"Rise and shine, sunshine," Del said. "I got up early for our day. Got permission for Richie to miss school, almost at his house, and then I"ll get you and your boy."
"Del," she sounded frightened.
"What"s wrong?"
"I don"t know," she answered. "The police were by this morning. Hartworth"s been shut down."
"What ... what do you mean shut down?"
"Shut down. They said not to leave, that there"s some horrible outbreak, and they"re trying to keep us safe."
Del turned off the music completely. "I didn"t hear anything about an outbreak, but I haven"t watched the news."
"Well, I can tell you right now, I"m looking at a flyer they dropped off at my door. They got the whole town closed down. Del ... I"m scared. Mary from the store tried to go to work, and they sent her home. All stores are closed. She said she tried to leave town twice and couldn"t get out. Sheriff, some deputies, all blocking the roads."
"Did she say if she saw signs of the government, military, men in those biohazard suits?"
"I asked; she said no. Del .... I don"t think the outbreak is outside of Hartworth."
"What do you mean?" Del asked.
"It"s here in town. They ain"t saying, but I can see from my apartment window. People are heading into the fire station, they look sick. Del ... me and my boy aren"t sick."
"Can you get out?"
"No. Can ... you help?"
"What do you need me to do?"
"I don"t care about me, but my son is only fourteen. Get him out of town. Please, get him."
Del thought a moment. "Listen, I am almost at my ex"s house. A minute away. Let me check the television, go online, see if I see anything. I"ll ask her, she"s one of those apocalypse nuts. If anyone knows anything, it"s her."
"What about my son?"
"Dress him warm. Both of you, head out the back of the apartment, cross through the properties, and make your way toward Bailey"s Ranch. Hit Bailey"s dirt road that runs next to his property and through the hollow. It crosses the wooded area and meets Forty about two miles before town. Wait there. I"ll get you."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. Give me an hour," Del said.
"Thank you. I"ll call you if there"s a problem."
"Please do. Hang tight." Del ended the call just as he pulled into Emma"s driveway. He saw Andy"s truck. "Does that man ever work? Jeez."
When Emma woke, she was surprised to find she was alone in bed. Cody wasn"t there. Andy had stayed the night, as well. They were nowhere to be seen. She peeked at the time of nearly seven AM and knew that Richie was supposed to be up and ready to go with his father.
The smell of bacon and coffee told her all was well in Emma land, so she dressed then headed to the kitchen.
Cody was happily diving into a bowl of cereal, balancing on her knees, while Richie was half way through his plate.
"Morning," Emma said with a kiss to Andy"s cheek as he stood at the stove. "This is nice."
"Th .. thought I"d c ... cook before w ... work. Eggs?"
"No," Emma answered. "Coffee is fine right now." She poured a cup and walked to the table. "Hey." She tapped Richie to get his attention. "Your dad is going to be here soon."
"I know. I know," he replied. "I"m ready. Just have to finish eating."
As she brought her mug to her lips, taking in that first sip of brew, the back door opened with a rush. Emma nearly choked when Del flew in. "You"re not late; why are you rushing?" she asked.
"Have you watched TV at all? Been on the net?"
"No, I just woke up," she replied. "Andy?"
Andy shook his head and waved out for Richie. "You been online?"
Richie lifted his phone with a nod.
"What"s up?" Emma asked.
"Something is happening," Del said. "I just talked to Tanya. Hartworth is quarantined. Shut down. They told her it"s something outside of Hartworth, but she thinks it"s inside."
"Oh my G.o.d. Hopefully Heather isn"t back." She signed to Richie. "Can you check your phone see if there is any mention of a quarantine in Hartworth or any of your friends online who may have posted about that?" She turned to Del. "It has to be a mistake. I mean, about an outbreak outside of Hartworth. My alerts didn"t sound off. It"s gotta be in the town."
"That"s what Tanya thinks," Del replied. "She wants me get her kid out of town. I told her to send him past Bailey"s Ranch."
"Del," Emma spoke seriously. "You can"t do that."
"Why?" he asked.
"Because if the town is shut down and they have something, taking him out will break the barriers. It could spread the virus or whatever it is."
"He"s not sick."
"But he may still be contagious."
"What do I do?" Del asked. "Seriously? If it were you, what would you want me to do? If you and Richie were stuck here?"
Emma thought about it. "Ok, I"d want Richie out, but I"d see how long the shutdown is; that tells the incubation period. Pull the kid, but keep him away for a day or two to make sure he doesn"t get sick. If he doesn"t, then it"s fine. Wait it out somewhere."
"Bailey still park that RV near his property?" Del asked.
"Yep, he still shows his horses."
"We"ll wait it out there." Del nodded. "Do you have a gun?"
Emma laughed. "Really?"
"You don"t?"
