Viral Misery (Book 1)

by Watson, Thomas A

  Jim jumped out and Arthur dried him off, then wrapped the towel around his waist. Kirk and Pat saw that and tried to copy it, so Arthur came over and showed them how. “Boys, you want to take a nap until I get some food ready?”

  “I thought we had to work?” Kirk asked with heavy eyelids.

  “No, first you need to rest,” Arthur chuckled, leading them into the bedroom. “You can take a nap here. I’ll get one of the beds upstairs made up for you tonight.”

  With no protest, the boys climbed in the bed and before Arthur was out of the room, they were all asleep. Leaving the door open, Arthur carried Nicole into the living room and started cleaning up. The boys didn’t wake up until Arthur woke them the next morning.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Surviving a killer takes a toll

  May 9

  Feeling very painful needles stabbing her legs, Wendy struggled to open her eyes and then felt sharp, searing pain in her throat. Trying to swallow, she almost passed out from pain that filled her vision with bright lights. Grabbing a bottle of water beside her, Wendy sighed before tossing the empty bottle on the floor.

  Blinking the crust and haze out of her eyes, she saw empty bottles around her and an empty bottle of Tylenol. Slowly moving her gaze, Wendy spotted an unopened bottle under her right leg and that thought brought the pins in legs to the forefront of her mind.

  Rolling to her right, Wendy unfolded her left leg from under her butt and stretched it out. Extending her left leg, Wendy gave a wince and then grabbed the bottle of water. She could feel how dry and scaly her throat had become as she opened the bottle of water. Grimacing beforehand, Wendy took a drink as searing pain shot out from her throat with each swallow.

  The only satisfaction was the wetter her throat got, the more the pain diminished. With half of the bottle gone, she smacked her lips while lowering the bottle and then realized, she tasted blood. Wendy looked down and saw she was naked from the waist down and blood covered the front of her shirt. Lifting her eyes up, Wendy saw from where she sat to the end of the bed was covered in dried blood.

  Moving her feet to get blood flowing to them, Wendy winced at the pain of the circulation returning.

  Rolling her eyes up, she gave a small thank you that the sheet rope she’d been hanging from had held up. She could remember from dream-like states that she had gone to the bathroom and had struggled to get back into the loop of sheet that was holding her up. So many times, she could recall just wanting to lie down, but a small voice in her mind would scream, ‘NO!’

  Then, Wendy noticed a putrid smell and opened her eyes wider to look down. Seeing the mess under and on her, Wendy realized she hadn’t made it to the bathroom every time because the bed was covered in dried urine and feces, as were her legs.

  Turning the bottle up and draining the rest, it suddenly occurred to her that excrement didn’t stink like that. Dropping the empty bottle, she turned to Gloria’s bed and saw Gloria lying back on the bed. Her skin was gray and her eyes were staring at the ceiling.

  A small cough erupted from her chest and Wendy felt slicing pain in her throat and tasted fresh blood.

  Slowly, she moved and flexed her legs as she glanced around, but didn’t see any more water bottles on the bed. Afraid to take a deep breath because it would make her cough, Wendy pulled her body out of the loop that had been holding her up. Holding the loop, she rotated her body slowly until her feet slid off the bed.

  When her feet hit the floor, tingling pain shot up as blood flowed back into her legs. Seeing a bottle of water on Gloria’s bed, Wendy leaned over to grab it and opened it up. Bracing her body and mind, she turned it up to drink and felt the searing pain again.

  This time, she didn’t stop drinking until the bottle was empty. Dropping it on the floor, Wendy reached over and grabbed another bottle of water from Gloria’s bed. Opening it up, she just dumped it over her head. Dropping the bottle and holding onto her loop, Wendy struggled to stand up on her wobbly legs.

  The sharp, stabbing tingles slowly abated from her legs and she was able to lessen the amount of weight she was having to support. Slowly letting the loop go, Wendy leaned over and felt Gloria’s wrist. Gloria’s skin was ice cold and her wrist moved freely with no rigor mortis.

  Bringing her left wrist up, Wendy blinked her eyes trying to see the date and time. “Over eighty hours,” she said, but only heard a coarse whisper. Then her throat informed her that it wasn’t ready for that by unleashing a wave of sharp pain that made her waver on her feet.

