The Onyx Seed - A Story of Survival by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 24

Leaving Tampa, Marty drove north. The rain still poured down out of a sullen, monotone sky. Pulling over for only a minute at the intersection of routes seventy-five and ten, he checked the road map. Marty had marked it with arrows and notes, circling places where they might find food and other necessary supplies. His goal was to get to interstate ninety-five. From there, it would be a straight shot up the east coast, then on to the northeast. Turning east onto route ten, Marty maintained a cautious speed as the rain and wind reduced visibility to only a few feet. But it wasn’t long before a sign pointing the way to Jacksonville appeared in the headlights. Deciding against going into the city, Marty drove the outer circle connecting to route ninety-five. Having entered the northbound lane, Marty breathed a sigh of relief, knowing they had left the unpredictability of the sea behind and were well on their way to New York.

Traveling by night, in the wake of the hurricane, was exhausting and Marty strained to maintain his focus on the unlit highway. On the plus side, people ordinarily stay inside during such threatening weather. So, the chance of encountering other survivors was next to zero. At least, for now. But, for the moment, Marty enjoyed the solitude of being at the wheel, in spite of the darkness that wrapped itself around the countryside like the walls of a mausoleum. Nonetheless, the solitude he felt masked a great turbulence stirring beneath the surface. He’d gone through most of his journey feeling the weight of responsibility for Lucas’ safety and still believed there had to be something he could have done to save him. Now, he was responsible for Julie. And while this was far from an agreed-upon arrangement, it was one that would never be spoken of.

Marty was keenly aware of Julie’s willful, independent nature and that she was not someone who wanted to be ‘taken care of’. They soon crossed the border into Georgia, and with Julie still asleep, entered the town of Brunswick. It lay on the north side of the Brunswick River, among a network of rivers and islands and seemed like a good place to stop. Marty could think of a number of things they needed to stock up on, but the one thing they needed was gas. Turning off the highway, he pulled into a mall and stopped at the edge of the parking lot. The sudden shift in the RV’s movement startled Julie from her slumber. During her week in hiding at the hospital, her mind had somehow learned to sleep in a state of alertness. It was a learned response that would always be with her. She walked out to the driver’s seat as Marty sat surveying the parking lot with his binoculars.

“What is it?” she whispered.

“We’re getting low on gas,” Marty answered. “I’m looking for a car to siphon some gas from.” Julie moved from the driver’s seat to sit in the passenger’s seat. She searched through the rain and darkness only for her eyes to be confused by both. “I don’t see anything,” she said quietly. “Yeah, there’s not much out there,” Marty replied. “We’ll find something.”

Laying the binoculars in his lap, he continued driving slowly around the parking lots perimeter. He handed the binoculars to Julie, saying, “Here, let me know if you see anything.”

He reached over and set the binoculars to night vision.

“That should help,” he continued. Julie stared through them as she searched the parking lot surrounding the mall.

“I don’t really see anything,” she said. “How does the night vision work?”

Marty explained briefly that night vision allowed for the detection of objects by the heat they gave off. The problem was that any cars that might be in the parking lots had sat long enough that their heat signatures had completely dissipated. They acquired heat during the day but at night, especially in the rain, they became like ghosts, hiding unseen in dusty corners and empty closets. The rain began to lighten as they circled the far side of the mall. Unless they found gas, they would soon be unable to continue and be forced to seek out a secluded place in an area neither knew anything about. Now, as they rounded a corner, the headlights momentarily glinted off a distant, metallic object.

“Did you see that?” Julie asked.

She put the binoculars down and pointed. “Way over there.”

Marty strained to identify what Julie was pointing to. “Yeah, I saw something, too,” he replied. Turning into the parking lot, Marty drove toward the direction of the metallic flicker. There was no question that it was real. They had both seen it. Up to this point, Marty had kept the high beams off in order to minimize the risk of being seen. But, this limited their view, and they needed to find, at least, one car. Marty turned on the headlights high beam setting and, like an expertly performed stage illusion, several cars and SUV’s appeared, seemingly out of thin air. “Looks like there won’t be any shortage of gas,” he said. “Not here, anyway.”

He pulled up next to a dark blue Nissan SUV and getting out, searched through its windows with his flashlight. He was greatly relieved to find it unoccupied but was just as frustrated to find the cover of the gas cap locked. Climbing back into the RV, Marty opened a utility panel where the vehicle’s spare tire was stored. Finding the tire iron, he returned to the driver’s seat as Julie watched curiously.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

He glanced back at her while opening the driver’s door.

“The gas cap’s locked. I’ll be right back.” He circled the front of the RV as Julie watched with concern.

