180 Days and Counting... Series Box Set books 1 - 3

by B. R. Paulson

  Cady hadn’t considered that not knowing would drive Bailey insane. She’d just taken it for granted because she didn’t want Bailey to ask. Half-turning toward Bailey, Cady studied her daughter. “Do you know when your dad and I found out we were going to have you, the first thing we decided was your name. Bailey if you were girl.” Cady smiled and then went on. “And Seth, if you were a boy.”

  “You’ve told me this.” But Bailey’s exasperation was tempered by a melancholic smile at the mention of her father. “Tell me, what happened yesterday?”

  Cady sighed and nodded, swallowing. “You need to understand that I didn’t just know the guy or even talk with him. I was really good friends with this guy and, at one point, I had a similar mindset. I used to believe that the population was ruining the world.” Owning her shame was harder than she’d thought it would be. She lifted her chin. “I was young and stupid, filled with false ideology. I just wanted to sound like a man scientist. Things were hard back then for women in the STEM-fields.”

  “But what about last night?” Bailey didn’t seem surprised just that she wanted Cady to get to the point.

  “When I told you and Scott about what was coming, I wasn’t completely forthcoming. In fact, I still can’t tell Scott what is going on and I’m glad I can’t tell your grandparents.” Cady rubbed at her eyes. Truth time was coming. “The end really is coming. I wasn’t lying when I said, for our safety, we have to stay here. Please, don’t push me on this. I hate it more than you.”

  “So, the end of the world really is coming and we can’t stop it?” Bailey blinked slowly at her mom, laying her book in her lap.

  “No, we can’t stop it.” Cady shook her head. “I really wish we could.” More than she could express. It was worse knowing it was coming, then not. All of the other poor people on earth would get sick and die and that would be it for them. They wouldn’t know about it beforehand, not enough to make them sick and worry more.

  “But you’re friends with this guy? You seriously can’t stop him?” Bailey furrowed her brow, trying to understand something that wasn’t fathomable on any level.

  “I know him. I’m not sure we’re friends. Maybe at one time we were close, but he knows the girl I used to be. Not the woman I am now. It’s complicated.” Cady didn’t know how to explain it, let alone describe it so that it was something that made sense, something that excused her part in everything.

  She still had to talk over the vaccine issue with Bailey. Maybe not that day. Maybe not right then. She wasn’t sure how that conversation was going to go, but she had to have more time to figure out which decision she was going to make.

  “Okay, but you know, and you’ve known for a while. Why haven’t you said anything to anyone? Can’t you tell someone and they’ll take care of it?” Bailey’s voice grew shriller.

  “Who am I going to tell? I contacted Benny and the FBI but he can’t do anything. They won’t believe us. Even if they could, what would they do at this point?” Cady’s own impotence hurt and she blinked back frustrated tears. “You think I don’t feel the unfairness of this situation?”

  “Mom, you have to do something. Everyone we love is going to die. We can’t just sit by and do nothing.” Bailey leaned forward, her expression tight. Her righteous anger wasn’t unfounded and Cady cringed.

  “What? What would you do? I’m at a loss. I don’t know what else to do besides protect you.” Cady’s fear could consume them both, if she let it. Bailey wasn’t ready to know about the single dose vaccine. She’d want to give it to a friend, or something more drastic. She couldn’t tell her.

  Cady had to wait to tell Bailey. She didn’t have any other option, not with the instability of Bailey emotions. Cady still had thirteen days.

  Bailey stared at her mom, as if trying to make sense of something. “I’m not sure. A few weeks ago, I would’ve said tell Dad, but… that option is gone.” She suddenly seemed more vulnerable than her tender age and she lifted her chin, a trait so like Cady and Margie. “What’s going to happen? Are we going to die?” Her lower lip trembled.

  “I’m not sure. We can’t leave or come in contact with anyone. This is serious. I can’t keep us alive, if we’re careless. Do you understand?” Cady peered at Bailey as if she could convey the importance of following the rules with a single look.

