Influenza: Viral Virulence (7 page)

Suddenly, like a light being turned off, the video went blank and disappeared. Then, Michael’s laptop flashed a blue screen error and crashed. He breathed in sharply and closed the laptop. What he had seen was really disturbing. It begged the question of just how much of the news coming out of California wasn’t being reported. Was the information being censored? Or could this all be just a hoax? It could be anything. He didn’t have enough information yet. Even more disconcerting to Michael was the admission that maybe his parents had been right all along and that he had been acting like a rebellious brat.

Finally reaching the smaller cities and towns, the virus was overjoyed at the opportunity to continue to spread and multiply. The infected human hosts were not producing viral material as much as before. The cells were wearing out and some had stopped manufacturing the virus. Newer victims were needed to continue the reproductive cycle of the virus. However, since the population here was not as congested as in the major cities, the virus had to rely on more opportune places to spread. Any place where people gathered, the stores, the schools, the churches, were all favorite breeding grounds. Other than that, the influenza virus would have to wait patiently for an infected person to contact another person. Even slower, the virus would have to be deposited on some surface, like a doorknob, and wait for another unsuspecting victim to touch it.

Not only had the California governor declared a strict curfew, but the US government had now intervened and taken charge. Martial law had been imposed in the western states in an attempt to curtail the spread of the virus. In high-ranking government circles, they were now beginning to discuss the possibility of instituting nationwide martial law. Secondary measures were being put in place to quell the rising panic, violence, and looting. Cell-phone towers had been turned off, and internet-access providers had been told to shut down their entry points. The National Guard had been rushed in to put up roadblocks leading into and out of the state. However, it was too late. With airlines and an efficient interstate highway system, the influenza virus had a large head start on any protocol for disaster control by the government. The powers-that-be had never planned for such an infectious and rapidly spreading virus—especially a pathogen that mimicked the deadliness of Ebola.

Chapter 7

Michael awoke Monday
morning feeling a little better and more clearheaded than he had the night before. It’s a wonder what a full night’s sleep does to rejuvenate the mind. Getting out of bed, he resolved that he would divide and conquer this new day. He would take one step at a time, concentrate on what he had to do next, and do it well. If California was falling apart, it could wait until Michael was finished with his duties.

He showered, dressed, and spent an hour reviewing his Applied Therapeutics notes. He was glad the test was scheduled in the morning. He hated waiting nervously to take tests in the afternoon. He much preferred getting them out of the way early.

He left the apartment and walked to the pharmacy building on campus. There were not very many students walking to and from classes. Approaching the door to the pharmacy building, he couldn’t help but notice a new sign posted on the door. It read:

Notice

If any student is feeling ill, including but not limited to

Sneezing, chills, coughing, fever, congestion, and runny nose,

Do
NOT
attend class.

You will be immediately dismissed if showing any of the above symptoms.

Please respect the health of your fellow classmates.

Makeup classes will be scheduled at a future date.

Interesting
, Michael thought. Actually, he didn’t want to think about it at all. All he wanted to do was concentrate on this test and leave. Then, he could think about it all he wanted.

He entered the building. It seemed rather dark and quiet inside for a Monday morning. He walked down the hallway and could hear his own footsteps echoing. The building felt abandoned, and for a minute, he was entertaining the thought that it actually might be. Attached to every door was the same notice that had been on the entrance door.

Entering the exam room, Michael was relieved to see that most of the students were there already. As he took his usual seat, he wondered if he was just imagining the absence of students on campus. Glancing around the room, he took note of a few empty desks.

The professor sat up front watching the students settle into their chairs. When the class bell rang, the professor stood up and started passing out the tests.

Someone to the far left of Michael suddenly sneezed. Michael was grateful that the sneeze had come from the other side of the room.

The professor stopped handing out tests. He looked disapprovingly at the student who had just sneezed. “Miss Anderson, I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” he said sternly.

“No, please. I’m fine,” a weak voice protested. “It’s just seasonal allergies. I get them every year.”

He spoke sternly. “Miss Anderson, you must have read the signs on the door. I have to insist that you leave. A makeup test will be scheduled.”

“But…”

“Now, Miss Anderson!” he said even louder. “Or I will give you a zero on this test, and you will not be able to retake it.”

Sarah Anderson slowly got up, and everyone in the class watched as she walked meekly to the doorway. She hesitated and looked back at the class. Michael could see that her eyes and nose looked red. Then she turned and left the room silently.

“Anyone else not feeling well?” the professor asked, scanning the class.

No one answered.

