by Crane, J. J.
I saw her close her eyes and tilt her head towards the counter, “Why was Frank here?”
“Frank is going to Iceland for a summit, and the earliest flight he could catch was out of Boston, tonight,” I answered.
She seemed somewhat relieved by my answer. She grabbed cups out of the cabinet and placed tea bags in them.
“Aren’t we off the beaten path a bit? I mean he could have easily stayed on Interstate 95 or taken 84 to the Mass Pike and gone straight in. Why did he come here? Why didn’t he take a car service?”
I could tell by her tone she had suspicions, “He had time to kill,” I said, in my best keeping calm voice.
“That doesn’t sound like Frank,” she said, waiting for the water to boil and the other shoe to drop.
With a deadpan voice, I responded, “No, you’re right, it isn’t anything like him.”
She remained silent, putting away a few things while the water heated up. She poured our cups and handed me mine. “Then what?” she said flat and cold. She remained patient. She knew I had more to tell.
There was only one way to tell her the news, straight and direct. “There’s a good chance something far worse than the Equine flu is making its rounds.” It didn’t quite come out with the drama I thought it might.
“What do you mean?” she asked before taking a sip of her tea.
“I mean, some virus is infecting and possibly killing thousands in China, and it is quite probable it has spread to other regions of Asia,” I said feeling the rush of adrenaline starting to pour through my body.
She looked at me with an expressionless stare knowing I had more to divulge.
I took a deep breath before continuing. “There’s no cure. Frank is going to this summit to find out more. His guess is… this is big… major pandemic big.”
“His guess?” she questioned. “What does that mean?”
I wasn’t going to sugarcoat it. “It means he fears the worst.”
I could see June mulling it all over. “How worried is he?”
“Enough that he devised a code to warn Jen about how
bad it is. He thinks the company or the government is tapping their phones. This is serious business.”
Either June went into denial about the news, or she truly thought it was paranoia. “Listen. We know Frank. He’s a smart guy. More intelligent than probably anyone we know. However, he can also be…eccentric. Now I know some strange stuff is going on at his place, but do you think he might have let his creativity go a little too far? I know how the two of you can get each other’s imaginations into full-blown mode.”
My gut instinct said no. “It’s possible, but I think he’s onto something. Some of the information he conveyed, the mounting death toll, the secrecy of governments, seemed to real to pass off as flights of fancy.”
“Then why haven’t we heard anything? I mean if all these people are dying, someone on some social media, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat… something would have come out. You just can’t have thousands of people infected and dying and no one leaking that out somehow.”
I heard what she was saying, and it made perfect sense. “We’re talking China honey. So, who knows?” I answered as a feeble excuse. “If they can hack our encrypted government computer systems, they can certainly divert or shut down the internet within their own country, block information, filter it. We have no idea about their capabilities.”
June’s facial expression changed. She eyed the cellar door then turned back to me looking grim. “You didn’t go out and buy anything stupid, did you?”
“No,” I said with a firm hand, and then proceeded with an alteration of the truth. “A little over a hundred and fifty dollars in canned and boxed goods.”
I saw her head bow in exasperation. “Fine. At least it wasn’t something incredibly stupid like that extra shed.”
With her mood the way it was, I opted to forgo telling her about the guns.
Chapter 6
The idea of a super virus looming and an unaware populace going about its daily business, ratcheted June, and mine’s anxiety. We couldn’t imagine that in the near future, daily routines, commuter traffic, getting children ready for school, or picking up a cup of coffee, could come to a screaming end. I poured over every prepper website I could find about how to survive a major calamity. The more I read, the more I came to realize that all the best advice would not, could not, mentally prepare a person for what was coming. How could it? The thought was unfathomable – overwhelming. I glanced at my printer. Sheet after sheet of how-to articles piled on top of each other. I shook my head, my mind spinning, wondering if any of what I was printing would do any good. I didn’t have the resources to set up a solar energy station. I wasn’t a garden person, nor did I own or have any place to put livestock. The best I could offer was that I did have a well dug if I needed to pump out water in the event of an emergency.
As much as June tried not to think about Frank’s news, the mental gremlins couldn’t help but bore holes of worry into her mind. I found this out the day after Frank’s visit when I went downstairs to double check exactly how much ammo I had in storage and discovered her weeping against one of the walls in the storage room.
“We don’t have enough stuff to get us through something like that,” she cried as I brought her into my arms. “I don’t want to think about it, but I can’t stop. I mean…can you imagine looking at empty shelves wondering if we were going to starve to death?”
I empathized with her. “Hopefully, it isn’t as bad as he’s
making it out,” I said as I held her tight, caressing her hair. “And if it turns out to be nothing, I’ve saved some of the receipts. Whatever I can’t return, I’ll sell online, or we can donate. Frank will owe us…if for anything else, mental anguish.” I paused. “And if that doesn’t work, the next time I see him, I’ll fix a drink with enough laxatives to give him the shits for a week.”
I could hear the semblance of a chuckle surface above the sobs. “How about a kick in the balls,” she said while wiping tears away. June composed herself and thanked me for showing up at the exact moment she needed me. She looked me straight in the eye. “But what if it’s as bad as he thinks?”