Marty quickly pried the cover open and unscrewed the SUV’s gas cap. He could smell the fumes rising up from the gas tank and turning to Julie, asked for the siphoning hose. He had positioned the RV, so both vehicles gas caps faced each other. Having opened both, he began to empty the SUV’s tank into the RV. As the gas flowed, he asked Julie to start the engine and watch the gas gauge. Eventually, the stream of gas ran dry but not before filling the RV’s tank. Getting back into the RV, he returned the tire iron and siphoning hose to the storage compartment. As Marty settled back into the driver’s seat, Julie voiced her concern that he had been without sleep for over a day.

“You said we’d be driving in shifts,” she said. “Maybe you should take a break.”

Marty agreed and retreated to the back bedroom. Pausing midway, he turned back to her and asked that she wake him just before entering Savannah. He had already located a place just northwest of the city where they could stay hidden for a few days. Taking his shoes and socks off, he collapsed on the bed and immediately dropped off to sleep. Sliding over into the driver’s seat, Julie first adjusted its height as Marty was considerably taller. She kept the headlights on high beam while leaving the parking lot and made her way back to I-95 north. She was not as confident about her driving as Marty and was far more cautious on the road, steering wide when abandoned vehicles came into view.

Three hours later, a hint of orange faded into the eastern horizon as the headlights revealed a cheerfully decorated sign that read, ‘Welcome to Savannah’. She called back to Marty in an attempt to wake him, as per his request. When there was no response, she was forced to pull over to the side of the highway. Making sure all the doors were locked, she quickly entered the back bedroom and called to him again. Marty was startled into alertness as he bolted up to a sitting position.

“What is it!?” he asked.

Putting a hand on his shoulder brought him to a place of clarity as Julie informed him of their location. “Oh, right,” he said.

His reaction made Julie keenly aware that, in the future, Marty should be wakened a bit more gradually.

Returning to the driver’s seat, Marty made a visual check of the surrounding area. Finding nothing of concern, he put the RV into gear and continued toward Savannah.

“So, why Savannah?” Julie asked. With his eyes fixed on the road, he answered, “The map says there’s a wildlife refuge just northwest of here. There’s a river with a small cove on the southern bank. I thought we’d camp there and take it easy for a few days. You know, just relax for a while.”

Julie looked at him and nodded in agreement. “Yeah,” she replied. “It’s been a pretty rough few days.”

“I guess that’s one way of putting it,” Marty replied. As they continued toward Savannah, the sun began to break the eastern horizon as its light became splintered by the scattered remnants of the hurricane. Marty explained further that they were in need of water and that camping near a river would allow them to obtain as much as they could carry. Julie’s expression turned to one of slight disgust. “You want to drink river water?” she asked. “How sick do you want to get?”

“Don’t worry,” Marty answered. “I’ve got a plan. But first, we need to pick up a few things.” Julie’s eyes brightened with excited anticipation. “Does this mean I can get some real clothes?” she asked.

“I don’t see why not,” Marty answered. An excited smile came to her face in anticipation of shedding her hospital scrubs for street clothes. As a nurse, she was accustomed to wearing scrubs, but when it became an everyday necessity, Julie quickly tired of their drab appearance and changing the subject, she asked if they could stop at a grocery store.

“We can do that,” Marty answered. “Good,” Julie replied. “Because I’m not drinking river water.”

Marty’s plan was to create a water distillery out of a large pot and some duct tape. His mind had gone into survival mode and for a moment, had lost sight of what was easy as opposed to what was necessary. And it was easier to break into a grocery store, rather than take the time to build something that may, or may not work. Avoiding the city, Marty decided it would be safer to explore the suburbs of Savannah and the oncoming haze of morning light revealed a looter’s paradise as they entered a network of shopping centers, malls, and retail outlets. But, they were also in short supply of time as daylight brought the possibility of being seen, and company was not something they needed. Putting the most important matters first, they stopped in front of a department store with retail products on one side and groceries on the other.

“Listen,” Marty began.

He reached back and brought out his nine millimeter, checking the magazine to ensure it was loaded. Seeing it was filled to capacity, he returned it to the backside of his belt.

“Keep the doors locked. And I want you to hide in the back bedroom.”

Julie was terrified. She had already expressed her feelings about being left alone when they reached St. Petersburg. Now, she would have to experience it again as Marty prepared to disappear into the humid darkness of a place that probably seemed smaller with its lights on.

“You know much how much I hate this,” Julie said. “I know,” Marty replied. “I’d just feel better if you waited out here.”

He opened the driver’s door and stepped out. But before closing it, he pushed the door lockdown and looked at Julie with an expression of deep concern. “Lock the door. Go in the back.”

As strong-willed as she was, Julie took his words very seriously, being too afraid to leave the RV and too terrified to be alone. After smashing one of the glass doors, Marty turned back toward the RV and found Julie looking on in fear and concern. He motioned for her to retreat into the back bedroom, then vanished into the department store.

