Lets take flight

Chapter 10

She had told me where she was going so I packed a bag checked out a motorcycle then said my goodbyes. Dr. Cory had told me he would stay behind and cut the power so here I was motoring my way to Texas as fast as I could get the bike to go; staying on back roads to avoid the law.

I returned the next day to find a ring of mobile homes and trailers making a ring inside the fence and when I went inside the party area I had set up I saw holo screens in the corners with a sroundsound system blaring the news. How the hell had they hooked up any sort of cable? I couldn't tell if I was mad or not but the intell S13 had given me suggested the first out break was supposed to happen today so I couldn't really worry. I made my rounds through the buildings to find most of the rooms had one cot along each wall with a night stand and a storage box underneath the cot. When I walked through the kitchen area I saw two huge wood burning stoves occupying the space and the would be freezers had shelves full of food items including MREs. The basement had been turned into an arsenal with all the weapons you could imagine on every wall plus ammo, who ever these people were that Sam had brought in had been planning this for ages. Perhaps I had made the mistake of giving Mac and his people full reign of the place for the next twenty four hours but it was too late now so I breathed and went on my way. I found Mac at the gate setting up a sanitization station and felt myself get hot.

"What's this?" I asked

"A sanitization check point for after everything calms down." He didn't even look at me

"After everything calms down?" My anger dissipated

"What? Did you think I was going to try and let people in during the mass panic phase?"

"I'm not sure what I thought but I sure hoped not."

He smiled "I can see why Sam likes you." He made to ruffle my hair but I dodged and walked the ring of trailers. Sam caught up to me

"What's with all of the cords?" I asked him

"They are setting up a solar power based system so we can have at least basic power like climate control and minimal lighting."

"And it is going to be wired into some trailers?"

"Yep." We walked in silence "you can trust Mac, he has had my back from pre-k all the way through the navy seals."

"It's not that I don't trust him, it's that I don't like people trying to run my program."

"You gave him permission to run it." Sam pointed out

"Yeah for the next twenty four hours."

"Hey missy." A rough looking man approached me quickly

"Sir?" I stoped and looked at him

"Mac said that if we need extra direction you were the person to ask and we need to know where you want a garden and green house set up."

"Follow me, Sam go check on the animals."

I led the lanky man to the roof of the main building "I was hoping I could plant all of the plants with deep roots in the old garden area between the buildings." I pointed at the spot I meant "and the vine plants and herbs along the side of the buildings."

He took note on actual paper. "What about the green houses?"

"On the roof tops. Is that all?"

He nodded "what can I call you?"

"Lauren, what about you?"

"Lil' T." He pulled out a walk talki and started giving orders.

I pulled to a stop outside a gas station and started fueling up, I had burned through the solar power by riding over night. I went inside and got a few snacks and some gas on a company card, the news was on behind the check out counter and just as I had expected at noon the initial out break had been started in all of the big cities further pressing me to keep to the back roads, I was tired but need to keep going so I grabbed a cold coffee and downed it before I hit the road.

I turned on the radio in my helmet keeping track of the progress of the out break, right now it was being called a riot but some places were catching on quick. The governor of some of the smaller states were already calling in a state of emergency and calling in the national guard, it wouldn't work, the government would delay long enough so that it would be too late. The only good thing about this was the timing, it was done just as winter was ending so any dooms day preppers would have a good chance if they planted a garden.

I slowed down as I approached a major highway the traffic was normal but I still didn't want to cut through. I pulled over and checked my map but I couldn't find a single back road that wouldn't take me too far out of the way. I want too far into the city when the blockades and reroute signs started police and other emergency services whizzed by me. The initial strain was meant to be fast acting but after the first week or so it would take longer to get a hold in the body thus slowing the spread.

I was just getting into Dallas when I saw my first undead slowing and quickly checking the area I got off the bike and took it out with a bat in one swing. I started back on my way stoping to kill zombies if there were only a group of two or three. It wasn't till I got to the heart of Dallas that I ran into real mobs that I had to dodge and detour to avoid. It wasn't until I hit the highway on the other side that I could open up and go faster it was like nobody was trying to leave. Then again all of the PSAs were telling everyone to stay in doors so maybe they were listening.

I slowed as I entered Palestine it hadn't reach this place yet but blockades were already in place and I got stoped twice once to be searched and once to get questioned. I rode all the way to Pizza Hut where I stoped to ask for directions to the old hospital and apparently what was going on there had become obvious.

Tubing had been run end to end between all of the trailers making a tunnel all the way around the inside of the fence allowing access to all of the trailers with out having to go outside. Every one was glued to the television the cleaning crew and family had made panicked calls to relatives telling them where a safe place was than just sat and watched the news.