You knew right away, the tip was correct. Joe had been there. Not only was the place clean, there was a bag of snacks on the table, and Joe’s bag was placed by the edge of the couch.
Jimmy said down and waited for his father to return.
It wasn’t long. The front door opened, Joe stepped inside with a look of shock.
“What the hell are you doing here? Joe asked, calmly.
“We need to talk.”
“I get it,” Jimmy said, hands folded as he sat on the couch across from his father. “I really get it. I do. I have been in your shoes. Many of us have. You want to run, but there’s nowhere far enough to run from the pain. You want to scream, but you can’t scream loud enough. I lost a child before the plague, and I woke up, after being put in some cryo sleep I didn’t ask for, to find out I lost the rest of everything I loved. And I’ll tell you, it didn’t make a damn bit of difference. In fact it was harder after the plague because I had no one. No one. You do.”
“I know.” Joe breathed in and then exhaled loudly. “It’s Robbie.”
“And I grieve my brother. I envy all of you for having the years with him that I didn’t. And this Frank shit, it has to stop.”
Joe raised his eyes. “I know.”
“I bit my tongue.”
“No you didn’t.”
“Okay not always. But Frank loves you. He looks up to you and for as hardheaded, dumb and annoying as that son of a bitch can be, he has the best and biggest heart of us all. He doesn’t nor didn’t deserve how mean you were to him.”
“I know.”
“We have twenty-four hundred people, a good twenty-percent are children. A lot, I mean, a lot are women. They joined our side, we need to integrate them. We know from them an invasion is going to happen. You need to sit down with the leader and talk to him. Man to man. Like I said, I get that you want to run away. Hide from the world. Dad, you can do that, okay … but after. I’m not even talking after the Great War, I’m taking about after things settle. Take a few days. Go. See the countryside, it’s safe now.”
“You’re right, I need to work with the new people.”
“And that bacteria brought back from the future,” Jimmy said. “As much as we love him, my little brother may have started the next great plague.”
Joe cringed. “How bad is it now?”
“Over sixty are in the bacterium stage,” Jimmy said. “We can beat that with antibiotics. Hit it, beat it before the virus takes hold. Because once that does, there’s no going back, there’s no cure, as we know.”
“Do we have antibiotics that will work?”
Jimmy shook his head. “No. And that is the point of the meeting tomorrow. There’s a big meeting. You need to be there.”
“What’s it about?”
“How to best go back in time to get the antibiotics from the past, that’s the only thing that will stop this. You have to be there. You have to be present in this community.”
“It ran fine without me before.”
Jimmy nodded. “It did. But that was when Frank ran things as well.”
“As in he’s not doing anything?”
“Oh, he’s doing something. Aside from telling everyone he’s unemployed now and trying to get benefits, he’s training his clone to be like him.”
“Christ. Why?”
Jimmy shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
“Make sure he’s at that meeting tomorrow. If he gives you a hard time about it because he’s unemployed, tell him he needs to be there to qualify for benefits.”
“So this means you’re back.”
“I will come back and do what I need to do. And Jimmy, I won’t do it so angry.”
“Good.” Jimmy reached across and grabbed Joe’s hand. “Why don’t you take tonight up here, it’s nice.”
“I’ll do that. Let me ask you a question. How did you know I was here? I said I was leaving.”
“Get this,” Jimmy said. “Frank started a search for you. Set up a tip line, hung …” Jimmy choked on a laugh. “Pictures of you. Some with the word, ‘lost’ some with the word ‘missing’ spelled wrong.”
“Pictures?”
“A sketch. An artist age progression rendition.”
“You have to be shitting me.”
Jimmy leaned forward, reached into his back pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He unfolded it and handed it to Joe. “The flyer. One of many posted everywhere.”
Joe looked at the artist sketch. A step above a stick man. The round head was massively larger than the body, with stick arms and huge hands. In the drawing Joe wore a button shirt, his head was mere lines poking out only at the top. His eyes big with straight line eyebrows that arched up.
Joe smiled. “This is sweet. Alex did this, didn’t she?”
Jimmy shook his head. “Guess again.”
Joe grumbled and looked down. “Frank.”
<><><><>
Four more positive tests came back for the bacteria, and all Ellen could think about was, ‘I cannot lose another child.’
“It’s detectable almost immediately,” Lars told her. “Hours after the bacterium hits the blood stream there is a fever.”
‘I cannot lose another child’.
“This may not be airborne, but its particles are everywhere an infected person has been. They are, in essence, shedding it.’
It was mind boggling to Ellen that they were facing, yet another medical challenge.
“It’s tricky,” Lars continued. “It works against us and in our favor. While it moves fast, if it doesn’t attach into the blood, it dies off. Hours to attach. Hours to die.”
Was it even worth quarantining the sick? If it shed from the skin, and lived to find a surface, how much did they pass around?
‘I cannot lose another child.’
