The Ark of Asylum (The Ark Series Book 1) (13 page)

As soon as they finish, the loud roar of the engine is heard coming around the side of the building, and Jason yells out, “Contact! Everyone move, move, move into the truck!”

They quickly pile into the truck. Dave gets in the passenger seat, and Jason, Simon, and Peter jump in the cab. Kelly throws the truck into drive and peels out just as an older-model pickup truck rounds the corner, moving fast. Their big V8 explodes with power, spraying gravel in its wake as the truck takes off, trying to put distance between the pickups.

Simon tries to look behind while fighting the thrust of the truck gaining speed rapidly. “I don’t know who they are, but let’s not try to find out. Let’s get the hell out of here!”

The truck flies around the corner of the store, tires squealing, only to find the tailing truck right behind them. Dave puts his head out the open window and notices it has some kind of snow plow on the front of it, and he quickly puts his head back in. “Fuck, they’re following us. Kelly, you need to drive like hell and put some distance on them. I counted at least five men with guns, and they don’t look friendly. And by the sounds we heard earlier, they have no problem using their plow to hit cars with.”

Kelly slams her foot to the floor. As the truck accelerates and flies into the intersection, she slams on the brakes and turns the wheel, spinning the truck slightly sideways. She hits the gas again, and the truck squeals its tires, trying to gain traction, grabbing every inch of tire, and thrusting them down the main road.

The following pickup hits the brakes at the intersection, and the men in the truck bed can be seen bashing into the back of the cab, all yelling in pain. Nevertheless, the pickup regains momentum and continues to pursue the faster, more powerful V8 truck.

With their truck now moving at a speed of seventy miles an hour down the deserted road, the pursuing pickup slowly becomes a small dot in the rear view. Kelly eases off the gas and slows down to make a turn into a neighborhood, her eyes fixating on the dead bodies lying in people’s front yards.

Dave suddenly yells, “Look out!”

As soon as Kelly turns her head forward, a human body smashes into the front of the truck, spraying blood all over the hood and windshield. Kelly screams and slams on the brakes. Jason slams into the back of the seat, as does Simon. Dave grabs Peter to stop him from flying through the windshield.

“Don’t stop! Keep moving! They’re everywhere!”

Kelly hits the gas, driving over the man she had just hit and crushing his body under the weight of the truck. Multiple people, both men and women, sprint toward the truck, screeching and growling in bloodlust. The truck slowly gains speed, hitting the multiple victims who thrust themselves in front of the speeding truck.

“Do not slow down! Just keep moving! If we stop, we’re dead!”

Dave looks in the side mirror and sees the pickup enter the street, sharply hitting the brakes and quickly backing up and out of sight.  Their own accelerating truck soon clears the neighborhood, and no more creatures can be seen. Dave lets out a gasp of air and turns and looks at the back seat and then at Kelly, who is white-knuckled and shaking.

“I think you can slow down now. I think we’re out of danger, but that was some damn good driving, little lady. You saved our asses!”

Kelly looks at Dave as wide-eyed and shock-riddled as humanly possible. She says nothing and continues driving. Not long after, they get back to the house. Kelly opens the garage door and hits the brakes, turning onto the driveway and screeching to a stop just inside the garage that she closes right after them.

Maggie finishes washing the last plate and hands it over to Heather, who dries it and puts it away. They both look at each other, smiling, as they dry their hands. Conversation has been at a minimal the last few days, and everyone knows it. The reality of the situation has finally fully set in as more and more news coverage goes off the air. It has been replaced by the emergency broadcast system. Eric nervously shakes his leg as he, Nate, and Kristie watch one of the few remaining newsfeeds from a camera on a ridge almost a mile away from the city. All that can be seen or heard are explosions, large fires, and the National Guard’s helicopters flying overhead.

The beep from the computer makes everyone look up. Maggie runs over to it and clicks her mouse. “Uncle John, it’s good to see you. How is everyone?”

“As good as things can be I guess. How are you guys holding up?”

“We’re fine, just trying to keep busy. So I’ve been worried about you guys over there. Last time we talked we really didn’t get into how everyone is at the Ark, so please fill me in.”

