That was . . . staggering. A significant portion of all the people on the earth, gone in a matter of weeks. And by every indication the crisis was only getting started. Had any other disaster in history been this catastrophic?
Had any even come close?
The hospital worker waved at the chaos around them, somehow making the gesture look bitter. “Closer to home, our country's relief efforts are completely swamped and probably will be for the foreseeable future, and we're losing millions of people every day. The President, his cabinet, the top military leaders and federal agency directors, and the state governors and their people are all hidden away in maximum quarantine. Struggling to keep society running and coordinate this nightmare from the safety of some underground bunker somewhere.”
Well, at least there still was an operating government. “What about in Kansas City?” Nick asked quietly, glad he'd found someone who seemed happy to share what she knew.
Melody shook her head again. “We estimate that in spite of containment efforts, almost half the population has fallen sick. Large areas of the city are completely empty, the inhabitants either dead or evacuated here or to the quarantine camp just outside city limits. Looting and robberies have become widespread, the culprits either too stupid or too desperate to fear the risk of infection. Along with maybe the few people immune to Zolos, or who survived the disease and have recovered enough to be able to stand, who now feel like they have the run of the town to do whatever they want.
“For now, local authorities aren't even talking about restoring power or gas or water, let alone actually trying to do it. They've pretty much given up on containment, too, and are focusing what little manpower remains on relief efforts. Disposing of the dead has become a major problem, and between that and waste removal being a thing of the past vermin have become downright pestilential. Which threatens to spread the disease to those who by some miracle have been spared it so far.”
It sounded like a nightmare, reminding him that he wasn't the only one going through hell at the moment. Although right now it was hard to care about anything but Tallie. “Any hope on the horizon?”
She grunted and straightened from her examination of his daughter. “Actually yes, for you at least. All things considered, Tallie's case is on the less severe side of things. I don't want to get your hopes up, but with initial symptoms presenting this mildly she has a better chance than most.” She paused. “Of course, sometimes hopeful cases like this become far more severe with shocking suddenness.”
Nick could've done without that caveat. “But it looks good?” he pressed, feeling as if a band around his chest had suddenly loosened.
“As good as Zolos can look,” she agreed, beginning to clean and sterilize her gloves and sleeves.
Blinking away a sudden blurring in his eyes, he gently wrapped the blanket back around his daughter and lifted her into his arms, clutching her tight. “Hear that, sweetie?” he whispered, then had to clear his throat around a sudden lump before continuing. “This nice lady says your sickness isn't too bad.”
He felt her weakly try to clutch him back. “Does that mean I'm going to be better soon, Daddy?”
“I-” Nick hesitated and stared at Melody, a sudden awful suspicion occurring to him.
Was the woman just yanking his chain, feeding him false hope? He didn't think anyone could be that cruel, but he was also sure that if he let himself believe that Tallie might be okay and then the unthinkable happened, it would absolutely destroy him.
The hospital worker seemed to be thinking along the same lines, because she straightened to face him solemnly. “I'm not making any promises, Mr. Statton. Zolos kills far more people than it spares, and hard as that is to hear it's a reality you need to prepare yourself for.”
She paused, looking down at the little girl in his arms, and her eyes softened. “But I want you to know that there is hope, so you give her the care that could help her live through this instead of giving up in despair.”
“You think I'd give up on my own daughter?” Nick demanded heatedly, clutching Tallie closer.
“If it seems hopeless, there's no telling what people will do,” Melody said, calm in the face of his outrage. She'd probably faced worse dealing with Zolos patients, or maybe she was just too tired to be defensive.
He forced mildness into his tone, feeling a bit bad about snapping at her. “So what now?”
She clapped her hands briskly. “Now? Under the circumstances it's a good thing you're an asymptomatic carrier. We're seriously struggling to accommodate new arrivals, but with you healthy and immune you'll be able to care for her yourself.”
Considering it was being an asymptomatic carrier that had gotten his baby girl sick in the first place, he would never call it a good thing. “Is there some way you could let her into the hospital? Get her proper treatment?”
The hospital worker sighed, as if she'd been expecting him to ask. “Even if I personally could, we both know it wouldn't be fair to those already here. Other little boys and girls who need help just as urgently. More, since as I've already said her condition is less severe.”
She seemed sympathetic in spite of her exhausted and hopeless attitude, and Nick was desperate. So he stood his ground, refusing to budge. “If you turn her away it might be a death sentence.” His soul cried out at saying the words, but he had to convince her, whatever it took.
Melody frowned, although it was more resigned than guilty or offended. “Look around you, sir. Half the city's been given death sentences. Consider yourself lucky that you're not dying right alongside her, unable to give her any help. That's more than most of the parents of sick children here can say.”
At his anguished look her tone softened slightly. “I can give you instructions for caring for her. And she is better off than most. But being processed and ending up in a tent city is the best you can expect if you stay here.”
He felt his shoulders slump in defeat. “So how do I care for her? It's not like I can give her a transfusion for the blood she's lost.”
