Pandemic: The Beginning (Pandemic Book One) Read online

  All night long his thoughts went like that. Back and forth, back and forth. Didn’t matter though. She and her dog were in their garage and that couldn’t be changed. They would just have to see what happened. If worse came to worse, they would disinfect the entire space. After waiting a few days to let all the virus hopefully die, that is.

  “Are you awake?” Jessica murmured beside him in their bed.

  He smiled in the darkness. “How could you tell?”

  “Normally when you sleep you’re dead to the world, not constantly moving.”

  Facing her, he propped himself up on one elbow. He was able to make out her face in the dim light that trickled in through the partially opened blinds from the street lamp outside. “Sorry if I woke you.”

  She reached out and stroked his face. “You didn’t. I was already awake.”

  “What’s got you up?”

  “I was thinking about Brooke. I mean, what if she’s sick?”

  He sighed. “Exactly what I was thinking.”

  She sat up. “Let’s check on her. Through the door, I mean.”

  “Yeah. Good idea.”

  Together, they walked toward the kitchen where the door to the garage was. To their surprise, they found Kayla sitting on the floor, her back against the door.

  “What’s going on?” Jessica asked, alarm in her voice. “You didn’t open the door, did you?”

  The light over the kitchen sink was on, casting enough light to help Matt see Kayla roll her eyes.

  “Of course not. I’m talking to her through the door.” She glanced at the phone in her hands. “And sometimes texting.” She softly smiled. “I have to talk kind of loud for her to hear me through the door and I didn’t want to wake you guys up.” Her eyebrows tugged together. “Did I wake you up?”

  Matt shook his head. “We were already awake. We came to check on Brooke.” He sat on the floor beside Kayla. Jessica sat beside him. “How’s she doing?” He glanced toward the door as he spoke.

  “Not good,” Kayla said, her face crumpling into tears.

  Matt couldn’t help it. He recoiled. “She’s sick?”

  “What?” Kayla asked. “No! No. She’s not sick. She’s just really sad.”

  Exhaling in relief, when he considered what it would feel like to lose his entire family, his heart lurched.

  “Can we let her in?” Kayla asked, her eyes filled with empathy.

  “Not yet, sweetheart,” Jessica said, which made Matt glad. He didn’t want to be the bad guy. “We have to wait twenty-four hours from when she got here.”

  “I know,” Kayla said. “I just…I feel so bad for her.”

  Loud sobbing from the other side of the door interrupted their conversation. Without thinking, Matt reached out and placed his hand on the door. “We’re here, Brooke. We’re here for you.”

  “I know, Mr. Bronson,” she said, her voice breaking. “I’m sorry to be a…a bother.”

  “You’re not a bother,” Jessica said loudly. “We’re glad we can help you. We just, we have to make sure you’re not sick.”

  “I know.”

  “What’s going on?” Dylan asked as he stumbled into the room rubbing his eyes. “I heard voices.”

  “We’re talking to Brooke,” Jessica said.

  Matt loved his family dearly, and he loved that they felt like a team, that they were all there together in the middle of the night, all thinking about the same thing. Well, maybe Dylan hadn’t been thinking about Brooke, but still, he was there with them.

  “Is she sick?” Dylan asked around a yawn as he sank onto the floor near Matt.

  Matt ruffled Dylan’s hair. “I don’t think so.”

  “The sun’s coming up,” Jessica said as she stood. “I’ll get breakfast started.”

  “What about Brooke?” Kayla asked.

  “I’m sorry, sweetie,” Matt said. “She’ll have to make do with the food Mom put out there.”

  Kayla frowned but she didn’t argue.

  As the day went on, Matt checked on Brooke from time to time, speaking to her through the door. Kayla pretty much camped out beside the door.

  As the twenty-four hour mark came, Matt took Jessica aside. “One of us needs to go into the garage and evaluate whether Brooke is sick or not.”

  “I’ll go,” Jessica said without hesitation.

  He shook his head. “I should do it.”

