Station Hope (Book 1): Humanities Last Stand (8 page)

Just then James ran over and informed us that everyone was ready to head out. David suddenly stopped pacing, he had made a decision. He stood up straight and walked directly to me. I braced myself for the possibility of a punch.

David took a deep breath, looked me straight in the eyes and said, “Alright Billy, I'll go with you. What do I have to loose anymore.”

9

I stood in front of the ER, with my team next to me, as the convoy of trucks headed north. I was proud of them and I knew the people back at Station Hope would be grateful for the supplies. A feeling of accomplishment along with loneliness overcame me as the last truck crested the hill and disappeared out of sight. We were alone out here with no chance of help. At least my team, my friends are with me. It was getting to be the middle of the morning and we had to make it to Oshkosh, about 30 miles south, by late afternoon. The back seat of the Dodge was packed full of supplies leaving just enough room for one person to sit. Since I wanted to keep an eye on him I told David to sit there. Ivy took her usual spot in the front passenger seat which left James and Spencer riding in the bed. We headed south on US 41, an uneasy tension filled the truck. Ivy kept watch out her window, picking at the armrest with her fingernail. David rested his head on the window with his eyes closed. I'm fairly confident that he will not be able to sleep. James and Spencer were talking but I couldn't make out what was being said. I focused on the road, trying to keep my mind occupied in order to keep out the thoughts of what might be waiting for us. It was time for some 80's music, that always took my mind off my troubles. I turned the radio on and caught a glimpse of James in the rear view mirror. As soon as he was sure I was looking at him he stuck out his tongue and gave me two thumbs down. Both him and Spencer had a good laugh then settled back down for the long ride ahead.

The going was slow in part due to a high number of abandoned vehicles on the road. And in part to the fact that several brides were out. Luck would have it that our detours were not overly time consuming. We reached the outskirts of Oshkosh at around 3:30 in the afternoon, a good four hours before sunset. David was wide eyed and alert now. I could see in his eyes that he wanted to be anywhere but here. I could feel his leg tapping as he scanned the countryside. I could feel his nervous tension in the air. By contrast, Ivy looked cool and beautiful as always.

“Exit up here.” David’s voice was somber, for a moment I hesitated, not sure I should trust him.  But for now he was my best hope so I followed his instructions. I reach over and turned off Rick Springfield as I slowed down the exit ramp. James and Spencer must have felt the momentum shift, they faced forward now in order to see what was coming. We came to the T intersection at the bottom of the ramp. It was eerily quiet. Only the sound of an occasional bird in what was once a thriving city. To our left was the Fox river with long abandoned mills lining the shores. To our right was what looked like the old downtown area. A mixture of office buildings, stores and apartments all with a ghostly ambiance.

“Which way David,” I asked.

“To the left I think. We were just to the east of the city when we were last attacked.”

“How far east do you think?”

“Not far, if they haven't moved north they will be close.”

As I turned left I thought to myself that this bright sunny day was a God send. Even though the vampires could come out in the day I knew this bright sun would keep them under cover. If they did venture out their sight would be greatly limited. If we could find a location where they might be we stood a good chance of observing them without being detected. With any luck we could find out their numbers tonight, wait for day break and then high tail it home. We headed east into the industrial area, old brick factories began to line the streets. This would be a good place to start up a settlement if a defensive wall could be built. A few of the factories were enormous, old paper mills I think. Three towering smoke stacks, rising out of the largest, were silhouetted against the blue sky. A fourth lay on the ground in mounds of crumbled brick, destroyed by years of neglect and decay. Lots of space for the vampires to hide from the sun. The hair on the back of my neck told me the vampires were close, these old factories would provide excellent cover and my gut was telling me to watch them. The road was clear to the east; I could see an old iron bridge spanning the Fox river. Another mile or so beyond that rolling grass covered hills rose above the valley floor. That's where we would find an observation point. As we continued the factories soon gave way to a large open field. On the far side, close to the river, stood some bleachers, old and dilapidated now. They warped around what was once a baseball diamond. My grandfather loved baseball, it was because of him that baseball is still played at Station Hope. The bleachers along with the field were over grown, weeds and small trees stuck up between the seats.