With great hesitation, Julie got up from the passenger’s seat and quickly walked to the bedroom where she sat at the head of the bed, clutching a pillow to her chest. She sat silently, asking herself which was worse, being alone on a forty-foot storm-battered yacht at night or in an RV, parked in front of an abandoned department store during the rapidly encroaching daylight. Meanwhile, Marty was moving through the store at a steady jog, guided only the narrow beam of the flashlight. The department store was only one in a chain that spanned from coast-to-coast, and he knew that, by and large, they were all of similar design. This made it far easier for him to navigate its many aisles. The only thing he was looking for was water, and in spite of how quickly he was moving, Marty noticed that the store’s contents had largely gone untouched. He didn’t consciously think about it, but would later regard it as an indicator of how hard the infection had hit Savannah as well. It seemed that within only seconds, Marty had located the store’s display of bottled water and grabbing the nearest shopping cart, filled it with the largest bottles he could find. Having accomplished this, he began his rapid departure, being greatly concerned for Julie’s safety and as he passed the next aisle, something out of the ordinary occurred to him. He momentarily left the cart at the end of the aisle and running only a short distance, grabbed a bottle of white wine. Ordinarily, he drank beer and knew nothing about wine. Red, white, it was all the same to him. And while he considered himself a light drinker, he knew that, by this time, a fresh beer would be impossible to find. But regardless of the circumstances, there was no reason not to enjoy some part of what used to be the good life.

The wait was agonizing as Julie continued clutching the pillow. She sat frozen on the bed when she heard the sound of metal scraping against the bits of plate glass that lay scattered in front of the stores shattered doors. She went to the nearest window and watched as Marty, with his back to the door, pushed it open and pulled the cart through. He rolled it over to the passenger’s door as Julie unlocked it. And without saying a word, they worked in silent harmony, transferring bottles from hand-to-hand. They were both motivated by the need to leave as quickly as possible, knowing the longer they stayed the greater the risk of being seen. But, there was one more stop they had to make. Marty climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine. He quickly scanned the area for signs of movement as the morning sun rose away from the horizon and began drenching the parking lot’s asphalt surface with its warm, diffuse glow.

“Okay,” he began. “Now, we’ve got to get you some clothes.”

Julie could hardly contain her enthusiasm as Marty put the RV into gear.

“But, on two conditions. One, you’ve got ten minutes, so grab as much as you can and worry about sizes later. And two, when I say ‘time’s up’, that’s it. We’re out of there.”

He was particularly stern on that point and Julie agreed without hesitation.

“And don’t wander off,” he continued. “We’re only staying in one area. And try not to get anything that’s too bright. The last thing we need is to stand out.” He rambled on in his concern like a proverbial mother hen. It was a display that Julie found more than a little romantic.

He was suddenly interrupted by the feeling that he was being watched and glanced over to find Julie looking at him with a gentle smile. “What?” he asked.

“I had no idea you were so concerned,” Julie answered.

“Well, why wouldn’t I be?” Marty replied. “I mean...I’m not going anywhere without you.” He suddenly caught himself in an emotionally revealing moment and tried unsuccessfully to restate his words.

“I mean...what I meant was that it would be kind of cruel to just dump you off someplace...and just leave, right?”

An awkward moment passed as Julie realized that Marty’s feelings ran deeper than simple human concern.

“Okay,” Marty continued with obvious discomfort. “Which store are we shopping at?” Julie looked out the window and pointed. “Um, that one,” she answered.

As they stopped in front of its glass facade, it became clear that it was a clothing store for women. Mannequins stood in eerie silence behind the row of tempered glass, undisturbed since the infection killed off nearly all their human counterparts. Their eyes stared blankly out from cast resin faces onto a world of endless emptiness. Certainly, they were in better circumstances. Marty put the RV in park as he leaned over the wheel, staring into the darkness of the clothing store.

“Julie, I got to tell you,” he began. “I’m not really crazy about this.”

“I know,” Julie replied. “I’m a little creeped out too.” After being so insistent on acquiring a small collection of clothes, Julie now had her reservations about going into such a large unlit place. “You ready?” Marty asked.

Julie nodded her head.

“Remember, ten minutes, no more, okay?” Julie felt a sudden twinge of tension and anxiety as she unlocked the door and stepped out. Marty reminded her to keep the door locked to avoid returning to a missing RV. They approached the glass doors of the store as Marty motioned Julie off to the side. He reached out and pulled one of the door’s stainless steel handles and was relieved to find it locked. This was a good indicator that no one had been there since before the infection. Had it opened, the bells of warning would have loudly rung in Marty’s brain, prompting him to quickly take Julie elsewhere. He remembered to bring the tire iron, as it proved to be the master key, capable of opening any glass door. He swung it back as Julie covered her face. And as the tire iron met the glass, it sent it shattering into sparkling bits, raining down on the concrete below it. Marty aimed his flashlight in through the doors gaping hole, its beam falling on the lifeless faces of a stationary sea of mannequins, all dressed in bright seasonal colors. It was at that moment he realized how much he hated mannequins. In his mind, they stood like ghosts in the darkness, empty vessels that could, at any moment, spring to life and act with malicious intent.

