True Night
Title: True Night, Part I
Author name: frostian
Artist name: thruterryseyes
Genre: RPS
Pairing: JA/JP
Rating: R for language and violence
Word count: ~49k
Warnings: Artistic license taken and abused.
Summary: Jared and Jensen take a road trip to Seattle only to witness what looks like the Apocalypse overwhelm the city. They manage to escape to an island only to discover the situation on Santos to be worse than Seattle. But they cannot leave, as the infected roam freely and the military has set up blockades around the island. Faced with immeasurable horror and growing desperation Jared and Jensen plan an escape, not only to save themselves but the sick who are quickly turning into homicidal psychopaths.
Disclaimer: So much fiction, it could be spotted from an orbiting satellite!
Jared valiantly tried to school his face but completely failed as Jensen finished his explanation. He managed to let his weary friend sit down before blurting out, “What? When did this happen?”
“It was brewing for some time,” Jensen answered reluctantly, his focus completely allocated to his worn boots and not at his astonished co-star. “Look, Danni and I are in complete agreement about this: we’re not going to make it.”
“So … so, you’re just getting divorced? Just like that?” Jared collapsed into a sofa. “But, I mean, how about therapy? Or maybe a trial separation?”
Jensen shook his head. “No, it’s not going to work. And we don’t want to waste time on something that’s useless.”
“Man, I am so damn sorry,” Jared said. “I had no idea!”
“We wanted to keep it private, especially for our parents. The last thing Danni and I need is to have our problems splashed all over the front page of some cheap bullshit rag. Our families deserve better than that.”
“What are you going to do tomorrow?” Jared asked, realizing Jensen was going to be alone for their upcoming two-week break from filming. “Are you going to Texas?”
“No,” Jensen answered decisively. “I think I’ll just hang around and relax. Do some work, maybe put in the patio I’ve been talking about.”
“Like hell you are,” Jared said. “You’re coming to Seattle.”
Jensen blinked at him. “Why? Isn’t Gen meeting you there?”
Jared shook his head. “No, she’s filming a pilot for Fox. She’s going to be in Philadelphia for the entire month. We thought she could make it but the scheduling went to hell two days ago. The weather’s playing havoc over there.”
“Sorry to hear that. But dude, I don’t have any desire to stay in the honeymoon suite with you.”
“Fuck off,” Jared said, grinning. “I’m talking about serious sightseeing. And maybe couple of Mariners’ games.”
Jensen rolled his eyes. “Oh, that ought to be a joy.”
“Hey, if an entire city could take that much pain for years, we can take it for a game.” Jared paused then added, “Besides, Ichiro is cool. You got to give them that much.”
“Yeah, okay, he’s good.”
“And sushi. Seattle has some of the best sushi in the country.”
“Better than LA?” Jensen asked.
“That’s the rumor,” Jared answered. “Seriously, we could do anything or nothing; whatever you feel like.”
Jensen smiled; though it was feeble Jared could see the genuine gratitude behind it. “Okay, thanks.”
“Cool. I’ll go cancel the honeymoon suite and see about separate rooms.”
Jensen’s grin turned into laughter. “Yeah, you should do that. Wouldn’t want to give our fans heart attacks.”
“Or make their dirty little wishes come true!” Jared piped up. “Man, some of them are … well, perverts!”
“We’re all perverts. They’re honest about it, at least.”
Jared looked surprised by Jensen’s attitude. “They don’t freak you out a little?”
“I work in Hollywood, remember? There are freaks then there are freaks.”
Jared winced, remembering some of those freaks and his dealings with them. “Yeah, okay.”
“When should I come by?”
“Tomorrow, around nine in the morning?” Jared focused on his schedule for a moment. “I was planning to drive down.”
“Not a problem,” Jensen said with visible relief. “I hate dealing with security and shit.”
Jared remembered Jensen’s unabashed annoyance whenever they had to deal with TSA or any airport security for that matter. And the inevitable dour looks on the officials’ faces after dealing with Jensen’s brusque demeanor.
“Hence my offer to drive down there,” Jared said drily. “I don’t know how you haven’t gotten arrested for being such a dick.”
Jensen shrugged. “Ain’t no law against being an asshole. Besides, they’re not exactly the friendliest bunch either.”
Jared remembered some of the workers and countered, “Don’t know about that. Not all of them are bad.”
“Well, you’re the type to attract the funky bunch. Me? I attract the assholes.”
Jared knew Jensen was speaking the brutal truth so refrained from teasing him any further. Instead, he patted his friend on the shoulder and left. As soon as he reached his trailer, Jared called the Four Seasons and changed his reservations. He made sure Jensen’s room had one of the best views of the Sound, not the city. His friend was the type to appreciate such things.
Jared, on the other hand, didn’t much care. As long as the room service was 24/7 and the food was good - he was a happy camper. He then fired up his laptop and began browsing various websites. He was serious about the Mariners game but Jared knew that he’d have to find something cool to balance out the suck that would invariably come with Seattle’s home team, Ichiro or not.
Jared thought a whale watch would be interesting. Even though they were in Vancouver, their work schedule made it next to impossible for either of them to take serious downtime and enjoy what the city could offer.
Jared ticked off whale watching, walking around the waterfront or, in his case, eating a wide path through the waterfront, and if time allowed it: visiting Mount Rainier.
Looks so beautiful, Jared thought as he scanned the pictures of the majestic peak. Better buy a satellite phone in Seattle, just in case.
In fact, Jared decided that he should take camping gear, which was sitting in the hallway closet, pristine and completely unused. He texted Jensen to do the same and got a smartass answer:
You said this was a VACATION.
Jared didn’t bother to reply: he knew when to let Jensen have the last word. He pawed through the gear and updated the emergency kit with more efficient and stronger medicines.
This was one of his better decisions. Going to Seattle would be his worst.
Jared watched Jensen relax as they cleared the border checkpoint. Renting a convertible seemed like such a douchebag of an idea, but the beautiful weather made Jared glad that he did.
“This is great,” Jensen shouted, startling his friend. Jared thought Jensen had fallen asleep.
“It’s gorgeous!” Jared agreed readily.
“Where are the children?” Jensen asked.
Jared grinned, thinking about his dogs. “They’re with their babysitter.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t bring them!”
Jared shrugged. “They won’t do so well clammed up in a hotel room.”
Jensen gave a nod of agreement. He’d seen the destruction the two mutts caused whenever they lost it.
“Besides, Jenny promised she’d take them hiking.”
Jensen pulled down his sunglasses and peered at Jared. “She’s going to kill them!”
Jared grinned. Jenny’s ferocious love of nature was well known, and though Jared’s dogs were frisky, they would have some time keeping up with the hair and makeup artist.
“She loves them!” he said. “Wouldn’t do anything to hurt my babies.”
“Yeah, okay!” Jensen paused then added, “But they’re going to eat her out of house and home when they get back!”
Jared nodded. “I gave her extra bag of food, just in case.”
Jensen seemed satisfied with that and pulled up his glasses until they perched firmly on his nose. Jared watched him fall asleep and felt absurdly flattered. Jensen rarely rested easy unless he felt absolutely comfortable; the major reason why he was so addicted to caffeine. So, Jared knew to take it as a compliment and not as an insult whenever Jensen dozed off in his presence.
The drive itself was uneventful, and the fair weather held up right until they pulled into Seattle. Weak cloud cover or not, the sun’s power had completely faded and there was a definite chill in the air.
“Hey, Rip Van Winkle,” Jared said, elbowing his friend. “Wake up. We’re here!”
Jensen groaned and opened his eyes. Then straightened up when he realized they were being watched by an entire group of tourists standing nearby.
“Shit,” he muttered softly.
They grabbed their bags as quickly as possible and scooted into the hotel and relative safety, not looking back to see the valet study the convertible with open distaste.
“That was awkward,” Jensen said.
“Did you see that girl taking our pictures?” Jared chuckled. “What are the odds we won’t be on Twitter in oh … ten minutes?”
“That’s a fixed bet if there ever was one.”
“So, do we go incognito or just ignore the hordes of screaming fans that’ll show up?”
“I don’t know about you, but the moment I see a screaming horde of anything I’m planning to haul ass. And if you can’t keep up: tough titty said the kitty.”
Jared gave a swift jab in the ribs and then stood back as Jensen gave a light swing to his stomach.
Jared unceremoniously dumped his bags on the bed as soon as he entered his room. He turned on the television and flipped through the channels. A news report caught his attention and he watched for a while.
“Shit,” he hissed out. “That’s ugly.”
There was a knock on the door before Jensen keyed in. They had access to each other’s room, always did ‘just in case’. Though they never did fully discuss what ‘just in case’ could actually be.
“What’s wrong?” Jensen asked when he saw the frown on Jared’s face.
“Nasty bug going around; people are being hospitalized.”
“Yeah, I read about that this morning,” Jensen said. “Honestly, I don’t know why we bother getting annual flu shots when shit like that comes up on a daily basis.”
Jared turned off the television and said, “Let’s get something to eat.”
“Sounds good to me.”
They strolled down the waterfront and stumbled over a tavern that had less kitsch and more authenticity than the other restaurants on the same block.
The beer was fine, and the smells wafting out of the kitchen was finer.
“Looks safe enough to eat,” Jared said, eyeing the casual clientele: all of who were too busy with their food to notice the Hollywood coterie suddenly amid them. The same couldn’t be said for the staff as the appetizers arrived only minutes after ordering along with their drinks.
After few bites Jared feel his choice of restaurant was right on target.
“Oh man,” Jensen said after taking a bite out of his crab cakes, “okay, this was a good idea.”
Jared managed a grin through his mouthful. “Yeah, I…”
Whatever enjoyment they could’ve had was cut short when one of their fellow diners went into a coughing fit. His female companion watched, unmoving as shock had paralyzed her.
Jensen observed the distressed couple, concern radiating from his tense frame as the man turn purple then a sickly sheen of grey due to lack of oxygen. When he collapsed from his chair, Jensen bolted out of his. The female companion leaned over, trying to get her date to his feet.
“Don’t do that,” Jensen said. “We have to clear his airway first. Call emergency now!”
The pale woman nodded and called 911 from her cell. The hostess ran over to them and immediately began emptying out the food from the unconscious man’s mouth. Jensen stepped aside, frowning but doing nothing else. Jared realized the hostess was more than capable and remained at his table.
The ambulance came in record time and hauled away the man along with his date.
“Jesus,” Jensen whispered when he sat back into his chair. “That’s serious.”
“Was he choking?” Jared asked quietly.
“No, looks like he had a coughing fit and then maybe his asthma kicked in.”
“That’s pretty scary,” Jared commented. “I wonder if he had some food allergy. Maybe it’s that flu that’s going around.”
“If that’s the flu then I’m the Sugar Plum Fairy,” Jensen said. “I’m starting to wonder if I should’ve taken my boosters.”
Jared paused, his fork hovering in mid-air. “You didn’t get your follow-ups?”
Jensen shook his head. “No, didn’t have time.”
“Dude, that’s the first thing you’re going to do when you get back.” Jared stressed his point by pointing his fork at Jensen’s direction. “We can’t have Dean down for the count.”
“Loud and clear,” Jensen said, his tone light but his eyes serious. “Maybe we should head back as soon as we’re done here.”
Jared took a glance at the empty table, plates still present. “Yeah, maybe we should.”
Jared groggily studied the ceiling and decided he should’ve slept a little longer. He then looked at the clock and realized that he should’ve actually woken up hours before.
“Oh shit.” He sat up and reached for his cell.
“Hello?” Jensen muttered.
“Sorry, I overslept.”
“And how is that a problem for me?” Jensen asked. “What time is it anyway?”
“Almost one,” Jared said, scrambling out of his bed. He opened the shades and peered outside.
“Give me twenty.”
“Okay.” Jared jumped into the shower and in ten minutes he was ready.
He looked out the windows again and this time took more time to examine the streets. There was no traffic and only few pedestrians scrambling towards their destinations. Jared then looked at the dark clouds threatening with imminent rain and gave a low whistle.
Maybe we can still go whale watching. Little rain shouldn’t bother those giants!
Jared heard Jensen key in and turned to say, “Bobby totally lied. Seattle’s weather sucks even during summertime.”