Emma laughed again. "Really? You"re asking me? I do; they"re locked up. It"s against the law to give you one. It isn"t the end of the world, ya know, just a crazy coot sheriff flaunting his power." She looked at Andy.
"G .... G ... give him one." Then he held up two fingers twice.
"I"ll give him a .22." Emma said. "Del, put on the TV, check to see if anything is on the news, and see if Richie found anything." She walked to the bas.e.m.e.nt door. "And really, Del, I have to say this is pretty unselfish of you. I"m gonna make you a survival pack. Be right back."
"Do I need one? Can"t I just bring a few cans?" Del asked.
"You need some water and food, and you need a lightweight pack in case you have to run. Breaking that kid out of quarantine is a crime. I"ll make you a pack." She opened the bas.e.m.e.nt door and disappeared for a few minutes. When she returned she carried what looked like a weight-loss belt and a small water camel.
She laid it flat on the table. "You have jerky, a small first aid pack, protein bars, and other things. It goes around your waist with Velcro, and strap this water over your shoulder. Keep it under your coat. It"s designed to be hidden so people don"t know what you have."
"Wow." Del blinked as he slipped it on under his coat and around his waist. "Where did you get this?"
"I made it. It"s patented, so don"t try to steal the idea."
"No, I"m not. You should let me invest in this." He secured it and closed his coat. "This is awesome."
Emma shrugged. "We"ll talk. Just ..." She turned when the kitchen door opened again. "Dad?"
"What motel did Heather stay at last night?" Stew asked calmly, yet with concern.
"Brightside. Why?" Emma said. "I hate that place. Bunch of drunken truckers ..." she slowed down her words when Stew walked to the television and turned it on.
"It burnt down last night," Stew said.
Emma gasped. "Oh my G.o.d." Immediately she sunk into a chair. Her insides fell to the floor. Her head spun trying to make heads or tails out of what she was feeling and feared. "She hasn"t called."
"I know," Stew said. "I"m heading there now to see what I can find out."
"I"ll come with you." Emma stood and turned to Andy. "Any way you can watch Cody?"
Richie interjected. "I"m here. Go. Please."
"G ... G ..good luck," Andy told her.
"Thank you. I"ll get my coat." She flew into the other room.
Del shook his head. "This is the oddest day. First Hartworth ..."
"What happened in Hartworth?" Stew asked.
"Shut down," Del replied. "Quarantined. Nothing is on the news, but the sheriff closed it down."
"What the h.e.l.l is the matter with Larry? He did this a few years back with the swine flu, remember?" Stew shook his head. "Said he was keeping it out, read about the idea in a book. He"s insane. State Police will probably pacify him until tomorrow and force him to open back up again."
"Ready." Emma returned; she kissed Andy, Richie, and Cody, then grabbed her purse. No sooner did she reach for her phone on the counter, than it rang. Her eyes lifted. "Heather." It"s Heather. Why is she trying to face-talk with me?" Emma pressed "accept" and waited for the connection.
"Maybe she can"t get a phone signal, and internet access is all she has?" Stew suggested.
Emma nodded and then saw the word "connected"; she was about to blurt out, "Honey, are you okay?" but didn"t the moment Heather"s face showed in the video to video call. She was pale, gray pale, with what looked like a large black patch across the right side of her face extending down to her neck. She would have thought Heather was burned, but her eyes were dark; the whites of her eyes were too dark. "Heather?"
"Mommy," Heather whimpered. "Mommy, I"m so sick. I don"t know what"s happening."
Emma closed her eyes for a moment and pulled the phone away from Cody"s reach.
Cody called out "Mamma" and Heather released a sob.
"Where are you?" Emma asked.
Stew peeked over her shoulder. "Baby, where are you?"
"At Roman"s. I would have called, but I wanted you to see. Look at me. Something is wrong. The whole town is shut down, and I"m scared. I wanna come home. I just wanna come home. Val said I can"t. He said a few days. Mommy ... I think I"m dying."
The phone nearly dropped from Emma"s hand. "Oh, sweetie. Oh, G.o.d, we"ll get you help."
"Honey," Stew said. "I"m on my way."
Del added. "Me, too."
"Hurry," Heather cried. "Please. Mommy, Pap, I love you."
"I love you, baby," Emma said.
"Tell my baby I love her."
"She loves you." Emma tried to be strong.
"I"m on my way," Stew repeated. "Hang tight."
The call ended.
Emma immediately dropped her head to the phone and wept.
"Now we know why we haven"t heard from her," Stew said.
Emma took a breath. "Ok, how do we do this? Larry has the town shut down."
"You and me," Stew said. "Don"t do anything. Me and him ..." He pointed to Del. "will."
"No." Emma shook her head. "I"m going."
"No, you aren"t." Stew stepped forward, placing his hands firmly on her shoulders. "Did you look at Heather? Something is wrong."
"I know. That"s why I am going. She"s my daughter."