said.
“This is my Aunt Anat,” Sergeant Rosen argued.
“Don’t answer your phone,” Jamie repeated.
“Why didn’t you become a doctor like your father?” Aunt Anat asked Rosen. She was also texting.
“Aunt Anat, we’ve talked about this before,” Rosen soothed, taking out his panel.
“Don’t answer your phone,” Jamie commanded, drawing his knife.
Rosen looked from his aunt to Jamie. He hurled his phone across the room where it shattered and he stabbed his aunt in the skull. Rosen was shaking.
“I could have sworn she was alive. She was complaining about my uncle, my cousins and my dad. The entire time I’ve ever known her that’s all she’s done.”
“I know,” Jamie said, patting the sergeant on the back. “I couldn’t tell when my ex or my sister turned. That’s the thing about the virus. It’s hard to tell if they’re dead or just abusive, kvetching, gossips who have nothing better to do with their lives.”
“She was the same. I gave her my number when she asked me why I was too good to give my only aunt my phone number.” Rosen shook his head.
“Everyone,” Jamie said into his com, “our frequency has been compromised and our private phones as well. Take no calls until tech updates the numbers.”
Jamie heard ten confirmations from the soldiers and the com went silent.
“At least we’ve cleared this one,” Jamie said, looking around the food court.
Then he saw a monitor menu screen flicker out to black and light back up. A text message was scrolling. “Close your eyes!” he yelled to sergeant Rosen.
Jamie drew his service pistol and sent two shots into the monitor, shattering it. Another monitor menu display lit up with the message. Jamie hit it once and then realized Anat was still texting.
“Screw me,” Jamie shouted, and kicked the phone from the dead woman’s hands.
“Is it safe to look?” Rosen asked.
“Give me a second,” Jamie said, swinging his pistol around to check the next monitor.
The monitor changed and he shot it. Then he proceeded to shoot out all of the menu monitor displays in the food court.
“Was that necessary?” Rosen asked, opening his eyes.
“Yes,” Jamie retorted, loading a new clip in his gun.
“This isn’t just a virus. Something or someone is now moving the messages onto public monitor displays. Either the virus can redirect itself or someone is helping it.”
“Com frequency updated,” they both heard.
“Check in,” Rosen said.
The count off went quickly but they were short two.
“Jackson, Sanchez, can you read me?” Sergeant Rosen asked.
No one answered.
“Where were Jackson and Sanchez before the coms reset?” Rosen demanded.
“They were holding position at the point of entry,” a soldier replied.
“Is everyone else out of the building?” Jamie asked.
“Yes. After the sweep we returned to the parking lot to process.”
“Good. Do not, I repeat do not, re-enter,” Jamie ordered.
“What the hell are you doing?” Rosen demanded.
“Whatever was going on in here with the food monitors, we have to assume was occurring everywhere in the complex. It was just dumb luck that only Sanchez and Jackson were in the mall when it happened,” Jamie said.
“Get back in the truck,” Rosen barked into the com. “Get back in the truck. Secure the vehicle and do not, I repeat, do not, look at any monitor screens, displays or tech until we provide orders in person.”
“Confirmed,” a soldier said. “Oh damn. Musky! Musky you stupid…”
There was an interference sound that may have been doors shutting or shots being fired.
The com line was quiet.
“What happened?” Rosen asked.
The com remained silent.
Jamie signaled Rosen to turn off the com. Sergeant Rosen nodded and disengaged his com unit. “We need to go quickly and quietly down if we are going to get out of here alive,” Jamie urged.
“You’re immune,” Rosen said.
“Not to getting shot I’m not.”
“What do you mean?” Rosen
“This is my Aunt Anat,” Sergeant Rosen argued.
“Don’t answer your phone,” Jamie repeated.
“Why didn’t you become a doctor like your father?” Aunt Anat asked Rosen. She was also texting.
“Aunt Anat, we’ve talked about this before,” Rosen soothed, taking out his panel.
“Don’t answer your phone,” Jamie commanded, drawing his knife.
Rosen looked from his aunt to Jamie. He hurled his phone across the room where it shattered and he stabbed his aunt in the skull. Rosen was shaking.
“I could have sworn she was alive. She was complaining about my uncle, my cousins and my dad. The entire time I’ve ever known her that’s all she’s done.”
“I know,” Jamie said, patting the sergeant on the back. “I couldn’t tell when my ex or my sister turned. That’s the thing about the virus. It’s hard to tell if they’re dead or just abusive, kvetching, gossips who have nothing better to do with their lives.”
“She was the same. I gave her my number when she asked me why I was too good to give my only aunt my phone number.” Rosen shook his head.
“Everyone,” Jamie said into his com, “our frequency has been compromised and our private phones as well. Take no calls until tech updates the numbers.”
Jamie heard ten confirmations from the soldiers and the com went silent.
“At least we’ve cleared this one,” Jamie said, looking around the food court.
Then he saw a monitor menu screen flicker out to black and light back up. A text message was scrolling. “Close your eyes!” he yelled to sergeant Rosen.
Jamie drew his service pistol and sent two shots into the monitor, shattering it. Another monitor menu display lit up with the message. Jamie hit it once and then realized Anat was still texting.
“Screw me,” Jamie shouted, and kicked the phone from the dead woman’s hands.
“Is it safe to look?” Rosen asked.
“Give me a second,” Jamie said, swinging his pistol around to check the next monitor.
The monitor changed and he shot it. Then he proceeded to shoot out all of the menu monitor displays in the food court.
“Was that necessary?” Rosen asked, opening his eyes.
“Yes,” Jamie retorted, loading a new clip in his gun.
“This isn’t just a virus. Something or someone is now moving the messages onto public monitor displays. Either the virus can redirect itself or someone is helping it.”
“Com frequency updated,” they both heard.
“Check in,” Rosen said.
The count off went quickly but they were short two.
“Jackson, Sanchez, can you read me?” Sergeant Rosen asked.
No one answered.
“Where were Jackson and Sanchez before the coms reset?” Rosen demanded.
“They were holding position at the point of entry,” a soldier replied.
“Is everyone else out of the building?” Jamie asked.
“Yes. After the sweep we returned to the parking lot to process.”
“Good. Do not, I repeat do not, re-enter,” Jamie ordered.
“What the hell are you doing?” Rosen demanded.
“Whatever was going on in here with the food monitors, we have to assume was occurring everywhere in the complex. It was just dumb luck that only Sanchez and Jackson were in the mall when it happened,” Jamie said.
“Get back in the truck,” Rosen barked into the com. “Get back in the truck. Secure the vehicle and do not, I repeat, do not, look at any monitor screens, displays or tech until we provide orders in person.”
“Confirmed,” a soldier said. “Oh damn. Musky! Musky you stupid…”
There was an interference sound that may have been doors shutting or shots being fired.
The com line was quiet.
“What happened?” Rosen asked.
The com remained silent.
Jamie signaled Rosen to turn off the com. Sergeant Rosen nodded and disengaged his com unit. “We need to go quickly and quietly down if we are going to get out of here alive,” Jamie urged.
“You’re immune,” Rosen said.
“Not to getting shot I’m not.”
“What do you mean?” Rosen
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