It Only Takes One Bullet Part 4

(Warning: This Chapter is rated Mature and may contain material unsuitable for readers under 18.)

The massive steel door closed behind Jack leaving him alone in the dark room with the one-way mirrors. Across from the door and in the other room bathed in bright white lights stood his blonde-haired girl talking to the black cartoon cat on the screen. Jack made the avatar after his beloved cartoon Felix the cat, and his daughter Jessica loved those old silly shows. She giggled up at the dancing cat while sitting on the floor, and Jack found himself smiling.

            A real true smile birth by a pure joy that only a child could cause in someone. In all the darkness outside in the world, with the dead overwhelming the living like a rising sea, there was a minuscule moment of joy.

            It was wrong to have it come into the world at the feet of a savior who only cared to watch everything burn. It was wrong for Jack to enjoy this moment more than seeing his wife, kissing her and making love to her. His daughter was the true joy of his life, and the whole reason Jack wanted to make her brother in the first.

            The word caught in Jack’s mind. Brother.

            Felix was real, not a living breathing thing but a collect of codes, nothing but ones and zeros, how could he think of him as living?

            Jessica laughed out loud once more, and the smile couldn’t be kept at bay on Jack’s lips.

            “It’s good to hear her laugh,” Eerie said from the other side of the dark room. He was sitting somewhere in the blackness watching Jessica, keeping her safe, not like she needed it.

            Would Jack dare to believe that Felix might love Jessica? He wasn’t sure if he was ready to step into that realm just yet.

            “Yes, it is,” Jack agrees.

            “She’ll make everyone feel better here,” Eerie said.

            “Everyone, or you?” Jack asked wishing he could see the man in the dark. He wanted to see Eerie’s long face with those hard eyes that had seen too much death at his hands looking at him and not the utter black talking to him. The hard growl of a man willing to do anything to save his people and his flag. There was a little scar under Eerie’s right eye from shrapnel from a bullet. Jack didn’t know the story, Eerie never talked about any of his time in the war, but Jack couldn’t help but notice the little mark.

            He could hear the smile from the shadows as he said, “Mostly me. She reminds me of my daughter.”

            “John,” Jack said, “I didn’t know.”

            “It’s not something I talk about,” the man said with a long deep breath. “She and her mother left me two years ago. I can’t blame them really, I wasn’t ever home and when I was, well, I wasn’t me. They got tired of living with a father who couldn’t be there for his family.”

            “Have you ---”

            “You know I have,” he said, “and I can’t get a hold of them.”

            “I’m sorry,” Jack said letting the words fall from his throat. He didn’t know what to say other than sorry, but it wouldn’t change the world.

             “Yeah, me too,” Eerie said. He stood to step out of the sea of darkness with most of his face still hidden by the still water, but Jack could see that little cut. For a moment the man looked as if he had been crying, alone in the dark, knowing his family was dead. He watched as Jessica played with Felix and couldn’t handle the regret anymore. The tears broke the shield of his eyes only to be hidden by the welcoming night.

            Most of the men in the base found themselves crying during the night. Most of the people didn’t leave their rooms fearful of who they might find breaking down in the stillness of the dark. It was best to do it alone where no one could see them.

            No one spoke about it, but everyone understood.

            “You are a good man, Jack,” Eerie said looking into the room, “and a lucky one.”

            “Yes, I am.”

            “Washington is gone,” Eerie said with a heavier sigh than before. “There is no one left.”

            “What does that mean?” Jack asked, not wanting to believe what his mind was already telling him …

            “It means we are alone.” Eerie said, “I’m not sure we are all that is left, but there is no head of anything right now.” He looked out into the room with Felix and Jessica. “Not sure it matters anymore, they're not much to save for her.”

            “You’re giving up, John?” Jack asked.

            “Just being realistic,” he said, “a bad by-product of being into too many fights.”

            “I don’t want to give up just yet,” Jack said.

            He turns to face his friend or the closest thing John has ever had to a friend and said, “Jack, there is no hope.”

            “What do you mean?” Jack asked. “There is always hope.”

            “We found out where they got this virus from,” Eerie said, “it was sent to me before Washington went dark.” There was a deep frown on Eerie’s face, it was easy to see in the shadow.

            “No,” Jack said shaking his head looking back into the room, “no, he won’t do that.”

            “Felix made it,” Eerie said. “He gave it to them.”

            “No, that is impossible,” Jack said, “I built a failsafe into him. He couldn’t do something like that.”

            “Everything is pointing to him,” Eerie said heading for the door. “Believe what you want, but it doesn’t matter anymore.”

            No, Jack told himself, there could be several things that could cause the virus, and the Beast itself could have been playing on the minds of anyone back in Washington. Or and God he hoped so, Eerie missed read the last message before the head of the free world gasped in a lunge full blood.

            Eerie left the room, leaving Jack alone watching his daughter play with his son. He wanted to cry in the dark along with everyone else who was doing it right now. He pushed back the tears studying the long curls of his angel and stepped into the room.

            “Daddy,” Jessica said jumping to her feet and rushing to hug him.

            “Hello, Jack,” the black cat said staring right at him, “how are you doing today? And when are you going to bring Emily to see me?” The cartoon cat gave him a knowing wink with everything written on his tight face.