Sickness

by Kellee L. Greene

It just didn’t make sense.

  The car jerked in the driveway as I stepped hard on the brake. I shifted into park and got out of the car.

  A chill ran down my spine as I looked around the empty neighborhood. Everyone was inside their homes, going about their nightly routines as usual. The house across the street, with the perfectly mowed lawn, had one light on. I could tell he was inside watching TV by the changing colors on the wall.

  He probably had no idea what was going on in New York. Mrs. Wheaton was probably clueless too. She was probably already in bed with her cats curled up at her feet.

  It wasn’t like I could go door to door and tell everyone what Polly had told me. They’d all laugh and slam the door in my face.

  Hell, I wasn’t even sure how I was going to stop Freddie from going to work in the morning.

  My feet softly tapped the cracked driveway as I walked to the back seat to grab as many of the bags as I could carry. I kicked the door closed and walked into the house, passing Freddie who was snoring in the chair with his hand still wrapped around the glass of what appeared to be just pure vodka.

  I set down the bags on the table and walked back through the living room toward Maddie’s room. There weren’t any sounds coming through the door. My stomach sank as I brought my knuckles to the thin wood.

  “Maddie?” I said softly as I knocked. “Are you in there?”

  Freddie snorted. “She’s not back yet.”

  “Dammit,” I muttered. “She was supposed to be back by now.”

  Freddie coughed, took a drink, and shifted in the chair before falling back asleep. I attempted to call Maddie but she didn’t answer.

  “Madeline Jane Easton, you call me back as soon as you hear this message,” I scolded through the phone. After I hung up, I tried Polly again but she didn’t answer either.

  Before I headed out for the rest of the groceries, I checked the TV for any updates. I flipped through nearly every channel but there wasn’t anything new updating me as to the current situation. It was the first time I wished we had cable TV.

  I had bought so many groceries and supplies that I ran out of places to put everything. Every time I went down into our creepy basement to store some of the extra stuff, I was afraid the creaking stairs would wake Freddie. He was already going to freak out when he saw the credit card statement when it arrived. And worst of all, he’d be even more upset that I hadn’t bothered to restock the liquor cabinet.

  I stood at the kitchen sink, first rinsing and then filling a glass of water. My eyes were focused on the darkness outside the window. The only thing I could see was the dimly lit house across the street.

  I sighed as I soundlessly walked to the table and sat down. The glass made a just barely audible sound as I placed it on the table.

  I flipped my phone around in my hand. The feeling of helplessness crawled up my back like a weed rapidly growing out of control.

  Maddie should have been back nearly forty-five minutes ago. And Polly…. What could I do about Polly?

  The sounds of a noisy pickup truck rumbled down the road. At the end of the road, it slowed and the exhaust popped as it took off and drove away.

  The light on the table next to Freddie was weakly lighting the living room. It was the kind of darkness that would generally put me to sleep but tonight was different. I wouldn’t be getting any sleep until Maddie walked through the front door and even then, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to rest.

  I chewed my fingernail as I turned on the phone and scrolled through various websites looking for more information. The facility’s website was still online with its bright green logo of several leaves entwined with a heart.

  My heart stopped for several beats when the lights and TV turned off at the same time. Freddie didn’t wake. The only light in the room now came from my cell phone.

  “What the hell?” I stood and looked out the window. The entire neighborhood had been swallowed by darkness.

  I used my phone to light the way to the cabinet under the sink where we kept our flashlight and candles. It was a good thing that I remembered to buy batteries and more candles.

  I lit one of the bigger candles and placed it on the table. In one hand I had my phone and in the other, I had the flashlight.

  “Freddie?” I said softly as I gently touched his shoulder. “Freddie, wake up.”

  He groaned and flapped his hand at me.

  “I think something is wrong,” I said as I tried to find that website I’d discovered earlier where people were discussing what was going on. It seemed to have vanished completely.

