Suburban Island VI

Ghost Town (Dying Land)

Ghost Town (Dying Land)

The mainland is turning into an endless ghost town. More and more people are leaving the island pockets as the trees are eating what's left of Mainland America. The trees were advancing faster than the government could've predicted. They had one year but now they have about four months tops. It might be even less.

Patience's aunt and grandma went away to Alaska.

"Take care, darling," Viola said. Patience bowed her head. The women boarded the plane. And they were gone. Patience turned and walked back into the house. She was left alone.

Most of the other neighbors were packing up to leave. Some were leaving behind some possessions. Let the trees take them. It didn't matter anymore.

Mike looked at Annie's house next door.

"Where are we going to go?" he asked. Suzuki-san frowned.

"I don't know," he said. "There isn't really anywhere for us to go." There really wasn't anywhere to go anymore. The last two pockets in Texas were eaten up by the trees. South America isn't too happy about taking in more people. Canada might not have any choice. Same with Alaska and Hawaii. There's still Australia and New Zealand. Maybe? What about the other islands? And then what?

"Will we have to go to space?" Tommy asked. Steve and Josie just stared at him. They weren't laughing at him. Tommy wasn't the only one to ask that. Maybe they would have to do that. Would it even come to that point? But what if the virus followed them there? Nobody wants to think about that.

How many islands are left now? Ten? Eight? Eighteen? Fifteen? It's not going to matter anymore. The mainland is going to be gone in weeks. Days if the trees keep eating up everything.

Why hasn't the government tried to stop the trees? It's gotten to the point where they can't keep up. The virus on the trees kept evolving and it hasn't stopped. It wouldn't be long before it reached Canada or Mexico. Speaking of which, those countries are trying to block off the trees to the best that they could. They are worried that it won't be enough. New measures will have to be put in place.

Meanwhile, more people are trying to leave the mainland.

Mickey sat at the kitchen table one morning.

"We have to go to Canada," he said. His mother didn't argue. She already knew the truth. She had already started packing up her salon again.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Gabrielle asked.

"Yes," Mickey said. She clenched her fists on the table.

"Okay," she said.

"Thank you," he said. They didn't talk for the rest of breakfast. Mickey already had plans to ship him and his mother to Canada. He didn't wait long either. The boy grabbed the first two seats he could see. Now he was going to have to wait. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission. In this case, his mother wasn't going to mind.

Speaking of booking, Patience started to book her way to Alaska. She sat in front of her computer and sighed. She hoped her family was doing okay. The girl looked up when she heard the doorbell ring.

"Coming!" Patience shouted. She got up from her desk and went downstairs. The girl opened the door. A look of confusion washed over her face.

"Mike, what are you doing here?" she asked. The boy took a breath and lifted his chin.

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The trees are working their way through the Midwest. The signs are subtle at first. The air will feel thick at first. You will feel a little tickle in the throat. Your eyes will feel like they are burning. Soon, it will be harder to breathe outside. Going inside should help, right? That will only last for a short time. It won't be long until the dark particles float through the vents.

It all happens so fast. Some of the people being rescued are already getting sick. The government had to get them a separate plane. This is costing time and money. (The latter came from Canada as usual.) This also creates another problem. Where do all of the sick people? South America, Costa Rica, Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, Canada, and the remaining islands have set up medical centers. They are doing their best with quarantine, testing, and cures. But they can only go so far. It can't be stressed enough that time is running out. The trees are looking to kill the people remaining on the mainland. How long before he breaches the fire barriers protecting Mexico and Canada?

It just keeps piling up.

The first cases appeared in people from a small neighborhood in Michigan. The trees started to leak into the bubble. Six people started to get sick. One almost died. That person is still in a Rio de Janeiro hospital. The other five are still in quarantine.

The government was going to have to change things if it wanted to save everybody. But what about the trees afterward? Time to bring in the bombs again. They did talk about nuking the trees three years ago. Now that the people were leaving, that option is starting to look so much better. The president had the bombs ready to go. This time, there were no more arguments. They all knew that this needed to be done to save what was left of humanity.

When the decision was made, there were only ninemore islands to clear out.