H7N9 Penitence

by Mark Campbell

  “They have a little boy,” Mariah said. “We’re staying and helping.” She paused and looked at Teddy. “Turn left at and walk three blocks until you get to Swan Road. Take a right and look for a parking garage next to the Bank of America tower. Our camp is on the second level of the garage.”

  Teddy’s posture relaxed. He brushed past Mariah and started walking towards the street.

  “What about you?” Jane asked as she followed behind Teddy.

  “We’ll keep them off of you,” Mariah responded.

  “Thank you…” Jane said with a smile.

  The trash bin toppled over and the fire exit flung open.

  Mariah and the others pointed their weapons down the alley with their fingers wrapped around the trigger.

  “Just run!” Mariah shouted at Jane. “Get that boy out of here!”

  Teddy and Jane ran out onto the street, turned left, and started sprinting through a maze of abandoned vehicles.

  Behind, they heard gunfire being exchanged.

  And then, silence.

  They hurried down the street, not daring to look back.

  CHAPTER 23

  After nearly ten minutes of navigating through congested streets and sidewalks that ran parallel to shattered storefront windows and shuttered doors, Teddy, Danny and Jane found themselves in the shadow of the massive Bank of America tower.

  The skyscraper was one of the largest buildings in Tucson’s skyline and seemed to dwarf the small apartment high-rises and eclectic clusters of restaurants and up-scale art galleries below. What had once been a symbol of Tucson’s economic and commercial future, was now a wretched glass-encased tomb full of moldering corpses overlooking a moribund city. Entire panes of glass were missing along the lower floors, and almost every window on the first floor was covered in plywood - as if a hurricane was approaching.

  Next to the building stood a multi-level parking deck. It was nearly impossible to see inside the deck and a white van sitting on four flat tires blocked off the entrance ramp. The old ticketing machines were smashed and the attendant’s booth had long since been abandoned.

  Teddy narrowed his eyes and tried to peer inside the deck, but he couldn’t see any movement.

  More than likely, it was just another dead end.

  “Do you think anybody is inside?” Jane asked as she stood next to Teddy.

  Danny held onto his mother with one hand, while he wiped his runny nose with the other. He stared at the parking deck apprehensively.

  Teddy shrugged.

  “Probably not,” he said. “Either way, it beats standing around out here waiting for another bird to spot us.” He started walking towards the deck’s entrance. “Just stay close behind me.”

  Jane followed, but stopped as Danny didn’t move. She turned towards him and frowned, tugging on his hand gently.

  “Let’s go sweetheart,” Jane urged.

  Danny shook his head fervently.

  “I don’t wanna go into another dark place, mama,” Danny protested. “There are bad men!”

  Before Jane could respond, Teddy turned and grinned at him.

  “Come on, little man, you have a soldier here to protect you, remember?”

  “Yeah…” Danny said quietly, still unsure.

  “Want to ride on my shoulders and be my point-man?” Teddy asked.

  Danny beamed.

  “Yeah!” he said excitedly. He ran over to Teddy with his arms extended.

  Teddy picked him up and sat him on his shoulders, grunting.

  Danny laughed and wrapped his arms around the top of Teddy’s head.

  “You’re heavier than you look, buddy,” Teddy said as he held onto Danny’s legs.

  “Oh God…” Jane said with a sigh as she watched the spectacle. “Please be careful.”

  “It’s okay, mama! It’s fun!” Danny exclaimed.

  “Yeah, it’s fine,” Teddy assured with a smirk. “I’ve only dropped a few kids in my life, so I’m betting on pretty good odds!”

  “Don’t you start,” Jane warned. “If you drop him–”

  Teddy laughed.

  “Relax, Mother Hen,” Teddy said jovially. “He’s in good hands, or on good shoulders so to speak.”

  “Let’s go!” Danny said with excitement.

  “You heard the boss,” Teddy told Jane. He chuckled again and started walking up the ramp past the white van into the parking garage.

  Danny laughed and bobbed from side-to-side as he kept his arms wrapped around Teddy’s head.

