…continued from part 2.

“…we were chasing it after that… and have never caught up. We locked down again. Even tighter… We called that the second wave. The only distinct wave outside of the initial infection. I think that it was so memorable because we were caught off guard. We had the research and we had the experience to see it but didn’t. We had a vaccine for f***’s sake. (draw from a cigarette) The rawness that I feel about it sometimes is overwhelming. (pause) We had the vaccine… Yes, we rushed everything; we did. We were in a panic and panic buying and… Between stocking up and impacted networks – our dependency and the weaknesses in supply chains were exposed.

Looking back… it was fear… We did not have control. We could not tell it anything; we could not see it. We were unable to negotiate – to talk our way out of it. The ravaged bodies in its wake were the only signs that we had. Our only predictors were lagging indicators. We resorted to tightening the belt of control in society – what we believed that we could control. France was first to develop a treatment protocol, which the world… I guess I should say, the upper class… those that could be in the know, soon followed. And it worked – why wouldn’t it? (scoffs) We were afraid and we could see what was happening… I cannot imagine the feeling in villages disconnected from society… Like thieves in the night… I cannot imagine. At least we knew how to pretend to put barriers in place: gloves, masks, distance…

I can still see the images of people waiting in lines for the vaccine. Risking infection to get prevention. The lines were so long. (sigh and pause) It was the hope that it brought. I am certain it was also the sense of security. Convention centers converted to walk-in clinics overnight. It was obvious that the supply was way under the demand. It felt like there was never enough. (drag of cigarette – exhales…) For weeks the news was of shortages and then there was the crowd control… Then, one day, it went silent. The charts flattened and reports ceased. The world was able to exhale…” (exhales) 

RING-RING-RING-RING. My phone interrupted 116. I answered. “Yes, Rob? I am heading there now.” Rob was one of the admin in the office. His voice wiry, and more inquisitive than usual. “Jake, I just got all of the files from the Longsdale Properties…” trailing off. 

 “I am on my way, man, jus’ put ’em on my desk or email them to me.” I interjected to wrap the call up. The voice of 116 still fresh and echoing in my mind. The rasp from the cigarettes and powerful narrative hooked me. I found myself excitedly awaiting more, which I thought silly. This was just a tenant vocalizing the story of his devastation... like a tale from long ago – several realities ago.

 “Well, I was just going to tell you that the records are incomplete. If there was something that you needed to know – you’ll have to find it another way.”

“Rob this isn’t the first set of incomplete records.” I snapped back, irritated by the interruption.

 “No Jake. It’s not – but the records don’t usually mention 6 people dying of a Virus or elude to a suicide/homicide.” He smacked my attitude into place. I was rendered captive by the statement and saliva went down my esophagus causing me to choke up.

 “What the hell?!?” I forced out as a question. During the outbreaks, people died. Lots of people died. So, incomplete records were not a new thing. I have been in situations where a couple died – or he got mad at her – and lost it, which ended life. While uncommon, it is not unheard of. Reports like this are grim but important. Information like this brings more attention to the property. Not in a good way. We have to disclose death information to future tenants, and a whole slew of research. We have to verify that the property is not impacted for future tenants in any way. However – 6 deaths at the same time – and question marks behind it? My mind was already spinning from 116 and was now kicked into overdrive. “… sent the files to you and the hardcopy is on your desk. (pause) Jake…now hurry up and get here…” Rob trailed off. Perhaps I was lost in the whirlwind of information that was just piled on top of me, but I am not sure who ended the call. We disconnected and the smart audio resumed playing once the BT was free.

116 resumed narrating. “…the world exhaled. (long exhale and silence) The system that we put into place supposedly conquered our enemy. The silent killer was silenced. The news shifted from body counts to positive things like life resuming. In what we would later call a phased approach, the States started to come alive again. The essential workers and essential businesses never closed. The rest of the world just joined again. Each state had long lists of requirements for workers to adhere to. Mostly distancing, limiting human contact, ventilation, sanitization and neutralization. Some businesses used cleaners and some chose to use UV lighting to eradicate anything left. Fomites were one of the first things we understood about the virus. What conditions would it survive in – or on? Like substrate for plants or fungi – different environments had a different half-life or virus life expectancy. It was marvelous to resume social life. Cautiously we stuck out our heads – like a family of prairie dogs scouting the terrain. Yips here and there calling back to one another.

