The sudden spread of A.S.E. in the United States has triggered the suspicion of the Department of Homeland Security, who argue that such an explosive epidemic is simply not possible without the purposeful infection of Americans by terrorists. The Center for Disease Control has backed up their claims but warns that a full understanding…
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… the rapid onset of high fever, coughing, and congestion which may, in as short a time as an hour, give way to terrifying palsy and dementia…
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… several cases of A.S.E., or Acute Spinocerebral Encephalitis, have terminated in rigid and possibly permanent catatonia reminiscent of the encephalitis lethargica epidemic …
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… seems to have originated in large cities with dense populations, but the CDC is nevertheless warning people in communities everywhere to strictly avoid people simultaneously exhibiting these symptoms…
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…the frightening discovery that the disease was released in international airports, possibly around the world.
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…what started as panic buying in Los Angeles has turned into rioting and looting …
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… of the United States has begun presenting evidence of the involvement of Al Quaeda in this global tragedy.
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China, India, and Japan joined the 45 nations that have reported widespread infection of ASE in their populations, possibly signaling doom for….
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…the declaration of martial law in all countries of the European Union…
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… 10 mile lineup at the US – Canadian border after it was closed at 4 AM this morning…
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…tssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss…
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Israel, The Republic of the Philippines, and Germany released the details of the capture of bioterrorists in their capital airports, contrary to American claims, they are not reported to be Arabic.…
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….are not optimistic about the chances of finding a treatment for A.S.E. before…
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…look Larry, we’re never going to REALLY know who did this. BLEEEP! How many people can survive this? This may be the end of the world!
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… when the President announced that America is at war…
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…tsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss…
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The Prime Minister of Canada announced that martial law will take effect immediately…
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Patrick:
You gave up waiting and stopped in a parking lot near the beach in the middle of town to crash in the back of your van for the night with your phone close at hand. You drove around a little today listening to the radio wondering what’s going to become of the epidemic that has hit Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago and worrying about your aunt. It turns out the epidemic is everywhere already. Still, coffee called, and you find yourself one of the last four customers in a Starbucks on the north side. So here you are chatting with a couple of Aussie backpackers and a Filipino Doctor.
You think it might be a good time to get out of town, but you’d like to hear from Aunt Terri first. What to do – what to do? It’s getting worrisome, you’re pretty sure you heard gunfire earlier.
Dave:
You met up with Sam after and picked up your plane tickets, only to find out minutes later that international flights are being cancelled. Since then you’ve been sitting in Starbucks making calls back home to reassure everyone that things will be all right once the epidemic runs its course.
Sam:
So you spent the late afternoon on the roof of the hostel practicing kata, waiting for Dave, and checking out the neighborhood, calling home now and then to reassure your family and see what’s happening in Australia. They’ve got it, too - Sydney. Phone lines are getting pretty bottlenecked and calls having been going through for a while, though.
You’ve watched police cars howling by every 10-20 minutes and there are military choppers landing at the hospital down the road. It looks like people have been trying to keep clear of public places because the streets seem unusually empty, although just as you arrived at Starbuck’s a crowd gathered outside of the hardware store two shops down. They’re pounding on the door, and it seems like some men are inside. They are shouting through the glass doors at each other – sounds like they want to get in and pick up some tools – which would normally be kind of strange at 9 pm on a Monday night – if it weren’t the end of the world.
You’re in the Strabuck’s across from the hostel. Some punk looking kid has been sitting on the roof of the New York Burger café next door all evening, legs dangling over the edge. Now and then he stops and writes something in a notebook. You’re pretty sure he served you a veggie burger a few days ago, but the café is closed, closed really early today.
So maybe the world is ending. But the coffee is free. Dave, an American, and some Philippino guy are sitting around a table eating cinnamon rolls.
Johnny:
You’ve been listening to the news and it worries you. A friend from the hospital, Mary Ann’s best friend, took the time to call you and give you some frightening intel from inside the hospital. They’re under quarantine and the army has cordoned it off. The head nurse ordered her to not leave her floor and there was some gunfire. You called Mary Ann, and she’s on her way back to the apartment she rents across the street, but she’s not home yet. You called Allan to tell him about the hospital and he says he heard that encephalitis victims are going mad, and becoming violent. The hospitals south of the bay from you are closed and cordoned, too, he explains.
