Jacqueline Druga - Omnicide

“Technically, if it wasn’t for Kit she’d be dead, hit by the next Walmart truck zooming down the highway at eighty miles an hour.”

Ada laughed. “Ain’t that the truth.”

“Maybe I gave up too soon. I always ask myself that. At least we’re still friends. Good friends. I’ll always love her. I never loved anyone like I loved Cass. Heck, who am I kidding. I never loved anyone else.”

Ada reached over and tapped his hand. “You know the world. It’s bad. And there is gonna be very little room for second chances. Why don’t you see if enough time has passed where you’re both on the same wavelength? Besides, there’s not many choices, and if you don’t take another chance with that wife of yours, Hot Cop is gonna snap that right up.”

“What?” Eb asked with a laugh. “Kit.”

“Not talking Floyd. Kit is the only hot cop in town.”

“Nah, they’re friends.”

“He had her over for dinner twice this week. Twice mind you and the first time…” Ada nodded. “He had her over on Hamburger Helper taco night.”

Eb hit the brakes. “What the hell, Ada, Kit’s a friend. He wouldn’t do that. Would he?”

Ada shrugged. “In a world with a population of two hundred. Who else is he gonna snatch up?” She smiled at Eb. “I’m teasing you.”

“So he didn’t have her over for Hamburger Helper taco night?”

“Oh, no he did.”

Eb grumbled, shook his head and that was when he finally looked up and noticed. “It’s here.” He felt a thick heaviness upon seeing the sporadic patches of the green fungus. “I didn’t think it would be here.”

“Well, Art said it hits everything dead. You don’t get more dead than sand and dirt.”

“To me, Vegas always symbolized life.” Eb continued to drive toward town. “I guess not anymore.”

Willow Springs, AZ

Six.

They evacuated six more people from the plane—four women, two men, one of which was the pilot. All had been huddled by the open back exit.

Not all of those grasping for life had lived.

Kit went back and checked for a pulse of every passenger on the plane even if he knew damn well they were dead. Two of those passengers still held on for dear life. A weakened pulse and a prognosis of death shortly after.

They took the two passengers from the plane. At least they didn’t have to die there like the other one hundred and two people.

Carrying them from the plane and into the van was a group effort. Art and Niles would carry the passenger to the exit, and because Kit was the strongest of them all, he would be on the roof of the van with Cass to guide the person out, then Kit would climb off the van while Niles joined Cass on the roof to lower them to Kit.

The van was running, the air conditioner pumping and they loaded everyone, a total of seven into the church van.

It was a short but physically exhausting process for them all.

“I can’t properly examine them,” Niles said. “Not here. Not in the van.”

“We should head to Griffin,” Cass suggested. “We’re talking two hours.”

Nile shook his head. “That’s fine. But the faster we start hydrating them, the more chance they stand of survival.”

“Niles,” Cass said with some disbelief. “They’ve been on that plane for days. Would two more hours really hurt?”

“It may not hurt a couple of people, it will others,” Niles stated. “We made it here literally in the nick of time and we must do what we can to help them survive. This world has lost too many and too many couldn’t be saved. These people can.”

“How is it possible?” Kit asked. “I mean we don’t have any IVs.”

“Old-fashioned way,” answered Niles. “We get them to drink, we literally drop it in their mouths.” He looked at Cass. “If you want to go back to Griffin, either of you, go. Art and I can handle it.”

Kit shook his head. “No, we’ll stay. We’ll help. We’re talking what? A few hours? Overnight?”

“What about Kat?” Cass asked.

“He knows there’s a chance we won’t be back until tomorrow,” Kit answered.

“We passed a town,” Niles said. “Not a really a town. More like an abandoned highway stop with some businesses.”

“That’s Cameron,” Kit replied. “They have a small church there. We can lay these people down in there. Find fluids at the restaurants. It’s only a couple miles.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do, Officer, thank you,” Niles said.

“Good. Cass and I will head to the restaurant. You situate the patients.”

“Thank you again, Officer.”

Kit gave a quick tilt of his head to the left as a signal for Cass to walk with him.

“Man, they just refuse to call you Kit,” Cass said.

“They will eventually.”

“Kit.” Cass reached out, grabbed his arm, and stopped him. “You did really good back there. You alright?”

“Yeah, I am. It was… it was tough. All those people, Cass. They just suffered because their source of information shut down before they knew that in order to live all they had to do was open that door right away.” He started walking again.

“They did, Kit. They did. They just didn’t leave and the fungus grew over their only open door.”

“It was a horrible death for them.” Kit approached the squad car and stopped dead.

“Kit?”

He walked around to the passenger’s side, then away from the car a few feet. He stopped at the fungus that covered the ground. He stepped on it, stomped it a few times, then looked around again.

“Kit, what the heck are you doing?” Cass asked.

When he glanced her way there was a look of concern on his face.

“What’s wrong?” Cass asked.

“Nothing. I’m probably mistaken.”

“What?”

“Nothing.” Kit cleared his throat. “Let’s just head to Cameron.” Before returning to the driver’s side, he opened the door for her.

While Kit got in, Cass hesitated. She peered out to the fungus, then back to Kit as he started the car.

She wondered what he saw, and even though he said it was nothing, Cass didn’t believe him. He did see something, because a typically unwavering Kit wavered, and that just didn’t happen for no reason.

Las Vegas, NV

The only green Eb had seen in Vegas was the decorative planted trees and shrubbery, his money leaving his hand, and the huge Grand Hotel, which, ironically, was Eb and Ada’s destination.

As it had in the desert area, the fungus had arrived.

It appeared in patches on the street, crept off the overhead walkways, and the castle-like hotel looked like something from an old Highlander movie.

It wasn’t everywhere, not on every part of every building, but enough that it changed not only the entire look, but the feel of the city as well.

Eb pulled the pickup to the parking garage entrance, stopping just before pulling in to assess if it was safe and if he could get through.

Fungus had begun to form on the arch of the entrance.

He and Ada both stepped out, a rifle strapped over her shoulder.

“Oh, God.” Ada coughed. “Is that humidity?”

“Like a jungle,” Ed replied and blew softly through is lips. “I don’t want to think about how bad it will be if this city gets covered.”

“Anyone stop to think how this will affect the atmosphere?”

“Jesus,” Eb said. “I didn’t think of that. It could kill us all.”

“It could. Right now… why did we stop?”

“It’s growing.” Eb pointed to the archway. “It’s just a question of how fast it’s growing. What if it’s growing so fast it blocks us in?”

“I don’t think it will grow that fast.”

Ed reached up and touched it. “Feels like grass but”—he slammed his hand on it—“hard as rock.” He tried to pull it. “Doesn’t move.”