Tamara had the key in her condo door lock when Melanie’s voice made her whirl around.
“Tamara, I took Aiden back to the condo as soon as I heard the gunshots. What happened out there?”
“An infected intruder came over the gate. Paul Rosen killed him.”
“Killed him? My God. I barely made it home with Aiden from school. We had to jump out a window! But the chaos seemed created more by panicked people than the infected.”
“St. Luke’s had plenty of both.” She looked at the slipshod bandages on Melanie’s hands. “How badly are you hurt?”
“It’s nothing, just scratches.” Melanie pointed to Tamara’s bandaged head. “What about you? Did you get hurt at the hospital?”
“No, earlier. Nothing to worry about. I just need to keep it out of the light for a few days.”
“Why would one of them try to climb our gate?” Melanie’s voice had an air of panic, as if the idea of a violation of the little Cedar Knoll enclave was inconceivable.
“From what I’ve seen, their individual acts are rational, but their overall course of action isn’t.” She thought of the two guards on a rampage. “They’re hell-bent on insane destruction, but can still think through how they want to do it. Not a good combination for the rest of us.”
The front door to Melanie’s condo across the sidewalk stood open about a foot. Aiden peered through the gap. His hood hung forward, the opening pulled to half size with the drawstrings.
“How’s Aiden doing?” Tamara said.
“Pretty good, considering. But the medications he’s on, Risperidone and Fluvoxamine, help. I’m so worried about running out. What was it like at the hospital, at pharmacies?”
Tamara tensed. This situation, this outbreak, was apparently going to pose one moral dilemma after another. First, what to think about Paul’s ascendancy by acclamation; now, whether to sugarcoat the truth for her friend or lay it out on the line. Melanie’s eyes were alight with fear.
Honesty overwhelmed sympathy. Tamara was pretty sure that the world was going to get worse before it got better. No point in delaying that realization for Melanie.
“The hospital was a shambles when I left it. People out there are turning a bit panicky. The cops seem to be staked out at pharmacies and liquor stores, the easiest targets for looting. The pharmacies seemed to still be open. As long as they stay open, I don’t think any pharmacist will think twice about refilling your son’s prescriptions, even if you burned through the refills. How many days’ supply do you have?”
“Ninety days or so.”
Melanie pronounced this like it was the countdown to an execution date. Tamara immediately regretted her decision to be forthright about the situation.
“I’m sure all this will be back to normal by then,” Tamara said. One lie wouldn’t be so bad.
“You think so?”
“Absolutely.” In her head, she added an emphatic not.
Melanie seemed to relax a bit. Mission accomplished.
“I’m always right across the sidewalk if you need me,” Tamara said.
“You’re the one injured,” Melanie countered. “Let me know what we can do for you.”
“I’m doing fine. Thanks, though.” Two lies in ten seconds. A new record.
Melanie ushered Aiden into their condo. Tamara entered hers. The left side of her head felt like a glowing lump of lead.
Mallow came bounding up, a big, black-and-tan bundle of pent-up affection. She closed the door just in time for the assault. He rose on his hind legs, and pinned her to the door with his front paws. His big, warm tongue licked the undamaged side of her face with enthusiasm.
“Okay, boy! Looks like you’re in the mood for some affection.”
Mallow dropped to all fours. Tamara knelt and buried her head in his warm fur. She always thought that anyone who sought comfort in the false pleasure of drugs needed to just experience the real fulfillment of a dog’s unquestioned affection. They’d swear off drugs forever.
“Go get your leash, boy!”
Mallow bounded off. Tamara hoped that one normal activity would calm the spin of this horribly abnormal day.
Her cell phone rang. Caller ID Blocked. She answered and heard Doc Bradshaw’s voice.
“Tamara, I was just making sure that you got home okay. I saw some hairy moments out there on the way from St. Luke’s.”
“I had some hairy moments in the condo complex as well, but everything has calmed down. Is your neighborhood okay?”
Uncomfortable pause. “Sure, everything’s fine there.”
“We’re pretty secure here, behind the condo walls.” Tamara opted to leave out the recruitment of their internal security. “If you and Brenda need a safe spot, my spare bedroom is yours, and I’m on the ground floor.”
“We both appreciate that offer.” Pause. “Look, thanks for your help today. But don’t go back to the hospital. Not in general, and especially not with your injury. Let’s baby that eye back to health.”
“I will. And thanks for nagging.”
Doc Bradshaw forced a laugh. “My pleasure. Now, I want you to know that the CDC has turned JFK Airport into a secure medical facility. They want me on their team there. They think my background in polio research may make a difference.”
“That’s good news.”
“Stay home and recover. I’ll keep you up to date on anything we find if I can get a working phone again. Okay?”
“You got it, Doc.”
“Talk to you soon.” He hung up.
Mallow loped up and sat at her feet. His leash dangled from his panting mouth. She patted his head.
After the situation at the hospital, she thought things were bad. But if the CDC had arrived in force, then that could only mean things were even worse. The newfound Cedar Knoll militia didn’t seem like such a bad idea after all.