by Jack Hunt
Miles looked to Nate who was near Wayne by the main doors. Both of them were peering out the window through a stack of chairs. “When she came in here last night, she didn’t look that way. Now, I don’t know how this spreads or if this spreads at all but what we do know is that once a person has contracted this, the body changes and the person exhibits aggression within twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Now until we know more, we need to quarantine that group.”
“Including me?” Abe asked.
“The depends, how are you feeling?”
“I don’t want to kill you if that’s what you’re asking.”
Miles snorted. “Headache, chills, fever, sores, rashes, muscle and joint pain. You got any of these?”
“Yeah, a pain in my ass but that comes with the job.” He chuckled but Miles was serious. “No… I… I feel good.”
Word had spread pretty quick. Some were covering the lower half of their faces with torn sections of clothing as if that might somehow protect them. If it was an airborne virus, it would be too late.
“So what do you think?” Abe asked.
Miles frowned. “Why does it matter what I think?”
“You’re a doctor.”
“How do you know that?”
He gave a nod toward Jenna.
“Oh. Well. Slightly different doctor. I’m a medical entomologist.”
“A what?”
“My work is the scientific study of insects and arthropods and the impact on human health. Basically how insect-borne diseases can jump species and what threat that could pose.”
Abe stared back at him with the same deer in the headlights expression that most got. It was usually followed by questions like: how did you get into that? Or why did you want to do that? It wasn’t exactly what most specialized in when they set out to study medicine. The fact was he’d always been interested in the medical field and with the rise of diseases spread by lice, mosquitoes, fleas, bedbugs, ticks and mites, to name a few, it just seemed logical to explore solutions. In addition were the opportunities it could open to work with public and private universities all the way up to federal, state and local government. Many of his colleagues in the field worked for the military, more specifically the Department of Defense. The interest in hiring entomologists had only increased over the years as the military searched for new ways to protect troops from infectious diseases and biological warfare transmitted by insects. There was big money with the military, and with chemical companies searching for new pesticides that could decrease pest population. In fact that’s how he’d gained the attention of the Pentagon and been offered a job working in the Insect Allies program.
“And?” Abe asked.
“What?”
“What threat do they pose?”
“You tell me — dengue fever, malaria, bubonic plague, typhus, yellow fever, west nile virus, lyme disease.” He continued to roll them off. There were lots to choose from and even more were emerging every year. While many were treatable if caught early, hundreds of thousands of people died every year from insect-borne diseases.
Abe looked off toward the group of burners who’d re-entered the room. They looked nervous and huddled together. Everyone else kept their distance. “Yesterday, they mentioned insects on the playa. Do you think that’s what started this? That maybe they carried whatever this virus is?”
The conversation with Hal came to mind. “Look, deputy, anything’s possible. Dugway Proving Ground isn’t far away but that’s a giant leap at this stage to think they’re responsible, whether intentional or not. Besides, that wouldn’t explain the outbreaks that have occurred across the nation and in those cases there was no mention of insects.” Hal appeared in the doorway, looking perplexed. “Listen, Hal intends to go up to Black Rock City and find his daughter.”
Abe chuckled. “You’re joking, right?” Miles shook his head. “You know how absurd that is?”
“I know. Thousands of people.”
“Yeah, it would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack and after what’s happened…” He looked over at Hal. “It would be suicide.”
Miles shrugged. “Trust me. I tried to talk him out of it but…” He looked over to Wayne. “Crawford apparently has weapons at his mother’s home. They’re planning on going over there before he heads up to the playa.”
Abe shook his head. “Let me talk to Hal.” He turned then said over his shoulder, “And Miles… we’ll restrict access to the burners for now. Until we see what happens.”
Miles gave a nod.
He walked over to where Jenna was sitting while Abe wasted his breath. She was still trying to get through to her mother and stay updated on the situation in Baltimore. A useless endeavor but a mother’s instinct was always to protect her own and Jenna was no different. “You’ll drive yourself crazy, Jenna. Take a break.”
“As long as I have a phone, I’ll keep trying.”
Miles slumped down beside her.
“You okay?” She asked.
“I just watched my friend kill someone. So no, not really.” He shook his head. “Talking about phones. Do you have mine?”
“It’s in the SUV.”
He tilted his head. “Great.”
“Why? All we’re getting is busy signals.”
“I know, I was just hoping I could find out if Donnie sent me a message but… that would require access to the server. Ah, forget it.”
“You think it has something to do with this?”
“You’re the third person who’s asked me. After the CDC shut down the lab last year for safety concerns, Donnie said many of the projects were set back. He’d been complaining that they were feeling rushed to provide a solution. So my answer. I don’t know.”
Jenna nodded. “I’m worried, Miles.”
“I know.” He held her hand tight.
“Some of the people in here are talking about leaving. They’re nervous that if they stay they might catch whatever this is.”
