Finster
This story is a work in progress. I just thought it would be fun to post it here in bits as it goes. It occurred to me, that if one were to read this on Kinda Fuzzy, it would probably be read sorta backwards. On this page, it can be read in the proper order, although in a serial form, with more to come.
Finster
1. Sickie
No, he was not Ok. He woke with a nauseous feeling. His breathing was shallow. He was afraid to move, sure that he'd vomit if he tried. Lying on the couch, he could hear the TV newscast. It made no sense to him, but he didn't care anymore.
He heard a woman's voice though the ringing in his ears. It was Cheryl, his roommate's girlfriend. "Here, drink this she said". He opened his eyes slowly, and she handed him a glass. It was orange juice. Finster's hand shook so bad that he spilled half of it out, trying to reach his mouth. The TV droned on.
He had called in sick, yesterday, but couldn't even use the phone today. It must be that "Bug" that was going around. It seemed like half his coworkers were out with it already. Whatever it was, it was no joke. The supervisor was worried. They were already down to a skeleton crew, and somebody had to run the water plant. But the department head, Mr, Porter, seemed unconcerned.
He managed to catch a few words of the newscast. People were being advised to stay home if they were ill. The hospital was already becoming over crowded. It seemed like everybody was catching it. It had happened so suddenly. You had to wonder if it was a terrorist attack or something.
But the talking heads had assured all, that it was just a simple flu outbreak. The government was working on a vaccine which would be ready soon. There were rumors of some fatalities, but these were being blown all out of proportion it was said. Finster didn't know about that, but he did feel like he'd have to die, to feel better, himself. He drifted off again.
He became aware of the TV first. It was still on, but there was nothing but white noise and a blank screen. He was still on the couch. Indeed, he couldn't move at all. He wasn't even sure if he was still breathing. But he must be, assuming he was still alive. And he thought he was, even if he didn't feel like it.
Then, he became aware of the voices in the other room.
"A man and woman in here"
"And?"
"They're gone."
He heard someone enter the room, but the door was behind him and he couldn't see.
"And one in here."
The voice seemed familiar somehow.
"He's about gone too. Let's go."
Two men walked around the couch and toward the door. As they passed in front of the TV, Finster was shocked to recognize Mr. Porter. He wanted to call out, but even his voice was paralyzed. But in a moment he was glad for his silence, as he heard the men in the hallway.
"It's all going according to plan. Let's check the other apartments."
I must be delirious, he thought.
The next time he woke, all was quiet. It was dark, there was no TV. There was some light from the window. It must be the moon, he thought. But why were there no streetlights? And why was it so quiet?
He found that he could move again. And he was thirsty. He got weakly to his feet and stumbled toward the kitchen. The apartment was dark. When he tried the lights, nothing, but he found the refrigerator in the dim light from the window. The bottled water inside was warm, but he drank it thirstily. The power must have been off for a long time already.
He wanted something to eat and found some bread. But he was afraid of the ham he found in there. There was no telling just how old it was, and it was warm too. At least his appetite was returning. He found some cheese, and gave it the sniff test. It passed, barely.
He seemed to be getting his strength back, somewhat, and made his way to the window. The whole neighborhood was dark, and the street was empty. It was like the whole town was deserted. He wondered what time it was, or even what day it was. He looked at the clock on the TV, but with the power out, it was dead too. His cell phone was dead also.
He would just have to wait it out until morning. In the distance he heard a dog barking. At least there was something alive, somewhere.
*****
By the time it was getting light, he had found some canned ravioli in a cupboard, and managed to open it somehow with a kitchen knife. He only cut himself once, and that wasn't too bad. He was hungry enough now, that even the cold ravioli tasted good. And he couldn't see the blood in the dark.
He still didn't know where everyone had gone. Even if the power was out, there should still be people out and about. The quiet was starting to get to him. And where was Jeffry, his roommate?
He found him in his bed, stone cold, with Cheryl beside him. Finster's blood ran cold. He backed out of the room. He needed to get out, but was afraid of what he might find in the passage outside. It seemed empty, looking though the peephole, so he got his nerve up and opened the door.
It was empty. He walked to the stairwell, and down the flight of stairs to the ground. Outside was empty silence. He walked to the strip mall at the end of the block. The stores were all locked. But it was still early, he reasoned. Crossing the street, he entered the Quickie Mart on the corner. The door had been open, but still, he saw no one. Then, in the back, he saw Raffi, the owner, asleep, sitting with his head on his desk. When Finster went to wake him, he found that he was dead too.
He began to panic. Running back to his apartment building he began pounding on the doors. No one answered. Finally, he used a cement block to break down one of the doors. Inside, he found nothing but corpses. Now he was sure he was mad.
2. The Search
Finster spent the rest of the morning wandering though the streets, looking for someone, any living person. He remembered how those religious fanatics used to go around talking about how they would all disappear someday, and there would be car wreaks, and chaos everywhere. This wasn't like that at all. It was just that everybody was dead.
Everybody but him. It must have been that sickness, some kind of an epidemic or something. But why was he still here? And was there anyone else?
Well, at least he wouldn't starve. There was plenty of food in the stores. Some had been broken into, but not much was missing other then liquor and cigarettes. It was funny what people thought was important, even when they were about to die. Finster helped himself to some canned goods and put them in a bag. He was sure they would be OK to eat. The meat didn't look too good, and the produce was wilted.
He made his way back to the apartment. He tried the gas stove, and was not surprised to find there was no gas. Then, he thought to try the water. It worked. Strange, he thought, and wondered if anyone was down at the plant. Then he remembered Mr. Porter. But by now he was not sure if any of that had actually taken place. It was so bizarre. What would Mr. Porter be doing in his apartment, and what was this "plan" they were talking about. He must have been delirious.
He tried his cellphone again, but there was no signal. The land line was still dead. All the utilities were out, except the water. He worked for the water department. He knew there was a backup generating system. But who was running it ?
He was eating cold beans from a can, when he decided he would have to check the water plant. There had to be someone there. And besides, he wasn't sure he wanted to spend another night in the apartment with dead bodies in the next room. In fact the whole building was full of them.
He thought of his car. Did it still run ? But then, why shouldn't it. It started right up for him. He put some clothes and a sleeping bag in the trunk along with some of the canned goods. And then, he set out for the water plant across town.
Finster saw some dogs digging though the garbage, but still no people. He stopped to check on a wino sitting in a doorway. But when he touched the man, he fell over. He too, was dead.
He was in a rather run-down part of town. As he was walking back to his car, he caught what he thought was a movement, from the corner of his eye. But when he turned for a better look, he saw nothing.
Then, he heard a faint scuffling sound, and what sounded like something falling. The sound came from an ally between two buildings. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise.
Finster stood at the head of the ally. He could see that it ended in a small courtyard behind a rundown apartment building. There were a number of trash cans, overflowing with garbage. He entered warily.
Again he thought he saw a movement. This time a flash of red, or orange in one of the windows. But again, when he took a better look, it was gone. But now his attention was diverted by a sound behind him.
Several large dogs stood between him and the street. One growling menacingly. Finster looked franticly for a weapon. All he saw was a flimsy broom handle by one of the trash cans. He waved it at the dogs and they let him pass. They were more interested in the garbage anyway. From the street, he could hear then knocking the cans over.
Back in the street, Finster felt it would be a good idea to find a real weapon. Just down the block, he noticed the sign for a pawnshop. The door was locked, but he easily gained entry by breaking a window with a brick. The alarm didn't work. But under these conditions, he would have been glad to see the cops.
There was quite a selection to choose from. Finally, he selected a nice 45, and a pump action shotgun. As he collected some ammunition, he also slipped a small 380 into his pocket. It would be easy to carry. He added these to the collection in his trunk. Except for the 45, which he wore in a holster, under his jacket.
On the way back to his car, he stopped by the ally again. The dogs were still there, but they were busy, and payed Finster no attention. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. But as he scanned the windows, he could see no one. He felt like the last man in the world. He was sure that it was his nerves, and that sooner or later he would crack.
