{"id":173,"date":"2013-07-21T12:09:57","date_gmt":"2013-07-21T12:09:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/?page_id=173"},"modified":"2013-07-21T12:09:57","modified_gmt":"2013-07-21T12:09:57","slug":"chapter-20","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/story\/chapter-20\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 20"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 20<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

In my line of duty, I’m supposed to show a sense of stability, of control.\u00a0 People were looking to me for answers, and I was supposed to have them. But I didn’t.\u00a0 I couldn’t.\u00a0 None of us did.\u00a0 Everyone knew that, but they wanted the pretense of it.\u00a0 They wanted the security that came with answers, even if it was a false security.\u00a0 So I gave it to them.\u00a0 I gave it to my men; I gave it to my family.<\/i><\/p>\n

All lies fed to them, of course.\u00a0 But what else could I do?\u00a0 I couldn’t help them; hell, I’m not a doctor.\u00a0 I couldn’t save them.\u00a0 I couldn’t even find a way to really comfort any of the ailing.\u00a0 So I told them they’d be okay; I acted as if I knew what was happening.\u00a0 I gave them that security blanket they so desperately needed.<\/i><\/p>\n

And all I wanted at the time was the ability to give myself the same thing.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Friday, April 13, 2012<\/b>
\n11:00 p.m.<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cLuuuuuke\u2026 I am your father\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Richardson turned to look at his comrade, Lieutenant Sam Licata.\u00a0 He could tell the man was grinning behind his black gas mask.\u00a0 He shook his head; there wasn\u2019t much to smile about.<\/p>\n

Sam chuckled tensely.\u00a0 \u201cAw, c\u2019mon, sir, embrace your inner Darth Vader.\u00a0 It\u2019s the only fun in wearing one of these things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin took a deep breath, in and out, inhaling the filtered air that came through his own mask.\u00a0 \u201cI wouldn\u2019t call this fun, Licata,\u201d he muttered.\u00a0 Even so, he couldn\u2019t help but hear the \u201cImperial March\u201d playing in his head as he and Sam trooped into the infirmary.<\/p>\n

Every sickbed on the entire base was full, or so it seemed, and had been for hours now.\u00a0 To Kevin\u2019s knowledge, no one had died yet\u2026 but no one had shown the slightest sign of getting better, either.\u00a0 Worse still, the situation had deteriorated to the point that military men now writhed on blankets spread across the floor, their wives and children packed into the hall on extra cots and camp beds.\u00a0 Everywhere Kevin looked, there were sick people.<\/p>\n

It hadn\u2019t happened all of a sudden, but it had intensified quickly.\u00a0 The Air Force had paid close attention to the reports of unauthorized jets in the restricted airspace over Washington, D.C. that morning, and when news of the mysterious illness spreading up North had reached the base, it had been locked down.\u00a0 That hadn\u2019t stopped the virus \u2013 they were calling it a virus, anyway; not that anyone really knew what it was \u2013 from creeping in.\u00a0 The infirmary had started filling up around eight o\u2019clock that evening.<\/p>\n

When the influx began, the base doctors had broadcast the order for everyone not showing symptoms to don their gas masks as a precaution.\u00a0 Bioterrorism<\/i>, the whispers went around.\u00a0 Kevin, Sam, and the other men in their dormitory had quickly complied, but not everyone on the base had.\u00a0 In fact, even some who had put on masks had fallen ill shortly afterwards.\u00a0 Even some of the medical staff, themselves.<\/p>\n

The situation at MacDill was certainly grim.\u00a0 With the base on lockdown, no one could enter, and no one could leave.\u00a0 The sick were to be treated on the base, which wasn\u2019t equipped for emergency medical services, and when the doctors and nurses collapsed, there would be no one to relieve them.\u00a0 There was not enough staff as it was to adequately treat almost the entire base, and so those officers who were well had been called in to help.<\/p>\n

