Prepper's Sacrifice

by John Lundin

  Just as he was about to barge into the shower to rant to his wife, his phone rang.

  ‘Hey buddy, how’s it going?’ Tim’s ever-jovial voice chimed in.

  ‘Ah, Tim. I’m okay. Yeah, I’m okay. How about yourself?’

  ‘As good as good could be.’

  ‘So what did I do to deserve this phone call? Tell me the lady of the day cooks you breakfast and you’re not looking to have my wife whip up a meal for you, because…’

  Tim laughed. ‘As good as that dinner was, no, that’s not why I’m calling. The paper landed in my hotel room and I thought about it.’

  ‘See, I wasn’t lying when I told you that it’s coming.’

  ‘I knew you would say that. I just wanted to say good job on predicting that there’s more to everything than they’re letting us believe.’

  Stewart wasn’t sure if Tim was starting to take things seriously or if he’d called merely for the comic relief of it all.

  ‘I wouldn’t say it’s something to congratulate me about. Trust me, I was hoping I’d be wrong. But that’s what I’m telling you—before we know it, the whole world will be fighting for a hospital bed and it won’t do much good because even the nurses and the doctors will…’

  ‘I wouldn’t take it that far.’ The grim reality of the situation seemed to be dampening Tim’s mood. ‘I think we’ll all be good as long as we wash our hands and drink lots of green tea.’

  ‘Green tea. I guess it all depends on who’s serving you that green tea.’

  ‘Well, let’s just say that the lady of the day doesn’t look the least bit sick, and with energy like hers, she’ll kick Ebola’s butt right back to where it came from. So I’ll be safe for as long as she’s around.’

  ‘I guess all the bachelors in this world are immune then.’

  Their conversation came to a quick end once Anne entered the living room.

  ‘Who was that?’ she asked, noticing that Stewart had promptly ended his phone call.

  ‘Ah, just Tim. Calling to talk to me about the news.’

  ‘The news?’ she asked, pulling her blonde hair into a ponytail.

  ‘Yeah. He read about the new cases. Funny thing is, I was right on my way to tell you about them. They’ve diagnosed two more people with Ebola.’

  ‘In Florida?’

  ‘Yes Anne, in Florida, and my guess is that they’re keeping then in the hospital right up the road. Silly of us, isn’t it? To buy a house so close to a place that houses disease.’

  ‘Stewy, we’re not moving.’

  ‘No, no. I wasn’t saying that we should move, but I mean, it’s kind of troubling to think that once those people are let out, they’ll be shopping at the same stores as us, shaking the same hands as us. I get that they’ll be cured and all, but one slip up is enough for Ebola to get out of control in the US.’

  ‘And sleeping in the same bed as us,’ Anne mocked. ‘You’re getting a bit too invested in this whole thing. There are over five million people living in Florida and a mere two cases is no cause for concern.’

  ‘Three cases,’ Stewart corrected.

  ‘Two, three, four, same difference. The point is, neither you nor I are going to get sick.’

  ‘If you say so, but that doesn’t mean you should be walking around patting every Tom, Dick and Harry on the shoulder.’

  ‘Eh. Just Tom and Harry,’ she said in between laughs.

  ‘Ah, I see what you did there. Still, be careful.’

  ‘I’m always careful,’ she said, and headed back into the bedroom to finish getting dressed.

  In an hour, they’d have to head through the door and to work. Stewart took the time to collect their bugout bags from their individual cars and check the supplies. This was something that he did regularly, just to ensure that in the case of an emergency, they had the basics to get through the first 72 hours on the run. In fact, his car wasn’t the only place he kept a bugout bag. He had one in the pantry and another in his office. He wanted to make sure that no matter where he was when disaster struck, he’d be prepared. Anne, on the other hand, had only kept one in the house and in her car primarily because she knew that Stewart would throw a fit if she didn’t.

  ‘Are you ready then?’ she asked.

  ‘Yup, just finished up,’ he replied, handing her the newly sorted-through bugout bag.

