moment the Commander decided to leave.”  Ben sighed and then continued, “…but these people have no place to go, no evacuation plan, no other alternative.  This is their only chance at survival and I need to do my part.”  

Marcus saw that Ben was determined to see his responsibility through, “Well, I guess that this is ‘it,’ isn’t it?”  

Ben shrugged his shoulders, “We’ll see what happens.  We have nothing left to lose.”

The combination of blue projectiles started as soon as darkness set in, before the convoy had been fully loaded.  In the direction of the cornfield, two figures began to run towards the vehicles.  Marcus and Ben took cover behind two barrels sitting side-by-side.  As they scanned the area in front of them, Zeke and Maddie exited headquarters and saw the flashes rapidly approaching.  Zeke let go of Maddie’s arm to head for the SUV.  Alan, his orbitizer in hand, walked out to see Zeke running toward the SUV and Maddie trying to sprint away from the Troll orbitizer fire and the SUV.  “Oh, no you don’t little girl,” Alan grabbed her with his fat hand and prevented her movement.  As much as she continued to run the other direction, she couldn’t escape Alan’s grasp and weight.  She was pulled backwards toward the SUV.

Barron, younger and faster, had made it to headquarters before Mac.  He was about to approach their vehicle when Marcus grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him behind the barrels.  Marcus waved his hand as he tried to stop Mac, but Mac spotted him as he came from behind the barrels.  He lifted up his arm to deflect the hand that approached him.  Marcus watched as Mac barreled toward the old car.  Mac shouted in a heavy breath, “This stops now…”  He continued to run, not for the old car, but straight for Alan.  His focus was so intent on freeing Maddie that he didn’t notice anything else around him.

Alan heard the wheezing and tumbling coming toward him.  He looked up to see the sound coming in his direction.  He spotted Mac.  In the same field of view, a mass of blue orbs was flying, highlighting Mac’s body.  Alan let go of Maddie’s arm to defend himself.  Her arm sprung up from the release.  But Mac wasn’t trying to tackle Alan. He collided with Maddie at the same time the blue orbs arrived.  His back began to disintegrate as one of the blue orbs hit him.  Maddie’s hand, suspended in the air from the tackle, was hit by another blue orb.  She watched her hand disappear in the blue glow.  Mac’s weight continued to throw her to the ground and she met with the earth.  Her head connected with a shovel that was left on the ground and she went motionless.

The salvo was over.  Alan got to his feet as quickly as he could.  He looked down and made sure that none of the blue orbs had hit him.  With no signs of injury, he bent over and grabbed the orbitizer with one hand.  Then he shifted to grab Maddie with the other.  She was bleeding from a wrist that was formerly attached to her hand.  He quickly made it to the SUV and screamed to the driver and Zeke, “Go, go, go!”  Alan threw Maddie in the back among the rubble and she lay there motionless, surrounded by scraps.