by Crane, J. J.
My nerves shot through the roof, thinking this might be something more. I went food shopping as an overreaction, buying an excessive amount of bottled water, canned and boxed goods. It settled my growing anxiety to prepare for the worst. After storing all the goods, I estimated buying nearly three weeks’ worth of stock. Even June, as skeptical as she was on the issue, didn’t flinch at the initial purchases but asked me to hold off on any other spending sprees.
I was writing in my office when I heard the doorbell ring. I thought it strange as the kids were in school, June was in Hartford with a client, and I wasn’t expecting any deliveries. When I looked through the glass panes framing our door, I saw Frank.
“What a surprise,” I said, opening the door. “What the hell
brings you all the way up here?”
“Good to see you too,” he said while stepping in, first kicking a coating of snow off his shoes. A light accumulation had fallen the night before, and I didn’t shovel it. “I’m on my way to Boston to catch a flight to Iceland.” He sounded hurried.
“Iceland?” I said surprised. “What’s in Iceland?”
“Privacy,” he said as he jerked his arm out of the sleeve of his jacket annoyed it didn’t easily slide off. “You have any coffee?”
“Yeah, there should still be a half pot,” I answered, leading him towards the kitchen. “I can tell you’re sluggish. Coffee is exactly what’s needed to calm the jitters.”
His shoulders slumped. “Sorry. Lots of driving with too much time to think. I have an evening flight out of Logan.”
“Why not catch one out of JFK or Philadelphia?” I asked.
“For one, believe it or not, the one out of JFK is booked, and there isn’t one out of Philadelphia tonight, so I volunteered to drive up to Boston and catch a flight,” he said as he motioned for me to pour the coffee. “And pour yourself one, I’ve got news.”
I filled our cups and pointed towards the den where we could sit more comfortably. “So, what’s up?”
He pursed his lips trying to find the right words. “This flu virus… the one in Asia,” he said, eyes in a dead stare. “They think it’s going to be big… people are dropping dead left and right on the outskirts of China at this very moment.” His cold tone sent a shudder through me. “The Chinese thought they could handle it, but it’s getting beyond them, and they had to inform the UN, the Soviets, the Japanese, the Koreans, other neighboring countries and ourselves. They are desperate for help.”
“This is that secret project, isn’t it?” I asked sitting up and placing my coffee on the small table in front of us.
“It is,” he said. “The government has their own facilities, but they need to expand their operation. What better way to get a lab up and running than by using a facility that is already up and running? All they have to do is make a few adjustments here and there, and bam… they have a state of the art facility. If they need to pull personnel to assist, they have it at their disposal. We aren’t the only company the government is doing this too.” Frank began tapping two fingers against his lips before speaking again. “I couldn’t call to tell you. I wish I could have, but they may be bugging our phones. A corporate mandate came down that we had to make these emergency updates… but that’s another story. Anyway, the government and hand-picked scientists are trying desperately to develop a vaccine for this thing.”
“Slow down, clarify something… vaccine for the Equine flu, a new flu, or what?” I asked calmly, more so than I imagined I would.
“A new virus,” he said.
“A derivative of the Equine flu?”
“Not sure, that’s part of the reason I’m going to Iceland. The UN, with China, is hosting a symposium, so all parties involved receive the same information. This way, maybe we can get a handle on this thing and stop it. My boss is sending another exec, two top scientists and me to Iceland. I’ll have all the clearance I’ll need upon arrival.” Frank sat back on the couch relieved at sharing the news. He went to say something else but stopped to take a sip of coffee.
“What about the reports coming out of other countries. Is it the same thing?” I asked.
“I’m sure I’ll find out,” he answered. “It won’t surprise any of us if it is. That’s what I am preparing for.”
As I settled into the enormity of the information, I circled back to what he mentioned earlier. “When you say big, how big?”
Frank closed his eyes and bowed his head. His hands tightened, losing color. He sniffed before looking back up. “I didn’t want to say this but screw it. There is concern…” his
voice trailed off. Tears welled up in his eyes. He looked right
at me and annunciated every single syllable - “Global Killer.”
For a moment, I didn’t react. My mind didn’t comprehend the words he said. Then it hit me like a vicious tackle in football. I felt dizzy, flushed. “I’m sorry,” I blurted. “You mean like the end of the human race?”
He nodded. “It’s possible some people may have an antibody in them, but what little I know is this virus is highly contagious, and once in the system, it’s just a matter of time until death.” He looked off. “All of this is happening so fast, and the information is sketchy at best at this moment… I’ll find out more in Iceland.”
“Such an odd place,” I said.
“Like I said, privacy,” he said, speaking quietly. “Also, if for some reason the virus is carried to the island…I won’t be coming home. We are all getting tested going in, and they will test us before we leave. Several Chinese officials are going to teleconference because they fear one of them could carry it before it incubates. Highly unlikely, but a safe play.”
“My God,” I gasped, and then changed my tone towards a modicum of levity. “Nice way for your boss to give you a promotion.”
Frank laughed.
