Chapter 19: An Unexpected Welcome

The distant voice on the ham radio was difficult to understand. It faded in and out as a cold and dirty rain lashed the countryside. The central window rattled under the assault of sleet, the unseasonable storm a dark indication of the future. "Is this David?" the unknown voice asked.

"It is." David sat, preparing for an extended conversation. The others monitoring the radio equipment listened in, eager for any further news about the outside world. "Go ahead. Where are you and what news do you have?"

"David, it's me, Nick Rogers."

"Nick? Damn, I was afraid we lost you. When we lost contact, we were sure you'd met an untimely end. We don't like losing people, there are so few of us to begin with."

"Sorry about that. I took refuge in an area blocked by the mountains and ... frankly, I was helping others rather than searching for news."

Peter, preparing the next AM broadcast, leapt up to alert the others in the household. His voice rang out in the background. "It's Nick from Utah!"

"Don't worry, you're forgiven. The first rule is survival. Everything else takes a back seat. Now, let's hear what's happened. We don't often get messages from your region of the country."

"Well, Salt Lake City was a both a bonanza and a disaster. The amount of dead: people, animals and plants, was terrifying. But since most Mormons hoard against an indefinite future, we've discovered a tremendous store of food designed to last for decades. Rather than exploring the city, we've been focusing on the wealthier suburbs where people constructed reinforced shelters."

"Yeah, you reported that earlier," David reminded him as people began arriving to listen to the exchange. "You found two women and several kids and planned to set up house to shelter them far from anyone else."

"That was the plan, but as you know, the best stratagies rarely last beyond the initial skirmish. The kids were the ones who shoved us out of our comfortable safety. They kept asking about the 'others', wanting to know what happened to their friends. They were concerned about other children orphaned without adults to raise them. So after trying to protect ourselves, we decided to strike out. I set off with Luke, the oldest boy, and Lindsey, the younger woman. We scoured the city, searching for anyone we could find."

"With so many sources of exposure, that's a dangerous proposition. Did you ever get our updates on protecting yourselves?"

Nick sighed. "We did, but in the end, it didn't help. Well, that's not true. Rather, despite our best efforts, we couldn't escape it. We managed to locate another seven people: two men, two children and three women. However, on our last trip out, Luke got sick. Since Lindsey wasn't infected, I sent her back to warn the others while I remained behind with him. Unfortunately, Luke died and I got infected, despite surviving it once. I survived this second time, but it was rough going. It took me a long time to recover. When I did, I set up shop in a better location in Glendale. It took me forever before I was equipped to return to our home. Like you, they assumed I died. I told them not to seek me out, and they didn't, so they were shocked when I returned. However, when I did, I brought another man, woman and 13-year-old girl with me."

"You've certainly been busy. I understand why you couldn't respond sooner. I hope you've been OK since?"

"My disappearance unnerved the others so they took to isolation. If someone as knowledgeable about the plagues as I was could still be killed, what hope did they have? They avoided risking further exposure. They lost one of the kids, sending him to a nearby house when he became infected. As you can imagine, she didn't make it."

"No, even though a few survive on their own, nursing someone through the process makes a tremendous difference. However, it's foolish to take the intense hands-on approach necessary because of the likelihood of contracting it yourself."

"Tell me about it!" Nick's laughter carried a world wariness which spoke volumes about what he suffered and his resilience. "Anyway, since we can't receive your broadcasts from our home, I wanted to check in and see what you discovered since our last conversation. In particular, I want to know when you're getting off your ass and venturing this way to help us device a treatment plan. It's already turning colder. We're growing paranoid about what the future portends."

"Well, gather everyone around, we've got a lot of information for you. It'll be a while before we reach so far west, but we're trying. Hopefully we know enough to protect you in the future." With that, David began detailing all they'd learned since their last discussion.

Roscoe nudged Monique's elbow with his wet nose.

"Hey, watch it! I've got to drive here." Despite her words, she reached over and scratched him behind his ears, one of his favorite spots. He tilted his head back, his tail thumping against the seat. "I've left the damn window open for you, despite the cold mountain air blowing in. But, no, you're too particular. The plague stench is too overwhelming for you to enjoy that particular canine entertainment."

Dennis spoke up from the back. "He's still weak from the plagues. Sitting in the front seat of a car for hours, he's getting restless." Monique was enjoying the moment almost as much as Sandy's mutt. Dennis grinned at the comforting scene of familiarity so rare in their new world. "I'm telling you, you and Roscoe are natural together. How could you ever keep a dog which wasn't immune?"

