The Reawakening (The Living Dead Trilogy, Book 1) (37 page)

“You think it spread?”

“I do. Either that or else your brother had resumed his research elsewhere. I believe that all the disparate strains of pollen from that island nation spread and mutated simultaneously, causing the governments of the world to become more hostile and belligerent to each other. That’s why the world began to go haywire; the pollen caused the people of the world to become highly aggressive. I’ve been analyzing these strands of DNA for the last year now and have come to the certain conclusion that this dissemination is directly linked to these Pacific island pollen spores, either carried across the ocean on atmospheric currents, or from wherever your brother had settled and restarted his genetic experiments. Each species of pollen has a uniquely different effect on human behavior, from severe agitation to flu-like symptoms.”

“I have something sordid to tell you as well,” I said. “Brace yourself, Doc.”

I told him about what happened in Maine. He admitted that he’d heard vague rumors of something going terribly wrong up north, but had no way of verifying it. I explained how we’d witnessed the agitated animals and the dead returning to life, and how the dead tried to consume the flesh of the living. I told him about Rick’s genetic experiments with his crops and how he’d isolated the same strand in both plant matter and the cell tissue of the deceased. I relayed his theories about brain transmission and the laws of physics. He listened intently, showing no signs of emotion. When I finished, without giving full disclosure, he sat staring at the fireplace in a daze. Finally, he stood to leave.

“I have his journal with all his research. Would you care to look it over?”

“No, thank you. I’m not long for this world,” he said. “You need to take it somewhere where they can analyze it fully. Rumor’s going around that a safe haven has sprung up on the west coast. Many people have taken the trek out there, but no one knows if this utopia even exists. Me, I’m too tired and weak to travel. But if you take it out there, maybe you can put the information into the right hands and prevent this situation from worsening.”

“Yes, I need to at least try.”

“If you don’t, all hope is lost.”

“There’s one more significant detail I need to mention,” I said. “The reawakened exhibited a strange behavior upon returning to life.”

“A strange behavior? What do you mean?”

“After their brains reawakened, they exhibited a behavior I can only describe as enlightened, or Zen-like.”

“Yes!”

“It only lasts for a few moments, but the dead invariably spoke of their love for family and friends, and expressed profound regret about past behaviors. Then they all say something curious, although each in their own way.”

“What did they say?”

“I’ll paraphrase, but something to the effect that they were searching for the chosen ones.”

“The chosen ones?” He walked over and grabbed me by the arm. “This is crazy, but the native islanders exhibited a similar behavior. We had no idea what they were trying to tell us. I chalked it up to some indigenous form of polytheism that had habituated in their changing brain cells.”

“The dead hinted at an afterlife and talked about finding certain chosen ones, whoever they are. One even talked about a new world order. They seemed almost enlightened before the final transformation took place, just before they evolved into their final, primitive form. These creatures didn’t want to just wander the earth, but they sought out human flesh, and in particular, the flesh of the brain. Rick had some bizarre theory that combined string theory and something about particles in a weak field.”

“The Higgs boson particle, with Higgs’ weak field giving particles their mass. They refer to it as the God Particle.”

“Yeah, something like that. Too complex for my primitive brain,” I said, laughing sadly.

“God have mercy on us. Vector Labs never let it get to the point where the subjects actually consumed human flesh, although the dead tried. The diseased natives were put down almost immediately for fear of contagion.” He stared at me. “Do you know what this means?”

I shook my head. I was confused and worn out by everything he had just told me about my brother’s nefarious experiments. I’d no idea what anything meant anymore, other than I wanted to leave right away and seek out my family.

“The dead, like the meek, shall inherit the earth. It’s not only biblical, Thomas, but it’s a common theme that runs through every religious tenet. I’ve done quite a bit of theological research in conjunction with my genetic engineering studies. The two topics, believe it or not, go hand in hand.”

“What are you implying?”

“It’s coming, Thomas, like a monster hurricane spinning in the Atlantic. The pollen from that island has no doubt spread the virus. Look at the world. Look outside your door at the birds, the animals and the plant life. Everything is out of whack and sickly. It’s only a matter of time before the plague arrives. The world as we currently know it is too weak and corrupted by its moral shortcomings to stop this global invasion of the dead. They will soon be bearing down upon us. The tenets of most religious scriptures tell us that only a few will survive: the chosen ones.”

“The government dropped a nuclear device in the area we just vacated. I witnessed the mushroom cloud myself as we were speeding towards Boston. Do you think that explosion would be enough to stop the virus from spreading?”

“Hardly. It may only act to slow it down. Radiation won’t matter one iota to the dead. In fact, radiation may actually speed up this transformative process. This is a spiritual apocalypse of the highest order. The meek will inherit the earth, Thomas. It’s been prophesied in the Bible and alluded to by the Mayans and Egyptians. Every religious tenet mentions it. Quite possibly in this equation is the solution to the world’s problems as well.”

“What do you mean?”

“If the meek will inherit the earth,” he limped towards the door, “maybe the meek will inherit heaven along with it. And maybe it will be our ultimate salvation.” He looked wild-eyed.

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s in the Bible. Luke 13:28.
‘There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.’
They’re talking about Judgment Day
.
”

He started to walk towards the back door.

“Where are you going?”

“To die a humble death. I’ve asked God for forgiveness and made peace with Him for the crimes I’ve committed. It’s up to Him now.” He turned to me. “I have just enough gas saved to expedite matters. I want to ensure that I will never become one of the walking dead.”

“Travel west with us instead, Doc. Help us put Rick’s journal in good hands.”

