Colonel Wallace blinked slowly, dramatically, showing his equivalent of rolling his eyes. “Mayor. Sheriff. My military has a plan, and this sheriff’s office is frankly unqualified. I said I would allow you to retain leadership of this town, but now, I am rescinding that offer. This is far too dangerous. We need to quarantine everyone that is showing signs of contamination. A forced evacuation is imperative, as we need to release a chemical propellant to kill this thing. We’re taking the town from you. It’s ours now,” his voice boomed.
In the brief moment of silence after Wallace’s speech, Lois stepped forward, glaring at him. In his feverish mind, Clay expected Lois to agree with the colonel. Morale was at an all-time low, and Colonel Wallace was offering ready answers.
But Lois surprised him. “You’ll take this town away from the sheriff’s office over my dead body,” she spat, stabbing her finger toward his colossal frame. “Fifteen flu-like cases is hardly an epidemic,” she said, contradicting her own words from just minutes earlier. “My medical staff and law enforcement are perfectly capable of doing their job, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Her voice hung in the air. The tension in the room was high. Clay felt an abrupt cough churning through his lungs, but he held it in, taking deep, controlled breaths. Now wasn’t the time to reveal his illness.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Lois continued. “I agree, for safety reasons, that an evacuation is necessary. But I’m not about to let you round up my residents like a pack of rabid dogs.”
“The longer you wait, the more chance this thing can spiral out of control.”
Lois lifted her chin as if in deep contemplation. “All right. How about we make this evacuation happen over the next twenty-four hours? Is that fast enough for you?”
“It’s a start. At least let us quarantine anyone showing infection. If we can curtail the spread now, the better off everyone will be.”
She turned suddenly toward Clay, her face stern, pointed. “Sheriff Dobbs, do you have any problem with that?”
Clay shook his head. He was speechless, his tongue lost somewhere in his mouth. He hoped that Maia didn’t have the full-blown flu yet, otherwise she’d be rounded up in the wrong group.
Wallace took a step back, giving the room a bit more air. “Regardless, I think you’re making a big mistake not letting my outfit take over,” he said, his voice gruff.
“I’m not,” Lois insisted. “I’ve seen my people handle some of the most dastardly situations. We’ve got this one. Now. Get back to whatever hole you crawled out of.”
“You have to let the people know what’s going on,” Wallace continued, barreling over her words. “You can’t leave them in the dark like this. People are sick.” His eyes roved toward Clay, assessing his complexion. “It isn’t fair. It isn’t politically sound. You, as mayor, should know that. You should let them know their options. You should let them know we can defeat this.”
Lois tilted her head, digesting each of his words. “All right,” she said. “We’ll have a town hall meeting this evening. We can address the current issues then. Explain the reality of the meteorite, and then calm everyone down. The last thing we need on our hands are several thousand people panicked and running through the streets. Don’t you agree, Colonel?”
Wallace bowed his head, tapping his boot upon the wooden floor. He seemed childlike, earnest, in that moment. “Sure, Mayor. I suppose I won’t overstep quite yet. But the moment this turns into a complete and utter—”
Lois halted him. “We’ve got this. Like I said. We’ll formulate a plan and announce it tonight.” Her voice dominated over him, causing Wallace to turn back toward the station entrance and retreat to his corps. He left Alayna, Lois, and Clay alone in the shadowed office, each spinning in a separate world of fears and anxieties.
Had they made the right decision, taking this into their own hands?
Chapter 19
At eight-thirty that evening, Clay found himself standing at the entrance of the massive Protestant church on the square, where they held the occasional town meeting. He held his hands upon his waist, feeling himself waver slightly from fatigue. He’d covered his lesions with long sleeves to avoid any potential questioning. Jesus. What was he going to do?
Alayna appeared before him then. She gave him a slight smile, gesturing toward the first of many cars that meandered down Main Street. “I guess this is it, huh?” she said, her voice light. “At least I finally made it to deputy status. Although, I think I could have made a really great sheriff.” She winked.