Finster walked slowly back to his car.
Finster started his car again.
The water plant was across town. But there was no traffic, and he was there in a few minutes. As he pulled into the parking area he could see a couple of trucks there. It looked like the lights were on inside. He unbuckled the 45 and slid it under the seat. Then after some thought, he pocketed the 380, just to be safe. Then, he headed for the office.
The outer office was empty. No one was at the receptionist's desk. That was no surprise. He could hear someone talking inside Mr. Porter's office.
"Yes, we've been all though the city. There doesn't seem to be anyone here... Well, of course we could have missed something... Yes, we'll be closing down soon... We'll make another quick sweep and leave in the morning."
Finster heard a phone snap shut. There must still be at least one carrier up. He was glad to hear another voice, but the conversation seemed odd. It put him on guard, and there was that odd memory of what he'd seen when he had been sick.
He knocked on the door, and heard a startled voice.
"What the hell?" It sounded like Mr. Porter, and he sounded surprised.
He heard a chair being slid back, and heavy foot steps approached the door. There was a hesitation, and then it opened a crack. A man Finster didn't recognize peered out at him. Behind him, Finster could see Mr. Porter sitting at his desk.
"It's OK, Larry," Porter said, "Let him in."
As Finster entered, he was aware of the comforting weight of the pistol in his pocket.
"Finster," said Mr. Porter with an odd smile, "Where have you been?"
Finster noticed that the other man had shut the door, and was now behind him. It made him uncomfortable, but he didn't want it to show. There was a cell phone on the desk of a type he didn't recognize.
"I've been sick, Mr. Porter."
"Ah, yes. There seems to be a lot of that going around."
"What's going on, sir?" he asked.
"Well..." said Porter. He hesitated, he seemed to be searching for the words. Finally he began again.
"It seems to be some kind of Flu, a new type of Influenza we didn't know about. Highly contagious they say. Were you very ill?"
"I was bad sick. My roommate is dead."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
Finster didn't think he seemed all that sorry. He asked,
"You didn't catch it?"
Porter glanced at the man behind Finster and said,
"No, we were lucky."
Porter rolled his chair back from his desk a bit, and leaned back in it. He was watching Finster, and appeared to be sizing him up. Finally he spoke.
"There's no use trying to hide it, this has been a major disaster. We are shutting down here, and evacuating the town."
"Evacuating the town?" Finster repeated. There didn't seem to be anyone left to evacuate.
"Most of the people are already in the city."
Finster assumed he meant the larger city, about 50 miles away.
"What about the government?" he asked.
Porter looked at the other man again, and answered.
"We are the government."
Finster didn't understand. Porter was only the head of the Water Department of a small city.
"Things have changed." Porter continued. "It's a whole new world. And we need men like you, who know how to do the things that need to be done."
Something had happened for sure. But he didn't understand Porter's attitude. And he didn't like it, or his friend, Larry.
"Well, I'm glad you made it in. We'll need you to check things out. And get the plant ready to shut down, first thing in the morning. You can leave with us then."
None of this was making sense to Finster. But he went to his locker and picked up his tool belt and hard hat. He didn't know what else to do. As he began his rounds, he noticed Porter and Larry driving off, into town.
Finster moved though the plant, checking the machinery. Here and there he made some necessary adjustments. Then he found something unusual. Along with the usual chemicals, something different was being added to the water. He found some empty bottles labeled "V-48.3 (Water Borne)" and with the word "Caution" in red. There was also a date noted.
As he continued his rounds, behind the plant, he found something else. There was a pile of empty canisters dumped in the area behind the building. They were labeled, "V-48-7 (Air Borne)", with the same date. Finster realized that this date was shortly before they had all begun to get sick. Could this be a coincidence?
He had an uneasy feeling. But his curiosity had been aroused, and he headed up to the office once more. Porter was not back yet. But he found the office door had not been pulled completely closed, and swung open at his touch.
What were these bottles of V-48.3 and this V-48-7 about? He had never heard of them. Finster knew that there was a log kept of all the plant operations. He wanted to find it. After a short search he did.
On the date in question, along with the usual notations, he found "Operation 'Sneezy' initiated". But that was all. There was no indication of what "Sneezy" actually was. The entries continued for a few more days, and then stopped altogether.
Finster went over to Porter's desk. He was surprised to find that his computer was only asleep. It booted up with no password necessary. Finster was no hacker, but he did have a basic knowledge of the system. He began to search for "Sneezy" or "V-48". He had no luck, but did stumble onto a folder titled, "Initiate".
He read with growing disbelief the details of a plan to release a genetically engineered virus, V-48, into the environment. The plan had been carried out on that specific date, simultaneously, throughout the world. V-48.3 had been introduced into the water, and V-48.7 released into the atmosphere at numerous locations.
Finster searched unsuccessfully for more details. He was so absorbed in this that he did not hear Mr. Porter entering. He stood at the door watching Finster. Finally, he cleared his throat, and Finster looked up in surprise.
"I see you've been busy while we were gone." He walked into the office and sat in a chair facing Finster.
"I don't really understand why you're here. You were not one of us. But you are now," Porter said.
"Welcome to the New World."
"Welcome to the New World."
What was Porter talking about? Finster sat there watching him, waiting for an explanation.
"We had to do it," Porter said. "There was nothing else to do."
"What are you talking about?"
"The Earth, of course."
"The Earth?" This wasn't making much sense to Finster. He waited for Porter to continue.
"It was like a cancer, it had to be stopped." Porter got to his feet and went on. "It's like chemotherapy." He sounded like he was trying to convince himself now. It had all made more sense before he was trying to explain it to someone like Finster, who hadn't been part of it.
But then he got focused again.
"We did it to save the Earth."
"Did what?"
"They were a cancer, it was chemotherapy."
Slowly, at last, Finster began to understand what Porter meant. It seemed insane.
"You... killed... thousands of people?"
"Thousands?... No that wouldn't have helped. It was billions."
Porter was determined to make Finster understand.
"The Guardians will keep it all in balance now. It is a new era, a new world. This time we will keep it right."
Finster thought of his roommate. He thought of the dead wino, and the city full of bodies. But Porter was paying him no attention as he went on.
"But you're still here. We'll need to take you to them. They'll want to see you... make tests. There is a place for you here..."
Suddenly his eyes focused on the gun in Finster's hand. The last thing he heard was Finster's angry voice, as he emptied the pistol into him.
"You stinkin' son of a bitch!"
Finster stood there trembling. He had emptied the entire clip into Mr. Porter's chest. His finger was still on the trigger. If the gun hadn't emptied, he would still be shooting. Porter collapsed onto the floor, blood spurting from multiple wounds. He tried to move, and then lay still.
Finster was shocked at what he had just done. He stood still for what seemed like an hour, but was really only a minute or so. He heard a sound and looked up to see Larry standing in the doorway with a horrified expression on his face. The smell of gunpowder lingered in the air. As Finster's gaze turned to Larry, he fled.
There had to be more than these two involved in this horror. Porter had been on the phone to someone. Finster was sure they would be coming for him now. He checked the hall. Larry was nowhere to be seen. He decided not to look for him, and walked swiftly out to his car. He was just in time to see a truck speeding away.
As Finster drove back to town, his mind was reeling. He had just shot down an unarmed man. He could hardly believe what he'd done. But, if what Porter had said was true... What if it wasn't just this city? And the evidence seemed to fit.
He turned on the car radio and searched for any signal. There was none. He tried the other bands with the same result. It was as if the whole world had been shut down. Yet, Porter and his friends seemed to be doing fine. And now they knew he was here. He needed a place to hide.
As he drove into town, he thought about that pawnshop again. Maybe it would be a good idea to find a decent rifle. Finster had served a hitch in the army before going to work at the water department. He was determined that whoever they were, they wouldn't take him without a fight.
He parked the car where he hoped it wouldn't be noticed. It was a bit beat up itself, and fit right in with the neighborhood. He buckled on the 45, and walked to the pawnshop. It was obvious that no one had been there since his previous visit. He was beginning to believe he was the only survivor. It was a depressing thought. Finster found a scoped 30'06 that he liked the feel of. He also took several boxes of ammunition.