"Alice has done quite well with hers, yet she's contagious and Lassie isn't immune. Since she can smell the disease, Lassie was easy to train to keep her distance—something Roscoe wasn't." Monique frowned at the dog which made the mistake of licking Sandy's face, infecting her. That simple action sealed several fates and robbed Dennis of his chance at immunity. "But she always wears gloves when touching him, and is careful about changing them frequently. Frankly, I don't know what the hell we'll do when we run out of surgical gloves."

Dennis leaned between the seats, careful not to touch anything. "I'm glad you brought me along. You could have left me behind. Sandy could have treated me, but I prefer this idea. By treating me in Atlanta, I can head back and we'll have two people in Charlotte to treat people. This way, she recovers faster and I can help out."

"Well, with only one person to treat everyone there, she'd be stretched pretty thin. I'm hoping I can treat you and get you back before she runs into difficulty. Life is so precarious now, I hate risking an entire population on a single individual. Having two of you to treat anyone will make a big difference." Monique glanced back in her rearview mirror to establish eye contact. "However, we'll have to see how it goes in Atlanta. I'm assuming it'll be like Charlotte with only a couple of people to treat. But it's a large city, and if there are better candidates I may have to forgo treating you again."

"I understand. As you say, it's a question of treating those who can do the most good. Since you could only treat a couple of patients before moving on, it's important to keep the survival of everyone in mind. But that's why I appreciate this so much. Even though you still may not be able to treat me, at least you're giving me the opportunity." Monique saw him crack a big grin. "Besides, you'll need to get me back quickly. Sandy only let you have her dog while they're both recovering. That dog means the world to her."

"Yeah, he does, but I couldn't see leaving someone in recovery with a demanding animal. Besides, he'll help us determine contagion hot spots. But yeah, I can't take Roscoe any farther. Since he and Lassie are the only two of their species we've encountered, we need to get them together somehow."

The three left Charlotte early, leaving Sandy recovering from her treatment. She was accompanied by a few people who'd drifted into town after hearing of her success. She had people to care for her, but was still weak. She couldn't treat anyone for some time, so taking Dennis to Atlanta advanced everyone's timetable without delaying Monique. Though it meant Dennis would need to recover in Atlanta before undertaking the long trek back to Charlotte.

Their trip was interesting, as usual. Because Roscoe was contagious and Dennis wasn't immune, they gave Roscoe the front passenger seat while Dennis was relegated to the back. As anyone who's ever owned a dog knows, dogs don't comprehend the concept of 'don't distract the driver'. He frequently nudged Monique's arm while she drove. On an empty highway with no other traffic it wasn't an issue. But with the streets clogged with abandoned vehicles, wrecks and damaged roads, it was problematic. Monique snapped at him more than a few times.

Aside from the requisite backtracking every time they encountered an impassible road, the trip wasn't too difficult. Monique was tempted to stop in Greenville to see what remained. But since she only found a single volunteer in Charlotte, she didn't expect to locate anyone in the smaller city.

Crossing the bridges around the South Carolina and Georgia border was interesting. Due to the damage suffered during the initial meteor storm, they were unsure which were structurally sound. Traversing them slowly, they had no problems. Seeing holes in the road revealing water far below or portions of the bridge collapsed was a little unnerving. Still, I-85 was in decent shape with fewer abandoned cars than the highways Monique traveled from West Virginia.

"We're nearing the city," Monique warned. "We're approaching the route 285 bypass around the city. Keep an eye out as we pass. If the route we're on is damaged, we'll take the bypass and locate another way into the city."

Monique was busy monitoring the road conditions, trying to avoid blowing a tire on the torn up roads. She let Dennis prove his worth by monitoring the side roads. He called out from the back seat.

"There's someone on the overpass! They're waving to us."

Monique slowed. While finding survivors was a good sign, it paid to be cautious. She'd had one encounter with someone trying to kill her when she rescued Sandy. You never know what you'll encounter when you approach a stranger on a highway.

They approached a confusing mish-mash of intersecting overpasses where the Northeast Expressway intersected the Perimeter, the Atlanta bypass. Although bridge overpasses are excellent ambush points, Monique hadn't expected to find anyone monitoring traffic. There just weren't enough people using the highways for it to pay off. It made more sense blocking a main access road which would be harder to bypass. Yet, there was a girl waving at them from the side of the Perimeter where the Northeast Expressway passed under it.

