Barren Waters - The Complete Novel: (A Post-Apocalyptic Tale of Survival) Page 4
She settled her gaze upon him then lifted her glass of Pinot to the light, swirled the contents, and breathed deep of its rich bouquet. Her reply was devastating in its simplicity.
“No. No I don’t. I suppose at one time I believed it could, that humanity could’ve tried to recover something of what it lost. But I think that time has long passed.”
“Then you’d be right,” he admitted with a sigh. “No. I’m afraid the pumps aren’t solving the issue at all. I’m afraid the Gulf dead zone is going to remain quite dead unless another solution can be found.”
She sat back and lifted a finger to the waitress. “Scotch,” she ordered. “Neat.”
“Make that two.”
As the dinner progressed, Liam repeatedly caught himself staring at her. Her green dress was enchanting against her tanned skin, and she’d worn her hair in a loose bun at the crown of her head, which left her brown shoulders bare. Wavy tendrils fell from the knot in a way that was carelessly sophisticated and left him short of breath.
He tried to keep the conversation light, but the fact remained that they were scientists. Scientists who had something in common, he reminded himself. It seemed that an intense passion for the sea, and for life itself, had drawn them both to their chosen fields of study. In her, he found something of a kindred spirit, someone who could not only share his beliefs and emotions, but who also wielded the specialized expertise with which to understand them. He found that he was enjoying the evening immensely.
“So what’s next for you, Liam?”
He reached under the table and pulled a slim black case from his shoulder bag. “Back to D.C. I’m afraid. I need to present my findings to the committee, and after that I’m off to the Pacific.”
“And what do you think the committee will do with your findings?”
He pulled the tester from the case and popped the needle into the tip of the third finger of his left hand. “Oh, I’m sure they’ll call more meetings with more scientists and try new implementations of various ideas. I’m impressed that they’ve rallied to the cause, and I’m certainly moved that they care so deeply about finding solutions. It’s just a shame they reacted too late.”
“You mean their timing sucked.”
He examined his blood sugar on the indicator and twisted the dial on the pen to 4. “Yeah. Their timing sucked.”
“Type 1?” she asked as she watched him dose himself.
“Since I was twelve.”
She sat back and watched him work. “So what grand adventure awaits you in the Pacific?”
“More exciting investigative testing I’m afraid. I’m off to the coast of Japan this time. Komatsu to be exact.”
She leaned forward excitedly and he nearly caught his breath. The candles flames set seductive sparks to her eyes. “You’re off to investigate the jellyfish bloom aren’t you?”
He raised an appreciative brow. “You’re definitely not just a pretty face. Yes. There’s a devastating bloom of nomuras in the waters just off Echizen. I’ve been asked to test the waters and report on the cause.”
She scoffed. “You already know the cause.”
With a sigh he agreed. “I suppose much of what I do is just busy work at this point. Yes, I know the causes as well as you. I’m quite certain it’s the water’s pH. Latest tests have revealed a range of 7.6 to 7.9. That’s much to acidic, but it’s a perfect breeding ground for the jellies.”
Her eyes gleamed. “That in conjunction with the extinction of most predatory fish in those areas.” She reached across the table and touched the back of his hand. “Take me with you.”
He leaned forward and rested his elbows gently on the table. “Let me get this straight. You want me to whisk you off your feet and take you to see a runaway population of poisonous jellyfish in the Sea of Japan? What a romantic second date that’ll be.”
She smiled and shrugged. “It’s my kind of romance. Besides, I’ve got quite a bit of time off saved and I can’t think of a better way to use it.”
“You’re a strange woman, Olivia Abner.”
It is a curious situation that the sea, from which life first arose should now be threatened by the activities of one form of that life. But the sea, though changed in a sinister way, will continue to exist; the threat is rather to life itself.
—Rachel Carson
Chapter 3
February 8th, 2169
Smokey Mountains
Tennessee
She shook her head vigorously, her hands fluttering in despair.
