Free My Dead World by Jacqueline Druga Page A

they showed up, we just didn’t know. Now they’re showing symptoms. Tammy, our camp nurse, isn’t here and we’re just winging it.”
    “It’s a scary time.” Cade said. “No one knows much. Just … do yourself a favor, keep them hydrated, separated from everyone else and secure. Those that are ill turn violent.”
    “We’ve heard stories. Are you a doctor?” Boswick asked.
    “No. Just a first responder who has some experience with this. I was in DC when it started falling apart. If you want … I can come back tomorrow and check on them. I can’t make promises that I can help, but I can check.”
    Boswick clutched that box at that moment, almost as if shielding his emotions. “I … I don’t know what to say.”
    I decided to give him the words. “You can say thank you.”
    Boswick grimaced at me then looked at Cade. “Thank you. I’d appreciate it. And thank you, Nila.”
    “I’ll be by tomorrow,” Cade said. “I’ll uh, radio before I come over. Just do me a favor and separate them.”
    “I will.”
    Cade didn’t say anymore, he waved while holding the radio and walked back to the SUV.
    “You didn’t need to offer that,” I said, getting in. “I mean, he turned you and your sister away.”
    “But if he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have ended up at your place. Which is much cooler and I’ll bet a better deal.”
    “You’re so nice. You’re probably some murderer.” I started the SUV.
    “Oh my God, why would you say something like that?”
    “Not that I believe it. I don’t. Not really, but you’re too nice. I mean, he kicks you out, you help him.”
    “He gave me a better place to go,” Cade defended.
    “I held a gun at your head and you helped us.”
    “You didn’t shoot me,” Cade said. “I can come up with a positive to your every negative. That’s the type of person I was raised to be.  Boswick didn’t need to tell me about your father’s cabin and you could have shot me the second you saw me. But we’re all up on this mountain together, all in the same boat and all, still good people. We just gotta hang on to that.”
    “Can we?”
    “I believe we can try.”
    “Then we will. Kind of funny, isn’t it?”
    “What?” Cade asked.
    “Well, it’s been happening for a while, but it seems like today everything just fell apart.”
    “Yeah, it does seem that way. Why is it funny?”
    “Today is May fifth,” I said. “Oddly enough, Cinco de Mayo,” I paused. “Day of the Dead.”
    Silence.
    Cade cleared his throat. “You know, for how really cool and dramatic that sounded. And yeah, it really is funny, because ‘Day of the Dead’ is in November.”
    “For real?”
    “Yeah. It is Cinco de Mayo, but Day of the Dead doesn’t happen on Cinco de Mayo, that’s a totally different Mexican holiday and it happens in November.”
    “Shit.” I tapped my hands on the wheel. “Okay, forget I said anything.”
    “It was a powerful thought. Funny as hell, though.”
    I didn’t respond or reply, I didn’t want to open my mouth any more. It was kind of karma for calling him a murderer. After a couple minutes, I laughed at my mistake. And laughter at such a dark time was needed more than anything.
     
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    We were gone longer than I had hoped, but shorter than we could have been, and we came back with supplies that would be needed.
    Cade had explained to me how antibiotics didn’t work on a virus, but it was possible that a bacteria could cause an infection that sped up the virus. He was going to try the canine stuff he found at the vet.
    I asked if that was what was in the vials he was studying, he flatly answered, “No.”
    It was as we pulled up to fence when I saw them.
    My daughters were sitting alone on the front porch. I hurriedly undid the padlock, Cade stayed behind to lock it back up as I sped to the cabin and jumped from the SUV.
    They innocently sat together on that porch, just staring out. I found it frightening and odd that my father would let them,