Influenza: Viral Virulence

by Ohliger, Steven

  Trying not to get his shoes on her nice, clean towel, he sat down clumsily beside her. Lorie pointed to his shoes. “Go ahead, take off your shoes and stay awhile.”

  Michael obediently did as she suggested. He hoped his socks didn’t smell. He settled comfortably on his portion of the beach towel. “What are you doing out here?”

  “Just enjoying the last few days of the summer and trying to keep my tan as long as possible. Besides, the new girls in the sorority house are playing some kind of music I really can’t stand,” she replied. “I think it’s some new-age rap music.” Lorie stretched out and lay on her back with her face toward the sky. “Just feel that warm sunshine!”

  He tilted his head up to the sky and, for the first time that day, relaxed. He felt the heat of the sun flow over his face. He closed his eyes, and he could hear the faint music of multiple radios in the distance and the murmur of other conversations floating on the breeze. It was a perfect summer afternoon. If he could only somehow put this day in a bottle and save it…

  “Sorry about the mess last night,” Lorie said solemnly.

  “Don’t be sorry,” Michael replied earnestly. “You have nothing to be sorry about. You didn’t do anything wrong. Did you have a chance to talk to Ted after the…incident?”

  “Only to tell him I wanted nothing to do with him anymore.” Then she continued with a note of sadness, “You know, I can’t seem to find a decent guy. I don’t think there are any out there. All the good ones have been taken…”

  Michael kept silent and let her continue.

  “…Every guy I get close to turns out to be some kind of jerk.”

  “Don’t worry. The perfect guy for you is out there somewhere. I believe there is someone out there for everyone. All you have to do is wait. It also seems to me that when you’re not looking for someone, that’s when the perfect person finds you.”

  “How about you?” Lorie said, turning to look at him. “Why haven’t you found the woman of your dreams?”

  “I don’t know. It seems that everyone I meet is just a temporary thing. I mean…” He hesitated, trying to form his thoughts. “I really like the girls I’ve dated, but it never progressed into anything beyond the ‘like’ part. I guess I wasn’t really into them as much as I should be. I couldn’t see anything permanent or even long-term with any of them. And the worst thing is when you’re with someone and inside you know it isn’t going to last. It makes you feel guilty, like you’re doing something wrong.”

  “So you admit that you’re a pig who dates girls for just one reason?” she asked. He could tell by her tone that she was joking with him again.

  Playing along, he answered, “Tell me something. If I admit I’m a pig, does that mean I’m not really one?”

  “Well,” she mused, “yes. Probably. Or maybe not.” She laughed and returned to her previous position, lying on the beach towel. Putting on her glasses to shield her eyes from the bright sun, Lorie sighed. “I suppose we both have our issues with the opposite sex.”

  He let his eyes linger on her more than he should have. It was a good thing he wasn’t interested in her, or he would have noticed her smooth, perfectly shaped, tanned legs. If he thought of her as more than just a good friend, he also would have seen the way she filled out her top nicely. Or he may have noticed the way the sun danced around her long, flowing, blond hair or the way her lips were perfectly curved. Yes, good thing he was just not interested in her.

  Michael tore his longing eyes away and looked over at a nearby group of students sunbathing. “I really need to get back to studying. I was just on my way back from the library after an unsuccessful attempt at studying for that stupid test on Monday.”

  “Are you still trying to study?” she said incredulously. “Come on, Michael. It’s just the beginning of the school year. Lie back and enjoy this day. We won’t have many more days like today. In a couple of months, we won’t be able to see the ground because it will be covered with a few feet of snow.”

  Apparently, no one wanted him to study for this test. Considering all the productive work that he had accomplished so far today, Michael gave in and lay down on his back beside her. Now, he was looking right up at the light blue sky. He watched some clouds wisp by. A few birds were flying back and forth from tree to tree. Butterflies danced around the flower beds, and a harmless bee flitted between dandelion weeds. As he let the warm glow of the sun drift over his body, he wished he could stay here forever. No worries. No tests. No work. He was starting to drift off again. He had little idea that a storm was brewing far away out west. He could never have imagined how devastating and life-changing this rising, dark whirlwind would become.

  “Did you see the news this morning?” Lorie suddenly asked.

  “No,” he replied sleepily.

  She propped herself up on her elbows. “You haven’t seen all of those people dying in Asia and Japan?”

  He purposely hadn’t turned on the television this morning because he wanted to get out before any distractions came along. “No. What’s happening?”

  “That flu bug is killing a lot of people out there. From what they said on the news, this is the worst flu outbreak they’ve had in over a century. All the doctors’ offices are swamped. The emergency rooms and hospitals are overflowing.”

  Michael sat back up. “From just the flu?” he asked, surprised.

  “I think so. But maybe it isn’t the flu, because they said that even people who have gotten flu shots are getting sick.”

  “Getting the flu vaccine does not guarantee that you won’t get the flu,” he replied. “Did you know they only pick three or four strains of influenza to protect against each year? That’s the maximum they can put in one flu vaccine.”

  “How do they know which strains we’ll get?”

