Plague: Death was only the beginning! by Donald Franck, Francine Franck

bacteria to float for longer periods on the air.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

 
     
     
    “We must face the truth that our life span on Earth is limited. But, we can make it worth every second.”
    -Thoughts from the Author.
     
    Chapter 22
    Worldwide Deaths: 115,125,000 est.
     
    Hitting the release on his web belt, Tom let the heavy weight strike the concrete flooring. He had walked the fence line for the entire complex today, and it stretched over three miles in total. For flat level ground, three miles was a cakewalk, but this was Missouri, and he had to scramble like a bird over some sections that were driven deep into the rocky ground. So, it took him about three hours each month to check that a tree hadn’t fallen or rolling rocks hadn’t damaged the fence. Having done so in the past, he now confirmed, by eye, that each and every yard of fencing was secure.
    Sitting at his radio room desk, he listened to the bursts of static that were coming through the speaker. The countless voices that he had heard in the past on the current channel were now almost gone. The normal 14.300 MHz USB frequency, used by the Maritime Mobile Service Net, had only a faint single cry for help that soon fell silent. No one was there as Net Control, not even a single government station that was monitoring the channel now like he was. Knowing that answering the call was worthless, considering the situation as it was, he still felt badly for the lost soul dying alone in the wilderness.
    Reaching down, he grabbed his equipment belt and chucked it into his locker. He would clean and check it later. Now, he checked his system to see if anyone was having problems at their own compounds. He refused to go inside their houses, but he could repair or replace generators and solar panels, on the outside. Because they were exposed to the sun and weather, the UV rays from the sun would sterilize them. Most people didn’t know that you could sterilize water by placing it in a clear bottle and setting it in the sun for eight hours. The UV rays did the trick every time.
    There was only a single note from Jim, requesting that Tom check the wiring connections on the solar panels as they were running low on power. While the panels themselves had no moving parts, they were exposed to the wind and rain, as well as temperature changes. So, from time to time, the connectors had to be checked and retightened. It was a real pain in the ass, and a waste of an afternoon job, if there ever was one. He would have to power down the system, check and test every connection, and then power it back up to see if that worked. He had to do just that two months ago on the same system, and never did find the fault. As the system worked again, he noted the problem and left it for a professional to check. Jim passed on doing so to save money since it was working again. Now, this would be a critical issue affecting the amount of power that was available into the near future. Tom typed in a note that he would be over in the morning to effect repairs. He also requested that everyone remain indoors until he was finished. They still had a few days of their quarantine left to go. And there was no way he was pushing his luck with something this deadly. Tomorrow was soon enough.
    Nearby, Heather closed the ward doors by hand after the power failed for the last time. All of the respirators, monitors, and IV control units had failed at the same time. While most had battery backups, they were only good for a limited time. That period had now passed. Without staff to care for the sick, as well as to monitor the still living caregivers, she was faced with an impossible situation. As doors closed off the dead, she told the few living caregivers to depart from the darkness about them. Most were already sick and had only been going to care for the living. Soon, they too would join the dead. Only Heather was still healthy; her family had not been and had passed away in the opening days of