The Empty World | The Empty World Sequence [complete | rewriting]

Zero (Draft 3) "Epilogue"

Farm, North Tarrytown, New York; early 22nd Century, so far as can be determined.

The dark sedan pulled up along a gravel drive littered with the abandoned vehicles of earlier responders. Village Police. Westchester County. Two Volunteer Corps ambulances. A collection of unmarked or civilian models.

The doors opened and two men in trim, dark suits exited from either side. They walked into the grass towards the nearest line of tape where a lone uniformed figure waited.

"Agents Reznor and—"

"Heyward-Jones," the older man introduced himself.

"Verity. Ranger Smith. Verity Smith, WCPD Park Rangers." One didn't have to be trained to see the young woman was nervous or inexperienced, possibly both.

Reznor lowered the device displaying his badge and looked past Smith to the cordoned area.

"You're ranking here?" Heyward-Jones asked.

"Only. The rest." Smith gestured to the irregular rings of police tape and fallen bodies extending from the damaged barn to their current position.

Reznor took a mod from his jacket pocket, fit it to his mobile, then lifted the device to scan.

"I'll assume command here," Heyward-Jones said.

"Of course. Please, Sir. I couldn't begin to guess if this is chemical or biological or...."

"Yes?"

"Well, Sir, the sheep."

"We listened to the recordings."

"I mean, they're the only things still moving."

"I see them," Reznor reported, viewing through his device. "Looks like one, two...." He yawned.

Smith took a step away, back towards the vehicles.