Pandemic: The Beginning (Pandemic Book One) Read online

  The movie seemed so pointless. People were dying. How could they sit there watching such an inane show?

  Holding back a sigh, Jessica excused herself and went into her bedroom and called her mother.

  “Hi, honey,” her mom said, her voice sounding less cheerful than it had when she’d spoken to her last. In fact, it sounded like it was well on the way to how Rochelle’s voice had sounded.

  “How are you?”

  “Not good, baby.”

  Tense with worry, Jessica asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t know. Earlier today I started to feel unwell. Scratchy throat, aches and pains. That kind of thing.”

  Dread spiked within her. “Do you have a fever?”

  “I don’t think so. I mean, I’ve been so chilled.”

  Jessica thought of both of Brooke’s parents dying, of Rochelle being sick and now not answering her phone, of the fatality rate skyrocketing to ninety-five percent. Tears flooded her eyes and a sob leapt up her throat.

  “It’s okay, baby,” her mom said. “I’m sure I’ll be just fine.”

  Had her mom not seen the news, or was she trying to placate her? Either way, the thought of losing her mom tore her apart.

  “Jessica? Are you there?”

  “Yes,” she croaked out.

  “Oh, sweetheart. Don’t cry. I’ll see you in a few days and we’ll have a great time.”

  Jessica didn’t have the heart to tell her mom that there was no way she would get on an airplane, trapped in a metal tube with recirculated air and potentially sick people. Besides, she knew the chance that her mother would survive was extremely low. Especially with how weak the cancer had made her. “I love you, Mom.”

  “I know, sweet girl. I love you too. I always have.” Her mom sniffled. “You’re my heart.”

  Her mom knew she was going to die.

  A fresh sob welled up inside Jessica.

  She needed to get herself under control, needed to take this time to talk to her mom.

  Breathing deeply, she gathered her emotions. “Tell me about that quilt you’ve been working on. The one you sent me a picture of.”

  “The one with the flowers?”

  Jessica nodded, overcome with emotion once again. “Yes,” she whispered.

  “Oh, it’s coming along beautifully.”

  Jessica listened as her mother spoke, soaking up every word, every syllable, listening to her mom talk until she said, “You know, honey, I’m feeling really tired. I’m going to bed now. Let’s…let’s talk in the morning.”

  Knowing full well that by morning her mom would most likely be dead, for a moment Jessica couldn’t catch her breath. It felt as if a band had wrapped around her chest and was compressing, compressing, compressing.

  “Good night, my love,” her mom said, sounding exhausted.

  Rallying, Jessica said, “Good night, Mom. I love you.”

  “I love you too. Sleep well.”

  With that, all was silent. Her mom had disconnected the call. That was when Jessica let the sobs overtake her, bathing her face in tears.

  Chapter 9

  Jessica

  After lying awake most of the night, Jessica got up before the sun, tiptoed out of her bedroom, went into the family room, and dialed her mother.

  The phone rang and rang.

  It was no more than she’d expected, although she’d held onto the hope that her mother would answer. She left a message, asking her mom to call her the moment she woke, then climbed back in bed.

  “No answer?” Matt asked. She’d told him and the kids about her mom the night before in an attempt to prepare them for the worst.

  Silently, she shook her head.

  He wrapped her in his arms. “I’m so sorry.”

  Savoring the warmth of his body curled around hers, she turned her thoughts to him and their children. A burst of gratitude that they were healthy swept over her. And she knew, somehow, that her mom was at peace.

  The next afternoon as Jessica was in the basement storage room organizing all the food Matt had bought, Dylan came bursting into the room. “Mom,” he said, his voice breathless.

  Knowing it would be bad news, Jessica dreaded asking, but did anyway. “What is it, honey?”

  “No airplanes are allowed to fly.”

  She tilted her head in question. “What are you talking about?”

  “They said so on the news. Just now.”

  She followed Dylan up the stairs and into the family room where the news was broadcasting. A camera was panning a huge airport where airplanes were parked everywhere.

