Quarantine Zone

         
Bryan remembered the noise. At first it's absence seemed like a blessing. He realized how wrong he was. Laying in bed he hoped to here something else that wasn't a bird chirp or a squirrel run across the roof.
He sat up. Nothing. Seeing his clock was still on he had at least the satisfaction electricity still worked. Getting out of bed became harder each day and he didn't know why. Maybe it was his age or the amount of time he spent on his feet.
He turned on the radio. Luckily he would be able to find out how far it spread. Bryan he listened. Static filled his ears. Shaking his head he turned on his computer. It had a limited battery life and he knew it. A button flashed on the screen Bryan clicked on it.
"I'm glad to see you're awake," said the soldier at the other end. He was one of the three people he talked to outside of the zone.
"Well, it's hard to get up when all I have to do is check the meters and gather food from a store," said Bryan.
"At least you don't have to work," said the man. They paused for a moment. It lasted almost a minute. "Is something bothering you. You don't sleep in this late usually."
"I thought I saw someone yesterday," said Bryan.
"There's not supposed to be anyone else in the town," said the man on the other end. "Well. Get to work and I'll see if there's anything I can do on my end."
Bryan wandered the small town. Several locations had sensors for the fungus spreading across the area. One of the few people living the in country Bryan was stuck completing a job assigned to him by the military.
Months ago a space probe crashed into central Texas. On it was a purple fungus that quickly spread across several counties. Most people who weren't able to get out of the county within a few hours died. Bryan was one of the few people trapped.
Checking the next few meters he walked to the liquor store. A meter was set across the street from it. Bryan walked into the store. Like most of the stores in the town electricity still ran. He stepped out with a twenty-four ounce can of beer.
After taking a few swigs he walked over to next meter. He checked the fungus level. Green vines with purple leaves wrapped it's way up a sign. Purple leaves replaced green leaves on most of the plants. It was a sight he was becoming used to seeing.
Bryan checked the next meter and then headed to the middle of town. The last two meters he was going to check were located at bridges over a creek. That round between the north and south sides of town.
He stopped at the next store and pulled out a liter fountain drink. He drank it slowly as he walked along the square. Most of the good shops long moved out of town before the satellite came down with the fungus.
Purple flowers grew from vines that wrapped around lampposts and columns Bryan stopped and starred at a window. Inside were book shelves. He saw them before events took place he wasn't impressed enough by them to break inside and steal them.
The library was broken into during the first couple days of it happening. Bryan took out many books to read later. It was after he discovered that internet service would be unreliable at the beginning and dwindle down to an hour before and an hour after they wanted to talk to him.
Bryan checked the last two meters. They showed what he expected, but they were higher what he saw. He knew why. Each meter was on the end of bridge over the creek. Purple and green plants grew in and around the water. Dark shapes floated in the water. He figured without anyone around fish were able to grow and multiply.
Bryan looked pass the bridge. Movement caught his eye. He wondered if it was her. A second later a bush shook and the movement disappeared. Bryan wondered if there were more people in the town or just the one person he saw during his whole time.
Bryan turned on his laptop and the satellite connected to it. Luckily didn't have to worry about extra power going out. Solar panels and batteries allowed him to keep it charge up for us. He brought the machine and turned on the connection.
The button flashed signaling it was searching for a response. Bryan stood up from his chair and walked over to the refrigerator. Opening it he pulled out a beer. He opened it and started drinking.
Bryan didn't know how long it would take for his connection to get reestablished so he had an idea. He would go out and grab a few more cans of supplies from the grocery store. There were enough food in the house, but he wasn't sure how the weather would be during the next few days.
Bryan returned to his house. He carried a bag with cans of pasta, chili, soft drinks and a six pack of beer. They would be enough to last him almost a week. Bryan returned to his chair and sat down. A half finished beer sat beside the chair. He drank from it. The can was almost room temperature, but was good enough.
The screen flashed and blinked. It didn't appear anything was happening. Bryan decided to get into his beer more before figuring out what else he could do.
He woke up in his bed. Bryan didn't know what time it was or how he got there. It was dark both in his apartment and outside. Taking a breath he reached for his lamp. The light switched on. He was relieved there was still electricity. Bryan walked out of the room and into the bathroom. Next he went to check on his computer.
There still wasn't a message or any sign of connection. It had been over six hours since he last remembered. Figuring he should get some more sleep Bryan headed back to bed.
Morning didn't bother him. Even with it's silence he felt comfortable. Bryan simply lay down on the bed and stared into the ceiling. He dozed off again. Bryan woke up. He didn't know how long time passed. Crawling out of bed he made it the computer.
