the air-conditioned room, I saw a pleasant looking receptionist with a short blonde bob, and two men talking behind her desk. One was the young man Emma had tried to talk to, and the other was an older, pot bellied man with full, white hair.
"I need to speak to the manager."
"I'm the manager." The older man stepped forward, a hint of a smirk on his face. "How can I help you?"
Keeping my voice level, I looked him in the eye. Somehow, I had to convince him that I was serious. "Yes. I am a nurse and I have just come from the hospital. I'm here to warn you and your staff that you need to leave. Right now."
"Ahh. You're with the, ah, interesting lady Brad was just talking to, aren't you?"
"I am." I tried not to show how much his condescension irritated me. "We work in the ER at the Cairns Base Hospital. There was an outbreak of some kind of plague this morning. It is infectious and appears to cause extremely violent behaviour in affected people."
Young Brad grinned. "Yeah, that's what the other lady said, too, except she said it was making people come back as zombies, or something!" He laughed, looking at the others for backup.
Gritting my teeth in frustration, fighting the urge to look at my watch as precious time slipped away, I looked at the boy coolly. "You'll have to excuse my friend. She has been through a lot of trauma today."
I turned back to the manager. "The virus is spreading rapidly through the city area. We just passed a large number of infected people heading this way. If you are caught by them, you could be killed or infected."
The manager looked very dubious. "I haven't heard anything about this on the radio."
It was time to go. The sense that at any moment now, the zombies could appear and block any escape, plagued me like an unbearable itch. "The authorities may not be aware of the danger yet, or they may be too busy dealing with the crisis. I promise you that this is no joke. You have maybe five minutes, ten at the most, to get out of here. " The blond receptionist's eyes widened in alarm as I continued urgently. "Please understand - if an infected person attacks you, they will try to kill you. You won't be able to reason with them or placate them..."
I moved towards the door. I had already spent way too much time here. "Leave now, find your family and, if you can, get the hell out of town for a while."
The receptionist moved to get up but the manager pushed her down into her seat.
"No one goes anywhere until I contact the authorities and confirm the situation." He glared at me and then around at his staff, before heading into his office.
The girl's worried eyes followed me as I opened the door. "By the time he contacts someone who knows anything, it will be too late for you."
I gestured through the shop window at the two smoke plumes which were clearly visible. "You can see for yourself that something is going on in town."
Brad looked uncertain but the young woman nodded decisively and reached for her handbag. As I turned around, I bumped into Emma.
"Time to go, Lori."
Her face was pale again. I realised why as I registered the sounds of traffic chaos. Tires squealed, horns blared and sirens screamed as the madness neared us. It was definitely time to go.
Roy was sitting behind the wheel as we jumped into the car. He looked at me challengingly, as if expecting an argument from me but I just buckled in and told him to drive. A quick look behind me reassured me that Michele and Jessie were okay. I fished out the mobile phone and rang Kaye's number. My anxiety started to increase with each ring.
"Hello, Kaye speaking."
"Kaye!" I released a breath I didn't even know I was holding.
"Hello Lori!" I heard the surprise in her voice. I rarely rang her during work so she immediately knew something was up.
"Where are the kids?"
"Playing in the gutter out front. You know how they love getting wet and dirty." Didn't I ever . I closed my eyes in relief.
"Kaye, I need you to do something for me. Go
"I need to speak to the manager."
"I'm the manager." The older man stepped forward, a hint of a smirk on his face. "How can I help you?"
Keeping my voice level, I looked him in the eye. Somehow, I had to convince him that I was serious. "Yes. I am a nurse and I have just come from the hospital. I'm here to warn you and your staff that you need to leave. Right now."
"Ahh. You're with the, ah, interesting lady Brad was just talking to, aren't you?"
"I am." I tried not to show how much his condescension irritated me. "We work in the ER at the Cairns Base Hospital. There was an outbreak of some kind of plague this morning. It is infectious and appears to cause extremely violent behaviour in affected people."
Young Brad grinned. "Yeah, that's what the other lady said, too, except she said it was making people come back as zombies, or something!" He laughed, looking at the others for backup.
Gritting my teeth in frustration, fighting the urge to look at my watch as precious time slipped away, I looked at the boy coolly. "You'll have to excuse my friend. She has been through a lot of trauma today."
I turned back to the manager. "The virus is spreading rapidly through the city area. We just passed a large number of infected people heading this way. If you are caught by them, you could be killed or infected."
The manager looked very dubious. "I haven't heard anything about this on the radio."
It was time to go. The sense that at any moment now, the zombies could appear and block any escape, plagued me like an unbearable itch. "The authorities may not be aware of the danger yet, or they may be too busy dealing with the crisis. I promise you that this is no joke. You have maybe five minutes, ten at the most, to get out of here. " The blond receptionist's eyes widened in alarm as I continued urgently. "Please understand - if an infected person attacks you, they will try to kill you. You won't be able to reason with them or placate them..."
I moved towards the door. I had already spent way too much time here. "Leave now, find your family and, if you can, get the hell out of town for a while."
The receptionist moved to get up but the manager pushed her down into her seat.
"No one goes anywhere until I contact the authorities and confirm the situation." He glared at me and then around at his staff, before heading into his office.
The girl's worried eyes followed me as I opened the door. "By the time he contacts someone who knows anything, it will be too late for you."
I gestured through the shop window at the two smoke plumes which were clearly visible. "You can see for yourself that something is going on in town."
Brad looked uncertain but the young woman nodded decisively and reached for her handbag. As I turned around, I bumped into Emma.
"Time to go, Lori."
Her face was pale again. I realised why as I registered the sounds of traffic chaos. Tires squealed, horns blared and sirens screamed as the madness neared us. It was definitely time to go.
Roy was sitting behind the wheel as we jumped into the car. He looked at me challengingly, as if expecting an argument from me but I just buckled in and told him to drive. A quick look behind me reassured me that Michele and Jessie were okay. I fished out the mobile phone and rang Kaye's number. My anxiety started to increase with each ring.
"Hello, Kaye speaking."
"Kaye!" I released a breath I didn't even know I was holding.
"Hello Lori!" I heard the surprise in her voice. I rarely rang her during work so she immediately knew something was up.
"Where are the kids?"
"Playing in the gutter out front. You know how they love getting wet and dirty." Didn't I ever . I closed my eyes in relief.
"Kaye, I need you to do something for me. Go
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