“There are exceptions to the rule,” added Roy. “Hank was genetically altered to be a walking infection fighter. He gets it, his blood kills it. Marcus, Chaka are LEP, they excrete something that kills the bacteria right away. As does Frank. And …. For the time being, because she is carrying an LEP, Jenny has these resilient abilities.”
Ellen listened to them explain it to her again, for the fifth time, as if she wasn’t grasping it. Maybe they thought that because she often dazed out, because her mind was consumed with the fear of losing another child.
But she did listen. She listened to it all, and all of it plastered her when she came up with the idea.
They are, in essence, shedding it.
Hours to attach. Hours to die off.
Its particles are everywhere an infected person has been
Hours to attach. Hours to die off.
Jenny has these resilient abilities.
Hours.
Jenny.
A brief glance at her watch, and Ellen knew what she had to do.
Quarantining the infected was a way to stop the spread, but quarantining the healthy was away to ensure survival.
“I know you have a lot on your plate,” Ellen said to Andrea as they walked quickly from the clinic. “You know with Joe missing and all.”
“The Lord will bring him back safe and sound. They don’t suspect foul play.”
“That’s good.”
“Did you run this by anyone?” Andrea asked.
“Nope. No one in authority, but it doesn’t matter. There’s no time. Right now, Jess, Doyle and Tigger have been out at New Town for over twelve hours. None of them are symptomatic, which means, right now, they aren’t contagious.”
“New Town? I heard it was called Twenty-Four Hundred,” Andrea said,
Ellen shrugged as she walked briskly. “New Town is what I call it.”
“I like it better.”
“Me, too. Anyhow, they have been there. Haven’t left and no one new has gone to that town. At least no one from any of our provinces.”
“Which all have people infected.”
Ellen nodded. “From Robbie’s funeral.”
“That makes New Town a safe zone.”
“And we’re going to keep it that way.”
“Have you talked to Jenny?” Andrea asked.
“I did. Her and Forest are fully aware, Jenny has agreed. Jess is onboard to stay there.”
“We should be good, right?”
Ellen nodded. “Yep. It’s been two and a half hours since recess. They haven’t left the building.” She caught her breath when she and Andrea arrived at the school.
“Daycare?” Andrea asked.
“Four in there, including Nick. Hap knows. He locked the doors. No one gets in or out.” Ellen held up her finger when her phone rang. “Frank. Did you find it?”
“I got it,” Frank answered. “It runs.”
“And it’s been in that garage for two weeks?”
“Probably longer.”
“Now this is important. Has anyone been in it other than you?”
“Chaka and Hank. We’re here.”
“Good. No one. I mean absolutely no one else other than you three get in there or near it. Understood?” Ellen asked.
“Yeah, El, why do you need the bus?”
“I’ll explain when you get here. Just fuel it up and bring it to the back of the school. Thanks.” She hung up.
“So we have it?”
“We have it. Two and a half hours since recess, another half hour to be clear, we wait one more hour after that, if none of the kids show sign of infection, we move them out.”
“Ellen, we’re taking every child in Beginnings, without really getting permission and driving them a hundred miles away. You don’t think there’s going to be trouble?”
“No. No, I don’t. I mean, we’re protecting them. Keeping them safe and alive.” Ellen exhaled and looked at the school. “I can’t see anyone having a problem with that.”
SEVEN
“What the hell do they mean there’s a riot in town?” Joe charged out of the trailer, Jimmy behind him.
“Dan from Security put a call out for all available men, stating a riot in town. That’s all I got.”
Joe grunted. “So much for staying away until tomorrow’s meeting.”
“Dad…”
“Something is going on if Dan is calling out. Get a hold of Frank, find out what the situation is.…”
“Frank’s not working. I told you that.”
Joe stopped. “You told me he was running around saying he was unemployed…”
“Yep. You fired him.”
“And it’s the one goddamn time he listens to me. No wonder Dan is going nuts. Okay, then get Hal, have him head there. Call Danny Hoi, make sure he’s on hand until we arrive.”
“Dad, we can handle this. Why don’t you stay up here?”
“No. No.” Joe got in the jeep. “Maybe this diversion is something I need.”
“As if what happened this morning wasn’t?”
Joe paused and looked at Jimmy. “I didn’t head into that with the mindset that I needed a diversion, I headed into that with the mindset that I was going to show Frank how wrong he was.”
“That’s not right.”
“I never said it was.”
“So you think this is bad?” Jimmy asked, getting into the jeep.
“Nah. It’s probably something stupid, like someone saw an alien. I mean, how bad can it be?” Joe asked. “It’s Beginnings.”
<><><><>
Hal was finally on his way back to Bowman and had made it just three miles when he received word that he needed to turn around and return. It didn’t take him long to get back to Beginnings, and as soon as he neared center town, he parked his jeep.
At the end of the town square he could see that people were gathering.
“What in God’s name is going on?” Hal asked.
“Looks as if they’re yelling,” Elliott replied.
“Not a riot as we were told, but close enough.” Hal stepped from the jeep and lifted phone, dialing. “Frank?”
“Oh, hey, Hal.”
“What are you doing right now?” Hal asked.