  Jessica narrowed her eyes. “Why?” Then she smirked. “Do you have some special medical knowledge that I’m unaware of?”

  He chuckled. “You know I don’t.”

  She laughed. “So, why you?”

  He shrugged. “Because I’m the one who let her in.”

  She shook her head. “No. That’s not a good reason. Besides, I think she’d feel more comfortable with me.”

  Matt couldn’t disagree with that. “All right. Fine. But you need to wear a mask and gloves. Just to be safe.”

  Jessica nodded. “Of course.”

  Chapter 15

  Jessica

  Why had she volunteered to face a possibly sick person? Someone who could unwittingly kill her with a virus?

  Jessica tightened the mask around her nose and mouth as she tamped down her fear.

  She didn’t want anyone in her family to take this risk, but she knew she would be careful.

  She put on goggles before pulling on a pair of gloves.

  “Ready?” Matt asked as he stood beside her in the kitchen. Kayla and Dylan were there as well, their faces filled with anxiety.

  “Yeah,” she said, her voice muffled.

  “Okay,” he said before walking toward the garage door.

  Jessica followed, her body tense with uncertainty. What if Brooke was sick? All day she’d claimed to be feeling fine, so maybe she was. Besides, if she’d gotten sick, chances were she would be on the verge of dying.

  That thought shook Jessica, and when Matt turned the deadbolt on the garage door, Jessica froze. Could she handle seeing a dead body? In her own garage? Especially one that belonged to her daughter’s best friend?

  Chest tight, Jessica held up a hand to Matt, signaling for him to wait.

  “Do you want me to do it?” he asked, his forehead creased.

  She didn’t want him to have to face this either. Besides, Brooke wasn’t dead. She’d just said she felt fine. “No,” she said, coming out of her paralysis. “I’m ready.” She really wasn’t, but this was her world now and she would have to deal with whatever was placed in front of her.

  “Please stand back,” Matt said through the door.

  “Okay,” Brooke answered.

  Matt turned the doorknob and gently pulled the door open, staying away from the opening. Jessica’s gaze went to the cavernous space beyond the door. She didn’t see Brooke. Was she hiding because she was sick? What if she was lying in wait for Jessica, ready to infect her? Jessica had never heard reports of how those who were infected behaved once they were sick. Would Brooke go crazy on Jessica?

  With a glance at Matt, Jessica stepped over the threshold. The moment she cleared the doorway, Matt closed the door behind her. Thankful he hadn’t locked the door, Jessica looked around the space.

  “Brooke?” she called out.

  “I’m over here,” a soft voice said.

  Jessica looked to her left. That’s when she saw her. Brooke stood near the door that led to the backyard, holding Cleo by the leash. Cleo leapt and panted, her tail wagging with delight, but Brooke’s shoulders were slumped and her face was incredibly sad.

  Empathy flooded Jessica. She took a step in Brooke’s direction. From where Jessica stood, Brooke didn’t look sick. “How are you feeling? I mean, are you sick?”

  Brooke shook her head, then she burst into tears.

  That did it. Jessica walked swiftly toward Brooke with her arms outstretched. Brooke dropped Cleo’s leash and raced into Jessica’s arms, sobbing against her shoulder. Jessica had questions for her, but for now she just held her. With Brooke in her arms, Jessi
ca noted that Brooke wasn’t feverish. That was a very good sign.

  Cleo pranced around them, clearly excited at being around a new person.

  Finally, when Brooke’s tears began to slow, she drew away from Jessica and Jessica got a closer look. Besides having a tear-soaked face, Brooke looked fine.

  “Let’s go inside,” Jessica said with a soft smile.

  Brooke nodded, then followed Jessica to the door.

  When they stepped inside, Jessica noticed that her family was standing back quite a distance, watching them enter, their eyes glued to Brooke.

  “She’s not sick,” Jessica stated.

  At that, everyone’s faces relaxed and Kayla went to Brooke and hugged her.

