Omega Pathogen: Mayhem (2 page)

“Jeremy, grab something that you can eat while walking around the downstairs, keeping an eye out on the outside. Let me know if someone comes our way.”

“Honey, can you carry the containers of freeze-dried food upstairs into game room, and then pack some clothes and necessary things for you and the kids, and take the bags upstairs, too?”

“I’ll be helping Jeremy keep an eye out while I’m getting some more equipment together that we’ll need.”

Everyone set off to do his or her tasks. While rummaging through shelves, boxes, and cases in his closet, Jim realizes he hasn’t called his mom to see how she and his siblings are holding out in Florida. Getting her voicemail, he tries his younger sister’s cell number, and she answers.

“Oh, my God, I’m glad you’re okay. How are Arzu and the kids?” his sister asks. “We’re okay right now, but a couple of those infected people are in the neighborhood and a lot of Houston. How are you guys? Where are you?”

“We’re okay. Mom’s here, and so is the rest of the family. Everything seems fine around here for now, but it looks bad in the bigger cities.”

“I’m glad everyone is okay. I’m not sure how long we’ll have cell service, or electricity for that matter, but I’ll do my best to keep in touch. Tell everyone I love them. Bye.”

Pausing for a moment, and hoping his family in Florida remains safe, Jim then begins looking for items on his mental list, and also grabbing some that he comes across and thinks he may need.

As the day becomes evening, they all gather in the living room. The younger kids, Berk and Kayra, are present, so they leave the TV off, and are careful in selecting their words. “I’ve got a couple of things I added to my pack,” Jim starts off. “I only have two radios, but we’ve got enough batteries. I found my compass, and the magnesium fire starter, too.”

“Are we going somewhere?” Arzu asks.

“No. Not right now, anyway, but we need to make sure if we need to leave in a hurry, we have the ability to navigate without relying on major roadway highways; there could be big traffic jams.”

“Dad, I was able to get the ladder into the attic by myself,” Chris says.

“Good job, Chris. Good job, everyone. I think we need to do the same as last night with the sleeping arrangements. I’ll take the first watch. Jeremy, you’ll be second, and Chris, you’re last watch. Any questions, opinions, or observations?”

“Yeah, Jeremy says, in a low voice so his younger brother and sister playing with cars nearby won’t hear, “We’re going to be using the extension ladder Chris took up into the attic as a way to escape if things get really bad, right?”

“Yeah, that’s the plan,” Jim confirms.

“Well, I was thinking we should probably take an axe or something up there to knock out the vent if we need to get out that way, and maybe some rope, too.”

“Great idea, Jeremy. Would you mind grabbing the axe in the corner of the garage near the lawnmower? There should be some rope hanging on the wall near the extension cords.”

Jim takes the first watch as planned. Jeremy comes downstairs around 1:00 AM to take his turn at watch. Jim tells Jeremy that he’s seen a few people running around from house to house. Some of the people were chasing dogs and the occasional cat.

Jim makes his way upstairs, and lies down in the game room on a mattress taken from Kayra’s bed. Chris is lightly snoring nearby. Arzu, Berk, and Kayra are sleeping in the spare bedroom, so that Jim and his older sons’ movements throughout the night will be less likely to wake them.

Not bothering to take off any equipment, Jim lays his head on the pillow, and hopes he can at least catch a little sleep. Jim is startled awake, being shaken by Chris. He realizes the sun is up, and he slept through the night. “Dad, come on, get up! The bastards are all over the place outside.”

Jim bolts upright, and carefully looks out the second-story game room window. He’s got to be having a nightmare, because it looks like hundreds, maybe thousands, of people are trudging around the neighborhood and their home.

Strangely, with seemingly no emotion, Chris hears his dad say “Holy shit.” Jim steps away from the window, and turns to see his wife and his children staring at him questioningly.

Arzu looks out the blinds of the window and immediately backs up, her hand over her mouth. Recovering from the shock she asks, “What do you think?”

“I think we need more ammunition.”

Chapter 1

Siberia, USSR

In late summer of 1952, while in the process of exploring an area of Soviet Siberia for gold and other valuable natural resources, the results of a blast from explosives used in the excavation produced a find that, at that time, no one knew would adversely change the world decades later.

Ancient human and animal remains were the discovery. The geologists on the project examined the bodies and, although they were not experts in anthropology or zoology, they identified the remains as those of two humans and a large cat.

All of the remains were carefully packed and sent to Moscow for study.
Once there, anthropologists assembled for the study determined that the remains had been buried in the permafrost for approximately twenty to fifty thousand years. Because of the depth of burial, the bodies remained permanently frozen, which was the reason they were unusually well preserved.
The remains were determined to be those of two males, one approximately twenty to thirty years of age at death, the second approximately fifteen to twenty years of age at death. The large cat was determined to be a female Siberian tiger. Since photos taken of the site prior to removing the remains showed the humans and the tiger in very close proximity, it seemed apparent to all that the tiger had likely killed the ancient humans.

Of the three bodies, the tiger was best preserved. The scientists concluded that this was likely due to the thicker skin tissue and fur. Samples of the tiger's blood were easiest to recover and, to the pleasant surprise of the researchers, samples revealed an unknown virus. The team believed the bullet-shaped virus to be an ancestor or mutation of rabies. The only visible difference was that the virus cell they were able to extract had a tail in a
V
shape, with the two ends of the
V
ending in points.

