The Big Ten: The First Ten Books of the Beginnings Series Read online

  “In the heart.”

  Joe rubbed his head and turned to Henry. “New York will be impossible to get into.” Joe pressed the button. “Andrea, do you need help getting out of New York?”

  “Yes, I have two small children I found. One is a baby, the other a boy, but the problem is rats, big, small, everywhere, the city is overrun.”

  Henry snapped his finger. “CO2, the cold will scatter them. Tell her to get a fire extinguisher and make her way out of the city to the Memorial Bridge. You can get them at the bridge.”

  “Andrea.” Joe called. “How far are you from the Memorial Bridge?”

  “Not very.”

  “Listen, I need you to get fire extinguishers, the cold will scatter the rats.”

  “Will it really work?”

  “Yes, Andrea, then I’ll pick you up on the bridge. It’ll take me a couple hours, I’m in Connecticut. I’ll be there.”

  “Promise.”

  “I’ll be there. I promise. See you in a few.” Joe laid down the microphone and stood up. “Good job, Johnny, you keep monitoring like you were.” He grabbed his bag from the table and took out his gun, checked the chamber and placed it in his shoulder harness. “Henry, can you guys handle things here while I … um, scratch that. Have William handle things here.”

  “Sure, no problem. I don’t do well in authority.” Henry said.

  Joe chuckled. “I’ll be back shortly” He kissed Johnny on the head. “Be good, if you hear anyone else, get Hen … Miguel, and then you guys can reach me on Channel 19, in my car, all right?” Joe walked to the kitchen door.

  Ellen grabbed his arm. “Joe, wait.”

  “What is it, Ellen?”

  “Please be careful, please?”

  Joe placed his hand on her cheek and kissed the other. “Hey, Ellen, it’s me. You aren’t getting rid of me that easy.” With a wink and a smile, Joe ran out.

  June 2nd - 9:00 a.m.

  New York City, New York

  Andrea held the baby bottle in Katie’s mouth as she watched Denny pretend to hose down rats with his fire extinguisher. “Now, Denny, you remember what I told you, right?”

  “Yes, ma’am, and this ain’t even too heavy for me either.”

  “I watch your back, you watch mine. Right?”

  “Right.”

  Andrea placed the bottle back in her pack and adjusted little Katie on her chest. “I think we’ll be able to drive most of the way. We’ll probably have to foot it about ten blocks or so.”

  “How long till that man said he’d get here?”

  “I don’t know. Not long I guess.” She examined her extinguisher. “Or rather … I hope, because I don’t know how long these will last.” She led them to the glass doors of the precinct and looked out. “It looks clear to the car. Ready?”

  Denny nodded, aimed and ready as if he were a member of a SWAT team.

  “Let’s go!” Andrea opened the door.

  The passenger side of the car awaited them. Andrea bolted for it and flung the door open. She quickly slid across seat. With Katie held close to her chest, she waved out. “Denny come on!” She called from the car.

  Denny stepped down the precinct steps. He held the hose of the extinguisher extended in front of him.

  “Denny, now!” Andrea grew angry.

  Denny snarled as he moved back and forth on the sidewalk. “Wait, I have to see if this works.”

  “This is no time for games, boy. Get your little ass in this car!”

  A huge grin fell upon Denny’s face, as what looked like a moving fur rug neared him. “Here they come, Andrea, start the car.”

  Andrea turned the car over. “I don’t believe this. Dennis, this is no time to play Ghostbusters with rats.”

  “Ah ha!” Denny backed up until his rear end hit the passenger’s door. As the conglomerate of rats reached within two feet of him, Denny pressed the release button. WOOSH! A blast of cold white air shot at them, sending the pack fleeing back. All but one rat remained. “Yes!” Denny raised one fist in the air as the rat rolled on its back. Its tail whacked up and down on the sidewalk, and the little legs waved frantically as it spun around and around. Denny jumped in the car. “Did you see that, Andrea? Did you see that? I saved us!” Denny closed his door.

  “Don’t you ever, ever do that to me again!” Andrea pulled the car out and began to drive. “You scared me.”

