Pandemic: The Innocents: A Post-Apocalyptic Medical Thriller Fiction Series (The Pandemic Series Book 2)

by Bobby Akart

  “Yes, sir,” replied the private.

  “One more thing, Private. They must wear the Tyvek suits we provide all visitors, including gloves, masks, and goggles. Remind them that this is for their protection as well as ours.”

  Captain Hoover had been involved in many relief efforts, including Ebola in ’04. He did not want this assignment. He wanted to get back to Colorado Springs and protect his family.

  Half an hour later, Mayor Hanson and two members of his legal staff arrived at The Rooftop. They were joined by an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado. The group made their introductions; then Captain Hoover made it clear that he didn’t have time for a dog and pony show.

  “Mr. Mayor, gentlemen,” he began addressing the visitors, “how can I help you?”

  The attorney for the ACLU took the lead on behalf of the mayor’s contingent. “Captain, at the ACLU, we believe that everyone has the right to receive appropriate health care in a properly maintained health facility. Further, patients should be kept informed regarding their health condition. Finally, it is important that no medical patient should have another’s religious belief forced upon them, especially in a time of need like this one.”

  “What’s your point?” asked Captain Hoover.

  “We have reason to believe that the Catholic nuns who have volunteered to help the citizens of Colorado are imposing their religious beliefs upon the sick patients within your charge. Specifically, there are reports they are administering last rites following the dogma of the Catholic Church.”

  “Dogma?” asked Captain Hoover.

  “Yes, it means philosophical—” started the ACLU attorney before he was interrupted.

  “I know what it means!” shouted Captain Hoover. He suddenly grabbed the attorney by the arm and forced him over to the rail overlooking right field. “Counselor, are you familiar with baseball?”

  The man’s eyes were wide with fear, darting back and forth between Captain Hoover’s face and his escorts from the mayor’s office, who stood behind them in shock.

  “Ah, y-y-yes,” the attorney stuttered.

  “Look down there in the bull pen. In right field.” Captain Hoover forced the man to lean over the rail. “Private, fetch me some binoculars.”

  The captain’s aide quickly returned with binoculars. Captain Hoover shoved them in the attorney’s face.

  “I want you to see, up close and personal, what these Catholic nuns are doing while you run your mouth. Look!”

  The attorney was shaking and barely capable of holding the binoculars still to focus on the scene below. In the bull pen, several patients were on their knees in agony, throwing up blood and the remains of what was in their stomachs. The nuns were wiping their faces and hands with wet cloths, offering them comfort and prayer.

  Captain Hoover jerked the binoculars out of the man’s hands and swung him around to the point the lawyer lost his balance. Captain Hoover grabbed him by the arms and pulled him next to his face.

  “Did you see the nuns?” screamed Captain Hoover.

  “Yes.”

  “Were they hiding behind protective gear?”

  “No.”

  “They’re down there giving comfort to dying people. People who didn’t ask for this. And you know what else? Those Catholic nuns that you want to criticize for offering prayer to a dying human being are going to die too. They know it, yet they continue to serve God. If you wanna do something to help those people who are going to die, I’ll have my aide deliver you to the bull pen. You can start there!”

  Chapter 66

  Day Forty-Nine

  Quandary Peak

  The day was a busy one for the Hagans and their new extended family, which included Hunter and Janie. Tommy Hagan and Janie were a comedic act made in heaven as the two of them bounced one-liners off each other, much to the dismay of the rest of the group. After a dinner of venison and vegetables purchased by Barb earlier in the day, the group settled on the west deck to introduce Janie to a Colorado sunset, which was part of the inspiration for the official state flag.

  Hunter was afraid to broach the subject of remaining within the confines of Quandary Peak and Breckenridge, but he’d seen too many signs of collapse during his efforts to procure gas cans and fuel today to stay silent. He’d also planned on withdrawing more cash, but between the hour-long fuel stop and the lines winding out the door of the Wells Fargo branches he visited, he determined the supply of currency, gold, and silver in his possession would have to do.

  “Guys,” Hunter started, “I think it’s time we stick around the house. As Janie can attest, the major cities are descending into chaos. The rioting and looting are out of control and the spread of the plague is no longer predictable. Everyone we come in contact with, even indirectly, could be contagious. It’s too big of a risk.”

  Tommy nodded his head in agreement, but Janie and Barb immediately turned their heads to Mac to gauge her reaction. She fidgeted in her chair before weighing in.

  “Janie has seen a lot on the road out here,” started Mac. “Even more than Mom and Dad because she had to travel through several major cities. However, Hunter, I can’t quit. As long as the lab is available to me, we’ve got to try to find a solution.”

  Hunter responded, “They’re working on the BALO vaccine through the CDC and I heard today that several of the major pharmaceutical companies continue to manufacture the drug. It’s being delivered all over the country today.”

  “That’s good, but it’s still untested. I also believe there are other options. I haven’t even begun to explore—” continued Mac until Hunter awkwardly interrupted.