“They might be right. That’s why Abe is going to separate the burners from us today.”
As he said that, across the room the exchange between Abe and Hal became heated. “I’ll be right back.” He tapped her leg as he got up and went over just as Hal walked away from Abe.
“I see those negotiation skills of yours are paying off,” Miles commented as he walked past him with a grin. Abe just shook his head. “Hal, Hal,” Miles said calling out to him as he caught up.
“If you’re trying to change my mind, don’t bother. I’m going. I told you that.”
“I know. Okay. But you’ve got to listen to reason. We have no idea how many are out there, or how this is being transmitted. You need to think rationally.”
“Rationally? You expect us to just stay in here and wait for the cavalry?”
Miles jabbed a finger at the ground. “We need to keep our distance.”
Hal looked at the burners. “I think we’re a little late for that.”
“Well you let them in.”
His eyes widened. “You know, Miles, thirty years have changed us.”
He turned to walk away.
“Hal.”
Hal whirled around and jabbed a finger at him. “My kid is the only one I care about in this damn world. I’m not asking for you to understand, though I thought you would. But I’m going.”
“It’s suicide,” Miles said. “You won’t even make it one street.”
“He might,” Grady said from behind them. They turned to see him walking toward them with a drone in one hand. “While browsing the school last night I found this. I figure it might come in handy. It can give us eyes in the sky before he sets out.”
Hal snorted. “Well there we go.” Hal brushed past him to pat Grady on the shoulder. “Good man. How do we use this?”
As Grady began telling him, Miles looked over at Jenna and then at Hal. “I’ll go with you.”
“No one is forcing you.”
“I know.”
“Anything happens, Miles,
it’s on you,” Hal said.
Miles nodded. “Just give me a second with Jenna.”
Hal went over to Wayne while Miles tried to figure out how he was going to explain this to her. She could tell from the look on his face as he approached that all was not well. “You’re going with him, aren’t you?”
“I can’t let him go up there alone.”
“I know.” She rose to her feet and gave him a long hug. “You better make it back.”
“You have my word.”
He gave her a kiss and a hug before they parted ways. That was one promise he might regret. If it was bad in town, how much worse was it up at Burning Man?
While he was talking with Jenna, Nate had collected a few items for protection as Abe wasn’t handing over his gun again. “Here.” Wayne caught a piece of two by four. “Woodwork room. It’s not much but it will have to do for now.” Hal already had a strip of metal, where it came from was anyone’s guess. Miles was still packing the tire iron. They figured the best way out was to climb onto the roof and go along as far as they could and then drop down. They didn’t want to jeopardize the others by opening the doors. On the way out, Molly fell in step.
“Where are you heading?” she asked as they went through a doorway that would take them through a maze of corridors.
“To Wayne’s mother’s home.”
They continued walking.
“You are coming back, right?”
“I hope so, I made a promise.” He lifted the tire iron. “That’s why we’re going. He has guns, and lots of them apparently. Any other pandemic and I don’t see people doing this but with the way those people are acting outside, and Hal’s insistence on heading up to the playa, I don’t think we have much choice.”
“He’s going to the playa?”
“Attempting more like it. I figure we’ll make it one street over and be chased back. At least that’s my hope.”
“I’m coming.”
“No. You need…”
“I’m going,” Molly said brushing past him. He stood there for a second and then saw Jenna look over. Miles shrugged and took off before the situation got any more awkward. Once on the roof they made their way to the west side of the school. Grady turned on the drone and it rose in the air, letting off a low whine and buzzing noise. He monitored a small tablet device which gave him a bird’s-eye view of the town below. They watched as the drone hovered over homes and businesses in the immediate area.
“Anything?” Hal asked.
“Not so far. Looks clear to me. Let me just bring it around one more time.”
Miles had him take it farther out so they could see if the coast was clear.
The streets were empty.
“All right, bring it back,” Hal said. “That’s good enough for me.”
“If only there was some way you could communicate with us.”
“I’m afraid that’s all there was,” Grady said.
Determined to get going, Hal was the first to lower himself before the rest followed suit. Wayne was the only one with a piece of shirt wrapped around the lower half of his face.
It wouldn’t help.
Most viruses if they were contagious could enter through the eyes, and if airborne, they would have been exposed to it by now.
On the ground, they waited for Grady to give them the thumbs-up before heading out. Miles’ heart sped up as they sprinted from one corner of the building to the next. He looked back at Grady, waiting for the last sign that it was clear before they made a dash over to Cottonwood Street. Attempting to navigate their way through the town was madness. Crawford’s mother lived over on Grove Street which was at least a good fifteen-minute hike. They’d planned on running and reducing that to less than five minutes. All good in theory.
“Remember, keep your distance. If we need to split up, take shelter in one of the houses or make your way back to the school,” Miles said.
