Once Dale had the young girl settled in her hospital room, he made a beeline for the Denny home.
Dawn was just beginning to break when Dale knocked hard on their front door. Within a few minutes the door opened and a sleepy eyed Brent looked at Dale with confusion.
Dale just said “I have some bad news for you” and he walked past Brent into the Denney home. He was not feeling any sympathy for Tisha’s parents. They had brought the plague to innocent people through their deception.
Open mouthed, Brad stepped aside. The sounds had woken Linda who walked into the living room.
Dale went straight to the point.
“Were your children inoculated?” he asked. “They were wearing the lapel pins” he reminded them.
Linda and Brent looked at each other and then back at Dale.
“Why do you ask?” inquired Brent.
“Answer my question!” Dale demanded trying to subdue the anger welling up in him.
Overcome with guilt, Linda blurted out “We were just trying to protect our children! We didn’t know what effects the antidote would have on them. Why are you asking?”
“Tisha was attacked tonight and with no inhibitor, she attacked Claire and her two youngest daughters. They’re all in the hospital right now in tremendous pain.”
Only caring for the moment about her own daughter, Claire demanded “Where’s Tisha? What happened to her?”
Brent put his arm protectively around his wife.
“She was attacked, turned and now she’s dead” Dale said quietly, his initial anger beginning to subside.
“No! No! Where is she? I want to see her now!” Linda cried out.
“Her body is locked up in the Willing home until we can get the coroner to dispose of it. You cannot go to her.”
As tears flowed freely down Brent and Linda’s faces, Dale’s heart went out to them.
“Tisha and Cily apparently went outside after everyone had gone to bed to ride Cily’s bike. One of those Turner things had wandered here and attacked them. After Tisha was attacked she went back into the house. She got to Claire first and then found the sisters while Claire was calling for help.”
Linda and Brent now not only sobbed at the loss of their daughter but also in sorrow at the devastation they had brought on an innocent family and Dale’s mind wandered to the homecoming Kevin would receive when he came home.
19 The Treatment
Charles and Kirsten had everything set up in the surgery.
The latest victims had given them an even greater sense of urgency to find a way to give relief to the infected, if not a cure. Claire and her little girls were so tragic. Screams could be heard throughout the hospital when they were brought in. Something had to be done and quickly. If the transfusion worked for Henny, they would find a way to acquire the blood for Claire and the girls.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The nurse made Henny comfortable and set up the IVs. Henny had been cross matched earlier in preparation for the procedure. She had also been taken off of painkillers for the process so the medical staff could determine if the transfusion was having any effect. She moaned from the pain, trying hard not to cry.
The blood exchange began. All they could do now was to wait.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two hours into the transfusion, Henny stopped moaning and looked lovingly at her husband.
“The burning is easing up. Thank you Charles, thank you.”
“Oh Henny, I’m so glad we found something that worked.” He was filled with overwhelming relief that Henny wasn’t suffering anymore. Also, the hope that soared through him at the thought of a cure for the antidote, was intoxicating. Now there was a way to escape the horrible plague, albeit a roundabout one.
Kirsten, who had been waiting and monitoring Henny with Charles, decided it was a good time to take a break and give the couple a little time together after their ordeal.
She also needed time to think things through. Questions kept running through her mind which had no answers and she needed to sit down with Charles and work them out. She would send all of the information she had to the CDC. There was nothing like being in the field and working hands on and Charles was the only other one who had worked through the treatment with her. Henny would need to be monitored very closely.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
On the second floor, Dale was in Cily’s room. Now that she had been hooked up to an IV and was steadily being fed pain killers, she was quietly resting.
“Cily, can you tell me what happened?” Dale asked.
“I wanted to show Tisha my new bike. I know we weren’t supposed to be outside but we were going to come right back as soon as Tisha got to see it” Cily explained anxiously, afraid that she was going to get into trouble. Dale picked up on it.
“You’re not in trouble Cily. We just need to know what we’re dealing with. What happened after you went to the garage?”
“Tisha just wanted to ride my bike one time and then we were going back into the house. She got it out of the garage and was walking it to the street.”
“Is that when she was attacked?” Dale injected.
Fear grew in Cily’s eyes. “Yes. Someone grabbed her and tried to pull her off the bike. She screamed and I was going to run for help but then a man grabbed me too and started biting me!”
Dale’s eyes widened at this information. “There were two people?”
“Yes. Then Tisha and me ran into the house but she started biting mommy. Mommy told me to run and so I ran to the shed and hid. I don’t know why Tisha was biting my mommy.” Tears began to run down Cily’s face.
“Shh,” Dale soothed Cily. The last thing he wanted to do was to cause her anguish. He smoothed her hair and at the same time rang for the nurse. “You’ve been a big help Cily. Just rest now and the nurse will take care of you.”
Dale left as soon as the nurse entered the room and called Carson.
“Carson, meet me at the station as soon as possible,” Dale ordered when Carson picked up the radio.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Carson walked in, Dale filled him in on his conversation with Cily.