Monique stopped short of the bridge and the three got out. Another young woman appeared on the road above them and also waved.

"Hello! We've been waiting for you."

Roscoe barked at the girls, though it was hard to tell whether to warn them away or welcome them.

Monique cupped her hands around her mouth to amplify her voice. "How did you know we were coming? No one in Charlotte even heard our broadcasts."

The two girls, having made contact, now seemed distracted. Monique and Dennis waited to determine what they were doing while Roscoe ran back and forth barking. Despite his obvious enthusiasm, he couldn't do so for long. He'd run and bark, then sit and pant before repeating the process. They soon got their answer. The girls dropped something over the railing and lowered it, via rope, to the highway Monique, Dennis and Roscoe were on. As it dangled, the intermittent sunlight glinted off its surface. It was a bicycle.

"I'll get it," Dennis offered as he ran forward. Roscoe followed, barking at the descending bike as if to scare it.

Monique found herself standing alone by the SUV, watching the activity from a distance. "I guess there's not much sense maintaining a perimeter. Most highwaymen don't lower bikes to you when they're planning to attack."

Dennis caught the bicycle and lowered it to the ground.

"Untie it for us," one girl called, giving no further details. When he did, they pulled the ropes back up. However, they provided no further clues about what they were up to, who they were or what they hoped to accomplish. A few minutes later another bike lowered over the side the same way. Roscoe thought this was a fun game. He ran in circles, barking at the slowly approaching bicycle dangling overhead. Once again, Dennis caught it, lowered it to the ground and untied it. Once free, the ropes were once more retracted. Again they waited in vain for an explanation. This suited Roscoe, since he needed the time to recover from his short batch of excitement.

Soon, one of the women stood on the railing of the bridge facing away from them and leapt off. Monique's heart did its own lunge in her chest. Dennis rushed to grab the girl, even though he'd be crushed if he succeeded. Roscoe barked an unnecessary warning to the person leaping to her death.

Only it wasn't quite so dramatic. After she stopped four feet below the bridge, they realized she was strapped to the ropes. As they watched, she proceeded to rappel down from the overpass. Instead of catching her, they stood aside as she landed and unhooked herself, allowing her ropes to be drawn back up.

Monique, giving up on her caution, approached. "What's up?"

The new girl held her hand up as she watched her companion prepare to descend. "Sorry, but we wanted to deliver the news simultaneously. You understand, don't you?"

Monique shrugged, also glancing up, even as Roscoe nervously sniffed their newest addition. Sniffing required less energy than running in circles.

The young woman reached for Roscoe's head.

"Don't! Like me, he's contagious. We're teaching him not to approach others, but after thousands of years of ingrained behavior, it's a hard habit to break."

The woman yanked her hand back. "Glad you warned me. I might volunteer, but there's no sense getting deathly ill if we can avoid it."

"Holy shit!" Dennis gasped, causing the others to glance up again.

The second girl was now descending the rope. Instead of rappelling, she descended hand-under-hand, using her strength to keep her safe dozens of feet from the roadway below.

"Candice never learned to rappel, so she's showing off just how strong she is."

"Damn, that requires a lot of upper body strength! Not many women can manage that." Dennis observed every move she made as a grin spread over his face. "That's sexy as hell. I love strong, take-charge women who can fend for themselves."

"Honey, we all fend for ourselves nowadays," Monique reminded him. "If we can't, we don't live long."

"Amen to that, sister," the new girl added, watching Candice's every move just as intently as Dennis. Roscoe, meanwhile, went back to running in circles under her, barking his enthusiastic support for her antics.

Taking pity on him, Monique knelt and held Roscoe in place, taking the opportunity to study the new girl. She had short cropped blond hair. Her cut was a little unkempt, which wasn't surprising given the lack of beauty salons. She had the 'tough girl' look of an athlete, borne out by her familiarity with biking and rappelling. Monique noticed their bikes weren't the garden variety home models, but top of the line outdoorsmen models.

Candice was now low enough Monique could make her out as well. While both were young, Candice was a couple years younger, still sporting the stray pimples and freckles of youth. She had longer jet-black hair, pulled back into a ponytail which wouldn't impede her. Monique had to agree with the others, she was strong. She maintained her position with her upper body strength as she descended in a smooth and steady descent. Glancing down, she smiled at those gawking at her, flashing a row of big teeth and a slightly hooked Italian nose.

