Contagious

by Druga, Jacqueline

  “I want to. But … I didn’t want to tell you. You had enough to worry about. We caught it.”

  “What do you mean?” Ava asked.

  “The virus. When we were in New York, Senator Adams and I were exposed.”

  Ava closed her eyes. “How are you feeling?”

  “I was sick. I was so sick, Ava. But then … they gave us the treatment.”

  “You got the treatment. The miracle cure?”

  “Yes, and I feel great. I’ll be there soon.”

  “Darren, have you watched the news?” she asked.

  “No, this is the first I felt well enough all day. Ava, I'll probably be there tomorrow. I'll try. I promise. This cure, it worked really good. It’s amazing.”

  “Good.” Ava’s voice cracked. “I’m glad to hear that.”

  She talked a few more moments with Darren, not saying anything about what she had heard on the news. He was positive about the treatment, and with all that had happened with Cassie, she just didn’t want to tell him what would possibly occur. Her heart sank. He got the rabies treatment. She could guess what was going to happen, but prayed it wouldn’t. Ava knew, deep down, she knew.

  With Landon asleep, she left the suite door open and headed to the courtyard. JJ was at the table with Calvin and Rayne. Rayne was fixated on the television and Calvin quickly stood when Ava returned.

  “Did you reach Dad?” Calvin asked.

  What to tell him.

  Ava debated.

  Did she say yes she reached his father? Did she tell him not only did his father have the virus, but was doomed to a horrendous death because he also got the rabies treatment?

  Calvin had been through so much.

  He was hurting already.

  “No,” she said. “I will keep trying. Anything new out this way?”

  JJ tossed his phone on the table. “Internet’s down. I’m not talking Wi-Fi either. My phone won’t connect.”

  “How can the internet be down?” Ava asked.

  “Servers are down because a lot of places don’t have power,” Rayne answered. “There is no one working to monitor the power stations.”

  Ava felt a pounding in her chest, a feeling of fear and desperation swept over her. “What is going on? How is this happening so fast?” she asked and stepped closer to look at the television.

  Her hand rested on Calvin’s shoulder and she lifted her eyes to the TV.

  On the screen was a long distance aerial shot of New York. The lights flickered and it reminded Ava of combat footage she had seen on the news

  The reporter stated, “The President’s initiative will begin any moment.”

  Just as Ava caught that, just as the reporter made that statement, a rush of static swept over and all screens went blue.

  No signal.

  No television.

  JJ stood. “Did the cable go out? What happened?”

  Calvin stood as well. “They did something to New York. It was out of control.”

  “No.” Ava shook her head. “They didn’t do anything to New York.”

  Rayne walked over to the television. “Maybe we can pick up a local station without cable.” Where others would need a chair to reach the back of the unit, Rayne did not. He unplugged the cable. “Maybe we can pick up something.”

  “I have a radio,” JJ said. “A box. With batteries, we’ll hear something.”

  “Go get it,” Rayne instructed. He reached for the buttons on the television and the lights in the hotel flickered.

  “Rayne?” Ava called out his name.

  JJ stopped moving. “What’s going on?”

  Rayne stepped back and exhaled. “Grab candles from the restaurant. Let’s do it now.”

  “Why?” JJ asked.

  No sooner did he ask, a power surge hum rang out and after one last flicker of lights, everything went black.

  Power gone.

  “That,” Rayne said.

  They not only lost connection to the web and the news, they lost electricity as well.

  All the way around, they were completely in the dark.

  Chapter 17

  Ambassador Suites

  SUNDAY, MAY 10

  Rayne caught an overwhelming scent of bacon mixed with coffee. He had fallen asleep on the couch in the lounge, drinking a bit too much to get rid of the physical pain as well as the emotional one.

  There was no sound.

  After the lights went out and the television was no longer filling the airwaves of the hotel, the only thing they heard was JJ playing.

