Sealed In (19 page)

“Another day that may be close to nonexistent.”

“Until I run out.”

“Just smoke weed.”

“I would have. But I w-worked for the city. They d-drug tested.” Andy shrugged.

“You don’t have that worry anymore. We’re kind of hoping that if we don’t hear from the Russians regarding a vaccine, then maybe we can create something by watching your blood. Problem is, that takes time. If this moves too fast, then creating a vaccine will be in vain.”

“Not really,” Andy said. “Even if it
t … takes a lot of the population, there will be p-people who were smart. Like your wife. P-people who stayed away from others who will need it to in-integrate back into the world.”

“That’s true.” Edward nodded. “Sort of like what you said in your book, about civilizations dying out because of stupidity. If the world hits an extinction level pandemic, it’s only stupidity that caused it, and the smart survive. I was …” He paused when he saw the crinkled nose look on Andy’s face. “What’s wrong?”

Andy shook his head. “Thought I heard someone.”

Chad walked in.

Edward smiled. “I guess you did hear someone.”

“So,” Chad spoke as he entered. “How is our resident blood machine doing?”

“Fine.” Andy replied. “Take as much as you need.”

Chad grinned. “How do you feel about that medication? Giving you more confidence? It’s working wonderfully.”

“Very h-happy. An occasional skip. Better than when I smoked weed.”

“Oh. Well, I have some if you want to test the combination.”

Andy tilted his head, conveying that it wasn’t a bad suggestion

Edward immediately shot a stern look to Andy. “Excuse me?”

Andy cleared his throat and shook his head. “No. But thanks.”

“I’m sure,” Chad said. “The reason I am here isn’t just to see how your veins are holding up. We had a survivor in Hartworth. We hadn’t mentioned him by name to you, and this was for the purpose of privacy. Nor did we mention you by name to him. I think you two may know each other or know the same people. It may be good for the grieving process to talk to each other. We’ll be down here quite some time.” He reached back and looked out the open door, waving his hand. “Come on in.”

Edward saw it. The ‘throw back’ head reaction given by Andy followed by a groan when Del walked in.

“You have to be shitting me,” Del said. “Him. He’s the sole survivor of Lincoln?” He stepped to Andy. “How’s the s-s-stutter.”

“G-g-gone.” Andy replied.

“What happened to my Emma, Cody …”

“They’re no longer with us.”

Del huffed out emotionally.
“So you were in charge of my family and you failed them.”

“I didn’t fail them,” Andy argued.

“You let them die.”

“I did not let them die!” Andy yelled. “Things happened. Things out of our control.”

“They were my family.”

“You lost your right to call them your family the day you walked out the door,” Andy said. “Where were you if you were all that concerned?”

Chad interjected. “He’s not immune; he just lucked out. He was arrested.”

“I was shot,” Del said.

Chad shook his head and spoke nonchalantly. “Minor flesh wound. Nothing to write home about.”

“So you hid?” Andy asked.

“I had no choice,” Del snapped. “I was trapped. You, on the other hand, had a choice and the ability to do something.”

“Bull, I lost my choice and ability the second I watched your daughter die.”

“You’re an asshole,” Del remarked harshly. “Really. Go ahead, lose the stutter, but you’re still the big town retard who can’t do anything. Who can’t protect an innocent baby.”

Andy closed his eyes.

“You know …” Chad said in a singing manner.

“Chad," Edward warned.

Chad held up his hand to Edward. “You know, Andy, you’re the much bigger guy. I don’t understand why you let him speak to you like that. I’d deck him. But that’s just me.”

Edward saw the widest grin strike Andy’s face as he turned his head slowly to look at Chad.

“Someone else once said that to me,” Andy said.

Del held out his hands. “What the hell, Dr. Walker?”

“Del?” Andy called his name.

“What?”

Andy decked him. Probably not as hard as he could have, but he nailed him anyhow, sending him spinning down to the floor. He walked to him, flipped him over, and grabbed him by the collar. “That was for Emma. Out of everyone, you don’t deserve to live. Not you. You selfish piece of sh … sh… crap.” Andy dropped him and walked out.

Chad cleared his throat. “Was it just me, or was there a lot of hostility between the two men?”

Edward grumbled, commented on how it was going to be a long lockdown, and pulled Del to his feet.

<><><><>

Andy didn’t want to be bothered. As he stretched out on the bed, he stared at the photo of Emma, grateful she had printed it. So much was in a digital world; Andy supposed that if technology shut down, so many memories would be lost.

The photo was sealed in a bag.

Edward knocked and then walked in. “How’s it going?”

Andy shrugged.

“So … wanna tell me what that was all about?”

“I’m sorry.”

“You seem so passive. I am shocked. You hit him good,” Edward said.

“Not my best. If... if you want to kick me out. You c-can.”

Edward shook his head “Even if I wanted to, I can’t. We’re on lockdown. What’s the story?”

“He’s the ex of the woman I was involved with. The father of her k-kids. He left a long time ago and popped back up. I g-guess it was just building.”

“Wow, so out of all the people, the ex-husband survived?”

Andy cracked a partial smile.

“Can you try to get along? You both have loved and lost the same people. Make it work for you instead of against.”

“I’ll try.” Andy kept his
gaze on the picture.

“What’s that?”

Andy handed it to him.

“Is this the woman you were involved with? She’s... beautiful.”

“In every way,” Andy said sadly. “It’s all I have. It got dropped.”

“What do you mean?” Edward asked.