“If there are two there may be more.” Dale’s worst fear was realized.
“We found one of them and destroyed it” Carson informed Dale. “The posse dispersed because we only knew of one. I’ll call them back out and we’ll search for the other one.” Carson picked up the phone to start making calls while working out a search grid for the posse so no time would be lost or areas missed.
Dale headed back to the hospital. He needed to find out how Henny was doing after the transfusion.
Walter’s seclusion was no longer an advantage and he prayed that they would at least have a cure.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kirsten had given Charles as much time as she could with Henny before interrupting them.
“Henny, would you mind if I borrow Charles for a bit?” she asked.
“Not at all” Henny smiled sweetly. Inside, she felt renewed but looking at her hands and arms, she knew she would never be the same.
“Thanks Henny” Kirsten said and left the room.
Charles found a spot on Henny’s forehead that didn’t look too bad and kissed it.
“I’ll see you later.”
“Let me know of any changes immediately” he told Marsha as he passed her in the hall.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Well” Kirsten began. “Henny’s reaction to the transfusion raises all kinds of questions and possibilities. But it took a full transfusion of whole blood to give her the level of relief she’s experiencing.
We both know there’s not a limitless supply and now we have three more people who will need to be treated.
I think we should allow a couple of days before we transfuse the others to see how Henny reacts over a longer period. We can keep them on a light drip of morphine to help keep them comfortable. If Henny does well then maybe we can try giving partial transfusions to the others. If that gives them relief, we won’t exh
aust the blood supply so quickly and we can experiment with different quantities of blood.”
“Agreed” said Charles. “I’ll get Leo to organize a blood drive and get a larger area set up here to draw and store.”
“The CDC is watching this town closely, Charles. They’re hoping Henny’s outcome will be the game changer we so desperately need,” Kirsten reminded Charles. “One of their top hematologists has this as their sole priority and by updating him as I accumulate information, we’ll figure this out.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two days later, Henny was sitting up in bed when Charles came into her room. Encouraged that she was doing better he went over to gently kiss the spot on her forehead but stroked her hair instead when he saw that the spot was showing signs of decay. His hopes plummeted.
Masking his disappointment as best he could, he asked his Henny how she was doing.
“How do you feel sweetheart?” he asked.
“Oh, much better. The internal burning is almost completely gone but I feel like I’m skinned up all over.”
Then she smiled brightly at him. “I think I’m ready to go home!” she announced.
“That’s wonderful dear but I don’t think I want you alone just yet.”
When the nurse showed up with Henny’s lunch, Charles excused himself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Charles found Kirsten in the lab looking through the microscope at a sample.
“Can you talk for a minute?” Charles asked.
Looking up at the sound of Charles concerned voice, Kirsten gave him her full attention.
“Henny seems to be doing better as far as pain is concerned.” He paused, wanting to make sure he wasn’t imagining things.
“That’s what we were hoping for” Kirsten encouraged Charles.
“I know it is but I think Henny’s body is still decomposing!”
“Go on” Kirsten said with her brow furrowed.
“Henny was starting to decompose when we transfused her. There was an area on her forehead where I kissed her that was clear. I went to see her earlier and the clear spot is now gone!”
Charles concern was not lost on Kirsten. If all the transfusion did was relieve pain but the body continued to decay and rot, then what was the point? To slowly watch one’s body rot away would be worse than death.
20 Friends Are Gone
Suri became the liaison between the town and the hospital for the blood drive which was a huge success. The closely connected community was rising to the challenge.
But over the weeks as she regularly visited Henny, Claire and the girls at their homes, she knew something was very wrong. She noticed the flesh slowly changing on them, not as quickly as a dead body but there was no doubt is was happening. She had come to the point where she would dab some menthol balm in each nostril to keep her stomach from turning at their stench when she visited them. She also noticed the nursing staff was now wearing masks when they worked with the victims and they had also been moved to a more secluded area on the hospital floor.
She wondered if the transfusions were a viable solution. Although Henny and the others found great relief from the fresh blood, within two weeks the pain was back and another transfusion was needed. Four others had also become infected so she was monitoring the blood supplies closely.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Hi Henny” she said cheerfully as she walked into the Wiggins home.
“Hello Suri dear.” Henny reached out to her friend but Suri touched her friends covered arm affectionately with both hands to avoid closer physical contact. Even the feel of the squishy skin under her clothing was creepy.
“How are you doing?” she asked Henny who had not missed the gesture. She understood though. Her sense of smell had gone but seeing the state of her flesh, she knew she had to smell quite odious.
“I’m doing fine Suri but I am a bit tired today.” She cared deeply for her friend and didn’t want to offend her any longer than was necessary.
Suri opened her shoulder bag and pulled out a pound cake that she had baked.
“I thought you might want something sweet to go with your tea.”