“No, I wouldn't recommend attempting any medical procedures without training,” Melody said, managing a dry tone in spite of the situation. “But the good news is that a transfusion shouldn't be necessary . . . the bleeding from the orifices might look like the scariest symptom of Zolos, but in most cases it's not severe enough to be seriously threatening. The real problem comes from the internal bleeding, especially the mess the virus makes of your guts, which is why one of the last symptoms is severe abdominal pain. And that requires treatment we don't have the resources to give and you aren't qualified to even attempt, even if you had the resources yourself.”
Nick looked away, sick at the thought of his little girl going through that. “So what can I do?”
The hospital worker glanced down at Tallie. “Well, first and foremost obviously you don't want to give her solid food until she starts to recover. The digestive system can't properly break it down while the virus is attacking it. But it's imperative she gets enough fluids, clean water and electrolytes. And if you've got a way to liquify high-nutrient foods, or have access to them in liquid form, giving her some of that in small amounts would also be beneficial.”
She motioned regretfully towards the hospital. “We've found that the patient's survival rate improves slightly, enough to be statistically significant at least, if they have an IV giving them the saline solution and nutrients they need while their digestive system is unable to properly function. Which should be fairly obvious I guess. But unfortunately, we don't have anywhere near enough supplies to help everyone. Which, again, is why you'd be better off caring for her at home.”
He grit his teeth in frustration. “So that's all I can do? Make sure she gets enough water and electrolytes, and a little bit of smoothie every now and then?”
Melody nodded, her own shoulders slumped in exhausted despair. “I'm sorry, sir. If she lives past three days her chance of survival goes up dramatically, although she'll remain weak and will re
quire a long recovery period. Probably weeks before she's walking again, and longer to recover her full strength.”
That was more of what Nick wanted to hear; as if Tallie was going to be okay and her recovery was just around the corner. “How long until she can eat solid foods?”
She shrugged. “Differs between patients. At least a week after she begins showing signs of recovery, although I'd recommend feeding her liquified food for as long as possible.”
Somewhere in the distance someone began talking over a bullhorn, although it was impossible to make out the words through the distortion. In spite of that Melody flinched, as if just remembering her duties, and hastily turned away. “Take care, Mr. Statton. My thoughts and prayers go with you and your daughter.”
“Same for you, and thank you,” Nick replied, wondering if he'd ever see the woman again.
Turning, he began weaving through the chaos again on the way back to his car, murmuring comforting words to Tallie with every step. She responded sleepily at first, then after a minute or so zonked out, becoming a familiar limp weight in his arms. It would've been just like any of the countless times he'd carried her on a trip because she was too tired to keep walking, if not for her waxy features and the blood continuing to seep down her face.
“Hang in there, sweetie,” he murmured almost too quietly to hear, quickening his pace. “We'll get you home and in bed so you can rest, and I'll take good care of you until you're all better.”
That promise was barely past his lips when he noticed a soldier in a hazmat suit, a woman judging by her size, turning away from a line of people coming off a bus to stare at him. He'd been retracing his steps around the perimeter of the chaotic arrival area, hoping to avoid notice again, but it was obvious he'd failed this time.
His heart sank as the soldier left the people in the care of a few relief workers and headed his way. Her M16 was slung on her back and her motions weren't threatening, but he had a feeling he was about to be herded into the line of people being processed into the hospital's tent city.
“Do you need directions about where to go, sir?” she called, in a tone that suggested he needed directions about where to go.
Nick shook his head, clutching Tallie protectively. “My daughter just got a checkup, and now we're headed to my car to drive back home.”
“Zolos?” the woman asked, but before he could answer she continued briskly. “I guess it doesn't matter, since you're walking right through a zone for processing infected arrivals without any sort of protective gear. If you weren't infected before, you probably are now.”
“We already were,” he said, shifting his daughter's weight to a more comfortable hold. “I need to get her to bed and give her the care she needs.”
The soldier was already shaking her head firmly. “Our policy is to keep everyone carrying the Zolos virus in quarantine until we can be sure they're safe. I'm afraid you can't leave.”
Nick felt like this nightmare had just fed him a fresh horror. “I can't stay here!” he snapped. “I've got an eight-year-old son at home alone waiting for me to come back.”
The woman hesitated. “Also infected?”
“Not when I left, but if he does get sick I need to be there to care for him.” A sudden thought occurred to him. “Unless you have people who aren't infected who could pick him up?” He hated the thought of sending complete strangers to take his son away to who knew where, but compared to the risk of exposing him to Zolos it seemed the better alternative.
But she just snorted bitterly at the suggestion. “We don't even have the manpower to tend the sick and enforce the quarantine.” Cursing, she waved at the chaos around them. “Actually, we're so far over capacity here that forcing people to stay who have a home to return to is causing us serious trouble.”
Nick eagerly jumped on that opening. “Then letting me and my daughter leave is better for you and for us. And for my son.”
The soldier scowled behind her faceplate, looking around as though searching for someone up the chain of command to foist this decision on.
