Enza

by Kristy K. James

  “Thirty-six,” Marcus answered seriously. “And you should know, you may be getting more large orders, Andrew. You see, I just got a call…”

  ~~~

  After listening to Arnold’s tale of what it was really like, Jonathon hadn’t been able to enjoy trench warfare anymore. After all, the game had been exciting and fun, and war obviously was not. Why anyone had ever thought it was fun was a mystery. Some of the guys still liked playing because they hadn’t heard all the awful stuff he had. Still, he’d started playing with some of the other kids, even though his heart wasn’t in it. He wished Luke would come home.

  It appeared, though, that he wasn’t the only one lacking enthusiasm. Gordy Cartwright and Sam Collins were definitely distracted, whispering together far more often than playing. Jonathon wanted to know why, so he crept up behind them.

  “My pop told my mother that thousands of people were dying out on the east coast,” Sam whispered, looking at his dusty shoes.

  “Big deal. That’s on the east coast. Michigan is a long way from there.”

  “He said it’s moving west. He sounded really scared.”

  “It’ll never come here. That’s hundreds of miles away from us.”

  “So is London and Berlin, and people are dying everywhere. It’s all over the world, Gordy.”

  Jonathon felt chilled, and a little sick. Were they talking about the Spanish influenza? He’d heard a little talk of it, seen photographs in the newspaper with people wearing masks, but he hadn’t paid much attention to it.

  “Did he say anything else?” Gordy was running a hand that shook through his bright blond curls.

  “Just that cities are closing everything. Schools, stores, even churches. But it’s not stopping it. More and more people just keep getting sick and dying. Oh yeah. He also said it’s killing more younger people. I don’t know what he meant.”

  “How young?”

  “He didn’t say.”

  “Do you think he meant young like us?” Jonathon blurted out, finally letting them know he’d been listening. Sam looked up at him, his brown eyes wide with fear.

  “I don’t know. I hope not.”

  ~~~

  With the extreme heat of summer behind them, Daniel wished that everyone could just enjoy the pleasant, early October weather. But no one was enjoying much of anything. Not with the threat of the influenza epidemic. It had swept through most of the eastern coast of the United States and was moving westward at an alarming rate, killing thousands in its wake. And now it had reached inside the borders of Michigan, new cases in cities as near as Battle Creek were being reported daily in the Charlotte Republican.

  Even Nina’s enthusiasm over their upcoming wedding, less than two weeks away now, had paled in light of the fear that it might come here. He reached over and squeezed her hand, and she looked up and smiled at him from where she sat on the seat of the buggy beside him. Even that wasn’t as bright as it had been even a week ago.

  “It’s going to be all right, Nina,” he promised gently. She didn’t have to ask what he meant.

  “I hope so. It’s getting closer all the time.”

  “Well, I’ve heard talk around town that if it comes much closer, they’re going to close the roads and stop everyone from coming in. If they quarantine Charlotte, I don’t think trains can stop here either. The mayor is even recommending that people avoid traveling unless it’s an emergency. We won’t get it here. I’m sure of it.”

  “What about the buses that takes the workers to the automobile factory in Lansing? They come through here every day.”

  “They’ll deal with it if it becomes a problem. No one wants the epidemic here and they’ll do whatever they have to do to prevent it. Even if they have to make those men stay in Lansing until the threat has passed.”

  She laid her head against his shoulder and they rode in companionable silence for a while. As hard as he’d tried to convince her that everything would be fine, he had to work harder to convince himself. Since the word had first come that the epidemic had reached Michigan, he’d felt a sick fear in the pit of his stomach.

  Life had been hard when each of his parents had died, but he couldn’t remember ever being terribly unhappy outside of those events. On the other hand, he couldn’t ever recall being this happy either. Nina was everything he’d ever dreamed of and he desired, more than anything, to spend the rest of their lives together. Their long lives. The epidemic might be a threat to those dreams.

  The newspapers were saying that this influenza was different. It was killing people of all ages, but far more people their age than any other. People in the prime of their life. The young and not the old this time.

  He wished that there was a safe place to take her. Somewhere that the influenza couldn’t ever hurt her. But, from what he’d read, there wasn’t a place on the face of the earth that wasn’t being affected by it. All they could do was hope and pray.

  “I was thinking,” Nina said after several long minutes. She was staring at her lap, wringing her hands nervously. “Maybe we shouldn’t wait to get married.”

  “Not wait? What do you mean?”

  “Maybe we should get married now. Just in case.”

  Daniel stared at her in surprise. He knew she’d been looking forward to having a fussy wedding, though it had taken much encouragement from both him and Reverend Thornton before she’d agreed to one. In fact, the reverend had been the one to bring the subject up and had, of his own accord, taken it upon himself to enlist the ladies of the church to help make it happen.

  “Nina, don’t do this because you’re afraid. As much as I’d love to marry you this very minute, I know that you’ve been having the time of your life planning the wedding. Don’t give it up because you’re afraid. I promise, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “It’s not me I’m worried about,” she murmured. Daniel covered both of her hands with one of his.