As he stepped out of the door, he heard what sounded like a helicopter in the distance, and stepped quickly back inside. In a moment it flew over, headed in the direction of the water plant. He was sure they would be looking for him soon.
It was now late afternoon. He would have to find a place to spend the night soon. He was beginning to notice a peculiar odor in the air. With a shock he realized it was the smell of death. The city was filled with it. Maybe it would be better to get out of town.
He walked back to his car, and lay the rifle on the floor, behind the seat. He was about to get in, when his attention was diverted by the sound of an approaching vehicle. He crossed the street and stood just inside the ally, where he could watch, and not be seen.
The dogs were gone by now. But they had left quite a mess. Garbage was strewn all over the ground. Finster watched carefully as a truck drove slowly down the street. He cursed under his breath as he saw it stop by his car.
Two men got out. One he hadn't seen before. The other was Larry. They walked around his car, looking in the windows. The new man tried the driver's door. It wasn't locked. He took a quick look inside, and then closed it. It was Finster, they were looking for, not his car.
Finster stepped back into the ally. He began to try the few doors. Sooner or later they would check the ally. He didn't want to be here when they did. The men were in the street. He needed another way out. But all the doors were locked. To break in one, would make too much noise. He began to try the few windows.
Then, he heard a shout behind him.
"Freeze!"
He did freeze, but not for long. He picked up a wine bottle and smashed out the the glass of the nearest window, and scrambled through. There was another shout and a pop, as something thudded into the window frame beside him. It looked like some kind of dart, but he didn't have time for a good look. As he clambered through, he felt the glass cutting his leg.
It seemed dark inside after being out in the daylight, and it took him a moment to find the door out of the room he was in. He heard someone running and a shout.
"Go 'round to the other side!"
Finster opened the door and found himself in the hallway of the old apartment building. But where could he go now? He ran up a flight of stairs. There was a window on the landing looking down on the street. He saw the second man running up the street. He was carrying a rifle. Finster continued up to the second floor.
He heard the two men meet in the hall below. They began trying the apartment doors on the first floor. As they opened the doors, the stench of death increased. The apartments were full of corpses. That was not a pleasant thought, but he would have to find someplace to hide. He did not want to shoot anyone else, but he would, if it came to that. He had already killed Mr. Porter.
The third door he tried, opened easily. The air did not seem so foul in there. He noticed that a window was open, but he did not have time to think about it. He could hear the men climbing the stairs now.
There was another room, a bedroom, and he entered it. He could hear the men getting closer, trying the doors. There was no more time, and he stepped into a closet, closed the door softly, and drew the 45.
Then, he had a strange felling, and looked beside him, straight into the frightened face of a young woman. Her eyes were locked on the pistol in his hand. Now, he could hear the men entering the apartment. They were talking in low voices.
"He must have come in here. It's the only door that was unlocked."
"Here's a drop of fresh blood."
"Be careful, he's already shot Porter."
"Where did he come from?"
"I don't know. But Porter knew him. I think he worked for him."
Finster held his finger to his lips for silence, but it was unnecessary. The girl quietly moved farther back. Finster saw her slip into a hole in the wall, behind some of the clothes. She motioned for him to follow. Then she covered the hole with a piece of the cheap wallboard the closet was made of.
They were in a small area in the wall between two apartments. It was too dark to see anything, but he could hear the frightened breathing of the girl close beside him. He could also hear the men in the other room.
"Someone's been staying here."
"Him?"
"I don't think so, I think this is a woman, look at this hairbrush."
Finster could hear them moving some things around in the kitchen. Then they were in the bedroom.
"Dr. Ekhard want's him alive. But we don't want to get ourselves killed. You saw what happened to Porter."
Then they were quiet. He heard footsteps and the closet door was yanked open.
Then,
"I don't see any more blood anywhere."
"Damn. I was sure he was in here."
The men walked away. They had left the door open. Finster could see the light through the cracks in their hiding place.
"Maybe he went out the window. There is a roof over here he could have gotten to."
"Yeah, we'll find him eventually."
Finster began to breath easier. He felt his leg. There was a wet place on his pant leg. It was a miracle he hadn't left a trail of blood all the way to the closet. He could hear the men rummaging around the apartment, knocking things over.
Then, he remembered the woman. He could feel her beside him, although it was too dark to see. She was obviously not one of them. She must have survived the plague like he had. He wondered if there were others.
"Well, there's no one here now. We might as well leave," came the voice from the other room.
Then, Finster heard the men leave.
With relief, Finster heard the men leave and go down the stairs. The girl pulled open her hiding place and climbed out over Finster. She still had not spoken. He struggled to his feet and followed her into the other room. She angrily surveyed the mess the men had left.
Finster tried to speak, but she ignored him as she began to clean up the mess. She was a slight woman, and quite young. Her most notable feature was her head of brilliant red hair, now a bit disheveled. Finster thought back to the flash of color he had seen in the window earlier.
"I'm sorry to..." Finster began, but she was ignoring him. She began straitening up the room. It was as if he wasn't even there. But she had seen him, in the closet, and took him into her hiding place. Finally, he touched her shoulder.
She turned, and looked at him as if for the first time. They were near the doorway into the hall. Before he could speak, she had pushed him out of the apartment, and slammed the door. He heard the lock click.
He stood there for a long time. Finally, he had found another survivor, and she had locked him out. The smell in the hallway was getting stronger. He walked down to the window, and looked out carefully. He saw no one.
Back on the ground floor, he found a door leading out into the ally, and unlocked it. There was no one there now either. As he made his way to the street, he turned to survey the building behind him. Once again he thought he saw some movement in one of the windows. He was sure it was the girl.
But, it was obvious she didn't want him there with her. He would have to find someplace else to spend the night. And now he had those men looking for him.
Their truck was gone now. But Finster was still wary as he limped into the street. His leg hurt, and he was hungry now, and thirsty. He broke into a connivance store on the corner, and drank a bottle of water. Thankfully, there were no rotting corpses there.
He noted that he could help himself to anything in the place, regardless of price. Yet his improved financial status gave him little satisfaction. But, if the beer was warm, at least it was the "good stuff". He settled into a back corner of the store with some canned goods, and a couple six packs of that "high dollar" beer.
As it grew dark, he found a cheap flashlight and a couple packs of batteries. He opened a beer, and settled in for the night. It had been a long day.
He was finishing his second beer when he thought about Porter, and what he had been saying when he had been shot, "...They'll want to see you... make tests..." And then, there was what he had overheard in the apartment, "...Dr. Ekhard want's him alive..."
Porter had been genuinely surprised to see him. Maybe he shouldn't have killed him. But he hadn't been thinking clearly at the time. He wondered how clearly he was thinking now. It all still seemed like some kind of nightmare. But would he ever wake up? It didn't look like it.
He opened another beer.
So "They" wanted him. And not only for shooting Porter. Who were "They", and who was this "Dr. Ekhard"?
Finster belched, and tore open another bag of chips.
And what about these "Tests"? It must have something to do with why he was still alive. He was supposed to be dead... Like everybody else. Everybody except that red headed girl. And "They" knew about her now.
Finster stumbled across the store to the bathroom, came back, and opened another beer. He was feeling good. He would get out of town in the morning. But what about that girl? He would have to see her first. She needed to be warned. He set his drink down reluctantly.
No more beer tonight.
From the apartment, Sally had watched Finster leaving the ally. She had not seen a living person since her recovery. Then, all of a sudden, this man shows up with a gun. And then the others came, chasing him. Was she right to hide him? It sounded as if he had killed someone.
It was her aunt's apartment. Sally had moved in with her after graduation. Mostly to get away from her stepfather, Jake. When her aunt had become sick, she had tried to call her mother. But no one would pick up. Finally, Jake had answered and told her not to call back. He'd sounded angry.
