Shenandoah Read online

  John was wishing that his memory would come back. He didn’t know where he learned it but he was definitely skilled in electronics. As he looked around, he could tell that everything was slightly dusty. As well made as this house was, he could tell that no one had been in there for a few years. The lower level was mostly storage and the inner workings of the house. The solar generator, water conditioner, and climate control were all on the bottom level.

  He opened several of the cabinets and was shocked to find that they were fully stocked with preservation chambers full of food. Pop-tarts. His mouth was watering as he tore open the container and hungrily devoured two of them. He grabbed a Dr. Pepper, popped it open, and began drinking it as he went up the steps to the upper level.

  Although dusty, the place was immaculate. He quickly found the wall unit and tried the climate control. He heard the click of the solar conductors as the heat came online. Those conductors were amazing. In a matter of minutes, the temperature on the inside was a balmy seventy degrees. John was able to strip down to his shirt and pants. The place had everything: gigantic television screen, exercise equipment, and a large computer setup.

  He searched most of the house and realized just how tired he was. He was tired but that Jacuzzi had been calling his name ever since he saw it. His muscles ached and he thought a bath would do him good. He tried the water faucet for the Jacuzzi and to John’s delight, hot, steaming water poured out of it. While the tub was filling, John undressed and found a preservation container for his rabbit. He may have plenty of food now but he wasn’t going to waste what he already had.

  Climbing in the Jacuzzi, John moaned and yelped until the gentle jets on the tub worked out the soreness. It was totally dark outside when he finally left the tub. Picking up his old clothes to put them back on, John got a strong whiff of them. They were putrid. He even gagged a couple of times. He was shocked that he never noticed while he was wearing them. He found a robe in the bathroom closet and then took his old clothes and threw them outside. Hopefully he would find some more in the house.

  Going into the bedroom, he searched the closets and drawers. He was rewarded by finding a fully stocked closet. The owner must be close to John’s size because most of the clothes fit relatively well. Although they were a little short for him, John was able to wear them. He donned a pair of sweat pants, sweat shirt, and socks. John thought he would explore the rest of the house but he wanted to see how the bed felt. He decided to try it out for just a minute. He lay down and immediately was asleep.

  Chapter 10

  It snowed heavily during the night. Wynd was beside herself. If this kept up she was never going to be able to get to Marcus. For the next two days, the snow only got worse. She was at her wit’s end. She finally made up her mind that she was going to do something even if it was wrong. She went down to the living room. No one was there. Almost everyone was outside playing in the snow.

  “Jocelyn,” said Wynd.

  “Yes, Wynd. How may I help you?” said Jocelyn.

  “Are there any adults in the house at the moment?” asked Wynd.

  “Everyone is outside with the exception of Virginia,” said Jocelyn. “She’s currently in the greenhouse watering her plants.”

  “Marcus gave me a code to use in the event I wanted something from you and wanted to keep it hidden. Code 196609,” said Wynd.

  “Confirmed. All dialogs and actions resulting from our current conversation are sealed. What would you like Wynd?” asked Jocelyn.

  “I need a vehicle that can travel in snow. It needs to be shielded and of course climate controlled. Can you search the bases and see if there are any vehicles that match that description? And if so, can they be delivered to this area? An armed vehicle would be a definite plus,” said Wynd.

  “Currently there is an armored arctic attack vehicle with studded tires at a secluded outpost in northern Michigan,” said Jocelyn.

  “Is it shielded?” asked Wynd.

  “Affirmative,” said Jocelyn.

  “It is shielded and climate controlled. It can also be remotely operated. It is loaded on the tarmac in one of the large solar transport planes,” said Jocelyn.

  Thinking about it for a few minutes, Wynd asked, “Where’s the closest airport the airplane can land at?”

  “Lovell Field in Chattanooga,” said Jocelyn.

  “Will the MAV be able to make the trip to Chattanooga?” asked Wynd.

  “Affirmative. As long as the snow doesn’t change over to ice, it should make the trip,” said Jocelyn.

  “Good. Make it happen. How soon until the airplane lands in Chattanooga?” asked Wynd.

  “The airplane can be on the ground in approximately three hours,” said Jocelyn.

  “Wait until after dark and fly it in,” said Wynd. “Can you drive me to the spot where Marcus crashed?”

  “Based on old satellite footage I may be able to get you within a few miles of the crash,” said Jocelyn. “It may be possible to get you closer or it might even be further away. It depends on how bad the snow is when we arrive. The crash was in a very remote area of the Shenandoah National Park and the terrain is very rugged. Also, with the signal being jammed, I can’t scan the area with a satellite and update my terrain files.”

  “How are the dinosaurs in this area?” she asked.

  “Based on satellite photos from earlier this year, the area is normally inundated with dinosaurs. However, current satellite photos from around the outside perimeter of the jammed area show very little activity. With the severe cold temperatures and winter weather, the dinosaurs are either hibernating or travelling to lower ground. Although there is very little activity, there is still some activity so proceed with extreme caution,” said Jocelyn.

  “After I leave tonight there will be questions as to where I have gone. Cite code ‘196609’. The seal can be inactivated after six o’clock in the morning,” said Wynd. “Do you understand this command?”