“We can’t Jeremy. It’s not clean.” Susan ran a hand through her hair and glanced wildly about the room. “I’ve changed my mind. We just can’t. We can’t do this to her.”
Jeremy’s heart broke as he gazed into his wife’s eyes. Tears had gathered at their corners and were beginning to spill onto her cheeks.
“Susan, we talked about this. We have to do this. She needs this and you know the insulin we have won’t last much longer. Every year the pills become less and less effective. We know this. This is the only way can help her in the long run. This might be her only chance to live a somewhat normal life.”
“But look at this place,” she whispered fervently. “It’s not sanitary.”
He followed her gaze, his eyes traveling over the contents of the rustic cabin. It wasn’t unsanitary so to speak. Yes it was cluttered, untidy even, but that wasn’t the same as dirty. It’s just that it wasn’t a hospital. It wasn’t sterile and regulated. It wasn’t antiseptic or methodical. Over the years they’d become accustomed to the ordered disorder of the many hospitals, clinics, and institutes they’d broken into and explored during their early morning scavenging expeditions with Jeremy’s parents. The hospitals themselves had long ago failed. They’d closed their doors, left the sick and dying outside to fend for themselves. Their halls had long gone ghosted and silent, and unfortunately the sense of security they’d once imparted was still one that couldn’t be replicated within the walls of a cabin.
Jeremy ground his molars. A hospital just wasn’t an option. There were no more hospitals anymore. It was every man for himself now, and Jeremy considered he and his family damn lucky to have found a man with a medical background at all. Not to mention one who’d agreed to perform the procedure for a mere trading of supplies. Well, a lot of supplies, Jeremy corrected with a frown. But still. It was more than he or Susan could’ve hoped for. It was an answer to a problem that had haunted their every thought for nearly three years.
He turned to her. “Susan, if you really want to leave we can. This has to be a unified decision. I won’t make it without you. But if we do leave then we’ll have to come up with an alternative plan. The insulin we have in storage won’t last. And it’s not just the quantity I’m concerned about. You know as well as I do, it’s the quality that’ll eventually present the biggest challenge. The pills are becoming less and less potent each year. They’ll spoil eventually, Suse. They already are. As time goes on, we’ll need more and more to achieve the same effect. What’ll we do when we run out? We’ve foraged for years and years, and while our efforts have been rewarded, the quality of the product we find will continue to decline. It doesn’t matter how many more secret caches we find hidden in someone’s shoebox or tucked away behind a dusty curio. Not if what we find is useless to her.” He lifted his wife’s chin and kissed the tip of her nose. “My father sacrificed his life for Sam. I’d like to honor that sacrifice by giving her every opportunity to live a long and happy life. Whatever that life may be.”
Her chin quivered and her arms snaked around his neck. She laid her head against his shoulder and spoke her reply close to his ear. “Don’t misunderstand. I’m so thankful for the sacrifices your father made. I’m just afraid. Surgery is difficult under the best of circumstances, but for someone with her condition, the risk of infection is that much worse.” She raised her head and waved her arm about the room with disdain. “And surgery here? Under these circumstances? What are the chances she’ll heal wit
hout complications?”
He nodded, but knew he could refute this argument as well. “My father considered this also, didn’t he? Susan, for all we know, we might be the most fortunate people left in the country. I’m almost certain of it actually. Hell, we may be the most fortunate people left in the entire world. Even the good doctor eyed our home with envy. I tell you, I wouldn’t have let anyone on this planet into our sanctuary under any other circumstances. The truth is, we can’t trust anyone anymore. I don’t even trust him. We just didn’t have a choice.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Susan, we don’t have to be afraid. If there’s one thing we have plenty of its antibiotics. We follow our plan just like we talked about. If we keep her sugars low and ensure she receives a steady stream of quality antibiotics then we can see her through this. Together. It’s just a one-time thing Suse. We get her the implant and she’ll stand a much better chance in the long run.”
His wife rounded her shoulders and firmed her chin. She wiped the tears from her eyes and cleared her voice. She’d never allow Sam to see her cry. Jeremy admired her for that.