Finally she called 911 and they had taken her aunt to the hospital. That was in the beginning, before she had gotten sick herself. By then, there was no one left to help.
The time that followed was just a blur. She wasn't sure what had been real, and what had been delirium. All she knew, was that one day, she had woken up, and every one else was dead.
She had wondered if she was, in fact, dead herself. Perhaps this was what it was like, to always be alone, in the last place you remembered. She had even thought she was a ghost for a time.
But now, there were these new people. And this man was real, she had touched him. And he had touched her. They were both alive.
She didn't know why she had locked him out. As it grew darker, she wished she hadn't. She sat in the dark, too afraid to light her candle.
Larry sat with Sergeant Stevens in the office at the water plant. The generators were still running, and the lights were on. They had carried Porter's body outside and thrown it in the dumpster. It would be a couple more days before it began to stink. They hoped to be gone by then.
"I talked to Dr. Ekhard a while ago," Stevens said. "He wants both this Finster guy, and whoever else we can find."
"What makes you think there's anyone else?"
"Someone was staying in that apartment."
Larry sighed. He just wanted to get away from this place.
Stevens continued,
"We'll check it again in the morning."
Sergeant Stevens had not slept well. He had hoped to be back at headquarters by now. But instead he had had to spend the night here. It was all part of his job in the security section, but he didn't like it. Dr. Ekhard was insisting that they bring this Finster back with them. If not for that, they would have closed it all down yesterday.
But he could see the point. Porter was nothing. But anyone who had survived without the vaccine would certainly be of interest. And now, there was even the possibility of a second survivor.
He woke Larry and started some coffee. He used water from the tap. They were both immune to it anyway.
The chopper pilot came in. The Director had called and wanted him back in the city right away. He was sorry, but there was a shortage of pilots and choppers. They would have to drive back once they had finished their business here. He went back out, and soon they heard him fire up the chopper, and leave.
The sooner they got started, the better. The sun had just risen, as they got into the truck and headed back into town, and the apartment building. Stevens hoped to find the woman, at least.
As the sun rose in the morning, Finster stretched and gathered up his things. His leg was sore, but the wound was not deep and the bleeding had stopped. The more he used it, the less it hurt him.
He would take his car as far as he could. There should be enough gas to reach the mountains. He was sure he could hide there. He had been up there many times. He knew plenty of hidden places to camp for a while. Sooner or later they would give up the search for him. After that... he just didn't know.
But first he must find the girl. He hoped she would talk to him this time. He was sure they would come back for her. He needed to warn her.
He was surprised when he heard the chopper again. He ducked back into the doorway and watched it fly off in the direction it had come from the day before. Surely they hadn't given up already. He didn't believe it, and it might even be a trick to get his guard down.
Sally had spent the night sitting in the dark. She had been glad at first to find there were other survivors. She didn't like the idea of being alone. But now even they seemed to be a danger. She was sure they would be back and she knew her hiding place in the closet would eventually be found. She would need to get out of the apartment the first thing in the morning.
As it began to grow lighter, she gathered some things into a bag. But still, she had no idea of where to go.
Sally had become so used to the silence that any unusual sound caught her attention. When she heard the creak on the stairs, she was instantly alert. Someone was coming, and silently. She quietly picked up her bag and slipped into her place behind the closet wall.
Finster checked the street outside one more time and walked to his car. The air was still cool on this April morning, but soon it would warm up. Already, he could smell the dead. He placed a few more items he had taken from the store into the back seat of the car, and started for the apartment building.
At the ally, he stopped for a while to survey the area. He saw no one. Everything was peaceful. He thought for a moment that he had seen some movement in the apartment window. That might be good. He tried the ally doorway he had used the day before. It was not locked.
As he climbed the stairs, he paused on the landing to examine the street below. It appeared to be empty. He continued on up to the apartment. He knocked softly. There was no answer. Then he tried the door. It opened.
The windows faced to the west, so there was not much light this early in the day. He paused to let his eyes adjust. This room seemed empty. He wondered if the girl had heard him coming and hid. He would check the closet with it's hidden chamber. As he stepped out into the room, he heard someone cocking a gun behind him, and froze.
From her hiding place, Sally heard someone enter the apartment. She listened as they searched the rooms looking for her. It was obviously not the man who had hid with her. He would have known where to look.
She heard what sounded like a cell phone, and then, a man's voice.
"No, there's no one here... it looks like she just left."
Then he was quiet for a moment, listening.
"Good... I'll be waiting for him."
Then all was quiet again. Sally would have thought he had left, except she hadn't heard the door. And then, she heard the stairs creaking again, a soft knock, and then the door opened.
"Put your hands on your head, and turn around."
Finster complied. He saw a large man with a gun, standing in the dim light.
Sgt. Stevens had Finster stand against the wall as he patted him down, and cuffed him. He took the 45.
"We finally got you," he said, "Now where is she?"
Finster heard someone climbing the stairway in the hall, and then Larry entered. He looked relieved.
"We got him," he said. "Now maybe we can get out of here."
But Stevens wasn't finished.
"Where is she?" he asked again.
Finster had a good idea where she might be, but he had no intention of telling. All he said was,
"Who?"
Stevens backhanded him.
"You know dammed well, who!"
Finster was surprised at the force of the blow. His hands were cuffed behind his back and he struggled to keep his balance. Larry looked at Stevens in surprise. He had not expected this.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
Stevens ignored him, and slapped Finster again.
"Tell us where your lady friend is!" he demanded, and when Finster was silent, he punched him in the gut. Finster doubled over and fell to the floor.
"Take it easy!" Larry said. "Dr. Ekhard won't like this."
"Dr. Ekhard will want the woman too, won't he?"
Larry knew that was true, and was quiet.
Finster lay on the floor, trying to catch his breath as Stevens looked down at him.
"We know you came here to see her," he said, and kicked Finster several times.
Finally, Larry could stand it no more and grabbed Stevens.
"For God's sake stop it!"
"Why?" Stevens asked, "All Ekhard needs is his DNA. The bastard is a murderer."
But he stopped the beating. Finster lay on the floor moaning.
"Well, there's nobody else here now," said Larry. "Let's take him back to the water plant and get ready to go."
"OK," Stevens said reluctantly. He would have gotten points for bringing in two of them. He pulled Finster to his feet. "Maybe we can get out of here by noon."
Sally had heard it all from her place in the closet. Once she was sure the men had left, she came out into the apartment. From a window, she watched them taking Finster away. He was stumbling along, obviously in pain. But she was safe for the time being. Yesterday, she would have been glad to have been found by somebody. But no longer. These men were cruel.
She wondered what they wanted with Finster. They had called him a murderer, but there was more to it than that. It sounded as if they wanted him for some kind of experiment, and her too. Finster was different. He hadn't seemed like a murderer at all to her. He could have told them where she was, and avoid a beating. But he didn't. She didn't like those men. And she didn't like that they had taken Finster. And now they knew about her as well. Sooner or later they would be back.
She had been frightened while they were there. She was still frightened. But she felt like she should do something to try and help Finster.
They had said they were going to the water plant. She knew where that was. Sally went to her aunt's dresser and opened the top drawer. She reached in, under the underwear, and found her aunt's 38. Sally had never had much experience with guns, but this one was simple enough. Point it, and pull the trigger. She hoped she wouldn't need to use it. She found her car keys, picked up her bag, and stepped into the hallway. She did not lock the door behind her.
It had been a while since Sally had been out of the apartment. When she had first recovered, she had spent all her time looking for some other living person. Eventually she had given up.
She had made her hiding place then. Something about the loneliness made her want to crawl into a hole, so she made one. And it had served her well.
But now things were different. She had met Finster, sort of, and there were these other two also. She didn't want to be alone, but if she had to take sides, she would take Finster's.
She hoped her car would start. It was not the most dependable thing on the road. She had no idea how long it had been sitting. Was it a week? a month? She didn't even know what day it was anymore.
She climbed in though the passenger's door. The driver's side had not opened since that little bump-up a while back. The 38 in the pocket of her hoodie bumped against her as she climbed across the console.