“Everything’s fine, sweetheart. Everyone’s settling into their new apartment homes and adjusting nicely. We’ve moved everyone and pretty much all operations inside the Ark, and we’re trying to keep going outside to a minimal. But we have been making trips here and there for things like harvesting crops and to roundup some livestock still roaming about. But all in all, we’re doing great. We have everything we need except for natural sunlight, but we have a pretty good artificial sun replication lighting system that works pretty well; it’s still not the same. So enough about us; we’re not the ones I’m worried about. You’re the ones on the frontlines, so please fill me in on any new news that you may have.”

“Nothing new, just the news broadcasts are getting sparse, so we’re not sure how things are progressing downtown. The only feed we can get is from a camera shot super far away from the city, so it’s pretty much useless.”

“Yeah, we’ve seen the feed, not any help at all. Well, hey, listen, the main reason for me calling is to give you guys an update on some things we’ve learned from our end. First thing is we’ve been flying drones over the affected cites for the past few days, so we’ve got a pretty good idea of the situation. “

              “Okay, is it getting better or worse?”

“There’s no easy way to say this, but things appear to be getting worse, much worse. Pretty much as bad as you can imagine things getting. Well, let’s just say we’re probably already there. So what’s happening is those infected humans have destroyed whatever city they’ve occupied and have moved outward toward the suburbs.”

“Are they getting close to us in Boulder?”

“Not yet, but it’s probably only a matter of time before they get there. They’re overpowering every line of defense the National Guard and police have put in place. I’m not even sure if they are operational anymore in some cities. The somewhat good news I have is that the military has started moving into most of the areas surrounding the cities, and it is setting up bases all over the country.”

              “Well, it’s about time. What took them so long?”

“Things take time. They have to prepare for these things, and they just take time. But I do know they have made plans to put a huge operational base in Boulder. They should be moving in within a day or two. It will also serve as a massive evacuation safety zone since most of the evacuation zones outside the city have been overrun.”

“They’re building a base here? Well, that’s good news I guess.”

“It is good news. They will be the best protection that’s possible, and so it’s a very good thing. So, listen, when they move in, they will be going house to house to inform everyone of the basis of their operation. Now it’s important that you guys make contact with them, letting them know you’re okay. Now I know I said to stay down in the bunker, but with these extenuating circumstances, you guys are okay to leave the bunker and speak with the military. Now, listen close because this is very important. In no way are you to tell them about the bunker. They will confiscate all your weapons and most of your supplies, so you are to keep that a secret. Do you understand?”

“Yes, we understand. Keep this a secret. No problem.”

“Alright, sweetheart, I’m going to get going. Lots of stuff to get done around here, but just remember what I said. You do not tell them anything about the bunker. I’ll contact you soon with news as it comes in from the drones, but stay safe, be smart, and I love you dearly. And your mother and father and everyone else send their love. We all miss you very much.”

“I love you guys, and I’ll let you know if anything happens here. Take care, Uncle John.”

              “You too, sweetie. Bye.”

The screen goes dark, and Maggie turns around in the chair and looks at everyone watching her. “You guys heard him, right? We don’t tell the military anything, okay?”

They all nod their heads in agreement and turn back to the television screen, even more in shock than before, knowing that in a way, ignorance
is
bliss. Maggie puts the computer to sleep, says good night to everyone and goes into the bedroom and turns out the light.

              The following morning, they are all woken by a buzzing sound they are not familiar with. Maggie jumps out of bed and runs over to the surveillance monitoring equipment and sees two men in full military gear standing at her front door holding assault rifles. Trying not to panic, she presses the intercom button. “Yes, hello?”

One of the men presses the intercom button. “Hello, ma‘am. My name is Private Johnson with the United States Army. We would like to have a word with you. Will you and whoever is there with you please come to the door and present yourselves?”

              “Is it safe?”

              “Well, yes, ma’am. The area is secure, and if you’d please come outside so we can talk, I’d greatly appreciate it.”

              “We’ll be out in a few minutes, okay?” She releases the button and turns around to see everyone standing behind her. “You heard the man. Let’s go, and remember mum’s the word on this place.”

They walk upstairs and open the door slowly to see two Marines standing in their doorway. Helicopters are flying overhead, and Humvees and tanks are driving down the road in front of the house, followed by squads of troops jogging behind.

“Hello, ma’am. Are you the one I was just speaking with?”

Maggie nods her head while holding the door.

“Well, alright then, like I said, my name is Private Johnson. This is Private Ortiz, and your name is?”

“Maggie, and these are my roommates and friends, Eric, Kristie, Heather, and Nathan.”