  Together, they exited the house and into the scorching Florida sun. Anne gave Stewart a peck on the lips before heading to her car and off to the bank where she worked as a Senior Investment Relationship Manager. Stewart exited the driveway a few seconds after Anne’s car turned onto the main street.

  Within fifteen minutes, he arrived at the office where he was greeted with the regular hellos and then an ever-edgy Lucy, who fluttered from insurance agent’s office to the other, certain that one error would cost her this job. She was a young girl in her mid-twenties. Stewart could see how hard she was trying to work her way up. She’d apparently chosen an internship at their firm due to their promises of allowing the interns to ‘get their hands dirty,’ something she seemed exceptionally fond of. However, until now, her hours consisted of bringing everyone coffee and ensuring that everyone’s schedules were on point.

  ‘How are you doing, Mr. Thomas?’ She turned to Stewart, extending a hand which he pretended not to see.

  ‘Pretty good, Lizzy.’ He smiled.

  ‘Lucy,’ she said quietly.

  ‘Sorry?’ Stewart said, not hearing what it was that Lizzy mumbled.

  ‘Lucy, sir. My name’s Lucy.’

  ‘Ah, yes. I’m so sorry dear. Long night.’

  It wasn't that Stewart was trying to mess her name up on purpose. He just wasn’t very good with names. Today wasn’t the only day that he’d called her something close to her name, but not close enough. He wasn’t sure who was more embarrassed by it; her or him.

  ‘Can I get you anything, then?’

  ‘Oh, no thank you,’ he said, ‘I’m all set. Wife made sure to make me a nice big thermos this morning.’

  ‘Oh, isn’t that sweet...’ Before Lucy could say anything else, Stewart had disappeared into his office.

  ***

  ‘Home so early?’ Anne said, surprised to see her husband perched in front of the television.

  ‘Can you believe it, Anne? They’re still not saying anything about these new Ebola patients.’

  Anne rolled her eyes. She wanted a normal conversation. A, ‘hi dear, how as your day’ kind of conversation. But Stewart was acting as though Ebola had tapped him on the shoulder and stared into his eyes.

  ‘Don’t you think it’s getting to be a bit too much now?’ she asked calmly.

  ‘It damn well is. Three cases in the span of a week. You know what this state will look like in a month. Everyone will be walking around with face masks and whatnot.’

  ‘That’s not what I meant, Stewy. I meant you talking about Ebola, Ebola, Ebola. It’s getting to be a bit much. Can we just watch a movie or something?’

  ‘Yeah, of course. Let me just head to the pantry and check our pile first. That way, we can head right to bed after and not have to worry about getting the shopping list ready in the morning.’

  ‘Yeah, sure.’ Anne was a slight bit relieved, though not less annoyed. Surely a movie would get his mind off a virus that had nothing to do with them, a virus that had only infected three people, not the millions like Stewart was making it seem like?

  Anne headed to the bedroom. The dull walls were starting to get to her. Though she’d been the one who insisted on keeping them white, now, she felt as though a little color would work wonders. She placed her cellphone on the small table in front of the window before pulling the perfectly pleated striped curtains back and allowing a glimmer of light to bless the room. However, the sunlight wasn’t the only thing she let in. Ed, or peeping Ed as she liked to call him, was in his regular spot by his bedroom window, peeping out in hopes of seeing something exciting. Anne headed to their king sized bed and kicked off her heels
before slipping into more comfortable attire. She then turned on her laptop and sorted through all the movies she’d watched and the ones she was dying to see. She figured that since Stewart had been such a pain with his talk of the virus, she’d annoy him with a chic flick.

  ***

  In the meantime, Stewart was in the pantry, checking his list for all the things they could use. Fifty items later, he felt as though he’d written down most of the things they would need.

  ‘Are you ready?’ Anne yelled to Stewart, who she assumed was still in the pantry.

  ‘Yeah, heading up now.’

  In the bedroom, Anne was already comfortable with a few pillows tucked behind her back. Stewart joined her to see that the movie she picked out.

