Dead Hunt

EPILOGUE – 3 Months Later

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Air Australia, my name is Betty. I would like to tell you about some important safety features on board this aircraft, the Boeing 747. In case of an emergency, there are two exits towards the front on either side, two over the wings on either side and two at the rear of the aircraft on either side.

“Each exit has a safety slide that will automatically deploy once the door is open. If the slide does not deploy, please pull the tab down to release it. In the rare event of a loss of cabin pressure, face masks will drop down from the overhead bins. Place the mask over your nose and mouth. Please put your own mask on first, and then help your child. Please be advised your seats are a floatation device and there are child lifejackets available should you need one.

“Please ensure all seats and trays are in their upright position and that your seat belt is properly secured as we prepare for takeoff. Air Australia recommends that you remain seated throughout the flight.

“Please remember that all Air Australia flights are non smoking. We thank you for flying Air Australia and hope you enjoy your flight.”

The massive engines of the 747 fired to life. Passengers fidgeted nervously. None of them had any carry-on luggage for the overhead compartments or personal effects. They did not even wear their own clothing; it was strictly forbidden. Dressed in bright orange jumpsuits they looked more like a group of convicted felons, not the last surviving members of the continent once known as North America.

As the huge bird took flight, its orange-clad passengers silently wondered what their new lives would be like: Where would they live exactly? Where will they work? How will they survive? How many did survive?

The dinging sound that signifies the Captain’s announcement startled them back to reality.

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We are under way and should arrive in Australia in approximately eighteen hours. We know this has been a trying time for all of you, but please, rest assured, Australia is completely virus free.

“As you are well aware, there was a very long process involved just to get aboard this flight. We needed to be sure that there was no chance of anyone flying to Australia being infected. As most of you know, every continent in the world has been infected due to improper security procedures, and the infection quickly spread until entire continents were lost. It is because of our strict security measures that Australia is the last safe haven in the entire world.

“You can take confidence in the fact that only non-infected people can pass our security checks and get on this plane.

“Australia is plenty hot, but there’s plenty of room. Welcome to your new home.”

As the captain finished his announcement the flight attendants began walking the aisles to make sure everyone was as comfortable as possible for the long flight.

One of the attendants smiled warmly as a little girl sang…

“Farewell to Nova Scotia, the sea bound coast.”