  The temperature in the room seemed to drop at least ten degrees. I drew in a breath and tried to call Maddie again. I gasped when she answered.

  “Mom?” Her voice was shaky. She didn’t sound like her usual self.

  “Where are you?” I demanded.

  “I think I’m going to stay at Elias’s house tonight.”

  I swallowed hard. “Who the hell is Elias? Never mind, just tell me where you are and I’ll come pick you up.”

  “Stay home, mom,” Maddie said. “It’s weird outside.”

  “Maddie,” I said her name slowly as my heart dropped. “Where are you?”

  There was a long pause. For a second, I was worried she’d hung up the phone.

  “I’m in Chicago, mom. I’m sorry I left. I thought we’d be back in time but when we were about to leave the city, things got weird.”

  A tear leaked out of the corner of my eye. “What got weird?”

  “There are a lot of sirens and police everywhere. We were told to get inside and stay inside.”

  “Who told you that?” I asked.

  “The police,” Maddie said with a deep sniff. “Elias was trying to bring me home, I swear. I’ll sleep on his couch.”

  I pressed my hand to my mouth. “Give me his address.”

  “They won’t let you into the city,” Maddie said. Not even a full second passed before she let out a soft scream that sounded as if it had been muffled by her hand.

  “Tell me what’s going on,” I said squeezing the phone as if it might slip out of my hand like a wet bar of soap.

  “It’s fine. It’s fine,” she said her breaths coming at her rapidly. Maddie needed to calm down. “The lights just went out. It just spooked me is all.”

  I drew in a breath to calm myself. If my voice was panicked, she’d sense it and it could make things worse. Maddie suffered with asthma for her entire life. But it wasn’t just that, she’d also hyperventilate and even pass out if things got out of control. Anxiety, panic, stress, and even excitement could trigger an attack.

  “Are they back on?” I asked.

  “No,” Maddie said. “Elias is lighting candles.”

  I sighed as I pressed my palm to my forehead. “Maddie you have to tell me where you are.”

  “I don’t want you to come here,” Maddie said. “Elias will bring me home in the morning.”

  “Text me your address and I’ll come get you in the morning but you have to promise me one thing,” I said. Promises… promises.

  “Mom,” she groaned as if she knew what I was going to say. Her voice was quieter. “We’ve only been dating like a month.”

  I waved my hand in the air as if a swarm of mosquitoes suddenly descended on me. “Not that. Well, that too but promise me, you won’t leave his place. Stay inside. Can you promise me that?”

  “I guess,” Maddie said confusion coated her words. “Don’t think the police would allow it anyway.”

  “Better safe than sorry, right? You said they told you to stay inside. I don’t know what’s going on but I know you shouldn’t leave no matter what.”

  My hands were shaking uncontrollably even though I tried to keep my voice steady. It was hard to take in the fact that I wouldn’t be seeing Maddie and with whatever was going on outside that thought terrified me.

  “And call me every hour on the hour,” I added.

  “What if I’m sleeping?” Maddie asked.
/>   “Set your alarm.”

  Maddie groaned. “I don’t want to do that. I’ll keep you updated as often as I can though, okay?”

  “If I message you, you reply, got it?”

  “Yes, mom. I will.” Fear shook her words. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you where I was going.”

  “Let’s not worry about that now. Remember to text me Elias’s address as soon as we hang up.”

  Maddie exhaled a shaky breath. “I will, mom. Love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  It was hard to hang up. In fact, it was quite possibly the most difficult thing I ever had to do.

  Chapter Six

  Lightning cracked loudly just as I was falling asleep at the kitchen table with my face resting on my closed fist. I’d been staring at my phone hoping to find answers to all of this but at some point, exhaustion must have taken over and my eyes had closed. The screen on my phone had gone black.

  “What the hell was that?” Freddie asked but he was only startled for a short moment. He shifted in the chair and almost instantly fell back asleep.