“I’m not working if that’s what you mean.”
Hal huffed. “Frank …”
“I’m unemployed. But I am available to hire. Under the table of course.”
“Of course. What are you doing at this moment?” Hal asked.
“Right now? Sitting here with Chaka and Hank. A little post training R and R. Probably gonna take a ride in the next twenty minutes.”
“Can I get you to help with something?”
“Can it wait until I get back?”
“I need you now.”
“Are you hiring me?”
After a grunt and huff, Hal replied, “Yes. Yes. I will hire you. Ten Danny Dollars.”
“Under the table.”
“Whatever that means. Yes. Can I get your help? There’s a problem at the school.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m already here.”
Hal simply hung up when he heard that.
“Everything okay, Captain?”
“No, Elliott it is not,” Hal placed his phone in his pocket. “I hate him.”
Hector had his hand folded in prayer fashion, the tips of his fingers brushed under his nose as he stared at Ellen, the crowd noise growing by the second “I’m trying here. I’m trying to understand,” he said calmly. “Please explain to me why you have taken every child in this community hostage.”
“I’m not holding them hostage, Hector.”
“Then let their parents have them. Let me have Nick.”
“I can’t do that. I’m trying to save them.”
“Save them from what?’
“Ellen.” Danny rushed to her, and in a seldom seen state, he was frazzled. “Why do I have every parent in town screaming at me that you won’t let them have their kids? They were supposed to be out of school an hour ago.”
“I get that. I know that. This is what has to be done.”
“What is she talking about?” Hector asked.
Danny shook his head. “I don’t know. Ellen …”
“El.” Dean hurried to her. “What are you doing?”
“I have it all ready,” Ellen said. “I’m moving them out.”
Danny shrieked. “Moving the kids out?”
“Yes,” Ellen answered.
“Okay,” Dean said calmly. “I get what you’re doing. I do. And in theory it’s a great plan.”
“No!” Danny said. “It’s not.”
“Yes, it is,” Dean told him. “But, El, come on, isn’t this out of the blue?’
“It is,” Ellen replied. “But every day, every hour that we wait is one more chance they will get it.”
“Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.” Hector lifted is hand. “Get what? Is there something we don’t know about?”
“No,” Dean said.
“Yes,” Ellen replied.
“El,” Danny said. “We will tell them.”
“Tell us what?” Hector asked.
Ellen looked at Hector. “Robbie went to the future. He brought something back.”
“Ellen,” Danny interrupted. “We’ll let everyone know in due time.”
“We are out of time!” Ellen shouted.
“Ellen.” Hal stepped into the fold;
‘We want our child!’ someone shouted.
‘Let us have our kids.’
“What did she do to them?’
Hal cringed. “Ellen, why is my brother sitting in a bus behind the school with Chaka and Hank keeping everyone ten feet away.”
“Because he’s getting ready to take all the kids.”
“Take them where?” Hal asked.
“New Town, or that Twenty-Four hundred camp.”
“What!” Danny screamed.
“Ellen, what are you thinking?” Hal asked
Dean answered. “I know what she’s thinking. And it’s a good plan, but we needed to run it by the parents first.”
Ellen shook her head. “Right now is a perfect opportunity.”
Hector raise
d his hand. “Ellen, I don’t know what is going on. Do you feel this is the best chance for Nick?”
“Yes. Yes I do.”
“You’re his mother, I’m his step father,” Hector said. “I’ll go with your wishes.”
“Thank you.”
“But someone …” Hector looked at Danny, then Dean and then Hal. “Needs to let these people know what is going on. Let all of us know.
<><><><>
Jimmy pulled the jeep just a little closer to the school than Hal had parked. When Joe stepped out, he saw Elliot on the steps of the school by the door, and a crowd of people not only trying to get in there, pushing and shoving, but they bombarded the nursery where Dan stood on guard.
“Stay here, stay back,” Joe told Jimmy. “In case there are problems. What the hell is going on?”
No sooner did Joe step from the jeep, everyone rushed his way.
Voices, multitudes, blasted in his ear, yelling things, one on top of each other.
“Joe, we want our kids.”
“They have them hostage.”
“Joe, they won’t let them out. They’re crying in there.”
“Dean did something to them, I just know it.”
“Enough!” Joe blasted his loudest. “Enough!”
Silence.
“Everyone just pipe down and keep it that way.” Joe yelled. He heard the name ‘Dean’ and looked around, sure enough, he spotted who he believed were the culprits. Ellen and Dean. He moved through the crowd and approached the pair who stood with Danny, Hal and Hector. “Are you two responsible?” Joe asked them.
“Yes,” Dean answered.
“He isn’t,” Ellen said. “This is all me.”
Joe nodded. “Anyone know where Frank is?”
“Apparently,” Hal said. “He’s sitting in a bus behind the school ready to be a getaway driver.”
“But not on security detail,” Danny added.
“Joe,” Hector said. “I heard you fired him.”
Joe’s hand went to his face in an attempt to stay calm.
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