Marty crept in and scanning the store with his flashlight, quickly became confident that they were indeed alone. He motioned for Julie to follow him and together they entered the dark, humid silence of the store. In the world, as it used to be, it would have been filled with the white glow of simulated daylight while shoppers walked its aisles, picking out clothes and examining themselves in full-length mirrors. Cashiers and clerks would have staffed the row of checkout aisles as registers beeped with the passing of price tags over laser sensors. These were the sights and sounds of business, of supply and demand. Now, business, as usual, had been replaced by the demands of those few who were unfortunate enough to have survived the infection. They were now at the mercy of the need to survive, and there is nothing more dangerous than the desperation of someone whose humanity had taken flight for the sake of living for just one more day.

Marty slowly backed up towards Julie as he turned his head, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. “Julie,” he whispered. “Which part of the store are we going to?”

She strained to see through the blackness of the unlit store.

“I can’t tell,” she answered. “It’s too dark.” She continued to scan the darkness and as her eyes grew accustomed to the store's dark interior; she noticed something in the distance. It may have been nothing. It may have been her eyes playing tricks on her in its need for a complete perception of her surroundings. She suddenly grabbed the flashlight from Marty’s hand, saying,

“Wait, I think I see it.”

Aiming it into a far corner, the light revealed a large sign hanging from the ceiling that read ‘Women’s Wear’. Julie suddenly sprinted off around the corner and down towards the area beneath the sign. “Shit!” Marty said. “Julie, wait!”

With the flashlight she was carrying as his only guide, Marty ran after her through the stores’ heavy darkness. He heard her voice call to him from the distant corner where racks of clothes lay sprawled out in symmetrical patterns.

“You said I had ten minutes!” she replied. Catching up to her, Marty took her by the arm and spun her towards him.

“Are you nuts?!” he asked with obvious irritation. “Don’t ever do that again!”

“You gave me ten minutes,” Julie responded. “And I’m going to use every one of them.” Marty let out a sigh of frustrated resignation, knowing that theirs was a conversation devoid of reason.

“Let me get this right,” he began. “You don’t like to be alone but you’ll run off into the dark, in a place you’ve never been to before. Now, help me out here. Did I miss something?”

“Well,” Julie began. “This is different.” Marty stood in shocked disbelief. “Oh,” he replied in a wondering tone. “Please, continue. How is this different?”

She had already begun fumbling through the nearest rack of jeans and with a coy expression answered, “Well, a girl’s got to look good.”

Marty’s frustration exploded as he turned away from her and walked back into the aisle. “Unbelievable!” he said. “Un-fucking-believable! What were you thinking?!”

His frustration quickly led him to pace back and forth as he tried to understand why she had acted with such impulsiveness.

“I swear, if you ever do that again, I’m going to tie you up.”

“Oh?” Julie replied with playful sarcasm. “That sounds like fun.”

Marty brought his hands up to his head in bewilderment as he continued pacing in the aisle. Julie paused in her fashion-obsessed examination of every rack within reach.

“Alright,” she began. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I won’t do it again.”

“Thank you,” Marty replied.

His voice still carried a noticeable degree of frustration.

“It’s just that when it comes to clothes,” she continued. “I get a little nuts.”

Not quite believing what he’d just heard, Marty stopped in his tracks and looked at her with wide-eyed disbelief.

“A little nuts?” he said. “A little nuts?”

“I said I’m sorry,” Julie said with a sincere yet childlike expression.

“Fine,” Marty replied sternly.

Looking down at his watch, he noted the time and informed Julie that she had nine minutes left to get what she wanted. In actuality, she had five, but Marty decided to give her a break. Nine minutes later, Julie was finished. And in spite of the risk involved in her impulsiveness, she was true to her word. Giving Marty the flashlight, she followed him out with a large armful of jeans, shorts, tops, and various other feminine garments. Getting back into the RV, Julie quickly made her way to the back bedroom where she began sorting her new clothes. Removing tags, stickers, and straight pins. Marty, however, had begun a thorough scan of the area with his binoculars, wanting to be certain the morning sun had not brought with it the presence of threatening desperation. Having seen nothing more than a cat crossing the road in the distance, he climbed back into the RV and started the engine. And after making another examination of their surroundings, he pressed on the accelerator and quietly resumed their course. This most recent event left Marty more than a bit tense. He knew he could rely on Julie to get things done, and she had more than proven her ability to deal with adversity while onboard the Stellar Storm. Now, he had discovered her impulsive side and needed to know that it was not something that would get them killed.