He crested a small hill and saw a forested valley below. The fir trees were thick and tall. As he walked down the slope to enter the trees, he thought he saw a movement. He stopped. He did not notice it again, and he heard no sound, so he continued on. When he had gone several hundred yards into the forest, he detected movement once again. This time he was sure. He started on a parallel course to try to intercept whatever it was. He drew his handgun and walked as quietly as possible taking care where he placed his steps. He stopped at a small break in the trees that opened into a clearing, and saw the form of a person lying on the ground drinking from a puddle of water.
He decided to wait a moment to think on how to approach this. He did not want to scare the person away, but he did want to make contact. He replaced the pistol in its holster, and walked out into the open. Even though he was a few hundred yards away, he could see the individual was not in very good shape. He was raggedly dressed, and had an unhealthy look about him, which was only enhanced by his lack of any significant body weight. Keith’s eyes were as enhanced as were his other senses, which aided in his perception. This was something that took some time to get used to, but he could see where this ability would benefit him in circumstances such as this one.
After he took a few more steps, the person stopped drinking, and looked his way. It was as though he could not see him, although he was close enough, but was rather sniffing the air. He was quite emaciated. His hair was long, but thin and straggly. His eyes were sunken, and his skin was pale. There was no muscle tone, and only a minimum amount of clothing still hanging from his body. Keith decided to speak. “Hello. Who are you?”
He did not speak, or even acknowledge that he had heard him, he simply returned to drinking. Keith walked a little closer. “Hi there,” he said hoping to solicit a response; nothing. When he got off the ground, Keith stood still. It looked more like a creature than a man.
The creature looked his way again, sniffed the air in his direction then walked off as if he did not exist. Keith decided to follow him, but at a safe distance. When he walked past the waterhole, he noticed it was quite brackish, something only a desperate creature would drink. He was easy to follow, as the smell was unmistakable. At no time did he ever look back or give any indication of concern that he was being followed.
After a mile or so, the creature walked into a cave. Keith decided to go in as well. It was a large cave just on the edge of the forest found amongst the large rocks aligning a hillside. He waited until his eyes became adjusted, then he moved on. The stench was increasing as he made his way. Soon, he came to an open cavern. It was as wide as it was long. He stopped and noticed even more of the creatures. There were about twenty of them. They did not talk, they did not even move around much. They were just there, some sitting, some standing. He stepped cautiously along the wall, but not one of them seemed to take notice or care that he was among them. When he came to a side passage, the smell became almost unbearable.
He looked inside the passage and saw a large pile of rotting bones; very little remained other than the bones themselves. He could tell some were human, and others were from a variety of animals. He decided these creatures were indeed not human, but had become something else altogether. He removed his pistol once again, and retraced his steps. They did not try to follow him as he left the cave.
He was not afraid of them, but he still decided to put some distance between himself and the cave. They did not look very healthy, but he was not interested in any unnecessary confrontation. He continued north at a healthy jog. As he went, a few things became clear, there were people alive out here, those in the cave, and those who they may have preyed upon. There was also evidence of wild animals. The bones were too new to be of long dead carcasses. He only hoped that what he found next was not as wretched and revolting as what he witnessed in the cave.
Two days removed from his experience in the forest, Keith found himself in a valley full of wild grass. It was yellow in color and tall. He collected some for study. He also noticed the ground was marshy. From this, he went to several standing pools and collected samples of water in the hopes that he would find what Dr. Maddow was so interested in. He marked them and placed the vials into a pocket on the inside of his jacket.
He heard the noise before he saw them. There was a pack of dog like creatures walking along the rim of the basin. They spotted him and they were acting as if they were trying to avoid him. He did not think they were planning to attack, as they appeared to be rather small to approach something his size. They were smaller than a coyote, but larger than a red fox. Their coats were yellowish brown, similar to the grass, and they had a dark brown patch riding down the middle of their back.
They were not calling out to one another, and this was another reason he did not think they would try to molest him. He was wrong. As soon as the four dogs were within twenty yards of him, they started to growl and run straight for him. He had little time to draw his gun and fire as they did so. He took aim at the closest one and fired. The gun bucked in his hands as he acquired his next target. The first two went down in cries of pain, while the other two continued their assault. A third one absorbed two quick rounds in mid-air as it jumped at him. The last animal was now too close to fire at. Keith swung his free arm as the dog was in the air.
He struck the dog in his ribs with the side of his forearm. It was not a solid blow but Keith knew it caused damage. In fact, the dog had landed, turned around and growled at him. He did not seem as enthusiastic as he was a few seconds ago, and it was obvious he was hurting.
Keith decided to return with one of the creatures. He sealed it whole in a plastic bag. It would surely be ripe by the time he made it back, but that would not be his concern. He knew they would want to examine every detail down to what it had been eating. He marked the bag the same way he did all samples he gathered, with the direction and distance from the mountain. This one was labeled 60 Mi. North.
Construction had been moving at a fast pace. Those on the inside could see images through their computer links. They were also able to keep in contact with their colleagues in this same fashion. Once a week, they even shared in parties via this link, both inside and out, as a way to keep up morale. Those on the inside wanted to get out. Those on the outside, wanted to finish their work, and be safe. After the newness of the adventure had subsided, the realities became heavier. They trusted in the measures they were taking in relation to protecting their health, but it was a regimented system. It also became a realization that they were not going to be entering the mountain facility again anytime soon. They would only see others when it was safe enough for them to come out too. This emerged as the new motivation to finish their work.
Eventually, the outside facility became functional to the point of having air-handling systems, recreational areas, and a hermetically sealed exit point. Just inside the exit point was a permanent decontamination unit, which allowed for both people and small recreational vehicles to pass through. The level of radiation was monitored daily. It was clear that it was decreasing, but it would be sometime before it would be safe enough to go outside without self-contained protective gear.
The recreational vehicles were battery powered, and only allowed travel for moderate distances without a reserve. There were solar cells on the top of the vehicles, but they only prolonged the battery life. They were not enough to power the vehicles alone. The facility staff grew to twice its original complement as scientists were kept busy examining whatever newly discovered items were brought in. They decided that they would not construct any other facilities, beyond the mountain, until the environment was safe enough to work in without protective gear. Many of those outside were comforted by that. They believed they had tempted fate enough already.
Frank Bishop was pragmatic enough to realize there were only two options for continued progress. One, was through medical enhancement, the other was time. One they could control once they found the means, the other they could not.
Keith had been in the apartment for little more than an hour when Terri arrived. “Hey, how’s my favorite girl,” he said as he walked toward her.
