Z Poc: The Lodge

by catt dahman

  Dana tilted her head, thinking.

  This was a little strange.

  Dana said, “The skin is broken just a bit, right here. It’s a bit puffy and red already. Wash it at once with hot water and antibacterial soap, and then go the the front desk and ask the person there to call the nurse from the lodge, and she’ll apply antibiotic cream and maybe prescribe antibiotics as well. Human bites can become infected easily because we have so much bacteria in our mouths.”

  “Oh, that is it. The bitch is gonna pay for this. Antibiotics and shit are gonna cost me, and she is gonna pay,” Rudy bellowed.

  “It may sting, but it should be scrubbed out. Just wash it really well.” Said Dana as she swung her body between the furious father and the scared mother and said again to wash the bite and go to the front desk. The woman took Nina and skittered away. Rudy was complaining loudly and pointing his finger at a woman and two small girls.

  “You are going to pay up, Missy. It was your kid who bit mine.”

  “I’m sorry. Your little girl…she’ll get treated. Please….” The mother of the two girls said. “It’s just important that she is seen right now in case there is any infection. I, I am really sorry.”

  Peri thought those words sounded odd. Why would she mention infection when the bite was minutes old?

  “She is getting checked, but you’re paying,” Rudy was still yelling.

  The woman who had first said something and whom he had called a queer lesbo shook her finger at Rudy, “You should have more concern for your child than worrying about the money. Calm down. You’re upsetting everyone, and it seems to be well handled with an excellent nurse right here.”

  “Thank you,” Dana said.

  “Shut up, ya fucking shag-gagger,” Rudy yelled.

  Peri held her arms up asking for peace and wincing at his words. There was no reason to yell at anyone. “That is enough. Stop the yelling, and stop the name calling.”

  Like an instant replay, Hank, Norman, and Jerry stepped off the porch and confronted Rudy. Hank spoke calmly at first, “Now, Mister, there are families all around…children…and woman…and I don’t appreciate hearing that kind of talk anyway.”

  “What?”

  “I’m saying knock it off. Concern yourself with calming your kids and taking care of the wound. There’s no reason to name-call and curse,” Ricky added.

  Rudy’s face was bright red with anger.

  His brother, who looked just like Rudy and was named Thorn, puffed out his chest. “You aim to do something about it, ya dumb jungle bunny?

  Ricky was shocked at first: Jungle bunny?

  “Hey, you big oaf, that’s enough,” Hank said. Dana giggled at that term.

  Rudy took a wild swing, and Hank could smell that the man was drunk. He took him down in a neat headlock. As the brother, Thorn, lunged, Jerry and Norman stepped up and grabbed his arms, locking them behind him. “No fighting,” Norman ordered.

  “Stop it,” Peri hissed at the brothers, “Act like adults. We’ll call security if you don’t stop. You’re upset about your child but settle down, please.”

  “This is the second time you have caused a scene. Each time, you disrespect people. We’ll be here a full week, and I will hate to have to kick your ass daily for being a jerk. Clean up your act, and stop talking trash. Have you got it?” demanded Hank who was furious.

  “Fuck you,” Rudy said.

  “Slow learner,” Hank said and popped Rudy hard on the back of the head.

  “Hey!”

  “I said to stop it. We don’t act this way with women and children around. Have you got it or not?”

  “Okay. Okay. Whatever.”

  Hank let Rudy go, and Norman did the same with Thorn. The brothers were angry but didn’t seem to want to fight.

  Hank pointed to the lodge, “Why don’t you check on your little girl?”

  “I’m gonna. And then, I am gonna sue.”

  “Well, sue later,” Norman said.

  “I am gonna sue you, too. And you,” Rudy pointed to the men, “and maybe you,” he pointed to Dana.

  “Me, too,” Peri muttered.

  Rudy, his frightened son, and the other family hurried inside the lodge. They were just bullies who turned tail and ran when beaten. They shot the others some hateful looks but kept their heads down and left the area to be with the rest of the family.

  The two women who had been lying on the lounges dropped hands and began clapping. Peri found herself and saw her friends clapping as well.

