by J. F. Krause
“Sniffling, and gulping his sandwich, Dietrich agreed to wait with Falah in the waiting room.
Ari quietly made his way around the maternity ward knowing that at any moment he could encounter their bodies. Soon after he’d begun his explorations, Ari found what he was afraid of. There, on a hospital bed was the dead body of Monique, mother of Dietrich. As Ari’s heart was sinking, he discovered the dead body of Pierre Leveque, Dietrich’s father. His heart broke for the poor little boy who had patiently waited to reunite with his mother and father, but would never see them alive again. Then it struck him; Monique must have been giving birth when this had all happened, but there was no evidence of a baby. She clearly wasn’t pregnant when she died, so where was the baby? Entering the infant viewing area, he discovered the newborns had suffered the same fate as everyone else. He dreaded having to check their tiny bodies for identification in order to know which of them had been Dietrich’s younger sibling, but he didn’t find a Baby Leveque. Walking through the nurses’ station just down the hall from the viewing room, he spotted movement coming from a tiny crib. There, wrapped in a warm blanket trimmed in pink was a brand new baby girl with a small identification band bearing the name Noelle Sophia Leveque. Like her brother, Noelle was hungry and in tears.
While this was not his floor or his specialty, Ari knew his way around most parts of the hospital. He quickly rounded up Falah and Dietrich and guided them to one of the nurses’ station where he was sure he could secure a bottle for Noelle. Over the next few minutes he prepared several bottles of formula to take home. Then stopping at one of the supply cabinets, he procured even more of the ingredients he’d need over the course of the next few days. The bag was a bit heavy but with Falah carrying baby Noelle, he thought they could manage.
Arriving at his own building, Ari dreaded what probably awaited him when he finally got home. Once again, he took the emergency stairway rather than the elevator. It was a hike, but Falah and Dietrich kept up with him, even with Dietrich carrying some of the baby supplies.
It took all his courage to open his own apartment door. He had just opened the door enough to look inside when he heard his mother squeal with relief. Just then he realized that he wasn’t the only in fear of losing what little was left of his family. Quickly and quietly, Magda explained that Helene was sleeping in her own room and that nothing strange had happened while he was away. Ari made introductions and left Falah, Dietrich, and Noelle in the capable hands of his mother as we went across the hall to check on his wife and father. He wasn’t quite ready to walk away from them even though he had come to terms with the fact that they were both dead.
Once back in his own apartment, with all the children fed again and asleep, he talked quietly with his mother and Falah. Finally able to have a proper conversation with Falah, he learned that she was fifteen and in her next to last year in school. Magda had already somehow surmised that she was Druze. Whatever the characteristics she looked for in determining someone’s ethnic or religious background was a mystery to Ari, but he knew she was almost always right, not that he cared. He was only Greek Orthodox because it pleased his parents. He’d spent too much time abroad to have picked up the tells about someone’s religion. He never knew unless someone told him, and he also never asked. Of course, he knew it could be important to some people, but he sincerely believed in a version of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ when it came to religion and ethnicity. Magda, on the other hand felt no compunction about asking. She also didn’t judge once she knew.
Soon, baby Noelle needed to be fed and changed again. Magda took on the role of instructor to Falah’s student role. It was decided that for the time being, someone would stay awake while one of the others slept. Magda volunteered to go first, with Ari following in three hours. Ari thought he would have trouble sleeping, but he didn’t remember even climbing into his bed.
Four hours later, a very tired Magda woke him. She’d hoped to give him some more time to rest because she knew the burden of caring for their little group would fall on his shoulders soon enough, but at sixty-five, she wasn’t as resilient as she had been just a few years before. She’d just managed to complete the last feeding and changing of Noelle when she woke him to take her place.
