“It doesn’t seem to be an airborne illness. Only through the exchange of blood or saliva,” Nora added, hoping to be helpful.
“Hmm. What does our doctor say about this?” Captain Smith questioned.
“Honestly, sir, he hasn’t been here very much. Other than to agree this patient wasn’t going to make it, he hasn’t really commented or examined him.” Unhappy to have to give the report about the ship’s one doctor, Nora grimaced guiltily.
“Where is the good doctor now?” Captain Smith spit out angrily.
“At the moment, he is delivering a baby with one of the nurses.” Nora rushed to assure him that the doctor was indeed working.
Pointing to Jonathan, the captain demanded, “When the baby is born, bring him to me immediately. Now, I’m going to send a few crew members in to take our friend to the incinerator as quickly as possible. Most of our passengers are at lunch at the moment, and this will be the best time to take care of a situation that is this delicate. While you seem certain this is isolated, nurse, I want to make sure we don’t have it spreading to others.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll handle it immediately.” Jonathan hurried to find a few suitable men for the task.
“Nurse, I want you to keep me informed about our crewman or any other things that seem suspicious to you. If this is what I’m afraid it is, it will still manage to affect everyone, no matter how cautious we are in preventing it.”
“I understand, and will let you know of the slightest change in our passengers.”
“That is all I ask. Thank you so much for your service.” Tipping his hat, the captain left to return to his duties.
Jonathan passed the captain as he returned with his two roommates, Timothy and Brad.
“Okay, boys. We are going to wrap the body up tightly in the sheet so people don’t know what’s going on.”
“Here’s the stretcher. He’s all ready for you.” Nora stood back as the three men transferred the body over.
“When you get downstairs, make sure you throw him into the fire, along with the wrappings. We don’t want anything to spread.” Jonathan instructed the men.
Hurrying to open the door for them, Nora stood to the side. “Do you need me to come with you for anything?”
“Nah. We got it, pretty nurse.”
“Nothing we can’t handle.” Brad grinned at her, almost dropping his end of the stretcher.
Jonathan led the way through the corridors and over to the crew staircase, staying ahead to redirect anyone in their path.
“Even dead, this guy is super heavy. Wonder what he ate for dinner?” Brad asked.
“A fat man from the feel of it,” Timothy answered, laughing.
“Shh. We are supposed to keep this quiet, gentlemen.”
“Sorry, boss,” they whispered apologetically.
The door to the engine rooms kept the amount of noise contained and partitioned away from the passengers.
Concerned with how heavy it was and where they should set it down, Brad and Timothy never saw the body sit straight up until a hand landed on Timothy’s thigh.
“Bloody hell.” Timothy screamed as the infected man’s mouth latched onto his leg, its teeth tearing out a chunk of flesh.
Brad tried grabbing it by the arms to pull him away from Timothy, but the infected turned his attention to him and bit into his neck, causing blood to squirt rapidly out of his body.
Ding Dong Is She Dead?
By Alathia Paris Morgan
“What the hell is going on?” Allie muttered as she approached.
Pushing the door back into place so she could enter, she called out, “Hello? Megan, are you here?”
Allie gingerly stepped inside and her heart broke. Everywhere she looked, there were signs of a violent struggle.
Cushions were thrown off the couch. The coffee table was bashed in, and there were blood stains on the carpet.
Torn between trying to find Megan alive and needing to call 9-1-1, Allie’s decision was made for her as a whimper sounded from down the hall.
Stepping carefully around the broken glass and the blood trail leading her down the hallway, she followed the sound, only to discover Megan in the bathroom, sitting on the floor. She was curled up next to the bathtub, holding a towel to what looked to be a nasty wound on her head.
“Oh, Megan. What happened?” Allie crouched down and leaned forward to touch her arm in sympathy, but Megan flinched back, moaning in pain.
“I’m here, Megan,” she said quietly. “No one can hurt you now. I’m going to call the police and figure out how to keep you safe.”
Megan looked up at Allie and burst into tears.
