“Excuse me, my grandma's not dead.”
I’m 99% sure.
The Priest was an old black man, with white hair and sad eyes. He was in black pants with a black shirt, with only a white collar to give him away.
“Hello my son. This is just a precaution. She doesn't have long with this plague going around.”
There was an anger building inside Liam he didn't quite understand. No matter how well-intentioned, he did not like the idea of this Priest essentially giving up on Grandma.
He stood there and watched the Priest, not really knowing what to say or do.
The commotion must have jostled Grandma awake, and she took things in stride.
“Father please. I'm not dying!”
Thank God!
The Priest looked at her for a moment, seemed to finish his prayer, and then he walked away with a final “Go with Christ.”
Grandma crossed herself, but said nothing else.
She looked at Liam and Victoria.
“Don't let them bury me.”
She winked at them, and then began rooting around in the backpack by her side. It gave the two youngsters time to continue their conversation.
“I wish I could go back to sleep.”
Liam thought for a second before replying, “Well it seems like you had a good night's sleep under this tree. At least until we found you and ruined it for you.”
Both of them gave an honest laugh at that.
“I tell you what I really wish for today—my Bible. I know it probably seems silly and puritanical, but, you know, I like to feel the presence of God with me—watching over me. It always helps me find peace to read through the challenges of all those men and women during ancient times, especially the Old Testament. It makes me feel part of something larger, and not just one girl alone in all this trouble.”
Liam's mind was racing. He wondered if he should say something suave like “You're not alone anymore” or if he should just play it cool and say something neutral along the lines of “I wish I could find comfort in a book.”
What came out was a surprise to both of them.
“I'll find a Bible for you.”
“Oh no, you really don't have to. I'll grab mine when I go back to my dorm.”
“Of course,” he felt a little stupid for having made the comment, but what's done was done.
Quick to move on, he asked her more about Colorado. He was thinking about how he could follow her back to her dorm and team up with her to get to the airport. Grandma could come along and they would all get out of the city by way of Colorado.
What am I thinking?
Many times over the last couple days he had incidents where his brain betrayed him, either making him too slow, too cocky, or too scared. Sitting here with Victoria he felt he was exploring new territory when it came to his mind going off the reservation. It wasn't just that he found her attractive—he found lots of girls attractive, though he was normally deathly scared of making that fact known to them—but with all the tension and stress of the last 24 hours he saw this girl as someone worth his time, and even worth his life. He knew he would do almost anything to save Grandma—but he knew, and she knew, there were some things that would just be the end of her. She wasn't going to magically get out of her chair and run away from a horde of zombies. In many ways she was living on borrowed time. In contrast, Victoria represented his new-found willingness to lay down his life to ensure the vivacious girl goes on living, no matter what the personal cost.
But I've only known her for a couple hours!
Liam admitted that was all the time he needed.
Chapter 9: Last Rites
Liam and Victoria had both settled down next to Grandma, as Liam needed to catch a little shut eye after his long day. Victoria seemed in no hurry to leave, and even offered to watch over them while they slept. This made Liam very happy.
It felt like only minutes went by when Victoria shook him to wake him up.
“Liam. Check this out.”
Liam opened his eyes to find another Priest with Grandma. This time she was awake and talking animatedly to the Priest. Liam realized she knew him.
“We must be very careful. The park is filling up to capacity.” He looked at Liam and Victoria crouching next to him, “Do either of you know where the Arch service dock is located?”
Victoria piped up in the affirmative. Apparently she knew where it was because she jogged in the park from time to time.
A runner! I knew it.
Whispering now, the Priest gave them instructions to move to the dock after it got dark and he would be there to meet them.
Liam absorbed the message, but didn't really understand it until he had a chance to speak with Grandma.
“That was Father Cahill. I've known him since he was ordained—about the same time your father was born. He was administering last rites on me,” she giggled, “I think he was the third one today! Look at all this oil on my hands. When he saw who I was and realized he knew me we started talking. That's when he told me he has something he wants to show us. I'm not sure what this is all about, but I trust him with my life. I trust him with my soul.”
“Did he say I could come too?” Victoria asked with just a touch of anxiety.
“Of course dear. As far as I'm concerned you are welcome to stay with us as long as you need.”
Liam said nothing, though he felt a glow in his heart get just a bit brighter with that statement.
“OK, I'll stick with you guys until they get this all sorted out and I can walk back to my dorm.”
They settled back down as the evening wore on. Realizing the danger of showing food or drink in the unsettled crowd, they were able to surreptitiously eat and drink just enough to feel something in their stomachs. So many others clearly didn't even think far enough ahead to have one afternoon's worth of food or water. Many were walking around begging, or just shouting to whoever would listen that they needed this or that. With so many unprepared people, having food could become a liability. The crowd had been placid for most of the day, at least the several hours since Liam arrived, but the atmosphere was slowly changing as the “pleasant afternoon” of waiting evolved into the “long night with no food or water.” Or sanitation.
