Free Cough by Jacqueline Druga

horrified screams of those in the front of the store a split second before the sound of breaking glass. The entire structure shook and Macy lost her balance. But not before she saw the out of control SUV smash through the front windows of the store.

FOURTEEN – Debris and desperation
     

Littlefield, AZ
June 26
     
    Order of importance. What to worry about most? No matter what hit his list as top priority in way of concern, Stokes was horrified. His heart beat out of control, he screamed internally and panicked. Something he rarely did.
    He saw the accident and knew it wasn’t good. Was Emir alive? Charles? The people on the street or those in the store? His mind raced faster than his legs, but with each pounding step he couldn’t help but think of the world’s deadliest biological weapon that was in the SUV packed in a case no sturdier than a six pack beer carrier.
    The small, no name, one stop light town was instantly transformed into a war zone.
    While Emir’s SUV didn’t hit any other cars, he did hit pedestrians. The bodies of four people were strewn across the road. The fallen telephone pole landed on the car. And the store front of the Dollar something or other was completely demolished. What of the people inside. The unaware shoppers?
    Stokes could see the blinking lights of Emir’s SUV inside the store. The tail lights glowed brightly through the dust of the wreckage. People raced to help. But who would Stokes help first?
    He had to focus on the store. On Emir and Charles. Just as he crossed the street, Stokes learned what become of Charles. He was thrown from the vehicle. His body lay on its side a half a block from the smashed store. Was it Charles? Was it really him? He couldn’t be sure, and changing his direction, Stokes ran to him.
    A group had gathered around him.
    “ Is he alive?” some asked, standing over Charles.
    “Yeah. He is. Barely. Someone call 911.”
    There was blood, lots of it and Charles didn’t look good. The request to call for emergency services seemed ridiculous to Stokes. At that point, the local police probably heard the crash.
    After seeing that Charles was tended to, Stokes raced toward the store.
    More than finding out the fate of Emir, he had to find out what happened to the virus he was carrying.
     
     
    The force of the impact shook the store. It felt like an earthquake causing Macy to lose her footing. Left foot behind right, she stumbled back and fell backwards to the tile floor. For the few seconds that felt like an hour, items toppled on her, ceiling tiles fell. She felt the hit of every items that banged against her. When it stopped, legs weakened, she stood.
    Macy was in the fog for a moment. Confused and scared. Her face felt wet and she wondered if the sprinkler system dripped on her. Wiping her face, she glance down to her fingers.
    Blood.
    She was bleeding. Just as she saw the blood, she saw the bright sunlight that burst through the dark store. Lifting her eyes, she saw the destroyed store front and the SUV that flew inside and landed in the front register area.
    Her heart plunged to her stomach and she ran forward.
    “Oh, God. Thomas!”
     
    Stokes hesitated in shock when he stepped through the crumbled store front.
    “Anyone.” A man shouted. “If you are able to help. Please! Lend a hand. We need help.”
    People cried and screamed. The front end registers were smashed. Items were strewn across the store and there was blood. Lots of blood.
    “Thomas!” he heard a woman call. “Thomas please.”
    Stokes could hear the desperation in her voice, but he focused on the SUV.
    A computer register was on the floor by the back end of the upside down vehicle. Near it a severed arm.
    It was ironic. When he saw that, another man shouted. “Someone give me a hand. I have to lift this.”
    Panic. The single word to describe the scene was panic, the second was chaos.
    He stumbled over the debris to the driver’s side door.
    Emir was still strapped in his seat.