"Wake up, your mouth is wide open" someone said, waking me up
I opened my eyes, met by Glenn standing on top of me. The outside is bright, in the morning again, I looked at the others, they are still sleeping. Only Glenn and I are awake.
"While you guys are sleeping, I went to Daniel's apartment and got some plates and spoons. Well it's a good thing that last night both of you and Daniel only took a pot of cooked rice but didn't take some plates and spoons so we just ate in our cans. You are a good cook right? I also took a pot and somehow found a grill in one of the apartments for you to cook" Glenn said
I rubbed my eyes, stood up and stretched. I went out of the truck container and saw the already standing clean and neat shiny grill near the fire pit, and plates and spoons beside it.
"Glenn, can you give me the hotdog and meatloaf from the cellophanes? And the oil too" I instructed Glenn
Glenn took and gave what I asked for. I put some coal from the wood last night's fire in the grill and put some paper inside it and lit it up. While the fire gets stronger, I put oil in a bowl and open the hotdog and meatloaf. I coated the meatloaf and the hotdogs in the bowl of oil and put it on the grill, cooking it.
Glenn woke up the others, there's someone growling on the gate.
"Yow Johnny, go kill the bitch, her growl is very annoying" Glenn said
"Bro I'm literally cooking and don't want blood to get splash on me or my hand, I might even splash the food with blood" I replied
"Let me take care of it" Jayden said
Jayden took my machete beside the mattress I slept on and approached the infected and started stabbing it through the wires.
"Damn, she's not dying, do I really need to take her head off" Jayden shouted while looking at us
I did the silence hand gesture and pointed the other infected left and right, it felt like they didn't hear Jayden's shout. Jayden stabbed the woman's throat and started turning into circles. He took the machete out and came back. It silenced the woman but continued making noise with the wire.
"Good morning brother" Jane said and kissed me on the cheek and went past me
"Well, you sure you guys won't get disgusted when eating while there's dead bodies outside?" I asked the 5
"Of course we will get disgusted, it's better to not think about it while eating" Kristy replied
I put the cooked ones in an empty bowl and changed it with uncooked ones.
"It looks like we are having a normal life while there's chaos out in the city" Jayden joked
"So any new news on from the government?" I asked Kristy
Kristy took out her phone
"Oh no, the service is signal is gone" she replied
"Damn, we will just ask questions from the military on the bridge" Glenn said
"The radio from the truck would work" Jayden said
"But the signal towers aren't working anymore" Kristy said
"Jayden's right, AM radio waves travels far passing through mountains or buildings. We might hear news from the military or the government" I said
"But sadly, I need to turn on the truck for it's radio to work. It might cause noise reeling the virused people around the fence before we got to the evacuation site" I added
All of us went silent, the tongs hitting the grill and the sound of fire crackling can be heard.
"The food is cooked now, time to eat" I said as I put the last batch on the bowl
We grabbed ourselves a plate, got rice, food and ate in silence
"Do you guys think they will make a cure for this? And I hope it will be a batch cure like releasing a smoke and it's done, cured" Glenn asked
"Well, it took 2 and a half years to find the cure for the virus 8 years ago, the number may be short but when it comes to days it's long. Killing 100 million people worldwide" Jane replied
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
The Crimson Tide, the virus that killed my mother because of the people who spread it. How it spreaded was completely unknown because of its fast spread. It spreaded through air and touch. The one who didn't know they got the virus went to other countries for maybe a vacation, causing the virus to spread to the other countries.
Its symptoms cause a very high fever, crimson rash, starting with small, red spots, would emerge on the skin and spread across the body, eventually covering it entirely. The virus attacked the blood vessels, causing internal bleeding and organ failure. This was a fast and brutal process. As the internal bleeding progressed, it affected the brain, causing extreme aggression and a ravenous hunger.
It was named The Crimson Tide because The crimson rash was the most striking symptom, a sea of red spreading across the body, giving it a tide-like appearance and the virus spread like a tidal wave, overwhelming communities and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
Only 15,000 people who got the virus survived because of the vaccine and survivors are forced to stay in their home, avoiding the virus. Mother got the vaccine but it was too late, the virus is already strong causing her death.
We finished our food, we cleaned our plate with an extra clean water. It's a good thing I took all the products from the store from the gas station yesterday, giving us some lot of products.
We started packing and putting the grill, plates and others in the container of the truck. As usual, Glenn and Kristy are staying in the container and the 3 of us are in the driver's seat.
"Oh shit, let me open the gate first" Jayden said as he got out of the truck
We waited for him and he came back, giving me a thumbs sign. I started the truck going backwards. The infected started to come towards us. I stepped on the pedal and went towards the bridge.
As we arrive at the bridge, a wave of nausea washes over us. The sight is horrifying hundreds of infected, a writhing mass of bodies, swarming the bridge, some clawing at the rusted metal, others spilling over the sides, their groans echoing like a chorus of the damned and a lot of dead bodies on sight and on the road. There are military tents just in front of us or just at the entrance of the bridge.
"Oh-oh god" we heard Jayden
He unlocked the door and threw up near a military tent, Jane followed. I went outside the truck, my guts are fighting the gruesome sight. There are people on the floor including the infected ones. There are bullet holes on them, it looks like they were killed by the military, but why?
Jayden and Jane came to me from the other side.
"Where is the military?" Jayden asked
"I don't know" I replied
"What are we going to do?" Jane asked
"Well, we will find something useful from the tents. There should be something useful to kill the zombies on the bridge or we will go back" I replied
Jayden approached one of the tents
"There are 4 bags in here probably the food of the military and ammo of guns from the table" Jayden whispered
We entered the tent, only tables and beds were inside. I picked up the bag from the table.
