A New World: Return (34 page)

A yellow sticky note is appended to the top of this report.
 
Hand written on the note is “Humanity went out, not with a whimper, but a bang.
 
God help us all!”

….Test results indicate that the genetic mutations caused by the Bauer vaccine are not transmutable by blood, feces, or any other fluid contact….the immunity exhibited in approximately 1% of the population may be familial, however, further testing is needed to establish…

What the hell
!
 
I think reading this.
 
What happened to the soldier at the BX that was bitten?
 
My guess is that it must have been an anomaly of some kind.
 
Perhaps his ‘immunity’ was only a partial one or that the process took a longer time in him and that the bite or trauma kicked it into high gear.
 
Maybe he could have been just a carrier like some can be with Hepatitis.
 
I guess there can be lots of explanations that I cannot even think of.
 
Reading this does give me a sense of relief in that those of us left alive will not turn into a night runner merely by being bitten.
 
I really did not know how to handle that one if it was the case.
 
This one sentence alone was worth the risk.

….The long-term ramifications of such a death toll cannot be fathomed even if governmental institutions survive.
 
Removing the deceased will require more resources than what will be available not accounting for the drastic decrease if not complete fall of institutional services.
 
This will lead to a wide-spread and unchecked rate of infectious diseases arising from the deceased.
 
Keep in mind that, in the aftermath, there will be close to five billion dead worldwide; the diseases of cholera, plague, and typhoid will be prevalent in high density areas.
 
These diseases will also be present in other populated areas but weather, local topology, and size of the population will dictate how prevalent the diseases will be and to what extent their timeline will be.
 
The services…..

We will definitely have to put a priority on removing the bodies.
 
I have thought about this a lot but our highest priority will have to remain building and fortifying our sanctuary and supplies.
 
The fact about having resources to move such a quantity of bodies is so true.
 
But we will have to get rid of them in our local area and soon.
 
We are lucky we still have the summer months which will allow us longer periods of daylight.
 
We will have to watch our travels into any populated area and stay out of buildings that have a large number of dead within.
 
That means hospitals for sure from what I have seen so far.
 
We may have to set up a detail to burn down the neighborhood tracts in our area rather than try removing bodies one at a time.
 
We just will not ever finish in that fashion.

I flip through other reports and find that they have ‘obtained’ fourteen test subjects.
 
Wow!
 
I think.
 
They had fourteen of these things down there
.
 
I do not think I will find too much given the little time they had before the world came crashing down but am still hopeful of finding, or at least verifying, some facts about the night runners.

I turn to an autopsy report. The top of the report is mainly blank.
 
It says that they are looking at test subject number seven who is a female and approximately 26 years of age.
 
The race type merely says “unknown.”

EXTERNAL EXAMINATION:

The autopsy is begun at 8:30 A.M.
 
The body is presented in a black body bag.
 
Test subject 7 is wearing a white sleeveless turtleneck shirt and navy blue sweatpants.
 
Jewelry included two smooth-textured silver hoop pierced earrings, 1-inch diameter, one in each ear, and one 1-inch wide silver expandable wristband on left wrist.

The body is that of a normally developed white female measuring 67 inches and weighing 118 pounds, and appearing generally consistent with an approximated age of twenty-six years.
 
The body is cold and unembalmed.
 
Lividity is fixed in the distal portions of the limbs. The eyes are open. The irises are brown and corneas are cloudy.
 
Petechial hemorrhaging is present in the conjuctival surfaces of the eyes.
 
The pupils measure 0.3 cm.
 
The hair is dark blonde with lighter blonde highlights, wavy, layered and approximately 11 inches in length at the longest point.

Following removal of the clothing, the entirety of the epidermis is a light gray with darker gray blotches spread haphazardly throughout.
 
The darker gray areas are not consistent with any subdural hemorrhaging and appear to be part of the pigmentation of the epidermis.

The genitalia are that of an adult female and there is no evidence of injury.
 
Pubic hair is present. Limbs are equal, symmetrically developed and show no evidence of injury.
 
The fingernails are medium length and fingernail beds are blue.
 
The padding on the soles of the feet are thickened but not associated with the formation of callouses.
 
There are no residual scars, markings or tattoos.

INTERNAL EXAMINATION:

HEAD--CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM: The brain weighs 1,303 grams and within normal limits.