“Good.” Once again he started handing out the tests and talking at the same time. “If I find out some of you are not feeling well, you will receive zeroes on your tests without the opportunity to retake them…unless you leave now.”

Two more students got up and hurried out of the classroom. The professor didn’t look up at all; he just continued passing out the exams.

Michael finished his test quickly. He felt good enough about his answers that he didn’t bother going over the questions again. He was confident he had passed. Usually, he reviewed his answers to ensure that he got the best grade he could. But today, he just wanted to get out of there, so he handed in his test and left.

Once out of the classroom, he mentally checked “test” off the list he had made in his head early this morning. Okay, next priority. He was scheduled to work at the pharmacy from noon to five. He was hoping Wilbur would let him off a few minutes early today so he could stop by and get his pickup truck. He felt trapped without a vehicle, and he didn’t want to keep on borrowing Brian’s car. Whether Wilbur would let him leave work early would largely depend on how busy the pharmacy was. Being Monday, it would probably be busy. He might have to put off getting his truck until tomorrow. He hoped Gary wouldn’t mind babysitting it for one more day.

Michael walked back to his apartment and got something to eat. Then he walked the few blocks to the pharmacy. He swung open the glass entrance door, and Janice was standing in front of him, blocking his way.

She was Wilbur’s front cashier, a very pleasant woman who had worked for Wilbur for many years. She was always nice to Michael, and they had a good rapport. Janice was in her forties, married, but had no children. Michael felt that she regretted not having children, because she was always mothering him. He didn’t mind, and in fact, he liked the attention since his own mother was far away.

Now, for some unknown reason, Janice was standing directly in front of him. He couldn’t help but notice that she was wearing a blue surgical mask.

“Good afternoon, Michael,” she said, her voice slightly muffled by the mask. She promptly held out her hand with a new, unused mask. The strap dangled down between her fingers. “Wilbur wants everyone in the store to wear one of these.”

Michael took the mask and put it on. He thanked her and made his way to the back of the store where the pharmacy was located. He noticed from being in many pharmacy stores that the pharmacy department was usually located in the back for security purposes. It was supposed to be a deterrent to robbers, but from what Michael had heard, a drug-crazed addict usually didn’t care how far he had to walk to get to the pharmacy.

Reaching the back wall of the store, Michael could see the top of Wilbur’s head. He had his head down, busy at work. The pharmacy technician was at the computer hammering away at the keyboard. Both of them were wearing masks.

An elderly lady wearing a blue mask was at the counter inquiring about getting a flu shot.

“Sorry, we’re out of the flu vaccine, ma’am,” the technician said.

Wilbur looked up from filling a prescription vial with tablets and noticed Michael. He waved him over to the access door on the side of the pharmacy. Michael walked over and reached to open the door.

Wilbur shocked Michael by reaching out and holding the door only halfway open, preventing Michael from entering.

“How are you feeling, Michael?” Wilbur asked, studying him closely.

Taken aback, Michael replied, “I feel fine, except for this lump on my head that I got from visiting Wayne’s place last Friday…”

“Really, you’re feeling fine?” Wilbur interrupted. “Any sneezing, coughing, aches, pains? Any cold-like or flu-like symptoms?”

“No,” Michael answered, a little confused.

“Okay,” Wilbur said, still holding the door. “I want you to go home.”

“What?” Michael exclaimed. “But I’m not sick.”

“Exactly. This pharmacy is a hotbed of germs. Like in the hospitals and doctors’ offices, most of the customers who come in here are sick. You know that. We’re on the front line in a war against germs, and ultimately, we’re the first to be exposed.” Wilbur turned his head away and coughed into his mask. Turning back to Michael, he continued. “If you are feeling well, I don’t want you working here and getting sick. I’m already not feeling well. I want you to go home. It’s for your own good. I don’t want you catching anything from me or the customers.”

Michael stood there stunned.

“Go!” Wilbur coughed once again and started closing the door. Before the door was completely closed, he turned back to Michael. “Go get some masks and gloves from aisle seven before you leave. And remember to always, always wash your hands after touching anything that someone else has touched. You can come back to work next week when this has all blown over.”

He closed the door, leaving Michael standing there, momentarily stunned. Michael blinked and then slowly turned around. Walking down the aisle, he found the gloves he had been looking for in the grocery store yesterday. There were only two boxes left. Getting both, he noticed that the masks were almost sold out. Fortunately, he already had some at home.

Stopping by the cooler to grab a soda, he looked around at the customers in the store. Thanks to Janice, they were all wearing masks. However, some were sneezing and coughing. No wonder Wilbur was getting sick. He should have taken the day off himself, but he was a trooper. He’d be there helping other people even if he was half dead. That was just the type of person he was.

