by Lanza, Marie
“Well, if it’s appropriate to discuss in front…”
Jaxon was aware of my concern for Ethan, quickly reassuring me. “No, no it’s fine. His mom and I have never kept anything from him. And now that we’re not running for our lives, we can actually have a conversation.” Jaxon took a bite of his food and sipped his coffee. “We all know the outbreak started in the skid row area of Los Angeles. At first it was nothing, a virus that looked like others with flu symptoms, breathing troubles, chest pains, even coughing blood…”
“Like the tuberculosis scare?” I asked.
“It was the TB scare. But when the patients were tested, it wasn’t TB. TB was an easy way to prevent wide-spread panic. People have heard of it before, so they understood it. But covering it up with a story of TB would only last so long. So, the city of LA called for Federal help. That’s where my wife comes in. They treated a few cases with success. The unsuccessful were transferred to Fort Mesa.”
“Wait,” Dan jumped in, “You said there were some successes? So there’s a cure?”
Jaxon continued to take bites of his food between our questions. “No. Early on a vaccine was developed, but the virus mutated before we could put it into circulation. Subsequent vaccines failed almost as soon as they were developed. The treatments never really worked. Given the speed at which the virus was changing, the government used the victims of the disease as test subjects. No one listens or cares about homeless people. It was easy to get away with since they’re cast off as mentally unstable anyway.”
Mayhem wiggled his head between Dan and my touching thighs and whimpered, taking us out of the conversation. Dan gave him a piece of bacon.
“His food is in the car,” I said.
“Sorry Jaxon, please…” Dan brought his attention back to the conversation.
“We’ll see what they have for dog food around here… So, the virus mutated and began attacking the brain. We still saw the majority of cases in neighborhoods like skid row. The illness was always associated with high drug use; sharing needles was the big cause at first. Handfuls got sick, and with the incubation period lasting for up to 48 hours until they showed signs, it was hard to keep up. These patients became violent, attacked others, suffered from delusional behavior, high fevers.”
“And you blamed these incidents on drugs.” It was all coming together.
“The local police didn’t know any better. With new drugs like bath salts hitting the market…”
“It was easy to get away with.” I finished his sentence.
“Very easy. The Feds continued to blame drugs, but then the infection spread into hospitals, mental institutions, and jails. It wasn’t just on the streets anymore. The government tried to keep it under control, but they started losing track of patients, and others were becoming sick too fast. Then the virus mutated again, and the more disturbing phases of the virus were speeding up within the timeline of symptoms. Some have reported a matter of hours to mere minutes from moment of infection with the virus until people changed into the monsters we’re seeing now.”
“Jesus Christ,” Dan whispered to himself.
“So, the riots?”
“Another cover story. The riots were the biggest outbreak we had seen in a central location. When that went down, we knew we had to let local authorities in on it.”
“Wow, so those news stories on the bath salt craze and YouTube videos showing people losing their minds on the stuff?” I blurted out.
“Some were drugs, and in most of those cases the Feds swooped in and tested the patients for the virus. Most of the methadone clinics are really Fed fronts anyway, and they quickly set up new testing centers for TB, HIV, Hepatitis—all efforts to attempt to identify the infected early. It just spread faster than we imagined.”
“The government really does keep some scary secrets.” Dan chuckled nervously, looking around the room, shaking his head.
“You don’t know the half of it.” Jaxon finished the last bite of his meal. “The shit my wife was dealing with around the world would make most people never want to leave their homes.”
It really made me think about all the conspiracy theories I had read about, laughed at, and seen on the news. Most people brushed them off as silly nonsense and looked at the theorists as paranoid, attention-seeking nut jobs. We really didn’t know what the truth was and what was just fluff manufactured by the Feds. Military actions, political conspiracies, past outbreaks were all coming into question now. Everyone always knew there were secrets for our own safety, but this one had clearly done more harm than good.