  Ricky, Norman, Jerry, and Hank blushed.

  “One thing I can’t stand is a bigot,” Jerry said.

  “And a man abusive to women and kids: physically or verbally, that’s uncalled for,” said Hank as he shook his head.

  “My hero.” Dana slipped an arm through Hank’s arm.

  Peri smiled at her friend.

  After checking out the hot springs again and splashing one another, the group walked west to see the lake. They tried to ignore the incident that had caused the drama. The springs were beautiful, and the lake was nice, well kept and clean. Peri pulled Dana aside for a second, “What is this? Wow, do you have a fast crush?”

  “He’s a veterinarian, and he’s smart and a gentleman, and he’s so cute. I like him. I liked him the second I saw him.”

  “Well, fantastic. I hope you and he fall in love and see each other when we leave. A veterinarian. That’s pretty cool. I like him, Dana, and he just looks at you as if you hung the moon.”

  Dane nodded, “Me, too. Hey. Norman likes you, it seems. Girl, he owns a cattle business, and he’s cute, too. He’s a really nice guy and single.”

  “But he probably picks gals up in the bars night after night and dates strippers when he swears he is faithful; don’t get me going,” Peri stammered, remembering her last relationship and how she discovered the dark side of the man she was dating. She had been furious and hurt.

  “He isn’t Tim, Peri. Give him a chance to screw up before you hate him, huh?”

  Peri laughed.

  If a guest didn’t like the hot springs, there was a beach for swimming in the lake. The management had brought in a lot of sand to add to the floor of the water and to add more to the beach. The soft white sand was nice and clean because of the sand and was clear and maintained. It certainly didn’t have a common muddy, dirty bottom.

  As they walked, they found another place they would enjoy later in the week. A pool was in a sunny spot, and kids could slide from the second story of the lodge right into the water. Already a few were racing up the outside stairs, leaping out of the lodge, and sliding into the pool. The indoor pool was plain, marked with lanes for laps, and stacked towels and a laundry bin for wet towels were on one side.

  Close to the lake were the deep and round, stone fire pit and benches for story time, crafts for kids, marshmallow roasts, and sing-a-longs. The benches were smooth on the seat but roughly hewed on the sides and set into lines around the pit. Rocks lined the circle, and located in the center was a big pile of chopped logs, ready to be lit on fire.

  Further southwest was an archery range, a half-barn for woodworking and more crafts, and tennis courts were to the far west.

  The group toured each spot and spent time enjoying the scenery.

  Behind all that were a small river and bluffs that seemed carved. Beyond the lake were a swamp and forest and then the lower part of more small, mountain bluffs. To the north were more tall bluffs, and to the east in front of the hotel about a half-mile, a gully dropped into the river.

  “This place is like being on our own little island,” Rhonda said. “We’re going to get some more drinks and check out the lake a little more. Don’t wait up.” She was holding hands with one of the men. Peri thought his name was Jason, and he was not her usual type at all; he was clean cut, smart, and clean-shaven, and Peri was thrilled.

  Maybe she had found a nice man. Peri hoped Rhonda didn’t get too loose with Jason.

  Jason slid Rhonda a wad
of bills, asking her to get a pitcher of margaritas or whatever she wanted and glasses while he grabbed a blanket, “Going to star-watch,” he said with a smile and a blush.

  “I think peach daiquiris would be good,” Rhonda said.

  Jason nodded, “Yum, Sounds perfect.”

  Peri and Dana traded glances. Rhonda always found men, wherever they went, and this time, like every other time, she was moving way too fast. Later, she would be dejected and ask why men never called her for dates and bemoan her single status. No matter how many times they told her to go slow with men, she rushed.

  Hank leaned in a whispered to Peri and Dana, “You don’t have to worry. He’s a perfect gentleman and just finished seminary school.”

  Peri and Dana smiled. How funny. Rhonda may have met her match.

  “We’re going to get a bottle of wine and check out the springs,” Shan said. Jerry, Bristol, Jack, Mira, and several others standing around decided they would go as well. Everyone went to collect towels, swimsuits, wine, and glasses.

  The rest of the group came to join them.

