The Days After (Far View)

by J. Richardson

  On a summer day much like today, Will had discovered Airi asleep behind a rock. Her dark hair was wet with the heat and her creamy skin much too red. “Airi, what in blue blazes are you doing here?” He had experienced that eerie feeling you get, for several excavation trips lately. That someone is watching me feeling. The girl had been following him out for a good while.

  She was wide awake now, shook out her wet hair and dusted off her jeans, “Don't be mad, Mister Will. I want to help you dig. I want to know what you're digging for.”

  “Lord help us, girl. It's too hot for you to be out here and...” Her eyes were wide and her smile was sweet. She remained stubbornly his shadow and it was only a matter of time until she was his very interested and helpful apprentice.

  By the time Airi was fifteen both of her doting grandparents had passed away. Maggie and Will had grown so attached to her and her to them, they insisted that she be given a room next to their living quarters. They became her unofficial guardians. Once again in her life, the girl had lost and gained parents. The childless couple found a child of their heart.

  Will watched as a plump and colorful lizard slinked across the spot of the girl's concentrated brushing. It startled her and she sat back hard, “S—t-fire-an-save-the-matches!”

  He tried not to laugh, “Airi...watch your mouth.” To his dismay, Maggie had taught their “daughter” her very extensive and vulgar vocabulary. At twenty four she also shared the sense of humor and intelligence that he loved in both of them. A mischievous smile was her answer to his scolding. She grabbed the fleeing lizard by the tail and flung it in his direction.

  ***

  Maggie slipped her sweatshirt over the cotton plaid shirt she already wore, stood in socked feet and used both hands to pull her hair up into the high ponytail, rolled the stretchy cord over it. She had been wearing her hair “up” since she was a young girl, always thought it slimmed her face. No puffy bow like when she was a teen, just a thin ribbon tied with the ends drooping down, making a nice contrast against her soft silvery hair. A bundle of those skinny ties lived in the small emergency bag she once kept in her bottom drawer in Washington. Along with the jeans, tennis shoes and two blouses, they traveled to the city in the mountain. At the sanctuary, clothing of a pretty much unisex nature was stored. It wasn't always a perfect fit and over the years she often wore the available tan camouflage. The plaid blouse and another solid rose came in the bag. She took gentle care of them and still wore one at least once a week, a personal item that reminded her of other days.

  The turquoise ribbon chosen today matched the plaid of her exposed shirt collar and brought out the color of the big eyes that looked back at her from the mirror. She turned sideways and ran her hand down the front of her body, viewed with a very typical woman's self criticism. That mythical size two of the days before the great world change had never been achieved but she was stronger and leaner than she had ever been. Those curves were just always going to be there.

  Will hunkered over his microscope, she barely got a nod when she kissed the top of his head and said, “See ya later, Hon.” She walked along the hall, down one level towards the small room that was used for her sessions with the children. Won't be so long now and I can leave off this old sweatshirt. Though the cold prevailed outside, the early Spring waited in the wings and there had already been a day or two of promised warmth. When she entered the room the little ones jumped from their cross legged positions on the floor and hugged around her. “Good morning, my sweeties,” she smiled.

  Not a single one over three foot tall, as she looked at their innocent faces she knew that the job of caring for them twenty four hours a day wouldn't be so easy. Still, she so enjoyed her time with them. She quickly counted heads, “Where is Nina today? Does anybody know?”

  One of the boys, the corners of his mouth turned down, his expression serious, said “Nina sick, Miss Maggie.”

  “Sick?”

  “Yes mam, she's real sick. Her mommy told my mommy.” His small lips pouted a bit.

  “Well, I'm sure she will feel better soon. Let's see...” she looked through some books on a long shelf, “how about The Cat in the Hat?”

  Yea-a-a! sang the petite chorus.

