Chapter 4: Escalation

Tony and Jenni perform their new nightly routine of making sure all of the doors and windows to their house are locked. Since the virus hit town, it has immediately shut down everything…including the grocery store. Those who lacked the preparation for this disaster were tearing up the town. Meanwhile, some were walking around infected, refusing to go to the hospital for fear of never returning.

Since Tony and Jenni lived slightly on the outskirts of town, they felt a little safer, but they knew the angry and desperate crowd would soon find their way to the neighborhood, and it was crucial to be prepared. Tony had already retrieved his extra supplies and weapons from the shop and was ready for whatever life was going to throw at him and his family.

Tony types the security code in as Jenni checks the last of the windows downstairs.  

“I think that’s it…” Jenni says, plopping on the sofa with a sigh. As she checks her phone, she notices that she has a video message from Leslie.

“Tony!” She calls him over to the couch and he joins her. She points to the video message on her phone.

“Well, open it!” Tony orders impatiently. They are met with the trembling hands and voice of Leslie.

“It’s really bad down here guys…Dustin and Jake’s mom is dead…we’re going to the law office to see if we can find my parents. Please, please stay safe…” the video cuts out just as it looks like they are approaching the law office.

“Oh my God…” Jenni places a hand over her mouth to stifle the sob that escapes her.

“Damnit” Tony whispers, shaking his head. All of the families in the neighborhood were close and he hated that they had lost one of their own.

“Poor Miranda…” Jenni sobs as Tony takes her in his arms.

“Let’s hope that Jack, Nicole and Vincent are okay…” He says in her ear. She nods, sobbing loudly on his shoulder.

Later that night, as the pair are sleeping soundly in their bed, they hear a heavy knocking at the door which startles both of them awake.

“Tony?” Jenni whispers.

“Shhh…go get the kids, bring them in here, close and lock the door. Now!” He hisses as he takes his 9MM off the nightstand. Jenni runs to the kids’ bedrooms, gently waking them up and telling them to come to her room.  The children, too sleepy to react, follow their mother into the bedroom where she locks the door behind them. She puts her fingers up to her lips as a gesture for them to be quiet.

Tony runs downstairs and turns on all of the exterior lights before looking at the camera. He sees a figure standing in front of the door.

“What do you want?!” He asks harshly through the door.

“Tony…Tony…man you gotta help me!” Tony immediately recognizes the voice. It’s one of the guys who works at his shop, Joseph.”

“Joseph? What the fuck are you doing here, man? It’s one in the morning!”

“My wife! My wife is sick!”

“Then take her to the hospital!”

“I can’t…if I take her…they’ll mark my house! My kids won’t be safe! Please!”

“You know I can’t do that, Joseph. You’ve already been exposed. You and the kids need to go quarantine at the hospital with your wife. Don’t be stupid.” Suddenly, the other side grows quiet and Tony pants heavily, his adrenaline running wild.

“Let me in!” he hears Joseph say before he crashes into the door violently.

“Go home!” Tony commands loudly.

“Let me in!” Joseph repeats, throwing himself against the door again.

“I’m warning you! Leave!” Tony yells. Joseph hits the door again, almost tearing it off the lock. Tony aims his gun, hoping that he doesn’t have to kill this man, but he had to protect his family at all costs. Joseph roars, pushing against the door again, and it barely holds up. There is silence after, and Tony grabs his mask, throwing it around his face before unlocking the door. He goes gun-first into the darkness where he sees Joseph lying on the ground, convulsing.

“Jesus Christ, Joseph!” He knows he can’t touch him, so he runs back into the house yelling Jenni’s name until she comes sprinting down the stairs.

“Call 911…” He orders.

“What happened?”

“Just call! Tell them a viral patient is dying outside of our house.” Jenni shakily dials the number and gives information to the operator who tells them to close the door and not go anywhere near the body. Tony frantically closes what’s left of the door and locks it before looking for something to barricade it with. This was getting out of hand. How in the hell was he gonna keep his family safe from all of this?

Ten minutes later, they hear sirens and see a haz-mat team outside surrounding Joseph’s body. Tony quickly closes the blinds, not wanting to see what was happening.

“Tony?” Jenni asks timidly.

“Yes?” he answers with a sigh.

“What happened?”

“Joseph…I guess the virus made him act like a maniac. I almost had to kill him…” He lets out a shaky breath.

“Did you touch him?” She inquires. He shakes his head.

