The Jakarta Pandemic

by Steven Konkoly

“For a minute there, I wasn’t sure if you were the pot or the kettle,” Charlie said.

  Alex laughed, and Charlie joined him.

  I think I was wrong about this guy.

  Alex and Charlie stood at the foot of the Fletchers’ driveway.

  “I’d shake your hand Alex, but…”

  “Unfortunately, that’s exactly how we all need to start thinking. I’d definitely steer clear of the McDaniels. Jamie said her husband Matt couldn’t make it to the little soirée today because he’s sick. He’s head honcho for one of the Portland high schools, so who knows? Hopefully, he’s got a bad cold or a case of the seasonal flu. But with his proximity to the schools, I wouldn’t take any chances. Jamie didn’t look that great either,” Alex said.

  “I noticed. Sniffling, coughing, and shivering with that winter jacket and hat. Do you really think it’s going to hit the neighborhood hard?” he asked.

  Once again, Alex got a weird sense that Charlie might actually want the flu to break out in the neighborhood.

  “If it’s already in the schools, we’ll definitely see cases in the neighborhood. If people keep going to work? If they implement that stupid-ass plan to pass kids around among all the houses? It’s going to rage through the neighborhood like a wildfire,” Alex said.

  “Friday was the last day of school for the Thornton clan. For everyone, I guess. I wish I had pulled them sooner. Is there any way to tell if they’ve already got the virus from someone at school?”

  “If they show any flu-like symptoms, you could start them on anti-virals and take them to the hospital. Better now than later. At this point they can still get adequate care and treatment. In a week or two? Forget it. I can give you a few anti-viral treatment courses if they show any symptoms. Just keep it quiet, okay?” Alex said, wondering if it was a good idea to promise those to him.

  I can use all the allies I can find or make.

  “Thanks, Alex, that means a lot to me. If you need anything, don’t hesitate. We should keep an eye out for each other. Never know what’s going to happen around here. I have the ability to reach out and touch somebody, if you catch my drift. How about you?” he said, obviously referring to his hunting rifles.

  “I’m set in that department,” Alex replied, ending the topic.

  “Good to hear that. Hey, I’ll catch you later. Let me know if you hear anything,” Charlie said and started to walk down the block.

  “You too, man.”

  He walked up his driveway and looked down the street toward the Quinns’ before stepping into the garage. He closed the garage bay and squeezed by the 4Runner to get to the mudroom door.

  Why does she park so far in?

  He wouldn’t say anything to Kate about her parking job because he knew what her response would be: “Why don’t you walk around the back of the truck?” He opened the mudroom door and walked into the house.

  “Kate?” he called, loudly enough to be heard throughout the first floor.

  “In the great room,” she responded.

  Alex removed his shoes and stacked them in the mudroom closet, hung his coat up on a row of hooks next to the door, and stuffed his hat in one of the pockets of the coat. He smelled freshly brewed coffee.

  “Coffee? That’s a treat in the afternoon,” he commented, walking into the kitchen.

  He heard Kate shuffling through the great room. She appeared, dressed in a thick gray turtleneck sweater and faded jeans.

  “Yeah, I started to feel a bit chilly and sleepy, so I thought I’d brew up some of that Bolivian coffee your doctor friend gave to you. I figured you could use some, too, after standing out there. How did it go?”

  “Well, the rest of the group is still out there,” he said, pouring coffee into an oversized blue mug and giving her an odd look.

  “That well?” she asked, putting her mug down on the island.

  He backed up from the coffee pot and took a seat on a black kitchen stool. He leaned into the backrest and took a sip of straight black coffee. “Well, it certainly could have gone better. I’m not sure how to describe the scene, but there is a definite divide between the other side of Durham and our side. Todd Perry is a nutcase, that’s confirmed. He’s gonna be a problem. He was pushing for everyone to disclose how much food they have on hand. Basic supplies, too. Apparently, he doesn’t have jack squat, and he was trying to institute a system of sharing food, I think. Anyway, a couple of people calmly voiced their concerns about this idea, and Charlie Thornton came at the idea with guns ablazin’…”

  “That nutcase?”