Michael felt a twinge of guilt and thought about returning to the pharmacy and talking Wilbur into letting him help. But Michael knew Wilbur. He was a stubborn man and was more concerned about Michael’s safety than his own. He’d never let Michael through that door.

As Michael paid Janice for his purchases, he heard her sneeze. “Take care of that cold, will you, Janice?”

“Nothing that a little chicken soup won’t take care of,” she said, smiling at Michael under the mask. “Now get out of here before you catch something too!”

Michael left with a heavy heart.

Walking along the sidewalk on his long journey toward the garage to get his truck, Michael keyed in Lorie’s cell number. Something seemed to be wrong with the reception, because he only got a fast busy signal. After multiple attempts with the same results, he keyed in the phone number for the sorority house landline.

At the same time that Michael and his friends had joined the fraternity, Lorie had joined one of the sororities. While his fraternity house was located just a little off campus, Lorie’s sorority house was one of the few that were on campus. He didn’t know the exact rules of her sorority, but his fraternity required that all new members must live in the fraternity house for the first year. Michael and his friends had conformed and lived in the fraternity house for one year. After their obligatory year was up, they moved out of the house and into their current apartment.

Lorie, on the other hand, had decided to stay in her sorority house. She said she liked living there. She also enjoyed helping some of the younger girls adjust as they transitioned from living at home to college life. Lorie was like a mother hen. Michael smiled to himself. He’d better not ever call her that if he wanted to remain her friend.

At the sorority house, someone eventually answered the phone. A girl’s voice that Michael didn’t recognize asked him to hold while she found Lorie. After a little while, Lorie came to the phone.

“Michael?”

“Hey, Lorie. How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling fine. But a few girls seem to be feeling under the weather. Do you think the flu has gotten here this quickly?”

“I’m not sure. It seems way too quick to have spread this far, this fast. But I think many people are showing signs of the beginning stages. I just left the pharmacy, and a lot of people are sick. But this still seems too soon for the flu virus to have made its way here from California.”

“The little bits and pieces of news on the TV are starting to scare me. Have you been watching?” she asked.

“No, believe it or not. I’ve had almost no time to see the news. I’m on my way to pick up my truck now. After that, I need to call my parents and see how they’re doing.”

“I just talked with my parents. They’re really worried about me. They want me to come home. They even offered to come pick me up. I told them I can’t miss classes now. They’d probably flunk me if I missed this week. I don’t want to risk it on my last year. Some of the other girls are packing up and leaving for home. I hope the school will allow them to make up the work.”

“Have you seen the signs the college posted?” Michael asked.

“Yeah, kind of weird, isn’t it?”

“If you decide not to go home now, I want you to promise me something.”

“What?” Lorie asked.

“I need you to be very careful. Do not go near the sick girls…”

“I have to help them,” she cut in.

“I knew you’d say that. Promise me you’ll try to minimize contact. And always wash and disinfect your hands after being near them…after being near anyone, whether or not they seem to be sick. Every time you touch a doorknob that anyone else has touched, you need to wash your hands. If you have gloves and a mask, wear them.”

“Oh, that will look sexy,” she said.

“Lorie, I’m not joking.”

“Michael, you’re starting to scare me.”

“Good, I’m a little scared myself,” he said. “If you can, just stay in your room as much as possible until this blows over. Avoid contact with people, and avoid common living areas.”

“Do you think I should let my parents come pick me up?” she asked him.

“That decision is completely up to you. I’m planning to go home sometime soon. I really don’t know when yet. A lot of my decisions will hinge on what I learn watching the news tonight.”

“Well, let me know what you decide. Maybe I’ll come with you and spare my parents the trip,” she said.

“Just keep yourself from catching this bug. Hopefully, like I said, it will blow over, and next week, we won’t have to worry about it.”

“Thanks, Michael. You stay well too.”

“Good-bye, Lorie.”

Michael pushed disconnect and then dialed his parents’ house. He saw his battery level was still in the green. His parents picked up on the second ring.

“Hi, Michael.” His mother sounded relieved to hear from him.

“Hey, Mom! How are you all doing?”

“We are well. How about you? Are you being safe?” There was more to that question than just words. What she meant was if Michael was taking precautions.

“Yes to both questions, Mom.”

“Your father and I have decided to go visit your Aunt Thelma,” she said. “Even if it’s only for a week. Better safe than sorry, your dad always says. At the least we can help her out with a few projects before returning home.”