“I had my mask on when I went outside. I didn’t go near him.” Jenni gently grabs the gun out of his shaky hands and lays it on the table before embracing him tightly. Now, she was even more terrified than before. What was going to happen to them? Were they even safe in their own home?

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Holly looks at the screen in front of her in horror as she watches released hospital footage from the infected wings. It looked like an insane asylum: patients wandering around, going after nurses and doctors, and finally meeting their demise. She assumes that manic behavior occurs right before death as it seems that patients die immediately after a violent episode.

She shuts her laptop, not wanting to see anymore. She knew that she had to call her friends. Even if only a few could make it to her, at least they would be safe. She picks up the phone to call Jenni.

“Holly?! Where are you?!” She answers. Holly explains how she’s taken refuge at a cabin up the mountain.

“We were worried. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, and I want you guys to pack up and come here with me. You and the kids.”

“There’s no way…”

“Find a way. This virus is gonna tear the town to shreds, you all need to get the hell outta there. I’m going to text you my address. Make sure everyone has a normal temperature before you leave in case you get stopped by roadblocks. If you have a fever, you will be taken to the hospital and quarantined.  You don’t have much time, pack what you can and go!”

“Holly---”

“I’m not gonna discuss this further. Do as I say!” Holly hangs up and texts the address to Jenni to which she replies a simple “okay”.

She had received a text from Deidre saying that she was coming out of quarantine and that she and Mark would be heading to his parents’ cabin a little further up the mountain which made her feel better. She only wished she would have made the kids come with her before they decided to go after their parents in the city. She shakes her head in remorse. God only knows what is happening to those kids in the city.

Stressed out, she pours herself a tall glass of whiskey and chugs it down, hoping that her nerves will stabilize. Feeling no good effects, she guzzles down another glass, finally feeling buzzed. She plops down on the couch, waiting for Jenni to take her up on her offer. Then her mind wanders to Chase; whether she liked it or not, she was genuinely worried for him and beats herself up for not telling him she loved him too. What if that was the last time she would ever speak to him? No, no. She couldn’t think that way. He knew how to take all of the precautions, so that he wouldn’t be infected. Maybe after the virus subsided, he could come stay too.

She leans her head back on the couch before letting the whiskey fueled haze take over her.

Later that evening, Holly hears the alarm sound and her heart jumps in her throat. Was she being robbed? She quickly takes a shotgun from its place on the wall and looks at the security system to see where the alarm was triggered. It reads “Back Door”. Taking a deep breath, Holly heads towards the kitchen where she sees a man grabbing all of the canned goods from the cabinet.

“Freeze!” She yells. The man, startled drops the cans in his hands.

“Please, Miss. My family is hungry…” He says, putting his hands in the air.

“You don’t just break into someone’s house!” She hollers.

“I didn’t think anyone was home…and…I….I just thought it would be a good idea.” Holly continues pointing the shotgun at him.

“Get what you dropped and leave!” She commands.

“Okay, okay…thank you, Miss.” He scrambles to pick up the meager amount of cans he was able to take and gives Holly one last look.

“There are many more like me, you know? You here alone?”

“Get out!” She yells, cocking the shotgun which terrifies the man. He scurries out of the door and she kicks it closed, making sure both the lock and deadbolt are secure.

She breathes a sigh of relief, but she knew that word would spread that there was a woman staying by herself in this cabin. Others might not scare as easily as that man, and she may have a true fight on her hands. She really hoped Jenni, Tony and their kids could come and stay. It was starting to get dangerous to be out here alone. Had she been so bullheaded that she never thought about what desperate people might do when they discovered her here? All she had wanted was to escape the effects of the virus, but she couldn’t escape the consequences of it.

Suddenly, the phone rings and she answers without looking at the caller ID.

“Holly? We’re coming. Tony says we are no longer safe here” Jenni’s voice rings out.

“Good. Bring what you can, and tell Tony we might need more guns and ammo.”

“Is that really necessary?”

“Yes! It’s necessary. Just get here before you get caught leaving town!”

“You are so bossy!”

“I’m assertive, now come on, you know there is urgency here. Please make it here safely and don’t stop for anyone who doesn’t look official.”

“We’ll be there in a few hours, after the last patrol…”

“Call me when you get here.”

“We will, see you soon.”

Relieved that she would at least have company and another armed person with her, she decides to do something she should have done a while back and picks up the phone. She hears the voicemail prompt, and after the beep, she hesitates slightly.