A crowd this big normally would have banks of port-o-potties and scores of support staff to keep them operational. This crowd had now ballooned to the tens of thousands, and there was nowhere for anyone to privately do their business. Naturally this meant everyone just did it wherever they felt like it. Without any leadership to tell the crowd what to do, people just did whatever they wanted. It was a recipe for disaster.
When Liam, Victoria, and Grandma got up in the fading light of dusk, they found the thirty foot wide paved path was filled with people who were sitting on every square inch of pavement, save one small channel of walkers right in the middle. It made it very difficult to move the huge wheelchair without often begging sitting or sleeping people to move just a few feet further out of her way.
It took a half an hour to go the short distance to the dock area. It sat in a depression that was hard to see from the main path, although there were a few people loitering about the area. There was simply no way to hide anything in the park with so many people.
They could see a small doorframe next to a closed garage door in the dock area.
Once again, the trio pulled to a stop and began waiting.
Even if the doors opened, there would be no way to get in without everyone seeing them.
“Grandma, how are we going to get in?”
“The Lord will provide.”
Victoria and Liam both said “Amen” although Liam had his doubts.
2
Their prayers were answered in short order—sort of.
“Hello my friends.”
Father Cahill had been lurking in the crowd and came to see the lady in the huge wheelchair. Liam noticed he had removed his white collar, though he couldn't fathom why.
“All through
the day I've been collecting the aged and the infirm and bringing them through this door, but earlier there weren't as many people in this part of the park. Now you can see they have flooded all over, including right here at this dock. I can get you in, but this might be the last time we are able to get anyone inside without there being some trouble. I doubt we are going back out either. Are you sure you guys want to ride this thing out inside the Arch museum?”
The three looked at each other and nodded their heads in the affirmative. Whatever was inside had to be better than sitting under a tree with an increasingly desperate crowd. Plus, Liam believed there might be someone in charge who knew the situation. He might be able to figure out how he could get Grandma to safety if he could get some time with that person. It was a long shot, but currently the only shot.
“Alright. I have one other person I'm going to try to get inside. He is that older gentleman sitting near the door. My plan is to go help him up, then knock on the door and hope they open it for me. When you hear me knock, move quickly over there. I'll try to get them to hold the door open for you guys. The closer you are to me the better, if you catch my drift.”
He scuttled off and Liam and Victoria arranged Grandma in her chair and all three faced the door fifty feet away. And they waited.
The Priest seemed to be having trouble getting the old man to stand up, and some men and women sitting in the vicinity seemed to be helping the old man to his feet. Liam could see what was going to happen now that several more people were paying attention.
“Let's make our way in that direction.” Liam was worried there were now too many people involved.
“Victoria, will you push the chair? I want you to push it inside no matter what happens to me. Can you do that?”
“Yes. But let's all get inside.”
That's the plan.
They changed positions while keeping one eye on Father Cahill and the old man. He was now up and standing, but the Priest seemed hesitant to do what he needed to do next. He was holding the old man up, as the gentleman's arm was slung around his own neck. He noticed Liam had moved his group up toward the door, gave Liam a nod, and then pivoted to the door and gave it a loud knock in an apparent secret cadence so those inside knew it was him.
“Pick it up guys, and don't stop.”
Liam had instructed Victoria to push hard on the wheelchair, as obviously Grandma wasn't going to be picking up her own speed. Things were in motion now.
The knock attracted the attention of several men near the door, already alerted by the commotion with the old guy. Some who were sitting were now standing, and some who were standing were now moving toward the door. Everyone in earshot of the knocking was curious.
The door opened with a flourish, and out popped two chiseled men with sleek black rifles. They pushed past Father and his ill friend and held their guns in a menacing fashion for anyone who fancied a peek inside the door.
Victoria pushed Grandma right up to the closest man and yelled “We're with Father Cahill!”
The man with the gun made no movement to open a path for the wide and loaded wheelchair. He just stood there. His friend was looking in another direction, gun trained on some of the men who were closest.
Suddenly one of the guys also yelled “We're with Father Cahill!” Then it was a chorus.
How did this happen so quickly?
Victoria looked deflated at the turn of events. There was no way to prove who they were. No way to prove they were with the clergyman unless he came back out.
The two gunmen began stepping backward, as if to retreat back into the small door. However, just as they were starting their motion, Father Cahill was there. He yelled in the ear of the nearest man and pointed to Victoria and Liam. The two men once again moved out from the door and pointed for Liam's group to get inside.
With much relief Victoria plowed ahead. The wide chair was just able to fit into the door, though the wheels scraped ever so slightly as it went through.
