Pandemia

Part One

Genesis

By Nick Lancaster

Revision Two

Copyright © 2013 Nick Lancaster, All rights reserved.

Pandemia – Genesis, Revision Two

First published January 2013.

Copyright © 2013 Nick Lancaster, All rights reserved.

To learn more about the Pandemia series and other works by Nick Lancaster, please visit nickjlancaster.com

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

For Julie, Jack and Jamie,

the reasons I survive.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter One

The arcing electricity lit up the cold, dark desert floor. Bright blue flashes and snapping, crackling sparks shot outwards forming a glowing sphere that hovered a few inches above the sand.

This part of Western China was largely uninhabited except for a few wolves. The wolves cowered and retreated before turning to growl and snarl at the brilliant ball of light. The sphere pulsed and throbbed as if in response.

Suddenly the ball seemed to contract slightly and then it exploded into a million particles of fading light. Nothing remained except for the taste of ozone in the frigid night air.

Chapter Two

“Where did she come from?” Inquired Doctor Qiang Cheng.

Cheng was referring to the young woman who lay on the hospital bed before him. In her right arm an intravenous line was supplying much needed saline. The female patient was pretty, Cheng thought.

Meilen Song, the nurse who was checking the saline flow looked up. “She was found in her apartment in the Chaoyangmen district. Her employer was concerned when she didn’t arrive for work. An employee was sent to her apartment but when he couldn’t get a reply he called the police. The police called for an ambulance when they found her inside.”

Doctor Cheng read the patient chart. “Doctor Li Tian? Hmm, where does she practice?”

“No Doctor Cheng, she’s not a medical Doctor. She’s a geologist. Her employer said she’d recently returned from a trip to the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. She’d called her supervisor, Ms Mai Gao to say she was returning early as she felt unwell. That was last week.”

“Qinghai-Tibetan plateau? That’s quite some distance. I wonder why she would go there?” Cheng studied the chart further. The patient was dehydrated but otherwise appeared well. She was currently sedated and he understood from talking to the nurse that when she was brought to the hospital she was distressed and speaking in very strange broken Chinese. That was several hours ago and it was now quite late in the evening.

“Please let me know when she wakes up.” Cheng hung the chart on the bed and left the room.

Beijing Harmony Hospital was considered a modern health care facility. It had been constructed for the Olympics and received significant funding even today. Doctor Cheng had worked there for six years and while he enjoyed his work it had become a little routine. Still, he was near retirement and he intended for the hospital to be his last employer.

He headed to his office and decided that he would take the chance to nap on the sofa there. He did not usually work a night shift and while the ward was quiet this was a good time to catch up on his sleep. He lay down on the comfortable old furniture and closed his eyes.

The sofa had served him well, so well in fact that he’d had it packed up and shipped from his previous office. The furniture was overstuffed and covered in deep brown leather. There were probably hundreds of sofas like this one, but none welcomed him with the instant feeling of familiarity he experienced from the cushioned padding that had tailored and contoured to his body over the years.

Several hours later Cheng awoke shivering. His body ached as he tried to get up and he was sweating heavily. He knew he was sick with fever. “What the hell?” He groaned through his clenched teeth as he forced himself to stand through the deep pain that wrenched every muscle in his body.

He hobbled to his desk, every step, every movement causing an explosion of pain down his back and in his shoulders. He fell into the chair and slowly reached for his phone before calling the nurses station. “This is Doctor Cheng, send someone please!”

“Shi Doctor Cheng!” Came the immediate reply.

A few moments later a young nurse was in his office. She rushed over to his desk when she saw the condition of Cheng. Soon more nurses were present and Cheng was moved to a gurney and wheeled down a corridor.

Cheng watched the overhead lights zipping past his eyes as he was whisked to a treatment room. He was fascinated by the lights, almost hypnotized as they flew past. He noticed cracks in some ceiling tiles and some brown water damage in another, tiny details he’d never noticed in the years he’d walked along this corridor.

Cheng didn’t remember much of the next couple of days. He was prodded and poked, he was rehydrated and his temperature taken and retaken. He didn’t recall the different nurses who came to take his pulse, his temperature and his blood pressure. He didn’t notice the card that appeared beside his bed from his coworkers or the small vase of flowers that were delivered from his children, both of whom worked in Hong Kong.

Eventually the fever broke and Cheng opened his eyes. His senses slowly adjusted and he smelled the crisp, clean hospital sheets, so sterile and yet somehow so comforting to him as woke up.

Cheng turned his head slowly to one side. “What happened to me?” He asked the nurse who was sitting in a chair next to his bed reading a copy of Duzhe magazine.

“Doctor Cheng, you’re awake! I’m so happy. I will call Doctor Chee.” The nurse walked over to the phone next to Cheng’s bed, then dialed and spoke. “Doctor Chee, he is awake!”

Within a few minutes Doctor Chee was there. Chee was a young man, but Cheng respected him.

“Doctor Cheng. I’m so happy to see you awake. How do you feel?” Chee asked, smiling broadly.

“I feel like I slept for a week. Hand me some water please. What happened to me?”

Chee poured the senior doctor a small cup of water and handed it to him. “You had a fever Doctor Cheng. One of the nurses found you in your office two nights ago. You were burning up. We tried multiple remedies with no effect, in the end all we could do was keep you hydrated. The fever has broken!”

“Yes, the fever has broken. I am awake, but why? What caused this fever? What of the girl I saw, the one from Chaoyangmen? The geologist?”

“She’s awake also, but I don’t think you caught this fever from her Doctor. She’s being transferred to a psychiatric ward, she’s had some type of breakdown it seems. She’s unable to communicate in any meaningful way. She speaks but makes no sense, yet we know she is an intelligent young woman.”

“Speaks but makes no sense? The woman was dehydrated. I assume this was caused by something? A fever perhaps? Did you check, did you test her blood or ask her?”

“We did try to speak with her Doctor Cheng, but her answers make no sense. We’ve drawn blood and we ran a viral antigen test of course. We found antigens, but they’re of a kind we do not recognize.”

“Did you test my blood?” Cheng was nervous to hear the answer

“Of course, the results will be here today I expect. I’ll call the lab.” Chee went to the phone and dialed. Cheng couldn’t hear the conversation.

Chee hung up and turned to Cheng. “Doctor Cheng, there is something. Your blood test, it shows the same antigens as our female patient. But, Doctor Cheng, we have no reason, you have no reason to believe this is anything more than a new flu strain or some other rather harmless virus.”

Cheng considered this for a moment. “Harmless? Harmless! Doctor Chee, you told me this woman, this patient has suffered a breakdown? What caused this breakdown?” Cheng was angry, perhaps it was his many years in medicine, but it seemed so logical to him that a part of the puzzle was missing.

“Doctor Cheng, please, calm down. You are fine. Your fever has gone and your faculties are clearly intact. Whatever has affected this woman is not related to this virus. Please, calm down.”

“Doctor Chee if you tell me to calm down one more time…” He stopped himself. “What of the nurse that examined her with me, nurse Song? Where is she?”

“I don’t know that nurse, I’ll check at the nurses’ station.”

“Please do Doctor Chee, then I will calm down.”

Chee picked up the phone again and dialed the nurses’ station. Once more Cheng could not hear the conversation as Chee almost whispered into the phone.

“Nurse Song has not reported to work, but I’m sure this is no cause for alarm Doctor Cheng. We’ll send someone to her residence of course, but no cause for alarm.”

The ambulance that was sent to nurse Song’s residence sped through the streets of Beijing, its siren wailing to warn the variety of vehicles in its path that it was coming. It took just a few minutes to reach its destination, a trip that would normally take much longer in the confusion of the city road system.

Two paramedics ran from the vehicle toward the apartment building. Finding no answer on the entry intercom system the driver quickly forced his way inside. Song’s apartment was on the 15th floor and the elevator ride seemed to take much longer than it should have.

At her apartment now, the driver hammered his fist against the brightly painted blue door. “Miss Song? Miss Song? This is Chang He from Harmony hospital, I’m a paramedic. Miss Song, we’re concerned for your health, can you please come to the door?”

There was no response from the apartment. Chang hammered the door again. “Miss Song? Please, I’ll have to come in if you don’t answer the door. Please Miss Song, I don’t want to break your door!”

He counted to thirty and then backed up against the wall behind him before throwing himself shoulder first into the door. It immediately opened with little resistance, causing Chang to fall through and onto the floor inside.

Chang stood and was immediately aware of the rancid smell of human waste. As his eyes adjusted to the low light inside the apartment he saw a woman lying on a sofa, she was covered in filth, her eyes were wide open and staring directly at him.

The woman pushed herself up and suddenly ran toward Chang, her fingers scratching at his face. She was screaming at him, he couldn’t understand what she was saying though, random words, half sentences, none of it made sense. Chang’s partner pulled Song off him and restrained her.

“Miss Song! Please! We are here to help you, we were sent by the hospital.” he could see the words had no effect on the woman, her wide eyes stared with hatred as she spat at him and then continued to scream.

Chang opened the medical pack his partner had carried and removed a small syringe that he quickly filled with Fentanyl. While his partner held the woman, Chang swiftly found a vein and injected her. Within a few minutes Song had stopped fighting, her eyes rolled back and her body went limp. They carefully laid her down on the sofa.

“What the hell is wrong with her?” Chang’s partner asked.

“I don’t know Wen, I don’t know. I’ve never seen this. I’ve seen crazy people, but she wasn’t crazy she was mad, like an animal. Did you hear what she was saying? Could you understand her?”

“I couldn’t understand her with all the screaming. Sometimes it sounded like she was trying to call for help, then I thought she said something about a bird and then she was screaming about a car. She must be high on something. Maybe she was stealing opioids from work? We should get her to the hospital, they’ll want to see her. You stay here and I’ll get the stretcher from the ambulance.”

Later that day Doctor Chee examined Meilen Song. Chee was confused and concerned. He now had two patients who had interacted with Li Tian. Tian and Doctor Cheng had blood results that showed increased antigens, but symptomatically were quite different. Chee was waiting for the blood test for Meilen Song, but he suspected that it too would show these antigens.

Chee was feeling unwell. He thought he had the start of a fever and had self-medicated ibuprofen. He feared he too was now infected with whatever this virus was. He didn’t know whether he should call the Ministry of Health. If he was wrong and he wasted their time it would effectively end his medical career, but if he were right and he didn’t call them, this could be much more serious.

He heard shouting behind him and turned around. Running down the corridor toward him were several men in camouflage clothing carrying QBZ-95 assault rifles, each man wore a gas mask. Chee was stunned at the sight and frozen to the spot.

The soldiers reached him and one of them examined Chee’s identification badge. “Dr Chee, by order of the Ministry of Health of the People’s Republic of China, this building is under quarantine. You are to come with me.”

Chee was taken to a small room furnished with a chair and a table. The room was in the basement of the hospital, an area usually reserved for the morgue and coroner, biological waste disposal, all the things a hospital did that they didn’t want the public to see. Chee’s hands were restrained with plastic zip ties, each hand fastened to an arm of the chair.

“How long have you known about this virus Dr Chee?” The question was asked by a faceless man in another room. Chee presumed the man could see him.

“Virus? I didn’t know it even was a virus, I suspected it might be a viral infection today, but I had no proof, just a suspicion.” Chee turned his head as he spoke, scanning the room for some sign of a window or a camera, but there was nothing.

“Your delay in reporting this incident to the Ministry is very serious Dr Chee. Many lives have been put at risk because of your inaction. If it were not for the loyalty of one of your nursing staff we would not have known about this. Why did you not alert the Ministry?” The voice wasn’t angry but there was a definite implied authority in it, this person knew he controlled everything in the room, owned everything.

“I was going to report it! I was going to call and report it. I was waiting for the blood work on nurse Song. I didn’t want to waste the time of the Ministry!”

“Waste time? Time has been wasted! Perhaps too much time. Who knows how many others have been exposed to the virus because of you? You are a disgrace to your profession and a disgrace to the People’s Republic of China.”

The door to the room opened and a man entered in a biohazard suit. Not a single piece of his skin was exposed, even the air he was breathing came from a self-contained oxygen cylinder. The man was carrying a pistol.

“What is this? What are you doing?” Chee screamed at the faceless questioner. There was no response.

The man in the suit walked behind him and Chee strained his head to look, to see what the man was doing. He heard a sound that he immediately recognized as the slide on the pistol being pulled back and released.

“Wait! I can help you! I can help you treat the infected, I can work on a cure, help with studying the virus!”

The voice spoke again. “Dr Chee, you do not understand, you are indeed going to help us. Until now we had not been able to study the virus in the incubation period, we have only seen patients who had already been through the fever. Your fever is just starting”

Chee felt relieved, they needed to study him, even if he was a lab rat he would be alive.

“Kill him. Then have his body transported to the laboratory.” The voice commanded.

“No!” Chee screamed, but his executioner had already begun squeezing the trigger on the type 54 pistol. The 90 grain 7.62mm bullet entered Chee’s back at a velocity of just under 1,400 feet per second. It efficiently twisted and tumbled its way through his spinal column, sending splinters of bone and cartilage into his heart, before it exited his chest cavity, impacted the wall and dropped to the floor. Chee was dead.

Chee’s body was transported to a government facility for examination. Dr Wang, the lead researcher for the Ministry would conduct the autopsy.

Wang was excited. Today he would get his first opportunity to examine a body where the virus was in the incubation stage, before the patient would have entered the slow spiral of cellular destruction that would ultimately lead to their death. He didn’t question why his patient had a very apparent gunshot wound, although his autopsy notes included a reference to the significant damage exhibited to the thoracic spine.

Chee’s body had been washed and shaved. Several x-rays had been taken and samples of blood, urine and spinal fluid were already stored and were being examined elsewhere.

Wang picked up a scalpel and made a cut from behind one ear, then across the crown of Chee’s head and ended it behind the other ear. The cut was deep and made with steady precision in a decisive movement, like an artist moving a brush across canvas.

Chee’s skin was then pulled forward and down over his face, exposing the front of the skull. The same action was then made to the skin at the back, exposing the entire top of the skull.

