H7N9 Penitence

by Mark Campbell

  Teddy’s heart raced and he moved back quickly with the rest of the group.

  After a few minutes, the bus was emptied and Teddy heard the doors fold shut.

  “Get on your knees!” someone shouted, voice muffled through a gasmask. “All of you!”

  Teddy groaned in pain and slowly got on his aching knees. His swollen hands were still zip-tied behind his back.

  A soldier went through the group and pulled the black sacks off the passenger’s heads.

  Teddy squinted as the sack was yanked off his head.

  Eight soldiers wearing black tactical uniforms and three dog handlers wearing military fatigues and black berets surrounded the group with their rifles pointed at them. The leashed Belgian Malinois dogs barked and snapped at the group and tried to pull away from their handlers.

  Teddy stared at the officers to figure out which branch of service they belonged to, but they didn’t look like any solider that Teddy had ever seen before.

  The officers had ‘FEDERAL POLICE’ stenciled on their backs in white letters and their uniforms bore FEMA emblems on their arms. They all wore helmets with mirrored visors that hid their faces.

  The people on their knees appeared petrified with horror and stared at the snarling dogs.

  Teddy narrowed his eyes and focused his attention towards the stadium behind them.

  Halogen flood lights, military Humvees, and concrete barricades created a semi-circular barrier around the stadium’s parking lot. Snipers stood perched on industrial scissor lifts retrofitted with bright spot lamps along the bottom. FEMA police officers stood behind the barricades and kept a watchful eye on the crowd.

  A crowd of confused, frightened men, women, and children were huddled together in front of a large white Red Cross tent in the center of the lot. People called out names and searched for familiar faces while bright spotlights ran across them.

  There were a few tired-looking men and women wearing Red Cross t-shirts who shuffled aimlessly around the crowd with clipboards but they seemed to ignore any questions.

  A military helicopter hovered above the crowd with its side-doors open. A soldier holding a megaphone sat perched on the side along with a gunner.

  “Make your way through the tent and proceed to medical processing in an orderly manner,” the solider said through the megaphone.

  FEMA police meandered along the crowd’s outskirts brandishing assault rifles.

  Aluminum crowd-control barriers created a single pathway that led from the tent towards the front doors of the stadium.

  Families wandered along the path while FEMA officers and a few National Guard soldiers stood at positions on opposite sides of the barriers with their rifles ready.

  A Department of Homeland Security banner was hung on the front of the stadium and flapped in the wind caused by the whirling helicopter blades.

  The words along the bottom of the banner read: ‘TUCSON REGION FEMA QUARANTINE CENTER’

  Teddy frowned and stared in disbelief at the spectacle before him; whatever illusion of refuge he once had about the stadium quickly faded.

  Near the front of the stadium, there was a large cage crammed with people and surrounded with extra security.

  Teddy watched as two FEMA police officers snatched a man out of the line leading towards the stadium as soon as he stopped walking and started yelling something. The FEMA officers escorted him to the holding pin while he kicked and twisted.

  As soon as the man’s wife started protesting, the FEMA officers snatched her up as well.

  Teddy felt his stomach knot.

  He knew now that his quest to get to the stadium was a mistake that would most likely take his, Jane’s, and Danny’s life.

  He felt gullible.

  He felt foolish.

  Most of all, he felt frightened.

  An officer crouched behind him, reached down, and cut off the plastic restraints.

  Teddy let his arms flop down to his side and kept staring ahead.

  The officer moved from person to person and cut off their restraints.

  “Stay calm, and stay on your knees,” one of the FEMA officers said to the crowd. “Before we allow you access to the stadium, we need to check you for weapons.”

  One of the dog handlers brought their Belgian Malinois into the crowd.

  People fidgeted nervously as the massive beast lurched past them.

  The handler led the dog from person to person as it sniffed them up and down vigorously, snarling and slobbering.

