Read The Reaper Virus (Novella): Sarcophagus for Free Online Page A

what should have taken a minute or two. When the area scenery opened
preceding the bridge the retreat members rejoiced.

 
    “What did
I tell you?” Paul happily said standing from his front row seat, “the rest of
the trip will be a breeze!” He fed off the reactions of the group; they looked
happy so he sat down feeling content in the accomplishment.

 
    “Praise
Jesus!” yelled a woman from somewhere in the back.

 
    Then a
man loudly added, “Salvation is right on the other side of this bridge!”

 
    A few
clapped. Others maintained a more realistic outlook that kept them quietly
subdued. Their pessimism was certainly justified; it isn’t easy to let go of
your worry when all that could be seen ahead was an unending parking lot.
Jessica looked down at Ava, showing her a smile. In return Ava looked
perplexed.

 
    “What’s
the matter honey?” She asked.

 
    Ava
hesitated, struggling to properly form the thoughts storming within her busy
little mind into words. Then she asked, “Is the retreat on the other side of
the river?”

 
    “Yes,”
Jessica replied not expecting to be questioned.

 
    However,
her confusion didn’t waiver. “Is it, like, right on the other side of the river? Because I can’t see it.”

 
    Jessica
caught on to the source of confusion, “no angel; it isn’t right on the other side of the river. We’re still a ways away from
it but the river is sort of a marker for us as we get closer.”

 
    She
thought for a moment, unconsciously raising an eyebrow the way her mother does
when she’s deeply pondering something. “I get that, Mommy. But why is everyone
so excited if we’re not close yet?”

 
    Truthfully,
they had another hour and half in normal traffic before the bus should reach
its destination. In the absurdity that was today’s traffic, they would be lucky
to reach the retreat before sundown. An hour into the bus trip and they’d
experienced enough fear and loss to make the time feel longer than any person
should have to endure. The shell-shocked group welcomed an end to this city and
all of the horrors it has shown them. Existing as a natural boundary to
Richmond city limits, crossing the James River was a logical point to imagine
the worst might be over. None of them fully realized that logic has no place in
a world shaken by a pandemic, a world where the dead walk.

 
    Jessica
wanted to be out of the city as much as the other passengers did. She knew that
it was one step closer to getting somewhere safe. The notion of escaping with
her precious daughter took over her thoughts from the moment she first saw the
news reports. She was willing to spend all that money on their retreat slots if
it meant they had a way to wait for this to blow over. Petting the little
girl’s head she answered, “ because it’s good to be
happy about the little things when a lot of bad things are going on. There’s more people in the city so that means there’s more
people to get sick. We’re trying to get away from that while all the people get
better.”

 
    Digesting
the simplified reasoning, she was quiet for a second or two. “Are the sick
people only in the city?”

 
    The
little one was smart. Her five-year-old logic was enough to recognize that
their grand plan for safety had some flaws. Jessica knew the questions would
continue if she didn’t nip the topic, “remember when you were sick right after
school started and we had to keep you home for a few days so your classmates
wouldn’t catch your flu bug?” Waves of brown hair danced atop the purple of
Ava’s jacket as she nodded. “Image you weren’t sick but instead all of your
classmates were… what do you think we would do then?”

 
    “Umm…”
Ava thought aloud, “I’d probably want to stay home so I wouldn’t get sick. I’d
be sad all my friends were sick, though.”

 
    Half of
her friends probably were sick and
Jessica knew it. A class of twenty-three kindergarteners was