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?

*****************************************************************************

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.

*****************************************************************************

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.

*********************************************************************************

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.

Chapter 3: Approaching the Darkness

     

     Jenni sits blankly on the couch with a glass of wine, the TV is muted, and the silence is deafening. The town has just been put on alert that there is a possible infection at the hospital…and it wasn’t a stranger from another city. It was none other than the mayor, Kenneth, who went to the ER complaining of chest pains. The word spread quickly across the town that he developed a high fever within a few hours and was now unresponsive. He has been quarantined along with the nurses and doctor that assisted him.

     Tony plops down next to Jenni, touching her gently on the arm which startles her.

     “Everything is gonna be okay, Jenn.” She shakes her head.

     “No…it’s not. It’s here, and it’s gonna spread” she whispers.

     “How? We’ve been in quarantine for almost a month now. No one’s had contact with Kenneth!”

    “No one? What about city council meetings, police updates?”

    “Wasn’t that all virtual?”

     “Not at first!”

     “Look, calm down, okay? We’ll get through this. I promise you.” Jenni looks at him with tears in her eyes.

     “What about the kids?”

     “The kids will be fine. We have everything we need here, Love…what if…what if he just has the flu?”

     “Come on, Tony! We can’t be in denial now! And…we sent those kids to the city…my God!”

     “We will figure this out.”

      “How?” Tony sighs. Hell, he didn’t know the answer, he was just trying to keep his wife from freaking out. She was right about one thing…maybe it was a mistake to send the kids to the city. He knew they wanted to find their parents, but was it really worth it? To compromise their lives? Hell, at this point they may never see those kids again.

     “We just have to trust that this quarantine will get us through this. We know now that we can’t escape it. No more going out on Fridays. We have enough food to last us a month. We will just have to hunker down until then” he responds.

     “Okay.” Jenni didn’t know what else to say. This was an entirely new situation for everyone. She could only hope that a month was long enough to get this thing under control. Suddenly, she begins to worry frantically about her friend Deidre. Was she working at the hospital? Did she have to be quarantined too? Jenni immediately takes out her phone and dials Deidre’s number. It goes straight to voicemail.

    “Tony, what about Deidre?” She whispers.

     “Did she have to work tonight?” He asks. She shakes her head in uncertainty.

     “I don’t know. I’m worried. She usually answers her phone.”

     “Well, maybe Mark has her occupied. In all this they’re still newlyweds.” Jenni smiles for the first time since she heard the virus might be in town.

     “You remember when we were first married?” Tony looks over at his wife. She had driven him crazy, playing hard to get. He enjoyed the chase tremendously though. That was twelve years ago, and he was still just as crazy about her as he was then.

     “Yes, you. I remember.”

      “Couple of wild nights we had, no?” She laughs.

      “A couple? My attendance at work was horrible because of you.”

       “You survived…” he teases. She shakes her head, noticing her wine glass is empty.

       “Time for a refill.” She stands up and Tony slaps her behind in a mischievous manner.

        “Don’t start!” She warns with a laugh.

          As Jenni preoccupies herself with the wine in the kitchen, Tony decides to try calling Mark. Now that Jenni had mentioned it, he was a little worried about Deidre himself. He knew that Mark was tireless in his efforts to make her take an extended leave, but she didn’t want to abandon the expectant mothers she had worked with in the hospital. Babies didn’t wait for a pandemic to be over to be born.

     “Yo…” Mark answers after one ring.

      “We’re just checking on you guys. How’s it going over there?” Tony inquires. Mark sighs heavily which isn’t a good sign.

      “Deidre had just clocked in when that bastard came in talkin about chest pains. Now she has to be quarantined in a room by herself for 48 hours.”

       “48 hours?”

       “That’s supposedly how long it takes for people to get the symptoms of this virus. Look man, this thing is gonna hit us like the freaking nuclear bomb. You got anyplace you can go?”

       “We were just going to stay here.”

        “I should have never let her go to work in the first place, damn!” Mark huffs.

        “Look, maybe she’s fine. Maybe we’ll all be fine. We just have to stay the hell away from that hospital.”