“Full Names, ma’am.”

“Oh, right, sorry. Well, I’m Margaret Snyder, and this is Kristie Hanson, Heather Brooks, Eric Loffer, and Nathan Adams.” She finishes pointing to everyone and turns to notice Private Ortiz taking note by typing on his tablet.

              “Very well then. We are here to inform you that the U.S. Army has moved into the area and will be setting up a base of operations in the town of Boulder. We will be building a large fence around the town with gun towers and sentries guarding it. Without going into detail, rest assured that your town will be very safe, and we expect your full cooperation in this matter. We will be holding a town meeting tomorrow on campus at o’ eight hundred, and it is mandatory that you all attend. You must bring your identification, and you must submit to blood work and testing. Noncompliance will result in you being detained. Do you understand?”

              “Ah, yes, sir, we’ll be sure to be there.”

“Excellent, now is there anything you would like to declare? Any weapons you may have that we should be aware of?”

“We just have a pistol with a handful of bullets. That’s all,” she says while crossing her fingers behind her back. She once again notices Private Ortiz taking notes.

“Very well then. We will see you all tomorrow at o’ eight hundred hours for the town meeting. Have a nice day, folks.”

They turn and walk down the driveway and toward the neighbors’ house. Maggie looks out with her friends right behind her at the seemingly hundreds of soldiers moving into the area. With jets screeching as they fly by and helicopters hovering over the town, Maggie thinks how the scene looks like something out of the movies. Yet this is real, this is really happening. She closes the door and walks into the kitchen and opens the fridge. Heather and Kristie follow her in. Eric and Nate go into the living room.

Kristie comes up behind Maggie and gives her a big hug from behind and says, “We’re going to be okay, right?”

Maggie turns around and hugs her back, and Heather walks over and joins the hug. “I hope so, Kris. I hope so.” Once they finish hugging, they all decide it’s safe enough to stay upstairs for the night, and then Maggie goes back into the bunker to call her uncle.

              After a good night sleep in her normal bed, Maggie wakes refreshed and full of energy. The house is quiet, and outside seems surprisingly quiet as well. She looks over at Eric, still sleeping, shakes her head, and laughs. She thinks to herself how mad her parents and her uncle would be if they knew her boyfriend was sleeping in her bed with her, but due to the circumstances, she didn’t want to put him on the couch. She quietly gets out of bed, gets dressed, and uses the bathroom. She goes downstairs and starts cooking breakfast for everyone, thinking it would be a pleasant surprise when they wake up.

With the smell of sizzling bacon in the air, the rest of the group slowly start moving downstairs and into the kitchen where Maggie is finishing up cooking a huge breakfast. “Well, good morning, everyone. Hope you all slept well, and I hope you guys are hungry for some eggs and bacon?”

Everyone nods and grumbles something that sounds like a ‘yes,’ so Maggie proceeds to dish out the eggs, bacon, and home fries. Eric gets up, walks over to Maggie, and gives her a kiss on the cheek. “This looks great, babe. Thanks for cooking. Now, go sit down and enjoy your breakfast. I got this.”

              “Aw, you’re so sweet, thank you. Is it as good as it smells?” She grabs a plate and joins them at the table.

They all nod their heads yes and continue to eat. As everyone finishes up, Heather and Kristie grab everyone’s plate and they clean up the kitchen. As Maggie finishes up her matcha tea, she looks at everyone and sighs, “Well, you all know we have to go and meet the military people in a little bit. So, should we go over anything before we go, or do you think we’ll be alright?”

              Eric gulps the last bit of his coffee and sets his cup down. “I don’t think we need to go over anything. Just as long as no one mentions the bunker to anyone, we should be all set. They probably just want to go over some details and rules about how they are going to operate. Should be pretty straight forward – just the typical ‘do everything they say, and we’ll be fine’ sort of thing.”

              They all come to an agreement and soon drive down to the campus where they follow the soldiers directing them where to go. After finding a place to park, they walk down to the football field where hundreds of people are waiting. They walk around for a little while trying to find anyone they know but only running into a couple of Eric’s and Nate’s ice hockey teammates, who tell them that most of these people are from the front range after being pushed west by the infected. An announcement comes over the PA system, and the crowd quiets down.

