Isolation (Book 1): Shut In

by Jones, Nathan

  Nick tried calling emergency services, but while the last news report he'd watched had stated they were busy, at this point it looked as if they were completely down, the call being immediately rejected with an automated message. He tried a few other numbers for hospitals, police stations, fire stations, and other public services that he looked up online, but couldn't get through to any of them, either.

  That was hardly reassuring, if some disaster struck his own family and he needed their help.

  He also tried a few local websites and forums, hoping to get word of the man's plight out, but from what he could see his attempt was drowned out by thousands, even tens of thousands, of other people facing similar circumstances. He even saw a post that he was almost certain was asking for help for the very same man he'd posted about.

  And all the while, the sick man remained huddled on the sidewalk. He made one or two feeble attempts to keep going in search of help, and even raised a ragged voice to call weakly for help every fifteen minutes or so, but his fate seemed sealed.

  The mood around the house was even grimmer with his children barred from looking out the window. Nick tried to avoid looking himself, but found himself checking regularly in spite of his resolution. Every time he looked, the situation was the same; it seemed surreal that another human being, probably a decent person with friends and family who loved him, could find himself in dying in the middle of the street in Kansas City, Missouri, USA.

  And he wasn't alone in that.

  In spite of the city's best efforts the numbers of those suffering Zolos continued to rise, until according to the news that morning a staggering fifth of the city's population was estimated to be infected. Experts warned that the number would continue to go up, no matter how hard people tried to avoid going out and getting in close contact with other people or traveling through known infected areas.

  It was just inevitable. As infectious as the virus was, and with how closely packed together people were, infected people could've passed the disease on to others in their everyday interactions like paying for things, or even from touching doorknobs, before the government revealed the existence of Zolos and anyone even knew there was any danger.

  Sure, for those who'd been spared infection and managed to lock themselves into their houses or apartments, the situation was better. But there were any number of reasons people might need to leave the safety of their homes, especially if they hadn't managed to stock up on food the way Nick had.

  This was all absolutely insane. Like no catastrophe Nick could've ever imagined.

  Normally, as things started to fall apart he would've expected civil unrest, skyrocketing crime, maybe even mass waves of refugees fleeing population centers. But instead crime had actually plummeted in the most affected cities, public protests were almost nonexistent, and everyone was staying huddled up in their homes.

  It didn't seem to matter that the economy was in the toilet with nobody showing up for work. Or that most shipping had ground to a halt and people were avoiding stores and restaurants as possible infected areas, and only local, state, and federal emergency services were bringing in and distributing food. Or that police were completely tied up with disaster relief and couldn't do their jobs.

  Nobody was going out, and the few people who did still walk the streets, usually because they had no other option, avoided everyone else like, well, like they had the plague. The sorts of scum who'd usually took advantage of a situation like this to indulge their darkest nature were nowhere to be seen, since only an insane person would try to burgle from any house or business that might have infected people in it.

  As for muggings, rape, and other crime of that sort, not even the most desperate criminals wanted to get that up close and personal with someone who might be carrying Zolos.

  Among other news Nick had watched that morning, he'd seen a story from Washington D.C. about an armored truck driver who'd begun showing symptoms of the dreaded virus while making a run, and in his panic had actually driven the vehicle right to the hospital and left it there, keys still in the ignition. Nobody would come within a hundred feet of it, even though there was probably millions of dollars worth of cash and valuables inside.

  “Can we go to the playground, Daddy?” Tallie asked, ambling into his office. She was carrying her tablet, which squawked obnoxiously with some kid's show, but it was obvious she was bored of it and needed a change.

  A change Nick couldn't give her, if it meant going outside. He grimaced. “Remember how we talked about what a quarantine means?” he said gently.

  “That we have to stay home, and we can't go around other people. And now we can't even look out the window.” His daughter pouted, the expression she knew melted his heart and usually made it impossible for him to say no. “How long do we have to do it for?”

  Nick shook his head. “For a long time, sweetie. Weeks.”

  She stubbornly persisted. “Why don't we go to the walking trail? We never see anyone there, so we won't get sick.”

  “It's still too dangerous, Tals.” Her pout became absolutely heartbreaking, and he sighed and patted his lap, inviting her to come cuddle. Eyebrows drawn together and face a little thunderhead, Tallie climbed up and sat with her arms crossed sternly.

  It was hard not to smile at that, even though her disgruntlement was completely sincere.

  Nick hugged her and kissed the top of her head. “I know it's a pain but it won't last forever. And I promise you, the moment it's safe to go outside we'll go camping and do all sorts of other fun stuff.”

  “What do we do until then?” she whined. “I don't want to watch shows anymore.”

  “How about we play a game?” he offered.

  His daughter perked up, coming partway out of her pout. “Hide and seek? Maybe Ricky will play, too!”

  “Sure.” He lifted her down to the ground. “How about you go ask him while I make one last call.”

