Apocalypsis Immortuos | Book 2 | Concurrence, page 41
part #2 of Apocalypsis Immortuos Series
John had one last surprise up his sleeve. Earlier that afternoon, he had led a small team to a nearby fire station during the day and found just what he was looking for: a set of maps. They had another more serious meeting later in the evening.
THE MEDIA ROOM WAS now officially their operational center. Somebody had dragged in a large desk, which now sat in the middle of the space. Most of the other furniture had been cleared, except for the television, the radio set-up and two large stacks of chairs.
They stood around this desk now, looking over the map that John had liberated. This one was a large map of southeastern United States. Jack had helped out by using his app again and transposing an “X” onto the paper map.
“We don’t know what we’re going to find there,” John started, “but we owe it to ourselves to go investigate. We owe it to Maddie, too.”
Everybody agreed, curious to find out what the “X” marked. It was decided there would be a single vehicle going on this mission. They didn’t want to send too many people and leave the Ren poorly defended.
John pulled the map off the table and folded it quickly, then placed another map on the surface. This one was equally large, but to a much closer scale. It was a map of their community. Everybody around the table spent a solid minute scanning the map, finding the Ren, the gates (there was a second gate leading out of the community) and various other interesting locations.
“I’ve been pouring over this map all afternoon. Here’s what I think we ought to do,” John said, before going into his rehearsed spiel.
Over the next few minutes, the team was to find out that John had audacious plans: He wanted to clear the entire community and improve their current security.
“There are roughly fifteen hundred houses inside the wall.” He ran his hand over the entire map as he spoke. “On top of that, there are three condominium complexes. Here, here, and here.” John pointed at the differently shaded areas of the map. “I’ve been trying to figure out how many people that translates into. My best guess is that somewhere between five and six thousand people used to live here.”
He let that number hit home. Six thousand zombies. Surrounding their frail island of not even thirty living souls.
“But it’s not all bad news,” he continued. “I know that we have cleared hundreds of them since arriving here. And I did overhear Matheson talking to his sergeant on the day that we arrived. They had spent the previous two days clearing out the dead. So, I imagine they took care of most of the roamers.”
John didn’t even have to explain what he meant by the term “roamer.” Everybody remembered how the government had continually insisted that people stay inside their houses during the pandemic. The roamers were the ones that got out.
“We might have thousands of zombies to deal with, but most of them are probably still stuck inside their houses.”
He surveyed his audience. Jack didn’t quite know what he was looking for, but it appeared to him the ex-soldier was measuring them up against this challenge.
“Urban combat is a bitch,” John continued with a knowing frown. “I wish Melissa were good to go. She would kick ass at this. Not that we can’t handle it ... I think that if we go street by street, with both vehicles, we can execute this operation safely and efficiently. Position the vehicles with a good line of sight, and leave a driver, a spotter, and a shooter.” He pointed to potential spots for the Humvees on the map. “Furthermore, each vehicle has a three-man team, for clearing houses. It will be tight in the Humvees, but I’ve jammed eight in there once, so I know it can be done.”
He smiled at some past memory.
“We move up the street, on both sides.” He traced a street with his finger to mimic the house-clearing progress.
They agreed to recruit people in the morning and practice a bit inside the school before heading out into the real world.
Another topic for the meeting was the wall.
“Look,” John said, “we know that the wall is not impenetrable. I think we need to set up an excursion to trace the wall around the entire perimeter of the community. Shore up any weak spots — or at least mark any areas of concern so that we can come back to, and bolster.”
Everybody agreed with that thought. There might be a thousand or more zombies inside their community, but there were hundreds of thousands of zombies outside the wall.
“Problem is,” Mike said, “we’ve only got the two Humvees, which I think you want to use for your house-clearing mission.” The veteran grimaced. “I think a mission like you’re suggesting would require another hardened vehicle.”
They mulled it over for a minute, before coming to the agreement that the community perimeter mission would use a Humvee. John’s house-clearing teams would take the other Humvee and the mini van, which would hold six more comfortably anyway. Mike agreed to trace the walls with BB, Abi, and one more volunteer.
They had a brief argument about which mission should take precedence. Joe was firmly in the camp of securing their community, while John wanted to discover Maddie’s marked location. Nobody lost their temper, which Joe duly noted as “possibly the first time.” That was good.
They held a vote and ultimately agreed on an alternative. The first mission would be to find out what the “X” marked. But John and his team would not leave for at least a couple of days, during which they could keep clearing any straggler zombies and maybe even head out for a few excursions through the neighborhood.
The meeting ended shortly after that. Everybody was excited about their tasks. Excited about the future.
Chapter 57
November 11, 10:00 A.M.
Nat hadn’t seen Jack around. Which was odd, as the young man was all over the place during the last couple of days. Always working on something. Always busy.
She wanted to find him. Alone, preferably.
They needed to talk.
Nat wasn’t sure where this was going. She was kind of new to relationships. Sure, she’d had a boyfriend in high school and a few flings in college. But nothing that made her feel this way.
Her rational mind told her that this wasn’t the time or place.
Don’t get involved. Don’t get hurt, it told her.
