Solaris Mortem: The New Patriots (2 page)

Twenty minutes after Terry left, the clerk was shot dead for a warm case of beer and a carton of smokes.

Back on I-5 now, it was still the same mess.
Maybe forever?
Cars and trucks stopped dead in their tracks as far as the eye could see. Stretches between accidents looked like parking lots. Accidents looked like crushed cans of tomato sauce and birds of prey were feeding on the dead. Keeping his donuts in his stomach proved difficult, and he kept walking.

It was almost noon and beginning to get hot. The August sun beat down on the cars and turned them into solar cookers. The putrid stench of hot, decaying flesh hung like a tangible cloud, and this was just the beginning. It was going to be a long walk home.

He walked past groups of people just camping out, staying with their cars like this all might get cleared up soon. If they had firearms, they kept them trained on anyone passing by. Terry held up his arms, “Just passing through, folks; that’s all.”
This was getting ugly.

At the end of Day One, he made it just fifteen miles beyond Eugene, but it was an improvement. He was out of the city and away from the crazies, at least for tonight. The interstate was still filled with dead cars, but they were more sporadic now. A single car here and there, and small clusters in spots. No more massive pile ups with fatalities and for that he was glad.

He laid his sleeping bag down on the ground beside a farmer’s pond and fell asleep under an expansive, star filled sky. He told himself: if there’s still beauty like this, then maybe it will all be okay…eventually.

CHAPTER TWO

I
f his dreams were any indicator, nothing would be okay ever again. Katherine and the children were on the move, away from the city, toward something better. That was the plan anyhow. The reality was they were starving and dehydrated. The reality was a group of dreadful men were on their tail…waiting. They waited until the time was right to do whatever it was they wanted. Without law or fear of punishment, many men did whatever the hell they pleased barring a moral compass. Rape, torture, murder, arson and thievery to name a few.

Terry rolled in his sleep, a groan escaping his lips.

The men were after Kat; sex crazed and deviant, they stalked her. They cared little that she had children with her to bear witness. Some of the men lusted after the children. It was a hard, cold world and Kat was on her own.

Terry cried out in his slumbering state, though not loudly enough to wake him.

Katherine, Jonathan, and Tabitha walked through the dark wood, hands clasped while the bad men encircled them like a tightening noose. All at once, it was darker; it felt colder. Kat looked around but saw no one.

“Mommy, I’m scared,” little Tabby said.

“I know, honey. It’s okay, we’re fine,” Katherine reassured her daughter though she wasn’t convinced herself.
White lies.

“I’m hungry, Mommy.”

“I know, honey. We’ll find something soon. Just keep walking.” Tabitha wasn’t impressed by the answer and hung her head in a dutiful pout.

The sickening crunch of a stick broken underfoot and Kat whipped around to see the man who was about to grasp her. Jonathan and Tabitha screamed before being captured themselves.

Terry awoke with a start and wiped sweat from his brow and drool from his lips.

“Shit….”

He struggled to get back to sleep, and when he did, he dreamed of crows feeding on the remains of his family.

Terry woke up with the sun in the east shining brightly. Dark spots blotted the surface of the sun like acne, or scars left over from the big light show. Otherwise, it looked normal, and he figured that part of it was over…hopefully. Actually, he was just glad to see it rise again. With recent events, everything he had grown to count on in his thirty-one years had become doubtful.

Terry rolled to his side and sat up in his sleeping bag rubbing his eyes. What he wouldn’t do for a cup of coffee. He tried the snoose method again, and as before, it did very little for him other than wedge grounds between his teeth. He went to the pond and surveyed its murk. It didn’t look real great…didn’t smell real great either, but he dipped the hose of his ill-gotten water filter in the pond and began pumping his water bottles full again. It seemed to come out clear, so hopefully it worked as advertised on the box.
Filters 99.9% of pathogenic bacteria, cysts, and parasites!
He wasn’t exactly certain what that meant, but it did sound pretty good, and the water didn’t taste half bad. This filter would be essential in staying alive. That, and avoiding the bad guys.

He scooped SPAM from the can with his fingers and found it to be mostly disgusting, but his grumbling stomach was thankful nonetheless.
There’s still protein in snouts and assholes, right?
With that thought, he ate another donut and took a tall swig of water.

