The China Pandemic

by A. R. Shaw

  ~ ~ ~

  Dalton went directly to quarantine through the blizzard. In his mind, if this were the virus, it would be all his fault. He’d never forgive himself. He brushed off the accumulated snow and stomped as he entered the building.

  “What do you have, Clarisse?” he asked, barging in without the usual pleasantries.

  “Give me five more minutes,” she answered.

  He walked over to the observation window. Steven lay back against his pile of crisp white sterile pillows, watching reruns of Rick’s Seinfeld episodes, occasionally laughing. When he saw Dalton standing in the window, Steven waved an arm wide in a dismissive gesture. “I’m fine, it just a little fever.”

  Rick lowered his comic book gave his, ‘I don’t know’ face, before resuming his fine literary studies.

  He knew they were aware of the risks. This was their way of dealing with them.

  Dalton looked at the screen monitoring Rick’s vitals and they appeared fine. Steven’s temperature was now one hundred four, point four. The man looked a little glassy-eyed, but other than that, he seemed fine.

  “Diarrhea? Anything like that?” Dalton asked Clarisse.

  “Not so far. It’s just a fever,” she said.

  The buzzer went off, breaking the trance.

  She read the data.

  “I don’t think that’s it,” she said after reading the printout. “It’s not viral. It’s some kind of bacterial infection!” She almost shouted for joy.

  “I don’t know without examining him, but it isn’t viral,” she said again.

  She went over to the mic. “Steven, the results are in. It’s not viral. It’s an infection. Do you have any pain, anywhere? Cuts, a toothache, stomachache?” she asked him.

  Steven sat up. “I don’t think so. I feel kind of crummy all over though,” he said.

  “Rick, get up off your ass,” Clarisse demanded. “I’m going to need your help. I know you’re not trained, but I need you to examine him.”

  “Does this involve touching him?” He waved his hands. “Ooh, ick!”

  “Yes, now knock it off,” Clarisse said with all seriousness. “Go wash your hands. With soap and hot water.”

  He washed his hands in the steaming hot water singing “Happy Birthday to Me,” aloud, twice, just like his wife taught their kids to do. Apparently, that was the sufficient allotment of time to kill germs.

  “Okay, boss, now what?” he said, holding up his clean hairy hands.

  “Strip, Steven,” Clarisse said.

  “Really,” Steven said, acting happy.

  “Yes, and do it now. No more bullshit, you guys. Get serious, because this is serious.”

  “Ah, Jesus,” Steven said, and began pulling off his t-shirt and boxers.

  Steven stood there in the nude and Dalton took note as Clarisse lowered her gaze, trying to provide the man’s privacy but she needed to do her job as well.

  “All right, Rick, start with his head,” she said.

  They both looked at her, not willing to let it go.

  “You know what I mean, goddammit,” she warned them.

  Steven bent down to let Rick go through his hair, touching his scalp.

  “Rick, you’re looking for any kind of sore or inflammation. Does he have any bumps anywhere?” she asked as he ran his hands through Steven’s light hair.

  “I don’t see or feel anything,” Rick said.

  “Okay, check behind his ears, and then look down his back,” she said.

  “Sorry, dude, turn around,” Rick said to him.

  “I have a headache,” Steven complained.

  “Okay, but that’s not enough to go on, though,” Clarisse said.

  “Steven, now raise your arms. Rick, look carefully,” she said.

  Steven did with reluctance but when he raised his left arm, it took only a second for Rick to say, “There it is. It’s a tick.” Rick pointed at it.

  Steven tried to see what the hell Rick was pointing at, but it was out of his range of view. “What the hell?” he asked Clarisse, turning to face the window at the same time as he tried to probe his armpit.

  “Don’t touch it, dude,” Rick said.

  “Oh, thank God, tick-fever.” Clarisse couldn’t have sounded happier.

  “It’s red and swollen with a damn tick right in the center. Could have been there for days,” Rick said.

  “Come over to the lab table, Steven,” Clarisse said.

