Induction

I searched the area and found no sign of Jake. Five other men were discovered, completely devoured. They too had been picked clean, but they had gunshot wounds to the head. Someone had shown these men mercy. Was it Jake? Echo One reported being cut off from the Humvees, which meant there were only two paths they could have taken: across the bridge, or over the side and into the water. The end of the bridge was gone, just missing. Someone must have blown it to try to keep the virus from spreading; which side had done it was a mystery.

A small inkling of hope welled up in me as I contemplated the possibility that the other side of the bridge was untouched. But as I looked further into Fort Myers I saw the same scene of destruction and chaos we’d faced in Cape Coral. Buildings still burned, and it was eerily silent. That narrowed it down to the men jumping from the bridge. Of course, this assumed they hadn’t died and joined the new regime of the dead.

The sounds of struggle cut through my ruminations, and I heard someone yelling. “Jesus, get him off me.” One of the dead soldiers had been lurking under the fuel tanker and grabbed Sanchez by the ankle. Adam was closest and plunged his bayonet into its head, killing him for the second time.

“Are you okay, man?”

“I’m fine.” He was shaken, but looked okay. He stormed away from the group mumbling something in Spanish.

“Come on, man. How many times I gotta tell you I have no idea what you’re saying? My Spanish is limited to the Taco Bell drive-thru menu. So unless you’re saying burrito or chalupa…” Seth called to his back, letting his sentence trail off. Sanchez lifted his arm over his head and flipped him off.

“Fuck, now I want a burrito,” he joked.

Having found nothing at the tanker, we doubled back to the Humvees and regrouped. Two of the men drove the fuel truck back to the compound. At least we had completed the original mission, now all we had to do was find Jake and the others. We checked all the surrounding stores closest to the bridge. No signs of Jake or any other living soul…

The last store we entered was The Toy Emporium. From the street, the store looked untouched. I cupped my hands around my eyes to block out the devastation around us, and focused on the beautiful beacon of serenity in front of me. Without the mass destruction in view, I could almost imagine it was a regular Sunday morning. Expectant children bouncing with anticipation of their trip to the monolith, excitement at seeing the endless shelves of toys. The local owner, a pillar of the community, would be busy setting out treats and stocking the shelves.

This shop had been a staple of the community for the better part of thirty years. The sun created a mirror effect on the front windows, and I could see myself and the ruin in my background reflected in its glass. My appearance was shocking. The cold eyes of a killer stared back, my usually soft, compassionate demeanor, dead, like the rest of the city.

The illusion of normalcy vanished as the glass door opened inward. Toys were scattered, most burnt from whatever fire had claimed the back of the store. Plastic dolls took on a menacing appearance with melted faces and mangled limbs. Once plush, the stuffed animal pile had fused together to leave a heap of crispy polyester forms indistinguishable from one another. There was nothing here, other than shattered hopes and dreams. There was nothing to say, and the desolation left us feeling empty.

It was late afternoon when we emerged from The Toy Emporium. The sun would be setting soon. I thought about Jake, possibly alone out here. I didn’t want to leave, but I was smart enough to know staying longer would be a death sentence.

I rode in the back of the truck on the way to the compound. Adam drove the fuel truck back, and I was relieved to not have to deal with his hovering. Concealed in the shadows where no one could see, I cried silently and prayed for my husband. The day had taken a lot out of us. Our shoulders sagged, heavy with failure, and no one spoke when we returned. Daphne greeted me at the door, her wagging tail falling slowly between her legs as she caught wind of my mood. I could feel the other’s eyes on me as I silently made my way to the roof and closed the door behind me.

Laying down on the bed Jake had made for us, I pushed my face into his pillow, yearning to catch a whiff of him.

Later, the door to the roof opened and Adam stepped out.

“I want to be alone, Adam. I need some space.”

He ignored the request and sat down beside me. As he put his arms around me and squeezed, the emotion I had deep inside flooded its way to the surface and bubbled over.

Meg had come up behind him clutching Daphne to her chest like a security blanket. She ran and flung her arms around me. We mourned Jake silently together. The only sounds were our hushed sobs.

Chapter 17 Up, Up & Away