I tightened my jaw. The primal urge to protect swelled in me. “We’ll do everything we have to, to outlast it. We’ll keep this neighborhood together and work it as our own village.” I couldn’t ever recall feeling so confident and self-assured. “We’ll survive it at all cost. I promise you; I will do everything and anything to protect this family.”
June smiled and nodded before giving me another big hug. “Go,” she said. “Do what you were going to do. I’m going to make a shopping list. If this thing is the real deal, then we’re going to be as prepared as we can… there’s still plenty of space on the top shelves.
“You’ll kick this things ass all on your own honey,” I said as I winked at her. June was a terrifically strong-willed woman. She just needed her moments to blow steam and reset.
The next day, a story appeared on the late morning news about the possible deaths of multiple thousands of people in rural western China. The Chinese government did not confirm or deny the reports. Both June and I could feel a bone-chilling rush go through our bodies. We were thankful the kids were at school. June looked pale. I asked her if she was okay. She brushed off my question and said she had written up a preliminary list of clothing, sanitary and medical supplies we should have in the house. When I asked about meeting a client in Hartford, she coldly stated she was postponing. She asked me what my plans were. Initially, I intended to write, but now I wanted to purchase a rifle and ammunition. She nodded approval. “Get some arrows too. We might need them.”
I meant to purchase one hunting rifle then found myself buying two 30-06 rifles, as well as ammunition. I felt different this time, my demeanor more casual given my inside information. I joked with the sales clerk about how I was updating and upgrading; that I had been shooting hand me downs, and now
it was time to have my own. The clerk at the big box sporting goods store nodded, half paying attention to what I was saying.
At the next shop, a smaller gun store, I purchased another shotgun and a .22. I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly the background checks were coming in. I also bought out their arrows and a fair amount of shotgun shells (slugs, skeet shooting, and buckshot) and 30-06 ammo for my rifles. With the car stocked, I fell into my seat and took a deep breath. I felt strangely at ease.
I dropped off the weapons, securing them in my storage room. I took a moment to look over my mini arsenal of five shotguns and four rifles. They were lovely to look at in their clean, bright finishes. Yet, a sadness undercut my pride. Was I getting out of hand with all this? Could it all come crashing down? And if it did, would nine weapons suffice? The questions came quick as if being shot up out of some mental worry machine in my brain.
To clear my mind, I left the cellar and went out to the shed and checked out how many gas containers I had. Even though I had fifteen five-gallon containers, I wanted to get more and fill them. It seemed like a lot of gas, but in reality, it was a pittance if I had to deal with a long-term situation.
Grabbing the car keys, I went out and picked up seven additional five-gallon gas containers from the hardware store along with fuel additives, a few LED flashlights, batteries,
duct tape and a whole bunch of bungee cords. On my way to
the gas station, Frank called me on my cell.
“Hey, what’s up? How are things in Iceland?” I asked trying to mask the wave of anxiety rushing over me after seeing his name pop up on the car dashboard when the phone rang. “How’s the water?”
“Fuck the water,” he barked. “Listen, I found out China is close to calling a state of emergency. It’s a confirmed super virus, and it’s beginning to overrun the populace. It’s deadly. Millions are infected. We were told up to a quarter million will die within the next week, easy.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. I heard him well enough, but I yelled back ‘what?’
“Get ready for a network news barrage within the next few days. We found out the severity of this earlier today. Until yesterday it was all technical, scientific talk about what they thought they were up against, the biology of the virus, everything except the severity. The news of its lethal-ness came today. The president of the United States knows. He isn’t saying anything until China makes a formal declaration. They are doing all they can to contain the situation, but it may already be too late. If you hear a story in the next twenty-four to seventy-two hours about computer issues at airports or detaining people for various reasons or even finding excuses to delay flights, it’s the first step to organizing how the government is going to shut down a country.”
“What are we looking at?” I asked half-frantic, not paying attention to my driving.
“Like I said, millions infected. They expect no survivors,” he said half yelling into the phone.
“How do you keep that a secret?” I barked back.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Communists are good at hiding shit I guess. You can only spy satellite so much. Besides, from what we found out, it wasn’t until recently that the bug spread into the highly populated city areas. Many victims were told they simply had the flu until authorities began realizing people weren’t reacting positively to the medicines administered. No one is getting better. Hospitals are filling up with patients. People are beginning to die in droves in the outskirts of the country. One scientist said a massive die-off could happen in the cities within the next week to two. Remember those cases reported in Japan and Korea and other areas… well, we’re estimating a high percentage of those were of this new virus. We don’t have confirmation, but it wouldn’t surprise anyone. Fuck, this thing has already gone global, and nobody knows it.”
“I can’t believe this,” I said, feeling an emotional swell overtake me.
“Buy ammo. Buy guns, buy food, buy water” Frank said in all seriousness. “I’m not shitting you. Start buying the things you will need to protect yourself.”
“I have been, but tell me you aren’t fucking with me?” I shouted as I tried to comprehend the weight of his news.