“The beginning of an unexpected interruption? Yes. Is this the end? I don’t think so. Lois assures me that everything will be all right,” Clay said. “Besides, I think you’re just trying to angle for my job again.”
Alayna smiled before shoving her elbow into Clay’s side playfully.
They’d sent out messengers to all areas of town, along with phone alerts, ensuring that everyone knew about the town meeting. He’d called Valerie after Wallace had left his office, alerting her about it and the meteorite. Her voice had sounded so smooth, so easy in his ears.
That is, until he’d told her about the happenings from throughout the day.
“What do you mean, an epidemic?” she’d spurt into the phone.
“We’ve got it under control, honey,” Clay had sighed. “I’ll explain more at the meeting. Will you bring Maia? I want to make sure you’re both close.”
“Jesus. This is serious, isn’t it, Clay?” Valerie had whispered. “Should I pack?”
“Maybe,” Clay offered. “But don’t panic yet. We’re in the beginning stages of some very routine actions. Trust me. Just because this hasn’t happened to us before doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened to other people. Accidents and terrible events happen all the time. And people survive. They persevere.”
But Clay noted that Valerie and Maia were two of the last to arrive at the town hall meeting, causing him to miss greeting them. He gave them a slight wave as they entered the back, behind several hundred townsfolk, and crunched into small holes in the final pew. Valerie made brief eye contact with him. He could tell she’d been crying.
Mayor Washington stood at the pulpit at the front of the room and lifted her hands, almost as if she were about to direct an orchestra. The mighty chorus of townspeople died down, allowing her to speak.
“People of Carterville,” she began in her practiced, political voice—the one that had gotten her elected countless times. “It is with great sadness that I bring you together tonight. But it is with immense happiness that I can present a solution to all the terrible fears.”
“FINALLY!” someone cried out from the back, his voice guttural and strange.
“That’s right,” Lois smiled. “As many of you probably know by now, a meteorite crashed into the Crawford barn last night, killing one of our youngest and brightest. Caleb. To his mother and father, Tasha and Jim, I give you my utmost love and empathy. Caleb will be missed.”
In the front row, off to the right, a woman turned her face toward her husband’s shoulder and shook violently with tears.
But Lois continued. “As a result of this meteorite, a strange illness has begun to sweep through the town. The illness is characterized by flu-like symptoms and hot flashes, and then, ultimately, violence to both one’s self and others. Due to this illness, the military has resolved to quarantine many of the Carterville population, keeping them away from the rest of us. But ultimately, we are not safe here.
“The military, led by this man to my right, Colonel Scott Wallace, wants to do a forced evacuation and then release a chemical propellant with the intent to kill off the virus. If, of course, a virus is what this thing really is.”
Across the crowd, faces broke into panicked expressions and eyes filled with tears. Someone had brought their dog, near the back, and the hound began to howl, exhibiting the very note of despair the entire town held.
“But, of course, this ‘forced’ evacuation is incredibly outside of your rights, as pe
ople of Carterville,” Lois continued. “Any kind of force would ultimately result in violence. And for this reason, I urge for a voluntary evacuation. This is more appropriate for our small-town lifestyle. We do not force. We ask. We help. We join together.”
In this pause, she gave a bright smile to the crowd. Clay noted that she was probably honing her next campaign, ensuring that she was the one who stepped up to the plate. The people of Carterville could trust her above everything. That she would use an opportunity like this for personal gain turned Clay’s stomach over.
“I’d like to interrupt you,” Colonel Wallace boomed from the side of the room. He strode forward, demanding the eyes of everyone in the room. “You see, the small-town atmosphere here in Carterville is exactly the problem,” he said. “Everyone knows everyone else. And the spread of this virus, therefore, can escalate much quicker.”
The crowd gasped once more. Fear filled the air. Clay felt he could hardly breathe. He watched as his daughter, Maia, brought her hand up to cover her mouth, shivering with anticipation. Everything in her life had flipped upside down. What was it she’d been mad about that morning? A teenage problem, in a teenage life that had virtually no meaning anymore.
