H7N9 Penitence

by Mark Campbell

  “Sorry to hear about your folks,” Teddy mumbled, still walking.

  “Don’t be,” the kid said. “It looks like they were the lucky ones since they left all of this behind. We, on the other hand, appear to be getting fucked.”

  Teddy didn’t reply; he knew the kid was right. He turned his attention ahead, climbed up the steps, and walked through the plastic flaps that had replaced the stadium doors as the blue-suits waved him on with their orange lights.

  Inside, empty box offices and abandoned concession stands dominated the walls of a wide concrete annex that wrapped around the entire stadium. Doorways led down into the sectional seating areas inside the main arena, but they were shut and the concession stands were draped with plastic. Bright halogen lamps dangled from the ceiling and the air had a chemical stench mixed with burning rubber.

  An opaque plastic tarp divided the left side of the annex from the right side of the annex.

  Modular plastic units connected by large circular tunnels were set up along the annex with red arrows pointing towards them. Loud generators pumped air into the tunnels and powered the lights inside.

  A sign on the wall displaying the Homeland Security logo read:

  ‘FOLLOW ARROWS THROUGH FOR PROCESSING. DISOBEDIENCE WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. DEADLY FORCE IS AUTHORIZED PER EXC ORDER 17824’

  FEMA officers wearing respirators and holding assault rifles stood in the middle of the annex and ushered traffic towards the first tunnel along with a pair of blue-suits waving orange flashlights.

  “Let’s go!” one of the FEMA officers shouted. His voice was badly muffled by his mask. “Keep it moving! The faster you get through this, the faster you’ll get out on the other side!”

  Teddy walked towards the tunnel, passed through the plastic flaps, and found himself blinded by blue UV lamps suspended from the ceiling.

  The UV lamps ran the expanse of the tunnel and white powder clung to the inside of the walls and coated the floor.

  Teddy reached out and ran a finger through the gritty powder and smelled it.

  It smelled like lemon soap.

  Teddy made a face and wiped his finger off on his pants. He squinted, shielded his eyes with his arm, and kept moving forward.

  The middle-aged man walking in front of him started coughing and fell onto his hands and knees as he struggled to catch his breath.

  Teddy could see the man was soaked in fever sweat and stopped to help him up.

  The man swatted Teddy’s hands away and quickly got back up, coughing and wheezing loudly. He stumbled through the next set of flaps into the adjoining room.

  Teddy frowned and followed him.

  The room was wide and long. A haphazardly strung array of UV lights dangled down from the ceiling and were encrusted with the same white powder that coated everything inside.

  Blue-suits stood on each side of the room and created a narrow pathway. They carried black nozzles that were attached to fogger machines strapped to their back.

  People wearing military hazmat suits stood watching from the corners of the room and carried assault rifles.

  The exit on the opposite side of the room was a simple plastic flap.

  “Put your arms above your head and slowly proceed towards the next room!” one of the people in the military suits ordered.

  Teddy looked around and frowned.

  He didn’t like it.

  He didn’t like any of it.

  The kid with the spiked purple hair and piercings stood next to Teddy.

  They exchanged an uneasy glance.

  “Let’s go!” another man shouted, brandishing his rifle. “Hurry up!”

  As Teddy’s group raised their hands over their heads and walked forward, the blue-suits sprayed them down with the foggers.

  The people in the group started gagging and coughing violently as the whole room rapidly filled with dense white smoke.

  Teddy held his breath as he walked, but it didn’t stop the smoke from burning his nostrils and constricting his throat. His whole body felt like it was on fire and tears ran down his cheeks. It left a metallic yet soapy taste on his tongue and turned his exposed skin into gooseflesh.

  The group hurried blindly ahead towards the exit on the opposite side and the blue-suits continued spraying them down.

  Teddy ran forward, gasping, and accidently knocked into one of the blue-suits.

  “Stay in your group!” the blue-suit said as he shoved Teddy in the chest and knocked him back.

  Teddy fell backwards onto the ground, wheezing and coughing.

  After a few more seconds the blue-suits stopped spraying their foggers and the haze settled some.

  Most of the people from the group were on the ground, gasping for air; it didn’t look like any managed to make it across the room to the exit.

  Teddy looked beside him and noticed that the kid with the piercings was slouched over on his knees next to him.

  The kid was taking shallow, quick breaths. He looked at Teddy with swollen eyes, wiped his face, and gave him a thumbs-up.

  Teddy, unable to breathe properly yet alone speak simply gave the kid a thumbs-up in reply.

  “On your feet!” one of the blue-suits shouted. “All of you! Move forward to the next room!”

  People slowly got back on their feet, coughing loudly, and shuffled through the hazy air towards the exit.

  Teddy and kid got up as well, coughing and spitting.

  A middle-aged man wearing a tattered t-shirt turned around and started walking back towards the entrance.

  “I don’t want to be here,” the man wheezed.

  One of the military suits stepped towards the man and slammed the butt of his rifle against his stomach.

