by A. R. Shaw
Snow lay in spots where the tree clearings allowed it to fall and its frozen crust crunched beneath his boots along with the fallen pinecones and needles. Dalton recalled when this path was muddied and slippery from frequent traffic, in the days when more people had to be quarantined. They finally had to resort to the use of galoshes they kept at the gate to reduce the mess. Now, the path was frozen hard and much less traveled. Those early days had been hard for everyone.
Now the quarantine building stood mostly as a grim reminder of what they’d gone through to get where they were now. Many hadn’t made it from this place, leaving it embedded with troubled emotions he thought he could feel it as he got nearer. Family after family had been admitted through the process, desperate to make it clear of the facility.
Most of those who developed the China virus accepted their fate. However, one husband that Dalton remembered did not. As soon as Clarisse whispered the news that only he was positive, both she and Dalton watched in horror as he calmly approached his wife and baby who were sitting on the other end of the room, and shot them both dead, unexpectedly. He decided to end it immediately for the three of them, not just himself. He smiled at them through the observation glass as if he’d won some prize, and then shot himself. The whole time Dalton and Clarisse were begging and screaming, but there was nothing they could do. That was the day Dalton held Clarisse back from the entry door. Mostly because of him, Dalton felt the angst whenever he approached. They’d retested him several times and it all came back positive. Sadly, he decided to take his immune wife and child with him. Dalton shook the awful memory from his mind. It was time now to focus on his friends who, having taken the risk for the carriers, were locked inside—temporarily, he hoped—and he needed to be upbeat for them.
The guard greeted Dalton casually, having already been alerted to his approach ahead of time. He said, “Morning, sir,” and smiled.
“Morning. Any news?” Dalton asked.
“No, they don’t tell me anything,” he said, joking.
“Clarisse inside?”
“Yeah, of course. She never leaves this place,” he said and typed the code in the door security pad. Dalton ducked his head under the doorway of the domed building and walked down the darkened hallway towards the light that shone through from the observation room.
He found her looking at the slides on the mini projector. She looked up at him through her dark framed glasses as he entered. Her chestnut hair was up in its tight bun as always. Clarisse, the camp scientist, took care of all quarantine procedures as well as medical care both major and minor. She wasn’t known to socialize much with the men because she didn’t want to be responsible for gossip or fear amongst the wives. They highly respected her opinion and willingness to work with dangerous subjects all the same.
Dalton’s only concern with her was that she didn’t have anyone in her personal life and he wasn’t sure how she coped through all the stress without the relief valve of a personal connection. When the families were all going through the quarantine process, she’d held steadfast through it all, often sleeping on her cot right in the observation room to help provide them and herself with a sense of security. She reran tests multiple times, knowing fully what their outcomes would be.
“Good morning, Clarisse. How are the boys?” Dalton asked.
“I’ll tell you in just a second. They just finished the third draw and so far, as of now, they’re negative,” she said as she peered into the microscope without looking up at him, and then dropped the slide securely into the trash receptacle.
“That’s good news, so far. Are they still awake?” Dalton asked.
“Yeah, they were just giving me a hard time for not including Twinkies in their rations,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“Those bastards!” His mock indignation brought a bit of a smile to her face.
“Now they’re in for the eight. So, I imagine they’ll go back to sleep in a while. If you want to talk to them, go right ahead. I have their com off in protest of the Twinkie remarks, but you can turn it back on,” she said.
She had a gorgeous smile and she would make any man blissfully happy. He never asked her why she kept to herself. It just wasn’t his business, being a married man himself.
He looked at the pair on the monitor. It was like observing an old married couple arguing with one another. Rick motioned with his hands as always and from the looks of things, the argument was getting heated.
“God, they’re already fighting and it’s not even day four,” Dalton said and flipped the audio on, but kept silent until he could figure out what the two were debating.
Clarisse came over behind him to see what he was talking about in case it appeared something medical. After a second of observance, she shrugged. “Just chalk it up to their flawed personalities, Dalton.” She returned to work on her logs.
Rick’s arms were going up and down now in parallel motion as Steven shook his head back and forth, each on their own side of the room.
“You know I’m right, you asshole, you just won’t admit it. Batman has the Batmobile, the guns and for crying out loud, he owns his own company. What the hell does Spiderman have? All he does is shoot silly string and he’s a goddamn reporter,” Rick spewed with mock venom.
“All right, ladies,” Dalton said, cutting off Steven’s retort.
“Morning, boss.” Rick’s furious expression changed in an instant as if the heated argument had never taken place.
“Hey, Dalton,” Steven said.
Dalton secretly got a kick out of the two guys’ antics. They could appear about ready to strangle one another but were the best of friends. This was just their way of dealing with stress.
“Any afterthoughts?” Dalton asked them.
“No. Yes, is the dog okay?” Rick said. “I had to blast him first. He might have gotten a little too much.”
Dalton figured the dog would be the one they were most worried about.
“He’s fine. They all are, in fact. That’s why I came by. I just wanted you to know, they all woke up and they were pissed, as we predicted until they settled down and saw the gifts. The Oreos went over really well, too. That was a nice touch, putting them on the bottom,” Dalton said.
