Apartment 905 by Sahin, Ned (readnow .TXT) 📕

a modestly decorated guest room. There is a bed with a white frame and a brown drawer with a green desk lamp on it. The door is open.

She walks to the hallway that goes to the living room and kitchen. “Grandma? It’s me.” No response. Apparently, her grandparents are not here. Maybe they went to the camp or museum the man was talking about.

Kathleen turns back and passes me. She stops in front of the only closed door in the hallway. The cat gets grumpy and jumps off her arms growling. She runs back to the living room. She looks behind her before turning to me. I am confused as much as she is.

She takes a deep breath. Then she pushes the doorknob and opens the door halfway. She freezes right away. Her eyes get bigger, and her arms drop on both sides. I grab her lower back before she loses her balance.

Glancing inside, I see her grandmother and grandfather. They are hugging each other in the bed. Bugs are coming out of their rotting skins.

Chapter 34

The sunset behind the city skyline reminds me of the day I moved into my apartment in Charlotte. I had gone up to the rooftop to watch the growing city finish a busy workday. I am on the roof of a building again, but it’s in another city and a different world this time.

Kathleen is sitting next to me on the outdoor couch. She is devastated. It wasn’t the way she imagined how she would reunite with her grandparents. After seeing their heartbreaking end, she didn’t want to stay another second in the apartment. We loaded two bags with food, water, and everything we could use for the road and climbed up to the roof.

Rose jumps on my lap to have a closer look at me. She is trying to get to know her new friend. She is a beautiful and happy cat. Her brown and white fur shines under the golden lights of the setting sun.

She almost looks through my soul with her deep black eyes. I think she is trying to figure out if I am a good friend of her beloved Kathleen. Rose doesn’t know that she is also being analyzed. Would she be a good road trip buddy if Kathleen wants to bring her with us? I am fine with this idea as long as she stays quiet while we are in dangerous territories.

Katleen turns to Rose and tears start filling up her eyes again. I can imagine the multitude of memories going through her mind now. I put Rose on her arms. Rose leans her head on Kathleen’s chest like she wants to console her. Kathleen hugs her so strong that I think about taking the cat back for a moment.

I put my arm around my friend’s shoulder. “We will find who did this…” I say. My primary objective all this time was to survive and find my family. After losing Toshi and seeing Kathleen’s grandparents, my anger against whoever or whatever started this outbreak grows bigger.

Maybe it was just a harmless virus that became deadly after coincidently mutating. It could be a foreign country who started biological warfare. The enemy might be also among us in this country.

I think about who might have gained something from this pandemic. The people who have multiplied their fortunes since it started are the ones who own pharmacy chains, chemical factories, private medical facilities, grocery stores, and the suppliers of cleaning products. While we still had TV broadcasts, I heard some of them got infected from the virus as well. Especially after the second wave, I am pretty sure most of them are among the 80 percent of the population who couldn’t make it. The rest of those wealthy people are probably hiding in their own islands.

After talking to the man in our restaurant hideout, I can’t stop thinking about the museum he was going to. If they really found a vaccine, why aren’t they just dropping them in bulk over the cities? They must know that only a small percentage of survivors can make it to this city. Without TV or radio channels, how will people around the country and the world know about this vaccine anyway?

If they don’t have a vaccine, they must be needing people for some other reasons. They might be using them for experimental purposes for their new drugs. Maybe they use them as a free labor force to sustain their wealthy lives.

When I think about all those who financially did well after the outbreak, Paizen, the manufacturer of the Oxyrica, seems to be the luckiest one. Even though their so-called cure for the virus turned people into aggressive creatures, they managed to make a significant amount of profit from the drug before its side effects started to surface.

“It’s peaceful...” Kathleen says looking at the city’s golden silhouette. Since we got on the rooftop, we have not heard any shots or screams. Either the entire city is dead or residents are still hiding in their apartments.

Even if we are surrounded by Ricas, I feel safe again after a long time. The only door that opens to the seating area on the roof is locked. We made sure it stays closed by moving the bulky BBQ grill in front of it.

With our fully-loaded bags and the comfort of the patio couches, we could stay here for days but for now, I am focused on having a good rest tonight to be ready to escape through the hell on the streets tomorrow. I hope we will make it to our Humvee safely to get back on the route to the West.

“Get some rest…” I stand up to give her more space on the couch. She leans toward the other side of the couch and puts her head on the corner pillow. Rose already fell asleep between her arms. I wish I had a camera to capture this graceful moment. After what we went through in