  He started to walk that way but then doubled back and put his briefs back on.

  “Um, you could have more ticks. Can you examine the rest, yourself?” she asked him.

  “Yes,” Steven said.

  She gave him a minute to perform the procedure. Rick washed his hands again with added drama and louder birthday greetings to himself while Steven again put his shorts on and went to the examination area.

  “I love you, dude, but not in that way,” Rick said, and soaped up with steam rising over the sink.

  Steven lay down on the partitioned lab table. She put her hands through the gloves in the wall and prepared the instruments she needed to extract the entire parasite.

  “Okay, let’s see it,” she said, as he lifted his arm for her and stepped closer so she could examine it.

  She removed the parasite, cleaned the wound and gave him a fast acting antibiotic injection and a few oral anti-inflammatories for swelling and his headache.

  The four of them blew huge sighs of relief, knowing in these days what a fever could mean, and the catastrophic consequences it could bring.

  Steven went back to his cot and drifted off to sleep soon after.

  43 Cabin Fever

  Four days passed with little to do other than watch the snow falling, layer upon layer as it drifted downward. It was light as a feather and magnificent in scope. When it stopped, the sun rose high making the ice crystals sparkle brightly. Deer, moose, rabbit and wolf tracks made their marks here and there. The evergreen boughs bent low under their frozen loads, highlighting their beauty. Both treacherous and elegant, quiet tranquility abided for those who ventured out bundled from head to toe.

  Graham shoveled off the porch once again. He didn’t need anyone slipping, especially Ennis. The kids were busily rolling enormous snowballs to conjure up a man as round as tall. He delighted in their activity with Sheriff jumping up and down, running along with them. That sight itself, evoked both sadness and joy. They shouldn’t be happy, not that he wanted them depressed, though they were, in spite of it all.

  Tala walked out with a cup of piping hot cocoa and handed Graham the brew. Tension between them remained, neither certain of where things between them might go. Guilt, Graham privately called his own emotions, laced by grief and madness. It held him back, though at night he couldn’t help but look toward her sleeping form, wishing her body lay next to his.

  He realized Ennis had sensed this all, maybe before each knew it themselves. He often said to Graham, “Why don’t you two take a walk. I’ll watch the kids,” as if he were the grandfather of their large brood. Graham couldn’t get that out of his mind so he ignored the offer and went about his day. He didn’t think she would oblige him anyway, other than the occasional touch or handhold throughout their days. They were held captive in the cabin so Graham tried to ignore the insistent feelings.

  “County roads plowed yet?” Ennis asked.

  He took great amusement making these kinds of jokes.

  “Naw, you know it takes them forever to get to these back country lanes,” Graham said, playing along.

  “It’s too cold for an old man out here,” Ennis said and peeked out at the children playing in the snow.

  “Go inside. I’ll make you some cocoa,” Tala said, putting her arm around Ennis.

  “Stop bossing me around, woman,” he griped playfully.

  Truly, the old man had become a treasure to them all. Even when he was cranky, he was adorable.

  Supply wise, they were doing fine and had prepared just enough to feed thems
elves two meals a day with supplements for the growing young minds and bodies which needed it more. With Tala’s vigilance in the pantry, they wouldn’t starve. She kept precise records. The only things they really yearned for were butter, potatoes and fresh milk.

  Unfortunately, it wasn’t likely for them to come across a cow during the winter. The dry and canned variety of milk seemed to be getting them by. They’d even adjusted to drinking the powdered stuff now without too much complaint. However, Graham planned to find a dairy cow as soon as possible if it killed him.

  The multivitamins the Preppers had provided helped a lot as well. As a result of the immunizations, they felt groggy and sore for a few days but fortunately, the snowstorm gave them time to rest and recover.

  Ennis went back inside and Tala followed him in to check on dinner. The days were short this time of year. Graham could already see the light fading from the bitterly cold sky. One by one, the kids gave up, having succeeded in making their snowman. They climbed the steps with rosy cheeks and drenched with melting ice. They knew the drill at the door by now and Tala didn’t have to mention it to them again; boots in a row and all.

