The Road Home by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 14

Driving back to their apartment, they noticed several parked ambulances along the way. Ordinarily, they would not gawk at the misfortunes of others, but what they saw terrified them. Emergency crews dressed in hazmat suits, their heads covered with hoods connected by a hose to an electric filter. With police standing by, paramedics wheeled people out of their homes and places of work encased in transparent plastic shells also connected to a powered filter. Leaning forward, Maya focused on each scene, becoming increasingly worried about what might be happening.

“Jesus Christ,” Maya said. “What the fuck is going on here?”

Ambulances and police cars seemed to be everywhere. Even police officers were wearing masks. Seeing an officer standing near the center line, Maya stopped, and opening the window, asked for information. But seeing an assault rifle strapped to their chest, Maya realized that this was a member of the military.

“Do not stop!” the hooded figure yelled. “You will continue moving! Do not get out of your car, or you will be detained!”

Rolling up the window, Maya touched the gas pedal and, bringing the car up to speed, continued examining what could have been considered apocalyptic.

“Guys,” she said. “Any guesses? Eli, you’re the genetics expert. What do you think?” By this time, everyone in both cars sat staring at something they did not clearly understand but frightened them nonetheless. Eli was lost. Without a closer look, he could only make a vague guess as to what was unfolding on the streets of Tacoma.

“I don’t know,” he replied. “I might be able to tell you if I could get a blood sample.” This, of course, was not going to happen and the best thing they could do was to keep going.

Pulling up in front of the apartment building, the group noticed something that left them pale with fear. The street had been cleared, taking on the appearance of a ghost town.

“Alright,” Nathan began. “Where is everyone?” Everyone stood gazing around the street, scanning the windows of neighboring buildings. Fear is an intricate part of being human and necessary for survival, but what they were struck by was something far more than what is common. This was a true unknown.

“I don’t like this,” Aurora said. “This is creeping me out. Can’t we just go inside?” Having spent most of her formative years in a computer lab, Aurora never got the chance to develop the strength needed to cope with upsetting situations. Now, her nerves had quickly frayed, and she stood on the edge of emotional collapse. Jackson couldn’t help but notice her expression and pointed it out to the rest of the group.

“I think Aurora needs to take a break,” he said. “So maybe we should just go upstairs and try to figure this out.”

Filing through the front door, the group climbed the stairs and, unlocking the apartment door, walked in and sat in the living room. Aurora, however, excused herself and retreated to the security of her room.

One might think that five graduate students would have, at least, some small fragment of knowledge as to what seemed to be overtaking the city. But without information, they were as much in the dark as everyone else. As they sat in silence, caught between fear and curiosity, Maya’s cell phone rang. As she took it out of her pocket, she wondered if what was on the other end was good news or something so out of the ordinary as to be beyond belief.

“Hello,” she said. It took only moments until she recognized the voice.

“Marty!” she continued.

Now, Maya directed her attention to the group. “Guys, do you remember Marty from high school?”

Eli, having attended the same school, spoke up without hesitation.

“Yeah,” he said. “Didn’t he go into the Army or something?”

Motioning for quiet, Maya continued listening as her face took on a grave expression. “Are you sure?” she asked.

As the cell signal began to degrade, she heard Marty suggest something that sounded important. “Marty, you’re breaking up! Marty!” Moments later, the line went dead. Turning off her phone, Maya began staring at the floor, trying to make sense of what she had heard. Suddenly remembering Marty’s suggestion, she quickly walked across the room and turned on the TV. “What are you doing?” Nathan asked. Picking up the remote, Maya turned to the local news. The president was about to speak to the nation. This was not a scheduled broadcast and was likely on every channel. Leaning towards the T.V., everyone’s attention was fixed on the words of the man who could be their last president.

