Omega Pathogen: Mayhem (21 page)

Jim feels thrilled for Chris and Jeremy. His sons being reunited with their mother was something he never would have thought could happen. He doubts the boys would deny they had felt the same. He and Linda have remained friends. Linda and Arzu had become friends as well. Like his mother, sister, and brother, Linda is very dehydrated. Her face has always been lean and dimpled, but it is very much so now. Her normal short but fit frame seems frail and weakened.

Jim keeps watch on John, checking his lung sounds and vital signs. He’ll need to partially suture the exit wounds, leaving part of the injuries open for the infection that’s sure to come soon. Its signs are already there. He has intravenous antibiotics he’ll mix in the next IV drip.

Jim asks the others if they have injuries or are ill. Other than dehydration and mild malnutrition, they seem fine.

Jim enlists Arzu, Chris, and Jeremy to assist him in debridement and suturing John’s wounds. Using normal saline and Hibiclens, an antiseptic and antimicrobial soap, he irrigates and vigorously scrubs the wounds with a soft brush. He notes John reacting to the pain during the cleaning, a positive sign. Jim also probes the wounds for bullet and bone fragments and other foreign matter. He finds only dirt and small bits of vegetation. Jim places several sutures in the exit wounds, but doesn’t close them completely.

During all of the procedures, Jim talks to John, hopeful for a verbal response; although John remains unconscious; Jim hopes some of his words make it through to his brother.

Jim explains his actions and reasons for each procedure to Arzu, Chris, and Jeremy, elaborating that the more they all learn, the better. Finished with the wound care, Jim applies fresh dressings and bandages and rechecks lung sounds and vital signs.

Mixing vancomycin in a bag of normal saline for intravenous infusion, Jim swaps it out with the nearly empty Ringers IV bag. They cover John with blankets and exit the MRAP and wash up.

Later, Chris and Chelsea set up the portable shower they brought from her father’s camping store. Judith and Kathy are visibly happy to be able to take a shower, and Judith is invited to go first, followed by Kathy.

The conversation eventually turns back to how John was shot, Jim carefully steering it that way. He learns the responsible people visit the neighborhood every few days and rummage through homes. They’re careful to avoid those homes occupied with more than a few infected. They’ve been driving a dark red Ford F350, according to Kathy; she’s a self-taught and excellent auto mechanic.

The F350 had been stolen after the group, three men and a woman, killed the neighbor across the street that had owned it. Jim understands scavenging for food and water and other supplies. He loathes those that loot and steal from others.

Sensing his mother’s discomfort in discussing the traumatic event, Jim turns the conversation to discussing foraging for supplies. The amount of oxygen they have on hand will be used up by tomorrow morning. They’ll have to get more to aid in John’s recovery. Kathy suggests the veterinary clinic about five miles away. Agreeing, they decide to check there first and then try a clinic or one of the emergency centers.

Chapter 35

Present

The night doesn’t go by quickly. Throughout the night everyone is awakened by John’s moans. Their lack of sleep brings optimism, though.

It is a good sign for John. Between some of his moans of pain he’s able to respond correctly to some questions. Everyone takes turns by his side, even the youngsters Berk and Kayra trying to tend to him.

Jim is finally able to relieve much of John’s pain around dawn. Administering intravenous morphine after his blood pressure finally stabilizes closer to normal; Jim also administers the fourth 1000 mL bag of normal saline. Jim makes a mental note to search for Hetastarch or other volume-expanding IV fluids.

Once everyone has eaten breakfast and had some coffee, they start the trek to the veterinary clinic Kathy mentioned. Just the roughly sixteen hours Judith, Kathy, and Linda have been able to begin rehydrating and get a couple meals into them has made a vast improvement to the condition they’d been found in.

Departing the golf course and heading south on SR 24, the flat-black military surplus MRAP is an intimidating sight. It projects power with its sizable bulk and shape, and would give anyone inside a feeling of safety. This is why Luther Vance wants it.

Luther sits in the driver seat of his recently acquired dark red Ford F350 with three other occupants. He’s white and in his middle-fifties. He’s tall, very tall, at six feet and nine inches. Luther is also a heavy man, over four hundred pounds, and although he’s overweight, the way his bulk is distributed on his frame doesn’t make him seem so. He’s far from an athlete, but his size and above-normal strength have served him well during his time he’s spent in prison since his youth.

In the backseat, behind Luther, is Freddie Lutz. Freddie is white and of average height, but on the thin side. Freddie is full of nervous energy, constantly shifting his position, biting his nails, his eyes and head shifting all the time. Freddie is in his late forties but looks considerably older. Also in the back seat, on the driver side is Vanessa Lutz. Vanessa is Freddie’s wife, and although once a very beautiful and shapely woman with her mix of Columbian and African-American heritage, has now become rail thin. She’s missing several teeth and continuously grinds the ones she still has in her head.

In the front passenger seat, beside his older brother Luther, is Raymond. Like his older brother, he is tall. But at six feet four inches and around two hundred and seventy pounds he’s not as intimidating as Luther. Raymond, like the rest of their group, has spent time in and out of jail and prison. No one as much as Luther, though. They all also have an addiction in common. The tie that binds them is crystal meth, though they also enjoy any other organic or chemical concoction they can use to speed up and slow down.

Luther starts up the F350 in anticipation of following the MRAP. The Ford they are in has been modified by them to give it a little armor protection. They’ve welded some steel on the side windows, leaving spaces to still look out, and some bars on the windshield and rear window. Although it looks like something from a Mad Max movie, the haphazardly welded armor keeps the infected from getting to them if they’re out at night.

Waiting for the large armored vehicle to get just out of sight, Luther heads south at a crawling pace. He’s not sure what weapons the MRAP may have and doesn’t want to risk being spotted.