Next Wang picked up an electric saw and made several cuts around Chee’s cranium. His years of experience ensured the saw cut deep enough to penetrate the skull but not so deep as to damage the brain. He lifted the top of the skull away, causing a vacuum-like sucking noise.

Wang quickly cut through the spinal cord and lifted the brain from it’s home. He carefully weighed it and then placed it in a storage jar filled with preservative fluid.

That afternoon Wang examined the brain. He had previously examined the dead subjects the Ministry had provided him. Now, as Wang concentrated on the microscope, he saw the same neuritic plaques, abnormal clusters of dead and dying nerve cells in the brain. The only difference was that this patient had far fewer dead cells.

He was familiar with this type of brain infection but it was usually seen in patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. He had never seen it as a result of viral infection. Through continued study he was able to formulate a pattern for the virus.

Later that day Wang began a presentation of his findings to his superiors at the Ministry.

“Doctor Wang, your report please.” The senior official sat behind a long desk with five other officials. Each man was advanced in years, these were people who had served the Party all their lives.

Wang began. “The mechanics of this uniquely evil virus are quite terrifying. Once infected the incubation period is on average three days. It begins with a mild fever and from that point on the carrier is highly infectious, able to spread the contagion by an unguarded cough or a simple touch. I cannot stress this point enough, the virus is highly contagious and extremely resilient. For example, a sweaty hand can leave a viable infectious colony on a door handle for several days.”

Wang paused, allowing the officials an opportunity to ask questions.

“Continue doctor.” The official said.

“Yes, of course. This virus attacks the brain and quite rapidly causes confusion, irritability and aggression. Troubles with language processing and long-term memory loss are next. Eventually death will occur around nine days later. We have no cure for the virus. We have no inoculation. We are defenseless against it. The only way to defeat the virus is to quarantine the infected it and allow it to burn itself out.”

“You are saying doctor Wang, that we are powerless against this virus? That there is nothing in medical science that can either prevent this virus from spreading or heal those who have become infected?”

Wang paused for a moment, took a deep breath and then spoke. “Yes Sir. I am saying exactly that.”

“Thank-you for your report Doctor Wang. A driver will return you to your office. Good bye.”

“But, don’t you want to discuss my report?” Wang was shocked, he had expected a prolonged analysis of his findings, he had expected questions.

“Good bye Doctor.”

Wang bowed and left the room. As promised a driver was waiting outside for him.

The officials waited for the door to close and then one of them spoke.

“So, Wang tells us there is no cure, no prevention. He confirms what the other scientists and doctors have told us. It is clear, for the Republic to survive we must sacrifice some for the greater good of the many.”

“Agreed.” Said another committee member. “But, we must also be careful. We must not let the West know we are weakened, we must handle this discretely.”

The others all nodded in agreement.

The first member spoke again. “Give the order to demolish Harmony hospital and then make it clear to our generals that they are to react quickly and decisively to additional outbreaks, using whatever means is necessary.”

“What should we do with the patients inside the hospital?” Asked one of the men.

“As I just told you, demolish it.”

Chapter Three

Mike Landis worked in an office. He had never served in the military or trained with Navy SEALs. He was just a regular guy married to a regular woman. He along with millions of others across the country had been following the spread of the virus with growing concern since it was first discovered in Los Angeles. It was now several months since the virus first appeared in China.

Mike stood in the basement of the two-story suburban Detroit home he shared with Elizabeth. He was checking his collection of firearms and ammunition. The collection had taken him almost two years to put together.

He picked up the most expensive purchase, a Ruger SR-556 AR-15 rifle. The black gun was equipped with a red dot sight, Magpul forearm handgrip and button activated flashlight. He’d added Magpul rail covers to make the gun more comfortable to hold as he’d previously upgraded it with additional Picatinny rails. A heavy duty sling completed the load out.

Mike lifted the gun and flipped open the scope covers and then turned on the red dot to make sure it was functioning correctly. This particular model had the ability to also display green dot, a feature he found very useful on bright days at the range.

He turned off the red dot, then applied a light coating of Break-Free CLP to the rifle and returned it to the safe. Next Mike retrieved his Remington 870 pump-action shotgun.

Like the AR-15, Mike had added a flashlight to this weapon. The butt stock had a shell carrier where five cartridges of 00 buck were held. The shotgun also had a sling and he’d prepared two 25 round shotgun shell bandoliers, both loaded for two legged deer. He checked the action of the shotgun then returned it to the safe after applying CLP.

Next was a handgun, a Springfield XD 9mm semi-automatic pistol. This two tone pistol was normally kept upstairs next to the bed, but Mike had brought it downstairs for cleaning. The Springfield was a favorite of Mike’s, it had been upgraded with a small flashlight on it’s tactical rail. He kept the gun loaded with 16 rounds of jacketed hollow points and it was intended to be his first line of defense should an intruder gain entry to their house.

A while ago Mike had realized that Liz needed to learn to shoot. He’d purchased a snub .357 Magnum revolver and taken advantage of it’s ability to shoot .38 Special. Liz found shooting the little revolver very manageable and it had become her gun.

He cleaned the gun, not using too much CLP as he was keeping the gun out. There were two guns left. He had inherited a beautiful stainless steel Colt King Cobra .357 Magnum revolver with a six inch barrel and a worn, but very functional Browning Hi-Power. Bother of these guns came from his father-in-law. Liz’s father was a Vet who’d served in Vietnam and had been a good man.

Mike picked up the Magnum and after checking the cylinder was empty he cleaned the gun and returned it to the safe. The Hi-Power was already out. This was his carry gun, just as it had been the carry gun of his father-in-law. Everything about this pistol felt right. It had been manufactured in 1988 and some twenty plus years later it still worked flawlessly and was practically a tack driver.

Mike racked the slide and locked it in position, then quickly disassembled the pistol and placed the components on the bench in front of him. He carefully cleaned each part before reassembling the pistol, checking the slide action and inserting a 13 round magazine of 9mm JHP.

He turned around to examine his ammunition storage. He was able to store around 5,000 rounds of ammunition, roughly split between the handguns and the rifle, with around 250 rounds of 00 buck for the shotgun. The ammo was kept in labeled steel ammunition boxes, each with packets of desiccant to prolong shelf life.

Once a month Mike would take one or more of his guns to the range for an hour of target practice. His father-in-law had told him on more than one occasion that a gun was meant to be fired, not polished and kept in a safe.

Happy that everything was in order Mike turned out the light in the gun room and walked into his small gym and office area as he made his way to the stairs. He'd started working out a couple of years earlier and had been keeping himself in reasonable condition.

When Mike got upstairs the TV was on.

“Coming up, we’ll bring you the latest on Los Angeles and the spread of ECD. We’ll be right back.”

ECD was the name the World Health Organization had given to the virus. It was an abbreviation of Excerebro Celeridiruo, from the Latin for 'quickly making senseless and destroying'. It was more commonly referred to as ECD by the media and the general public.

To Mike, it seemed impossible that a bug could cause so much destruction. There had been scares in the past of course, Ebola, Bird Flu, Small Pox, HIV, but these were either contained or had burned out.

Mike had been following the spread of ECD and according to the news media, the virus had infected roughly five million people across the US in the past four months. Most of the infected were in Los Angeles with approximately fifty percent of it's population infected. The current theory was the virus had been seeded in LA by an unsuspecting airline passenger from China.

Mike remembered that initial news report, how CNN had announced a mystery plague was consuming China and how the Chinese government had denied anything was wrong.

He wanted to watch the report on the news about Los Angeles. He sat down as the commercials came to an end and Brian Williams appeared on screen.

“Tonight on NBC Nightly news, we bring you the latest on Los Angeles. As you know, two months ago the Federal Government enforced quarantine around the metro Los Angeles area. Little information has been available since then, but tonight we can report that the Pentagon has confirmed that deadly force has been authorized against anyone trying to enter or leave the quarantine area. We can further report that at least seventeen Americans have been killed trying to leave the LA quarantine.”

“Jesus!” Mike said aloud to the empty room.

Mike knew the government was doing what it could, food and medical supplies were being air dropped into LA, FEMA had been activated and the the President of the United States was reassuring the population that the incident, while serious, was under control. This news was not what Mike considered ‘under control’.

“There is a Presidential address tonight at 8pm Eastern and of course NBC will be providing full coverage of this event.”

Mike turned off the TV. “Hey Liz, come here.” He shouted upstairs.

Liz appeared after a few minutes. “What’s up?”

Mike craned his neck to speak to her from his seat on the sofa. Liz was walking toward him, her shoulder length blonde hair rested loosely around her neck and as usual she wasn’t wearing makeup, yet still looked incredibly beautiful. Liz’s blue eyes met his as he answered her question.

“Jameson is going to be addressing the country tonight, did you know?”

“No, I didn’t hear that. What time?” Liz asked

“In like an hour. I’m going to order us some food, you want pizza?”

“Sure.”

He grabbed his cell phone and dialed the pizza place.

A Presidential address wasn’t unusual, but given that the last time President Jameson had addressed the nation was to announce the LA quarantine, Mike didn’t want to miss the speech tonight.

Years before ECD appeared Mike had realized he needed to be prepared to take care of himself and Liz if some unexpected event were to befall them. He'd seen what happened in New Orleans when Katrina struck. He'd lived through the massive blackout that struck the Northeastern US. Mike knew he didn't want to be a refugee or be reliant on strangers for his survival. Even a small disruption could have a major impact for those who were unprepared.

Mike started off by preparing a 'blackout kit' that he'd use in the event they lost power. As time went on and he considered other scenarios he looked at ways to plan and prepare for those. Soon he had an emergency bag that he kept in his vehicle, then a bug out bag at home.

Mike researched online and read books and tried to learn as much as he could about self-reliance and preparedness. He began to realize how woefully unprepared he was as he learned more about the risks that were out there. It wasn’t that he was paranoid, it was that he felt he was just beginning to see and understand the world he lived in and how fragile it really was.

He looked at 'what ifs' and determined the most effective way to deal with each.  Mike had also taken firearms classes, learned defensive and tactical shooting techniques and obtained his concealed carry permit. Finally he'd attended first aid classes, learning the basics of medical care with a typically stocked medical box.

His other preparations included first aid treatments, water and food supplies along with many other items he felt he would need. He’d done all this over many years, buying items on sale and picking up ammunition in bulk.

Mike was especially pleased with a portable ‘what if’ kit he’d put together. He’d bought a messenger style bag online, designed with MOLLE attachments and PALS webbing and with a seeming impossible number of zippers and pockets. He wanted the kit to be lightweight but also stocked with the essentials he’d need to cover any situation he could find himself faced with on a daily basis.

The kit contained a nifty Gerber multifunction tool he’d received as a gift from his brother. He added a set of tool attachments from SOG, a small Maglite, medical items such as Band-Aids and sterile wipes. There was a quick opening lock knife from Kershaw and even a 20 ounce water bottle. The backside of the pack contained a hidden pocket that was perfect for his Browning Hi-Power. Once it was finished the kit was light enough Mike was comfortable carrying it everywhere he went. Liz jokingly called it his ‘man-bag’.

Liz hadn't been involved with Mike’s preparing but she thought his hobby was harmless enough. Liz and Mike enjoyed the outdoors and a lot of the items he’d purchased were equally useful on the frequent trips they made 'Up North'.

Liz’s father had purchased a small plot of land near Oscoda in the 80’s and had built a cabin there. He’d intended to use it as a base for hunting. Liz had inherited the cabin and with Mike they had spent the past few years making regular weekend trips to the property. They’d upgraded the basic accommodations, adding a small Honda gas generator and wiring the place for lighting and even a refrigerator.  They both agreed there would be no TV or computer in the cabin. It was intended as a getaway from the inconveniences of modern life.

A little while later as Mike and Liz ate their pizza the President appeared on their TV.

“Good evening. Tonight I’d like to update the American people on the serious situation we are facing in dealing with the ECD virus. As you know, two months ago I issued an Executive Order to quarantine the city of Los Angeles and the surrounding area. This order was given based on the recommendations and projections from both the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Centers for Disease Control.

Earlier this evening I spoke to the Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff and ordered the immediate recall of all American forces in the Middle East. Many of you may wonder why such a step is necessary. I want to assure you that this action should not be seen as anything more than a precaution. There is no need for concern. These troops are being recalled because I believe the defense of our homeland is a priority.

Our troops are trained to work with biological hazards and we need to protect the American people. In addition, I am announcing a new screening tool has been developed by the CDC. Using a simple mouth swab it is possible to determine if an individual is infected with the ECD virus.

This is a significant step in our fight against the spread of ECD. The test takes less than sixty seconds to process and tonight I can tell you that I have authorized it’s immediate issue to our nation’s first responders and to Homeland Security, where it will be used at all international checkpoints. These decisions are necessary to ensure the safety of all Americans.

Good night and God Bless America.”

Liz turned to her husband, she studied him for a moment, seeing his familiar short dark hair, his clean shaven face and high forehead. Even sitting around watching TV it was obvious Mike was fit and took care of himself. “I heard that the virus is in New York” Liz said, almost casually.

“Where did you hear that?” Mike turned to ask his wife, his brown eyes visible even in the dim light of the room.

“It was online earlier, it's not there now. Maybe it was a false alarm. I was going to call Nadine later to see if she'd heard anything.”

Nadine was Liz's sister who lived in Manhattan. She was married to a trader or banker or some other financial type who Mike didn't care for the moment he'd met.

“You should call her, see what she's heard. You could ask her if they're seeing the army guys around New York like we're seeing here.”

Liz thought for a moment while chewing her food.

“Yes, I'll call her after dinner.”

They finished eating and then Mike took care of the dishes. As he loaded the dishwasher Liz walked into the kitchen with her cell phone.

“I can't reach her, the line is busy…” She said, not exactly concerned but more than casually.

“What about a text message?” Mike suggested.

“Yeah, I tried that, it looks like it went through but she didn't reply.”

“Oh it's probably nothing, it's New York, she's fine… Probably a problem with a cell tower in her neighborhood that's all. Try her again later Liz.”