  ‘Ah, I see what you did there.’ Stewart smiled.

  ‘Well, I think it’s a fair tradeoff. I listen to you rant on about Ebola and you get to enjoy girl’s night with a great girl film.'

  Anne could tell that the movie bored almost each and every bone in Stewart’s body. However, there were a few times when his funny bone was tickled because a chuckle or two managed to escape him. More than likely, they were laughing for different reasons, but this didn’t matter. At least he wasn’t thinking about that stupid virus.

  The movie came to an end ninety minutes later and as all chick flicks go, the girl got the guy and they lived happily ever after.

  ‘Good, huh?’ Anne greeted her husband with a smile.

  ‘Eh, if the woman looked like you, it would have been a lot better.’

  Anne was amazed at how easily compliments fell from her husband’s mouth without him even noticing it. She blushed, truly happy that after so long, he still knew how to make her cheeks turn red. It was in moments like this when she remembered what it was about Stewart that captivated her. He was the kind of guy who didn’t have much of a filter. He was the kind of guy who didn’t pay much attention to women, but he paid attention to her. From the minute that they had met, she was astonished at how willing he was to unleash a compliment and at how sincere it all felt. The way his eyes would light up when she got all dolled up for a date and the way he claimed her with a pride that was incomparable, made her realize that there was no man in this world who could make her feel the way he did.

  She wrapped her arms around her husband and snuggled into his chest. ‘I love you more than you love obsessing about prepping,’ she said.

  ‘I prep because when everyone else is busy fighting for survival, I’ll be able to focus on loving you.’

  Again, her heart melted, and she positioned herself to peer into his eyes. There was no doubt in her mind that Stewart loved her, but recently, he hadn’t been his usual affectionate self, and she knew that as soon as another report came on the news, she’d lose her husband to the TV reporter—and not because he/she was hotter than her. She grabbed the moment by the horns and treated her husband to something that they both thoroughly missed.

  Anne closed her eyes and assumed her regular sleeping position with her head against her husband’s chest. She felt Stewart wiggle around beneath her and heard him tapping away at his phone. She knew there was nothing new on the virus because just within a minute of plucking the phone from the bedside table, Stewart set it back down.

  ***

  The following morning, Stewart grabbed his list from the coffee table and called for his wife to accompany him to the grocery store. A minute later, she joined him with a list of her own in her hand. She left the ‘checking of the supplies’ to Stewart and created a list of her own that was more about enjoyment. If it weren’t for her, their home would be filled with cans of things that had no means of sparking their taste buds—except, of course, a couple cases of scotch that Stewart ensured never ran low.

  ‘You wanna hear what’s on my list this time?’ She smiled.

  ‘Go for it,’ Stewart replied.

  ‘Well, I’ve got three cases of Snickers, with a bunch of coupons to make them close to free, and I’ve got Skittles and those cereal bars that will make me as fat as a house. Oh and the regular soda, chips, salsa, cookies, cigarettes and tobacco.’

  ‘Cigarettes and tobacco?’ Stewart let out a boisterous laugh. ‘Have I managed to stress you out that much that you’re turning to cancer as an escape?’

  ‘No, silly. I bought this ebook online about items that preppers can barter, and you’ve got to have ciggies in there.’

  ‘Why would we need to barter? Our house is stocked with more things than you’ll find at Walmart.’

  ‘Well, better prepared than sorry, right?’

  ‘Better prepared than sorry.’ His face filled with pride. He knew that his wife was taking to their prepper lifestyle, but he didn’t realize that she was as invested as this.

  In the grocery store, they got all the things on their list, including a few odd ball items. Anne threw in a couple of other things she had read about in the barter ebook and decided that they had enough space in their home for diapers, wet wipes, baby food, some cheap reading glasses and a couple of Sudoku books. Though she knew that the likelihood that Stewart would let people in their home to trade items was rather low, she felt as though buying some of those items for a worst case scenario couldn’t hurt.

  ***

  On the way home, Stewart flicked on the radio.