The scientists were ecstatic, but surprised to find that, when the virus reanimated after being thawed slowly in modern dog brain tissue, it transformed from the unknown rabies virus into what they knew and recognized. They then injected the virus into a live dog. With accelerated speed, the virus made its way from the dog's extremities to its brain. The previously healthy animal transformed into the classic picture of furious rabies, foaming at the mouth and extremely aggressive. The animal eventually succumbed to the virus and died.

The scientists couldn’t understand why the rabies found in the Siberian tiger’s blood was some unknown virus and then mutated into what they knew. After many unsuccessful attempts experimenting with the tiger's blood being injected into the dogs, the scientists were finally able to retrieve the smallest of samples of the tiger's brain. They were shocked.

The scientists expected the tiger’s brain sample to reveal the new and unknown rabies virus. But the rabies virus in the brain sample from the tiger was not the same as the rabies virus found in its blood; it was the known rabies virus. The confusion remained; they were dealing with two different types of rabies.

The discovery of the human and tiger remains and the unknown virus attracted more attention from the government of the USSR. More specialists were assigned to assist in the research. Included were experts in virology and biological warfare. One of these scientists was a younger Dr.
Grigor
i
Kosktov.

However, months had passed since the human and tiger remains were discovered and sent to Moscow. The death of Joseph Stalin in March of 1953 caused uncertainty throughout the government, and the study was suspended, like many other projects, until determination could be made as to whether it was of benefit to the state.

The bodies and samples were put into deep freeze storage. What results the researchers did obtain were discussed occasionally among those involved, especially by Dr. Kosktov. He ached to be working with the unknown virus, to solve the mystery. He dreamed of it, and it preoccupied his thoughts every day.

The project was not given funding or attention until 1964, when Leonid Brezhnev came into power. During this time, advances were made in DNA and RNA research. One of the advances increased the ability to obtain samples of RNA from brain cells. The process had always been problematic because of lipids mixing with the sample.

Finally, after nearly thirteen years, Kosktov was able to immerse himself in nothing but work with the unknown rabies virus, not knowing that it would be another ten years until he would be able to find one of the complete unknown rabies virus cells hidden in the brain of one of the long-dead men found near the tiger, and revive it.

So many attempts were made, each with equal failure. None of the samples contained a viable or complete version of the unknown virus; they were either not able to be revived, or they were missing all or part of the
V
tail. The samples that were revived and had a portion of tail missing merely resulted in the known rabies virus in test subjects.

Then he knew. He knew he was right about what happened millennia ago. He had hypothesized that perhaps the tiger had not been infected when it seemed to have killed the men. Perhaps one or both of the men had attacked and infected the tiger, and then the virus mutated from the previously unknown rabies into the known virus inside the tiger.

The answer was not popular with his colleagues in Moscow; they couldn’t see two humans confronting an animal like the tiger, even in a rabies-induced fury. Rabies, as they knew it, did not affect people like that. Kosktov now was certain it had thousands of years ago, and now did so again.

He only wished he could speak to the entire science world about this discovery, telling everyone about the human rabies virus. His discovery might not be very interesting to the common man, but in virology he had no doubt that it would be one of the major discoveries of the ages; a previously unknown and ancient virus, perhaps the original rabies virus.

Perhaps rabies began in humans and was then spread to the other mammals. Because the government now ultimately controlled it, Kosktov knew the world would never know about the human rabies virus. He was enormously wrong in this supposition.

Chapter 2

Present

   Jim knows his loved ones are looking to him for guidance and leadership. He hopes he can give them enough to get through this mess, and protect them at the same time. He’s been part of teams serving warrants for people suspected of some of the worst crimes; he’s planned for, and been part of a team or the team leader for, numerous convoys through high-threat areas in Iraq.

These infected people are a far different situation than he’s faced before. Right now, he has only a slight grasp of the actual threat they face. That’s not good enough.

Instead of trained police officers, or security team members who are used to reacting and know what should be done with little or no communication, his family is depending on him, and they have no tactical training.

Jim is 46; he’s not a tall man at five-eight. He’s got more than average musculature, but is in nowhere near as good condition as in years past, Jim’s wife Arzu, is 40 years old. She’s an inch shorter than Jim, and is lean and fit.

Both Jim’s older sons are smart and capable young men. Chris, at 24 years of age, is the oldest. He’s a bit taller than his dad but has much the same stocky build. Jeremy is 21 years old, leaner and taller than his dad and his older brother. Both have blue eyes and light brown, almost dirty-blond hair. Berk is third oldest at seven years old. He’s a spitting image of his father and older brothers, except for his dark hazel-green eyes, which are from the combination of Jim’s blue, and Arzu’s deep brown eyes.

Kayra is five years old, and has dark brown hair like her mother. She is fearless. Before the world turned upside down, Kayra was already worrying her mother and father. Luckily, she’s not as accident-prone as her father was at a young age.

They currently make their home in Katy, Texas, a suburb of Houston. The city limit sign along Interstate 10 is the only visual cue that you’ve passed from Houston to Katy or vice-versa. Not too many years ago, it was easier to differentiate, but further urbanization and population spread has changed that. Jim knows they’re running out of time before they need to evacuate their home.

“All right guys, here’s the plan for now,” Jim begins. “Jeremy, you stay here with the radio at this window so you can keep an eye on the back of the house. Arzu, you stay upstairs with Berk and Kayra, take them into the spare bedroom, and try to keep them from fighting with each other.

“Chris, you take the second radio and stay upstairs to keep an eye on the front of the house.” Jim continues explaining his current plan. “Chris and Jeremy, make sure you keep the volume down, clip the radios onto your shirt necklines so that they’re closer to your ears and won’t need to be turned up as loud.”

“Where are you going?” Arzu asks.