Outbreak

by Paul Carberry

  Chapter 11

  Revelations

  Eric drove into the police station parking lot, not knowing what to expect. Frank and Fred were missing? Eric peered down at the dash board and looked at the time, 10:20 am. It had been well over twenty-four hours since he had gotten any sleep, and it was starting to catch up with him.

  Eric opened the car door and the autumn breeze was cold and crisp. Under any other circumstances it would have been peaceful and refreshing as the breeze fluttered around him. He wished he could let the breeze carry him away to some far off exotic place. He wanted to escape all of this madness.

  As Eric rushed into the lobby he expected to see Kathy, but she was not behind the desk. She must have been with her brother. The new girl was working today in her place. Eric was terrible with names. What was it again, Beth? Betty?

  “Morning,” Eric said as he hurried past, but she never responded.

  Eric was glad she didn’t because he did not want to have to try and remember her name right now. There was a lot of shit to deal with. Gary was stood outside of Frank’s office door with a man that Eric did not recognize. The man was wearing dark blue coveralls and he was holding a tool kit in his hand. Eric was guessing he was the locksmith.

  “Gary! What’s going on around here?”

  “Eric, we have a problem. I can’t find Frank. Can’t even reach him at home or on his cell.” Gary was clearly distraught from the events that had taken place here. “His wife doesn’t even pick up when I call. So we sent a patrol by the house, no one’s there. Both cars are gone!”

  Eric was worried that something strange was going on with Frank, he was somehow tangled up with whatever Gordon Purchase was doing. “Anything else I need to be concerned with?”

  “His squad car has gone missing too!”

  “Well, it’s got GPS on it. Did you track it?” Eric watched as Gary’s face began to flush with embarrassment.

  “Shit! I never even thought about that. That’s why you’re the detective around here Jones.” Gary playfully punched Eric in the shoulder.

  “Alright, Officer Davis. I’ll get the new girl to put a trace on it. What’s her name again?”

  “It’s Sara.” Gary shook his head.

  “Thanks.” Eric felt embarrassed, he had no clue what her name was. What the hell was a locksmith doing here? “What’s with the locksmith?” Eric was so tired he almost never bothered to ask.

  “Well... the door is locked.” A little smirk crossed Gary’s face.

  “Thanks, smart ass. Why didn’t you just break it down?” Now Eric felt pissed, usually he was the one with the quick remarks.

  “Don’t know what we are going to find on the other side of the room. Felt it best not to just bust the door down. I don’t want to disturb anything unless we need to.” Gary looked at the door. “Plus Frank will have my ass if he found out we were snooping on him!”

  “Good work, Gary! I’ll be right back.”

  “Remember, it’s Sara,” Gary called out as Eric walked away.

  Eric walked over to Sara’s desk. Her blonde curls dangled at the sides of her cheeks. She was much younger than Kathy. In fact if Eric remembered correctly she had just finished school last April, and this was her first job. “Sara, I need a favour.” Eric looked at Sara as she turned towards him and he realized that something was wrong. Her face seemed sour. Her red lips curled into a snarl, and Eric was sure she rolled her eyes into the back of her head when she looked at him.

  “Really Officer Jones, is it that hard?”

  “I’m sorry Sara? What did I say?”

  “It’s Sasha. I’ve been here six weeks now.”

  Eric felt his face flush with blood. Gary must have set him up. Payback for all the shitty one liners dished out throughout the last few months of working together. “Shit. Sorry Sasha. Listen I need you to check the GPS on Frank’s car, and let me know as soon as possible. Please and thank you.”

  Sasha rooted through the papers that cluttered her desk and picked up a note. “Already done. I thought you guys would have already asked by now. Looks like he’s heading towards Burgeo, last time I checked.” Sasha handed Eric the note. She ruffled through some more notes. “And your wife called and left a message.” She handed Eric another sticky note.

  “Great work Sasha. You should have gone into criminology.” Eric was impressed.