She put the key in, and breathed a short prayer. She heard a click, a hesitation, and then the starter began to grind. It seemed like it would never catch, but finally there was a pop, and the engine fired up, with a cloud of blue smoke. Then, it smoothed out a little, and she shifted into Drive. She would go to the water plant at the river. She didn't know what she could do to help him, but she would try.
Finster lay on the floor of the van as they made they're way though town. Larry drove while Sgt. Stevens kept him covered.
"Dr. Ekhard will be glad to see you. He's been looking for someone like you. You're not supposed to be here, you know. You should be dead, like the rest of them."
"Who's Ekhard, what does he want with me?"
"I thought Porter told you."
"He never finished."
"Ah, yes. That was unfortunate." After a pause he continued. "That's not important now. But you are. It's a pity we couldn't get your lady friend too. But we know she's here. We'll come back later."
He gave Finster a knowing look, and went on.
"It would really have been better if you both had just come along peacefully, you know. Dr. Ekhard want's to know why you're alive."
The van pulled up outside the water plant.
As they got out Larry said,
"We need to shut this place down before we leave."
"So get started," Stevens told him.
"I don't know how. That was Porter's job."
They both looked at Finster laying in the back of the van.
"He can do it."
Stevens dragged Finster out of the van and pulled him to his feet.
"Cover him." he said to Larry as he unlocked the cuffs.
Finster was still a bit shaky from the beating.
"Bring him inside."
Sally parked her car at the edge of the woods above the river. she could look down on the plant from there. She saw the van parked there, and the two men. As she watched one of them pulled Finster out, and stood him up. Then she saw them uncuff him and take him inside.
She made her way down there, hoping no one was watching. As she neared the van, she heard the generators shutting down. The quiet seemed strange. Now she could hear the river. She reached into her pocket and felt the 38, wondering if she could use it, if it came to that.
She was hesitant to enter the building, having never been there before. Taking the gun from her pocket, she stepped inside and found herself in a hallway. She could hear voices from a room at the end.
"Well, that's pretty much everything."
"Good. I'm sick of this place already."
"Take him on out to the van. I'll be there in a minute."
Finster was resigned to his fate. He could see no chance for escape. They would take him with them. He would end up as some kind of a lab rat, for this "Dr. Ekhard", whoever he was. It all seemed so incredibly unreal. Finster's only satisfaction was that they hadn't found the girl.
Now that Finster had finished with the plant's equipment, Stevens locked the handcuffs back on, this time in front of him. At least now he'd be able to scratch himself, he thought. Stevens still had the gun. He pointed to the door, and Finster walked out with the other man behind him.
Sally was expecting someone to come through that door, but it still startled her when it happened. Finster looked straight at her, but never flinched. He kept walking. Then, Stevens stepped out.
When Sally saw Stevens, with his gun, she acted in an instant. She didn't have time to think, but shoved the 38 right into his chest, and pulled the trigger.
The shot was incredibly loud in the narrow hallway. Stevens never had time to react before he felt the first bullet slam into him. As he turned his own gun toward the girl, Finster thew himself against him, and the shot went into the wall. Sally fired two more shots as Finster grabbed for Stevens' gun. They fell to the floor, wrestling for the gun. Another shot went wild, barely missing Finster. Stevens tried desperately, to hold on, but he was weakening, and now Finster had the gun.
Finster looked up to see Larry, in the doorway, with Finster's own 45. As he hesitated, Finster fired twice. Larry dropped the 45 and grabbed hold of the door frame, trying to stay on his feet. He failed, and slid to the floor, staring at Sally still holding her aunt's 38. He was no longer sure who had shot him. But it no longer mattered.
Sally sank to her knees, laid the revolver down, and thew up. Her ears were ringing. Sgt. Stevens was dead. Larry tried to speak, and then slumped to the floor. He was no longer breathing.
Sally sat on the floor, leaning against the wall. She had just killed a man. Finster sat opposite her, too weak to get up.
The two of them sat staring at each other for a long time, and then began to laugh.
The End
3 The Water Plant
Finster started his car again.
The water plant was across town. But there was no traffic, and he was there in a few minutes. As he pulled into the parking area he could see a couple of trucks there. It looked like the lights were on inside. He unbuckled the 45 and slid it under the seat. Then after some thought, he pocketed the 380, just to be safe. Then, he headed for the office.
The outer office was empty. No one was at the receptionist's desk. That was no surprise. He could hear someone talking inside Mr. Porter's office.
"Yes, we've been all though the city. There doesn't seem to be anyone here... Well, of course we could have missed something... Yes, we'll be closing down soon... We'll make another quick sweep and leave in the morning."
Finster heard a phone snap shut. There must still be at least one carrier up. He was glad to hear another voice, but the conversation seemed odd. It put him on guard, and there was that odd memory of what he'd seen when he had been sick.
He knocked on the door, and heard a startled voice.
"What the hell?" It sounded like Mr. Porter, and he sounded surprised.
He heard a chair being slid back, and heavy foot steps approached the door. There was a hesitation, and then it opened a crack. A man Finster didn't recognize peered out at him. Behind him, Finster could see Mr. Porter sitting at his desk.
"It's OK, Larry," Porter said, "Let him in."
As Finster entered, he was aware of the comforting weight of the pistol in his pocket.
"Finster," said Mr. Porter with an odd smile, "Where have you been?"
Finster noticed that the other man had shut the door, and was now behind him. It made him uncomfortable, but he didn't want it to show. There was a cell phone on the desk of a type he didn't recognize.
"I've been sick, Mr. Porter."
"Ah, yes. There seems to be a lot of that going around."
"What's going on, sir?" he asked.
"Well..." said Porter. He hesitated, he seemed to be searching for the words. Finally he began again.
"It seems to be some kind of Flu, a new type of Influenza we didn't know about. Highly contagious they say. Were you very ill?"
"I was bad sick. My roommate is dead."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
Finster didn't think he seemed all that sorry. He asked,
"You didn't catch it?"
Porter glanced at the man behind Finster and said,
"No, we were lucky."
Porter rolled his chair back from his desk a bit, and leaned back in it. He was watching Finster, and appeared to be sizing him up. Finally he spoke.
"There's no use trying to hide it, this has been a major disaster. We are shutting down here, and evacuating the town."
"Evacuating the town?" Finster repeated. There didn't seem to be anyone left to evacuate.
"Most of the people are already in the city."
Finster assumed he meant the larger city, about 50 miles away.
"What about the government?" he asked.
Porter looked at the other man again, and answered.
"We are the government."
Finster didn't understand. Porter was only the head of the Water Department of a small city.
"Things have changed." Porter continued. "It's a whole new world. And we need men like you, who know how to do the things that need to be done."
Something had happened for sure. But he didn't understand Porter's attitude. And he didn't like it, or his friend, Larry.
"Well, I'm glad you made it in. We'll need you to check things out. And get the plant ready to shut down, first thing in the morning. You can leave with us then."
None of this was making sense to Finster. But he went to his locker and picked up his tool belt and hard hat. He didn't know what else to do. As he began his rounds, he noticed Porter and Larry driving off, into town.
Finster moved though the plant, checking the machinery. Here and there he made some necessary adjustments. Then he found something unusual. Along with the usual chemicals, something different was being added to the water. He found some empty bottles labeled "V-48.3 (Water Borne)" and with the word "Caution" in red. There was also a date noted.
As he continued his rounds, behind the plant, he found something else. There was a pile of empty canisters dumped in the area behind the building. They were labeled, "V-48-7 (Air Borne)", with the same date. Finster realized that this date was shortly before they had all begun to get sick. Could this be a coincidence?
He had an uneasy feeling. But his curiosity had been aroused, and he headed up to the office once more. Porter was not back yet. But he found the office door had not been pulled completely closed, and swung open at his touch.
What were these bottles of V-48.3 and this V-48-7 about? He had never heard of them. Finster knew that there was a log kept of all the plant operations. He wanted to find it. After a short search he did.