  He replaced the silence with strumming and picking his guitar. He did so in the lounge with Rayne.

  He started writing a song. It was pretty intense.

  ‘We’re all too young to go’ was the title.

  ‘No matter if you’re eighty, or even twenty-five. Time on this earth is fast you know. We’re all too young to go.’

  The truth was that hidden behind the too baggy pants, the sunglasses that didn’t mask blood shot eyes and press persona, JJ Wylde was a talented kid.

  “Why did you stop?” Rayne asked him.

  “Tired.”

  “That’s a good song.”

  JJ exhaled. “Will anyone be left to hear it?”

  “Me,” Rayne said.

  JJ stood with his guitar and grabbed one of the small candles. “Think I’m gonna crash. You all right to leave? You feeling all right?’

  “I’m fine.”

  “You look pale for a darker skin dude.”

  “Probably am. I shouldn’t drink. But … I need a drink.”

  JJ said goodnight and left. Rayne returned to nursing his drink. Two shots was a lot for the big man. He just wasn’t a drinker.

  He soon fell asleep, waking up occasionally to what he thought was a gunshot or explosion. They were far enough away from the city that even if things were happening there, he wouldn’t hear them.

  Rayne wondered what happened in New York. What would happen in the other places where the miracle cure was delivered?

  Despite the world turmoil, there was a sense of peace and quiet in the air. When Rayne woke to the smells of breakfast, he thought of the boys’ camp he used to attend. Church camps that had bacon every morning, something his parents really couldn’t afford.

  He pressed the side of his watch to illuminate the face. It was almost five AM.

  Who was cooking?

  Rayne’s chest felt better, not as sore as the day before. He supposed the resting aided in that. His head, well, that had a slight ache to it. More than likely from his busted nose and the bit of alcohol.

  He moved slowly into the courtyard which was lit by emergency lights. Lights they’d switch off to conserve power once the sun came up fully.

  Joel sat at a table alone, near the fountain that had stopped running. He had a cup before him and just stared out blankly.

  “Joel.” Rayne called softly.

  “Hey, Rayne. How are you?”

  “I’m not as sore. Do … do I smell bacon?”

  “Yeah, Bianca is cooking off what she can from the cooler. The stuff in the freezer will last until it starts to defrost. As long as we have gas, she’s cooking.”

  “Are you waiting for breakfast? What are you doing here in the dark?” Rayne asked.

  “Listening.” Joel replied, without looking at Rayne.

  “Listening? Listening to what?”

  With an upward motion of his head, Joel replied. “That.” He looked at Rayne. “Coughing. You can hear it. I don’t know who, but it’s a lot of coughs.”

  Rayne took a moment to listen. He heard them. Not deep coughs. More like annoying, throat coughs. One here, one there. Soft sounds that would have been buried had there been a television or the bubbling fountain.

  Sadly, Joel sighed out. “I think it’s starting.” Another cough rang out, this one louder. “Yeah.” Joel closed his eyes. “It’s starting.”

  <><><><>

  Cleveland University

  If Randall thou
ght his work was complete before, he was certain once the power went out in Cleveland and surrounding vicinity. He didn’t know how far it extended. He found it odd that the lights shut down at the same moment, some sort of action was being taken against New York. At first he thought it was a diversion, but then lights didn’t come back on.

  He made it as far as the city limits and got held up in traffic. Then he was told he had to wait it out on the side of the road until morning because of martial law.

  When did the city wide barricades go up?

  Surely, the police would be needed elsewhere instead of manning road blocks in the city.

  More than likely there was another route out, one not taken. But in the dark, with no street lights, it would be impossible so Randall returned back to the hospital.

  Three hours since he had left and things were calm. No one was there in his lab. Not even the overzealous lab workers. He found a message from headquarters about terminating those given the rabies vaccine.

  He felt relieved about that, at least they wouldn’t experience the insanity that New York did.