  Pushing off Gloria’s bed, Wendy stumbled to the cart and snatched another bottle of water. This one she sipped, wanting the cake of funk in her mouth to wash away. Very slowly, she shuffled to the door to the balcony and opened it up.

  She gave a sigh as she stepped outside and looked at Miami, or what she hoped was Miami. Studying the skyline for a second, Wendy was certain it was Miami. Turning toward the front of the ship, Wendy could see the anchor line out and then realized that they were parked about a mile off the coast. Looking back at Miami, Wendy saw columns of smoke dotting the horizon across the city.

  Feeling the afternoon breeze as she sipped the water, Wendy realized there were gunshots coming from the shore. Shading her eyes with her hand, she glanced at the shore but couldn’t see anything. Looking to her right and left, she didn’t see anyone else on their balcony. Looking down, she saw the lifeboats and then she noticed at least two were missing. Very gently, Wendy turned around and headed back into the room, leaving the door open.

  Stopping just inside the door, she looked at Gloria and felt very bad that she hadn’t stayed awake and forced Gloria to remain upright. But Wendy slowly realized that if she had tried sitting at Gloria’s bedside, she too would be dead. Sluggishly, Wendy shuffled into the bathroom and gave a shiver at seeing her pants lying in front of the commode, looking like a dirty diaper. Dried blood was sprayed across the wall in front of the commode and the floor was a mess.

  Turning to the mirror, Wendy gave a startle when she saw her reflection. Her eyes were sunken in and her skin had a pasty cast, not to mention the blood over her face and chest. Opening her mouth, she could see thick crusty pieces of dried blood on her teeth and tongue.

  Stepping closer, Wendy opened her mouth as wide as she could and felt the pain in her throat increase. Tilting her head back, she could see scabs at the back of her throat and spots where it was bleeding. Closing her mouth, Wendy reached down and turned on the faucet. Grabbing a washcloth, she dropped it in the sink and took her shirt off.

  Throwing her shirt over her jeans, Wendy picked up the washcloth and wiped her face off. Then she noticed how boney her shoulders looked. Dropping her gaze in the mirror to her chest, Wendy gasped at seeing her ribs. ‘I look like a stick figure model’, she thought, not wanting to talk.

  Turning the faucet off, Wendy opened the shower and turned it on, not caring if the water would be hot or cold. Stepping in, she just stood under the water before wanting hotter water. Adjusting the handles, she grabbed the soap and washed as well as she could while struggling to maintain her balance.

  When she stepped out, Wendy felt better and moved to the sink and grabbed her toothbrush. Brushing her teeth, Wendy gave a sigh of contentment, imagining the toothbrush scraping the fur off her teeth. Almost dry by the time she’d finished brushing her teeth, Wendy brushed her hair out and then studied her reflection again.

  She was still skinny and pale with sunken eyes, but she didn’t look like a zombie.

  Moving back into the room, she dug in her suitcase to pull out some jogging pants and t-shirt. After she was dressed in clean clothes, again she felt better. Avoiding looking at Gloria’s body, Wendy moved to the cart and grabbed several Jell-O containers. She opened them up and grabbed a plastic spoon and carefully ate, grimacing with each swallow.

  Forcing herself to finish the second one, Wendy dropped the cup and almost headed for the door but turned, heading back to the bathroom. Using her fingers, she dug out the card t
he crew had given her to check on passengers that were in their rooms. Unclipping the bungie line from her pants, Wendy moved over to the sink and washed the card and bungie off.

  When the crew had started dropping, one of the ship’s officers had taken her and two other nurses, like Wendy they were passengers but were willing to help, to a lifeboat and gave them instructions on how to operate it. They had no range and depended on rescue, but being this close to land if she needed to, Wendy would drop one in the water.

  Stepping out of the bathroom, “Sorry, sis,” Wendy sighed and it came out with a little voice this time, but still hurt.

  Heading for the door, Wendy grabbed a bottle of water and her knife before walking out. In the hall, there were several bodies that she didn’t remember from when she’d gone into her room.

  With a goal in mind, Wendy headed to the bridge. Part of her duties had been to check the crew manning the bridge after the main doctor had gotten sick, so she knew the way.

