Third Fiction Post

This is something that came to my mind after reading Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.  I think that her book, along with Stephen King's The Stand, ignored something oddly important...



The submarine sailed under the Verrazanno-Narrows Bridge as it approached the Hudson River.  Neither of the two officers, nor the enlisted man with headphones on his head said anything as the ship sailed closer to Manhattan Island.

"It's so quiet," one of the officers, a woman, said as she looked up at the bridge's underside.  "It's like everyone's...gone."

"They are," the other officer, a man, said, and looked through his binoculars.  "At least, most of them are."

The woman swallowed and and shook her head.  "I expected it to be like Norfolk - a lot of derelicts floating around."

"I know," the male officer said and sighed.  "So did I."

Just then, the enlisted man asked, "Captain?  Should we tell the Palermo to join us?  Her CO is anxious for his ship to be with ours."

The male officer frowned, but nodded.  "Tell him to bring his ship in, but to maintain our speed and stay aft of us.  I'll give him further orders as I need to."

"Aye, sir," the enlisted man said, and spoke into his mouthpiece.

The female officer cringed as a breeze blew over them from Manhattan itself.  She shuddered from the smell of the rotting dead and asked, "Should we even try to salvage anything from the city, sir?"

The captain sighed again and said, "I don't know.  I don't think so, myself.  Even at a ninety-nine percent mortality rate that CNN said the flu had, New York City would still have nearly eighty-five thousand people roaming around in it - in a state of total anarchy."  He looked at the enlisted man.  "Tell the Palermo to keep their crew inside, and away from the portholes.  Also, tell their bridge crew to remain inside the bridge.  Then, let's get down below ourselves.  The last thing we need is anyone being injured - or killed - by someone taking potshots at us."

The submarine moved into position to pass Liberty and Ellis isands on their port side, and Governors Island on their starboard side...


I need a break from politics right now, though I have a feeling that it won't be a long one.

That's all for now.

Peace be unto you.