Alive! Not Dead! (9 page)

“Or they were taken,” I ventured.

“Taken by who?” Mindy asked.

“I don’t know, maybe the military took them to the base in Moses Lake.  Maybe they’re holding all of the survivors in a safe location there.”

Marge shook her head slowly.  “No.  Moses Lake isn’t a military base anymore.  It’s a privately owned landing strip now.”

Finally Ski said “Well look, at least we’re safe here.  Let’s not get too worried about where everyone else is.  Marge, we’re going to Richland.  We’re looking up a friend there.  Would you like to join us?”

“I’ve been to Richland,” she said.  “It’s flooded.  The Snake and Columbia Rivers come together there, ya know.  The whole area looks flooded.”

Mindy’s eyes dropped.  “Richland’s gone?”

“No, it’s not gone, hon, just flooded.  I went down there the day after the pole shift – or whatever we called it.  I had relatives down there.  I got as far as Etopia.  I could see floods in the distance.  I didn’t want to take any chances so I came back.”

Ski said “Well so much for Paranoia, then.”

Marge asked “Paranoia?”

Ski told Marge about Mindy and Paranoia’s online communications.  He acted like it was a joke and not to take it seriously.

Marge said “Oh I’m computer illiterate.  I don’t know what you’re even talking about.”

“You know that’s not really very nice, Ski,” Mindy said, hurt.  “I liked him a lot.”

“You didn’t even
know
the bastard.  All you knew was his online name! For all you knew, the fucker could have been a child molester or some 500 pound man in his underwear hitting on innocent girls on the net.”

“I spoke to him, Ski.  We talked a lot on our cell phones.”

“Oh so you knew him by his
voice
! That’s nice.  Did you even know what he
looked
like?”

“Yes he sent me pictures of himself.”

“Were they naked pictures?” Ski joked.

Mindy was shocked.  “No!”

“Wanna buy some?” He laughed.

“Fuck you, Ski.  I don’t know why you have to be so
cruel
about it.”  Mindy got up from the table.  She locked herself in the bathroom.  Ski looked around at us with a smile on his face.  None of us were smiling.  He quickly dropped his head.   He asked “Ok then, so what’s our plan?”

I said “Survival.”

“Well folks, it’s late and I’m beat.  I’m gonna pull up a cot and lay down for some shut eye,” Marge said.

“Good idea,” Cindy said as she grabbed a cot, too.  “Thanks for the soup.”

Ski got a cot, too.  He put it next to Cindy’s.  She rolled over the other way when Ski lay down next to her.

I put a cot closer to the door of the bathroom for Mindy to find when she came out.  I got another cot and put it near the picnic table.  That would be my place to sleep.

After everyone was settled, Mindy came out of the bathroom.  She lay down on the cot I set up for her. Marge stood up and turned off the lights.

“Good night, folks,” she said quietly.

It was very dark except for a little light coming from under the door leading outside.

It didn’t know if it was sunlight or moonlight.

I had a dream.  In it I was back on the yacht, safely floating across the ocean.  The skies were clear.  Seagulls flew overhead.  The ocean was calm.  I looked toward the beach.  I saw millions of deads flailing their arms at me, crying, screaming to come out to the yacht, wanting to eat my flesh, but they couldn’t.  Water was something deads could not overcome.  They could not swim.  As long as I was on the yacht, I would be safe.

I also saw Tara on the yacht with me.  In my dream she was my lover on the yacht, my friend and companion.  I saw her standing on the front of the boat, a margarita in her hand.  She was facing into the wind as the yacht sailed into the warm ocean breezes.  She had let her hair down.  It was blowing in the wind.  She had a towel wrapped around her waist.  It, too, was blowing in the soft breezes.

I left the helm of the yacht and walked to the front of the boat to be with her.

“Tara, I am here,” I called to her.