“Turn on the television,” Jensen said. “I just got a call from Danni.”
Jared wanted to ask why but instead chose to do just that. He didn’t even have to bother channel surfing. The first station had the cause of Jensen and Danni’s worry.
“Again, the CDC has taken jurisdiction and a source within Overlake has informed us that the military is on its way to take over what looks like a situation quickly spiraling out of control.
“This is Jenny Lee, live from Overlake.”
“What the fuck is happening?” Jared asked as soon as a commercial for Crest toothpaste came on.
“Every hospital in the city’s been overrun by the flu,” Jensen said. “The CDC came in this morning and the reporter’s right: Danni told me the Army’s going to be moving in.”
“Danni?”
“Yeah, she’s got a fanboard dedicated to her and a lot of the members are from the military,” Jensen explained. “She said someone sent her a PM about it.”
“We’re getting out of here. Now.”
“No, we can’t,” Jensen said tersely.
“Why not?”
“The roads are already blocked by the State police,” Jensen said. “I checked.”
“Wait a minute: are we in a quarantine zone?”
Jensen sat down. “They’re not saying as much but all flights in and out of SeaTac have been cancelled or rerouted.”
Jared suddenly felt lightheaded and began breathing heavily. “Oh shit, oh shit.”
“We should stay put, figure out what to do. Maybe they’ll set up an outpost - do some tests, so people can leave if they’re not sick.”
“Okay, that makes sense,” Jared said. He then noticed the distant look on Jensen’s face. “But you have a backup plan?”
“Yeah, get your camping gear ready, just in case.”
Jared felt a frisson of fear but forced himself to move. After he pulled everything out of the closet, he asked, “What are you planning?”
“I don’t know but if things get hairy, we might need the gear.”
“Dude, we’re not Sam and Dean,” Jared said hoarsely.
“Call Gen. See if she knows anything. Your brother too.” Jensen said, ignoring Jared’s statement. “I’ll call around. See if anyone knows more than what the news channels are reporting.”
Jared managed to contact everyone, and they all knew about the situation in Seattle.
“Are you serious?” Gen nearly shouted. “You’re in Seattle?!”
“Calm down, I’m sure it’ll pass.” Jared took a deep breath. “I was wondering if you could find out anything.”
“All right,” Gen said, her voice strained with worry. “I know someone who knows someone. You know the drill.”
“Love you, babe.”
“Love you too. Please take care of yourself, okay?”
“I will.”
Jared’s call ended just in time to hear the tail end of Jensen’s.
“Thanks.” Jensen took a deep breath, “So, we’re basically boxed in?”
Whatever was the answer darkened Jensen’s worried face. “All right,” Jensen said. “So … so we’re going to have to sit tight for now.”
Jared closed his eyes and for a moment felt a wave of nausea as he digested what was not being said to him. He waited patiently while Jensen made two more calls, each sounding direr than the previous one.
“How screwed are we?” he finally asked.
“We’re pretty much pinned down for now,” Jensen said.
“What’s next?”
“We wait. How about you? Waiting for phone calls?”
“Yeah,” Jared answered. “Jeff’s going to contact his friends from med school and see if they know anything.”
“Okay, then,” Jensen looked around the room. “How is it that yours is twice as big as mine?”
Jared spread his arms. “Dude, I’m huge. You, on the other hand, are pint-sized. You’re practically an Ewok!”
Jensen’s eyes crinkled at the corners and the two men fell into easy banter on an old topic: whether Jared was a mutant or Jensen was indeed an Ewok.
Jared looked down at the street and noticed there were more people walking about.
“You want to take a break?” he asked.
Jensen tossed aside the newspaper he’d been reading for the last hour and half. “Thought you’d never ask. I’m going crazy in here.”
Jared grabbed his jacket and followed Jensen who fairly bolted out of the hotel room. They were greeted with thunderous roar the moment they exited the hotel. Jared looked up and winced as weak sunlight blinded him for a second.
“Are those Blackhawks?” Jensen asked.
Jared turned to look at him and sighed. Jensen had the foresight to wear shades.
“I don’t know,” he answered, “but sure sounded like big motherfuckers.”
“That they are,” Jensen said as he traced the copters tearing through the sky. “I guess the military’s here.”
“Hopefully they could help sort out this mess,” Jared said. He then took a deep breath of the breezy salty air and sighed. “Oh man, that feels good.”
“Yeah, we really need this.” Jensen pointed to a staircase to the left and said, “Want to take a walk by the water?”
“Sounds good,” Jared said and sprinted towards the steps.
At the bottom of the stairs Jared slowed down his pace so Jensen could catch up. The boardwalk was pretty empty but there were few families about, also enjoying the warm weather. They waved to each other: a silent, tactical greeting of people who knew how to enjoy their solitariness.
Jensen spotted a golden retriever wandering by itself and said, “I think someone lost his mutt.”
Jared frowned. He gave a whistle, which attracted the dog’s attention. It gave a friendly grin and trotted over.
Jared gave it a big hug and scratched its chin. “Hey, what are you doing here all by yourself?”
The dog’s grin only grew bigger.
“Does it have a tag?”
“Yeah,” Jared said, checking its collar. “Got a number. I bet the owner’s going crazy.”
Jensen dialed it only to have voice mail pick up the call. “Hi, this is … well, we just found your dog. Call me back at this number when you get a chance.”
Jared stood up, his grasp firmly on the dog’s collar. “What should we do?”
“Why don’t we finish…”
The dog stiffened and turned around, forcing Jared to face the same way. But if there was anything threatening Jared didn’t see it. What he did see was a family surrounding a woman, probably the mother. She was bent in half, coughing violently.
There were two children, all trying to comfort her with the father frantically calling on his cell.
The scene was so reminiscent of what happened the night before that Jared’s attention was diverted away from the dog. So, he nearly lost his hold on the stray when it lunged forward.
“Jesus Christ!” he yelled, as the golden retriever bared its teeth and went into a furious barking fit.
Jensen took off his belt and tried to loop it around the dog collar in order to hold onto the enraged animal. However, any attention they paid to the dog was wiped away when children’s screams suddenly rent the air.
Jared looked up to see something his mind couldn’t process immediately. At first he thought the mother was leaning on her son, trying to get control of herself. But that didn’t make sense because the father was trying to peel her off the boy while the daughter was standing few feet away, her fingers digging painful grooves into her cheeks while she screamed.
“Oh my God,” Jensen said weakly.
Jared felt all sensation leave his limbs. Sensing the slack, the dog lunged forward, still barking as if it had seen something particularly threatening to its canine nature.
Jensen chased the dog and Jared followed, wondering what he was going to do when he got there. He had no idea if he could even catch up, but the last thing Jared wanted to see was the animal attack the children.
He was only ten feet away when the family tableau suddenly snapped into focus. The mother wasn’t leaning on her son: she was mauling him. The father was still frantically trying to get her off the little boy but had no luck.
Jared felt Jensen rush by him and watched as his friend tackle the family, knocking them all to the ground.
It was enough to jar the woman loose. And before Jared could do anything the dog leapt, landing on the woman’s chest. It pulled back its lips before burying its teeth into her throat. The father grabbed his son and scuttled away from the bloodbath.
“Jeremy!” he screamed, shaking his son’s body.
The boy was completely unresponsive, and the wound in his throat steadily pumped out deep crimson blood.
The father kept screaming his son’s name, as if the sound of his voice would be enough to wake the unconscious child.
Jensen scrambled over to them. “Put your hand on the wound. Keep the pressure.”
The father nodded frantically and did what he was told. Jared took hold of the dog’s collar and began pulling it off the woman. He took care not to see her face as he finally yanked the dog back few feet, using the impromptu leash Jensen had crafted from his belt.
The ambulance came but strangely without any sirens. And there was only one medic, looking like he hadn’t seen the right side of a bed since the first Bush administration.
Tight-lipped and pale, the EMT opened his kits and began unpacking various medical paraphernalia.
“It was Amy, my wife,” the father whispered. “She … she … suddenly went rabid and attacked Jeremy.”
“Whose blood is that?” the medic asked, eyeing both the father and Jensen.
“I haven’t a fucking clue,” Jensen said. “I was…”
The dog exploded out of Jared’s hold but it didn’t attack anyone. Instead, it splayed its front legs and shook his head, blood and saliva flying from its muzzle.
“Oh fuck…” Jared said weakly.
The dog raised its head, its eyes soulful and sad above its bloodied muzzle.
“Boy? You okay?” Jared whispered, offering a cautious hand towards the animal.
The creature gave a mournful howl then, without hesitation, it leaped off the pier and into the freezing water.
“Fuck!” Jared shouted and leaned over the barricade in time to see the golden retriever swim powerfully out to sea.
Jensen joined him. “What in hell is happening?” he whispered, eyes wide with confusion and horror.
Jared shook his head, unable to voice any thought. The golden head bobbed on the blue surface but then a particularly tall wave took it. After that, Jared didn’t see the dog again.
“We have to get your son to the hospital,” the medic said. “I’ve done all I can to stabilize him. The same goes for your wife.”
The family piled into the ambulance. The medic looked at Jared and Jensen and said, “You have to come too. We have to check you guys out. Just in case.”
“Okay,” Jensen said weakly.
The father peeked out of the ambulance and tossed a set of car keys at them. He pointed to a silver-blue Audi parked nearby and said, “That’s my car. Use it.” He took a deep breath and added, “Thank you.”
“We’re going to Swedish,” the medic explained. “Follow me.”
Jared took the keys and drove while Jensen shivered uncontrollably in the passenger seat.
“You going into shock?” Jared asked, dreading the answer.
“Yeah … but not because I was attacked. I’m not physically hurt. It’s just that I can’t … I don’t know what happened back there.”
“That makes two of us,” Jared said. He watched the ambulance silently plow through the near-empty roads. “Why the hell isn’t he using the sirens?”
“I was wondering about that too,” Jensen said. “Maybe his is broken?”
Jared shook his head. “No, the emergency buses get tested regularly. They’re banned from the roads if their sirens don’t work.”
Jensen pointed to his left and said, “There it is.”
Jared watched the ambulance make a sharp turn towards the hospital and signaled to do the same.
They were pulling up to an empty parking space near the emergency entrance when an explosion rocked the air. Jensen looked up to see the fourth floor engulfed in flames.
“Oh my God,” Jared said weakly, unable to move from his seat.
“What…” Jensen started. Then his attention was drawn to the entrance closest to the parking lot. There was a cascade of people rushing towards the entrances. In a second, some were crushed against the automatic doors by the waves of people behind them.
Jensen wordlessly popped out of the car and ran towards the blocked entrances. Jared was only a step behind.
Somehow the people being crushed still managed to struggle though their movements were getting weaker by the moment. Jensen looked around and saw a planter. In spite of its weight he picked it up and used it to bash open the sliding doors.
Jared looked at the windows to the left and saw people struggling. He was running towards them when he realized that they weren’t fighting to get out. They were wrestling with what looked like patients.
Jared saw a female patient, half the size of the security guard she was wildly beating to death with a floor lamp. Jared pried a window open and shouted,
“Hey! You! Stop! Stop! What the…” his voice died when he got a good look at her face.
She looks like death, Jared concluded as his eyes danced over the gaunt face, the receding hairline, and the streams of dangling spit and snot from the mouth and nose.
He couldn’t believe how fast she was. With a feral scream, the woman lunged for him. Out of reflex Jared leapt back, slamming the window closed. Frustrated that her prey was suddenly gone, she returned to the unconscious guard and began mauling with her fingers and teeth.
Jared watched in horror, unable to move. When a hand landed on his shoulder, Jared screamed and jumped.
“We have to go!” Jensen shouted, pointing at the glass doors with the planter embedded in it. It Jared wondered why they didn’t shatter then realized the emergency doors had to be strong enough to withstand car impacts.
He then saw something else.
The trapped people were no longer pinned against the door. They were struggling with each other, just like the security guard and his murderer.
“Jensen?” Jared managed to squeak out through his fear. “What’s…”
Jensen never answered. He grabbed Jared and half-dragged him back to the Audi. Suddenly they were showered with rain of broken glass. Jared didn’t want to see but the falling debris made that impossible. He looked up just in time to see four people tumble out of the shattered windows on the fifth floor.