So on your way out you and the nurses who work with you grabbed as much medicine as could be carried - you’ve got a backpack with everything anyone could possibly need… just in case.
You came to the hardware store to see if you could pick up some construction protective equipment, something for asbestos removal or for spraying insecticides that could double as a bacteriological suit because you can’t get into the hospital anymore - but the store closed early. How to get in?
Now you’re waiting for Mary to call, sitting on a sofa in the Starbucks two doors down. Police cars race by every 20 minutes or so. The barista doesn’t seem too worried about losing his job and has been giving out free coffee and cake since you arrived.
Time to get out of town. Good thing you’re in Canada, there’s no better place to ride out an epidemic than in a country with low population density. AND you’re on the north side. You could literally walk up and over the mountain into the wilderness. You wish you’d bought a car - you’ve been sending money back home to your cousins so all you’ve got is a mountain bike.
How to get out of town - how to get out of town?
Mike:
Gunfire across the inlet. Downtown Vancouver.
So here you are. The New York Burger Company job, north Van, slinging veggie burgers. Wasn’t exactly a planned career move, but then Mickey Wide, the affable but slightly dope addled old concert organizer ran off with the gig money and a guy’s just gotta make ends meet. The drummer works across the street in Saltwater Sounds, but he couldn’t get you a job since you told the owner he was a moron.
He is.
Labor is scarce in Van these days so a health food burger joint sometimes finds itself hiring waiters who wear combat pants and army boots and actually the pay is a lot better than a record store. A couple of nice retired brokebacks left you a c-note tip a few days ago, and it was the deciding moment for your decision to put up with being a waiter over the short term.
Everyone is gone. The manager bailed at 4 and the staff all ran back to their families. On the roof, feet dangling, two stories up. You’ve got the keys to the front door below you, a case of root beer, a veggie burger that really is good, and a plate of fries. Your guitar. The streets are empty. A few dudes actually have the nerve to sit in the Starbuck’s next door and sip coffee while the end is coming. Not uncool. You hear some more faint gunfire and sirens. A police car wails by on the street below every now and then.
So... this tumor is finally burning itself out. To tell the truth, it’s kind of a relief to imagine bears and deer walking down this street the same time next year.
Bowie is playing on the stereo. Ashes to Ashes.
Some guys are shouting at the window panes at the hardware store two doors north. Cops race by on the road south of you now and then.
The barista, who's been a real trooper staying at his post all evening, giving away free coffee and telling you about his boyfriend who is backpacking in Australia, finally gets fed up.
"I've had it guys."
He tosses a ring of keys onto your table.
"Help yourselves. Lock up when you're done. Throw the keys into the bay. I'm going home to take a bath."
The bell rings as the door swings shut behind him.
“Martial law! Bloody hell! Sam, did you hear that?”
Dave Judd looks out the large front window of the Starbucks, almost as if he expects to see soldiers marching down the street right now, but, as it was when he looked out thirty seconds ago, the street is not crowded; there's the groupies outside the hostel, and he saw some cops a few minutes ago ... but it's fairly quiet.
“Man, I knew we should have walked to the airport – we’d have been there by now, might have made a flight. F*ckin taxis. Still …” his voice grows less heated, more thoughtful, and he sits back down into the cushioned seat, “they reckon this thing has hit all the airports anyway … not sure what we do now.” He slips into silence, toying with the zipper of the backpack that rests on the floor in front of him, and looks out the window again, quirking a half smile as he watches the groupies practice their backflips. He takes another sip of coffee.
"What's keeping Mary Ann?" Johnny mutters to himself nervously as looks at his watch. He clutches his backpack protectively, knowing that the medicine inside would be crucial. He only needs food and other supplies and he can be ready to get out of town with Mary Ann. He'll call Allan as soon as he can to tell him to get out as well.
David Bowie's tune is kinda catchy he thinks to himself. I hope the people back home know enough to hide out in the mountains.
He says a short prayer for guidance. He wipes the sweat from his brow. It's been a long day. He puts his hand into his pocket and realizes that he has a couple of scalpels wrapped inside a thick cloth towel. Weapons, yes.
Johnnie accepts a double shot of espresso and considers the people inside Starbucks.