“Shh. Everything will be okay. We’ll find the person who did this to you.” Allie tried to look over Megan’s body to assess her injuries, needing to know if there were others she had to worry about.
A smile flitted across Megan’s face. “You won’t have to look far for the person who hurt me. It was Mike. He does this occasionally when I don’t do what I’m supposed to.”
Allie suddenly realized that her favorite little person was missing. “Megan, is Sally okay?”
“She was already on the bus, heading to school when it started this time.” Megan groaned as she tried to sit up.
“Don’t move. Have you been in here since then?” She looks down at her watch. “You’ve been in here for four and a half hours? Jesus. We need to get you to the hospital and call the police.” Allie was worried Mike would make another appearance before she could get Megan to a safe place.
Megan’s already pale face grew ashen when Allie’s words sank in. “No! If Mike comes home and finds me gone, I’ll get a lot worse next time for taking this out into the public. It’ll reflect badly on his image with his co-workers.”
“Megan, honey, we can’t worry about his “image.” You’re hurt, and I’m pretty sure you need stitches on your forehead. You could have a concussion. From the looks of the living room, you may even have internal injuries that we can’t see.” Allie didn’t want to pressure her, but there was no way Megan could stay home and just recover.
“It was my fault this happened,” Megan tried to explain. “Mike got drunk last night and fell asleep in his truck. Because I didn’t try to find him, he felt humiliated when the neighbors saw him this morning. He was pretty pissed when he woke up and came inside.”
“Megan, this is not your fault. Listen, you have to leave now, go to the hospital and get help. If you stay here, the next time I come to see you, you could be lying dead on the floor. What if he hurts Sally?” Allie held her breath, waiting for Megan’s answer.
“I don’t know where we would go, and Mike works for the County Sheriff’s Office. He can find us wherever we go, and it won’t be good when he catches up to us.” Megan closed her eyes against the pain.
“So, if you stay here and take everything he dishes out to you, what happens when he starts taking it out on Sally because she spills her juice? Even if he never lays a hand on her, it still gives her the idea that it’s okay to get bullied and beaten up. Is that what you want her to feel?” Allie sighed, overwhelmed by the idea that anyone could do this much harm to someone they claimed to love.
Sensing Allie’s concern, Megan nodded in agreement. Things were only going to get worse if they didn’t leave now.
With the small gesture, Megan’s head began to pound in pain, increasing from a quiet drum beat to a loud jackhammer, causing her to feel nauseous. Megan’s physical condition was the deciding factor she needed to get help.
“We can leave today. I have some suitcases in the front closet that are packed. This has been going on for years now, and I thought this was the end for me this morning. I’m pretty lucky it wasn’t.”
Moving slowly as she tried to get up, Megan spoke softly. “We just need to get my purse and add a few things from Sally’s room she might miss when we’re gone.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll gather everything and put it in the car, then I’ll come back for y
ou.” Allie went to the living room and surveyed the damage Mike had done to his own home.
Because Mike was a sheriff’s deputy, it would be much worse for Megan than if he were just an ordinary guy when it came to evidence being misplaced, or simply disappearing.
“I need to document this in case the evidence against him is suddenly lost.” Allie pulled out her phone and stepping outside to take pictures of the front door. She worked her way through the room, then followed the trail of blood until she stood in the bathroom doorway, where Megan still sat with her eyes closed.
She wanted to make sure there was no doubt about what had happened.
Allie placed the packed suitcases by the front door, and tried to remember what all she’d needed when she was forced to leave her home as she walked through the house.
Noticing the boxes stacked in the laundry room, Allie grabbed two and began to pack everything she could fit from Sally’s and Megan’s closets. Four boxes of clothes and shoes later, she went back to check on Megan to make sure she was still conscious.
“What else do you want so you don’t have to worry about coming back? Or is there anything you don’t want him to destroy that you really love and want to keep?” Allie asked as she paused in the doorway.
“Did you get Sally’s baby doll and her blanket? Also, the photo albums in the living room…and my laptop computer on the bedside table would be great. I should really help you with all this.” Making a move to rise, Allie caught her and helped her back to the floor.
