Read Online What Survives of Us (Colorado Chapters Book 1) by Kathy Miner - Free Book Online
Authors: Kathy Miner
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you can do to keep him breathing deeply. Steam might help, a menthol rub, maybe a poultice – try onions, if you have them. Keep him hydrated – get as much liquid in him as possible. And…watch him.”
His siren’s voice sounded right beside his ear, luring him towards treacherous shores. He wanted to turn towards it and he wanted to lunge away. “Watch him? What do you mean, watch him?”
Harried voice snapped defensively now. “I can’t explain it, okay? If you watch them, it just helps. You asked how you could help him, and I’m telling you.”
“Okay. Alright. I’ll watch him – that makes sense.” Soothing, apologetic, respectful. She played that just right, he thought. Just like I would have. “I can’t thank you enough for coming. You must be overwhelmed.”
“You have no idea. I haven’t seen Dr. Derber in days, and I haven’t been able to reach him on his cell.” The silence between the women was absolute for a few moments. “I need to swing by his house. See what’s…what.”
“Blessings on you, and on the work you’re doing. I’m asking for angel’s wings to wrap around you, to comfort and support you.”
Jack almost worked up the energy to sneer at that, but not quite.
“Yeah. Angel’s wings.” Harried’s voice was wry. “I’d trade an army of angels for one more medical professional. Do your best to keep him among the living, okay? We’re going to need him on the other side of this mess.”
~~~
Twenty-one days. Naomi counted again, then again. She was sitting on the deck, soaking in sunshine, with Macy’s old baby monitor plastered to her ear. Over the hiss and pop of static, she could hear every deep, clear breath Macy took. Clear. Clear .
She had lost track of dates when Scott got sick, and if you’d held a gun to her head, she couldn’t have even approximated a guess. Weeks? How many? But as Macy had slowly, slowly improved, Naomi had finally dared to hope. She wanted to count days.
All the TV channels were broadcasting “No Signal,” and it took over an hour of painstaking searching and holding the radio in strange positions to finally get a channel in clear enough to hear. She jury-rigged an antenna of wire and aluminum foil, then carried the radio out to the deck with her desk calendar.
She listened for a while, disappointed to realize what she had picked up was a repeating public-service announcement rather than a live broadcast. The man’s voice droned through a list of instructions on what to do if you were stricken with the plague, then summarized the disease’s progress world-wide. As of the current broadcast, the United States had lost contact with Great Britain and several other European countries. Germany was reporting 99-100% fatality rates, as was China. India had gone silent. Finally, he concluded.
“You are listening to this announcement on the Emergency Broadcast System. The date is,” he paused, and a female, computerized voice took over, giving the current year, followed by “April 28.”
Naomi was startled. Had it really been that long? She crossed the days off on the calendar as she counted. Twenty-two days since Scott had died. Twenty-one days since Macy got sick. The significance of that number made her heart pound. According to the reports they had heard, Macy had survived eleven days longer than any other plague victim. Macy had survived.
She tipped her head back to stare at the sky. So blue, so clear. And quiet. She had never known such quiet. Naomi felt her awareness expand to encompass the outside
His siren’s voice sounded right beside his ear, luring him towards treacherous shores. He wanted to turn towards it and he wanted to lunge away. “Watch him? What do you mean, watch him?”
Harried voice snapped defensively now. “I can’t explain it, okay? If you watch them, it just helps. You asked how you could help him, and I’m telling you.”
“Okay. Alright. I’ll watch him – that makes sense.” Soothing, apologetic, respectful. She played that just right, he thought. Just like I would have. “I can’t thank you enough for coming. You must be overwhelmed.”
“You have no idea. I haven’t seen Dr. Derber in days, and I haven’t been able to reach him on his cell.” The silence between the women was absolute for a few moments. “I need to swing by his house. See what’s…what.”
“Blessings on you, and on the work you’re doing. I’m asking for angel’s wings to wrap around you, to comfort and support you.”
Jack almost worked up the energy to sneer at that, but not quite.
“Yeah. Angel’s wings.” Harried’s voice was wry. “I’d trade an army of angels for one more medical professional. Do your best to keep him among the living, okay? We’re going to need him on the other side of this mess.”
~~~
Twenty-one days. Naomi counted again, then again. She was sitting on the deck, soaking in sunshine, with Macy’s old baby monitor plastered to her ear. Over the hiss and pop of static, she could hear every deep, clear breath Macy took. Clear. Clear .
She had lost track of dates when Scott got sick, and if you’d held a gun to her head, she couldn’t have even approximated a guess. Weeks? How many? But as Macy had slowly, slowly improved, Naomi had finally dared to hope. She wanted to count days.
All the TV channels were broadcasting “No Signal,” and it took over an hour of painstaking searching and holding the radio in strange positions to finally get a channel in clear enough to hear. She jury-rigged an antenna of wire and aluminum foil, then carried the radio out to the deck with her desk calendar.
She listened for a while, disappointed to realize what she had picked up was a repeating public-service announcement rather than a live broadcast. The man’s voice droned through a list of instructions on what to do if you were stricken with the plague, then summarized the disease’s progress world-wide. As of the current broadcast, the United States had lost contact with Great Britain and several other European countries. Germany was reporting 99-100% fatality rates, as was China. India had gone silent. Finally, he concluded.
“You are listening to this announcement on the Emergency Broadcast System. The date is,” he paused, and a female, computerized voice took over, giving the current year, followed by “April 28.”
Naomi was startled. Had it really been that long? She crossed the days off on the calendar as she counted. Twenty-two days since Scott had died. Twenty-one days since Macy got sick. The significance of that number made her heart pound. According to the reports they had heard, Macy had survived eleven days longer than any other plague victim. Macy had survived.
She tipped her head back to stare at the sky. So blue, so clear. And quiet. She had never known such quiet. Naomi felt her awareness expand to encompass the outside
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