  “No, no, I was cool. It’s cool.”

  With a ‘hmm’, Andrea began to drive.

  They made it within six blocks of the Memorial Bridge. Andrea pulled her car to the edge of traffic. “This must be where people were trying to get out.”

  “I heard on the news they were shooting people. They won’t shoot us, will they, Andrea?”

  “No, honey.” Andrea looked out the window; something was wrong. It was too quiet, no enormous sound of squeaking rodents scurrying. “Stay here.” Andrea grabbed her extinguisher and stepped from her car, her foot landing on a soft squishy surface. She looked down; she had stepped on a dead rat. Shuddering with disgust she closed the door behind her and aimed her extinguisher.

  All around on the ground were rats, but these were all dead. She slowly crept to the station wagon in front of her while trying to breathe only through her mouth so as not to smell the air. She could see as she approached the wagon four heads tilted back. Not wanting to look but having to, Andrea aimed and turned quickly to the driver’s door and screamed as she looked in.

  The station wagon held a family all of which had died waiting, Andrea supposed, to get out, to get help. But the sight of the virus-stricken family was not what shocked her. It was the sight of their half-eaten bodies. Their laps contained the carnage of their post-mortem destroyers—the rats. The rodents had obviously crawled through the open window.

  Andrea covered her mouth and turned. She peered at the rat that lay dead at her feet on its side, eyes wide open. Its toothy mouth which kissed the concrete was encircled by a pinkish substance.

  “Vomit,” Andrea thought out loud. “Good for you, you bastard.” She kicked the dead rat as if it were a stone, hurtling it into the air. Then it dawned on her, the rats had died of the virus too. But they did not catch it from the air; they caught it most deservingly from the food. “Rats aren’t immune.” She whispered in discovery then smiled. “Rats aren’t immune.”

  Walking back to the car, she retrieved Denny and Katie.

  “Gross!” Denny curled his lip as he peeked into the station wagon.

  “Don’t look. Please.”

  “Yeah, but I want to.”

  “You’re gonna have nightmares.” Andrea used her foot to remove the rats so as to make a clear path for Denny.

  “No, I won’t. I play video games scarier than this.”

  Andrea glanced at the boy then continued leading the way.

  As they walked, every car and every passenger inside looked the same. There were even a few vehicles that were empty. Perhaps their inhabitants gave up the wait and went elsewhere.

  Rats, garbage, rubbish and blood lined the streets. Dried vomit coated the sides of every car.

  Finally, after much walking they neared the bridge. At the end of the long line of traffic laid a barrage of Army vehicles barricading the entrance to the bridge.

  Andrea stopped.

  “What’s wrong, Andrea?”

  “I just want to make sure there’s no military left.”

  “Will they shoot us?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  Waiting a few moments before continuing, Andrea made sure she saw no visible signs of life. She called out a few times, her voice echoing through the deadness of the air. After no response she moved on.

  She walked at a snail’s pace all along keeping Denny behind her. As she reached the end of the traffic she turned horrified, stopping Denny from seeing anything. “Oh, God, Denny. You’re gonna have to keep your eyes closed for the rest of the walk. Just until I get us beyond the Army trucks, ok?”

  �
��Oh, all right.” Denny responded wearily.

  “Thank you. Give me your hand and close your eyes. It’s not very far.”

  Denny did as instructed as they moved. If she, too, could have closed her eyes she would have. Bloody and bullet-ridden bodies lined the road in front of the trucks already maxed to capacity with bodies. The soldiers who had diligently held their posts now lay dead amongst their victims.

  Andrea exhaled when they made it to the other side of the Army barricade. She looked down at Katie who continued to sleep through everything. “Denny, it’s all right now. You can open your eyes.”

  Denny opened them. “What now?”

  “We’ll walk up a little further,” Andrea said, peering out at the long empty bridge before her. “And we wait.”

  June 2nd - 10:55 a.m.

  Interstate 25 - One mile from the Ashtonville Exit

  “What is this?” Carl spoke soft as he slowed down the truck.