  Cleo had been at their house before, so she was familiar with the members of the Bronson family, so when Dylan called her over, she went to him happily

  “I made space for you in my room,” Kayla said to Brooke with a warm smile. The girls went down the hall to Kayla’s room, Cleo on their heels.

  “Are you sure she’s not sick?” Dylan asked. “I mean, how can you know for sure?”

  In reality, the only way to know was to wait and see, but it had been over twenty-four hours since Brooke had been around the virus and she was healthy. Hopefully that was good enough.

  “Nothing’s sure anymore,” Matt said, saving Jessica from having to explain. “But if she’s not sick yet, I don’t think she’ll get sick.”

  “I’m going to get dinner started,” Jessica said as she took off her mask, goggles, and gloves, then turned to walk into the kitchen.

  That evening at dinner, with Brooke eating with them—something she did quite often—it almost felt like a normal night.

  “I wonder what happened to Jack,” Kayla said as she picked at the food on her plate.

  Jessica thought about their neighbor and the terrifying interaction Matt had had with him, the way Jack had hidden around the corner of the house waiting for Matt to appear. “I don’t know.” Although she was fairly certain Jack’s family had died. Had he as well? “Maybe we should check with our neighbors,” she said. “See who’s still healthy.”

  “Too dangerous,” Matt said.

  “Well,” Dylan said with a smirk, “we could, you know, call them.”

  Matt smiled. “Yeah. Except I don’t have their phone numbers. Do you?”

  They’d lived in their house for two years, but in that time they’d only gotten to know a few neighbors, and that was mostly when they happened to be outside at the same time as them.

  “No,” Dylan said with a frown.

  “Wait,” Jessica said, “Cathy down the street gave me her number once.” She got up from the table and dug around in the kitchen junk drawer before coming up with a slip of paper with a name and number. She held it up in triumph and smiled at Matt, who had a look of anticipation on his face, like he was eager to hear what was going on outside the four walls of their home—even if it was just a few doors down.

  Jessica listened as the phone rang. And rang and rang. Was Cathy still alive? The thought that no one they knew still lived was eerie and unsettling.

  “Hello?” a soft voice answered.

  “Cathy?” Jessica said as her gaze shot to Matt, who was listening intently.

  “Yes. Who is this?”

  Jessica put the phone on speaker and set it on the table so everyone could listen. “It’s Jessica Bronson. Your neighbor?”

  A slight pause. “Oh yes. How…how are you? How’s your, uh, your family?”

  Cathy was obviously wondering if Jessica was sick and if her family was alive. Relieved to be able to report that they were all well, Jessica opened her mouth to speak. But then wondered if Cathy would have news just as good. It seemed unlikely. Still, Jessica had to know what others were experiencing.

  “We’re good,” she finally said. “All of us.” Then she glanced at Brooke, who met her gaze before casting her eyes toward the tabletop.

  “I’m…I’m so glad to hear that,” Cathy said, her voice hitching.

  “What about you?”

  A quiet sob filled the space. “Dean didn’t make it.”

  Jessica pictured Cathy’s husband. He’d always been so friendly and willing to help. The thought of him dying hit her hard. She swallowed the tears that threatened. “I’m so sorry, Cathy.”

  “The rest of us are okay though.”

  Cathy had two teenaged boys. Jessica was thrilled that they were there for Cathy. She couldn’t imagine how horrific it would be to lose her entire family. Then she thought about Brooke, who had lost her entire family. It was too much to comprehend, so she pushed aside all thoughts of it and focused on the conversation.

  “Is everyone healthy?” Jessica almost hated to ask. What if Cathy’s family was sick? The fatality rate was ninety-five percent. If they were sick, they would most assuredly die.

  “Yes,” Cathy said, her voice sounding more confident. “It’s been two days since Dean…well, since he passed. As soon as he started feeling sick, he locked himself in the bedroom and wouldn’t come out.” Her voice choked up. “Said he didn’t want to expose us to the virus.” It sounded like the tears were flowing freely. “I guess it worked because none of us got sick.”

  “He was a good man,” Matt said.

  Quiet sobs were the only reply.