  “From what I’ve read, they really don’t know for sure. They just make an educated guess and then pick two A strains and two B strains to use in the vaccine.”

  “What about the other strains?” Lorie asked.

  “That’s why people who have received the influenza vaccination can still get the flu.” Turning to her, he asked, “Have you gotten the flu shot yet?”

  “No,” she said. “I haven’t gotten around to it. I really don’t like needles. Never have, never will. Do you think I should get one now?”

  “I don’t know. If they say that people who got the flu shot are still getting the flu, then what’s the point?”

  “Have you gotten yours?”

  “No,” he said.

  “But you work in the pharmacy. It would take you, like, two seconds.”

  “I was never really worried about catching the flu,” Michael said. “I remember when I was young, I got the flu almost every year. Most kids would just get sick for a week, and then it was over. I remember missing school and being in bed. Besides being miserable, I actually enjoyed the time being out of school. It was like a vacation at home, being forced to lie in bed and read books. I managed to read some good ones!”

  He pointed to her pink cell phone lying beside her hip on the towel. “Remember the days when we didn’t have cell phones? We survived. In fact, we were fine. More than fine. We got along without them. Now, people don’t even talk to one another face-to-face. They just text each other. It’s a tragedy if we leave our home and we don’t have our phones with us. We seem to have gotten so dependent on cell phones that we’re completely lost without them.”

  Lorie laughed at something she had thought about. “Remember the first cell phones in the eighties? That huge phone that looked like a brick?” She lay back down on the towel.

  Michael smiled and lay back down next to her. “Yes. I guess it would be tough to slide one of those in your pocket.”

  “Or purse.”

  “It had a dual function―you could use it for self-defense.” Changing back to the subject, Michael said, “I haven’t gotten the flu shot since I started high school.” He added, “And you know what? I don’t think I’ve had the fl
u since.”

  “So, the flu shot causes the flu?” she joked.

  “No, I’m not saying that,” he replied seriously. “I think that good hygiene, like washing your hands often, avoiding coughing or sneezing people, and just common sense can help keep you from getting the bug.”

  They talked a little longer. He always enjoyed being around Lorie. With her, he could be himself. All his defensive barriers seemed to drop when he was around her. He could tell her almost anything, and she could confide in him. He felt comfortable around her, like a very good friend.

  By the time he got back to their apartment, Brian had managed to finally drag himself out of bed and was keeping down the first food of the day…dinner.

  “I’m glad my birthday only comes once a year. I don’t think I’d survive more than that,” he groaned. “I heard you got yourself into a little trouble last night. Sorry I wasn’t able to be much help.”

  “It worked out all right,” Michael said. “Besides, you don’t have to be my guardian angel all the time.”

  “The last thing I remember is seeing the drain hole in the bathroom sink.”

  Both Michael and Scott laughed out loud. Despite not feeling well, Brian smiled at his own admission.

  “What’s going on in Asia?” Michael suddenly asked. “Lorie told me that something bad is happening over there.”

  “Lorie?” Brian asked. “You hung out with your girlfriend today? I thought you were out studying.”

  Ignoring Brian, Scott answered Michael’s question. “It’s all over the news. The flu has hit the area hard. There have been a lot of deaths, more than the normal flu season. According to the news, the onset is a lot quicker. Just a couple of hours after being exposed to the flu, people are starting to show symptoms and are contagious. Then, most of the sick people are dying within twenty-four hours from complications like respiratory problems.”

  Michael was aghast. “You are kidding me, right?”

  Scott shook his head.

  “The flu comes around every year. It doesn’t kill people like that. Maybe the very young and very old are susceptible, but most healthy people with normal immune systems fight it off. Are they sure it’s the flu and not Ebola or something?” Michael asked.

  “The World Health Organization says it’s the flu,” Scott answered. “As soon as people started filling up the emergency rooms and dying, the WHO sent some people in. The so-called experts verified that it is the influenza virus. Now the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta are telling the public, besides the standard ‘don’t panic’ and ‘we have everything under control,’ that everyone should go and get their flu vaccine.”

  “Wilbur’s going to be happy to hear that!”

  “Yeah, all the pharmacies are getting slammed with people who waited until the last minute to get vaccinated. The news reporter said the CDC is doing more tests on the virus and to expect the results in the next twenty-four hours. They have had hundreds of cases pop up in California already.”

  “Wonderful,” Brian said.

  Scott piped up, “Remember back when we took that Infectious Disease class? One year, I think it was 1918, the Spanish flu killed a lot of people. Most of the people it killed were between twenty and forty years of age. Not the typical flu strain. They didn’t know much about viruses back then, but we now know the Spanish flu was just the regular flu virus that had mutated.”

  “Have you guys gotten the flu shot yet?” Michael asked them.

  They both shook their heads.

  “Have you?” Brian asked.

  “No, although Wilbur offered to give me one for free yesterday. I just didn’t feel like it. I was too wiped out from working, and I simply wanted to get out.”

  “You should see the internet,” Scott added. “It’s gone viral with this flu stuff. No pun intended. Not only are news agencies calling this a pandemic, but people are also blogging crazy ideas like government conspiracy, terrorist attack, or an accident at a lab as being responsible. My personal favorite is that this is just the beginning of an alien takeover.”