Looking over at Sam, Kevin could tell by his body language that he was just as shaken by the sight of so many ill.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are we supposed to do, Colonel?\u201d the younger man asked weakly.\u00a0 \u201cHow can we help all these people?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust help make them comfortable.\u00a0 That\u2019s about all we can do for now,\u201d replied Kevin in a low voice.\u00a0 To set an example, he approached the nearest casualty, a young woman, and knelt down so she could see his eyes behind his mask.\u00a0 \u201cMa\u2019am?\u00a0 I know you\u2019re not feeling well.\u00a0 What can I do to help?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBurning\u2026 my whole body feels like it\u2019s on fire,\u201d the woman murmured, her words slurring together.\u00a0 She was trembling with chills, but when Kevin placed his hand gingerly on her forehead, he could feel the fever burning through his glove.\u00a0 He noticed that her skin had erupted in ulcers, maybe fever blisters, that surely stung.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow about a cold compress?\u00a0 That might help your fever,\u201d he suggested, nodding to Sam.\u00a0 The other man nodded back and took off to find something they could use for compresses.\u00a0 \u201cMake a few of them!\u201d Kevin called after him, looking down the long hall of patients in the exact same state.\u00a0 He spoke words of comfort to those around him while he waited for Sam to return.<\/p>\n

After five minutes, when Sam still wasn\u2019t back, Kevin set off in the direction he\u2019d gone, wondering what had held him up.\u00a0 \u201cEdwards, you seen Licata around?\u201d he asked, recognizing a captain who was staying in the same quarters.<\/p>\n

\u201cSaw him heading that way,\u201d replied the captain, jerking his thumb to the left.\u00a0 Kevin followed its trajectory.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t have to do much looking.\u00a0 All of a sudden, Sam came wheeling around a curtain, nearly ripping it from its track in the process.\u00a0 \u201cColonel Richardson!\u201d he blurted, breathless.\u00a0 \u201cI need some help in here!\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin sprinted after him, around to the other side of the curtain, where a man in a bed was in the midst of a seizure of some sort.\u00a0 His whole body shook with convulsions, rattling the bed beneath him.\u00a0 All of his muscles were clenched tight, from his locked jaw to his balled up fists.\u00a0 His face was twisted, as if in pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cShould we force his mouth open?\u201d Sam asked.\u00a0 \u201cTry to grab his tongue?\u00a0 Is it true what they say about swallowing your tongue?\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d he said, caught off-guard.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u00a0 Let\u2019s just\u2026 let\u2019s try to hold him down, so he doesn\u2019t hurt himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

They went to either side of the man\u2019s bed and grabbed his twitching limbs, pressing him against the mattress as he jerked beneath their hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cAhh!\u201d Sam cried suddenly, taking one hand off the man and holding it up in disgust.\u00a0 \u201cThose boils on his skin\u2026 they pop!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Kevin could see the sheen of yellow pus on his glove.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood thing we\u2019re wearing gloves, eh?\u201d he replied.\u00a0 \u201cLooks like it\u2019s stopping.\u201d<\/p>\n

The spasms had died down; the man\u2019s body seemed to relax.\u00a0 Sam let go of him at once and backed away.\u00a0 Kevin released him more tentatively, but it seemed the fit had passed.\u00a0 The man\u2019s jaw slackened.\u00a0 He was breathing raggedly.\u00a0 Then, all of a sudden, his head lurched back, his throat bubbled up, and he was vomiting, a small eruption of thin, orange-ish fluid that dribbled up his nose and down his chin.<\/p>\n

\u201cTurn him!\u201d Kevin ordered, springing forward.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019ll choke!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 As he and Sam hoisted the man over onto his side, he threw up again, this time spewing the orange vomit all over Sam\u2019s fatigues.\u00a0 Sam backpedaled as another wave of vomit spattered the floor, and Kevin heard him begin to retch himself.\u00a0 \u201cSam, no!\u00a0 Don\u2019t-\u201d<\/p>\n

