Book: The First - Part: Two - Chapter: 6 - Installment: i - PAST VERSION

        There was little doubt in Scott Edmond’s mind that his own apartment would be one of the first places that would get checked once his absence was noted. They would know that he would be too smart to stay, but they’d be fools not to check it for clues as to where he went – assuming that he would at least stop there briefly in the window of time he would have while chaos was still the order of the day at the hospital. They had to also know that he’d give them little to go on.

        He and Carly were not in his apartment a full five minutes, just long enough for him to collect a credit card – which would not be useful for long if they were determined to find him, fill a bag with clothes, grab his address book and some toiletries.

        From his apartment he went directly to an automated teller and took the biggest cash advance his card would allow. He didn’t expect that he and Carly would be on the run for long – it would soon be obvious that they were uninfected, but he wanted to be sure that he didn’t have to use the credit card again before they gave themselves up. He figured that the police would know he’d returned to his apartment and know roughly when it had happened, so giving them confirmation of both by withdrawing from a machine less than a block away would only nominally improve their information.

        They then got on a bus across town to put some distance between themselves and the inevitable ‘location of their last-known whereabouts.’ It also gave him some time to sit and relax enough to think about what to do next.

        “Where are we going?” asked Carly after they had been on the bus for about twenty minutes.

        “That is a good question.” He had thought about it. He didn’t have enough money to stay for long at any hotel or motel that he’d be comfortable taking the young girl. He had no ID for registration in any case, which limited his options even further, and sent them deeper into the category of ‘places no child should have to stay the night.’ Which was to say nothing of the fact that it would only be so long before their faces were on the news. Any decent manager would turn them in – which was to say nothing of the fact that the manager would likely be even less impressed – scared likely – of having an allegedly infected pair of quarantine escapees holed-up on their premises.

        Friends. He didn’t really have any friends who weren’t police officers. Even if he could convince one of them to take them in, it would only be a matter of time before the obvious and likely ones would be questioned and have their homes searched. It was not something he could do to a friend. Which left him with one possibility, and it was a stretch. Bev.

        “Well, first I have to make a phone call.” He told Carly. “And I don’t have my cell, so we’re going to have to find a payphone.”

        “A what?”

        Wow. They’re becoming so rare that kids don’t even know what they are. Un-believable.

        “Well, we aren’t going to find one on the bus.”

#

        “Bev Williams speaking.”

        “Very professional.”

        “It’s called etiquette. And who is it who is failing to display some of his own?”

        Not a good start.

        “Sorry Bev. It’s Scott.”

        “Scott? Scott who…? Edmond? Oh my god! Where the hell have you gone? Is the girl with you?”

        It’s official. They’ve noticed we’re missing. The press knows.

        “Bev. You need to promise me something.”

        “You seem to think I owe you a favour.”

        “Hey, just because I’ve ended up on the advantaged side of your little quid pro quo arrangement, doesn’t mean it’s null and void.”

        “That was before you became a fugitive bio-hazard.”

        “I’m clean. So is the girl. Carly. Neither of us has any symptoms. It’s been two days. We’re fine.”

        “If you’re fine then turn yourself in.”

        “’Turn myself in?’ I’m not a criminal.”

        “Whatever.”

        “Look, Carly is scared, and neither of us really likes the idea of being confined to a hermetically sealed room any longer. That hospital is going to be a zoo for god knows how long. We need a place to hunker down for a few days.”

        “And what’s the difference between that and the hospital?”

        “We can leave when we want to. I can go to the store for some juice. And I’m guessing you’re a better decorator.”

        She let out a single bark of a laugh.

        “Or maybe you aren’t.” Scott conceded.

        “Okay. Here’s the deal. There is no way I’m going to be able to get home anytime soon. I’ll give you the address and tell you where I hide the spare key. But in return, I want the story.”

“Deal.”

     “Everything, Scott. Not that bullshit you pulled yesterday.”

     “You won’t be able to release it without implicating yourself.”

     “I’m gambling that it’ll be big enough to be worth it. Hell, it’s not much of a gamble the way I see it. You should see this place. The biggest hospital in the region closed for an indeterminate time… and potentially infected patients on the run. This is scary stuff. The virus… well you’ve seen it, right. Your partner’s body – they had to clean it up with a wet vac.”

     “Jesus…  I’ll tell you everything I know when you get home.” He assured her.

     “I’ll be late.”

     “It’s not like I’m going to sleep before Christmas.”