  “Don’t move… Don’t speak,” the FEMA officer warned as someone in the crowd started to move away. “If you spook the dog, it will grab your throat and there isn’t a damn thing we can do to save you.”

  The man went still and squeezed his eyes shut.

  Teddy remained frozen with his head up as the dog ran his wet snout over him.

  Seemingly satisfied, the dog gave a grunt, turned, and was led to the next person.

  After a few tense, silent minutes, the dog handler turned towards the FEMA officers, gave a thumbs-up, and walked away.

  The FEMA officers lowered their weapons and relaxed.

  “You’re clean! Everyone get on your feet!” one of the FEMA officers announced. “Regroup with your family and make your way towards the stadium!”

  Teddy and the others stood as the FEMA officers walked away.

  The group dispersed in different directions.

  As they walked away, Teddy looked around at all of the unfamiliar faces and rubbed his swollen wrists with his tingling fingers.

  He glanced over his shoulder and noticed that the bus that he was on was just once an ordinary Tucson public school bus.

  There were other buses parked there - most of them had already been emptied.

  The transport mainly consisted of school buses from different districts, but there were a few city buses and Red Cross vans.

  Jane and Danny had to have been on one of them.

  I have to find them, he thought as he scanned the crowd again.

  Teddy pushed his way through the sea of people.

  Others around him shouted off names and descriptions of their loved ones to him, but he didn’t respond.

  A boney old hand grabbed his arm.

  Teddy stopped and turned.

  A diminutive elderly black woman with silver hair and sunken eyes looked at him with a worried expression. She was wearing nothing but a nightgown and was clutching an old polaroid of a man.

  “Have you see my brother?” she asked in a cracking voice as she held up the picture for him to see.

  Teddy shook his head, turned, and pulled away from her grip.

  Above, the helicopter banked slightly and kicked up a plume of dust.

  Teddy squinted, shielded his eyes with his arm, and kept moving forward.

  “Do not congregate!” the soldier with the megaphone ordered from the helicopter. “Once again, make your way through the tent and proceed to medical processing in an orderly manner.”

  Teddy came to an opening in the crowd and looked around, still shielding his eyes.

  He saw a long line of people waiting to go through the white Red Cross tent. There were lots of children standing with their parents, but no sign of Danny.

  A yellow school bus that said Catalina High School across the side of it pulled up and came to a stop.

  Teddy stopped and looked over at the bus as the doors folded opened.

  People were shoved out of the doors one-by-one by an aggravated looking soldier wearing an old-fashioned jungle camouflage uniform and a soviet-era gas mask.

  FEMA police officers and dog handlers surrounded them as they were forced on their knees.

  Teddy watched as the sacks were removed, but he didn’t see Jane.

  He sighed, and decided to turn around and search the crowd again.

  “Teddy!” Jane’s voice broke through his darkening thoughts.

  Teddy turned towards her voice, surprised and ecstatic.

  Jane emerged fr
om a crowd of people, smiling and waving.

  The two ran towards each other.

  Teddy held Jane in a tight hug for a long time as his heart swelled with relief.

  Jane buried her head against his chest and hid her face as a tear ran down her cheek.

  “I thought they took you away,” she said quietly.

  “You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” he replied teasingly. He lost his smile as he pulled back, looking at her with concern.

  Jane wiped her cheeks and looked up at him.

  “Where’s Danny?” he asked, frowning.

  “The kids were all put in vans,” Jane answered as she pointed towards a section of the lot where the Red Cross vans were parked. “I’ve been watching them unload with a bunch of the other parents, but I haven’t seen Danny yet.” She paused, frowning. “Come on, they have a waiting area over there.”

  Jane turned and started walking back towards the crowd standing by the vans.

  FEMA officers kept their guns ready and ensured that the parents stayed behind the aluminum crowd control barriers.

  “I sure as hell hope he’s okay,” Teddy said as he followed her.

  Two FEMA officers opened the doors to one of the vans.

  Eight kids stepped out of the van. Their tear-stained faces looked bewildered and dazed.