“Alternatively just head for the address I gave you,” Wayne added.
“Do you have an off switch, Crawford?” Miles said.
“Yeah,” he flipped him the bird and dashed forward eager to lead. The guy still hadn’t grown up. Fleeting memories of what Crawford was like in high school came rushing back. The way he would sling his weight around, and act like God’s gift to women. Sure, he could throw a mean football but that was where his intelligence ended.
Wayne had already told them what direction they would head in before they left. They were to go west on Sunset, north on Main, then west again on Del Ora Avenue. In theory it was straightforward, except they had no idea how many burners were in town. Grady’s drone only showed so much.
“Follow me,” Crawford said, acting like he was some special operative leading a team. Along the way they saw a number of burnt-out vehicles, one had been driven into a building and half of the interior was charred. In such a small town bodies were hard to see as there weren’t enough people, but he knew they were out there, somewhere, whether infected, dead or holed up hoping to be rescued by the government.
There was no easy route to reach his home, no matter which way they went they were exposed. Gerlach was in the middle of a desert so there was little to no tree cover. At first the streets seemed empty and hope rose inside them but that soon dwindled. They hadn’t made it more than a few yards up Main Street when burners came out of the woodwork — one, two, four, six, the numbers kept increasing. Besides rashes and sores on their skin, there was nothing about them that made them seem anything but human. But healthy individuals didn’t act this way.
What didn’t make sense was their attraction toward anyone that was not like them.
“Go, go,” Miles said, darting across the street behind a visitor center.
In the rush to avoid their pursuers, Wayne split off while Nate and Hal went another way. Molly tripped and her knees drove into the dirt. Miles turned back and clamped onto her hand and dragged her back up. They pressed on, dashing through rear yards, hauling ass over fences and cutting through someone’s home.
At some point near Fir Street, he knew they had no choice but to turn around and engage. Fortunately the group that had been chasing them had split off, leaving only two behind them. A female and male rushed forward and Miles sidestepped and smacked one as hard as he could in the face while Molly did the same with the next using a broom handle. When they went down they didn’t get up fast, they were genuinely hurt, in fact seeing them that way made Miles pause. One groaned, another cried out in agony pleading for help but Miles didn’t stick around.
They took off and managed to cut through two more homes before they heard someone call out to them. “Over here. Here!” Miles turned and saw someone beckoning them into a garage. They had the door up just slightly enough for them to see the woman. They darted over and rolled beneath the door just as the woman dragged the steel shut.
Seconds later, the sound of boots pounding asphalt could be heard as whoever else was following them rushed past the garage.
“Thank you,” Molly said looking to an elderly woman whose body was enveloped in darkness but her face lit up by a flashlight. Miles stood up and brushed grime from his clothes and squinted. “Mrs. Parish?”
“Miles Jones, wow, you have grown up.”
Molly gave her a second look. “No way. I didn’t…”
“Recognize me? I know I’ve aged. No comment.”
Mrs. Parish had been one of the teachers in their school, she taught math. Back then she was a lively woman that had zero tolerance for kids screwing off in her class. She’d been known to throw the odd chalkboard eraser if the occasion called for it. He’d never seen her do it but rumors circled.
She turned and beckoned them to follow her to the back of the double-wide garage. There, seated in a wheelchair with an oxygen mask on was a frail man. The years made it hard to recognize him but Miles figured it was Mr. Parish. Back when he was younger, he was a huge burly man, large bellied, a mechanic by trade, always seen with a cigarette in his lips. Now he loo
ked like an AIDS victim, skinny and wasting away, barely clinging to life.
“Mr. Parish.”
He didn’t respond.
“His hearing isn’t very good.” She gestured to some lawn chairs. “Take a seat.”
Nine - School’s Out
Panic. Helplessness. Fear. It all came rushing in, pressing down on his chest like a heavy weight as he watched the chase unfold from the eyes in the sky. He would have pushed the drone out farther and kept monitoring them but a scream from below caught his attention. Grady brought the drone back and set the tablet down and hurried back to the ladder that took him into the school.
Another scream, followed by glass shattering.
A gunshot, another.
As he exited the boiler room the gravity of the situation became clear.
Burners had managed to infiltrate the school — how, that didn’t matter now but one after the other he saw them scrambling through a broken window while Abe unloaded what rounds he had. His first thought was for his wife but cut off from the main gymnasium, all he could do was call out to the deputy.
“Abe. This way!”
Abe cast a quick glance over his shoulder before firing two more rounds into the heads of angry burners. Then he turned and bolted as fast as he could down the corridor as an ever increasing group sprinted after him.
Holding the door open long enough for Abe to slide in, Grady shouldered it immediately and they drove the lock into place. They stepped back and watched as the hinges buckled under the pressure of those on the other side.
Hurrying, they ascended the ladder and locked the hatch.
“How did they get in?”