The Beginning of the End (Book 1): Toward the Brink

by Craig A. McDonough

  Bronden skipped down the hallway. She had to notify the doctor before he entered the ER, not about the patient, but about the young nurse who might prove to be trouble.

  # # #

  Elliot sat on the deck chair by the pool, his head in his hands. There was no need for pretense anymore, and he sobbed openly. His mother was finally at peace. When required, Elliot stood firm as his father had asked. Both men got a chance to say goodbye. More importantly, they were able to express their love and gratitude to the woman who meant everything to them. Now was a time for reflection.

  Elliot understood all too well that cancer was a terrible curse on mankind and not only for the sufferer. His mom was finally at rest, and he was thankful for that, but that made it no easier on him—or his dad. He loved his mom, and he would miss her deeply.

  # # #

  “What was that I just witnessed?” The first year nurse confronted Bronden openly.

  “Not here,” Bronden said. “Come with me and I’ll explain.” She led the new nurse down the hallway to the first floor supply room. “Look through the boxes on the shelf like you’re taking inventory, okay?”

  “Yeah sure, I can do that.”

  “And what I’m about to tell you doesn’t leave this room, got it?”

  “I won’t tell anyone,” the young woman said to her superior, “but you better fill me in good because I can see you know about this, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I do, but I’ve never seen anything as bad as this one.”

  “Then tell me what’s going on. How can a woman give birth to a twenty-five-pound baby after only five months?”

  Nurse Bronden was pleased that she made no mention of the baby’s pig snout nose. She didn’t need reminding. “It’s the growth hormone that was developed here in Idaho and was used on the potato crops. We’re seeing the results of this untested hormone in Idaho because it was used for a full year here before the rest of the country. All the fries you buy are contaminated with the growth hormone,” she explained.

  “You mean that’s causing birth defects and premature births in Twin Falls?”

  “Not just Twin Falls but across the whole state and soon the country,” Bronden said. “There are also hundreds of cases reported every week of people vomiting a green bile that’s rumored to cause death to anyone unfortunate enough to get spewed on.”

  Bronden could see the effect her frank description was having on the young nurse, who was alarmed by such news. However, Bronden sensed she wasn’t quite satisfied with a few answers. She needed a killer punch.

  “When the doctor finished the delivery, he said, ‘I have a phone call to make. You know what to do.’ What did he mean by that?”

  Bronden looked through the window of the supply room door and checked to make sure no one was watching. This young nurse certainly had good ears. She would try and make her believe they were on the same side. It shouldn’t be hard; that’s why she was paid the extra dollars after all, wasn’t it?

  “When this happens, as long as the newborn survives, the protocol is to call CDC headquarters in Atlanta. They send a team over to pick it up. No paperwork, no questions, no problems. You know what I mean?” Bronden was hoping she did or at least was starting to. “And before you ask, I don’t know where they take them.”

  “Shouldn’t someone from the government or the police be informed?”

  “The CDC is a government body, and we have been told not to involve the police in these matters. Giving birth prematurely to a deformed child is horrifying to say the least, but it’s hardly a crime.”

  “But surely if a link between the growth hormone and the births could be shown, that would be enough for a criminal investigation, wouldn’t it?”

  Bronden could see that this young nurse needed more convincing; to see the secret government agents whisking children off into the night wasn’t good enough. It was time to put the fear of God into her as it had been done to herself not so long ago.

  “The thing is, my dear, the producers of the growth hormone own more than half of the potato farms in the country now and certainly all the large ones. They have controlling interests in all the fast food chains, the chip companies, the frozen markets, you name it. It has found its way into many other food sources through potato byproducts. Even the meat we eat will soon contain the growth hormone as the animals will be fed from a potato-dominated grain mixture. They have so much money and power that they decide who makes it to Congress, which judge gets elected; they even decide on who the local sheriff will be and which hospitals get the funding they need. Now, if normal people like you and I wanted to inform the law or make a public complaint, we would disappear like the deformed children.” Bronden raised her hand in front of the wide-eyed nurse’s face and snapped her fingers. “Just like that!”

  The young nurse visually flinched when Bronden snapped her fingers. Bronden was sure she got her point across. The experienced nurse kept an eye on her younger colleague as she left the supply room. When she was out of hearing range, Bronden made a call on her cell phone.

  “It’s me,” she whispered. “I had a good, long talk with her, and I’m sure she understands. She won’t be any trouble. I’ll keep my eye on her nevertheless.”

  She paused while she listened to her instructions.

  “Yes, yes I will. You can count on me.”

  Pleased with herself, Nurse Bronden went back to her duties. She wondered for a moment whether or not she’d sounded too enthusiastic then shrugged it off. As long as she did what was required of her, it didn’t matter how she sounded, did it? And she didn’t feel bad for lying because she had told the curious young nurse the truth … well, basically. She’d only left out that many doctors, senior nurses, law enforcement, and government officials were a part of the whole sordid mess.

  She got back to the nurses’ station when it hit her like a bucket of water in the face. How long before people start dying from this? she asked herself. And what will I do then? “Oh, my Lord,” she said aloud.