“Okay,” she said weakly. “Then let’s do it. Let’s get her through this and then get back home and plant the gardens like we promised her we would. Let’s get this procedure done and put it behind us once and for all.”
He kissed her again, drew strength from the warmth of her lips, and the two of them entered the doctor’s living room where Sam was seated in an overstuffed chair. A picture book was splayed across her lap, and her legs, unable to reach the ground, swung back and forth like an ominous pendulum. She raised her head, though Jeremy wasn’t able to read her expression.
“So do I get the disk player?”
Susan frowned. “I wish you’d stop calling it that. It sounds so barbaric.”
Jeremy moved to the chair and swept his daughter into his arms. “Yes. You’re getting the disk player, robot-girl.”
She pinched his nose playfully. “So I’ll be able to play music from my belly?”
“It’s not that kind of disk player, kiddo.” He swung her around, buried his face in her small neck, and breathed in the scent that was so uniquely hers.
“So I won’t have to take the icky pills then, right?”
He nodded and cradled her against his chest. The pills were so weak now that she was forced to take more and more, and he knew she was quickly tiring of the routine. “That’s the plan,” he reassured, “no more pills. Sound okay?”
“Sounds okay.” She peered down at her belly. “Will it hurt?”
“Nope. You’ll sleep right through it, and when you wake up Mom and I will be here waiting and ready to take you back home.” He set her on her feet and caught her small hand in his. “And guess what? Once you’re healed, the three of us are finally going to plant the garden.”
Her eyes lit up and he felt his breath catch in his throat. He dared not speak, certain his voice would break. God, how he loved her—how he loved them both. Though he’d been able to maintain a pretense of strength with Susan, he was little more than a cowering child beneath a calm exterior as he looked upon his frail daughter. He’d be lost if something happened to Sam. To either of them.
Jeremy released her hand and moved to the front door. Beyond it, the mountain air was crisp and fresh, and he breathed deep its piney scents. Resting on the front stoop was a large cart of supplies, hand-picked by the doctor himself. There were hundreds of canned goods, packages of crackers, and large bags of rice and lentils. There were even three precious, rare canisters of sardines. But there was no water. Water would never be part of any negotiation. Jeremy wouldn’t allow it. He wouldn’t part with the loss of even a single bottle from his massive storage vault.
He set his hands to the cart and shivered as he recalled the doctor’s face when he’d first beheld the contents of the room, or the ark, as Jeremy’s family had long ago named it. The man’s expression had been unsettling. Water was like gold, and the doctor had just discovered that Jeremy was a very wealthy man.
He recalled every moment of the encounter with consternation. Doctor Jack had salivated openly as he looked upon the neat rows of bottles in an assortment of sizes. Pints and liters, gallons and ounces; for years, Jeremy’s father had stockpiled any and all he could put his hands on.
“Incredible!” the doctor exclaimed in awe. “How many cases will you trade?”
Jeremy had agonized over the question. He’d expected it of course, had known it would come just as soon as the man crossed the threshold. It was the main reason he’d wanted the doctor to pick items from a master list, sight unseen, as opposed to viewing the many available options in person, but the man had refused. He hadn’t made it easy.
“If you get to see where I live, then I get to see where you live,” he’d challenged softly. “It’s only fair. I’m sure we’re both honorable men Jeremy, but we’re not fools. There must be an equal amount of benefit and risk to the both of us, or this transaction doesn’t make sense. I’m sorry, but it’s the only offer I’m willing to make.”
It had undoubtedly been a dangerous gamble for both men. But the doctor’s requirements were clear, and if Jeremy refused him, the man could, in turn, refuse to perform the surgery at all. It was a risk that Jeremy wasn’t willing to take. The doctor had the upper hand and he’d known it. And Jeremy supposed he did have a point. Doctor Jack did seem like an honorable man. He could’ve surely ransomed Sam’s health for whatever price he wanted and Jeremy would’ve gladly paid it. He and Susan would’ve given the man anything, but graciously he’d settled for a portion of supplies. A large portion, yes, but a portion just the same. But Jeremy was unwavering when it came to the water, and instead, had steered the man toward the food.