She turned to me.  She had a smile on he
r face.  “Dan” she whispered.  I saw that she wasn’t wearing a bathing suit.  I looked down at her.  Her body had been eaten away.  Her skin was jagged, ripped apart, covered in dried blood and teeth marks.

I woke up, sweating.

The room was dark.  Still the only light came from under the locked door.

I got the chills.

Later I woke
to the smell of eggs cooking.

“Good morning, cowboy,” Marge said.  “We all wondered if you were gonna sleep all day.”

“What time is it?” I asked, wiping my eyes.

“Mindy said it’s almost 2 in the afternoon.  Least, according to her cell phone it is.”

Mindy held up her phone.  “Yep.  2:15.”

“I’m still amazed that thing works,” I said, getting up sitting down next to her at the picnic table.

“Me too.  It still has like 75% charge, too.”

I said, “Try and call someone.  See if it works.”

“Ok.”  She looked through her contacts.  “I’ll try Paranoia.”

Ski sighed loudly.  Marge smiled at the eggs cooking.  Cindy was in the bathroom freshening up.

“That cot wasn’t too bad,” I said.  “I slept like a log.”  I didn’t want to tell them about my dream.

“I got his voicemail,” Mindy said.  “No one answered the phone.”

“His voicemail? How could that be working still?” Ski asked.

Mindy shrugged.

“Try someone else,” I said.

She looked through her contacts again.  “I’ll try Jenny.”

“Oh Jesus,” Ski muttered.

“Would you
stop
?” Mindy smiled.  “She’s a friend from Spokane.”

“Yeah I know who she is!
We dated remember?” Ski said - glad Cindy was still in the bathroom.

“Oh yeah.”

The phone rang.  Twice.  “Hello?”

Mindy sat there, her mouth hanging open.  “Jenny?”

“
Oh my God!
Mindy you’re ok?”

We all were shocked to see that her phone worked – and surprised that there was someone alive on the other end.  Even Marge turned from the oven to look at us.

“Jenny where are you? Are there other people with you? How did you survive?”

“I’m in Moses Lake.  It’s safe here, but it’s so crowded. 
There’s all kinds of people here.  I’m at the Air Force base.  They saved Owen and me.  I am really surprised to see my phone working, Mindy!”

“Owen is alive too? That’s awesome!
I’m here with Ski and Cindy and two other people we’ve met.”

“Where are you guys?
Are you ok?”

“We’re in Connell.”

“Is it safe down there?”

Mindy said “We’re in an underground thingy.  It’s safe.”

“We’re on the Air Force base.  We have all kinds of weapons and food.  We all have our own rooms with water and electricity.  One of the guys from the base is trying to radio for help. He hasn’t gotten any responses yet.  You should come up here and join us.”

“I’ll talk to these guys.  We’ll see if we can make it up there,” Mindy said.

“Ok.  We’re on the base.  It’s right north of Moses Lake.  Just follow 17 off of 90 and you’ll be here.”

“Ok Jenny.  Stay safe!”

“You too, Mindy!”

She hung up the phone.  “Wow!”

“What did they say?” Ski asked.

Mindy told us about the Air Force base in Moses Lake.  She told us about all of the people there, the electricity, the food, and weapons.  She said that her friend had invited her to come be with them to strengthen their numbers.  She said it was safe.

“That sounds pretty good,” Marge said, a bit of concern in her voice.

“How safe is it?” Ski asked.

“It’s a fricking Air Force base, Ski! They have weapons there!” Mindy said.

“What happened?” Cindy asked, coming out of the bathroom.

Mindy told her what had happened.

“Wow, Jenny is alive too?” she asked.  “That must be where all of the people went.  I think it would be a great idea to go there.”

“Yeah I think so too,” Ski said.  “How about you, Dan?”

I nodded slowly.  “Sure, but I think we should be cautious.  We don’t even know these people.”

“We know Jenny!” Mindy said.  “I went to school with her.”

“And I dated her” Ski added as Cindy
ribbed him with her elbow.  “Ouch.”