“How does something like the bird flu, or I don’t know, any other virus for that matter, get out there?” Dan asked.
“Most of the new viruses that are jumping from animals to humans are simply mutations of existing strains. The unknown in the beginning is whether or not we have cures or can control their spread through government action. Regardless, in most cases the authorities can at least explain how it’s spread,” Jaxon explained. “The powers must’ve just assumed it was too hard to try and describe a virus that, for all accounts and purposes, kills you but keeps your body alive enough to eat your loved ones.”
“You’re right, that is hard to explain,” Dan said.
“So, on a lighter note, I’m sure it’ll get all sorted out as it always does. Ethan, what do you say we show Harmony, Dan, and Mayhem the indoor dog park?” Jaxon gave his son a nudge.
Ethan’s face lit up with a smile at the idea.
We all got up from the table and put our trays with plates away. Jaxon and Ethan guided us through the tunnels. Military personnel we met along the way would acknowledge Jaxon with a sharp salute. We entered what they called the dog park. Half the room was kept as a training room with obstacles for working dogs; the other half was converted as a place to exercise for the pets of any survivors that had been swooped up in a rescue. I let Mayhem off his leash, and he immediately went to town with Ethan running after him.
“I can’t thank you guys enough for picking me up on the side of the road.” Jaxon lovingly watched his son. “I truly owe you.”
Dan and I brought our attention to Jaxon. There was so much love in his voice for his little boy.
“Sir?” A female voice came from behind us.
The moment was interrupted. We turned to see a young woman at attention, saluting the officer. We instantly saw the fear written all over her face.
Jaxon returned the salute, and asked, “What can I do for you?”
“The General needs you in the meeting room.”
“Do you mind watching Ethan?” Jaxon looked to Dan and me.
“Of course, we’ve got him,” Dan said.
Jaxon took another look at his son then left with the woman.
“I wonder what that was about.” I turned around to watch Mayhem and Ethan play.
“I don’t know, but did you see her face? It didn’t look good.” Dan put his arm around my shoulder. And we waited….
CHAPTER 8
Ethan ran up to Dan and me completely out of breath, with Mayhem right behind him. “Where’s Daddy?”
“He had to go to a meeting for a few minutes.” I kneeled down next to Ethan and pet Mayhem.
“To talk about the bad people?” Ethan asked.
I looked at Dan, taken a little by surprise by the question.
“Yeah, buddy. He’ll be back very soon.” Dan walked over to a ball lying on the floor and picked it up. “Ethan, Mayhem loves playing fetch.” Dan tossed the ball to him.
Mayhem’s tail wagged with enthusiasm, waiting for Ethan to throw it.
Ethan didn’t ask anything else about his dad. He threw the ball, sending Mayhem into a frenzy after it. Ethan looked to Dan with delight as Mayhem retrieved it and brought the now slimy ball back to the boy for another throw.
I always heard the saying that children are smarter than we give them credit for, and this little boy was a perfect example. Since we met him, I thought about every word I was going to
say in front of him before I said it. Adults think they can fool children with distraction or by using other words to describe situations, but they get it. They absorb everything. Jaxon had said that he and Karen were very open with Ethan, probably due to their jobs. I caught myself wondering if that makes a child grow up a little faster than they should.
Mayhem was eventually tired out from all the running around. He brought the ball back one last time before falling at my feet panting, happy and exhausted.
“Harmony, they have food and water over there.” Ethan directed my eyes to the opposite corner of the park.
“OK, well, why don’t we see if Mayhem is thirsty?” I puckered my lips and kissed the air to get Mayhem to rise to his feet.
We made it over to the water bowls where Mayhem buried his muzzle noisily in the water. He sniffed at the food but declined to eat any.
Dan, Ethan, and I, along with Mayhem, made ourselves comfortable leaning against a wall and watched as a couple of soldiers trained their dogs. They ran around obstacles, jumped over small walls, and retrieved.