  An hour later the little feet all padded behind her and were delivered to another room. She walked down to the lower level and tapped on the door of the clinic. One of the four nurses of Far View stood at a sink, washed her hands. The woman looked over her shoulder and said, “Hi Maggie. Everything okay?”

  “Oh sure, I'm fine. I just wondered, have you looked at Nina? She wasn't in class today and one of the boys said she was ill,” said Maggie.

  The nurse dried her hands, pushed her glasses up on her nose and said, “I did see Nina, she is ill. She is in the infirmary. Truth is, Maggie, she is very sick.”

  A little stab poked at her heart, “Very sick? What do you think is wrong with her?”

  “Come on in and sit down. I made a bit of my coffee ration. Would you like a cup?” The nurse pulled down two cups from the overhead cabinet and poured each cup about half full. She sat down at a small table with Maggie and placed the smoking cups in front of them.

  Maggie took a tiny sip of the hot coffee, “Um-m, very good. Have to be stingy with it, don't we? Remember when we used to pay a ridiculous price for a cup at the Cappuccino Cafe and drink it like there was no tomorrow?” The nurse laughed but then got a serious look that reminded her of the little boy in class earlier.

  “But tomorrow did come, didn't it?” the woman said.

  Feeling apprehensive now, Maggie said, “How sick is Nina? She's going to be alright isn't she?”

  Talking in a quieter voice, the nurse said, “I really don't know. Nina is not the only one in the infirmary. We have about a half dozen more, all very ill. It's some type of pulmonary problem, an infection, a virus...we don't know and nothing that we have treated them with has had any success.

  They aren't improving. If it's viral, of course, antibiotics would be ineffective.”

  “Oh, crap. This could be very bad.” She looked at the haggard face across from her, “This is bad, isn't it?”

  “We, the nurses, have discussed it with the doctor and his young intern. It's not exactly an epidemic but we think we should take contagion precautions. Do the extreme disinfecting procedure and ask that all the citizens start wearing masks. We're meeting with the city government this afternoon.

  We may not have any classes for the children for now. As long as we do, would you please watch them for any signs of fever or coughs?”

  “Yes, I'll do that. Thanks for telling me. Poor little Nina. I won't tell anyone other than my husband until an announcement is made.” With a vice on her heart she walked back along the hallways to find Will.

  ***

  The white mask was stifling, irritated Airi to pieces. She leaned on the fence that surrounded the animal compound at the far end of the garden level of the bunker. The animals; the cows, the goats and pigs, the cackling chickens fascinated her. The sun beamed brightly from the sky dome today and like her, some of the animals seemed to bask in it. In the far corner, a deer mouse scuffled around and then sat, gnawed on a corn kernel. Cute little thing she had to admit but she really disliked rodents. She agreed with Maggie on that, nasty little boogers. The possibility of the Hantavirus being spread by them had been thoroughly investigated. How did the things get in here, anyway? But you have to have direct contact with the mice or their droppings or nests to be infected and it is not passed from person to person. As a matter of fact, none of the animals displayed any signs of sickness and it didn't seem plausible that the illness had come from them.

  It had been nearly a month since the citizens had started to come down with the unexplained malady. The water had been checked, the food supply tested. The only outsiders that came into Far View were the couriers from the Walker Sanctuary. Could one of them or some of the traded goods have carried the illness? Airi and Will had always been allowed outside
to pursue their excavations, they weren't ill, there was no reason to suspect they could've brought something inside. A messenger had been sent out but no courier or information had arrived yet. Nearly fifty of the citizens had died, including the precious Nina and three other children. Only three people that had become ill appeared to be in recovery. The two scientists in residence, the doctor and no-one could find an answer and the only option was to treat the symptoms and try to keep the sick comfortable.

  Airi found herself depressed and frightened, around the haven you couldn't even see a smile or an expression behind those damn white face shields. A thick atmosphere of fear and avoidance infested the whole city. She missed the work with Will. He had been doing what he could to help discover the source of the contagion and even with the beautiful Spring upon them, they hadn't been outside this whole month. She felt as captured as the animals she watched.

