Sept. 29th, 2014 - Texas.I remember that day, still. The videos on YouTube of the asteroid, not that different from the footage of the one that hit Russia. Imgur did their thing and made Dragon Ball references and things, it became a trending hashtag on Facebook and Twitter, but apart from that I didn't really care. All I cared about was the drought. The National Weather Service said there was a 30% chance of rain that day. It's strange how that number is stuck in my head now, for all of time. I couldn't tell you what videos were playing in my YouTube subscriptions list, but I can still tell the chance of rain for that day.
It never did rain.
Dec. 2014That was when it officially became K9O-Schwertwegar. An alien virus released from the asteroid by the scientists who were all but falling over each other for a chance to get a sample. As some of the smartest people on the planet, that was pretty dumb. No regard for quarantine? They didn't entertain even the
possibility that something could go wrong? There are documented extremophiles on
Earth and the fools didn't think for a moment that a virus could survive in vacuum. I remember thinking that maybe they'd take things a little more seriously. Sure there was a death toll, but people were blowing it out of proportion, just like Ebola. All they had to do was use some common sense and we'd be fine.
March 201554 million. Fifty-four
million. Killed by Goldilocks. This wasn't Ebola, this was spread through touch alone, and now it was airborne. India was crippled and dying, so was China. Hardly surprising considering the dense population, with everybody breathing each others air. The first thing I remember doing when I started hearing about the death toll was delete the Plague Inc. app from my tablet. It suddenly seemed in poor taste. I'd never actually gotten television where I lived, all of my news came from the Internet, so I wasn't getting as much of the radical spin on things, but people were plenty panicked.
Like most Texans following the Gun Legislation rumors in 2013 & 2014, I'd already been stocking up on ammunition, namely .22, .222 and 9mm, as well as everything I'd need to pack my own shells, but that could only last so long. I made the drive into town and went to the nearest Academy. Most of the ammo was long gone, but I was lucky enough to buy a crossbow and a whole lot of bolts. There was no way I was teaching myself how to use a compound bow and too many people were defaulting to guns without any thought of what to do when the bullets ran out. I started stocking up and heading home, waiting.
Oct. 2015The death was around 4 billion now and I was getting ready to leave. It was too risky to stay. Farmers were traveling into cities to provide food and aid, but it was a death wish. Gathering so many people in one area was just increasing the chance of infection. New York City had become a Ghost Town within a fortnight when the trucks stopped running. There wasn't much farmable land in the Concrete Jungle.
I was also having trouble with border jumpers. They'd call out to me as the made their way to Mexico, asking for food and water. It was the first time I'd run into someone trying to illegally
leave the States. I turned them all down. I'd played this game for too long. Three come up to the house, one maybe a woman. The rest would hide behind trees and wait for you to let the others in and then BAM! You're tied up and your food and guns are gone. No thanks. They thought they were being sneaky, but the Mexicans had done it long before them and they'd done it better. The dogs kept them out of my yard and my guns kept them from baiting the dogs.
It wasn't long until I loaded my horse, Chopper into a trailer to move. I made sure either I or Chopper could carry everything I loaded into the truck, loaded the dogs and gas cans and left. I'd spent the previous two day with my dogs, looking over my shoulder while I knocked down fences with the dozer and opened fences to the highway and neighboring properties. I wasn't going to leave my cows to starve. I turned on the water pump to make sure the tanks never ran dry and left.
The well would dry eventually, who knew when. A freeze would probably hit and break a pipeline, limiting water flow, but there'd be water on the property at least. For the cows and anyone fleeing. I didn't think the hunters would be coming around this season. They were either dead of thinking of something beside bagging a deer.
I remember being sad. Incredibly sad. I'd put a lot of work into that ranch and those cows. It had been a while since I'd heard from anyone I knew and, as I drove away, it made me realise that everything I knew was dead or dying. I was even losing my home. But I had to leave, there was no way I could survive on my own out there. I needed to get somewhere with some people, but not too many. So if anything happened, there would be medical aid or someone to keep the crazies in check. I remember that I actually cried as I left.