Jim searches the veterinary clinic accompanied by Chris and Jeremy. They find an E-size oxygen tank, some dressing and bandages, but not much else of use.

The oxygen tank normally holds around 680 liters at 2,200psi. The tank is low but it’ll be of use. Back in the MRAP after their search, they discuss the next search location. Jim suggest Shands Hospital across town, and is met with a look from everyone except Berk, Kayra, and John—who’s still unconscious—that shows they think he’s insane. The argument from everyone is that large buildings can hold large numbers of infected; especially hospitals that had everyone from the surrounding area converge on them at the onset of the SCAR virus.

Jim suggests they search law enforcement buildings for more armaments, specifically flash-bang or rubber pellet grenades used for riots. “Ideally the flash-bangs would be best; the infected dislike bright light even more than they are attracted to noise.” Jim says what most in the MRAP have already pieced together.

Arzu starts the MRAP moving again and heads in the directions indicated by Kathy in the passenger seat. Jim checks on John’s condition, and everyone’s mood turns even better when he’s able to respond correctly to some basic questions to determine level of consciousness. John’s speech is difficult to hear due to his weakness, but he does ask for something for the pain. Judith wets a sterile piece of dressing with some water and helps John moisten his dry mouth. After re-checking his vital signs and finding them still stable, Jim sends John into a morphine-induced sleep.

The first Gainesville Police Department substation they reach is a burned-out block husk. They continue downtown to the main office and find the building intact. Jim, Chris and Jeremy take to the roof of the MRAP and, while looking intently at the building, discuss how they’ll go about their search. Jeremy suggests driving around the building to its parking structure, noting that maybe they’ll get lucky and find things of use in some police vehicles, if any remain.

No one, not even Jeremy, can believe their luck when they find several police vehicles, including a large SWAT van located in the parking structure. For good reason, a search of the vehicles yields nothing of much use.

They do find some more CS gas grenades for crowd control, large quantities of the hand grenade type, as well as those used in the launcher they already have and more than enough gas masks for everyone now in their group.

They restart their planning for searching the large police department building. Although not as large as the Costco they entered back in Texas, this building has many more potential ambush and choke points, Jim makes sure to point out.

They decide that once they secure their entry, if they can, they’ll allow for some time to be spent on trying to find a building diagram. The obvious place to start should be with a reception or duty officer’s desk.

They check and re-check gear. They bring along gas masks and some of the teargas grenades they recently acquired. Comms are checked and signals agreed upon for situations where they can’t speak.

They make entry to the building from a door near the parking area. The lock-pick gun is used to circumvent the door's security. They quietly open the outward-swinging door and find a corpse lying prone near the door. The door is a self-closing type, and they look for something to use to prop it open. They entertain the idea of using the unfortunate dead police officer, but decide that none of them really want to have to move the corpse that’s obviously been on the floor since the outbreak began.

Chris leaves the doorway for the parking area and quickly returns with a large rock he grabbed from several lining a row of shrubs. As he places the rock in front of the door to keep it propped open, he gives his dad and younger brother an over exaggerated smile and then points to his head. Jim and Jeremy both extend a middle-fingered salute in return.

After briefly feigning heartbreak, Chris lines up in their formation. They all become serious.

Chapter 36

Present

As they enter the police department, Jim is in the lead, followed by Jeremy and then Chris last in line. Just past the corpse on the floor, the hallway extends like a rectangular tunnel. Each inch of the tunnel gets darker, going from grey to pitch black.

On the left side of the hall a doorframe is in partial view. Determination of it being open or closed can’t be made in the dim light. Just as Chris passes the deceased officer, he sees his dad lower the NVGs over his eyes. Jeremy and then Chris do the same.

Once close enough, they can see the door is open. The room beyond is open and has ten to twelve desks inside. The sign on the right side of the door says
Patrol
. The room appears like everyone could have just walked out seconds ago.

Jim continues inside the room in a crouch. Jeremy follows behind Jim and then stops just inside the room. Chris takes a knee in the hallway and looks down his muzzle to the end of the now green-hued corridor.

Jeremy stays in a crouched position as his father bends down and places the left side of his face on the floor. With his face on the cool tile, Jim looks under desks for signs of occupants of the room.

Seeing no infected, Jim rises and they exit the room. Jeremy pulls the door closed behind him as he walks out behind his father. Once Jim and Jeremy have crept by him, Chris rises and falls in behind them.

They continue down the hallway against the right side of the wall. On the other side of the wall on their right is the outside. All the rooms on the interior branch off from the hall they’re now in.

They come to two doors on the left, a male and a female restroom. The male restroom door is ajar, a mop bucket propped in front of the door that opens inward with the hinges on the left. Looking inside the restroom from the hall, Jim can see a wall extending from the left and at least two stalls on the right.

The protruding wall from the left is for privacy, blocking the urinals when the door is momentarily opened, but now prevents him from seeing the left side completely. Like the previous room, Jim lowers his face to the floor and puts his cheek on the tiled hall floor. He can see no signs of anything in the stalls.

Rising, he hand signals for Jeremy and Chris to wait and then he walks in a crouch, entering the restroom with the muzzle of his AR-15 leading the way. Not quite at the privacy wall and just inside the restroom past the door, Jim hears panting.

Pausing, and without turning away from the restroom, Jim cups his left ear with the same hand. He does this to signal to Jeremy and Chris that he hears something. He then signals for them to remain in place, making a fist with his left hand. Proceeding with even more caution, Jim approaches the wall. Standing back away from it, he begins taking small steps to his right, pie-ing the corner. Through the green light of the NVGs, Jim sees two human shapes. One is on hands and knees, its long hair hanging down and brushing the floor as the male infected squats behind her and thrusts his hips.