But it was too late.\u00a0 The lieutenant was already vomiting inside his gas mask.\u00a0 Before Kevin could stop him, he reached behind his head and tore the mask off.\u00a0 There was a sickly popping sound as the seal was released.\u00a0 Sam doubled over, heaving.\u00a0 Kevin sighed and dutifully pat his back until he had finished.\u00a0 When Sam rose up again, his face was streaked with vomit, his eyes watering in misery and fear.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he gasped hoarsely.\u00a0 \u201cI had to get it off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cC\u2019mon,\u201d said Kevin, grabbing him by the arm.\u00a0 \u201cYou need to shower, right now.\u00a0 Wash all that crap off you.\u00a0 Wash everything<\/i> off, you got it?\u201d<\/p>\n

He hustled Sam back to the dormitory where he\u2019d been staying while recuperating on the base.\u00a0 Neither man spoke during the walk, but Kevin knew Sam had to be thinking the same thing he was:\u00a0 he\u2019d exposed himself.\u00a0 If the illness was airborne, like they all thought it had to be, he was now at risk for coming down with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cUse lots of soap, man,\u201d he ordered Sam as he pushed him towards the showers.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll wait around for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

He went to his own room, with thoughts of checking in with his family while he waited.\u00a0 He\u2019d called his mother in Kentucky earlier in the day, well before the base went on lockdown.\u00a0 She had heard about the jets and the sickness on the news, but was feeling perfectly fine, she\u2019d assured him, telling him not to worry.\u00a0 But Kevin couldn\u2019t help but worry; it was his nature.\u00a0 His mother had been living alone ever since he\u2019d lost his father a decade ago, and she was getting on in years.\u00a0 His two older brothers lived nearby, and so did her brother, his uncle and Brian\u2019s father.\u00a0 They kept tabs on her, but still, he worried.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t help ease his fears when he dialed her number and got no answer, but then he looked at the time, and he groaned.\u00a0 It was half-past eleven; she had probably gone to bed hours ago and was sleeping too soundly to hear the phone.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t keep one by her bed.\u00a0 He wished she\u2019d pick up, just to put his mind to rest, but told himself he would wait and try again in the morning.\u00a0 If she didn\u2019t pick up then, he could start worrying.<\/p>\n

