Read Online Influenza: Viral Virulence by Steven Ohliger - Free Book Online

to give them a ring later, he got back to memorizing his notes. He managed to cover most of his study material, and he had a good feeling that he was as well prepared for the test as he could be. Closing his notebook, he glanced at the clock. It was a little after his normal dinnertime. He rejoined Brian and Scott, and they all decided to order some carryout pizza.
    Before calling the local pizzeria, Michael reluctantly dialed his parents’ phone number.
    “Hi, Dad,” Michael said when his call was answered.
    “Michael! Good to hear from you,” his dad said enthusiastically. “Is everything alright?”
    “Everything is great,” Michael replied, glad that they weren’t using the internet video to talk―his father might see the lump on his head. Fortunately, his parents were very leery of the security of internet connections. Anyone, especially hackers and identity thieves, could monitor those calls. Of course, if the government was involved, they were probably already monitoring internet and cell phone calls under the pretense of “Homeland Security.”
    “You’re feeling okay? Not sick or anything?” his father asked.
    So his parents had been following the news. “No, I’m perfectly fine. My roommates are good too. What seems to be going on?”
    “Well,” his father hesitated. His parents were a little paranoid about speaking plainly on the phone. “We’ve seen some postings on the web as well as some video that has been uploaded. It’s really disturbing.”
    “How bad is it?” Michael asked.
    “You may want to check it out for yourself,” his father replied. He sounded more than just a little concerned. “We have been thinking about making a trip to Aunt Thelma’s soon. We’d really like you to think about coming too, if we decide to visit her.”
    Michael gripped the phone a little tighter. “Sure, I’ll think about it. When will you know more?”
    “I think we’ll make a decision late tomorrow,” his dad said. “In the meantime, you may want to stock up on some camping supplies. Maybe one to two weeks’ worth.”
    “Okay,” Michael said. “I’ll call you tomorrow after I get off work.”
    “Are you scheduled to work at the pharmacy tomorrow?”
    “Yes, and I may need to pull a shift at the animal shelter, too. I don’t know. They haven’t called me with this week’s schedule yet.”
    “You might want to pick up some things at the pharmacy while you’re there. Love you, son.”
    “Love you, Dad. Say hi to Mom for me.”
    “Will do. Bye.”
    Michael slowly placed the phone back into the cradle. There was no Aunt Thelma in their family. “Going to visit Aunt Thelma” was a code phrase for getting out of town and heading to the summer cabin that his parents had been working on for the past five years. Things were serious—at least, serious enough to concern his father. And his father wasn’t one to scare easily. Michael stood there, mind racing.
    His parents were what other people called “preppers.” Most people thought preppers were crazy, paranoid people who were into stockpiling guns and ammo, waiting for judgment day. Michael pretty much tended to agree with that assessment. Most preppers he had met were more than just a little nuts. On the other hand, although he wouldn’t admit it to his parents, some preparations did seem to make sense. Why not prepare for a possible problem? People put on seat belts all the time. Are they crazy? No. It’s just about taking precautions. If a hurricane was heading toward the coast, shouldn’t people prepare for it? The government even issued warnings and recommendations at the beginning of hurricane season about being prepared. Far from the hurricane-susceptible coast, the state of Ohio still had its dangers. In the middle of “Tornado Alley,” an emergency situation had the potential to develop at a moment’s notice. People would be negligent if they had no plans for their family in case the warning sirens went off. Michael