“When does the world find out?” I asked.
He shook his head staring at the floor. “They probably won’t until the last possible moment.” He looked at me without blinking. “You really can’t. If this goes as bad as some think, society as we know it will collapse. In fact, there will probably be so much disinformation out there; no one will know who or what to believe. The government isn’t going to confirm a killer virus any sooner than needed. You tell people the world as we know it is over… well then, you better have your guns loaded and ready to go, because all hell is going to break loose. No one is going to give a shit about consequences. The stress on law enforcement and emergency services will find itself collapsing in short order. And just how many of that personnel, military included, are going to abandon their families with that type of crisis? It’ll be pandemonium well before it has too.”
“This can’t be happening,” I said, stunned.
“From the couple brief reports I’ve read, the dead are piling up in China. If it’s true, that kind of news can only stay suppressed for so long,” Frank said, his voice calm. “There’ll be a cover story for it, lots of denial and such… but how long it holds is another matter. With today’s technology, someone will leak it out onto social media at some point. People will eventually know the truth.”
Without thinking, I asked, “how many dead?”
“I don’t have a confirmed number. The seriousness of the situation would dictate it’s in the thousands, but as far as those infected, it could possibly be hundreds of thousands.”
“What! Really?” I asked. I was numb. “What should I do? Should I say anything?” I paused. Silence never felt so heavy. “Is it here in the states?”
Frank met my gaze, his face blank, expressionless. “It could be.”
“Wouldn’t we get reports of people dying?”
“Not necessarily, especially if the death rates are small, and contained to the elderly, the very young or those with compromised conditions. It could easily be written off as the normal flu.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s how it works,” he said rather coldly. “Doctors are busy seein
g lots of people. They don’t like question marks. They look for common traits, check off the boxes and make an analysis. The flu can kill. That’s not uncommon. It generally won’t become suspect until either odd symptoms arise, or mortality rates begin to exceed the acceptable percentage range. So, until the CDC issues something official about a new bug, most doctors will consider this flu as per usual. This new flu isn’t that different in terms of symptoms than any other flu strain. From what I have come to understand, it’s a slow incubating virus that doesn’t kill quickly. Besides, most doctors, most people, have no idea what we’re currently dealing with. You now know more about this than 99.99% of the world. Most people think this is going to be an awful flu season, that’s it. You also have to understand that if the problem isn’t happening in your own backyard, then most folks aren’t going to lose sleep over this.”
I changed gears. I could see he was visibly upset. “What about Jen and the kids? What are they going to do? What are you going to do if this is the real deal?” I offered our home as a sanctuary.
Frank thanked me before continuing. “I have a sense of duty to do what I can to defeat this or at least contain it. There will be enough people abandoning ship. Someone has to try and find a solution.”
Again, I asked, “What about Jen and the kids?”
“If they want to come I won’t stop them,” he said with reserve, fighting back the tears.
“I have to audit my inventory – revise my needs where needed,” I said, resigned to the fact things could get worse.
Frank nodded. “There is the chance this thing fades out. Many others have in the past, but from the reports I’ve been privy to, it looks deadly serious.”
“I can’t believe how this can happen,” I said.
“It’s been predicted… a scientific given to occur at some point,” Frank said. “Think about it; there have been five major mass extinctions that we know about. What makes us so special that it can’t happen now? The environment is ripe. Look at the population of the planet and its rapid growth. Next, take into account all the new drug-resistant super bacteria and viruses that are on the rise. It could be nature’s turn to level the playing field; a thinning of the herd so to speak.”
I took a moment to weigh the gravity of his words. “How certain do you feel?” I asked.
“I’ve done well going on instinct. I’ve successfully pinpointed productive strategies regarding research for various drugs that have proved effective and affordable. I’ve had a knack… my boss knows my accomplishments, and that’s one of the reasons he put me on this. He’s had to do some fancy talking to get me this level of intelligence clearance. My instinct is… it’s bad. I don’t have enough information to state this as fact, but that’s my intuition. This trip will most likely confirm those feelings. The Chinese have kept a lot of information close to the vest, but now the game has changed, and they are giving a presentation to some of the best medical and research and development minds on the planet.” He took a sip of his coffee that had gone cold. “If it’s as bad as I think, then the virus is probably already here in the United States. The chance it came by plane is high.”
“Jesus,” I whispered. “And they simply can’t shut things off?”
Frank looked at me with eyebrows raised. “You can’t shut down a country. It’s politically, and business-wise, unacceptable. Governments won’t do anything like that until the very last moment. They can have all the vision and ideas they want but being proactive is not a strong suit. You should know this; most people are reactive, not proactive.” He stood up and pointed to his empty mug as he walked back toward the kitchen. “You and your mini-prepping... that’s being proactive. It might come off as kooky proactive, but at least you are ahead of the game.”
“I don’t know if I’m this prepared,” I said, following him into the kitchen. “I’m more a collector of supplies than a prepper. That’s a whole different level of thinking.”
