Thinking of the other families they knew, Arthur really felt sorry for them running the rat race. They made almost everything they needed. Hell, they pumped so much extra power back into the grid, they made good money.
When the government had offered to pay for half of any solar setup years ago up to twenty grand, Arthur had taken them up on it. Near the small house were fifty panels, and working with the hydro, wind turbine, and sterling power plant, Arthur was sure the power company hated them. Every quarter, a large check had to be mailed out to Arthur and Wendy.
Watching Wendy dive in, Arthur swam over to her as she broke the surface. “I’m going to work on my next book tomorrow,” Arthur told her.
“The fantasy one?” Wendy asked, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Nodding, “Yeah, I’m getting e-mails from people wanting the next book,” Arthur said. He had four hobby project books out, along with two fantasy series. With the stuff they sold from the farm and with his patents and books, they only worked a few nursing shifts to keep their licenses. Truth be told, they worked as nurses so the IRS bandits would leave them alone. Everything they earned as nurses was turned over to the government.
That was their whole idea of this land they’d bought. Become self-sufficient, so they didn’t have to buy and pay in taxes. So far, it was paying off and was only getting better. Not only were Arthur and Wendy married, they were best friends.
Chapter Three
The world is really a small place now
April 8
Relaxing in first class, James grinned, just thinking about the fun times they’d had every night. It’d been the second night that Zhang had finally loosened up and had a blast. On the last night, Zhang couldn’t stop sneezing until he’d drunk five shots. “The company picks up the dime, you have fun,” he mumbled, remembering the VP handing over a credit card for the first bar tab of ten grand.
They had spent money like they were mad at it.
Feeling his nose itch, James rubbed it with the back of his hand while feeling the airplane level out. “Care for a pillow, sir?” the attendant asked beside him.
“Please,” James smiled. When the attendant placed the pillow behind his head, James reached back and brushed her hand with his as he put the pillow where he wanted it.
“Care for a cocktail?” she asked, smiling.
Feeling his stomach inform him not to, James looked up. “You have any tea?” he asked.
“Certainly,” the attendant smiled, leaving James.
Before his layover in Greece, James gave ten others on the flight an unwanted visitor, including the attendant. On his four-hour layover, James unwittingly infected over a dozen but also, touched an ATM and his armchair in the first class lounge. Those two surfaces alone delivered another eight unwanted guests. Not to mention the man who’d taken James’s credit card to pay for his bill. Before flying out, James was able to enjoy his hobby.
Before he’d reached London, James had spread the invisible guest to over sixty people.
The problem was, out of the other thirty executives who had also been infected, James had infected on a scale none could ever imagine. Because of James, the visitor was spreading like wildfire across the globe, thanks to his hobby.
April 10
Hearing his cellphone ring, Zhang reached a hand out from under the covers, patting around his nightstand. Feeling his phone, he grabbed it and pulled it under the covers. “Hello,” he mumbled, seeing it was only five a.m.
“Zhang, you must come home. Father is very sick,” an elderly female voice cried out.
Jerking upright and sitting up in the bed, “Mom?” Zhang asked, blinking his eyes open and gave a hard sneeze.
“Yes,” she sobbed. “Your father is coughing up blood.”
“Take him to the doctor,” Zhang shouted, jumping out of the bed and hearing his mother sneeze.
“You know we can’t afford that.”
“Mom, get the envelope I left and take dad to the hospital,” Zhang ordered, grabbing a pair of pants. “I have to get someone to cover for me, but I should be on the road in an hour.”
In the background, Zhang heard a violent, barking, hacky cough. “He is burning up,” his mom wailed.
“Mom,” Zhang barked in the phone, hoping to calm her down. “When did the coughing start?”
“Just after midnight and continuously getting worse,” she answered.
Feeling relieved at that, Zhang slowed down in getting dressed. “Then the doctors can help him, mom. I’ll meet you at the hospital.”
“Son, he started passing blood before he started coughing.”
Zhang stopped in pulling on his shirt, “Father peed blood?”
“No, out of his bottom,” his mother sobbed.
“Mom, get dad to the hospital. We have money now,” Zhang told her. “I will get there as fast as I can.”
“Okay, I will get Chen next door to help me get your father in the truck,” his mom said, sounding more relaxed and then sneezed. “Please hurry, so you can explain what the doctors say.”
“I will, mom. See you in a few hours,” Zhang said, hanging up and calling the office to tell them that he had an emergency.
Thirty minutes after hanging up with his mom, Zhang’s father died on the way to the hospital.
April 16
Sitting on the front porch with Wendy and watching the sun set, Arthur heard the phone ring. Giving a sigh, he got up and jogged inside. Grabbing the cordless phone, he grinned to see Joseph’s satellite phone number. “Hey, son,” Arthur sang out, answering the phone.
“Hey, dad. How are you