Liz looked at Mike and then smiled. “You're right, it's nothing. I'll try later.”

She walked out of the kitchen. Mike paused his loading of the dishwasher to consider what could be going on in New York. He didn't think it was just a cell tower outage.

The next morning greeted Mike with the piercing shrill of Liz's alarm clock. As was usual when Mike was wrenched from his slumber, he stretched out one arm and attempted to swat his own clock to silence the loudness.

The alarm continued and Mike began to regain spatial awareness. He glanced at his clock and seeing it was only 5:15am he rolled over and closed his eyes for a few more precious moments of sleep.

The alarm went off again, this time it was Mike's. He hit snooze and began the ritual he followed each morning, allowing himself three snoozes to give himself the illusion he had some control over his day. Of course, it was just that, an illusion. Mike had to get out of bed, he had to go to work. He would spend the next nine or ten hours at work before coming home and getting ready to do it all again the next day.

Then the weekend would come and the money Mike and Liz earned could be spent. Not all of it of course, just enough to perpetuate another illusion, that they were living the American Dream and anything they wanted was within their grasp if they worked hard.

It wasn't that Mike wasn't paid well. He was paid more than most he thought at least. It was just that he'd come to the realization that all businesses were run to make money. Mike was paid just enough to make him come back the next week.

The people that made the widgets and the people that pushed the buttons on the computers that designed the widgets were just tools in a toolbox. Ready to be replaced with something newer and cheaper if they wore out or lost their edge.

The clever organizations used a sort of brainwashing. They groomed their employees to believe they were part of something bigger than themselves, that their collective was what made the company succeed. This would be reinforced by throwing some crumbs in the form of profit related bonuses. It was all so much bullshit you could smell it from the parking lot, but it was what it was.

The days of man being able to plant his flag in a patch of dirt and claim it as his homestead were long gone. Sometimes Mike felt like he were born in the wrong century, but he enjoyed so much that only the 21st century had been able to offer.

Right now the 21st century was offering up a fresh slice of Wednesday. Mike hit the snooze for the last time, then turned off the alarm clock. He methodically, robotically went through his morning autopilot, kissed Liz goodbye and was soon in his car heading to work.

An hour later he was at his desk. His desk was unremarkable except for the clutter. He tried to keep it organized but work got in the way. It amazed him how some of his coworkers had desks that perpetually looked ready for the inspection of a mother-in law.

Email was the first order of business, after coffee. Mike sat down and began working his way through the thirty or so messages that had somehow arrived between 6pm last night and 8am this morning.

Most of the messages were irrelevant. Spam and junk mail for the most part. Company-wide announcements and some messages from his boss made up the rest. One item that caught his attention was a Google news alert he'd subscribed to. It sent him a daily email any time ECD reports were found in Michigan. Mike clicked on the mail and it opened up on his screen.

The report wasn't about an infection in Michigan, it was an interview with a professor from the University of Michigan. He was talking about how the threat of ECD was being deliberately understated. Mike read further.

Professor Miller was pressed on his claims that the CDC is withholding key information from the general public. “I cannot reveal who within the CDC has given me this information. Suffice it to say they have risked their career in reaching out to me with this. Look, all I can tell you right now is there is much more going on with the ECD infection that we are being told.”

There was more in the mail, background information about the professor and then a response from the CDC.

”The mission of the CDC is to collaborate to create the expertise, information, and tools that people and communities need to protect their health. We have been working with medical experts around the country and the world to combat the ECD infection. The infection is serious, but it is contained. Updates are always available at our web site or by calling our office on 800-CDC-INFO”

Mike stopped reading and considered the report. Why would a professor make such a claim? Especially one from the prestigious U of M? Mike was a State guy but he respected the credentials of a U of M professor.

His cell phone rang and he saw from the caller ID that it was Liz.

“What's up?”

“Mike, I still can't get hold of Nadine. What do you think? Should I call David?” David, yes that was the name of Nadine's husband Mike remembered.

“Well, sure, I mean it can't hurt right? Ok, let me know what happens? Love you.”

Liz ended the call.

Chapter Four

Elizabeth Landis was 24 years old when she met Mike. They'd been married almost ten years now and they were genuinely happy together. While many of her friends had started a family, Liz had not. She and Mike wanted children but so far it hadn't happened.

Liz had met Mike through her sister Nadine. At the time Mike was working for the same company as Liz's sister. Mike was an investigator at Nadine's firm. He and Nadine had shared a cubicle wall and over time had gotten to know each other.

Always the matchmaker, Nadine had suggested the two of them meet over a dinner party at her apartment. These were the days when Liz worked in New York, fresh out of college and eager to start paying off her student loans.

She and Mike had immediately hit it off. Two years later they were married and had moved to Michigan, where Mike had grown up.

Liz scrolled through the contact list on her phone and picked David Montrose from the list. Liz had never understood what attracted her sister to David but she was supportive of her, plus Nadine was clearly very happy with him. Liz recalled Nadine telling her how she had met David at some corporate event, how she'd turned round and accidentally knocked a glass of white wine over him. It was only later that Nadine learned David was an important client of her law firm.

They'd dated and were married within six months, Liz still thought that was too soon, but now it was five years later and they were still together.

David's phone gave a busy signal just like Nadine's.

“Shit. Shit shit shit.” Liz assessed her options. Her cell phone worked fine, Mike's phone too. Like she and Mike, she knew that Nadine and David gave up maintaining a land line years ago. Then she remembered the video chat Mike had set up on his laptop. They'd used it at Christmas.

Liz went downstairs to Mike's small office in the basement and turned on the laptop, then loaded the video conferencing software. She saw David's name on the contact list with a green dot next to it indicating he was online.

She double clicked David's name and waited.

“Hello? Mike?” David's voice came through the speakers before his image appeared on screen. “Oh Liz, hi. This is a surprise.”

“David, hi, how are you?” Liz was suddenly so very relieved to speak to David.

“I'm fine, what's going on? Is everything OK with you and Mike?”

“Yes, oh, sorry, yes. Everything is fine. I was actually trying to get hold of Nadine. I can't reach her, is her phone broken?”

“Can't reach her? She's fine, her phone is fine. I'm actually at home today, some idiot called in a bomb threat on the Williamsburg bridge and the Queens Midtown tunnel. It's a damn mess trying to get out of Manhattan this morning, I'm working from home. Hang on and I'll get Nadine.”

David walked away from the computer and through the Manhattan apartment, a few moments later Liz saw Nadine as she sat down at David's laptop.

“Hey sis, what's up?” Nadine asked.

“What's wrong with your phone? Did you get my text?” Ironically Liz was a feeling pissed now at the realization her sister was fine.

“My phone's fine. I didn't get your text. I have my phone here, it's got signal and I was using it this morning, I called David’s office to tell them David wouldn't be in today, then I called my office and told them I’d be out.”

“Then what the hell? Most coverage in the USA my ass!” Liz mocked the tag line of her cell phone provider. “Ok Nadine, now I know everything is ok with you I’ll quit bugging you. Enjoy the working from home.” she laughed, someone had once told her there were lies, damn lies and working from home.

“Wait, why the urgency? What was so important you had to get hold of me?” Nadine asked.

“Oh that’s right, god, I can’t believe I forgot the reason I was trying to reach you. It’s probably nothing, it’s just I thought I saw a story online that ECD was in New York City? Did you hear anything?”

“Here? No, I didn’t hear that. Trust me, I’d call you if I heard that.”

“Ok, I know, I’m being silly, but you’re my favorite sister.” Liz smiled.

“I’m your only sister!” Nadine laughed.

“Whatever. Later sis.”

Liz disconnected the video chat and turned off the computer. She was late for work.

Chapter Five

Colonel Karen Moriarty looked at the map on the computer screen in front of her. It displayed the continental United States as a composite of satellite imagery. She clicked on the Eastern seaboard and the map instantly zoomed closer, the details of the coastline now much clearer.

She clicked on the area of New York and the map zoomed once more, this time showing New York, Connecticut and New Jersey. Visible on this level of the map were several red dots. Each dot indicated a possible ECD infection.

Suspected ECD infections were immediately reported to the CDC through the CDC's National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network. Any time a doctor saw a patient in the ER or clinic and they suspected ECD a quarantine protocol was immediately activated. The patient would be held in isolation and the CDC was notified.

A blood sample would be taken from the patient and it would be transported under security to Atlanta where CDC scientists would confirm the presence of the virus. The CDC had classified the ECD as a Category A agent. While it was not suspected that ECD was a form of bio-terrorism, the potential existed for terrorists to spread the virus further.

Colonel Moriarty was forty-seven but her athletic build and smooth complexion made her appear considerably younger. She was a tall woman at 5’ 10” and she wore her blonde hair short. She had been told that it was widely assumed, by the men at least, that she was a lesbian. Despite being a career Marine she had never felt the need to complete with her male colleagues and she felt comfortable as one of the few female senior officers in the Corps.

Moriarty lead a battalion of 1,200 Marines that was responsible for the security of the blood samples being transported to Atlanta. She had organized her Marines into rapid response 'Go teams', with no more than twelve troops to a team.  This unique structure meant that Moriarty had around eighty teams ready for deployment at any time, with on average another twenty teams deployed on security operations.

Moriarty looked away from the map and out of the window of her office. She had been stationed in an office on the 8th floor of a building in the Northeastern area of the sprawling CDC campus. From her perch she could see Candler Lake. The lake wasn't large but there was a trail that looped it and on the few occasions she was able to get away from her post she would walk the trail and try to process what was happening.

She enjoyed the trail because it was simple. It was exactly as it appeared. She loved the smell of nature, the occasional glimpse of a chipmunk darting between trees or the squirrels that would dash across the path ahead of her. All of it was exactly as it appeared, there was no bullshit, no agenda, it was tangible.

So much else in her life was unclear, orders that bore no resemblance to obeying the Constitution, civilians calling the shots on operational matters that made no sense. Moriarty smelled CIA on some of the crap she’d been handed, but she couldn’t understand why they’d be involved in a domestic incident.

Moriarty knew that Los Angeles was gone, what a goddamn mess that had been. By the time the CDC had figured out that they had an epidemic on their hands it was far too late. The infected had moved in and out of LA and the virus had spread like a cancer. When the order was given to secure the City of Angels Moriarty had been one of the first on the scene.

She remembered watching truckloads of Marines arriving from Camp Pendleton, each dressed in full Chemical / Biological / Radiological / Nuclear protective suits. The Marines had filed out of the trucks and secured highways and bridges. Blackhawks circled overhead, utilizing FLIR to identify any civilians trying to flee the lockdown.

The hardest part was giving the order to the troops to stand their ground and to prevent the civilians from escaping. She knew, well she suspected, that many of those people weren’t infected but those were the dark days of the infection when little was understood and chances just couldn’t be taken. They didn’t even fully understand the incubation period of ECD or fully comprehend how it was being transferred. So Moriarty had locked the city down and imprisoned those who were inside.

She remembered the first few days of the lockdown, how families had driven to the checkpoints and been turned away. Everyone was turned away, city officials, police officers, even National Guard who’d been caught in the quarantine area. It had been brutal. An imaginary line drawn in the sand decided who lived and who died. If you were on the other side of the line you could walk away.

Moriarty had sent in patrols with supplies but eventually that became too dangerous. The residents of LA realized they were being left to die and they fought back. Moriarty lost five Marines in a single day. That’s when she realized there was nothing left to do there but let the virus burn itself out and then move in with cleaning crews to remove the dead. Air drops continued, there were still some people holding out according to the drones and the Blackhawks but they numbered only in the hundreds now.

It chewed her up inside that Americans were dying and she was doing nothing to help but she knew the sacrifice was necessary to protect the 300 million Americans outside of Los Angeles.

So far the American public had been kept in the dark as to how serious ECD really was. Sure they knew about LA and China, but the American press was prevented under a Presidential order from reporting anything related to ECD without prior clearance from the Pentagon.

Blissful ignorance, Moriarty thought. Sometimes the public had to be protected from reality because they couldn’t handle truths so brutal. When ECD cases were detected her team would take steps to prevent not only the spread of the virus but also of information. It was standard operating procedure to disable cellular and landline communications.

No one outside of her team and her direct chain of command to the White House had any idea about Carlin, Nevada.

Located in northeast Nevada along I-80 Carlin was a tiny community, remarkable only in it's anonymity. It's two thousand high desert residents lived normal lives until about two weeks after the first case in LA appeared. That was when Abigail Williams arrived in town. Abigail had been driving to Boise, trying to escape the madness in LA but had pulled off I-80 at Carlin after feeling too ill to drive further.

Abigail checked into a Comfort Suites hotel. As she talked to the young woman at reception she left a colony of ECD on the counter. With every word leaving her mouth she projected the virus into the air where it hung briefly, swirling in the cool air conditioned room before being inhaled by the receptionist, Rachel Connor.

When her shift ended Rachel went home and over the next few days she passed the virus to her family, who in turn gave this deadly gift to their friends.

A doctor was called for Abigail when the hotel reported one of their guests was disoriented and didn't seem able to remember how she got to the hotel. The doctor had received one of the CDC briefings and immediately drew blood for study in Atlanta.

Moriarty's team and a special security detail had arrived the next morning. Twelve marines escorted the vial to Atlanta, four hundred Marines stayed just outside the town. Due to the lack of hospital facilities in Carlin it was determined that Abigail should be quarantined in the nearby town of Elko. It was also determined that as this was a possible ECD infection that had appeared spontaneously, the town must be locked down.

The additional four hundred Marines were ordered to secure the town. Dressed in full CBRN suits to protect against the virus, the Marines secured the roads in and out of Carlin. The I-80 off ramps were closed and Predator drones and foot patrols were deployed to ensure no residents fled across country.

When Atlanta confirmed that ECD was present in the blood sample Moriarty knew it was already too late to help the community of Carlin. Two thousand people were forced to stay in that town as the virus spread. Moriarty ordered her Marines to make daily food and water deliveries to the civilians and report back to her.