  “You should hear what’s up in the lobby,” Connie said, “this man is really loud, and he demanded the nurse come at once. He’s the one from earlier today.”

  “Rudy,” Peri and Dana chorused.

  “Exactly. Okay. Well then he said they were leaving, and the guy at the desk who also does security here and is pretty cute; he is named Dave Dallas, and doesn’t that sound like a porn movie name?”

  “And?”

  “And the name doesn’t even sound real. It sounds as if he is some dirty movie star and….”

  “What about that family and security?” Dana asked, flummoxed.

  Connie tried to tell Dana and Peri everything, “Oh, well. They said no buses run at night and that the nurse said there was no need to be worried. But the little girl was howling about her arm, and I couldn’t see much, but it looked extremely swollen and purple.”

  “I just saw her less than a half an hour ago. Swollen? Come on, I may need you fellows, but I want to see that bite again,” Dana said and Peri, Hank, and Normal followed her. “Maybe I missed something, but now I’m curious… okay…nosy. That doesn’t sound right to me. Is that okay?”

  “We’re with you. Lead on,” Hank told Dana.

  Luckily, the father, Rudy was still at the desk complaining, so Dana was able to get to the little first aid station easily without having another run-in with the man. The nurse, Susan, was glad to have another nurse to bounce ideas off of, and said, “Take a look. I have never seen anything like it.” She was a military nurse assigned to the project to work at the lodge but knew nothing about the experiment.

  Susan was told the situation but was mystified as she looked at the wound. It didn’t make any sense to her, and she wasn’t sure how best to treat the child. A bite shouldn’t look that way after less than an hour.

  “I may not know either, but together, maybe we can figure it out,” Dana said.

  The bite mark was pitch black against purple, her skin was swollen, and the bruising discoloration ran down to Nina’s fingertips and up to her shoulder. Nina said she felt terrible, and the basin was full of vomit. Nina kept vomiting and crying a little. Dana watched as the nurse drained the wound, pressing a huge amount of yellowish, stinking pus from the little hole. She told Nina, “You are really brave not to cry loudly.”

  The amount of infection was staggering; the wound was not old enough to have that amount of infection. Period. The pus smelled wicked, too; it was a stench of death, dead mice, and roach infestations.

  Nina cried only a little with the pain that had to be immense, but then, when asked, she admitted the throbbing had lessened a little. Dana was still shocked that a full tablespoon of infection had been pressed out of the bite, shrinking the lump. That amount was impossible to fathom.

  “It’s not possible,” Dana remarked. Her first thought was blood poisoning and then flesh eating bacteria, but it wasn’t that. It was if something were invading the skin and filling it with infection and then leaving it with holes. Dana was blank on guesses, but it looked serious. A bite could not cause this reaction.

  “She’s got a fever and complains of a headache, dizziness, nausea, and a stomach ache.” Susan sighed, whispering. “I have her on antibiotics for the infection, but she’s not responding yet, but it’s too soon to know. I told the person at the front desk, but he said there was no shuttle this late. It’s an emergency, I said, and he said no.”

  “But….

  Susan nodded, “I know. She needs to be in a hospital and fast. I don’t know if this is a virus, bacteria, fungal, but I know a bite can’t do this, so it could be anything, and it reacted to the bite, but then maybe it was the bite. I just don’t know. What do you think? You saw the infection I pressed out.”

  “Maybe something else? I have no idea, but it’s serious,” Dana added.

  Peri spun, and everyone followed her this time, as she walked to the front desk. Rudy had given up yelling at the man at the desk and made his way to the bar. Peri addressed the desk clerk, “That child needs emergency treatment. The one who was bitten? She’s very ill and needs a hospital.”

  “I’m sorry. Peri, is it? I’m sorry, but no shuttles are running.”

  “Then call 911. Get an emergency copter up here. She doesn’t need a shuttle. Get her a medical evacuation.”

  David Dallas was prepared for this. He thought it would take longer before they had an outbreak and guessed Major Reid won this part of the bet. It was easiest to be honest, “You noticed the smell and onset of high fever? We are quarantined. I don’t want the guests panicked, so keep it to yourself. Nina will stay in sickbay, and no one will be any the wiser, but seriously, we can’t get out now. Not until the quarantine is lifted. It’s just standard procedure, really.”