  The lab was dark and the emergency generator was using up its last bit of gas. Apparently no one thought to refill it.

  There were cell phones, but the message that all circuits were busy prevented Randall from getting in touch with anyone.

  He was close to the city and it sounded like a war zone. How did it happen so fast?

  A young student came to the hospital for help. He was injured and running from ‘them’. Most of the doctors had left their posts when the young man came in.

  “Who is them?” Randall asked while tending to the huge gash on the young man’s arm.

  “The infected. They’re attacking.”

  “That’s absurd,” Randall stated. He knew those who had BV were too ill to be out of bed and those who were given the rabies induced strain were minimal and by all intents and purposes were terminated.

  “You been out there?” the young man asked.

  ‘Yes, I have. I tried to leave the city.”

  “Then you lucked out. You didn’t see them. It’s like, one touches you, you become infected.”

  “Now I know that’s absurd. Are you sick? No. You’re injured.”

  “I wasn’t scratched. I fell and my arm caught metal. Sorry, I’m rambling.”

  “That’s fine.”

  “Everyone just went nuts, you know, after New York. Immediately, too. Then add the infected to that. Now all of a sudden people are saying war has broken out …”

  “Wait. Wait. Wait. Back up. New York? What do you know?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean there’s no television, no power, internet …”

  “Um …a radio.” He raised his eyes. “I have one.”

  “What’s going on in New York?”

  “Went,” the young man corrected. “Past tense. New York is gone. They blew it up.”

  <><><><>

  Ambassador Suites

  Something pulled at Rayne’s gut. He didn’t know what. It was early and the only people awake were Joel and Bianca. They both told him it was a fact that everything was shut down. There had to be information out there, Rayne figured, there had to be.

  Just before the sun rose, at that point in the morning when the sky was a midnight blue, Rayne left the hotel. It was his hope to find someone, even shouting to them, to find out what all was going on.

  The lights were on at the mobile labs and he could see the glow of the barricade spotlights. He headed down the drive way, fully prepared to raise his hands in surrender.

  He didn’t want to get shot again. Midway down the driveway he saw something he didn’t expect.

  An empty barricade.

  No soldiers, no onlookers, empty. The remaining tent was still there along with the barricade horse and generator powered lights.

  No soldiers at all and the quarantine ribbon that draped across the barricade dangled and danced in the wind.

  It was apparent there was no longer a quarantine zone. No fear of getting shot.

  Either the threat was done or it was useless to continue.

  In any event, it was over and Rayne had the obligation to share the information at the hotel.

  <><><><>

  The ape of a man banged on pots and pans while the manager knocked on every door announcing that the quarantine barricade was down.

  Sean and David couldn’t move fast enough.

  They were unable to get in touch with their producer and just wanted out of that hotel. Anywhere. They were one of the first out of their room although several people emerged hurriedly wanting to make an escape.

  But so many people were lost as what to do, they had arrived by white van and had no way home.

  “Take me with you,” one woman said. “I don’t live far.”

  David looked at Sean. “We probably could fit three people.”

  “Should we?” Sean asked.

  “It’s the humane thing to do.” Then David turned his head and coughed.

  “You all right?” Sean asked.

  “Yeah, yeah. Just had a tickle. We need to get out of here.”

  They decided to take that woman, clad in her pajamas, along with her husband and another man. By the time they made it to the courtyard, more people were making their escape.

  “Stop.” Joel held up his hands. “Where are all you people going? We haven’t a clue what’s going on out there.”

  The way the people ignored him and filed by him, reminded Sean of the movie Poseidon Adventure in which the wayward lost souls followed some doctor while Gene Hackman tried to get them to turn around. People moved aimlessly just wanting to get out.

  “You.” Joel pointed to David. “You’re sick. Are you sure you should go out there?”

  Sean replied, “Why stay here? And he’s not sick.” He gave a tug to David’s arm pulling him across the lobby.

