Off to her left, a wall made of double-stacked shipping containers stretching as far as she could see circled the Army base. Soldiers and vehicles of various types sat atop the wall. None of them seemed to be paying special attention to her. That meant they were used to seeing helicopters, which meant, hopefully, that the Army was still functioning.
Hannah brought the helicopter over the airfield, then pushed it beyond the runways to the quarantined helipad. Within seconds of her landing, an Army Humvee raced across the access road from the main base. “Efficient little fuckers,” she muttered as she flipped switches to power down the bird.
She patted the seat between her legs, grateful that the helicopter had gotten her the rest of the way from Mexico to the States. Then she grabbed her pack and pushed open the door to meet the welcoming crew on the ground.
The Humvee stopped fifty feet away from her and all four doors opened quickly as soldiers got out. The three with M-4 rifles lifted the butt of their weapons into the pocket of their shoulders, but did not point them at her. Instead, they kept them in the low ready position, aimed just off to the side. The fourth soldier was a female. She wore a drop-leg holster with a 9mm pistol inside.
The woman walked toward her. “Hello, ma’am. I’m Lieutenant Kraft. I’m a physician’s assistant with the aviation brigade. Do you mind if I check you over?”
Hannah set her pack on the ground and stepped away from the weapons strapped to the top. “Yeah. I mean, otherwise I gotta leave, right?”
“That’s right,” the lieutenant agreed, nodding. She stopped ten feet from Hannah and said, “I need you to step away from the helicopter please. The soldiers will check it out to make sure there aren’t any stowaways while I give you a quick evaluation.”
Hannah complied with the lieutenant’s directions while two of the soldiers walked past her to inspect the helicopter. The third one stayed near the Humvee, watching the entire scene for anything amiss.
“Okay, first thing we do is check your temperature,” Lieutenant Kraft said, retrieving a handheld device from the assault pack she wore like a fanny pack across her abdomen. Hannah dutifully opened her mouth, but Kraft shook her head and held up the device. “This checks the temperature of your skin. I just put this little marshmallow-looking thing on your forehead and…” She placed the thermometer against Hannah’s forehead. “Voilà! It’s done.”
The woman looked at the readout and frowned. “Are you feeling well today, ma’am?”
“Is there a problem?” Hannah asked.
“Your temperature is one hundred point two. Have you been drinking fluids?”
Hannah shook her head. “Not really. I’ve been in that bird for about five hours. Didn’t remember to drink much water.”
“Hydration is important, ma’am. Even though the temperatures aren’t as hot right now, you can still get dehydrated in the winter.”
“Yeah. I was just pretty busy flying the helicopter by myself and forgot.”
The lieutenant put the thermometer away and retrieved a stethoscope. “Please remove your shirt. You may leave your bra on for now.”
Hannah did as she was directed. “It’s clear, ma’am,” one of the soldiers said.
“Okay, go back to the Humvee. Elevated temperature, but she wasn’t drinking water while she flew.”
“Am I in danger here?” Hannah asked, eyeing the two soldiers as they walked backward slowly toward the vehicle.
“No more than I am,” the lieutenant chuckled. “If you attack me, I’m dead. But the MPs there will kill you too.” She grinned up at Hannah, who was almost a full head’s height taller. “So, don’t do anything dumb and we’ll both be okay.”
The stethoscope’s metal was cool against her skin. “Take a deep breath.”
Hannah did as she was told for several iterations. When the other woman stepped back from her she said, “I’ve been out of contact with anyone for so long. I thought the crazies were only down in Central America, that’s why I was trying to get home. I guess they’re here too, huh?”
The lieutenant nodded. “Take off your shoes, socks, and pants. I need to visually inspect every inch of you. We’ll turn away from the soldiers while I examine your breasts and vaginal area.” Hannah bent down to untie her bootlaces. “To answer your question, yes. The infected are here too. They’re worldwide as best we can tell. There was definitely activity in Europe and Asia before the news stopped bothering to show anything but CCTV footage.”
She grasped Hannah’s left arm at the biceps and lifted it up, examining the skin. “What are you looking for?” she asked.
The lieutenant stopped and said, “You really have been alone, huh? Bite marks, infected scratches, open sores. Those are the hallmark of an infection—well, besides bleeding eyes and nose, and a nasty habit of biting everything that gets near your mouth.” Hannah had distracted the woman enough that she forgot to examine her hand, switching to the other side and inspecting her quickly.
“Okay,” Kraft said from behind her. “Bend over and pull down your underwear. Don’t worry, the guys can’t see anything from this angle.”
Hannah did as she was told. “Have you ever seen anyone with a bite on their ass?” she asked.
“Okay, pull up your underwear and turn around. Last place is your breasts, so I’ll need you to lift up your sports bra.” She watched as Hannah’s bra came up and her breasts flopped out. “Lift them up,” the PA directed. Again, Hannah made sure that the scar on her hand was hidden as she complied with the order.
“Alright, you can get dressed now,