  Parents and loved ones ran towards the children, but the FEMA officers shoved the adults back behind the aluminum barricades.

  The children ran past the barricades towards them and the parents scooped them up in their arms.

  Jane and Teddy waited, eagerly scanning the crowd for Danny.

  “Maybe he’s already inside,” Teddy suggested.

  “Not a chance,” Jane said, craning her neck to watch the FEMA officers as they headed towards the next van. “He hates crowds. He’d never go inside without me.”

  The FEMA officers opened another van’s doors and five kids came running out.

  Danny tailed in the back, rubbing his eyes, coughing. He looked lost and confused as he wandered aimlessly towards the crowd.

  “Danny!” Jane cried out happily, waving her arms in the air. “Over here!”

  His expression brightened into a beaming smile as soon as he saw his mother.

  “Mama!” he yelled. He took off sprinting towards her.

  “No running!” one of the FEMA officers shouted.

  Danny ignored him and ran faster. He slipped through the barricade and jumped at his mother.

  Jane scooped him up in a big hug.

  “Are you okay, sweetheart?” she asked as she squeezed him, smiling.

  “Yeah…” he said, unsure. “I thought the bad men got you, mama…”

  “Never,” she said with a smile as she put him back down. “I’m fine. So is Teddy.”

  Danny looked over at Teddy and smiled. He hugged Teddy’s leg.

  Teddy chuckled and ruffled Danny’s hair.

  “It’s nice to see you too, kid,” Teddy said.

  Danny let go of his leg and looked up at him with suspicion.

  “Do you know those army men, mister?” Danny asked. “Are they your friends?”

  “No,” Teddy said firmly. “They’re no friends of mine.”

  Danny looked relieved and nodded with approval.

  “I knew it,” Danny said as he wiped his runny nose with his sleeve. “I knew you were one of the good ones, mister.”

  Teddy smiled and nodded.

  Danny looked at the crowd and the stadium. He stepped back towards his mother and looked up at her with a frown.

  “What is this place, mama?” he asked. “I don’t like this… I want to go home.”

  “We will, soon, I promise,” Jane said, faking a smile. “But first we have to go inside for a little bit. Okay? I know it’s scary but I need you to be brave. Stay by me and nobody will hurt you.”

  The helicopter banked overhead and made Danny cover his ears.

  “Make your way through the tent and proceed to medical processing,” the man in the helicopter ordered through the megaphone. “This is not a request!”

  FEMA officers carrying batons and riot shields that said ‘POLICE’ started cautiously approaching the crowd from the perimeter.

  Teddy frowned.

  “Come on,” Teddy said as he placed his hand on Jane’s back. “Let’s go before they start lobbing tear gas at us.”

  Jane nodded and picked up Danny.

  Teddy joined the sluggish line that funneled into the white tent.

  She followed.

  “How are you feeling?” Jane asked Danny as she carried him.

  “Still sick-sick,” Danny said, pouting. “I need more pink stuff for my al-lor-gees.”

  “I’m sure they have some inside,” Jane assured with a smile.

  People of all ages shuffled together into the tent, looking around with suspicion. They shouted questions at nearby FEMA officers, but their requests fell on deaf ears.

  There was an older woman wearing a Red Cross shirt who stood at the edge of the crowd and ticked something off on the clipboard that she was holding.

  A husky man walked up to her, and asked a question. The woman didn’t even look up from her clipboard.

  The husky man became aggravated, stopped walking, and yelled at her.

  A FEMA officer quickly snatched him by the back of his neck and pulled him out of the crowd.

  Teddy ignored it and kept his eyes forward; he had spent enough time inside to know when it was best to stay quiet and just blend in.

  Jane followed him with Danny close against her chest. She looked around with concern but kept moving.

  The clamorous crowd quieted down once they entered the tent.

  Inside, four folding tables were set up to create aisles. All four tables were manned by people wearing surgical masks and Red Cross jumpsuits. FEMA police officers stood at sentry positions in the corners of the tent.

