Chapter 3: Holdout Part 1

Sometime in early June 2137 AD?

It had been two weeks since the deadly rain befell Earth. Theron was driving his truck, his face covering properly filtering out the deadly particulates that filled the air. He wore a long-sleeved shirt and pants, along with gloves to help protect his body.

The truck moved with ease down the long and almost lonely road. The lush green forested environment of the flatland was replaced with brown and orange. Most of the trees were dead. Animals killed by the toxic environment were decomposing. Theron would have to move slowly at times, as fallen limbs or entire trees would topple and cover portions of the asphalt.

The truck had gone through a partial transformation. The fold-up metal alloy seemed to hold up against the rain while protecting the vital supplies. However, the rain itself would erode some of the paint.

Nothing was safe. Basic plastics and non-durable polymers continually degrade in the presence of air vapor. Garbage piles that were constantly found slung near the road showed traces of orange residue.

From what Theron had known so far, a deadly bacterium had been released. Some believed it was released from the melting ice caps. As the pieces of floating icebergs would slowly melt over the oceans, the bacteria that had remained dormant were finally unleashed. All the stories he heard had come true. The oceans were the first to exhibit it. The bacteria were nature’s clean-up crew. The constant array of ocean-floor plastic waste pits, dumped over for almost 150 years, was nothing but food. The overabundance of oil and toxic waste that had been dumped in the water was like candy for the bacteria. Any fish and aquatic life that were already enduring the polluted water tables were long dead by now, replaced with a congealing pile of orange goo that floated on the top of the ocean’s surface. Within a week of its disastrous arrival, a name befell Earth’s population that stuck with everyone forever: “The Orange Muck”...

Earth was transforming at a rapid pace. Everywhere, every landscape, every country, every nation was feeling the effects. Governments that were barely holding out had collapsed. Other nations were struggling to hold on, but the rains were spreading. The bacteria had nothing but food and nourishment to survive for hundreds of years. Its waste was mankind’s doom. It was a poison, venom from Mother Nature, designed to purge out any wildlife that was responsible for disrupting its delicate balance. If she sensed that she was in great peril, then she would eliminate those responsible and reset herself. Those that survived would continue on as the muck would inevitably degrade in time.

But it would be far too long for it to ever happen, not in one person’s lifetime or the next. There was no answer to how long this would truly last.

It was a reality that every surviving person would have to bear. In the driver’s seat of the truck, Theron was monitoring his gauges. The main battery cell of the truck was about 41%. Emergency-installed apps had converted the vehicle’s antenna to track the weather and humidity floating in the air. The long drive from Missouri and Iowa had led to South Dakota.

Theron noted that the effects of the deadly toxic rain varied from location to location. As the vehicle continued, a clearing appeared in the clouds. The sun actually penetrated through it and shone over the landscape.

It was a hint of relief. The man turned his head to the right and looked upon his passengers.

Both Cecil and Gemma were asleep in the center and side passenger seats. Both of them wore more protective clothing, including sweatpants, long-sleeved shirts, and smaller masks that covered their faces. The hint of being with children that weren’t his had slowly been eaten away through time itself.

The travel was long and perilous. Broken down cars, checkpoints, dead bodies, and even the threat of rogues had slowly grown over time. However, much of that had long passed as Theron reached this region of the landscape. The man noted that a road sign indicated that they were still a good hour from reaching their destination.

Cecil began to stir. He took a deep breath before he looked around, noting the plain landscape.

“Are we there, yet?” Cecil asked.

“We’re about ten minutes from reaching Rapid City,” Theron said. “You woke up a little too early.”

“It’s this center seat. Gemma keeps getting the good seat ... this mask too...”

“You and Gemma keep rotating between both seats. It’s Gemma’s turn to have the side passenger seat. You’ll just have to wait your turn. As for the masks...”

Theron paused as he briefly looked at the center display screen. There were some promising signs.

“Well, I got some good news,” the man said. “The air quality is better than ever before. The last rainfall here was over four days ago. Toxicity levels in the air have dropped significantly. We can take our masks off ... for now.”

With one hand, Theron pressed a button on the mask and lifted upward. The simple clasps came off as he was able to place his mask below his seat. The boy was quicker, taking it off. Free from his face, the kid felt the difference in breathing directly from the elements that filtered in through the truck’s air vents.

“Better?” he asked him.

“Yes,” the boy replied.

“Enjoy it while you can. Toxicity levels are very low in South Dakota. Although that can change at any time.”

The boy looked over to Gemma. “She’s still wearing her mask...”

“Well, one of the benefits of being in the middle seat. Harder to sleep, early to rise, early to not wear the mask.”