  “You know, I think Charlie might be all right. A little unstable, but he really seems to understand what’s going on with the pandemic. He says he’s all set at his house. Food, supplies, everything. We had a nice little chat on the way back, since we were both sort of kicked out of the meeting.”

  “Are you serious? They kicked you out?” Kate exclaimed.

  “Not really, but it was clearly time for me to go. Anyway, Charlie accused Todd of being a self-interested communist…or socialist. Either way, this really set off Team Hostile, which includes, but doesn’t appear to be limited to the Bishops, who seem to hate me for some reason, Mike Lynch, Andrew Greene, Laura Burton, and the, uh…Hodges up at the top of the street. None of them really cared for my ideas, so we’ll have to keep a close eye on these people as the situation deteriorates. Especially Todd. I think Mary Thompson hates me too now.”

  “Sounds great,” Kate said sarcastically. “Anything in particular you said to upset everyone?”

  “Well, I didn’t like the food disclosure idea, and I made that very clear. Though I have to say that a majority of the group didn’t seem too keen about sharing food either. Todd and the Bishops were all fired up about it. Other than that, I told the group that if they didn’t all stay away from each other, then the flu was going to run unchecked through the neighborhood and kill a bunch of people. Nobody really liked that. This really hits the spot, honey. Thank you,” he said, taking another sip.

  “Did you tell the group that we are off limits here at the house?” she asked him.

  “Pretty much. That was part of the ‘stay away from each other’ speech. One of the big ideas forwarded by the pandemic committee was to organize a neighborhood daycare system. And a volunteer roster to drive sick people to the hospital if the family can’t do it. I told them that these ideas were the quickest way to ensure that the neighborhood did not survive the pandemic. This was not received well. Oh, and I’m pretty sure that the McDaniels’ house is infected with the flu,” Alex informed her.

  “What? How do you know that? Is Jamie sick?” she asked, sounding slightly frantic.

  “No…well maybe. Matt is definitely sick with something. Sounds a lot like the flu. It could be anything really.”

  “Yeah, but with their exposure to the school systems? I wouldn’t take any chances,” she emphasized.

  “Well, it’s not like we hang out with them.”

  The phone rang, and Kate walked over to the kitchen desk to pick it up, and checked the caller ID.

  “Matthew McDaniels?” she asked.

  “That might be Jamie.”

  This should be interesting.

  “Why would she be calling?”

  “I told her to give me a call. I wanted to convince her to take her husband in to be seen.”

  He knew that his response wouldn’t quell Kate’s instinctual suspicion of any attractive woman that interacted on any level with him. Jamie was probably at the top of Kate’s list, simply due to her proximity in the neighborhood.

  “Hello? Hold on, he’s right here,” she said, still maintaining a suspicious look.

  “Thanks, honey, now can you give us some privacy?” he asked, covering up the phone’s mouthpiece.

  At the frowning look from Kate, he assured her, “Just kidding,” and then, “Hey, Jamie, thanks for calling,” into the phone.

  “Sure, Alex. God, I’ve never seen people act like that before. I almost got into a s
houting match with Mary Thompson. I wouldn’t count on getting a Christmas card from her,” she said.

  “Yeah, I saw the two of you going at it. What’s her deal?” he asked.

  Kate, who didn’t seem interested in the conversation any longer, retreated to the great room, grabbed her iPad, and sat in the leather lounge chair to the left of the wood-burning stove.

  “I really don’t know. She asked me if I could believe what you were saying, about not helping each other out with food. I told her I completely agreed with you, and she started into me. Really weird,” she said and broke into a cough.

  He cringed at the sound and momentarily pulled the phone away from his face, as if he could catch the flu through it. “Hey, Jamie, the reason I wanted you to call is that I’m worried about Matt, and maybe you. You said Matt was pretty sick, right?”

  “Yeah, it really hit him this morning. He woke up sweating and could barely get out of bed. He felt really hot, and I could tell he was really congested. He’s been on the couch most of the day,” she said, alarmed.

