Fatal Reaction, Survival

  FATAL REACTION

  Survival

  M.A. HOLLSTEIN

  Copyright © 2017 M. A. Hollstein

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN-13: 978-1544992099

  ISBN-10: 1544992092

  Book Cover Art: SelfPubBookCovers.com/joeydurocher

  Fatal Reaction

  The Beginning

  Survival

  Battle of the Hunted

  Books written under the name

  Michelle Ann Hollstein

  A Lost Souls Novel

  Awakened Within

  Beautiful Beginnings

  Cheating Heart

  Ghostly Gig, A Lost Souls Short Story

  Ms. Aggie Underhill Mysteries

  Deadly Withdrawal

  Something’s Fishy in Palm Springs

  Maid in Heaven

  A Hardboiled Murder

  One Hell of a Cruise

  A Prickly Situation

  Vegas or Bust

  Dead Ringer

  The Haunted Address, An Aggie Underhill Short Story

  The Niberia Chronicles

  Niberia

  Ashes to Diamonds

  Hidden Identity

  Nonfiction

  Who Says You Can’t Paint?

  Night Crashes

  Joshua Tree

  Serenity

  Escape

  Chapter 1

  Sheriff Michael Wilson, stared wearily at the dark mass blocking out the majority of the sunlight as he crossed the complex to the parking lot. It had been several weeks since the spaceships appeared across the globe and the electricity kicked on.

  From time to time, videos created by average everyday people, who’d learned to hack the airwaves appeared on TV. One happened to be in Los Angeles, and the other was coming from somewhere in the UK. Another channel also recently popped up, airing from somewhere in the Middle East. The video footage was raw and sporadic and filmed by amateurs. Very rarely did Mike see the same person more than two or three times before they disappeared.

  So far, there was nothing to report, but death, sickness, destruction, and the speculation of more than a few hovering ships strategically placed around the world. Unfortunately, according to the broadcasts, the infection appeared to have wiped out the majority of humanity and was still spreading. From what he could see, there was only a fraction of the 7 billion people left on Earth. No one knew just how many souls were still alive. And there was probably no possible way to calculate.

  The enormous alien aircraft bothered Mike. It bothered him more than the infection that had wiped out most of humanity. The way the ship was hovering above San Diego County, just looming in the sky doing nothing, was beyond daunting. He wondered what it was they were planning.

  Deep in his bones, Mike knew something horrible was about to happen. He felt both vulnerable and unprepared. Neither were things he was used to feeling. Being that he once served in the Marine Corps, and then later went into law enforcement, he didn’t often feel unprepared or lost.

  Still staring up at the ship, Mike looked for any signs of life or changes. There were none that he could see.

  The silence was the eeriest part of it all. It was as if whoever was occupying the ship was waiting for the perfect time to strike. What he couldn’t understand was what they were waiting for. Why haven’t they done anything yet?

  “Anything?” Ellie asked, her voice barely a whisper, as she came up behind him. She put her hand on his arm, not wanting to startle him. Mike squinted up at the dark mass. He crossed his arms over his chest suddenly feeling chilled.

  “Not a damn thing,” he said.

  “Gives me the creeps,” Ellie said, looking up at the ship. It didn’t seem real. “What are they waiting for?”

  “I don’t know,” he said. All he knew was that they needed to be prepared. He’d hardly slept a wink since the damn ship arrived. It was bad enough worrying about surviving the freaking virus; now they had to worry about something worse. How the hell were they going to survive an alien invasion? As far as he knew, the military had been wiped out. Practically everyone was dead. “Go back inside,” he said to Ellie. “I don’t trust this thing. I’m going to go do some reconnaissance.”

  Ellie tugged at his sleeve. “I’m going with you.”

  “Ellie…”

  “Mike, please… Please, don’t leave me here alone.”

  For a moment, Mike closed his eyes. He needed to think. Ellie would only slow him down. A few seconds later he opened his eyes and sighed. He was ready to tell her no when he noticed the fear welling up in her deep, brown eyes. He glanced back at the ship and lowered his voice, “Let’s go inside and talk. I don’t know what they can hear if anything.”

  Ellie glanced up again before lowering her eyes. She nodded, grabbed hold of his hand, and led him back to her three-bedroom condo on the second floor. All the other units in the large complex were either empty or contained decomposing bodies of the residents that didn’t survive the infection. Mike had been spending his days removing contaminated bodies from the neighboring units to keep their living space as healthy as possible. He had refused to let Ellie help because he didn’t want to take a chance of her becoming ill. He also foraged canned goods from the other units to prevent them from having to leave the grounds.

  Ellie frowned. Every day that Mike ventured into another unit, she worried about him. So far, he seemed healthy, just tired. There were no telltale signs of the virus. No yellowing of the eyes, no hives, or fever. Every day she prayed he wouldn’t contract the infection. What would I do without him? She’d not only fallen in love with Mike, but she’d also grown dependent on him for survival. She hated feeling that way, but it was true. He was the one that had protected her and helped her to get back home to Oceanside, California from Las Vegas, Nevada. Without him, she wouldn’t have survived. She never would’ve made it back to California on her own. She owed him her life.

