"This is as far as we can go Saki!"
Griffin Folklore spoke to his Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle as he slowed his bike to a halt, finding an overturned semi-trailer blocking the entire highway. With fencing on both sides of the roadway going around was not even an option. He knew he was only a mile from his mother Cassie's home so if he had to hoof it then so be it. He didn't really mind the walk it was a beautiful day. It would be even better if there weren't such a dull silence like the grave. Not even birds or insects to liven up the mood. No car horns, no engines running, nothing! After nearly 24 hours since the event nullifying the world's population, as a guess anyway, cars were out of gas, batteries dead, persistent fires were likely doused in last night's showers. Unable to even see over the toppled trailer he considered his options. With a pile up of cars having slammed into the underside of the rig they wedged against it tightly.
"I either walk or jump my bike somehow. There are enough cars on this side that I might be able to drive up on top of the trailer but the going down on the other side might be tricky. If I screw the jump up I lay on the road with a broken back or worse. Damn, I don't want to leave my bike."
Kickstand down he removed his helmet and backpack leaving it with the Ninja. Going to the rig he carefully climbed up on to the aluminum sided trailer and got a look over the other side of the world. "Wow! Roads pretty clear over here. This rig halted ongoing traffic so whoever was driving on this side kept on going until they couldn't go any further. Plenty of clearance to land if I try jumping it but even with cars to drive up on, I won't have enough speed and momentum to actually jump. I'd basically roll off the side and crash headfirst. I can't do that I'll hurt myself and trash Saki."
Taking a break to decide his next move he took out his cellphone and called Sonya, the hotel manager he rescued. He prayed she was still in our reality. Two rings of hopefulness she picked up.
"Griffin?"
"Telemarketer! Wanna buy into a condo in Florida? I hear there's plenty of vacancies."
"Funny man! I'm still here. I've been sucking on your fingernail since you left. I'd rather it be your dick!"
"I'll be back tomorrow unless something holds me up. Just stay with me Babe."
"I'm trying to believe me. My body feels a static charge but I'm not ghosting yet. I've even taken three showers to keep hydrated. I was getting ready to go downstairs and grab groceries."
"Be careful! I want to be able to find you when I get back. I'm facing a crippled tractor trailer on its side. Can't drive around it, can't drive over it safely. Might have to walk to mom's from here which is roughly a mile."
"My turn to say be careful. We don't know what curveballs might be out there. There could be others still alive like you but not as friendly."
"Maybe! Somehow, I don't think so though. There are no animals, insects, sadly, pollution isn't even bad. With no cars running and no gas fumes, it's kind of nice, until I start my bike."
"Griffin? Are we Adam and Eve?"
"As long as Eve doesn't become Leave." He chuckles, "Bad joke! Sorry!"
"Meanie!"
"Okay, let me get moving! Text me every thirty minutes so I know you're with me."
"I miss you, master."
"You barely know me, Sonya."
"Goes both ways, but you saved me so I'm beholden. You could have kept that Kaycee girl."
"Still might."
"I don't mind sharing." She giggled.
"If I can save my girlfriend Jade you might have to. If I can bring mom home to meet you I will. Uhhh? Not sharing mom." Even he cringed at how that sounded.
"Call first, in case I need to clean house."
"Cute! See you soon."
"Hope so! Bye, Griffin."
"Bye, Sonya!" Hanging up he stashed his phone inside his borrowed Yankee's jacket and went back for his bag. "I don't want to leave Jade behind, what little I still have of her." Grabbing her pack, he returned topside of the trailer and carefully clung to the edge as he dropped to the asphalt. It was good to get some exercise anyway.
Exiting the overpass he spotted a bicycle alongside the road, a bike messenger by the looks of things, clothing, helmet and a delivery tube. The bike seemed to be in good shape only hitting a curb and falling from taking a corner slower than average. Utilizing it he rode the remaining distance to his mother's unique lodgings. "I hope my borrowing this bike doesn't make the owner follow me. Sorry dude!" He realized that was always going to be an issue. "You guys are just going to have to get over loaning out things."
Cassiopeia Folklore's home was inside a domed science facility where she shared it with a number of fellow scientists. With shaded black panels covering the roof he brightened up at the possibility she had saved herself, possibly her friends.
"Maybe mom planned ahead too. If those shields are like what she installed in my loft, she and her team might be okay inside." Riding directly up to the door he stood the bike upright and tried to simply walk right in, of course, the exterior doors were locked. Going to the intercom he pushed a buzzer multiple times with no reply. Edgy he paced in a circle trying to decide his next move.
"Not a good sign! How the hell do I get in? I know these doors are reinforced steel, there's probably even shielding in place on the other side of it. I wonder why the timers didn't reopen like they did at my crib?"
No easy answer he took a walk around the entire building hopeful of some sign of life or even an unexpected way in. Nothing! He did discover a set of clothing and pack of cigarettes near a tree by a koi pond his mom built as a stress reliever. No wallet he could only presume it was one of his mom's lab partners. Lifting the pants using both hands to inspect the size he presumed, "Gotta be Kerwin." The man was fairly large. "Which means that he's probably right here next to me asking why I'm holding his khakis. Wonder if I can reach around and accidently touch him to bring him back?" Nothing but open air. "So, much for my Jedi Mime trick."
