Chapter 2

Monday morning, I drove the four miles to Ed's house and picked him up. He threw a small case in the back of the cab for clothes where mine was. We had put the guns on the floor in back and were not wearing our pistols though they were in easy reach.

Ed and I had decided on our route a few days ago. We would take the interstate to town. I-85 would take us by the airport and we could see if there was any activity there. Going through south Atlanta into the city itself should be fairly safe with all the sickness. The truck made for a good platform for watching the road and everywhere else. We made it in uneventfully. There were no cars on the interstate which underscored to each of us that this situation was serious. We got off the interstate and rode into the airport area for a look around. Again, there was no one anywhere.

We returned to the interstate and continued into downtown Atlanta. When we got to the junction of eighty-five and seventy-five on the way into town, we saw our only other vehicle, a pickup, going fast the other way. Neither of us signaled to the other, we just kept on driving. I'm not sure what that meant.

We arrived downtown and got off for North Avenue and Tech. No one was out and about. This was not normal for Atlanta for a weekday. I was becoming worried that three percent was not just optimistic but was wildly optimistic. I had expected that there would have been some people around. We stopped the truck turning off the motor and got out. It was totally silent. Atlanta was never, ever this quiet. We got back in the truck and went on the campus and still found no one out and about. As we were leaving campus to go to my apartment, I heard a female voice and stopped. "Ed, watch out for an ambush," I said as I slowly got out of the truck. A coed who had been in one of my classes came running to me sobbing. She grabbed me in a hug that was more from fear than anything else.

"You're alive! You're alive!" She sobbed.

"Yes, calm down. It's okay. Is anyone with you?"

"No, they're all dead! Everybody's dead!"

"Take it easy. Things will be better now." I tried to calm her down.

"You-you're Professor Mathews, aren't you?"

"That's right. Now, you were in one of my classes, weren't you?"

"Yes, my name's Shirley, Shirley Ames."

"That's right. Now, Shirley, what do you know?" I asked emphasizing the word, know.

"I live in the Morris dorm. People started getting sick and then they all died. Oh, it was terrible!"

"Are you sure no one is left alive in the dorm?"

"Y-yes, I checked all the rooms. When people started getting sick, we left the doors unlocked so others could help. After a while, I was the only one who could help and th-then there was no one left to be helped."

"Okay, Shirley. What about your parents?"

"They don't answer the phone."

"Where are they?"

"They live just outside Macon."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"They don't answer either. They must be dead!" She cried out and began to sob again. She hadn't let me go.

"Okay, Shirley. Climb up in the back seat of the truck and come with us. We were going to my apartment. We'll talk some more when we get there."

"Okay," she replied. She held tightly to my arm until we got to the truck. She was seeming to calm down when she climbed in. We went the rest of the way to my apartment not seeing a person, alive or dead.

When we arrived, I saw no one outside. I hollered but only received echos in return. I tried knocking on doors of the few people there that I knew and still received no response. I wasn't sure I wanted to find out why quite yet.

I had sandwich makings at the apartment and made us all sandwiches. The bread was a little stale but still good. That got me to thinking. I called Dad on my cell phone which was all I had. I never had a line phone put in here. "Dad, we're at the apartment and having lunch. We picked up one survivor, Shirley Ames, a student here who was in my class last year.

"Yes sir, I know. It's very quiet here. I thought of something that you might want to consider. The bread here is getting stale. Why don't you and the rest of the guys take your trucks, liberate a couple of freezers each, and fill them with perishables. Mom Aunts can help you pick out the right things.

"Yes sir. There won't be any deliveries. The roads were totally empty. I think three percent is optimistic."

"Yes sir, you are correct. That's what they said on the newscasts but I'm here and there are just no people anywhere."

"Yes sir, we'll be careful. You, too. Bye." I hung up.

Ed looked at me. "What did he have to say?"

"He wasn't happy but said that we're the ones out looking around. Unless your dad and our uncles have some real objections, I expect they will do it. We might need that food."

"Good."

"What are you guys talking about?" Shirley asked.