  “Mac, it’s too risky and gasoline is at a premium and not necessarily because of the price gouging taking place. Not only are the lines long, stations are running out and they have no word on when they’ll be refilled. If the nation runs out of gas, it’ll come to an economic standstill.”

  Mac folded her arms and stared off into the distance. “You always find a way to fill up. Nobody has shot at us or anything.”

  “Yet,” Hunter quickly responded. “Mac, come on. You’ve done a tremendous job. It’s become too risky.”

  “It’s not your call. I can’t just quit,” Mac fired back.

  Hunter tried to pacify her. “You’re not a quitter. You’ve already succeeded. They’re adopting your work as the model to save people.”

  Mac continued to be defiant and stubborn. She stared off into the distance and Hunter shut down as well. It was the couple’s first argument.

  Barb stepped in to diffuse the disagreement. “Let me tell you both something. I’ve worked under the most horrendous of conditions, and I’m not talking about when I headed up USAMRIID. I’ve been on the frontline of SARS, H1N1, and of course, Ebola. The medical facilities resembled the squalor the patients lived in daily. We had to battle tribal leaders in Sierra Leone to remove Ebola-diseased corpses because their burial practices threatened to infect entire villages. When we traveled through the jungles, we never knew if we’d be ambushed by soldiers of the Revolutionary United Front when their civil war reignited.”

  “I know, Mom,” mumbled Mac.

  “Here’s my point,” Barb continued. “There are lots of obstacles out there created by these unusual circumstances. However, none are greater than the threat of contracting this disease. Isolation is the only way to remain safe from this pandemic.”

  “But—” started Mac before Barb continued.

  “I have a solution that should please you both,” said Barb. “Hunter, I trust you and your judgment. Let me ask this. Can you safely take my daughter back to Fort Collins for one last trip to pick up a few things?”

  “Yes, I think so,” replied Hunter.

  Barb got Mac’s attention and forced her back into the conversation. “Mac, what about your associates? Dr. Matta and the other one, Gene something?”

  Mac chuckled and responded, “Dr. Gene, Mom. It’s his nickname. They aren’t coming back. There were o
nly a handful of people there today. Everyone is giving up.”

  “We’re not gonna give up, Mac,” said Barb assertively.

  “Mom, we need a lab. Equipment. Protective gear.”

  “I know, and you’ve already made some purchases, correct?”

  “Yes,” replied Mac. “I thought there might be a facility closer to here that I could use, so I sent Hunter to a medical supply store.”

  “Do you remember when I described the improvised biosafety lab we constructed in Liberia?”

  “Yeah, you laughed about how ridiculously simple the construction was considering the risk it posed.”

  Barb’s face brightened as she saw the effect on her daughter’s face. “You and I, with Janie’s help, are going to re-create that lab.”

  “Seriously?” asked Janie.

  “You bet!” exclaimed Barb. “I know exactly how to build it and make it secure. Of course, we’ll need things and two able-bodied construction guys, but it can be done.”

  Hunter and Tommy exchanged smiles and shrugs.

  Mac jumped out of her Adirondack chair and hugged her mother and then immediately embraced Hunter.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered to him, with a few tears streaming down her cheeks.

  “For what?”

  “All of those bad things I was thinking about you when I was mad a minute ago.”

  “It was our one and only fight. It happened because I want to protect you, but I disregarded your commitment to finding a cure. I’m sorry.”

  “I’m sorry too,” she whispered in his ear. “Does this mean we get to kiss and make up?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Chapter 67

  Day Fifty

  Aurora

  Despite the fact that the United States is the largest market in the world for pharmaceuticals, accounting for a third of the global market, most pharmaceutical production occurs in India and China. With respect to U.S. production, eighty percent of the ingredients used to manufacture drugs come from foreign countries.

  The development of the plague vaccine using the genetic modifications suggested by Mac was a remarkable accomplishment under any circumstances. Within days, the vaccine was created, bottled, and shipped to health care facilities around the country.

  Because of the limited supply, the government marshalled the availability of the drug by population center. The theory of the FDA was to help the areas with the largest number of people. Rural areas would have to wait for further lots to be produced.

  While physicians hailed the vaccine as a potential life-saving drug, anti-vaccine activists took to the media to denounce the lack of testing and the severe side effects. The movement arose out of the measles versus autism debate. Pundits came onto the program and argued ad nauseam, using this comparison to advance their positions.

  Those who argued in favor of the vaccine said the side effects, which included possible heart failure or a stroke, at least provided the patient a chance to live, where the plague did not.

  Opponents of the vaccine made an abstinence type of argument, claiming the best way to avoid the plague was social distancing, a far safer method than being injected with toxins that could cause heart failure or stroke.

  Political leaders at all levels of government were faced with a decision. Some groups were pushing for mandatory vaccinations while others, in addition to raising safety concerns, argued against them because they infringed upon constitutionally protected religious freedoms and right to privacy. Most faiths, including Islam, approved of the vaccinations, while Christian Scientists and the Amish did not.

  The governor of Colorado weighed all of the arguments and ultimately determined that the children were the most vulnerable. The vaccine, he stated in a press release, while not proven completely safe, was also not as deadly as the plague. Most of the major medical organizations—including the FDA, the AMA, the CDC, and the WHO—gave their stamp of approval.

