Hesco Bastions. Daniel still had his Military ID on him, there was no hiding who he was now if they did a pat-down search.
A FEMA worker in a tan mechanic’s jumpsuit came up to the van, “Are any of you sick?”
“No.” Daniel answered, Kaylee cuddling up to a stuffed Eeyore doll to hide.
“Is anyone else in the vehicle?”
“No, just myself and my niece.”
“Proceed to Search Area Two, please.”
“Look, I’m not giving up my guns. I have to be able to protect us.” Daniel was prepared to floor the accelerator again. His knuckles tensed around the wheel while he judged when the guards might not be looking. The guys manning the machine guns were smoking and joking, not paying any attention to them now that they were inside the first gate. Their complacency was his best chance if this went south.
“You don’t have to. This is just a first line checkpoint. We can’t let sick through without a checkup, but I think you’d know it by now if someone was infected with EV-1.”
“No shit.” Daniel agreed, feeling the adrenaline subsiding and slowly pulled the van into the search area. He and Kaylee climbed out and stood next to a table, an Army medic in MOPP4 chemical gear stepped up to them. She checked Daniel for bites or wounds, but scared Kaylee so badly she threw the doll at the suited soldier and tried to run before Daniel caught her.
He scooped her up and tried to calm her down. “It’s okay, it’s just a mask, Kaylee. I’ve worn them before, you wear them on Halloween, remember? It’s okay. There’s a good-guy inside.” Kaylee stopped squirming, but wouldn’t look at the masked Soldier.
“ It’s okay. ” The woman’s muffled voice came through the mask. She took it off, seeming relieved to have the rubber seal off her face in the humid Virginia air. “I’d know if you guys were bitten by now, it’s just SOP that I wear this out of the gate. I’m Sergeant Wendy Graystone.” She knelt down to Kaylee when Daniel set her back on her feet. “What’s your name?”
Kaylee dared a peek, but hid in Daniel’s chest as quickly as she’d looked. “Her name’s Kaylee.” He said, deciding then he needed to craft a careful lie. He knew Kaylee’s last name from things he’d seen written in Mr. Fisher’s basement, trophies and fantasy baseball papers with her parent’s names next to pictures. They looked like a really nice bunch of people. “Kaylee Gallagher, I’m her cousin, Daniel Sawyer. I was in DC visiting when…”
“Is there anyone else in your group?”
“Not anymore.”
“What’s it like out there?” Sergeant Graystone asked, distracting them from the MP’s searching the vehicle when Daniel started watching nervously. His ID was tucked in his arm pit, mostly because putting it in his butt was unthinkable to a 19 year old boy.
“It’s bad… why hasn’t it happened here?” Daniel asked while Graystone drew blood from him. It was harder to convince Kaylee this was okay, but she relented.
“It has, but there’s fewer people, most of the cases are in Phase 2 when they get this far from the cities. They’ve been attacking livestock and people who can’t run away. The Army’s set up lines around every major outbreak though. Reports at briefings say things are going bad, but emphasize it could be much worse. Most civilians are evacuating the areas in danger willingly, all for the push west to Cheyenne Mountain.”
Daniel breathed a sigh of relief, even though Kaylee’s fingernails dug into him when Graystone took her blood too. “Where should we go from here?” He asked.
“Where are you from?”
“All over, but currently home is Warren AFB. My mother is stationed there.”
“I’d take a train if you can find an open seat. Air Travel is still FUBAR. I wouldn’t want to go near an airport right now anyhow. They’re a real mess.”
“We’ve seen the planes in the fields.” Daniel said, omitting his own aerial disaster.
“Be careful. Keep your guns
A FEMA worker in a tan mechanic’s jumpsuit came up to the van, “Are any of you sick?”
“No.” Daniel answered, Kaylee cuddling up to a stuffed Eeyore doll to hide.
“Is anyone else in the vehicle?”
“No, just myself and my niece.”
“Proceed to Search Area Two, please.”
“Look, I’m not giving up my guns. I have to be able to protect us.” Daniel was prepared to floor the accelerator again. His knuckles tensed around the wheel while he judged when the guards might not be looking. The guys manning the machine guns were smoking and joking, not paying any attention to them now that they were inside the first gate. Their complacency was his best chance if this went south.
“You don’t have to. This is just a first line checkpoint. We can’t let sick through without a checkup, but I think you’d know it by now if someone was infected with EV-1.”
“No shit.” Daniel agreed, feeling the adrenaline subsiding and slowly pulled the van into the search area. He and Kaylee climbed out and stood next to a table, an Army medic in MOPP4 chemical gear stepped up to them. She checked Daniel for bites or wounds, but scared Kaylee so badly she threw the doll at the suited soldier and tried to run before Daniel caught her.
He scooped her up and tried to calm her down. “It’s okay, it’s just a mask, Kaylee. I’ve worn them before, you wear them on Halloween, remember? It’s okay. There’s a good-guy inside.” Kaylee stopped squirming, but wouldn’t look at the masked Soldier.
“ It’s okay. ” The woman’s muffled voice came through the mask. She took it off, seeming relieved to have the rubber seal off her face in the humid Virginia air. “I’d know if you guys were bitten by now, it’s just SOP that I wear this out of the gate. I’m Sergeant Wendy Graystone.” She knelt down to Kaylee when Daniel set her back on her feet. “What’s your name?”
Kaylee dared a peek, but hid in Daniel’s chest as quickly as she’d looked. “Her name’s Kaylee.” He said, deciding then he needed to craft a careful lie. He knew Kaylee’s last name from things he’d seen written in Mr. Fisher’s basement, trophies and fantasy baseball papers with her parent’s names next to pictures. They looked like a really nice bunch of people. “Kaylee Gallagher, I’m her cousin, Daniel Sawyer. I was in DC visiting when…”
“Is there anyone else in your group?”
“Not anymore.”
“What’s it like out there?” Sergeant Graystone asked, distracting them from the MP’s searching the vehicle when Daniel started watching nervously. His ID was tucked in his arm pit, mostly because putting it in his butt was unthinkable to a 19 year old boy.
“It’s bad… why hasn’t it happened here?” Daniel asked while Graystone drew blood from him. It was harder to convince Kaylee this was okay, but she relented.
“It has, but there’s fewer people, most of the cases are in Phase 2 when they get this far from the cities. They’ve been attacking livestock and people who can’t run away. The Army’s set up lines around every major outbreak though. Reports at briefings say things are going bad, but emphasize it could be much worse. Most civilians are evacuating the areas in danger willingly, all for the push west to Cheyenne Mountain.”
Daniel breathed a sigh of relief, even though Kaylee’s fingernails dug into him when Graystone took her blood too. “Where should we go from here?” He asked.
“Where are you from?”
“All over, but currently home is Warren AFB. My mother is stationed there.”
“I’d take a train if you can find an open seat. Air Travel is still FUBAR. I wouldn’t want to go near an airport right now anyhow. They’re a real mess.”
“We’ve seen the planes in the fields.” Daniel said, omitting his own aerial disaster.
“Be careful. Keep your guns
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