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Tuesday - September 14

All of a sudden, she begins to cry. Ted and I look at each other wondering what's wrong.

"Monica? Monica?" I say, as I grab her by the arm. "What's wrong? What is it?"

"John, my family lives in New York. If this is there, then they... they..." Monica pulls away from my grip, and exits out the lab door. I look at Ted and decide to follow her.

Once in the anteroom, I was able to remove my helmet and gloves, and then take Monica into my arms to comfort her. As she sobs deeply, I pull myself away from her, and say, "Listen, this is not a pandemic. Not yet anyway. If you're this concerned about your family, then I suggest you call them, and without giving any pertinent information, tell them to take a vacation where you think they'll be safe."

Still sniffling, Monica looks at me with teary eyes, and says, "I don't want my family to die from this, John! I couldn't bear it!"

"No one that we know is going to die, Monica," I say, as I have both of my hands clutching her arms, "No one!"

While still holding her arms, I see Ted walking over to the intercom. With a dismal voice, he says, "John, Julie just called on the lab phone. There are more."

I look at Monica, and then back at Ted. Monica breaks away from my grip and rushes out of the anteroom in tears. Ted lowers his head and turns away. I can only think of Claire and the baby.

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Today, the wind isn't as brisk as it usually is. That's good, since snow drifts are impossible for the city to plow due to their height, as well as to the cost of gasoline. Sidewalks are the worse. While city law dictates that all sidewalks are to be shoveled, it's obviously impossible to enforce. Even if the law was enforced, no one has any money to pay a fine. Anyway, nowadays, the traffic on the streets consists mostly of pedestrians than vehicles.

Claire wishes that she didn't have to make the treacherous walk to Wyler's, which is eight blocks away from our apartment. She tightens her scarf around her neck, and then pulls down her stocking cap to make sure her head is protected from the cold. She grabs her gloves and pulls them up to make sure no skin is exposed. Walking as fast as she can without slipping on ice, Claire dwells on the chat she received from Danielle. Fear begins to invade her, since she hasn't a clue as to what Danielle looks like, or if Danielle is even a woman. The wind begins to gust as she pushes her way through the populace and the cold.

With her nose cold and running, she finally reaches Wyler's. Standing outside the front door, Claire peers in to see if anyone could possibly fit the identity of Danielle. Not knowing what Danielle looks like, Claire triggers the door to open, and walks through the entrance. She pauses for a moment and stomps the snow off her boots. A clerk hollers out, "Hello, ma'am!" As she wipes the snot from her nose with her glove, Claire looks to the clerk, and says, "Hello." She then walks towards the magazines.

Claire walks slowly as she glances at the faces of every person she sees. She notices an old woman reading the contents label of a bottle of cough medicine. A man abruptly lets out a loud sneeze, startling Claire. The man brushes his nose with his hand, and continues to browse the store. A young girl, holding the hand of a child about three years old, stares at a chocolate bar, wishing they could afford to buy one. At the cost of six dollars, it's a luxury they can only afford in their dreams.

Claire walks toward the rear of the store, when she hears a cell ringing. As she looks around to see where it's coming from, she notices a woman wearing glasses holding a calendar. Claire stares at the woman, and then looks at her finger tapping on the calendar. The woman points to the twenty-eighth day. Claire's eyes widen as she becomes frightened. She starts to breathe heavy, and then looks around to see how she can escape.