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He stands with one hand on his hip and the other on his gun. His eyes roam the room, on alert for anyone to start throwing a fit or storm the closed doors behind his peers. He’s ready for anything.
He looks calm, and I’m definitely wondering if that’s how he’s feeling.
2
Levi
When I finished my afternoon workout, dressed in my fatigues and hit the concrete for my next shift—I wasn’t expecting that we would be given orders to close off and guard a new quarantine site in New Mexico, just an hour away.
We were told that we are to maintain a big boxed store, to make sure no one got out, because one person has shown signs for the virus. The person, we were told doesn’t even know they have the virus, or if they do, they haven’t said anything and didn’t give a crap about anyone that they infect, as they decided to go to the store today.
It pisses me off and scares the shit out of me, at the same time.
The government doesn’t even know if the freaking vaccine that they’re working on will help us, but right now we’re the next best thing. We’re bringing our best doctor and he’s jam packed with whatever the hospitals are using on people with the disease. I should be more fearful, but I was more scared when I was in the desert running from bullets and trying to figure out where I could catch a breath. I’m not afraid of dying, not by any means.
Hell, I joined the military right out of high school with a death wish, so, a little war and a little virus doesn’t scare me one bit.
But there is something to be said about being in a space, confined with over two hundred people who had no clue that this would happen to them today. Some people are now separated from their loved ones and some people were inches away from the exit when the doors slid to close, trapping them.
I see the looks of frustration, concern, sadness, and pure hatred for all of us who are standing here and making decisions on their behalf. Then I pass by a striking honey-blonde who has the look of curiosity on her face. She looks over the situation standing before her with no real worry. She waved to someone standing in line alongside myself, and as much as I’m curious as to who, I cannot see out of the peripheral of my sight to see who it is.
I resume my scan over the room, but my eyes keep reverting back to stare at her and the last time that I did, she was staring at me.
A woman in front raises her hand, “Excuse me, you say until further notice—what does it really mean?”
I know the answer is not going to be as simple as most people will want.
We don’t know. You may never be released from here. We all could die here.
The thought bothers me.
I prefer concrete answers, not guesses, but I know that we cannot provide all the information that we have to people who have no reaction training.
It is possible that some of these people in this facility have not been in contact with the infected person. But we don’t know how it is transmitted, we don’t know if it is airborne or through person to person contact. Either way, the thermal-cam that this building has doesn’t lie and that was a major concern to security when they reported the person.
“We will start out with reading everyone’s temperatures and making sure that there are no individuals who are unknowingly with the virus.” The commander points at someone else with their hand up.
“If we are expected to be here overnight, is there anything in place for meals and sleeping?” A woman holding her son in her arms, his body clinging to her as a Koala would, asks.
A young woman, who was introduced earlier as the store manager steps forward with her hand outstretched for the microphone.
“This building is perfectly equipped for emergency circumstances such as this. We’re lucky to be in a place where food is of abundance. You will not be liable to pay for the food that is eaten during this time, the bill will be handled by the government. We have a kitchen and depending on how long we are here, we will work together as a unit to make three meals a day. As for bedding, we as well as these fine gentlemen surrounding us have you covered. We will be clearing out areas within the store which will be sleeping quarters. We don’t know what will happen or how long we will be here, but as long as we remain calm, work together and respect one another—we will overcome this obstacle.” She sounds professional and definitely not as freaked out as she is, with the way that her hands are shaking.
The woman smiles to the crowd, nods to the commander and steps back.
More talking ensues, and my gaze returns to the curious woman. She’s smiling and looking in the direction of the woman who was just speaking. I hear the commander answering more questions and the rise of voices and cries. People understandably loathe that this is happening to them.
“The soldiers beside me are not here to hurt you, they are here to make sure that we contain the situation. My men are trained for situations such as this and I stress that you do not see them as the enemy. We’re all here to help you.”
“Then why do they have guns?” a man asks.
“Safety, sir. My guys usually carry much larger guns than what you see. Again, please do not see these folks as the enemy. We are here to protect you.”
“Is there someone sick here? Where are they? Come out!” An angry older man asks.
“Sir, we cannot confirm or deny that. We will be taking vitals of every person here. If there is someone here at risk, we will take those measures if they should present. Now, I ask for a line to be formed to the right side directly across from me, by the pharmacy. We will begin with vitals there.” The commander turns off the microphone and turns to speak with the woman who spoke on behalf of the store and a few other employees.
I take a deep breath and look to the area where the woman who has kept me captivated since seeing her stands.