As the days turned into weeks the numbers of people waiting outside Carlin City Hall each day for the rations became smaller. Her Marines reported seeing civilians shuffling along the streets, sitting in the middle of the road, talking in a strange language of mixed up English. It took eight weeks for the last resident to die.

The cleanup crew efficiently worked to remove and burn the corpses. The whole event took place without a single report in the media.

Now Moriarty had a new problem to deal with, multiple reported cases of suspected ECD in New York City. They’d had nothing to indicate the virus had spread further East than Carlin, though she knew it was probably just a matter of time.

She picked up the phone on her desk and dialed the operations room. “This is Moriarty. I need three teams in New York City. We’ve got samples to bring in. Make sure the locals have secured those patients and make damn sure the media isn’t reporting any of this. The last thing we need is a media circus causing panic. Did anyone take care of the phone lines?”

“Yes Ma’am. As soon as the first report came in the order was given to shut down all cellular and landline calls in and out of New York City.”

“Good.” Moriarty ended the call.

While CDC protocol called for the hospital or clinic to secure any patient suspected of being infected until the blood work was completed, it would take only one infected patient wandering out into the public to quickly escalate the situation into another Carlin or LA.

Moriarty turned back to look out the window and tried to remember a time when all this would have seemed impossible.

Chapter Six

Mike had hit the early afternoon slump. That period of the day when the adrenaline of the morning and the first jolt of coffee had worn off and the body and mind became sluggish, craving a nap on a nice sofa or a comfortable bed with a cool pillow. Mike was at work and unfortunately napping was not an option, more coffee was however.

He was about to leave his cube for a shot of caffeine when his phone rang.

“This is Mike.”

“Hey babe, I was thinking about what the President said last night, about the troops being recalled. You don’t think there’s more going on that we’re being told do you?”  Mike had been married to Liz long enough that he could detect the concern in her voice. He thought for a moment before replying.

“Honestly I don’t know. This morning I read a report that some professor at U of M said there was more going on than we are being told, but come on, this is the government we’re talking about, they can’t keep stuff secret, I mean Jesus, how many congressmen and senators have been caught with their pants down, literally?” He tried to lighten the mood with humor.

“I guess. It’s just recalling all those troops? Remember how much convincing we took to send them there in the first place? The missing WMDs and Osama Bin Laden? Now we just call everyone home?”

“Well, Bin Laden’s dead, Saddam’s dead, even Gadhafi isn’t a problem anymore. Aside from Iran there’s no reason to keep all those soldiers there, and shit, Israel has got Iran covered, you can bet on that.”

“I don’t know Mike, it just seems so big. I’m beginning to feel glad we’ve got all that stuff in the basement, maybe you were right all along. I bet you never thought you’d hear me say that!” He could tell her mood had lifted.

“Right, there you go, it is all a conspiracy, but I planned it all so you wouldn’t be mad at me for buying all my stuff.” Mike laughed a little at the thought.

“Ok, sorry to bug you, I’ll see you later. Oh, by the way, Nadine is fine. I spoke to her on the computer. Love you.”

“That’s good to know. I love you too baby.” Mike disconnected the call.

Something in the tone of Liz’s voice when he’d first answered the phone had got him thinking. What if there was more to this? What if this professor was right? Mike pulled up the email from that morning and scanned it for the name of the professor. Miller, that was it. Maybe he could reach out to this guy, ask some questions himself? It was worth a shot.

Mike connected to the U of M web site, the blue and gold quickly appeared on screen. He looked for a link to the faculty, clicked it and then clicked a link for a directory of staff.

He soon found Professor Edward Miller listed along with an email address. He clicked the link and drafted a mail to the professor. It was brief and to the point. Mike explained he’d read the story and wanted to know more. He hit send and the message was gone, transported through the technological tunnels that linked his computer to the global network of the internet.

“Coffee.” Mike stood, stretched and realized how good it felt to do that after sitting for a few hours. He headed to the kitchen to get some of the black sludge that passed for coffee.

As Mike entered the kitchen area he noticed the TV was on and as usual was showing CNN, the default news channel of his organization. The volume was down but there was a static subtitle on the screen, beneath the words ‘Breaking News’. The subtitle read “ECD reported in France”.

He poured some coffee and then headed back to his cube, then fired up the CNN web site. Sure enough there it was, the same breaking news story about France. He clicked on the headline and read the report.

“The ECD virus has been detected in France it was announced today. The virus, which is responsible for an estimated five million deaths in the United States and a suspected five hundred million deaths in China had until now not been detected in Europe. Today’s report from Paris is the first confirmed case in France. World Health Organization officials called a hastily arranged press conference today where they made the following statement.

Today the World Health Organization has determined that the ECD virus has been detected in Paris, France. The patient held in isolation had not recently travelled outside of France, it is therefore the conclusion of the WHO that there is at least one, mostly likely now more than one, infected people in Paris whose locations are unknown. It is vital that the public notify the authorities of any suspected infections as quickly as possible. If you believe you are infected you should contact the authorities immediately.”

“Shit” Mike whispered. So far the government had told Americans that the virus was contained. If someone in France could get infected, someone across an ocean, then anyone could get infected. There had to be infected people that were unaccounted for, maybe carriers that didn’t get sick themselves. He suddenly didn’t feel so safe being a couple thousand miles from LA.

Mike knew he had to be ready for whatever was coming next, but how? How would he protect Liz and himself from an invisible virus? They couldn’t just stay home and lock the doors, they both had jobs, they needed an income and food. Besides, there was nothing to indicate they were in any danger.

He went back to the CNN homepage to see if there were any more stories. There was an article from the CDC on how to protect yourself, but it was the usual ‘store duct tape, cough into your elbow, wash your hands’ stuff he’d seen a dozen times before. There wasn’t much else. He tried the CDC site next, but again there was nothing of great benefit.

Mike checked the clock and realized it was close to five. He decided to get out early and shut down his computer and headed to his car.

Over dinner that night he and Liz discussed the news.

“So I was thinking Liz, if the virus is in France, then how do we know where else it is?”

“What do you mean? You think there could be people outside of LA who are infected? We’d know right? It would be on the news.”

“I don’t know if it would. I mean, think about it, right now the government has told us there’s this really serious virus, it’s killed millions, but it’s all nicely contained in one corner of the country and none of us have anything to worry about. We believe it because we want to believe the government and we want to be safe, we want to believe we’re safe. What if we’re not? What if this is all some BS they’re telling us to keep everyone calm?”

“What for? What do they have to gain?” Liz asked.

“Well, I guess it’s control, if you tell someone they’re going to die and it doesn’t matter what they do, if you remove any consequences for their actions, well shit, who knows what some people would do?”

Liz thought about this for a moment.  “Ok, so say there are others out there who are infected, what can we do about it? Are we going to walk around with latex gloves and those face masks that doctors wear? Would that even help? How practical is that anyway?”

“I don’t know Liz, that’s the problem. I don’t know what we should do. Part of me, the prepared part, tells me we should head for the hills, but the rational part, it tells me we have a mortgage and car payments.”

“Yeah, there goes reality again. Damn!” Liz laughed

“I know, in the movies, in the zombie apocalypse, no one is concerned about missing a payment on their Jeep. So much easier!” Mike laughed with her.

Chapter Seven

Colonel Moriarty was in her office and participating in a video conference meeting with members of the CDC, the Surgeon General, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the President of the United States of America. It was Moriarty’s turn to present.

“It is now a little over six weeks since the first ECD case in Paris. Since then the virus has generally followed a direction that was predicted by computer models. It has appeared in urban centers and then radiated outwards, similar to ripples on water.

Occasionally we have been surprised by a sudden outbreak much further ahead of the anticipated progression, but generally the virus is spreading as modeled. The largest challenge for Europe has been the differences in their health care systems. ECD shows no regard for geographical boundaries and in countries with less advanced medical systems it has been able to advance much faster than those with more rigid protocols.”

Another female voice spoke and Moriarty’s computer screen changed to show the face of the Surgeon General. “Colonel Moriarty, how far has the virus spread as of today?”

“All European countries are infected, even the United Kingdom despite its natural border. France has suffered the most with an estimated forty five million dead. The very infrastructure of the country has collapsed and those that are still alive are fending for themselves. More serious than the virus is the impact it has had on critical systems. France’s primary power source is nuclear and those power plants are now mostly unmanned. The UN has authorized a task force to enter these plants and shut them down in an orderly fashion to prevent them going into meltdown.”

Moriarty continued. “I can project, based on our models, that the population of continental Europe will effectively be destroyed within five weeks. An optimistic percentage of the number of survivors would be less than one percent, assuming there are some people with a natural immunity along with some survivors who have simply managed to stay out of the way.

Quite simply ECD is an invisible invader for which we have no defense. Unless an inoculation or a cure is developed we will see the human race reduced globally to approximately seventy million people within three months at the maximum. We have lost the ability to successfully quarantine the people who are left. Nearly every continent in the world has reported a significant ECD detection rate. It is now just a matter of time. Iceland stands alone in being so far ECD free. They’ve shut down all international travel.”

“One percent? My God. What of the United States?” The question came from Admiral Macey of the Navy.

Moriarty spoke. “So far we have been successful in controlling the reporting of the true spread of ECD in the US. Outside of this room the perception is that ECD is still contained within the Los Angeles area. However, the true spread of ECD is much more serious.

We have had outbreaks in every state, including Hawaii. Most of these have numbered under one hundred infected, some have escalated to several thousand. These have all been contained and dealt with but more cases are being reported daily. I recommend now that our military forces are back in the United States that we immediately declare a national state of emergency to control the spread of ECD.

We cannot control the information any longer, there are too many outbreaks. The best case scenario is that we manage to slow down ECD, control it’s spread long enough that we can prepare for continuity of government and be ready for what comes after all this.

Normal protective measures appear ineffective, first responders using fitted N95 respirators have only a slightly smaller chance of infection than those who are unprotected. It is clear that even now we still do not fully understand how this virus is spreading. My estimate of a one percent survival rate equally applies to the United States, meaning a surviving population of around three million people.”

There was silence from everyone in the conference. Then one voice spoke, the President of the United States. The President was largely respected and a liked politician. He had won the election just two years earlier and during that time had won over critics on both sides of the aisle.

“Colonel Moriarty. What you are suggesting is something that no President has done in the history of this country. The public will panic, there will be rioting, if a man knows there is no consequence for his actions, if he knows there is no hope, what is there to prevent that man from committing heinous and immoral actions?

Neighbors will turn on neighbors, our entire country will I fear, turn overnight into a wild and lawless place. We know that police officers abandoned their posts during Katrina and what you suggest we tell the American people is a thousand fold more serious.”

Moriarty considered the President's words.

“Mr President. I don’t suggest for one moment you should announce the imminent demise of the human race, but you must prepare the American people for what is coming. The alternative is we continue to hide the truth and they will soon see for themselves just how serious their situation is.

Without leadership I believe the situation will be much worse. They, we, need our President to address the nation, even if we cannot do anything to help our fellow citizens, we owe them the truth about how far ECD has spread. Right now you have the power to delay the virus, even if it gives us a few more weeks, it’s time we otherwise wouldn’t have, time to prepare for what happens afterwards.”

A long silence followed, the automatic pick up on the video conference started to rotate through the various members in the conference, each was pictured staring into their monitor, some held their heads as if the weight of the problem they faced were too much.

“Colonel, I believe you are right. The American people deserve the truth, delivered in a way that gives them some hope. I will address the nation tomorrow.”

The video conference ended.

Chapter Eight

Mike and Liz were in bed. It was a slow Saturday morning and they had no reason to be anywhere other than they were. Then Liz’s cell phone rang, the caller ID said it was Nadine.

“Nadine! Hi, how are you?” Liz was pleased to hear from her sister.

“Hey Sis, did you see the news yet?” Nadine sounded panicked.

“No? Why? Mike turn on the TV.”

Mike reached for the remote and flicked on the TV to CNN, then turned up the volume.

“…and we’ll bring further news when we have it. For those of you just joining us this Saturday morning, the White House has announced there will be a special address from the President of the United States at 10am Eastern. No details have been given about the address, of course CNN will be providing full coverage of the event right here…”

“What do you think it’s for?” Nadine asked.

“I don’t know Liz, maybe they found a cure. Maybe there’s been another outbreak, what time is it anyway?” Liz glanced at the clock in the corner of the TV screen, it read 9:15am.

“Well, I’m going to make some more calls OK? Talk to me later after he’s been on? I love you sis.” Nadine ended the call.

“What do you think it’s about?” Liz asked Mike.

“I don’t know, I’m gonna get up and get some coffee.” Mike rolled out of the bed and pulled on some shorts before heading downstairs.

He made a cup of coffee and plopped down into the comfy recliner by the TV. He put CNN on and then flicked through some of the other news channels but they were all reporting pretty much the same thing. ECD was so prominent in everyone’s mind that it didn’t occur to the reporters that the President might want to talk about something else, it could only be about the virus.

Liz came down after showering and they waited for the President to speak.

“My fellow Americans, this morning I want to talk to you about some important developments in our battle against the ECD virus. Yesterday I met with prominent experts from our medical and scientific community along with leaders of our military. The purpose of that meeting was to assess how we are doing in the fight against the spread of ECD and what more we can be doing.

It is with regret that I inform the American people that we are no closer to discovering a cure for ECD or a vaccine against ECD. As you know the ECD virus has ravaged Europe and has an established foothold in every continent on the planet.

The United States of America is not immune to the ECD threat and we are at a crossroads. We can choose to fight or we can choose to lie down. I believe the only course of action, the right course of action is to fight.

The ECD virus is not contained within Los Angeles. There have been infections across the United States. Every virus report has been dealt with swiftly but we cannot continue to fight this way. To win this war it is essential that we use the weapons we need to prevail. Therefore I am declaring a national state of emergency.

Effective immediately local law enforcement agencies and members of the National Guard along with our professional military personnel will be given the power to stop and test anyone who could be carrying the ECD virus.