Just like the hotel the fish in the pond were still alive and swimming as if nothing had ever happened. "Live it up while you can guys. I'll find you some food to keep you going for a while but sooner or later, you get the idea. Boggles the mind why fish seem to have survived this crap. If I were closer to the river, I'd... wait! The sewer drains, there's probably a way inside the dome through there, security tunnel. If I make it back guys I'll release you into the sewers, at least you might have a chance of survival if you meet the river somewhere along the pipeline."
Searching for a manhole cover he struggled to pry the heavy lid off. Unsuccessful, he looked around for something to use as a pry bar. Cursing at his bad luck he looked out over the trees and noticed a crane which had been tearing down an old tenement to build better lodgings. "Job site might have a pry bar. If not maybe I can just bring a bulldozer here and tear down a way inside. Mom will kill me destroying the place but if she's zoned out like the rest of the city, world, she might just be happy I did. Prybar idea first, but if I can find a key to big equipment, I'll ride it back here as an option."
Walking the three quarters of a mile down the road he found a breakroom trailer for the crew and raided a vending machine for snacks. Taking gloves and a hard hat he noticed an acetylene tank off by itself out of harm's way.
"I could try and cut my way inside with a blowtorch. There's bound to be enough here to accomplish that. It would be less destructive than my tearing down an entire wall." Finding a pickup truck belonging to the site Foreman which had the keys in the ignition, he loaded up the tanks and equipment, finding a crowbar in the trucks toolbox he figured he would just start there and come for a bulldozer as a last resort. Truck with a full tank of gas was a blessing too. He just hoped the Foreman's attachment wasn't centered on his F-150.
Driving back, he listened to the owners Country music CD, it was honoring his passing of a sort. The short drive back Griffin just hopped the curb and drove through the yard out back. He knew the back half of the complex was mostly just a family room style area with a pool table and such to relax by. Being a shared lab and living arrangement between his mom and fellow scientists Viggo Sorenson, Terri Madeen, Parkhurst Wardell, and Kerwin Jarvis, it was rarely used. They being so into their work it was simply wasted space. Sadly, Griffin was probably the last one to even pick up a cue stick.
While holding off any devastating measures he grabbed that pry bar and set his backpack on the tailgate. Gloves pulled on in order to protect his hands he set out to pry the lid off the manhole. Successful this time, he removed his Yankee jacket to keep from ruining it, in doing so forgetting his cell was stashed away within the inside pocket. Freed up, he put on a bump cap just in case along with safety goggles. Down the wabbit hole he went!
No light became a burden right off. Heading back up he did find a flashlight in the Foreman's truck, then recalling his cell taking time to grab it. A flask of bourbon too. Good times for thirty seconds. He needed the kick to get him going. Chips and a Coke was just not doing it.
Back down the drain he flipped on the flashlight and followed a narrow pathway that went beneath the DOMEicile, a play on domicile, as his mother called it. Damp dark and musty was about all he was going to get. With high profile experiments within, it was a safe bet even any secret escape tunnel would have security protocols. Sure, enough another door, but this one had a palm pad. Keypad too!
"I wonder if my handprint will work." He lifted a safety glass, removed a glove and applied his palm. Immediately it responded with DNA required flashing in red. "Say, what?" Shrugging he spit on his hand then thought of something, "Mom used to always spit shake with me when we made deals. Is this her way of letting me in?" Spitting on his hand he planted his palm back on the pad. This time it flashed "Identity Recognized. Secondary Password Required!" Just his luck!
"Great! Password? Dammit!" Eying the pad he thought of every possible combination that his mother might have used. "Not my birthday! She would know that's what I'd try first, so the code is probably related somehow." Puzzled for ten minutes he heard his belly gurgle. "I just ate... geez! Wait a minute! Mom always made me chicken enchiladas on my birthday." Typing in the word enchilada sure enough the pad lit up to an Access Granted. "Woohoo! Guess I won't be needing that bulldozer after all."
Entering at the sound of a click, he shut his flashlight off and sat his bump cap at the top of the stairs. Once inside he felt a tingle all over his body. "It feels like I just walked into a haunted house." Maybe he did!
Searching the main level, he found nothing until he chose to use the bathroom. A shared powder room by the kitchen he went in and found clothing on the floor. A black skirt and pale blue blouse lay over the toilet seat, halfway wet from dangling within. "Whoa! I know this isn't mom she never wears skirts. It has to be Terri."
Plucking the garments out of the indoor pond he tossed the wet skirt aside. The toilet ring lifted using her blouse rather than his bare hand it too was cast away. From there he hovered over it to piss. Whipping it out he stood there ready then paused, "What am I doing? Terri is sitting here. So why has my not touching her brought her back? Unless it only works with flesh contact, not through her clothing. I might have lifted the seat without touching her ghost."
Having to piss badly he lost control and a shot of urine burst free. "Oh, fuck!" Sure enough, Terri Madeen, the youngest of the science team revealed herself in physical form. A silent scream led her to gradually come to her senses, yet with only a short trickle of piss bringing her back she began to fade again, a look of horror in her lost expression.
"No! Don't go..." He did! His urine in full force instantly brought her back, the stream pelting her belly and tits. While Terri was no beauty queen, she was still average of looks. Age 32 with brown eyes and reddish-brown hair in a bob, she possibly weighed 145 pounds. Once her new scream of silent rapture ended, she looked at the penis before her, then up at its owner.
"Hi, Terri!"