  The man gasped and fell to the floor, coughing up bloody spittle.

  “I’ll put a bullet in the back of your head,” the man inside the suit said as he pressed the rifle’s barrel against the man’s scalp. “Get up and head towards the next room!”

  Teddy watched the man as he slowly got back up on his feet, wiped the blood from his lips, turned, and started to timidly walk towards the exit.

  “Single-file!” the blue-suit said as he pointed at the door leading to the next section.

  The men lined up at the exit and passed through the plastic flaps while the blue-suits watched.

  Teddy took his place behind a crooked old man who had sores covering the back of his head.

  The others in the line coughed and sneezed as they scratched their exposed skin and kept their heads low.

  Teddy followed the men through the door and found himself inside another tunnel lined with bright UV lamps.

  The lamps burnt his skin and blurred his vision.

  Teddy squinted and covered his eyes with his forearm again.

  At the end of the tunnel he passed through a pair of plastic flaps and stepped inside a large circular room with three flat screen televisions suspended from the ceiling. The room was brightly lit with fluorescent tubes.

  A pair of blue-suits stood at the opposite side of the room and blocked the exit.

  The room quickly filled up as the group funneled inside and stood in silence, coughing.

  The air was sticky, hot, and smelled like sweat.

  After most of the group had entered, one of the blue-suits clicked a button on the wall and the lights dimmed and the televisions turned on.

  An upbeat jingle played as the image of the Department of Homeland Security emblem filled the screens.

  “This is a recorded message brought to you by your government,” a male narrator announced over the music. “Please stand by for important information.”

  The music stopped and the image changed to a woman standing behind a podium.

  She was young, white, and had her blonde hair neatly pulled back into a bun – not a single strand of out of place. A well-rehearsed smile flashed across her neatly painted face.

  The men stared up at the televisions, confused, as the woman coldly stared back down at them with
a vacant smile.

  “Welcome!” the woman said cheerfully. “It is my great honor to welcome to you to one of our quarantine and medical intake processing facilities. At this facility it is our goal to safely, humanely, and efficiently provide you with the medical attention you need. Now that you have been decontaminated, it is time for you to get processed so that you can continue on your transition to repatriation.

  “Once you are processed and a sample has been collected, you will be assigned to either the symptomatic ward or the non-symptomatic ward for the duration of your stay at this facility. No matter if this particular facility is located in a school, sports complex, or a church, rest assured, you will be given the best medical care we have and our attentive staff will tend to your needs.

  “Please be aware that you will be required to stay here for at least forty-eight hours. After the designated amount of time has passed, you will be asked to provide a second sample. If the second test results come back negative, you will be sent to one of our secure relocation centers located throughout the country to complete your repatriation.

  “While we understand your fear and frustration during this transition, we must insist that you comply with our brave peace officers and obey all orders from facility staff members. Sample collection is mandatory and necessary to ensure the safety of your friends, family, and everyone else housed at this facility. It is critical to give you a friendly reminder that martial law is still in effect and any civil disobedience will not be tolerated.

  “We know that you have questions and that your journey has been difficult, but it is our mission to make this transition as easy as possible. Cooperate with us and help us help you,” she said with a tight smile. “Thank you for being here and for your time. We wish you luck wherever your journey takes you.”

  The lights were powered back on once the video ended.

  “Step through to the next section,” one of the blue-suits announced.

  Both blue-suits stepped aside and directed the gathered group towards the exit with orange flashlights.

  Teddy followed the group through the exit and went down another UV tunnel. Beads of sweat ran down his face as his skin baked under the high heat of the fluorescents.

  To his surprise, the tunnel opened up into the stadium’s old annex.

  The air was bitterly cold.

  An old Burger King booth was shuttered the concession stand next to it looked looted. A tattered World Series Champions banner hung from the rafters and most of the halogen lighting fixtures were burnt out. The windows facing outside were covered in plywood and plastic.

  There was a single set of double-doors along the wall next to the old concession stand labeled ‘SECTION B – ROW E THRU G’ that led down into the stadium.

  A red sign plastered on the doors and read: SYMPTOMATIC WARD

  The doors were shut and flanked by heavily armed National Guard soldiers wearing respirators.

  Teddy heard a helicopter pass overhead outside and dust particles fluttered down from the ceiling.

  In the middle of the annex, workers wearing white bio-suits with CDC emblems stood behind a table and surveyed the crowd. The table was cluttered with computer equipment, a printer, and boxes of cotton swabs and culture collectors. A small specimen refrigerator sat on the floor and the floor was covered with extension cords that led to the generators outside.

  Behind the CDC white-suits stood more four more National Guard soldiers.

  Aluminum crowd control barriers made a zig-zag path leading towards the table.

  Everyone who came out of the tunnel with Teddy glanced around uneasily, nervously. Many in the crowd were trying to cover their coughs to no avail.

  “Make a single line and funnel through the barriers!” one of the CDC white-suits ordered as he motioned for them to keep moving. “Do not approach the table until called!”

  The group slowly filled the line and waited.