FEMA camps are being opened across the country to house those who are infected and the very best medical care will be given to those people. Some of you will be fearful of this but I promise you that these steps are being taken for the good of the American people.

I urge you to continue your daily lives as normal, to work with officials in your community and support our efforts to protect the future of our nation. Thank you and God Bless America.”

The screen faded out and the CNN anchor was back, he looked stunned. Clearly there had not been a press briefing ahead of time. The anchor began to speak but the words were lost on Mike and Liz, they were trying to process the information.

Mike spoke first. “Shit. This is real. It’s not just in LA? Damn it, I knew it. I knew it when the virus started spreading across Europe that there was no way we’d been lucky enough to contain this thing. Shit. Liz, we need to think about this, we need to think what to do.”

Liz began to cry. Mike never knew what to do when Liz cried, this time he did. He hugged his wife.

Later that evening in his basement office Mike was online, he was reading as much as he could about the new information on ECD. Then he noticed an email from Professor Miller, the University of Michigan expert on ECD. He opened the mail.

“Mr Landis, you wrote me almost two months ago now and I didn’t reply. I didn’t reply because I was scared that doing so would put my life in peril, perhaps the lives of my family. Today though I realized it didn’t matter, if the President was ready to make the announcement he did, the game is over. We’re all going to die.

The truth is ECD is wild, it’s out of control, it has been for a while now but the military has been dealing with it and the media has been controlled. I don’t know who has that kind of power except the highest level of the government.

These new controls that have been announced are nothing more than delaying tactics, more illusions to make the public think the government can save them, can somehow fence in a virus that’s already killed hundreds of millions of people.

I’ve seen the computer models, there is no happy ending. Some fortunate few may have a natural immunity, but the rest are just waiting to be infected. The only way to be safe is to get away from all the other people, far away. Once the virus has claimed the last victim it’ll be gone, burned out, but until then we’re all at risk.”

“Holy shit.” Mike said aloud. He went upstairs and found Liz sitting on the sofa, watching more CNN.

“Liz, we have to leave. We have to get the hell out of here, go to the cabin, just get away.”

“What? Are you crazy, we’ve both got work on Monday, I’ve got that presentation to prepare for. We can’t just leave!”

“What? Listen to yourself Liz. This morning the President of the United States told us that the virus isn’t just in LA, it’s everywhere. We aren’t safe if we stay here.”

“He also said we needed to work with the changes, work with the new procedures. He wouldn’t tell everyone to just carry on as normal if it were that dangerous.”

“Liz, that's exactly what he’d do if the government wanted to control the collapse. If they did nothing and everyone started getting sick, the country would go crazy, this way, they tell us people will get sick, but if we line up at checkpoints we’ll be OK. It’s bullshit Liz. You know it’s bullshit. You’re in shock or something, this isn’t the way you’d react normally”

Mike looked over at the coffee table and saw an empty bottle of wine. Liz had taken the news hard he realized.

“Liz, look, I’m going to get us ready OK? I’m going to load up the Jeep with food and all that other stuff I’ve been putting away, and then we’re going to the cabin. We’ll call Nadine from the road, call my Dad too. Maybe he can meet us there.”

Liz didn’t reply, she turned away from Mike and continued watching the TV. Mike stood there for a moment, and then headed back downstairs.

In his preparing and stockpiling Mike had planned ahead. He’d considered that a situation may arise where sheltering in place wasn’t an option. He’d made sure all his supplies were stored in containers than could be easily transported and stacked. Everything was labeled and he had a checklist prepared to make sure nothing was left behind.

Mike didn’t bother to take the water he’d stored in five six gallon containers in the basement. He’d realized early on that without an adequate clean water supply all other preparations were pointless. The cabin had a well though, the store water wouldn’t be needed.

Food was the first priority. He had two storage containers filled with dehydrated food. Each container contained sixty servings, meaning he and Liz could eat for almost three weeks on these supplies alone. The food was followed by gas cylinders for their camp stove, along with the stove itself and the camping pots and pans he’d acquired over time.

There were a variety of other items that he loaded next, each one selected for it’s usefulness and in some cases multifunctional capabilities.

Mike had already packed clothes for them both, just enough that they’d be comfortable and be able to stay clean once they got to the cabin.

Finally Mike opened the gun safe. He stowed the AR-15 and the Remington 870 behind the front seats of the Jeep. Except for a few hundred rounds upfront, the bulk of the ammo was stored in the back of the truck and covered by a blanket.

He decided he’d carry the Browning Hi-Power in his shoulder holster along with a spare magazine; an open shirt covered it well. He put the King Cobra .357 Magnum in its leather holster and tucked it between the driver seat and center console. The Springfield XD was in a Crossbreed inside the waistband holster, just behind his right hip. He took Liz’s small .357 revolver and placed it in its own Crossbreed holster, then tucked it in the glove box.

He slung his messenger bag over his shoulder and then grabbed his worn Tigers ball cap. They were ready to leave. He walked back upstairs to Liz and found her asleep on the sofa. Instead of trying to wake her up Mike lifted her and carried her to the Jeep. With the wine she’d consumed Mike doubted she’d be disturbed by being moved.

Everything was loaded in the Cherokee. He looked over at the house and then started the Jeep and pulled out of the driveway. They had about three hours of driving ahead of them and it was already getting late. Mike opened his window to smell the night; the cool air refreshed him and stole him away from the madness he was now living but only for a moment.

As Mike drove he listed to the radio. NPR was running an in-depth report on ECD and analysis of the news from earlier that day. There was debate over whether the whole truth had now been revealed or if there was still more that the American public didn’t know. Experts were being interviewed and each had their particular viewpoint. Mike knew that even if the mail from Professor Miller wasn’t accurate, the fact that the government was preparing to stop people and ship them off to FEMA camps meant the situation was incredibly serious.

He’d been driving for a couple of hours now along I-75, it was dark and he needed to pull over. He needed a bathroom break and the truck needed gas. An exit sign told him a gas station was coming up so Mike took the exit then followed the signs to the gas station.

The independent gas stations found off the major interstates always interested Mike. They invariably carried a range of unusual products. Mike indulged himself and went to explore the store when he was done pumping gas.

The store was filled with northern Michigan twee-ness. There were some books on shipwrecks of the Great Lakes, there were ‘genuine’ Indian moccasins, a collection of hats, a ton of fishing gear and camping supplies, then he spied something in the glass counter display that immediately activated the ‘buy me’ part of his brain. A beautiful Bowie knife, with a shining 8” blade, full tang and what appeared to be a bone handle.

“She’s a beauty ain’t she?” The voice came from the guy behind the counter.

“Mind if I take a look?” Mike asked

“Hell no, here, see how she feels.” The man reached under the glass and retrieved the knife and then handed it to Mike. The knife was heavy, not too heavy, but the sort of heavy that came with something of quality. He examined the handle more closely. It was antler, the grain and coloring so beautiful as it ran along the grip and ended at the pommel. The price tag read $169.95. Mike knew he had to have the knife.

“I’ll take it.” Mike handed the knife back and retrieved his wallet before handing the man his credit card.

“You want me to wrap it or you wanna wear it now?” The man laughed.

“You know, I think you better wrap it, I’ll have plenty of time to play with it soon enough.” Mike smiled.

Mike returned to the Jeep and started the engine. Liz had woken up and was looking a bit disoriented.

“Where are we?” asked Liz

“We’re on our way to the cabin honey. We had to get away, it’s too risky to stay home, the virus, it’s wild, it’s out there and this bullshit about going to work and washing hands isn’t going to protect us. We need to be away from others, at least for a while, long enough to figure out what’s really going on.”

“What are you talking about? What about our jobs? What do I tell my boss?” Liz was angry. She’d fallen asleep in their home and woken in a Jeep at a gas station a hundred or so miles away.

“Liz, listen to me. That life, that reality, it’s gone. We’re living in a new reality now and I need you to understand that. I need you to understand how serious this is. Two months ago we all thought this virus was cornered in LA. It was terrible, but it didn’t affect us. Today the President told us the virus wasn’t just in LA, it’s everywhere. Liz, this thing cannot be stopped. If it could then France wouldn’t have collapsed and the rest of Europe would still be there. They kept this thing quiet as long as they could, but now they’ve figured out they have to spin us some more BS to keep us in line. No more Liz, we’ve got to think about ourselves.”

They were back on the expressway now and heading north into the night. It was a beautiful clear night and under other circumstances Mike would be appreciating the natural wonder of the stars that were so much more visible out here away from the city lights.

Liz was silent. She stared out the passenger window into the night, her face reflected against in glass from the lights on the dashboard.

This part of the expressway narrowed down to two lanes. Ahead Mike could see red brake lights, further ahead road flares were stretched out, the flares were funneling the traffic into one lane. At the end of the lane were the red and blue strobe lights of a police car.

As Mike began to slow down he heard the instantly recognizable sound of a helicopter but much louder than he was used to. Suddenly a Blackhawk flew low overhead, following the expressway. Mike pulled up behind the last car, another ten or so vehicles ahead of him.

The helicopter’s nose lifted slightly as it slowed, then hovered and landed behind the police car. Mike considered the scene. The most likely scenario was the helicopter came from a nearby hospital, perhaps airlifting an injured driver. In the headlights of the cars at the end of the line Mike could see soldiers deploying from the helicopter, he counted ten, some of them wore respirators and all carried an M4.

The soldiers moved up to the police car, one of them appeared to talk to the cop that was standing there holding a flashlight and slowly waving cars through. The traffic line stopped.

“Mike what’s going on?” Liz asked

“I don’t know babe.” Mike strained to see what was happening at the end of the line. Cars were moving again but much more slowly. Some of the soldiers were walking up the line of cars; they appeared to be speaking to the occupants.

The car immediately in front of Mike and Liz started to pull out of the line and over to the shoulder. It slowly crept along toward the front of the line. Suddenly soldiers ran toward it and then the car accelerated, speeding toward the off ramp that was just beyond the cruiser.

“Stop the vehicle! Stop! Do it now!” The command was being shouted by several of the soldiers, some of them shouldering their M4s and taking aim at the car. One soldier had positioned himself directly in the path of the speeding car, Mike identified it as a late model Taurus.

“Stop the vehicle!” The soldier screamed. The car continued. A short burst of fire came from the rifle of the soldier in front of the car. Suddenly the roadway erupted with the crackle of automatic weapons fire, multiple soldiers firing into the vehicle, the muzzle flashes lighting the road in rapid snapshot like images. Liz screamed.

The Taurus veered off the road, then slowed down as it rolled into the scrub and brush. Soldiers ran over to the vehicle, rifles still at their shoulders. “Put your hands up! Do it now! Show me your hands! Do it now!” There was no movement from the vehicle.

“Holy shit!” Mike whispered. The whole thing had taken less than a minute. He knew he’d just seen someone die.

The rest of the soldiers were assuming positions around the line of vehicles. “Drivers, turn off your vehicles and wait for inspection.”

“Mike what do we do?” Liz sounded terrified.

Mike looked in the rearview mirror, there was already a car pulling in behind him.

He turned to Liz. “I guess we do what they say.”

Mike remembered the rifle and shotgun he’d placed behind their seats.

“Liz, I need you to find something to cover the guns in the back. Check the back seat, there should be some sleeping bags there.”

“Guns? What do you mean guns? We’ve got guns in here?” She was staring at Mike.

“Look we don’t have time to get into this. In a minute one of those soldiers is coming over here and I don’t need them seeing those guns ok? Did you not see what they just did?” Mike looked at Liz as he spoke, his voice commanding.

Liz stared at him a moment longer, then released her seatbelt and turned to pull the sleeping bags over the guns. She turned back in her seat and fastened the belt as the nearest soldier turned and began to walk over to the Jeep.

The soldier motioned at Mike to open his window and he complied.

Mike could see the face of soldier clearly now, he was young, probably barely into his twenties. The soldier shone a flashlight into Mike’s face.

“Where are you heading tonight?”

Mike was shocked at the complete lack of emotion in the soldier’s voice. He couldn’t tell if this was one of the men he’d just seen shooting, but even if he weren’t he was acting like nothing had happened. Mike realized this was military training, months of being drilled and disciplined to react to chaos with calculation and efficiency.

“We’re on our way to Oscoda. We have a place there. Just getting away for a break.”

The soldier bent over and shone the flashlight at Liz, holding his gaze on her for a while, studying her, and then he looked in the back of the Jeep, examining the items piled up in the rear.

“This is a quarantine checkpoint. Have either of you been exposed to anyone who has exhibited symptoms of ECD infection?”

Mike shook his head. “No sir, no nothing like that.”

The soldier paused, again seeming to study them.

“Where are you coming from?”

“Detroit, just outside. We’ve been on the road a couple of hours.”

“Step out of the vehicle please.” the soldier stepped back to allow Mike to open the door. Mike felt his heart rate suddenly increase, his muscles tighten.

“What’s this for? Did we do something wrong?” Mike asked.

“Just step out please. You too ma’am.”

Mike opened the door and got out of the Jeep. He could see other drivers doing the same thing ahead of him. Liz followed and stood next to Mike by the vehicle.

“Wait for a moment please, we just need to test you, make sure everything is OK.” the soldier kept his eyes on Mike the entire time.

Further down the line a soldier wearing a surgical mask and gloves was examining the waiting subjects. As the soldier finished with each driver they returned to their vehicle and left, eventually the soldier came to Mike and Liz.

“Have you been exposed to anyone who may be infected with the ECD virus?” this soldier was shorter than the others and of slighter build, he seemed more like a medic.

“No. No, no one. My wife and I are fine, we’re healthy, we don’t know anyone who is infected, we’ve only seen them on TV.”

The medic motioned for the first soldier to give him light and then held up a mouth swab.

“Open your mouth please. I need to take a sample.” The medic commanded.

Mike opened his mouth and the medic quickly swabbed the inside of his cheek. He put the swab into a plastic tube that contained liquid, then snapped the end of the stick and closed the tube.

“This test will tell me if you’re infected. It’s very fast. If this liquid turns orange, your body is carrying ECD antigens, if it turns green you’re fine.”

