It is a new standard in human communication and interaction. Hundreds of millions of people have embraced the technology.
The most popular tweets are considered to be ‘trending’. Today, the trending tweets have a common theme...
#HAPSinTokyo UTokyo is warzone! Fights started @ UTokyo hospital. It is overrun by kichigi – crazy people. We R locked in dorm. send help!
#HAPSinBucharest Mother has lost her mind. She’s breaking through the door. I’m under the bed. Here she comes.
#HAPSinNY Explosions at #PresbyterianHospital! Saw fireballs down 68th street. Hearing gunfire. Avoid subway! Brawl down there!
#HAPSinAntwerp Football riot out of control. People R killing eachother! #Endofworld is here!
#HAPSinKathmandu. Sick are everywhere. We see strange streaks of lights in the sky! Indra has come!
Chapter Eighteen
October 24, 7:40 P.M.
The replay of earlier news segments was abruptly interrupted. Tammy was just getting in her seat. She looked flustered. She neglected formalities and went straight into the news.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have breaking news. Several reliable sources have just verified that the conflict between China and India has escalated to nuclear proportions!”
“Early reports and satellite images indicate that a minimum of four nuclear explosions have taken place in the conflict ... no wait...” She raised her fingers to her earpiece as she listened to offscreen information. “... four nuclear explosions rated at 1 megaton or larger! It is as of yet undetermined how many smaller nuclear bombs have been detonated, but we are hearing that there may have been as many as a dozen.”
Tammy took a moment to collect herself. “Ladies and gentlemen, we are attempting to find out more information about this terrible tragedy and are attempting to contact our resource at the white house to find out what our nation’s response is.”
Some new information was fed to Tammy. The ticker on the bottom of the screen went blank for a second, then started up again. “We now have confirmation that the following cities have been devastated by nuclear explosions: New Delhi. Calcutta. Jaipur and Chandigarh. Yushu, Chengdu. ... Is that? ... Ok. ... Ladies and gentlemen, these cities have been confirmed with nuclear detonations detected. Furthermore, we can tell you tha– “
The signal was suddenly dropped, and a standby image appeared on the tv screen. A few seconds later, the signal picked up again. This time the President’s symbol appeared on the screen, and a few seconds later the screen revealed the President sitting behind his desk. The president was an old man, into his seventies. Today he looked like he was even older. The wisps of white hair around his bald pate stood out in contrast to the dark shadows around his eyes. The age spots on his head seemed more pronounced.
Nevertheless, David Clarkston was a large regal figure, whose very presence demanded attention. He was a decorated soldier that has fought in the fields and then fought in the halls of congress. His strong, A-type personality and unflappable drive got things done on capitol hill and had also been known to intimidate other world leaders.
President Clarkston was immensely popular with the peoples of his nation and known as a man that is not afraid to get his hands dirty. Those hands were currently steepled together, his elbows on the table in front of him. President Clarkston took a breath and with a slight frown prepared himself to address the nation.
“My people. We are facing the greatest challenge that has ever been put in front of us. I will speak to you about two terrible events that are currently transpiring. First, I will tell you that the conflict between The Peoples’ Republic of China and The Republic of India ... is over.”
He lowered his hands to the tabletop before continuing.
“Our strategic missile command has coordinated with our counterparts in Russia and we stand ready to intervene in the conflict between China and India. We have told the leaders of both nations that we will not stand by as they use nuclear bombs to destroy our planet.” The President’s right hand involuntarily clenched into a fist at this.
“We have received assurances from both aggressors that they will cease and desist in their use of nuclear weapons. We know that this will not be the end of it. But rest assured that no more nuclear armaments will be used in this conflict or any other. Not during my watch.”
The President took a deep breath.
“The second thing I want to speak about is HAPS, which stands for ‘Hemorrhagic Abdominal Parasitosis Syndrome’.
“This syndrome is very serious.”
He stared at the camera in silence for a moment.
“Very serious.” He repeated in a voice barely above a whisper.
He snapped out of it. “Sorry.” This was very unlike the confident, eloquent man that people were used to.
“the syndrome is spreading rapidly. Faster than we can contain. It is now believed that the majority of our citizens are infected. We are doing everything in our power to fully understand the syndrome and develop a cure. But we need to take some extreme steps first.”
“All health care facilities have been shut down, and health care professionals are being evacuated to staff the safe zones that we have set up. This was a difficult decision, but we needed to ensure that our medical staff had an environment that we could control.”
The President looked poignant. This had obviously not been an easy decision for him.
“I will say it again; all hospitals and clinics are shut down and de-staffed. Do not attempt to reach these facilities. I will tell you a bit more about the safe zones in a minute, but first I must tell you about my latest decision. This affects us all, so pay close attention.”