Samantha seems pre-occupied, and doesn’t answer him immediately. Dave looks around at the other guys left in the Starbucks, and nods slightly as he catches the eye of the Filipino looking guy who sits nearby. Guy looks nervous, worried. Hell, they all did, Dave included he was sure … but this guy maybe a bit more than the others. Maybe he was the nervous type … or maybe he knew something that Dave didn’t.
He stands, and begins walking around the place. He doesn't like sitting still, but he's at a bit of a loss for what to do.
"You guys gonna hang here long?" he asks the room at large, looking at the keys left on the counter.
"Just waiting for someone? You?"
Mobile phones have signal.
Long distance lines are so bottlenecked you don't have much chance of getting through although a text message might, but local calls seem to be working fairly reliably.
The arguing in front of the hardware store is getting louder. There looks to be eight or nine people over there - two of them, a man and woman, got out of a jeep packed up and looking ready for a long term camping trip.
A couple of the young men practicing their parkour moves in front of Hosteling International shake hands with their friends and head off north over the tops of cars leaving a trail of wailing car alarms in their wake. There are only three of them left.
Traffic outside is light, but cars seem to be driving a little faster than usual. They hardly slow down at the stop signs.
Patrick sits at his seat, looking out at the chaos beginning to envelop Vancouver.
"Of all the times to be in Canada ..." He mutters, looking at the last few patrons at this Starbucks.
"Excuse me, is anyone getting any mobile signal?" He asks aloud.
He knows he is in some deep doo doo no matter what happens. If this blows over he is facing AWOL charges, even though he had leave it was probably cancelled immediately, but he never got a call on his cell telling him to return to Monterrey. Fat lot of good nursemaiding a bunch of high-strung teenage linguist wunderkinds would have been anyway, be like giving the local high-school math club assault weapons and telling them to defend the perimeter. Most of them probably broke their contract and dropped over the wall anyway.
Patrick sighs, and sips his bitter coffee.
"If the end of the world's gonna happen, why can't I have a Dunkin Donuts, or for God's sake at least a Tim Horton's coffee?" He says to no one in particular.
Bowie ends. A few seconds of silence and then there's no mistaking the opening riff of BOC's "Don't Fear the Reaper". Sure it's about suicide - but it chills you - a few people have been calling ASE "The Reaper" today.
A woman runs down the middle of the street - she must be seventy but she's running like a teenager and ringing a handbell.
"The end is here!" she shouts again and again in a stridulous old voice. She disappears around the corner.
Johnnie pulls out his cell. Looks up a number in the phonebook and calls. He recieves a busy signal and ends his call, frustrated. "The lines are all busy. But sure yeah there's a signal. For all the good it will do us."
Johnnie then picks up a thermos and starts filling it up with extra strong coffee. He then gathers some pastries and puts them in his bag.
Seeing the gentleman filling up a thermos and grabbing some pastries galvanizes Patrick to action. Heck, he didn't play all that Gamma World and read all those end of the world novels for nothing!
He thinks
Patrick moves over to where the man is filling up and joins him in his task. He glances over and smiles.
"Hi I'm Patrick. I guess you have the right idea, getting a little food together, eh? Might be a while before we have any fresh baked goods again."
Patrick extends his hand to Johnnie Rico.
"Johnnie. Sorry if I can't shake your hand. I'm kinda busy. You should do the same."
Johnnie shoves a paper bag into the hands of Sgt. Patrick Curtin. "Fill the bag up with food. You'll need food whatever you decide to do."
Johnnie shoves a paper bag into the hands of Sgt. Patrick Curtin. "Fill the bag up with food. You'll need food whatever you decide to do."
Patrick starts shoving overpriced pastries into the paper sack.
"Amen to that. Might as well fill up on the perishables and find some canned goods for later. Anyone have an idea where there is a grocery store around here? I have a van if anyone needs a lift. I figure whatever happening we're going to need some backup and supplies, no?"
Patrick starts collecting the bottled waters from the small cooler by the cash register.
"Probably be a good idea to get all the bottled water we can too. No telling what Vancouver's water supply is like. If it is gravity fed we're OK, but if it needs power to maintain pressure we could be stuck with no fresh water soon."
"I'll take you up on your offer, Sgt."
"Amen to that. Might as well fill up on the perishables and find some canned goods for later. Anyone have an idea where there is a grocery store around here? I have a van if anyone needs a lift. I figure whatever happening we're going to need some backup and supplies, no?"