  As they entered the first level, abandoned cars and vandalized pick-up trucks stood parked haphazardly. A few rolling garbage bins blocked off the stairwell door that led to the upper levels.

  It was quiet, eerily so.

  Teddy noticed a small moving truck parked in front of the ramp leading up to the second level of the garage.

  Near the top of the ramp, wooden crates and draped sheets blocked off the view from down below.

  Teddy started walking towards the ramp with Danny on his shoulders.

  “Well, let’s go see if this is just a wild goose chase,” Teddy said.

  He didn’t hear Jane walking behind him.

  Teddy frowned and kept moving forward.

  “You coming or what?” he asked with annoyance.

  “Teddy…” Jane said quietly.

  “What?”

  “I don’t think this is a wild goose chase,” she said - simply.

  Confused, Teddy turned towards her.

  Jane stood calmly with her arms above her head as a woman stood with a shotgun pointed at her chest.

  The woman whistled.

  Suddenly, a dozen armed men and women emerged out from behind numerous parked cars and out from the back of the moving truck.

  Teddy and Jane were surrounded.

  “Shit…” Teddy swore under his breath as he glanced around.

  Danny, oblivious, started pointing at the men and women with a grin.

  “I see people, Mr. Army Man! I see them!” Danny exclaimed happily. “Lots of people!”

  “Yeah buddy, I see them too,” Teddy said with caution.

  Danny lost his smile as he stared at the guns the people were holding.

  “Are… they bad men?” Danny asked.

  Before Teddy could respond, a man gave a boisterous laugh that echoed throughout the deck.

  Teddy spun around towards the sound of laughter and saw a tall, tattooed, muscular white man with a bald head. His big bushy red beard hung half-way down his chest as he walked towards them.

  The man wore faded coveralls, police boots, and a dirty flannel shirt. A pistol was holstered on each hip and a pair of binoculars were hanging halfway out of a pouch near his belt buckle.

  “No, little man, we’re not bad, just grumpy, a little hungry, and in need of some cold beer!” the man said jovially in a husky voice. “My name is Albert, but folks around here just call me Big Al.”

  “I’m Daniel, but everyone calls me Danny,” Danny said with a smile.

  “Nice to meet you, Danny!” Big Al exclaimed as he came closer.

  Teddy and Jane looked at each other uncomfortably.

  Big Al stopped, looked around, and lost his smile. He motioned towards the others in the group to lower their weapons.

  “Go on and put those away!” he ordered. “They don’t look like any type of bandits I’ve seen and they sure don’t look like soldiers.” He paused and furrowed his big bushy brows. “Or do you like giving little boys nightmares?”

  Embarrassed, the group quickly lowered their weapons and relaxed their posture.

  Jane lowered her hands and hurried over next to Teddy and Danny.

  “Sorry about that,” Big Al said as he approached them. “With all of the military raids lately, our folks assigned to security are a little on edge.” He extended a calloused hand towards Teddy. “Albert, but call me Big Al.”

  Teddy took his extended hand and gave it a firm squeeze.

  “Teddy.”

&nbs
p; Big Al nodded and extended his hand towards Jane.

  “And who is this pretty company making all of us old farts look bad?” Big Al asked with a grin.

  She didn’t shake his hand.

  “If someone points a gun at my son or myself again, I’m taking it from them and putting a bullet between their eyes, Albert,” she said coldly.

  Stunned, Big Al kept his hand out extended for a moment before lowering it, laughing nervously.

  “Oh boy…” Teddy said quietly.

  He sat Danny down on his feet and Jane promptly took him by the hand.

  Danny frowned and protested, but she wouldn’t let go.

  “Mama, I’m a big boy. Don’t hold my hand,” he stated as he blushed and tried to pull away. “Let go… It’s embarrassing.”

  Jane kept ahold and gave an icy stare at Big Al.

  “Like I said, Miss, I’m real sorry about that,” Big Al said, rubbing his neck. “We heard the gunshots and saw the flare… Been a little nervous ever since.”

  “Yeah, us too, considering we were the ones that they were firing at - until your people intervened,” Teddy said.

  Concern washed over Big Al’s face.

