with hundreds of thousands, millions of people even, normally bursting with economic activity, brought to a standstill—brought down in an instant, now lying quiet. Like giant ghost towns.
But it wasn’t real.
I saw only a small part of the plague firsthand outside my home, soldiers in a humvee, asleep at the wheel. Not dead. Not really alive.
But it still wasn’t real.
Not until the ugly plague reached home was any of it real. It took my grandma going into a coma to wake me up. Then it got my attention. I responded by hiding in the bathroom like a small child.
Hey, crying wasn’t something I did often, and certainly not in front of other people. I think the last time I had cried was when I heard Simon Cowell wouldn’t be returning as a judge on American Idol . Not that I thought Peaches and Naima wouldn’t understand my pain. It was likely Naima’s mother, and perhaps even her father, Aamod, had fallen victim to the same fate as my grandma. Peaches had family back in Kentucky, and while she didn’t seem very close to them, it was possible she may never know their fate, not with such few lines of communication open. And not knowing was probably worse than knowing.
They would understand perfectly. They were in the same sinking ship as me, after all. So I had no reason to be ashamed of crying, but still I stayed hidden. Regrouping in the bathroom. Letting my emotions go wild until I was sure I could control them.
How long would it take?
Another five minutes?
Ten?
I don’t know. Peaches didn’t let me get that far.
She knocked on the door. “Jimmy, are you okay?”
She was trying to be nice, caring, considerate, even if it was a question she already knew the answer to. If I were okay, I wouldn’t be sitting on the edge of the tub staring at the toilet crying my face off.
I didn’t respond, so she knocked again. A little louder.
“Jimmy . . .”
“I’m fine,” I finally said.
“Okay, good. I was just getting worried. I thought maybe . . . well, you know.”
“No, I’m still awake, if that’s what you were wondering. I’ll be out in a minute.”
“Take your time.”
I took another minute and then finally left the bathroom. I stood in the hallway for a moment glancing at my grandma lying solemnly in her bed, and then shut the door to her room. Peaches was sitting on the edge of my bed when I walked back into my room. Naima was looking out the still open window.
Peaches gave me a soft smile. Her eyes were red like she’d been crying too. “Hi.”
I nodded.
Naima turned from the window. “I’m sorry.”
I continued nodding.
“Has your dad got back yet?” I asked.
“No, not yet.”
“Then I’m sorry too.”
Naima looked back out the window. “What has happened to this world?”
“It’s gone to hell. The best we can hope for is that it’s only temporary.”
“What do you mean?” Peaches asked.
“I mean that maybe whatever is causing so many people to go into a coma will wear off eventually. At least before it’s too late.”
“How long can someone survive like that?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. With the right care, I’ve heard of people living for a long time in a coma, if you want to call that living. Of course, that’s under the care of doctors and nurses in a hospital or some other medically equipped environment. Here we have no way of feeding her or giving her life support. And at her age . . .” I took a deep breath, trying to drown my pain in oxygen. “I’d give her no more than a few days.”
“I’m so sorry, Jimmy,” Peaches said.
I sat down next to her on the bed. “It’s going to happen to all of us eventually. May as well get used to it, huh.”
“Well, I don’t want to just wait around for my turn. There’s got to be something we can do.”
“I’m gonna go drop Naima off at her house like I promised. After that, I’ll scout around. See how bad it is.”
“I want to go with you,” Peaches said.
“I know you do, but I need
But it wasn’t real.
I saw only a small part of the plague firsthand outside my home, soldiers in a humvee, asleep at the wheel. Not dead. Not really alive.
But it still wasn’t real.
Not until the ugly plague reached home was any of it real. It took my grandma going into a coma to wake me up. Then it got my attention. I responded by hiding in the bathroom like a small child.
Hey, crying wasn’t something I did often, and certainly not in front of other people. I think the last time I had cried was when I heard Simon Cowell wouldn’t be returning as a judge on American Idol . Not that I thought Peaches and Naima wouldn’t understand my pain. It was likely Naima’s mother, and perhaps even her father, Aamod, had fallen victim to the same fate as my grandma. Peaches had family back in Kentucky, and while she didn’t seem very close to them, it was possible she may never know their fate, not with such few lines of communication open. And not knowing was probably worse than knowing.
They would understand perfectly. They were in the same sinking ship as me, after all. So I had no reason to be ashamed of crying, but still I stayed hidden. Regrouping in the bathroom. Letting my emotions go wild until I was sure I could control them.
How long would it take?
Another five minutes?
Ten?
I don’t know. Peaches didn’t let me get that far.
She knocked on the door. “Jimmy, are you okay?”
She was trying to be nice, caring, considerate, even if it was a question she already knew the answer to. If I were okay, I wouldn’t be sitting on the edge of the tub staring at the toilet crying my face off.
I didn’t respond, so she knocked again. A little louder.
“Jimmy . . .”
“I’m fine,” I finally said.
“Okay, good. I was just getting worried. I thought maybe . . . well, you know.”
“No, I’m still awake, if that’s what you were wondering. I’ll be out in a minute.”
“Take your time.”
I took another minute and then finally left the bathroom. I stood in the hallway for a moment glancing at my grandma lying solemnly in her bed, and then shut the door to her room. Peaches was sitting on the edge of my bed when I walked back into my room. Naima was looking out the still open window.
Peaches gave me a soft smile. Her eyes were red like she’d been crying too. “Hi.”
I nodded.
Naima turned from the window. “I’m sorry.”
I continued nodding.
“Has your dad got back yet?” I asked.
“No, not yet.”
“Then I’m sorry too.”
Naima looked back out the window. “What has happened to this world?”
“It’s gone to hell. The best we can hope for is that it’s only temporary.”
“What do you mean?” Peaches asked.
“I mean that maybe whatever is causing so many people to go into a coma will wear off eventually. At least before it’s too late.”
“How long can someone survive like that?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. With the right care, I’ve heard of people living for a long time in a coma, if you want to call that living. Of course, that’s under the care of doctors and nurses in a hospital or some other medically equipped environment. Here we have no way of feeding her or giving her life support. And at her age . . .” I took a deep breath, trying to drown my pain in oxygen. “I’d give her no more than a few days.”
“I’m so sorry, Jimmy,” Peaches said.
I sat down next to her on the bed. “It’s going to happen to all of us eventually. May as well get used to it, huh.”
“Well, I don’t want to just wait around for my turn. There’s got to be something we can do.”
“I’m gonna go drop Naima off at her house like I promised. After that, I’ll scout around. See how bad it is.”
“I want to go with you,” Peaches said.
“I know you do, but I need
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