On the date in question, along with the usual notations, he found "Operation 'Sneezy' initiated". But that was all. There was no indication of what "Sneezy" actually was. The entries continued for a few more days, and then stopped altogether.
Finster went over to Porter's desk. He was surprised to find that his computer was only asleep. It booted up with no password necessary. Finster was no hacker, but he did have a basic knowledge of the system. He began to search for "Sneezy" or "V-48". He had no luck, but did stumble onto a folder titled, "Initiate".
He read with growing disbelief the details of a plan to release a genetically engineered virus, V-48, into the environment. The plan had been carried out on that specific date, simultaneously, throughout the world. V-48.3 had been introduced into the water, and V-48.7 released into the atmosphere at numerous locations.
Finster searched unsuccessfully for more details. He was so absorbed in this that he did not hear Mr. Porter entering. He stood at the door watching Finster. Finally, he cleared his throat, and Finster looked up in surprise.
"I see you've been busy while we were gone." He walked into the office and sat in a chair facing Finster.
"I don't really understand why you're here. You were not one of us. But you are now," Porter said.
"Welcome to the New World."
4 Welcome to the New World
"Welcome to the New World."
What was Porter talking about? Finster sat there watching him, waiting for an explanation.
"We had to do it," Porter said. "There was nothing else to do."
"What are you talking about?"
"The Earth, of course."
"The Earth?" This wasn't making much sense to Finster. He waited for Porter to continue.
"It was like a cancer, it had to be stopped." Porter got to his feet and went on. "It's like chemotherapy." He sounded like he was trying to convince himself now. It had all made more sense before he was trying to explain it to someone like Finster, who hadn't been part of it.
But then he got focused again.
"We did it to save the Earth."
"Did what?"
"They were a cancer, it was chemotherapy."
Slowly, at last, Finster began to understand what Porter meant. It seemed insane.
"You... killed... thousands of people?"
"Thousands?... No that wouldn't have helped. It was billions."
Porter was determined to make Finster understand.
"The Guardians will keep it all in balance now. It is a new era, a new world. This time we will keep it right."
Finster thought of his roommate. He thought of the dead wino, and the city full of bodies. But Porter was paying him no attention as he went on.
"But you're still here. We'll need to take you to them. They'll want to see you... make tests. There is a place for you here..."
Suddenly his eyes focused on the gun in Finster's hand. The last thing he heard was Finster's angry voice, as he emptied the pistol into him.
"You stinkin' son of a bitch!"
**** ****
Finster stood there trembling. He had emptied the entire clip into Mr. Porter's chest. His finger was still on the trigger. If the gun hadn't emptied, he would still be shooting. Porter collapsed onto the floor, blood spurting from multiple wounds. He tried to move, and then lay still.
Finster was shocked at what he had just done. He stood still for what seemed like an hour, but was really only a minute or so. He heard a sound and looked up to see Larry standing in the doorway with a horrified expression on his face. The smell of gunpowder lingered in the air. As Finster's gaze turned to Larry, he fled.
There had to be more than these two involved in this horror. Porter had been on the phone to someone. Finster was sure they would be coming for him now. He checked the hall. Larry was nowhere to be seen. He decided not to look for him, and walked swiftly out to his car. He was just in time to see a truck speeding away.
As Finster drove back to town, his mind was reeling. He had just shot down an unarmed man. He could hardly believe what he'd done. But, if what Porter had said was true... What if it wasn't just this city? And the evidence seemed to fit.
He turned on the car radio and searched for any signal. There was none. He tried the other bands with the same result. It was as if the whole world had been shut down. Yet, Porter and his friends seemed to be doing fine. And now they knew he was here. He needed a place to hide.
As he drove into town, he thought about that pawnshop again. Maybe it would be a good idea to find a decent rifle. Finster had served a hitch in the army before going to work at the water department. He was determined that whoever they were, they wouldn't take him without a fight.
He parked the car where he hoped it wouldn't be noticed. It was a bit beat up itself, and fit right in with the neighborhood. He buckled on the 45, and walked to the pawnshop. It was obvious that no one had been there since his previous visit. He was beginning to believe he was the only survivor. It was a depressing thought. Finster found a scoped 30'06 that he liked the feel of. He also took several boxes of ammunition.
As he stepped out of the door, he heard what sounded like a helicopter in the distance, and stepped quickly back inside. In a moment it flew over, headed in the direction of the water plant. He was sure they would be looking for him soon.
It was now late afternoon. He would have to find a place to spend the night soon. He was beginning to notice a peculiar odor in the air. With a shock he realized it was the smell of death. The city was filled with it. Maybe it would be better to get out of town.
He walked back to his car, and lay the rifle on the floor, behind the seat. He was about to get in, when his attention was diverted by the sound of an approaching vehicle. He crossed the street and stood just inside the ally, where he could watch, and not be seen.
The dogs were gone by now. But they had left quite a mess. Garbage was strewn all over the ground. Finster watched carefully as a truck drove slowly down the street. He cursed under his breath as he saw it stop by his car.
Two men got out. One he hadn't seen before. The other was Larry. They walked around his car, looking in the windows. The new man tried the driver's door. It wasn't locked. He took a quick look inside, and then closed it. It was Finster, they were looking for, not his car.
Finster stepped back into the ally. He began to try the few doors. Sooner or later they would check the ally. He didn't want to be here when they did. The men were in the street. He needed another way out. But all the doors were locked. To break in one, would make too much noise. He began to try the few windows.
Then, he heard a shout behind him.
"Freeze!"
He did freeze, but not for long. He picked up a wine bottle and smashed out the the glass of the nearest window, and scrambled through. There was another shout and a pop, as something thudded into the window frame beside him. It looked like some kind of dart, but he didn't have time for a good look. As he clambered through, he felt the glass cutting his leg.
It seemed dark inside after being out in the daylight, and it took him a moment to find the door out of the room he was in. He heard someone running and a shout.
"Go 'round to the other side!"
Finster opened the door and found himself in the hallway of the old apartment building. But where could he go now? He ran up a flight of stairs. There was a window on the landing looking down on the street. He saw the second man running up the street. He was carrying a rifle. Finster continued up to the second floor.
He heard the two men meet in the hall below. They began trying the apartment doors on the first floor. As they opened the doors, the stench of death increased. The apartments were full of corpses. That was not a pleasant thought, but he would have to find someplace to hide. He did not want to shoot anyone else, but he would, if it came to that. He had already killed Mr. Porter.
The third door he tried, opened easily. The air did not seem so foul in there. He noticed that a window was open, but he did not have time to think about it. He could hear the men climbing the stairs now.
There was another room, a bedroom, and he entered it. He could hear the men getting closer, trying the doors. There was no more time, and he stepped into a closet, closed the door softly, and drew the 45.
Then, he had a strange felling, and looked beside him, straight into the frightened face of a young woman. Her eyes were locked on the pistol in his hand. Now, he could hear the men entering the apartment. They were talking in low voices.
"He must have come in here. It's the only door that was unlocked."
"Here's a drop of fresh blood."
"Be careful, he's already shot Porter."
"Where did he come from?"
"I don't know. But Porter knew him. I think he worked for him."
Finster held his finger to his lips for silence, but it was unnecessary. The girl quietly moved farther back. Finster saw her slip into a hole in the wall, behind some of the clothes. She motioned for him to follow. Then she covered the hole with a piece of the cheap wallboard the closet was made of.
They were in a small area in the wall between two apartments. It was too dark to see anything, but he could hear the frightened breathing of the girl close beside him. He could also hear the men in the other room.
"Someone's been staying here."
"Him?"
"I don't think so, I think this is a woman, look at this hairbrush."
Finster could hear them moving some things around in the kitchen. Then they were in the bedroom.
"Dr. Ekhard want's him alive. But we don't want to get ourselves killed. You saw what happened to Porter."
Then they were quiet. He heard footsteps and the closet door was yanked open.
Then,
"I don't see any more blood anywhere."
"Damn. I was sure he was in here."
The men walked away. They had left the door open. Finster could see the light through the cracks in their hiding place.