"Doing great, Candice!" Monique shouted to show her appreciation for the two girl's spirit. It reminded her of Debbie. While Debbie wasn't as athletic, she had the same sense of daring, not backing down just because something seemed difficult.

Her friend glanced at Monique. "Don't encourage her. If you do, she'll do something even stupider. By the way, I'm Jody. I don't think I caught any of your names."

This time Monique held her hand up, holding Jody off until her friend jumped the final few feet. Candice rubbed her hands together to get the blood flowing again.

"I'm Monique. I'm from David's group up in West Virginia. This is Dennis and the yapping noisemaker is Roscoe. Just watch out, both Roscoe and I are contagious. You're fine as long as you don't touch either of us. If you want to pet Roscoe, please use disposable gloves."

"Pleased to meet you." Candice turned to grace Monique with a big-toothed grin before turning to Dennis. "Can I at least shake your hand?"

"Well, since Roscoe declared you plague free, shake away," he joked, extending his hand. Candice glanced at it for a second. She then grasped it with a firm grip, pumping it in greeting. "Damn, I miss actually touching people. Where can I find a dog like that? Hopefully one small enough to fit in a backpack when I'm out scaling wrecked buildings."

"Sorry, so far, he's one of only three we've discovered. What's more, unless you're immune, he's too dangerous. If he slept on your bed or rubbed against your clothes, you could die. But it's handy having someone around who can identify what's contagious."

"I'll bet," Jody said. "Man, you must have some stories to tell."

"Uh, not to disrupt the conversation, but what are you doing here waiting for us? No one in Charlotte heard our broadcasts, and Atlanta is even farther away."

"Oh, we're familiar with you from the radio." Jody spoke as she wrapped the rappelling cords around her arm with a practiced hand. "We've been hearing about you for weeks now. We feel we know you and your group personally, but we can't pick up your broadcasts either."

"Wait, you've never heard our broadcasts but you've been listening to regular radio broadcasts ... about us?"

"Yup," Candice said as she finished checking the bicycles. She hefted it with one hand and held it up, turning to Monique. "Where can we store this?"

"Excuse me?"

Jody blushed. "Oh, I forgot to explain. We've been cleaning the city in anticipation of your arrival. We've accomplished a lot, but there's a heck of a lot left to do. We have some clear roads, but it's not a direct path. It would take a long time to find your way into the city, so we volunteered to guide you in. But, to do that, you'll have to carry our bikes back for us."

Dennis cocked his head. "Wait a minute. You never heard her broadcasts but know who she is. You know what day she'll arrive, but have no clue what she looks like. What's going on?"

"Just a second," Monique said. "One mystery at a time. We only have one vehicle, and it's filled with medical equipment. How the hell do we transport four adults, a dog and medical equipment while two of us can't touch anyone?"

"Oh, hold on." Jody rifled through Candice's backpack until she found what she was looking for. "Here it is," she said, pulling out a collection of aluminum pipes and handles.

"Here's what? More junk to fill my car while we walk?"

"No, silly," Jody laughed, waving her complaint off. "It's a collapsible bike rack. We attach it to your rain gutter and you carry our bikes on the roof. I think we can fit all of us in your vehicle. If nothing else, we can double up. We can drive while you hold your dog in your lap, or you drive and I'll hold Candice on mine."

"That might work." Monique considered it before turning, motioning them to follow her to her car. "You can't sit in the front, but let's see if I can shuffle things while you attach the bike rack."

Dennis stood to the side as the women shuffled around him. "OK, while we're working, how about explaining how you know so much when we had no clue? How do you have her schedule if you haven't listened to David's broadcasts?"

Candice dropped her backpack on the ground and opened the door like it was her vehicle. She stepped on the running board and fastened the rack into place as Jody did the same on the other side. Apparently they'd worked together before and were comfortable with each other. "Oh, we know all about David, although we didn't realize her name was Monique until just now. We have a lot of generalities, but not a lot of specifics. But we understand how to prevent contracting the plague and when you'd arrive. We also guessed you'd arrive via route 85 since you were coming from Charlotte. While the guys are busy cutting trees and moving broken wrecks, we rode our bikes here so we could flag you down."