Matted down grass covered the the field making it impossible to distinguish where the infield stopped and the outfield began. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, nothing except for the telephone poles sticking out of the infield. Six or seven of them formed a circle around the pitcher’s mound. Scattered randomly around the field and even into the adjoining fields were rings of chard ground. Fire pits I guessed and recently used. Someone or something had been in the area not long ago. The old iron bridge looked more dilapidated as we closed in. Mustering up my courage once again I eased the Dodge onto the rusty old structure. It was getting late so there was no time to waist. I pressed on the gas pedal down a little more. The bridge creaked and moaned but so far so good as we reached the half way point. Suddenly my heart skipped a beat as we passed by what I thought was a pot hole. It was a pot hole that never ended, I could clearly see the flowing black water of the river below. There was no turning back now, the road ahead looked clear of any other pot holes. The bridge was talking to us, almost screaming. Creaking and moaning as the weight of the Dodge challenged it.

“Did the bridge just movie slightly or is it my imagination”.

“I'm not sure, I think it moved.” Ivy's tone had a little panic in it.

Either way I wasn't sticking around to find out. The engine roared, the Dodge leaped forward sending James and Spencer sliding to the tailgate. Solid ground never felt so good, a collective sigh of relief and on we went.

“We made it and the bridge is still up. How ya doing back there David?”

“Alright except for the shit stain in my underwear.”

Ivy broke out laughing. I couldn't remember the last time I heard her laugh.

David continued, “you know we will probably have to cross that bridge again.”

“Ya we might but I have faith in the old bird.”

“I wish I could share your optimism.”

“I think it's time for Mr. Rick Springfield to start singing again don't you Ivy?”

“Sounds good to me, looks clear in all directions.”

Shortly we reached the base of the hills. They turned out to be much higher than I thought. As we reached the top of the first ones I pulled the Doge off the road and got out to scout for an observation spot. As luck would have it a small ridge ran the entire length of the highest hill. If we laid flat, we would have good concealment. From this vantage point I could see several factories including the largest one with the smoke stacks. I could also see the iron bridge and the baseball field with it's strange telephone pole candelabra. If the vampires were down there this would be the spot to see them. We had about an hour of day light left. We unloaded what we needed from the Dodge and ate a quick meal.

“Spencer, why don't you pull the Dodge about a quarter of a mile down the road just over the next hill. Not too far just in case we need to high tail it out of here.”

“You got it Boss, but can I turn off that damn 80's shit?”

“If you must, just make it snappy suns about to set.”

A shiver ran though me as I lay on the cold ground peering through my night vision scope.  It felt as if I could reach out and touch the bricks that made up the old factory. I'll have to thank James for this awesome scope again.  Ivy laid down next to me looking through an old set of binoculars she had picked up years ago. David sat behind us crossed legged and gently rocking back and forth. His eyes were in constant motion and I knew he was scared. I could just Make out the dark forms of James and Spencer off to my left. The sun was almost gone now and the full mood was already visible low on the horizon. That moon would not be our friend tonight as it gave off it's spooky glow.