“Absolutely not. I have it under control. When I get the boxes in the car, we can go. I can handle it. I’m not the one who has a bloody head and a possible concussion.”
Heading toward Megan’s room for the computer, she looked around to make sure she hadn’t missed anything else they might need. As she was grabbing the photo albums and the address books from the desk, Allie remembered Megan might need birth certificates, and a few other important documents in the days ahead.
Sticking her head back into the bathroom, she asked, “Where do you keep yours and Sally’s birth certificates and other stuff?”
Megan was caught off guard because she hadn’t thought about needing things like that.
“They’re in the filing cabinet; the first three files in the drawer should have all the stuff we need in them.” She breathed a sigh of relief that it was all together. Megan felt better knowing that her friend could take care of these things for her right now.
“When will Mike be back to check on you? Will he be home for lunch, or after his shift?” Allie was concerned he might return soon.
“It looks like he showered after I passed out in the living room, because the towel was wet when I crawled in here. He must have gone to work after, and he shouldn’t be back until his shift is over,” Megan answered.
“Okay, I think I have everything. I just need to carry these last few things to the car. I’ll make a final sweep, then we can get you out of here.”
Allie carried the boxes to the car and took one last look around, and thankfully spotted the DVDs Sally would enjoy to pass the time and keep her occupied while they sorted things out.
Returning for Megan, she realized she’d forgotten the bathroom toiletries. Grabbing a sheet from the cabinet, Allie filled it with all of Megan’s personal hygiene products.
She had left the passenger door open for Megan, as she placed the final things in the backseat.
Allie wrapped an arm around Megan’s waist to help her off the floor. They stood still for a second so that Megan could gain her balance. After a few minutes, it was obvious to Allie that her friend wasn’t going to get better, no matter how long they waited.
Balancing Megan’s body weight carefully, Allie practically carried her to the car, hoping she hadn’t hurt her worse.
“Are you okay? Am I hurting you?” Allie paused as Megan moaned.
“No. Seeing the door hanging off the hinges, I’m realizing how angry he truly was. I think this is the right choice. It’s a good thing Sally was already at school. Who knows how it might have turned out otherwise.” Gently helping Megan down the steps to the car, Allie had a revelation.
“Megan, you need to call the school and let them know that I’ll be picking Sally up today.” Putting Megan’s feet in the car, she shut the door as she walked over to the driver’s side.
“Where’s my phone?” Megan asked, but didn’t have the energy left to look for it.
“It was sitting on the table. The screen was shattered, and a hammer was lying right next to it. I took pictures of it and put it in a baggie, just in case we can save the sim card for another phone.”
Allie looked up the number for the school and handed her the phone as she started the car.
“Hi, Ms. Judy? This is Megan Butts, and I needed to let you know that Sally will be picked up today by my friend, Allie Foster.”
“Is everything okay, dear? You’ve never had someone pick Sally up before,” Ms. Judy asked with concern in her voice.
“Well, I had an accident. I fell and hit my head. I’m okay, but I’ll have to get some stitches. I’m sure they’ll give me pain killers, and I won’t be able to drive.” Megan’s first impulse was to make up a plausible story so that Mike wouldn’t get mad. She needed to make sure others didn’t find out that he beat her.
“You just take care of yourself, and I’ll send the papers home with Sally so you can add Allie Foster to the list, just in case you don’t feel well enough tomorrow as well.” Ms. Judy knew more than she let on about the home life of her students’ families, but wisely refrained from saying anything.
“Thank you, Ms. Judy. You’re so thoughtful, and I really hope to be better tomorrow. But better safe than sorry, right?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll have Sally ready for her when she gets here. Get some rest. Bye now.” Ms. Judy shook her head at the excuses she heard from the victims of abuse. At least Megan had a friend to help her out. Maybe she would survive and not become a statistic.
Relieved that Sally would be taken care of, Megan tried to ignore the situation by closing her eyes, hoping it would all disappear.
Allie pulled away, leaving the front door hanging wide open.
The Mommy Detectives and the Bingo Hall Mystery Page 18