Leak

Chapter Three

"Four thousand dead in Connecticut," I whispered to Jake as the scenery continued to whip by.

The lines on his face deepened, a gray parlor replaced his usual tan. Steph and Val were giggling in the back, thankfully still unaware of the terror that was growing outside their preadolescent world. Both had their tablets out, playing various games. Since we were far from a wifi signal, neither were able to stream information. They would stay blissfully ignorant a little longer. Their childhood was closer to an end with each hour that passed.

I was scrolling through the headlines again. I felt naked when my phone wasn't clenched in my hand. It was like I was disconnected from the world, alone and adrift.

"Can we go to Disney World?" Steph's animated voice broke through my morose thoughts.

"Not this time, sweetie." Probably never again. My stomach twisted and turned.

"But we'll be on the boat, right?" Val piped up. Eyes still glued to her screen.

"Right. It'll be nice." I struggled to inject life into my voice. I knew I was lying, but I needed them to believe for a few more hours. We'd crossed into Florida two hours ago. The palm trees dominated the landscape. The sun beat down on us mercilessly. Cool air blasted through the vents as the air conditioning struggled to keep up. It was easily forty degrees warmer here than when we left home yesterday.

"Maybe you can learn to fish."

"Oh! Yes! Can I really?" Val's eyes were huge as she hung on our response.

"Sure." Jake smile didn't reach his eyes. "I'll teach you."

Steph rolled her eyes and went back to her game, probably a puzzle or trivia. She couldn't get enough of the mind-bending games. Despite my doctorate in virology, I'd long ago bowed to her expertise on such games. They were fun, but I couldn't keep up with my brainiac kids.

"Too bad we don't have wifi. I could totally look up videos on fishing and get a head start." My researcher always wanted to know everything she could about something before she actually tried it. She'd have plenty of time to practice in real life. I could do a lot with fish.

"Breaking news." The deejay broke through the upbeat pop song on the radio. "The governor of Connecticut has declared a state of emergency as death tolls continue to rise. At last count, it's well over eight thousand confirmed but many more are suspected. Roads are closing all over the northeast as neighboring states have begun reporting deaths. The CDC researchers that went into the initial zone are among the casualties."

I gasped and wrenched the dial. The sudden silence filled the van. I closed my eyes, struggling to gather my composure. The girls were still zoned out on their tablets and had heard nothing.

Thank God.

Warmth slid along my hand and wrapped around it. I grasped at Jake's hand, my lifeline in a world turned upside down. I was living my worst nightmare.

"This is bad, right?"

"So very bad," I whispered.

He turned his attention back to the road, a seemingly endless stretch of asphalt and dashed white lines. Traffic was sparse. People were probably riveted to their televisions, watching the horror unfold.

We had a head start, but the chaos would be unfolding soon.

I searched for the map. "Seven hours without stops."

"I'll need gas soon. We'll grab some food from the drive-through."

"You doing okay?"

He jerked his head in a nod. His lips pinched in a thin line, white and bloodless. The scenery blurred as he accelerated.