by Jack Hunt
WHEN GABRIEL REAPPEARED, he put a finger to his lips and motioned Ella in with the other hand. She frowned and wondered what the hell was going on. He led her down a corridor to the stairwell where Tyrell was waiting. As they went up three flights of stairs, Tyrell told her that they saw some security guard covered in blood, and two more dressed in industrial masks. They weren’t sure what was going on but they wanted to make sure they got in and got out quickly.
Once they made it inside the residence, Tyrell grabbed up some of his clothes and began stuffing them in his bag. As he was doing it, the door behind them burst open and Ella immediately stepped back. Whoever it was looked terrible. His eyes were bloodshot, his nose was running, his skin was pale and he was groaning.
“Tyrell.”
Tyrell poked his head out of his bedroom and his eyes widened. “Noah?”
“I feel like shit, man.”
Ella had left the masks back in the truck along with the gloves. She pulled at the back of Gabriel’s top and they stepped back until they were at least ten feet away from the guy who had now touched the walls, and had put his head down three times and sneezed. Fortunately for them he had covered his mouth with his hand. The moment Tyrell caught sight of him he told him he needed to go to the hospital.
“Nah, I just think I’m gonna turn in for the night.”
Tyrell kept his distance and slipped past him. They all looked equally shocked.
“Where you heading?” Noah asked.
“Oh, um, gonna pay my folks a visit.”
“Who’s this?” he asked before clutching his stomach.
“This is Ella.”
The guy extended a hand but all Ella could do was shake her head. He stepped forward closing the gap to about eight feet. “Noah, keep back,” Tyrell said.
“What’s that matter?”
“Have you had your head under a rock?” he replied.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He coughed into his forearm. “I’ve been at Nicole’s place all night. I completely missed classes today.”
“Noah, was Nicole not feeling well last night?”
“Well, yeah, she had the sniffles but that was it.”
“You slept together?”
“Why are you asking me that?”
Gabriel started moving around the room and Ella stayed behind keeping her distance. Without a mask, she kept her top over her mouth. Noah appeared to be the only one who didn’t know what was going on.
“You didn’t watch the news last night? Or hear about the containment in Manhattan?”
“No, should I have?”
Tyrell glanced at them and motioned for them to get out. Gabriel was about to reach for the door when Ella pulled him back. At first he didn’t realize what he was about to do but she did. She had grown up around this kind of thing. Her entire life had been about avoidance. While other kids didn’t think twice, she had it grilled into her from an early age. That’s why she was kicking herself for leaving the masks in the truck. Instead, she went into the kitchen area and grabbed a new plastic bag from under the counter and placed it over the handle to open the door. Slowly Tyrell started backing up towards the door to join them. All the while Noah looked at him like he was insane.
“Noah, you need to get checked out. Call an ambulance. Get to a hospital now!”
“I’m not going anywhere, I’m exhausted.”
The last sight of Noah they caught was of him entering his bedroom. They quickly sprinted down the hallway for the stairwell. How many others had been infected unknowingly? How many others in the residence would be infected?
It didn’t matter. All that mattered now was getting the hell away from there.
When they got to the bottom of the stairwell, they rushed to the exit. Gabriel went to use his foot to open it but it was locked.
“Use your Storm Card. Some idiot must have closed it.”
Tyrell swiped his across the black box on the wall but instead of the light turning green it just remained red. He tried again, then again. “It’s not working.”
“Let me try mine.”
Gabriel fished around in his jacket for his wallet and pulled his out. Same result. It wasn’t responding. They were locked in.
FIFTEEN
Ella was in a panicked state when he answered the call. At first Frank couldn’t make out what was going on. She was speaking so fast. For a moment he thought that the guys she’d gone with had done something to her.
“Slow down, Ella, what is going on?”
“Security has locked down the residence because several students have contracted the virus and one of them has died.”
She seemed distracted as she spoke with him. Every few minutes she would ask a question to someone nearby.
“Can you get out through a window?”
“Maybe earlier. By the time we realized they had locked the doors it was too late. There are police and ambulances on site now.” She paused and he could hear the fear in her voice. “Dad, I’m really scared.”
“Okay, okay, um, let me think.”
He was at a loss for what to do.
“Have you all been grouped together?”
“No, I’m in Gabriel’s room right now. They’ve told us to stay inside.”
“Have you asked if you can leave?”
“They won’t listen. The entire residence has been cordoned off by police and there is a CDC van outside now.”
Frank slumped down in his chair. How could this get any worse? On one hand, there was a chance if they weren’t infected and they stayed inside the room they might be able to ride it out but after listening to what Kate had to say, he didn’t think anyone was going to be able to ride this one out. The campus itself might become the next quarantine zone under the charge of FEMA. Frank could feel the weight of it all bearing down on him heavily. His chest was tight at the thought of what he knew he was going to have to do.
“Just hold tight, Ella. I’m coming.”
He was about to hang up.
“Dad.”
“Yeah?”
“Hurry.”
He nodded. “Just sit tight.”
