Chapter Two: Daley

This is Chapter Two. What do you think?

“Due to the large amount of casualties from Mortargens, the government is passing out face masks to try to prevent the spread of Mortargens. We highly recommend to use the facemasks and to not touch anybody. Parents, if your child is sick keep them home from school no matter the severity. Also, always wash your hands before and after you eat, touch your face, and go to the bathroom. If a sink isn’t in your vicinity, use hand sanitizer with a high alcohol level. More information is to follow. You are listening to MORS morning show with Rose Summers and Barry Lynch.

            My college closed to keep from the spread of Mortargens since one student died of it. Now, I just sit all day. The world has changed drastically. Just last week, everything was perfect, but now life is tough. Gas is up to nearly $10 a gallon and food costs an arm and a leg. I don’t know what to do. I walked over to the TTY and wrote, “Adam, will you come over, please. I need you.” I haven’t seen Adam since last week when we saw Romeo and Juliet in ASL. I have never understood why people love this piece until then. The story was still as poor in a different language, but the circumstances upon viewing were much different.

Ever since the university closed down, I have been living as a hermit in my shared apartment with my friends, Sienna and Noelle. Sienna caught Mortargens and died on the hospital’s lawn because the hospital won’t allow Mortargens patients in. It’s a death sentence no matter if the person is treated. Why risk healthy people, doctors nonetheless, by exposing them to people with a pre-stamped toe tag? Noelle walked with her rolling black suitcase to the door.

            “It’s over, Day,” she was in tears, “My family wants me with them. Before…Before” She kissed her plastic glove covered hand and blew me a kiss, “Goodbye Daley.” I just let her leave with no questions asked. That is why I sent the TTY message to Adam. I have nobody left, and I miss my best friend more than my heart can bear.

            Ding dong! That would be the door, but who would ever come here, an infected household? I looked through the peephole and saw Cal panting and sweating. Sweat. Sweat was a precursor to Mortargens, so what is Cal is infected!

            “Are you safe? Are you contaminated?” I yelled.

            “Day, is that you? Of course I’m fine, but I need to talk to you. Open this damn door right now, Daley!” I unlocked the seven locks on the door and let him in.

            “Where’s Sienna and Noelle?” He asked.

            “Sienna died and Noelle left to live with her family.”

            “Where did you put Sienna?” His caramel eyes displayed an urgent message.

            “When she got sick, Noelle and I brought her to the hospital, but we left her on the lawn because they wouldn’t admit her, and we didn’t want her to infect us. I-” I collapsed into his arms as I cried. I let my friend for as long as I can remember die on the street and I let another friend slip through my fingers and scatter into the breeze. His muscular arms embraced me against his chest.

            “Daley, we need to go. This place is going to pieces. Since of Mortargens, the doctors are dying because they contract Mortargens. They need doctors, so all the med students are now working as doctors. Day, I’m working with the disease in my front yard, and I live in the hospital. We need to get you out of here! It’s too dangerous! I have somewhere safe for you.” Where is safe now? Everybody is dying because of Mortargens.

            “But, Cal, aren’t I safer here? If I leave the apartment now, I could be exposed to Mortargens-”

            “You are already exposed to it! Don’t you understand! Mortargens is airborne, but for the first two weeks, it resides on surfaces while it matures. When it matures, it will infect you and you will die. I haven’t known of anybody exposed to it and not contracting it. You need to leave before it fully matures. No matter where you go, you may catch it. If you leave, you have a chance, which is more than you have here!”

            “Where am I going to go? I don’t understand, Cal.”

            “A safe house outside the city. Outside the city, Mortargens will spread less quickly with the population spread out. You’ll have more of a chance.”

            “I really don’t understand, Cal.”

            “What do you not understand you idiot! I am offering you a chance to live,” I kissed me on the top of my head, “I love you, Day, and I want you to survive. Please. This is your only chance.” His muscular arms held each of my arms as I gazed into his pleading caramel eyes. Since when did Cal come and save me on his galloping white horse? Maybe he loves me, but I never told him I don’t love him.  What do I do? If I accept it, I will have to live with being a liar, but if I don’t accept it, I’ll most likely be a statistic. Do I live or do I die at peace with my character?

            “Cal, I’ll love to come. Thank you,” His facemask brushed up against mine to mimic a kiss, “Can I pack some things?”