  “I don’t know.” Dean peered through the windshield.

  “Should we stop, Lieutenant?”

  “I told you to quit with the Lieutenant. And yeah, they may need help.”

  Carl slowed the truck down to a stop, halting the huge vehicle only a few feet from the four men that stood there blocking the road. “I don’t like the looks of this.”

  “They’re just worn out.” Dean commented looking at the filthiness of the men.

  “Still.” Carl grabbed his rifle and opened the truck door. “Stay here,” he told Dean then stepped out. “Gentlemen.” He pumped the chamber. “Is there a problem?” Carl’s shifted his eyes trying to keep all of them in view.

  One of them stepped forward. “We were stuck on the highway and everyone left. We found this house about a mile down that back road.” He pointed. “We have two people ill. Do you have supplies? You’re military.”

  “Yeah.” Carl nodded. “But we can’t stop. There’s a temporary aid station set up in Ashtonville. You can get the relief you need there.”

  The man stepped even closer to Carl. “Why can’t you just give us what we need and we won’t have to go to the aid station.”

  “Because we can’t.” Carl raised his eyebrows. “There’s some cars here on the road; take one, get your ill and drop them off.” Carl stepped back toward the truck door.

  “How about food?” The guy asked. “You got food?”

  “Nope.” Carl reached for the truck door and saw the man who had spoke twitch his head to two of the other men. The second Carl saw them was the second he raised his weapon at them. “Don’t think about it. Back away from the truck. Now.” He didn’t get a response and he moved his finger to the trigger of the rifle, tauntingly pressing and releasing it. “Now!” They stepped away from him and Carl, eyes never leaving the men, stepped up and into the truck. He closed the door.

  “What was that all about?” Dean asked.

  “Don’t worry about it.” Carl held on to the gear shift. “We’ll have to keep a close eye out for trouble when we get to Ashtonville though.”

  “Do you think they’ll go there?”

  “I doubt it. If they didn’t go a mile before, they aren’t going a mile now. And ...” Carl stared through the windshield at the men still in the road. “They won’t even get off the road. Do they think I won’t hit them?”

  “You wouldn’t. Would you?”

  Carl looked quickly at Dean, then with intimidation looked out the windshield, revved the engine of the truck and shifted the gear into drive. He hit the gas and the men dove out of the way in the nick of time.

  “Shit.” Dean peered into the side view mirror. “I don’t understand this. I mean, we’re all survivors in this mess. Why would people start trouble?”

  “For a scientist you are awfully naïve,” Carl told him. “Stress alone will break people. Cause them to go to extremes they normally wouldn’t.” He began to speak as if he read off a paper. “In the conquest to live, those who can’t hack it can turn ugly. It’s thought and believed the good will stick together and so will the bad. Post-apocalyptic world survival training film number M.C. I. T. F. B-27.”

  Dean nodded then jolted his eyes back to Carl when what was said finally seeped into his conscious. “Post-apocalyptic world survival training ...”

  “Film number M.C. I. T. F. B-27. Yes.”

  “They showed you a film on how to survive in a post-apocalyptic world?” Dean seemed shocked.

  “Yep,” Carl said as he drove.

  “How come I never saw that?”

  “Simple. You’re Army.” Carl gave a snide grin to Dean and shifted gears. “I’m a Marine.”

  June 2nd - 11:00 a.m.

  Interstate 80 - Bryan, Ohio

  Frank knew he was wearing down. He felt worse by the hour and the telltale sign of his weakness came in the form of his need to rest frequently. It was the second time since daybreak that he had to stop for a while and sleep. So many car batteries had died from people sitting with heat on in their cars while in traffic that Frank couldn’t find workable vehicle to even take him to the next bigger town.

  He pushed himself away from the side of a car and brought himself to a stand. It was time to check the cars that lined the sides of the road. He couldn’t even look at the ones inside the mass of traffic because getting them out into a clear spot wasn’t going to happen.