SKELETAL SYSTEM: The skeletal system shows no abnormalities.

RESPIRATORY SYSTEM--THROAT STRUCTURES—NASAL STRUCTURES:
 
The oral cavity shows no lesions.
 
Petechial hemorrhaging is present in the mucosa of the lips and the interior of the mouth.
 
Otherwise, the mucosa is intact and there are no injuries to the lips, teeth or gums.

There is no obstruction of the airway.
 
The mucosa of the epiglottis, glottis, piriform sinuses, trachea and major bronchi are anatomic.
 
No injuries are seen and there are no mucosal lesions.

The lungs weigh: right, 426 grams; left 434 grams.
 
The lungs are unremarkable with the exception that they are 20% above normal size
.

Nasal structure is intact.
 
Tissues samples indicate a dramatic increase in
olfactory epithelium of 90cm2.

OCULAR SYSTEM:
 
The ocular structure is normal.
 
Exception:
 
An increase in the number of rods noted in the peripheral of the retinal with a subsequent decrease in the number of cones
.

AUDITORY SYSTEM:
 
The auditory structure is abnormal.
 
The auditory canal is enlarged with a larger number of cochlea hair cells present.

CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM: The heart weighs 297 grams,
which is approximately 20% above normal size
.
 
It has a normal configuration.
 
No evidence of atherosclerosis is present.

MUSCULAR SYSTEM:
 
The muscular system has a normal configuration.
 
Tendons and ligaments have increased thickness.
 
Study of the muscles tissue indicates an increase in quick twitch muscles.

GASTROINTESTINAL SYSTEM:
 
The mucosa and wall of the esophagus are intact and gray-pink, without lesions or injuries.
 
The gastric mucosa is intact and pink without injury.
 
Approximately 125 ml of partially digested semisolid food is found in the stomach.
 
The mucosa of the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, colon and rectum are intact.

URINARY SYSTEM:
 
The kidneys weigh: left, 115 grams; right, 113 grams.
 
The kidneys are anatomic in size, shape and location and are without lesions.

FEMALE GENITAL SYSTEM: The structures are within normal limits.
 
Examination of the pelvic area indicates the victim had not given birth and was not pregnant at the time of death.
 
There is no evidence of recent sexual activity.
 
Vaginal fluid samples are removed for analysis.

TOXICOLOGY: Sample of right pleural blood and bile are submitted for toxicologic analysis.
 
Stomach contents are saved.

SEROLOGY: A sample of right pleural blood is submitted in the EDTA tube.
 
Routine toxicologic studies were ordered.

LABORATORY DATA

Cerebrospinal fluid culture and sensitivity:

Gram stain: Unremarkable Culture: No growth after 72 hours

Cerebrospinal fluid bacterial antigens:

Hemophilus influenza B: Negative

Streptococcus pneumoniae: Negative

N. Meningitidis: Negative

Neiserria meningitidis B/E. Coli K1: Negative

Drug Screen Results:

Urine screen {Immunoassay} was NEGATIVE.
 

Ethanol: 0 gm/dl, Blood (Heart)

Ethanol: 0 gm/dl, Vitreous

EVIDENCE COLLECTED:

1. One (1) white turtleneck sleeveless shirt, size Small.

2. One (1) pair navy blue sweatpants, size Small.

3. Two (2) silver hoop earrings.

4. One (1) silver bracelet.

5. Samples of Blood (type O+), Bile, and Tissue (heart, lung, brain, kidney, liver, spleen).

6. Fifteen (15) swabs from various body locations, to be tested for presence of hypochlorite.

7. Eleven (11) autopsy photographs.

8. One postmortem CT scan.

9. One postmortem MRI.

OPINION

The 20 percent increase in the heart and lungs indicate this test subject has an increased VO2 max capability.
 
Increases in the number of rods found in the ocular system indicate increased low light vision.
 
Changes with the aural system, primarily the number of cochlea hairs present indicate an increase in the auditory range and perhaps distance.
 
Dramatic increases within the olfactory sensors indicate sharp increases in odor detection.
 
This is a 900% increase from normal putting this test subject between the sensory levels of a human and canine.
 
Muscular system changes indicate a possibility of increased strength and speed.
 
Epidermis tissue samples sent for further testing will indicate the changes in pigmentation and the ramifications thereof.