What Remains (Book 3): Epidemic Read online

  What Remains

  Epidemic

  Tyler Barrett

  For those who believed in me and helped me prove that I can do anything I set my mind to. To my loving family, who encourage me to share the worlds I create.

  Copyright © 2020 Tyler Barrett All Rights Reserved

  Cover Art Design by José Bethencourt Suárez

  Prologue

  Shikyo slammed her hand against the soundboard in frustration, angry that it still wasn’t working.

  Damn this thing! It’s always something. First, it was the circuit board, now these fuses.

  The fuse Shikyo had tried to replace had fried as she put it into position. Luckily, after searching for several weeks, she was able to find a local electronic repair shop, carrying the right replacement parts. She at least had the foresight to grab a few spare ones just in case.

  Searching four different stores to find the right size fuse hadn’t been easy, but she brought the broken one to compare the parts. Hunting down a guide for radio and electronic repair took a few extra days because she had to make sure they were relevant to her current issue. Using the serial number, she discovered the model of her soundboard, and from there, it was just a simple hunt for the part number. Shikyo was cautious, searching slowly, so she didn’t make too much noise, fearful of drawing unwanted attention.

  Shikyo had spent two months preparing, learning, and repairing the radio equipment. It was time for all her hard work and time spent to come to fruition. Looking through the box of parts, where she stored all kinds of spare parts for the radio in a box, she searched for another fuse. This was her chance to escape, and there wasn’t any margin for error.

  “Be more careful next time, once we fix this, we can finally call for help,” Meika said, trying to calm her.

  Shikyo waved her hand at her friend, dismissing her, “You think I don’t know that? It’s this damn soundboard…”

  Shikyo trailed off, focusing on carefully removing the fried part inside the radio. Grabbing the second replacement fuse, she slowly moved it into place, snapping it into the slot on the motherboard, careful to not touch it and fry it again.

  “Finally, I thought you would never finish it,” Meika said.

  “Well, I don’t see you helping! You’re lucky I even keep you around,” Shikyo stated, getting annoyed.

  With the fuse in place, she soldered it to the motherboard, checking her work before replacing the cover to the soundboard, turning it on. The lights in front of her glowed green and red across the board with power. Shikyo was excited; the hard part was done and out of the way. Now she just had to scan the frequencies to find one with someone from the outside world on it.

  Shikyo had lost track of how long it had been since the outbreak had happened, but she knew it had been at least six months by her best guess. Shikyo hoped that the outside world was fine, and there were still people alive to rescue her. Listening to the hum of the equipment and airwaves, she turned the dial, scanning the airways.

  Praying that she would find a signal, someone to help her, she was determined to find a way out. As Shikyo flipped through the frequencies, she carefully checked the cords leading to the antenna outside. Knowing she had the range, having spent the past month making sure everything was in working order. With power, a working radio, and an antenna to boost her signal range, she was hopeful. The low hum of constant buzz told her that it was powered, as she moved from channel to channel for any outside signal.

  “I thought we would have found someone by now… You don’t think they are all dead, too, do you?” Meika asked with a smirk, “Wouldn’t it be funny if we were the only two people left alive?”

  “Funny? What’s wrong with you? Once we get out of here, I never want to see or speak to you again. You’re nothing but trouble and only cause problems. Remember the last person we tried to help?”

  “I remember… His flesh tasted good, though,” Meika cackled.

  “I still can’t-don’t want to believe you did that. He was trying to help us, he was nice. Then y-you had to attack him…” Shikyo said with disgust.

  “You enjoyed it just as much as I did,” Meika grinned.

  “No! Screw you. The only reason you’re still around is that I needed someone to help me set all this up,” Shikyo said, “Besides, I’m the one they will want, not you!”

  “Oh, still on this, are we? You think that just because you were bitten and didn’t turn that makes you someone special?” Meika asked, mocking her.

  “Yes! They could use my blood to help stop this!” Shikyo yelled at Meika, “Now go away!”

  “Fine, I’ll leave you in peace for now… Just remember you can’t leave me… ever.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Shikyo asked.

  “You know what I mean. I’m a part of you, and if you try to get rid of me, you know I will win, and you will be no more,” Meika snarled.

  “I SAID, GO AWAY!” Shikyo shouted.

  Looking back, Shikyo saw Meika had indeed begun to slowly walk out of the room. Her slow gait gave every notion that she was a shell of her former self. Meika’s stench lingered wherever she moved, taking Shikyo sometime to get used to. But she couldn’t find it in herself to abandon such a good friend, though. She needed Meika, as much as she hated to admit it.

  Finally, some peace and quiet.

  Rocking back and forth, Shikyo stared at the radio, working the dial. Her work finally paid off as the static stopped as the radio hit a new frequency, and a new voice filled the room. It was an automated message, telling her to move to another frequency.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Private Min-Jun yawned, covering his mouth with his hand. Only three more hours of his ten-hour shift to go, then he could sleep. His eyes flicked to the clock every so often, willing time to move faster. He regretted ever covering that extra shift that led him to fall asleep while on duty. To teach him a lesson, they threw him on one of the ships that sat in the Sea of Japan listening for any outgoing radio frequencies. He had a lot of free time, but not a whole lot to do.