"I talked to my dad. You heard what I said about fresh deliveries. There won't be any. Some things will go bad if we don't get them. We both live on farms but will need some food before they are converted to raising food for everyday living."

"Oh. What about me?"

"Shirley, that's up to you. We have family southwest of here and most of us are farmers. If you are willing, I would suggest you come with us. My mom would be glad to have another woman around while we figure out what's going to happen. We can go to your home and check on your parents and see how they are doing."

'Okay, I really don't want to be left alone again."

"I didn't think about it until now. Should we go back and get your clothes and anything else?"

"Yes," she answered slowly, "but I don't want to go into the dorm alone."

"I understand. I will go with you. We will stick together."

Ed said, "Do you shoot? Do you hike or anything like that?"

"As a matter of fact, I have a ten pointer hanging on a wall at my parent's house. I hauled it out by myself on foot." She smiled and then her eyes teared up at the thought of her house.

"Okay, let's plan out what we will be doing." I said. "We have a half day still today, tomorrow, and half of the next before we are supposed to start back. Though I think our dads would be willing to let us extend, they won't like it and I'm not sure it will gain us anything."

"What was your plan originally?" Shirley asked.

"We were just to look around to see what and who is still functioning." Ed responded.

Shirley had gotten back on a reasonable level emotionally and said, "Okay, let's start a list. First, we need to go back to my dorm and get some of my things. Second, we need to find out who might still be functioning and what they are doing. Depending upon where you two live, we could go by my parents house on the way. Ed, Jack, what else?"

I said, "Your first is good and should stay first. Your second is a bit nebulous and we need to talk through some ideas and develop some quick specifics. Your third is a real possibility. Let's think through the second and then act."

"Okay," Ed said, "let's think about communications. There are three network affiliates in Atlanta, the Weather Channel and CNN. We are downtown. After we pick up Shirley's things, let's check out the big CNN building, then Channels Two and Eleven which are or were close together. That will give us a read on public communications."

"Sounds good to me. Hmm. What do we do when the phones quit?" I asked.

Shirley said, "I have an idea about that. My dad's a ham, an amateur radio operator. I am, too. We talk to people all over the world on the radios as well as locally."

"That's a great idea." I said. "Now, if everybody's finished eating, let's clean up. We'll go to Shirley's dorm and then check out CNN and the television stations."

"Okay." Shirley said. Ed nodded.

"Ed, let's stay at your place tonight. It's bigger as I remember and there's nothing here."

"Yeah, that'll work."

"You folks clean up and I will pack what I want from here."

We went back to Shirley's dorm. She and I went inside to her room and she packed. I sent Ed to check on the possibility of survivors and was going to go with him to help. "Stop," Shirley said, "you promised you would stay with me. Don't leave me here."

"Okay, Shirley. I'll stay here."

Ed checked floors in a vain hope for survivors. He found no one though five doors were locked and he left them that way after banging on them.

While Ed was gone, Shirley packed and talked to me. "You were a graduate assistant last fall for my class."

"Yes, I wasn't supposed to actually teach but the Prof was my adviser and that left little choice when he told me to handle the class. I did it."

"You did a good job. I was taking it to get the credit but enjoyed the class. You made it interesting. I learned more than I thought I would." She smiled at me. She had a beautiful smile. I was taking summer school this year and applied for your project. If you wanted to teach, you would be good at it."

"So, you were a Mech Major, too?"

"Yes, I planned to graduate next June but I guess that's not going to happen now. Mr. Mathews,"

"Jack," I interrupted.

She smiled again. I liked that smile. "Jack. I like that name."

"Thanks, it's the one I have." I grinned at her.

"Thank you. Thank you for stopping and letting me join you and your cousin. You didn't have to do that."

"For a pretty girl, it was no imposition, no imposition at all."

She smiled again. "You think I'm pretty?"

I gulped and said, "Yes, but don't take offense."

I got that smile again with a few more watts of brilliance. "Oh, I don't. I don't." She completed her packing and changed shoes from sandals to sneakers with socks. She looked at me. "These are more practical. My boots are at home."

"I think we can go there on the way back to my place day after tomorrow."