Going Viral

by Andrew Puckett

  ‘She’s ill,’ he said when we asked for his wife, ‘she’s in a bad way.’

  She was. A glance was enough to tell us she had smallpox.

  ‘Can’t you do something?’ her husband asked pathetically.

  I told him to stay put and that an ambulance would be along within half an hour to take them both to hospital. Anne asked him about other contacts and whether he could remember her works shifts.

  Then Struthers directed us to the next address. Same result, except that it was a daughter who let us in. A quick examination, instructions, then onto the next. Same result.

  We could hear the ambulance sirens as we drove back to the Village Hall. The first of them arrived at the same time as we did.

  ‘How many can you take?’ I asked the driver.

  ‘Four max.’

  I gave him two of the addresses and the third to the next. I phoned for more ambulances, then went inside to find Brendon had arrived, together with Marty Gannon, who’d left a squaddie in charge of the chopper.

  The vaccination chain was ready, so I found Struthers and asked him what the population of the village was.

  ‘Around three hundred…’

  Anne called me over and showed me the shift patterns – all three of the new cases were working in the store on 20th February –

  ‘That’ll be when it was done,’ I said. ‘I think we’ve got enough for TV and radio messages, you know: would anyone who was in the store on or about that date … What do you think?’

  She nodded. ‘What about ring vaccinating, shall I start now?’

  I thought for a moment… ‘If the population’s only three hundred, I think it’s safer to simply do the lot – especially as so many of them’ll been to the County Stores.’

  ‘Have we got enough vaccine?’

  ‘I brought a pack of five hundred.’

  ‘Can we get it done tonight?’

  I nodded. ‘I think so.’

  ‘Then I’d say do it – while I start chasing up the contacts outside the village.’

  ‘How many are there?’

  ‘At least a dozen so far, but that’s going to go up, isn’t it? We’ll need more tracers…’

  ‘I’ll see to it. How many in the village?’

  ‘Double that.’

  ‘Make me a list of them so that I can make sure they’re done here, then go. Take Brendon with you. You can use his car.’

  She nodded and started on the list.

  I found Struthers and Marty and asked them to start on a house-to-house to get the villagers to come for vaccination.

  ‘What, every house?’ Struthers asked.

  ‘As many as you can. Keep a list and I’ll try and get someone to relieve you. Have you got your phone, Marty?’

  He gave me the number and they went off. Anne gave me her list, then she and Brendon left too.

  Gibb was on the phone, presumably to one of his patrols, so I dug out my own phone, called Fenella again and told her I thought we had enough for radio and TV alerts.

  ‘I agree. Shall I do it now?’

  ‘Please – and could you send some more team members from the other areas to the hospital? And we need more here,’ I added, ‘especially contact tracers.’

  She said she would, then I called Brigg and told him what we’d found at the store.

  He said, ‘I’m going to need to come and look at the air conditioning with an engineer, there may be something there to help us.’

  ‘Now?’

  ‘While there’s still daylight.’

  I looked at my watch – just after four, which gave him a couple of hours …

  ‘Come to the Village Hall first to get the engineer vaccinated,’ I told him, then went to keep Gibb up to date with the people I’d need to come and go through the road-blocks.

  ‘Anyone tried to sneak out yet?’ I asked him.

  ‘A couple. We turned them back with no trouble.’ He hesitated, said, ‘The trouble may come tonight – it’ll be more difficult to stop them in the dark.’

  ‘They’d have to be on foot, wouldn’t they?’

  ‘Yeah, but some might still try.’

  ‘Just do your best.’

  He nodded and I left him to it.

  People had started to come in for vaccination. Tom was wiping arms and applying vaccine, Clare was needling and Emily was sticking on plasters and taking their names. I realised it would move quicker with someone to help us with that, so I went and asked Gibb if he could spare one of his men to scribe. He found one and I set him to it. And the line moved that little bit faster…

  My phone went – it was Sarah…

  ‘Herry, where are you, I’ve been trying to get you…’

  ‘It’s all right, you’ve got me now – what’s the problem?’