  “Nothing is going to happen to me either.”

  “You can’t know that, Daniel. No one can know how this will all turn out. And you can’t control something like the influenza.”

  “No, we can’t control it, but we can take precautions against getting it.”

  “Like the surgical masks? They didn’t do a lot to help in New York or all of those other places in the world.”

  “Well how about we do this then?” He kissed her softly.

  “Kiss? That’s what we’re supposed to do to prevent it?” she gasped. Daniel laughed and shook his head.

  “I just couldn’t resist. But no, if it gets closer to Charlotte before the wedding, we’ll get married, buy enough food to last us a month and lock the house up tight as a drum. We won’t go out and we won’t let anyone in. That should keep us safe.”

  “What about work?” Nina asked, pointing out a serious flaw in his plans. “If it comes to Charlotte, they’ll need every nurse to help.”

  “No!” Daniel exclaimed, jerking the horse to a halt. He turned and grasped her shoulders, fear making him nauseous. “You absolutely will not be working around anyone with the influenza! I forbid it!”

  “But-”

  “No. You were going to quit after the wedding anyway. You can just quit now. In fact, you’re right. Let’s go back to town and have the reverend marry us now.” He wanted the right to forbid her to work. There was no way he was going to risk losing her if the worst were to happen.

  “But, Daniel-”

  “No. We’re getting married today.”

  “But you just said we should wait.”

  “I’ve changed my mind.”

  ~~~

  “I don’t want you going downtown anymore,” Elliot said softly, holding Meg close, his hand resting on her rounded stomach. From time to time he could feel the baby moving around and kicking.

  “The paper said there haven’t been that many cases in Michigan yet,” she reminded him, but he could feel her trembling. “At least not compared to how bad it’s hit other states.”

&n
bsp; “I don’t care. It’s not worth the risk. You know what they’re saying.” They both did and it terrified them. Expectant mothers were more susceptible than most of the population. “From now on, I’ll do all the shopping.”

  “All right.”

  “I’m scared, Meg. I want to take us all somewhere far, far away, but there doesn’t seem to be a place on earth that’s safe.”

  “We’ll be fine, Elliot. We already know what we’re going to do when it gets close. The influenza would have to learn to open locked doors and windows to get to us,” she whispered, trying to ease his fears.

  “I hope you’re right. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing any of you.”

  “And I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you. We’ll be okay, Elliot. I promise you.”

  He could tell she was having trouble staying awake. This far along in her pregnancy found her tiring out quite easily these days. He didn’t remember her being quite so exhausted with the other children, but she was nearly four years older than she’d been when Charles was born.

  A smile curved his lips when her soft snores filled the air a few moments later and he held her just a bit closer. Not enough to wake her, but he felt like he needed her as near as possible.

  An especially strong gust of wind blew in through the open window, parting the sheer curtains and caressing his bare back. But he couldn’t enjoy it. Couldn’t be grateful for it. Because he knew it carried with it a risk.

  Elliot couldn’t remember ever being so afraid in his life. Like everyone else, his mind hadn’t been able accept that something as horrible as the Spanish influenza could affect their lives. Sure the stories in the newspaper saddened him, but those things were happening in faraway places.

  Battle Creek was only about thirty miles from their front door. It wasn’t far away at all anymore. That thought hadn’t been far from his thoughts for most of the week and had, in fact, left him feeling sick to his stomach more often than not. Even knowing that more people were surviving than dying didn’t comfort him.

  Because too many people were dying. Hundreds of thousands of them. Some estimates were said it numbered closer to the tens of millions.

  If it reached Charlotte, if it got too bad, he didn’t know what he would do. His thoughts had jumped from one outrageous idea to another, including confining everyone to the basement. He could haul enough food and water down, along with mattresses and clothes to last them awhile – and nail the door shut until the danger had passed.

  Of course they would have no way of knowing when the danger had passed, not being cut off from everything like that.

  And, deep down, he knew it wouldn’t stop it anyway. The sickness, if it came – when it came – would be carried in with the very air they needed to live.

  Chapter 12

  Elliot closed himself in the storeroom, leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. Even so, a few tears managed to squeeze through and slide down his cheeks.

  He couldn’t recall ever having been as afraid in his life as when Charles started throwing up that morning. Meg had put in a frantic call to Dr. Garlington, who hadn’t wasted much time in making a house call. Only to assure them that, although there were a few cases of Spanish influenza in the southernmost areas of the county, there weren’t any nearby. Or at least none that he was aware of. Charles simply had a case of stomach flu, which a number of residents in the city limits had come down with during the past week or so.

  He’d thought for sure that the ruthless killer that was already causing some people to hole up like hermits had afflicted his youngest son and he’d been almost paralyzed with terror. No one knew where he’d been exposed, and he wasn’t even in school yet, so it could have been anywhere.

  What if someone brought the influenza home that way? It could be here already and they wouldn’t know.

  But he was going to make sure they stayed safe from it. When he locked the doors at six, he was hanging a notice saying that the shop would be closed until further notice. Then he was going to the mercantile and having a large order of food and canned goods delivered to the house.

  After that he would go to the meeting the mayor had called, but then everyone was staying at home. No to school, church or trips downtown. They should be safe enough in the house and yard, at least until word came that it was here – and then no one was leaving the house at all.