  “Do you…” Jessica began, then hesitated. “Do you know what’s going on out there? I mean, the news reports have stopped and there doesn’t seem to be any information on what’s happening in our area.”

  “Didn’t you get a flyer?” Cathy said, her emotions sounding more under control.

  “A flyer?” Matt asked as he leaned closer to the phone. “What flyer?”

  “Someone put flyers on all the doors earlier today about a meeting tomorrow afternoon. At the elementary school down the street.”

  “That sounds like a bad idea,” Dylan said loud enough for all to hear. “If anyone’s sick, they’ll get the rest of the people sick.”

  Chapter 16

  Matt

  Matt agreed with Dylan. Putting healthy people in the same room as someone who was potentially sick sounded like a recipe for disaster.

  “The flyer said not to come if you’re sick,” Cathy said.

  Yeah, like everyone carrying the virus would know they were about to get sick. Matt shook his head.

  “Are you going to the meeting?” Jessica asked.

  “I don’t know yet,” Cathy said. “One of my boys doesn’t want me to go but the other said we should. What about you? Are you going?”

  “Unlikely,” Matt said. “You probably should stay home too.”

  “I appreciate your concern, but I haven’t decided yet.”

  Matt sighed. “Well, if you do go, will you tell us what you learn?”

  “Yes.”

  “Thank you, Cathy,” Jessica said. “Let’s keep in touch. Okay?”

  “That’s a good idea. I don’t…that is, I’m not sure how many people in our neighborhood are left.”

  After an uncomfortable silence, they said their good byes and disconnected.

  “I’m going to see if there’s a flyer on our door,” Matt said as he stood. He put on a pair of gloves before going to the door.

  “Be careful,” Jessica said as she followed him.

  Before opening the door, he looked out the front window to make sure no one was around, and when he felt confident that no one was, he unlocked the deadbolt, then opened the door a crack. A half-sheet of paper fluttered to the ground. He opened the door wider, then used his foot to drag the sheet inside before locking the door once again.

  “The flyer,” he said as he picked it up and held it like it was an important document heralding critical news.

  “What’s it say?” Jessica asked.

  He held it so they both could read it. It said pretty much exactly what Cathy had told them. He pointed to the line that said If you even suspect you may be sick, don’t come. “Can’t be any more blunt than tha
t.”

  One side of Jessica’s mouth turned up in a wry smile. “They didn’t even say please.”

  Matt was glad that whomever had created the flyer—and was presumably running the meeting—had been crystal clear. This person was no nonsense. A quality he admired.

  “Should we go?” Jessica asked, her eyebrows bunched in question.

  “I don’t know. I’m leaning toward no. Besides, if Cathy goes, she can fill us in.”

  Jessica nodded. “True.”

  He was glad she agreed with him. The last thing he needed was to have an argument over something so risky.

  “I’m going to see what I can find online,” he said as he tossed the flyer and the gloves in the trash. The TV had only become good for entertainment. The only way to get news was on the Internet, which Matt had been scouring for information. Not a lot of official updates. The main source of information was social media, but the claims were so outlandish—Whole cities were dead! This was a deliberate attack by a foreign country and they would drop a nuke next! #endoftheworld—that Matt had a hard time believing much of what he read.

  Still, he searched. He had to take advantage of access to the Internet while he could. He knew access wouldn’t last. It couldn’t. It was inevitable that the electricity would go off. With so many sick or dead, who was left to manage the power stations? So, after he tired of reading dubious reports posted by hysterical people, he spent the rest of his time printing off pages and pages of information about foraging for food, gardening, surviving off the land and anything else he could think of.

  And then it happened.

  The next morning the power went off. Moments later, Jessica burst into his office where he’d been in the middle of putting his latest print-outs into a binder that was nearly bursting at the seams.

  “The power’s off,” she said, her eyes wide like she knew this was the end of civilization.

  “I know.” He didn’t say this with sarcasm. Instead, he felt a deep sense of anxiety that took him by surprise. He’d been expecting this, yet it still shook him.