We didn't have to wait long to see if my hunch was right. The first vampire appeared just as the last reaming daylight disappeared. I had a moment of pride knowing I had picked the right spot to observe the vampires. It was quickly replaced by a feeling of dread because I had picked the right place to observe the vampires. His form was easy to follow in the green glow of my night vision scope. He cautiously exited a small door next to a loading dock. The rags that hung off him told me he was a lower order vampire. He darted behind an old garbage container, looking all around for any sign of danger. I wondered what they had to be afraid of, for a second I thought maybe it might be us. I followed his form as it darted across the baseball field. He ran hunched over and stopping every fifty yards or so to raise his nose and smell the air. It ran to the old iron bridge but didn't cross. It took one more look and one more smell before heading back to the baseball field. That must have been the all clear sign because vampires began to flood out of every opening in the old paper factory. My heart began to race as I watched vampires of every type move towards the baseball field. As far as I could tell the majority of them were the lower order vampires. These vampires were scurrying about like cockroaches. Occasionally two would collide with each other sparking a ferocious fight. One would win dominance and the other would scurry away in defeat, so animalistic, so barbaric. Dispersed among them were a few well-dressed vampires. They walked nonchalantly, in pairs or small groups, through the chaos of the lower order vampires. Where ever they walked the sea of lower order vampires would part to make way. As I continued scan them I estimated their numbers to be over 1,000 and more streaming out of the factory every second. I noticed the loading dock overhead doors began to go up. Large, menacing vampires began to emerge. If I had to guess, I'd say all of them stood over 6'4” talk. Each had bulky, muscle bound bodies the kind steroids produce. They were not as well dressed as the others but not in rags either. At this distance I couldn't make it out for sure but it looked like each of their faces was gruesomely disfigured in some way. I had never seen this type of vampire before. Each one was holding several strands of rope which stretched behind them back into the factory. The overhead doors reached the top, all the Hulk vampires began to more forward pulling their ropes as they moved. What I saw next was one of the most horrifying things I have ever witnessed. Body after body began to emerge, their hands bound to the rope. Dirty, filthy humans one after another. Stumbling and struggling to keep their balance as they were pulled out of the factory and across the outfield. Men, woman and even little children were attached. Most were naked, a few had rags just hanging on. All so thin I could see every one of their rib cages, they reminded me of walking skeletons. Ivy gasped and I knew she now saw what I did.

“Oh my God.” She whispered. “Those are humans down there being led around like cattle.”

“I think that's what they are Ivy.”

“What do you mean?”

“Those humans are cattle; the fucking vampires are feeding of them as they move north.”

“Oh God no, that's so horrible. Billy we have to do something!”

“Do, what can we do? There are thousands of vampires down there and only five of us.”

Ivy's horror was causing her to raise her voice, “we have to do something, we can't just leave them like that.”

“Lower your voice, you want those damn things to hear you.... If you have an idea I'm all ears, if not then shut up and let’s do what we came here to do.”

That was the first time in a month that I even came close to yelling at Ivy. Instantly guilt overcame me as I recalled what she has been through. I wanted to hug her and say I'm sorry but that would have to wait.

“Let me use your binoculars,” David said.

His voice was soft and calm. I had almost forgotten about him sitting behind us. He moved forward and looked down at the horrifying scene.

“Sure, here be my guest. I've seen enough.” Ivy handed him the binoculars and moved aside so David could lay between us. David scanned the long lines of humans that continued to emerge and mumbling an occasional “oh no” or “oh my God”. Finally, the last human stumbled out of the factory. Each rope looked like it had over 30 humans attached to it and there were at least 15 ropes.

“Are you alright David?” I asked.

There was silence as he continued to scan.

“David, are you alright,” I said a little louder. “Do you know some of those people?”

“Yes, I know some of them. They were my friends, my neighbors in Chicago.”

David set the binoculars down and sank his head onto the ground. His body quivered as he began to cry. Ivy put her hand on the back of his shoulder, offering a little compassion to this poor man.

The hulk vampires secured each rope to one of the telephone poles sticking up out of the infield. They then went about lighting fires in all the previously burnt spots. The humans huddled together, fighting to stay warm against the rapidly diminishing temperature. There was no fear in their faces, that level of emotion was gone forever, it was more lifeless than that. A kind of shock or disbelief filled their eyes, my stomach sank as I moved my scope from one poor soul to the next. The other vampires gathered around either the humans or the fires. The lower order vampires running around like wild, uncontrollable animals. The better dressed ones standing in small groups, it appeared they were nonchalantly chatting oblivious to the other vampires. Neither group mingled and none went close to the humans.