“When the sickness started, she made this b-box. In it were pictures of her life. A notebook of her history. She wanted it to remain in c-case she didn’t. So someone c-could find it in the f-future. And know her. This was on the floor.”

“That was very smart.
The box was left behind?”

Andy nodded.

“I’m sorry. I know it’s not there now.”

Quickly Andy looked at him. “It’s fine. The bomb went off over Hartworth. I saw … saw Lincoln on the news. It’s f-flattened, but I know it’s safe. It’s there.”

“You seem very certain.”

“I am. When something means so much, you have to believe it’s okay. When I get out, I am going to get it. Trust me …” Andy returned to staring at the picture. “Nothing is stopping me from going back to Lincoln.”

<><><><>

“Knock, knock,” Chad called out from the other
side of Del’s door.

“Great,” Del grumbled and opened it. “Hey, Dr. Walker.”

“Chad. Call me Chad. Thank you. I’ll come in.” He stepped into the room. “How do you like your new accommodations?”

“Better than the hospital-style room.”

“How’s the cheek?”

Del touched his bruise. “Not too bad. Sore, but I have taken worse.”

“It surprised me, too, how he just seemed to tap you. I expected more.”

“And what happened to that stutter?” Del said.

“Well,” Chad explained. “The emotional trauma of watching everyone he loved die snapped it right out of him.”

“I didn’t know that could happen.”

“It can’t. I’m joking. He’s on medication.”

Del shook his head in disgust. “You’re an instigator.”

“I run this facility, and we are on lockdown so I can do whatever I want,” Chad said

“Then let me out of here. I don’t want to be down here.”

“Del, you’re not immune. Chances are, up there, you won’t be so lucky. And aside from that, it’s an automatic lockdown. I can’t override it. You’re not a prisoner; you can still make phone calls and go on the computer.”

“I watched the news this morning,” Del said. “They said they think it’s under control, that after disinfecting Montana, the bug will die out.”

Chad nodded. “I heard that, too, and my God, do I want to believe that is right. But Del, Billings was infected. The infection spread across the West Coast. The problem we have is it is highly contagious, and it’s just started to spread. Air travel wasn’t suspended over the holiday. This time next week, we’ll know.”

Del looked away then turned back to Chad. “Can this thing do to the world what it did to Hartworth?”

“I hope not. I am hoping for a cure or vaccine. But it isn’t the virus that will destroy us, if things fall apart. Your ‘town retard’ wrote an interesting book on why civilization died out. You should read it.”

“Andy? Andy Jenkins wrote a book?”

“Several. He’s quite smart; get to know him and you’ll see.” Chad walked to the door. “And Del, we are here for a while. He’s the only one you know. I’d really put forth the effort to make amends and get along. It’s for the best. You may need each other when the door to the facility opens.”

“Yeah, he may be the only one I know down here, but when the door opens, I have my friends”

Chad nodded. “If this virus takes a worst case scenario route, which is possible, he may not only be the only person you know down here, but the only person you have left in the world. Think about it.” Chad walked out.

Del moved to the door and closed it. “It can’t be that bad. It can’t,” he said to himself. Then he grabbed the remote control and turned on the news. “I guess time will tell.”

Despite the fact that I have been down here, New Years wasn’t much different for me. Except I think I drank a little more. These entries will go into my next book; I’m being optimistic about a world left above to read a book. Of course, no one really read my books when there wasn’t an epidemic.

For us down here, it was calm. There are only about 25 of us. I believe this facility was built for fifty or more. The recreation room is nice, but I keep mainly to myself. I make it a point to say hello to Del. I’m trying. We have a long time down here ahead of us. He doesn’t speak much to anyone either, but that isn’t a social thing, it’s more of him watching the news constantly. It’s always on in his room, plus he is constantly on the ’net connecting, warning, getting the truth out.

It’s started. Some people right now are paying attention. New Year’s Day started off with a bang, literally. Half the world condemned our President for using a nuclear weapon on our own soil; the others more than just condemned, they threatened. He did what he had to do, and I felt bad watching him defend his actions.

People insist that Lincoln, Hartworth, and Mead weren’t really wiped out by a virus, but rather there was an attack or the US was weapons testing. Conspiracy theories gone mad. Weren’t they paying attention to what was happening in Los Angeles or Seattle, the scores of people not only getting sick, but also dying?

As of today, air travel has not been suspended. They use these heat scanners, because fever is a big first symptom. People with any cold symptoms are not permitted to board. Nevertheless, this is all going to contribute to an outbreak that will be far from controlled in a month’s time. I can’t see how it won’t. The symptoms hit you in the snap of the fingers. On just one flight from LA to New York, a person can develop symptoms. It’s happened. They already quarantined a plane in Cleveland.

Dr. Walker told me the CDC estimates that only 8% of the population is getting the virus. Day eighteen of the virus since release in Hartworth and 8%. No one is worried about 8%; they should be. Eight percent of the United States’ population is thirty million people. It has a kill rate of nearly 100%.

That means thirty million people don’t go to work or to school. Who is doing their jobs?

Last week it was less than 1% with the virus, this week 8%. Next week? Who knows?

When will people stop being dumb? When will they suspend air travel and do everything possible to stop this thing from spreading? Shut down schools, initiate a ‘necessary jobs only’ rule. Keep people in their homes and allow this thing to burn out and infect as few as possible.

I’m afraid by the time these steps are taken, it will be too late.

However, I am not an expert.

Right now, like Del, I am just an observer.

He observes the television and I watch the countdown timer above the facility door.