“How’s the little kid?” Steven asked. “I was more concerned about him getting too much.”
“He’s fine. First one up in fact. Good job,” Dalton said, then added, “He freaked out a little bit trying to wake the others but then Mark was up soon after. Oh, and Graham already figured out how you guys got in.”
“Figures, smart fella,” Rick said with admiration.
“He’s a good guy. All this time we’ve been watching them. Now, after this, they’re more real to me. Those kids really do need him,” Steven said.
Changing the subject, Dalton said, “Well, it looks like so far, you two are clear but we all know the rules. Try not to kill each other. It’s only the first day.”
Both men started wrestling, just for Dalton, as they pretended to punch each other, and fell over on the beds in slow motion.
“See what I have to contend with?” Clarisse said behind him as she motioned towards the two beyond the glass window.
“Good luck,” he told her, walking towards the exit, “I’ve got a date with my pillow.”
“Sleep well, Dalton. See you later.”
Turning her attention back to the two clowns, she said, “All right, you two, you’ve got five and half now.” Looking at the log clock and before she turned off the mic, she added, “Catwoman could kick both their asses.” She hung up before they could react.
The guys looked at each other. “She’s right,” Steven said.
Rick had to agree.
41 New Signs
“Oh, man,” Mark said, having gone outside. He saw the doe struggling, having caught her hoof on a boarded nail, and was caught between two trees. He could see the cuts in her hide with blood seeping through. Now that she saw him, she scampered, trying to free herself but only
achieved twisting her own limbs even more.
He and Bang approached her from two different sides. Bang held her attention while Mark snuck around behind the doe, trying to free her from the trap, and at the same time, trying to stay clear of her other sharp hooves flailing about.
“This was a bad idea,” Bang said.
Mark wrenched the nail that tethered her, setting her free. He strategically left his hand around her ankle, a few seconds longer, until Bang cleared her path. She stood still for a few hushed seconds watching them until Bang raised his arms, shooing her to freedom. She was off like a flash through the greenery.
With that done, they began pulling up every last hidden trap so that didn’t happen again.
Graham climbed the makeshift ladder and secured the last camera at the front entrance with Ennis’s help. Even though the sharp bitter wind seeped into Graham’s jacket, he knew the old man couldn’t handle much more, even if he had gloves on.
“That’s it,” he said. “Let’s get back inside.”
He helped Ennis walk even though the old man protested. “What are we going to do if you break a hip?” he asked him.
“You’ll have one less mouth to hunt for, that’s what,” Ennis said.
“We need you, Ennis. Even if you don’t realize it,” Graham said. He searched for the boys as they went up to the cabin.
“Here, you get inside. This wind’s picking up. I’ll get the boys. It looks like a storm is coming on,” Graham said and looked up at the graying sky.
Gone were the days of TV and radio station call signs. Gone the cheerful reports of “cloudy with the chance of sprinkles,” or, “duck and cover. A category five is headed your way.” It was back to primal instincts only and Graham could tell something big was on the way. To his limited knowledge, heavy snow with wind meant blizzard time.
He picked up his pace down the cleared trail to find the boys. He’d seen them earlier, working their way through collecting the nailed boards that they’d all deemed a bad idea. He called them.
“Over here!” Mark’s voice rose over the wind.
They were both kneeling down, looking at something in the rocky shoreline.
“What’s up?” Graham asked.
“The bear traps are missing,” Mark said.
“And there are more footprints,” Bang said.
“Graham, the sign is gone too,” Mark said, and pointed behind him.
“All right, let’s get to the cabin. There’s a storm coming,” Graham said.
The previous light mood was no longer present. The boys were worried now. Graham thought at first that any animal could have come along and maybe moved the traps but with the sign clearly torn free, it was undeniable that the intruders were sending a message. This was not good and Graham knew it.
He looked around at the waves lapping at the shore under tumultuous layers of clouds above, warring in the sky. It sent a chill through to his spine. He looked towards the intruders’ general vicinity and couldn’t imagine why they were bothering with them. Why would any human fathom committing a crime like this now? Hadn’t they all been through enough? He knew he had to be even more vigilant now. He wouldn’t let it happen again. He’d shoot them on sight, one at a time if he had to. Ennis was right. All along, the old man had echoed Graham’s dad’s attitude. So now, they had been warned. If he saw them once more, he would shoot to kill them all.
Turning his back to the lake, Graham had to pull up the collar of his coat as the wind started pelting his back with hail, prelude to the snow he’d predicted.
Once in the clearing, he could see Tala standing on the porch waiting for him. He thought she looked lovely in an old gray sweater she’d pulled tightly around her waist, watching his approach through the swirling snow, some of which stuck to her long raven hair. She was beautiful, he could see that, and he could feel it too.
Her kind eyes watched him. Covered in snow, he started up the stairs to the porch, and stopping right in front of her without losing stride, he pulled her to him. She looked up into his eyes. That was all he needed to bring his lips down onto her full ones, kissing her. She opened her dark eyes questioning and he said in a low husky voice, “There’s a storm coming.”
