Free The Reaper Virus (Novella): Sarcophagus by Nathan Barnes

clear ya’ll. Let’s go set up breakfast! The rules from yesterday still
apply. Stick with your buddy and stay close if you wanna eat.”

 
    Jessica
tried to see over the other side to get a fix on where Frank was. A plume of
smoke, exaggerated by the cool morning air, gave his location away. She
wondered how much the man actually checked the area for safety. Something about
that morning didn’t sit right with her. Her hand wandered into the bag with the
.38 special revolver . The smooth metal contours were
cool to the touch. Paranoia urged her to pocket the weapon.

 
    It wasn’t
until she saw the vast majority of their fellow bus mates bundling up for a
trip outside that she decided to keep the gun in its place. “ Safety in numbers,” she thought. Prying
eyes on judgmental people worried her more than any nearby infected creatures.
Ava took a cue from the others and zipped her coat.

 
    “Ready,
Mommy?” asked the eager young lady.

 
    She
nodded with a fake smile. “Let some of the others out first. Then we’ll go.
There’s no rush; plenty of breakfast to go around.” A line of people quickly
formed beside them. It wasn’t until a dozen of their group had exited that
Jessica gave Ava the go ahead. In a brightly colored blur the girl made it to
the door. Jessica had to sprint to catch up. Semi-scolding, she reminded, “ slow down, baby girl. Remember that you’re my buddy. We’re
in this together.”

 
    A light
breeze greeted them instantly out the door. Sounds of mingling gridlocked
neighbors blended with the persistent trickle of rapids beneath them. Pops of
far away gunfire were hardly discernable over the morning refugee symphony. At
first glance, the uniformed might think they’d entered a massive tailgating party.
Closer inspection revealed the scenario for what it truly was. Gloom from a
burning cityscape stained the sky on the side of the railroad bridge. Amongst
the social gatherings of over packed vehicles was an occasional car locked
tight with a tired, solemn occupant leering at those walking around.

 
    As Ava
urged Jessica towards the side of the bridge she took it all in. Her stomach
gurgled with hunger masking a pit of anxiety. This truly was the calm before
the storm, it was an emotionally vampiric realization. She felt like a patient waiting for a cancer diagnosis;
uncertainty over the inevitable certainty of demise. A nearby bout of laughter
broke her grim thought process. “ Snap out
of it, Jess. You can’t do this to her, ” commanded her thoughts. No matter
what happened to them, she was determined to be strong for her daughter to the
bitter end. Here of all places, a nervous breakdown wasn’t an option.

 
    In
moments they reached the wall. Ava instantly found her place to peer over, not
wasting a moment of valuable sightseeing time. Slipping between one of the
slots formed by concrete and metal, she began to describe what was beyond the
bridge and far beneath them. Jessica still battled with the anxiety attempting
to cripple her from within. It muted her senses, numbing her to all things but
the thumping within her chest. Thoughts urging her to fight the mental fog
continued to reprimand her actions. The long steel rail topping the wall was so
cold to the touch when she placed a hand on it, trying to steady her wobbly
stance.

 
    Then Ava
turned to tell her something about the river. Framed inside of a fuzzy purple
hood, her lips moved under a red nose. Words came out but to Jessica they were
unintelligible mumbles. She faked it by smiling and nodding. Ava continued with
a bit more vigor; pointing over the bridge. Assuming they were talking about
the river or some feature on the landscape Jessica said back, “I see, hon. Good
eye.”

 
    For a
five year old, Ava was quite skilled in the detection of when an adult ignored
her. Again she said something and pointed. Her expression blended excitement
and trepidation. A disgruntled child proved distracting enough