  Grabbing his gear, Frank moved on down the line, peeking in each car. If it didn’t look like the fan for the heater was on, Frank opened the door and tried it. His luck wasn’t with him. He began to think he was going to have to walk all the way to Connecticut until he spotted the green van. Sure that it was going to be another futile attempt, Frank peered in, saw the fan in the ‘off’ position, and opened the door. He had to turn his head from the smell that assaulted him. Holding back any gag or salivation that crept upon him, Frank reached in across the lap of the woman, grabbed the keys and turned the ignition. He grinned in excitement when it started. The grin left his face when he saw not only did he have to remove the dead body of the woman, but the bodies of three small children as well.

  June 2nd - 11:05 a.m.

  New York City, New York

  Andrea looked down at her watch again. She had everything gathered and ready to go. Katie was asleep on a blanket beside her while Denny stood by the railing looking at the river. “Dennis, don’t touch that railing. I won’t jump in after you.”

  “I’ll be careful.”

  How she started to miss Jake. Now that she had a moment just to sit, Andrea began to feel guilty. Did he realize that she was there at the end? She wished she could go back to all the times they should have sat together and talked, but both wandered their own ways. How very precious and short life is, and how very fast it can go.

  “Andrea, did you hear that?”

  “No, it was nothing, Denny.”

  “No, I heard something.” Denny faced the other end of the bridge. “There!”

  Andrea jumped to her feet as she saw the vehicle nearing. She picked up the baby and watched as it stopped. Joe emerged.

  Denny pointed. “There’s the guy.”

  Andrea smiled and breathed deeply when Joe walked toward them. With excitement she ran to him clutching tightly to Katie and she embraced Joe with her one free arm. “I am so glad to see you.”

  Joe returned the embrace. “I’m glad to see you guys, too.”

  “Sweet Jesus.” Andrea kissed him on the cheek. “I can’t tell you how glad I am. I’m Andrea, this here’s Katie, and this little guy,” she rubbed Denny’s head as he stood next to her. “This is Denny.”

  “Hi, Denny.” Joe extended his hand. “I’m Joe. Are you guys ready?”

  Andrea looked back. “More than you know. My things are over there. I’ll go get them. Here.” She handed him Katie. “Hold her.”

  Joe looked at little Katie. He cradled the baby tightly to his chest when memories of his own grandchildren came crashing to him.

  Andrea huffed back slightly out of breath. “I have eve
rything.” She paused when she noticed Joe holding the baby with his eyes closed. “Joe, are you all right?”

  Joe nodded and returned Katie. “Yep. Let’s go.”

  “Joe, where are we going?”

  “Ashtonville, Connecticut, there are some survivors there. Unless you want to go elsewhere?”

  Andrea walked with Joe and Denny. “No, Ashtonville sounds great. We’ll love it there.”

  “Good, we can use all the help we can get.”

  “I’m a nurse.”

  They arrived at the vehicle and Joe opened the door for her. “Even better.” After securing them in, he closed the door, got inside and without hesitating drove off.

  Andrea turned around in her seat as they took off. She looked back at New York City. As the city began to shrink from her view, Andrea closed her eyes, and quietly, in her mind, said goodbye. Though the only home she ever knew began to fade, the memories and the pain that left the city with her never would.

  June 2nd - 11:11 a.m.

  Ashtonville, Connecticut

  Carl and Dean lucked out.

  Having given the simple directions Joe wrote down to his father and not remembering what it was, Dean and Carl found Elks Drive with little problem. They made the first right off of Main hoping to just circle around. Before they hit it, four blocks ahead and to the left they could see the abundance of cars. They drove up and looked to their right. The new aid station could clearly be seen. It took up most of the street. They barely turned the corner and had to stop.

  “Christ.” Carl explained. “Didn’t we just leave this?”

  Dean only looked over to Carl as he tossed the truck in park. “It’s called a recurring nightmare.” He opened the truck door and hopped out.

  Carl did the same. “I’m gonna take it that house down there is the one. That’s where they’re centered.” Carl pointed to Ellen’s home about seven houses away.

  “I see Henry. Why don’t you start pulling the serum from the back and I’ll go get him.”