asked that, and he gave her the answer he’d given before. “I only had the one shot.”
“What about the one you took?”
That she hadn’t asked before, and it surprised him. “I had to make sure it didn’t hurt me before I could give it to you. Don’t you see that?”
She sat up, suddenly determined. “We have to go back. You can get more for my family.”
He rose quickly to his feet. “Impossible. I don’t even know where I could find…” He paused. Yes, he knew where there might be more vaccine. The same place he had gotten it the first time. Still… “Today is the day they will spray the city. We can’t go back there.”
She stood and began wiping off the dirt that clung to her clothes. “We have to try.”
“There is nothing we can do.”
She stared at him, her face hardening. “Then I will go without you.”
She turned toward the road and started walking.
“Wait,” he said, grabbing her arm.
She quickly twisted free, but didn’t turn away. “If you care about me like you say, you will help me to save my family.”
“By the time we get there, it may already be too late.”
“I will not just wait here. I have to do whatever I can.”
Again, she started walking.
“Kusum! Please!”
She didn’t stop.
“Kusum!” She’d almost disappeared into the jungle. “All right, all right! I’ll drive you back.”
She slowed to a halt and looked at him. “Let’s go.”
__________
T HEY TRAVELED DOWN the rutted road toward the highway. In the first light of day, the jungle looked thinner and less menacing than it had in the dark.
It took them a full half hour to reach the blacktop road. Sanjay was surprised. He hadn’t realized they’d ridden that far into the wilderness.
It wasn’t long before he said, “We have to make a stop.”
“Why?”
“The tank is almost empty. We would never make it all the way there.”
He could hear her sigh, frustrated. “Okay, but as quick as we can.”
A few minutes later, he saw a roadside stop that was selling petrol out of cans. While a young boy helped him fill his tank, Kusum went inside the hut that served as a shop, but she was only gone a few seconds before she rushed back out.
“Sanjay! Come quick!”
He looked at her, confused, but she’d already disappeared back through the door. He paid the boy for the fuel, and jogged over to the hut.
Inside were several tables full of food items for purchase, and two coolers stuffed with drinks. But Kusum wasn’t looking at any of them. She was standing near the back corner, staring at a TV on a table. Three other people were also crowded around, watching.
A BBC news anchor was framed in the center of the screen.
“…dozens of locations around the globe,” the man said.
“What’s going on?” Sanjay asked.
Kusum and one of the others shhh’d him, their attention never leaving the screen.
“Last evening local time, in the US state of Georgia,” the anchor went on, “firefighters in the city of Athens attempted to relocate one of the boxes. This resulted in a fiery explosion that killed five firemen and three civilians. Several more similar incidents have been reported from elsewhere in the States and in Europe. Officials in most countries have now suspended all orders to move the boxes, and have begun evacuating persons living anywhere near suspected containers.
“There has still been no word on what the container’s purpose might be, or who is behind them. Several helicopters—both news and police—have flown over boxes to get a look inside.” The image switched to a downward shot of one of the boxes. It was rectangular in shape, large. While the top was open, there were two large circular areas side by side near the lip, each shimmering slightly. “Analysts have determined that what you are looking at are two exhaust-type fans that seem to be pushing whatever is inside into the air. Speculation has been focused on the possibility that the contents are biological in
“What about the one you took?”
That she hadn’t asked before, and it surprised him. “I had to make sure it didn’t hurt me before I could give it to you. Don’t you see that?”
She sat up, suddenly determined. “We have to go back. You can get more for my family.”
He rose quickly to his feet. “Impossible. I don’t even know where I could find…” He paused. Yes, he knew where there might be more vaccine. The same place he had gotten it the first time. Still… “Today is the day they will spray the city. We can’t go back there.”
She stood and began wiping off the dirt that clung to her clothes. “We have to try.”
“There is nothing we can do.”
She stared at him, her face hardening. “Then I will go without you.”
She turned toward the road and started walking.
“Wait,” he said, grabbing her arm.
She quickly twisted free, but didn’t turn away. “If you care about me like you say, you will help me to save my family.”
“By the time we get there, it may already be too late.”
“I will not just wait here. I have to do whatever I can.”
Again, she started walking.
“Kusum! Please!”
She didn’t stop.
“Kusum!” She’d almost disappeared into the jungle. “All right, all right! I’ll drive you back.”
She slowed to a halt and looked at him. “Let’s go.”
__________
T HEY TRAVELED DOWN the rutted road toward the highway. In the first light of day, the jungle looked thinner and less menacing than it had in the dark.
It took them a full half hour to reach the blacktop road. Sanjay was surprised. He hadn’t realized they’d ridden that far into the wilderness.
It wasn’t long before he said, “We have to make a stop.”
“Why?”
“The tank is almost empty. We would never make it all the way there.”
He could hear her sigh, frustrated. “Okay, but as quick as we can.”
A few minutes later, he saw a roadside stop that was selling petrol out of cans. While a young boy helped him fill his tank, Kusum went inside the hut that served as a shop, but she was only gone a few seconds before she rushed back out.
“Sanjay! Come quick!”
He looked at her, confused, but she’d already disappeared back through the door. He paid the boy for the fuel, and jogged over to the hut.
Inside were several tables full of food items for purchase, and two coolers stuffed with drinks. But Kusum wasn’t looking at any of them. She was standing near the back corner, staring at a TV on a table. Three other people were also crowded around, watching.
A BBC news anchor was framed in the center of the screen.
“…dozens of locations around the globe,” the man said.
“What’s going on?” Sanjay asked.
Kusum and one of the others shhh’d him, their attention never leaving the screen.
“Last evening local time, in the US state of Georgia,” the anchor went on, “firefighters in the city of Athens attempted to relocate one of the boxes. This resulted in a fiery explosion that killed five firemen and three civilians. Several more similar incidents have been reported from elsewhere in the States and in Europe. Officials in most countries have now suspended all orders to move the boxes, and have begun evacuating persons living anywhere near suspected containers.
“There has still been no word on what the container’s purpose might be, or who is behind them. Several helicopters—both news and police—have flown over boxes to get a look inside.” The image switched to a downward shot of one of the boxes. It was rectangular in shape, large. While the top was open, there were two large circular areas side by side near the lip, each shimmering slightly. “Analysts have determined that what you are looking at are two exhaust-type fans that seem to be pushing whatever is inside into the air. Speculation has been focused on the possibility that the contents are biological in
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