“This is a dangerous situation,” Wallace continued. “And until we understand how to stop this meteorite’s virus, my plan is far more appropriate.”
“And what, exactly, does your ‘forced evacuation’ look like?” Lois spat into the microphone. “Does it mean you go door to door with a bus and force everyone out of their homes? Because I really don’t see how that would work. Especially not here. We’re too proud a people.”
“Well, if that’s what it comes down to, yes,” Wallace answered. “We need to stop the infection in its tracks. And I’m willing to do anything and everything in my power to do that.”
The crowd erupted. Friends, relatives, and neighbors bowed their heads to each other and began saying panicked words, making terrible, earnest plans. “He’s not going to take me from my home!” several spewed. “How dare he come in here and say this to us? Doesn’t he know who we are?”
As the panic rose, Clay watched as Lois took several tentative steps back from the pulpit. Her hands shook. She’d lost her grip. She looked tiny, like a child too frightened to leap from the diving board. And Clay knew, in that moment, that he had to do something. He had to find a way to lead.
Chapter 20
He stepped toward the pulpit and tapped on the microphone, causing the sound to boom out over the heads of the Carterville townspeople. “Hello!” he cried, slicing into their harried conversations. “Hello. Please listen. I think I have a better plan.” His eyes danced across the crowd. To his right, he heard Colonel Wallace snort.
“I think we can all agree that this is an unforeseen tragedy,” Clay said, his voice taking on a commanding tone. “But I’d like to give us all twelve hours to get out of town. Pack our bags with all our favorite belongings, make sure we have places to be, and drive our own cars out of town.”
Wallace scoffed. “You’ll have too many stragglers,” he said. “People who refuse to leave their homes. People who won’t make plans. And they won’t take to this chemical propellant well at all. You’ll be responsible for countless deaths.”
The words hung in the air for several moments. Clay pondered, unsure, until he made eye contact with Alayna. She brimmed with pride.
“My deputy, Alayna, and I will remain in town and round up the remaining stragglers until everyone—and I mean everyone—is out of danger. And then, we’ll get out ourselves, and Colonel Wallace here can release his chemical ‘bomb.’ Or whatever it is.”
“Will it destroy our town?” someone cried out from below. She bounced a baby upon her knee.
“That’s a great question. Colonel Wallace, is the bomb destructive?” Clay asked.
Wallace nodded slightly. His eyes looked far away, reluctant. “Sure. This ‘chemical bomb’, as you have erroneously quoined it, is nondestructive,” he said. “It’s a chemical propellant, as I said. The fumigation process should neutralize the virus without physically damaging any of the town’s structures. Human exposure will most certainly be fatal, however, hence the urgency of the evac. After one month’s time, everyone will be allowed back in their homes. And the town of Carterville can continue its regular, boring schedule.”
Clay swept his hands to the sky, enacting a similar pose to Lois—almost prayerful. “Now I know this is going to be difficult for us,” he began, “but I need you all to understand. We must fight for our town. We must fight to stay alive. And today, this requires us to leave. I want you all to start your journey home. Pack your bags, anything you’ll need for the next month, including any medication, and get out of here.”
“One more thing,” Colonel Wallace said, silencing the frantic murmurs from the crowd. “For the chemical propellant to reach its full effectiveness, my scientists have informed me that the local cell phone towers would have to be deactivated. Therefore, beginning at eight tomorrow morning, none of you will have cellular service until you are out of town.”
Clay noticed Colonel Wallace smirk ever so slightly at his latest ploy to undermine the town. Why the hell would the cell towers interfere with the fumigation?
All at once, the crowd erupted from their pews. They elbowed and scrambled their way toward the exit, grabbing on to their children’s hands. Clay felt mildly content: he still had power over his people despite everything. And as he turned, he received a tiny, firm grin from the mayor. She mouthed, “Good job, Sheriff.”