Terry hoped to make Salem by nightfall, though it was probably over ambitious at forty-five miles away; plus, he needed to find more food along the way.

“Pitter patter, let’s get at ‘er,” he said, hoisting his pack up and onto his back. His shoulders cried out in protest, still aching from yesterday.

“Jesus, I need a fucking rickshaw,” Terry said, and he started walking again.

The walk was mostly without incident until he came upon a coyote eating a fellow traveler on the road. It was an older man, probably in his sixties, and the coyote had torn his middle open, feasting on the poor bastard’s innards. Terry shot the coyote and briefly considered eating it, but it just seemed too close to cannibalism for his comfort. He wished he had the time and energy to give this poor stranger a proper burial, but time was one luxury he could not afford right now. Common human decency was in short supply these days and no wonder; it was too expensive. Time was his only currency at the moment, and he could feel it slipping away from him with every hour that passed away from his family.
Lord, please let them be okay, pleeease…

He walked all day, but didn’t make it to Salem. That had been overly ambitious for sure. Instead, he camped near Albany and would scrounge in the morning for what he could.

Albany was set up somewhat like a military camp. The odds of scavenging anything were slim, but the odds of getting shot for trying were pretty good. Snipers were on the roofs with deer rifles, and men, some just boys, walked the streets brandishing AR15s, AK47s, and shotguns. He walked the streets looking for a grocery store, mini-mart or anything else that looked promising. His blistered feet protested; he hoped to find Neosporin and bandages.

Terry didn’t get far enough to find those things, but he did find an apple tree in an alley. He plucked one from the branch and took a big, juicy bite. It was a Red Delicious which he didn’t usually care for, but it was pretty damned good today. Terry held the apple in his teeth and started picking more when he was interrupted.

“What’s your business here?” Someone barked, behind him, “Hands where I can see ‘em.”

“Don’t shoot, I don’t want any trouble,” Terry said and raised his hands slowly to the sky, “I’m just looking for a little food is all.”

“Sorry, stranger. We have none to spare. What have you got to trade?”

“Trade?” Terry asked.

“Yes, trade. What have you got? Guns? Ammo?”

“Well…nothing.” Terry turned slowly to face the voice behind him. It was just a guy, a regular guy trying to survive like everyone else. He wasn’t sure what he expected, but it wasn’t this guy. He was in his forties, balding, short, fat and frumpy.
I guess I was picturing more of a Terminator type…. This guy was wearing Dockers and polo shirt.

Terry extended his hand, “Hi, I’m Terry, Terry Burrows.”

The man just waved his gun, “I suggest you get back to the highway, Terry Burrows.”

“On my way.” Terry did an about-face, thankful at least he didn’t get robbed of what he did have.

“Leave the apples.”

“Right…sorry.”

Well, that was a fantastic failure. At least, I wasted a bunch of time….

Hopefully, he would have better luck further up the road. One can of pork and beans wouldn’t get him too far.

Terry walked on and began to wonder if he would ever see Katherine, or Jonathan, or Tabitha again. Suddenly the two-hundred and fifty miles felt like he may as well be walking to the fucking moon.

It was a lone outpost with very little in the way of shops or stores, but Millersburg had a Methodist church with a big American Red Cross emblem on the front that caught Terry’s eye straightaway. He slipped off the freeway.

A little help?
He dared to hope. Terry approached cautiously; he was getting a little gun shy after all, and to his relief, this was the real deal. He was greeted with a sandwich, some apple slices, and a tall glass of water.
Nirvana.

Inside this small church were about a hundred people. Most of them were locals with about half a dozen other travelers besides Terry. They had assembled for mutual comfort and strength, and he hoped his sister had found such a respite in Seattle. He had spent most of his life looking out for Little Sis, and it pained him to be away now. Of all the lousy times to be away and on the road, the apocalypse would have to rank as the worst.

When that boy on the playground pushed Kat down back in grade school, who was there to pick her up and kick his ass? Terry was. When Kat’s husband left her and the kids, who was there to pick her up and kick his ass? Terry was. Actually, the ass-kicking was on hold until he could find the son of a bitch, but the point was: Terry took care of his sister, and that went double since their parents had passed.