  “Uuggghh... I did. This was the only shitty job I could get. Remember, we talked about this?”

  “Uh... yeah. Shit I’m just sleep deprived I guess.”

  “Or you’re a dick.” Sasha looked serious, but Eric could not tell if she was or not.

  “Yeah, or that.” Finally a smile cracked Sasha’s face. Eric felt a little relieved that she was not mad with him. She was a smart young girl. Maybe they could use her in the CSI department. Eric looked at the note from his wife. “Gone to bring your father to his flu shot appointment. Be home after dinner.”

  Dana got along with his parents and it made Eric very happy. Eric stared intently at the other note. GPS co-ordinates scribbled down on the paper, Sasha had written down the coordinates for Burgeo highway. What was Frank doing in Burgeo? Was he being taken there by someone else, or was he going there under his own free will?

  Eric walked back to Frank’s door. “Any luck with the lock yet? Where did he go?” The locksmith seemed to have vanished.

  “He had to run to his truck to get some more tools. You want to head downstairs to the holding cells? Amanda is down there now gathering some evidence.” Gary looked towards the door to the holding cells as if they were cursed.

  “I will. When did she get here? Where is Albert?”

  “Albert had to log some evidence from last night. Said he had an appointment with some specialist coming to help them with the case.”

  “Right. From that murder last night.”

  “How you doing anyway? You doing ok after shooting that man?” Gary’s voice was full of concern.

  “I think so, I panicked. I can’t believe it happened.” The guilt rested heavily on Eric’s mind. The poor bastard’s family would be devastated when they heard the news. Was there another way that the situation could have been resolved? Would the man’s loved ones ever forgive him?

  “From what I heard, you had to do it. You had no other choice. The guy was all high off some new drug probably.” Gary was doing his best to make Eric feel better.

  “Maybe. I don’t know. It hasn’t fully registered yet.” Eric shrugged his shoulders and headed down the hallway to the holding cells door, somehow Fred had managed to escape the police station last night. How did he manage to get out of the locked cell without being noticed? Did Frank let him out, or did someone else help bust Fred out? Eric wondered if Frank was ok.

  ***

  Jason was a prisoner in the world’s most disgusting prison holding cell. The light from the window was the only thing that let Jason know he was still a part of the world. The complete silence was maddening, Jason was left alone with his disturbing thoughts. Where was Tracy? What had they done with her? Was anyone coming for them? How did he end up in this fucking mess? How was he going to get out of here? Why were they doing this to him?

  For hours these questions were the only thing running through his mind. His couldn’t help but think about the worst possible outcomes. This must be what insanity feels like.

  They had left Jason’s cell phone with him when they locked him away in this tiny box, but it had no signal. He searched every inch of his cell to no avail. Jason felt utterly hopeless and afraid.

  The light from the window was the only thing that kept his focus. He stood up and started to hammer his fist against the doors.

  Jason slammed his fists against the Plexiglas until they throbbed in agony.

  No one showed up to check on him. He continued to pound on the door until his hands were bruised and they started to swell. The guard never came back to check on him.

  All of his strength seemed useless in that cell. He po
unded on the door until his arms grew tired. He sat back down and stared at the light. He was about close his eyes and fall asleep, when all of a sudden Jason saw a shadow fall into the room. Jason sprang to feet and pressed his body against the door as the man in the security uniform approached.

  ***

  Dana sat in the doctor’s office waiting for her father-in-law to receive his flu shot. She had sent a text message to Tracy Cook last night, but she never heard back from her yet. She was getting bored waiting in the office and did not enjoy being in a room full of sick people. She wouldn’t have minded so much if she was sick herself, but being healthy she felt exposed.

  Dana looked around at all the people and wondered why they were there. Most people were there for a prescription to help combat the common cold. A few people were there for various other reasons. One man was there because he must have hurt his ankle. He was only wearing one shoe, and the ankle was swollen to about three times the size of the other, he probably twisted it. Some of the other patients must have been there for the flu shot as well, they seemed to have no symptoms. Dana wished that Eric was there, he would make up stories for all the people in the waiting room as to why they visited the waiting room. Most often his tales were quite ridiculous and ludicrous, but funny.