  Rain slapped the windows as the wind whistled outside. Everything was still dark… much darker than usual. And even though I was with Freddie, I couldn’t have felt more alone.

  I realized that without power, I wouldn’t be able to charge my phone. The shrinking power bar was causing a sickening panic that turned whatever little bit of food and drink was in my stomach into an odd cement. I wrote down the address Maddie had sent along with all the other important information and numbers I had on my phone. Everything from contacts to the information the facility and Polly had given me. With a sigh, I tucked it into my back pocket for safekeeping.

  Thunder rumbled the earth below my feet and I shivered even though it wasn’t cold. Time was moving slowly. It was only a few minutes after midnight.

  I ran my hands up and down my goose-bumped arms. My fingers trembled uncontrollably. It felt like I should be doing something rather than sitting around waiting.

  I quickly checked a news website but my phone wouldn’t load the page. The same thing happened with the second site I tried… and then the third. Not a single website would load. It was like the entire internet had vanished.

  “Dammit,” I said turning off my phone to save what was left of the battery.

  I balled my hands together into tight fists. There was so much frustration brewing inside of me and I didn’t know what to do with any of it.

  I felt like I was going to break down without having Maddie at home with me. She shouldn’t be alone out there with everything that was going on. Maddie should be home with me.

  For the love of God, I didn’t even know who she was with. For all I knew, he was some kind of drug addict or a serial killer.

  Maddie wasn’t supposed to just run off with strangers. We lived in a small town where we knew a lot of the kids Maddie went to school with but when she made new friends, she was supposed to introduce us to them. I was supposed to be provided with parents’ names and phone numbers. It had been a rule ever since Maddie turned thirteen and started spending more time outside of the house.

  I guess now that she was almost an adult, she thought she no longer needed to follow the rules Freddie and I had made for her. Maybe she’d be safer in Chicago stuck inside an apartment too afraid to leave. It wasn’t like anyone in our small little town would do anything to protect the citizens.

  I sighed as I pressed my palms to my face. This all had to be some kind of bad dream.

  The gentle knock at the front door stiffened me. For a moment, I wasn’t sure if I’d heard it but when it happened again, I quickly stood but my feet didn’t move.

  My eyes landed on Freddie. Worry kicked me into action and my feet moved. The last thing I would want, hell, the last thing whoever was on the other side of the door would want, was to wake Freddie up in the middle of the night. If he was disturbed, the house better damn well be on fire and as far as I could tell, it wasn’t.

  I set my foot behind the door and slowly opened it a small amount to see who was on the other side. It was only after the door was already opened that I realized I probably shouldn’t open the door based on what Polly had told me.

  I blinked several times at the man standing outside with a white mask over his nose and mouth. It took a few seconds for me to recognize him.

  We’d never talked. The only time I saw my neighbor from across the street was when he was coming or going… or mowing his lawn.

  “Here,” he said sticking out his hand. I automatically accepted his gift. I looked down at the small stack of white masks in my hand.

  “What are these for?” I asked.

  “To keep you safe from whatever is going on,” he said. “I saw the light glowing in your window.”

  I let my hand fall to my side. “Thanks. Do you know what’s going on?”

  “Not really but I know it’s not going to be safe. You’re welcome to come stay with me to ride this thing out. We have supplies and a generator. A nurse too,” he said as lightning lit up the neighborhood behind him. “Might be a good idea for you and your daughter to come stay with us. We’ll fair better together.”

  “Um,” I stammered.

  “She’s not here,” I said.

  He frowned. “Well, that’s not good.” The man stuck out his hand. “Not sure we’ve ever met even though we’ve been neighbors forever. Blake Archer.”

  “Kit Easton.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “How do you know?” I asked unable to stop the grimace from wrinkling my nose.

  His head tipped slightly to the side. “Mrs. Wheaton likes to talk.”

  “That she does.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to come over? We can discuss what’s going on and maybe come up with a plan.”