“I’d never make it. Besides, you need to take care of yourself and that young son of yours,” he said, running his hand through Devin’s wild hair. “Your brother’s current experimentation must have been funded by someone higher up in the military or government, Thomas. This was much bigger than just one organic dirt farmer experimenting with his crops.”

“You really believe that?”

“Think about it. There’s no way your brother could have conducted all those experiments on his own. The fact that they nuked the area tells you everything you need to know. Someone was watching over him, encouraging him, maybe hoping to make weapons out of the technology he created.”

He limped out the door and down the alley, past the sick and dead, past the blood-stained varmints scurrying about with flesh hanging loosely from their fangs. I slammed the door shut, nailed all the boards back in place, and then returned to the couch. Devin came over and sat next to me. I put my arm around his skinny shoulder and hugged him. Kate came over and sat on my other side, resting her head in my lap. They felt like family to me now; the only thing I had left in the world. I felt hopeless to do anything more here in Boston. I looked down at Devin, patted Kate’s hair, and wondered what to do next. Devin was still covered in soot and dirt, and feistier than any kid I ever knew. I wondered about Kate and the two children. What would happen to them, to all of us?

After a few minutes passed, I stopped feeling sorry for myself and began to devise a plan. If the dead would inherit the earth, then so be it. I would not go quietly into the night. I would fight to live with every fiber in my being. We’d made it this far after all, and I had the goal of reuniting with my wife and son. And I had Devin, Kate, Emily and Amber to consider. They depended on me now more than ever. I wanted to live. It would require cunning and skills I did not yet possess. Like Dar, I would need to learn new tricks if we were to survive in this changed world. And we were the lucky ones. We had guns, some food, a truck filled with gas. More importantly, we had knowledge of the hellish future that awaited the world, and we had adequate time to prepare for it. We would go west. It was our manifest destiny.

I told Kate and Devin to be ready because we’d be leaving soon. They didn’t argue nor did they ask how we were going to accomplish this, since there was only one truck. Despite the threat posed by the cloud of radiation bearing down on us, we would slip out later that night before it was too late. Better to take our chances with radiation sickness than to be imprisoned inside this condo without food and water, and surrounded by thousands of hungry flesh eaters.

We gathered our things quietly so that Dar and Thorn wouldn’t be suspicious. I’d hidden a bottle of whiskey in my pack, which I knew would make Thorn happy once I presented it to him as a gift. I opened the cap and added a dozen tablets worth of crushed codeine that I’d liberated from the farmstead. Rick had maintained a large supply of painkillers in the event of serious injuries. We waited patiently, biding our time. When night came, I walked upstairs and delivered the bottle to Thorn as a present. He was beside himself with joy upon seeing it, and I was certain he would drink most of the bottle in one sitting. I unscrewed the top and poured each of them a shot, and then thanked them for everything they had done for us. The two of them laughed and made jokes at my expense. Dar reclined on the couch, resting, weeks from giving birth. I walked off and allowed them their privacy. Once downstairs, we sat and waited patiently. We could hear them partying through the night, even though Dar was a light drinker and due to give birth very soon. She was the one I was nervous about.

They partied late. As hard as she tried to stay awake, Kate fell asleep about the same time as the kids. Devin and I waited at the bottom of the stairs, listening for any sign that they’d quieted down. Upon hearing footsteps coming down the stairs, we ran back to the couch and pretended to be playing cards. Our bags were packed and ready to go in the other room, hidden from view. Thorn stumbled into the living room, pulling out his pistol and firing it into the ceiling. I walked over to him.

“You need to be more responsible, Thorn. You’re going to be a father very soon.”

“Styx is destined for greatness,” he slurred, pointing a finger in my chest. He could barely remain upright, he was so drunk.

“That kid is my grandchild.”

“Dude,” he whispered, “that kid is a prophet. A savior like Jesus H. Christ.”

“Oh?”

“A virgin birth, dude.”

“A virgin birth? But haven’t you and Dar been…”

“That’s the craziest part. We never did it,” he whispered in my ear. “And Dar swore to me that she never made it with no other dudes, either.”

The news floored me.

“It’s a goddamn miracle. A virgin birth. Styx is the savior.”

He took a sip from his glass and again drunkenly fired the pistol into the living room. The shot rang out and echoed in the sweltering room. Thorn suddenly toppled to the floor in a puddle of sweat and remained there. I squatted down and realized that he’d passed out. When I was certain he was unconscious, I reached inside his pocket and pulled out the keys to the truck.

I went upstairs to visit Dar one last time. She was reclined on the couch, and despite the heat, she had pulled a blanket up to her chin. On the broken table next to her, I noticed the half-filled tumbler of whiskey. I moved her ax to the head of the couch and knelt down next to her and held her small hand. Despite fear of reprisal, I ran my other hand through her moist hair. She opened her blurry eyes and looked at me, and for the first time in months, I saw the vulnerable young girl that was once my daughter. I looked past all the tattoos and violent piercings and saw her for the child she once was rather than the coldhearted killer she had now become. Tears dripped from her eyes as she stared helplessly at me, her father and one-time protector who had failed miserably at keeping her safe. I continued to brush the hair back on her sweaty scalp. I kissed her scarred forehead and gazed lovingly into her eyes.

“I’m sorry for everything, Dar. I love you so much.”

Then she mouthed the words that sent a dagger through my heart.

I forgive you. I love you.

I got up and left her before I had a change of heart. Tomorrow everything would be different. Tomorrow she would revert back to what she had become and the fierce woman she would grow into. She would thrive with or without me. But would the rest of us be able to survive living under her despotic rule? I didn’t believe we could. And I had more than just myself to worry about now. More importantly, I needed to find my family.