Influenza: Viral Virulence

by Ohliger, Steven

  Brian waved at Michael as Lorie opened her door and got out of the car too. Carrying his shotgun in one hand and the heavy bolt cutters in the other, Michael walked over to the massive garage door. He looked over his shoulder to see if there was anyone else in sight. Fortunately, the garage was located in the industrial part of town. No one lived out here, and no one had any reason to be out here.

  Standing beside him, Lorie took the gun from Michael and watched as he opened the bolt cutters as wide as they’d go. He pushed the teeth of the cutters between the chain links and then squeezed the arms back together with all his strength.

  For a moment, Michael feared that it wasn’t going to work. But then he felt the bolt cutters slide into the metal, and with a loud snap, the chain broke. Taking no time to rejoice, Michael quickly pulled the heavy chain off the doors and opened them wide. There, sitting in front of him, was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. (Okay, after glancing at Lorie, he changed it to the second most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.) Standing before him with the light from the newly opened door falling on the hood was his pickup truck. Taking a moment to walk around his prized vehicle, he saw that Gary had done a wonderful job on it. It looked great. The freshly washed and waxed, shiny, metallic green paint made the truck look brand-new. For a moment, he thought that a divine light would shine through the greasy side window, and the Hallelujah Chorus would start up.

  Not wanting to spend any more time than necessary out in the open, he walked to the driver’s side and opened the door. Since he had given Gary the extra set of keys, which were locked in the office safe, Michael fished his own set of keys out of his jean pockets. He looked back at the entrance and noticed that Brian was still waiting in his running car just outside the door. Ignoring what Michael had said about leaving, stubborn Brian was still protecting and keeping watch. That was just like Brian, always there until the job was done.

  Michael climbed into the driver’s seat as Lorie hoisted herself into the passenger’s. He put the key into the ignition, and his truck purred to life. Checking the gas gauge, he verified that the tank was full. Thank goodness he had just filled it up before dropping the truck off with Gary. During his normal trips from school to Cincinnati, he only needed three-quarters of a tank to make the journey. A full tank full should be enough. But they were living in different times now. He had to drop Lorie off at her parents, stop by his house, then continue on toward Aunt Thelma’s retreat. As he put the truck into gear, Lorie smiled and pumped her fist up and down. “Woo-hoo! We’re going home!”

  Smiling at her enthusiasm, Michael drove the truck slowly out of its now unlocked prison into freedom.

  Still waiting patiently, Brian pulled out in front of them, and they followed him back to the apartment.

  Driving both vehicles into the alleyway, they turned them around so they were facing out toward the road. Once back inside the apartment, they began gathering their things and loading up the vehicles. Sandy followed Michael back and forth from the apartment to the truck, never letting him out of her sight. She wasn’t about to let him leave her again.

  Michael’s truck had a lot of room to carry things. He had both the full truck bed and the entire back seat, minus room for Sandy. They divided up the food and bottled water evenly. Although Michael’s protested, Brian insisted that he take two of the four full gas cans they had retrieved from the station. Michael argued that Brian and Scott had a long distance to travel, but Brian wouldn’t hear any of it. They were almost done packing when…

  “Hey, guys. You need to come here and check this out,” Scott called out urgently. By the tone in his voice, they could tell something was wrong. Scott had taken it upon himself to keep watch out the front window. He had been worried that the sounds of the automobile engines would attract unwanted attention. He was right.

  As Michael peered over Scott’s head and looked out the front window between the glass and the heavy blanket hanging there, he couldn’t see anything…at first. Then, he saw it. About six houses down on the right-hand side, there was a reflective flash. Squinting and looking closer, he spotted a figure leaning up against a large tree along the side of the road. As he watched, another figure appeared beside the first, and they seemed to talk about something. Then, the second man pointed in their direction. Michael recognized them as two of the gunmen who had shot the woman without any kind of remorse.

  “Okay, time to leave!” Brian announced. He had come up behind Michael and had also recognized the men.