It was over an hour until Jaxon finally returned. When Dan saw him enter the area, he waved Jaxon down to get his attention.
Jaxon walked over to us. We all stood to greet him. Ethan ran and gave his father a big hug.
“Sorry about that.” Stress was written all over Jaxon’s face.
“No problem at all,” Dan said.
“Did you have fun?” Jaxon asked Ethan.
Ethan answered with a big nod.
Jaxon took a long pause and stared at Ethan. We could tell something was terribly wrong, and he was just gathering his words.
“Let’s take a walk,” Jaxon suggested.
Now I was certain this was bad news. That statement was the equivalent of saying, have a seat, and only bad news came after that.
“Jaxon, what’s wrong?” I asked. I wasn’t walking anywhere until he gave me an answer.
“There was a breach at Fort Coulee. Just a few hours ago.”
The words hit me like a ton of bricks. I couldn’t breathe, and the world around me was spinning out of control. I must have looked as though I was going to pass out because Dan’s grip tightened on me, and Jaxon stepped forward and grabbed hold of my other arm.
“Harmony, there were survivors. And remember, we don’t even know if your family was there.” Jaxon’s words were no longer comforting.
He was the one that said there were only three facilities where they were taking survivors. We’ve been to two of them. Now he’s telling me the third one had a breach. My mind was racing.
“What’s happening? Where are they going?” I asked.
“Those that made it out with the convoy are coming here.”
“What does that mean?” I needed anything that would give me a glimmer of hope.
“Many more scattered during the breach. The report that came in wasn’t clear about where, but you can imagine in a panic people got separated,” Jaxon said.
“Here?” Dan asked. “But I thought you said there were thousands there.”
“Not anymore.” Jaxon’s tone was low and serious. “Come on. Let’s go get some water and sit down.”
We walked in silence through the halls. As we passed military and other civilians, I wondered who knew and who was oblivious. We walked for a good ten minutes through the web of tunnels until coming to a sign that said GLEN WEST ENTRANCE. It was another gymnasium size area with military personnel working at tables that formed aisles.
Jaxon walked over to a case of water bottles, grabbed four, and then directed us to some bleacher style seating by the door through which we had entered. We all took a seat, and Jaxon handed us the bottled water.
“That’s where they’ll enter,” Jaxon said, pointing to an entrance tunnel as he took a seat. “Then they’ll go through the paperwork process.”
“Who?” I asked
“The survivors from Fort Coulee.”
“Why didn’t we go through the paperwork process?” Dan asked. Now that it was mentioned, I was also curious.
“I gave them your basic info. If they need more they’ll come to you,” Jaxon explained.
“Jaxon, what about the rest of the world?” I asked.
Jaxon stared out at the personnel working at their stations. “They’re all fighting this battle.” He took a sip of water. “There are reports from across the globe. The entire world is infected.”
Those were harsh words to hear. The entire world is infected? Was this Mother Nature’s way of hitting a reset button?
Jaxon must have known those words were unsettling. “We’re on our own here. But we’ll do what we do best. Fight and rebuild.”
There was a humming of voices coming from the tunnel, and then we got our first look at the survivors from Fort Coulee. The soldiers led them in and directed them to the tables where more soldiers were waiting with clipboards and stacks of paper. Most of the survivors looked dirty and exhausted; they lugged their personal belongings which consisted mostly of backpacks and weapons ranging from shovels to guns. Regular civilians had become warriors just like the soldiers who were forced to defend their lives and the lives of their families.
Dan reached over and held my hand. We searched the crowd from our seats as they filed in. Each individual gave their names and cities they were from, then filled out a short form of what I assumed more personal details. After completing the form, soldiers gave them bottled water and directed them down another tunnel labeled SOUTH GLEN. It led to more living spaces for survivors. For the soldiers, this was a routine operation, like helping refugees in a foreign country. Only this time it was their own.
“Will this place really fit all these people?” I asked.