  “Still no word on when planes will be back in the air,” the news anchor said, “but unnamed sources say all planes will be grounded indefinitely due to the spread of what is now being called the bird flu.”

  “What do airplanes have to do with the flu?” Dylan asked.

  “Well, if someone is sick and gets on the plane, they can pass the flu on to the other passengers who can then pass it on to everyone they come into contact with. Before you know it, it’s spread all over the world.”

  “Don’t you think it’s already spread all over the world? I mean, it’s been going on for a week and people have been flying all over the world the whole time.”

  Dylan was right and Jessica knew it. Grounding the planes might help slow the spread, but stopping it now was impossible. “I don’t know,” she said, not wanting to alarm Dylan unnecessarily.

  The news anchor turned to her guest, a man from the World Health Organization, who basically said the same thing that Dylan had.

  “See?” Dylan said with a proud smile.

  “Yep.” She ruffled his hair. “You’re one smart kid.”

  Dylan’s eyebrows rose. “I’m not a kid anymore, Mom.”

  Jessica was beginning to realize that. Because with the way the world was crashing all around them, he and Kayla were going to have to grow up fast. “I know, sweetheart,” she said, then she went to Matt’s office to tell him what she’d just learned.

  His door was closed and she could hear talking. Not wanting to interrupt if he was in a conference call, she slowly twisted the doorknob and opened the door a crack, but when she saw that he was watching the news on his monitor, she walked in and closed the door behind her.

  He turned at her approach. “I just heard about the planes.”

  “Might be a little too late to stop this thing.” She frowned as she pulled a chair up to Matt’s desk so they could watch the broadcast together. “I’ve been doing inventory on all the food and supplies in the storage room.”

  Matt turned the volume down and faced her. “And? How are we looking?”

  For a change she had good news. “Pretty good.” She grinned. “You did awesome with your shopping.”

  One side of his mouth quirked up. “That’s a first.”

  She leaned forward and kissed him on the mouth. “I love you.”

  “I love you too.” Then he gazed at her. “We’re going to get through this. All four of us.”

  As scared as she was, and as sad as she was about her mom, she couldn’t allow herself to think anything but positive thoughts. “As long as we stick together, we’ll be fine.”

  Matt nodded. “Tell me more about our inventory.”

  Glad to talk about something tangible, Jessica said, “With what you bought the other day, plus that six-month supply of freeze-dried food we bought a few years ago, we’re actually in great shape.”

  “That’s fantastic.”

  Both their gazes went to the computer monitor, which was still showing the news broadcast. It was five o’clock. Time for an update.

  Matt turned up the volume.

  A man they’d never seen on that news station sat in the anchor’s chair, his expression stoic.

  “He’s new,” Jessica said as a sense of foreboding washed over her.

  “Good evening,” the man said. “My name is Kevin Burns. I am a producer, not a reporter, but today I am filling Amy Hunter’s s
hoes, so to speak, because she is…” The man’s chin quivered slightly, but he held it together. “Amy Hunter passed away this morning.”

  Jessica shook her head. Another illness, another death.

  Kevin Burns stared into the camera. “Last night Amy came down with the bird flu, and…” Frowning, he looked at the surface of his desk before facing the camera again. “That is how quickly this virus kills.” He visibly swallowed. “I have to be honest with you, folks. Amy is not the first person at this news station to…to die…from the bird flu.” He paused. “I fear she won’t be the last.”

  Kevin was silent for several seconds. “We will continue broadcasting and bringing you the news as long as possible—we can get by on a skeleton crew if needed, but…” His jaw worked. “We’ve lost a lot of our people and many others are too scared to come in.” A grim smile tugged up the corners of his mouth. “I don’t blame them. But, like I said, we are here to keep you apprised of what is happening in our community and country and around the world and we will do that for as long as we are able.”

  Pounding on their front door startled Jessica. Matt raised his eyebrows, then stood and headed out of the office. Jessica followed close behind.