While Ari took his turn on watch, he turned on his Mac to see if there was news or if anyone was coming to help. What he began to piece together was that this seemed to be worldwide, and that everyone was just as profoundly hit by the deadly virus as Beirut. He finally found a small group of teenagers and a few adults but everyone seemed to be isolated, and no one had had a clue what was going on or what to do. However, by the time he’d begun to make some small connections, his lack of sleep and hyperactive emotions had taken their toll on him and he was ready to go back to bed. He fed Noelle again, and changed her one more time before waking Falah.
Falah would have liked to have more time to sleep, but soon enough she was alert and sitting at Ari’s Mac looking for whatever information she could glean. Beirut had been a large, modern city before everyone died, and there had to be someone out there who survived. After about an hour, she had a hit. A thirteen-year old boy and his nine year old sister were only a couple of kilometers away to the east of the hospital where she had met Ari. Falah wasn’t sure of the address of Ari’s apartment, but she knew where the hospital was and so did the boy. She told the brother and sister to pack their backpacks with some clothes and water and to make their way to the hospital and to wait for her. She would come to get them as soon as her watch was up. After signing off, Falah prepared to feed Noelle who was eating about every two to three hours so far. Falah had never looked after a baby and began to wonder how couples ever got any sleep when they had to wake up every couple of hours during the night. How had her parents managed to have three children, practically one after the other?
Magda woke on her own and immediately joined Falah as she was feeding little Noelle.
“We should let Ari rest as long as he can. He will have a hard day ahead of him. Did everything go well for you and the baby? Did you get enough sleep?”
“Oh yes, thank you. I was very tired. I met a couple of children on the internet. They live just on the eastern edge of Achrafieh. It’s a brother and his little sister. I told them I would meet them at the hospital. I hope that’s okay.”
Magda was suddenly aware that she felt mistrustful and unsafe. “I’m sure it will be okay for them to join us. But how will you know they are alone? How will you recognized them?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think of that. They seemed so afraid that I thought I had to do something. I didn’t tell them where we are, only because I didn’t know the address. Should I not go? But the boy looked very young on the screen. And his little sister is even younger.”
“Oh, you saw them? I forgot you could do that on the computer. I think it will be safe, but be careful. When you go to meet them, make sure they are alone when you bring them here. I don’t think we have to worry yet, but we need to be careful. When you get back to the building, I want you to hit the buzzer at the front door. The doorman won’t be there, of course, and maybe we should have a code or something. If everything is ok, just ask for Magda. If anything is wrong, ask for Elena. That should give us enough time to prepare if there is trouble. I don’t want to scare you, but we need to be very careful. Beirut can be very dangerous. People can be very strange when things go wrong.”
“I’ll be careful, but I don’t think there are very many people around, good or bad. This happened everywhere and I think almost everyone, everywhere is dead. “
Falah quietly left the apartment and, remembering not to trust the elevator, she took the emergency stairs to the lobby six floors below. When they arrived earlier, Ari had given her the code to the top floor when using the emergency stairway. He said the same code would work when entering and leaving the stairwell on the ground floor as well.
She slipped into the first alleyway and stealthily made her way to the hospital that was almost
within sight of her starting point. She found a door that was slightly ajar opening into the hospital from the alleyway. Hoping that she was there before the children, she went to the floor above the entrance and carefully found a window that overlooked the street below. Just as she hoped, within a half hour, she saw two slight figures making their way toward the hospital from the same direction as the apartment. They must have walked past the building where she had just spent the night.
And also, just as she hoped, they were completely alone. She silently watched them until they were just entering the front of the hospital. Leaving her hiding place, she silently descended the stairs to the main reception area where she caught their eye and beckoned them to join her at the stairs. Cautioning them to be very quiet, she quickly shepherded them up the stairs and down the hall to the back of the hospital. Finally, just before descending the stairs once again to leave the building the way she came, she took a moment to softly ask them if they had seen anyone on their trip.
“No, it was very strange. No one was out on the street, but we did hear a woman crying and we heard some dogs barking. I don’t think there are many people left alive.”
