Part 17 (1/2)
His last stop was the fire hall, and then Larry planned to rest for a few hours.
Doc was coming out of the hall, that journal tucked under his arm.
”How is it in there?” he asked Doc.
Doc shook his head. ”Nothing that can be done. Tomorrow evening we will start to see the deaths. By the next day, the town.”
Mouth closed tight, Larry nodded. ”They're suffering pretty bad in there, Doc.”
”Nothing I can do. There's not enough medication to ease them.”
”Maybe ... maybe we should have called for help,” Larry suggested. ”I know this is on us. But right now, I'm thinking I'd rather go down as a bad guy than watch these people suffer.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. ”We had over seventy calls to the emergency service office last night. We lied to these people about help coming. People ran to get out of town ... they were stopped. By me.” He spoke with choked up words. ”I'm mercy killing, Doc. How wrong is that?”
”Your G.o.d will forgive you, if that's what you're worried about.”
”My G.o.d?” Larry laughed. ”I am not worried about burning in h.e.l.l, 'cause if there is a h.e.l.l, I already got a spot reserved. We should have called for help.”
”Should have. Could have. It's too late. You bring people in here before this burns out and we open up the seal.”
”How do we know it didn't escape?”
”I'm confident it didn't. But if it did, I am also confident that those who caught it are far too ill to get out of bed or call for help. It'll burn out before it spreads.”
”So in the meantime, before the call for help is placed, we just let these people slowly suffer.”
”What choice is there?” Doc asked. ”A few shots of morphine and some comfort for these town folks are worth the chance of letting this out?” He shook his head. ”No. We have no choice. No. Excuse me, I'll be back. I just have to check on my son.”
Larry watched as Doc walked away. He looked back to the fire hall thinking, ”Nothing can be done?” Larry couldn't accept that.
Lincoln, Montana
The gentle tap on her shoulder told Emma something wasn't right. She had hoped with all her might that when she woke, everything that happened the day before was nothing but a nightmare or a bad dream, but Andy's face told her that it wasn't.
Reality was about to blast her.
He set a cup of coffee on the nightstand, and after placing his fingers to his lips with a point to the baby, he waved for Emma to follow him.
Internal instincts told Emma to sip that coffee on the way to the kitchen. It was cold in the house, and the fresh blanket of snow outside sent in a gray look. It felt eerier.
Her stomach knotted in fear. ”Please, Andy, tell me my daughter didn't die.”
Andy shook his head. ”No. But ...” He lowered his head and handed her his phone. ”Richie is g ... gone. Le ... left.”
She stammered a questioning word, and then looked down at the message on the phone. ”Oh my G.o.d.” Emma whimpered. ”He's exposing himself to find his father. Why would he do that?”
”No ... no matter w ... what, it is his d-dad,” Andy replied and grabbed his coat off the chair. ”He ... needs to f-feel chiv-chiv ..” He twitched his head. ”Chivalrous.”
”I'll get the baby. We'll ..”
”No,” Andy said firmly.
”This is ridiculous, Andy. It is. I can't see my dying daughter. My son is out there. What kind of mother am I to stay put and do nothing but wait?”
”A g... good one. C-Cody needs you. Th ... that is your priority.”
”My children need me.”
”Th..th...they are grown. Stay p-put.”
”But, Andy, please. I can't do this. I don't care anymore. I don't. I'm losing my daughter; if I lose my son ...”
”Cody.”
Emma lowered her head. ”I need you, too. I do. Andy ... if you go, what if you get sick?”
”Better m .. me than you. I'll be ... be .. careful. I promise.” He pulled on his coat.
”This is insane.” Emma dropped to a chair.
Andy held up a finger, walked into the next room, and returned with a book he had written. He placed it before her on the table. ”It's smart.” He tapped the cover then proceeded without a stutter to recite what he knew. ”Entire communities and civilizations ceased to exist and were rendered extinct because they failed to use common sense. Lack of preparation, an emotional mistake ...stupid avoidable errors. Stay put.” Andy said. ”That is smart. Not insane.” He inched the book nearer to her. Then after kissing her on the cheek, Andy grabbed his phone and walked out.
Hartworth, Montana
It was the beginning of the end. Stew was well aware of the reality when he woke up.