Chapter 1: Uncertainty

Jenni throws peppers, onions and chicken in a skillet as she nervously watches the news reports on the TV in the living room. There have been more infections and more deaths in the closest city, and it scared her tremendously. What was going to happen when there was nowhere to run? Would people from the city flee to the town? Would the virus finally come and destroy the town she’d lived in most of her life? There were so many unanswered questions, so many uncertainties.

    “Jenni?! What the hell?! You’re gonna burn it!” Tony exclaims. Jenni gasps, being brought back to reality by the harshness of her husband’s voice.

    “You’re gonna drive yourself crazy with the news…” He changes the channel to cartoons which gains all of the kids’ attention. She sighs, shaking her head.

    “I’m already crazy”

     “Yeah, I know, but we don’t need you to be crazier.” Tony smiles at his wife, grabbing her around her waist. She laughs at his false insult.

     “Now I really will burn the fajitas. Go over there” She commands, playfully.

      “Margaritas?” He asks.

       “Why not?” she responds as he begins to hastily throw the ingredients together for a margarita. One thing Tony stocked up on first was alcohol. The two had been drinking since they first went into the town-mandated quarantine: wine, beer, tequila, vodka…you name it.

   The couple had been out of work since the quarantine started, and Tony preferred it that way. Jenni’s good friend Deidre was still working at the hospital and was always worried about the virus. Since she was a nurse, he took everything she updated him on seriously…even if her knuckle headed husband, Mark was a skeptic.

     After dinner has been cooked and eaten, dishes washed and kids to bed, Tony and Jenni sit on their deck, sipping the poisonous margaritas Tony blended so perfectly. Tony lights up his cigar, blowing the smoke into the eerie quiet darkness.

     “Do you think this will ever be over?” Jenni asks her husband. He shakes his head.

      “I don’t know, Jenn.”

       Jenni peers into the brightly lit house in front of them.

      “I’m worried about the kids. Their parents have been gone for a while now.”

       “Well, their parents know we’ll take care of them until they get back.”

        “Do you think they will?” The uncertainty hangs in the air as Tony thinks about it.

         “Maybe they just decided to stay in the city, so they don’t bring anything back to their kids.” He tries to comfort his worried wife, but he honestly didn’t know if the kids’ parents were even alive. No one had heard from them, and he knew they usually wouldn’t go this long without even checking on them.  

      “Still, you would think that Jack would at least call us. Cami said he was working in the viral unit.”

      “Can you imagine how busy he must be?” Tony looks over at Jenni.

       “But what about Brian and Nicole?” Tony shrugs.

        “I don’t know, Jenn. We just have to keep praying for them, that they’ll come home to their kids.” Jenni sighs. It’s not the answer she wants. She knew that this was completely out of anyone’s control, but she just wanted things to be normal again: for the country, the town, everyone.

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     Holly checks the fluids and gas levels in her truck as she does every night. She knew that soon, it would be time to leave the town and drive as far west as possible to the secluded cabin she had put a deposit on months before. She had confirmed an infinite stay with the owners, nearly depleting her savings account. As she carefully plans out her next steps, her phone begins to ring in her back pocket.

     “Yeah?” She answers without looking at the caller ID.

      “Holly…it’s Chase.”

      “Chase? I thought you’d be working the late shift at the hospital.” No one knew, but Holly and Chase McFarland, the head doctor at the hospital, were engaged in a lusty love affair…not that she thought it would go anywhere beyond the bedroom. She hadn’t even told him that she was planning to leave town. She knew he would object, knowing that he had to stay and man the front lines at the hospital.

     “I am, but I’m on my dinner break. It’s fairly quiet here, tonight.”

     “Enjoy it while it lasts…” she comments. He chuckles.

     “I know, right?”

     “When do you think you might see a case of it?” She asks.

      “Whenever someone from the city decides to take refuge here.”

       “But I thought they closed the county lines.”

       “Doesn’t mean someone won’t get through. There’s not enough manpower to block all the backroads through here.”

     “Is the hospital equipped for that?” She inquires.

     “You want the honest truth or the sugar-coated version?” He asks. Holly sighs, knowing that she’s not going to like what he’s about to say.