  In an effort to protect the herd, as the governor put it, and save the future of humanity through children, he ordered mandatory vaccinations. Schools were closed and day care centers were no longer operating. The only method of vaccinating children was to begin door-to-door visits based upon the most recent census data obtained from the federal government. It would be a long, arduous process that also had the potential to be volatile.

  During the first day of mandatory vaccinations, the local media traveled with some of the medical crews as they entered Denver’s neighborhoods. The procession instilled fear in many families as a SWAT team armored vehicle led by a Denver Fire Department rescue truck rolled onto each street, followed by a media van and another police vehicle.

  At each stop, two nurse practitioners would approach the front door, wearing full protective gear. They were flanked by SWAT team members clad in riot gear and armed with automatic weapons.

  When the resident reluctantly opened the door, they were greeted with media cameras as well. In the early hours of the process, the vaccinations went smoothly although the adults were perturbed that they weren’t given the vaccines as well.

  By the time the midday news aired and the media footage made the rounds on the local and national network, a narrative began to be advanced.

  First, the majority of the news focused on the demographics of the initial neighborhoods to receive the vaccine. Predominantly black neighborhoods in the northeastern part of Denver were not included in the first day’s vaccinations. Neither was the Congress Park neighborhood, known to be popular with same-sex couples. Aurora, which was two-thirds white, was canvassed completely, as were Littleton, Centennial, and Highlands Ranch.

  By the evening news, the first cases of children being brought to area emergency rooms suffering from heart failure and seizures dominated the news. The next day, the mayor, in response to the prior day’s news coverage, ordered the vaccines to be distributed in primarily minority neighborhoods near Stapleton, Westwood, Athmar Park, and Park Hill.

  After seeing the extensive news coverage, the residents in these areas either refused to open their doors or engaged in violent altercations with the SWAT team escorts. Within hours of the first media footage hitting television screens around the country, the mandatory vaccination programs stopped for safety reasons.

  The local fire departments became vaccination centers. Residents were notified through the media and flyers being distributed by the fire department. The vaccines were strictly voluntary and the participants were provided a detailed warning statement concerning side effects.

  This revised distribution program worked well, until they ran out of vaccine.

  Chapter 68

  Day Fifty

  CNN

  Atlanta

  CNN anchorman Wolf Blitzer directed pointed questions to some of the most powerful people in the world every weekday afternoon. Since the advent of Pandemic Pandemonium three weeks ago, he had been a constant presence on television screens around the world. Regardless of one’s political slant, when the world looked for up-to-the-minute reporting on breaking news, CNN and Wolf Blitzer was their choice.

  During his forty-plus years in journalism, Blitzer had covered a myriad of crisis events, but none more spectacular and consequential than the plague pandemic. The reporting of the day confirmed that virtually every corner of the planet consisted of hot zones. Hundreds of millions were infected and tens of millions had succumbed to the disease.

  A breaking news alert had been issued across the CNN video feeds, and CNN’s national correspondent Gary Tuchman appeared to brief Blitzer and the viewers on the latest. Blitzer began the segment.

  “Gary, please tell us what you’ve learned.”

  “Of course, Wolf. Moments ago, I received a phone call from a high-ranking official at the Department of Homeland Security. It appears that in the overnight hours, utilizing the 1st Helicopter Squadron, code-named MUSSEL, high-ranking officials of the government have been evacuated to a number of undisclosed locations across the country. It appears that the
President has initiated the nation’s continuity-of-government plan.”

  “Well, Gary, has there been any formal statement made by the White House as to the whereabouts of the President, the Vice President, or his cabinet?”

  “Not a word, Wolf. Options available to him range from the well-known destination of Cheyenne Mountain, to Palm Beach, Florida, to bunkers in West Virginia. Apparently, as the crisis widens to impact all aspects of life in America, the President deemed it necessary to issue this extraordinary directive.”

  “Gary, do you have an opinion as to how long this government-in-hiding will be necessary?”

  Tuchman shifted his feet and looked skyward as another helicopter zoomed past his location on the White House lawn.

  “Nothing specific,” replied Tuchman. “My source points to the CDC’s opinion that the plague bacteria can survive on surfaces for up to seventy-two hours and resides within humans for fourteen days before death. I will tell you this, the bubonic plague, the so-called Black Death, broke out repeatedly in medieval Europe for a period of two hundred years. The outbreaks among the human population would subside, but the large population of rats in Europe continued to maintain the disease among them. Furthermore, there may have been a climactic effect.”

  “How so?” asked Blitzer.

  “When Europe went through a period of normal to cool summers, the frequency of plague cases diminished. As the temperatures rose in an unusually warm summer, the transfer of the plague from rodents to humans grew considerably.”

  “Are you saying in a period of global warming, as we are experiencing now, the disease could continue indefinitely?”

  “Yes, Wolf. If history holds true, the plague bacteria will continue to be passed from one host to another.”

  “Until when, Gary?

  “I guess, Wolf, until the plague runs out of hosts.”