“You ok with this, Marge?” I asked her.

“I don’t know these people either, cowboy, but it sounds like a pretty good plan.  At least it sounds safe…”  She put a hand to her chin, talking to herself.  “
I thought the base was closed
…”

“Well then,” I said, “Let’s backtrack after break
fast.”

THREE STEPS

Ski insisted on going back to the grocery store to pick up his jeep.  He said he needed
Roper,
so we obliged him.  Cindy rode with him while Mindy and I rode with Marge in her pickup.  We sat in the front with Marge, Mindy in the middle.

All of the deads around the grocery store had moved on.

Mindy kept trying to call Jenny again in Moses Lake, but service was lost.

For some reason, like Marge, I had
misgivings about going to the base.  There had been something in the voices of the people on the radio…something I didn’t trust.

I don’t know why.  Think of it as a gut feeling or a sixth sense.  There was something askew.

We made our way back north to Moses Lake.  As we came into the outskirts of town Marge said the
truck was running low on fuel.

“We can fill up one tank and I can empty mine,” she said as she pulled next to some gas pumps at an Ernie’s Truck Stop.  Ski pulled onto
the other side of the island.

“What’s going on?
We’re almost there.”  He asked over the engine.

I said “We need fuel
.  Marge needs to use the lady’s room.”

“Ok fine.”  He shut off the engine to the jeep.  As he hopped out he reached back in to grab his shotgun from between the seats.

I went to the gas pump, simply out of habit.  I tried to turn it on but it didn’t work.  “Shit,” I muttered.  “How we gonna get fuel?”

“Hey cowboy,” Marge said from around the corner of the gas station, “this guy might know.”

I turned. Marge was being followed closely behind by a soldier wearing full combat gear including a full face covering gas mask.  He had an automatic rifle at Marge’s back.  She had her hands in the air.

Another soldier also wearing full combat gear and a face mask came out the fron
t door of Ernie’s truck stop.  He motioned with his rifle for me to move my ass over by Marge.  He also motioned to Ski, Cindy and Mindy to do the same.

We all went quickly and obediently over by Marge.

The soldier who came out of Ernie’s pulled a walkie-talkie out of his front leg pocket.  “Fee-fees acquired,” he said.  “Returning to base.”

We were loaded into an armored personnel carrier and driven through the broken town to the Air Force base.  The base itself looked like it hadn’t been affected by the pole shift at all.  The whole base was surrounded by what looked like brand new fencing with barbwire on top.  All of the windows of the buildings on the base were intact; none had been broken by the shift.  Soldiers, Marines, Navy and Air Force personnel walked here and there.  Guards were posted at every door and exit.  All personnel wore full combat gear with face masks.  Each carried fully automatic weapons.

We were driven across the tarmac of a huge landing strip.  There was a very large plane parked near one of the hangars.  We drove into a hangar near the back of the base.  When the personnel carrier stopped, we were greeted by more fully armed guards.  They escorted us to the back of the building and up some stairs to a well-lit office.

The door was opened.  A sharply dressed officer wearing a gas mask was sitting behind a desk.  He nodded to the guards who led us into the room.  They left, shutting the door behind them.

The officer said “Welcome to Larson Air Force base, ladies and gentleman.  Welcome to safety.  I am First Lieutenant Lee Washburn.  I am sure all of you have many questions.  I assure you:  all of your questions will be answered in time.  You are at a secure base.  We are working to make it a secure town.  You were brought here for your own safety.  Your vehicles are being towed here at this time and will be returned to you…”

Marge interrupted.  “Excuse me there, mister, but I gotta piss something horrible.”

Washburn looked at her for a very lo
ng time without saying a word. He had slicked back jet black hair and a short moustache at the edge of his top lip.  “Ma’am, we will get to that after your indoctrination.”

“Um no,” she said. 
“Now.  Or I will piss myself and get your shiny new floor all wet.”