  Three

  Three months later, a calm had descended upon Twin Falls. A new school year had started, the weather was pleasant, and no deformed infants had been born. Hospitals, medical centers, and clinics had very few incidents of anyone displaying symptoms as before. The three friends that had spent their last close moments together at a burger joint had each started on new journeys. Allan was in college studying for his degree in network design. Elliot and his father had opened up their surplus store practically in the center of Twin Falls. The Goodwins had found the extra hours they put in at the start kept their minds occupied, and that helped. Roger, on the other hand, was not able to follow his desired course. He had been rejected by the Army on health issues, and his dream of becoming a deputy in his home town lay in tatters.

  Nurse Bronden, too, found she slept better at night. Less sick people puking up green or delivering deformed children had a way of doing that. Being able to resume her normal duties again was a key factor as well. She had begun to feel like a spy, a traitor, always checking to see if she was being watched or followed. By far, the biggest sigh of relief to be felt in Twin Falls, however, was from the owner of the pesticide company.

  # # #

  “Come in, Paul. You know Langlie of course.”

  Phillip Baer had summoned Paul Dennard, the chemical engineer for Baer Industries, to come to his office in Twin Falls to discuss the recent events plaguing the country which were attributable to the growth hormone developed by Baer and, specifically, Dennard.

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “Good afternoon, Paul. Can I fix you a drink?” Langlie asked.

  “Thank you, Langlie.” No one called him “Mister,” and if Langlie had a first name, no one claimed to know it. “I’ll have a Scotch and soda.”

  Langlie’s reaction to the choice of drink by the man responsible for engineering the growth hormone was one of surprise. Baer himself had learned long ago never to underestimate anyone. Never.

  �
�So, Paul,” Baer began once everyone got a drink and sat down, “what the hell happened, and what has changed?”

  “It was simply nothing more than the rejection of a new food type.” He took a sip of his drink then pushed his thick-rimmed glasses up before continuing. “That was the cause of the recent affliction.”

  “Affliction?” Langlie interjected. “You call tens of thousands puking up green sludge an affliction? What do you call the deformed children then? A slip-up?”

  “Langlie.” Like a boxing referee, Baer separated the two. “That’s enough now.”

  “Tell us what’s changed, Paul.”

  “Well, as I said, people weren’t used to the new food or the chemical, but,” he looked across at Langlie, “there have been no deformities in almost three months and very few reports of people vomiting green sludge of late.”

  Mimicking Langlie’s description was like waving a red flag in front of a bull. Baer was aware of this and raised his hand toward Langlie, effectively silencing him.

  “I think, sir, that from here on in, we won’t be seeing any more sick people or deformed babies. We can probably assume the worst is over.” Paul sat back in his chair.

  That was the bottom line Baer wanted to hear. He had been concerned that his multi-billion-dollar scheme would soon unravel at the seams.

  “That is good news indeed, Paul. Very good news. I couldn’t bear it if our product continued to be responsible for all the illness and suffering,” he lied. His two employees knew he had, and he knew that they did, but it was all a game.

  He thanked Dennard for being so candid and shook hands as he ushered him from the office. He waited a few moments before he turned to Langlie.

  “Well, the egghead says the worst is over, and considering how much things have quieted down, I’m inclined to agree. What do you think, Langlie?”

  Langlie was nothing more than an educated thug in Baer’s estimation; however, he was well educated, and his opinion in these matters was always appreciated.

  “I do agree somewhat, Phillip,” Langlie said. He was the only employee to call the boss by his first name. “The thing that worries me is that he said, ‘We can probably assume,’ and that doesn’t fill me with a lot of confidence.”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “Let me put a contingency plan in place in case things don’t go as well as our esteemed mad scientist believes. You know as well as I that if the public ever sees any pictures of those deformed kids and a link is established with fast food fries and our growth hormone, well … Let’s face it: Baer Industries will be well and truly fucked!”

  “What can we do about those children? The mothers all think they died in childbirth, don’t they?”

  “Precisely.”

  Baer saw the evil glint in his henchman’s eye. He remembered that was exactly why he’d hired this man and why he paid him so well.

  “Just leave those details to me; I’ll take care of it.”

  Four

  “Elliot! Hey, Elliot!”

  Elliot Goodwin was strolling through the car park of Blue Lakes Shopping Mall when he heard the female voice call to him. He turned towards the voice and was surprised to see his high school sweetheart, Cindy Baker, who stood next to a red Honda Accord not ten feet away.

  “Oh hi, Cindy.” Elliot looked a bit like a deer caught in the headlights. “How—how are you?”

  “I’m good, Elliot, but you know, I got sick of waiting for you to call.”

  The two had made quite the couple in the last year of Twin Falls High School. They’d planned on going to the graduation as a couple, but all that changed when Elliot’s mother died a week from the event. Cindy knew the family was close and gave Elliot time to grieve. When two months had passed and he hadn’t called, Cindy realized it was time to move on.

  “I know. I’m sorry; my mind has been elsewhere.”

  “Elliot, it’s been over three months.”

