by Connor Mccoy
The former soldier waved him off. “No…” She straightened up, trying to clear her throat. “I’m…okay.” The coughing finally tapered off. “I just swallowed down the wrong lane…damn.”
Tom sat back down. So, that wasn’t the disease rearing its ugly head. “I wish I could go in there and talk to you,” he said quietly.
“I know, baby,” Cheryl said with a smile.
“Doctor Tran thinks the kids and I are immune to this thing. You were in the house with the virus for who knows how long and it didn’t spread to the kids or me.” Tom said.
“I know, but we can’t take the risk. And even if you all don’t get it, it still could spread to someone else, like Nadia or Obadiah, anybody who might come over.” Cheryl looked up at the tent around her. “This is the right thing to do.”
“Yeah.” Tom wanted to say so much more, that the kids missed their mother like crazy, that Tom missed having the warmth of his true love as he slept in their bed. But he couldn’t make her feel bad. She just was trying to protect them all by sealing herself off.
Cheryl, Tom thought. What’s going to happen if you don’t make it? I can’t make it through life without you.
“C….Car…perfect.” Tom stopped looking at the letters on the book spines and pointed at the old, dusty copy on the bookshelf. Sam pulled it out and stuck it in the box Michael was holding. “One Alice in Wonderland for Kristin and Jackie.”
Michael shook. The load was beginning to be too much for the small boy. “Sam, you better take that box.” Sam complied.
A box of books was much less trouble for the older, bigger boy. Not that Michael wasn’t starting to gain some muscle, to Tom’s delight. When you had to do a little work every day of the week, it had a way of building up even the smallest of Tom Criver’s children.
Free of his load, Michael now was allowed to look at the bookshelves around him. He seemed to have a particular longing for this place. It didn’t surprise his father. This library was their first home upon entering Eagleton. Michael was quiet, like Sam, but unlike his older brother, Michael was studious, a real reader and thinker. This library had been like a natural habitat for him. No wonder Michael wanted to come help Tom corral some books for the kids.
As they reached the end of the aisle, a pair of newcomers popped into view. “Hey, why are you taking the books?” one of them asked.
Tom smiled. The duo were children, two boys, probably around seven or eight. They were rather short. Obviously, they hadn’t hit their major growth spurts to take them close to pre-adolescence. They also bore a slight resemblance. He figured they must be siblings.
“We’re not taking all the books,” Tom replied with a smile. “I’ve got thirteen kids, including these two. Right now, we don’t get out very much. I thought I’d borrow some books for them.”
The answer seemed to make sense to them. “Okay,” the younger boy said.
“We’ll get out of your way.” Tom backed up a little. Sam and Michael got the hint and walked back toward the other end of the aisle. “You probably want to get in this section. Is there anything you’re looking for?”
“No,” the older boy said, “We just live here.”
Tom hesitated. “You live here?” The two boys nodded as if it was a perfectly natural thing to say.
Before Tom could question them further, Catherine leaned into view from behind a shelf, overshadowing the two. “Hey, Randy, Russ, come over here. Let’s not make Tom go all the way around you.”
The two children complied. “How about sweeping up the back corner for me, okay?”
“Okay,” said the older boy.
As the two ran off, Tom approached Catherine, his mind full of questions. Catherine seemed to anticipate them, saying, “They do live here.”
“Okay, next question. Why and who do they live with?”
“Me. I’m living here, too.” Folding her arms, Catherine flashed a look in the boys’ direction, confirming they were out of earshot before she spoke.
“I left there a few weeks ago. I couldn’t stand being alone without Rick. Besides, it was a tiny house anyway. We found it abandoned when we first came here. We never planned to stay there if we didn’t have to.”
“Okay. What about the—” Tom stopped and turned around.
“Guys, take that load to the front door and wait for me.” After Sam and Michael departed, Tom resumed his question. “What about the boys?”
Catherine winced. “Remember the Kellys?”