“My fellow Americans, we live in a world of constant crisis and upheaval,

both political and natural, at home and abroad. We have faced down a multitude of threats, including war, natural disasters, and those who would seek to destroy our way of life. Now, we must yet again face another adversary. I am sure that most of you have become aware that this season’s flu is particularly virulent. There are reports being filed with the CDC of hospitals being overrun with the sick, some even closing their doors to the public. The Centers for Disease Control have issued a comprehensive set of guidelines, with the goal of minimizing the number of those being exposed. And it falls to me to present these guidelines to the people of this nation. We are asking all Americans to stay indoors and away from public areas. If a member of your family appears ill, create a sick room for them and try to avoid any unnecessary contact. Avoid traveling outside your immediate area. If you, yourself, have fallen ill, stay in your home and avoid contact with others. The CDC will shortly begin large-scale vaccinations of the public, starting with those areas most affected by the virus. You are asked to stay near your televisions in order to receive local information on where to go, in your area, for vaccination. In order to more efficiently contain the spread of infection, all incoming and outgoing commercial air travel has been restricted. We are not, I repeat, we are not closing United States borders. Now, I understand that some of you may not grasp the potential of the issue at hand. But let me assure everyone that we are bringing all available expertise and resources to bear on the problem that lies before us. And, in the interest of assisting local law enforcement, each state has been asked to call up a modest number of their reserves. This should, in no way, be construed as martial law or a violation of civil liberties. Calm must be maintained. Local, state, and federal governments will continue with the daily business of management for the public good. Price gouging will be swiftly and harshly dealt with. Local police agencies will continue with the enforcement of laws and ordinances. To summarize, we are confronted by an unseen foe. But we are Americans. We are a strong, resilient, and resourceful people. We will rise to the occasion, and we will meet this challenge with the strength and courage typical of the American spirit that has, so often, brought us many difficult times. We live in a great nation, with people who possess an undeniable degree of ingenuity that has made this country a formidable presence. Again, stay in your homes, avoid public contact, and wait for local information regarding vaccination centers. And, please, allow emergency personnel to do what they are trained for. We will get through these trying circumstances. But it is only with mutual cooperation that we will achieve success. Thank you and God bless America.”

Half a lie is still a lie. The speech was brilliantly written and engineered for the prompting of both calm and loyalty. But it would not be enough given what the future held—something that the president’s speech had not accounted for. The image suddenly went black, signaling what would be a city-wide blackout. Having heard the president’s words of confidence, the roommates were left both confused and frustrated. “This can’t be the flu,” Eli said. “I like Obama and all that, but there’s no fucking this is the flu.” Sitting in a chair, Maya’s face paled with what Marty told her. Seeing her expression, everyone reacted with deep concern.

“Maya?” Jackson asked. “What’s going on? What did Marty tell you?”

It was as though she had forgotten how to speak while Marty’s words ricocheted around in her brain. Something of this magnitude was simply too much to process.

After a few frightening moments of silence, Maya regained her senses and informed the group of what had briefly transpired before the cell signal went dead.

“According to Marty,” she began. “It’s smallpox.” No one believed it, and the group made no hesitation in expressing their doubts. “That’s bullshit,” Eli began. “That disease was eradicated from the planet decades ago.” Nathan was next to offer his opinion. “He’s right. I mean, come on, smallpox? What the fuck is Marty smoking, for Christ’s sakes?” he said. “There are only two labs in the world storing smallpox. One is here, the other is in... oh, shit.”

“So,” Jackson said. “Where’s the other lab?” A wave of panic swept over the group as Nathan paused in his answer.

“Russia,” he replied.

Fear overtook the faces of everyone in the room as the reality of a possible bio-terrorist attack loomed heavily in the air.

“How could that happen?” Jackson continued. “Who would tell two superpowers that are also mortal enemies that it was okay to have samples of smallpox? And the fucking Russians could turn around and sell it to anyone. Guys, I don’t think this is the flu.”

A cloud of silence grew over the group as each realized that no one would be graduating and that their futures had been cut short by something that seemed to have appeared out of thin air.