But she couldn’t resist the urge to seek him out. She had been sneaking looks at him at every opportunity. Those looks quickened her pulse, every time. That had to mean something.
So, she had to find him. Now. She had to talk to him. Suss out what his feelings were. Maybe they could find a way to take it slow.
Maybe he’s not into you. Do you really want to embarrass yourself again? Nat shook the thought out of her mind, but not before one more thought presented itself: It’s not the first time you’ve been rejected. Remember?
“Fuck,” she said under her breath as she ascended the wide school stairs. She thought nobody had overheard, but somebody had.
The second floor was all but abandoned. Everybody was busy doing chores or still having lunch. She walked up to the room that Jack shared with his mom and found the door closed. Nat bit her lip, not sure what to do.
Then she heard a noise coming from inside the room. Somebody was weeping.
Jack! Without a second thought, Nat opened the door.
He stood near the shuttered window, on the far side of the room. He turned and hurriedly tried to wipe the tears from his face.
She could tell that he was struggling. Nat closed the door behind her and stepped closer.
“Hey.” She waited until he looked up. “What’s wrong?”
Jack’s face screwed up in pain. He shook his head vigorously and looked down at his feet.
Nat took another step closer. She could reach out and touch Jack if she chose to. “Hey, Jack ... It’s OK ... You can talk to me if you want.”
Jack’s eyes had started to tear up. He wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt, his face still downcast. He was silent, stuck in his own thoughts.
“Sorry.” For a moment he looked embarrassed. “It’s ... everything.” He finally muttered. He looked at her again, fresh tears shimmering in his eyes. “I can’t sleep. They haunt me ... The zombies. I couldn’t see their faces when I shot them. But when I sleep, they are all I see.”
He thought about it for a moment.
“They won’t leave me alone,” he whispered, as if in confirmation to himself.
Nat nodded, but did not speak. She wanted to reach out to him but could tell that he had more to say.
“That’s not the worst ... At least, I don’t think that’s the worst.” His stare went far away for a moment. “My dad.”
Jack struggled to keep his emotions in check, lifting his fist to his mouth. The moment eventually passed, and he lowered his hand once more. He took a deep breath before continuing.
“I can’t believe he is gone. Just like that.” He snapped his finger, his expression turning angry. “And now he’s left Mom and me alone.” He shook his head slightly, as if confused. “I don’t know if I’m angry that he has abandoned us, or if I’m filled with rage at the ones that killed him!”
He met Nat’s eyes then, and his look of anger slowly faded to one of pain.
“I’m trying to keep it together for Mom. She needs me.” He started shaking his head ever so slightly. “But I don’t think I can ... I feel—” He met Nat’s eyes as he searched for the right words. “Fractured. Like I’m about to break.” There was fear in his eyes now.
He reached out then. His hand came to a stop, hovering halfway between them. Nat’s eyes never left Jack’s as she stepped forward, into his hand. Jack flinched slightly, as if shocked. He looked down at his hand. The back pressed into Nat’s belly. She could feel the heat of his skin emanating through her t-shirt.
Jack slid his hand to Nat’s side. Their eyes locked once more. Nat could see the need in his eyes. His other hand reached around to the small of her back and drew her to him, suddenly and frantically
Nat reached up, her hand finding the back of Jack’s head and pulling his face down to hers. They kissed. Hesitantly at first, then with ever more passion and urgency. Their bodies met as they pulled each other close. Nat felt the bulge in his pants even as she sensed her own body responding.
They fumbled with each other’s clothes, awkward and clumsy.
Neither of them cared.
A FIGURE STOOD JUST outside the door of the classroom. She listened intently to she muffled sounds of clothes being taken off and two bodies grasping and clutching each other in intimacy. She heard the sigh, and imagined Nat sliding down onto Jack. Then came the gasps and moans of pleasure.
A tear rolled down Christine’s cheek. She wiped it with the back of her hand and looked at the droplet as it glistened on her skin. Her expression changed from one of sadness and pain to one of determination and anger.
Rejection and scorn were not things that she was used to. Neither was the feeling of hurt and betrayal.
She turned and walked away, slamming a locker door as she walked by and smirking at the startled noises coming from the room.
Oh, you wait. I’m only just beginning, she thought as she descended the stairwell.
Chapter 58
Nancy
November 11, 2:15 P.M., The Ren
Nancy walked down the broad staircase towards the basement level. Noise came from the gym, and she had a peek inside. John, Jack, Ethan, and Keith were working out.
“Aren’t you guys getting enough action these days?” she asked incredulously.
The men grinned back at her.
“Come and do some reps,” Ethan responded in jest.
Nancy turned away with a laugh and a dismissive wave. She was looking for somebody else and had a fairly good idea where she’d find him. Nancy opened the heavy door to the furnace room and walked in. Sure enough, Ern was in there, somewhere. She could hear him tinkering with something behind the water heater.
“Honey, don’t you think you should take a break?” she asked her husband, knowing that he wouldn’t take her advice anyway. Asking the question was just going through the motions, after all these years together.
“I almost got it, Nance,” Ern replied.