“Met them at one of the council meetings. They live in the next neighborhood over from me.”
“Not anymore,” Catherine said quietly, “They both died a few days ago from the disease. I brought their two boys here. Now I’m taking care of them.”
“Damn,” Tom replied, “That’s such a raw deal for any kids to go through. How are they holding up?”
“They’re having better days now, let’s put it that way. I think it’s just living around all these books. It helps them to escape.”
“Escape. Right now, I’d like Cheryl to escape from that damned tent.”
“How is she?”
“Fighting it. It’s just a matter of time before she beats it.” He said it hoping the words spoken out loud would make it reality, plus he was trying to convince himself. The terrifying fact was that nobody who had contracted the disease had beaten it yet.
As he emerged from the aisle into the open middle section of the library, he was struck by how quiet it was. Except for the two boys, he had not encountered a single person in this whole place besides Catherine.
“If you ever want to bring the boys over, feel free. My kids could sure use the company, and I know Cheryl would love to see you again.”
“That would be wonderful.” Catherine slowly paced down the middle aisle.
“I might as well. Actually, I don’t think anyone would notice if I packed up and left for a whole week. Nobody comes here anymore. People are too afraid to come out and bring their children here. It’s like every house is an island now.”
“Was it like this when Volhein was holding us prisoner?” Tom asked.
“Worse. We still moved around town. We still talked. This is far worse.”
Tom stopped before he got too close to the front door. Sam and Michael were chatting near a bookshelf, oblivious to the adults in the room. Good. Tom wanted them to remain that way. Better that they not pick up on adult concerns any more than they had to.
“It’d be a damn shame if we kicked out a whole invading army but got sacked by a bug,” Tom said quietly, “Well, I’m not letting it happen.”
Chapter Thirteen
Lee Issacson’s house was small, rebuilt from a home that had been mostly destroyed by a fire. It never had become as big as it should, as the virus panic had caused the construction to be cut short. Only Lee and a few friends managed to put up the last wall to make it livable again.
Tom nodded to Lee as he walked in the front door. He slowly made his way through the living room, which opened up to a small dining room and the kitchen to the left. The dining room table already was filled with a few regulars—Jake Connors, Ian Andrew, and their latest friend, Ricardo Castillo.
One chair remained empty—Simon Terrell’s.
The men already had poured drinks in their glasses. The burning orange flames of nearby lanterns and candles kept the room lit. Tom sat down to a waiting glass. The group then toasted the memory of Simon.
Tom took a deep swig. Damn, he thought. We were surrounded by tons of gunfire and made it out, and then he gets taken down by a damn virus.
He glanced at the four men in the room. This was the latest in a line of get-togethers among these men. All of them, save Ricardo, had fought the NATO soldiers. While many of the surviving men decided not to dwell on the brief war to retake Eagleton, this particular bunch opted to meet for drinks and chatting among men. Since Tom had lost some good friends to Major Volhein’s invading force, he was eager to seek some new company. For a while, it
seemed to work.
But then the disease came to town. It already had claimed one of their number, Ronnie Patrick, and his wife. Their kids had been taken in by Jake. Now the mystery ailment had struck down Simon.
By now, Tom had turned the discussion elsewhere. He leaned down and picked up his bag. “Ricardo!” Then he passed it across the table. “As I promised, fresh lettuce, carrots and apples.”
Ricardo smiled. “Thank you!” He took it and put it beside his chair. “I am sorry to keep imposing on you, but I know so little about farming and, unfortunately, not many people are in the mood to help lately.”
Jake sighed. “I do have some good news. Well, good for you, anyway.” He chewed on his thumbnail a little before continuing. “The Andersons’ garden is fully grown. You could go over there and pick it for anything you want.”
“They would let me have anything in their garden?” Ricardo stood up out of his chair.
“Sure. They’re not living there anymore,” Jake said.
“What?” Ian blurted.
“Holy shit,” Tom added.