  Dana looked up at the TV. The daytime talk show that should have been on was being interrupted by breaking news. There was no volume on the TV, but the closed captioning was turned on. Dana was shocked by the words that were coming up on the screen.

  Quarantined Zones in New York City. Many blocks included in quarantined zones. Reports of riots and mass incidents of violence reported. Official from city hall quoted as saying major illness spreading amongst people. Symptoms similar to rabies reported. If you have these symptoms you must report to medical tents set up near zones. This just in... more quarantined zones being reported in major cities including Los Angeles... Washington... Philadelphia... Chicago... Toronto...

  Blurry images of rioting flashed across the scene. People attacking other people. It all seemed like random acts of violence. The only thing they had in common was that they all seemed to end bloody.

  “Excuse me, ma’am!” Dana looked down from the TV at the stranger who sat down across from her. She saw that his arm wrapped in a blood soaked bandage. The stranger was doing his best to conceal his arm under his jacket, but it stuck out like a sore thumb.

  “Jesus! What happened to you?” Dana blurted out.

  “I was out rabbit hunting with my buddy. This mad man comes out of nowhere and bit my arm. My buddy managed to knock him off me, but he kept coming after us. He had this crazed look in his eyes. We managed to get to our ATV and drive away before he could do anything else.” The man looked very pale, and he seemed to be running a fever. Sweat beaded on his wrinkled forehead.

  “Wow!! That’s intense!” Dana looked over at the door as Jack walked out of the doctor’s office. The nurse called out for a Mr. Rowsell.

  “Well, that’s me, guess I’m going to be getting some stitches now.”

  “Take care,” Dana said as the man stood up and walked over to the doctor’s office. “You ready?” Dana asked Jack.

  “Sure, let’s go grab some dinner before we head back to the house.” Dana thought that was a good idea. She had no idea when Eric would be home, and she didn’t feel much like cooking anyway.

  ***

  Eric looked at the holding cells with a stunned look on his face. It shocked him how there was absolutely no sign of a struggle.

  “Did we have a look at the tapes yet?” Eric looked to Amanda, hoping to see her head nod in approval.

  “Sasha is getting me the tapes from last night so we should know who did this very soon.” Amanda looked up to the camera that was above the door.

  “Well, let’s hope that whoever did this was stupid enough to have walked into frame.” Eric looked around the room for any evidence, but there nothing to be found. What was the motive for someone to set this man free? Did someone want him silenced? Eric was almost sure Frank had been involved in this, but why? What was going on? If it was Frank, he wouldn’t have been stupid enough to walk into view.

  “Eric you need to come here!” Gary called out from the top of the steps.

  “I’ll be right back Amanda.” Eric turned and darted up the steps. “What is it Gary?”

  “We got into Frank’s office. There is a letter on his computer, and its addressed to you. I think you need to read it.” Gary’s skin was ashen, as if someone punched him in the guts and knocked the wind out of him.

  Eric headed down the hallway and entered Frank’s office. Eric looked down at the computer screen and there it was. A word document addressed to him. Eric moved the mouse over the word file and opened it.

  ***

  The phone just kept ringing, but Jason did not pick up. Ethan had been trying to reach Jason all morning, but there was no answer. Ethan had been navigating through the forest looking for signs of the coyotes, but all he could find were foot prints. They led deeper into the forest towards Buchans.

  “Pick up Jason!” Ethan shouted at the phone. He was dying to tell Jason what was going on. Jason would have been out here in a heartbeat, even on his day off. Ethan could use the company, he felt isolated out here. There was also a disturbing feeling emanating from the woods. The entire area had a foul odour that reminded him of the dead moose he found last night. The stench had grown worse overnight and was nearly overpowering now.