Chapter 21
As the church cleared, leaving only Clay, Alayna, Lois, and Colonel Wallace, Clay reached for the colonel’s hand and shook it firmly. He felt an engrained sense of responsibility for his people, alongside a fluttering of cockiness. He’d beaten Wallace at his military game. And everything was going to be all right. Hopefully.
“We’ll see how this goes,” Wallace said gruffly. He stomped from the church’s side entrance and slipped a cigarette from his pocket, popping it between his lips.
But Clay couldn’t revel in his victory for long. Alayna appeared beside him. “Good work. But let’s get outside and keep watch, all right? I have a bad feeling.” Her eyes searched his face.
Clay and Alayna marched through the church’s double doors, waving to both Maia and Valerie as they headed for home. “Meet you there?” Valerie mouthed. And Clay nodded, knowing he’d find a way. He always did.
The rising glow of the moon faintly lit Main Street, giving it an ominous feeling. Clay moistened his chapped lips and felt a sudden stab of pain in his left forearm, where the lesion was. He presumed it had begun to blister. “Shit,” he muttered.
“What is it?” Alayna asked. She looked harried, a bit panicked. Her tight, black bun had nearly wound down her back, but she didn’t notice it. She was rarely this unkempt.
But Clay didn’t yet want to reveal his sores. “Just this day. Something about it doesn’t add up for me,” he muttered, watching as a family of three across the street began to load food items into the back of their van. A young girl of about six or seven held three cans of beans and peered out over the horizon, her eyes like saucers.
“You questioning things again?” Alayna asked him. “You know you don’t have to think about everything all of the time. The world’s evils are not always just around the corner.”
Clay rubbed the back of his sweating neck as the girl thrust the cans of beans into the van before darting back into the house. “I suppose it’s just my nature. I can’t explain it. I have this gut feeling about today. It’s ominous, certainly. But I can’t help but feel like we don’t have all the answers.”
“Now who’s been watching too many sci-fi movies?” Alayna said, laughing.
But Clay didn’t react. Instead, his stomach throttled with sudden pain. He wrapped his hand over his abdomen, gasping. Alayna placed a steady hand on his lower back, sensing something was off.
“Dude, you’re sweating. Like
, a lot,” she whispered. Her eyes scanned the street, ensuring no one else was noticing.
“The last thing I need right now is for Colonel Wallace to see me like this,” Clay muttered. He righted himself as the spasm passed.
“You should really talk to the doc,” Alayna pleaded. Everything about her was suddenly angular, panicked. Clay knew that if he agreed, she’d have no one left. And she couldn’t monitor this town’s evacuation by herself.
“The last thing I need right now is to be in some quarantine tent,” Clay muttered, resting a loose hand on his gun. “Really, Alayna, I’m fine. It’s probably just stress.” He gave her a slight smile before asking, “So, how ’bout my speech in there? Seems I’m a real crowd pleaser, huh?”
Alayna rolled her eyes but still maintained her upset disposition. “You killed it. But it’ll be all wasted breath if you’re dead. You really need—”
Clay held his hand up, stopping Alayna’s plea midsentence. “I’ll take it easy, all right? If things advance, I’ll talk to him at first chance. But for now, we need to be actively visible for the town’s residents. Agreed?”
Alayna nodded but continued to wear her look of disagreement.
Clay forced himself to retain his composure. He and Alayna took turns marching down Main Street, watching as people packed their vans and cars, kissed their children, and sobbed openly, knowing that their lives were about to change. He stopped in front of a teenage boy who kicked his foot against a post. “Aren’t you getting ready to go?” Clay asked him, tilting his head.
The teenage boy kicked the post harder, filled with anxiety. “Caleb was my best friend,” he said. “If he’s dead, we’re all going to die. He was the best person I knew.”
The boy’s words, despite their melodramatic tone, impacted Clay, causing his chest to tighten. “Losing Caleb was a tragedy. But if you don’t speed up and get out of here, your entire future, along with the future of your family, could be in jeopardy.”
Humanity's Edge Trilogy (Book 1): Turn Page 6