Jared began running and soon outdistanced Jensen. As soon as they scrambled into the car, Jensen gunned the engine and ripped through the parking lot. He didn’t even use the paved exit. Instead, he went through the grass divider and hit the road. As they drove away, Jared heard the screams rise higher and higher. He looked behind them and felt his bladder give.
People were now pouring out of the hospital through all entrances. He spotted sane people by the terror and confusion on their faces even as they tried to outpace their pursuers who Jared recognized as patients because of their pajamas, and robes flapping around their thighs like capes.
How can they run so fast? Jared wondered as he watched two extremely emaciated women run down a man no older than himself.
“We’re getting out of here,” Jensen said.
“How?” Jared asked; his attention still riveted to the massacre unfolding behind them.
“We’re not going to get our bags, just the camping gear,” Jensen said, rushing his words as fast as he was pushing the car, “and walk.”
“Walk?”
“There’s no fucking way the military doesn’t know what’s happening. Why did the ambulance not use the sirens? Because it attracts attention: attention they didn’t want.”
“But why didn’t they say anything? Warn people?”
“Because it probably just happened, but I’d bet my life that they knew something was completely fucked since they got here.”
Jensen gunned through three red lights, which didn’t matter since there weren’t any cars on the road. Jared took time to pay attention to the surroundings and saw no one. Unlike earlier, when there were few people still walking about, the entire city now seemed like some ghostly backdrop in a horror videogame.
“What’s going on?” Jared asked.
“Something with the flu, maybe it’s a virus that goes to the brain and fucks you up.”
“This isn’t some episode from the show,” Jared countered, still frantically looking for people if only to warn them to get off the street.
“Whatever it is, we’ve got to get out of here,” Jensen said. “Then figure out what to do.”
“Do what?”
“See if there's a military blockade and if we can go around it. But either way, we have to be pretty fucking far from Seattle as soon as possible.”
“Why?” Jared asked tersely, all the while suspecting the answer.
“Because their idea of control might mean leaving nothing alive in Seattle.”
Jared closed his eyes and forced himself to take slow deep breaths in order not to hyperventilate.
The doors to the Four Seasons were open but there were no polite doormen to greet them. And the lobby was bereft of personnel too. When they’d left only an hour before, there were two women manning the check-in desk and a concierge hovering nearby.
They took the elevator upstairs to their rooms, ignoring the few doors that cracked open to reveal scared faces.
The moment Jensen entered his room, he grabbed his camping gear and nothing else. They rushed to Jared’s and did the same. Before leaving Jared peeked out the window and noted there weren’t any people on the streets.
He spotted movement. “Look!” he shouted.
A small group of people was rushing towards the pier closest to the hotel.
“What are they doing?” Jared looked closer until his face was pressed against the window.
“They’re trying to get out of the city,” Jensen said. “Wait a minute, Seattle has a ferry system, right?”
“Extensive one,” Jared answered. “They’ve got a cluster of islands nearby.”
“An island … that’s perfect.”
“Isolated,” Jared whispered, “Holy shit, okay, so we take a ferry then?”
“Let’s go!”
The two men ran to the elevators only to find they were no longer working. This didn’t surprise either of them. They took the stairs at top speed and didn’t slow down when they hit the ground floor. In fact, they were at full sprint by the time they got to the stairs leading to the piers.
Jared pointed at two groups of people, all heading the same direction.
Jensen didn’t need to be told twice. The two men joined the mass swarming towards a ferry. Once they got on the boat, they discovered people stacked like firewood in the car hull. Terrified that Jensen could be carried away like leaves in a riptide, Jared used all his strength to hold onto him as they were brutally shoved about.
Jensen held onto Jared just as tightly and allowed himself to be maneuvered by his bigger friend until they were at the back of the ferry.
After spotting a man who was frantically scrolling down his iPhone, Jared patted his pockets only to realize that he’d left his back at the hotel. Starving for information, he decided to start up a conversation with the stranger.
“What’s happening?” Jared asked, brusquely pushing away someone who’d slammed against his back.
“Every news channel’s gone,” the guy responded. “But UW’s radio station is still on full blast. I got the feeling the military forgot to shut them down when they put the umbrella over us.”
“What are they saying?”
“To get the hell out of the city any which way you can,” the man answered in a faint voice, wiping the sweat off his face with the cuff of his jacket. “And it’s not because the military’s involved.”
“Why then?” Jensen asked.
“There have been reports of attacks, bad ones. It looks like there are clusters of … killers? The reports are fuzzy on that, but it looks like people have gone crazy: like a pack of hyenas with rabies.”
“That we’ve seen,” Jensen said. “It really does look like they got the worst case of rabies.”
“That’s what the disk jockey said too.” The man paused for a moment and introduced himself. “Name’s Mike Lenehan. I’m from Kirkland. Down here for work when all hell broke loose.”
“Does your family know what’s going on?”
Mike gave a terse nod. “Managed to get a call out before everything was shut down. Told my wife what’s been happening and then told her to take the family to a cabin I inherited from my uncle. I go hunting there whenever I can, so it’s stocked pretty well.”
“You are a smart man,” Jared said.
“Where’s this ferry heading?” Jensen asked.
“Santos Island, just south of Bainbridge.” Mike took a deep breath. “They figure there aren’t as many people there like Bainbridge so less chance of hell breaking loose.”
“Sounds like a solid plan,” Jensen said before visibly relaxing. “How long’s the trip?”
Mike gave a shrug as a reply.
The boat churned out of the dock without warning, sending people sprawling as they lost footing. Jared heard screams and thought they were from the passengers taken unaware by the sudden departure.
He was mistaken.
When Jared craned his head to the left, he was able to see out of a port window and the flock of people arriving at the now-empty dock. Behind them, Jared saw something that made him want to stop the ferry: Runners. But Jared suspected these weren’t people out for a jog or to catch a ferry ride. He looked away, eyes squeezed tightly shut. But there was nothing to stop him from listening to the shouts of dismay spike into one of fear and pain.
And he kept his eyes tightly shut until he couldn’t hear anymore.
He felt someone squeeze his arm and knew it was Jensen.
“I heard it too,” Jensen said hoarsely.
“Jesus Christ,” Jared whispered. “What is the government doing?”
“Probably trying to figure out a way to stop this from spreading,” Mike answered, his shoulders hunched in a protective gesture. “Containment is the military’s problem.”
“How’d you know that?” Jared asked.
“Um … two dozen horror movies.” Mike answered then gave a chagrined smile and said nothing for the rest of the trip. Instead, he paid all his attention to his iPhone, obviously downloading all the information he could while it was still possible.
The ferry gave a roar, announcing their approaching destination.
Jensen looked out and said, “I see Santos.”
The murmurs of relief from the passengers were suddenly cut off by mechanical screams that made Jared cover his ears. He looked up and saw a contrail in the wet sky.
“Jets!” he said as he pointed to one on a solo flight.
Jensen paled and said, “Did you hear that?”
“What?” Jared whirled around, expecting to hear more screams.
“I think…”
A plume of water rocked the ferry dangerously to port, making people crash into each other like marbles.
“What’s going on?!” Mike cried helplessly as he struggled to stay on his feet.
“They’re forcing the ferry to turn back!” Jensen cried out.
“Or what?! They can’t possibly shoot a boat full of people!” Jared said, eyes wide with horror.
“They can and they will,” Mike said grimly.
“We’ve got to get off,” Jensen said. “We need a lifeboat, now!”
Jared used his height and spotted the crates where they were stored. But there were too many people jammed into the hull for them to actually make their way to the lifeboats.
The second explosion was close enough for Jared to be sprayed with icy seawater. He cried out in shock and stumbled backwards. The only reason he didn’t fall was because Jensen grabbed him and held him up.
Then Jared saw something from the other end of the boat that looked so fake, he couldn’t believe what it was.
“Fire!” a woman screamed.
The crowd rushed towards the other end of the ferry, where Jensen and Jared were standing.
Jensen didn’t hesitate. He tightened his hold on Jared and both jumped over the chain links that had corralled them in. Jared braced himself for the freezing impact, but still lost his breath when he hit the water.
He looked up and saw a hail of human beings as the crowd began jumping out of the ferry. He felt a tug and spotted Jensen only a foot away.
“Swim!” Jensen shouted after doffing his bag.
After a ferocious struggle Jared managed to lose his. Mercifully, the ferry had been plowing at top speed because Santos was closer than he’d thought. The two men began swimming, knowing the cold could leach them of strength in matter of minutes if not seconds.
It was only when they got closer that they realized there were even greater dangers than a burning ferry. The coast they were aiming for wasn’t a sandy beach and there were rocky outcroppings that acted like a breaker between the land and the ocean. Jared wanted to swim parallel to the shore but the current so strong that they had no chance of changing their direction.
The waves that washed them towards Santos were so powerful Jared was terrified he’d be dashed into pieces. When he was close enough, Jared managed to grab onto the rock that was the closest and clung onto it with one arm while he tried to reach Jensen who was being dragged away. He heard Jensen’s cry of pain and for a moment let go of his hold on the rock in order to grab him. After successfully netting his friend, Jared wrapped himself around the rock, tucking Jensen in between his body and the rock.
The following waves numbed his back and his head, and Jared struggled to keep himself awake as the freezing assault continued. The moment that the battering slowed down, he looked around. And wished his didn’t.
The outcroppings were covered with debris from the ferry. And the ferry itself was on fire though still floating.
Fear needs no consensus to have power, but when it does, it has the might of a cyclone. And that was what Jared witnessed in horror when he realized that people were still on the boat.
“Jump!” he shouted heedlessly. “Jump, you dumb fucks!!”
But his words were swallowed by the waves and the ferocious wind. So, all he could do was watch people run about the burning ferry unable or unwilling to leave because of their fear of water. Some, finally driven by madness, jumped into the cold water only to be swallowed by the waves within seconds.
Jared closed his eyes and looked down to see Jensen’s eyes closed. “Wake up!” he yelled and jarred Jensen awake.
Jensen winced and said, “Oh man, my head.”
“You took a hit,” Jared said. “Look, we have to make it to the other side. The water is calmer there!”
Jensen gave a weak nod, worrying Jared. “Let’s get moving!”
Jared didn’t mention the carnage behind them as they slowly made their way around the rocks, clinging with all their strength as the waves battered them.
The water was still freezing but a great deal calmer when they finally faced the shore.
The two didn’t hesitate and began swimming with what little strength they had left. By the time they made it to the beach they were exhausted, but both men knew that they had to warm themselves up or succumb to hypothermia in spite of the balmy July weather.
They both took off their jackets and shirts, before looking around to make fire. Jared found dry brush and Jensen managed to find enough firewood. With trembling hands he dug into his jacket to find the silver lighter. Jared gratefully remembered Danni’s comment when she gave it to Jensen for his thirtieth birthday.
“I’m not condoning your nasty habit, but if you must do it, at least do it in style.”
A decent bonfire was quickly made, but they didn’t enjoy it for long. As soon as they felt warmth in their legs, Jared and Jensen began scouring the beach for survivors.
Unfortunately all they stumbled on were debris and bodies. It wasn’t until Jared discovered a little girl no older three that he broke down.
Jared sat on his haunches and wept. After he got control of himself, he found something to cover the pathetically small body before placing her out of the rising tide’s greedy reach.
He looked around for Jensen and found him dragging what looked like corpses onto the beach. Then, one of the corpses moved.
“Are they alive?” Jared yelled as he ran towards them.
Jensen nodded.
Jared looked at the survivors: a man and a teenage boy. Both were blinking and acting as if they were drunk.
Jared didn’t hesitate: he hauled both of them up to their feet and half-dragged them to the bonfire. To his great relief, he saw others stagger out of the water, all drawn to the flames. Jared placed his charges close to the heat and began stripping them of their soggy clothes.
The boy struggled weakly but then relaxed when warmth crawled into his shivering muscles. Jensen led few others to their makeshift site, holding one up while leading two with coaxing words and brute force.
Then, there was a scream.
Jared looked up and spotted two women running towards them, and right behind a man catching up to them in spite of a pronounced limp and one arm flapping uselessly behind him.
“Holy shit,” Jared whispered. “Is that Mike?”
Jensen stood up. “Yeah, it is.”