Liam punched through too, though he felt the crowd surge behind him. He was secretly glad he didn't have to sacrifice himself to get the three of them inside. He wasn't even sure he would have been able to sacrifice himself. Not against two guys with that kind of hardware, or a hundred scared civilians.
Where did all those people come from?
In the dark it was hard to gauge numbers, but he guessed there were maybe thirty or forty people near the door by the time they got in, meaning there was a sizable crowd angrily looking at a closed door right about now. Would it take them long to figure out they could break it down?
Every disaster book he'd ever read was now screaming the answer to him. The death clock had started ticking again—how long would it take for this stronghold to fall?
3
“Thank you Father. You could have easily left us out there.”
“No problem my son. I'd do anything for your grandmother and anyone important to her. I'm just sorry I don't have more to offer you than a dark cavern for sanctuary.”
“Are those people going to break through that door?”
The two security guys said nothing, but they did begin moving some heavy equipment from the garage area over to the door they'd just come through. The biggest item was a riding lawn mower—apparently this was an area where they stored equipment for maintaining the Arch grounds. There was very little light coming from a few flashlights that had been pointed at the ceiling, but Liam could see there was a lot of equipment in the space.
The five of them left the guards to their task and started walking up the hallway to the main museum area.
Between the two legs of the monument was an underground area dedicated to ticket sales, two tram-loading areas to get up and down the legs of the Arch, a large museum dedicated to frontier living, and a little gift shop and a candy store. In the middle of it all was a large waiting area with plenty of seats around the walls so people could wait for their turn to go up in the structure.
It was this central area where the hallway dumped them. It was now filled with sick people, along with lots of elderly folks, and even a few young parents with very young children. It was a group where Grandma would fit in perfectly. Victoria rolled into the room and they found an area along the outer wall where they could park the wheelchair and have a little room to sit next to it. The dull light of some dim bulbs hanging from the walls provided light in the subterranean space.
Father Cahill helped the older man sit in the same area, though he made no effort to talk to them, or even look at them. He merely slumped against the wall clutching himself as if he was very cold. Liam did not like the thoughts swirling in his head with regard to all the sick people in his field of view. Did all these people have the plague?
Though he didn't voice the question, the Priest seemed to sense the reticence of both Liam and Victoria as they looked around the room.
“I'm afraid we don't know who has the sickness, if that's what you're thinking. It was the first thing I thought of when I started bringing people in here. Heck, when I saw the growing crowds up top I was thinking it. What is the disease process? Is it airborne? Passed by direct contact? By fluids? My best guess based on hearsay is people either get bitten by another infected person, or they just seem to get the flu which becomes the Excelerated-Ebola—a.k.a. E-Ebola. Don't ask me why it is spelled like that. Without proper medical facilities we aren't able to make even the most basic medical checks of these people. We can't even take someone's temperature. However, they wouldn't survive for very long up top in the heat of the day—so on balance myself and the other clergy decided it was worth the risk. I guess if we all have it we'll all die together down here.”
Liam wasn't reassured.
“There is a preemie baby somewhere in this room that we had to get out of the heat, and that's why we brought in several very young children in addition to those who are clearly sick, or the infirm like your grandma.”
“Who you calling infirm? I'm only 104.”
Lia
m gave Grandma a big smile, as she was returning to her feisty self again.
“Of course. I meant these other infirm people,” he said in a very quiet voice.
Grandma and the Priest obviously have known each other for a long time, and could joke about her age, even in the worst of conditions.
He motioned to the far side of the room, near the entrance to the main museum.
“Those folks over there are the families of the police officers up top. The only condition given by the police who volunteered to protect the crowd was that their families be given refuge in a defensible position on the Arch grounds.”
“Oh man. You mean the police aren't actually on the job?”
“Technically no. The entire St. Louis city police department is working today, but that is only on paper. The Archdiocese had contact with the brass over at City Hall as we tried to coordinate some kind of refuge here at the Arch, but they made it clear they couldn't order their officers to do anything as of the President's speech yesterday. City government has come undone. We were able to work out a compromise of sorts with some of the officers who were willing to bring their families here. The department supported the effort because they knew there wasn't much else they could do.”
“But what about the rest of the city?”
“I'm not sure. You'd have to ask one of the officers.”
Liam considered that as advice for later. He felt compelled to understand the wider world, as it could offer clues as to how they could escape the city.
Father had continued while Liam was thinking.
“—and finally there are a few Red Cross and CDC folks back in the candy shop. They are using the tables back there as a kind of command center, although they are just the managers and not the field personnel—so they have no medical supplies to go with the medical people.”
“Well that's just great.” Liam wasn't in the mood to cut anyone any slack when it came to protecting his family from the plague. He saw the people back there standing around talking.
“How can they fight the disease if they have no resources?”
Sirens of the Zombie Apocalypse (Book 1): Since the Sirens Page 12