"Watch out for the dead ones," Baldy laughed as the door closed behind him.
Jer and Ryan sat in the back with Melissa and Carter, who'd curled up on her lap; Misty stayed in the driver's seat. Stopping at Ezra's truck, they gathered up their belongings and began to head north. Before his death, Ezra told his daughter of a little-known hunting road at the edge of town; it was Todd's hope that the military hadn't known about it. They were almost to their turnoff when a canvas military truck loomed over the rise.
Misty slowed down. "Didn't you say they threatened to disable your vehicle if they saw you again?" she asked Todd, pulling up beside the stopped truck.
"It doesn't look like there are any army personnel around right now." Ryan said, scanning the area. "Let me out and I'll see what's in the back." Misty stopped; Ryan got out.
Lifting his foot on the back bumper, he heaved himself up and poked his head through the canvas. After a long moment, Ryan pulled his head out of the back, jumping down and hurrying back to them. He climbed in and slammed the door. "Go," was all he said.
Todd turned around in his seat. "What was in there?" he asked Ryan, who was now ghostly white.
"I found the soldiers," Misty said, speeding up.
Todd turned back around, in time to see zombies in camouflage and helmets, stumbling out of the bush lining the road. "I'm sure as hell glad that we don't have to deal with those guys." He nodded at a nose-less zombie as it struggled up the ditch.
"What was in the truck, Ryan?" Melissa asked softly.
"It looks like they were going to put a bomb in the center of town," he replied in a faraway voice, "they were going to blow us all to kingdom come."
"Then I'm glad they got eaten," Misty said, grinning at Ryan in the rear-view mirror.
"Me too," said Todd, wishing the same fate on those they'd left in the library.
Volume 12: Finding Patient Zero
Two weeks after the first zombie sighting...
Andy stood in a large crowd of reporters in the courtyard of San Diego's City Administration Building. They'd gathered for a press conference, held by Senator Rickford, to assure the press that the situation in Texas was under control. He scanned the throng of reporters, but couldn't find his partner Trina; she'd been filming the press conference from somewhere off to his left. Spotting the senator and his entourage of security, Andy pushed his way through the crowd.
"Senator," Andy shouted, waving his arm. "Senator, I have several questions, regarding the cause of the riots in Texas."
I have many other questions, but that can wait until I have your attention.
"Senator!"
Pausing mid-stride, the senator turned and gave Andy a wary look. "I have nothing more to add. As I said in my statement, the riots continue to plague the state of Texas, and we're working as quickly as possible to clean up the contaminates."
The senator turned to leave, but Andy wasn't done. "Senator, I've received reports from a trusted source in the area that we're not dealing with a simple spill here. That something's infected the population and they're turning on one another." He pushed his recorder into the Senator's face. "I've seen footage of Synergy Pharmaceutical's head honcho; you know he committed suicide. I've also seen video of the experiments his company was working on. Do you have any comments regarding that?" When the Senator motioned for his security to move on, Andy decided to lay it all on the line. "Did you know that, in the company's labs, a dead woman broke free of her restraints and ate a man alive?"
I hope that gets his attention,
he thought, doggedly pursuing the senator.
Rickford stopped walking and snorted, "That's preposterous. I don't know where you found these videos, but they're obvious fabrications; the dead don't rise up - they don't eat the living. You've been watching too many movies." He turned away and continued towards the waiting limo.
Andy pressed on, following after him, "Why is it then, that the US government shut down all communications within the state? Why, if the story's so preposterous, were all flights in and out of Texas cancelled as of yesterday? Who made that decision?"
The senator gave Andy a disgusted look. "I have no further comment," he snapped.
Andy followed behind the senator's entourage, shouting questions he knew would never be answered. "Why has FEMA set up a camp in Oklahoma where the displaced residents of the state are being held, and why has the CDC been called in to investigate? Why did a plane, flying out from Dallas yesterday, crash into the Louisiana bush? Who's responsible for that?" A man wearing a dark suit and sunglasses stopped Andy from approaching the limo, as the senator climbed in. "What happens when the dead start attacking people in San Diego senator? Can we also expect to be cut-off from the rest of the country and abandoned? Left to fend for ourselves, while the politicians run and hide, ignoring the bigger issue?" The car began to move away from the curb; Andy shouted after it, "Will you answer my questions, once the dead come knocking on your door?" Agitated by the encounter, he stood on the curb, staring after the limo until it was lost in traffic.