  She nodded and ran off, while Nick grabbed his phone and called the nursing home where Ellie's mom was staying. They'd been curt with him when he called yesterday, but had at least confirmed that Lois was healthy and safe.

  This time the call went straight to voicemail, and the voicemail box was full. He got the same result the next two times he tried, even though from what he'd seen the nursing home had multiple lines, and up til now their staff had been reliable about answering calls.

  Great, another thing to worry about. Nick spent ten minutes searching for alternative ways to contact the home, and tried getting in touch with emergency services to see if they had news. No luck with any of it.

  Well, he'd try again in a bit. Pocketing his phone, he left his office to find his kids and try to keep them occupied so they forgot about this disaster for a while.

  Too bad he he couldn't seem do the same.

  Chapter Nine: Connecting

  True to Hal's prediction, the second day of hiking was even more brutal than the first.

  In spite of the dunking she'd taken the previous night, Ellie's jeans and shirt were stiff as cardboard and scratchy as sandpaper in the morning. She tried to give them a more thorough washing while her traveling companion took down the tents, but it was obvious she wouldn't be wearing them until they dried.

  Since she'd left all her business clothes behind, that left her the option of hiking in her yoga outfit or in her pajamas. Since the sweatpants and long-sleeved shirt were warmer and the nights were chilly, and she didn't want to get them filthy from a day of hiking then try to sleep in them, she opted for the yoga outfit.

  Besides, when her clothes dried she could put them on over it without much hassle.

  She'd worn the outfit to and from sessions before without much self-consciousness, although usually she tossed on a pair of gym shorts and wore a jacket so random guys wouldn't hit on her; it got old explaining she was happily married with children. At least until the divorce, although even then in her emotional state she still hadn't wanted that attention, in spite of prodding from friends abou
t putting herself back out there.

  Still, it wasn't as if she wasn't used to being around a mixed group of people in the outfit, and usually she didn't give it a second thought.

  In this situation, though, she felt a bit more awkward about ducking out of her tent in the form-fitting leggings and shirt. Hal had already shown interest in her, and she didn't want him getting the wrong idea here.

  To her relief he played it cool. Sure, his eyes widened when he saw her, and he definitely didn't seem to mind her choice of clothes. But he kept his gaze on her face and talked about the upcoming day's hike without any awkwardness.

  Ellie was probably just being vain, anyway. She wouldn't pretend at false modesty and say she didn't know men found her attractive, but Hal was the sort of guy who'd have girls his own age, even the hot ones, throwing themselves at him.

  Although a treacherous part of her mind couldn't help but tease the idea that she returned more than a bit of his interest, especially now that she knew he was older than she'd thought. Or that she'd actually secretly been looking forward to seeing his reaction to her in this outfit, and if anything was a bit disappointed the sight hadn't left his jaw on the ground and him stammering over his words.

  She ruthlessly squashed the thought; she was giving this nonsense too much attention when her focus should be on survival. Survival and getting back home to her family.

  Priorities back where they should be, Ellie got to work helping break camp. Once that was done she slung her wet clothes over her shoulders to dry, grabbed the handle of her suitcase, and started off down the road.

  Hal fell into step beside her, toting his pack with all the refilled water bottles. He'd taken the time to properly wash himself and his clothes last evening, and she silently envied him the fact that he appeared dry and comfortable.

  As much as was possible in their current situation, that is.

  The air felt drier this morning than yesterday, if that was even possible, and the day promised to be even hotter. Not to mention empty and desolate; if it wasn't for the road they were on, Ellie could've easily imagined them in some bleak alien landscape, or an ancient primordial desert long before humans ever set foot on the Earth. She once again felt selfishly grateful that Hal was with her, since without him the stark solitude would've been truly intimidating.

  A dazed part of her mind even wondered if civilization still existed out there, or if it had all gone away while she was out here. Then the cynical part of her tossed out the reminder that, judging by what she'd heard about the pandemic before being cut off from the world, civilization might actually stop existing before she managed to get back to it.

  That was an unpleasant thought, but she forced it aside to focus on one thing: her complete conviction that her family was there waiting for her, and would still be there when she finally got back to them.

  After an hour or so she decided her clothes were dry enough to put on, so she didn't have to keep lugging them around on her shoulders like some sort of walking clothesline. “Hold on a second, these are finally dry,” she told Hal, tossing her shirt onto her suitcase and kicking off her shoes so she could step into her jeans.

  To her amusement he politely turned away, which struck her as a bit ridiculous since she was just putting an extra layer of clothes on, not doing a full change or anything. Still, she appreciated the gesture and the respect it showed for her privacy; that sort of thing was especially important when two relative strangers had been put into a position where they were suddenly spending a lot of time alone together.

  That was the reason she'd studiously busied herself with boiling water last night when he walked out of view to wash up, and why they'd both been extra accommodating about needing to relieve themselves on the hike. Thus far Hal had proved to be a perfect gentleman, with the genuine effort of someone who actually cared and wasn't just doing what he thought was expected of him.