        “Maybe you’re right. Look, I’ll keep you posted, okay? I need to figure some shit out.”

        “Sure, man.” Tony hangs up, wondering how in the hell he’s going to tell his wife that her friend was being quarantined at the hospital.  She was already paranoid about this virus, he didn’t need her to be on a thousand percent.

     As Jenni comes back from the kitchen, her wine glass filled to the brim, he prepares to tell her that the situation might be a little more dire than they think and wonders how she’s going to react. He starts to realize that this might be a whole lot bigger than any of them previously thought.

*********************************************************************************

    Holly hurriedly packs up her truck, eager to get on the road before the patrol came back on duty. Once she heard of Kenneth’s misfortune, she knew that it was over and did not want to stick around for the aftermath. She leaves a voicemail on her phone to tell her callers that she would no longer be reachable and that she would contact them as soon as she got to her destination. She didn’t want Deidre or Jenni to worry about where she was. She knew Chase would probably be too busy to care at this point.

     In the still of the night, she cranks up her truck, riding into the darkness. The winding roads of the mountain make her dizzy, but she drives on, determined to get her cabin before daylight. She drives for two hours, her eyelids growing heavy as she zooms through the abyss. Finally, she sees the turn for the dirt road, breathing a heavy sigh of relief. She slowly navigates her pickup up the steep, rough terrain.

    The cabin appears before her eyes and she leans her head back in reprieve. It was much larger than she expected as she had only seen the pictures online. It was two stories high and had large glass windows. The lake was right in front of her. Well, if she had to run away, at least she had a beautiful view. She takes the necessities out of her truck, vowing to retrieve all of her stuff when she’s had some rest.

   She types in the key code on the lock box to retrieve her key and unlocks the door, dropping her stuff on the floor in awe. On the table by the door, there is a note from the owners:

Welcome Holly!

You have cable, internet and electricity here. We hope that you will remain safe during this trying time. Everything has been sanitized as requested. Enjoy your stay!

Blake and Jackie Williams

Holly smiles at the kindness of the owners and decides to explore the cabin before settling down. The living room is spacious with a flat screen TV mounted above the fireplace. The furniture is modern black leather and all of the floors are covered in shiny, oaky hardwood.

As she inspects the rooms upstairs, she begins to feel a little guilty about leaving her friends behind. There was plenty of space for her friends. If she had known just how huge this place was, she would have definitely offered. However, she was here now and had a beautiful place to herself to live out this virus.

After putting a few of her things away, she pops a bag of popcorn and pours a tall glass of whiskey, settling down in front of the TV. She’s sleepy but knew that some food and a nice drink would help her sleep well in a new place.

Suddenly, she is surprised by a phone call. She didn’t think she would even have a signal in this area. She answers it without looking at the caller ID.

“Hello?”

“What the hell were you thinking, running off like that?” Chase’s voice rings out.

“I had to go, Chase. You know that this virus is inevitable.”

“You could have at least told me.”

“I didn’t tell anyone.”

“Well…I’m glad you got out.” He sighs.

“Why is that?”

“The nurse and staff who dealt with Kenneth have already contracted the virus. Almost all of my night shift staff is in quarantine.” She immediately thinks of her friend Deidre but knows well enough not to ask. Deidre worked her shifts faithfully, and Holly knew that she was among the quarantined.

“Why aren’t you?”

“Luckily, I didn’t come into contact with him until I was in protective gear.”   

“Well, what are you gonna do?”

“I can’t do anything but try to use the treatments other doctors have tried. Can I at least call you? I wasn’t expecting you to leave.” Holly sighs, wondering if he’s serious or just needed a woman to validate his existence.  

“Of course you can. I just didn’t think I would have a signal up here.”

“Look, one thing I’m gonna tell you is to stay put. Don’t come back here until we’re in the clear.”

“I wasn’t planning on it.”

“I’ll be in touch…hey, Holly?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.” Holly doesn’t know what to say. Does she love him? She didn’t know and trying to survive in uncertain times was certainly not the place to start a romance.