There's the 'green' hamburger joint next door with the punker on the roof; they've probably got food in the storage room. You grab some first rate granola bars from a display with the most expensive breath mints you've ever seen.
Sam, Dave, Johnny:
"Probably be a good idea to get all the bottled water we can too. No telling what Vancouver's water supply is like. If it is gravity fed we're OK, but if it needs power to maintain pressure we could be stuck with no fresh water soon."
Evian, Whitespring, Okanagan, Perrier.... there's plenty here. Fresh water is no problem in the mountains, BTW.
Three guys with rifles and backpacks walk north past the coffee shop. They're pointing to the ridges above north Vancouver.
A bunch of people pushing shopping carts full of food walk west past the shop.
Johnny is watching the people going in and out of the Gramercy apartments across the street from Starbuck's.
Sam and Dave see some of the Americans staying at the hostel leave. They're all wearing their packs.
“I’m Dave,” the Aussie introduces himself to the pair over by the fridge, as he too helps himself to a couple of bottles of water and some biscuits. “Are you two locals? Sam and I,” he indicates the blonde woman that he’s been sitting with, “have only been in town a couple of days, haven’t really gotten our bearings yet … Lonely Planet can only tell you so much,” he adds with a wry grin.
He glances out the other window, away from the street, towards the parking lot, and looks thoughtfully over at the burger place, taking in the guy sitting on the roof.
“You mentioned a van man – Patrick was it? – is that yours out there? The black one? Yeah … hmm, ok, I guess I’ll find another way up then.”
Abruptly, without explaining himself, he stands and walks outside, letting the glazed door swing shut again behind him. He spends a few moments looking around.
EDIT:
“Martial law! Bloody hell! Sam, did you hear that?”
Samantha seems pre-occupied, and doesn’t answer him immediately. Dave looks around at the other guys left in the Starbucks, and nods slightly as he catches the eye of the Filipino looking guy who sits nearby. Guy looks nervous, worried. Hell, they all did, Dave included he was sure … but this guy maybe a bit more than the others. Maybe he was the nervous type … or maybe he knew something that Dave didn’t.
He stands, and begins walking around the place. He doesn't like sitting still, but he's at a bit of a loss for what to do.
"You guys gonna hang here long?" he asks the room at large, looking at the keys left on the counter.
Sam snaps out of her thoughts and realizes that Dave has said something to her and then seems to be addressing the room.
"This is some kind of clusterf*ck thats for sure."
She listens to the others introduce themselves and watches Patrick and Johnnie help themselves. She follows Dave over and says, "that actually seems like a good idea." As an after thought, she adds "Hey and there's that supermarket just down the road too, maybe we can grab something there."
She fills up a thermos with coffee and then swirls some caramel on the top like she's seen the baristas do. She looks around for some sprinkles and gives them a good shake on top as well. She then starts to fill a bag with cakes and grabs some water for herself from the fridge, going over and putting 5 bottles in her bag, along with the cakes.
Once she's done with that, she walks to the door and sticks her head outside, looking up and down the street. She watches Dave make his way up onto the roof, smiling at the fluidity of his motions. she thinks to herself. She then turns her attention to the gathering outside the Hardware store, frowning as it looks like the situation is escalating. She walks back to the table and picks up the keys.
Walking back over to the others she says "sorry if I seem rude. I know Dave introduced me, my name's Samantha, but you can call me Sam". She holds out her hand in the direction of Pat and Johnnie.
"Hello Sam. Sad to meet under these circumstances. Please grab a bag and fill it with food."
Mike sits on the roof of the burger joint, watching the mass exodus of people in the streets. His attention turns to the motley group of people looting the Starbucks next door.
He looks in his pack, fuimbling about, and finally finding the last spoonful or two of the ten-pound bag of white rice he had begun with in DC.
"Great."
He tosses the rice back into his pack. His stomach rumbles.
"Yeah... If thie rice didn't work for Alexander Supertramp, then I'd probably best get something a bit more substantial..."
Making sure that his switchblade is securely tucked into his boot, he scrables down a ladder into the alleyway.
While Dave is planning his path onto the burger joint the punker disappears.
While Dave is planning his path onto the burger joint the punker disappears.
Mike:
Dave:
A map of the neighborhood.