  Her step quick as usual, not indicative of her dejected mood, hurried her along to her quarters. She didn't even bother to try to make eye contact with anyone she passed. She had barely slammed her door and jerked the mask from her face when there was a tap, tap, “Airi? would you come over please?” said Maggie.

  She swung the door back and grabbed the woman in a hug. She deeply loved Maggie and Will and felt happy and at home in their quarters. They had left no doubt as to how much they loved her. Still, she never assumed or invaded their privacy without an invitation. She didn't put the mask back on and immediately followed her “Mom” into the next door rooms. She hugged Will who sat in his chair and plopped across the bed on her stomach. Her sandals dropped to the floor and her bare feet zig zagged in the air. She looked at her “parents”. They looked tired, she knew how worried they had been for her and for all the people of Far View.

  Will leaned forward and spoke, “Airi, you know it doesn't seem that things are getting better here. There are still no answers for this virus, or whatever. More people are getting sick everyday.”

  “I know. It's just horrible. I miss being outside and I'm sick of those friggin' masks!” she said

  “Oops, sorry Will,” as she saw a scolding on his lips.

  Maggie cut in, “Your fath....Will and I have talked and we think that we should leave here.”

  Airi popped up and sat cross legged on the bed. “Leave? But where would you go? I don't want...I mean, please-se...I don't want you to go.” She couldn't hide her complete anguish. One second and Maggie was on the bed, grasped the small and delicate hand that was always skint and bruised from digging. “Oh, Airi, we would never leave you.

  Tears spilled down on her hand clasped in both of Maggie's, her eyes questioned Will.

  “We'll all go, Airi,” Will cleared his throat to get rid of the lump there, “Of course, you'll go with us. My goodness, who would be my helper? Maggie won't dig anything older than this year's potatoes! We've got a plan. Let's go get some dinner and bring it back to the room. We'll talk about it.”

  At nearly the same time the family of three were plotting their escape from the plagued sanctuary of Far View City, a man who left the haven nearly two weeks earlier sat under a lean-to canopy and waited for the sun to drop lower. He had jumped at the chance to get away from the claustrophobic and diseased bunker. It sounded like a possible task to reach the Walker Bunker and bring back some information, perhaps some help for the halt of the contagion. After all, others had made the trip between the two safe havens over the years, he was confident that he could.

  Tanner, aged 28, strong and in good health so far was the son of one of the original secret service men that brought the refugees from Washington to Mesa Verde. His father believed in being ready for whatever might occur. He trained him and schooled him in survival. “You know, son, you can't count on being safe and secure in this cushy little cave city, always. S—t happens and you need to be prepared,” he said to his young son.

  With his training, lots of supplies, including food and antibiotics, his rifle and his .380 pistol, a faded map and loaded with advice he set out from Far View. He checked the map earlier when the light was still strong. It appeared from an old sign that he found, he might be close to three hundred miles into his journey.

  The miles of landscape had varied from high desert to forested mountain passes as he traveled south and eastward away from the plateau sanctuary, sought the sister haven. He now covered the miles of dry scrubby vistas that stretched between mountain ranges. His stocky form leaned back against a rock and he loosened the cloth that protected his head and neck from the sun and ran his hand through his dark hair. Grown longer, it was gathered back in a ponytail. The archeologist, Will had taught him to use the head cloth and it had been very useful. He would wait just a bit longer and then start walking, as had been his new pattern, late in the day and into the night. His backpack sat between his bent legs, he dug around for a piece of jerky. Searching fingers found the small tin tube that held snake bite pills. The very thought made him do a quick scan around his area.