There were no messages from the man. Bryan sat down in the chair and checked the time on the clock. It was after 2 p.m. He wondered where the time went. Bryan grabbed a soft drink out of the refrigerator. After taking a big swig he figured it would be a good idea to get some bottled water or juice to last him a few extra days.
Bryan figured he would get around to checking empty homes to see if there were extra supplies. It might be a long time while before people return. He loaded the juice into his fridge. The water he just placed on the floor.
Bryan returned to his computer and stared at the screen. Nothing happened. No message and no signal. Bryan brought up a game. He played it for half an hour before getting and idea.
He stood up and found his flashlight. To pass the time he would check the houses in the next block. There were four houses. As far as he knew they all left the town when the quarantine was placed around the town. Bryan didn't know whether anyone died in the houses, but he figured it would be a good idea for him to tough it out. Maybe they would have something he didn't find in one of the stores.
Bryan rechecked the computer. He looked for any way to boost his signal with the new programs given to him. There was nothing. He took a deep breath figured it was time to check the houses. Maybe they'll give him something more than food and alcohol.
The door to the first house creaked open. Bryan felt glad someone left it unlocked. He waited a minute, "Is anyone home?"
He didn't want to announce his presence, but felt better saying something. Bryan waited. There was no sound. It made sense. The people was one of the first family evacuated from the town. They left as soon as the first trucks drove by announcing the quarantine and the safe zone just outside of the town.
Bryan walked through the living room. It was large. The room was almost as large as his entire living room and kitchen. Bryan stopped at a shelf of movies. A lot were ones he had seen or at least knew of. Not being impressed with the selection he walked into the kitchen.
It was decent sized with extra appliances he might use in case his stopped working. Bryan walked over to the large two door refrigerator. Swinging the freezer side open he found a selection of frozen meat and vegetables. He hoped for find frozen pizzas and other meals.
He slammed it shut and opened the other door.
All the food inside looked in good condition. He pulled out lunch meat, cheese and mayonnaise. Next he checked the cabinets. Bryan pulled out a loaf of bread. He placed it on the counter top and then looked back inside the fridge for extra ingredients. Looking back at the bread he saw what was in it and then tossed the loaf out the back door. Ants had already crawled inside.
Bryan replaced the food and grabbed a juice pouch. He decided to tour the house.
It was empty, no bodies and no signs of people. He figured they must have tried to clean up before agreeing to leave. Bryan looked around the only thing he found of use was a bow and arrows. He didn't have the practice to be able to use one of them. Bryan figured he would try it one day. He made sure and remembered where it was.
The next house was locked shut. All the doors and even the windows were closed Bryan pushed and tried each one. No of them moved. He figured there was no one in the house. Bryan smashed a window in the back room of the house. He waited and listened for any sounds. There weren't any.
He climbed into the house and saw his first real body up close. The remains of an old man lay on the floor. The person seemed to have rotted quickly with purple fungus covered exposed flesh. Bryan walked pass him and into the living room.
Other than the unusual furniture the only thing of interest he found was a have empty bottle of scotch. Bryan sniffed it and then checked the rest of the house. He found plenty of things to take with him.
Other than a good loaf of bread and an unopened jar of mayonnaise he found something he was afraid to use himself, but self defense is important. Bryan carried the .38 and ammunition in a box under one arm while carrying the food.
He put the food in his fridge and returned to first house with a plastic bag and grabbed the sandwich supplies. Bryan fixed himself a couple of sandwiches and then sat down in front of his computer. There was no new message. He decided to play a game.
After finishing the level Bryan turned back on the internet. A yellow shape blinked. He knew what it meant. He clicked on it. A message displayed.
Bryan clicked on it, "System online. Wait further messages."
He knew he would have to wait longer. Bryan decided to take a few beers from the nearby store while he checked out the last few houses. Each were empty of bodies, but only one had food he could steal. Bryan loaded up a reusable grocery bag with cans of vegetables and carried them back to his house.
The next houses yielded only a few other items of value. Bryan wanted to find guns incase he needed them, but the closest weapon he found was a machete. He carried it back along with some packages of noodles.
Bryan sat down in front of his computer. A flashing light on the screen signaled a message. He clicked on the icon. A message popped up on the screen. Bryan read it twice before clicking it off. All it said was to wait for another message in a couple more days.
He knew he would have a long couple of days of wait. Bryan suddenly had an idea. He saw it was nearing dark and didn't see any need to try it until the next morning. Bryan would have a few drinks then sleep.