“Chase…take care of yourself.” She knew it wasn’t a direct reciprocation, but she hoped it would buy her time so that she could determine how she felt about him.

“I’ll talk to you soon…” He responds, seeming to understand her internal confusion. She was relieved that he wasn’t offended but knew that she wouldn’t be able to stall him for too long…especially if he survived the outbreak at the hospital.   

After hanging up, Holly decides to take her drink and sit on the front porch. The soothing sounds of the lake and nocturnal wildlife were comforting. This was exactly what she wanted: a peaceful, quiet place to ease her anxiety about this virus. She hadn’t even bothered to bring her laptop. She vowed to be disconnected, take time to find herself. For her, this was the perfect opportunity to really be Holly.

As the clock strikes 3 AM, Holly slides into the cool sheets of the King bed in the master bedroom, wondering what is going on in the town. She silently prays for those still there, hoping that the ones she came to know and love are safe. As her eyes close from her exhaustion, she takes in the relaxing silence of the night, feeling safer than she ever has.

***************************************************************************

Deidre sighs as she sits behind the glass paned hospital room. How in the hell did she end up quarantined in the middle of all this? She didn’t come in close contact with Kenneth. She’d only clocked in through the ER when they put the entire ward on lockdown. Suddenly, her thoughts are interrupted by one of her co-workers in full protective gear knocking on the glass.

“Can I come in?” she says. Deidre nods as her co-worker Mary Lynn timidly walks in with a tray of food.

“Thanks…” Deidre responds as Mary Lynn sets it down on the table next to the bed.

“I brought your phone, too. I’m sure Mark is worried about you.” Mary Lynn hands Deidre a plastic bag with her belongings in it.

“I didn’t come into contact with him…” Deidre argues.

“I know, but Dr. McFarland says we can’t take any chances. You’ll be out of here soon. It’s only 48 hours.”

“Only?” Deidre scoffs.

“The ER staff has already contracted the virus.” Deidre looks up in surprise.

“The whole staff?”

“Yes. We are trying to slow the spread as much as possible. I’ll take care of you until you can leave.”

“Do you think we’ll be able to leave? What if they decide to put the entire hospital on lockdown?”

“We already are, but if you are cleared in 48 hours, you can leave. You’ll just have to wear protective gear until you get out of here.” Deidre nods with understanding.

“Take care of yourself out there, Mary Lynn.” Mary Lynn smiles and disappears as quickly as she appeared at the door.

Deidre sighs again, dialing on her phone. She needed to speak with her husband. She needed something normal, and she knew Mark would do that for her.

“Deidre?” He answers, almost relieved to know she was calling.

“Hey…”

“How are you holding up, Babe?”

“Not good…it’s scary and lonely here.”

“It’s only two days. I’m sure everything is fine.”

“What if it’s not, Mark?” He takes a deep breath.

“Then I’ll come get you.”

“Are you crazy? You’ll get the virus!”

“If I have to come save my wife, that is exactly what the hell I’m gonna do.”

“Mark…you can’t sacrifice yourself for me.”

“Look, you’re all that matters to me. If I have to go in that hospital, then I’ll just have to. We’re in this together.”

“Then what?” She asks, knowing that if it did come to that, they would be stuck in the town with this deadly virus.

“Then we go to my parents’ cabin. We won’t spread anything there. I’ll start packing everything…either way, we will go like you wanted.”

“Okay…” she agrees with hesitation. She really didn’t want Mark to risk his life for her but also knew there was no stopping him when he had an idea in his head. This was why she married him.

“I love you, Deidre…with all my heart” he says.

“I love you too, Mark. Whatever happens…I always will.”

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Get some rest while I plan to get us the hell outta here.”

“I’ll try. Goodnight.” She hangs up, her anxiety overcoming her. Would she get the virus? Would she ever see Mark again? Her friends? Everything was so out of whack that she didn’t know how to contain the swirling thoughts in her head.

Through the night, Deidre hears the cries of agony coming from some of her fellow staff members in the other quarantined rooms. The rushing of feet, the yelling of treatment orders and flatline beeps haunt her as she tries to sleep through her ordeal. Was she next?