“For now,” Jaxon answered, but with an uncertain tone in his voice.
Dan gave my hand a little squeeze.
We looked at every face that filtered through, and every face was a stranger. If my family was at Fort Coulee, they didn’t make it out with this convoy.
“I’m sorry guys.” Jaxon rose to his feet.
“I think we predicted this,” Dan said.
“I have to get to an operations meeting.” Jaxon looked to Ethan, “Buddy, you wanna hang out with Daddy? You can look at some maps and stuff.”
“Cool!” Ethan gave him a big smile.
Jaxon looked back to me and Dan. “If I don’t see you tonight, we’ll touch base first thing in the morning….” he trailed off. “You should both really think about what’s next. We know that there’s nothing at Coulee.”
“Yeah, we’ll think about it.” I knew I stopped Jaxon from continuing, but I wasn’t sure I was ready to accept what he was suggesting. I wasn’t going to hide in a hole while loved ones could be out there afraid, running for their lives.
“Meet me tomorrow morning in Operations. It’s the room we entered when we arrived here.”
“Thanks. We’ll see you tomorrow.” Dan showed his gratitude with a handshake.
Quiet hours in the sleeping areas started at 7pm. Dan and I grabbed dinner early and then took Mayhem for another stroll to the dog park area so he could use the bathroom again. Afterwards, we made our way to the sleeping area, hoping for a good night sleep.
There were quite a few people already asleep, most likely because there was nothing else to do.
We made ourselves comfortable, and Mayhem climbed on top in his usual spot.
“Hey.” Dan pulled my chin so I would face him. “We’ll make it through this, alright?”
I nodded OK.
Dan kissed me with everything he had. I didn’t remember the last time we kissed each other, but it reminded me how lucky we were to not be alone. Dan pulled back, looking me in the eyes, each of us forcing the tiniest of grins. He kissed me again before laying his head down. I rolled over and he wrapped his arms around me, bringing me close to him. He was my security.
Dan, as usual, fell asleep fairly quickly. I always wished I had his talent for that.
In the echoing silence of the room, tears finally filled my eyes. I quietly cried for my family. Not knowing where they were or if they were all right was eating my insides. If, on that dreadful day, we had made it to their house sooner, then we’d all be together now. I knew logically that thinking like this wouldn’t help anyone, nor would it help us to find them faster. Still, in this lonely moment, my body was too weak to fight these thoughts. I had an urge to scream out with all the air in my lungs but instead let out a long soft sigh. How I envied Dan and his ability to sleep. I thought briefly about the evolutionary reason that some people developed the worry mentality and others the seeming more practical mindset that allowed them to rest. I was momentarily thankful that this question provided a brief distraction from the all-consuming thoughts of my family.
My body ached from exhaustion, and I was unable to stay awake any longer.
Tomorrow will be a new day.
***
I woke up to Mayhem’s nose in my face. It took a moment for me to collect my thoughts and grasp where we were. Mayhem nudged me again, but I waved him off.
“Hold it.” I had no idea what time it was, but my body certainly didn’t feel ready to get up and take him to the bathroom.
Mayhem nudged me again, only this time it was accompanied by a low growl.
My eyes instantly shot open. The room wasn’t pitch black, but still dark enough that my vision needed to adjust. The only lights came from the doorways. They were a dull yellow that lit the signs to tell everyone where they were going. Mayhem wasn’t looking at me, he was looking over me. I could feel Dan at my back still sleeping. I slowly rolled over to see what Mayhem was fixated on.
“Dan,” I whispered, and softly shook him.
He moaned something
“Dan, honey, please wake up.” I shook him a little harder.
“What’s wrong?” This time I could understand him.
“Something is bothering Mayhem.”
“He probably needs to piss,” Dan mumbled, keeping his eyes closed.
Mayhem growled again, only this time it was more of an angry sound then a warning. I don’t think Dan’s eyes could have opened any wider.