  Tanner laughed a bit at himself. He actually hadn't seen a lot of animals this whole trip and only a couple of non poisonous snakes. On one of the high mountain passes with snow still spattered on the ground, he caught a glimpse of a bear in the thick aspen trees. That night found him sleeping fretfully with one eye open. He did manage to get a rabbit or two and several times he caught a fish. The Spring thaw had swelled the rivers and creeks and he had a good supply of water and river food. His amusement was short lived as he wondered was this journey such a good idea? As his mother used to say...God, he missed her...“Boy, you always go off half cocked.”

  It would take him at least another two weeks to reach the Walker Bunker. Hopefully, they would be healthy and welcome him. Any help he could acquire would take another month to deliver back to home. Perhaps they would have no help to offer. Would anyone still be alive at Far View? Could he possibly accomplish one blasted thing?

  He had never in his young life been so completely alone for such a long time. The last human he encountered was days ago. A small group of native Americans had seemed to be surviving in a way not so very different from the way they had always lived. They welcomed him and it was damn good just to have some type of conversation with another person. Once, farther along the way, in a long deserted town, the rumble of an engine alerted him to someone coming. He hunkered down behind an old abandoned truck and watched. A motorcycle with a side car and pulling a small trailer roared by, two on the bike, one in the sidecar and a woman in the trailer. Where could they possibly be getting any usable fuel? More importantly, no doubt they were thugs, his instinct was to not attempt contact. “Yeah,” he said out loud to the nothingness, “There's folks out here. Just like the snakes, gotta be careful which ones you mess with.”

  The last two or three days, the area being so dry, he'd been careful with his water. He felt dirty and gritty. Yesterday, some big plant jumped up and bit him, the small punctures were sore as heck. The days of walking had taken him past the initial muscle aches, his body held up better now to the hours of moving on his feet. He still felt bone weary, his skin red from the sun that would soon change from the Spring warm to Summer hot. That sun was low now. He gathered his gear, laced up the boots he had loosened to let his feet rest and started to walk in the direction his compass led him.

  ***

  Completely covered head to toe in a white chemical suit, Maggie peered out at Airi, dressed exactly the same. The young woman swabbed the head of a man with a cool alcohol soaked cloth. I don't like her being here. The room had been allocated to house the suffering citizens of Far View City, their numbers increasing every day, the original infirmary proved to be inadequate. She honestly hated her young daughter being here, as she herself hated it. These poor, poor people. The incessant coughing was enough to make you want to climb right out of your skin. So intense that sometimes the care givers wiped the blood from the corners of their mouth or their noses. Only the strongest of sedatives kept the stricken a little calmer and she knew fo
r a fact, those sedatives were getting very low. For the first time in all these years, she thought We have to get out of here.

  Their plan had been somewhat threatened a couple of days earlier. They attended a meeting of the haven government. Dreary reports were given. One of the members had brought up the fact that

  Will and Airi were allowed outside of the sanctuary. “What if they brought this plague in from the outside? They should not be allowed out any more,” said the panicky speaker.

  A heated argument followed. Another member defended Will and said there was no indication at all that the source of the illness was brought from the outside. Will and his family weren't sick and it was ridiculous to stop his work at this time. A new voice chimed in, “What if the courier from the

  Walker Bunker brought the disease? We don't know that everyone there isn't already dead. Tanner may never return.” They passed by the suggestion of confining Will and it wasn't mentioned again. Maggie and Will had remained discreetly out of the discussion, other than a casual remark or two. They didn't want to raise any suspicions, the freedom of his excursions out of the sanctuary was very important in their plan to leave. At this time, perhaps there wouldn't be a serious prohibition of them leaving but they could take no chances.

  The family of three filled some backpacks with supplies and made their plans to escape, hopefully unnoticed for several hours. Maggie knew that in reality her partner and Airi, who adored him were very excited about the journey into the unknown outside landscapes. She completely trusted

  Will but she was not near as enthused as the two were. Her life at Far View City had been fine, she was comfortable and didn't have that burning spirit of adventure that lived in her husband and daughter.