“I have just signed off on an executive order, that places our entire nation into martial law. I did this so that we may deal with this catastrophe. As part of this executive order, I am implementing a curfew. All non-military personnel are to be in their homes by 8p.m. local time. As a matter of fact, I encourage all civilians to remain indoors at all times.”
“I have ordered the closure of all non-military airports in the county. I have furthermore forbid travel between cities. Trains, busses and all public transport modes have been shut down.”
The camera zoomed in on the President’s face as he stated his next sentence. “Wherever you are right now – I want you to get home, or somewhere indoors. Close and lock your doors and windows, and let our people do their job. Our Nation’s security...”
The President hesitated. “No, wait. Let me say it this way.”
“My people. We want to keep you safe and secure and can only do that with your cooperation. Don’t interfere with armed forces and emergency services personnel as they try to do their jobs.”
He took another deep breath, and the camera panned out again as he continued his address.
“As I have just mentioned, we have set up safe zones. There are roughly 300 of these safe zones and they are set up in all metropolitan areas with a population of 500,000 or more, as well as many rural areas. The safe zone is... just that. A safe, secure location. Consider these to be quarantine areas for uninfected individuals. Watch your local tv or listen to your radio for more information about the safe zone in your area.”
He paused for a moment. “Now, here is what you can do to help. First of all, do not burden our country’s communication system – please refrain from using your phone unless you absolutely have to. We need those communication lines to stay open for our own personnel.”
“People will be evacuated by area, so keep watching your tv. Be ready for when it is your turn to call in. We will send an armed escort to pick you up and bring you to the safe zone.”
He paused again. Those who knew him, could see the President steel himself.
“Now, this is important. We need to keep these safe zones free of infection. Do not call if you have it! You will not get in. Anybody that is picked up will be tested, before being allowed into the safe zone. Anybody displaying symptoms will not be allowed ent
ry.”
“So, I say again: If you are experiencing symptoms then do not call the number. Stay home and help us all stay safe.”
The President’s expression became stern.
“I will not tolerate people taking advantage of this situation to perform criminal activities! Rioting and looting will be dealt with swiftly and harshly. Our forces have strict instructions to enforce law and order. Do not test them!”
His expression softened again, and after a short pause he continued.
“Our country will remain and persevere. God willing, we will contain the further spread of this syndrome. We will find a cure and help all of you that are suffering.”
He looked ready to say something else, but something, or someone off screen caught his eye. “God bless you all, and God bless America. Good night.”
The feed ended, and a befuddled Tammy appeared back on the screen. She struggled for words, as she was trying to comprehend all that had just taken place. Like just about everybody else in America...
Chapter Nineteen
October 25
Bargaining.
When backed into a corner, whether real or imagined, whether physical or emotional, an animal will go into self preservation mode. Man is no different. Law and order have been abandoned and people are looking out for themselves. They do this in various ways. They hoard and go underground. They head out into the hills. They herd together in masses and seek salvation. Above all else they seek to preserve their own existence. They take what they deem they need. They become paranoid of their neighbor. They prey upon each other.
OCTOBER 25th’s news reports were filled with information and footage of the new safe zones. This included footage of military vehicles clearing roadways, and convoys of school busses leaving the safe zone and returning, laden with civilians. People entering the camp were seen waving at the camera crew and giving thumbs up signs.
The locations of these safe zones were not advertised on television or radio. In fact, there were stern warnings about attempting to travel to or gain access to safe zones. People were being turned away, with force in some cases.
Several blogs were posted with the information people were after though. They listed actual locations of safe zones. People were quick to add warnings to these blogs. Travelling to the safe zones on your own was a bad idea. Several of these warnings were from individuals that tried to get in and ended up being shot at.
Outside of North America, the news includes accounts of fighting in the streets of Rome, airplanes bombing the slums of Rio de Janeiro, and pure chaos in Jakarta, Cairo and Mexico City.
There was not lot of new information available about HAPS, or the syndrome as the president coined. The one sure thing was that it was still spreading. The websites of the CDC, WHO and other health organizations were providing no new information.
A disturbing communique was leaked to the media. It detailed that the entire Russian armed forces were showing symptoms of infection. This prompted the US Department of State to hold a brief press conference. The talking head assured everybody that the United States forces were not at similar risk as their Russian counterparts. The only other statement made was a stern warning for people not to “trespass the legal boundaries of martial law.”
If you looked deep enough you could find even more disturbing information. There were a growing number of posts by people witnessing somebody dying, then rising from the dead and turning violent, attacking any person nearby. There were many shaky videos of people fighting off such attackers. The attackers looked ‘off’ in many of these videos. Their eyes were open too wide. They appeared to be oblivious to the damage that was being done to their bodies. Many people were calling them zombies.
