Prepper's Sacrifice (2 page)

Back at the dining table, Tim bombarded Anne and Stewart with questions. ‘So, how does one get into this sort of thing?’ he asked.

‘Well, let’s just say that I was a little like you when I met Stewy: carefree and always wanting to get to know each part of the world to its fullest extent,’ said Anne.

‘I’m not surprised Stewy married someone like me,’ Tim joked. ‘I always thought he had a bit of a crush going on.’

‘Except you weren’t half as attractive as Anne,’ Stewart shot back.

‘Stewy, enough about me.’ Anne giggled. ‘As I was saying. I wasn’t much into this kind of thing but I was very into Stewy. I was friends with one of his colleagues and met him at a business outing. Let’s just say we hit things off pretty fast, and there wasn’t a day that went by when I didn’t think of him.’

‘She’s got a thing for the smart ones,’ Stewart said, buffing up his chest.

‘I bet you taught her just how dangerous the world is.’

‘In a sense, but I guess it’s more of how we can combat that danger by being prepared. You see, Anne and I have little to worry about. If shit does hit the fan, we’ve got all we need at home to have a good time. Including countless bottles of that delicious scotch you’re so keen on downing.’

The conversation went on, complemented by one too many glasses of scotch. By the end of the night, Stewart felt like a college student: drunk and without a care in the world. He quite enjoyed Tim’s company and was happy that his wife had invited him over. A part of Stewart had forgotten what it was like to have friends who could just let themselves go and enjoy life. Most of his dinners or nights out with the ‘guys’ were consumed with talk of work, and how much they couldn’t stand their boss.

At a little after one a.m., Tim’s taxi arrived. Anne and Stewart accompanied him to the front yard where they said their goodbyes. The stayed outside for a few minutes after he had left, just taking in the freshness of the air and embracing under the star lit sky.

‘Good night?’ Stewart turned to his wife.

‘Great night,’ she replied, pressing her head against Stewart’s chest.

Deep down, Stewart knew that with the way things were going, great nights would, soon enough, be hard to come by.

Chapter 2

Stewart focused on the lips of the news reporter as she slowly read each word from the teleprompter.

‘The usually fatal Ebola virus disease has Florida in a state of panic now that two new residents have tested positive for the virus. This makes the third case in the Sunshine State, and residents are wondering what’s being done to prevent an outbreak. The World Health Organization has refused to comment on the new cases and is withholding the names of the victims. How they got infected, who they came into contact with and also the condition of these residents remains confidential.

              ‘We’re all doing the best we can to keep things under control and to come up with a cure,’ said Dr. Henry Drogan of the Florida Medical Institute, a scientist who has been very vocal about his belief that Ebola isn’t as serious as it’s being made out to be.

'However, with a significantly high fatality rate, there’s no denying that the people have a legitimate cause for concern. With limited information on the cases in Florida, residents want to know how much more is being kept from them.

Have there really only been three cases?

Is there a possibility that a mutation could cause the virus to become airborne?

Are we really safe?

Is there a cure that we’re not being told about?

These questions and more are being raised time and time again. Though we’re prompted to remain calm, there’s no way to completely forget the potential threat that Ebola poses to us. It made its way here, to the United States, and now we’re all in harm’s way.’

As if Stewart wasn’t already in a state of panic with the first case in Florida, now there were more and no one felt like talking about where it came from. If this guy had traveled on a plane, then surely there were hundreds of people in danger, hundreds of people who didn’t know that they'd had contact with an infected man or woman. Did they have no quarantine measures in place? Were they housing these Ebola patients in the same hospital as regular patients? Stewart was furious, but this fury would get him nowhere. He’d seen masses of people protesting on the streets, but he wasn’t one to stand out in the scorching sun with a poster that nobody useful would read. Plus, being squished between protestors and failing to get answers would anger him even more. Though he found it great that so many people were willing to take a stand, no part of him believed it would work. No matter how loud the people screamed, no matter how moving their words were, no one was answering their questions. He wasn’t going to portray himself as a clown, pleading for answers when no one cared. Instead, he’d stay prepared. He’d ensure that he and his wife had everything that they needed to be safe and stay safe.

Just as he was about to barge into the shower to rant to his wife, his phone rang.

‘Hey buddy, how’s it going?’ Tim’s ever-jovial voice chimed in.

‘Ah, Tim. I’m okay. Yeah, I’m okay. How about yourself?’

‘As good as good could be.’

