Burn District: Short Story Prequel to the Series by Suzanne Jenkins

Author:Suzanne Jenkins
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

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The virus was a mutation that grew in mold on lumber in south Jersey homes that were saturated with seawater during the hurricanes in early October. That may have been the initial rumor. The first time it happened, the first time there was a burn, the national media picked up the story before the government put a news blackout into place.

A small village in southern New Jersey, stricken with an outbreak of the quickly spreading, deadly virus, was bombed with a napalm like agent. They said it was an accident, that an antiviral preparation was supposed to have been sprayed. They said they didn’t know it would explode. They said it was a foreign terrorist plot when it happened again in a small town north of Philadelphia, and there were rumors of obliterated villages from Washington, D.C. to Boston. People started out believing the lies, that burning structures halted the spread of disease, saving our children from succumbing to a horrible death, because they hadn’t heard the truth; people were inside sleeping when the bombs dropped on their homes.

Then Pete came over late one night a few weeks after the first rumors surfaced, tapping on our kitchen window. Mike went to see who it was; Pete put his finger up to his lips and pointed to the back door. Mike opened it for him but he refused to come in. “Are your children sleeping yet?” he whispered. Mike nodded.

“Get a coat, get your wife and come out here, please.” Mike started to protest but Pete grabbed his arm. “Please.”

I was dozing on the couch in the den, waiting for the eleven o’clock news. Mike placed his hand on my shoulder and gave me a gentle shake. “Pete wants to talk to us outside,” he whispered, warning. “Don’t say anything.” My heart was banging in my chest. I’d been having anxiety about what was happening, refusing to believe what my friends and family said, that the government had our best interests at heart. Kelly was the only other person I knew who didn’t trust what we were told, not yet aware of the network of Rumors.

Following Mike to the door, I saw Beverly was waiting, too. She had an infant with her, wrapped up in a fleece blanket. Mike pointed to the chairs on the patio; we hadn’t done much to prepare for the change of seasons, wishing Indian Summer would show one more time.

We sat around the table and Pete leaned in. “Your house is bugged.” About to protest again, Mike didn’t get a word out before Pete put his hand up. “You have to trust me. Everyone who has a satellite connection in their house has a bug. It’s the way they are finding out who’s sick.” There was a rumor that doctors weren’t reporting cases of the virus to protect their own communities. It made sense. So leave it to the government to find another way; by invading our homes. I was so angry, my hands were shaking.

“We are slated for a burn,” Pete said, his arm around his wife.

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