Washburn shuffled some papers on his desk.  He thumbed the intercom on.  “Get someone in here right now.”

The door slammed open.  A Navy military policeman stepped in.  “Yes sir?

“Airman, get this woman to the head ASAP.”

“Roger that!”

The MP escorted Marge out.

Washburn looked at the rest of us.  “We will continue when the lady gets back.”

Mindy asked, “Did you guys get the cell phone towers working again?”

“I don’t like to double-speak,” Washburn said calmly, methodically. “We will wait until the lady gets back from the head.  Then we will continue.  For the time being, relax and enjoy your safety.”

I asked “Why are you wearing a gas mask?”

“Again, I do not wish to double-speak.”

Ski snapped at him.  “Well we wanna know what the hell’s going on here!”

Washburn stood up.  He was a very tall man.  He said very slowly “You are safe here.  Enjoy it.  We will discuss the situation in full when your lady friend gets back.”  He sat back down.  “Now then, why don’t you all tell me your names? This is something we won’t need to go over again when the lady returns.”

“I’m Mike Markowski,” Ski said.  He pointed at Cindy.  “That is Cindy Thompson.  Her sister is Mindy Thompson.  No, they are not twins, just sisters.”  He pointed at me. 
“That’s Dan Kingsley.  The older woman is named Marge…what was her last name?” he asked me.

I shrugged.  I didn’t think she told us her last name.

“Well you can ask her when she gets back,” Ski said.  “That way we won’t have to go over that twice, either.”

Washburn jotted all of our names down.  He asked, “And what are your ages?”

Ski said “I’m 27.  Cindy is 29.  Mindy is 23.”

I said “I’m 25.”

Washburn asked “And your birthdates?”

Ski said a little louder this time “Jesus man, what is this, some kind of tax form?”

Washburn set the pen he was using down on his desk.  He folded his hands in front of him.  “Mr. Markowski, I don’t know if you realize this or not, but you are on a military base.  We do things by the book here.  Maybe you don’t appreciate all of these questions, but in time you will.  All I ask is your cooperation.”

“Call me Ski and we’ll get along just fine,” Ski said.

Just then, Marge came back in, again escorted by the same MP.  She said to Washburn “My, you’ve done a nice job cleaning up this place.  I thought this base was privately owned.”

“It’s been acquired by the military.”

“You’ve been pretty secret-like.  Last time I read the news this place was being renovated for a civilian airport.  Sure doesn’t look civilian to me.”

Washburn again looked at her.  “What’s
your last name Ma’am?”

“I just go by Marge.”

“You have a last name, Ma’am.  We need it for our records as well as your age and date of birth.  These other people have already given their information.”

“Not our birth dates,” Ski said.

Washburn gave Ski a look of contempt, then back to Marge.  “Your last name, please?”

“I’m 62,” she said.  “I was born on February 19, 1958 right here in Moses Lake.  My daddy worked on this base until the government thought it wise to shut it down.”

Washburn added “And your last name?”

“It’s Simpson.”

“Very good.”  Washburn jotted it down.  “And the rest of you.  What are your birthdates please?”

We told him.

By the time he had finished writing down the information; two guards came in. They stood on either end of our group.  Washburn looked up after writing it down.  He nodded to the guards who led us back outside, down the stairs, and back into the personnel carrier.

We had no idea what was going on.  Washburn didn’t answer any of our questions.  None of us spoke as the personnel carrier drove us back across the tarmac of the landing strip.  We drove into a parking lot of another large building.

We were escorted into the building and into an elevator which took us a long way underground.  The guards led us down long hallways with highly polished waxed floors to an empty clean dull gray painted room with bright overhead lights.  There were no chairs.  Only one small table was in the room.  Nothing was on it.  Standing in the center of the room there was another soldier in a gas mask.  The guards told us to line up in front of the other officer.

