Walking Among the Dead

Part 2.3 (On the Road Again): Chapter 9

Walking Among the Dead: On the Road Again

CHAPTER 9

"Hey, new guy, what's your name?"

"Hi, Matt. And yours?"

"You can call me Dr. Vince. Can I help you find someone? You look lost."

Matt answers without making eye contact, searching around desperately for his family, "My parents. I was almost certain I'd find them here."

Dr. McAdams responds, "Well, I've introduced myself to just about everyone, but can't honestly say I'm too good with remembering names, try me though." Matt shares with the Dr. the names but they don't ring any bells for Vince. In feeling bad for his new acquaintance, Dr. McAdams offers for Matt to pal around with his own family and they begin walking around to check if Matt finds his parents. To Matt, everyone seems like saddened, caged zoo animals. For obvious safety precautions, everyone is being contained to the perimeter of the airport, and even more specifically during sometimes of the day, Building C. Given the current state of the inhabitants, he's not entirely sure he wants to find his family moping about just trying to make it by rather than truly live.

Outside, the weather is worsening and more people are avoiding going outside. Next door, the infirmary is jam-packed leaving many sick people whose conditions weren't deemed serious enough for care living among the other survivors in C. The next couple weeks only bring about worse weather and Matt finds himself attempting to make friends with so many people who simply don't want it in return. Dr. Vince and his family end up being the only ones Matt hangs out with as the days trudge on. When he's just outside walking about, Matt often sneaks over to the windows of D where no one can see him and tries to figure out just how much work their "care providers" are truly doing to assist them. He sees Stephens talking away on the radio in what appears to be a heated discussion with a mug of steaming coffee in his hand. Matt sarcastically mutters under his breath, "Must be nice," and turns to walk away as he shakes his head. When he turns, he is stopped by a stern-looking Richards, completely out of character for the generally kind man. "Sergeant Richards, good morning," Matt manages, caught off guard.

"Look, Matt, you've been here about a week now and I can tell you're a smart kid. You're always with McAdams, always looking for information. I like you, I really do. And I'd like to think you feel the same way about myself. However, I trust you and you obviously don't trust me. I've told you countless times if we make a break on something big, I'll tell you," Richards says.

"Something big? Doesn't communication count as something big? That means there are others out there. Why aren't they helping us, why aren't we helping them? You guys are military. You have vehicles that can travel through snow. People are sick. People are dying. Every day. We need medicine," Matt retorts.

"Matt, I appreciate your kindness, but it's not that simple. We can't just get them delivered like the way it used to be." Matt makes a face just begging for less vague information and so Richards motions for Matt to follow him behind the building, towards the hangars. As they walk, he continues, "I trust you won't go blabbing this around to everyone else now, it'll panic most of them. I'm telling you because I trust you; you're smart. Our communications are working but only limitedly. We've pieced together different information from different people from different places of the world at different times this last week and a half and the conclusion isn't what we had hoped it would be. Matt, the virus has spread worldwide," he pauses and they both stop in their tracks. "The panic of the initial outbreak broke down security everywhere and people left the quarantined zones without knowing they were infected. I was outside because in the middle of the night we received confirmation from a station similar to this in Pennsylvania that the international communications were down and didn't want to have to face Stephens when he learned it."