Without explanation, he took a branch out of the fire, half of it burning bright. As soon as his grip was firm enough, Jensen rushed towards the women who stepped aside at the last moment. The branch hit Mike on the side of the head with a meaty, wet thud. He fell to his knees, and for a moment looked like he was going to collapse.
Instead, Mike got up.
Jensen brought the branch over his head and brought it down. The blazing end made a crackling noise even before impact; the heavy sound that resulted as loud as a fighter jet taking off.
Mike collapsed and this time he did not get up: a terrifying Lazarus finally laid to rest.
Jared embraced the women and held them as they broke into tears.
“Thank you!” the younger one said. “I didn’t think we’d make it. Then when … he began chasing us, we thought we were dead.”
The older one managed to gather herself more quickly. “Name’s Jackie, and this is Meghan. We met in the ferry and decided to stick together.”
Jensen looked at Jared, his eyes wide with panic. “Did Mike show any symptoms that he was sick? Any at all?”
Jared felt colder than ever. “No, none.”
“But he had to have been, right? I mean if the flu virus theory’s true.”
Meghan shook her head. “No, not really.”
Meghan’s answer attracted the attention of everyone around the bonfire.
“They’re calling it a flu virus,” Meghan explained between hiccups, “but it doesn’t manifest itself like a normal flu.”
“Where did you hear that?” Jackie asked.
“It’s something I read on the internet.”
“Oh yeah, and that guarantees that it be true,” said the man that Jensen had pulled out from the water.
“I think the fact that I had to brain Mike tells me there’s something to the story,” Jensen barked.
The man gave a mutinous look but said nothing.
“If that’s true then we’ve got a problem,” Meghan said.
“Yeah, I’d say we do,” chirped the teenager. “Sorry, name’s Derek. I’m from Houston. I was visiting a friend in UW when the shit hit the fan.”
“What problem?” Meghan asked.
“Because if this doesn’t manifest itself like a flu virus,” Derek explained, “then we don’t know who’s infected. For all we know, there might be carriers but we can’t spot them until they’ve turned like … Mike. Worse, make others sick while they look normal.”
“Typhoid Mary,” Jackie stated, eyes wide with understanding and horror.
Jared didn’t think he could feel any more tired but hearing Jackie’s comment made him realize there was always a new low he could fall into.
“So what do we do?” Meghan asked, “Because if that’s true we have to separate, right?”
“And get picked off one by one, like out of some horror movie?” Derek asked. He shook his head violently, “No fucking way.”
“Derek’s right, we can’t go alone,” Jensen said. “So we pair up.”
Derek looked at him. “Okay, but who gets to choose?”
“I honestly don’t know and right now I can’t muster up enough energy to care.” Jensen pointed at Jared. “But this is my best friend so we’re out of the lottery.”
Meghan reached over and squeezed Jackie’s hand. “We’re going to stick together. Got us through this far.”
Jackie smiled and said, “So far so good.”
Derek looked at the man sitting next to him. “So…”
“Fuck off,” the guy barked. “I’m not playing tag-team with a faggot like you.”
Derek didn’t seem to take any offense. In fact, he sighed in relief and said, “Fine with me. And yeah, I may be gay but I’ve got zero interest in douchebags like you.”
Jensen scoured the beach. “I see more survivors. Let’s get everyone warmed up before we split up.”
“Why?” the mulish guy barked. “For all we know they got the flu out the yin-yang.”
“Wow,” Derek spat out. “I had no idea so much shit could be piled into someone your size.”
The guy snarled but the moment he raised his fist, Jared caught it and yanked it back down. Realizing he was outsized and quickly running out of good will, the man fell back into his quiet but mutinous state.
Jared didn’t want to spend any more time near the bastard so he joined Jensen in his search. Even Jackie and Meghan seemed to want to distance themselves away from the man and went the other way to help survivors to the bonfire.
In the end, Jared counted fourteen survivors including himself and Jensen. They all huddled around the warmth and spoke only occasionally. He found out the asshole’s name was Peter and currently worked in Bellevue. Jared didn’t bother to ask what his job was; he just felt sorry for the people forced to work with the man.
Jensen only came around the fire to get warm. But the moment his color returned, he marched out to the beach to remove whatever was useful from being pulled back into the sea.
Derek stood up and said, “I better see if I can get some of this stuff dried.”
“That’s a perfect job for someone like you,” Peter said from the corner of his mouth.
Jared’s temper snapped. But, he didn’t indulge in violence. Instead, he placed his right hand on Peter’s shoulder and squeezed. Hard. He felt Peter stiffen under his grasp before tensing up because of pain.
Jared said nothing and released his grip. But it was enough: Peter shut his mouth and dropped his gaze to the fire.
Derek gave a grateful glance towards Jared before focusing on the soaked debris. He unzipped every bag and meticulously examined its contents before spreading them out.
Jared watched the teenager and remembered how he was at that age.
If I was in this shit when I was nineteen, I would’ve taken a dump in my pants. Twice.
He caught sight of Jensen hip-deep in the roiling waves, pulling something towards shore. It took Jared only for a moment to recognize the thing as a body.
Oh Jesus, that’s a girl. Can’t be older than … five or six?
Jared forced himself to make his way to Jensen. Then, he broke into a full run when he spotted Jensen giving mouth to mouth. He was less than ten feet when the child sat up, spewing seawater and coughing violently.
“That’s it, that’s it,” Jensen said in a rough but patient tone. “You’re okay.”
The girl started crying the moment she caught her breath. Jensen didn’t shush her. Instead, he held her in his arms, rocking slowly while murmuring nonsensical words. The girl finally stopped out of exhaustion.
“I want my mommy,” she said, her voice sore and thin.
“Do you know where your mommy is?” Jensen asked gently.
“She was swimming right behind me.”
Jared turned to the pounding waves and began searching.
“She was with you? Out there?” Jensen pointed to the sea.
“Mommy’s a good swimmer,” the girl explained, full of pride. “She got us to the rocks and then she said we had to swim here. Mommy helped me but then she went away.”
Jensen looked at Jared with tired eyes. “This big guy is my best buddy, Jared. He’s going to take you over there, next to the fire to get you warm. I’ll stay here and look for your mommy, okay?”
The girl nodded. “My name is Andrea. And my mommy’s name is Marie.”
“What does she look like, honey?” Jared asked.
“She’s very pretty.”
“Okay, sweetheart.” Jensen said as Jared bent over and took Andrea into his arms. “Be careful with my friend. He might be big but he’s pretty fragile.”
Andrea’s face relaxed as Jared rolled his eyes and made a rude noise. He carried her back to the fire where both Jackie and Meghan took Andrea into their midst. Jared ran back to the spot where he’d left Jensen was and found him missing.
He looked at the water and spotted Jensen swimming towards the rocks. “Jensen!” he screamed, “Get back here!”
When Jared realized Jensen couldn’t hear him, he dove into the water. Unfortunately he couldn’t go far as he was exhausted from his previous inhuman endeavor.
After being forced back onto the beach, Jared paced back and forth and waited until Jensen came back, empty-handed.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” Jared exploded as he waded out to meet his friend. “You could’ve died!”
Jensen heaved deep breaths. “I wanted to find her.”
Jared shook his head, “She’s gone. You know that.”
“There was a chance, and as long as there was one … I had to try.” Jensen looked at the bonfire. “How else was I going to face that kid?”
Jared spotted Andrea who was eagerly peering at them over Meghan’s shoulder. “Yeah, okay.”
“The tide is pulling out,” Jensen said. “I don’t think there are going to be any more survivors. At least on this beach.”
“Agreed. Look, we better get out as soon as we can.”
“Why?”
“Because the locals might not appreciate having us around, not after what’s been happening in Seattle. In fact, they might be outright hostile.”
Jensen wiped the seawater from his face and moaned, “Why do you sound so much like Sam Winchester?”
“You don’t have to be ex-Lucifer to know how people will react,” Jared said, pulling Jensen to his feet. “And unlike Sam or Dean, we don’t have nine lives or an angel watching over us. So let’s haul ass.”
The two jogged back to the bonfire to find everyone watching them.
Jared saw their curious gazes and asked, “Something happened?”
“You guys are actors, right?” Derek asked. “I mean you’re in that show about those psycho brothers.”
Jensen gave a thin smile. “Yes we’re actors, but we’re not psycho brothers. Well … not all the time.”
“So, you guys are as cool as them?” Andrea asked.
Jensen looked at the girl. “Please tell me you don’t watch our show.”
Andrea’s shrug was startlingly like an adult, and for a moment Jared could picture her mother. “I’ve seen bits.”
“Look, we have to get off the beach,” Jensen said. “We don’t know what kind of reception we’re going to get so it’s best if we break off into groups as soon as possible and spread out.”
“Why?!” A man barked out then immediately reddened. “Sorry, didn’t mean to be rude. Name’s Tommy Haverhill.”
“A group looks more threatening than say two or three people,” Jensen answered. “And we’re not sure what the response is going to be by the locals.”
Derek paled and gave a huge sigh. “Oh fuck, didn’t think about that.”
“Considering the military just blew up a ferry filled with people, I’d say not very good,” Jackie said, looking at the smoking wreck still afloat at sea.
“And there’s the fact that the infection may already be on the island,” Meghan added. “The flu warning came out last week.”
That dampened the mood even further. Silently, the group disbanded to see what was available. To Jared’s great relief, the survivors had only minor skirmishes on the division of goods.
As soon as Jared was sure there wouldn’t be actual violence, he pulled Jensen aside. “Now what?”
“I hid our stuff in the tree line over there,” Jensen whispered. “We’re going to leave as soon as Meghan’s group does.”
“Why wait?”
“Andrea,” Jensen answered. “We have to make sure she leaves with them. Remember, she’s waiting for her mother.”
“Okay,” Jared said. He eyed the clump of brush trees and spotted something red: his canteen.
Feeling better that Jensen had a plan, but regretful that it didn’t involve others, Jared returned to the bonfire. He helped Meghan and Jackie pack and finagle Andrea into joining them. Derek buddied up with another woman who definitely needed his help. Jared watched Derek coax her out of her shock by asking her name. The shy answer of “Jamie” seemed to send him into spasms of delight. And after ten minutes, it was obvious Derek had found his partner.
To no one’s surprise, Peter was left by his lonesome, which seemed to suit him just fine.
Jensen made sure everyone had divided up the provisions as best as possible. As soon as they formed into groups, he spoke:
“It’s best if we avoid towns and home development sites where there are a lot of people. That way, you’ll have better chance of avoiding infection or getting shot.”
“It might be best if you don’t tell them what happened here or that you survived it,” Jared added.
“Why? Wouldn’t that win us more sympathy?” Meghan asked.
Jared shook his head. “No, I think there’s a good chance people will react badly. They’ll reason out that the military shot at us because we were infected.”
Meghan closed her eyes, fighting back frustration and tears.
“So, we stay off the beaten path,” Derek said. “Okay, sounds good.”
“What are you two going to do?” Meghan asked Jared and Jensen. “After all you guys have done … I don’t think we can’t thank you enough.”
“Just stay smart,” Jensen said, reddening under Meghan’s gratitude. “Best to squat in an empty house. Use your cell sparingly if it still works. For all we know, the military will try their best to track us.”
“Track?” Andrea echoed.
“The bonfire,” Jared answered. “I’m sure it’s visible by satellite or any aircraft that flies by.”
“So, they know we’re here. That there are survivors,” Peter said. “Oh fuck.”
“You said the bad word!” Andrea piped out.
Peter’s response was to bare his teeth like a wounded hyena. Jared immediately tensed. He didn’t like the man because of his attitude. But now, he began to suspect Peter wasn’t put together properly even before things fell apart.
This guy’s going to crack and when he does - people are going to die. Jared was doubly glad that nobody was going with Peter, and that as soon as possible he was going to get away from the man.
He and Jensen watched the groups disappear through various points on the beach, waving farewell to those who turned around to signal their goodbyes.
“We did good, didn’t we?” Jared asked.
“Yeah, let’s hope it’s enough,” Jensen said, his face wan with exhaustion.
Jared took one look at him and said, “C’mon, let’s get out of here before we get stormed like Normandy on D-Day.”
Jensen cracked a smile through his salt-encrusted lips. “Aye aye, Master Chief.”