  Bailey nodded, but her confusion and fear mingled on her features. Cady wished she could fix everything for her daughter, but she couldn’t. All she could do was ride it out and make the most of what she had to do.

  Thirteen days. A lot could happen in under two weeks.

  Chapter 16

  Jackson

  Jackson snapped the cover shut on his iPad and shoved it into the messenger bag he had slung across his hip. The hotel room was lavishly decorated with thick carpeting, gold-trimmed thread, and mauve accents around the cream and blue theme.

  He’d kept the curtains shut and didn’t care if the sun was out or it was raining.

  He was distracted and he hated being in anything but the moment.

  Jackson had only partially lied to Cady when he’d emailed that he’d already taken his vaccine. He had, but he didn’t want her daughter to take the vaccine. He felt like a lion coming in to eradicate the competing lion’s offspring.

  He’d rather not be the one to kill Cady’s daughter… At least, not directly. He had more class than direct murder, especially of a young teenage girl. Cady hadn’t been clear on her age, but she’d said enough.

  He couldn’t help but feel betrayed. Not only had Cady been married, but she’d had a child. She wasn’t supposed to agree with populating the world. She was supposed to be against that. Against it at least until there was no one left. Then Jackson needed her to be on board with having a lot of children. She was in her thirties and had plenty of time to bear for a few years.

  Jackson shook off the email. He hated telling her no, but he had to make sure and maintain control. Giving Cady whatever she wanted from the beginning wouldn’t bode well for their relationship later. She had to have respect for him as the man in the house. He wouldn’t tolerate anything less.

  He checked his tracker again and confirmed the information the tracking app had given him.

  The mailings had been confirmed as having been shipped from their storage warehouses Trident Storage and Shipment had been extremely expensive, but they had a great reputation for holdover storage.

  Each pallet was sent out to the biggest cities in the northern states. Spring destinations for college breaks as well as for world traveling for large events. These locations were in the metropolis centers like Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Las Vegas, Nevada – even thought it was southern, he couldn’t leave it out, come on, it was Vegas, baby – and New York, New York; St. Louis, Missouri; Minneapolis, Minnesota’ Washington D.C.; Denver, Colorado; and of course, New Orleans, Louisiana to catch Mardi Gras. Okay, so he didn’t have a specific northern states plan, but he had a plan that involved planes, tourists and spreading the samples like they were rare and worth a lot.

  That’s all that mattered.

  His mailing plan involved the more rural areas across the Midwest in case no one in Iowa traveled. That would kick in and then Jackson just had to sit back and watch. Thinking about it too much made him slightly giddy. He was already having so much fun. Too bad Cady had to take everything so seriously.

  Jackson left his hotel room, his last bag rolling behind him as he headed out toward the Jeep. He strode confidently. Why shouldn’t he be an arrogant jerk? He was destroying the world without using guns or anything violent – barring the symptoms from the virus. Those were violent enough. He had the right to be as cocky as he wanted to be.

  “We’ll see you again soon, Mr. Ryan.” The woman at the front desk waved at him, her smile toothy and overly friendly like she knew how to kiss butt and wasn’t afraid to do it.

  Jackson ignored her, meeting the valet at the front. Slipping the man a twenty, Jackson didn’t say a word as he cl
imbed into his rig and drove off.

  He hadn’t planned on being in any of the distribution cities when it happened, but he wanted to see as the craziness ensued. He wanted to see his handiwork, watching someone unsuspectingly breathe in his masterpiece. He needed to see it and the need was surprisingly more convincing than Cady’s email.

  There wasn’t a town around him that was slotted as a destination which was very frustrating. Fortunately, he’d saved a few sample packages for himself. He didn’t want to be at ground zero, but he couldn’t wait.

  Pulling into a large department store at the mall, Jackson parked close to the front and locked his car. Heading inside, he fingered the sharp corners of the plastic-wrapped packets of samples. His were double-wrapped because of the sensitivity of the product.