  “Are they…?” he asked as he looked at Teddy. “Did… they…?”

  “I don’t know,” Teddy admitted. “The woman told us about this place and said it’d be okay to lay low until the soldiers pass.”

  Big Al stood in stoic silence a few moments as he stared out at the street.

  “Mariah…” he said in a breathless whisper. “Don’t let the bastards beat you… Do what you do best…”

  “What?” Teddy asked as he struggled to make out what the man said.

  Big Al shook his head and forced a smile.

  “It’s nothing,” he said. “Follow me and I’ll show you around.”

  He started walking up the ramp towards the second level of the parking deck.

  Teddy, Jane, and Danny followed him.

  Big Al clapped his hands once and whistled loudly as he walked.

  “Alright folks!” Big Al shouted. “Good work! Get back in place and keep alert! I’ll have swing shift come relieve you in few more hours!”

  The armed men and women trudged back to the respective hiding places and disappeared.

  As they passed the moving truck and approached the dirty sheets strung across the ramp, Teddy looked around.

  “How many people live at your camp?” Teddy asked.

  “We have about two-hundred souls,” Big Al said with a shrug. “The number changes as people come and go. I can’t keep up.”

  “Not running much of a camp if you don’t even know how many people live here,” Jane said, breaking her silence.

  “I’m sorry, did someone say something? I thought she did, but I never caught her name,” Big Al replied without even turning around.

  Jane narrowed her eyes.

  “Yeah, and until I know what we’re walking into, you won’t,” she shot back snidely.

  “Relax, I’m just busting your chops!” Big Al said with a chuckle.

  “This one here isn’t known for her sense of humor, bud,” Teddy mumbled.

  Jane reached up and slapped Teddy across the back of his head with a meaty SMACK.

  Big Al laughed.

  “Mama! That was mean!” Danny chided.

  “He had a bug on the back of his head,” Jane said as her chin shot up defiantly. “That’s all.”

  It sounded like that one hurt!” Big Al said with a smile.

  Teddy winced, reached up, and rubbed his head.

  “See what I mean about this one?” Teddy asked ruefully.

  “It’s okay,” Big Al mused. “I like them fiery!”

  “Yeah, keep talking,” Jane said. “I think I see a bug on the back of your head too, Albert.”

  “I don’t see one, mama,” Danny pointed out.

  Big Al laughed and stopped walking as he approached one of the strung sheets at the very top of the ramp.

  “Alright, folks, this is our first stop,” Big Al said. “Before I let you in, you have to see the man behind the curtain. Those are the rules.”

  He pulled the sheet aside and revealed a lanky man sitting at a folding card table with his feet propped up - fast asleep.

  The man was wearing a tattered lab coat and leather loafers. His skin was pale and his curly blonde hair looked like it had not been washed in weeks. Saliva dribbled out of the corner of his mouth. A bunch of ink pens hung precariously from his breast pocket.

  Big Al frowned.

  “This is Doc,” Big Al said. “Our best and only line of defense against the pestilence.”

  Big Al cleared his throat, but Doc remained deep asleep.

  Teddy turned towards Jane and grinned.

  “I’m not feeling a lot of confidence right now,” Teddy said.

  Jane rolled her eyes and nodded.

  Big Al frowned and kicked the table.

  Doc jolted awake and nearly fell off his office chair. He quickly got on his feet and saluted Big Al.

  “S-sorry, sir!” Doc stammered nervously. He lowered his hand and wiped the saliva off his mouth with his lab coat’s sleeve. “I was, uh, just resting my eyes for a bit.”

  “Save it, Doc,” Big Al said, sighing. “I have three newbies for you to check.”

  Doc collected himself and adjusted his coat as he looked them over.

  “Will they be staying?” Doc asked.

  “We haven’t gotten that far yet,” Big Al said. “Just do what you do so I can take them inside.”

  Big Al walked over the side and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting.

  “Who wants to go first?” Doc said as he slid latex gloves onto his boney hands.

  Teddy waved a hand in the air and approached Doc.

  “What is this?” Jane asked as she worriedly gazed at the medical equipment that sat neatly on the table behind him.