“Hey Chase, this is Holly, just um…checking on you to see how you were doing. I hope everything is alright at the hospital and that you are staying safe…” She pauses, “and I love you too, I hope you know that. Call me back if you can.” She hangs up quickly before pressing the number to erase the message. Well, if he didn’t know before, he knows now. Hopefully, he wouldn’t dismiss the overdue gesture.

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Deidre rushes out of the hospital in her haz-mat suit to Mark and his waiting car. She was happy as hell to be out of that confinement room and wanted no parts of the hospital until there was a treatment for this horrid virus. Through her isolation window, she had seen bodies carried out and heard violent outbursts. She sheds the suit before jumping in his car and hugging him tightly.

“Oh man, I’ve missed you…” he says to her before kissing her passionately.

“Did you get everything out of my car?” She asks. He nods before speeding out of the parking lot.

“I heard they’re shutting the borders down for good after midnight. We have to hurry.” Deidre nods.

Mark swerves around the mountainous curves, making Deidre’s stomach turn into knots.

“Mark! Slow down!” She yells.

“I’m just trying to get us there!” he argues. She holds on to her seatbelt for dear life.

“Mark…” she warns as he can barely keep control of the car rounding the curves so quickly.

“Mark!” She screams as the car spins out of control, hurling them down the mountain. Both of them scream loudly as the car lands barely a few feet away from the drop off.

“Ohhh my God…” Deidre shudders.

“Are you okay?” Mark asks, looking over at her. She nods.

“Where are we?” She asks. Mark looks at the GPS.

“We’re not far from the house…maybe we can just hike there.”

“With all this stuff?!”

“We’ll have to find a way.” He gets out of the car, surveying the damage. Two busted tires and God knows what else under the car got damaged.

“Hey!” A voice echoes above them. They look up, trying to see where the voice is coming from.

“We’re about to be robbed…” Mark whispers.

“No! Mark! Look!” She points up to see Tony and Jenni standing on the edge. Mark breathes a sigh of relief.

“Are you guys alright?!” Jenni yells.

“Yeah! The car’s busted though…” Mark answers.

“We’re gonna get you guys outta there!” Suddenly, Deidre sees a place they can climb.

“Let’s put as much as we can in our backpacks and climb up there.” Mark considers it then looks back up at Tony.

“We’ll climb if you guys can help!” He hollers.

“Sure thing!” Tony replies going to his SUV.

Mark and Deidre gather what they can in two backpacks and begin to make the trek up the mountain. Tony and Jenni stand at the edge, ready to help when they can. Eventually, the two make it up the steep side and back to the road.

Jenni immediately hugs Deidre, relieved that she was safe.

“We saw you guys swerve and got so scared!” Jenni says tearfully.

“I was scared too…” Deidre whispers.

“Come on, you guys are going with us. They’re gonna close the border soon. You’ll just have to stay with us at Holly’s” Tony says.

The pair squeeze into the SUV which is occupied by Tony and Jenni’s children. Deidre hugs all of the sweet, concerned kids before sitting in between them and Mark.

“How did you guys know where Holly was?” Deidre inquires.

“She called Jenni. I imagine she’s rethinking running away by herself. There’s still bastards out there who will do anything to steal food and supplies. She’s probably afraid. Don’t worry. We aren’t far.”

They ride in silence as the radio gives repeated warnings about the virus. The emergency broadcast was played on every station, never letting anyone forget that a deadly virus was amongst them.

Finally, they see a dirt road that the GPS instructs them to get on. Tony drives carefully, mumbling about the damage a dirt road could do to his truck. Finally, they see the enormous cabin sitting by the lake and Holly’s truck parked on the side. They all tumble out of the SUV heading towards the front door. Everyone was exhausted and ready to relax.

Deidre immediately notices the peaceful lake and sounds of birds chirping. If one didn’t know how bad the world was becoming, they might actually consider this a great vacation spot.

Holly comes running out of the cabin, looking at the two additions to the group.

“Deidre? What are you guys doing here?!” she cries.

“We got into a car accident on the mountain. Tony and Jenni rescued us.”

“I’m so glad you guys are here! Come in! Come in!” She gestures for everyone to follow her citing that they can get their things out of the car later.

“If everyone can just take off your shoes and wash your hands, please…” she requests.

The group obliges, taking off their shoes at the door and finding the nearest sink to wash their hands.

Deidre splashes cold water on her face, not believing what she had been through in the last 48 plus hours. Quarantine, car accident…both wore on her and she was suddenly tired.

“Hey, you okay?” Holly asks at the bathroom door.