‘So what did I do to deserve this phone call? Tell me the lady of the day cooks you breakfast and you’re not looking to have my wife whip up a meal for you, because…’

Tim laughed. ‘As good as that dinner was, no, that’s not why I’m calling. The paper landed in my hotel room and I thought about it.’

‘See, I wasn’t lying when I told you that it’s coming.’

‘I knew you would say that. I just wanted to say good job on predicting that there’s more to everything than they’re letting us believe.’

Stewart wasn’t sure if Tim was starting to take things seriously or if he’d called merely for the comic relief of it all.

‘I wouldn’t say it’s something to congratulate me about. Trust me, I was hoping I’d be wrong. But that’s what I’m telling you—before we know it, the whole world will be fighting for a hospital bed and it won’t do much good because even the nurses and the doctors will…’

‘I wouldn’t take it that far.’ The grim reality of the situation seemed to be dampening Tim’s mood. ‘I think we’ll all be good as long as we wash our hands and drink lots of green tea.’

‘Green tea. I guess it all depends on who’s serving you that green tea.’

‘Well, let’s just say that the lady of the day doesn’t look the least bit sick, and with energy like hers, she’ll kick Ebola’s butt right back to where it came from. So I’ll be safe for as long as she’s around.’

‘I guess all the bachelors in this world are immune then.’

Their conversation came to a quick end once Anne entered the living room.

‘Who was that?’ she asked, noticing that Stewart had promptly ended his phone call.

‘Ah, just Tim. Calling to talk to me about the news.’

‘The news?’ she asked, pulling her blonde hair into a ponytail.

‘Yeah. He read about the new cases. Funny thing is, I was right on my way to tell you about them. They’ve diagnosed two more people with Ebola.’

‘In Florida?’

‘Yes Anne, in Florida, and my guess is that they’re keeping then in the hospital right up the road. Silly of us, isn’t it? To buy a house so close to a place that houses disease.’

‘Stewy, we’re not moving.’

‘No, no. I wasn’t saying that we should move, but I mean, it’s kind of troubling to think that once those people are let out, they’ll be shopping at the same stores as us, shaking the same hands as us. I get that they’ll be cured and all, but one slip up is enough for Ebola to get out of control in the US.’

‘And sleeping in the same bed as us,’ Anne mocked. ‘You’re getting a bit too invested in this whole thing. There are over five million people living in Florida and a mere two cases is no cause for concern.’

‘Three cases,’ Stewart corrected.

‘Two, three, four, same difference. The point is, neither you nor I are going to get sick.’

‘If you say so, but that doesn’t mean you should be walking around patting every Tom, Dick and Harry on the shoulder.’

‘Eh. Just Tom and Harry,’ she said in between laughs.

‘Ah, I see what you did there. Still, be careful.’

‘I’m always careful,’ she said, and headed back into the bedroom to finish getting dressed.

In an hour, they’d have to head through the door and to work. Stewart took the time to collect their bugout bags from their individual cars and check the supplies. This was something that he did regularly, just to ensure that in the case of an emergency, they had the basics to get through the first 72 hours on the run. In fact, his car wasn’t the only place he kept a bugout bag. He had one in the pantry and another in his office. He wanted to make sure that no matter where he was when disaster struck, he’d be prepared. Anne, on the other hand, had only kept one in the house and in her car primarily because she knew that Stewart would throw a fit if she didn’t.

‘Are you ready then?’ she asked.

‘Yup, just finished up,’ he replied, handing her the newly sorted-through bugout bag.

Together, they exited the house and into the scorching Florida sun. Anne gave Stewart a peck on the lips before heading to her car and off to the bank where she worked as a Senior Investment Relationship Manager. Stewart exited the driveway a few seconds after Anne’s car turned onto the main street.

Within fifteen minutes, he arrived at the office where he was greeted with the regular hellos and then an ever-edgy Lucy, who fluttered from insurance agent’s office to the other, certain that one error would cost her this job. She was a young girl in her mid-twenties. Stewart could see how hard she was trying to work her way up. She’d apparently chosen an internship at their firm due to their promises of allowing the interns to ‘get their hands dirty,’ something she seemed exceptionally fond of. However, until now, her hours consisted of bringing everyone coffee and ensuring that everyone’s schedules were on point.

‘How are you doing, Mr. Thomas?’ She turned to Stewart, extending a hand which he pretended not to see.

‘Pretty good, Lizzy.’ He smiled.

‘Lucy,’ she said quietly.