“Listen,” he said with a composed yet demanding voice. “Watch for the reports. Most of it will probably be wrong in the beginning, but this news will rock the world in a way no one can fathom. I asked one of the panelists at the meeting if the bug was already in the United States. The guy looked at me stone cold and said I can’t see how it isn’t.”
“What are we talking about here?” I urged, pleading for any information.
“An extinction event,” he answered without reservation. “This is the pandemic that threatens the survival of humanity. The biology of this thing and the way it attacks is friggin’ crazy. You can spread it for days; some believe a week before it finally begins to make you sick. The clinical details will mean nothing to you, but suffice it to say, no one has seen anything like it. This thing is a hybrid strain that has adapted and evolved into a monster. We can detect the strain if someone has it prior to showing flu-like symptoms, but no one has a clue how to contain or treat this. All the traditional methods have failed, even washing hands appears to be hit and miss. In
test labs, it’s still the best overall approach to lowering your
chances of infection. Regardless, the onslaught is on its way.”
I turned into my driveway. My eyes welled up, and I burst into tears. I couldn’t help it. The news was too overwhelming.
Frank continued. “Get it out of you now, then get it together and start to prepare. The shit will hit the fan within days, a week at most. I have no idea how our government is going to keep panic from overrunning the country. Take inventory now and start buying shit fast.”
“Why within a week,” I asked wiping the tears away.
“Like I said, China is probably a couple of days from saying anything formal – it’s just a guess. But, when that news hits, the first panic wave will go off. It won’t be nearly as frantic as when the first reports of this illness begin hitting the U.S. If it is here, people will start dying in the next couple of weeks, maybe days if they haven’t already. It will take most people a day or two to digest the severity of it all. Most will go into denial, and many more won’t react until it hits closer to home. The longer it stays away from our shores, the better, but if it is here, as many believe, it won’t be long before the first reports of it surface.”
“I can’t believe this is really happening.”
“Believe it, and the quicker you can prepare the better it is for you and your family, and maybe your neighbors,” he said. “I can’t guarantee the virus isn’t in your region, but before reports emerge, get what you need and bunker down.”
There was a gap of silence before Frank spoke again. “Tell the ones you know you can trust. When the news hits, tell the others. Be prepared for those who won’t believe you or even start to mock you out of denial. The best I can say is to use discretion. You have to size up how you want to handle this, but this is the real deal. Zero hour is here.”
“What about you guys? I know you want to see this through but come on now. Even you said there isn’t anything you can do,” I pleaded. “Get all your shit together and haul your asses up here. We’re rural enough. We have space. It’s
too crowded where you are. People are going to eat each other
alive. You’ve already seen it happen. There’s no security. At
least here, we have a chance.”
“I have responsibilities to the larger good,” he said like a captain of a sinking ship.
“Listen!” I shouted into the phone, “The largest good you have is to your family.”
I could tell Frank bristled at me for yelling at him. “No, you listen. Someone has to try. You watch how quickly doctors and nurses disappear in waves once they realize there is nothing they can do. Do you understand how fast people are going to die once the medical system brea
ks down? Forget the virus. People not getting their meds, proper care, dialysis, to name a few… these people are going to get screwed, and they are going to die quickly. Hundreds of thousands if not millions will die before they even have a chance to contract the flu.” Frank took a long audible breath. “Law and order is going to go to shit, and if this is truly the nightmare they expect, power, cable, water, garbage collection, everything is going to fall apart over the next couple of months. As someone with research skills and an understanding of what the hell we’re dealing with, I’d be just another chicken shit running for the hills. I can at least try my best to contribute something that might head this off. I was a pretty good scientist before I became an executive.”
“Then at least Jen and the kids. What about them?” I pleaded.
I could hear the emotion on the other end of the line without him saying anything. He took a few deep breaths. “If they want to come up, I’m not going to stop them…but, the company is secretly setting up housing for all essential personnel and their families. Security, food, it’s all in the works, but nothing specific just yet. They don’t want to incite a panic.”
“Listen, my friend… I’m sorry for the outburst. You have given us the gift of insight, and at the very least, a leg up in
surviving this,” I said with gratitude as I tried to keep my
emotions in check.
“Do what it takes to protect yourselves,” Frank said. “You know as well as I that numbers will count in chaos. If you can get even a few people on board and implement a survival plan, your chance of waiting this out, if it’s even possible, increases dramatically. I know you can do it. You’ve already dealt with one calamity.”
“A couple of weeks compared to the infinite unknown are two different ballparks. But, I’ll tell you what, if this hits the fan the way you are saying, I’m maxing out these credit cards immediately and setting up Fort Knowles,” I said.
Frank let out a mild chuckle before turning serious again. “Keep your eyes and ears open. Listen to your intuition. Listen to facts. That may be hard but try to pay attention to what is consistent in reporting, and even then, be wary. Remember, as we speak, this thing is creeping across the globe. It’s infecting and will wipe out whole swaths of people in its wake,” Frank said with chilling coldness. “I will keep you posted as best I can.”