One such video depicted three shapes in a poorly lit alley. The person holding the phone zoomed in, increasing the shakiness of the video but also bringing the three shapes into clarity. It was three persons, all with their backs turned to the camera. They were standing very still. Unnaturally so. Their heads were turned slightly, like that of dogs hearing an interesting noise. The person holding the cell phone took a step and kicked something inadvertently. The three zombies immediately turned to face the camera, having heard the noise. A quick glimpse of their faces was visible on the video, revealing wide open eyes and mouths. The three zombies gave chase as the person with the cell phone ran away.
These videos were being posted from many places around the world, including America itself. Most of Africa and large portions of Asia had gone entirely dark. There was no communication coming out of these parts of the world.
Oddly enough, there was very little information about the India-China conflict. Maybe hostilities had ceased in that region. Similarly, the numerous other conflicts and skirmishes around the world seemed to have died down as well.
A different and far larger catastrophe was taking place.
NEARER TO HOME, THE evacuation and transportation of healthy individuals to the safe zones had started. A Channel Eight camera crew had been granted access to the local safe zone.
The camera focused on a reporter standing beside an army representative. Their outfits clashed wildly, as the army rep was dressed in urban camo and the reporter wore a dark blue skirt with a bright yellow top. Their looks also clashed, as the reporter had long, rich black hair hanging behind her shoulders, where her counterpart had short cropped dirty blonde hair. Finally, their moods appeared to clash as well. The reporter smiled and looked up-beat, while the army rep was scowling. About the only thing the two had in common, was that both were women. At the bottom of the screen, the ticker continued cycling through a listing of locations and phone numbers.
“This is Cindy Cho reporting from inside the safe zone.” Cindy was a petite girl of Asian descent. Her golden skinned teardrop face was flanked by those dark curtains of hair. She was attractive and knew it. She flashed a brief, glamourous smile at the camera.
“With me I have first lieutenant Mary Sanderson, of Fort Scarborough.”
She turned to her interviewee. The first lieutenant was standing with her feet slightly spread and her hands clasped behind her back. She was slightly taller than Cindy, but anybody that knew Cindy knew that the oriental beauty was petite at 5”3 – when she was wearing heels, which she was.
“Ms. Sanderson” Cindy started
“Lieutenant Sanderson.” The Lieutenant corrected. Her mouth thin and her eyes flat.
“My apologies. Lieutenant Sanderson.” Cindy corrected with a small embarrassed smile.
“Can you describe what is happening here at the safe zone?”
The Lieutenant stood at ease. Her confident stance and nature were clear indications as to her rank and her role as spokesperson for the safe zone.
“Sure. It starts with the numbers you are broadcasting on your station. These numbers are also being broadcast from other local television and radio stations. People are asked to pay close attention to the instructions and dial in to the number that is associated with their sector.”
“Sector?”
The Lieutenant pursed her lips. “Ok – think of it as a portion of city, or neighborhoods.”
“So how do you keep everybody from calling the number and requesting to be evacuated?”
“We change the numbers every day, and have folks dialing only to the number that corresponds to their sec–... neighborhood. Any in-coming calls that do not have a number associated with their particular neighborhood are not picked up.”
“What about cell phones?”
“We know what the home addresses are of these as well, unless it is a disposable phone.”
“Ok, go on.” Cindy prompted with a small smile.
“We verify the caller, validate that they are symptom free, and confirm the addresses of the people dialing in. Next, we plan out the extraction route and timings associated, and call the person back with instructions, including anticipated time of extraction.”
Lieutenant Sanderson pointed to her left, and the camera f
ollowed where she indicated.
“Over there is a convoy of transports, with armed escort vehicles, ready to proceed to the extraction area and pick these people up.”
The camera focused on a row of school busses, flanked by aggressive looking military vehicles, sporting machine gun turrets, in a parking lot across the street from the safe zone. Lieutenant Sanderson continued as the camera swung back to her and Cindy.
“People are asked to stay inside their houses and allow our armed personnel to clear the area – make no mistake Cindy, we have had to take risks and use force. After we are satisfied of the safety of the operation, we come right to their door to pick them up.”
“Wait – what kind of safety risks are you expecting with these ‘extractions’?” Cindy asked, slightly flustered. She had swung sharply to face the Lieutenant as she asked her question, and her hair had swung in front of her face. She distractedly flipped her hair back over her shoulder.
Lieutenant Sanderson watched her do this with mild interest. She considered for a moment before answering.
“There are some risks to these operations. Most of these are caused by people panicking. For example, we have been clearing the main thoroughfares and highways of all traffic, yet some folks still insist on disregarding curfew and no-travel zones.”
Cindy’s expression invited the Lieutenant to elaborate.
“There have been some ... incidents, with people tying up strategic infrastructure. We have also run into a few elements of criminal activity and have been ordered to deal with these with extreme prejudice by Presidential Order.”
“We are also having problems dealing with sick people. Some of these people...” Lieutenant Sanderson swallowed as she considered her words. “They act erratically and aggressively, and we have had to use force on several occasions to deal with them.”
Apocalypsis Immortuos | Book 1 | Syndrome Page 9