  Over the last several weeks, she’d realized she needed him in more than one way. If Mike branched out, away from the complex, what would he find? And what if the ship, the aliens, or whatever the hell was up there, decided to make their move while he was gone? How would she protect herself?

  Since arriving back home, the only person they’d come across that was still alive within the complex was Mrs. Marshall. She was an elderly woman in her eighties. She’d been completely oblivious to what was going on in the outside world. Ellie had taken the woman under her wing and checked in on her daily. Mrs. Marshall was a bit senile. Ellie had tried to explain the situation to her, but the woman was not quite with it enough to understand. She decided it was best to just play along and not try to explain. She’d brought Mrs. Marshall, food and water, and played the part of a maid. For some reason, Mrs. Marshall believed she’d hired her to clean and cook. Ellie felt a bit envious of the woman. She wished she could go through life just as oblivious. She wished she hadn’t seen the things she’d seen, or experienced the horrors she’d lived through over the last few weeks.

  Opening the front door to her condo, Max, Ellie’s little terrier mix dog, bounced around at their feet as they entered. Ellie closed and locked the door behind them and wrapped her arms around Mike’s waist. He protectively hugged her close and kissed the top of her head.
>
  “What are we going to do?” she asked.

  Mike sighed. He ran his fingers through her long, silky brown hair. Ellie stared up at him, scanning his face for answers. Mike brushed her cheek with his fingertips. “We need to prepare.”

  Ellie gnawed on her lower lip. “How?”

  “We’ve been scavenging food and water from your neighbors and storing it in the garage.”

  “Yes…”

  “I want to pack the SUV in case we need to move in a hurry.”

  “Um, okay.”

  “I also want to search for weapons. Maybe the military base. Maybe some gun shops. Isn’t there a shooting range off of the 76?”

  “I think so, but we have weapons. You have your guns and stuff.”

  “We’ll need more.”

  “Won’t the base be on lockdown? How will you get in? Besides, I doubt anyone is alive. We’d know by now.”

  Mike didn’t answer, but continued with his thoughts, “And we should begin to search for survivors. We’ll be stronger in numbers. It’s a large base. We may find some military personnel still alive, hunkered down.”

  “Unless they’re sick,” she said, voice trembling. “What if they’re infected? What if we get sick?”

  “That’s a chance we’ll have to take. We can’t just sit here and do nothing.”

  Ellie took in a deep breath. She knew he was right. “Okay. Fine. When do we get started?”

  “Now,” he said. “We start now.”

  ***

  Flipping through the channels, Bill hoped to find some news on the blasted ship looming over Oceanside. A couple of times, he’d come across make-shift newscasts from people that had somehow learned to use the airwaves. He was just about to give up when a pimple-faced kid with a shock of red hair appeared on some obscure channel. The screen crackled and popped with static.

  “Hey!” he called out to Amanda. She was in the back bedroom. “I’ve got something!”

  Amanda hurried down the hallway of her apartment. She was still slightly limping due to a knee injury she incurred a few weeks back. She’d also injured her foot, stepping on glass, but that had healed up a lot faster than expected. Benjamin, Bill’s little boy, came out of the spare bedroom they’d been sharing. His teddy bear clutched in his arms.

  “What is it?” Amanda asked, sitting down on the brown faux suede couch, eyes glued to the teen on the TV. He was talking animatedly, hazel green eyes shifting back and forth with fear.

  “Sport,” Bill said, upon noticing his son in the room. He’d been doing the best he could to keep things somewhat normal around him. He knew it was hopeless. He couldn’t shield Benjamin from everything, but he still tried. With everything Benjamin had been through, he didn’t want to add more stress to the situation. Also, he worried that something might trigger his son’s memory. He didn’t want him to remember what had happened. What he’d done. Bill could still picture his wife, Joanna, lying in a pool of blood, bleeding out on Benjamin’s bedroom floor. He didn’t blame Benjamin for her death. He knew he’d been infected with the virus. He’d been both crazed and delirious when he killed her. Bill prayed that his son never remembered killing his mother.

  “Why don’t you go read for a little while? Amanda found you some new books. Didn’t you, Amanda?”

  “Uh, yes,” she said. “And some toys. They’re on the table.” She’d found some Star Wars action figures, and a few comic books, in one of the apartments on the other side of the compound.

  Benjamin walked over to the table and stared at the toys and comic books. He scooped them up and walked over to the hallway where he stood and watched the big screen television from a distance.

  “Look!” Bill said, standing up and pointing past the red-headed young man. Many of the buildings in downtown San Diego were on fire. “There are survivors!”

  “Doesn’t look good.” Amanda frowned. “Why are they doing that?”

  The teen whispered into the camera, “I’ve been watching them. Following them.” He looked nervously behind him. “They’re… they’re looting and burning down the city.” The camera zoomed in on the buildings across the street from him. Smoke poured from the windows and flames flickered. The teen turned the camera, and it zeroed in on his face. “I’ve only come across a few families living in the apartments. Hiding. I don’t know how many people survived, but I know there’s more. They’re scared. My friends and family are all gone.” The boy’s voice cracked, “I’m all alone.”