Henny smiled at the thoughtfulness of her longtime friend. Suri was pretty much the only one who visited her now. Even Charles seemed to have more to do at the hospital. Life was getting lonely and isolated.
Aware of her friend’s discomfort, Henny decided to give Suri an exit.
“I seem to be more tired than usual Suri. Would you mind coming back another time? I think I’ll have some of this delicious looking cake and lay down for a nap.”
Suri hoped the relief she felt did not reveal itself on her face. “Oh, not at all. You need to rest and get better.” Suri wanted to bite her tongue. ‘What a stupid thing to say’ she thought.
Everyone knew at this point that the victims would never be normal again.
The antidote was not a cure but rather a suspended state of hell. Not a Turner so they could be put out of their misery but not a normal human either so they could casually interact socially.
Suri smiled at her friend and left.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
In Dr. Wiggin’s office, Kirsten sat across from Charles filling him in on a recent CDC update.
“They want me in Goodyear. There’s a penal facility out there that hasn’t been touched because of its remoteness and security. Based on our reports of the antidote they feel there is nothing else to be done here. I’m sorry Charles to have to leave you with this mess.”
Although Charles’ heart sank at the thought of losing the only person better equipped than himself to deal with Walter’s ‘problem’, he knew the outbreak was spreading uncontrollably.
“I completely understand. We’ll figure out a way to deal with things here.”
“There’s one more thing” Kirsten said, having difficulty with how to relay the news she had received that morning. ”The CDC is having this area marked with signage warning people. They’re simply going to say ’90°s turns’. It seems that the media, such as it is, has coined the term ’90°’ when referencing Walters and they think the healthy should be warned about what they’re coming into in case there is still residue that could be absorbed.”
“But that will only make us a target for anyone who knows about the AT48. Signs like that will keep everyone out!”
“I’m so sorry Charles. I didn’t have any say in the matter.”
“I’m sorry Kirsten. I know you’re doing all that you can.”
“I’ll have to be on the road within the hour and I have a lot to tie up here…” Kirsten drifted, not quite sure how to end the conversation.
Charles knew and helped her out. “Then you had better get going,” Charles stood up and offered his hand to Kirsten who took it. Then filled with such compassion for the good doctor and regret at having to leave him when he was in such need of her help, she reached out and gently hugged him.
“My prayers are with you,” she said and turned away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
‘What a mess’ Charles thought, overwhelmed at dealing with an entire town by himself. In days past he would have looked forward to going home to the out stretched arms of Henny. Now though, it felt like a tomb. He loved Henny still but the smells and sight of her slowly rotting flesh were hard to deal with. Consequently, his work days just got longer and many times he slept at the hospital.
The guilt he felt at leaving Henny alone so much, weighed heavily on him.
21 Ways to Cope
The McCullen family was dealing with the changes as best as they could. Lonny and Faye had made the choice to stay in Walters. In their minds, nowhere was safe from the epidemic but at least they knew the countryside and people, strange as they were becoming.
The day broke clear and sunny. James, Leandra’s older brother asked his dad if he wanted to go fishing at the pond near their home.
“I’d love nothing more on a day like this but I promised your mom that I would finish this project for her” Lonny
said, pointing to the paint buckets on the porch. “Stuff like this makes things still feel normal. I would have you help me but it’s pretty much a one man chore. Go on and catch a couple of good ones for dinner.” Lonny patted his oldest sons’ back affectionately.
James grabbed his pole and tackles and headed down the road leading to the pond.
With his mind on what he’d pulled out of his favorite fishing spot in times past, his anticipation grew at the thought of what was waiting for him now.
Half a mile from his house, he stepped off the road and cut through a patch of scrub and Palo Verde trees.
When he’d only gone a few yards, he noticed a woman bent over something.
Thinking she was having difficulty digging out some kind of root, he made his way over to her to see if she needed a hand.
He called out a greeting to her so as not to scare her and closed the distance between them. When he touched her shoulder, she turned to him.
To his horror, her face was smeared with blood from the dead animal she was leaning over. His reaction was too slow as she lunged at him. She grabbed his leg and ferociously bit in.
Screaming out in pain and shock, James dug in and got free of her hold. Struggling to his feet, he ran as fast as he could back home. Slowing down only when he was back on the road again, he took a moment to examine his wound. It was bleeding freely so he hoped that whatever bacteria had been injected was being cleansed out of his system. His mom would clean and wrap it and he would go see Dr. Wiggins if she thought he should.
As the minutes passed, a burning pain began shooting through his leg and into his abdomen. He moved faster.
He found his father, then his mother.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Responding to a neighbor’s call, Carson had found them all and did what was necessary as none of them were wearing the lapel pins.
Then he called Dale. “The wounds and blood patterns on James told the story since there was no blood around the mouths of Lonny or Faye.
When Dale arrived, minutes later, all he could think of was how he was going to break the news to Leandra and Tim. The McCullens were such a tight knit family and he was afraid of what this would do to the two youngest children.
Turners | Book 2 | 90 Degrees Page 5