  ~~~

  The turnout for the meeting had grown so large that everyone had to be moved to the lawn of the courthouse, where the mayor and public health officer were having little success in trying to call everyone to order from where they stood at the top of the stairs on the southern side of the building. Colby, who had left with what he thought was more than enough time to get there early, had been forced to stand near the road and he wondered if he’d be able to hear anything at all. He knew he wouldn’t if the rightfully panicked crowd didn’t calm down.

  “Quiet!” the mayor said loudly. He had to repeat it several times, his voice rising in volume with each command, but slowly everyone quieted, giving him their undivided attention. Colby noticed that the mayor’s face and bald head were red from the exertion of shouting. “If you haven’t already heard, there were two cases of Spanish influenza diagnosed in Potterville yesterday. As a precautionary measure, Mr. Densteadt, our Public Health Officer, the town council and I have decided to close all roads leading into Charlotte, effective at dusk today.

  “At this time we urge you to spend as much of your time as possible in your homes and avoid gathering in groups. We feel it’s necessary to close our schools, churches, nickelodeons and other business establishments, and we would like to remind you that the more that you’re out and among others, the greater the risk of spreading the disease, should it reach our town.

  ”As for the issue of food, our fine grocers have decided that they will deliver orders to your doorsteps, but you have to telephone them before eleven each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Those who don’t have telephone service should wear their masks and quickly drop them in boxes that will be left outside their doors. But no one will be allowed inside. When it has been determined that the threat has passed, you will be notified that it’s back to business as usual.”

  At this point Mayor Taylor announced that Mr. Densteadt would now step forward with his suggestions.

  “Many medical practitioners feel that the wearing of surgical masks will help prevent the spread of the influenza epidemic. Fortunately the mayor, in anticipation of the need for them, has enough masks available for the citizens of Charlotte. We ask that you pick them up after the meeting and encourage those who weren’t able to come, to stop by to get their own as soon as possible. They will be available in the courthouse lobby until the supply is exhausted.

  “While the masks may, indeed, help prevent the spread of the influenza, I must reiterate what the mayor has already said and encourage you to stay in your homes as much as you are able. Avoid crowds and eat a healthy diet. Plenty of fruits and vegetables. And make sure that your masks are washed, and sterilized in boiling water after each wearing.

  “One final word. While it is true that the entire city will be closing down, there are a few notable exceptions. The sanatorium will remain open, as will the police and fire stations. All doctors will remain accessible to those requiring medical care. And, although we are not anticipating a problem with the Spanish influenza, we thought it best to be prepared in the unlikely event that we are wrong. Mayor Taylor, I think I’ll let you share this last bit of news.”

  Colby bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud at the expression on Fred Taylor’s face. Hearing the snickers spread through the crowd, it was clear that most everyone else hadn’t even tried. Obviously the good mayor didn’t want to say whatever was left to be said.

  “Yes. Well- Uh-” He sent a withering glare at George Densteadt before continuing. “Please keep in mind that, again, while we do not expect the influenza to affect anyone in town, we have tried to plan for every contingency. In
order to ensure that our citizens receive the best care available, should the need arise, we’ve had to make some decisions that-” He scowled at PHO Densteadt again. “Well, you know that most of our doctors are over in France caring for our wounded soldiers. That leaves us a little shorthanded in case of an emergency. So if worse comes to worse, and you can’t get hold of a physician, we’re advising you to contact one of the local veterinarians.”

  Colby had to cover the lower half of his face with his hands as an outraged, offended protest went up all around him. There might have been others chuckling, too, but he would bet that they were in the minority. He laughed harder when the mayor and public health officer beat a hasty retreat, closing themselves inside the courthouse. Apparently they’d bolted the door behind them because when the council members tried to follow, they couldn’t get in.

  As the small group men huddled together at the top of the steps, eyes wary as they watched the angry masses, he had to wipe tears from his eyes. He knew he should get hold of himself but seeing the city leaders turn into a pack of cowards before his very eyes was just plain funny.

  Finally, as the crowd began to calm down, and he managed to rein in his mirth, Colby took his place in the line that was growing so long that it would probably circle twice around the courthouse. He wanted to pick up masks for himself and Anna, but he also wanted to ask if he could have a few more. Some of the elderly members of his congregation would find it a hardship to come and get their own. While he waited for his turn, he began to pray that all of these measures would be enough.

  It wasn’t that he feared dying or anything like that. He knew his eternity would be spent in heaven. In fact, he looked forward to it. It was just that he wasn’t in any hurry to get there. There was still too much he wanted to do and experience here on earth.

  He loved being a minister. He loved his congregation. They were his life, if truth be told, and he wasn’t sure what he was going to do with the churches being closed, too. The prospect of spending endless days trapped inside his house was almost unbearable. He loved every moment spent away from home. Away from Anna.