Authors: Jacqueline Druga
“There may not be an answer, Lev. You may never know why.”
“Still. I want to know.”
“Will it change anything?”
“Yeah. It will. If we find out the why, it may stop another person from getting sick.”
Lev was right and it was something I didn’t think of. I just didn’t feel that strongly about us finding out why the virus was so aggressive up at Big Bear. For all we knew, it was just as aggressive everywhere.
We waited for Lisa to return. As we pulled out, the girls stepped on the porch and waved. Cade came from around the back purely to deliver a sour look. I suppose that he wasn’t happy I was going. Then again, I wasn’t dealing with the sick. Just the dead, or rather one dead person.
Lisa was excited. It had been several days since she was there and the last time, she was able to scan a radio conversation between two West Virginia camps. One, like Big Bear was dealing with infected, the other was keeping the sickness at bay.
The quick changing sound of EMS workers, police, fire and occasional military lingo was gone. It had been days since we heard a single emergency response.
That scanner might as well have been off.
When we arrived at Big Bear, there was no front gate guard and that bothered me. Even though it was a swing gate that would hold no one back, an armed guard was the first line of defense.
“Where’s the guard?” I asked Lev. “Usually you have someone out front.”
“We need all hands in the camp.”
“But I know you get stragglers,” I said. “What if they make it in?”
“We have someone near the front. For the most part it’s my father. No worries.” He pulled up to the main camp and parked outside the manager’s office.
In the span of twenty-four hours, the entire feel of the camp had changed. It was hard to describe and the best way I could sum it up was defeated.
People were packing up and leaving. Taking what supplies they could.
A week ago Lev said there were two hundred and thirty seven healthy people. Now all but seventy were ill and it looked like six vehicles were preparing to leave.
Neither Lev or his father were stopping them, trying to talk sense into them. I suppose it was less stressful on them if they left.
The Creighton’s surprised me. I would have never thought they’d go. They had the best RV that locked down tight. Mr. Creighton had steel shutters installed for when they went into bear territory. Maybe he felt safe leaving. Him, his wife, their two adult children and infant grandson. I never liked Mr. Creighton, and as odd as it was, I was grateful he wasn’t coming to our property. He was an arrogant man who camped with technology. Different than anyone else.
I was certain he would be okay. For what he lacked in personality and pleasantries, he made up for in intelligence. He was a smart man.
Mr. Boswick had supplies outside the office. Boxes of dried goods, blankets and gasoline. He stepped out as Lisa went in.
“Gonna be the last day on the radio,” Boswick told Lisa. “We’re gonna move the radios down to yours and Earl’s place. Just keep track of where you hear things, and people.”
Lisa nodded and went inside.
That was when I noticed he carried a hammer and lifted a long plank of wood that rested on the side of the office.
“You guys are really sealing the community house?”
“Yeah, we are.”
“Is that right?” I asked. “I mean, what if the ones that turn, attack those who are sick?”
“We gave the families a chance to remove them. I can’t help them all, and we can’t take chances that all those people crammed in there get out after they turned. It’s a ticking time bomb.”
“I feel bad.”
“I know. So do I.” Lev walked over to the supplies. “Help me load.”
I wasn’t the strong one, he was, so I left the heavy items to him as I kept an eye on Boswick carrying his supplies toward the community house.
As much as I didn’t like it, I couldn’t imagine the heavy burden Lev and his father were carrying over it all. Knowing they were locking people in to die, unable to do anything for them but walk away, when all they really wanted to was help.
They opened their gates and it backfired.
I guess I was feeling emotional, that was the only reason I could think of for me to blurt out of the blue, “Lev, I’m sorry.”
“What did you do? Did you drop something?”
“No, I’m sorry.” I loaded a box in the truck. “For all those years ago. For blaming you. When it was me. For missing out on so much of your life. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Really. I am sorry I missed out on your life, too. But we are friends again, right?”
“Without a doubt.” I leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.
“Thank you for that.” Lev smiled.
When we finished loading the last of the supplies, Lev yelled at Lisa to tell her we were leaving shortly, then said to me, “Want to go check our friend?”
At first I didn’t know who he was talking about then I realized he meant pool house man.
After telling his father he’d be right back, we headed toward the pool house.
“Should we name him?” I asked as Lev undid the lock on the fence.
“Hold your nose. No.”
“He has a name?” I covered my nose.
“He had a name,” Lev said. “Who he was is not who he is now.”
“But don’t you think we should refer to him as something other than pool house man?”
“You call him pool house man. I call him nothing.” Lev undid the pool house lock and grabbed his hammer from his belt. I suppose, just in case pool house man was loose. “Besides, giving him a name, gives him more human aspects and makes it harder to face.”
As he pushed open the door, the smell blasted us.
Pool man was noisy, groaning, nearly screaming as he attempted to reach out. It was then I realized, name or no name, no matter how hard I tried to see him as something else, he was still human, in some way.
Since the last I saw him he biologically had broken down. He pulled so hard to get free and he managed to do so. The waist restraint had cut him in half and was dangling from the wall. His twisted rotted legs were near the wall. Pool man attempted to crawl to us but his left arm was gone and the right one was a mere stump. He moved very little, lifting his head and crying out in a groaning and agonizing way. His jaws chomping at air, his insides were nothing but a green, gooey mess that trailed his severed torso.
I reached to my back pocket and pulled out my phone.
“What are you doing?”