  “YES, SIR!” shouted Jocelyn in an abrupt military acknowledgement. “Permission to speak, sir!”

  “Funny, Jocelyn… What do you have on your mind?” asked Wynd.

  In a sweet feminine voice Jocelyn replied, “Please be careful Wynd. I’ve grown quite attached to you and would miss you if something happened to you.”

  “I would miss you too, Jocelyn,” said Wynd.

  Chapter 11

  As John tossed and turned in his sleep, his dreams would come and go. He was seeing brief images of the interior of the helicopter. Warning lights were blinking all over the console. A feminine voice was saying, “…I’m losing contr… of the airc…ft…” Then the voice was breaking up. Then there was total darkness. The next scene that flashed through his mind was him looking off in a valley from a cliff on the side of a mountain. It was a beautiful lush green valley. There were some large dinosaurs travelling through the valley as he watched. The next scene changed and caused John to toss and turn even more. There was a giant saber-tooth tiger racing across the field coming at him. He was trying to reload his gun when the tiger was hit broadside by a barrage of gunfire.

  John sat up straight in the bed sweating profusely. It was still the middle of the night. He wandered into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. Drinking deeply, he satisfied his thirst and realized that he was still extremely tired. He went back to the sleeping area, lay down, and was immediately back asleep.

  He was immediately awakened again by someone’s cry for help. As he rose up and looked around the room, he noticed that it was daylight. Jumping up from the bed he walked around the interior of the cabin and looked out the windows. He was confused. The scene had completely changed. He was looking off the side of a snow covered mountain. The snow was falling so hard you could barely see. As he stood there looking, he noticed a parked vehicle of some sort on the side of a mountain stream. He could tell it hadn’t been there long. Moving away from the vehicle was a red haired girl. He couldn’t see her face. Further up the stream and not very far away w
as a gigantic tyrannosaurus rex moving her way.

  As he was looking off the side of the mountain at the scene that was unfolding, something tapped him on the shoulder. He turned quickly around to see an older gentleman dressed in a suit holding a tray with breakfast on it. It had coffee, eggs, bacon, oatmeal, and toast.

  “Your breakfast is ready, sir,” said the man.

  John rubbed his eyes and the man was gone. Shaking himself, John realized that he was dreaming and woke up. As he rose up in the bed, the first light of dawn was showing through the windows. He began to think that maybe something he had eaten the night before had been bad.

  “What a weird dream,” he said as he was getting up off the bed. He walked around the interior of the cabin looking at the snow covered landscape below. The scene was the same but slightly different. There was more snow on the ground and it was still coming down hard. All the while he was looking outside; he was getting a strong feeling that something was wrong. Someone was in trouble. He didn’t know who it was or even who it might be but the feeling wouldn’t let him go.

  Using some of the stored food, he made himself breakfast. After eating he decided to explore the house some more. He initially had thought that this may have been a rental of some sort at one time but with the discovery of the clothes he decided that it was more than likely a vacation home. As he had noticed the terrain earlier, he thought that maybe the only way to get here was to fly in.

  He was thrilled when he looked through the storage area and found a gun locker. He tried several combinations but didn’t have any luck. After thinking for a minute, he reached around to the back of the locker and found a paper taped to the back with the combination on it. Smiling he opened the locker. There were two small caliber rifles, three twelve-gauge shotguns, an old Desert Eagle forty-four magnum, and four high-powered hunting rifles. There were also several boxes of ammunition. John couldn’t believe his luck. He took out the Marchester 900 rifle and the old pistol. The pistol was still in pristine shape. He took these back upstairs with him.

  He turned on the computing/entertainment center but it wouldn’t pick up anything. The computer didn’t have any outside internet access. He did find an extensive selection of old music stored on the computer and starting playing it. He selected a singer named Enya from the late nineteen-hundreds. He didn’t understand some of the lyrics but her music was soothing and relaxing.

  As he looked around the house, he kept getting that same feeling he had in his dream. Something or someone was in desperate trouble. Finally as the afternoon approached, he couldn’t take it any longer. He located some hunting clothes and tried them on. They fit him almost perfectly. He loaded the pistol and the rifle and took several extra rounds in his pockets. The hunting clothes were some of the latest thermal wear that came out just a couple of years before the virus. They were extremely lightweight and water resistant. They weren’t bulky and you could move as freely as you could in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. They were also guaranteed to keep you comfortably warm at temperatures as low as fifty below. John was sure that the clothes could handle the cold here. The thermometer on the back deck showed a temperature of nineteen. After John finished getting ready, he went outside, keyed his security code, and headed down the stairs that encircled the tree.

  Chapter 12

  Being as quiet as she could be, Wynd got up out of bed and got ready. It was a little after midnight. Dressing as warmly as she could, she took a rifle, some ammunition, and some food. She decided that it was better to be prepared. Jocelyn was under strict orders not to inform anyone of her departure. In about thirty minutes, she was already headed off the mountain in the MAV. With snow covering everything, the road was treacherous. Even with Jocelyn driving, there were several close calls. Several times Jocelyn had to use a controlled slide to navigate the road. It took over thirty minutes just to reach the bottom of the mountain. Wynd could tell that it was going to take a while to reach her destination. With the overcast skies it was almost pitch black as the MAV made its way to the airport in Chattanooga. There was not a star showing in the skies and Wynd didn’t want to run the lights. She was afraid that it might alert anyone in the area to her presence.