The local farm supply store had a few four wheelers outside. Luckily the door was unlocked since people took out most of the valuables. He headed for the back office. It took him over and hour of digging and searching before he managed to find both the key to the vehicle and chain holding it in place.
While the gas tanks didn't work right Bryan managed to find a car he siphoned gas out of. He drove the vehicle back to his house. With little driving experience Bryan took his time and became used to the small vehicle. He was at his house in less than an hour.
He wondered what to do. He decided to check the houses the next block over. Most yielded canned goods that would serve him later he figured, but also he found an axe. The houses were empty of non perishable foods. Bryan retreated back to his house.
He managed to find one single item that interested him. Unfortunately it didn't have anything else he needed for it. The thirty-eight caliber pistol felt real and was lighter than he expected, but unfortunately he didn't find any ammo for the weapon. He would held back to the hunting stores the next day, but first he would check a few more houses.
His search expanded down the street. Luckily the police and military moved out most of the bodies of the people who died during the first week of it happening. He only saw a couple. The men lay on the floor. They both seemed to have died hanging out together drinking. He figured like so many other people they actually died of the fungus or it's spores.
Bryan checked their pantry and fridge. Their bread was fresh and they had ground meat and Sloppy Joe mix. Well he thought it would be a good idea to eat something he like before he lost power. Bryan carried everything back to his house.
He cooked a large meal for himself with enough left for leftovers. Bryan ate and listened to music. He thought about what to do next. Exploring the town and collecting food and perfecting how to drive seemed like the best ideas.
The next week and a half passed almost without incident. Bryan managed to teach himself how to drive on almost empty streets. Several times during his trips he thought he saw movement. Bryan paused and waited. He watched the tall grass and bushes. They moved in the wind. Bryan figured it must be an animal and headed to the store he checked out, but hadn't been inside.
The front window was busted from the outside. Bryan stepped through it and felt glass crunch underneath his feet.
"Hello," he asked. His voice echoed through the empty building. Feeling safe Bryan walked inside.
Items fell down. Bryan heard foot steps running across the floor. They disappeared out of his hearing range. He rushed into the room. It was silent. Clothing was pulled off racks and piled into the floor. Bryan walked closer to the pile and realized some animal made it.
He bent down to see if he could figure out what kind of animal it was. Short gray fur made him think of it was a dog. Bryan went to the book shelves. He searched for the ones that were most interesting sci-fi, fantasy and adventure and made a pile of the other ones in the floor.
Bryan exited the store. Looking out into the sky he only saw clouds. He was used to seeing cars drive along the road. Bryan took a deep breath before heading over to the store.
Like many others it was abandoned before someone considered looting it. Bryan walked inside. He only visited once during the last few weeks. He filled a cooler with his preferred beer and drove back to his house.
Bryan sat down at his computer. He started up music and opened his first beer. Sitting back he prepared to spend the rest of the night relaxing. A red light shone a message was for him. Bryan clicked on it.
"Sorry. We haven't had time to talk lately, but we've had to quarantine zone boundaries several times," said the man. "Stay posted for the next update."
Bryan read the time. It said six in the morning. He figured he would just stay up and wait for it.
He woke up at five in the morning. Bryan didn't remember going to sleep, which was good. He did feel well rested enough to wait up for the message. Bryan sat up and waited.
Minutes passed and time clicked away. Bryan grew impatient. He stood up and walked to the kitchen. After microwaving a meal he returned to his chair. It was now just after six. A light flashed showing he was now online. Bryan put the bowl down.
"Good you're on," said the sergeant. "We've been attempting to contact everyone we have in the quarantine zones."
"Zones?" asked Bryan. "I thought I was the only in the country."
"There's been some developments," said the man. He rubbed his eyes. "I need to get some sleep."
"How bad is it?" asked Bryan.
"We've had to move the quarantine zone borders a few times," said the sergeant. He didn't look happy. "Do you have plenty of supplies?"
"I think I have enough for a few months maybe longer," said Bryan. He figured longer could mean a couple of years or more.
"Good," said the sergeant. "I don't think they're going to keep the power on much longer so you figure out something for yourself."
"How big is the quarantine zone now?" Bryan asked.
"It's a lot bigger now," said the sergeant. There was along pause. He kept silent.
"How big is it?" asked Bryan.
"The Texas one is between highways ten, twenty and 35 east," said the sergeant. "I'm sorry. There's not much else we can do for you."
"What should I do?" asked Bryan.
"I don't know. See if there are other survivors," said the sergeant. The radio then sat off.