She nodded, uncertain what to say. He turned her around and opened the cabin door. “Everyone in the cabin?” he asked.
“All except Sheriff,” Tala said.
Graham opened the door again and whistled his call. Seconds later, the dog appeared with his brown fur turned white as the snow melted and refroze on it.
“Get in here, pal,” Graham said.
Tala grabbed a spare towel and wiped down the dog before he started to stink up the place. Still a bit sleepy, Sheriff lay down by the fire and quickly fell into a deep slumber.
He could hear the kids gathered in the bunkroom talking amongst themselves, and Ennis was asleep in his chair already.
Graham took it all in and wished there was a private room built off the living area. He really wanted to have some private time with Tala. No, stop thinking that way. It was confusing. He cared for Tala, more than he’d cared to admit this soon after the death of his wife. Something about being cooped up at the world’s end made one feel the urge to mate and that is why the thought of one of those men getting their hands on Tala or one of the twins made Graham crazy.
He reached over at the door and locked it tight to the outside world.
Tala looked up at him from the kitchen with a little smile on her face.
He took off his boots and put them by the wall, and hung up his coat so that it wouldn’t drip on the floor. With his rifle slung over his shoulder, he walked into the kitchen where no one could see them and put his hand on Tala’s waist.
“Tala are you okay?” he whispered to her.
“Yes, are you?” she asked and turned to face him full on. “Regrets?”
He answered her by brushing his lips across hers lightly. He reached his hand up to the back of her slender neck, feeling her silky hair and tangled his fingers through it. He felt her warm breath on his face and watched as she closed her eyes.
A soft snoring sound came from the living area and the children’s voices in the bunkroom sounded like they’d opted for a game of Monopoly. This was all the privacy the two shared, standing in the kitchen. Graham briefly thought of pulling her into the bathroom and then felt ashamed for the idea.
She parted her lips and then he couldn’t help it. He pulled her by the hips closer to him, wrapping his arms around her slender waist and ran his hand up her side, feeling the length of her, the shape of her before he kissed her. He felt a shudder of pleasure run through her muscles. It sent shockwaves down to his toes.
Moments later, he heard Bang speak his name.
He pulled back from Tala’s embrace. “Yeah, buddy, whatcha need?” He thought he must look guilty as hell, acting as if he’d not just been making out with Tala in the kitchen.
The boy looked confused but then said, “Do you want to play Monopoly with us?”
Though it was about the last thing he wanted to do right about then, he said, “Sure, give me a minute.”
After Bang had gone back into the other room, feeling like a heel, Graham sank onto a kitchen chair and lowered his head.
Tala massaged his shoulders. “It’s all right, he doesn’t know what he saw,” she whispered.
“I promised his mother I’d take care of him. I just hope I’m not screwing up already,” Graham said.
“Graham, she could not have chosen a better guardian than you.”
He stood, turned and faced her. “We’ll talk about this another time,” he said and pressed a quick kiss on her forehead. He told himself it was right that he spent a little time with the kids anyway. As Marcy dealt him the phony money, he could hear Tala working in the kitchen and knew they’d soon be breathing in the good aromas of her cooking. At least this storm gave them all a chance to be together and he didn’t have to worry about one of the girls being snatched.
42 An Urgent Call
Checking each screen and writing down in the events logs, Reuben did a double take when he noticed Graham and Tala in the kitchen. “Oh, Lord,” he said under his breath, and then turned away out of respect. All he wrote in the log was, “AIW” which translated to “All is well.” It is, isn’t it? he reasoned.
Then the quarantine line flashed, indicating an incoming call. Reuben picked up and Clarisse said, “We’ve got a temp.”
Reuben’s heart jumped. “Who?”
“Steven.”
“What is it?”
“Hundred and four point three.”
“Is it…?” he asked.
“I don’t know yet. Rick’s in there, too. He’s fine, right now. It’s just Steven,” she said.
“Maybe it’s something else, Clarisse.”
“Yeah, Reuben, let’s hope so.”
“I’ll let Dalton know.”
“Okay, I’ll give an update in twenty minutes, when my scan’s over,” she said, sounding nervous.
“Deal.”
He buzzed Dalton, “Sorry to wake you, man, but we have a probable positive.”
“What is it?” Dalton asked waking up out of a light sleep.
“It’s Steven, he’s showing an elevated temperature and if you didn’t already know, there’s also a blizzard coming in,” Reuben said.
“What does Clarisse say?” Dalton asked, disregarding the blizzard news.
“Twenty minutes and she’ll know more,” he said.
“Rick?” Dalton asked.
“Fine, so far,” he said.
“I’m coming in,” Dalton said and he hung up.
Reuben liked Steven. The man was quiet but amicable and he was the only one who could put up with Rick’s constant bullshit and then simply sit quietly like Sam did, without the need for conversation.
Looking up at the screen again, he noticed the little boy had caught the pair making out in the kitchen. “Oh, man,” he murmured, “better you than me.” Then he thought of why he’d been able to capture that little scene. “I sure hope this scheme didn’t cost us.”