That lasted for a few months and seemed like a life time starting out. The headlines that counted the days out of quarantine were long forgotten. The breeze. People… Even with the distancing, we were able to be the social creatures we were intended to be. And with every day that passed we became a little more casual with the regimented precautions. No one meant to let their guard down. We felt safe again. Complacency just sort of happened. The same thing as when it first started: When the virus spread – the areas not hit right away forgot why we were doing what we were. No one intended to be a carrier. The virus went dormant and we went back to life. Normal was forever changed, but it was still closer to normal. And it was a little better than many imagined. Small surges happened here and there – but we had adapted. …Maybe even herd immunity. We. Adapted. As did it.

We did not know or think that evolution could happen so quickly. We should have seen the signs. Like the flu – we had expected a new strain to gradually present itself. We had built plans for that. Countless vaccines mimicked our best guesses. We genetically engineered all the modeled strains. We were so proud of ourselves that we did not see animals becoming carriers. We were obliviously hopeful. It started with a random report of a tiger or other exotic animals. It seemed unreal, like a fluke, like a variation that was a natural anomaly. But by the time it gained traction – and enough people were paying attention, it was already on the move. It had also successfully altered its entire structure. None of the models predicted that. Our celebrated remission was short-lived.

The sweltering summer months wore on the States. We became ground zero for the next wave of infections. Entire towns and parts of cities were condemned. Like ghost towns… after the first wreckage… We were wiped out in droves. A relapse… hitting harder than anyone could have been anticipated. Faster. We had limited predictability. Not everyone was impacted the same way; some were sent to the ICU right away. Others, not so lucky… with their lungs shutting down right after first signs of… I can see the pain. The fevers, frying people from the inside out. The Devastation and destruction in the wake of this surge sent the world into a panic. It’s not like we didn’t try to react. Creatures of habit – we did what we knew to do. We reinstated all of the rules that we had before. We also buckled down on any perceived loose ends. We tried to leave no margin for error. We started testing again… We started looking for new vaccines… Day after day – week after week after week. Body on top of body. Any proof that would predict its next actions or how to control the… Hell, isolate it. It was as if it were a swarm of termites devouring a forest – buzzing to the next area… And no specific order. It annihilated people… and their pets… Dogs and cats lay in the streets deteriorating in the summer sun. Scavengers also lined the streets and lent to the spread. The smell saturated cities… Many pets not infected were also thrown out. If there was any chance to stop it – people seemed to take it. Around this time, everything seemed to fall apart…”

(screeeech) The stoplight had changed suddenly. I was immersed in the audio with his imagery surrounding me as if my eyes were looking out of his window. I could see the smoke swirling in the room. As he spoke, the words whiffed the ambient air. The view was shattered in a moment as I slammed on the brakes screeching to a halt. The words trailed and I instinctively paused the audio. My heart raced from being ripped back to reality with the stiffness of velcro. I clicked the side of my mask and it raised, disengaged. The bottom of my glasses fogged over from my rapid breathing. The world painfully slowed as if in slow motion while a person crossed the street. I noticed the drones patrolling the streets; circling in a programmed route. Ruby red lights flickered as the pedestrian was analyzed. The chopper-like blades silently hovered like a shadow and followed just the same.

While programs and tech had changed rapidly, the basic scans were still the same. The originally aligned AI was always changing and learning… adapting. Smart dynamic algorithms correlating data for meaningful categorization. Scans for access, temperature, facial recognition, warrant searches, parole parameters, GPS coordinates… and honestly I am not sure what else was birthed over time. Like a life flashing before my eyes, I curiously imagined life as 116. I momentarily grieved its passing and angered over the pandemic. The devastation, according to 116. The light turned green and without thought I clicked resume – I was on autopilot.

“…everything seemed to fall apart. The states formed their own alliances in the conflict. Society made predictions of the collapse of the governments – but the US Federal government actually did. Rules changed. There was no such thing as a United State any longer. The states individually tackled our collapse in different ways…” The audio was muffled as 116’s movements were captured via a mic. Two very different voices were woven into the hollow indistinct chatter. One voice was 116 and the other a higher-pitched tone. Difficult to hear unassisted, the voice resembled that of a woman’s. The brief conversation then ended just as it started, suddenly. “Be ready,” 116’s voice was clear again. The only identifiable phrase from her was an abruptly sharp, “I am,” He took a drag on his cigarette and the deep raspy tones continued.

My mind was spinning. “What are you getting ready for?” I asked 116 in my mind. The audio suddenly stopped with a battery warning light flashing.

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Read more of the Devastation Series.
Devastation: The Life After Part 1
Devastation: The Life After Part 2
Devastation: The Life After Part 3
Devastation: The Life After Part 4 (Coming Soon)
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