The medic shook the tube, moving back from Mike as he did so. He held up the tube and studied it as the soldier shone his flashlight on it. The liquid suddenly turned green.

“Green means clean.” The medic smiled. Mike tried to smile back.

The medic repeated the exam, this time with Liz and again it indicated there was no infection.

The soldier lowered the flashlight. “You can leave now. Thank-you for your co-operation.”

Mike got back in the Jeep, started the engine and Liz climbed in. They drove away and in the rearview mirror Mike saw the soldiers had constructed a roadblock immediately behind where he had been. The checkpoint appeared to be a long term affair. As they reached the squad car Mike looked over to the right, the Taurus was already covered with a blue tarp, a couple of soldiers standing guard over it.

“Oh my god Mike. Oh my god” Liz didn’t need to say anymore.

“We have got to get to the cabin Liz. This shit is out of control. They just killed a guy.”

Liz looked at Mike and he could tell she was very scared. He was scared too. They drove the rest of the way to the cabin in silence.

It was just after dawn when they finally reached the cabin. The roads had become progressively smaller and less travelled as they got closer to their destination. The final road was a single dirt track, barely visible unless you knew it was there. Mike slowed the Jeep and turned onto the dirt road, the view immediately changed to lush green leaves as the tree canopy closed above them. The forest welcomed them inside and Mike felt safe, surrounded by nature and hidden away from the world.

Mike drove the Jeep slowly along the dirt road; it was roughly a mile into the forest until they reached the cabin. Liz had fallen asleep an hour back but woke now as the truck bounced along the rough track.

“Are we here?” Liz asked, still half asleep.

“We’re here.” Ahead of them Mike could see the single-story cabin. It was traditional in style, solid trunks of wood running horizontally along each wall, the base constructed of large rocks and concrete. A stone chimney was at one end. Beneath the cabin was a basement that was larger in area than the cabin above. It served as a cold store as well as holding various items Mike had moved here over the years.

Mike could see the small tool shed behind the cabin. This was an addition he’d made, a place to hold the various implements needed to be self-sufficient. Last year he’d purchased a Stihl chainsaw and had used it to make short work preparing a sizeable log pile. The log pile itself was stored in a three sided, sloped roof structure that he’d built himself.

He stopped the Jeep and climbed out, stretching after the long drive. Liz joined him and they began unloading the vehicle.

“Jesus Mike, what’s with all the ammunition?” Liz had spotted the various cans of rifle, shotgun and handgun ammunition he’d packed.

“I don’t know how long we’re going to be here and I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.”

“Well, when the war starts let me know ok?” Liz carried a box into the cabin, leaving the question hanging.

After they’d unloaded the truck Mike took stock of their supplies. They had plenty of water as the cabin had a well. They had a few weeks worth of emergency food, clothes and of course the guns and the ammunition. They also had enough fuel for the generator to operate for a couple of months assuming they used it sparingly and kept only the refrigerator running 24/7.

“Liz, we should go into town, get some groceries and stuff. No sense breaking into the supplies we have until we need to.”

“You go, I’m beat. I’ll stay here and air out this place, get rid of some of the cobwebs.”

Mike kissed his wife then headed out to the truck.

The drive into town took about thirty minutes, it was a beautiful sunny day now and he had the windows open on the truck, feeling the wind against his skin and smelling the fresh, clean air. He turned the radio on, the news was just beginning and he wanted to see if anything was being reported about what had happened the previous night. Presumably someone being gunned down by soldiers at a checkpoint would be big news and there were several other people who saw what happened.

As the news report progressed it was clear there was not going to be any mention of the incident. It didn’t make sense to Mike and it could only mean that the media was being censored or the item had been covered up. Neither option was good.

Mike pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store. It was one of the smaller chains, not the massive mother ship stores found in the suburbs.

He entered the store and grabbed a cart. The sound of John Denver greeted him as it played throughout the store. After twenty minutes of scanning the aisles he’d collected enough of pretty much everything to not need to come back for at least a month. He headed to the checkout and unloaded his items on the belt.

“You feeding an army?” The young woman operating the register smiled at Mike as she chewed her gum.

“Nah, I just don’t like grocery shopping, try to get a lot done at once you know?” Mike smiled back. No sense telling her that he was actually stockpiling for the collapse of civilization. She had presumably seen the same news he had, it was her choice how to react.

“You see the President on the news? Pretty crazy huh? We’ve had a few people coming in and buying up water and stuff. You getting ready to hunker down too?”

Mike was a little stunned, it was as if the woman had looked directly into his head.

“No” he forced a laugh. “Like I said, just not a fan of shopping.”

The woman finished scanning the items and Mike tried to finish bagging, inevitably he failed. It was apparently not humanly possible to bag groceries at the same rate a cashier could scan them. He paid and then left the store with most of the items still loose in the cart.

By the time he’d got back to the cabin he was very hungry. He opened the cabin door and struggled in with six bags of supplies which he placed on the table.

“Are you hungry?” he asked Liz, who true to her word had opened all the windows in the cabin and was finishing wiping down counters.

“I’m starving. What did you get?”

Mike opened the bags and began loading the cabinets and fridge.

“I tried to get stuff with a long shelf life, but there’s fresh stuff too. Not sure how long we’ll be able to get fresh food so let’s enjoy it while we can.”

“You want eggs then?” Liz smiled.

“Sure, eggs would be great. After breakfast do you want to walk around the property?”

The cabin sat on several acres of land, though it wasn’t fenced in. Mike had no idea who owned the land around them but a nature trail skirted fairly close to them. Mike had put ‘no trespassing’ signs in that corner of their plot to prevent a hiker accidentally wandering across the property.

The cabin faced North and just over 200 feet to the north east of them a river flowed towards Lake Huron.

“Yeah, maybe some fresh air is what I need to wake up.”

While Liz prepared the food, Mike walked over to a shelf and grabbed the radio he’d stored there the previous year. It was an emergency weather radio, operated with a crank handle. He turned the handle a few times and hit the radio button. The local station soon became audible, the tail end of a tune playing out.

The broadcast continued into commercials and then a news broadcast came on. Mike listened to the local news report and then to the boating weather forecast but there was still nothing about the shooting they’d witnessed. He turned the radio off.

Mike grabbed his messenger style bag and filled the 20 ounce water bottle. He didn’t know how long he and Liz would be gone but he always took the bag with him. Inside was room for the Hi-Power but he decided to keep that in his shoulder holster. The other contents were items he felt he’d need away from home for a short period of time.

Recently he’d added chemical glow sticks and some Deep Woods wipes to the bag. The kit evolved over time. When he found himself in a situation where he needed something that he hadn’t anticipated, he would determine if it was worth adding to the pack and then include it if so.

Mike had moved the AR-15 and the Remington 870 from the Jeep to the cabin. He stored both of them in the master bedroom along with the cans of ammunition. The King Cobra and the Springfield XD were also in the bedroom.

“Liz I want you to keep this gun with you.” Mike was holding the snub .357 Magnum. “I’ve got a holster for it you can wear, it’s small and light, I think it’s a good idea you’re able to defend yourself.”

Liz looked at the gun. “Defend myself from what? The virus? What the hell do I need to carry a gun for?”

“Things are changing out there Liz. The world we know about is going away. What we saw last night, it’s not even on the news. It’s different now. Please, just take the gun.” Mike held out the gun in it’s Crossbreed inside the waistband holster.

Liz looked at the gun for a moment and then took it from Mike. “How do I wear it?”

“It’s a concealed carry holster, it goes inside your pants, those plastic clips go outside over your belt. It’s really comfortable and the more you wear it the better it gets.”

Liz walked to the bathroom and came out a few minutes later. “Ok, just call me Annie Oakley.” She smiled and lifted the rear of her shirt, exposing the Pachmayr grips on the stainless revolver.

“Take this too, you remember it from when we went shooting?” Mike handed her a speedloader for the revolver, five .357 jacketed hollow points already loaded in it.

Liz nodded as she took the Speedloader.

“The only thing that’s different are the bullets. You’re used to shooting .38s but I’ve put .357 Magnum rounds in the gun and the Speedloader. You shot them before, it’s not fun but it’s very effective.”

“Well I don’t think I’ll need to shoot them at all, but thanks for the heads up. Let’s eat, how do you want your eggs?”

“Scrambled. Hey, I’m going to call my dad.”

Mike grabbed his cell phone from the charger and walked outside the cabin. The sun was already getting high and the he could hear the birds. He dialed his father.

The phone rang but no one answered. Mike’s father had retired years earlier and was likely napping or engrossed in a documentary on the Military channel. He dialed the number again, this time his father picked up.

“Hello?”

“Dad, it’s Mike. We’re at the cabin, we got out of town. I want you to come up here with us.”

There was a pause before his father spoke. “I can’t Mike.”

“What, you have plans? C’mon. You see what’s going on outside right? You know what’s happening?”

His father paused again before speaking. “I know what’s going on outside Mike. I can’t come to the cabin. I’ll be fine here. You need to think about yourself and Liz. That’s all I’ve got to say about that.”

Mike considered his father’s words. He understood of course, his dad had always been independent, Mike supposed it was where he got his own single mindedness from.

“Dad, this is serious. I’m coming to get you OK? Just pack some clothes, I’ve got everything else you need. Oh, bring that .22 with you too, might be useful for bagging some small game.”

“You’re not listening to me Mike. Just stay put. I’ll be fine. I love you son.” The call disconnected.

Mike looked at the cell phone, then hit the contact list and picked his father’s name. He hit dial and the phone rang. Mike waited but he knew the call wouldn’t be answered. Something was wrong. He looked at his watch, it was just before 11am. He could be at his dad’s house by 1pm if he left now.

He went into the cabin. “Liz, something’s wrong with my dad. I have to see him.”

“Are you fucking kidding me right now? After what we went through, what we saw getting here? You want to leave now?”

“Liz, it’s my dad, I have to. Please, you have to understand. I have to see him.”

Liz looked at Mike, resignation coming across her face. She knew Mike had to go, she would do the same, but leaving her here, she was scared.

“Go. I love you.”

Mike grabbed the keys and got in the Jeep. His dad lived in Grayling, about a hundred miles west. He started the truck and headed to the road.

It took Mike close to three hours to make the trip. Twice he was stopped at quarantine checkpoints, one operated by State police and another by the military. The routine was much the same as the previous night, a mouth swab followed by a test and then he was free to go.

Eventually Mike reached the outskirts of Grayling, as he drove under the overpass he immediately felt like he was coming home, except something didn’t feel quite right. For the past thirty minutes he hadn’t seen another vehicle.

Mike drove through the town, still not seeing any vehicles. He pulled up at his father’s house, his childhood home. The ranch style house wasn’t large but as Mike was an only child it hadn’t been cramped. Mike’s mother had died in a car accident when Mike was in his mid-teens. He had been devastated, but his father had suffered much worse, Mike realized now his father had probably suffered a breakdown. Mike had stayed with his dad in their home until he’d left for college.

So many memories came back as Mike looked at the house. The sidewalk where he’d first learned to ride his bike without training wheels. He remembered how one of the neighbor’s kids, a few years older than him, had been able to ride a bike and how Mike had so wanted to do the same. He’d asked his dad to remove the wheels and eventually his dad had done so. Mike remembered his father holding onto the saddle, trying to hold his son up as he pushed away.

This house was where Mike became the man he was today. The nightly meal around the family table was something his mother had been strict about. Meal time was a special time she said, a time for the family to gather and talk. There were no distractions allowed at the table, no books or newspapers and definitely no television.

Mike’s dad had been strict but fair. He remembered the punishment his father had given him when he’d caught Mike smoking, back then Mike thought it all so unjustified. Now he saw it through wiser eyes and realized how much his father loved him.

Mike walked to the door and searched his key ring for the right one to open the front door. As Mike was about to open the door he paused, then knocked on the door instead. He didn’t know how his father would react after the phone call. As he waited Mike noticed a black trash bag lying on the ground, it was wrapped around something.

He was about to knock the door again when the door opened. His father stood before him, but he looked very different.

“Mike, why did you come here? I told you....” His father sighed.

“I came to see if you’re OK. You can be a stubborn bastard sometimes but dad, I want you to come with me.”

Mike started to walk toward his father but his dad stepped back and held up his hand.

“Mike stop!”

“Dad? What the hell. Come on, let me in, we’ll get you packed and then we’ll hit the road. You’ll be pulling fish out the river for our dinner tomorrow.”

“Mike. I’m infected.”

Mike was stunned. The words his father had spoken still registering, still being processed as he looked at the man before him.

His father continued “The whole goddamn town is infected. Swept through here like a fire. Most of the others got taken away, I managed to stay out of sight.”

“How do you know you’re infected? You look fine, you sound fine.” Mike could feel emotion building inside him, a deep vulnerability swelling in his chest, overwhelming him.

“Son. I’m so sorry. I’m sick. I can’t come with you. You need to look after your wife, look after yourself. You’re a strong man Mike, you’ve got your Mom’s smarts too. Look, I put that .22 outside for you, there’s a couple thousand rounds of ammo for it there too. I wrapped it pretty good when I picked it up but promise me you’ll disinfect or something OK?”

Mike didn’t know what to say. There was nothing he could say. His father was sick and he couldn’t do a damn thing to help him.

“I love you son, now go on now, go on back to the cabin. I love you.”

The door closed. Mike fell back to the ground and sobbed. There was nothing he could do. He wanted to hold his father, take him back to the cabin, but he knew that touching him wouldn’t help his father, it would only spread the virus to Mike.

It took a few minutes to compose himself. Mike stood and picked up the rifle and ammo, then walked back to the Jeep. He took out his cell phone and dialed 911.

“911 please state the nature of your emergency.” A female voice spoke calmly to Mike.

He paused, thinking about his dad.

“It’s my dad, he’s sick, I think he’s infected.”

“Where is your dad now?” Mike heard a beep on the line, he recognized it as a third caller being conferenced in.

“He’s at home, 1843 Arnold Drive, Grayling.”

A male voice spoke now “What’s your name? Where are you calling from?”

“This is Mike Landis, I’m outside my dads house. Who’s this?”