"Did you really expect a straight answer?" a soft female voice spoke from behind him.
Turning, Andy saw Trina and gave her a small smile, shaking his head. "No, but I'd hoped he'd let something slip." He shoved his recorder into his pocket, jerking his head towards their car. "Let's get back to Paul's; he should be packed and ready to go."
Crossing state lines...
Everything on the drive to Texas seemed perfectly normal; that was, until they reached the small town of Valdo. The traffic on the interstate, just north of the town, slowed to a stop. Andy craned his neck to see what the holdup was all about; all he saw ahead of him was a line of halted cars. "We're so close to Texas, don't tell me we'll have to backtrack and find another route," he sighed, tired from being in the van for the past ten hours.
Trina turned in her seat, "There's army personnel up ahead; I'm not sure why they're stopping traffic though."
"Wasting taxpayer's money," Paul grumbled, "that's what they're doing." The van inched forward.
"Notice how light the traffic's been in the northbound lane?" Trina pointed out.
Andy thought back, remembering no more than a handful of cars in the past several minutes.
She's right.
"Yeah," Paul nodded, "I've been wondering about that since we got on the I-10."
"If they're stopping people at a checkpoint, what are we going to tell them when they ask why we're headed into Texas? We can't just say that we're headed to where this all started." Andy said, as his heartbeat quickened; he hadn't considered that the army would be stationed just outside the state lines. He'd hoped they could get in and, once finding the checkpoint, find another route.
"We're visiting friends in El Paso." Paul said, pulling forward with the traffic. "Andy, make sure all the equipment's covered and put Trina's camera away. Try to arrange the bags on the floor behind you; that way, if they open the sliding door, hopefully they'll just think its luggage."
Andy did as asked, saying, "If we're just visiting friends in El Paso and we've come all the way from the west coast, wouldn't it raise suspicion if the van appeared too tidy?"
"What if they've been told to flag certain things? If they see my high-tech camcorder sitting out, they may pull us over and do a more thorough search; our story won't hold up under scrutiny and I'd rather not take the chance." Flustered, Trina dug through her bag. "I'll do a quick search on my phone, and find a name and address to give them - just in case we're asked."
"Good thinking," Paul said, reaching over to the glove box. "Here's my press card; can you put it with yours in your purse?"
Andy dug his out of his bag as well. "Here's mine," he said handing it over.
Traffic began to move and the trio stayed quiet until they came to another stop. "Did you get out the map?" Paul asked, glancing at Andy in the rear-view mirror.
"Right here." He waved it in the air.
"Good. Check for another road where we can cross the border east of here; hopefully, we can find another way out of Anthony. Look," Paul said, pointing out the windshield, "there's a blockade closing off the entire highway. It looks like all traffic's either being turned around or routed into town."
"I told you we should have stuck to back roads," Andy grumbled, folding his arms over his chest. "I should have taken a nap."
They sat in silence for the next ten minutes as traffic crawled forward. When they reached the blockade, Paul rolled down his window. "Hello Sir," he nodded to the approaching soldier. "What's going on?"
The tired and worn-out looking soldier, didn't smile as he said, "I'll need your driver's licences."
Trina smiled brightly at the soldier, "May I ask why you need it?" she said, leaning over Paul, to hand him her licence.
He returned Trina's smile, holding up the scanning machine in his other hand. "I just need to scan your ID; and I need to know why you are headed into Texas. You know there's a lot of civil unrest in the state right now, due to the spills, and access to certain areas has been cordoned off. The whole state, east of Fort Stockton, is in total chaos and it isn't safe for a pretty girl like you to be wandering around." Trina blushed as the soldier swiped her ID and handed it back to her; he held out his hand for Paul and Andy's ID's.
"We're going to visit friends in El Paso," Trina said, taking the lead. "They're taking us to visit the state park." She cast a mock-worried look to her two companions, before focusing back on the soldier with wide eyes. "You don't think that we're going to run into trouble, do you? We've been looking forward to this trip all year. Our friends didn't mention anything when we spoke on the phone, two days ago."
The soldier handed Paul back the ID's after scanning them; Andy noticed he didn't bother to look at the screen to review his or Paul's info. The soldier gave Trina a brilliant smile. "Oh, you should be fine, Miss. The park is beautiful and there haven't been any issues reported in El Paso. I suggest booking a tour with the park; it's better with a guide."
"So are we cleared to leave then?" Paul pointed down the interstate, beyond the barricade.