"FFOTG, Fast-Food On The Go Military Style, Fuel Your Fight and Get Your Grub On! Soldier" I read it out loud
I tuned the bag
"Contains Energy Bar, Trail Mix which has dried fruits, nuts and granola perfect for long journeys, Hydration packets a powder that dissolves water, providing electrolytes and hydration"
There are also other versions of it on the table, Fast-Food Inspired version, probably burgers, fries, or chicken inside, Vegetables version and Field Fuel version. I packed the food at Jayden's empty pack. We went to the next tent, we heard groaning inside.
Jayden opens the flap of the tent, cautiosly. There's a young soldier, his face pale and sweaty. He's sitting in the middle of the tent, his left arm covered in bandages. We notice the soldier's bandaged arm. The bandages are soaked with a dark, purplish fluid that seems seeped by the fabric. His veins are visible on his face, colored purple.
"What happened? Where's the rest of the military?" Jane asked, her voice gentle.
The soldier's breathing became shallow, ragged.
"They... they're gone they… they had to evacuate." He coughed, a dry, hacking sound that sent a shiver down our spines.
"Evacuate? What happened? Why did they leave?" Jayden asked
The soldier's gaze fell on the mangled arm, the bandage oozing with blood.
"The… the bite, it… it spread, too fast… couldn't stop it. They… they had to go. Too many… too many of them... They tried to kill them... But the survivors are on the way... accidentally killing them"
I felt a knot of anxiety in me
"What about us? What's going to happen to us?" I asked
The soldier looked at us with a desperate plea in his eyes.
"Guns… in the pack. Ammo… not much. But it might be very useful for all of you"
Jayden stepped closer, his eyes fixed on the backpack.
"We'll take them," he said, his voice unwavering.
"We'll fight. But we need to know what to do."
"The bridge… you need to find a way to get over the bridge" the soldier wheezed.
"We… We tried to hold them back… but it didn't work. They… they went east. Maybe… maybe there's still a chance. Go… go east."
I opened the bag, a small rifle, 2 pistols, on the second zipper, 2 knives and 2 green boxes, the smallest zipper has 2 red boxes.
"A... PO-13, has good accuracy... durable, easy maintenance, lightweight, can be upgraded, and good... At close quarter battles... 2 Ginge-10, easy to use and... *Akh*, easy to use... The green boxes are... For the PO-13 and the red... Are for the Ginge-10... Take...*breathe heavily* take care of them... if you want them to last longer" he said
The virus is making him harder to speak. He took out magazines and boxes from his pockets and handed it to Jayden. I carry the bag, it is very heavy.
"It's very heavy... I heard a truck nearby and probably how you get here... The heaviness might not be a problem for you... Talking about truck... When you head east and arrive at Ascendancy city... Please... Find her..." He said, handing out a photo with his dog tag
I took the photo and the dog tag, it is a picture of him and a 15-years old teen.
"She is my daughter...taking cared by her grandma... Please... Find them and... Take her... Her grandma... Is also dying of old age... Please... And giv... Give her this... That's the only thing I can give her"
"What's her name" Jane asked
"Iris... Iris Invine..." He replied
He took his gun from his holster
"I... I am going to keep this... And end myself .. I just... Waited for survivors to... To get my daughter... And it's a good thing that... All of you came... I will trust all of you... To take care of her"
"We, will promise to find her, and take care of her" Jane replied
I carried the bag, tears started to come out of the soldiers eyes.
"Go... I... I might lure them here... Go... The cure for this hasn't still been made... Remember Ascendancy City, Iris Invine, here's my gun, it has my name carved on it" he added
I took the gun and put it inside the bag, we started to come out of the tent.
"You... There" the soldier called out on me
I looked back, a lot of tears came out of his eyes, he was sobbing much. Tears started to come out of my eyes.
"What... *Sob* what is your name?" He asked
"My name is Johnny, Johnny Ashford"
"Johnny Ashford, I will remember that name, my... My name is Ivano... Ivano Skyfire... My daughter... Took over her mother's name because... Because I... Left them because of war... She thought... I was cheating on her during my... Military... But I wasn't... She divorced me... And after... Iris was born, the father... Isn't printed in her birth certificate... I secretly took a picture with her... Don't... Don't worry... She knows... That I'm her father... Now go... And safe travels"
I nodded and close the flap and head towards the truck, Jayden is leaning on the container with teary eyes, Jane sobbing from the side. I opened the container door and saw Glenn and Kristy playing with their phone just at the entrance
"What took you guys so long?" Glenn asked
"Nothing just looting" I replied
Jayden and I stored the bags we looted on the container and closed the door. We went back and enter in the front. I went to reversed the truck until it touched the building. We waited for the soldier signal.
*Bang bang bang bang bang*
There are multiple gunshots coming from the tent, the soldier might have probably shooted multiple times to get the infected's attention and used the last on him. The infected from the bridge and around heard the gunshot and started walking towards it. We patiently waited for them to get off the bridge or lower their numbers. There's only small left of them on the bridge, a lot of bodies on the floor.
I step on the pedal made the truck as fast as it can go. I ran over the infected, bumping and crushing the bodies on the ground making the car slower. They started chasing us but we are already far from them. We arrive from the other side, Jayden started celebrating all of this thanks to Ivano Skyfire. Thank you soldier, now to the east, Ascendancy City it is.