The Clock Runs Down: Half Past the Apocalypse

by Joe Kelly

  “24 hours” Sharon said remembering previous reports. “that’s the estimate, depending on the initial health of the patient.”

  Todd nodded then leaned close again. “what they aren’t saying is that every single person bitten develops a full blown case of whatever the hell this is. A 100 percent infection rate Sharon.”

  “I haven’t seen that on a report” Sharon said.

  “No you wouldn’t have,” Todd said. “the CDC clamped down on that, hell most of the lab reports in the last day have been done by that infectious disease unit camped outside. The one report that went through the hospital lab earlier pissed off the head investigator.” Todd would know she thought since he had been assigned to work with the team and taken off his other duties in the hospital.

  “I saw that one it was disturbing to say the least.” She said quietly.

  “don’t tell anyone that you saw that Sharon who knows what they might do, they are determined to keep a lid on this.” He paused and shook his head. “not that they can, too much is already out there and the rumors….” His voice trailed off. He sat there for a moment. “Go home Sharon and don’t come back till this is over.” Todd told her with a quiet intensity and real concern.

  She gazed at him for a moment and finally saw him as he was, he wasn’t really a letch just a social bumbler who had no clue and no filter, but he was also a good guy deep down. In a way she regretted having treated him the way she had.

  “Todd I know your worried, I am worried too but I have a responsibility here.”

  “Did you know that four patients in ICU have come down with it. Not one had been bitten.” Todd told her cutting off her protest. He didn’t come out and say it but the unspoken words were there whatever this was it was airborne.

  It was the worst fear of any Doctor, if passed by physical contact then it could be contained and eventually eliminated but airborne it could spread uncontrollably. God help us she thought. How many were already infected if it were airborne and how many had they bitten, even a few hundred in just Nashville could bite three or more people before being restrained then twenty four hours later there would be a thousand or more.

  She shivered for a moment, the VA normally could hold seven hundred patients and all those beds were occupied and they had been converting any space they could find to house the overflow they had been accepting from other area hospitals. There were already thousands of known cases and even more people whom they had bitten.

  How many more were out there and how much longer could the Government, state and federal keep denying there was an emergency.

  “I know you’ve never cared for me and I’m sorry for .. well being an ass but listen to me Sharon go home and do not come back. I probably won’t be coming back after this shift.” He admitted.

  “But the CDC.”

  “won’t be here, I overheard two of their doctors talking. They are going to pull out before dawn. They are scared Sharon, you can see it in their eyes and the way they avoid talking to us locals and if they are scared I am terrified.”

  “I knew it was bad, but…” she said quietly

  “think about it Sharon, we had eighty seven cases that we know of on the first day in this city and those eighty seven cases bit three to ten people each, some of those bitten turned in the hospitals and managed to bite one to five people while being restrained. Now think about what that means for some place like New York or Los Angeles. New York city reported almost two hundred official cases the first day, the CDC found out yesterday that the number was much higher in the homeless community of NYC and they bit a hell of a lot more people than the ones brought into the hospitals.

  Two hundred infected biting five people each, that’s a thousand people right there and then twenty four hours later the newly infected are biting five to ten more. Just going with five and the way those things are they probably bit a lot more but that gives use five thousand more by the next day, the day after that, which would be today, twenty five thousand of the infected are on the streets of New York and I can promise you that the numbers are higher. The estimate is for everyone case brought to the hospital there are five that were never reported for one reason or another.” he paused letting that sink in. Sharon stared at him in shock she hadn’t done the math before. Oh she knew that the area hospitals were maxed out, but the numbers hadn’t really sank in till now.

  “By this time tomorrow Sharon maybe earlier the infected will be everywhere in Nashville and they won’t be able to hide it or down play it. The worst part is it will be too late that’s why the CDC is pulling out.” He said almost gently seeing the fear that appeared in her eyes. “so go home right now, if this blows over, which I doubt, you can find another job. If it gets as bad as it looks to be there won’t be any jobs to hold for a long time afterwards.” He rose from the table leaving his meal untouched. “Please Sharon.” He said then turned and walked away.

  She watched him leave then pushed aside her plate and stood up. She’d barely had any work this shift so far and they probably wouldn’t. She jumped as an alarm went off and calls for a doctor and security came over the intercom. He’s right, she thought hearing the almost panic in the voice of the woman on the intercom. Good luck Todd, she thought. I will go grab my purse and head home but first I need to call Mark.”

  CHAPTER 3

  Jun 21st

  Ori’s house sat back behind a one acre pasture with another three acres behind the barn. Steve slowed as he turned down the gravel drive studying the field and the house. Nothing moved in the field and the house looked intact.

  With the news out of Nashville and reports of infected in this area, he had half expected to see shattered windows and a broken door.