The soldier nodded, scribbling something down on a piece of paper. "You'll have to get off the highway here though. Take Frontage Road until you come to Anthony Drive; follow that road, continuing down Main St until you reach Wildcat Drive." He tore the slip of paper from his clipboard. "Give this to the blockade on the other end of town and they'll let you back on the highway, after they've looked through your vehicle."
"Thank you." Trina said in a singsong voice, giving the soldier one last flirty grin.
Paul took the offered slip of paper, handing it to her. "Here, put this somewhere safe." He rolled up his window and pulled forward. "Andy, is there another road we can take? I want to stay off the highway from now on."
"I think so, but I'll have to check the map of Texas to make sure," he replied, trailing his finger along the map.
"Get out my camera," Trina demanded. Andy looked up as they passed a newly erected sign, directing anyone seeking refuge from Texas, to a FEMA camp five miles west of town. "Andy!" Trina practically shouted, "Can I have my camcorder, please; there's another one coming up."
Thankful he'd only tucked it beneath his seat; Andy dug out the camera and handed it to her. "Now can I please find us another way into Texas?" They rode in silence; Paul driving while Trina filmed everything they passed. After turning onto Anthony Drive, Andy finally spoke. "Okay there's another way over the state line, off of Ohara Road, but first, I think we should pull over for a pit stop. We don't know what we'll find after crossing into Texas."
Out for a run...
The buzz of the alarm pulled Andy from sleep. After hitting snooze, he lay in bed, listening to Paul snore in the bed beside him.
Why did Trina get her own room while I have to share with Paul Bunyan?
"Paul," he croaked, sitting up, "it's time to get up."
After the checkpoint the previous afternoon, Andy took over, and they crossed the state line without hassle. After another three hours of driving, they decided to stop for the night, in the town of Van Horn. The hotel, when they arrived, was mostly vacant. The trio thought it was best that they set out in the early morning, so as not to arouse the local's suspicions.
The phone rang and Paul groaned, rolling over in his bed. Andy let it ring two more times before picking it up - not to make the caller wait, but to annoy Paul awake. "Hello?" he said into the receiver.
"Andy," Trina was breathless, "You have to come see this; I'm down in the lobby." She hung up the phone without saying more.
"Paul," Andy shouted, climbing out of bed.
With a snort, Paul's eyes flew open, "What?" he groaned.
Hastily pulling on his clothes, Andy said, "I'm going to see Trina in the lobby; get dressed and meet us down there. After a quick breakfast, we're leaving."
Andy found Trina in the lobby, flushed with excitement and a twinkle in her eyes. "You have to watch this," she handed him her phone and pressed a button. "It's too bad that's all I had; with the HD cam it would have been a lot better." The phone's display flickered; a road; a treetop; the palm of a hand; flashes of coherent images, but nothing out of the ordinary. "Sorry," Trina ducked her head in embarrassment, "I was on my way back from my run. It took a few seconds for me to check that I was using the right setting on the phone."
The footage stilled, revealing an overpass on the road ahead. A line of Humvee's and canvas-covered trucks rumbled over the bridge; a lone truck sat, idling on the ramp. The camera zoomed in. Two men stood at the hood of the truck, looking at something on its surface. Trina's voice, almost too low to hear said, "I think it's a map." The camera zoomed in further, giving little-more detail. "Stupid piece of crap," she hissed, creeping across the street and up under the bridge.
Now the camera was close enough to see the men's faces and zoom in on the map, although, none of the detail could be made out. One of the soldiers stood talking into his radio; his words muffled. Trina spoke in a low tone, "Just in case my mic isn't picking this up; the guy talking into the radio is saying that if they don't get them in Fort Stockton, Van Horn's their last option. Apparently, the citizens in this cozy little town are ready for the evacuation order, and everything should go smoothly. Now, he's talking about the charges they've set but he doesn't think it will be sufficient to stop them."
"He goes on to say something about how they should be looking for a backup location for the refugee camp. That if they can't stop it in Fort Stockton, they won't be able to stop it here either. They'll lose El Paso two days later and the refugee camp outside of Anthony after that." Trina giggled, "Oh shit, I think his superior officer just dressed him down. I heard 'none', 'business' and 'task at hand'. It looks like the guy with him is trying not to laugh." She laughed aloud, before slapping her free hand over her mouth. Thankfully, another group of trucks rumbled overhead, drowning her out. Folding the map, the soldiers climbed back into the truck and drove back onto the interstate. The footage ended.