As soon as he hung up he went straight over to the table and shook out a few anxiety pills into the palm of his hand and washed them back. He headed upstairs to his bedroom and pulled out a bug-out bag that he’d created several years back and tossed it on the bed to give it a quick once-over. In some ways, he had Butch to thank for that. His continual going on about needing to be ready had stuck with him. Though his bag wasn’t exactly kitted out with everything that Butch had recommended. It was more of a deluxe pandemic kit filled with multiple N95 respirator masks, goggles, gloves, three Tyvek suits, antiseptics, disinfectant liquid, thermometers, probiotic supplements, medicine for coughs and fever, anti-diarrhea pills, electrolytes for emergency drinks, facial tissues, biohazard bags, vomit bags, laundry detergent, portable radio, a water filtration system and some of the basics that might be useful for making a shelter and starting a fire, ration bars, MRE’s, lighting and a knife.
He zipped it up, lugged it downstairs and headed into the back to let the others know. Sal and Gloria were watching the TV and sitting on the edge of the couch while their two children knelt on the floor playing on their electronic devices. He had to wonder how long electricity would last. Eventually he assumed it would all go to shit once the country buckled under the strain and succumbed to the virus.
“Where you heading?”
Frank’s eyes darted to the TV before he replied. The news reports just kept flooding in and each time they did, it didn’t look any better. “I’m going to collect Ella. She’s stuck at the university. Police and the CDC are on scene.”
Sal rose to his feet. “And you just think you are going to walk in there and ask them to release her?”
“Well I have to do something.”
Sal nodded but he didn’t look convinced. In all honesty, he wasn’t too sure about what he was going to do when he got there. He figured he
could slip in and get her out. With police and the National Guard already spread thin, how hard could it be?
“So you think you can handle it?”
It might have seemed like an odd question to ask but Frank knew what he was getting at. Of course it had been at the forefront of his mind ever since he had got the call. In many ways, it was like asking a burn victim to step back into the flames. He had a lump in his throat, and his skin was crawling at the thought of driving into the heart of a pandemic but he had to. If there was ever a time to face his fear it was now.
“Well I guess we’ll see. Look, there is the Glock in the basement. If you get any trouble don’t hesitate to use it. I’ll be taking the smaller boat, so you’ll still have a way off the island if needed, but I would highly advise against it.”
Sal rose to his feet. “Look, I’ll come with you, Frank.”
“No. You need to stay here with Gloria and the kids.”
Gloria flashed Sal a look as if to confirm that he better be joking.
“Look, it’s not the first time you have stayed with the kids by yourself.”
“Sal!” she stammered.
“You’ve got a gun, you know how to use it.”
“Barely. And what if those men come back?”
Sal stared at her blankly.
“She’s right, Sal. Besides, I would feel a whole lot better knowing that you were here with her. I can’t ask you to come with me.”
Frank started heading for the door. He could tell Sal was torn and if he did leave there was a strong chance that she would be okay. Right now they were probably safer than any other family. The only people who could reach them would be folks with boats and they were probably doing the exact same thing as them right now.
“I’ll see you both in a couple of days,” he said over his shoulder as he trudged off down to the boathouse. It was getting late in the day and the sun was already beginning to bleed into the river. Frank made his way along the short wooden dock and placed his duffel bag into the back of the small boat. As he did it, a wave of dread came over him. His heart began to beat faster and it felt like his throat was tightening up. He steadied himself against one of the wooden pillars and took a few seconds to let it pass. It was a panic attack. It was something that he was all too familiar with when faced with the prospect of confronting his fear and pushing out of his comfort zone. It’s just a truck ride to collect her, he told himself.
He stepped into the boat and prepared to engage the engine but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. It physically felt like he had reached a wall in his mind and there was no way through it. A bead of sweat formed on his brow and he wiped it with the back of his forearm.
You can do this. You can do this.
He tugged on the cord and the engine roared to life, a throaty guttural sound that churned up the dark waters. He began to shake his head. No, no this was all wrong. He killed the engine and got out of the boat and paced back and forth a few times. What was he thinking? She’d be fine. Wouldn’t she? In frustration he slammed his fist against the planks of wood that made up the boathouse. God, why can’t you do this? He pressed his forehead against the wood and willed his pulse to stop racing. Immediately, he pulled out hand sanitizer and smeared some over his face, around his neck and hands. His breathing was heavy behind the mask and his protective eyewear had begun to fog up from body heat.
He took charge of himself and stepped back into the boat and tried to trick his mind into thinking that he was just taking a trip into town. That’s all this is. Going to pick up a few supplies. You’ve done this before. The engine spluttered to life again. Two minutes, five minutes passed as he sat there staring into space, running through the routine in his head like some math equation. His lips moved ever so slightly and yet he said nothing. He powered off the engine a second time, and repeated what he had done before. This time however, Sal appeared at the opening of the boathouse.
“Having a little trouble?”
Frank was on his knees asking God for strength. He cast a sideways glance and exhaled hard over and over again as though he was hyperventilating.