*******************************************************************************

The four teens approach the pharmaceutical company with caution. The air is dead with silence as Jake pulls into the parking deck.

“Put on your masks, guys…” Dustin says as he hands them all masks and a pair of gloves. Each of them places the masks over their faces.

“Wait until we get into the building to put on your gloves” Leslie suggests as they hop out of the car and approach the stairs. It was way too dangerous to take the elevator.

Dustin kicks open the glass doors with his foot, letting everyone in. The lobby is eerily quiet, and no one sits at the front desk.

“What floor is your mom’s office?” Asks Leslie.

“The 10^th” Dustin answers in a whisper.

“Well, let’s get a move on…” Cami points to the entrance to the stairs.

The four teens begin the dreaded ascent up ten floors of stairs. As they pass each floor, Dustin’s anxiety heightens. He didn’t know what they were going to find when they got there. Would their mom even be there? What if she had to go to the hospital?

Finally, huffing and puffing from the most exertion they’d had in weeks, they reach the tenth floor. Jake all but runs through the door, seeking out his mother’s office. Everyone follows him to an office enclosed in glass. He tries to push through the door.

“Mom? Mom!” He yells through the glass.

“Maybe she’s not here, Jake…” Dustin begins before seeing a hand reach out from behind the enormous desk. She stands up, running towards the glass.

“Mom!” Jake exclaims, seeing her face against the pane.

“Let us in, Mom!” Dustin demands. She looks at them through her bloodshot eyes.

“I can’t, babies. I can’t let you in” she whispers.

“Why not?” Jake cries.

“I’m…sick.” Her voice is heavy with breathlessness.

“I don’t care! I want to be with you!” Jake screams.

“No, no. I’m not gonna risk your lives.”

“Mom…” Dustin sobs.

“It’ll be okay. You two are…going to be just fine.” She slides down the glass, sitting on the floor as she stares at the two boys she brought home after their birth mother had overdosed on heroin.

“No, I won’t, Mom…I won’t be okay without you!” Jake sniffles, putting his hand against the glass. She puts her hand up to match his touch.

“Yes, you will. You have to take care of each other now, okay? We don’t know…how long this will go on. You need to be there for your brother, Jake…” She wheezes heavily.

“It’s okay, Mommy, you don’t have to talk…” Dustin says, taking his place by his brother. Leslie and Cami look on in shock, tears streaming down both their faces as they realize the harsh reality of this virus.

“Stay with me?” She asks in a small voice.

“We’ll be here…until the end” Jake whispers. In a breathless voice, she tells them where they can find her insurance papers and bank account information.

“Mommy, no…” Dustin sobs as she begins to cough violently, seizing on the floor.

“Mom!” Jake hollers, crying uncontrollably. Suddenly, the door bursts open and their mom’s secretary, Shia comes in, wearing protective gear. She tosses two gowns and face shields to the boys along with the key to the office.

“Go hug your mom…” She says, tearfully. The boys quickly throw on the gear.

“Leslie, Cami…go…go find your parents.” Jake tosses them the keys.

“But…” Cami starts.

“Go!” He says before forcefully thrusting the key into the lock, unlocking the door. Cami grabs a shocked Leslie, leading her out of the office.

Jake and Dustin hold their mom as she heaves and coughs violently, whispering words of comfort to her.

“I love you…I love both of you…so much…” she says between gasping breaths.

“We love you…” Jake says, holding her tightly as she seizes once again.

Ten minutes later, the room is silent with the exception of the two boys’ quiet sobbing as the hold their lifeless mother in their arms.

“We have to go back!” Leslie yells at Cami as she is jerked towards the car in the parking deck.

“Later! They have protective gear, we have to find our parents, Les. What if they’re sick too?” Leslie begins to cry.

“Come on, your parents’ office is a few blocks down. We have to go!” Leslie grapples with the idea of seeing her parents in the same state as Jake and Dustin’s mom. Could she handle it? She didn’t know.