  “You can find anything on the internet. Crazy people with even crazier ideas.”

  Now seeded in major cities across the United States (thanks to rapid airline travel), the virulent influenza strain was more than content to be passed along easily in the human-rich environment. A simple cough or sneeze could allow it to spread in an instant over many victims in a crowd. Like an invading horde, the virus spread like wildfire in heavily populated areas, and then it started to reach out into less densely inhabited areas as people carried the virus with them. In less than a day, the influenza virus was starting to invade the outlying areas, leaving destruction and chaos in its wake.

  Chapter 6

  Sunday morning, Michael got out of bed early and went directly to his little wooden desk in the bedroom. It was an overcast day, so the outdoors didn’t beckon him like it had the previous day. With renewed determination, he cracked open his books and finally got a few good hours of studying in. He emerged briefly from the seclusion of his bedroom to pour himself a cup of coffee.

  Both Brian and Scott were already up, and Brian looked a lot better than the day before. Respecting Michael’s desire to study, they both left him alone. A little after noon, he took a break for lunch, and then retired once more to his study desk. At roughly one o’clock, he heard the television blare the all-too-familiar music for the upcoming football game.

  Closing his book, Michael joined his friends out in the living room. Scott’s favorite team from Los Angeles was playing Dallas. Michael settled into an empty space on the couch and grabbed a handful of chips from the large bowl sitting on the coffee table.

  When the announcer read off the starting lineup for the Los Angeles team, Scott cried out, “What? Where is Mark Ariello? And who is this rookie playing wide receiver?” Ariello was the famous quarterback who had propelled the Los Angeles team to the front of their league with both his extraordinary passing completion rate and his uncanny ability to scramble out of the pocket.

  As if hearing Scott’s complaints, the announcer mentioned that because some of the players were sick, other players on the second string had been given the opportunity to fill in. After the game started, the Los Angeles team proceeded to lose, and lose badly. It was such a blowout that Scott screamed in frustration and threatened more than once to break the television.

  “This is horrible!” he cried. Just then, the Los Angeles running back fumbled the ball; Dallas recovered it and then ran it in for a touchdown. “Arghhhh!”

  Scott was so upset that he ended up changing the channel to some other game in New England.

  “I can’t believe that you actually root for Los Angeles,” Brian chided Scott. “What about our own Pittsburgh home team?”

  “Yeah, I want them to win too. What’s wrong with having two favorite teams? But you do know that Ariello graduated from Penn State, right?” he replied, defending himself.

  Not really interested in the New England game, Michael decided it would be a good time to get some more studying done. He grabbed a soda from the refrigerator for the caffeine and disappeared into his room once again. Outside, the foreboding gray skies had darkened, and a light drizzle was pattering on his bedroom window pane.

  Sitting down at his desk with his textbook lying open in front of him, Michael thought about the recent news and the status of the Los Angeles football team, with players unable to play due to illness. There was too much coincidence to be ignored. Was the flu as devastating this year as everyone was saying? Maybe he should finally give his parents a call. He was sure they were following the news closely. They always did. Besides, his call was way overdue. He tried to avoid calling them because they were always prying into his life and making suggestions about what he should do. Nothing he did seemed to be good enough for them and he usually got upset when they talked. Why couldn’t they just let him be who he wanted to be?

  Promising himself to give them a ring later, he got bac
k to memorizing his notes. He managed to cover most of his study material, and he had a good feeling that he was as well prepared for the test as he could be. Closing his notebook, he glanced at the clock. It was a little after his normal dinnertime. He rejoined Brian and Scott, and they all decided to order some carryout pizza.

  Before calling the local pizzeria, Michael reluctantly dialed his parents’ phone number.

  “Hi, Dad,” Michael said when his call was answered.

  “Michael! Good to hear from you,” his dad said enthusiastically. “Is everything alright?”

  “Everything is great,” Michael replied, glad that they weren’t using the internet video to talk―his father might see the lump on his head. Fortunately, his parents were very leery of the security of internet connections. Anyone, especially hackers and identity thieves, could monitor those calls. Of course, if the government was involved, they were probably already monitoring internet and cell phone calls under the pretense of “Homeland Security.”

  “You’re feeling okay? Not sick or anything?” his father asked.

  So his parents had been following the news. “No, I’m perfectly fine. My roommates are good too. What seems to be going on?”

  “Well,” his father hesitated. His parents were a little paranoid about speaking plainly on the phone. “We’ve seen some postings on the web as well as some video that has been uploaded. It’s really disturbing.”

  “How bad is it?” Michael asked.

  “You may want to check it out for yourself,” his father replied. He sounded more than just a little concerned. “We have been thinking about making a trip to Aunt Thelma’s soon. We’d really like you to think about coming too, if we decide to visit her.”

  Michael gripped the phone a little tighter. “Sure, I’ll think about it. When will you know more?”

  “I think we’ll make a decision late tomorrow,” his dad said. “In the meantime, you may want to stock up on some camping supplies. Maybe one to two weeks’ worth.”