Nance? That was weird.
“Ern?”
“Suh minuh,” Ern slowly moved around the water heater. He staggered, like he was drunk.
“Ern?” Nancy repeated. She took a step forward but stopped short when she saw Ern’s face.
One side of his face drooped like it was melting off his skull. Nancy could see the fear and panic in his other eye.
“ERN!”
A SCREAM SHATTERED the focus of the men working out. Keith was closest to the door and out of the gym before a second scream rang through the school. The screams came from the furnace room. Keith ran into it to find Nancy kneeling beside her husband.
“What happened?” Keith called as he joined her.
Nancy’s face showed pure fear. “I think he’s having a stroke!”
Keith stared down in shock at the slack-faced Ern. The old man met his eyes and tried to smile reassuringly. It only upset Keith more.
“S-okay. Juss ti-ahd,” Ern said, frowning as he heard his own voice.
The other men had arrived. John immediately knelt beside Ern.
“Go get Shelley and Joe!” John ordered.
Ethan and Jack ran out of the room. Keith had not moved, his eyes still locked on the old man.
Shelley came running in with Ethan at her heels a minute later. She ran straight to Ern and started talking to him. John moved over for her.
“Hi Ern, it’s Shelley. Can you say something for me, please?”
Ern mumbled something unintelligible in response. Shelley nodded, but kept smiling calmly at the stricken man. “OK, good. Can you try to lift your arm for me?”
Ern’s arm rose about a foot from the ground and started to drift down after wavering for a couple of seconds.
“Can you do that one more time? And try to hold your arm up for me, all right?”
His arm rose a few inches this time and started drifting down almost immediately. She tested him some more, asking him to repeat a couple of words for her. With one final reassuring smile, she got up and asked John to keep Ern company for a moment.
She pulled Nancy off to the side. Her smile was gone. “I don’t think this is a TIA. He’s having a stroke.”
Nancy shuddered at the news. “What do we do?”
Shelley had already turned. John knelt beside Ern, and Keith stood a step behind. “Don’t let him go to sleep!” she warned the men. “Keep talking to him and get him to engage you if possible.”
“Shit. Shit. Shit! We don’t have any Alteplase,” Shelley berated herself.
Nancy felt the needles of panic setting in. She watched as the young woman thought hard for a moment, frowning in concentration.
“Aspirin.” She turned to Ethan. “Ethan, run up to Christine and have her find any aspirin or any drug we have that contains acetylsalicylic acid.”
“Acetyl...” Ethan tried to remember the complicated word.
“She’ll know! That’s the main ingredient in aspirin. Otherwise, have her bring down any blood thinners we have. Like warfarin. Now, go!”
Ethan shot out of the room. Shelley turned back to Ern, stepping up to Keith, who was wringing his hands as he stood over the old man.
“We need to make him comfortable. Keith, go get a couple of blankets.”
Joe had arrived by the time Keith returned with blankets. The veterinarian knelt on one side of Ern while Shelley sat on the other. Nancy sat at Ern’s head and softly stroked the tufts of hair on the old man’s head. John had backed up to the furnace and looked extremely uncomfortable.
They lifted Ern onto a couple of blankets and covered him with another one. Keith watched as Shelley talked to Ern the whole time, maintaining a soft, calm voice. Joe was squeezing his muscles, looking into his eyes, and moving around Ern rather frantically from Keith’s perspective.
“Don’t move his limbs,” Shelley reproached Joe. “It might loosen more clots and make things worse.”
Joe took the reprimand in stride and put Ern’s arm down carefully.
Keith stepped back and stood beside John. The two exchanged a worried glance.
Christine arrived a minute later with some medicine. “This is the best I could find!”
The young woman was clearly distraught as she dropped several pill bottles next to Shelley. The nurse quickly scanned and discarded several bottles until she found something appropriate. She opened the bottle with a well-practiced twist of the wrist and dumped several pills into her hand.
“Water bottle,” she requested. Ethan once again sprinted out of the room. “Can we get him to dry-swallow these?” she asked Joe as she held up the pills.
They tried one, but Ern was incapable of swallowing. Ethan had returned with a water bottle, and Shelley dug the pill out of Ern’s mouth. She quickly crushed several pills and poured the dust into the bottle, shaking it vigorously.
Carefully, she poured some into Ern’s mouth. Again, the old man could not swallow. Instead, he started to gag and choke.
“Damn it!” Shelley said in frustration as she turned Ern’s head and let the liquid pour out. It was the first moment Keith saw a crack in the nurse’s calm exterior. He took a step forward and asked if he could do anything else.
“First aid kit.” Shelley’s eyes were wide with fear. “I think I saw a defibrillator in the front office. Bring that too.”
Keith noticed Nancy gasp in dismay at hearing Shelley say “defibrillator,” but the nurse didn’t have the time to reassure the old lady.
Ern was clearly not doing well by the time Keith returned. The man’s skin had gone gray, and both Joe and Shelley were becoming frantic. The pills and water bottle lay off to the side, useless and forgotten.
A crowd of people had gathered outside of the maintenance room. The murmur of concern felt tangible to Keith.