  Chapter 10

  Matt

  Hurrying through the family room, Matt held up a hand to Dylan and Kayla, who were standing near the front door with worried expressions. The blinds were down, covering the two long narrow windows on either side of the front door so Matt couldn’t see who it was. “I’ll handle this.”

  They nodded and stepped out of the way. Matt lifted a slat on the blinds, peeking out through one of the sidelights.

  “Who is it?” Jessica whispered from beside him.

  He turned and frowned. “Our neighbor. Jack Peters.”

  Pounding sounded again, putting Matt on edge.

  “What do you think he wants?” Jessica asked as Dylan and Kayla huddled around her.

  He shook his head. “No idea.” Matt pulled the blinds up and Jack came into view.

  Jack’s gaze shifted to Matt. Wild-eyed, Jack practically pressed his face against the glass. “I need help.”

  “What’s going on?” Matt asked as alarm flared inside him. Jack and his family lived two doors down. Matt didn’t know him well, just well enough to chat with him if they both happened to be outside at the same time. Jack was Matt’s age—late thirties—and married. He and his wife had two school-aged children.

  “They’re all sick,” Jack said as tears filled his eyes. “All of ‘em.”

  Alarm turned to empathy. “Your family?”

  Jack nodded. “We need help.”

  Matt had no idea what he could possibly do to help them. “Have you called your doctor?” The answer sounded lame even to him. Jack’s family would most likely die. Calling the doctor would be a waste of energy.

  “Yes,” Jack said, his face nearly crumpling. “The doctor’s office just had a recording to call 911, but when I did, I got a busy signal.” Panic swelled in Jack’s eyes. “I called and called and called, but no one’s answering.”

  Fresh alarm swelled inside Matt but he tamped it down. “I’m sorry, Jack.”

  Jack’s eyes widened. “Sorry?! Sorry doesn’t help.”

  Baffled as to what to do, Matt shook his head. “There’s nothing I can do.”

  Jack turned away from the window and battered the door with both fists. “Open the damn door!”

  Kayla screamed.

  “Don’t open it,” Jessica shouted.

  Turning to his family and holding up a hand, Matt gave them a look that said I’ve got this. Then he looked back at Jack, whose palms were now flattened against the glass. Speaking calmly yet firmly, Matt said, “You know I can’t open the door, Jack. Now, go home to your family and make them comfortable.” An image of his own family, sick and dying, flashed through his head and he almost lost his cool. But he couldn’t think about that. He had to keep his composure, had to get Jack away from his front door.

  “I just…” Jack began, then he lowered his head as tears dripped down his face. His head lifted and he looked at Matt, pleading in his eyes. “Do you have any Tylenol? To ease their pain?”

  They had lots of Tylenol, and Matt was completely willing to give some to Jack, but he couldn’t open the door. He couldn’t chance exposing his family to the virus.

  “Tell you what,” Matt said, “come back in half an hour and I’ll leave some Tylenol on our porch.”

  Relief flooded Jack’s face. “Thank you.”

  Glad he could do something that might help but wouldn’t endanger his family, Matt watched Jack turn around and make his way down the walkway to the sidewalk. When he was out of sight, Matt turned to face his family.

  They stared at him in silence.

  “That really freaked me out,” Kayla finally said, her voice nearly shaking.

  “Me too,” Dylan added.

  Matt’s eyes sought out Jessica, who smiled softly at him before placing her hand on his arm. “You’re a good man, Matt Bronson.”

  Matt smiled at her.

  “Why did you tell him to wait half an hour?” Dylan asked.

  Looking at his son, Matt said, “Jack didn’t look sick, but in case he is, I wanted to give the air by the door time to clear out.”

  Dylan nodded. “Makes sense.”

  “Is that enough time?” Jessica asked.

  Matt had no idea.

  “You can’t open the front door,” Kayla said. “What if the virus is still in the air and it gets in the house?”