  “Is he coughing much?” Alex asked.

  “Yeah, that’s what woke us up so early.”

  “Jamie, I think you need to take him to the ER and have him tested for the Jakarta flu. The hospitals aren’t slammed yet, and if he has it and you catch it early, he should be fine.”

  “Do you really think he might have it? Oh my God, I don’t…I’m not sure if I can take him in today. I have the kids home, and I’d…”

  “Jamie, you should all go in and get tested. You don’t sound so great either, and if both of you have it, there’s a good chance your kids might have been exposed. The earlier you catch this thing the better. This may sound weird, but if you’re going to get infected, then it’s better to get infected now, while the hospitals can provide the right services. Seriously, you should all hop in the car and head over to the Maine Medical Center. Pack an overnight bag for your husband.”

  “Really? I mean he was fine last night. I kind of feel like we’d be jumping the gun. Don’t you think?”

  “Jamie, you can’t be too cautious with this flu strain. It’s killing people, lots of people. Some within twenty-four to forty-eight hours. You don’t want to wait around,” he advised.

  “All right. I’ll, uh…I’ll talk to Matt about it. I don’t know about taking the kids. That might be a little too much for them. I might make an appointment with their pediatrician for tomorrow,” she said, and Alex could sense the hesitation.

  “Your pediatrician might not have the field test yet. They’ll probably send you over to Maine Med, or tell you to go home and call if symptoms develop. You’re probably better off all going together…hey, Jamie, I have Ed buzzing through. Think about what I said. You really need to go sooner than later. No later than tomorrow morning. Seriously,” he said.

  “All right, I’ll see,” she said, and the line went dead.

  He switched over to Ed. “Hey, Ed,” he said, and the phone beeped.

  Another call.

  The caller ID read “Paul Cooper.”

  Christ. My own little sewing circle.

  Chapter Twenty

  Tuesday, November 12, 2013

  Alex was working in his yard, pruning a large oval-shaped flower bed to the left of the brick patio. So far this afternoon, he had stuffed three large brown yard bags with dead perennial clippings and leaves. He still had two more flower beds to cut back, which would keep him busy until the sun started to dip below the trees.

  He pulled his brown knit cap down tighter on his head and continued to cut away at the dry branches. The temperature dropped rapidly as the sun sunk lower in the sky, and a southerly wind picked up. He considered going inside for a warmer jacket, and his hands were starting to chill through the thick leather garden gloves. He grabbed the pile of leaves he had collected and stuffed them into a half-filled bag. Just as he finished, his smartphone rang, and he fished it out of his pocket. He wasn’t familiar with the number, but he could tell it was a Scarborough prefix.

  “Alex Fletcher,” he answered.

  “Hey, Alex, it’s Ed. Kate gave me your cell number.”

  Alex looked up at the Walkers’ house and saw Ed opening the sliding door to the deck. He waved to him and signaled with his hand for Ed to come over.

  “Come on over, Ed. I’m not that paranoid. Unless you don’t want to be seen in public with me, of course, which I can understand,” Alex said.

  “I don’t care what any of those assholes think. My wife just got a call from Jamie across the street, and I don’t want her to see me scooting over to your house. Jamie just asked Sam if we’d watch the kids while she took her husband over to the ER. I guess he’s having serious trouble breathing, and she’s really freaked out. She sounded like shit too. I told Sam to tell her we’d call back in a few minutes. Alex, I really don’t want to take the risk, but I feel like a real asshole not helping her out,” he said.

  Alex paused for a moment to consider his response.

  I guess it doesn’t matter how I phrase this. The answer is the same.

  “Ed, please don’t consider watching her kids. Odds are very high that all four of them are infected. I told her Sunday to take the entire family in to get tested, and she blew it off. She needs to take all of them to the ER. All of them. You can tell her I said so, I don’t care. I’ll call her myself if you want,” Alex said, walking over to Ed’s house.

  He hung up the phone and continued walking over to Ed’s deck. Ed put the phone back inside and stepped out again.