“I’m fine. Just…” Oh who was he bullshitting? Sal knew him better than anyone else. He’d seen his rituals; he’d seen his breakdowns and crazy behavior. There was little that slipped past the man. Physically, Frank was stronger than Sal, but mentally Sal could run rings around him. Perhaps that’s why their relationship worked so well, maybe that’s what would keep them alive through this shit storm.
“What you got there?” Frank asked, noticing a bag in Sal’s hands.
Without saying anything he approached the boat and tossed it in before stepping down and putting in a rifle. “I’m going with you.”
Frank shook his head. “No you’re not.”
“I’ve already talked it over with Gloria and she’s fine.”
“Fine?”
“Okay, she’s mad as hell but it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve slept on the couch.”
“Sal.”
“Nope, you are not talking me out of this. It’s already been agreed.”
“You’ve got kids,” Frank muttered still in a kneeling position.
“And mine are safe, yours isn’t. So let’s go fix that.”
Frank stared down at the knotted wood and shook his head slowly.
“And what happens if those men come back?”
“You ever seen Gloria pissed off?”
“No.”
“She’s a strong woman. She’s got the Glock and you saw her shots today. She’ll be fine. Now stop your bellyaching and get in the boat.”
Frank squeezed his eyes shut. “I can’t.” He swallowed hard.
“You want me to go get Ella?”
“No!” he shot back.
“Then get in the boat.” There was a pause as if he were waiting for Frank to respond. “Listen, Frank, there’s nothing to this. You’ve done this countless times. You remember the first time I helped you to take that first step outside of your house?”
He chuckled. “How can I forget it?”
“Well it’s just the same. Nothing is going to happen that you don’t want it to. Push beyond those urges. Are you going to let those urges stop you from reaching Ella?”
“No, but…”
Sal leaned forward to offer his hand. Frank flinched.
“She could die, Frank. Now it’s time to kick that fear in the ass and push through it. I know right now it looks like a wall, it feels like prison bars but it’s not real.” He paused. “It’s not real,” he repeated it again. “Now just get in the boat. That’s all you need to do right now. Nothing more. Just get in the boat. I know you did it because I heard the engine.”
Frank breathed deeply and hauled himself to his feet and stepped back in. The boat bobbed a little under his weight and he braced himself against Sal’s shoulder. “That’s it.”
Sal then started the motor and he saw the look of anxiety cross Frank’s face. “Let’s do this.”
He eased the boat out to open water and then guided it towards the mainland. River mist sprayed up, and waves lapped against the edge as they headed towards the first leg of the journey.
“Frank, I know you’ve been beyond Clayton to the Walmart. I saw the bags inside. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Frank shrugged.
“That was all you, Frank. Whatever you did, do it again for another thirty minutes, then again for another, then another and before you know it we will be there.”
“I know. That’s what worries me.”
He clung to the side of the boat, white-knuckling it. Strangely he had no fear of water, or of falling in, but people, coming in contact with those who carried all manner of germs — that clawed away at his insides.
AS FRANK TIED up the boat to the dock, they could hear sirens and see a large fire in the distance. Whatever was going on in Clayton wasn’t good. They hurried to the parking lot scanning the area for trouble. Thankfully, whatever was going on was far from the marina.
Frank’s truck was still there in one piece, and so was Sal’s vehicle.
“Hold up a minute,” Sal said heading over to his car and fumbling around inside of it before returning to the truck.
Frank squinted. “What’s that?”
Sal hopped up onto the leather interior and placed a packet of unopened cigarettes in front of him. He didn’t respond.
“You smoke, Sal?”
That was news to him, he never smelled of cigarettes.
“I used to, now I just keep a pack on me. Therapy. In a strange way by having them nearby I don’t feel the need to have one. I know, it sounds odd. Most would say if the temptation is not in front of you, it’s easier to resist but it works the other way for me.”
“Well that explains everything,” Frank said smirking as he turned over the ignition. Though Sal’s exposure and response prevention therapy was commonly used among psychologists working with people who struggled with OCD, Sal had also taken Frank through several unusual ways of dealing with his fear of germs. Some had him shaking his head. Sal called it alternatives, new forms of therapy that he was testing. Frank called it fucking crazy.
The truck crawled out of the parking lot on to Hugunin Street. Frank was going to head down to James Street, hang a left and then follow the road out of town. However, it didn’t take them long to discover where the fire was coming from. After hanging a left and heading south, they noticed the Sunoco gas station was on fire. Several fire engines were parked outside, police were stopping vehicles and turning them back around to follow a detour.
An officer flagged them to one side, and Frank brought his window down. He noticed that the officer was wearing a mask, all of them were.
“What happened?” Frank asked.
“Not sure, sir, we are redirecting everyone back to Union Street. If you need to head out of town, you will need to use John Street and then go east on State, then take a right on Grave Street.”
Frank nodded and Sal leaned over from the passenger side, making Frank feel super uncomfortable. “Wyatt, is that you?”
“Sal Hudson. Hey, what are you doing? Where’s Gloria?”