  ‘It’s Mum, she’s really ill, she’s come out in this terrible rash…’

  I closed my eyes for a beat, then – ‘Stay where you are, I’ll be with you in five minutes.’

  ‘Five… but where are –?’

  ‘I’ll be there, OK?’

  I shut her off, phoned the ambulance station and asked them to divert one of the ambulances, then went to find Gibb…

  He was in the room he’d commandeered…

  ‘A word?’

  ‘What’s up?’

  ‘I’ve got a problem…’

  He glanced at the soldier with him – ‘Jenkins, lose yourself a minute.’

  Jenkins did that and I poured out the story… ‘I want to go myself, make sure she and my daughter are OK, but I don’t want to be accused of favouritism…’

  ‘Surely, it’s another contact,’ he said. ‘You’ve got every right to go and check it out, haven’t you?’

  ‘I shouldn’t leave…’

  ‘Go on, we’ll be fine. I’ll be here and you’ve got your mobile, haven’t you?’

  ‘Thanks,’ I said, and hurried out.

  I stopped long enough to tell Clare I was checking another contact, then, drove off.

  But I should have remembered Sod’s third law – that shit always hits in triplicate…

  Chapter 33

  A few minutes after Herry had gone, Gibb went to the main hall to check things were going smoothly. They were - the line of vaccinees was moving and, from the smile on Private Benton’s face, he was enjoying himself working with the two women –

  ‘Sir, sir!’ Jenkins calling him from the office – ‘It’s roadblock two, urgent…’

  He took the phone from Jenkins and listened for a moment, then –

  ‘I’ll be there,’ he snapped, and shut the phone off. ‘Fuck, fuck, fuck…’

  ‘Problem, sir?’

  He looked at the vaccination line a moment, then made up his mind and went over to Clare –

  ‘I’m sorry ladies – and gent – but I’m going to have to borrow Benton for a while. We’ll be back as soon as we can. You two, come with me.’

  They hurried out, clambered into the Land Rover and drove off.

  ‘What is it, sir?’ asked Jenkins, who was driving.

  Gibb said between his teeth, ‘Some stupid bastard’s run the block and Cousins is down.’

  ‘Dead?’

  ‘Not yet, according to Parsons, but he will be if we don’t get him to hospital. We’ll bring him back to the hall for an ambulance –’

  ‘Couldn’t one of the ones coming in pick him up on the way, sir?’

  ‘They’re all coming from the south, Jenkins, while we, you might have noticed are travelling north.’

  They roared up through the woods and rounded a bend to see the roadblock ahead. Cousins was lying on his back on the road and Parsons was putting something under his head.

  ‘Benton, you help Parsons get him onto the stretcher, Jenkins – help me find something more substantial to put across the road…’

  *

  In the Village Hall, all went well until a good looking, well-dressed man approached Clare.

  ‘Are you in charge?’ he asked diffid
ently.

  She nodded.

  He lowered his voice. ‘I wonder if I might trespass on your goodwill – I’m expecting an important international call and I didn’t realise how long the queue would be – I wonder if you might stretch a point and fit me in here?’

  ‘Bloody cheek,’ said the woman first in the queue behind him.

  ‘Oi, you, get to the back,’ came a voice from behind her.

  Clare looked up. ‘I really don’t think we can,’ she began, ‘It won’t take long –’

  ‘You ‘eard ‘er, Prince - ‘ another voice – ‘Get to the back.’

  Prince turned round. ‘I wasn’t aware I was speaking to you,’ he said…

  Whether it was his bearing, his accent, or some prior knowledge of him – it was enough. The second protester came up and shoved him backwards – ‘You can wait like the rest of us –’

  ‘I said - ‘ Prince’s fist smacked into his nose, then the other into his gut – ‘I wasn’t talking to you…’

  Two other men grabbed Prince and wrestled him to the floor, but as he went down, he clutched the edge of the table and the arm wipes, vaccine and waste containers went flying –

  Tom tried to intervene, but was shoved roughly away –

  Prince lashed out with his foot and caught someone’s shin –

  A woman grabbed her husband as he tried to join in – ‘Don’t you dare Jim Payne…’

  Clare shouted, Emily screamed and people crowded round the fighters –

  Then a stentorian voice cracked out and everything stopped –

  ‘What the HELL is going on?’