  In four days the situation had gone from bad to worse. At first there had only been scattered reports and plenty of rumors with nothing to back them up making them easy to ignore or to pass off as just something normal if weird. Then videos had begun to surface on the net but no one had taken it seriously not then. The Feds and most state governments had at first made claims that it was mass hysteria or people Od’ing on things like Bath salts.

  Yesterday, reports of riots in several large cities around the world had begun to fill the internet and still the government message of this is nothing to worry about we have the situation under control had still gone out. Steve like his friends was a veteran and could smell BS at a distance.

  This morning there had been talk on some of the early morning shows that this might be some kind of biological weapon attack, the CDC had yet to confirm. There was no way any one could have coordinated a world wide attack in every country to start at the same time. Despite that it made more sense than a lot of other things Steve had heard.

  Four days and the world was upside down, Steve thought as he passed the house and breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Ori outside the barn loading his truck.

  He parked and climbed out pistol in hand. “I’ve been trying to get in touch with you” Steve said not hiding the relief he felt. “its gone to shit like you wouldn’t believe”

  “yes I would” Ori said heading back into the barn. “Jamie cline came by this morning” his voice was flat almost dead. “tried to call you but the lines were busy then I went into town to get Kelly.” Steve walked to the door of the barn, his eyes sweeping the area around him for threats. Funny how old habits come charging back when needed he thought.

  Steve didn’t have to ask about Kelly, from the tone of Ori’s voice and the fact that Kelly was not here he knew. “I tried to find her Steve, I did.”

  “I know you did Ori” Steve said wanting to assure his friend that it was all right Kelly would show up they were both to experienced to believe it and Steve was not going to offer false hope to a man he considered a brother.

  “She never answered her phone so I went into town to get her but those things were all over the streets and around her apartment some of them even came out the door of her building. There were just too many for me to get
out of the truck. So, I checked at the club and her aunts. Hell, her aunt wasn’t even home but the place had been wrecked.”

  Steve shook his head slowly refusing to hope that Kelly was alive. He and his wife Bridget had come to really like the woman, despite the fact she was a stripper.

  “let me finish loading the gun smithing stuff and I’m ready to do the bug out boogy.” Ori said determined to lose himself in whatever he could to push aside the loss.

  “Let me help” Steve said.

  “Stand guard, that will make me feel better.”

  “No problem” Steve replied not surprised with how easy it was to slide back into that mindset.

  Ori began to quickly pack up the last of the gear and carry it out his truck.

  Ori’s barn, a large modern metal building was part workshop and part Garage bay, with his gun smithing equipment set up along the north wall. An old ford pick up sat with its hood up waiting to receive a engine that still dangled from the hoist. A 351w 408ci ATK stroker V8 Steve thought, a pretty good choice for off roading. Off roading was one of the groups passions.

  “Heard from Jared?” Ori asked as he quickly packed gear.

  “No, I tried to call him and sent him a couple of texts, but his phone must be off. Mark called me this morning, Sharon came home from her shift at the hospital early. No matter what they are saying on the news its worse a lot worse. She told Mark that the CDC pulled out before dawn. NO warning, no nothing just packed up and left. She found out from a Lab tech that had been working with them.” Steve said as Ori carried a box out of the barn to his already heavily loaded truck.

  “Mark told me that Sharon said the last lab report she saw was really odd. Something about the infected have a coagulate in their saliva.”

  “Keeps their meal from bleeding out” Ori said offhandedly thinking about the rumors on the net about some of the infected eating their victims. He fell silent as he thought about Kelly.

  “What in the hell is going on” Steve asked aloud. There was no answer and probably never would be.

  “We go to Jared’s like we planned and figure it out from there.” Ori said heading back into the barn. For years they had talked often about what they would do if things went Tango uniform. It had really been more of a mental exercise for them, none of them had really believed that civilization would collapse, and it had been kind of a fun entertaining way to pass the time while fishing or sitting around a campfire.

  “That’s the plan, Bridget is picking up her sister and Mark is going to get Chris and Shelly and try to reach Damon, Rob and Diesel then head over to Jared’s. I managed to get Ronny on the phone, He was going to head into Nashville to get Mary then meet us there.”

  “Can’t blame him, but Nashville is going down hard and fast.” Ori said thinking of all the road blocks and infected he had seen while trying to find Kelly. “I’m surprised you let Bridget out of your sight.”

  “Almost didn’t, we had a big fight about it. But Carol lives outside of town and its reasonably calm where she is at.” Steve said still regretting bowing to his wife’s stubborn refusal to bend. “Just hope Jared is okay, I’m pretty sure he went to Allen’s gym and that’s over by Vanderbilt and the VA hospital.” Steve added. “deep into the city as it were.”