  “Quarantine? We are what? You can’t be serious.”

  “I am. It’s very serious, and there is nothing I can do.”

  “Quarantine?” Peri repeated as if the word were unreal to her, “It’s a bite.”

  “Yes. This is normal.”

  “It is not,” Dana said angrily. Her face was going red with fury, and Hank patted her arm to calm her. “It’s not airborne. It’s may be water borne or body fluid borne. There is no reason for a quarantine. Take her out, and no one else will get infected. Logic.”

  “I have my orders. Period. They issued a standard protocol from a physician. The other child will be isolated as well. The bite is infectious, and there is nothing we can do. It’s one person, and you can go on with your vacation, no one will know there was a quarantine in a few days.” Well, that part was very true.

  Peri tilted her head, “You sound faintly military.”

  “Guilty as charged,” Dave said. “Do you want two hundred and fifty people in a panic, fearful of nothing at all, trying to get down the mountain and plunging into gullies or getting lost in a swamp? They’ll stampede. Leave it alone. The experts are on this. A panic would be more dangerous than anything. That father…Rudy, imagine two hundred and fifty like that. It would be chaotic, and someone would be injured.”

  “Fine, but why? Why be scared of a bite? It can’t be airborne, so why are we quarantined?”

  “They are being very careful. We can’t do anything about it.”

  “Why won’t my cell phone work? Does yours?” Peri demanded.

  “No, Peri, and neither does the Internet; we are officially cut off from all news and media until we are clear.” I mean we didn’t last even twelve hours; it’s unreal. Dave said this to himself.

  “What?” Peri demanded.

  “I mean everyone just got here, and we’re under quarantine. It’s scary, huh? Look, there are no shuttles and no emergencies evacuations, and we are under quarantine, and if we could get out, which we couldn’t, I doubt we’d get far.”

  “But that child is ill.”

  Hank frowned, “I’m not some brilliant person here, but nothing adds up. How can a chi
ld be bitten, which is common with little kids anyway, and get that sick within an hour, and then we are already under quarantine and how would you know that?”

  “I called for medical via my superiors, Sir. The people who run this place, my bosses, they explained carefully that we were not allowed to leave.”

  Peri slapped the desk hotly, “I don’t think they have the authority. A bunch of hotel managers? I bet the police would see this as a crime. If that child…you know…then I would bet it’s at least manslaughter.”

  David Dallas looked at Peri with full concern, “I am sorry. I have sympathy for the child, but there is nothing I can do. As for control of the situation, that would be the US Army. Again, please keep that quiet as we don’t want to panic anyone. I’d hate for your loose lips to cause people to panic and run right off the bluff or something.”

  Peri felt her jaw drop.

  “Army? What the hell?” Hank muttered, “and why is the military in charge of us or of you? Of a hotel?”

  David Dallas shrugged but didn’t answer.

  Finally, he said, “We will do all we can as far as security and trying to help people, but we can’t take the infection outside of here. Our goal is to keep as many people safe and healthy as possible.”

  “We. You don’t mean hotel people. You mean Army people. Damn. You are such a jerk, Dave Dallas. Whatever your name really is,” Peri snorted.

  The warm relaxing feelings from the margaritas seeped away, and Peri felt chilled. Without a word further, she went back to the first aid station and pulled Dana and Susan to the side so she could tell them what she knew. She was so angry that it was difficult to calmly relate the information to Dana and Susan, without calling Dave Dallas names as she spoke. Both women stared at Peri as if she were speaking a foreign language, unable to believe the news.

  “Quarantined,” Dana shook her head.

  “Here, scrub yourself,” Susan ordered Dana, handing her a bottle of alcohol and wipes, “and all of you wash up, and don’t come in here. I am going to lock down this place, and if anyone else gets sick, then I can treat him, but if this is something else, I can’t attend him. Do we know what it is? How can Dave Dallas say that and not explain what this is? What a jerk. What is it?”