  Blake seemed to have some knowledge about what was going on. At least something beyond what the news was telling people.

  Or maybe he was always prepared for the world to end. “I—”

  The recliner clunked behind me. Freddie’s footsteps pounded against the floor.

  “What’s going on?” Freddie bellowed. “Why is someone at the door at this hour of the night?”

  “It’s our neighbor,” I said as if that would explain things.

  Freddie glared at the man. Blake’s wet hair was flat and plastered to his forehead.

  Hate instantly radiated out from Freddie. “Mighty bold to come to my house in the middle of the night to talk to my wife.”

  “It’s not like that,” I said feeling heat rise to my cheeks. “He came to….”

  I couldn’t find the words.

  “I came to offer you both a safe place to stay,” Blake said. “You know with all that’s going on in the big cities.”

  Freddie looked at me and then back at Blake. “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”

  “I tried to tell you earlier,” I said with a sweet smile. “Something is going on in New York.”

  “Bull shit. You didn’t try to tell me anything,” Freddie said.

  He stepped in front of me and I hid the masks behind my back. It only took a second to tuck them into the back of my pants and cover them with my shirt.

  Freddie took a step toward Blake. “I think you need to get the hell off my property.”

  “Hey, man,” Blake said holding up his hands. “I was only trying to help.”

  “Help? Sneaking over to my house in the middle of the night and disturbing me and my wife?” Freddie shook his head and wobbled slightly. “That doesn’t seem like help to me.” Freddie turned to me. “Was he helping you, Kit?”

  There wasn’t anything I could do or say that would fix the situation. If I didn’t take Freddie’s side, it would end in disaster for both of us.

  “That’s what I thought,” Freddie said.

  At first, I thought Freddie was going to slam the door in Blake’s face but that wasn’t at all what happened. Freddie’s hand moved so fast for someone as i
ntoxicated as he was.

  His closed fist hit Blake in the side of the jaw and I covered my mouth with my hand to hold in my gasp of horror. Blake’s head jerked to the side but he was mostly unfazed by the punch.

  “Freddie!” I said but he was already outside of the house shoving Blake down the sidewalk. Rain poured down on them as thunder shook the earth below our feet.

  “Get back inside, Kit!” Freddie ordered. “This doesn’t concern you.”

  Freddie was an idiot and I was soaked and embarrassed. I chased after him and reached out for Freddie’s arm as he took another swing at Blake.

  Blake ducked and swung back. Freddie lazily moved to the side but managed to get hit in the shoulder. It looked like a hard hit but Freddie didn’t seem to feel it.

  “Freddie, please stop,” I begged. “It’s not what you think.”

  “Shut up!” Freddie said pushing me to the side. My feet twisted together and I felt to the ground.

  Blake’s eyes widened. He looked like he was considering coming to my aid but he must have seen Freddie’s fist coming for his face again. Blake ducked as I scrambled to my feet.

  “You’re insane,” Blake shouted at Freddie as he stepped into the road.

  A bolt of lightning cracked and stabbed the ground not far from our house. It was so close the hairs on my arms prickled.

  Blake shot me a quick glance as if checking to make sure I was okay. I didn’t blink as I stared at him and gave him a small nod. Hopefully, he got the message to let it go. If he didn’t leave, it would just make things worse with Freddie.

  I couldn’t even believe what was happening. There was a part of me that hoped this was all some terrible dream and I was still asleep at the table.

  Once Blake was across the street, he started laughing. Freddie’s hands were balled up at his sides and his shoulders were rising and falling with his rapid breaths.

  “Stay the hell away from my wife!” Freddie shouted.

  Blake shook his head before raising his middle finger into the air and turning his back on Freddie. I could still hear him laughing.

  “Good luck, asshole,” Blake said.

  I drew in a breath as I turned back toward the house, praying that Freddie was following behind me instead of charging across the street.