  “Jesus, it’s cold out,” he complained, folding his arms. “No, I’ll call her back, but Sam seems to be considering the idea.”

  “The whole thing is a bad idea. If she’s sick with the flu, they’re not going to just let her drop off her husband and hang around for a while. As soon as they see she’s coughing and wheezing, they’ll put her in a hospital bed too, if they have any to spare. They certainly won’t let her hang around the hospital if she’s an infection risk.

  “According to the news, DHS just authorized active risk reduction measures, which means that they might simply detain her so she can’t go back into the community and spread the flu. You could be stuck with the kids indefinitely, which would be fine if they weren’t likely sick themselves. She needs to take them all in to be tested. I’ll call her and explain it,” Alex said.

  “No, it’s fine. I’ll take care of it. This really sucks,” Ed said.

  “I agree, but this is how it spreads. It’s going to get worse around here, and the decisions are going to get tougher. Did Jamie even mention the conversation I had with her on Sunday?” Alex asked.

  “No, but she told Sam that she didn’t think you guys would help, and that we were her last hope since they don’t have any family around. Threw a guilt grenade on us.”

  “Yeah, well, that won’t be the last one. Stand by for a few tactical nuclear guilt bombs. I look at this whole situation as a military operation. The main objective is to keep the Fletchers’ safe from harm, in whatever form it takes. The flu, crazy neighbors, whatever…”

  “Is this a long speech, General Patton? I’m freezing out here,” Ed said.

  “You better get in before you freeze your tits off. Your lips are turning blue.”

  “Yeah, I’ll let you know how it goes,” Ed said, grabbing the handle on the sliding door.

  “Good luck, man.” Alex saluted Ed and walked back to his yard.

  **

  Alex saw the McDaniels’ Volvo station wagon back down their driveway and turn toward Harrison Road. As it headed down the street, he got up from the computer and walked to the office window, watching down the street as the station wagon approached the Durham Road fork. Instead of turning left and heading directly toward Harrison Road, the car continued around the loop.

  He kept track of the car’s headlights as they disappeared behind houses on the other side of the loop and suddenly reappeared. He caught the lights passing the McKinneys’ house, and then t
hey quickly vanished behind the edge of the Cohens’ stockade fence. He quickly moved to the far left edge of the window to see if the car passed the Cohens’ house. There was only a sliver of space between the other side of the Cohens’ fence and the Sheppards’ house. He didn’t see the lights pass. He waited a few more seconds, then shifted to the right side of the window to check the visible stretch of road between the Santos and Barton houses.

  Nothing.

  He calculated that the Bartletts lived right across from the Cohens and figured that the Bartletts’ house must be the car’s destination.

  Jesus, she’s dropping them off with Nicki.

  He thought about how she had probably ended up at the Bartletts’. She’d probably called Nicki to check and see if there were any volunteers to watch the kids, and as one of the neighborhood “leaders,” Nicki would have stepped up to set the example for the rest of the neighborhood. He grabbed the phone from the desk and dialed Ed’s number.

  “Hey, Sam, it’s Alex, is Ed there?”

  “Let me see if I can pry him away from the window. I assume that’s why you’re calling?” she asked.

  “Guilty. The McDaniels just took off. I was hoping they were all going to the hospital, but it looks like they made a stop on the other side of the block,” he said.

  “Well, I wish we could have helped them, but I’m beginning to think you’re right about all this. I’ve seen a few lawyers and staff around the office that look and sound really sick. I’m really starting to get paranoid. I’m thinking about calling in sick for next week. Diarrhea sound good to you?” she asked, laughing.

  “Never fails. I’m telling you, it’s the most underestimated illness out there. You won’t even have to finish the sentence. Start to describe the contents of the toilet bowl and wham, end of discussion. Take as much time off as you need. At this point, you could probably just use the words ‘flu-like symptoms’ and nobody will question your decision to stay home. According to the evening news, absenteeism is on the rise in Maine.”

  “I can imagine. Anyway, here’s the other peeping tom. Take care, Alex. Say hi to Kate.”