“Okay…” she whispers as she slowly gets into the front seat of the car, sadly securing her seatbelt. She felt so bad for Jake and Dustin. They were the ones who wanted to come here, find their mom. Now, she was dying. What if this was the same fate for all of their parents? Leslie looks over at Cami who frantically turns on the engine, zooming the car out of the parking deck towards her parents’ law office. What were they going to find once they got there?

“Everything is going to be okay…” Cami says out loud, but Leslie knew that she was trying to assure and comfort herself. The hospital would be a dangerous monster to conquer once they got there, and Cami’s dad was right in the heart of the battle. Leslie could only hope that her parents were safe.

Chapter 2: Helping Hands

     As Tony sits on his deck, smoking his cigar, he sees a head peek over the fence at the house next door. His first thought is that the kids ran out of food and needed some. He jogs down the steps, approaching the fence.

     “What’s up, Kid?” He asks Dustin who waves.

      “We…uh…need a favor.”

      “You need food?” Tony asks. Dustin shakes his head.

       “Can you keep a secret?”

       “Aww shit, you ain’t got one of the girls pregnant in there have you?” Tony narrows his eyes.

       “No! God, no! But we have a plan.”

        “A plan?”

        “We’re gonna go get our parents.”

        “Are you outta your fucking minds?!” Tony exclaims.

        “Look, Mr. Tony, we have to. We gotta. We can’t sit here not knowing what’s going on with our folks.” Tony, usually not an emotional man, sighs heavily, feeling the weight that the kid is carrying on his shoulders.

       “What do you need?”

       “Can you check Cami’s dad’s car for us? See if it can make it through the back roads?” Tony thinks about it. Could he really be an accomplice to this madness? He knew the city was in chaos right now. The kids could get killed or get sick…at the same time, he thought about how he would feel if he was without his parents at the tender age of 16 during all of this craziness.

     “I’ll meet you after the patrol goes off duty at midnight. What else do ya’ll need?”

     “We were gonna ask Miss Deidre if she had masks and gloves.”

     “Don’t worry about that. Me and Jenni will give you guys what you need. You don’t need to let too many people know about your plan.” Dustin nods with a solemn look on his face.

      “Thank you, Mr. Tony.”

       “Look, Kid. Are you sure you want to do this? Your parents might be held up in a hotel somewhere. There’s always a possibility that they are trying to get back home to you.”

        “Mom would have found some way to call us. I just want to make sure she’s safe…I’m…scared, Mr. Tony. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

        “I understand, Son. That’s why I’m gonna help you. Me and Jenni will help you guys. I’ll come check the car at midnight, then you guys need to get outta here before patrol comes around.”

         “Thank you…”  Tony nods as Dustin makes his way back to the house. How in the hell was he gonna sell this to Jenni? She was overprotective and vigilant already. He stands in the yard, blowing out the last bit of smoke left in his cigar before heading to the house to convince his wife that this was the best thing to do.

***********************************************************************************

Holly kisses Chase good-bye before he heads to the hospital for the evening shift. They had spent the whole day together, despite recommendations that everyone should remain in their own house. There was definitely a physical chemistry there, but Holly wasn’t sure if it was really emotional. Chase was an amazing lover, but after she was burned by Kenneth, she wasn’t interested in starting anything new. Besides, she was leaving soon.

     “I can bring you and the staff some dinner later if you’d like” she offers.

      “That would be great, thank-you.” She smiles at him as he darts quickly to his car, avoiding the roaming eyes of the street patrol.

       She sits on her couch with her laptop, perusing the internet for updates on the virus. Suddenly, an alert pops up, indicating a new video has been shared. She cautiously clicks the link, and to her surprise, she sees the familiar face of Dr. Jack White, Cami White’s father. He had been missing in action for weeks, leaving his daughter alone. She immediately clicks “play”, thankful to see his face but also frightened to hear what he was about to say.