“Ok. I’m glad you’re safe, but we have to be very careful not to make noise or be seen by anyone. There may be bad people around. We don’t know yet what’s happening. Are you ready?”
The three young people took the same route back to the apartment building that Falah had used earlier. As planned, Falah pressed the buzzer for Ari’s apartment and asked for Magda. Then, as quickly as possible, they all three entered the lobby and made sure to close the entrance door as fast as they could. Likewise, she punched in the code to the stairwell door, and again closed the door as quickly as possible. Even going up the stairs, they tiptoed so as to avoid the echoing of their steps. Once at the top, even before they could enter the code, the door opened. Ari was standing at the door looking solemn. Falah practically pushed the newcomers through the door before closing it as fast and as quietly as she was able.
Expecting a lecture, she was surprised to find herself pulled into an embrace by a very relieved Dr. Haddad. Only then did Ari smile at the two children and welcome them to their new, temporary home.
Back in the apartment, Magda was waiting with breakfast for all of them. Their little group was growing and it was important that everyone get to know each other. In Magda’s experience, nothing brings people together faster than food, so as they ate, they talked about themselves and their experiences.
Like Falah, the two children, Caleb and Hana, had watched their parents and grandparents die. They knew by the sounds coming from around them that other people were dying. When they couldn’t get any information from TV, they turned to the internet and that’s how they found Falah. They also had an older brother in the Lebanese army and they hoped he survived. They left a note at home telling him that they went to the hospital so he would know where they had gone. Since he was posted near the presidential offices, they thought he might be home soon, if he were allowed to leave.
Dietrich wasn’t much help. He knew his last name, but as far as he was concerned that was about it. He knew his mom and dad were both teachers, maybe at a French school. He had just had a birthday and was now five years old. He had been hoping that Noelle would be born on his birthday, but she was born two days later. He didn’t know if he had grandparents or where his parents were from. Also, he could speak both Arabic and French. His mother spoke French to him at home and his father spoke Arabic, a not uncommon approach to raising bilingual children.
“I’m worried about staying here in Beirut. There are a lot of dead bodies in the street and in most of the buildings. If no one is coming to help, and I don’t think they are, we need to plan to go somewhere else before we get sick from all the bodies starting to decompose. I’d like to bury our families, but I don’t think it’s safe and I don’t know where we can do it. I’ve put my dad in his bed, and I’ll do the same for Elena before we go, but I’m afraid that’s going to have to do. I’m worried about some of the militias getting organized and deciding to take advantage of things right now, so I want us to get down to the harbor where our boat is moored. I’d prefer to head off to Cypress like my dad did at the start of the civil war when I was a baby. I think Cypress will be safer right now. We can always come back when things are better. First though, I think I need to get down to the harbor and get the boat ready. That may take a couple of days, but I think that’s our next move. Falah, you and Caleb and Hana can come with us, and I’d like you to, but that’s up to you.”
Falah had no problem saying yes. Caleb wanted to try to find his brother, and asked if the group could wait for a day or so before they left the apartment building and the area. After some discussion, it was decided that Magda would stay at the apartment with the three younger children; Falah and Hana would find food for the boat in some of the shops and the supermarket around the park, and Caleb would wait at the hospital and keep a look out for more survivors who might go to the hospital for help. He would also look out for his brother. In the meantime, Ari would check on how to get to the boat and it’s condition. He needed to see if the roads were free enough that he could use one of the cars, particularly to haul supplies to it.
Ari didn’t like sending children in harms way, but right now, that seemed to be the only option. He was thankful for their help, but he felt he needed to stress to them the need to be cautious. Particularly, he was concerned that Caleb might find other survivors who weren’t trustworthy, and that he wouldn’t know the difference. At the moment, there wasn’t much he could do.