Prologue * Part II
Author name: frostian
Artist name: thruterryseyes
Genre: RPS
Pairing: JA/JP
Rating: R for language and violence
Word count: ~49k
Warnings: Artistic license taken and abused.
Summary: Jared and Jensen take a road trip to Seattle only to witness what looks like the Apocalypse overwhelm the city. They manage to escape to an island only to discover the situation on Santos to be worse than Seattle. But they cannot leave, as the infected roam freely and the military has set up blockades around the island. Faced with immeasurable horror and growing desperation Jared and Jensen plan an escape, not only to save themselves but the sick who are quickly turning into homicidal psychopaths.
Disclaimer: So much fiction, it could be spotted from an orbiting satellite!
Jared valiantly tried to school his face but completely failed as Jensen finished his explanation. He managed to let his weary friend sit down before blurting out, “What? When did this happen?”
“It was brewing for some time,” Jensen answered reluctantly, his focus completely allocated to his worn boots and not at his astonished co-star. “Look, Danni and I are in complete agreement about this: we’re not going to make it.”
“So … so, you’re just getting divorced? Just like that?” Jared collapsed into a sofa. “But, I mean, how about therapy? Or maybe a trial separation?”
Jensen shook his head. “No, it’s not going to work. And we don’t want to waste time on something that’s useless.”
“Man, I am so damn sorry,” Jared said. “I had no idea!”
“We wanted to keep it private, especially for our parents. The last thing Danni and I need is to have our problems splashed all over the front page of some cheap bullshit rag. Our families deserve better than that.”
“What are you going to do tomorrow?” Jared asked, realizing Jensen was going to be alone for their upcoming two-week break from filming. “Are you going to Texas?”
“No,” Jensen answered decisively. “I think I’ll just hang around and relax. Do some work, maybe put in the patio I’ve been talking about.”
“Like hell you are,” Jared said. “You’re coming to Seattle.”
Jensen blinked at him. “Why? Isn’t Gen meeting you there?”
Jared shook his head. “No, she’s filming a pilot for Fox. She’s going to be in Philadelphia for the entire month. We thought she could make it but the scheduling went to hell two days ago. The weather’s playing havoc over there.”
“Sorry to hear that. But dude, I don’t have any desire to stay in the honeymoon suite with you.”
“Fuck off,” Jared said, grinning. “I’m talking about serious sightseeing. And maybe couple of Mariners’ games.”
Jensen rolled his eyes. “Oh, that ought to be a joy.”
“Hey, if an entire city could take that much pain for years, we can take it for a game.” Jared paused then added, “Besides, Ichiro is cool. You got to give them that much.”
“Yeah, okay, he’s good.”
“And sushi. Seattle has some of the best sushi in the country.”
“Better than LA?” Jensen asked.
“That’s the rumor,” Jared answered. “Seriously, we could do anything or nothing; whatever you feel like.”
Jensen smiled; though it was feeble Jared could see the genuine gratitude behind it. “Okay, thanks.”
“Cool. I’ll go cancel the honeymoon suite and see about separate rooms.”
Jensen’s grin turned into laughter. “Yeah, you should do that. Wouldn’t want to give our fans heart attacks.”
“Or make their dirty little wishes come true!” Jared piped up. “Man, some of them are … well, perverts!”
“We’re all perverts. They’re honest about it, at least.”
Jared looked surprised by Jensen’s attitude. “They don’t freak you out a little?”
“I work in Hollywood, remember? There are freaks then there are freaks.”
Jared winced, remembering some of those freaks and his dealings with them. “Yeah, okay.”
“When should I come by?”
“Tomorrow, around nine in the morning?” Jared focused on his schedule for a moment. “I was planning to drive down.”
“Not a problem,” Jensen said with visible relief. “I hate dealing with security and shit.”
Jared remembered Jensen’s unabashed annoyance whenever they had to deal with TSA or any airport security for that matter. And the inevitable dour looks on the officials’ faces after dealing with Jensen’s brusque demeanor.
“Hence my offer to drive down there,” Jared said drily. “I don’t know how you haven’t gotten arrested for being such a dick.”
Jensen shrugged. “Ain’t no law against being an asshole. Besides, they’re not exactly the friendliest bunch either.”
Jared remembered some of the workers and countered, “Don’t know about that. Not all of them are bad.”
“Well, you’re the type to attract the funky bunch. Me? I attract the assholes.”
Jared knew Jensen was speaking the brutal truth so refrained from teasing him any further. Instead, he patted his friend on the shoulder and left. As soon as he reached his trailer, Jared called the Four Seasons and changed his reservations. He made sure Jensen’s room had one of the best views of the Sound, not the city. His friend was the type to appreciate such things.
Jared, on the other hand, didn’t much care. As long as the room service was 24/7 and the food was good - he was a happy camper. He then fired up his laptop and began browsing various websites. He was serious about the Mariners game but Jared knew that he’d have to find something cool to balance out the suck that would invariably come with Seattle’s home team, Ichiro or not.
Jared thought a whale watch would be interesting. Even though they were in Vancouver, their work schedule made it next to impossible for either of them to take serious downtime and enjoy what the city could offer.
Jared ticked off whale watching, walking around the waterfront or, in his case, eating a wide path through the waterfront, and if time allowed it: visiting Mount Rainier.
Looks so beautiful, Jared thought as he scanned the pictures of the majestic peak. Better buy a satellite phone in Seattle, just in case.
In fact, Jared decided that he should take camping gear, which was sitting in the hallway closet, pristine and completely unused. He texted Jensen to do the same and got a smartass answer:
You said this was a VACATION.
Jared didn’t bother to reply: he knew when to let Jensen have the last word. He pawed through the gear and updated the emergency kit with more efficient and stronger medicines.
This was one of his better decisions. Going to Seattle would be his worst.
Jared watched Jensen relax as they cleared the border checkpoint. Renting a convertible seemed like such a douchebag of an idea, but the beautiful weather made Jared glad that he did.
“This is great,” Jensen shouted, startling his friend. Jared thought Jensen had fallen asleep.
“It’s gorgeous!” Jared agreed readily.
“Where are the children?” Jensen asked.
Jared grinned, thinking about his dogs. “They’re with their babysitter.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t bring them!”
Jared shrugged. “They won’t do so well clammed up in a hotel room.”
Jensen gave a nod of agreement. He’d seen the destruction the two mutts caused whenever they lost it.
“Besides, Jenny promised she’d take them hiking.”
Jensen pulled down his sunglasses and peered at Jared. “She’s going to kill them!”
Jared grinned. Jenny’s ferocious love of nature was well known, and though Jared’s dogs were frisky, they would have some time keeping up with the hair and makeup artist.
“She loves them!” he said. “Wouldn’t do anything to hurt my babies.”
“Yeah, okay!” Jensen paused then added, “But they’re going to eat her out of house and home when they get back!”
Jared nodded. “I gave her extra bag of food, just in case.”
Jensen seemed satisfied with that and pulled up his glasses until they perched firmly on his nose. Jared watched him fall asleep and felt absurdly flattered. Jensen rarely rested easy unless he felt absolutely comfortable; the major reason why he was so addicted to caffeine. So, Jared knew to take it as a compliment and not as an insult whenever Jensen dozed off in his presence.
The drive itself was uneventful, and the fair weather held up right until they pulled into Seattle. Weak cloud cover or not, the sun’s power had completely faded and there was a definite chill in the air.
“Hey, Rip Van Winkle,” Jared said, elbowing his friend. “Wake up. We’re here!”
Jensen groaned and opened his eyes. Then straightened up when he realized they were being watched by an entire group of tourists standing nearby.
“Shit,” he muttered softly.
They grabbed their bags as quickly as possible and scooted into the hotel and relative safety, not looking back to see the valet study the convertible with open distaste.
“That was awkward,” Jensen said.
“Did you see that girl taking our pictures?” Jared chuckled. “What are the odds we won’t be on Twitter in oh … ten minutes?”
“That’s a fixed bet if there ever was one.”
“So, do we go incognito or just ignore the hordes of screaming fans that’ll show up?”
“I don’t know about you, but the moment I see a screaming horde of anything I’m planning to haul ass. And if you can’t keep up: tough titty said the kitty.”
Jared gave a swift jab in the ribs and then stood back as Jensen gave a light swing to his stomach.
Jared unceremoniously dumped his bags on the bed as soon as he entered his room. He turned on the television and flipped through the channels. A news report caught his attention and he watched for a while.
“Shit,” he hissed out. “That’s ugly.”
There was a knock on the door before Jensen keyed in. They had access to each other’s room, always did ‘just in case’. Though they never did fully discuss what ‘just in case’ could actually be.
“What’s wrong?” Jensen asked when he saw the frown on Jared’s face.
“Nasty bug going around; people are being hospitalized.”
“Yeah, I read about that this morning,” Jensen said. “Honestly, I don’t know why we bother getting annual flu shots when shit like that comes up on a daily basis.”
Jared turned off the television and said, “Let’s get something to eat.”
“Sounds good to me.”
They strolled down the waterfront and stumbled over a tavern that had less kitsch and more authenticity than the other restaurants on the same block.
The beer was fine, and the smells wafting out of the kitchen was finer.
“Looks safe enough to eat,” Jared said, eyeing the casual clientele: all of who were too busy with their food to notice the Hollywood coterie suddenly amid them. The same couldn’t be said for the staff as the appetizers arrived only minutes after ordering along with their drinks.
After few bites Jared feel his choice of restaurant was right on target.
“Oh man,” Jensen said after taking a bite out of his crab cakes, “okay, this was a good idea.”
Jared managed a grin through his mouthful. “Yeah, I…”
Whatever enjoyment they could’ve had was cut short when one of their fellow diners went into a coughing fit. His female companion watched, unmoving as shock had paralyzed her.
Jensen observed the distressed couple, concern radiating from his tense frame as the man turn purple then a sickly sheen of grey due to lack of oxygen. When he collapsed from his chair, Jensen bolted out of his. The female companion leaned over, trying to get her date to his feet.
“Don’t do that,” Jensen said. “We have to clear his airway first. Call emergency now!”
The pale woman nodded and called 911 from her cell. The hostess ran over to them and immediately began emptying out the food from the unconscious man’s mouth. Jensen stepped aside, frowning but doing nothing else. Jared realized the hostess was more than capable and remained at his table.
The ambulance came in record time and hauled away the man along with his date.
“Jesus,” Jensen whispered when he sat back into his chair. “That’s serious.”
“Was he choking?” Jared asked quietly.
“No, looks like he had a coughing fit and then maybe his asthma kicked in.”
“That’s pretty scary,” Jared commented. “I wonder if he had some food allergy. Maybe it’s that flu that’s going around.”
“If that’s the flu then I’m the Sugar Plum Fairy,” Jensen said. “I’m starting to wonder if I should’ve taken my boosters.”
Jared paused, his fork hovering in mid-air. “You didn’t get your follow-ups?”
Jensen shook his head. “No, didn’t have time.”
“Dude, that’s the first thing you’re going to do when you get back.” Jared stressed his point by pointing his fork at Jensen’s direction. “We can’t have Dean down for the count.”
“Loud and clear,” Jensen said, his tone light but his eyes serious. “Maybe we should head back as soon as we’re done here.”
Jared took a glance at the empty table, plates still present. “Yeah, maybe we should.”
Jared groggily studied the ceiling and decided he should’ve slept a little longer. He then looked at the clock and realized that he should’ve actually woken up hours before.
“Oh shit.” He sat up and reached for his cell.
“Hello?” Jensen muttered.
“Sorry, I overslept.”
“And how is that a problem for me?” Jensen asked. “What time is it anyway?”
“Almost one,” Jared said, scrambling out of his bed. He opened the shades and peered outside.
“Give me twenty.”
“Okay.” Jared jumped into the shower and in ten minutes he was ready.
He looked out the windows again and this time took more time to examine the streets. There was no traffic and only few pedestrians scrambling towards their destinations. Jared then looked at the dark clouds threatening with imminent rain and gave a low whistle.
Maybe we can still go whale watching. Little rain shouldn’t bother those giants!
Jared heard Jensen key in and turned to say, “Bobby totally lied. Seattle’s weather sucks even during summertime.”
“Turn on the television,” Jensen said. “I just got a call from Danni.”