He pressed the issue before she could. “Look, I have no reason to go anywhere but straight home to my son. Let me get in my car and drive away, and I'll quarantine myself in my apartment with my kids and we won't be a problem for anyone.” He paused, no longer trying to hide his desperation. “Please.”
She cursed again, looking defeated. “You know, we've been instructed to avoid grappling with infected people since the likelihood of damaging our hazmat suits is high, and we're still waiting to be issued crowd control equipment from the quarantine camp.” She patted the strap of her M16 to draw attention to it. “Zolos is already everywhere in the city anyway, and I can't in good conscience shoot a father carrying a sick little girl in a useless attempt to further contain it. So if you decide to ignore my instructions and walk on to your car, I can't really stop you.”
Nick felt his shoulders sag, letting out his breath in a whoosh of relief. “Thank you.”
The soldier shrugged wearily. “I can't speak for the guys at the roadblock, so best of luck there.” She winked at him, then abruptly shifted her voice to a lazy drawl. “Oh no, sir, please stop where you are. You can't just leave, come back.” As she spoke she waved for him to keep going and turned to head back to her spot by the bus.
He took his cue and hurried on towards his car, relieved when no one else tried to stop him.
Chapter Three
Adjustments
The apartment complex seemed quiet when Nick pulled into his parking space, no lights on in any windows. He wasn't sure whether that was a good or a bad sign for how his neighbors were doing, although that worrying stench of death had been permeating his apartment for days now.
He was just glad his friend Gen and her son Billy, who lived in the apartment above his, had left almost as soon as they became aware of the danger, heading up to northern Missouri to live with Billy's grandparents until things settled down. He hoped they were doing okay up there.
He also bitterly regretted turning down her offer, made in passing, to help however she could if he brought the kids up to join her.
Tallie was still asleep, which was a relief since it meant she was resting, but it also made it hard to judge her condition. That just left him feeling even more urgency to get her settled in bed so he could tend her as best he could following Melody's advice.
It seemed like so little, but it was better than nothing.
Nick had hoped that Ricky would be able to go back to bed after they left, with luck spend the entire time they were gone sleeping peacefully. But that hope was shattered as soon as he opened the front door.
“Dad?” he heard his son shout, voice muffled through his bedroom door. “Dad, is that you?”
“It's me!” he called back, trying to reach a middle ground between being loud enough to hear and quiet enough not to disturb Tallie. “We're back safe,” he added in a gentle tone; the poor boy sounded frantic and could probably use a bit of soothing.
Sure enough, he heard Ricky break down in tears as he shut the door and locked it behind him. “I thought you were more robbers attacking the apartment,” his son said between hiccuping sobs. “I thought you and Tallie were never coming back.”
Nick tried not to dwell on the fact that if that soldier had been less sympathetic, that might've been true. “You know I'd never leave you behind, Ricky,” he said as he carried Tallie towards his bedroom. “Give me a second to care for your sister, then I'll come talk to you about how we move forward from here, now that we know Zolos is in the apartment.”
“Okay,” Ricky said in a tiny voice. “Is Tallie okay?”
“The lady at the hospital said she's not too sick, so if we take good care of her she has a good chance of getting better.” He fumbled around for his flashlight and turned it on, noting with concern that the light was starting to dim as the batteries ran out.
Well, they still had some candles, and the camping lantern. He was glad he'd insisted on the
m not using any of their limited sources of light unless they really needed them, trying to put a positive spin on it by making it a challenge to see how well they could get used to the darkness.
Nick settled Tallie down on the bed, kissed her sweaty forehead, and then went to fetch water from the kitchen. He needed to clean her up, get her changed into clean pajamas, and get her to drink some water. Then he'd need to figure out what to do about replenishing her electrolytes, and finding food he could mash into some sort of smoothie for her.
Ellie was actually going to be a huge help there, in spite of being a few states away.
Fitness buff that his ex-wife was, she'd often foisted fitness type stuff onto him when she was trying to convince him to get more into exercise himself. Thanks to that his office and bedroom were scattered with things like a mostly unused pair of running shoes and gym shorts he'd never used for that purpose, and a set of free weights that mostly just offered him an opportunity to stub his toe while moving around in the dark.
But more useful for their current situation, she'd given him a big container of protein powder and a box of those healthy energy bars, which he'd been saving for their food stores. The powder would be useful for making sure Tallie was getting the nutrients she needed, especially if he could find other things to mix it with.
Although most importantly of all at the moment, one of his ex-wife's gifts had been enough of those electrolyte tablet things you dissolved in water to last him for a month. Which he'd used maybe once or twice before now, usually when he was coming down with a cold or something.
Nick had rolled his eyes when he'd opened that package of tablets as a Christmas present, but now he blessed Ellie for never giving up on him focusing more on his health, in spite of his reluctance. Those tablets might end up saving their daughter's life.
He headed into the kitchen to grab some water so he could mix one in right then and there, only to stop dead as he was confronted by a distressing sight.
Isolation (Book 2): Going Out Page 7