     “This is Dr. Jack White, head neurologist at Mercy Hospital…I am…making this video to make the public aware of what we are going through here. We have almost run out of protective equipment, and this…this virus is mutating. The patients are starting to exhibit bizarre psychotic behavior a mere twenty-four hours after infection. While I’m doing all I can, I have advised the nurses and doctors to seek refuge from patients who are experiencing the psychological effects of this virus. They are attacking us, using the closest objects as weapons. I implore you all…please…stay in your homes. I don’t know when this will be over…” The video abruptly stops, making Holly’s heart jump in her throat. Still shuddering from what she’s just heard, she leaps off the couch as her phone vibrates loudly on the coffee table.

    “He-hello?” She answers, clearing her throat of the terrified squeak.

     “Are you okay? “Deidre asks.

     “Um…yeah, I’m fine. What’s up, Deidre?”

     “I’m…uh trying really hard to convince Mark that this is serious. It’s getting frustrating.”

      “Deidre…what has Chase told you guys about this virus?” Holly asks, cautiously.

       “Just that when it hits, it’ll be devastating for our town. Hasn’t he told you the same thing?”

       “But…he hasn’t said that there are any new developments?”

        “No, why? What have you heard?” Holly is silent.

        “Holly?! What have you heard?!” Holly exhales, a shaky breath escaping from her lips.

    “I’m gonna send you a video…”

    “A video?”

    “Yes…a video…maybe then Mark will believe you.” Holly hangs up, realizing the risk she’s taking as she pulls up the server for the town email directory. Slowly, she types the words “FYI” in the subject line, and copying the link to the video, she presses “send”.

******************************************************************************

“Holly? Holly?!” Deidre hisses on the phone until realizing that Holly has hung up. She cautiously opens her laptop, clicking the button for her email. In an email titled “FYI”, she sees a link to a video. Her eyes grow wide as she sees Jack White on the screen.

“Mark! Mark!” She calls her husband who comes running down the stairs.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“You’ve got to see this…” she whispers, pressing the replay button.

“That’s Jack!” Mark exclaims. Deidre can do nothing but nod slowly as the video plays.

“It’s not coming here…” he declares.

“You know that’s a foolish way of thinking! You can’t believe we’re gonna be safe here forever!”

“I can and I will. They have the roads blocked…nobody with that virus could get through here.”

“Mark! I love you but you’re not using the common sense God gave you. This virus is coming, and it’s mutated. You saw what happened in the video!”

“Deidre, how?! They said it wasn’t airborne!”

“Mark, I may just be a nurse, but I know that if this thing has mutated, there are probably more ways it can spread.” Mark gazes at his wife seriously.

“What the hell can we do about it, then? Are you telling me that there’s nothing we can do to protect ourselves from this?”

“I don’t know! Look, don’t your parents still have that cabin by the lake?”

“Yeah, with no electricity.”

“That might be our best bet.” Mark scoffs.

“You’re telling me that you want us to go to the cabin…with no electricity, no phone…no nothing?”

“I’ve been kinda buying extra food…look, we can pack and leave out of here as soon as we need to.” Mark sighs.

“You’re just gonna abandon your job?”

“You saw the video! Jack said he’s advised his nurses to stay away from the infected!”

 “Okay, Deidre, okay…” Mark concedes. Obviously, his wife wasn’t going to let this go. Maybe he was being foolish by not believing her from day one. To see the fear in her eyes now brought him a new element of discomfort.

“When do you want to go?” He asks.

“Let me…work one more shift at the hospital and make my arrangements. Okay? I’m scheduled for the morning.”

“Let’s pack then…” The pair both trudge up the stairs, an unspoken fear between the two of them. Never did Mark think he would have to flee his hometown for a virus, something he couldn’t even see. Deidre finally realizes that her fears were not so unfounded after all, and wonders what exactly the future holds now.

****************************************************************************

      The four teens and Jenni look on quietly as Tony checks under the hood of Cami’s dad’s Range Rover. As he finishes, he lowers the hood gently, returning their stares.

      “Everything looks fine, but I’m gonna ask again…are you sure you want to do this?” He asks the concerned faces.

      “Yes, I wanna go…I wanna go now” Jake responds. The teens all nod in agreement. Holly Lane had released a video with Cami’s dad attempting to tell the world how the virus was changing. More than ever, Cami wanted to see her father…she saw the fear and worry in his eyes. She just wanted to hug him.