Mike is behind the burger joint.
Dave is in front of Starbuck's.
Everyone else is inside Starbuck's.
Patrick takes Sam's hand and shakes it briefly
"The name's Patrick, pleased to meet you. I have a large van, just need to clear a bit of Ren fair trash and other junk out of it and it can fit everyone here, even that guy on the roof if we can get him."
Patrick looks distracted for a second.
"I came up here to Vancouver to visit my aunt, but I can't reach her. I hope whatever's going on she's OK. You said something about a grocery nearby Sam? Might be a good idea to stock up a bit, and maybe head out of town till things cool off. "
Patrick thinks aloud
"Since there are a lot of mountains about I would guess the water supply hereabouts is gravity fed. That's good for us, means the water pressure will stay up even if the power goes. Does anyone know what's up in the mountains hereabouts? Any parks or preserves or such? We might want to stay clear of this contagion if at all possible."
Patrick continues packaging items in bags while talking.
"...Any parks or preserves or such? We might want to stay clear of this contagion if at all possible."
You are literally on the edge of wilderness.
Jonhnny and Mike, who have been in Vancouver long enough to hear about this, in answer to Patrick's question:
Dave walks out to the centre of the street, then glances about, keeping an eye out for the cops he noticed earlier – too often those guys didn’t appreciate the art of movement. The coast is apparently clear. He turns and gives a sloppy salute to the remaining trio of the would-be traceuers, and begins his run.
An quick jog brings him towards the silver SUV parked outside Starbucks – an easy leap and he’s on the bonnet, another gains him the roof – in both cases his tread is kept to the edges, the strong points, to avoid damaging the vehicle and throwing himself off balance. He sets the car’s alarm wailing, but he’s done that often enough before that it doesn’t startle him.
Without breaking pace he leaps out and upward, stepping onto a broad, conveniently placed tree-branch and a short leap from there and he’s the parapet of the building.
The flat roof is graveled and littering with air-conditioning hoods and other pieces of plant equipment. He chooses a curving path that clears most of the obstructions and will line him up for the jump at the end. His run begins easy, then speeds up as he curves around. He reaches the parapet near the north east corner and leaps again, easily clearing the narrow gap between this and the adjacent building. He doesn’t have the height to reach the other roof – at least not without a better run off and more speed – but as he jumps he reaches out and grabs the edge of the other roof, and using the momentum of his leap, pulls himself up and over in a vaulting motion, until he stands atop the flat roof of the burger joint.
He turns and flashes a self-satisfied grin to those (he assumes are) watching from the window of Starbucks, then turns to talk to the punk.
“Bugger … were’d he go?”
Feeling perhaps slightly silly, Dave looks around the roof. Presumably the guy went back downstairs. He’ll look at the roof access door, see if its been wedged open or anything, and if it hasn’t, he’ll try it, see if its operable without a key from this side. Then he’ll use the vantage of the building’s height to see what can be seen around about, to all sides of the building.
Mike sneaks around the back of the truck, ducking into the back door of the hardware store.
Dave looks around the roof....Then he’ll use the vantage of the building’s height to see what can be seen around about, to all sides of the building.
It's locked. The door on the roof of Ace Hardware to the north is open however - there is a stick jammed into the door.
You got the attention of a few of the people in front of the hardware store, but they lose you when you get onto the burger joint.
There are flashes among the towers of downtown Van to the south. You hear the guns popping quite clearly across the water. A big truck is parked behind the hardware store and the back door is open. You see the punker duck in. In the back of the truck is a pile of tools and construction supplies. A sports car flies by on the main drag south of Starbuck's. You see a smattering of cars and small groups of people walking around nervously looking over their shoulders. Sam, Patrick, and Johnny take a moment to look up at you through the window, then get on with their looting.
Mike sneaks around the back of the truck, ducking into the back door of the hardware store. For you, it's an easy jump.
The truck is a Topkick Vocational with a short cab, it bears the logo of the landscaping company across the alley and the keys are inside.
You move low and quiet into the store. Two guys are strolling up and down the aisle filling carts. It's easy to hide but you need to keep your eyes on them and remain mobile. Near the front there are broad stairs up to the second floor.
A man, he's standing just inside the window looking out, is shouting at the people outside. "You might as well go home, this debate is done," he screams.
...
Dave notes where the punk went, and also the open door on the hardware store roof, then climbs back down from the roof and makes his way back into Starbucks.
“It’s getting pretty crazy out there,” he’s addressing Samantha, but speaks loudly enough that the others can hear as well, “seems to be a gun battle or something going on down in the city, and the locals here are starting to get a bit feral.” He indicates with a gesture the guys with rifles who can still be seen in the distance along the road to the north, and the angry group outside the hardware store. “I was in Vietnam during one of the bad bird flu outbreaks a few years back, but things never got near this crazy. This A.S.E. thing is serious sh*t. I hope the quarantine holds back home …
“Anyway, I think we need to get some supplies and find somewhere to hole up for a while. Somewhere there’s not too many people around. I sure as hell don’t want to catch this thing, and I don’t want to get shot or anything either if people start rioting or something.
“There’s a big food place or something just up the road, we could probably pick up some canned food or something – something a bit more long term than cake and chocolate bars … and if we want to pick up anything from the hardware store – it seems popular – there’s a couple of ways in that the crowd outside doesn’t seem to have twigged to yet.”
At this point he lowers his voice, speaking more quietly to Samantha . “You know I like getting around by foot … but if we wanted to pick up a lot of supplies – who knows how long until this thing blows over – we might want to pick up some transport. Don’t go all psycho cop on me or anything, but I think I could hotwire a car if we needed to … I’ve done it a couple of times before. There’s a big mother f*cker truck out the back, and plenty of other cars and bikes and stuff around…”
Johnnie picks up his cell again and calls Mary Ann. The voicemail activates, "Hey, I'm at the Starbucks across the street from your apartment. I'll drop by in 5 minutes."
And now a word from our sponsor:
You might want to grab a Bialetti infusion espresso maker, there are a whole bunch on a shelf with bags of vacuum packed espresso. It runs really well on a gas camping stove.
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Johnny's text message tone...
Johnny:
Almost nine pm. Still light due to northern latitude. Sunset is approaching.
Patrick's text message tone.
Patrick:
Another one comes in from the same number: "Im in an office with a Dr and some nurses. Can't get call 2 your phone. Dr say we will wait a few days then go out. Door is barricaded. Have water and some food."
Dave makes his way back into Starbucks, addressing Samantha, but speaking loudly enough that the others can hear as well.
Sam sees Dave on his way back in and goes to meet him at the door.
"People looting are gonna make it a lot harder to get around safely, but you're right we need to get to the supermarket, I've already suggested it to these guys and they agree it's a good idea. As for transport, Pat over there," she points at Patrick, "says he has a van that we can all use if we want. I'm just glad we have our stuff with us," she glances over at their backpacks. "Hardware store seems like a good idea too. I think in this kinda situation grabbing some stuff isn't going to be looked upon too kindly by the Poilice or Army, especially if Martial Law has been declared, but I think survival trumps the whole breaking the law thing. I hope that those hotwiring the cars escapades were in your misbegotten youth Dave," she gives him a smile and playful punch in the arm, "I wouldn't want to have to go all "psycho cop" on you." She laughs at this and turns to the others."Guys, Dave says that there is a lot of crazy sh!t going down around town, looters and gunfire and stuff. He thinks, and I agree with him, that we should try to hole up somewhere until this blows over. We also agree that we should probably try to get some supplies from both the hardware store and the supermarket. I'm not talking looting the places here, I'm just talking about taking what we will need to wait this thing out. There are probably a lot of other people in the same boat as us and I wouldn't want to deprive them of supplies. Necessities only. Bottled water, canned goods, general purpose hardware that we may need, that kind of thing. If you guys want to stick with us we could all go in Pat's van, if that's still fine with you Pat, otherwise dave and myself are gonna grab a car and do some last minute shopping before probably heading out of town away from the spread of the infection. Depending on the size of your van Pat, it might actually be agood idea to find one of those big camper vans, you know, the ones with the beds and stoves and toilets and stuff, and grab that as well. So what does everybody think?
And now a word from our sponsor. ::cut::
His bag full of food stuff, Johnnie looks for a clean towel. He finds one and dips the same in water to make a improvised mask. He wraps it over his nose and mouth. "Sarge, we better get some masks. Just received information that the contagion is airborne. Perhaps, the hardware store has some. Let's go."