  Having finally run off pent up energy, they welcomed the warm minestrone soup Tala put together along with her now famous, warm biscuits. She even made soft molasses cookies, surprising them all after dinner. Though the chickens did not yet produce many eggs this time of the year, they managed to get two before they ceased laying for the year. Tala decided to use eggs in baking so they could all enjoy them together.

  “Bang, let’s you and I go feed the chickens and make sure they’re put up tight for the night,” Graham said.

  They rounded up the chickens and took them their warmed brick as well. They also fed them what few scraps and biscuits Tala saved for them. They kept fresh water and bedding for the birds and hoped eggs would be plentiful in the spring with higher temperatures and more daylight.

  ~ ~ ~

  The next day brought a surprise warming trend and the snow turned to a soupy melting mess outside. Tala threatened to have everyone start lining their boots up outside now since she was constantly wiping up the melting ice.

  For the lack of anything better to do and a good case of cabin fever, Graham and the boys began shoveling a trail through the melting mess to both the lake side and driveway entrances, so that when the slush refroze, they would at least have access to each.

  The snowman that the kids built stood at an angle now. They all gazed at it sadly, knowing its hours were numbered as they walked by. After a while, the sun beamed down on them, warming their shoulders through heavy jackets. They began to sweat with the work, feeling invigorated with each heft of the shovel.

  The girls watched them from the porch, jealous. Since the guys were finished with the driveway side, Tala and the twins decided to take a walk. They waved to the guys as they made their way up the lane. Graham watched them and thought the only thing abnormal about the scene was seeing all three armed.

  He’d warned them about the wolves and they promised to return in twenty minutes, timing it to ten minutes up the road and ten back. He relented and let them go, knowing they must be bored having stayed inside too long. He would have gone with them but really wanted to help the boys finish the almost complete task of trail clearing.

  Trudging through the melting snow helped the women work their leg muscles. It was a joy to breathe the fresh air and get away from the cabin for a short while.

  ~ ~ ~

  Graham heard the engine and the shots at the same time. A chill ran up his spine before he even heard the screams. He grabbed his rifle and ran through the forest to where he thought they might be, jumping over fallen logs carelessly as fast as his might would carry him.

  Only eight minutes out, the dread fell over him. The intruders were coming for them by land not lake. The girls ran as fast as they could go, but with sinister intentions and stronger bodies, the intruders would win. Marcy raced for the tree line with Tala and Macy right behind. They might have made it, had Macy not tripped over a chunk of ice. One of the intruders grabbed her easily. Then Tala turned and pulled on the girl, clenching Macy as the intruder yanked Macy’s pistol from her chest harness and aimed it at Macy’s temple.

  “Let her go,” Tala screamed.

  “We just want one of you, darlin’,” he said, making her skin crawl.

  He had his thick fat fingers intertwined into Macy’s hair.

  “She’s a child. Take me,” Tala said, and lowered the rifle.

  “No, Tala,” Macy screamed.

  The man pushed the girl down hard into the road in time to grab Tala harshly before she could fight back. Tala dropped her weapon to Macy’s side as he dragged her to their jeep. The intruders planned a quick getaway. Having already heard a vehicle breaking the silence, they made their escape.

  Their mission was simple: to pick up one of the women and get back to camp without any trouble. They didn’t care which, but a woman would be better than one of those scrawny girls. There were two of them now and they needed someone to cook and take care of their needs. They figured this to be the best plan.

  “No,” Macy screamed again.

  “Run, Macy,” Tala cried out before her captor covered her mouth with one hand and pulled her onto him in the passenger’s seat of the jeep, which sped away.

  Macy did run. She grabbed the extra rifle and took off following the jeep as far as she could when she heard Graham behind her yelling, with Marcy following him.