The kid smiled for a moment before he rested his head against the seat again. Theron knew that his truck wasn’t exactly a luxury limo. It’s simple, early 22nd-century construction carried the bare essentials of consumer needs without being overly expensive either.

“Almost no trash here,” the boy said.

“It helps that this is a more rural area,” the man replied. “Fewer people are coming and going through here, along with a smaller population.”

“My home has few people ... but so much trash.”

“It’s a busier town. You’re probably going to see more of it as we get closer to Rapid City.” He paused as he saw something. “Hmmm ... Perhaps I spoke too soon.”

As Theron drove, he spotted something to his right. It was a simple metal building with a barbed-wire fence around it. There was a sign posted with the words “Waste Pit SD #76. Authorized personnel only. Trespassers will be prosecuted...”

Inside and outside of the building were vats of barrels. Many of them were covered in a fine lair of rustic orange. Even though it was a fair distance from the road, the toxicity level on the detection gauge was rising, though only temporarily. Some of the barrels had decayed so much that the elements had pierced them. No doubt the deadly bacteria would have plenty to feast on as the rains intensified in the region.

“A waste pit?” the kid asked.

“Yep,” the man replied.

“Can’t they ... clean it up?”

“It’s a good question. Companies generate toxic waste and sometimes ... there is no other way to properly dispose of it. Today, we can clean these pits, but it’s a matter of getting the resources together to do it. Instead, people just ... forget and let them sit there to rot.”

“Like my town?”

“Yeah...”

Theron looked over to see that Gemma’s eyes were open. How long she had been awake was unknown, but it was possible she overheard it. Her face turned over to see that the man and her brother were not wearing their masks. It didn’t take long for her to quietly take it off and straighten herself on the seat.

“How much ... longer?” she asked.

“Another 40 minutes, according to the GPS,” he replied. “Had a good sleep?”

Gemma gave a light smile and nodded her head.

“Good, because I can get an update on the news.”

Theron tapped a button on his steering wheel that turned on the radio. With the advent of the environmental disaster, some radio stations were already offline or abandoned. Static could be heard as Theron cycled to the stations that were still operational. He found the familiar station 218. A female voice could be heard as the talk show hostess finished one line of the report and moved on to the next.

“As we reach day 12 of the Orange Muck crisis,” the woman’s hard voice explained. “Conditions have continued to spread to new areas of the United States. The US Government, under President Harold, in cooperation with Congress, has issued a unanimous Level 1P National Emergency raised from the prior Level 2 National Emergency given since the beginning of the deadly rain and water contamination outbreak. The United Nations has also decreed a worldwide Level A Emergency to all nations that have not issued their own national emergencies. New York Mayor Jessica Kiln has reported over 1 million additional casualties as Bacteria 23-9 continues to spread throughout the city. As of yesterday, Los Angeles and Houston have also reported the first string of the deadly outbreak.”

“It’s not stopping...,” Theron commented.

“Under the United Health Organization, it’s now been advised to all coastal cities to begin evacuations and proceed to the inner sanctum of the United States. Under the Level 1P National Emergency Act, Martial Law has been declared in all cities under Level 1 Contamination protocols. All emergency funding has been provided for establishing emergency shelters and bases throughout the US. The National Guard, along with the Army and the Air Force, has been summoned to render all available aid, including search and rescue, food drops, security matters, and medical and evacuation assistance. As of five days ago, the US government has passed the Dormitory Outreach Multi-Adaptable Existence Initiative, or the DOME Protocol. With it, several cities throughout the United States have been selected to receive additional funding and resources to construct emergency shelters capable of housing and protecting as many inhabitants as possible.”

“They’re talking about us...,” Gemma said.

“Yep,” Theron explained. “They’re already building one west of here at the edge of Wyoming and South Dakota. My parents have already reached it.”

“You talked to them?”

“About an hour ago, while you slept, yep. We’re getting closer to it. Apparently, they have these big haulers carrying enormous amounts of construction materials that are already there. We just need to get past Rapid City, and we’re there...”

Theron continued to listen to the radio as the radio hostess continued.

“ ... The current crisis has been defined as the worst biocontamination outbreak since the deadly Suraj Epidemic of 2098,” she said. “London has reported that its primary water filtration network has failed in stopping the Orange Muck and the waste byproduct of Bacteria 23-9, with attempts by the UK government to establish new filtrations to feed its population. So far, over 2 million people have reported getting sick, with over half expected to die in the following two days without fresh water. West Africa is also reporting the deadly rain and water contamination fallout of the spread of Bacteria 23-9. Volunteer organizations have been overwhelmed as the United Africa coalition has passed statements that it’s unable to handle the influx of contamination and illnesses that have broken out in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Liberia, the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, and Benin. Statistics believe that over 75% of its population will be affected without fresh water to tend to its population...”