  He stared at the console in front of him, occasionally stretching to wake up his tired body. They had an automated feedback loop directing anyone looking for a rescue to switch to the ship’s frequency, and in the two months, he had been stationed at his post, no one had ever contacted them. Out of the quarantine armada, only twice had someone radioed for a rescue, with neither time him working the radio.

  After an hour had passed, the clock hit noon, which meant his small reprieve was coming. The smell of the food made its way into his room, and he daydreamed about eating his late lunch, then being able to sleep for a bit. He leaned back in his chair, relaxing, enjoying the thought.

  Imagining, he was digging into his food, his thoughts were interrupted when there was a distant crackling over the otherwise dead air. It didn’t faze him as it was nothing audible and could have easily been another ship on a neighboring frequency. Another minute passed, more crackling, but this time louder.

  Finally, something he had waited two months to hear came through, “Hello- is…send…please…”

  Min jerked forward, fumbling to reach his microphone, activating it. The person calling for help was speaking English, which thankfully Min mostly understood, having taken a few classes of it.

  “This is ROKS Mokdo of the Republic of Korea Navy. Repeat your last call,” Min called over the airwaves.

  More crackling followed; whoever was attempting to radio him was far away. He changed his settings to try boosting the range a little bit.

  “Hello? Is anyone there? Please send help!” A woman’s voice exclaimed.

  “I hear you! What’s your name?” Min replied.

&n
bsp; A moment of silence before a whisper came across, “Shikyo.”

  “Okay, Shikyo, please give me your location,” Min stated.

  “I’m at an old radio station, in Nagoya. I think it was called ZIP FM, it's on the wall,” Shikyo replied.

  “Give me a few moments to confirm that location. Stay on this frequency,” Min said, moving over to the computer next to him, entering the information she had given.

  A recent satellite image of the location was displayed, an aerial view of a tall office building amongst the sprawling downtown area. Zooming in on the rooftop of the building in question, Min noticed that it didn’t have the space to land a helicopter, but the clearance to drop a team there.

  Min quickly hailed the captain, alerting him to the radio call. The captain answered the phone, giving the order to ready a rescue team. Min heard the call over the ship’s intercom as everyone prepped for the mission.

  Min looked at the terminal next to the radio, using the information the woman gave him, pinpointing her location. He radioed the pilots, giving them the coordinates as they began their flight prep checklist.

  “Shikyo? Are you still there?”

  “Yes, I am still here,” She replied.

  “Good, we will send a rescue team shortly, wait on the roof of the building. The soldiers will direct you, follow their orders, and you’ll be safe in no time,” Min said cheerily, “Eta is two hours.”

  “Thank You!” Shikyo exclaimed.

  “If you need to change locations, please send another transmission, and we will work accordingly. I will leave my line open,” Min stated, shutting off his microphone, leaning back in his chair with a beaming smile. After the first time being able to do his job, it felt good.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Shikyo stood up from her chair, with a grin she hadn’t worn since the start of the outbreak. Moving toward the other room, she spotted Meika wandering in the lobby area. As always, when Shikyo entered the room, Meika turned toward her, sensing movement.

  “There you are,” Shikyo said, grabbing Meika by the arm, “I told you there’s someone left alive out there. I just called for rescue. They're on their way.”

  Shikyo lead Meika to a nearby office, shoving her inside, closing the door behind her, “I’m sorry, Meika, you can’t come with me.”

  Meika slammed her hand against the glass pane that ran the length of the door. Decaying, grayish-brown skin, left a handprint on the glass. Meika's black eyes stared out, begging Shikyo to let her out.

  “I’m sorry. You know they won’t let you come with me. Besides, after all the bad things you’ve done…Goodbye, Meika. You were a good friend, but this is where we part ways.”

  Shikyo turned to leave, but Meika spoke to her one last time, “You can’t get rid of me, try as hard as you can. It doesn’t matter, I’m part of you. I am you.”

  Shikyo blissfully ignored the comment, setting off for the rooftop, to wait for the incoming help. After a short climb, Shikyo was on the roof of the building, looking at the sky, scanning for any sign of the rescue team she was waiting for. Two hours passed, and like clockwork, she heard the constant thumping of a helicopter as it neared her. Shikyo jumped up and down with enthusiasm, waving her arms wildly, even though she knew they couldn’t see her yet.

  This is it! I’m finally getting out of here, and Meika was wrong…I am going to be able to stop all of this!

  The helicopter slowed as it neared the building, hovering above the rooftop. Two ropes came down from each side, followed by four soldiers. They were dressed for war, wearing all black, with some sort of armor plates along their arms and legs. Shikyo watched as the soldiers landed on the roof with expert precision, raising the rifles they carried, clearing the area before moving toward her. She held her hands up, so they would see she meant no harm.

  As the first soldier reached her, he dropped his rifle to his side, “I need to check you for bites before we go.”

  Shikyo nodded as the soldier instructed her to stretch out her arms and spread her legs. She complied, and he began to carefully inspect her. The soldier carefully rolled back the sleeve on her right arm, revealing the scar of her bite wound, now completely healed over.