“No cases of the water I’m afraid,” he’d stated in a voice that sounded oddly firm to his own ears. “I don’t trade water. Choose whatever you like from the aisles, enough to fill the cart, but the water’s off limits.”
He was thankful that the two of them had reached an acceptable trade agreement, and once again scrutinized the contents of the cart beneath the pale morning sun. He wouldn’t delude himself. What he and Susan were doing was risky. Though there seemed few humans left in the world, those who did remain were dangerous and unpredictable. In this new landscape, one was either predator or prey, and Jeremy wondered which he’d suddenly become.
He took a breath, and with a stone, propped open the front doors of the doctor’s modest cabin. He moved behind the cart. It was truly massive, one of those large canvas laundry caddies with a sturdy wood cover and four wheels at the base, the industrial kind previously used in prisons and hospitals. To Jeremy’s dismay Jack had removed the cover from its hinges so more supplies might fit inside. With a sigh he kicked the metal brakes off of each rear wheel and rolled it through the double doors.
By the time he’d negotiated the contraption through the entryway and closed the door, the owner of the cabin had entered the room. With unconcealed glee, he looked upon his new wares and bowed to Jeremy, his freshly washed hands held awkwardly in front of him.
“She’ll be fine Jeremy. My setup might not look like much, but it’ll get the job done. I’ll insert a fresh disk in the unit and furnish you with a supply of twenty-three more. That’ll give you two year’s worth of insulin. I’ll also give you a list of locations where you can try to scout for more. There’s a few gangs out there that’ll trade the disks for other wares and I’d be happy to give you their names and the ways to contact them, though I strongly suggest that you seek your own replacements.”
He struggled to pull plastic gloves over damp hands. “The unit will supply her bloodstream with a regulated amount of insulin, but she’ll still require monitoring. Strong physical exertion or stress can still cause a spike. I’m sorry, Jeremy but that’s the best I can do. Once she has the unit in place, it’ll be your job to maintain it and locate additional product.”
Jeremy glanced at Susan, and wordlessly, he pleaded for her approval. He watc
hed her terror-stricken gaze travel over the doctor, from his faded white coat, to his inappropriate pants and dirty sneakers.
She shifted uncomfortably on her feet and then crouched low beside her daughter. “How bout it pumpkin? It’s your body. You tell me.”
Sam’s innocence broke Jeremy. Again, the thought struck him that a parent truly held his child’s life in the palms of his hands, particularly the way the world was now. With a trusting smile and an air of confidence well beyond her years, Sam reached toward her mother’s face and thumbed away a tear.
“You know what’s best for me, mom. Do you think I should become a robot-girl?”
Susan gathered her daughter into her arms and stroked her silky blond hair. “I do, baby. I really do. And I’ll be right here when you wake up. Me and daddy both.”
Jeremy moved to his wife’s side and clung to her with desperation, and together they watched the most precious thing they’d ever created follow a retired Doctor into the spare bedroom of a mountain cabin to undergo major pancreatic surgery. He wanted to tear his hair out. What the hell was he doing? What was he thinking? He could figure this out, could surely find another way. Couldn’t he? Shouldn’t he?
His mind raced. They could bike to the public library and try their luck again. Already it seemed that they’d torn the place apart, but perhaps they’d missed something. Something important. Perhaps it was worth one more try. Though they’d spent countless nights in the drafty building, rummaging for information beneath nothing but the round splash of light from a flashlight and the silvery light of the moon, it was impossible to know if they’d sifted through all of it. There were thousands of books on the subject. Perhaps they should give it another week of solid research. They had time right?
He recalled how he’d patiently kept a silent vigil by the library entrance, his favorite Glock G43 in hand, while Susan combed through the endless stacks, bleary-eyed and restless as she tossed reject after reject into the large pile in the center of the room. Only when her eyes had given out or her frustration had reached a pinnacle did they switch places.