      “Tell me the truth…”

      “Once it hits the town, it will hit hard and fast…first affecting the elderly population, then everyone else. We only have one psychiatric doctor here who can deal with the delusions and a neurosurgeon who can deal with the paralysis. Hopefully, there will be some who don’t move into the last phase, but at this point, who knows? We just have to be careful not to initiate the spread. I think you need to tell your ex that it’s time for a strict lockdown.” Holly scoffs.

     “Now what makes you think that man would listen to anything I have to say? You’d better have Dr. McGruder talk to him.” Chase sighs.

      “I guess that’s our only option, seeing that Dr. McGruder is old enough to be the guy’s grandfather.” Holly laughs.

      “I’m certain he will get the point across.”

      “Kenneth is an idiot, it’s amazing that we even have the stuff in place that we have now.”

       “He’s an idiot but he has a tiny bit of common sense. He knew he couldn’t jeopardize the town because of his stupidity. That would cost him his re-election.”

       “Shit, there might not be a re-election with all of this going on. Right now, the focus just needs to be on keeping us all safe. We’re a small town…this could truly wipe us out.” Holly takes a deep breath at the sobering news. He wasn’t wrong, though. With a population as small as them, no one in an official capacity would even pay attention to their medical needs. All of the support would go to the major cities. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that stowing away in the cabin would probably be best.

      “Well, why don’t you come see me when your shift is over? I can make breakfast.”

      “That’s the best offer I’ve had all day. I’ll see you at six?”

      “I’ll set my alarm…” They hang up, and Holly continues to prepare to escape what is certain to be a crisis. She knew that if she stayed there would be consequences and those consequences might lead to death. She was no longer unsure of her plan she had to get out. Her only concern was that she would have to be completely silent about her plan; otherwise, it might fail. She couldn’t let it. She wasn’t ready to face death yet. There were so many things that she wanted to do. Thirty-five years on this earth wasn’t enough. She wanted to be around for a very long time…even if the world completely changed.

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     Dr. McFarland sits with the staff of the hospital as they watch a daily update from the CDC. The cell phone towers and power grids have been disrupted in the metropolitan areas. Smaller areas will soon be affected as well. The governor has mandated that the National Guard stay in the larger cities for an undisclosed time period. All medical supplies will be diverted to the counties and cities with the highest need which will take the town off the map. Dr. McFarland shuts off the TV in frustration.

     He never thought he would ever witness the catastrophe that has happened with this virus. Even though the town hadn’t been hit, his colleagues were freaking out all over the country and frequently called him for advice. He didn’t know what to tell them anymore. The virus had gotten completely out of hand, and the spread was rapid. He knew it was coming to the town and wanted to prepare his staff.

     “So, listen guys, we know it’s coming, right? We can’t stay safe forever.” The staff all nod in agreement.

     “The minute someone comes in with a fever, we have to quarantine immediately. I need staff at the ER entrance to take temps. Once it hits, it will hit hard. We need to be as prepared as we possibly can.”

     Deidre regards the doctor’s orders with complete horror. This town wasn’t ready for an outbreak. They barely had enough hospital beds to cover the few residents they had now, and equipment was even more scarce. What were they going to do?  She bites her nails nervously.

    “Now, Deidre, no need to get anxious. We just have to have a strategy. This hit fast and hard in the cities. Our advantage is that we will be one of the last to experience it. Medicine is progressing and the CDC is working hard on a vaccine. Until then, we just need to be ready.” Deidre nods at the doctor’s attempt to comfort her, but his attempts have failed. She can’t even get her husband to believe that this virus is as bad as it is.

     After leaving her shift at the hospital, Deidre takes time to observe the quiet streets of the town. Usually at five in the evening on a Friday night, the town was bustling. Either the factory workers were celebrating the end of the workday at the local pub or families were pulling into Holly’s Burger Place for dinner. She missed the life of the town, even though she knew that it couldn’t be helped. They had to be proactive about this virus, and with the unpredictability of its strike, they were taking all of the precautions they could.

      Once Deidre pulls into the garage, she shamelessly strips herself of her scrubs, placing them in a paper bag along with her shoes. She wipes down her car with disinfectant and kicks the car door closed.  She had been in the routine since she had read of nurses in the cities who had unknowingly infected their families. Of course, her husband thought she was overreacting, but she didn’t really care. She grabs her paper bag, heading straight to the laundry room to toss her clothing in the washer.

     “I can’t believe you’re still doing that shit…” Her husband says from the doorway with a smirk on his face.