  Opening the packets and setting the fragrance cards out would be a true test of faith. How much did he actually trust his vaccine? How much faith did he have in his science?

  He’d be testing it with his life. If Jackson messed up, he wouldn’t live long enough to see the rest of the world fall to pieces. If he’d severely miscalculated, then his timeline would be destroyed and his mortality rate would be lower than he’d planned. What if the virus evolved faster than he had analyzed?

  Ninety percent wasn’t enough, but he’d take it. Seventy-percent would be even worse and that was the only other option. If his cure didn’t get out at the right time, he’d have to be happy with seventy-percent because there would be no one to pass out the second phase.

  Jackson stopped at the double front doors, standing beside the garbage can set out for the public to use. He glanced around, taking in the average morning. There was nothing special to mark the day and he wished there was something noteworthy to make the occasion special.

  He pulled out the swag for the End of the World cologne and perfume. He scraped the serrated plastic edge of the package across the pad of his thumb. Everything focused in on that one point in time. He could truly own the loosing of the virus. Just him.

  Once Jackson broke the seal, the act couldn’t be undone.

  He took a deep breath, looking around as his heart pounded harder and faster than if he’d run a marathon.

  Jackson didn’t doubt himself. He was too smart to doubt. But everything he’d worked for over the last ten years culminated in that moment when he was releasing his genetic miracles into the wild.

  They’d either thrive or die.

  One action would leave the world a better place and the other would leave Jackson a very bankrupt man.

  Pushing through the doors, Jackson gripped the cards with a tight squeeze. He didn’t want to drop them. By that point, he’d already become a carrier. There was no way he wasn’t infected. Just the simple act of opening the packet had exposed him enough. Thankfully, he’d been fully vaccinated.

  That sucked for the idiots in the building.

  He wandered around the makeup counter, waiting until the counter-girl walked off to help another customer. Setting half of the stack of cards on the counter by a lipstick display, Jackson ambled off to stand beside the watch display. He could look at the watches and still keep an eye on where he’d left the cards.

  The store wasn’t packed, but steady foot traffic gave Jackson plenty of people to hope one would stop and sniff.

  He’d almost given up hope, when a young woman – probably in her late twenties – stalled beside the counter, a phone plastered to her ear and a stroller handle in the other hand. She rolled her eyes as she talked, ignoring the rosy-cheeked toddler looking at everyone passing them by with a worried look on his face.

  Someone so young shouldn’t have anything to worry about. He should have been laughing and pointing or sleeping peacefully. Jackson cast another glance at the mother. Judging by the mother, the child had plenty to worry about.

  Jackson sneered. Hopefully, the woman would take a big whiff and put her whole family out of its misery.

  He held his breath as she paused and did a double-take at the stack of samples. Her lips formed an expletive and she looked around as if she expected to discover she was on a hidden camera show. Her eyes flitted to him, past, and then back, narrowing as she focused on his gaze on her. Jackson brazenly continued staring. He had nothing to hide. But after a moment, he turned away, walking around to the other side of the counter to watch.

  The hum his marketing plans had created about the perfume had made it the next big thing. Nothing was supposed to release for another week or so and the early arrival of the sample cards in such a no-nothing town was obviously a shock, especially for a trendy-wannabe mother.

  The woman picked one up and told the person on the other line to hold on, her lips easy to read with their heavily outlined lips and bright red stain.

  She closed her eyes as she opened the sample and lifted it to her nose. Jackson could almost imagine the viral particles with a purplish color as they rose from the card to her nose. He grinned as she rubbed the card on her neck and wrists.

  The double-exposure sealed her fate.

  Breathe it in deep. Jackson’s inhale and exhale were shaky as he watched her another moment. After he gathered his control, he turned away, catching a bounce in his step.

  Too bad incubation took seven to ten days. He would love to see the rash develop around her mouth, a fever flushed her skin, and then as the fatigue dragged her under the true pox would start to appear. She wouldn’t feel pain until the final stage. At least, he didn’t think there’d be pain. The homeless people he’d locked up and tested the virus on hadn’t been forthcoming on their experiences.