The male voice ignored the question. “We’re sending paramedics now Mike. Please stay where you are and avoid contact with anyone else ok? Are you able to get in a car or a structure where you can isolate yourself?”

“Um, sure, I have my car here, I’ll wait in there.” Mike was beginning to feel nervous about having called for help.

“Stay put Mike, help is on the way ok? We’ll stay on the line with you until they get there.”

Mike thought back to the quarantine checkpoint the previous night. He disconnected the call and got in the Jeep. He started the vehicle and drove down the street, turning into a side road before turning round and parking so he could see his father’s house but not be immediately visible.

In just few minutes Mike heard sirens and then an ambulance and fire truck arrived. Two figures got out of the ambulance, Mike couldn’t tell if they were male or female because they were both dressed in bright blue biohazard suits.

Mike watched as the figures approached the house and banged on the door. There was no answer. One of the figures signaled back to the fire truck and then another figure came over, this one dressed in a similar biohazard suit but carrying a short and apparently heavy pipe with a couple of handles attached to it.

The third figure reached the door. He swung the pipe object back and then slammed it into the door. The door instantly opened, part of the frame splintering away. The first two figures immediately went inside and Mike waited to see what would happen. It wasn’t long before Mike saw his father being jostled out of the house by the two figures.

His father was clearly resisting but his hands were bound, Mike couldn’t tell by what from the distance. He felt sick to his stomach, this wasn’t what he wanted. They weren’t treating his father like a patient, they were treating him like a prisoner.

His father was placed in the back of the ambulance and restrained to a gurney. One of the figures stayed in the back while the other returned to the cab, then the ambulance drove away. Mike wasn’t sure what to do next. There was nothing for him at the house and besides, Mike could see that a Humvee was pulling up and a soldier was moving to the house, presumably to secure it.

Mike decided to follow the ambulance. He started the Jeep and was soon driving behind the vehicle, wherever it was heading there was apparently no emergency as the lights and siren were not in operation. He realized that instead of heading east towards the hospital, the ambulance appeared to be heading towards the airbase that dominated the town of Grayling. Mike decided to drop back a little so as not to be noticed by the driver.

After just a few minutes they were driving past the cemetery, the massive base on their left. The ambulance slowed and then turned into the base. Mike knew he couldn’t follow and so he drove past, slowing just slightly and craning his neck to see through the guard post and into the base, but he couldn’t see much. He continued to drive north before pulling over where the road curved east.

Mike grabbed a pair of binoculars from the Jeep and climbed up the side of the vehicle. In the distance he could see the outskirts of the base, then further inside the facility were two chain link fences. He guessed about the fences were about ten feet apart. Inside the inner fence were khaki tents, perhaps a hundred. These were big tents, the kind a person could stand up in and walk around, it reminded Mike of the tents he’d seen on MASH as a kid.

There were people there too, some walking around, some sitting, some lying down. They all looked like civilians. On the outside of the external fence Mike could see soldiers and a large sign with FEMA written on it. This must be one of the camps the President had talked about in his address and Mike realized this was where they had taken his father.

He scanned the faces, trying to make out his father, but they were too far away to be identifiable. These were people that couldn’t be fixed, the government knew it and this was the best they could do, provide some comfort for them in what were their last days.

Mike knew he couldn’t stay here. He couldn’t help his dad now. Mike had to get out of Grayling and get back to the cabin. He got in the Jeep and drove.

Mike had been driving an hour before he hit the first checkpoint. It was beginning to seem normal to him now. How quickly people adapted he thought. Just like the other checkpoints Mike had to get out of the car and wait for a medic to swab his mouth.

“How soon after someone is infected does that test work?” Mike asked the medic.

The medic looked surprised, Mike supposed he’d been giving these tests all day and was used to people keeping their eyes down and wanting to get away.

“That’s a good question.” The medic looked at Mike, he was probably no older than twenty Mike realized.

“These tests, we get them out of a big crate.” He nodded to a Humvee parked on the median before continuing. “Each test is in a silver sterile pack, that pack has the directions on, so easy a grunt like me can use it without fucking up.” The young soldier smiled.

“You’re not a medic then?” Mike asked

“Shit no, those guys are in short supply. I’m just a grunt. Anyway, it says on that sterile pack that the test is effective thirty minutes after infection. I don’t know how it works, just how to work it. Open wide.”

The soldier swabbed Mike’s cheek, then snapped the swab into the test tube and shook it. The liquid turned green.

“You’re good to go.”

Mike nodded and got back in the truck. It had been much longer than thirty minutes since he’d interacted with his father, at least he knew he wasn’t infected. As he drove away from the checkpoint Mike grabbed his cell phone but the display read ‘no signal’. It had been showing that same message for a few hours now and Mike knew the area he was in had plenty of cell towers. He had a feeling the government was controlling how much information was able to be communicated.

Mike finally got back to the cabin around 5pm, Liz practically ran out to the Jeep to meet him.

“Why didn’t you call?” She hit Mike on the chest with her fist.

“No signal. You have signal here?”

“Sure.” Liz grabbed her phone “Well, I did. Jesus, is this part of it too?”

“I think so.”

They walked into the cabin.

“Where’s your dad?”

“He’s gone Liz. He’s all gone. I tried to get him help but they took him. There’s a camp Liz, a fucking FEMA camp right outside Grayling. I saw people there and that’s where they took Dad.”

“Oh Mike, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Liz embraced Mike, pulling him into her arms. Mike began to cry.

Chapter Nine

“Colonel Moriarty?” the query came from a young female Marine dressed in fatigues, she saluted as Moriarty turned to face her.

Moriarty nodded and the Marine dropped the salute. “Colonel Moriarty, I’m Lieutenant Cosgrove. I’ve been assigned as your adjutant here at MOB Haven. If you’ll follow me Ma’am I will take you to your quarters. Can I take your bags?”

Moriarty looked at the Marine. She had no doubt she could manage the weight of the two bags, but she was more comfortable carrying them herself. “As you were Marine, please lead the way.”

Moriarty followed the Marine down several corridors. Main Operating Base Haven was a relatively new facility, constructed in the years after 9/11. The base had been constructed in secrecy and it was miles from the nearest town, tucked away neatly in the Northeastern corner of Montana. The Pentagon had determined that a strategic retreat was needed, a place that would be utilized for the Continuation of Government in the event of what had been perceived as the biggest terrorist threat, a bioweapon, was used on American soil.

The base consisted of an airfield on which she’d just landed along with barracks and facilities for five thousand troops. The main structure of the base was the subterranean facility that extended several hundred feet below ground. The facility was capable of maintaining life support for thirty six months if it had to be sealed.

Officially it was a US Marines facility, but there were other branches here as well as a civilian contingent. These were mostly scientists but there were also doctors, teachers and various knowledge experts that had been pressed into action once the President had issued the state of emergency.

Moriarty was very familiar with the base specifications, yet being here on base she was still impressed. There were four passenger elevators, two heavy freight elevators and even two vehicle elevators. Level one of the base stored helicopters, planes and ground vehicles that could be raised topside much like an aircraft carrier.

The President was scheduled to arrive here in the next few days. It was Moriarty’s job to assume command of Haven and ensure the facility was completely operational and secure.

They reached a passenger elevator and the Lieutenant swiped a badge against a panel next to the call button. The elevator arrived and they stepped inside. They were on the first floor and so the buttons were in reverse order to a traditional elevator. Starting at level one and ending at level fifteen. Her escort swiped the card against a panel inside the elevator and hit the button for level four.

“Senior staff are on level four Colonel. You’ll need this to move around the facility.” She handed Moriarty a white plastic card, it displayed her photo along with military identification. “Just swipe the card on the panels to get access, your card will access all areas Ma’am.”

Moriarty nodded and took the card. The doors opened and they stepped out, the corridor looked unremarkable and aside from the absence of any external windows they could have been in an office building. Two Marines stood guard outside the elevator and upon seeing Moriarty they both saluted. Moriarty nodded in return and continued to follow Lieutenant Cosgrove.

“Here we are Ma’am”. Cosgrove swiped her card by the door and Moriarty heard a beep, then Cosgrove opened the door. It was dark in the room but as she walked inside the lights automatically came on.

Moriarty walked inside and dropped her bags on the bed. The room was anything but standard Marine quarters, more like a hotel but again without any external windows.

“I trust your room is ok Ma’am?”

“It’s fine. Glad to see the Pentagon putting our tax dollars to work.” Moriarty didn’t approve of unnecessary trimmings and furnishings of her quarters, she was a career Marine.

“Would you like to see the facility now Ma’am?”

“Yes, first I want to see the COC.”

“The Command Center is on level ten Ma’am. If you’ll follow me?” Cosgrove turned sharply on her heel and marched back into the corridor. Moriarty liked this Marine already; she carried herself with pride and professionalism.

Moriarty and Cosgrove took the elevator ride to level ten and stepped outside. Cosgrove noticed the color of the walls here was different, level four had been white, but level ten was red.

“What’s with the color of the walls?”

“Red indicates a high security area Ma’am. Only the highest level security clearance can access those areas. Floors ten through fifteen are red; these levels contain the Command Center, the Presidential quarters, Secret Service and the power generators.”

“I understand this facility is nuclear powered?”

“Yes Ma’am. Similar to the technology used in the submarine fleet, except on a much larger scale. Using nuclear power is how we are able to maintain a sterile sealed environment for extended durations. The power plant is on level fifteen, would you like to see it?”

“That’s not necessary, thank-you Marine.”

They reached a steel doorway, two more Marines stood on guard. Moriarty noticed that either side of the doorway had dark ballistic glass and rifle slots, giving the Marines inside the ability to fire upon attackers with little risk of return fire injuring them.

The two Marines on guard snapped to attention and saluted Moriarty. She returned the salute and then presented her ID to one of them. The guard checked the card and then used his own card to open the steel door. The door slowly slid to one side and then Moriarty and Cosgrove entered.

Suddenly Moriarty heard a voice yell “Attention on deck!” and the room became silent as the personnel all stood and faced Moriarty. “As you were.” Moriarty said and the room returned to it’s state of busyness.

The COC was a massive room filled with uniformed personnel and computer equipment. Every branch of the military was here and each had it’s own set of workstations in the room.

The far wall was covered in 70” display units, each display showing different information. One screen showed telemetry data for Air Force satellites, another showed what appeared to be real time video footage of MOB Haven, presumably being transmitted from a Predator drone high above. Moriarty could see CNN on another screen, if there was data that needed to be monitored it was on display here.

“Impressive isn’t it Ma’am?” Cosgrove smiled at Moriarty

“Yes Lieutenant, it certainly is impressive. I want to address the base, is that possible from here?”

“Yes Ma’am.” Cosgrove led Moriarty to a nearby workstation. She picked up a telephone handset and dialed five digits, then extended the phone to Moriarty. “You’re live across the base Ma’am.”

Moriarty took the handset and spoke.

“Can I have your attention please? This is Colonel Moriarty. I am assuming control of MOB Haven under Executive Order of the President of the United States of America. Our country, our world, is facing an enemy none of us were trained to fight.

In the coming weeks and months everyone on this base will experience loss. You all have families who cannot be here. Every one of you was selected to work at Haven based on your military record and your unique abilities. Some will say we are the fortunate ones, for we will all survive this terrible plague that is spreading across our planet. I know though that many of you would prefer to be with your families.

I will not ask more from you than I will ask from myself. We must follow our orders and work to ensure the continuity of government of our country, to ensure the survival of the human race. Haven is more than a military base, it is an ark, a second chance for humanity. Very soon the President will be joining us at Haven and the seat of our government will be this facility. Do your duty, follow your orders and I promise you that we will come through this a stronger nation, a people united by adversity. That is all.”

Moriarty gave the handset to Cosgrove and she replaced it on the phone. Then Moriarty heard someone begin to clap, then another and another, soon the room was filled with applause and the men and women in uniform stood once more to show their faith in her. Moriarty stayed and allowed herself to enjoy this moment, to savor and absorb it. Slowly she raised her right hand in salute, held it for a few moments and snapped it down before leaving the COC with Cosgrove.

Chapter Ten

Mike and Liz had been at the cabin for three weeks. The passage of time was most notable by the gradual changing of the leaves. Fall was coming and in Michigan it seemed to come quickly. Aside from the cooler evenings another noticeable change was the gradual disappearance of radio channels being received on the radio.

During the first week it had almost felt like a vacation. Liz had done her best to distract herself with chores around the cabin. She had organized and reorganized the canned food supply. She’d made lists of their supplies. She even poured her energy into hefting an ax through the pile of wood that Mike had stored.

Most evenings Liz and Mike walked the boundary of their property. Mike always took his tactical messenger bag and the Browning Hi-Power with them. He insisted Liz keep her gun either in the holster or in a bag close by. Mike liked being here, despite the circumstances. They were surrounded by nature and the only noises he could hear as they walked on those evenings came from the nightly chorus of Crickets, the sound all around them. A couple of times they heard the bark of a Coyote.

Mike realized after the first week that he hadn’t heard or seen a plane in several days. Even here in the Michigan backwoods they would see commercial jets flying to Detroit or even the occasional light aircraft, but he’d seen nothing.

The cabin had a large supply of paperback novels which Mike had collected at thrift stores and other places over the years. He’d already made a big dent in some Stephen King stories and he’d noticed Liz reading, or rather re-reading for the fourth or fifth time the Harry Potter series.

When it got dark Mike would often go outside and just stand in the cool night air, staring up at the dark sky. As his eyes adjusted to the night he would see the millions of stars that existed out there beyond his tiny blue and green planet. Distant galaxies would slowly come into focus and shooting stars would suddenly streak across the sky.

It was as he looked at the stars that he realized how truly small his world was. He remembered watching Carl Sagan on TV discussing the relevance of humanity in the cosmos, how little time mankind actually occupied on the galactic calendar. In the big scheme of things, the really big scheme of things, a global pandemic on a tiny planet in a distant corner of an infinitesimal universe was small stuff.