“Good morning, everyone. My name is Coronel Stevens, and I’m one of the officers here at the Boulder base. As you’re all aware, the U.S. armed forces have begun moving into the areas affected by the terrorist attacks on our nation. Most of you probably know that cities like Denver, New York, Los Angeles and so on have been attacked by a kind of unknown chemical or biological weapon, and its full effects are still yet to be determined. But what I can tell you is that it turns your average human being into a mindless, violent, and psychotic monster of a human being. These things will stop at nothing to attack anyone who is not already affected, and may I just add they are very hard to put down. Rest assured that the U.S. military is taking the necessary steps, led by our president, to suppress this threat and keep people like yourselves safe. Now, unfortunately, I cannot take any questions or comment on any further detail of our operation. So, on to the next issue at hand, you will all be subjected to testing and blood work following ID checks. After you have passed our testing, you will be required to have an RFID chip implanted into your hand so that we can monitor this outbreak and make sure you’re not mistaken for an infected human being.”

A clamor erupts over the crowd as conversation throughout grows ramped.

“Listen, people, this is for your own good. It will keep you safe, and this is not an option; it is mandatory. If you do not comply, you will be detained and will not be able to stay here. It’s as simple as that. Now, these things are perfectly safe, so there’s nothing to fear.”

              People are yelling and throwing things in the direction of the stage in their panic, forcing military guards to step in.

              “With that being said, and once you have settled down, please start forming lines in front of the desks that are on either side of you, and we’ll get started with the testing. Thank you for your cooperation, and have a good day.” He walks off the stage and out of the stadium.

The crowd begins pushing the guards back, forcing them to get violent. Once a few people get put down hard and fast, the crown settles down again.

Maggie turns around to look at her friends, who are in as much shock as she is. Nate is still screaming at the top of his lungs, “Man, fuck you, you fucking cock suckers. Who the hell do you think you are!” People around them begin yelling the same and then some. Nate stops and looks at Kristie with a crazed look in his eye.

“Holy shit! It’s happening, what we’ve been warned about for the last ten years. They finally have the excuse to do it, implants, the sign of the beast, this is the fucking Apocalypse!”

Kristie looks at Nate and rolls her eyes. “Calm down. It’s not the Apocalypse. You watch too many zombie movies, and we don’t have a choice in the matter, so just suck it up!”

              “Are you fucking kidding me? Do you know what this means? They will know everything about us, where we are, what we’re doing, everything. I never thought this day would happen! Holy shit!” Nate falls on the ground and puts his arms on his knees and rests his head on his arms and then starts shaking his head back and forth.

Kristie lowers her head and covers her face with her hand while shaking her head. “They’ve been able to track where we are for years. Hello? Smartphones! Now get off the ground, and take your implant like a man!”

Nate just ignores his girlfriend and continues to sit on the ground, mumbling something unintelligible. With the rest of the group just standing there, unsure what to do or say, a voice is heard from the crowd, breaking the awkward silence.

“Maggie! Maggie, is that you?”

Maggie turns around to see her friend Jennifer walking toward her. She puts her arms around her. “Oh my gosh, Jennifer! It’s so good to see you. How are you? Are you alright?”

“I’m so glad to see you, Maggie. What the hell is going on around here? The whole world is falling apart, but anyway how are you? Are you guys okay? What’s wrong with Nate?”

“We’re fine. Nate’s just in shock over this whole microchip thing, but I think we’re all pretty freaked out by all of this, ya know?”

“This is horrible Maggie, absolutely horrible. I don’t know what to do anymore.”

Jennifer starts to cry, and her boyfriend, Mike, walks over and gives her a hug. Maggie hugs them, and Kristie and Heather Join in.

“Listen, you guys, you know where I live, so if you guys need anything, anything at all, you come to my house, alright? Don’t hesitate. We have plenty of room and supplies.”

Eric rudely interrupts by pulling on her sleeve. “Ah, hey, you guys, sorry to break this up, but I don’t want to be standing in line all day, so we should probably get in line, don’t ya think?”

              Jennifer wipes her tears and the ones off Maggie’s face. “Yeah, you’re right. We have some friends holding our place in line, so we better go, but thank you for the offer. We might just take you up on it. Bye, you guys.”

They say goodbye, and Eric grabs Maggie’s hand and starts walking in the opposite direction. “Babe, what are you doing? We don’t have enough room or supplies for any more people, so you can’t be telling people that. Now, I know you just want to help your friends, but we got to be smart about this.”