  After walking a hundred feet, Wendy felt her lungs wheezing and stopped, grabbing the handrail on the wall. She tried not to cough but lost in the end, giving a few coughs but nothing like she remembered from before. There were times when Wendy had expected to see her lungs fly out of her mouth.

  Bracing her sore stomach muscles with her hands, Wendy stayed in place until she felt better. Turning her head, she spit and noticed it had a little blood in it. Taking a drink of water, she continued on but slower.

  Reaching an elevator Wendy hesitated, knowing the ship was operating under its own power. Not sure how long that would be, she took the stairs having to step around a few bodies. When she reached the bridge, Wendy swiped her card and walked inside.

  She saw the captain laying on the floor, but no other bodies. Walking over, Wendy picked up his hat and put it over his face. The captain was Italian and spoke English, but you had to listen hard to understand. “Thank you,” she said, moving away.

  On a chart table, she saw a map of lower Florida and a red dot beside Miami. Giving a sigh of relief, Wendy moved over to the windows to grab one pair of huge binoculars and scanned the coast.

  Zooming in, Wendy’s mouth fell open at seeing several bodies on the beach and along the shoreline. Scanning the buildings, she thought she caught sight of movement, but it ducked into one of the buildings, or she thought it did.

  Putting the strap for the binoculars around her neck, Wendy left the bridge and headed to the infirmary. Moving slowly it took her awhile, but Wendy wasn’t in a race and she was also looking for people: live people. There were bodies everywhere.

  Passing the shops on the main deck, Wendy stopped suddenly, swearing that she’d heard a baby crying. Tilting her head and trying to trace the noise, it stopped abruptly. Moving over to a bench, Wendy sat down to take a break and listen.

  She could hear the music from inside the stores and shops, but nothing else. Not hearing the cry again, Wendy struggled to stand as the smell was getting to her.

  Continuing on, Wendy saw the daycare area and fought not to cry. She had watched so many kids die as she had tried to help, Wendy had thought she was going to go insane. Long ago, she had formed the shield against adults passing, but she didn’t think anyone could do that for kids.

  As she passed the daycare, Wendy stopped when hearing a muffled coo from inside. Very slowly, she moved up to the door and looked in through the glass. Parents got a card to access the daycare area when they dropped off a child. If you didn’t have one, you had to use the phone on the wall to ask the workers inside to let you in.

  Using her card, Wendy slid it in the handle and heard it click. She opened the door slowly, not seeing anyone in the main play area. “Hello?” she said hoarsely.

  Walking in, she let the door close and moved to the nap room. Hearing a gasp, Wendy turned and saw double. Shaking her head, Wendy stumbled back into the wall and waited until the spinning stopped. Turning back to the corner, Wendy saw twins looking at her in fear.

  Wendy smiled and held up her hands, “I’m not going to hurt you,” Wendy said, trying to force her voice to work. “I was one of the nurses helping out those that got sick.”

  The girls stared at Wendy with wide eyes. “We remember you. Are you sick?” one asked.

  “Not anymore,” Wendy said, dropping her tired arms. Taking the top off the bottle of water, she drained it and recapped it. “Have either of you been sick?”

  They both shook their heads. Wendy waited for them to talk, but they just stared at her. She did notice they didn’t appear as terrified after recognizing her. “Are your parents around here?” Wendy finally asked.

  Again, they both shook their heads. “Do you know how long we’ve been stopped?”

  “Two days,” one answered.

  “Is anyone else on this ship besides you two?”

  They both nodded and Wendy saw the fear return to their faces. “Girls, has someone tried to hurt you?” Wendy asked and they nodded.

  “Yes,” they said together.

  Feeling lightheaded, Wendy moved over and sat down in a kid-sized chair. “You know him?”

  “He shouted out his name was Anthony when he got Timmy,” one said.

  “And there’s nobody else on this ship besides you and this Anthony?” Wendy cried out and heard a coo. She turned to the wall and saw one of the baby cribs shaking. Grabbing her knees, Wendy struggled to stand up and then moved over and saw a baby looking up at her, kicking its legs. “Guys, there’s a baby here.”

  “That’s Ryan, his mom and dad got sick,” one of the twins said. “Timmy told us to watch him until he got back.”

