disappearing into a warren of offices. A shorter corridor led away to the left, and through the double doors at the end, came the babble of human voices. A cop and two guys in suits stood outside the double doors, collecting forms as people went inside. Most of the people from our bus were already filing through. I tried to look past them to see inside the warehouse. All I could catch was a jumble of faces as the mass of people inside pushed forward, probably anxious to see if the folks they lost were among the new arrivals.
“No ID, huh?” the cop said to me.
I shook my head.
“That’s your mom there?” he asked, nodding at Mona, who was still trying to coax Stephie forward.
“No, Sir,” I replied. “I don’t know where my mom is. Her name is Helen, and my dad is Ross. Our last name is—”
“There’s a list up on the board in there,” he said. “If they’re at any of the shelters, their names’ll be posted. Good luck.”
My pulse sped. I itched to bust through that door, sure that my family would be inside waiting for me. Maybe sitting on a camp bed, playing Hearts, like we used to do down on the Cape when the weather was too lousy to go to the beach. But I couldn’t just run off and leave Mona, not when she’d been so nice to me.
The cop peered at Mona’s driver’s license, looking like he needed a coffee, or about three days’ worth of sleep, while the guys in suits muttered over Mona and Stephanie’s forms. Just the three of us bus people remained in the corridor now.
The cop said something to Mona in a low voice.
“What do you mean she can’t go in there?” Mona yelled, making me jump.
The guys in suits frowned at the cop, who fumbled for his radio.
“Six-sixty-seven. We got a six-sixty-seven, guys.”
“What’s going on?” Mona tried again.
“Ma’am, we will explain everything to you soon. Your daughter will be quite safe, quite comfortable, but we can’t have her inside with the other people,” said one of the suit guys. The tramp of boots echoed in the lobby as more cops appeared.
“Why in the hell not?” Mona’s face was red, but Stephie just stood there staring at her shoes like they were the most interesting thing she’d ever seen.
“Please, Ma’am. It’s best I explain in private.” He seemed to notice I was still there, then and turned to me.
“If you’re not with these people, then please make your way inside the shelter, Miss.”
“We’re leaving.” Mona grabbed Stephie by the arm.
“I can’t allow you to leave with her,” said the first suit guy. “It’s for your own safety. And hers,” he added.
Mona strode off toward the lobby, but the cops closed in around her. Two of them grabbed Stephie and started to drag her down the dark passageway, toward the empty offices.
She seemed to wake up a bit then. “Mom? Where are we?”
“You let her go! You just let us alone. We’re leaving. You can’t keep us here!”
The first cop pulled his gun out. Each of the suit guys took one of Mona’s arms and began half dragging her, half leading her down the corridor after Stephie.
I thought about following them, but the lady cop from the bus stepped in front of me, placing her hand on my shoulder to stop me.
“Miss, you go on in there right now.”
“Where are they taking them?”
“Quarantine.”
“For what?”
“Miss, you all in there want to get the flu? That girl is sick. Now hustle. You see ‘em again when they better.”
What she said made sense, but I’d never seen a cop pull a gun on anyone before outside of a movie, let alone point it at a nice suburban mom like Mona. The world really was different now, but what could I do about that? It was finding my family that mattered. I pushed open the big double doors and found myself in a warehouse filled with camp beds.
The room was about half-full of people, and had that gross school cafeteria smell you get from a lot of people living and eating around each other. Some folks jumped
“No ID, huh?” the cop said to me.
I shook my head.
“That’s your mom there?” he asked, nodding at Mona, who was still trying to coax Stephie forward.
“No, Sir,” I replied. “I don’t know where my mom is. Her name is Helen, and my dad is Ross. Our last name is—”
“There’s a list up on the board in there,” he said. “If they’re at any of the shelters, their names’ll be posted. Good luck.”
My pulse sped. I itched to bust through that door, sure that my family would be inside waiting for me. Maybe sitting on a camp bed, playing Hearts, like we used to do down on the Cape when the weather was too lousy to go to the beach. But I couldn’t just run off and leave Mona, not when she’d been so nice to me.
The cop peered at Mona’s driver’s license, looking like he needed a coffee, or about three days’ worth of sleep, while the guys in suits muttered over Mona and Stephanie’s forms. Just the three of us bus people remained in the corridor now.
The cop said something to Mona in a low voice.
“What do you mean she can’t go in there?” Mona yelled, making me jump.
The guys in suits frowned at the cop, who fumbled for his radio.
“Six-sixty-seven. We got a six-sixty-seven, guys.”
“What’s going on?” Mona tried again.
“Ma’am, we will explain everything to you soon. Your daughter will be quite safe, quite comfortable, but we can’t have her inside with the other people,” said one of the suit guys. The tramp of boots echoed in the lobby as more cops appeared.
“Why in the hell not?” Mona’s face was red, but Stephie just stood there staring at her shoes like they were the most interesting thing she’d ever seen.
“Please, Ma’am. It’s best I explain in private.” He seemed to notice I was still there, then and turned to me.
“If you’re not with these people, then please make your way inside the shelter, Miss.”
“We’re leaving.” Mona grabbed Stephie by the arm.
“I can’t allow you to leave with her,” said the first suit guy. “It’s for your own safety. And hers,” he added.
Mona strode off toward the lobby, but the cops closed in around her. Two of them grabbed Stephie and started to drag her down the dark passageway, toward the empty offices.
She seemed to wake up a bit then. “Mom? Where are we?”
“You let her go! You just let us alone. We’re leaving. You can’t keep us here!”
The first cop pulled his gun out. Each of the suit guys took one of Mona’s arms and began half dragging her, half leading her down the corridor after Stephie.
I thought about following them, but the lady cop from the bus stepped in front of me, placing her hand on my shoulder to stop me.
“Miss, you go on in there right now.”
“Where are they taking them?”
“Quarantine.”
“For what?”
“Miss, you all in there want to get the flu? That girl is sick. Now hustle. You see ‘em again when they better.”
What she said made sense, but I’d never seen a cop pull a gun on anyone before outside of a movie, let alone point it at a nice suburban mom like Mona. The world really was different now, but what could I do about that? It was finding my family that mattered. I pushed open the big double doors and found myself in a warehouse filled with camp beds.
The room was about half-full of people, and had that gross school cafeteria smell you get from a lot of people living and eating around each other. Some folks jumped
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