            “No. Anything in this house is infected. Including your clothes. Everything. I have some scrubs for you. At the safe house, everything will be there for you.” But what about my TTY? That is my only lifeline. That is my only way of communicating with Adam.

            “Can I meet you outside? I want to say goodbye to this place. These walls hold more memories than one wishes to remember.” I grasped onto the hope that Cal would give me just two minutes, because I need to retrieve what is truly important right now.

            “One minute,” he barked. He stood in the main entrance, so I slipped into my bedroom. I grabbed the pocket sized TTY and jammed it into my bra. I poked about in the other rooms in tears to create an illusion; an illusion Houdini would call his own trick. I stood in front of Cal,

            “I’m ready.” He led me outside the apartment to his compact car.

            Outside, the world was an alien world filled with a stench hither to be known by the people of this good Earth. The streets were covered with mounds of trash; some areas were so deep with trash, the road was the sand at the deepest point of the ocean. Vandalism was sprayed everywhere in the odd manner of death messages, crude but disturbing drawings, and swears. Swears were the favorite among the walls. Despite the signs of life, the road wreaked of loneliness. Cal and I were the only ones left.

            The interior of the small car was the only thing that hasn’t changed in the longest week of my life. Nothing had changed since Cal drove me to school except for the heavy emotional toll. I was not Cal’s plaything anymore, but he still thought I was.

            “So, Cal, how did you get this house?” I squirted out.

            “I bought it. Money isn’t going to be worth anything. I bought the house while I still had the chance to buy something with cash money and not trade goods or force,” He bought this house and its furnishings for me, but why? Surely he doesn’t value me more than his own beating heart! “Here, put these on,” He handed me a pair of pink scrubs, “I swiped them from the OB supply closet.”

            “You mean you stole these things!” I exclaimed. I knew Cal wasn’t trustworthy. How could a person ever steal anything!

            “The value of the dollar went down drastically. I needed to steal things like clothes or medicine. Medicine is precious. I have a supply in the house for you. Use them well.”  I will never steal no matter the circumstances. No matter how you cut it, stealing is a federal offence. If Cal wasn’t arrested for that, what about our police system! Is there still a system? Only time will tell.

            Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a group of people on the sidewalk! People!

            “Cal! Look over there! People!” Cal didn’t look as excited as I to see the breathing beings

            “Day, do not make eye contact with any of them. We are going to drive-” Suddenly, a shot was fired shattering the back window.

            “Daley! Get down! Out of sight! NOW!” I unfastened my seatbelt and dove down into the foot room of the passengers seat. I became numb with fear. Cal hastily opened the glove compartment revealing a pistol. He put his hand outside the window and fired a few shots in various directions. Quickly he put the pistol back in the glove compartment and put his foot on the gas. When we could no longer hear any gunshots, I climbed back on the seat. The car drove to the house in silence.

            The car drove up to the small ranch house in the woods. I washed myself with the garden hose and changed into the pink OB scrubs in the shed. The shed had the fresh scent of cedar wood. I held my TTY and gazed upon the screen waiting for Adam’s reply.

            Inside, food was piled everywhere around the small ranch house. Raman noodles, canned goods, pasta, boxed meals, and freeze-dried camping food engorged every spare inch of free space.

            “Day, I need to go. Medicine is in the safe in your room. The combination is 12-21-22. I need to go back. Never open this door for anybody because you and your health matters far more than anybody else’s. Only come out after 90 or more days when the pandemic burns itself out,” He held me in his arms as he passionately kissed me as I let him do all the work, “I love you so much Daley. Never forget that.” He left the house to return to the hospital.

            I sat on the old sofa and wrapped myself in the decorative afghan. My TTY was in my hands and read the message on the screen, “I am at your apartment, and nobody is here. Where are you?” Oh God! I carefully typed out the most painful message, “I am safe. Do not look for me.” I pressed send as I hid myself in the blanket. A river flowed as raging rapids down my face and onto the TTY. “Daley?” I stared at that one word that he sent me. What have I done?

Author's Note

What did you think? I know it's an awfully short chapter, but all of the pre-apocalypse chapters are nice and short for a reason. When the full book is posted, I believe all of you will know why.
Please give honest opinions and honest critiques. All criticism is warmly welcomed.