Jared wanted to ask why but instead chose to do just that. He didn’t even have to bother channel surfing. The first station had the cause of Jensen and Danni’s worry.
“Again, the CDC has taken jurisdiction and a source within Overlake has informed us that the military is on its way to take over what looks like a situation quickly spiraling out of control.
“This is Jenny Lee, live from Overlake.”
“What the fuck is happening?” Jared asked as soon as a commercial for Crest toothpaste came on.
“Every hospital in the city’s been overrun by the flu,” Jensen said. “The CDC came in this morning and the reporter’s right: Danni told me the Army’s going to be moving in.”
“Danni?”
“Yeah, she’s got a fanboard dedicated to her and a lot of the members are from the military,” Jensen explained. “She said someone sent her a PM about it.”
“We’re getting out of here. Now.”
“No, we can’t,” Jensen said tersely.
“Why not?”
“The roads are already blocked by the State police,” Jensen said. “I checked.”
“Wait a minute: are we in a quarantine zone?”
Jensen sat down. “They’re not saying as much but all flights in and out of SeaTac have been cancelled or rerouted.”
Jared suddenly felt lightheaded and began breathing heavily. “Oh shit, oh shit.”
“We should stay put, figure out what to do. Maybe they’ll set up an outpost - do some tests, so people can leave if they’re not sick.”
“Okay, that makes sense,” Jared said. He then noticed the distant look on Jensen’s face. “But you have a backup plan?”
“Yeah, get your camping gear ready, just in case.”
Jared felt a frisson of fear but forced himself to move. After he pulled everything out of the closet, he asked, “What are you planning?”
“I don’t know but if things get hairy, we might need the gear.”
“Dude, we’re not Sam and Dean,” Jared said hoarsely.
“Call Gen. See if she knows anything. Your brother too.” Jensen said, ignoring Jared’s statement. “I’ll call around. See if anyone knows more than what the news channels are reporting.”
Jared managed to contact everyone, and they all knew about the situation in Seattle.
“Are you serious?” Gen nearly shouted. “You’re in Seattle?!”
“Calm down, I’m sure it’ll pass.” Jared took a deep breath. “I was wondering if you could find out anything.”
“All right,” Gen said, her voice strained with worry. “I know someone who knows someone. You know the drill.”
“Love you, babe.”
“Love you too. Please take care of yourself, okay?”
“I will.”
Jared’s call ended just in time to hear the tail end of Jensen’s.
“Thanks.” Jensen took a deep breath, “So, we’re basically boxed in?”
Whatever was the answer darkened Jensen’s worried face. “All right,” Jensen said. “So … so we’re going to have to sit tight for now.”
Jared closed his eyes and for a moment felt a wave of nausea as he digested what was not being said to him. He waited patiently while Jensen made two more calls, each sounding direr than the previous one.
“How screwed are we?” he finally asked.
“We’re pretty much pinned down for now,” Jensen said.
“What’s next?”
“We wait. How about you? Waiting for phone calls?”
“Yeah,” Jared answered. “Jeff’s going to contact his friends from med school and see if they know anything.”
“Okay, then,” Jensen looked around the room. “How is it that yours is twice as big as mine?”
Jared spread his arms. “Dude, I’m huge. You, on the other hand, are pint-sized. You’re practically an Ewok!”
Jensen’s eyes crinkled at the corners and the two men fell into easy banter on an old topic: whether Jared was a mutant or Jensen was indeed an Ewok.
Jared looked down at the street and noticed there were more people walking about.
“You want to take a break?” he asked.
Jensen tossed aside the newspaper he’d been reading for the last hour and half. “Thought you’d never ask. I’m going crazy in here.”
Jared grabbed his jacket and followed Jensen who fairly bolted out of the hotel room. They were greeted with thunderous roar the moment they exited the hotel. Jared looked up and winced as weak sunlight blinded him for a second.
“Are those Blackhawks?” Jensen asked.
Jared turned to look at him and sighed. Jensen had the foresight to wear shades.
“I don’t know,” he answered, “but sure sounded like big motherfuckers.”
“That they are,” Jensen said as he traced the copters tearing through the sky. “I guess the military’s here.”
“Hopefully they could help sort out this mess,” Jared said. He then took a deep breath of the breezy salty air and sighed. “Oh man, that feels good.”
“Yeah, we really need this.” Jensen pointed to a staircase to the left and said, “Want to take a walk by the water?”
“Sounds good,” Jared said and sprinted towards the steps.
At the bottom of the stairs Jared slowed down his pace so Jensen could catch up. The boardwalk was pretty empty but there were few families about, also enjoying the warm weather. They waved to each other: a silent, tactical greeting of people who knew how to enjoy their solitariness.
Jensen spotted a golden retriever wandering by itself and said, “I think someone lost his mutt.”
Jared frowned. He gave a whistle, which attracted the dog’s attention. It gave a friendly grin and trotted over.
Jared gave it a big hug and scratched its chin. “Hey, what are you doing here all by yourself?”
The dog’s grin only grew bigger.
“Does it have a tag?”
“Yeah,” Jared said, checking its collar. “Got a number. I bet the owner’s going crazy.”
Jensen dialed it only to have voice mail pick up the call. “Hi, this is … well, we just found your dog. Call me back at this number when you get a chance.”
Jared stood up, his grasp firmly on the dog’s collar. “What should we do?”
“Why don’t we finish…”
The dog stiffened and turned around, forcing Jared to face the same way. But if there was anything threatening Jared didn’t see it. What he did see was a family surrounding a woman, probably the mother. She was bent in half, coughing violently.
There were two children, all trying to comfort her with the father frantically calling on his cell.
The scene was so reminiscent of what happened the night before that Jared’s attention was diverted away from the dog. So, he nearly lost his hold on the stray when it lunged forward.
“Jesus Christ!” he yelled, as the golden retriever bared its teeth and went into a furious barking fit.
Jensen took off his belt and tried to loop it around the dog collar in order to hold onto the enraged animal. However, any attention they paid to the dog was wiped away when children’s screams suddenly rent the air.
Jared looked up to see something his mind couldn’t process immediately. At first he thought the mother was leaning on her son, trying to get control of herself. But that didn’t make sense because the father was trying to peel her off the boy while the daughter was standing few feet away, her fingers digging painful grooves into her cheeks while she screamed.
“Oh my God,” Jensen said weakly.
Jared felt all sensation leave his limbs. Sensing the slack, the dog lunged forward, still barking as if it had seen something particularly threatening to its canine nature.
Jensen chased the dog and Jared followed, wondering what he was going to do when he got there. He had no idea if he could even catch up, but the last thing Jared wanted to see was the animal attack the children.
He was only ten feet away when the family tableau suddenly snapped into focus. The mother wasn’t leaning on her son: she was mauling him. The father was still frantically trying to get her off the little boy but had no luck.
Jared felt Jensen rush by him and watched as his friend tackle the family, knocking them all to the ground.
It was enough to jar the woman loose. And before Jared could do anything the dog leapt, landing on the woman’s chest. It pulled back its lips before burying its teeth into her throat. The father grabbed his son and scuttled away from the bloodbath.
“Jeremy!” he screamed, shaking his son’s body.
The boy was completely unresponsive, and the wound in his throat steadily pumped out deep crimson blood.
The father kept screaming his son’s name, as if the sound of his voice would be enough to wake the unconscious child.
Jensen scrambled over to them. “Put your hand on the wound. Keep the pressure.”
The father nodded frantically and did what he was told. Jared took hold of the dog’s collar and began pulling it off the woman. He took care not to see her face as he finally yanked the dog back few feet, using the impromptu leash Jensen had crafted from his belt.
The ambulance came but strangely without any sirens. And there was only one medic, looking like he hadn’t seen the right side of a bed since the first Bush administration.
Tight-lipped and pale, the EMT opened his kits and began unpacking various medical paraphernalia.
“It was Amy, my wife,” the father whispered. “She … she … suddenly went rabid and attacked Jeremy.”
“Whose blood is that?” the medic asked, eyeing both the father and Jensen.
“I haven’t a fucking clue,” Jensen said. “I was…”
The dog exploded out of Jared’s hold but it didn’t attack anyone. Instead, it splayed its front legs and shook his head, blood and saliva flying from its muzzle.
“Oh fuck…” Jared said weakly.
The dog raised its head, its eyes soulful and sad above its bloodied muzzle.
“Boy? You okay?” Jared whispered, offering a cautious hand towards the animal.
The creature gave a mournful howl then, without hesitation, it leaped off the pier and into the freezing water.
“Fuck!” Jared shouted and leaned over the barricade in time to see the golden retriever swim powerfully out to sea.
Jensen joined him. “What in hell is happening?” he whispered, eyes wide with confusion and horror.
Jared shook his head, unable to voice any thought. The golden head bobbed on the blue surface but then a particularly tall wave took it. After that, Jared didn’t see the dog again.
“We have to get your son to the hospital,” the medic said. “I’ve done all I can to stabilize him. The same goes for your wife.”
The family piled into the ambulance. The medic looked at Jared and Jensen and said, “You have to come too. We have to check you guys out. Just in case.”
“Okay,” Jensen said weakly.
The father peeked out of the ambulance and tossed a set of car keys at them. He pointed to a silver-blue Audi parked nearby and said, “That’s my car. Use it.” He took a deep breath and added, “Thank you.”
“We’re going to Swedish,” the medic explained. “Follow me.”
Jared took the keys and drove while Jensen shivered uncontrollably in the passenger seat.
“You going into shock?” Jared asked, dreading the answer.
“Yeah … but not because I was attacked. I’m not physically hurt. It’s just that I can’t … I don’t know what happened back there.”
“That makes two of us,” Jared said. He watched the ambulance silently plow through the near-empty roads. “Why the hell isn’t he using the sirens?”
“I was wondering about that too,” Jensen said. “Maybe his is broken?”
Jared shook his head. “No, the emergency buses get tested regularly. They’re banned from the roads if their sirens don’t work.”
Jensen pointed to his left and said, “There it is.”
Jared watched the ambulance make a sharp turn towards the hospital and signaled to do the same.
They were pulling up to an empty parking space near the emergency entrance when an explosion rocked the air. Jensen looked up to see the fourth floor engulfed in flames.
“Oh my God,” Jared said weakly, unable to move from his seat.
“What…” Jensen started. Then his attention was drawn to the entrance closest to the parking lot. There was a cascade of people rushing towards the entrances. In a second, some were crushed against the automatic doors by the waves of people behind them.
Jensen wordlessly popped out of the car and ran towards the blocked entrances. Jared was only a step behind.
Somehow the people being crushed still managed to struggle though their movements were getting weaker by the moment. Jensen looked around and saw a planter. In spite of its weight he picked it up and used it to bash open the sliding doors.
Jared looked at the windows to the left and saw people struggling. He was running towards them when he realized that they weren’t fighting to get out. They were wrestling with what looked like patients.
Jared saw a female patient, half the size of the security guard she was wildly beating to death with a floor lamp. Jared pried a window open and shouted,
“Hey! You! Stop! Stop! What the…” his voice died when he got a good look at her face.
She looks like death, Jared concluded as his eyes danced over the gaunt face, the receding hairline, and the streams of dangling spit and snot from the mouth and nose.
He couldn’t believe how fast she was. With a feral scream, the woman lunged for him. Out of reflex Jared leapt back, slamming the window closed. Frustrated that her prey was suddenly gone, she returned to the unconscious guard and began mauling with her fingers and teeth.
Jared watched in horror, unable to move. When a hand landed on his shoulder, Jared screamed and jumped.
“We have to go!” Jensen shouted, pointing at the glass doors with the planter embedded in it. It Jared wondered why they didn’t shatter then realized the emergency doors had to be strong enough to withstand car impacts.
He then saw something else.
The trapped people were no longer pinned against the door. They were struggling with each other, just like the security guard and his murderer.
“Jensen?” Jared managed to squeak out through his fear. “What’s…”
Jensen never answered. He grabbed Jared and half-dragged him back to the Audi. Suddenly they were showered with rain of broken glass. Jared didn’t want to see but the falling debris made that impossible. He looked up just in time to see four people tumble out of the shattered windows on the fifth floor.