  Spinning around, “Got back?” Wendy gasped. “People have left this ship and left you here?”

  The twins nodded as one spoke. “Daddy said he was going to shore and make sure it was okay because some army guy said we couldn’t get off the ship for two weeks.”

  “Did any of the crew stay?”

  Both nodded and the other twin spoke. “The captain, but we can’t find him.”

  Glancing at the door, “Girls, we can’t stay here,” Wendy told them.

  “Ryan ran out of the powder to make his milk,” one twin said. “We were hiding in our room.”

  “What’s your names?”

  “Jo Ann,” one said.

  “Sally,” the other answered.

  “When’s the last time you saw Anthony?” Wendy asked, moving to the office.

  “Yesterday, when he got Timmy,” Sally answered.

  Turning on the office light, Wendy grabbed the file cabinet and opened the top drawer, grabbing a folder. Of the three thousand and seventeen passengers, Wendy had been told that eighty-four were children under the age of twelve. Wendy knew for a fact, thirty-three were dead because they died on her shift.

  Opening the folder, she flipped through the ID pages that parents had to fill out for their kids, complete with a picture in the upper left corner. Finding the twins’ info sheets, Wendy found out they were eight and lived in Nashville.

  Continuing through the pages, she pulled out two Timmys. The two-year-old she remembered dying and put that one aside. The next was a picture of a ten-year-old boy with a big grin. Putting that sheet with the girls, Wendy continued through the stack until she found Ryan.

  Ryan was seven months old.

  Putting his with the others, Wendy folded them up and shoved them in her pocket. Looking around, she saw a backpack and dumped it out. Seeing the stuff on the desk, she knew the pack had belonged to a woman.

  Walking back into the nap room, Wendy headed to the cabinets and opened them up. She glanced at the counter, seeing a can of opened formula. She took the other four of that kind and then grabbed diapers and wipes. “Girls, how did you know how to take care of a baby?” she asked, filling the pack up.

  “We helped Aunt Lisa take care of her baby,” one said and Wendy could almost hear the smile.

  “Girls, is your mom in your cabin?” Wendy asked, zipping the pack closed and looking over at
the girls.

  Both had watery eyes as they nodded. “Girls, we can’t go back there because if Anthony is still on the ship, he can find out where you are,” Wendy told them and they both gasped. “You can come with me until someone comes back.”

  The twins looked at each other, then back to Wendy and nodded. “Okay,” one said and Wendy looked around on the counter and saw barrettes. Grabbing a yellow and pink one, she handed them over.

  “Sally put the yellow one in your hair and Jo Ann, put the pink one in yours,” Wendy pleaded, then smiled. “Please? Until I learn to tell you apart.”

  The twins smiled, grabbing the barrettes.

  “Do you two have any trouble carrying Ryan?”

  “No,” Jo Ann answered, moving over to the crib. She lowered the side rail all the way down and picked up Ryan who was just cooing away. “Ryan, you have to hush,” Jo Ann whispered, grabbing a pacifier and putting it in his mouth.

  Ryan stopped cooing as he sucked away on the pacifier and Jo Ann moved back beside Sally. Wendy saw Ryan was either big for his age or the girls were really small for their age. “Stay close because we are going to the crew passageways,” Wendy told them, moving out to the playroom.

  Looking out the windows, “Let’s go,” she said, heading for the door. Leading the girls out, Wendy forgot the infirmary and moved to a small door that was tucked back in a recess in the wall marked ‘Crew Only’.

  Swiping her card, Wendy ushered the girls in and closed the door behind them. “These are the crew passageways,” she told them, walking down the hallway. When one of the crew showed them to her when she’d gotten her card, Wendy had been amazed that this many passages were tucked and hidden away on the ship.

  Stopping several times to rest, Wendy saw the twins passing Ryan to each other as one got tired. “We are stopping at the kitchen and will load up a cart with some food. I know a room we can hide out in,” Wendy told them and they smiled.

  Reaching the kitchen, Wendy grabbed a serving cart and moved to one of the refrigerators. Loading up several prepared trays, Wendy tossed a case of bottled water on the bottom and then grabbed a case of sports drinks, shoving them beside the water.