‘Sorry?’ Stewart said, not hearing what it was that
Lizzy
mumbled.

‘Lucy, sir. My name’s Lucy.’

‘Ah, yes. I’m so sorry dear. Long night.’

It wasn't that Stewart was trying to mess her name up on purpose. He just wasn’t very good with names. Today wasn’t the only day that he’d called her something close to her name, but not close enough. He wasn’t sure who was more embarrassed by it; her or him.

‘Can I get you anything, then?’

‘Oh, no thank you,’ he said, ‘I’m all set. Wife made sure to make me a nice big thermos this morning.’

‘Oh, isn’t that sweet...’ Before Lucy could say anything else, Stewart had disappeared into his office.

***

‘Home so early?’ Anne said, surprised to see her husband perched in front of the television.

‘Can you believe it, Anne? They’re still not saying anything about these new Ebola patients.’

Anne rolled her eyes. She wanted a normal conversation. A, ‘hi dear, how as your day’ kind of conversation. But Stewart was acting as though Ebola had tapped him on the shoulder and stared into his eyes.

‘Don’t you think it’s getting to be a bit too much now?’ she asked calmly.

‘It damn well is. Three cases in the span of a week. You know what this state will look like in a month. Everyone will be walking around with face masks and whatnot.’

‘That’s not what I meant, Stewy. I meant you talking about Ebola, Ebola, Ebola. It’s getting to be a bit much. Can we just watch a movie or something?’

‘Yeah, of course. Let me just head to the pantry and check our pile first. That way, we can head right to bed after and not have to worry about getting the shopping list ready in the morning.’

‘Yeah, sure.’ Anne was a slight bit relieved, though not less annoyed. Surely a movie would get his mind off a virus that had nothing to do with them, a virus that had only infected three people, not the millions like Stewart was making it seem like?

Anne headed to the bedroom. The dull walls were starting to get to her. Though she’d been the one who insisted on keeping them white, now, she felt as though a little color would work wonders. She placed her cellphone on the small table in front of the window before pulling the perfectly pleated striped curtains back and allowing a glimmer of light to bless the room. However, the sunlight wasn’t the only thing she let in. Ed, or peeping Ed as she liked to call him, was in his regular spot by his bedroom window, peeping out in hopes of seeing something exciting. Anne headed to their king sized bed and kicked off her heels before slipping into more comfortable attire. She then turned on her laptop and sorted through all the movies she’d watched and the ones she was dying to see. She figured that since Stewart had been such a pain with his talk of the virus, she’d annoy him with a chic flick.

***

In the meantime, Stewart was in the pantry, checking his list for all the things they could use. Fifty items later, he felt as though he’d written down most of the things they would need.

‘Are you ready?’ Anne yelled to Stewart, who she assumed was still in the pantry.

‘Yeah, heading up now.’

In the bedroom, Anne was already comfortable with a few pillows tucked behind her back. Stewart joined her to see that the movie she picked out.

‘Ah, I see what you did there.’ Stewart smiled.

‘Well, I think it’s a fair tradeoff. I listen to you rant on about Ebola and you get to enjoy girl’s night with a great girl film.'

Anne could tell that the movie bored almost each and every bone in Stewart’s body. However, there were a few times when his funny bone was tickled because a chuckle or two managed to escape him. More than likely, they were laughing for different reasons, but this didn’t matter. At least he wasn’t thinking about that stupid virus.

The movie came to an end ninety minutes later and as all chick flicks go, the girl got the guy and they lived happily ever after.

‘Good, huh?’ Anne greeted her husband with a smile.

‘Eh, if the woman looked like you, it would have been a lot better.’

Anne was amazed at how easily compliments fell from her husband’s mouth without him even noticing it. She blushed, truly happy that after so long, he still knew how to make her cheeks turn red. It was in moments like this when she remembered what it was about Stewart that captivated her. He was the kind of guy who didn’t have much of a filter. He was the kind of guy who didn’t pay much attention to women, but he paid attention to her. From the minute that they had met, she was astonished at how willing he was to unleash a compliment and at how sincere it all felt. The way his eyes would light up when she got all dolled up for a date and the way he claimed her with a pride that was incomparable, made her realize that there was no man in this world who could make her feel the way he did.

She wrapped her arms around her husband and snuggled into his chest. ‘I love you more than you love obsessing about prepping,’ she said.

‘I prep because when everyone else is busy fighting for survival, I’ll be able to focus on loving you.’