  No matter. He would see more than he would be able to comprehend soon. All he had to do was bide his time. He had all the time in the world.

  Jackson had to wait ten days to see if his vaccine worked.

  The anticipation was killing him. He chuckled at the pun as he stepped outside the double doors.

  Oregon was next on his list. He had to see his damage on a large scale. The drive would take time. He’d been so busy with his plans, he hadn’t bothered to take a vacation. Maybe he’d stop to see the ocean or Vegas before it became the City that Never Woke Again. Okay, he needed to work on a better name for it.

  None of that mattered. His skin tingled at the experience of releasing CJ180d. Hopefully, Cady took the vaccine before the twenty-one days was up. He hadn’t taken into account the fact that he’d released it well before the planned date.

  Sliding into his Jeep, Jackson realized he didn’t care. He wanted to release it a few more times to feel that euphoria again. He had to feel that way.

  He hadn’t expected it to be such a rush.

  Chapter 17

  Cassie

  Cassie had stopped listening to her friend complaining about the latest diaper fiasco with her kid. She nodded distractedly as she stopped Bobby’s stroller by the makeup counter. Lately, she was bored with everything. Her husband was never home and she’d taken to staying up late to have friends over the last few nights. She put her son to bed and left him in there while the party raged on in her living room.

  She wasn’t getting very much sleep which she covered the effects of with more makeup than usual. Who cared, anyway? She wasn’t out to impress anyone. Karl was gone all the time with his job at the mine and she just didn’t care who saw her.

  As if her boredom conjured him, a man studied her from the watch display. His dark swarthy coloring and angular features were set off by his dark coloring. Eyes as black as his hair pierced her and he didn’t look away.

  Challenge accepted. She ignored him, careful to make sure her hair fell back behind her shoulders to show off her skin. She didn’t hang up the phone. Glancing back at the spot he was in, she was embarrassed to find he’d disappeared. After another minute, he reappeared, staring at her for more.

  Cassie liked being entertainment. She always felt frumpy and undesirable since having the baby. She didn’t even acknowledge her child at that point. Someone watched her. She acted like she was
mad and then glanced at the counter.

  The popular fragrance name stared up at her on a fragrance card. Nothing happened in her podunk town. They certainly never got premier releases of any popular products.

  “Hold on, Taylor.” She stared at the counter, glancing around, no longer caring if the man was there anymore or not. Was she on a TV show or something? She met the man’s gaze and then picked up the fragrance card, sniffing it carefully.

  The aroma was familiar, but she couldn’t place it. Maybe it was like fresh grass or pine mixed with homemade cookies. She couldn’t pinpoint it. Most importantly, she wanted to keep sniffing it. The scent was addicting. She rubbed the card down her neck and across the smooth skin above her cleavage.

  Bobby’s increased whimpering broke through her fog. She needed coffee. Why couldn’t she have a morning just to herself.

  “Pick up your child.” An older woman clutched the strap of her purse and narrowed her blue-eye-shadowed eyes at Cassie. “Shameful.”

  Cassie glared at the old woman until she averted her gaze and walked on. After another long gaze after the woman, and ignoring the other patrons as they walked around the stroller and the now-sobbing child, she rounded the front and unsnapped Bobby. Jerking him to her shoulder, she huffed impatiently.

  Next time the doctors wanted to give him vaccines she was going to take a video and put it up on her blog. They hadn’t been gentle and they’d whisked the informational paperwork out of her hands before she could read them thoroughly. Maybe she could get more blog views by pulling in some anti-vaccination controversy with a post or two about it.

  “Sh. You’re fine. Let’s go get you a milkshake.” She crumpled the edge of the fragrance card and placed it on the top of the stroller top. Grabbing the handle, she pushed the stroller ahead of her, while holding Bobby in her arms.

  Lately, she’d been so run down, but weren’t all mothers? With all the colds and flus running rampant, she’d be lucky to get away with not getting sick.