had frozen. It didn’t mean he was a bad person. He had probably envisioned himself as the one percent of the population who were the shepherds, the ones who kept the wolves at bay. In those short few moments, he realized he wasn’t a shepherd. He realized he was one of the sheep. Seeing himself in a true light had crushed him. It was not how he had pictured himself.
“Steve, don’t worry about it. It happened too fast for you to respond,” I replied, trying to assuage his guilt.
“Connor, are you okay?” Lawrence said as he hurried to my side.
“I’m fine. Half a second slower and I wouldn’t have been, but I’m okay.”
“What was that?” he yelled. “She was dead! I examined her myself. How did she get up? Then you beat the snot out of her and it didn’t even slow her down!” he exclaimed.
“I don’t know, Lawrence. She looked dead to me, too. I’ve never heard of anything like it, either. There is no way a woman her size should have the strength she had.”
“Oh, thank goodness. Doc Baker’s here,” Mary blubbered as she stopped screaming and started for the door.
“Mary, stop,” I said. She continued to the door. “STOP!” I yelled sternly. “We can’t go out there. We have all been exposed to whatever they have.” I rushed to the door and blocked her way because I didn’t trust her to heed my command. She tried to push through me, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“He’s right.” Bertha said in a broken voice. “If you run home to Tim, you’ll expose him to whatever they have. His immune system won’t be able to handle it.”
Tim was Mary’s husband. Fifteen years ago he had worked for the highway department. He was on a crew that was doing shoulder work when he was hit by an intoxicated driver. The car propelled him forward into an excavator that was parked thirty or forty feet down the road. His back hit the excavator and his spine was shattered, leaving him a paraplegic.
Tim took the whole thing pretty well, all things considered. He was the sort of guy who never sat still. He was always doing something. Losing the use of his legs was a hard knock, but he didn’t complain. He took up wood working as a form of therapy, but ended up being really good at it and was able to bring in a pretty good income selling the stuff he made on the internet.
The problem was, he had been left with a weak immune system after the accident. The doctors couldn’t explain it. Before the accident he never got sick. Afterwards, he caught everything he was exposed to.
Mary sighed in resignation, realizing that Bertha and I were right. It wasn’t worth exposing Tim to whatever was causing the sickness. If she couldn’t run into Tim’s arms, she might as well stay here with us.
Mary kept the key to the front door on a purple slinky bracelet around her left wrist. I took the bracelet off her wrist and used the key to lock the deadbolt, disregarding the order on the door that stated, “This door to remain unlocked during business hours.”
The bolt snapped into place. I pulled the key from the lock and placed the purple slinky around my wrist as Doc Baker was reaching for the handle. “What do you think you’re doing? I need to get in there and help these people!” Doc shouted to be heard through the closed door.
“Doc, look through the window. There is nothing you can do. There are only four who are still conscious. Twelve of the others are already dead,” I yelled back.
“Make it sixteen dead now,” Lawrence interrupted from across the room, where he was checking on the bodies strewn across the floor.
“There’s no point in you coming in here. There’s nothing you can do and it’s foolish for you to expose yourself right now.” I briefed him on what had happened, including the woman we thought was dead coming back to life with unnatural strength in an unnatural rage.
Doc Baker shook his
“Steve, don’t worry about it. It happened too fast for you to respond,” I replied, trying to assuage his guilt.
“Connor, are you okay?” Lawrence said as he hurried to my side.
“I’m fine. Half a second slower and I wouldn’t have been, but I’m okay.”
“What was that?” he yelled. “She was dead! I examined her myself. How did she get up? Then you beat the snot out of her and it didn’t even slow her down!” he exclaimed.
“I don’t know, Lawrence. She looked dead to me, too. I’ve never heard of anything like it, either. There is no way a woman her size should have the strength she had.”
“Oh, thank goodness. Doc Baker’s here,” Mary blubbered as she stopped screaming and started for the door.
“Mary, stop,” I said. She continued to the door. “STOP!” I yelled sternly. “We can’t go out there. We have all been exposed to whatever they have.” I rushed to the door and blocked her way because I didn’t trust her to heed my command. She tried to push through me, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“He’s right.” Bertha said in a broken voice. “If you run home to Tim, you’ll expose him to whatever they have. His immune system won’t be able to handle it.”
Tim was Mary’s husband. Fifteen years ago he had worked for the highway department. He was on a crew that was doing shoulder work when he was hit by an intoxicated driver. The car propelled him forward into an excavator that was parked thirty or forty feet down the road. His back hit the excavator and his spine was shattered, leaving him a paraplegic.
Tim took the whole thing pretty well, all things considered. He was the sort of guy who never sat still. He was always doing something. Losing the use of his legs was a hard knock, but he didn’t complain. He took up wood working as a form of therapy, but ended up being really good at it and was able to bring in a pretty good income selling the stuff he made on the internet.
The problem was, he had been left with a weak immune system after the accident. The doctors couldn’t explain it. Before the accident he never got sick. Afterwards, he caught everything he was exposed to.
Mary sighed in resignation, realizing that Bertha and I were right. It wasn’t worth exposing Tim to whatever was causing the sickness. If she couldn’t run into Tim’s arms, she might as well stay here with us.
Mary kept the key to the front door on a purple slinky bracelet around her left wrist. I took the bracelet off her wrist and used the key to lock the deadbolt, disregarding the order on the door that stated, “This door to remain unlocked during business hours.”
The bolt snapped into place. I pulled the key from the lock and placed the purple slinky around my wrist as Doc Baker was reaching for the handle. “What do you think you’re doing? I need to get in there and help these people!” Doc shouted to be heard through the closed door.
“Doc, look through the window. There is nothing you can do. There are only four who are still conscious. Twelve of the others are already dead,” I yelled back.
“Make it sixteen dead now,” Lawrence interrupted from across the room, where he was checking on the bodies strewn across the floor.
“There’s no point in you coming in here. There’s nothing you can do and it’s foolish for you to expose yourself right now.” I briefed him on what had happened, including the woman we thought was dead coming back to life with unnatural strength in an unnatural rage.
Doc Baker shook his