Nov. 2015 - Bari.Italy. Of all the places I never thought I would end, I'd never considered Italy. The place was beautiful, a costal region which was smart. There was rain from the ocean and fishing to supplement livestock. I'd driven to Portland with little incident, but still... There were plenty of people reverting to banditry and less savory practices. I'd helped a few people along the way and avoided others. Portland didn't really surprise me. A borderline hippy commune looking to restart under the tenants of peace and equality through fire juggling? Portland in a nutshell. Hawaii was overrun before I even considered it, everybody had had the same idea, so I went the other way. One of the Portlander's I helped mentioned Bari, but I'd been skeptical at that point. The midnight raid on the commune had changed my mind. A lot of people died, mostly because they were unwilling or didn't know how to fight. I released at that moment that I had to at least try for something better.
There had been a boat offering passage to Bari, for a price. The vessel was decent and seemed sea worthy and a case of whiskey and all the cigarettes and drugs I'd scavenged from those killed in the raid bought me and the dogs a place. A steady trigger finger helped me keep my guns and negotiate Chopper and some hay on board. The trip was quite peaceful. Most pirates were saving gas and staying on the mainland, and it took a little less than a week to arrive.
Now.A meeting had been called at the Town Hall, a short ride from my new home. After I arrived and got sorted they gave me the house of one of the former residents who'd either died or fled. It was near the outskirts and they'd placed me in charge of some of the livestock. A few cows and things, since I had no experience with pigs or goats. There were a few chickens in a decent chicken coop, but that was about it. From what people were saying, there were maybe 700,000 people left on the planet. We were now officially outnumbered by cattle. And pigs. Chickens alone outnumbered humanity around 27,000-to-1.
I'd started thinking back to Prairie Dogs. Occasionally Prairie Dog towns would pop up on the ranch and their population would grown and grow and grow until they were hit by plague. Then the town would die out and they'd start over again. It felt like that's what was happening to humanity, our town had gotten so big that when the virus hit there was almost no way it couldn't spread.
I saddler Chopper and made my way to Town Hall, handgun holstered and crossbow slung. The people in Bari seemed good, just folks trying to survive a bad situation, but I'd always carried when I went out into the pastures. It was a hard habit to lose, especially after Portland. The dogs were quick to follow, running ahead until I'd call them back before arriving at the Hall and tying Chopper next to some of the other horses near water.
As I made my way to the door, I instinctively pulled a brush from the pocket of my cargo pants and tidied my hair before tying it into a ponytail and putting a hat on. It had gotten longer in the year since the asteroid hit and my beard had started to make me look like a young member of ZZ Top. It was getting annoying. Unzipping my Carhartt jacket, I entered the Hall out of the Italian winter, the dogs following close behind.
"Val! Kainde! Alanis! Down!" I snapped as the dogs began to jump up on people excitedly.
Val was a little female Schnauzer and wasn't so bad with
Alanis, my German Sherpard/Whippet cross not being too heavy with her greyhound-like physique, yet always avoiding any male that wasn't me, but
Kainde was a heavy set, barrel-chested Beagle/Airedale Terrier cross and he look like a black, white and tan Snoopy with thick claws that scratched through light clothing. They were adorable idiots, but their claws could still hurt.
"What have I said? It's fine with me, but that's it!" I looked over the gathered group, "Sorry."
Calling the dogs over, I made my way to a nearby wall and sat down against it, Val immediately jumping in my lap, Kainde plopping down at my side looking at everybody with intense fascination while Alanis sat on her haunches, looking at me before lifting a paw and placing it on my shoulder.
"Fine, come here." I said, letting her nuzzle under my other arm as I petted Kainde and Val, waiting for the meeting to start.