Almost immediately upon leaving for the harbor, Ari learned that the roads were impossible to drive on. Patches would be clear, then there would be blockages caused by wrecks or just too many cars for a limited space. Whatever the cause, it would be impossible for him to maneuver around using a car. They would have to reach the harbor on foot. The yacht was moored about three miles away cross-country, and since Ari was walking, that was the way he took.
Hours later, having found out all he could from this quick jaunt to the harbor, Ari returned to his home neighborhood, aware now that they would have to transport all their supplies by hand. He knew there was a tool store in the vicinity and decided to check to see if he could find some wagons or some other means of conveyance for all the supplies they might need. Unfortunately, Ari wasn’t as skilled at captaining a yacht as his father had been. He would need to spend some time thinking about what he was doing before he embarked on something as major as traveling to Cypress. He’d done the trip with his mom and dad several times before as a sort of family tradition to commemorate the first trip when he was still an infant. It had never seemed difficult when his father was at the helm, but now, on his own, he was filled with trepidation.
But he’d inherited his mother’s practical nature, and he decided to take first steps first. He needed a couple of wagons or some other conveyance. As luck would have it, he didn’t find his wagons in the supply store, but just inside of one of the bodegas not far from his home. There they were, two shiny red children’s wagons filled with leather purses, wallets, belts, and pouches. He made a mental note of the location and went home to check on Falah and Hana’s progress.
When he arrived, he greeted by three new faces, including a young man in army fatigues who looked remarkably like a taller version of Caleb. Caleb, of course was beaming. After spending most of the day at the hospital, Caleb had been thinking about actually making his way over to where his brother had last been posted. He knew this was not following Dr. Haddad’s instructions, and his own agreement, but he was desperate to know if Samir was still alive. Minutes before his self imposed deadline, he was startled from his hiding place, the same one that Falah had used, by the sound of Samir softly calling his name. Turning abruptly in the direction of his brother’s voice, Caleb found himself looking at his brother from a distance of not more than four feet.
“Caleb! I’m so glad I found you. How is Ha
na? And where is she? Are you both well? Where are you staying?”
“Oh, Samir! You’re alive! We were so worried! Hana is good. We’re both safe now. We’re staying with a Doctor and his mother just up the street from here. I was so afraid you died like everyone else. We were with Mother and Father when they died. First was Grandmother, then father and then mother. We thought any minute we would die, but we didn’t. What about you?”
“How about I tell you everything in a little bit. I’m not alone and I need to get back to where I left the others. There are two others; I found them on my way here. Let’s go, and you can take me to where you’re staying.”
“Dr. Haddad told me to be careful of strangers. Are they okay? I mean, are they safe?”
“Let me introduce you to them and you can decide for yourself. We’re almost there.”
They were both waiting at the same door Caleb had entered through. The first one Caleb saw was a boy, a year or so younger than himself, and the other was a woman old enough to be his mother. She was holding two small dogs. After quick introductions, the small group headed back to the apartment, building. Khalil was very quiet and Caleb wondered if something was wrong, at least he did in the beginning. The woman looked as if she couldn’t be bothered by either of the two boys and seemed to think Samir was her personal assistant. When Samir caught Caleb frowning at her, he smiled and winked at him. Caleb didn’t know what to think.
They quickly arrived at the apartment and followed the procedure for gaining entry. Only as they were climbing the stairs did Caleb actually realize that his brother was carrying three rifles. While that was initially a surprise, Caleb began to understand that even Samir was being cautious. In a matter of seconds, Caleb grew several years older.
As before, the stairwell door was opened for the group before they could punch in the floor code. This time, it was Falah who met them. She seemed taken aback by the size of his group. While Samir had been somewhat expected, neither of the other two survivors had been. Of course, Khalil seemed innocuous enough, but Leila was looking daggers at everyone as she stood holding a leash with two dogs attached while struggling with a roller bag and a stacked travel case. On second glance, Khalil was in charge of a larger third matching bag as well as his own back pack.