  “My dad suffered a mild heart attack about a month after the funeral. We had just opened the store, and we needed to establish ourselves. We closed it for two days; then I reopened and ran it myself. When Dad was feeling better, I let him answer phones but nothing else.”

  “I’m sorry, Elliot. I didn’t know about your father.” She lowered her voice and stepped closer. “That would have been another good reason to call. I have had experience working in a store, you know.”

  Elliot liked her a lot, and he knew she liked him even more, but the grief about his mother, the new store, and his dad falling ill all had taken a toll on him. He knew a relationship wouldn’t survive all that. He liked her too much to risk hurting her.

  “I’ll keep that in mind if I need help again.” He switched his weight from foot to foot awkwardly. “You look just as good as when I last saw you.”

  “I’m not going to let you off the hook that easy, Elliot Goodwin.”

  He was trying to think of something to say when a loud voice amplified through a bullhorn came to Elliot’s rescue.

  “What the heck is that?” he asked.

  “Oh, that’s the demonstration coming down Blue Lakes Boulevard. You hadn’t heard about it?”

  “No, I didn’t know anything about it. What’s it over?”

  As soon as she mentioned the target of the protesters was Baer Industries and its widespread use of the growth hormone, Elliot felt ice cold fingers of fear take a firm hold of his balls.

  “It was organized some time back,” she said, “and there are simultaneous demonstrations in other cities across the country. I’m surprised you didn’t know about it. You always kept up to date on current events.”

  “That was until my mother died. I haven’t had much interest after that.”

  “I’m so sorry, Elliot.” She reached out and grabbed his forearm.

  “Thank you.” He realized how much he’d missed her touch.

  “Elliot, I’ve heard the rumors about the growth hormone, but I’m not sure if I believe them or not. They’re too terrifying to be true. What do you know about it?”

  Elliot thought about it for a few moments. Should I tell her the truth or protect her from it? He decided on the former.

  “It is terrifying, and it is true. The purpose of the hormone is not to feed the world, Cindy, but to make a profit! Trust me.”

  “How do you know, Elliot? I mean, these people are claiming on the Internet that it’s responsible for thousands of people getting sick all over the country. They’re also claiming that deformed babies have been born then secretly whisked away by some government agency. Can you believe it? I mean, that just has to be bullshit, doesn’t it? If that many people were sick and disfigured kids were being delivered, it would be headline news, wouldn’t it?”

  “You would think so, but the media doesn’t always tell us what we need to know anymore. They tell us what they’re told to.”

  “What do you mean ‘told to?’ Do you believe the media is controlled by a higher clandestine power?”

  Elliot didn’t answer at first, but he didn’t shy away either. He was vehemently opposed to the insidious growth hormone and believed its use must be discontinued. He was embarrassed over his failure to call Cindy and had definitely attempted to avoid the fallout, but had no intention of backing down over this.

  “Of course, Cindy! Do you really think a government that had as its first priority the wellbeing of the people would allow things to get this far if there wasn’t another power behind pulling the strings?”

  “And who is that power, Elliot?”

  “That’s the easiest question you’ve asked. Money and the people who control it.”

  “All this caused by French fries … It’s hard to believe, Elliot. I’m sorry.”

  “French fries are the means. The cause is far greater.”

  Elliot saw that she didn’t understand his twist on words, but at least she’d stopped asking questions. He knew she hadn’t accepted his word, but maybe she was giving it some thought.

 
# # #

  The Twin Falls rally intensified as they neared the medical center, which was their rendezvous point. The Baer Industry offices were on the edge of the city, and the organizers felt they wouldn’t get enough exposure there. Besides, there was ample evidence that the medical center was complicit in the cover-up. The demonstration heading toward Filer Avenue was the least of the medical center’s concerns at the moment.

  Another outbreak had begun, only this time it was far more severe than anything previously seen. In a historical context, this could be labelled the defining moment when the human race’s journey to the brink of destruction commenced.

  # # #

  “My God, what in the hell has happened?” Nurse Bronden yelled.

  She had received a call late in that morning requesting her attendance at the medical center. She was told it was extremely urgent. She hadn’t been home long from finishing a night shift she’d done because of staff shortage. There was no time to eat. She made a thermos of coffee then dashed to the car. She was still in uniform, which saved her a few minutes. On her way in, Bronden thought it must have been a major car accident resulting in multiple dead and wounded and that a busy morning awaited, but when she ran into the ER doors, her jaw dropped and an empty ache started boring through her guts like a drill. The green puking illness had returned.

  “It started a couple of hours ago. They started coming in with complaints about stomach pains,” the nurse at the counter said. She raised her voice so she could be heard above the bedlam of the groaning sick that filled the entire area of the ER.

  She drew Bronden’s attention to the four teams of cleaning staff busy at work.

  “They started throwing up soon after,” the nurse screwed her face up. “A rank-smelling, green …”

  “Foamy bile,” Bronden finished.

  “How did you know?”

  “Never mind. I’ll tell you later.” Bronden looked around the ER. “Is Dr. Morrisey in?”