“I found it!” — Even deep in the back of the storage area under the kitchen, John’s muffled shout woke Sandy. She rubbed her eyes and sat up in her cramped little bunk and looked around to see most of John’s family in the other bunks looking pretty much the same, so she wasn’t…

Kim woke all at once. — She’d been having a nightmare — reliving one of her worst days during the pandemic when they didn’t have enough beds for all the COVID patients and people were dying in the hallways. In the nightmare — as in real life –, Kim was in the hallway checking the clipboard…

When Allan first got to the cabin three days ago, he saw jets flying over, and not just two or three. — They were going in groups of two or three, but there were so many groups and they were all flying south or east. So unless they were doing really wide circles it couldn’t have been the same jets, could it? Well, it made his mind wander at any rate, and…

“But can’t you just video-conference?” Her mom’s voice had that tone already, and Sandy knew she’d get her way. — The rest was just going through the motions — letting her mom feel like she’d done her due diligence, and was being a good, careful mother — cautious enough for two parents since her father had basically vanished when Sandy was just a child. “I’m so sick of video-conferencing, Mom,”…

As they strapped the patient to the gurney, put a clear face shield on her and secured her restraints, Kim turned to Rachel and asked, “What’s going on?” — The patient’s eyes exhibited emotional distress, but weren’t focusing on anything — most likely shock. She’d clearly been attacked, with bite marks on both her arms, but she was also pregnant which was obviously why Rachel, who was a midwife, was with her.

“How fucking ridiculous is this?” Jack asked. — “I mean have you seen any of these so-called ‘Rabid’ anywhere? If we’re so infested, shouldn’t we have seen some on the way here?” Bobbi knew Jack lived right across the street from MacArthur Park and could’ve waltzed over here in his PJs and bunny slippers if he’d wanted to…

POP! — The occasional pop of Denise’s gum from the admissions desk across the hall stirred something within Kim. …

Thud. — Sandy plopped a big, thick, black Bible down on the library table, causing a mini-explosion of dust. The dust motes swirled in the rays of sun coming in through the yellowing windows. …