Post-Pandemic: A New World

Chapter Eight: Slaves No More

Michelle, Phinehas and Anna were anxiously waiting for Bridge to return with the cocaine. Phinehas looked through the sideview window and could see Bridge inside the ferry, packing cocaine into the duffle bag and said excitedly "Guys, Bridge has the drugs". Bridge was running from out of the ferry as fast as he could and as he ran out of the pier, he suddenly stopped and put the duffle bag down. He then ran to the water and vomited into it. Michelle quickly looked away and shuttered to think about what Bridge might have seen. Bridge finished vomiting up his breakfast, picked up the duffle bag again and started walking back to the R.V. As Bridge entered the R.V, he dropped the duffle bag containing the cocaine next to the door and said nauseously "That was horrific". Anna stood up from the chair and asked "What was in there?" Bridge nearly vomited again upon being asked, but pulled himself together and said "They're dead". Phinehas nearly gasped and asked "How?" Struggling to prevent himself from vomiting all over again, Bridge answered "Cannibals". Michelle was immediately worried and asked "What did you see?" Bridge sat down next to Anna and said "The Riker's bodies were cooked and chewed up by the cannibals. They just left the bodies there after munching on them like the savage animals they've become". Feeling her mother instincts going through the roof, Michelle sternly said "Alright, we are taking that powder to the Rikers, getting those people out and then we are leaving this city and headed for California. As far as I am concerned, once we release that Antivirus, we are settling down somewhere that doesn't have escaped convicts fighting each other for dominance".

Anna rolled her eyes and said "This reminds me of when Mrs Ilyich got pregnant. She was this lady at our apartment block back in St Petersburg and she made cookies for the children on Sundays after the prayer at the church. When she got pregnant, she was the moodiest woman on the planet". Anna sighed and said "I just hope she and her little Pietro are okay". Bridge put his arm around Anna's shoulder and said reassuringly "Don't worry, I'm sure they're alive". Phinehas then pointed to the sunset and said "In case you've forgotten?" Bridge and Anna looked through the window and saw that the sun had started to set. Bridge immediately got up and said "Come on, we have to get to the hotel".

It was one hour till sundown and the Rikers were assembled at the entrance to the hotel. All six of the enslaved people were gathered up as well, with hoods on their heads and cuffs on their hands. Four of them were clearly men, but two of them were women. One of which was just a little girl who had to be at least seven years old! The leader of the Rikers was wearing a police chief uniform and was high on their last bag of cocaine. He maniacally looked across the parking lot where the R.V was and yelled through his microphone "Put the cocaine on that burned up car crashed into the pole and no one gets hurt!" Bridge walked forwards to the burned out car from the R.V. As he walked closer he saw that one of the slaves was just a little girl who was right next to a slave who he knew he had to have known somewhere. Bridge knew deep down that there was no doubt, this was Uncle John. But who was that little girl? That was a question he could ask for when he got the slaves to the R.V. Bridge placed the duffle bag onto the hood of the car and began running back to the R.V. Upon arriving back at the R.V, the slaves hoods and cuffs were removed from them and Bridge could see their badly bruised faces. Bridge could also see the face of the man they had come to find in the first place: Uncle John. He was in terrible condition, was badly malnourished and his face was covered in bruises. The Riker boss then walked in front of the enslaved people and angrily said "Now in twenty seconds, I'm gonna send someone to get that cocaine. Apparently the kid at the R.V want's to set you folk free, so we're gonna play a little game. You have until he gets back with the cocaine to get to the R.V, or we're gonna enjoy making target practice of you". He then started maniacally laughing as Anna said "I should've known this would happen".

Michelle then looked through the window and saw the little girl who John quickly picked up in his arms and held tightly. She couldn't believe her eyes, it was her little sister Louise. Michelle's father, Mike, had been quarantined with Louise two months before the Fall went into full swing and Michelle had been devastated to find her father's body in the old car he had tried to get back to his family in, but was overjoyed to learn that Louise was alive. The head Riker smiled an evil grin and said "You're time starts.....NOW!" The slaves immediately started running towards the R.V as the head Riker began counting down from twenty to zero. As they passed the car where the drugs were the Riker leader finished counting and one of his Rikers quickly began running towards the drugs. As they arrived at the R.V, John couldn't believe his own eyes. Bridge, the boy who had come to live in America from Britain and got to the U.S via the student exchange program was the one responsible for their liberation. John knew that now wasn't the time for a tearful reunion and quickly ran inside with Louise in his arms. As all six of the people got inside, Louise saw her older sister and happily said "Michelle!" and ran into her big sister's arms. Michelle picked Louise up and sat back down in her chair, tearfully saying "Don't worry, I'm here Louise, I'm here" as her little sister cried in her arms. The slaves all quickly started sitting down in the dinner chairs as Bridge yelled "Punch it Phinehas!" Phinehas obliged as he saw the Riker get back to his cohorts with the drugs and stomped his foot on the peddle. As they drove away they heard gunfire and the former slaves quickly put on the seatbelts that had been placed onto the kitchen chairs just in case. Each one of the long chairs had enough room for about two people and it took them a few moments to fully put on their seatbelts.

As they drove away, the former slaves felt a wave of relief go across them and John happily said "Bridge, Phinehas, I am so glad you two are okay". Bridge nodded and said "Me too, now let's get out of this city before the Rikers start looking for us". Michelle looked across the table at Bridge and said "Well, I am the one who suggested that we leave as soon as possible". Michelle then had another contraction, likely due to the rescue that had just taken place and groaned a bit. The former slave next to her then noticed her large baby bump and yelled with shock in his voice "You're pregnant!?" Michelle nodded as Anna, who was in the passenger seat next to Phineas, said "Yes and she can thank my Papa for that". They all looked over at Anna upon hearing what she had said and Bridge quickly said to them all "Before any of you ask, no, it's not THAT". Anna then asked them all in a serious tone "Tell me, have any of you met a pregnant woman who has claimed to have never engaged in intercourse?" One of the former slaves nodded and said while rubbing her bruised hands "Yes, what does that have to do with anything?" Anna answered sternly "My father is the reason for that". Almost in unison, they all said "What?" Bridge sighed and said "Don't worry everyone, we can explain everything". Phinehas then drove the R.V through countless streets, racing to get the newest members of their small family out of the cursed city they had been slaves in for so long. Bridge was of course eager to explain to them about the governments, the Antivirus and about their mission to save the human race.