Carlie Simmons (Book 5): One Final Mission (15 page)
Epilogue
The device that was extricated from Japan
turned a new chapter on human longevity over the coming months. The success of
the vaccine was proven time and again in combat from the bite victims who
survived and lived to kill one more day. There was cause for great celebration like
never before but the supply runs and the missions to rescue other survivors reminded
people that the battle was far from over.
As autumn rolled into winter and the cold
ocean winds swept over Fort Lewis, Pavel and his tireless researchers continued
making the vaccine while Duncan distributed it to communities abroad through
the use of the
Olympia
. Some countries sent sailing vessels to the
Pacific Northwest to obtain their supply while others from around the U.S.
arrived in convoys of armored vehicles, on horseback, or on foot over the next
six months. A few refused to believe there was a cure and remained in their
mountain strongholds, clinging to their ideologies.
Life never returned to any semblance of
“normal.” The landscape still held plenty of zombies but with each passing
month of their physical degradation, their abilities to pursue humans were
diminished, except in colder regions like Canada, Alaska, Russia, and parts of
northern China.
Carlie was one person who was determined
to push on towards a new vision of the future. There was a sense of hope like
never before that humans would one day freely walk the earth again, unfettered
by constant dread or grisly surprises. She resolved that on August 25 of the
coming year she and Shane would be somewhere else other than watching the
sunset atop A-Wing. She said to Shane one day, “What now—what will happen when
the gates of Fort Lewis are open for good and we can go wherever we choose?”
“Maybe we should return to Arizona—there’s
little rain to worry about there,” he said.
“Mmm…I’ll pass. I thought of going there
too but the forest and mountains have really attached themselves to my soul.”
Shane just nodded and smiled. “Being close
to the ocean sounds good to me. Maybe we’ll find a home of our own in the
Redwoods someday.”
***
Over the coming months, Jared channeled
his attention into his duties, becoming more studious in the fighting arts and
focusing his efforts on training new recruits. Carlie would sometimes see Jared
with tears in his eyes during mealtimes. She knew better than to ask and
quietly gave him the space to grieve.
Duncan still concentrated upon the eternal
quest for food and the means to nourish all of his people. There were no permanent
solutions or happy endings. Some weeks were better than others and rationing
had to be periodically implemented. His goal was to push his support units into
the lush valleys around Yakima in the spring. There they would be able to start
planting crops on a larger scale in that productive soil. In the meantime, his
main forces would remain centered around Fort Lewis and focus on fishing and their
small agricultural operations.
Eliza and Matias often sought out each
other’s company. Not in any romantic fashion but as an uncle to a niece. They
often went on the same fishing boat security details or the guard duty
rotations at the Grand Coulee Dam, each feeling safe in the comfort of their
friendship after having lost so much in their lives.
When Shiro wasn’t with Nora and Tyler, he
accompanied Shane and Carlie on security details around the state or provided
swordsmanship training to his fellow team members. Eventually he erected a
handmade shrine of Ameratsu, the Sun Goddess, on the roof of B-Wing, facing the
west. And as time went by he dreamed of his childhood while the voices of the wrathful
spirits calling his name faded into the wind.
Shane had become something of a cult hero
amongst the younger generation of fighters at Fort Lewis and, though, he wasn’t
very comfortable with such status, he accepted it and began refining the
training protocols for the next group of elite operators. Though there were
stories on the airwaves about a daring raid by an allied team of SEAL and
Samurai commandos that had brought about the end of the virus, another rumor was
spread that the shadow governments of Russia and the U.S. had finally emerged
from their subterranean bunkers and released a vaccine into the atmosphere to
initiate the final phase of their new world order.
Carlie could live with the stories and
every day she counted her blessings, looking forward to the time when the
undead menace was only present in the history books and the land was free of
the scourge that had shorn the fabric of the world. On that day, she would head
south into California and see what had become of her long-lost brother. Until
then, she would continue to train, love, and rest easier knowing the tide had finally
turned.
Thank you for your
interest in this series. Stay tuned for future releases in the post-apocalyptic
and sci-fi genres. If you would like to receive updates or want information on
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Post-Apocalyptic Fiction by JT Sawyer
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About the Author
JT Sawyer is the pen name for Tony Nester.
Tony is a fulltime survival instructor and the author of numerous non-fiction
books and DVDs on survival. His training school is the primary provider for the
Military Special Operations community and he has served as a consultant for the
NTSB, FAA, Travel Channel, New York Times, Outside Magazine, and the film
Into
the Wild.
For more information on survival gear, fieldcourses, or books,
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