  “Standard screening,” Doc said. “If we allowed the wrong person to come inside, we’d just become another statistic.”

  “When I was still hiking from camp to camp like you, I’ve witnessed whole communities go down overnight,” Big Al said from the sideline. “That’s why when Mariah and I started this one, we wanted to be smarter.”

  “It’s not foolproof, but it helps,” Doc chimed in.

  “Of course it’s not foolproof,” Big Al snapped. “We have a fool playing the part of doctor.”

  Doc’s face flushed red.

  “I’ll have you know that veterinarians and medical doctors are practically the same thing,” Doc said defensively. “I was in the field for over ten years.”

  “At Petsmart,” Big Al added with a snort.

  “Doesn’t matter where!” Doc shot back. “It’s the time that counts!” He huffed and pulled a hygienically sealed plastic kit out from his desk drawer. The kit had the Department of Homeland Security emblem on the front. “Besides, it doesn’t take a genius to read these sophomoric test kits.”

  Jane looked at the kit and then looked down at Danny nervously.

  “What the hell is that anyway?” Teddy asked as he watched Doc pull a cotton swab out of the kit along with a plastic test tube half-full of liquid.

  “It’s a rapid field test kit that checks for the H7N9 pathogen,” Doc said as he held the swab up at Teddy’s face. “The government passed these out at the Red Cross centers before production couldn’t keep pace with demand and the whole house of cards came tumbling down. We got lucky when our scouts found a few crates of these back at the abandoned triage center the army had at the mall.”

  Teddy cocked an eyebrow.

  “Are they even accurate?” Teddy asked. “From what I saw, those Red Cross centers didn’t do so well.”

  Doc shrugged.

  “Since the government made these in a rush, I don’t have too much faith. I know they’re not as accurate as the blood test, but I figure half of the time these kits get it right. Besides, a negative swab test result combined with no fever
is a pretty good indication that you’re healthy.” He stepped closer to Teddy. “Now open wide.”

  Teddy opened his mouth and Doc ran the swab deep in the back of his throat.

  He gagged and pulled away.

  “Sorry,” Doc said. He put the swab in the test tube, sealed it shut, and gave it a shake. He looked down at his badly scratched wristwatch and waited. “It takes thirty seconds to get a reading. Green is good and blue is bad.”

  Teddy shrugged.

  “I’m not worried,” Teddy said. “I already had the damn thing once so I’m immune.”

  “We’ll find out shortly,” Doc said without taking his eyes off of his watch.

  Teddy stared at the test tube and watched as the clear fluid inside slowly turned a deep green.

  “All good,” Doc said as he tossed the tube into the trash.

  “Told you,” Teddy said as he turned and stepped away.

  Doc pulled another test kit out of the desk and looked at Jane.

  “Next victim!” Doc said jokingly.

  Danny smiled and started to step up, but Jane put her hand on his shoulder to stop him.

  “I don’t like this,” Jane announced to Big Al. “My child has bad seasonal allergies.”

  Teddy looked over at Jane - surprised at her outburst.

  “Then your boy shouldn’t worry … having allergies won’t make the test come back positive,” Doc said.

  “I wasn’t talking to you,” Jane snapped. “I was talking to your boss.”

  “Excuse me?” Doc asked, indignantly. “I’ll have you know that–”

  Big Al held up a hand.

  “The test shouldn’t be a problem,” Big Al calmly explained to her. “Once he’s cleared, I’ll make sure we get him some liquid Benadryl.” He looked down at Danny and winked. “Maybe even some candy since he’s feeling under the weather and all.”

  Danny beamed a smile and looked up at his mother.

  “Mama, I’m not sick,” he said earnestly. “And I do like candy…”

  Jane looked down at him and frowned; she hesitated.

  Suspicious, Doc reached in the desk drawer and pulled out a yellow infrared digital thermometer. He pointed at Danny and pressed the trigger.

  His eyes widened as he read the LED readout.

  “Boss…” Doc said as he took a step back and turned the screen towards Big Al. “The machine says the kid has a low-grade fever…”