Reset

Jason tossed out his hands. “So we know nothing more.”

“No,” Nora corrected. “We know a lot more. We know there was a war, the virus didn’t work, it was out of control, the vaccine was a bust, and we aren’t decades into the future. We know more than we did four hours ago. Now, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I sure want to know when those vehicles will be ready, because I need to find my family.”

“We all do,” John said. “But before any of us take off, we need a plan. We need to find a way to stick together or make it back together, because as hard as it is to face…” John looked at each and every person. “We here, may very well be all that’s left of the human race.”

TWENTY-TWO – Motor Pool

Just before sundown, Nora, John and Grant made their way back to the PX and gathered more sleeping bags for the others. Along with three small tents and other camping supplies. Following Nora’s earlier lead, they also grabbed some items to wear. Even though there would be chances to get supplies on the road, it still was better to be prepared. Beyond the confines of the base was a great mystery.

They had moved from the small inside lab office to outside, creating a campsite.

“It could be fine,” Amy said, glancing across the campfire. “I mean. I once saw this movie that an area was quarantined, and the rest of the world was fine. This is where the project started. Maybe this is where they quarantined.”

Grant smiled peacefully at her. “That’s a cool thought. That we’re all packed up for some hardened journey and we pull out onto a busy highway.”

“Life goes on,” Meredith added. “It finds away. There’s life out there beyond this base. What kind of life, I don’t know. But it’s there.”

Nora didn’t join in the fire conversation, she lay off to the side, reading by the light of a lantern and some of the campfire glow. Before her was an open notebook, along with the tabloids and magazines she grabbed from the PX.

John had moved across the lot where Malcolm worked on the ‘buggies’, probably being more of an annoyance than any help. Jason was quiet, he didn’t say much. Nora figured he was still processing. Everyone had to deal with things their own way and their own time frame.

She took to starting a journal. It was her way of dealing. Taking notes, writing thoughts. She slowly withdrew from paying attention to what was being said by the campfire until she reached the point that the silence finally caught her attention. She had been so engrossed, she didn’t notice everyone had fallen asleep.

Nora wasn’t tired. In fact she hadn’t slept much or well since she woke from stasis. She closed her journal, picked up the wristwatch, saw the time of three AM, and was going to call it a night, when she heard the clank of metal and Malcolm cursing out, “Oh, goddamn it.”

He was still at it.

Not that she could help, but Nora decided to see if he needed anything.

Malcolm had moved three of the buggies more to the center of the lot. Supplies were already loaded in them and she followed the light that came from the open garage door of the warehouse.

As she neared, John walked through the darkness, staggering some.

“You all right?” she asked.

“Yep. I finally have hit that level where I think I can sleep.” He lifted a bottle and dangled a cup from his other hand. “Since I didn’t want to take a chance on the expiration of the Go-Doze pills, this worked. Want a hefty night cap?”

“No. But thanks.”

“Suit yourself. I know you’re not sleeping either.”

“On second thought.” She said.

John stopped walking, he finished the few drops that remained in his glass and poured a healthy amount in the cup, handing it to Nora. “Enjoy. Night.”

“Night.” Nora watched him drunkenly walk away, sniffed the brown liquid and cocked back. It was strong and burned her nostrils. It was something she’d sip, and she did as she walked to the garage.

She stopped cold in the garage when she saw all the parts scattered on the floor.

“Come to help, watch, or ask a million questions?” Malcolm asked from his seat on the floor. He was surrounded by parts.

“All three. What… are these? Is this buggy broke?”

“It is now,” Malcolm said. “We only need three, so I figured the best way to learn this thing was to take it apart and put it back together. Only now…”

“You can’t get it back together?”

“Nope. I will though.”

“No doubt.” Nora said and joined him on the floor.

“Can’t sleep?” Malcolm asked.

Nora shook her head.

“Me either. I see John gave you some sleep aid.”

“Maybe you should try some.”

“Oh, I did.” Malcolm picked up a part and examined it. “A third of a bottle. I feel nothing.”

“That could be the reason you can’t get this back together.”

He laughed.  “It might be. I saw you working on something.”

“Oh, just writing in a journal and reading and learning all I could from those magazines.”

“Anything interesting?”

Nora took a sip of her drink. “The explosion was a dirty bomb. Or so they say. Flattened six blocks of New York, contaminated most of the city.”

“So they say.”