After some consideration, he decided to try Brian.\u00a0 Unlike his mother, his cousin had a cell phone and did keep it at his bedside.\u00a0 He could call Brian without waking his twin daughters, who were surely in bed at this hour.\u00a0 He dialed and let the phone ring, and just when he worried he\u2019d be transferred to voicemail, Brian\u2019s voice rasped, \u201cKevin?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBri?\u201d\u00a0 Immediately, Kevin\u2019s brow furrowed with concern.\u00a0 \u201cAre you sick, man?\u00a0 You sound terrible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNah, I\u2019m alright; I don\u2019t have it.\u00a0 It\u2019s the girls.\u00a0 Leighanne\u2019s got it, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh no\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Kevin\u2019s hand went to his head; he rubbed at his temple.\u00a0 \u201cHow are they doing?\u00a0 Are you at a hospital?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no, we\u2019re at home.\u00a0 I tried calling the hospital a couple of hours ago.\u00a0 They told me not to bring them in, said they were already full up, and there was nothing they could do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the same situation here,\u201d Kevin sighed.\u00a0 \u201cSeems like three-quarters of the base is sick.\u00a0 We\u2019re on lockdown; no one can be taken to the hospital.\u00a0 But it sounds like our hospitals are in dire straits, too.\u00a0 This is insane.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u00a0 I\u2019m worried, Kev.\u00a0 Really worried.\u00a0 The twins\u2026 their fevers are so high.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGive them lots of fluids.\u00a0 Use cold compresses,\u201d Kevin advised, as if he actually knew what he was talking about.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t not try to give advice, though; it was the least he could do to help.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been.\u00a0 They\u2019re sleeping now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully that will help.\u00a0 Give their bodies a chance to rest and recover.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope,\u201d Brian sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m praying this is the worst it will get.\u00a0 I tried to tune in to the news, but the TV stations are down.\u00a0 Websites are crashing.\u00a0 I can\u2019t get any information.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know much more than you do, cuz,\u201d said Kevin, apologetically.\u00a0 \u201cJust hang in there.\u00a0 Keep praying.\u00a0 I\u2019m praying, too.\u201d\u00a0 It was the only thing he could say that he knew would comfort his minister cousin.\u00a0 They had both been raised in religious families, but Brian\u2019s faith was stronger than that of anyone else he knew.\u00a0 If anyone could stay strong through this crisis, he knew Brian could.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Kev.\u00a0 Stay healthy down there, alright?\u00a0 You are, aren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I\u2019m fine, man.\u00a0 We busted out the gas masks.\u00a0 They think this thing is airborne.\u00a0 You, uh\u2026 you might wanna wear a mask of your own, if you\u2019re taking care of the girls.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be fine,\u201d Brian reassured him. \u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ll get through.\u00a0 I trust in God\u2019s mercy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure\u2026 sure, man.\u201d\u00a0 Glad that Brian could not see him through the phone, Kevin shook his head.\u00a0 Their God wasn\u2019t showing much mercy right then; that was for sure.\u00a0 He thought of Sam and wondered if the lieutenant was going to come down with the same thing the man who had vomited on him had.\u00a0 \u201cListen, Bri, I gotta go.\u00a0 Gotta check on a friend here,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll talk to you later.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright, thanks for calling.\u00a0 Keep the prayers coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI will.\u00a0 Bye.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin stared down at his phone for a few seconds after he\u2019d hung up, thinking of his cousin\u2019s family.\u00a0 His beautiful wife, two angelic little girls.\u00a0 He prayed that whatever this illness was, it was something like the flu, something that made you miserable, but ran its course in a few days.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t fathom the alternative.<\/p>\n

He put his phone back on its charger and tested his gas mask to make sure it was still sealed.\u00a0 Then he left his room and wandered up the hall.\u00a0 His timing was impeccable; Sam was just leaving the bathroom, toweling off his hair, while a larger towel was wrapped around his waist.\u00a0 His skin was bright red from being scrubbed practically raw in scalding water.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow ya doin\u2019, Licata?\u201d Kevin asked, looking him up and down.\u00a0 With a jolt, he noticed that Sam\u2019s whole body was trembling.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright\u2026 it\u2019s just freezing in here.\u201d\u00a0 Sam shuddered.\u00a0 \u201cGonna grab some clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sure?\u00a0 It looks like you boiled yourself in there,\u201d said Kevin.\u00a0 He reached out and laid a gloved hand on Sam\u2019s upper arm; sure enough, his skin was warm to the touch.\u00a0 He could practically see steam rising from it.\u00a0 \u201cYou feel warm, but you\u2019ve got chills.\u00a0 That\u2019s not just from the water, is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam nodded, then shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know, sir,\u201d he said miserably, and Kevin was startled to see tears filling the man\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got a headache, sir, and I don\u2019t feel right.\u00a0 Sort of weak\u2026 shivery\u2026 like I\u2019ve got a fever.\u00a0 Do you think I\u2019ve got it?\u00a0 Already?\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin released a shaky breath through his gas mask and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know, Sam.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you go get dressed, and I\u2019ll walk you back to the medical building.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam nodded and hurried off to his own room, still shivering.\u00a0 As Kevin watched him go, a heavy feeling of dread filled his chest, making his heart sink like an anchor.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

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Chapter 20 In my line of duty, I’m supposed to show a sense of stability, of control.\u00a0 People were looking to me for answers, and I was supposed to have them. But I didn’t.\u00a0 I couldn’t.\u00a0 None of us did.\u00a0 … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":20,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"onecolumn-page.php","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/173"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=173"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/173\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":174,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/173\/revisions\/174"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}