Virus

Three

Jasmine cried into my shoulder for three hours, durning that time I sat in the passenger seat of the van while the others decided who was driving the Humvee and who was driving the van. Gary and Travis had both agreed that we should take both vehicles.

"Shh," I said, trying to coax her, but nothing worked. She sobbed relentlessly into my shoulder.

Jasmine was my five year old niece. My sister Sharon was her mother.

Sharon. Where was she? How had I been so selfish and not think of her at all. How had I been so wrapped up in my own problems to not remember my sister.

Sharon had worked in Safeway, starting a week ago. How had this never crossed my mind?

"Shh, baby, it's okay. You're with auntie now," I said, rubbing her back

She sobs died down to a whimper. I decided I'd wait a little while to ask her about Sharon.

Finally Gary got into the van, followed by Sara. Gary started the van and continued down the highway. The only sound was Jasmine's quiet whimpers.

Sara laid the shotgun on the seat next to her, over the automatic I'd laid they're earlier. I avoided looking at the gun. My hands, my mind, had taken a life with that gun. Although I felt no remorse, not feeling of grossness. I only felt like I didn't know who I was anymore. How could I willingly put a bullet in a man's chest?

After about ten more minutes on the road and Jasmine had fallen asleep in my arms.

"Niece?" Gary said, keeping his eyes off the road.

"Yeah," I replied softly.

"Is she your brother or sisters' kid?"

I breathed in a huge sigh and let it go slowly. "Sister."

Gary was obviously trying hard to conduct a casual, road trip conversation, but is wasn't working. And it wasn't going to work, not like this.

The conversation shattered and we fell silent, not even Sara said anything. Her usual chatty and sassy demeanor stayed dormant as we advance down the highway.

The roar of the Humvee's engine followed us. It felt wrong to leave those bodies just lying there. No burial, no even covering them up. What a horrible way to die.

Rain began to fall, the bitter batter of it against the window helped redirect my thoughts. I focused on the forest outside as the landscape flew passed us.

After a little bit, the forest ends and long, vast fields surround us.

In the distance I see buildings of a city.

As we got closer, I noticed that the entire city was rubble. Buildings were scattered across the streets. The cars in the road were smashed and black. Ash floated through the air and soot covered the road. Bodies laid, strewn across the sidewalks and streets.

"Holler destroyed Coeur d' Alene?" Sara asked, puzzled.

"Apparently," Gary mumbled.

"Let's get out of here before Jasmine wakes up," I said.

Gary pressed the gas pedal and we sped through the cluttered streets.

Ash and soot fell and accumulated on the window so Gary had to turn the windshield wipers on.

The destroyed and blackened city stretch on for miles. The stench of dead bodied and a combination of burning materials.

The rubble of countless other destroyed cities stretched on even after we left Coeur d' Alene.

The stench got so bad, I had to pull my shirt over my mouth and nose. I did the same for Jasmine. She stirred in her sleep and clutched my shirt in her tiny hands. Probably nightmares. If I could I would cure them for her.

I'd never had a child because I'd always been afraid that I'd be terrible at it. I didn't do well around crying.

Finally we reached the large masses of Montana. The thick and lush pines and furs and cedars all blurred into one image as we zoomed passed. Hal and Jasmine still slept.

After about three hours, I saw planes flying overhead, dropping large bombs shaped like barrels into the forest. The green of the forest turned to orange as the flames of the bombs surround us.