     Jenni looks over at Tony who nods at her. She goes over to the fence retrieving a big box and handing it to Jake.

    “There’s masks in there, gloves and food if you get hungry.” Tony gives them a bag.

     “This is an auto safety kit. If you get a flat tire, dead battery, anything…the tools in here will help you.”

     “Thank you…” Leslie whispers as he loads everything into the back. Jenni suddenly bursts into tears, pulling all of them into a big hug. She had known these kids since they were babies, and she was deathly afraid for them. Tony closes the trunk quietly, gazing over at them.

    “You’ve gotta go now…Jake, do you know the way through the back roads?” Jake nods.

    “Then get outta here…” The teens jump quickly in the car and Jake speeds off, heading towards the dark abyss of the curvy roads.

     “How long do you think it’s gonna take us?” Dustin looks over at his brother.

    “No longer than forty-five minutes. Watch for patrol…” Jake orders.

     The two girls sit in the backseat in horrified silence. Both were afraid but knew this might be the only chance to see their parents again. Leslie tried all day to call her mom and dad, but the blaring busy signal mocked her attempts to gain contact. She was ready to see them, feel their arms around her, know that they were alive and well.

Thirty minutes later, Dustin breathes a sigh of relief when the city limit sign comes into view.

“Slow down, Jake…” He says.

“I’ve got this!” Jake argues as he slows down the speed of the vehicle.

The city is desolate, the roads are empty with a few abandoned cars on the side of the road.

“Look out!” Leslie exclaims as a helicopter flies dangerously low to the road.

“It’s fine…we’re fine. Where do we go first?”

“Your mom’s office…the pharmaceutical company…it’s the closest” Cami says, quietly. Jake pulls off on the exit, slowing down to a stop on the side of the road.

  “Jake, we gotta keep going, Man!” Dustin says.

  “What if…what if mom is dead?” Jake asks tearfully.

   “Jake don’t think like that…everything will be fine…we’re gonna be fine” Leslie whispers, an inch of hope in her voice. Jake looks back at her nervously and she gives him a small smile. Finding a little bit of bravery from her encouragement, he slowly drives the car towards Melton Pharmaceutical company, unsure of what they will find when they get there.   

 

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.

********************************************************************************

     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.

*********************************************************************************

     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.

********************************************************************************

     “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.

     

Quarantine: Stories from the Inside (Intro)

Part I: Trapped Inside

It has been a month since the CDC has warned about a potentially deadly virus that causes delusions, paralysis and, eventually death. Many rumors are swirling around about the origin of the disease: some say that the NGE virus was manufactured and was released in an accidental exposure, others assume that this is a form of biological warfare. Whatever the cause, the residents of a small mountain town have been fortunate enough to avoid infection, and they intend to keep it that way. Therefore, the town has required that everyone stay inside their homes, coming out only for their weekly grocery shop every Friday morning. Because no one knows if the virus is airborne, the residents are required to wear masks and dispose of clothing worn outside. Hazmat crews from the next town over immediately burn all clothing worn by residents during their grocery shopping appointments on Fridays. Even though this seems extreme, it is this way of the law that has prevented the residents from contracting the virus. The residents still have electricity, water, and even luxuries like cable and internet. However, sitting in the house and hoping for this epidemic to finally be over has exposed some skeletons, true personalities and intentions of some in this tiny town. Each part of this series will feature a household of this town and give a sense of reality to their quarantined lives.

Household 1: Jennifer and Antonio Rossi

Jennifer and Antonio have been married for 10 years and have three children: Angel (6), Margaret (Maggie, 7), and Tony Jr(9). Jennifer is the town’s only dental hygienist and Tony runs the local garage. They are considered one of the families that are better off than their neighbors. Despite this, Jennifer (Jenni) and Antonio (Tony Sr.) are well-liked in the town. They are friendly to their neighbors and participated in numerous volunteer activities before the virus hit. They are managing to keep their household calm by keeping the kids occupied with various activities, but both are fully aware that things could go left any second. Tony has slowly started stockpiling their cellar with food and weapons, citing the events he’s seen in the metropolitan areas. Jenni is not thrilled with his stockpiling but tolerates it, as long as the kids and the rest of the town aren’t affected.