“It’s true,” Jake said, “They packed up and left, all of them. They did it early this morning.”
“But where the hell would they go?” Ian asked.
“Anywhere but here, I guess.” Jake sipped on his glass. His eyes narrowed. If a man could drink angrily, Jake was doing so right now.
Ricardo sat back down and slunk back in his seat. “I-I could not take from their garden.”
“You might as well,” Lee said, “Actually, you probably could move there. It’s a bigger house than what you got, and if that garden isn’t tended to, it’s just going to rot away and die. It’d be much better if you went there, believe me.”
“Hey, Ricardo,” Tom spoke up, “How’s your ammo? If someone else hears the Andersons’ property is up for grabs, they might decide to pay you a visit before they know it’s taken.” Then he turned to the other men. “You could have looting.”
Ian chuckled. Tom frowned. “What the hell is funny about that?” Tom asked.
“Looting?” Ian picked up his glass and shook it, bouncing the liquid inside.
“Tom, people are too scared to go into their own gardens, much less go and try stealing someone else’s food. They think certain death is lurking inside every fruit and vegetable. They won’t even cultivate their own gardens anymore.”
Tom was incredulous. “That’s insane. What will they eat? What happens if their gardens die?”
“Many people had gathered canned rations from the NATO supply tents,” Jake remarked.
“That’s not going to last forever! God knows we’ve probably gone through more than half that stuff by now,” Tom replied, “I know people are scared, but common sense has got to break through here. If we don’t grow our own food, we’re dead.”
“Tom, fear and common sense rarely go together.” Lee chuckled.
Tom stiffened up. He could not accept this. Their town was going to commit suicide if this kept up. “Maybe we should call a public meeting, get the town council, tell people to wake up and start fending for themselves.”
“Forget it,” Jake said, “Sarah, Daryl and Simon are gone. It’s down to just Doctor Whittaker and Jamie Cooper. The council is dead.”
“Maybe we just need a new election, something to bring people out,” Tom said.
Lee shook his head. “Tom, friend, you’ve really been out of the loop. They floated that idea around last week when Sarah died, and you know what they got? A bunch of doors slammed in their faces. They don’t even want you coming to the door with a paper ballot. People want to hunker down and wait for this thing to be over.” Lee took a drink.
“Civic engagement was dragged out into the woods and got a bullet in its head. Our little play for self-government is dead. It’s now every man for himself.”
Lauren popped open the small refrigerator. She waved her fingers inside. Cold! Actual cold! Then she picked up the glass bottle of orange juice, finding it cold to the touch.
“Yes!” She shook her free hand. “Hot damn!” She then stopped and turned to the ceiling. “Sorry about that.”
Then she noticed she had Doctor Tran’s attention. She put the glass into the fridge. “I grew up in the church. I still don’t have the tongue for swearing.”
“Catholic?” Tran asked.
“Baptist,” Lauren replied, “I saw you crossing yourself earlier, are you…”
“My grandfather was a Catholic convert,” Tran replied, “You might say it was passed down to everyone else in the family.”
Lauren turned to the fridge. Wires snaked their way from the appliance out of the room to a sealed-off room next door. Their little experiment with car batteries had been a success to get this refrigerator working again.
“I can’t believe having cold drinks could be a luxury.” She laughed. “All the things we just thought would always be there, and now we have to fight to get every piece of our old world back.”
Tran nodded. “Basically, we’re in deep shit.”
Lauren spun around, shocked. “Well that was sure encouraging!”
Tran laughed. “It is what it is.”
Lauren walked to the open doorway. “Karen!” she shouted. “The fridge works! Get in here!”
A short while later, Karen popped into the room. “I need your running speed. We got to grab all the fruit juice we can to get it in here so we can cool it off to get to the patients ASAP.”
“Will do, but it might take a little longer. We’re shorthanded.”
“Why?” Lauren frowned. “We’ve got plenty of volunteers to help with the hospital garden.”