  The tension was palpable.

  Teddy took his place behind a pale man who had liver spots on the back of his bald head.

  They called the first individual up towards the table, took his picture, and placed a hospital wristband with a barcode on him.

  One of the white-suits held out a swab and a specimen test tube.

  “Open your mouth and hold out your tongue,” the white-suit said.

  The man opened his mouth and the white-suit quickly jabbed the swab into his mouth, twirling it around.

  The man gagged and pulled away, coughing.

  “Good. You’ll have your results within ten hours,” the white-suit said as he placed the swab in the test tube, sealed it with a barcoded sticker, and put it inside the small refrigerator.

  “Is that all?” the man asked.

  “Not quite,” one of the other white-suits said.

  The white-suit stepped forward and placed an infrared thermometer against the man’s forehead.

  “What’s this for?” the man asked.

  “We need to check with initial signs of infection,” the white-suit said as he paused and studied the readout.

  “I’m not sick,” the man insisted.

  “Nope. 98.7. You’re clear,” the white-suit announced. He pointed off to his right. “Proceed down the annex towards the next station. Do not remove your wristband.”

  The man looked relieved as he hurried away from the table and disappeared around the corner.

  “Next!” the white-suit said.

  Another man approached the table while coughing in the crook of his arm.

  He was quickly photographed, swabbed, and given a wristband.

  The white-suit placed the thermometer against the man’s head and the device started beeping.

  “100.5,” the white-suit announced as he stepped back and motioned for one of the National Guard soldiers. “Take him to triage for treatment.”

  A soldier came from around the table with his rifle pointed at the man.

  “No, wait!” the man cried out with wide-eyes. He started backing away as the soldier approached and placed his hands in front of him urging him to stop. “I’m… not sick!”

  The soldier slung his rifle over his shoulder, grabbed the man’s hand, and twisted it behind his back.

  The man cried out in pain as the soldier forcibly spun him around.

  “Stop resisting!” the soldier ordered as he kept the man’s arm tightly grasped behind his back.

  “You’re going to break my wrist!” the man shouted, coughing.

  The soldier ignored the man’s protests and forced him towards the double-doors that led down into the stadium seats.

  As they approached, the pair of soldiers standing at the doors held them open and another white-suit stood just inside the doorway ready to take the man away.

  “You can’t do this to me!” the man shouted. “This isn’t right! I need to see my family!”

  The soldier shoved the man towards the waiting white-suit.

  The white-suit snatched the man and pulled him inside as the man cried out for help.

  The soldiers quickly closed the double-doors and went back into their sentry positions.

  “Next!” the white-suit at the table called as if nothing happened.

  The person in the front of the line hesitated.

  “You’re not taking me in there!” the man said in defiance, coughing.

  “Bring him up here,” the white-suit ordered the soldiers.

  One of the soldiers walked towards the man with his rifle slung over his shoulder.

  The man reached up and tried to rip off the soldier’s protective respirator as he approached.

  The soldier shoved the man backwards, aimed his rifle, and shot a three-round burst through the man’s chest.

  Teddy and the others jumped and ducked down, covering their ears. A few in the crowd cried out, startled.

  The shot man stumbled back, took one last gasp as blood bubbled past his lips, and collapsed on the concrete floor.

  Two soldiers reached down a
nd dragged the man’s corpse out of the way and dropped him slumped against the wall.

  The man left a dark red bloody streak along the floor.

  Teddy and the others looked on with horror at the slain stranger while the white-suits and other soldiers watched them stoic and silent.

  The two opposing groups stared at each other for several minutes without saying a word.

  “If you co-operate with us, this will go a lot faster,” one of the white-suits eventually said. “If you’re sick, our anti-viral treatment being offered here may actually save your life. This is the best place for you to be.” He paused and motioned for the person in the front of the line to step forward. “May we continue or would you all rather get shot?”

  The man in front walked towards the table, hands shaking, and was quickly processed.

  When the white-suit took his temperature, the thermometer beeped again.

  “Triage,” the white-suit told one of the soldiers.

  Without even putting up a fight, the man calmly walked with the soldier towards the double-doors and stepped inside.

  He was greeted by another white-suit and then the doors quickly shut.

  After the incident, nobody raised a voice of protest and the line moved quickly.

  The man’s corpse sat slouched against the wall in a growing pool of blood and served as a reminder of what would happen to any voices of dissent.

  Perhaps, Teddy thought, that grotesque scarecrow was meant to keep people obedient.

  As the line was processed, most were sent towards the double-doors, but a handful managed to make it through and were allowed to proceed down the annex.

  Teddy watched as the man in front of him with liver spots on his head was taken away through the double-doors.

  “Next!” the white-suit said as he motioned for Teddy to step forward.

  Teddy approached the table and stared at the white-suit as he wiped the tip of the infrared thermometer down with an alcohol wipe and typed something into the computer.

  He could see the man’s face through the suit’s tinted visor.

  Whoever was inside the suit couldn’t even look him in the eyes.