Jared began running and soon outdistanced Jensen. As soon as they scrambled into the car, Jensen gunned the engine and ripped through the parking lot. He didn’t even use the paved exit. Instead, he went through the grass divider and hit the road. As they drove away, Jared heard the screams rise higher and higher. He looked behind them and felt his bladder give.
People were now pouring out of the hospital through all entrances. He spotted sane people by the terror and confusion on their faces even as they tried to outpace their pursuers who Jared recognized as patients because of their pajamas, and robes flapping around their thighs like capes.
How can they run so fast? Jared wondered as he watched two extremely emaciated women run down a man no older than himself.
“We’re getting out of here,” Jensen said.
“How?” Jared asked; his attention still riveted to the massacre unfolding behind them.
“We’re not going to get our bags, just the camping gear,” Jensen said, rushing his words as fast as he was pushing the car, “and walk.”
“Walk?”
“There’s no fucking way the military doesn’t know what’s happening. Why did the ambulance not use the sirens? Because it attracts attention: attention they didn’t want.”
“But why didn’t they say anything? Warn people?”
“Because it probably just happened, but I’d bet my life that they knew something was completely fucked since they got here.”
Jensen gunned through three red lights, which didn’t matter since there weren’t any cars on the road. Jared took time to pay attention to the surroundings and saw no one. Unlike earlier, when there were few people still walking about, the entire city now seemed like some ghostly backdrop in a horror videogame.
“What’s going on?” Jared asked.
“Something with the flu, maybe it’s a virus that goes to the brain and fucks you up.”
“This isn’t some episode from the show,” Jared countered, still frantically looking for people if only to warn them to get off the street.
“Whatever it is, we’ve got to get out of here,” Jensen said. “Then figure out what to do.”
“Do what?”
“See if there's a military blockade and if we can go around it. But either way, we have to be pretty fucking far from Seattle as soon as possible.”
“Why?” Jared asked tersely, all the while suspecting the answer.
“Because their idea of control might mean leaving nothing alive in Seattle.”
Jared closed his eyes and forced himself to take slow deep breaths in order not to hyperventilate.
The doors to the Four Seasons were open but there were no polite doormen to greet them. And the lobby was bereft of personnel too. When they’d left only an hour before, there were two women manning the check-in desk and a concierge hovering nearby.
They took the elevator upstairs to their rooms, ignoring the few doors that cracked open to reveal scared faces.
The moment Jensen entered his room, he grabbed his camping gear and nothing else. They rushed to Jared’s and did the same. Before leaving Jared peeked out the window and noted there weren’t any people on the streets.
He spotted movement. “Look!” he shouted.
A small group of people was rushing towards the pier closest to the hotel.
“What are they doing?” Jared looked closer until his face was pressed against the window.
“They’re trying to get out of the city,” Jensen said. “Wait a minute, Seattle has a ferry system, right?”
“Extensive one,” Jared answered. “They’ve got a cluster of islands nearby.”
“An island … that’s perfect.”
“Isolated,” Jared whispered, “Holy shit, okay, so we take a ferry then?”
“Let’s go!”
The two men ran to the elevators only to find they were no longer working. This didn’t surprise either of them. They took the stairs at top speed and didn’t slow down when they hit the ground floor. In fact, they were at full sprint by the time they got to the stairs leading to the piers.
Jared pointed at two groups of people, all heading the same direction.
Jensen didn’t need to be told twice. The two men joined the mass swarming towards a ferry. Once they got on the boat, they discovered people stacked like firewood in the car hull. Terrified that Jensen could be carried away like leaves in a riptide, Jared used all his strength to hold onto him as they were brutally shoved about.
Jensen held onto Jared just as tightly and allowed himself to be maneuvered by his bigger friend until they were at the back of the ferry.
After spotting a man who was frantically scrolling down his iPhone, Jared patted his pockets only to realize that he’d left his back at the hotel. Starving for information, he decided to start up a conversation with the stranger.
“What’s happening?” Jared asked, brusquely pushing away someone who’d slammed against his back.
“Every news channel’s gone,” the guy responded. “But UW’s radio station is still on full blast. I got the feeling the military forgot to shut them down when they put the umbrella over us.”
“What are they saying?”
“To get the hell out of the city any which way you can,” the man answered in a faint voice, wiping the sweat off his face with the cuff of his jacket. “And it’s not because the military’s involved.”
“Why then?” Jensen asked.
“There have been reports of attacks, bad ones. It looks like there are clusters of … killers? The reports are fuzzy on that, but it looks like people have gone crazy: like a pack of hyenas with rabies.”
“That we’ve seen,” Jensen said. “It really does look like they got the worst case of rabies.”
“That’s what the disk jockey said too.” The man paused for a moment and introduced himself. “Name’s Mike Lenehan. I’m from Kirkland. Down here for work when all hell broke loose.”
“Does your family know what’s going on?”
Mike gave a terse nod. “Managed to get a call out before everything was shut down. Told my wife what’s been happening and then told her to take the family to a cabin I inherited from my uncle. I go hunting there whenever I can, so it’s stocked pretty well.”
“You are a smart man,” Jared said.
“Where’s this ferry heading?” Jensen asked.
“Santos Island, just south of Bainbridge.” Mike took a deep breath. “They figure there aren’t as many people there like Bainbridge so less chance of hell breaking loose.”
“Sounds like a solid plan,” Jensen said before visibly relaxing. “How long’s the trip?”
Mike gave a shrug as a reply.
The boat churned out of the dock without warning, sending people sprawling as they lost footing. Jared heard screams and thought they were from the passengers taken unaware by the sudden departure.
He was mistaken.
When Jared craned his head to the left, he was able to see out of a port window and the flock of people arriving at the now-empty dock. Behind them, Jared saw something that made him want to stop the ferry: Runners. But Jared suspected these weren’t people out for a jog or to catch a ferry ride. He looked away, eyes squeezed tightly shut. But there was nothing to stop him from listening to the shouts of dismay spike into one of fear and pain.
And he kept his eyes tightly shut until he couldn’t hear anymore.
He felt someone squeeze his arm and knew it was Jensen.
“I heard it too,” Jensen said hoarsely.
“Jesus Christ,” Jared whispered. “What is the government doing?”
“Probably trying to figure out a way to stop this from spreading,” Mike answered, his shoulders hunched in a protective gesture. “Containment is the military’s problem.”
“How’d you know that?” Jared asked.
“Um … two dozen horror movies.” Mike answered then gave a chagrined smile and said nothing for the rest of the trip. Instead, he paid all his attention to his iPhone, obviously downloading all the information he could while it was still possible.
The ferry gave a roar, announcing their approaching destination.
Jensen looked out and said, “I see Santos.”
The murmurs of relief from the passengers were suddenly cut off by mechanical screams that made Jared cover his ears. He looked up and saw a contrail in the wet sky.
“Jets!” he said as he pointed to one on a solo flight.
Jensen paled and said, “Did you hear that?”
“What?” Jared whirled around, expecting to hear more screams.
“I think…”
A plume of water rocked the ferry dangerously to port, making people crash into each other like marbles.
“What’s going on?!” Mike cried helplessly as he struggled to stay on his feet.
“They’re forcing the ferry to turn back!” Jensen cried out.
“Or what?! They can’t possibly shoot a boat full of people!” Jared said, eyes wide with horror.
“They can and they will,” Mike said grimly.
“We’ve got to get off,” Jensen said. “We need a lifeboat, now!”
Jared used his height and spotted the crates where they were stored. But there were too many people jammed into the hull for them to actually make their way to the lifeboats.
The second explosion was close enough for Jared to be sprayed with icy seawater. He cried out in shock and stumbled backwards. The only reason he didn’t fall was because Jensen grabbed him and held him up.
Then Jared saw something from the other end of the boat that looked so fake, he couldn’t believe what it was.
“Fire!” a woman screamed.
The crowd rushed towards the other end of the ferry, where Jensen and Jared were standing.
Jensen didn’t hesitate. He tightened his hold on Jared and both jumped over the chain links that had corralled them in. Jared braced himself for the freezing impact, but still lost his breath when he hit the water.
He looked up and saw a hail of human beings as the crowd began jumping out of the ferry. He felt a tug and spotted Jensen only a foot away.
“Swim!” Jensen shouted after doffing his bag.
After a ferocious struggle Jared managed to lose his. Mercifully, the ferry had been plowing at top speed because Santos was closer than he’d thought. The two men began swimming, knowing the cold could leach them of strength in matter of minutes if not seconds.
It was only when they got closer that they realized there were even greater dangers than a burning ferry. The coast they were aiming for wasn’t a sandy beach and there were rocky outcroppings that acted like a breaker between the land and the ocean. Jared wanted to swim parallel to the shore but the current so strong that they had no chance of changing their direction.
The waves that washed them towards Santos were so powerful Jared was terrified he’d be dashed into pieces. When he was close enough, Jared managed to grab onto the rock that was the closest and clung onto it with one arm while he tried to reach Jensen who was being dragged away. He heard Jensen’s cry of pain and for a moment let go of his hold on the rock in order to grab him. After successfully netting his friend, Jared wrapped himself around the rock, tucking Jensen in between his body and the rock.
The following waves numbed his back and his head, and Jared struggled to keep himself awake as the freezing assault continued. The moment that the battering slowed down, he looked around. And wished his didn’t.
The outcroppings were covered with debris from the ferry. And the ferry itself was on fire though still floating.
Fear needs no consensus to have power, but when it does, it has the might of a cyclone. And that was what Jared witnessed in horror when he realized that people were still on the boat.
“Jump!” he shouted heedlessly. “Jump, you dumb fucks!!”
But his words were swallowed by the waves and the ferocious wind. So, all he could do was watch people run about the burning ferry unable or unwilling to leave because of their fear of water. Some, finally driven by madness, jumped into the cold water only to be swallowed by the waves within seconds.
Jared closed his eyes and looked down to see Jensen’s eyes closed. “Wake up!” he yelled and jarred Jensen awake.
Jensen winced and said, “Oh man, my head.”
“You took a hit,” Jared said. “Look, we have to make it to the other side. The water is calmer there!”
Jensen gave a weak nod, worrying Jared. “Let’s get moving!”
Jared didn’t mention the carnage behind them as they slowly made their way around the rocks, clinging with all their strength as the waves battered them.
The water was still freezing but a great deal calmer when they finally faced the shore.
The two didn’t hesitate and began swimming with what little strength they had left. By the time they made it to the beach they were exhausted, but both men knew that they had to warm themselves up or succumb to hypothermia in spite of the balmy July weather.
They both took off their jackets and shirts, before looking around to make fire. Jared found dry brush and Jensen managed to find enough firewood. With trembling hands he dug into his jacket to find the silver lighter. Jared gratefully remembered Danni’s comment when she gave it to Jensen for his thirtieth birthday.
“I’m not condoning your nasty habit, but if you must do it, at least do it in style.”
A decent bonfire was quickly made, but they didn’t enjoy it for long. As soon as they felt warmth in their legs, Jared and Jensen began scouring the beach for survivors.
Unfortunately all they stumbled on were debris and bodies. It wasn’t until Jared discovered a little girl no older three that he broke down.
Jared sat on his haunches and wept. After he got control of himself, he found something to cover the pathetically small body before placing her out of the rising tide’s greedy reach.
He looked around for Jensen and found him dragging what looked like corpses onto the beach. Then, one of the corpses moved.
“Are they alive?” Jared yelled as he ran towards them.
Jensen nodded.
Jared looked at the survivors: a man and a teenage boy. Both were blinking and acting as if they were drunk.
Jared didn’t hesitate: he hauled both of them up to their feet and half-dragged them to the bonfire. To his great relief, he saw others stagger out of the water, all drawn to the flames. Jared placed his charges close to the heat and began stripping them of their soggy clothes.
The boy struggled weakly but then relaxed when warmth crawled into his shivering muscles. Jensen led few others to their makeshift site, holding one up while leading two with coaxing words and brute force.
Then, there was a scream.
Jared looked up and spotted two women running towards them, and right behind a man catching up to them in spite of a pronounced limp and one arm flapping uselessly behind him.
“Holy shit,” Jared whispered. “Is that Mike?”
Jensen stood up. “Yeah, it is.”