  With no disagreement, Michael hurried back and grabbed what little supplies they still had in the apartment. Running out the back door, he saw Lorie rearranging some of the suitcases in the backseat of the truck. Sandy was already perched in the backseat as Lorie tried to make more room for her.

  “Lorie!” he called out frantically. “Get in the truck. Now!”

  Hearing the tone of Michael’s voice, she slammed the back door and climbed into the front. As Michael tossed his handful of belongings into the truck bed, he saw Lorie look around fearfully. He sprinted back inside and grabbed Lorie’s last suitcase in the bedroom.

  As he was hurrying out the back of the apartment, suitcase in hand, he heard Scott call from the front of the house that it looked like five or six guys with guns had gathered down the street. Michael flung the last suitcase into the back of the truck and closed the cap lid. One more trip inside, and he was done. All he had to do was collect his shotgun, and they’d be out on the road.

  Running back into the apartment, he was almost bowled over by Brian. Brian’s big hands grabbed Michael by the shoulders, steadied him, spun him around, and pushed him back toward their cars. “No time! They’re heading this way!”

  His shotgun was still inside! Without it, all he and Lorie had was Ted’s pistol and the rifle from the store. The pistol was in Lorie’s lap, and the rifle was somewhere in the back. Brian’s urgency sparked Michael into action. They both ran back to their respective vehicles and climbed in behind the wheel. As Michael fumbled for the keys, he heard a loud, splintering sound coming from the apartment as the front door was kicked in. Then he heard a shotgun blast as Scott fired at the intruders.

  Putting the key in the ignition and starting the truck, Michael could see that Brian had already started his car and was waiting for Scott. Brian’s sawed-off shotgun was out and pointed at the open back door.

  From the backseat, Sandy barked an alarm.

  Seconds later, Scott dashed out of the back door and ran like lightning toward Brian’s car. Reaching the passenger’s door, Scott didn’t bother to open the door but rather dove headfirst through the open window. Brian’s shotgun went off as one of the hunters’ heads appeared out of the back door. The head disappeared, and both Brian and Michael slammed down the gas pedals. Like rockets, their vehicles took off down the alleyway, showering rock and dirt behind them. Brian was again in front, with Michael right on his bumper.

  A shot rang out behind them, and Michael glanced back to see several unshaven men pile out the back door of their former apartment. Dressed in the same camouflaged hunting gear, they carried an assortment of guns and were aiming at Michael’s fleeing truck. Brian reached the asphalt pavement and swung his car to the left. Michael was not far behind. He made the turn as fast as he could without rolling the truck over. Lorie fired a round from the pistol, and the men ducked. That was all the time they needed as they sped down the paved street.

  Out on the open road, they drove faster than was safe, and both vehicles took a hard left as they turned south on Main Street. Edging his speed up to around sixty-five miles per hour, Michael matched Brian’s as they headed out of town. Trying to keep his eyes focused on Brian’s brake lights in case he had to slow down suddenly and glancing at his rearview mirror for any signs of pursuit, Michael did his best not to wreck.

  After a few minutes, they reached the edge of town and kept going. So far, there was no sign of any pursuit. Besides, Michael rationalized, it would take time for those maraud
ers to run back to their own vehicles to chase them. Even if they had vehicles with gasoline, by the time they got into them, they hopefully wouldn’t know which direction the foursome had gone. “Hopefully” being the key word here. Easing off the accelerator a bit, Michael allowed some safe distance to develop between his truck and Brian’s car.

  Turning and looking out the back window, Lorie asked anxiously, “Are they following us?”

  “No. I don’t think so.”

  “My heart is pounding,” she said, gripping her revolver tightly. “That was too close!”

  “We got out of there just in time. If Scott hadn’t spotted them, or if firing his shotguns at them hadn’t slowed those guys down for a few seconds, I don’t know what would have happened…” He trailed off, not wanting to think about the what-ifs.

  “You’re going to have to teach me how to use this thing,” Lorie said, pointing at the revolver in her hands. “Soon!”