  It was Brigg; he pushed through the melee and dragged one of the scrappers to his feet – ‘YOU – get over there against the wall, YOU – get up, get over there, you too…’

  Stunned, pugilists and wrestlers alike did as they were told… and Rebecca had a sudden insight into what old fashioned coppering really meant –

  She pulled herself together – ‘What happened?’ she asked Clare, who quickly explained.

  ‘Right,’ said Brigg, ‘you three are under arrest, the rest of you, back into line – now!’

  As they meekly did as they were told, Rebecca became aware of an ambulance siren… ‘You – ‘she said to the first man in the line – ‘Help him get the table up, and you – you can help her clear up the mess…’

  The table was righted, the detritus cleared away, and order gradually restored.

  ‘Where are Major Gibb and Dr Smith?’ Brigg asked Clare. ‘I was told they’d be here.’

  ‘They were called away.’

  ‘Both of them? Surely they’d have left someone here… Ah!’ he said as Gibb came in. ‘Where the hell’ve you been?’ he asked him in an undertone.

  Gibb curtly explained… ‘I’ve just got him into that ambulance, but it’ll be touch and go …’

  ‘What about Dr Smith?’

  ‘Called away to a new smallpox case,’ he said. ‘He should be back any minute… What happened here?’

  ‘While you were away,’ Brigg began, and told him…

  ‘Jesus wept,’ Gibb muttered in disgust.

  ‘Is there anywhere we lock these heroes away?’ Brigg indicated the sullen males standing in disgrace by the wall.

  ‘Is that really necessary, in the circumstances?’

  ‘Oh yes,’ Brigg began grimly, then – ‘Maybe not, I don’t suppose they’re going anywhere. I’ll get their names and addresses and turn them loose.’

  Chapter 34

  Sarah must have watching out for me, because she’d opened the door before I could ring and thrown her arms round me.

  ‘Herry, what’s happening? I heard a helicopter landing, and sirens…’

  I held her for a moment, then said, ‘Let’s have a look at your mother first.’

  I followed her along the hall and up the wide, curving staircase. ‘Is Grace OK?’

  ‘She’s asleep – why shouldn’t she be OK?’

  ‘Let me see your mother first,’ I repeated.

  I took one look at her and ushered Sarah out.

  ‘She’s got smallpox,’ I said.

  She closed her eyes and pressed her lips together for a moment, then- ‘Is she going to be all right?’

  ‘How long has she been ill?’

  ‘I – about two or three days I think…’

  ‘Then if we get her to hospital now, she’s got every chance.’ I pulled out my phone and called an ambulance.

  ‘This is what you’ve been worried about, isn’t it?’

  I took her hands... ‘An ambulance is on its way, you and Grace need to go with it and get vaccinated. This is important Sarah – can you remember whether you went into the County Stores around the 20th?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ she said wildly… ‘Probably, I’m always popping in for something…’

  ‘And you feel OK, no headache or joint pains?’

  ‘No… you think I’ve got it…?’

  ‘No, I don’t…’ God please…

  The sound of the ambulance cut across us –

  ‘You get Grace ready, I’ll take them up to Pat.’

  ‘What will I need?’

  ‘Feeding stuff, nappies, night things – you’ll almost certainly need to stay.’

  I went downstairs and opened the door just as it rang.

  ‘Up here…’

  They gently transferred Pat to a stretcher and took her back down. Sarah and I got Grace into her baby seat and let the paramedic strap her in, then I held Sarah a moment before helping her into the back.

  ‘I’ll be along sometime tonight,’ I said.

  ‘Will you let Dad know?’

  I nodded. The door shut. I stood watching as it drove away and vanished into the trees. Stood awhile longer, then phoned Roland.

  ‘How’s it going?’ I asked him.

  ‘All right.’ He sounded exhausted. ‘Seven’s full and Eight’s filling. Six is being evacuated.’