Without explanation, he took a branch out of the fire, half of it burning bright. As soon as his grip was firm enough, Jensen rushed towards the women who stepped aside at the last moment. The branch hit Mike on the side of the head with a meaty, wet thud. He fell to his knees, and for a moment looked like he was going to collapse.
Instead, Mike got up.
Jensen brought the branch over his head and brought it down. The blazing end made a crackling noise even before impact; the heavy sound that resulted as loud as a fighter jet taking off.
Mike collapsed and this time he did not get up: a terrifying Lazarus finally laid to rest.
Jared embraced the women and held them as they broke into tears.
“Thank you!” the younger one said. “I didn’t think we’d make it. Then when … he began chasing us, we thought we were dead.”
The older one managed to gather herself more quickly. “Name’s Jackie, and this is Meghan. We met in the ferry and decided to stick together.”
Jensen looked at Jared, his eyes wide with panic. “Did Mike show any symptoms that he was sick? Any at all?”
Jared felt colder than ever. “No, none.”
“But he had to have been, right? I mean if the flu virus theory’s true.”
Meghan shook her head. “No, not really.”
Meghan’s answer attracted the attention of everyone around the bonfire.
“They’re calling it a flu virus,” Meghan explained between hiccups, “but it doesn’t manifest itself like a normal flu.”
“Where did you hear that?” Jackie asked.
“It’s something I read on the internet.”
“Oh yeah, and that guarantees that it be true,” said the man that Jensen had pulled out from the water.
“I think the fact that I had to brain Mike tells me there’s something to the story,” Jensen barked.
The man gave a mutinous look but said nothing.
“If that’s true then we’ve got a problem,” Meghan said.
“Yeah, I’d say we do,” chirped the teenager. “Sorry, name’s Derek. I’m from Houston. I was visiting a friend in UW when the shit hit the fan.”
“What problem?” Meghan asked.
“Because if this doesn’t manifest itself like a flu virus,” Derek explained, “then we don’t know who’s infected. For all we know, there might be carriers but we can’t spot them until they’ve turned like … Mike. Worse, make others sick while they look normal.”
“Typhoid Mary,” Jackie stated, eyes wide with understanding and horror.
Jared didn’t think he could feel any more tired but hearing Jackie’s comment made him realize there was always a new low he could fall into.
“So what do we do?” Meghan asked, “Because if that’s true we have to separate, right?”
“And get picked off one by one, like out of some horror movie?” Derek asked. He shook his head violently, “No fucking way.”
“Derek’s right, we can’t go alone,” Jensen said. “So we pair up.”
Derek looked at him. “Okay, but who gets to choose?”
“I honestly don’t know and right now I can’t muster up enough energy to care.” Jensen pointed at Jared. “But this is my best friend so we’re out of the lottery.”
Meghan reached over and squeezed Jackie’s hand. “We’re going to stick together. Got us through this far.”
Jackie smiled and said, “So far so good.”
Derek looked at the man sitting next to him. “So…”
“Fuck off,” the guy barked. “I’m not playing tag-team with a faggot like you.”
Derek didn’t seem to take any offense. In fact, he sighed in relief and said, “Fine with me. And yeah, I may be gay but I’ve got zero interest in douchebags like you.”
Jensen scoured the beach. “I see more survivors. Let’s get everyone warmed up before we split up.”
“Why?” the mulish guy barked. “For all we know they got the flu out the yin-yang.”
“Wow,” Derek spat out. “I had no idea so much shit could be piled into someone your size.”
The guy snarled but the moment he raised his fist, Jared caught it and yanked it back down. Realizing he was outsized and quickly running out of good will, the man fell back into his quiet but mutinous state.
Jared didn’t want to spend any more time near the bastard so he joined Jensen in his search. Even Jackie and Meghan seemed to want to distance themselves away from the man and went the other way to help survivors to the bonfire.
In the end, Jared counted fourteen survivors including himself and Jensen. They all huddled around the warmth and spoke only occasionally. He found out the asshole’s name was Peter and currently worked in Bellevue. Jared didn’t bother to ask what his job was; he just felt sorry for the people forced to work with the man.
Jensen only came around the fire to get warm. But the moment his color returned, he marched out to the beach to remove whatever was useful from being pulled back into the sea.
Derek stood up and said, “I better see if I can get some of this stuff dried.”
“That’s a perfect job for someone like you,” Peter said from the corner of his mouth.
Jared’s temper snapped. But, he didn’t indulge in violence. Instead, he placed his right hand on Peter’s shoulder and squeezed. Hard. He felt Peter stiffen under his grasp before tensing up because of pain.
Jared said nothing and released his grip. But it was enough: Peter shut his mouth and dropped his gaze to the fire.
Derek gave a grateful glance towards Jared before focusing on the soaked debris. He unzipped every bag and meticulously examined its contents before spreading them out.
Jared watched the teenager and remembered how he was at that age.
If I was in this shit when I was nineteen, I would’ve taken a dump in my pants. Twice.
He caught sight of Jensen hip-deep in the roiling waves, pulling something towards shore. It took Jared only for a moment to recognize the thing as a body.
Oh Jesus, that’s a girl. Can’t be older than … five or six?
Jared forced himself to make his way to Jensen. Then, he broke into a full run when he spotted Jensen giving mouth to mouth. He was less than ten feet when the child sat up, spewing seawater and coughing violently.
“That’s it, that’s it,” Jensen said in a rough but patient tone. “You’re okay.”
The girl started crying the moment she caught her breath. Jensen didn’t shush her. Instead, he held her in his arms, rocking slowly while murmuring nonsensical words. The girl finally stopped out of exhaustion.
“I want my mommy,” she said, her voice sore and thin.
“Do you know where your mommy is?” Jensen asked gently.
“She was swimming right behind me.”
Jared turned to the pounding waves and began searching.
“She was with you? Out there?” Jensen pointed to the sea.
“Mommy’s a good swimmer,” the girl explained, full of pride. “She got us to the rocks and then she said we had to swim here. Mommy helped me but then she went away.”
Jensen looked at Jared with tired eyes. “This big guy is my best buddy, Jared. He’s going to take you over there, next to the fire to get you warm. I’ll stay here and look for your mommy, okay?”
The girl nodded. “My name is Andrea. And my mommy’s name is Marie.”
“What does she look like, honey?” Jared asked.
“She’s very pretty.”
“Okay, sweetheart.” Jensen said as Jared bent over and took Andrea into his arms. “Be careful with my friend. He might be big but he’s pretty fragile.”
Andrea’s face relaxed as Jared rolled his eyes and made a rude noise. He carried her back to the fire where both Jackie and Meghan took Andrea into their midst. Jared ran back to the spot where he’d left Jensen was and found him missing.
He looked at the water and spotted Jensen swimming towards the rocks. “Jensen!” he screamed, “Get back here!”
When Jared realized Jensen couldn’t hear him, he dove into the water. Unfortunately he couldn’t go far as he was exhausted from his previous inhuman endeavor.
After being forced back onto the beach, Jared paced back and forth and waited until Jensen came back, empty-handed.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” Jared exploded as he waded out to meet his friend. “You could’ve died!”
Jensen heaved deep breaths. “I wanted to find her.”
Jared shook his head, “She’s gone. You know that.”
“There was a chance, and as long as there was one … I had to try.” Jensen looked at the bonfire. “How else was I going to face that kid?”
Jared spotted Andrea who was eagerly peering at them over Meghan’s shoulder. “Yeah, okay.”
“The tide is pulling out,” Jensen said. “I don’t think there are going to be any more survivors. At least on this beach.”
“Agreed. Look, we better get out as soon as we can.”
“Why?”
“Because the locals might not appreciate having us around, not after what’s been happening in Seattle. In fact, they might be outright hostile.”
Jensen wiped the seawater from his face and moaned, “Why do you sound so much like Sam Winchester?”
“You don’t have to be ex-Lucifer to know how people will react,” Jared said, pulling Jensen to his feet. “And unlike Sam or Dean, we don’t have nine lives or an angel watching over us. So let’s haul ass.”
The two jogged back to the bonfire to find everyone watching them.
Jared saw their curious gazes and asked, “Something happened?”
“You guys are actors, right?” Derek asked. “I mean you’re in that show about those psycho brothers.”
Jensen gave a thin smile. “Yes we’re actors, but we’re not psycho brothers. Well … not all the time.”
“So, you guys are as cool as them?” Andrea asked.
Jensen looked at the girl. “Please tell me you don’t watch our show.”
Andrea’s shrug was startlingly like an adult, and for a moment Jared could picture her mother. “I’ve seen bits.”
“Look, we have to get off the beach,” Jensen said. “We don’t know what kind of reception we’re going to get so it’s best if we break off into groups as soon as possible and spread out.”
“Why?!” A man barked out then immediately reddened. “Sorry, didn’t mean to be rude. Name’s Tommy Haverhill.”
“A group looks more threatening than say two or three people,” Jensen answered. “And we’re not sure what the response is going to be by the locals.”
Derek paled and gave a huge sigh. “Oh fuck, didn’t think about that.”
“Considering the military just blew up a ferry filled with people, I’d say not very good,” Jackie said, looking at the smoking wreck still afloat at sea.
“And there’s the fact that the infection may already be on the island,” Meghan added. “The flu warning came out last week.”
That dampened the mood even further. Silently, the group disbanded to see what was available. To Jared’s great relief, the survivors had only minor skirmishes on the division of goods.
As soon as Jared was sure there wouldn’t be actual violence, he pulled Jensen aside. “Now what?”
“I hid our stuff in the tree line over there,” Jensen whispered. “We’re going to leave as soon as Meghan’s group does.”
“Why wait?”
“Andrea,” Jensen answered. “We have to make sure she leaves with them. Remember, she’s waiting for her mother.”
“Okay,” Jared said. He eyed the clump of brush trees and spotted something red: his canteen.
Feeling better that Jensen had a plan, but regretful that it didn’t involve others, Jared returned to the bonfire. He helped Meghan and Jackie pack and finagle Andrea into joining them. Derek buddied up with another woman who definitely needed his help. Jared watched Derek coax her out of her shock by asking her name. The shy answer of “Jamie” seemed to send him into spasms of delight. And after ten minutes, it was obvious Derek had found his partner.
To no one’s surprise, Peter was left by his lonesome, which seemed to suit him just fine.
Jensen made sure everyone had divided up the provisions as best as possible. As soon as they formed into groups, he spoke:
“It’s best if we avoid towns and home development sites where there are a lot of people. That way, you’ll have better chance of avoiding infection or getting shot.”
“It might be best if you don’t tell them what happened here or that you survived it,” Jared added.
“Why? Wouldn’t that win us more sympathy?” Meghan asked.
Jared shook his head. “No, I think there’s a good chance people will react badly. They’ll reason out that the military shot at us because we were infected.”
Meghan closed her eyes, fighting back frustration and tears.
“So, we stay off the beaten path,” Derek said. “Okay, sounds good.”
“What are you two going to do?” Meghan asked Jared and Jensen. “After all you guys have done … I don’t think we can’t thank you enough.”
“Just stay smart,” Jensen said, reddening under Meghan’s gratitude. “Best to squat in an empty house. Use your cell sparingly if it still works. For all we know, the military will try their best to track us.”
“Track?” Andrea echoed.
“The bonfire,” Jared answered. “I’m sure it’s visible by satellite or any aircraft that flies by.”
“So, they know we’re here. That there are survivors,” Peter said. “Oh fuck.”
“You said the bad word!” Andrea piped out.
Peter’s response was to bare his teeth like a wounded hyena. Jared immediately tensed. He didn’t like the man because of his attitude. But now, he began to suspect Peter wasn’t put together properly even before things fell apart.
This guy’s going to crack and when he does - people are going to die. Jared was doubly glad that nobody was going with Peter, and that as soon as possible he was going to get away from the man.
He and Jensen watched the groups disappear through various points on the beach, waving farewell to those who turned around to signal their goodbyes.
“We did good, didn’t we?” Jared asked.
“Yeah, let’s hope it’s enough,” Jensen said, his face wan with exhaustion.
Jared took one look at him and said, “C’mon, let’s get out of here before we get stormed like Normandy on D-Day.”
Jensen cracked a smile through his salt-encrusted lips. “Aye aye, Master Chief.”
Prologue * Part II