  It took about two hours to get to the airport in Chattanooga. As the MAV pulled into the parking lot of the airport, Wynd could see a large transport plane sitting on the lighted tarmac. It was then she noticed the runway. It never had crossed her mind about how an airplane could land on a runway covered with a foot of snow.

  “Joce, who cleared the runway?” asked Wynd.

  “Most airports have an automated system that uses robot activated vehicles to maintain the integrity of the runways. I was able to hack into the airport system here and reboot the system,” said Jocelyn. “It only finished ten minutes ago. If you will look toward the western end of the runway you will see the huge piles of snow. Being a smaller airport and in the south, they only had two vehicles that could handle it.”

  Sure enough, there were several huge piles of snow gathered at one end of the runway. Wynd was glad that Jocelyn had been able to get everything cleared. As they pulled out on the tarmac, Wynd saw the vehicle waiting on her. It had six huge studded tires. One set on front and two sets on back. The tires themselves were probably four feet tall and over two feet wide. It had a huge suspension system and was probably over fifteen feet long. She could tell it was armored and had a smaller version of the Korak that the MAV had that rose up out of the roof. It was sleeker and had a lower center of gravity than the MAV had. Although the tires were a lot larger than the MAV, the vehicle sat at about the same height as the MAV. Wynd guessed that this was to help prevent rollovers.

  As they pulled up alongside the vehicle, Wynd started gathering her things.

  “Wynd store your things in the rear equipment hold under the netting on the SAV,” said Jocelyn.

  “Why is it called a SAV?” asked Wynd.

  “It stands for Snow Attack Vehicle,” said Jocelyn.

  “Makes sense. Is there anything else to do? asked Wynd.

  “No. I am already linked to the SAV and everything is good to go,” said Jocelyn.

  Wynd got out of the MAV and loaded her things into the rear of the SAV. Opening the door of the SAV, Wynd realized that with the lower profile she would be more in a reclining position. As she settled into driver’s seat of the SAV, all the instrumentation lit up on the front console. Although it looked to be missing some of the bells and whistles the MAV had, it still looked like a technological marvel.

  “Are you ready Wynd?” asked Jocelyn.

  Wynd locked her harness in and said, “Yes. Let’s get going.”

  Although it was mostly silent, Wynd could hear a rumble as the gears engaged.

  “Hang on to your hat, because we are outta here,” said Jocelyn excitedly.

  Wynd smiled at Jocelyn’s retort and then was slammed back into the seat as the six wheels sent a spray of snow twenty feet high as they took off. At this speed Wynd was sure they would get there a lot quicker than she anticipated. Jocelyn was driving like she was in one of those Baja races they hold in the desert. They slid around corners and were jumping small hills as they tore out of Chattanooga.

  “You having fun, Joce?” asked Wynd.

  “Just kickin’ the tires Wynd,” said Jocelyn.

  Wynd rolled her eyes. Jocelyn must have been watching some car movies lately. Eventually the SAV slowed and started travelling at a steady pace. It was almost dawn, Wynd realized that she had been awake through most of the night, and she was getting very sleepy. She laid her head back and within a few minutes was asleep.

  Chapter 13

  Groggily Wynd opened her eyes. It was totally dark in the interior of the SAV. She could feel the rumbling and vibration so she knew they were still moving.

  “Joce, have I slept through the entire day?” asked Wynd.

  Immediately lights poured in through the windows of the SAV.

  “No. I could tell that you needed t
he sleep so I darkened the interior,” said Jocelyn. “Did you rest well? You’ve slept for five hours.”

  “Okay. I’m getting a little stiff sitting in one position. Where are we?” asked Wynd.

  “Travel speed has been limited in some areas so we are just now passing Knoxville. We have only gone about a quarter of the way,” said Jocelyn.

  “Can we stop for just a minute and let me stretch my legs?” asked Wynd.

  The SAV slid to a stop. Wynd smiled. When you ask Jocelyn to do something, unless you tell her otherwise, it means now. After walking around and stretching, Wynd took out one of the meals she had packed from the back and then got back in. It took them over another hour just to get clear of the city. Wynd was relieved when they finally made it back to the countryside. Travelling was much easier in the country. There were too many abandoned cars and other obstructions in the city. Once she thought see saw some people but she wasn’t sure. The SAV threw up so much snow that at times it was hard to see anything but what was in front of them.

  Wynd could tell that the cold snowy weather was also affecting the dinosaurs. She passed a few individual dinosaurs but never more than one or two at a time. She had always thought that the dinosaurs didn’t hibernate until a few months back.

  “Jocelyn, how much longer will it be?” asked Wynd.

  “At our current rate of travel, it will be approximately noon tomorrow before we are in range of the crash site,” said Jocelyn.