Household 2: Holly Lane

Holly is not a native to the town, but her downtown burger restaurant stayed full during lunch and dinner time. She is highly involved in the community, even volunteering to cook meals when the quarantine first came about. The town heads suspended her services once the virus took over the nearby metropolitan areas. She still did what she could, donating all the unused meat, veggies and bread to the needy. Holly doesn’t mind helping, but she’s a little resentful of the mayor, Kenneth. After their relationship fizzled, he seemed to be highly motivated to piss her off at every turn. Even when news of the virus first came out, he was nonchalant, citing that all viruses came and went. He frequently blamed the media for the anxiety of the townspeople. However, as the virus continued to spread and the horrific effects began to be filmed and shared, he became very quiet, not knowing how to meet the situation head on. He seemed to be even angrier that she had been right when she had warned him that this wouldn’t turn out well. She spent her time reading numerous research articles and watching medical videos indicating that this virus wasn’t going anywhere soon, and that the infected could easily make their way past the feeble blockades set up around the town. She could only quietly stockpile supplies, ammunition and keep her pick-up truck running and full of gas. She knows that everything will soon come to a head, and she is ready for it.

Household 3: Deidre and Mark Hammonds

Deidre and Mark are newlyweds, having only married this past fall, only to come to grips with the virus ruining their plans for a spring honeymoon. Deidre is a labor and delivery nurse at the local hospital while Mark is the head mechanic at Tony’s Auto Shop. Because Deidre works in the hospital, she has to participate in a rigorous disinfection procedure after each shift, even though there aren’t any cases of the NGE virus in the town. Mark understands, though he has asked her repeatedly to take a hiatus until this “virus thing” blows over. He strongly believes that the media is totally exaggerating this virus and doesn’t think there’s anything to prepare for even though his boss has been stockpiling supplies in the garage. Deidre, on the other hand, understands medical crisis and spends her time trying to convince her husband that this is not something he can take lightly. Since she feels like she can’t get through to him, she’s been secretly buying extra groceries and hiding them in the trunk of her car. She sincerely believes that when, not if, this virus hits the town, the aftermath will be devastating.

Household 4: Cami, Dustin, Jake, and Leslie

These four rambunctious teenagers have decided to stick together after all their parents, who commuted to the nearest city, never came back from work a few weeks ago. They are hoping that it is only because the city is quarantined, but, day by day, their hope dwindles. Luckily, their neighbors have made sure that they are taken care of until their parents return. Since Cami’s house is the largest, they stay there, initially cleaning out the liquor cabinet. Now that they haven’t heard from their parents, the partying has dwindled, and the doom of an uncertain future is like a dark cloud over their heads. Cami’s father is a doctor and single parent. As the only child, she is spoiled rotten and everyone knows it. Though she has her moments of generosity, she is usually out of touch with reality and doesn’t understand why her dad had to work those extra shifts at the hospital anyway. Dustin and Jake are adopted brothers. Their mother is the CEO of a pharmaceutical company and hasn’t been heard from since the virus first came about. She warned them of this and left them both with enough finances to last them a month. They are still frightfully anxious that the worst has happened as they haven’t been able to reach her. Leslie is Cami’s best friend though they are obviously mismatched. Leslie’s parents are both lawyers and initially went to the city to close their office once the city mandated a shut down in response to the virus. Leslie, unlike Cami, is humble and modest. She spends most of her days attempting to contact her parents and fending off Jake’s advances.

Overall, most of the citizens know that an imminent danger is approaching and are attempting to prepare in advance. However, there are some skeptics who are convinced that this is simply a “scheme” by the government to assert control over the population. The local doctors and nurses know that it is very real and are waiting anxiously for the day that their precious town will be hit. All they can do is make the townspeople aware of the damage it could cause…whether they believe it or not.