  He knew he’d failed. He wanted to shoot at the vehicle speeding away in the distance but couldn’t risk hitting Tala. The next thing he knew, Mark pulled up, driving the truck from the opposite direction, “Get in,” Mark yelled when he pulled up to Graham and the girls.

  “No, you get out,” Graham said and as soon as the boy began to protest, Graham reached in and yanked him out of the driver’s seat.

  “I need you here,” Graham said, throwing the truck into gear and taking off after Tala.

  “Come on, he’s right. Let’s get back,” Mark said. Both girls were crying and he embraced them, hurrying them back to the cabin.

  44 A Walk on Ice

  Reuben switched through the cameras. One minute, all was well, the next it was not. The women went for a walk and the guys were working outside, maintaining trails. Ennis did what old men do on cold winter days; he napped. The scene was like something out of Little Women, which Reuben had read to his daughters.

  After he had seen the girls leave on the north camera, he watched as they faded into the distance. He was happy for them to get some fresh air, for a change. The south side camera had the guys working and joking together.

  Then he heard the shots on the audio and looked at the screens frantically to find where it had come from. The boys stood momentarily frozen, but Graham had already sped off towards the sound.

  “Something’s up,” Reuben said.

  He started switching through cameras and found Mark running into the cabin and retrieving keys.

  Reuben radioed Dalton, “The girls and Graham are off camera to the north. It looks like Mr. Mark’s going for a drive. Speeding north in the truck.”

  “Coming in,” Dalton said.

  Reuben turned up the volume when Bang and Sheriff stormed into the cabin calling for Ennis. “What’s up, lad?” Ennis asked.

  “Someone’s shooting. Tala and the twins went for a walk. Graham ran after them and then Mark drove the truck. I don’t know where Graham is,” Bang said, scared.

  Ennis patted the boy, knowing he and Graham had a special bond. To reassure him, Ennis said, “Graham will be all right. I’m sure whatever it is, he’ll be right back.”

  Bang’s lower lip trembled. “You come warm up by the fire. You’re too cold,” Ennis said as he tried to take care of the little guy.

  “No! We need to help them,” Bang urged.

  “Sounds like Mark has it all under control. I think we should stay here. If everyone goes off, no one will be watching t
he cabin and I know Graham would want you to keep an eye on it. I can’t do it all by myself anymore,” Ennis said, and hoped that would keep the boy from worrying.

  They heard footsteps running through the ice and coming to the door so Ennis grabbed his shotgun and peered out the window before he opened the door out of caution. He saw the twins with Mark, so he opened it to let them in.

  “What’s going on, son?” Ennis asked Mark.

  “The intruders from the lake took Tala!”

  The girls were sniffling and now that Bang knew, he blubbered, too. “Where’s Graham?”

  “He went after them. He wouldn’t let me go with him. He said he needed me here,” Mark said but Ennis saw the teenager felt like he’d somehow failed Graham.

  Ennis was at a loss in a situation like this. He knew there was nothing he could do to help Graham. The only thing he could think of was to try to keep the children calm and stop them from doing something stupid.

  “Graham’s right,” he said to Mark. “You need to be here. I can’t take care of them on my own. I’m an old man. Graham can take care of himself. He’ll get Tala and come back, don’t you all worry,” he added.

  “You girls come dry off by the fire. Warm up your hands. You’re shivering,” Ennis said to them. They were still sniffling. He could see that Mark’s internal wheels were spinning. “Son, there’s nothing you can do, but wait. Have faith in Graham. He’s a smart man.” Ennis tried to comfort the younger man.

  “Are they going to hurt Tala?” Bang asked.

  Macy was the first to snap out of it. Kneeling, she hugged the little guy. “I don’t know. Hopefully Graham will get her back. She saved me,” Macy said and instead of comforting Bang, she burst into tears again. He hugged her back and said, “Don’t cry, Macy. Graham won’t let them hurt Tala. He loves her. He kisses her.”

  Ennis looked at the back of her bent head as she wept on the little boy’s shoulder. Blood dripped down her back and stained her long blonde hair. He pointed and Mark jumped forward.