  More static came and went. The screen cut out for a few seconds. When the image returned, the boy was walking down the street. Decomposing bodies were everywhere. Trash was scattered along the street and sidewalks. A breeze picked up, and old newspapers tumbled down the asphalt. Cars were abandoned. A light blue Volvo was on the sidewalk in front of him. The young man zoomed in on a dead woman in the driver’s seat.

  “I’ve seen a few sick people… recently… just a few… they’re still around. If anyone can hear me or sees this, the sickness is still spreading. The only difference is, there aren’t very many people left to get sick. Shit! Shit!”

  The camera jerked about as the boy picked up speed and began to run down the street. His breathing was heavy and erratic. He ducked down into a dark alley.

  “Oh my God!” Amanda shrieked, terrified for the kid. “What’s happening? Is someone chasing him?”

  Bill shook his head. “I don’t know… I don’t know…”

  The red-headed kid ran down the alley and looked both ways. Coming to a dead-end, he pressed his back against the wall, hoping to blend in with the shadows. He turned the camera and aimed it at his face. Tears filled his frightened eyes. “It’s them,” he whispered. “They call themselves the Crusaders. They say they’re in control now. Anyone left alive… if you see this… be careful. They’re the ones starting the fires.”

  “Why start fires?” Amanda thought out loud.

  “To scare survivors,” Bill answered, even though he knew Amanda wasn’t asking for an answer. “To show dominance.”

  On TV, Amanda could hear other voices in the background. Men were yelling. It reminded her of when she’d encountered those hoodlums downtown a few weeks back. They’d been walking up and down the streets, smashing the windows of abandoned vehicles. She’d been scared to death, hiding behind a car, praying for her safety. At the time, she had been worried about having her head bashed in, or worse.

  The boy, who appeared to be around the age of seventeen, maybe eighteen at the most, whispered into the camera, “They’re bragging about having brothers in San Diego and Los Angeles. Not like we don’t have enough to deal with already, sickness… and the… the ship...” The boy slid his back down the wall trying to make himself tiny and insignificant in the shadows. The last thing Amanda saw was the boy’s terrified face as he switched off the camera. Her heart plummeted. She prayed to her angels for his safety.

  “Do you think he’s okay?” Amanda asked.

  Bill shrugged and shook his head again. “I don’t know.”

  “The car, the car with the loud base,” Amanda gasped. The entire first week after the infection hit, she could hear a car driving up and down Mission Avenue in the middle of the night with booming music. It had scared the heck out of her. With everyone around her dead, or infected, the people in the car obviously wanted it known that they were alive. “I haven’t heard the base in a while. Do you think they’re part of the Crusaders? Do you think…?”

  “Amanda, I don’t know!” Bill snapped. It aggravated him that he didn’t have any answers to give her. “As I’ve said before, it’s best to keep to ourselves.” He scrolled through the TV channels one more time. He found nothing but static and switched off the television. “Damn! I was hoping to learn more about this blasted ship!”

  “Should we go look for him?”

  “Look for whom?”

  “That boy!” Amanda said. “He’s terrified!”

  “Where would we look?” Bill asked. “Do you even know wher
e he was?”

  “No,” Amanda said, shaking her head. “I didn’t recognize the area. I’m guessing somewhere in downtown San Diego. We could look for the fire…”

  “And then what?” Bill asked. “What would we do if we came face to face with these so-called Crusaders?”

  Amanda got up and walked over to the sliding glass door. It was the middle of the day, but it looked dark and gloomy outside. She stared up at the spaceship in the sky, casting them in shadow. “Why do you suppose they turned the electricity back on?”

  Aggravated, Bill tossed the remote onto the coffee table. “I don’t think they did,” he said.

  “But it came back on when they arrived. They had to have done it.”

  “I don’t think it was intentional. Why give us electricity?”

  “Maybe they’re here to help us.”

  “Doubtful,” Bill sighed.

  Amanda rolled her eyes. Bill never had anything positive to say. Not that there was much to be positive about anymore. The world and their survival were looking quite bleak. Shivering, even though it was the middle of summer, and warm in her apartment, Amanda crossed her arms over her chest. “What are we going to do?”

  Bill got up from the couch and wandered over to her. Standing next to her, he stared out the sliding glass door. He didn’t have any answers. Bill felt a tug on his arm. His son was looking up at him. His teddy bear still clutched in his arms. “I’m scared.”

  Bill took Benjamin into his arms. He wanted to tell him not to be afraid, and that everything would be all right, but he knew that was a lie. He hadn’t a clue of what to expect or what was about to happen. The entire world had gone to hell. He was at a loss for words. He’d been trying to hold everything together. Trying to keep everyone calm. Over the last few weeks, he’d been focusing on the here and now. He’d been focusing on their day to day survival. They’d been gathering supplies, cleaning out neighboring apartments, and using the dog park near Amanda’s apartment building to burn infected bodies. He was doing everything needed to survive. But now, he’d been thrown for a loop.