While Liz was keeping herself busy during the day Mike would sometimes explore beyond the property boundary. He’d started scouting for deer and other game. He’d managed to bag a rabbit with his dad’s rifle, a Ruger 10/22. It was incredibly accurate and he had ample ammunition for it.

Mike had taken the opportunity of their time to teach Liz how to shoot the other firearms they had with them. Liz had very quickly learned to operate the AR-15 and found the low recoil very easy to manage. The Remington 870 was a little rough on her shoulder but after she figured out a technique to hold it, she was comfortable operating the gun.

During the third week at the cabin Mike noticed a change in Liz. She started to become withdrawn and much less engaged with keeping herself busy. Liz was staying in bed longer each day too. Mike knew she was in danger of falling into a deep depression.

For everything Mike had planned for, the contingencies and the forethought, the medical supplies, the food and ammunition, the skills he’d learned, nothing could prepare him to fix the inevitable psychological trauma that would follow this major life changing event.

Mike tried to keep his wife upbeat. They had a huge bonfire outside the cabin that evening and they stayed up late staring at the hypnotic flames. Fiery sprites crackled and escaped the orange core of intense heat, the wood glowed and radiated like it had done for humans for thousands of years. There was something so simple and almost magical about an open fire, the ability to control and tame a force so destructive in the wild.

“So what do we do now Mike?” Liz was sitting on a lawn chair on the opposite side of the fire. She had found a pack of cigarettes somewhere and was smoking one now, dragging heavily on the filter tip Marlboro and taking the smoke deep inside. She’d quit smoking years back, but given current events Mike didn’t feel he should say anything.

Mike inhaled deeply. The air here seemed so different, it tasted fresh and invigorated Mike.

“I don’t know Liz. We can’t go home, not yet. We need to stay here and keep away from people. They’re locking down everything out there, we might be here for a while.”

“Where’s the radio? Is there anything on there?”

Mike stood and walked into the cabin, he soon returned carrying the crank operated radio. “Let’s see.” He turned the handle a few times, then flicked the switch and the radio turned on. He fiddled with the dial and found what he thought was a talk radio channel but as he listened it was soon clear that it was actually the Emergency Alert System.

“This is the Emergency Alert System. The Federal Government has declared a national state of emergency in response to the ECD virus. If you are infected or if you know someone who is infected dial 911 or report to your nearest FEMA treatment camp. If you are not infected you should follow the directions of your local FEMA office. Follow basic sanitation rules. Cover your mouth when sneezing or coughing and wash your hands thoroughly.”

Mike tried to find another station but there was nothing, even the local channel was gone, replaced with the same EAS broadcast.

“What about Nadine?” Liz asked.

“I don’t know Liz. The phones don’t work, we can’t call her and we don’t know what’s going on in New York, shit we don’t know what’s going on period.”

“I can’t do nothing. I can’t just wait here not knowing if my sister is sick or if she’s even still alive.”

“Liz, what do you want me to tell you? I don’t know if Nadine is OK, I just know that if she’s infected and she’s tried to get help then they’ve probably taken her to one of those camps. If she’s not infected then she’ll be fine so long as she stays away from other people.”

“Stays away from other people? She lives in fucking Manhattan Mike. She can’t drive a few hours to a cabin in the middle of the night. It’s not like their apartment had a secret stockpile for doomsday like you put together.” Liz was angry, not at Mike but at the situation, Mike just happened to be the one feeling it.

Mike thought for a moment. He couldn’t expect Liz to wait out this thing not knowing if her sister was OK.

“Ok, but we can’t go now, it’s late and it’s dark. We’ll go in the morning OK? We’ll drive down to Toledo then head directly east. That’s a good fourteen hour drive on a normal day though, I don’t know how long it’s going to take us with the checkpoints, or even if we’ll be able to get past the checkpoints.”

“We can try at least. If they stop us on one road we’ll take another. I’m not giving up on this Mike.”

“I know Liz, I know. We’ll get there.”

The following morning Mike loaded the Jeep with water and food for the trip. Mike also stowed a couple of five gallon gas cans that he’d kept at the cabin. He figured they should plan for a five day road trip, just in case of surprises.

He was wearing the Browning Hi-Power in the shoulder holster under his shirt, on his belt he was carrying the 8” Bowie knife he’d picked up at the gas station. He stowed the Remington 870 pump shotgun behind the passenger seat and covered it with a blanket. Liz had put on the Crossbreed holster with her .357 Magnum snub revolver.

Mike had intended to use the portable GPS to plot their route but for the past twenty minutes it had been searching for satellites. He’d suspected the government could switch off civilian use of the GPS network if they wanted and he assumed now this is exactly what had happened, another effort to slow down and prevent information and people being moved. He wasn’t concerned, the route was easy enough to navigate. He climbed into the Jeep and Liz soon joined him.

“Ready?” Mike looked at Liz

“Let’s get going.” Liz replied softly as she reached over to touch Mike’s hand.

Mike started the Jeep and drove out of the forest onto the first road on their journey. He expected they’d find quarantine roadblocks at the same spots as they’d found on the way up to the cabin. After about an hour they came to the first obstacle. Across the highway was a chain of orange construction barrels, they funneled the traffic down to one lane. At the end of the lane was a Humvee, a pile of sandbags next to it.

He slowed the Jeep and pulled to a stop level with the Humvee, then waited for someone to appear with the now familiar test. After a couple of minutes no one appeared. Mike started to get out of the Jeep to investigate.

“What are you doing?” Liz asked, a little concerned.

“I’m going to see where the soldiers are.”

Mike opened the door and stepped on the asphalt. He walked over to the Humvee and found it empty. A radio was crackling inside, just static. He walked over to the sandbags that had been constructed to form a type of defensive structure. Inside he saw a pile of the ECD tests lying unopened, there was a flashlight and another radio but no soldiers. Mike returned to the Jeep.

“Well?” Liz asked

“Nothing, there’s no one there. Looks like they left in a hurry.” He put the Jeep in gear and they continued the drive.

They passed three more checkpoints in the next few hours, each similarly deserted. One of them had a couple of civilian vehicles lined up and Mike had to navigate around them, but there were no people or soldiers.

“This is weird.” Liz commented as they drove through another unmanned checkpoint.

“I know, I guess the soldiers were called back or maybe they just left? Maybe they figured it wasn’t worth staying and they went to their families.”

As the drive continued Mike realized they hadn’t seen a single occupied vehicle one either side of the expressway.

“Where is everyone?” Mike asked Liz.

“I don’t know. Maybe we should pull off the highway and see if we can find out what’s going on. The radio is useless.” Liz had been scanning the radio for the past hour on and off but there was nothing but automated emergency alert messages.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea Liz, we want to stay away from people, not go looking for them.”

“Ok. You’re right. Let’s keep going.”

Mike thought for a moment. “No, actually you’re right. We’ve been out of the world for three weeks. Maybe we do need to get some information, if we’re careful we should be ok, but do as I say OK?”

They pulled off at the next exit, the sign said Dundee. Mike remembered the town, there was a large sporting goods store there. As he reached the end of the ramp he stopped at the light, there was no traffic, no cops, but after years of conditioning Mike felt it would be wrong to jump the light. It flicked to green just as Mike realized how foolish he was being. He turned left and drove into the town.

Aside from being empty the town looked quite normal. As he looked closer though he started to notice details, a store window smashed open, a car half on the sidewalk, Unsettling details, things out of place, the scene not quite right.

“What the hell?” Mike said as they turned the corner.

A police cruiser lay on it’s side, the windshield shattered and with what looked like bullet holes through it. A few feet away Mike saw a man’s body dressed in a police uniform. The policeman was clearly dead, part of his head was missing, a gaping and ragged red hole obliterated half of his face. One of his arms was twisted unnaturally behind the body, the other outstretched as if he’d died while grasping for salvation.

“Oh god!” Liz opened the door and threw up, coughing as she wretched the last remnants of breakfast onto the road.

“Shut the door Liz!” Mike leaned over and pulled Liz back, Liz pulling the door closed hard.

Mike slowed down but kept the Jeep moving. He didn’t see any sign of life in the town but he didn’t want to stay here longer than needed. Ahead he saw a newspaper box and he drove toward it, getting as close as possible to the curb.

The door to the box opened onto the sidewalk so he had to get out of the truck. He reached behind the passenger seat and grabbed the Remington 870, racking a shell into the chamber before he handed it to Liz.

“Why?” Liz took the shotgun but held it uneasily.

“I’m going to get out the truck and grab a newspaper, maybe there’s something there that will tell us what the hell happened. Open your window. If you need to, just point and shoot, just liked we practiced OK?”

Before Liz could argue Mike reached under his shirt and pulled out the Browning Hi-Power, he hadn’t loaded it before but he did so now. He held the gun in his right hand as he got out of the truck.

The air smelled bad. They were some distance from the dead police officer so Mike didn’t think that was the source, the stench almost made him throw up but he held it back. He scanned the sidewalk and the store fronts, there was no sign of life but he identified the source of the odor. A dead dog was curled up in one of the store doorways.

Mike moved to the front of the newspaper box and saw a stack of papers inside. Instinctively he reached into his pocket for change and then realized he didn’t have any.

“Liz, do you have any quarters?”

Liz opened the window and looked at him with a ‘what the fuck’ expression and Mike realized how dumb the question was. In a moment of frustration he pointed the Hi-Power at the glass front of the box and fired. The 9mm hollow point made a perfect hole in the glass before exiting the back of the thin metal box and hitting the road, this was followed by a high pitched whizzing noise as the round ricocheted into the air.

“What the hell are you doing!” Liz yelled out the truck window.

“Sorry!” And then Mike laughed. On TV the glass would have shattered and he’d have the newspaper. He looked around and saw a loose brick on the sidewalk, with some leverage from the Bowie knife he worked the brick free and then threw it into the newspaper box.

This time was successful. The glass broke and fell inside the box. He reached inside, being careful not to cut his hand, then grabbed a paper and shook the glass and brick fragments off it. Mike climbed back into the Jeep.

“Feel better now?” Liz asked.

Mike looked at her and smiled. “Let’s just see what the newspaper says.”

He unfolded the paper. The date was a week old and the headline read “JAMESON ANNOUNCES THE END” it was followed by a photo of the President, beneath this the story began.

“President Jameson announced today that there was no longer any hope of containing the spread of the ECD virus in the United States of America. From an undisclosed secure location the President informed American citizens to prepare for the ‘end of the greatest country, the greatest nation the world had ever seen’. Mr Jameson’s press secretary later said there would be no further briefings from the President and that his prayers were with the people of the United States in her darkest hour”

“Holy shit Liz, it got really bad.”

“We have to find Nadine.” Liz looked up from the paper and grabbed Mike’s hands. “Promise me Mike. Promise me that we’ll find her.”

Mike knew he couldn’t make that promise but he also loved Liz very much and he could tell this was destroying her. “I promise Liz.”

He drove the Jeep out of the town and pulled over on the onramp to the highway.

“Why are we stopping here?” Liz asked

“I just need to get something.” Mike climbed out of the Jeep and went to the back, he opened the door and retrieved something before walking back to the drivers door.

“I brought this but figured it best to keep it out of sight but after what we just saw I think I need to keep it handy.” Mike wrapped a belt around his waist, the belt was made by 5.11 Tactical and he’d bought it specifically to carry a holster for the 6” King Cobra .357 Magnum. Liz noticed that Mike had kept the belt on his pants, but transitioned the Bowie knife to this new belt.

“You need two belts?”

“Well this way I can easily stash the Magnum if we need to be a bit more low profile. This was one of your Dad’s guns Liz, he’d want it used to keep us safe.”

Mike climbed into the driver’s seat and soon they were travelling on the highway again, Toledo was about thirty minutes away.

“What do you think happened to that cop back there?” Liz asked

“I don’t know. I’m guessing that there was some kind of breakdown of society after that last announcement from the President, I mean people might have just gone crazy, not everyone but enough to cause trouble and mayhem. I guess the cop just got between those people and everyone else.”

“Is that what we’ve come to? Is this what humanity has risen to? Destroying everything we worked for?” Liz sighed and stared out the window.

“Not all people Liz, just some, but there’s enough of those assholes to make it bad for everyone else.”

“So what now?” Liz turned to face Mike.

“We keep going to New York. It doesn’t look like there’s any point in staying off the highway, pretty soon we’re going to hit the turnpike anyway. If we see trouble we’ll go around it but I think the important thing now is we get to Nadine as quickly as possible. We have to assume she’s holed up and safe. We’ll get there Liz, don’t worry.”

Liz looked at Mike and then reached over and hugged him.

“Thank-you.” she said quietly.

They reached the Ohio turnpike an hour later. The lights were still showing which lanes were open and Mike dutifully headed into one of the green lanes. He slowed as they reached the booth but it was empty, the door open and swinging in the slight breeze.

“It’s so weird seeing everything abandoned like this.” Liz said. There were no cars at any of the booths and none in the parking lot next to the facility for the booths.

“I think everyone just went home and never came back. If there’s anyone still alive out there they’re hunkered down trying to wait this thing out.” Mike observed. He gave the truck gas and they were soon cruising at just over 70 mph on the well maintained asphalt.

Mike had never enjoyed the drive on the turnpike. It was devoid of any character or distinguishable features, just one long gray strip of monotony stretching across Ohio and Pennsylvania. Occasionally a service area would appear but even these became mundane as each one was a cookie cutter copy of the next. The only thing that made this road interesting was the multiple speed traps set by Ohio state police. It was widely accepted in Michigan that the buckeye state troopers targeted Michigan license plates.

The radio had been scanning through the wavelengths for any indication of a signal but so far they’d heard nothing except the EAS message, until suddenly a voice came through, distorted but still audible.

“…this message you are less than fifty miles from me. My name is Jack Hutching. I’m broadcasting on the EAS frequency. Everyone is dead. I don’t know why I’m not dead. If you can hear me please come. I don’t know what to do and I don’t know where to go. I’m at a state police station on the turnpike.”

Mike looked at Liz, then turned back to the stare at the long road and wondered what was waiting for them ahead.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten