"In case you are wondering what this is," Jonathan said, "it's a bomb shelter that was built back in the fifties. My parents use it as a wine cellar."
They all entered and Jonathan told whoever was last to close the door. It settled into its jamb with a solid thump.
As soon as the door was closed, Jonathan switched on a light. They were in a cement passageway lined with wood shelving. A few cases of wine were haphazardly scattered about.
"This way," Jonathan said.
They came to another door. Beyond the second door was a step down into a room twelve feet square with bunk beds and an entire wall of cupboards. There was also a well head and a tiny bathroom.
A second chamber had a kitchen. Beyond the kitchen was another solid door. This door lead to another corridor that eventually led outside to a dry river bed behind the Sellerses' house.
"Well, I'll be!" Jesse commented. "Just like the escape route from an old medieval castle. I love it."
15
9:45 A.M.
"Nancy," Sheila called gently. "We're here."
Nancy's eyes popped open, and she awoke with a start. "What time is it?" she asked, orienting herself to place and person.
Sheila told her.
"I feel awful," Nancy said.
"You and me both," Sheila said.
They had spent the night on the move in the Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, constantly afraid they would be recognized. Boarding their flight in the wee hours of the morning had been a relief of sorts. Neither had slept for forty hours. Once airborne they had fallen into a deep sleep.
"What am I going to say to my son?" Nancy asked, not really expecting an answer. Every time she thought about the fiery disappearance of her husband, tears came to her eyes.
The women gathered their things and made their way off the plane. They were paranoid of everyone and were sure people were staring at them. When they emerged from the jetway, Nancy saw Jonathan and rushed to him. They hugged silently for several minutes while Sheila greeted Jesse, Pitt, and Cassy.
"Okay, let's move out," Jesse said, tapping the silently grieving mother and child.
They walked in a group toward the terminal. The whole time Jesse's head was a swivel as he constantly evaluated the people around them. He was pleased that no one was paying any attention to them, particularly airport security.
Fifteen minutes later they were in Jesse's personal van heading for town. Sheila and Nancy described in detail their disastrous trip. In a shaky voice Nancy managed to explain Eugene's last moments. The tragedy was greeted with silence.
"We have to decide where to go," Jesse said.
"Our house will be the most comfortable," Nancy said. "It's not elegant but there's a lot of room."
"I don't think that will be wise," Jesse said. He then told Nancy and Sheila what had happened the evening before.
Nancy felt outraged. "I know it's selfish of me to be so upset about a house considering everything that is going on," she said. "But it's my home."
"Where did you all stay last night?" Sheila asked.
"At my cousin's apartment," Pitt said. "The problem is it's only got three bedrooms and one bath."
"Under the circumstances, convenience is a luxury we can't afford," Sheila said.
"This morning on the Today show a bunch of health officials told everyone that the flu that was going around was nothing to worry about," Cassy said.
"They were probably from the CDC," Sheila said. "Those bastards."
"What bugs me is that the media hasn't said one word about all the black discs," Pitt said. "Why hasn't the presence of the discs been questioned, especially after so many of them appeared?"
"They're a harmless-appearing curiosity," Jesse said. "People have certainly been talking about them, but it was never considered newsworthy. Unfortunately there's no reason to make a connection between the discs and the flu until it is too late."
''We're going to have to figure out a way to start warning people," Cassy said. "We can't wait any longer."
"Cassy's right," Pitt said. "It's time for us to go public any way we can: TV, radio, newspapers, everything. The public has to know."
"Screw the public," Sheila said. "It's the medical-scientific community we've got to get involved. Pretty soon there won't be anybody left with the skills necessary to figure out a way to stop this thing."
"I think the kids are right," Jesse said. "We tried the CDC and bombed. We got to find some media people who are not infected and just blast this thing around the world. Problem is, I don't know any media people except for a few slimy crime reporters."
"No, Sheila's right ... " Nancy began.
Jonathan tuned out. He was crushed about his father's fate. As a teenager the concept of death was totally unreal. To a large degree he couldn't accept what he'd been told.
Jonathan's attention drifted from the bickering inside the car to the appearance of the city. There were plenty of people out and about. It seemed from the beginning the streets were always full of people wandering no matter what time of day or night. And everybody was sporting a stupid fake smile.