  “The Sarge will make it out” Ori stated as he picked up the last box and carried it out to the truck. he strapped the gear down then opened the door of his Chevy. “lets get moving.” For once Steve didn’t laugh watching the shorter man climb into his jacked up off road truck he only nodded and got into his own heavily loaded truck.

  As they pulled out of Ori’s property there were three infected stumbling across the back pasture.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  0930 Nashville

  Sunlight streamed through the windows set high in the wall, washing the room in bright warm light. Rows of students moving in unison worked their way through the latest Martial arts kata they were learning.

  Allen Spears, the Sensei, paced between the rows occasionally correcting mistakes and offer advice. He moved with an economy of movement and confidence coupled with the lean muscular frame of a man who had been active his entire life, short dark hair sprinkled with gray usually made people think he was much younger than he was.

  He paused for a moment watching two of his favorite students his lips twitched with something suspiciously like a smile. Sooner or later those two would stop dancing around the bush and date, he thought. he checked the clock that hung on the wall noting it was the end of the two hour session.

  “all fight folks, good job” he said loudly. His students didn’t bow, his classes were too informal for the traditional protocols. Having spent almost three decades in the US army and serving more than once as an unarmed combat instructor he had no real use for the niceties of the dojo. Of course he was training people to actually fight and defend themselves not put on a show like some American dojo’s did. That could be argued and had more than once, he told himself with some amusement.

  To be honest he was surprised that so many of his students had shown up today considering the news of the last two days. Even the Gym side of his building was busy. He had considered not opening up today, but the news as bad as it was hadn’t seemed bad enough to warrant closing for the day.

  As the rest of the class exited into the gym where the locker rooms were, Jared Stone and Jill Montaigne stayed behind. Which was not unusual, Allen thought. Both enjoyed sparring with Allen and picking up new techniques he was willing to share, and both used it as an excuse to spend a little more time with each other.

  He busied himself straightening up around the Dojo while Jared limbered up readying himself for a serious sparring session while engaging in small talk with Jill. Ask her out already Allen silent urged Jared.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever asked” Jill said as she picked out a set of fighting sticks to practice with. “how long have you been training?” if she had been forced to guess, she would have said he had been training since he was a kid, it was pretty evident based on his skill level and the number or styles he knew.

  “My dad enrolled me in Shotokan when I was ten. Found out I had enjoyed it and never stopped.” Jared replied.

  Jill was one of the prettiest women he had ever seen, standing at five foot eight with dark, almost jet black hair. She was athletically built but still retained her feminine appeal. It was her face that truly captivated Jared especially that soft smile and her sparkling deep blue eyes. She was by any but the lowest standards or Hollywood stick admirers, a knockout. But even more than the physical, she was intelligent and had a sense of self that drew him in.

  “looks like Allen is ready to spar” she said nodding towards the mats.

  “He is always ready to spar, he cheats too” Jared said tossing her a grin that made Jills knees go weak. Stop that, she chided herself. You have sworn off men for now and no grin is going to make you change your mind. But those arms, she thought.

  “good luck. You’re going to need it” Jill said with a light laugh.

  Jared walked onto the mat eyeing his friend and teacher who stood calmly waiting in the center of the mat. Allen grinned at him obviously up to something and enjoying the moment.

  ” Full contact or wuss with pads?” Jared asked. Sparring with Allen was challenging. Allen had been one of the top hand to hand combat instructors in the Army years before Jared had enlisted and had retired just before the Gulf War and was by far one of the most extensively trained martial artists that Jared had studied under.

  “What do you think would impress the young lady more?” Allen replied with another grin. Jared almost groaned so that’s what’s going on, Steve got to him or Bridget had.

  “Neither, she talks, but never seems interested” Jared replied with a slight smile, his eyes sliding towards Jill who was limbering up by the bags and the practice dummy. She moved with a casual grace that most women did not have and if he had to use one word to describe her it would have been Class.
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  “Ah, grasshopper, the mysteries of women can only be learned with many boots to the head over long periods of time” Allen replied as Jared started laughing.

  They had been good friends for five years now. They had worked to maintain the proper roles in class so that it wouldn’t appear Allen had favorites. If anything, Allen was usually harder on Jared than any other of his Students. Jill had stayed after class often enough over the last four years that she knew the two men were friends but as far as Jared knew of had never said a word to any other student.

  “You sir are a total idiot and have watched to many bad martial arts movies” Jared said with the easy familiarity of friendship as he stepped onto the Mat. Allen shook his head in mock despair at such rudeness then smiled hugely.

  “For that I will introduce you to my foot many times till you surrender” Allen said with a laugh as they bowed to each other. There was no humor from the moment they came up from the bow. Despite Allen’s age and the years of training Jared had under his belt, most of their matches either ended in a draw or with Allen wiping the mat with Jared.