  Ellie had always been of the opinion that most people were decent once you got to know them, although some could be real jerks to strangers if they thought they'd never see them again, and a relative few were just jerks in general. As her current predicament courtesy of the Nowaks bore out.

  But while there were certainly genuinely disagreeable people out there, on the other side of the coin there were those who stood out for their kindness; she always treasured relationships with anyone she met like that. Which was why, truth be told, she'd begun thinking of Hal as a friend, not just a traveling companion. Hopefully one that she could still keep in contact with even when they were home and this was all over.

  Assuming they ever got there.

  There were fewer cars passing by today than yesterday. A lot fewer; she supposed that wasn't a surprise, since she would've far preferred being safe at home herself if she had the choice. Or even safe in Nick's ratty little apartment. Needless to say, none of the cars so much as slowed for them.

  A bit after noon a military convoy of over a dozen vehicles roared past heading south. Ellie and Hal both waved wildly from the side of the road, hoping for a ride or at least some help. Even a promise that they'd alert the authorities in St. George of their plight would've been appreciated.

  But the trucks and APCs all rolled right past without so much as slowing. In fact, like every other car Ellie had tried to flag down they even shifted over to the far lane. From the wary glares of the soldiers in the vehicles, she had a feeling they wouldn't have taken it well if she'd tried to get any closer than the side of the road.

  Discouraged, they watched the convoy roll out of sight in the direction they were going, moving at a speed that would let it reach St. George in less than a half hour, instead of the day and a half or so of brutal hiking they faced.

  “I'm sure wherever they're going, they'll be saving lives in this disaster,” Hal offered, although he was obviously frustrated and discouraged.

  Well, he wasn't alone in that. “Orders of magnitude more than if they took the risk to stop and help two hitchhikers,” Ellie agreed glumly. “Good thing we're not in any serious trouble.”

  With no other real option, they kept trudging on down the road.

  Around noon they once again stopped to find shade during the heat of the day. The river still ran alongside the road, so they took the time to wash up in the tepid water and boil a bit more water to refill their bottles and get a good long drink.

  It frankly shocked Ellie how much water she'd found herself drinking ever since being stranded in this wasteland. She made it a point to stay hydrated in her everyday activities, well aware of how vital it was, but here it felt like she was guzzling down twice or even three times as much as usual.

  And it wasn't even all that hot! She hated to think what it would be like to be stuck out here in the high summer. Heck, for all she knew this little river would be completely dried up at that time of year. Compared to Missouri, where it felt like you couldn't go a mile without seeing a pond on somebody's property, and streams and lakes were all over the place, it felt like a miracle that they'd even found this river at all.

  In spite of pushing on for longer than they had yesterday, they only made it eleven miles that day. It was still an hour or so before sunset, but they'd reached the point where the river once again wound away from the Interstate, taking their reliable source of water with it. So they agreed to stop and refill their water bottles one last time, then make sure they got a good drink in the morning before leaving.

  The good news was that they only had seven or so miles left to go to reach St. George, and fingers crossed they easily had enough water to get them there. Hal assured her they'd make it to the city sometime in the afternoon tomorrow.

  To Ellie, that felt like an impossible length of time as she collapsed on the ground in a greener area they'd picked for their camping spot, not caring if she got her clothes dirty or if the asphalt beneath her was uncomfortably warm. “Fingers crossed we'll find a car there, and this is the last walking I'll have do for the rest of my life,” she groaned.

>   Her friend gave her a crooked grin. “I don't know, I think this has been an invigorating few days of hiking.”

  Ellie mock glared at him. “That's because you've got the indestructible body of a young adult. Have some pity for someone who gets joint pains on a regular basis.”

  He just laughed as he dropped his pack and slumped down nearby. “Come on, you're running me into the ground.” He shook his head ruefully. “And here I thought I was in good shape.”

  She glanced at his toned, athletic frame, in spite of herself thinking that he thought correctly. “Well, I won't speak for you, but I for one am glad I've kept the weight down. I'd hate to think what this trip would've been like if I was packing around fifty extra pounds.”

  “Well, you could go longer without starving,” Hal quipped. “On the other hand, the extra time it would've taken to make the hike would've offset that a bit.”

  She just groaned in response.

  After half a minute of resting in silence, her friend wearily hauled himself back to his feet, heading over to the scrawny bushes growing beside the water to begin gathering sticks for a fire. Ellie would've been happy to just pass out right there on the road, but instead she wearily shuffled over to help him.

  The laborious process of boiling water was starting to become a routine by this point. Although since they'd refilled some of their bottles at noon, Ellie had no argument when Hal suggested they take a break and heat up the last of their stew so they could have a hot meal. It was good timing, too, since with the sun approaching the horizon the air was already starting to cool.

  They settled down beside the fire to watch the food heat up, Ellie seated on her suitcase and Hal sprawled on the ground using his backpack as a pillow, occasionally shifting enough to stir the pot with a camp spoon to keep it from burning.