Chapter 18

We went outside where I packed and lit my pipe as we stood looking out over the flats by the port of entry. It seemed strange not to see the eighteen wheelers coming out like they did before all of this started. I hadn't seen BK since last night and wondered if he was staying at the school or going back and forth to my place every day. Someone had put out a long bench with a couple of buckets of sand at each end for the smokers, and Zeke was sitting on the bench with his legs stretched out, smoking and sipping his coffee.

"Zeke, how long do you think it will be before this thing stops spreading? We are holed up here and pretty safe, but when it all dies down, you do know we will have to start cleaning up and getting rid of those Zombies as the kids are calling them. I have a feeling that is gonna take some time to do."

"Thom, I don't know how to answer that. From what the other hams have said, the bigger cities are pretty much done with as far as living people are concerned. There are many small pockets of survivors, but if I had to guess I would say that the states have had a ninety percent infection rate. I think our area will take about six months to clear if we go all the way to Tucson. Safford will be the hardest because of the prisons; if they don't follow your suggestions. We heard from the CDC in Atlanta last night. They have captured six of them and are doing tests on them to see what will kill them naturally. They are also trying to find out how they react and think, if they even do so, after they re animate. I do know that the spread of this so called virus is still going strong in other more populous countries. It seems like, from what we can find out, the more people the more they become infected. Here in the states it seems to be dying down, but we probably should stay buttoned up for at least ninety days or so before we let people go back to their homes and ranches. That will probably be the Army's call. You and Barry have done a helluva job here and about everyone I have talked to has nothing but praise for you and him. Well, here comes your ride!"

I had heard the small chopper coming, but I was listening to Zeke and had tuned the sound out. I watched as the small Border Patrol chopper came in and landed in the lot by the bus parking. I had put my pipe away and started towards the chopper when Shelly came running out with my rifle and vest with extra magazines for it.

"Don't forget this, Pops. You need to make sure you can protect yourself out there."

I grinned at her as I slid the vest on and took the AK from her. I trotted to the chopper and climbed in, fastened the belt, and accepted the head set from the pilot.

"I take it you're my passenger?"

"Well if I ain't, you will probably get fired for picking up an unauthorized passenger."

I got a grin and we shot straight up in the air to about five hundred feet.

I grinned at him and said; "If you are trying to scare me you can forget it. I probably have more time in these things than you do." That seemed to startle him as I got a quick look before he tilted the collective forward. I finished putting on the head set so we could talk without yelling. "Now, if you are through with the macho bullshit, do you wanna fill me in on what's going on?"