              Maggie pulls her hand away from Eric’s. “They are our friends, Eric. Of course we’re going to help them. What the hell is wrong with you!”

              “Well, you sure are your uncle’s niece, but the bunker is not a mountain, and you can’t help everybody.”

She walks away with Heather and Kristie, leaving Eric and Nate standing there. They soon follow and join them in line for testing. Four hours later and after thorough testing, they are all implanted with microchips, thus changing their lives forever.

* * *

They leave the football field and drive back up to the house with no one saying a word. They pull into the garage, and all exit the vehicle and enter the house. They go into the living room and sit on the couch. Nate soon jumps up off the couch and goes over to a cabinet in the entertainment center and pulls out a bong and a bag of pot. He puts the bong on the table and proceeds to pack a bowl.

Maggie shakes her head in disgust and says, “Are you kidding me? You’re going to get high at a time like this? What are you, nuts?”

Nate shakes his head slightly and grins as he puts the bong to his mouth, lights the bowl, and takes a huge hit. He blows it out and coughs a little. “You’re damn straight I’m hittin’ this shit. Todd’s dead, none of us can even get ahold of our families but you, and also the world’s fucked and we have implants in our hands and, oh yeah, I almost forgot, the Apocalypse has started. So, damn right I’m gettin’ high.” He passes the bong to Eric. “And don’t worry; the Army is here, so we’re all saved. You have nothing to worry about now that the government has decided to save us!”

              Eric contemplates for a second, looks at Maggie and then back at Nate and then down at the bong. He takes a hit.

Maggie’s jaw hits the ground, surprised that he would do such a thing. “Wow, that’s some balls you have there, boyfriend.”

              Eric blows out his hit and passes it back to Nate. “Sorry, babe, but he’s right. Life’s too short to not do what we want. We could be dead tomorrow. This country is fucked, and we’ve been through a lot recently. I think we can all use a little stress relief, don’t you?”

Nate hands the bong to Kristie. She takes the bong and looks at Maggie. “I got to agree with them, Mags. We’re all safe here now that the Army is here, so let’s let off a little steam and get a little stoned. We can all use it.” She proceeds to take a hit and passes the bong to Heather.

“Sorry, girl, but my anxiety is at an all-time high, so I need to get stoned. Just join us; like they said, who knows how many more days we will have to just let go a little?” Heather takes a hit and tries to pass the bong to Maggie, who just sits there and shakes her head.

              She continues to shake her head, her arms crossed to show her obvious displeasure, which she can’t seem to express through her face. She allows a tiny smile. “Well, I’ve never been one to give into peer pressure, but I guess there’s a first for everything. Give me the damn bong.” She reaches for the bong while looking away.

Kristie scooches over on the couch and sits right next to Maggie. “Yay, I’m so happy you’re joining us. Now, I know it’s been a long time. Do you remember what to do?”

Nate jumps up off the couch and grabs the bag of weed. “Wait!” He walks over to Maggie and pulls the bowl piece out of the bong and dumps it out in the ashtray then proceeds to fill it back up again. “If she wants to smoke, then she gets a green bowl for sure.”

              Eric puts out his fist, and Nate bumps it. “Good call, bro, such a gentleman. But are you sure you want to do this, babe? You don’t have to. Don’t let us pressure you into doing something you don’t want to do.”

“Well, since that seems to be the theme today, well, then why not? Just put the damn thing back in there before I change my mind.” Nate replaces the bowl and then lights it for her. She takes a tiny hit and blows it out and coughs a little. “Oh, that’s so gross!”

Nate smiles as he hands her a glass of water and takes the bong. “Well, I usually use a vaporizer, but this is all we got, sorry!”

They pass the bong around a bunch more times and end up smoking a lot of pot. By the time they are done, they are all so high they almost forget about all the problems going on in the world. Finally, they have their first chance to relax since this all happened. For once in what feels like an eternity, the house is filled with laughter and happiness. They spend the day just talking and playing board games. They all miss just hanging out together and having fun just being college kids. It’s as if they don’t have a care in the world—not even any tests to worry about.

They’ve all lost a part of their youth in the last couple weeks, and even if it only lasts for just one day, they are determined to gain a little bit of that back. The world dealt them the worst hand possible, but just for that day, in that moment, they could forget about all their troubles. That is until Nate begins to scratch at his implant, reminding them all how short-lived their levity and freedom will be.