  ‘It’s Elisa and Derrick here with the four o’clock news. The CDC have confirmed that all three Ebola patients who were being held at the Fort Lauderdale International Hospital have succumbed to the Ebola virus. Comments, however, have not been made on when these patients lost their lives, though it is believed that the first victim past away as early as last week Friday. The CDC is urging anyone who believes that they might be infected with the virus to contact the appropriate authorities. Keep in mind, the symptoms for Ebola in its early stages are fever, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and headaches. If anyone you know exhibits these symptoms, refrain from handling their bodily fluids as doing so will put you at risk of contracting the disease. This, of course, does not mean that there’s a cause for panic, but it’s important that we all know just what to look out for. Stay safe, Fort Lauderdale. Now, onto the weather with….’

  Anne reached forward and clicked the Off button on the radio. ‘Damn it, Stewy. It’s really serious, isn’t it?’

  ‘Yup,’ he replied, trying hard to hold back his panic. ‘But we’re good. We’ll be alright. Like you said, it’s only a few people in a big, big city.’

  ‘But can you believe that they had them here? Across the street from us, pretty much.’

  ‘Anne, let’s not start worrying now.’ He patted his wife on the shoulder, a gesture that she seemed to appreciate.

  Little did she know that there was a whole bunch of brewing going on in her husband’s head. However, he needed to focus on driving. He needed to shut it all out before he was allowed to give his two cents. He didn’t want his wife to panic; he was the one who was supposed to be doing all the panicking.

  The logical part of Stewart went over the facts. He told Anne of how hard the virus was to transmit, though he didn’t believe half of what he was saying. He told her of how it was unlikely that these people had contracted Ebola within the United States. He said whatever was necessary to keep her calm.

  Panic was weakness and he knew that in the face of an outbreak, his wife would be the stronger one. He needed to keep her that way.

  Chapter 3

  Two months later

  On a deserted street, Stewart was being chased by an elderly man with a blood-stained beard.

  ‘I haven’t got what you’re looking for. I’m not one of them,’ Stewart panted, having ran for what felt like miles.

  The man didn’t speak; he just kept walking, faster and faster, backing Stewart into a corner alley that he wouldn’t be able to get out of.

  ‘Please sir, please,' Stewart pleaded, 'don’t do this to me. I don’t want to get sick. Please don’t. I haven’t got the cure. I’m just a simple man. An insurance broker.’


  Just as the man reached out his blood covered hands, Stewart jerked forward.

  ‘Huh?’ he said, confused. He was no longer backed into a vomit-stained wall in an alley he didn’t recognize. Instead, he was at home, in his bed. Safe.

  Two months had gone by and Ebola had become a problem that not only Stewart was aware of. With hundreds of cases in Florida and more than he wanted to think about in the entire United States, Stewart felt as though no place was safe. He’d stopped going to work a month ago, calling in sick day after day. However, he knew that it wouldn’t be too long before his boss called bullshit on his excuses. Granted, Stewart would have no proof that he was ‘sick’ because unlike the regular faker who would go to the doctor’s for a note, Stewart wouldn’t dare to set foot in a place that was intended for the sick.

  His wife, on the other hand, went to work as usual. Each time before leaving the house, she’d remind Stewart of how silly he was acting. Stewart was fully aware of the fact that she didn’t agree with him cutting himself off from the outside world. She’d even threatened to call the cable company and disconnect their television and internet.

  Each moment that Anne was at work, Stewart's panic worsened. Though he knew that his wife would be exceptionally careful, he couldn’t help the fear that something bad would happen. In fact, the only thoughts he'd had recently were grim ones. His dreams made him sweat with fear and he couldn’t fight the feeling that things weren’t going to start looking up anytime soon. To keep his mind occupied, he decided to turn the last empty bedroom in their home into a quarantine room. This was more for Anne than it was for him. He knew that if anyone close to them got sick, Anne wouldn't turn them away. Instead of having to battle with her about leaving this person outside, he decided that the best way would be to have a room designed for them, thus eliminating the need to contaminate their entire home.