“Yeah, just shaken up. I’m glad we’re here.” Holly hugs her tightly whispering that she is glad too.

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Leslie and Cami trek up the stairs to the fifth floor, finding that the door to the entrance is locked.

“Oh no…Dad! Mom!” Leslie yells through the door. She calls for them again and sees a face in the door.

“Les?” Nicole looks in disbelief as she sees her daughter’s face. She immediately runs to the office to get the key to the fire exit door. She unlocks it, pulling both girls in before locking it back.

“How did you guys get here?” Nicole asks.

“Dustin and Jake…” Leslie says slowly.

“Where are they?!” Nicole demands.

“With their mom…” Cami says tearfully which makes Nicole gasp.

“Not Miranda…” Both girls nod slowly and she takes them both in her arms.

“Mom? Where’s Dad?” Leslie asks. Nicole looks down.

“He wasn’t sick, but they claimed he had a temp when we came in the building. They took him away to quarantine. I haven’t seen him since, but I do know almost everyone at the hospital is dead…including your dad, Cami. I’m so sorry.” Nicole begins to cry softly.

“What are we gonna do?” Cami cries.

“We’re gonna get out of here. Do you have a car?” The girls both nod and Nicole opens the drawer to her desk, pulling out a sheet of paper.

“This is an agreement we all signed that if we should die, the others would take care of the children. We need to find Jake and Dustin, so that I can take you guys away from here.”

“They’re at the pharmaceutical company.”

“Let’s go. We have to hurry. God only knows how much longer we have to get out of this Godforsaken place.” Nicole grabs her bags and follows the girls down to the parking deck. She immediately jumps in the driver’s seat, driving towards the pharmaceutical company.

“Call one of them…” Nicole orders. Cami fumbles out her phone, still shocked from the news about her father. She had been praying that he was alive. Now she will never see him again.

“Hello?” Dustin answers tearfully.

“Dustin! Listen you and Jake need to meet us downstairs. Leslie’s mom is with us.”

“I don’t want to leave her!” he cries. Nicole snatches the phone from Cami.

“Dustin. Baby. I know you’re sad, but we have got to get out of here or we will be trapped. Get your mom’s papers from the middle drawer, grab your brother and meet us downstairs, now!”

“What papers?”

“Trust me, there are some important papers in the middle drawer. Take them all! Now come down here!”

“Okay…” He says before hanging up.

Ten minutes later, Dustin drags a melancholy Jake down the stairs to the car, papers in hand. They both get in the backseat and Nicole asks for the papers.

“What’s so special about these anyway?” Dustin mumbles.

“Honey, your mama is a hero. She didn’t die from the virus. She died testing a vaccine that the company developed. These papers are her research. We can’t let that get into the wrong hands.”

“Mommy, where are we going?” Leslie asks as Nicole puts the car in reverse.

“A place that we were going to meet up at after picking up you kids…” She says, speeding down the highway.

Cami and Dustin hug each other as they speed past the city into what looks like straight wilderness.

“Where are we?” Jake asks.

“Safety…” Nicole says quietly as she goes deeper into the woods. A few minutes later, a large house appears, surrounded by farmland. The four kids gaze at the house in awe.

“What is this place?” Dustin thinks aloud.

“This is the place we were going to bring you guys to if the virus got out of hand. Unfortunately, it got out of hand so quickly that none of us had time to get you guys back. We’ll be safe here, and when everything has calmed down, we can go back home.”

“We don’t have clothes or anything…” Cami complains before remembering that a few weeks before he went missing, her dad requested for her to pack a bag for him to put in the trunk in case they would have to run.

“You have everything you need here, don’t worry. I’m going to take care of all of you…” Nicole smiles at her three newly acquired children.

“I know you guys are tired…let’s go in and we can bring your stuff in later…” She gets out of the car, walking towards the gigantic house.

“This is beautiful…” Leslie whispers.

“Well, our parents have great taste…” Cami says tearfully. Leslie hugs Cami tightly while Dustin and Jake join in the group hug. Nicole looks back at them with sadness. This was supposed to be a refuge for all of them, and she was the only parent to survive. She didn’t know how she was going to do it, but she had to care for these kids as if they were her own. She had sworn to it.

“Come on, kids…” She whispers with a smile.

The kids follow her inside the farmhouse, each relieved to find a sanctuary where they no longer had to worry. Of course, all of them were grieving their parents, but the teens were thankful that each of their parents made a plan to ensure that they would get through this.