He said “I am Master Sergeant Fields.  This is Indoctrination.  There are three steps to Indoctrination.  After this, there will be three steps to Inoculation.  Then there will be three steps to Induction.”

I asked “What are we going to be inoculated for?”

He ignored my question.  He was a muscular black man.  He stood with his arms beh
ind his back, his legs spread.

He continued “Indoctrination step one. 
Take off your clothes.”

“Like hell,” Ski started.

One of the guards walked up behind Ski.  He put his weapon on the back of Ski’s head.

We all were shocked.

“Hey what the hell?” I said.

Cindy and Mindy were speechless.

“This can be difficult or very easy” Fields said calmly with a raised eyebrow.  He had yellow teeth.  “Step one is the hardest.  Step two can be more difficult.  Step three…we don’t want to go there today.  So, take off your clothes.  Now.”

Marge said “I will not.”

Fields walked up to her, stared deeply into her eyes.  In a flash he backhanded her across the face.  She stumbled backward but didn’t fall.  He yelled at her “Step two:  TAKE OFF YOUR FUCKING CLOTHES FEEFEE!”

I started taking off my shirt.

“What the hell is this shit?” Ski hollered.  The guard with the weapon pushed the muzzle harder into the back of Ski’s skull.  “We’re innocent people here! What the fuck!”

Fields yelled in his face.  ‘TAKE OFF YOUR FUCKING CLOTHES NOW FEEFEE!”

Marge was whimpering as she took off her clothes.  She stood there with her bra and panties on.  We all were undressed.  The floor was cold on our bare feet.

“ALL THE WAY OFF!”
Fields screamed at us.  ‘WE DON’T WANT SKIVVIES EITHER, FEEFEES!”

“Oh Christ,” Ski muttered as he took off
his underwear.

We were all stripped completely nude in front of him.  Fie
lds looked us all up and down. He stood looking at Mindy for a long time.

He whistled.
“Jesus, you’re fucking hot.”  He walked around behind us, looking us over.  Again he stopped, looking longer at Mindy.  “You got one fine ass, girl.”

Mindy was ashamed.  She had her face in her hands.

He motioned to the guards.  They stood on either end of the group, their weapons trained on us.

Fields said “Let’s move to Inoculation now.”

Nude, we were led down the highly polished hallway.  We didn’t pass any or see any other people.  Our clothing was left in the bright gray dull room.  Another soldier came in and folded our clothes.  He set them in neat piles on the single table.

At the end of the hallway,
we went through another door.  This was a bright white room.  There was another smaller locked door on the other side of the room.  There were a few hospital gurneys and a steel operating table with a bright light illuminated over it.  In the center of the room there was a table with syringes, test tubes and several different sizes of empty specimen cups on it.  Another soldier was in this room.  He was wearing a face mask, too as well as green rubber gloves.

Fields said “This is Doctor Webb.  He will take a blood and urine specimen from each of you.”

Cindy asked “Where is the bathroom?”

Fields stepped to Cindy.  He grabbed her right nipple.  He squeezed it hard.  She let out a s
cream that echoed in the room.

He said “We piss here, Feefee.  We get needles here.”

Ski was pissed.  I could see it in his face.  He didn’t like anyone touching his girl.

We
all
were pissed.  This was wrong.  This was inhumane.  What the hell was this all about? American citizens should never be treated this way, especially by their own military.

The doctor picked up one of the specimen cups.  He held it in front of m
y penis.

This was so humiliating.  I didn’t need to pee.  There was no way that I would be able to pee with people watching me.

“This is step one of Inoculation,” Fields said as he looked down at my penis.  “Do we need to get to step two, feefee?”

“What the fuck is a feefee?” Ski asked.

As he looked at my wilted penis, Fields said “You are.  All of you are.”

I closed my eyes, embarrassed, ashamed to be humiliated in front of – and along with – all of these people.  I strained to go pee, but couldn’t.  I tied to take my mind off of the doctor kneeling in front of me, a cup held at the tip of my cock.