Chapter 5

Marisol

I still have no idea what happened to my fiancé. The phone lines went dead days ago. He should have been home from work six days back. I have not heard a single word from him. The mess I saw at the school has only grown worse and spread to every street. I look over at Nora sleeping on the couch. She looks worn out even though she has slept for hours.

I walk over and sit beside her. I push a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Hey, Nora. Time to wake up,” I say soft. Her eyes open a little. They look grey and glassy. Worry sits heavy in my chest. We are almost out of food and will have to leave soon. From what I learned in college, any big sickness hits the city first and hits it hardest.

She sits up and stretches her arms over her head.

“How long was I out?” Her voice is quiet.

“Eleven hours. Pretty sure that’s a record,” I say with a small smile and a short laugh. When she does not smile back, my face goes flat. I let out a breath. “We have to leave soon. Not much food left. If I knew the world was going to fall apart I would have stocked up better.”

“Can we not call it that?” Nora pulls her arms around herself.

“Sorry. I just—”

“Stop acting like everything is fine. It’s not.” Her voice jumps high and sharp. I freeze. I have never heard her that loud. “My parents are gone. Your fiancé is gone. Why are you still pretending?” I clear my throat hard and walk to the window. Outside a thin line of blood runs down the sidewalk. The news said the looting will only get worse as this thing keeps spreading.

The TV clicks on by itself. News is the first thing that shows. A loud buzz comes from the set, then a flat tone.

“The following message was transmitted at the request of the Virginia National Guard. Civil authorities have issued a warning for the Virginia commonwealth area. At 5:43 am on Sunday, Maya 14th, 2019 the state of Virginia issued a warning of the outbreak of a highly contagious virus. The center of disease control has published guidelines to follow to avoid contact with infected persons and to contain the virus. Symptoms of the virus include fever, nausea, heat flashes, excessive sweating, hallucinations, loss of coordination, confusion, and aggressive behavior. It is strongly advised to avoid any persons who possess any of these symptoms. The Virginia National Guard has formed a safe haven in the Richmond Coliseum, the Richmond Diamond Flying Squirrels Stadium, and in the surrounding areas. All uninfected persons may stay in the following safe locations and in their homes until more information regarding this virus is known. All bitten persons may report to their local hospitals for further care until treatment.”

I rush to the closet, pull out my backpack, and start packing everything I can.

“Grab a bag from the closet and fill it with whatever food and water we have left.”

“We should go to those places. It will be safer,” Nora says in a light voice. She starts packing the few cans and dry goods I still have, plus water and the small first-aid kit. I grab Ethan’s watch that he left on the dresser and the picture frame of us standing in front of the mountains. He asked me to marry him that day. I hold the photo against my chest for a second, then drop it in the bag with a quiet sigh. I wish I had listened to my mom and made a full photo album. Then her words sink in.

“No way. We are not going there. That is like painting a target on our backs.” Before she can answer I keep talking. “We head for the countryside. Kentucky. Maybe West Virginia. My parents have a small farm in Kentucky with my dad’s folks.” Nora drops the bag on the couch and sits down, staring at nothing. We stay quiet for a minute. I turn the TV off.

“We leave this evening when the rush for the safe places dies down. I do not want us stuck in the middle of that mess,” I say, zipping my bag. I grab a clean empty juice bottle from the recycling, fill it from the tap, and push it into the bag.

After hours of doing nothing useful I decide we cannot sit here any longer. The city gets wilder as night comes. Another siren wails past. That makes about ten so far.

“We go now.” I sling my bag on and pull Nora up, settling the other backpack on her shoulders. From the knife block I take the biggest, sharpest kitchen knife. I also grab an ice pick that was left here when I moved in and Ethan’s metal baseball bat from the corner. I strap the bat to my bag with a cord and the mesh side pocket.

“Take this.” I hold the knife out to her. She shakes her head hard. I give her a look and she takes it slow. “Hide it under your sleeve for now. I do not want anyone thinking the wrong thing about us. Stay close. Stay where I can see you.” We leave the apartment fast. The sun is already dropping, throwing long shadows across everything.

The air outside smells like smoke. I keep us clear of the thicker clouds. When Nora gives me a strange look I say quiet, “Could be tear gas.” We walk along East Broad Street, side by side. Police in full riot gear stand on every corner.

“Can we at least walk past the Coliseum? It’s only two blocks,” Nora whispers.

“If we can even cross the street,” I answer, pointing at East Broad. Both of us stop with our mouths open. Cars sit jammed bumper to bumper. Horns blast through the air. If it is this bad in a mid-size city I cannot imagine a place like New York. A car alarm screams. Someone climbs onto a roof and jumps on it like a trampoline. More people race down the street, smashing store windows and setting fires.

“Move. Keep moving!” We step into the road and jump right back onto the sidewalk when a motorcycle almost hits us. “I have an idea,” I say low so no one hears. “There is an elementary school about eight minutes by car down the road. It sits near Byrd Park on the edge of the city. We might be safer there.” I run to the chained bikes in the apartment parking lot and pull the bobby pins from my hair. I remember the lock-picking tricks from when I was a kid and get to work.

“Got it.” We each take a bike and start riding down the sidewalk, almost hitting people as the street grows wilder. A woman who just finished looting starts screaming when one of the sick ones grabs her. I glance over for half a second and see her eyes turn glassy. “Don’t look, Nora. Just keep riding. I will keep us safe.”