  As people passed by the tables, the Red Cross workers pulled aside people who appeared symptomatic and had them sequestered off to the side.

  Teddy and Jane exchanged an uneasy glanced and walked past the tables.

  A skinny sunburnt man with a bald head stared at them as they passed – his face obscured by a dirty surgical mask.

  Teddy and Jane both let out a sigh of relief and stepped outside. The noise became intolerable once more.

  The long pathway created by the aluminum barriers made a straight line towards the stadium doors.

  As they walked along the pathway, Teddy noticed that the people in the line were quiet and generally kept their heads down.

  One man who was walking just a few feet in front of Teddy could hardly walk in a straight line.

  The man was slouched over and swayed from side-to-side as he coughed violently.

  Teddy was surprised that the man had even made it past the people in the tent.

  The others gave the coughing man a wide berth as they covered their mouths and walked past him.

  As they approached the stadium’s entrance, the path forked into two different directions each leading to two different sets of doors. Someone wearing a fully-enclosed blue hazmat suit stood on a small podium in the middle of the fork flanked by armed FEMA officers wearing respirators and rubber gloves.

  Additional people wearing blue hazmat suits stood in front and directed foot traffic with orange handheld flashlights.

  Biohazard sacks and rolling carts full of dirty clothes were piled on the other side of the aluminum barricades along with tall stacks of shoes, purses, and luggage.

  Teddy spotted four additional holding pins full of irritated-looking people stationed around the stadium’s front doors. People gripped the bars and peered outside at the passersby.

  “This doesn’t look good,” Jane said quietly as she kept Danny’s face tucked against her so he couldn’t raise his head to look around.

  “No, it doesn’t,” Teddy admitted. “Just stay calm and don’t do anything crazy. The cops aren’t bothering peopl
e if they don’t cause a scene.”

  As the crowd Teddy and Jane were walking with approached the fork, the person in the hazmat suit standing in the middle of the fork brought a megaphone up to his suit’s built-in speaker.

  Feedback warbled through the megaphone when the person pushed the mic’s button.

  “Men, make your way towards the left!” the person in the hazmat suit ordered. “Women and children, proceed to your right! If you cooperate, this will all be over soon!”

  The other blue-suits waved their orange flashlights towards the separate stadium doors, grabbing and separating couples who were hesitant to continue onward.

  Teddy and Jane stopped at the fork and looked at each other.

  “Wait for me,” Jane said.

  Teddy smiled and nodded.

  “Just take care of Danny and I’ll see you on the other side,” he promised.

  Jane leaned in and gave Teddy a quick kiss on his chapped lips.

  “Keep it moving!” one of the blue-suits carrying the flashlights barked at them through his respirator in aggravation.

  Jane pulled back and smiled.

  “See you soon,” she said as she turned and walked with the other women and children.

  As she walked away, Danny peeked up at Teddy over her shoulder and waved.

  Teddy waved, turned, and walked the opposite direction with the men.

  Most of the people walking with Teddy didn’t look far from death, he noticed.

  There was a lot of coughing and sneezing coming from the group.

  “I sure as hell hope I don’t catch this shit again,” he muttered to himself as he tried to keep his distance.

  “You won’t,” a voice said from behind.

  Teddy glanced over his shoulder and saw a skinny kid no older than twenty-five. He had his spiked hair dyed purple and wore all black. Silver piercings stuck out of his right nostril and pierced his left ear.

  The kid looked tired, hungry, and annoyed, but he didn’t look sick.

  “You can’t catch it twice,” the kid said as he walked slowly ahead with his hands in his pockets. “I had it weeks ago in a shelter where I was at, back at my old school, but I got over it.” He paused. “The rest of my family and friends weren’t so lucky. I watched them die along with pretty much all of the medical staff and volunteers they had manning the place. Considering so many others in that hellhole fell sick and died, I have to say that I’m in the clear by now.”