Terry sat down amongst his fellow travelers and ate ravenously. His sandwich, just an ordinary peanut butter and jelly, was heaven today.

“Never thought a PB&J could be so good,” the man across the table said. “I’m Joe, nice to meet you.” He extended his hand.

“Terry. Likewise.”

“So, where you headed, Terry?”

“North, up to Washington,” Terry said. “You?”

“I’m on my way to Everett, myself. Gotta get back.”

“What do you do in Everett?”

“I’m a biologist for the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Only now, I wish I was a farmer,” Joe chuckled.

“Yeah—you and me both. I drive truck and I’m trying to get back to Seattle. That’s home, family, you know?”

“Well, I hope your family is okay, Terry,” Joe said and took another bite of his sandwich.

“What about you? You got family up in Everett?”

“Nah, my family is all back East. I don’t imagine I’ll be seeing them anytime too soon.”

“It’d be a helluva walk,” Terry agreed.

Joe nodded and they ate in relative silence for the next few minutes until Terry broke it. “So, what do you think of walking together? Probably a little safer in pairs.”

“That would be great, yeah. After lunch?”

“Works for me,” Terry said.

They were just heading out when an elderly man wearing a name tag stopped them. ‘Chuck,’ it said. “Are you leaving so soon?”

“Uh, yeah…we’ve got a long walk ahead of us,” Terry said.

“You sure I can’t convince you to stay? We’re looking for warm bodies around here to help protect the town. We’ve got water and plenty of food.”

As good as that sounded, Terry and Joe had to decline.

“Well, at least, fill your water bottles before you go and I’ll fetch you a little food for the road.”

“You’re too kind, Chuck. Many thanks,” Terry said, and they were on their way, richer than when they came. It was unbelievable what a difference three miles up the road made.

“So, what do you think all this is?” Terry asked Joe.

“I’m going to go with solar flares—it’s really something isn’t it? The sun has a little hiccup and just like that—life as we know it is over.”

“I’ll say…how long do you think it will last?”

“What? The power outage? I would say for the foreseeable future—it’s going to get really ugly,” Joe said.

“Sadly, I’ve come to the same conclusion…. How long do you suppose till people start dying?”

“You mean large scale? I’d give it a week, maybe two. Without access to fresh water and sanitation issues—it’s just going to be bad.”

Terry nodded. They kept walking and it kept getting hotter. They talked about Katherine, Jonathan, and Tabitha. They talked about wildlife biology and long haul trucking. They drank a shit-ton of water and by the time the sun began to dip behind the hills, they got to Salem.

They camped just outside of town beside the river. Terry didn’t think he’d ever had a swim that felt so good.

He and Kat used to swim all the time when they were kids down at the local rec center and out at the cabin their parents had on the Olympic Peninsula. Those were good times, some of the best of his life. They would go there for three weeks every summer. It was just man, woods, and water, and it was perfect.

Everything after that had been kind of a disappointment. Dad died when Terry was sixteen and Katherine was fourteen. They had to sell the cabin after Dad passed and Mom was so busy working that they never went on another vacation again; never had rec center passes again, either.

Mom died when Terry was nineteen and Kat was seventeen. They were more or less grown and able to care for themselves, but it was one helluva blow, especially for Kat. She was devastated. She stayed with Terry for about a year until she met that shit-bag who was to become her husband.

Dale Hodges—what a douchebag.
Terry knew he was bad news from the very start. The first tip off was the way his ring finger was shrunken beneath the knuckle. ‘Kat, c’mon! He’s either married or freshly split.’ It turns out he was married, but no matter, Katherine loved him. She could not be swayed, try as he might. Terry tried to tell her it was just a matter of time before he did the same to her, but she wouldn’t hear of it. ‘Everybody makes mistakes,’ she would say, ‘that’s behind us now, it’s the past.’ Only it wasn’t. Well, it was, but it was also the future.

Terry woke to the aroma of fresh coffee. At first, he thought his mind was playing a cruel joke, but sure enough, his new companion had a percolator bubbling away over a small fire. “Is that—is that—coffee?”