So all you have to do to break quarantine is shout move? I asked, beginning to load my pockets with ammunition. I considered grabbing a new gun, but dismissed the idea. Nothing but Georges .40 was going to feel right in my hand. Wow. Normally, I need a pair of wire cutters and some night-vision goggles.
Gonna pretend you never said that.
Probably for the best.
Carlos emerged from the guard station and tossed a set of keys to Steve, who caught them in an easy underhand. We can unlock the rear gate, but once the central computer realizes the seals been broken
How long can we have?
Thirty seconds.
Thats long enough. You two hold your ground. Keep anyone who makes it here safe. Mason, youre with me.
Yes sir! I said, with a mocking salute. Steve shook his head and pressed the signal button on the key fob. One of the SUVs turned its lights on. Showtime.
Once we were inside, belts fastened and weapons secured, Steve started the engine and drove us to the gate. Carlos was already waiting, ready to hit the manual override. The manual exits exist in case of accidental or ineffective lockdown, to give the uninfected a chance to escape. They require a blood test and a retinal scan, and breaking quarantine without a damn good reason is a quick way to get yourself sent to prison for a long time. Carlos was risking a lot on Steves order.
Thats what I call a chain of command, I said to myself, as the gate slid open.
Whats that? asked Steve.
Nothing. Just go.
We went.
The roads outside the Center were clear. Thats standard for the time immediately following a confirmed outbreak in a noncongested area. The people inside the quarantine zone will survive or not without interference; its all up to them the minute the fences come down. So the big health orgs and military intervention teams wait until the worst of its had time to burn itself out before they head in. Let the infection peak. Ironically, that makes it safer, because its trying to save the survivors that gets people killed. Once you know everyone around you is already dead, it gets easier to shoot without asking questions.
How long since the quarantine went down? I asked.
Thirty-seven minutes.
Standard CDC response time says you leave a quarantine to cook for forty-five minutes before you go in. Given our proximity to the city, they wouldnt just be responding by air; theyd be sending in ground support to make sure nobody broke quarantine before they declared it safe. Shit. With eight minutes between us and the end of the cooking time, we needed to get out of sight. How goods the balance on this thing?
Pretty good. Why?
Quarantine. Its going to be forty-five minutes since the bell real soon here, and that means were gonna have company. Now, Ive got a way out, but only if you trust me. If you dont, were probably gonna get the chance to tell some nice men why were out here. Assuming they dont just shoot first.
Kid, Im already committed. Just tell me where to go.
Take the next left turn.
Being a good Irwin is partially dependant on knowing as many ways to access an area as possible. That includes the location of handy things like, say, railroad trestle bridges across the American River. See, they used to run trains through Sacramento, back when people traveled that way. The systems abandoned now, except for the automated cargo trains, but they run on a fixed schedule. Ive had it memorized for years.
Steve started swearing once he realized where we were going, and he kept swearing as he pulled the SUV onto the tracks and floored the gas, trusting momentum and the structure of the trestle to keep us from plunging into the river. I grabbed the oh-shit handle with one hand and whooped, bracing the other hand on the dashboard. I couldnt help myself. Everything was going to hell, George was dead, and I was on my way to commit either treason or suicide, but who the hell cared? I was off-roading across a river in a government SUV. Sometimes, you just gotta kick back and enjoy whats going on around you.
We were halfway across the river when the first CDC copters passed overhead, zooming toward the Center. Three more followed close behind, in closed arrow formation. Fascinated, I leaned over and clicked on the radio, tuning it to the emergency band. repeat, this is not a drill. Remain in your homes. If you are on the road, remain in your vehicle until you have reached a safe location. If you have seen or had direct contact with infected individuals, contact local authorities immediately. Repeat, this is not a drill. Remain in
Steve turned the radio off. Breaking quarantine is a federal offense, isnt it?
Only if they catch us. I settled back in my seat. Doesnt bother me much, and theyre not looking down.
All right, then. He hit the gas again. The SUV rolled faster, hitting the end of the trestle and blazing onward toward the city. He glanced at me as we drove, saying, Im sorry about your sister. She was a good woman. Shell be missed.
Thats appreciated, Steve. The idea of looking at his faceit would be so earnest, if his words were anything to judge by, so anxious for understandingmade me tired all over again. There was nothing I could do now, nothing I could do until we got to the hall and to the man who had killed my sister. So I looked at my hands as I cleaned and reloaded Georgias gun, and I was silent, and we drove on.
but they were us, our children, our selves,
These shades who walk the cloistered dark,
With empty eyes and clasping hands,
And wander, isolate, alone, the space between
Forgiveness and the penitents grave.
From Eakly, Oklahoma,