"Maybe he went out the window. There is a roof over here he could have gotten to."
"Yeah, we'll find him eventually."
Finster began to breath easier. He felt his leg. There was a wet place on his pant leg. It was a miracle he hadn't left a trail of blood all the way to the closet. He could hear the men rummaging around the apartment, knocking things over.
Then, he remembered the woman. He could feel her beside him, although it was too dark to see. She was obviously not one of them. She must have survived the plague like he had. He wondered if there were others.
"Well, there's no one here now. We might as well leave," came the voice from the other room.
Then, Finster heard the men leave.
5 Locked Out
With relief, Finster heard the men leave and go down the stairs. The girl pulled open her hiding place and climbed out over Finster. She still had not spoken. He struggled to his feet and followed her into the other room. She angrily surveyed the mess the men had left.
Finster tried to speak, but she ignored him as she began to clean up the mess. She was a slight woman, and quite young. Her most notable feature was her head of brilliant red hair, now a bit disheveled. Finster thought back to the flash of color he had seen in the window earlier.
"I'm sorry to..." Finster began, but she was ignoring him. She began straitening up the room. It was as if he wasn't even there. But she had seen him, in the closet, and took him into her hiding place. Finally, he touched her shoulder.
She turned, and looked at him as if for the first time. They were near the doorway into the hall. Before he could speak, she had pushed him out of the apartment, and slammed the door. He heard the lock click.
He stood there for a long time. Finally, he had found another survivor, and she had locked him out. The smell in the hallway was getting stronger. He walked down to the window, and looked out carefully. He saw no one.
Back on the ground floor, he found a door leading out into the ally, and unlocked it. There was no one there now either. As he made his way to the street, he turned to survey the building behind him. Once again he thought he saw some movement in one of the windows. He was sure it was the girl.
But, it was obvious she didn't want him there with her. He would have to find someplace else to spend the night. And now he had those men looking for him.
Their truck was gone now. But Finster was still wary as he limped into the street. His leg hurt, and he was hungry now, and thirsty. He broke into a connivance store on the corner, and drank a bottle of water. Thankfully, there were no rotting corpses there.
He noted that he could help himself to anything in the place, regardless of price. Yet his improved financial status gave him little satisfaction. But, if the beer was warm, at least it was the "good stuff". He settled into a back corner of the store with some canned goods, and a couple six packs of that "high dollar" beer.
As it grew dark, he found a cheap flashlight and a couple packs of batteries. He opened a beer, and settled in for the night. It had been a long day.
He was finishing his second beer when he thought about Porter, and what he had been saying when he had been shot, "...They'll want to see you... make tests..." And then, there was what he had overheard in the apartment, "...Dr. Ekhard want's him alive..."
Porter had been genuinely surprised to see him. Maybe he shouldn't have killed him. But he hadn't been thinking clearly at the time. He wondered how clearly he was thinking now. It all still seemed like some kind of nightmare. But would he ever wake up? It didn't look like it.
He opened another beer.
So "They" wanted him. And not only for shooting Porter. Who were "They", and who was this "Dr. Ekhard"?
Finster belched, and tore open another bag of chips.
And what about these "Tests"? It must have something to do with why he was still alive. He was supposed to be dead... Like everybody else. Everybody except that red headed girl. And "They" knew about her now.
Finster stumbled across the store to the bathroom, came back, and opened another beer. He was feeling good. He would get out of town in the morning. But what about that girl? He would have to see her first. She needed to be warned. He set his drink down reluctantly.
No more beer tonight.
From the apartment, Sally had watched Finster leaving the ally. She had not seen a living person since her recovery. Then, all of a sudden, this man shows up with a gun. And then the others came, chasing him. Was she right to hide him? It sounded as if he had killed someone.
It was her aunt's apartment. Sally had moved in with her after graduation. Mostly to get away from her stepfather, Jake. When her aunt had become sick, she had tried to call her mother. But no one would pick up. Finally, Jake had answered and told her not to call back. He'd sounded angry.
Finally she called 911 and they had taken her aunt to the hospital. That was in the beginning, before she had gotten sick herself. By then, there was no one left to help.
The time that followed was just a blur. She wasn't sure what had been real, and what had been delirium. All she knew, was that one day, she had woken up, and every one else was dead.
She had wondered if she was, in fact, dead herself. Perhaps this was what it was like, to always be alone, in the last place you remembered. She had even thought she was a ghost for a time.
But now, there were these new people. And this man was real, she had touched him. And he had touched her. They were both alive.
She didn't know why she had locked him out. As it grew darker, she wished she hadn't. She sat in the dark, too afraid to light her candle.
Larry sat with Sergeant Stevens in the office at the water plant. The generators were still running, and the lights were on. They had carried Porter's body outside and thrown it in the dumpster. It would be a couple more days before it began to stink. They hoped to be gone by then.
"I talked to Dr. Ekhard a while ago," Stevens said. "He wants both this Finster guy, and whoever else we can find."
"What makes you think there's anyone else?"
"Someone was staying in that apartment."
Larry sighed. He just wanted to get away from this place.
Stevens continued,
"We'll check it again in the morning."
6 Morning
Sergeant Stevens had not slept well. He had hoped to be back at headquarters by now. But instead he had had to spend the night here. It was all part of his job in the security section, but he didn't like it. Dr. Ekhard was insisting that they bring this Finster back with them. If not for that, they would have closed it all down yesterday.
But he could see the point. Porter was nothing. But anyone who had survived without the vaccine would certainly be of interest. And now, there was even the possibility of a second survivor.
He woke Larry and started some coffee. He used water from the tap. They were both immune to it anyway.
The chopper pilot came in. The Director had called and wanted him back in the city right away. He was sorry, but there was a shortage of pilots and choppers. They would have to drive back once they had finished their business here. He went back out, and soon they heard him fire up the chopper, and leave.
The sooner they got started, the better. The sun had just risen, as they got into the truck and headed back into town, and the apartment building. Stevens hoped to find the woman, at least.
As the sun rose in the morning, Finster stretched and gathered up his things. His leg was sore, but the wound was not deep and the bleeding had stopped. The more he used it, the less it hurt him.
He would take his car as far as he could. There should be enough gas to reach the mountains. He was sure he could hide there. He had been up there many times. He knew plenty of hidden places to camp for a while. Sooner or later they would give up the search for him. After that... he just didn't know.
But first he must find the girl. He hoped she would talk to him this time. He was sure they would come back for her. He needed to warn her.
He was surprised when he heard the chopper again. He ducked back into the doorway and watched it fly off in the direction it had come from the day before. Surely they hadn't given up already. He didn't believe it, and it might even be a trick to get his guard down.
Sally had spent the night sitting in the dark. She had been glad at first to find there were other survivors. She didn't like the idea of being alone. But now even they seemed to be a danger. She was sure they would be back and she knew her hiding place in the closet would eventually be found. She would need to get out of the apartment the first thing in the morning.
As it began to grow lighter, she gathered some things into a bag. But still, she had no idea of where to go.
Sally had become so used to the silence that any unusual sound caught her attention. When she heard the creak on the stairs, she was instantly alert. Someone was coming, and silently. She quietly picked up her bag and slipped into her place behind the closet wall.
Finster checked the street outside one more time and walked to his car. The air was still cool on this April morning, but soon it would warm up. Already, he could smell the dead. He placed a few more items he had taken from the store into the back seat of the car, and started for the apartment building.
At the ally, he stopped for a while to survey the area. He saw no one. Everything was peaceful. He thought for a moment that he had seen some movement in the apartment window. That might be good. He tried the ally doorway he had used the day before. It was not locked.
As he climbed the stairs, he paused on the landing to examine the street below. It appeared to be empty. He continued on up to the apartment. He knocked softly. There was no answer. Then he tried the door. It opened.
The windows faced to the west, so there was not much light this early in the day. He paused to let his eyes adjust. This room seemed empty. He wondered if the girl had heard him coming and hid. He would check the closet with it's hidden chamber. As he stepped out into the room, he heard someone cocking a gun behind him, and froze.