  The SUV was in the parking lot and Sean welcomed the ‘blip-blip’ and flash of the lights in the early morning.

  David nodded and paused. “He said I was sick. Do I look sick?”

  “How do you feel?” Sean asked.

  “I feel fine.”

  “Then you’re not sick.” Sean said. “Let’s just get out of this city.”

  The five of them moved to Sean’s vehicle, ready to leave. Others walked down the hill doing anything to get away from the hotel. They all just wanted to leave, despite the fact that they didn’t have a clue what they were headed into.

  <><><><>

  Joel felt like he failed and didn’t know why. As manager of the hotel, he in a sense felt like the captain of a ship. His first obligation were to those in the hotel. He shouldn’t have cared that people filed out and left, wanting only to get to the doors. But deep down he knew it was not the right thing to do.

  “Did the pop star leave?” Joel asked Rayne.

  “He hasn’t come out of his room. Why?”

  “He has that radio. We need to find out what’s going on.”

  “People left, Joel. Are you going to?”

  Joel looked around. “Nah. My wife is here. We have supplies. I think I’m gonna hunker down here. You?”

  “Same.” Rayne sniffed, his breath was sluggish.

  “You sick?” Joel asked.

  “No. It’s my nose.”

  “You sure?”

  “Positive. I’m gonna go get JJ.” Rayne took a step and stopped. “Joel, a lot of people left, but a lot of people didn’t. Most didn’t care the quarantine was down. Hell they didn’t come out of their rooms.”

  As Rayne walked off, Joel thought about what he said.

  They didn’t come out of their rooms.

  Why?

  Then it hit him, the coughing and a sickening feeling hit Joel, especially when he realized a lot of people he knew never emerged.

  Did the virus actually arrive at his hotel and if so, how bad was it?

  He prayed. He really did, that he was imagining the overab
undance of coughs. That he was neurotic.

  But the fact that Walter never came out was a warning signal Joel didn’t want to face. He went to Walter’s room. Walter was always up and on duty before six AM.

  Something was wrong.

  Joel lifted his hand to Walter’s door, hesitated a moment and then finally knocked. “Walter,” Joel called out. “You in there?”

  There wasn’t a response.

  “Walter.” Joel knocked again. “Hey, I’m coming in.”

  Cough.

  Joel felt it. It shot through him as if he were shocked.

  “Don’t.” Walter replied. “Don’t. I’m sick. I’m really sick.”

  Virus be damned, Walter was his friend and Joel reached for the door. When he did, he saw the drapery to the side door window, slide open and Walter stood there.

  Walter’s eyes were dark, blood laced around his nose and red tears streaked down his face. Walter’s hand shook as it reached for the pane of glass. Joel stepped to the window.

  “It happened too fast, Joel. Stay away.”

  Joel touched the window. “I’m gonna get you help.”

  ‘There is no help, Joel.”

  ‘No!” Joel said strongly. “There’s help.” He backed up and when he did he saw Rayne, ready to go into JJ’s room. “Rayne. Stop!”

  “Why?”

  “If they didn’t leave their room, they may be sick. It’s here, Rayne and it’s bad.”

  Rayne stepped back from JJ’s room.

  “We need to find out how many are sick. They brought supplies in and I’m gonna get help.”

  “From where?”

  “The CDC came here to work on this virus. Well, damn it, now they’re gonna work on it.” Joel backed up to walk out. “Figure out a way to find out who is all sick.” With that, Joel headed across the courtyard.

  Rayne had instructions. Don’t go in the room and find out who was sick. But how? Rayne’s voice was as loud as his body was big and he used that to his advantage. His chest hurt with each deep breath he took that preceded his calling out.

  Some doors were ajar from those who fled, a lot of doors were closed and Rayne knocked three times on every door as he passed it, calling out as he did. “Do not come out. We need to know if you are sick. If you’re sick. Take a towel from the bathroom and put it outside your door.”