The time passed by so slowly. Children were getting antsy, tired and upset. Mothers were becoming frustrated and the fathers angry. It reminded me of when we had flown to Guam the year prior. It was a long flight and we were stuck at LAX for a seven hour layover due to engine trouble. Jackie was tired and fussy. Adam and I were fighting. Then Jackie climbed up in my lap and laid her head down. She then said “I love you Mommy.” With that little phrase everything felt so much better. Adam was still acting like a jerk as Jackie had begun to fall asleep but I sat there and ran my fingers through her curly brown hair.
Now I sat here watching these families fighting and getting aggravated with each other, none of them realizing how lucky they were to still have each other. At that moment I was happy I didn’t have a gun because my sorrow was border lined with rage and I could’ve shot them all for taking each other for granted.
They had given everyone a muffin and a bottle of water. It was a nice gesture but it didn’t calm anyone’s nerves. It didn’t answer the growing questions. More than an hour had gone by and no one had said anything about boarding the airbus.
I saw Richard walking towards me. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach the closer he got. He was pale and looked stressed.
“You need to go home.” He said to me quietly.
“What?” I asked confused.
“Go home, pack a bag and some food just in case and go to the Navy Base.”
“Why?”
“The first airbus is gone. It crashed in the ocean. Someone on board was infected and turned.”
I felt my whole body go cold. My heart had dropped somewhere into my stomach. It was like I was in an unending nightmare.
“The Navy is still sending out ships but we’re grounding all the flights. You still have a chance to get out of here. Shelly it’s the only shot you’ve got. I’m sorry, but you need to go. They’re going to make the announcement in about ten minutes. Get out of here before the shit storm starts. They’re going to put the base on lockdown at 2300 hours. You’ve got less than two hours to get out of here.”
“Maybe it would be better to stay,” I said. Since they were going to put the base on lockdown, maybe it would be the safest bet. It split me in two to think that I would never see my sister again but I had a bad feeling about leaving even though the Navy base was only 30 miles away.
He sighed, “No Shelly, I think the only hope would be to get off the island. It’s only a matter of time before everyone here is infected. If you can leave, do it.”
I nodded in understanding and gave him a hug.
“Okay. Thank you. Try to stay alive.”
He gave a weak smile, “you too.”
Chapter 5
I didn’t remember leaving the hanger or the drive to my house. It was all a blank, like I had been drinking all night.
I walked into the duplex that I lived in with my family for the past year. The little space we had called home. I hit the light switch as I walked in. The lights worked but they were flickering. The backup generator for typhoons must have kicked in. It made me feel uneasy, like I was walking into a horror movie or a trap.
I realized walking into my home just how exhausted I was. It wasn’t just physically being tired, I was emotionally drained. I felt tired in every bone in my body; each muscle was lined with fatigue. All I wanted was to sleep, maybe even sleep forever. I knew if I slept I would be stuck. Though I wasn’t convinced that was such a bad idea.
I thought Richard was wrong. He was over reacting to the situation. There was no way that the whole island would be infected. It just didn’t seem possible. If Dr. Benson was correct and this was a disease that had existed before, it would certainly phase out again. Besides it managed to disappear in a time that they did not have the science and medical advances we were privileged to now. I just didn’t believe that our world was down and out yet. Despite everything I had seen in less than six hours a part of me was hopeful that things would come together in the end. Besides, if everyone would get infected on the island who’s to say that the whole world wouldn’t be infected by the time a ship made it too the coast of California.
I made my way to the master bedroom that I shared with Adam. I noticed an odd smell as I made my way down the hall. It smelled like something had crawled in the walls and died. I ignored it and continued into the bedroom.
I grabbed a backpack Adam had used for camping. I packed a few clothes and an extra pair of tennis shoes. I opened the drawer to our nightstand. I grabbed Adam’s .45 and the holster lying next to it. I loaded the clip into it and secured the holster with the gun around my waist.
I got the extra bullets, flashlight, and a first-aid kit from the closet at the end of the hall. I put a small photo album with my favorite photos of my family in the bag as well. I knew it was excessive but I felt I needed to have those photos with me.
I was about to go to the kitchen to get