From her hiding place, Sally heard someone enter the apartment. She listened as they searched the rooms looking for her. It was obviously not the man who had hid with her. He would have known where to look.
She heard what sounded like a cell phone, and then, a man's voice.
"No, there's no one here... it looks like she just left."
Then he was quiet for a moment, listening.
"Good... I'll be waiting for him."
Then all was quiet again. Sally would have thought he had left, except she hadn't heard the door. And then, she heard the stairs creaking again, a soft knock, and then the door opened.
"Put your hands on your head, and turn around."
Finster complied. He saw a large man with a gun, standing in the dim light.
Sgt. Stevens had Finster stand against the wall as he patted him down, and cuffed him. He took the 45.
"We finally got you," he said, "Now where is she?"
Finster heard someone climbing the stairway in the hall, and then Larry entered. He looked relieved.
"We got him," he said. "Now maybe we can get out of here."
But Stevens wasn't finished.
"Where is she?" he asked again.
Finster had a good idea where she might be, but he had no intention of telling. All he said was,
"Who?"
Stevens backhanded him.
"You know dammed well, who!"
Finster was surprised at the force of the blow. His hands were cuffed behind his back and he struggled to keep his balance. Larry looked at Stevens in surprise. He had not expected this.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
Stevens ignored him, and slapped Finster again.
"Tell us where your lady friend is!" he demanded, and when Finster was silent, he punched him in the gut. Finster doubled over and fell to the floor.
"Take it easy!" Larry said. "Dr. Ekhard won't like this."
"Dr. Ekhard will want the woman too, won't he?"
Larry knew that was true, and was quiet.
Finster lay on the floor, trying to catch his breath as Stevens looked down at him.
"We know you came here to see her," he said, and kicked Finster several times.
Finally, Larry could stand it no more and grabbed Stevens.
"For God's sake stop it!"
"Why?" Stevens asked, "All Ekhard needs is his DNA. The bastard is a murderer."
But he stopped the beating. Finster lay on the floor moaning.
"Well, there's nobody else here now," said Larry. "Let's take him back to the water plant and get ready to go."
"OK," Stevens said reluctantly. He would have gotten points for bringing in two of them. He pulled Finster to his feet. "Maybe we can get out of here by noon."
Sally had heard it all from her place in the closet. Once she was sure the men had left, she came out into the apartment. From a window, she watched them taking Finster away. He was stumbling along, obviously in pain. But she was safe for the time being. Yesterday, she would have been glad to have been found by somebody. But no longer. These men were cruel.
She wondered what they wanted with Finster. They had called him a murderer, but there was more to it than that. It sounded as if they wanted him for some kind of experiment, and her too. Finster was different. He hadn't seemed like a murderer at all to her. He could have told them where she was, and avoid a beating. But he didn't. She didn't like those men. And she didn't like that they had taken Finster. And now they knew about her as well. Sooner or later they would be back.
She had been frightened while they were there. She was still frightened. But she felt like she should do something to try and help Finster.
They had said they were going to the water plant. She knew where that was. Sally went to her aunt's dresser and opened the top drawer. She reached in, under the underwear, and found her aunt's 38. Sally had never had much experience with guns, but this one was simple enough. Point it, and pull the trigger. She hoped she wouldn't need to use it. She found her car keys, picked up her bag, and stepped into the hallway. She did not lock the door behind her.
7 Last Ride
It had been a while since Sally had been out of the apartment. When she had first recovered, she had spent all her time looking for some other living person. Eventually she had given up.
She had made her hiding place then. Something about the loneliness made her want to crawl into a hole, so she made one. And it had served her well.
But now things were different. She had met Finster, sort of, and there were these other two also. She didn't want to be alone, but if she had to take sides, she would take Finster's.
She hoped her car would start. It was not the most dependable thing on the road. She had no idea how long it had been sitting. Was it a week? a month? She didn't even know what day it was anymore.
She climbed in though the passenger's door. The driver's side had not opened since that little bump-up a while back. The 38 in the pocket of her hoodie bumped against her as she climbed across the console.
She put the key in, and breathed a short prayer. She heard a click, a hesitation, and then the starter began to grind. It seemed like it would never catch, but finally there was a pop, and the engine fired up, with a cloud of blue smoke. Then, it smoothed out a little, and she shifted into Drive. She would go to the water plant at the river. She didn't know what she could do to help him, but she would try.
Finster lay on the floor of the van as they made they're way though town. Larry drove while Sgt. Stevens kept him covered.
"Dr. Ekhard will be glad to see you. He's been looking for someone like you. You're not supposed to be here, you know. You should be dead, like the rest of them."
"Who's Ekhard, what does he want with me?"
"I thought Porter told you."
"He never finished."
"Ah, yes. That was unfortunate." After a pause he continued. "That's not important now. But you are. It's a pity we couldn't get your lady friend too. But we know she's here. We'll come back later."
He gave Finster a knowing look, and went on.
"It would really have been better if you both had just come along peacefully, you know. Dr. Ekhard want's to know why you're alive."
The van pulled up outside the water plant.
As they got out Larry said,
"We need to shut this place down before we leave."
"So get started," Stevens told him.
"I don't know how. That was Porter's job."
They both looked at Finster laying in the back of the van.
"He can do it."
Stevens dragged Finster out of the van and pulled him to his feet.
"Cover him." he said to Larry as he unlocked the cuffs.
Finster was still a bit shaky from the beating.
"Bring him inside."
Sally parked her car at the edge of the woods above the river. she could look down on the plant from there. She saw the van parked there, and the two men. As she watched one of them pulled Finster out, and stood him up. Then she saw them uncuff him and take him inside.
She made her way down there, hoping no one was watching. As she neared the van, she heard the generators shutting down. The quiet seemed strange. Now she could hear the river. She reached into her pocket and felt the 38, wondering if she could use it, if it came to that.
She was hesitant to enter the building, having never been there before. Taking the gun from her pocket, she stepped inside and found herself in a hallway. She could hear voices from a room at the end.
"Well, that's pretty much everything."
"Good. I'm sick of this place already."
"Take him on out to the van. I'll be there in a minute."
Finster was resigned to his fate. He could see no chance for escape. They would take him with them. He would end up as some kind of a lab rat, for this "Dr. Ekhard", whoever he was. It all seemed so incredibly unreal. Finster's only satisfaction was that they hadn't found the girl.
Now that Finster had finished with the plant's equipment, Stevens locked the handcuffs back on, this time in front of him. At least now he'd be able to scratch himself, he thought. Stevens still had the gun. He pointed to the door, and Finster walked out with the other man behind him.
Sally was expecting someone to come through that door, but it still startled her when it happened. Finster looked straight at her, but never flinched. He kept walking. Then, Stevens stepped out.
When Sally saw Stevens, with his gun, she acted in an instant. She didn't have time to think, but shoved the 38 right into his chest, and pulled the trigger.
The shot was incredibly loud in the narrow hallway. Stevens never had time to react before he felt the first bullet slam into him. As he turned his own gun toward the girl, Finster thew himself against him, and the shot went into the wall. Sally fired two more shots as Finster grabbed for Stevens' gun. They fell to the floor, wrestling for the gun. Another shot went wild, barely missing Finster. Stevens tried desperately, to hold on, but he was weakening, and now Finster had the gun.
Finster looked up to see Larry, in the doorway, with Finster's own 45. As he hesitated, Finster fired twice. Larry dropped the 45 and grabbed hold of the door frame, trying to stay on his feet. He failed, and slid to the floor, staring at Sally still holding her aunt's 38. He was no longer sure who had shot him. But it no longer mattered.
Sally sank to her knees, laid the revolver down, and thew up. Her ears were ringing. Sgt. Stevens was dead. Larry tried to speak, and then slumped to the floor. He was no longer breathing.
Sally sat on the floor, leaning against the wall. She had just killed a man. Finster sat opposite her, too weak to get up.
The two of them sat staring at each other for a long time, and then began to laugh.
The End
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