  “You did great back there. You kept them from putting a few holes in the back of my truck,” Michael said. “But I wish we had a few more seconds back there. I left the shotgun inside the apartment.”

  “It will be okay. We still have my gun, and you have the rifle in the backseat.”

  “It was a good gun,” Michael said longingly. “And now those jerks have an additional gun they might use to kill someone else.”

  “They might have your gun, but they don’t have any of your ammunition. Remember? You made sure the ammo was one of the first things you packed in the truck.”

  “Okay, Lorie. You’re making me feel a little better. At least we got out of there without getting hurt.” He checked the rearview mirror again. All he could see was the familiar college town fading in the distance. He was leaving his old life behind. This wasn’t the way he had pictured leaving school when he had been thinking of graduating. Like saying goodbye to a familiar friend, Michael watched the tall campus buildings recede. He was leaving his former life behind with an unknown journey ahead.

  From the backseat, Sandy’s head appeared as she squeezed halfway into the front seat between them. Both Lorie and Brian reached out and started petting her fur. Their hands touched, and Michael felt her soft hand brush against his own. He glanced at her as she glanced over at him. In the middle, Sandy started to pant and smile.

  Almost fifteen minutes later, Brian’s brake lights lit up, and he started slowing down. Braking to a stop at SR 47, Michael slowly pulled his truck up along Brian’s right side.

  “Any sign of them?” Scott called out from his seat.

  “No, nothing,” Michael answered back.

  “So, I guess this is it.”

  “I guess so.”

  They both sat still, idling for a few seconds. The black and white SR 47 sign stood large at the intersection. This was the inevitable time that Michael had been dreading. He had to say goodbye to his two best friends. He had given them both directions to where he was going, but he really didn’t know if he’d see either one of them ever again.

  He looked back across at Scott and Brian and stuck his hand out the window. He gave them the thumbs-up sign. Scott reciprocated by repeating it back to him.

  Brian tried to say something, but his words were drowned out by the idling engines.

  “What?” Michael said, holding his finger to his ear.

  “He asked,” Scott replied, smiling, “if we should all just have a group hug.”

  Michael laughed.

  “But seriously,” Scott said. “We’d better keep moving just in case those wackos are following us.”

  “Just remember that you and your families have a place to go if things don’t go well when you get home,” Michael said. “Thanks for helping me out.” He waved at them.

  They both returned the wave, and then Brian put his car in gear and turned east toward Pennsylvania. Michael turned his truck west toward Lima. They drove away from each other, and Michael wondered if he’d ever see his two best friends again. He felt a twinge of both remorse and sadness at having to part ways, but his family was waiting for him. If they even thought he was still alive.

  Chapter 16

  Lorie and Michael drove westward toward Lima in silence. Michael looked at the empty road ahead of them. In it, he saw an unknown future before him. He was guiding the pen of his own destiny, like blank pages of an unwritten book. Driving on the open road, he could take any direction. Life-and-death decisions lay ahead, and he prayed that he had the wisdom to make the right choices.

  The past was quickly receding in the rearview mirror. The predictable life of finishing college, salaried work, bills, and taxes was falling behind in the distance as the truck wheels kept turning. He was apprehensive about what lay ahead of them, but there was also a small sense of hope in the possibilities that lay before them. His foot pressed down on the accelerator, and the truck responded and picked up speed. It seemed the faster he drove, the more distance he was putting between himself and danger. He peered expectantly at the open pavement in front of him.

  Michael always loved getting his truck out on the road. It relaxed him. He couldn’t adequately explain the feeling to anyone. Driving toward home felt like he was coasting downhill. It was like running with the wind at his back. It just seemed…easier.

  They passed a few abandoned cars pulled off to the side of the road. At least, some of the vehicles were abandoned. Michael noticed that other vehicles, like the SUV in the pharmacy parking lot, had occupants who hadn’t made it. As they passed the first unabandoned car, Lorie gasped when she saw the body slumped over the steering wheel. A tear started to roll down her cheek as she vowed to keep her eyes straight on the road ahead. They both tried to avoid looking into the cars they passed on the road. It was better to imagine that they were all empty.