“For my brother. I may not be able to send it to him but I can show him when he gets here in a few days.” I pressed record and started talking as I scanned the pool house man, taking in the full effect of his image. “As you can see, his legs are gone. Whatever that is… hangs from his top half. Tell me please, how is this man alive?” Pool house man reached out to me with his stump.
“That was … twisted.”
“Bobby is blind to this. Should we end it for him now?” I asked.
“No,” Lev replied. “We need to see how long it takes for him to cease to exist. I’d say die, but I’m more certain than ever he’s already dead.”
“Is that right to do?”
“No, but it’s what we have to do. Look at what we learned. They are fallible. They aren’t the unbeatable monsters we think they are. We may not defeat them with ease,” Lev said. “But Mother Nature sure can.”
<><><><>
We secured the pool house and started walking back toward the main camp. The closer we drew, the more I could hear sounds of commotion. The peaceful exodus of Big Bear Camp had turned ugly.
Once we got to the ridge, we saw the source of the arguing. People had taken things from Lev’s truck.
“No,” one man shouted. “You took too much.”
“It’s not yours to claim,” another argued. “I need this. I’m headed to Kansas, you aren’t going that far.”
I could see the anger in Lev’s eyes. They were taking his stuff and arguing over who had the right to it. Adding to the confusion was a dog, a terrier mix type that barked protectively in between them.
“Doggy. Please.” A little girl called out. “Come here. Come on.”
The girl was Addy’s age, maybe six. Her dark hair was pulled in a ponytail.
“Come on doggy.”
Lev charged at the two men. I would have stayed with him but another man approached me, cutting me off.
“You don’t know me,” he said. “My name is Vince. This is my daughter Hannah.”
I quickly glanced down, switching from the girl to Lev. The dog had made its way over to the girl and she held it back.
Lev arrived at the two fighting men. “What the hell? Are you taking my stuff?”
I tried, really tried to listen to Lev and pay attention to that tension, but the man spoke in my ear.
“My wife is sick,” he said. “I need to stay here. Is it possible you can take my daughter to your camp? I’ll come and get her. I just rather her not be here. We have some food …”
“No, it’s fine, I’ll take her.” I said and moved toward Lev.
One of the men argued with Lev. “How is this your stuff? We paid to be at this camp.”
“Thank you,” Vince said as I walked away.
I merely lifted my hand, acknowledging his thanks.
Shove.
One of the men shoved Lev. My immediate thought was that Lev was going to lose it, deck the guy. But Lev caught his balance, held up his hands. “I’m not going to fight with you or argue over this. This is my stuff. I bought it and I don’t recall a single one of you paying me for your rent space. We opened our gates and we let you in. You’re panicking? I understand, but make no mistake …” He glared at the man who hit him. “Touch me again and I will be the last person you touch.”
I approached Lev. “Hey, you just gonna let them take the stuff?”
“I’m not fighting over it. Karma is a bitch. What they take, they will lose.”
“If you say so. Anyhow, we are taking that little girl.” I pointed to the little girl who held the dog and was petting it. “The one with her dog.”
“Hannah?” Lev asked.
“Yeah, her mom is sick and her dad asked if I could take her. Would it be a dick move of me to not take her dog?”
“That’s not her dog, so I don’t think she’ll mind.”
“Oh, good. Whose is it?” I asked.
“I don’t know. He’s been running around camp since ….” Lev froze in his talking and tilted his head.
“Lev.”
“No.”
“Since when? What are you thinking?”
“He came with the first wave of people that were sick. Oh my God.”
“You don’t think?”
“We’ve been trying to figure out how the virus kept getting around. That dog has been everywhere.” Lev marched toward the dog. “Hannah, get away from the dog.”
Hannah looked up confused.
“Step away from the dog,” Lev told her.
“Lev.” I rushed to him. “What are you going to do? You don’t know.”
“I do.”
“No.” I argued. “You don’t know. What? You gonna kill it?”
Lev stopped and looked at me. “Yes.”
“No!” I charged after Lev.
Lev didn’t listen, he swung down his hand, grabbing the dog by the collar. All I envisioned was him snapping its neck in front of the little girl. How could he so callously go after an animal when we didn’t know if it was the reason everyone was getting sick.
He bent down to the dog and it squirmed in his hold.
Hannah cried out. “Stop. You’re hurting him.”
“Lev, please,” I begged. “You don’t know.”
“Yes. I do. He’s the cause.” He flipped the dog to his back exposing his underbelly. “It must affect them differently. Not the skin. Look. Look at him, Nila.”
My hand shot to my mouth. The whole belly of the dog was black and any fur close to the stomach was missing. The necrosis was spreading.
“Now, you tell me what you want me to do.” Lev said.
Scream.
At first I believed it was some dog enthusiast getting upset about Lev, until Boswick called for his son.
“Lev, I need some help here.” Boswick held tight to the wood on the community center doors, fighting to keep in whatever banged against the door. Boswick bounced with his every struggle to contain it.
It was like a bell went off. Everyone seemed to scramble.
“Lev! For crying out loud!” Boswick shouted.
“Get in the truck,” Lev ordered me, then as he turned to look back at his father, the dog squirmed from his hold and took off. Running and barking, adding to the confusion. Lev stood and stepped back. “Nila, get in the truck now.”
I nodded, the noise level of the commotion increased, as I spun to race to the truck, a car zipped by nearly hitting me. My heart skipped a beat and my body trembled.
Lisa.
She was in the building. My first thoughts were to get her, then get into the truck. It was parked right in front of the manager’s office and it wasn’t that far. Another car raced by me in my hurried walk there. Then I remembered, Hannah. I had to get Hannah.