  ‘I’ve just sent you another, I’m afraid. Pat, my mother-in-law.’

  ‘Oh God Herry, I’m sorry…’

  ‘Sarah and Grace are with her. Obviously, they’ve been exposed, but I’m not sure exactly when.’

  ‘Do they have symptoms?’

  ‘Pat – plenty. Sarah and Grace, not yet, so could you make sure they’re both vaccinated the moment they get there?’

  ‘Are you sure about Grace – how old is she?’

  ‘Two months, and yes, I am sure – so long as she has immunoglobulin as well. She’s been heavily exposed, and the risk of that’s greater.’

  ‘All right.’

  Very young children can get a nasty, even dangerous, infection from the vaccine, but I was in no doubt about which was the greater risk. Roland asked what was happening at my end and I gave him a quick précis.

  Then I tried John, but was put through to answerphone.

  It seemed heartless to leave such a message, but I had no idea when I’d be able to speak to him, so that’s what I did. I rang switchboard and told them to bleep him, then I drove back to the Village Hall.

  As I drew up, Gibb hurried out to meet me.

  ‘OK?’ he asked.

  ‘No, not really,’ I said. I told him what had happened, then noticed Brigg inside ordering people around.

  ‘What’s going on here?’ I asked…

  Gibb quickly explained about the injured soldier at the roadblock, the riot while he’d been away and Brigg’s intervention. He went on quietly, ‘I suggest we keep it to ourselves that it was your family you went to – just in case, eh?’

  ‘Thanks,’ I said.

  We went in. Brigg pounced on me and took me into one of the smaller rooms.

  ‘You’ve heard what happened?’

  I nodded. ‘Gibb just told me.’

  ‘It’ll be dark soon and I need to get the engineer vaccinated so we can examine the plant, but we’d better not try and push in after what’s happened…’

  ‘Bring him in here and I’ll do him.�
�

  If anything, the engineer was even more nervous than Struthers, so I did it as quickly as I could. Brigg was hustling him away when I remembered the store keys and dug into my pocket –

  ‘You’ll need these,’ I called…

  As soon as they’d gone, I rang Anne. Answerphone. I asked her to call me back. Checked the vaccination line… Clare had got it moving nicely again.

  How much time had been wasted by the fight, I wondered? The queue snaked out of the door…

  How were Marty and Struthers doing? I rang Marty, who told me that Struthers was all in.

  ‘How far on are you?’ I asked.

  ‘I’d guess we’ve done between two thirds and three quarters.’

  I went over to the entrance and tried to estimate how many were waiting…

  ‘There’re at least fifty waiting here, so take Struthers home, then come

  back and have a breather.’

  As soon as I rang off, Anne called.

  ‘We’ve just about finished all the contacts,’ she said.

  ‘How many?’

  ‘I’ve ring vaccinated well over forty, and sent eight in. One more call to make – unless they tell me about someone else…’

  ‘Do it, then come back here.’

  ‘Is it bad?’

  ‘It has been. I’ll tell you later. Go and do your call.’

  I went back to the line and asked Private Benton how many he thought they’d done so far. He did a quick count and told me about 150.

  Halfway. Add another fifty for those outside, that meant around a hundred still to come in… I glanced at my watch… 6.30… counting the gap for the fight, we’d been going for around two hours, so maybe another two and a half would do it… 9.00…

  Then Brigg and Rebecca came back in. We went to the side room again and they told me what they’d found…

  They’d gowned up as I’d taught them, then gone up into the roof space, where Shane, the engineer, had shown them the air intake, the main duct and the smaller pipes that took the air to different parts of the store. Then he’d inspected the ports at the far end of each pipe until he’d found one that had been recently opened...

  ‘How did he know?’ I asked.

  ‘Scratches on the screw heads,’ Brigg replied.

  He’d taken the cover off and shown them where the filter had been taken out. He checked a couple of the other pipes to make sure, but their filters were still in place. Then they’d hunted around until they’d found the missing filter hidden under the other pipes. They’d left it there for Forensic.