  Lorie leaned over and attempted to tune the truck radio to any music, news, or sound over the airways. In response, she received nothing but static up and down the entire bandwidth. She finally gave up and leaned back in her seat.

  “Who were those men?” she said, breaking the silence.

  “I don’t know,” Michael responded. “I’ve never seen them before. I suppose they were some locals who decided to take advantage of the crisis. Maybe they were hungry or desperate. But I don’t think they were. I believe they’re just bad people. They wouldn’t have hesitated to kill us.”

  “Or worse,” Lorie added. Then she continued, “I recognized one of them. Those were the same people who shot that poor, sick woman in the head in the middle of the street.”

  “I bet there are more people like that out there. We need to be extra careful.”

  “Wait! Slow down!” Lorie said suddenly, peering out the windshield. “There’s someone on the side of the road up there.”

  At first, Michael only saw the rows of corn on either side of the road. They were driving in the middle of farm country. But then, just like Lorie said, Michael saw a sole figure in the distance. As they drew closer, Michael could see that it was a young woman sitting on a suitcase on the side of the road. The girl was wearing shorts, and Michael could see she was thin and had a pale complexion. She was leaning over with her face buried in her hands. Her long, reddish hair cascaded down over the front of her face and hands. He had no intention of stopping, but against his better judgment, Michael’s foot eased up on the accelerator, and the truck began to slow.

  “She looks like she’s sick,” Michael said.

  “Maybe,” Lorie replied, staring intently at the figure. “But she looks familiar.”

  Hearing the approaching vehicle, the girl lifted her head and turned toward Michael’s pickup truck.

  “I do know her!” Lorie exclaimed. “That’s Liz, one of my sorority sisters who lives in an apartment off campus. We should stop and see if she’s okay.”

  “If she’s sick, we can’t run the risk of getting infected,” Michael warned. “Even if she is your friend.” He started to get upset at Lorie. She didn’t realize she was putting both of them at risk.
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  Despite his better judgement, Michael slowed the truck to a stop. Putting the gear in park, he left the engine running as Lorie leaned her head out the window.

  “Liz, is that you? Are you okay?” she called out.

  Surprised recognition dawned on Liz’s face as she started to stand up.

  “Are you sick?” Lorie asked hesitantly.

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “You sure?” Lorie asked again.

  “Yes, we stayed isolated and managed not to catch the flu,” Liz responded.

  Before Michael could stop her, Lorie opened the door and jumped out.

  Anger and frustration boiled within him. Not only was Lorie risking her own safety, but she was also putting his own health in jeopardy. How could she be so reckless? Not to mention that they were out in the middle of nowhere and there was still the possibility that the hunters, or other people with ill intent, were closing in on them.

  From the backseat, Sandy watched her get out of the truck and cocked her head to one side in curiosity.

  Michael opened the driver’s side door and climbed out of the truck. He watched as the two girls hugged. He had one second to wonder what Liz had meant by “we” in her answer to Lorie’s question.

  There was a sudden rustle in the stalks of corn behind him, and he caught the rapidly approaching sound of shoes on the pavement. He whirled around just in time to see a heavy metal pipe descending toward his head.

  “Jeffrey, no!” Liz yelled too late.

  Time seemed to decelerate. He saw the pipe approaching in slow motion. Without thinking, Michael caught one end of the pipe in his left hand and the assailant’s arm with his right. In the same motion, he stepped into the swing, and rather than try to block the heavy pipe, he used the pipe’s momentum to redirect the arc of the swing harmlessly around his body. As the assailant continued to hold the end of the pipe, Michael leaned forward and pulled his arm up and over his right shoulder. Suddenly caught off balance, the attacker was flipped over and landed with a thud on his back. In the process, he lost control of the pipe. Michael held the end of the pipe against the attacker’s throat, applying enough pressure to keep him down.