  Ethan was eating his lunch alone in his truck. He had packed a sandwich that he picked up from the gas station last night, ham and cheese. It was not as good as it looked, neither was the brownie he had picked up to go with it. He crumpled up the wrapper and threw it down on the passenger seat, extremely disappointed by his mediocre lunch.

  Ethan decided the best thing to do now was to head to Buchans. Maybe he would be able to pick up the trail from there. If he was not able to find anything on his own today he would have to get up in helicopter tomorrow looking for clues to find the coyote den.

  Chapter 12

  Incidents Around Town

  “Mr. Rowsell!” Ruth called out the next name on the list. Ruth had been a nurse at Doctor Winston’s office for three years now. It wasn’t very often that they got to do stitches, but today was one of those rare days. The hospital was too busy and they were desperate for help. Dr. Winston had agreed to help out in any way he could. They had seen a lot of extra patients today and Ruth was becoming fatigued.

  “Right this way, sir.” Ruth held the door open for the elderly gentleman. He looked to be in rough shape as the blood had already soaked through the gauze and was dripping down his arm. Mr. Rowsell had the look of a seasoned teacher. His short grey hair matched his neatly trimmed grey moustache. His glasses were almost too big for his small, round face. His coat was way too big for him.

  “Have a seat, sir?” Ruth pointed to the hospital bed.

  As he sat on the bed, the paper sheet crinkled beneath him. He let his coat slip off of his back, and it crumpled into a ball on the bed behind him. He grimaced in pain as he began to roll up his sleeve to reveal the bloody rags that were used to bandage his arm.

  “The hospital sent me down here to the clinic.”

  “No worries, sir. Dr. Winston will be in shortly. Don’t worry he is quite good at stitches. Well, at least he used to be.” Ruth tried to make a joke as she walked over to the cupboards to find the needle and thread. She rummaged through a few baskets and kits that held various medical supplies, but there was no needle or thread to be found. She did find the rubbing alcohol. Maybe it has been a long time since the doctor had to give someone stitches. Ruth tried to remember the last time, but she was unable to think back that far.

  She set the rubbing alcohol on the counter with a loud slam that caught Mr. Rowsell by surprise.

  “Well, I gotta say, I’m not looking forward to that!” Mr. Rowsell chuckled.

  “Well, I am. It’s my favourite part of the job Mr. Rows
ell.” Ruth shot him a sly look and her best attempt at a crooked smile.

  “I bet it is!” Mr. Rowsell let out a deep, hearty laugh. For a man who was clearly in so much pain, he certainly was a pleasure to be around.

  “Nurse Ruth, how’s our patient doing?” Dr. Winston poked his head into the room.

  “He’s going to make it I think. We just need to find a rusty needle and some thread to patch him up. Then we can send him on his way.”

  “I have everything I need in my office, I’ll be right back. While I’m getting that, try and get that bandage off. And get him all cleaned up.” Dr. Winston closed the door softly as he headed towards his office.

  “Well, sir. Time to man up, let’s get this contraption you call a bandage off so we can fix you up right.” Ruth grabbed some fresh gauze and the rubbing alcohol, and walked over to the bed.

  “You can call me Byron.” Byron looked at the rubbing alcohol and winced.

  “Sure thing, Byron.” Ruth removed the rags from Byron’s arm, the blood was still oozing out of the cut. As she began to wipe away the blood, the cut started to look more like a bite mark. “What happened to you, sir?”

  “Well, me and my friend were out checking our rabbit snares. All of a sudden this man came out of nowhere and startled us. He looked very pale, very sick. His eyes were bloodshot, but they were glazed over, almost completely grey. He looked like he needed help so I called out to him, but he only responded in grunts and groans. Really strange noises I never heard before. Anyway, he just shambled his way over to us and the closer he got, I noticed he was snarling. It looked like he was chomping at us, and his arms reached out to grab us. Next thing you know my buddy Sean tried to push him away and this guy just latches on to him, trying to bite him.”

  “What in God’s name!” The story was unbelievable.