     “Look, whether or not you believe this is a conspiracy theory, I still need to protect you…even if you think you don’t need it…” Deidre covers her thick ‘fro with a shower cap and slides past Mark to jump in the shower.

    A few minutes later, as Deidre is reveling in the sensation of the warm water cascading down her skin, she feels a chill. She whips around to see Mark standing behind her in the shower.

     “Are you sanitized yet?” He asks, seductively. Suppressing a giggle, she nods her head as he pulls her close to his muscled physique.

     “Mark…” she scolds.

     “You forget…we’re still newlyweds…” He murmurs in her ear. Yes, they were, and her hopes of an explosively passionate honeymoon had been dashed…but this ultra-intelligent, virile, muscled specimen was still married to her. Why not take advantage? She looks up at him as he hoists her against the tiled shower, her eyes wide in anticipation of the pleasure she was about to acquaint herself with.

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     “Leslie, any luck?” Dustin asks as she sighs at the busy tone on her phone. She shakes her head sadly.

      “I keep getting a busy signal for both of their phones. I just wish they would pick up!” She tosses the phone on the couch.

    “Hey, don’t worry, Leslie. For all we know, they might be stuck in some hotel in the city, unable to call. I’m hoping the hospital put my dad up for these few weeks.” Cami tries to reassure her best friend.

    “At least you guys’ parents are probably working. Mine were only supposed to close their office and come home…” A tear runs down Leslie’s face. She was devastated that she hadn’t heard from her parents. Her family was extremely close, and it was unusual for her not to see them or hear their voices. She missed them dearly.

    “Aww, Les…” Cami feels a twinge of sympathy for her best friend. While she was worried about her own dad, he had told her it was possible he would be stuck at the hospital until the virus slowed down. He had prepared her for this when the virus first tore through the city, but Leslie’s parents weren’t in the medical profession and were only trying to tie up loose ends before their office had to be shut down. She hugs Leslie tightly.

   “What if we…just went there?” Jake suggests. Everyone in the room gawks at him in disbelief at his proposal.

    “The roads are closed!” Dustin argues.

     “Not all of them…look, Mom once took the back roads to the city when I rode with her. I remember it like the back of my hand. We can go to the city and check on them.”

     “What if we get caught?” Leslie gazes at Jake.

      “Do you really think they’re going to spend their energy chasing after a couple kids who are looking for their parents? Look, Miss Deidre works at the hospital. We can get some masks and gloves from her, pack a few things and go. I miss Mom…” He answers. The group is silent, considering the possibly dangerous plan.

     “Would they even let us out of here? I mean, Kenneth has been pretty strict about who goes out and comes in” Leslie says.

      “We could leave tomorrow night, when we know everyone will be inside. Cami, you got keys to your dad’s Range Rover?” Jake looks over at Cami.

      “Of course, but…Jake maybe we should just stay put. None of us want to get sick.”

      “No, but we will have protection. You know Miss Deidre will give us what we need.” Everyone looks at each other.

      “I wanna do it…” Leslie says.

       “Really?” Dustin stares at her incredulously.

        “I want my parents. If Jake knows a way we can get to them, I wanna go.” Jake stares at Cami and Dustin for their vote. Cami sighs heavily.

        “Okay, let’s do it.” Everyone turns towards Jake.

         “Fine!” He exclaims, not happy about the decision. He missed his mom dearly but thinks his brother is crazy for wanting to go through with this.

Cami gets off the couch, grabbing a big bottle of vodka out of her father’s liquor cabinet and setting it on the coffee table.

     “If we’re gonna do this, I need a few drinks. I’m scared. What if we catch the virus?”

      “I’d rather catch the virus knowing my mom is okay than sitting here waiting for the shit to hit the fan here…” Jake says quietly. As she sniffles, tears running down her face, Leslie nods in agreement. She would rather die looking for her parents than never seeing them again.

     Cami pours vodka into red plastic cups while Dustin ventures to the kitchen to find mixers. He finds a full bottle of orange juice in the refrigerator and brings it to the living room.

      “Screwdrivers?” He says, looking at the terrified group in front of him. Everyone murmurs in agreement, stating their preference as to how much juice to mix with their vodka.

    They knew that their plan was risky, deadly, and completely ridiculous. However, the love for their missing parents surpassed any sense of safety. As they toast their red plastic cups, each teen realizes that they could be in for the fight of their lives….and in that moment, it was okay.