“You don’t have the Andersons. They bolted yesterday.”
“Son of a—” Lauren clamped her mouth shut before she could complete the phrase. “And we lost the Vieners a few days ago. There’s really nobody else who can come out and squeeze some fruits for our juice?”
Karen shook her head. “I don’t know what’s going on anymore. Almost nobody talks to each other.”
“I know it’s bad out there, but I figured people would at least come out and help us!” Lauren closed her eyes and winced.
“This place has the largest number of infected people in the whole town,” Tran said, “How do you think healthy people feel about being around here?”
Lauren clenched a fist. “I don’t believe this.” After a moment of silent seething, she then turned to Karen. “Jamie.”
“What about him?” Karen asked.
“He needs to go out there and talk to people. We need more volunteers.” Lauren paused to take a breath. “People like him. If there’s anybody who people might listen to, I think it’s him. I’m holed up here. Can you go talk to him?”
Karen nodded. “Sure.”
Annie leaned close to the window glass. “What’s Mister Cooper and Miss Karen doing?” she asked.
The girl quickly was surrounded by Terry, Dominick and Fred. “Looks like he’s just shouting,” Fred said.
“And what’s Miss Karen wearing?” Dominick asked.
Fred pushed past Dominick. “That’s a sandwich board.”
“A what?” Terry’s mouth dropped open.
“Yeah, my great uncle wore one for a car wash,” Fred replied, “It’s like you’re a walking billboard.”
“It just looks like Miss Karen’s says ‘Help,’” Annie said.
The conversation of the four kids drew Nadia to them. “What are you all looking at?” She glanced over their heads.
“That’s Jamie and Karen. ‘Help?’ What’s that all about?” The former policewoman then got up and shouted into the hall, “Tom!”
Karen rapped on the door once again. Still nothing. “Please,” Cooper spoke, “We only want a few minutes of your time. We’re trying to organize a trade to help out the town and find volunteers for the hospital!”
But no one came to the door. Karen sighed. “Third house on this block and still nothing.”
Dejected, the p
air headed down the walkway toward the sidewalk. At the same time, Tom approached from across the street. “Jamie! Karen! What’s going on?”
“Trying to ask people for donations.” Karen reached around and knocked on her sandwich sign. “So far this isn’t doing us much good. We got only two houses. We’ve been to about twenty so far.”
Cooper clutched a basket. A few vegetables lay wrapped up inside. “The hospital also could use more help, but it’s hard to find anybody who wants to go there.”
Tom peered over their shoulders. “I hate to tell you this, but some of these houses are empty. That was the Rodriguez house. They left town days ago.”
“Really?” Karen’s mouth dropped open. “How many people have left? Is everyone just going to run away?”
“I don’t know about everyone, but it seems as though every day a family has pulled up stakes and left.” Tom stuck his right hand in his pocket.
“Look, if you guys need a donation, I can spare a bunch of carrots and grapes. We dug a few more rows last month and we have a new crop coming up.” He then winked. “Helps to have a bunch of kids. They love playing in the dirt.”
Cooper laughed. “Well, that will be the bright spot in our day. We’ll head down the street and circle back to your place.”
“Daddy.” Kristin approached with a card.
In the kitchen, Tom just had finished loading up a basket with grapes. “What do you have there?”
“A card, so Mr. Cooper can trade for medicine.” She offered it to her dad.
Tom took it and opened it. “Hey, a birthday card!”
Beside Kristin, Jackie stood on her tippy-toes and pointed to it. “We want to go into business and make our own cards!”
“And you can trade them for medicine or food or anything!” Kristin jumped up and down excitedly.
“Well, who can say no to this?” Grinning, Tom put the card down by the basket.
“This is definitely going with Karen and Jamie.” He looked out the window at the late afternoon sky. “In fact, they should be coming back around soon.”
Tom got up, gave each of his girls a kiss, then headed to the side door. “Hey Charlie! You got those carrots ready? I can’t waste time—”