  “What the hell!” The Soldier exclaimed, “What is this?!”

  “I was bitten,” Shikyo replied.

  “You’re sure it was by an infected?” The soldier asked.

  “Yes, it was several months ago.”

  The soldier grabbed his radio, “Mokdo, this is Sparrow one. I’m staring at the bite wound right now, it’s healed over.”

  Shikyo couldn’t hear what was said back to the soldier, but someone on the helicopter lowered a basket to pull her up to it. She watched as each man’s eyes went wide in awe. The soldiers helped her into the basket, watching as she was slowly pulled up to the helicopter. One of the pilots was waiting at the top for her and held out his hand to help her into the cabin.

  Two hours later, the helicopter had returned, aligning itself for landing. The pilots called to the control tower, requesting clearance to land. Shikyo looked out at the deck of the ship below. A group of doctors in hazmat suits waiting to quarantine the woman and the rest of the crew on board.

  Chapter 1

  Kenji began his morning like normal, taking a shower, brushing his teeth, then dressing for the day. He skipped breakfast this morning, knowing he was going to be late to work if he didn’t. Driving his car, a used red Toyota Corolla, through the morning traffic, the day was already off to a slow start.

  Damn, traffic. At least we are moving, even if it is super slow.

  Arriving sooner than anticipated, he parked in the faculty parking lot. It was a foggy morning and only seemed to get thicker as he stepped out his car. Using his key fob to lock his car, Kenji began to walk through the fog and was instantly swallowed. If he hadn’t walked the same path for the past several months, Kenji would have been lost.

  His footsteps echoed in the fog as he uneasily walked forward. Kenji reached the intersection that was the middle of the campus, stopping to look around at the benches that sat in each corner of the path, noticing no one sat on them. Normally, the benches were filled with students reading books, enjoying the outdoors.

  Odd. I haven’t seen a single person yet this morning. Are classes canceled this morning? It’s probably just the fog, people aren’t staying outside. No matter, I still have my work to do.

  Kenji took a step but stopped, a noise catching his attention in the fog, one that gave him goosebumps. It was a low guttural moan. He waited, hoping it was just the fog playing games with his mind. Kenji never liked the fog, the uneasy feeling that anything could be hiding just a few feet away, and you’d never know.

  Huh. Maybe I’m just hearing things.

  Kenji began slowly walking once more, his senses heightened, knowing that it wouldn’t be long before he reached the main building on campus, where his office was located. He couldn’t wait to get out of the fog and spend his day inside, at least until the fog cleared. Kenji stopped dead in his tracks as another person appeared in the fog, no more than a few arm's lengths away.

  Immediately noticing that something was off, Kenji contemplated his next move. The person wasn’t moving, and the way they stood seemed loose as if struggling to hold themselves upright.

  “Hello?”

  The person didn’t respond but turned to face Kenji. His heart began to race, he knew that awkward, forced movement. It was one of the infected.

  A Yokai here?

  Without a second thought, Kenji turned around and ran. He had no weapon, no way to defend himself, and hoped to lose the creature in the fog.

  The guttural moan chased him through the fog, knowing that the mist made it hard to tell which direction sound came from. Kenji didn’t stop, reaching the same intersection in the walking path he had earlier. Skidding to a full stop, he almost lost his balance in the process. In front of him, blocking the path to his car was not just one, but a group of the creatures. Looking
to his left, he spotted more infected moving down that path as well.

  To his right was the only path devoid of the infected that hunted in the fog, and he took his chance. Kenji knew he had to follow the walkway, fearful of stepping off the path and getting lost in the thick fog. Praying that his way wouldn’t be blocked, he headed toward the English arts department building.

  The building was a brown rectangle, split into three segments. On the ends were the classrooms, divided by a spacious open room. Upon entering the building, was a high ceiling room; the walls and ceiling were glass, while the area held many chairs and tables where students normally sat to eat or spend time between classes. A set of stairs was in the middle of the area, leading up to the second floor with a walkway leading to each side of the building.

  It came into view first as just an outline in the fog, a giant block, before fully revealing itself. Kenji felt a wave of relief as he ran up to the doors, seeing inside that students were sitting at the tables like normal. Kenji flung the door open and immediately began to grab chairs and tables to throw in front of the door, knowing that the infected weren’t far behind. No one seemed to notice his frantic work.

  “Someone help!” Kenji called out, hoping to grab someone’s attention.

  No one moved as Kenji set down the fourth table by the door. Looking up, noticing in the fog, several silhouettes started to form the outline of the horde. Giving up on barricading the door, Kenji ran up the stairs.

  “Everyone! There are infected coming! Run!” Kenji shouted, hoping to get everyone’s attention.

  A few people turned their heads toward him, but no one reacted. A few people pointed, whispering to their friends.

  “They are almost here! Run!” Kenji said, pointing at the door.

  Why aren’t they listening to me? They'll die if they don’t move!

  Still, no one moved. No one made any effort to look at the horde, moments away from entering the building.

  Why is no one moving?! What is going on?! What’s wrong with these people?! Can’t they see I’m trying to help?!