  “Wait,” Dylan said. All eyes shifted to him. “What if you go out through the garage? Then you won’t need to open the front door.”

  “You’re brilliant, son.”

  Dylan beamed.

  “I’ll get a bottle of Tylenol,” Jessica said, then she went into the kitchen. Moments later she was back holding a small baggie with some pills in it. “I don’t think we should give away an entire bottle.” She grimaced and held up the bag. “This should be enough to hold them for a while.”

  Matt knew what she was saying. Jack’s family would be dead within hours. They didn’t need an entire bottle of pills.

  Leaning forward, Matt kissed Jessica on the lips, then he took the baggie from her. He put on a face mask, then walked to the door that led to the garage. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  He opened the door and went into the garage, then went to the man-door that led to the backyard, opening it and stepping outside. The sun shone brightly, belying the turmoil that lay beneath its bright orb.

  Matt tilted his face toward the sun, soaking up its warmth, then he turned to the gate that led to the front of the house, reaching for the latch. He hesitated. He hadn’t been out front in days. What would he find?

  Drawing in a lungful of air, he braced himself, exhaled, then opened the gate and stepped through, the baggie of Tylenol in his hand and the mask covering his nose and mouth.

  Nothing. That’s what he saw. Nothing and no one. All was silent. Eerily silent. It was a spring afternoon. Children should have been outside playing, riding bikes. People should have been mowing their lawns, working in their yards. Instead, not a soul could be seen.

  Frowning, Matt strode across his driveway and toward the walkway that led to his front door.

  Movement caught his eye.

  It was Jack. He’d been hiding around the corner of Matt’s house, but now he was barreling toward Matt, his eyes wild with fear.

  Sheer panic engulfed Matt. Flinging the baggie of pills in Jack’s direction, Matt spun on his heel and bolted back in the direction he’d come.

  “Wait!” Jack screamed from ten feet behind him, pure hysteria in his voice. “I need your help.”

  Ignoring Jack’s plea, Matt propelled himself through the open gate, then slammed it closed behind him. A second later Jack crashed into the vinyl gate, rattling it on its hinges.

  Not waiting to see if Jack would open the gate and come through, Matt burst through the man-d
oor, shutting it behind him with a bang before turning the deadbolt. Chest heaving and heart hammering against his ribs, Matt bent over, placing his hands on his knees. He didn’t know how much his family had witnessed, but he didn’t want them to see the terror in his eyes, so he took a moment to catch his breath and gather his emotions.

  Chapter 11

  Jessica

  Jessica admitted it. She’d been terrified to have Matt go outside and into their own front yard. What was this world coming to? A week ago she wouldn’t have thought twice about it. But now? Now, everything had changed. Friends and family were dropping like flies and she and Matt had to do all within their power to keep their family safe.

  She stood beside the sidelight, anxious to know what was happening. All of a sudden Jack raced across the lawn in the direction Matt was coming from. Panic, stark and clear, shot through her and she flew to the front window to see what was happening. The kids were right on her heels.

  “What’s going on?” Kayla asked, her voice constricted with fear.

  The three of them stood at the front window, but they couldn’t see a thing. Not with the way the house was situated. Jack had run to their left, toward the garage side of the house. Jessica had heard him yelling that he needed help, but that was all she’d been able to see. “Dad needs us.”

  “What should we do?” Dylan asked, his eyes wide.

  Jessica thought about the gun and ammo she’d seen Matt bring in on the day of his shopping spree. Matt had shown her where he was storing his weapons.

  Not taking the time to answer Dylan, Jessica ran to the closet in the master bedroom and quickly found a gun. Then she grabbed a loaded magazine before dashing to the garage. She pressed her ear against the door, but after hearing nothing, she opened the door, her gaze darting around the space until she saw Matt, bent forward with his hands on his knees.

  “Matt,” she said.

  He straightened and spun around, his eyes wide as he took off his face mask. “Jess, what are you doing?”