“Regardless,” Frank said while pouring his own cup of coffee. “I would stock up more. At least have a ‘must get’ list. Get some extra weapons, more food, bottled water, medical supplies, fuel, whatever checklist of things you think you may need. If this strain hits, you are going to have to hole up here. Let’s face it. You wanted more rural, you got it. Fewer people will equate to fewer problems as far as contamination.”
“Should I say anything to my neighbors?”
“Can you trust anyone to keep their mouth shut?” he asked in all seriousness. “The last thing you need is to incite panic or have people spend money then possibly regret it.” He smelled the warm aroma coming out of the cup. “If you say anything too soon, and this virus dies on the vine, you will be ostracized. You’ll have to move.”
“I can trust a couple of people, definitely at least one,” I said, thinking of Max.
“You know these people better than me. If you can figure out a way to get them to stock up on a few items without inciting a panic, I would,” Frank said. He looked into his cup for a long moment before taking a sip. “Listen, I have a signal to Jen if the shit is going to hit the fan. I’m fairly certain phone access is going to be limited, and possibly even tapped because we have to check in all our devices while at the conference. The security on this thing is through the roof. I told her, when we talk, we are going to keep it casual. The signal about the news is this: If it’s good news I’ll tell her the water here doesn’t smell as bad as she’s heard.”
I interrupted. “Why’s that? What’s wrong with their water?”
“Iceland sits on a volcanic ridge. The water is supposed to have a sulfur smell to it,” he said. “If things are inconclusive, neutral like, I’ll say there is a smell, but it’s tolerable. And if
the news is bad, I’ll tell her it’s a beautiful place, but she’d hate
taking a shower here.”
“Clever,” I said. Then the reality of his news swarmed back over me. “The whole thought of having to spend more money especially right after Christmas… man… my credit card bill is going to kill me. Hell, June might kill me if I spend too much.”
Frank cut me off before I could continue. “Listen… Don’t worry about that right now. Buy what you need to buy while there is still time. Buy lots, because if this thing hits like I think it might… well, there isn’t going to be anyone left to collect the debt.”
Chapter 5
Soon after Frank left, I headed out to a supermarket to pick up more supplies. I knew what to get: cans of vegetables, soups, hash, canned meat, chili, sardines, tuna fish, boxes of pasta, rice, dehydrated potato flakes, yeast, flour and a variety of forever lasting snack products. What I didn’t know was how I was going to tell June about Frank’s visit and the possibility that we might be facing a real calamity.
The final tally of my shopping spree came to just over two hundred dollars. Not bad - amazing what coupons, choosing sale items and generic brands can do to bring down costs. Instead of going straight home, I drove over to Jake’s Outdoor Shop. Jake’s was a favorite place of Max's’ to purchase firearms and ammunition. He was a bit pricey compared to larger chain stores, but he carried better equipment. The staff was also more knowledgeable about their products. I had only one thing in mind, a new shotgun. Jake had five in stock. When I asked why so few, he said they weren’t moving as quickly as he’d like and wasn’t ordering any until he was down to three. I looked Jake in the eye, smiled, produced my firearm license, and said, “Looks like you’re going to have to order more, I’ll take two.” Jake laughed. When he asked how much ammo I would need I replied, “forty-five boxes, fifteen #4 and fifteen 00 and fifteen to kill clay pigeons with.” Jake didn’t flinch at the request.
When I arrived home, I immediately unloaded the groceries to the basement storage room June, and I built. We constructed it based on a guess of what two or three months’ worth of goods would take up and decided a 16X14 space would suffice. Five sets of shelves adorned both long walls as well as the partition that split the room in hal
f. Along the back wall, six rows of shelves adorned it. Halfway through building it, we knew we had a larger supply room than needed, but as the old saying went, in for a penny, in for a pound.
The two new shotguns also went directly into the basement. I had a small padlocked storage room tucked away in the corner next to our laundry room. I kept rifles in one safe and ammo in another. I held the two shotguns in my hands: a Mossberg Maverick pump action and the other a Remington 870. Both felt well balanced. The Mossberg had a shorter barrel, weighed less – it was the standard home defense shotgun.
As I walked up the stairs from the basement, I heard June come in. I knew it was her by the sound of her high heels clicking against the floor.
“Hi hon,” I said as I flipped off the light switch and closed the door behind me.
“Hey babe,” she said. I saw her eyebrows squint. “Every-thing ok?” she asked with a hint of hesitation. “You look a little befuddled. Bad day at the keyboard?”
“No. Well yes,” I said. I knew I wouldn’t be able to delay what I heard from Frank. “I had an unusual visit today.”
“You did,” she said making her way towards the kitchen. “Tea?” she asked, heading for the kettle.
“Sure, why not.”
“Tell me about your unusual visit,” she said.
“Frank dropped by,” I said sliding up next to her.
June stopped. Her hand froze to the countertop. I could see the fright on her face. Her once relaxed expression tightened. She knew Frank’s work. She may not have been privy to as much detail as I was about various projects, but she knew well enough about the suspicious goings-on at his facility and the conversations we had.
