Jacqueline Druga - Omnicide

“Well,” Walt said, his eyes shifting to Ada. “I have good news and…”

Cass snapped her finger. “Finish.”

“Engine is shot,” Walt said. “I can rebuild, but I have to order parts. I can get a new one. But either way, this bus isn’t going anywhere for at least a week. Unless you have it towed.”

“No.” Lena shook her head. “You can have my business. Cass says you’re the best in town.”

“Thanks,” Walt replied. “I’m kinda the only one.”

“Walt,” Cass said. “You sure you aren’t trying to take advantage of her celebrity?”

“What? No,” Walt replied. “Think I’m making it up. Pop the hood, Cass, take a look, see for yourself.”

Lena gasped. “Oh, you write and fix cars. So talented.”

“Thanks.”

“So what do you want me to do?” Walt asked. “Get a new one or… okay.” He lifted his hand. “Why is Ada bent over sniffing the front end of the smashed car?”

“She’s smelling deer guts,” Cass replied.

“Why?”

“In case they’re sour,” Ada yelled over.

“I can goddamn guarantee,” Walt yelled back, “after fourteen hours, they probably are.”

“Smart shit.” Ada walked over. “You can smell sickness, Cass, something is up, but it’s not disease if that makes any sense. Let me research.” Ada looked up to Walt. “You give her an estimate.”

“Yeah, she needs to tell me what she wants me to do.”

“Order a new one,” Lena said.

“Do you need one of us to ride you somewhere?” Walt asked. “There’s no car rental around here.”

“What if I didn’t go anywhere.” Lena snapped her finger and turned to Cass brightly. “Is there anyone in town who knows how to run a camera, do some filming? Even if they don’t have a camera, my phone is good. They just need to know how to block a shot. This place is great and everyone so quirky. I can do my show. Film it here, send it to my production team. Visit the locals, cook with them.”

“They would love that,” Cass answered. “That’s what I love about your show.” She then shook her head. “I don’t know anyone.”

“What about Kit’s boy?” Walt suggested.

“Who’s Kit?” asked Lena.

“Hot Cop,” Ada said.

“That’s right,” Cass added. “I forgot about Kat.”

“Wait.” Lena held up her hand. “Hot Cop Kit has a kid named Kat?”

“Funny, huh?” Cass said. “Anyhow, yeah, he’s actually good. He’s the same age as… um, he’s nearly seventeen. Not sure if his dad gave him back the camera after he was caught sneaking off to Seaver and uploading videos of people doing stupid shit in Griffin.”

Lena laughed. “That’s hysterical. I’ll talk to Kit.”

At the same time, Ada, Walt, and Cass said, “No!”

“Okay,” Lena sang. “Why?”

Walt explained, “Kit has a thing against famous people. He’s a single dad, has been for a while. His wife up and left them when Kat was two to go out to Hollywood to be famous.”

Cass snickered. “We thought for sure she’d end up in porn.”

Ada whistled. “Proved us wrong.”

“Who is she?” Lena asked.

“Jennifer Blaine,” Cass replied.

“What?” Lena asked in shock. “Maybe I should be the one to talk to Kit after I show him our social media wars. Her and I do not get along at…”

She didn’t finish the sentence when the distant sound of sirens caught all of their attention and the three of them turned.

The sirens grew louder. It looked like a pursuit with flashing lights headed toward town. An expensive-looking SUV flew in and pulled over immediately. Seconds later, a squad car came to a screeching halt behind.

The siren was silenced, but the lights remained on as Kit stepped angrily from the police car, slammed the door, and stormed to the SUV which clearly carried two people.

Cass shifted her eyes to Lena who slowly lifted her phone. “Are you filming this?”

“Yes. I have to. This is great.”

Kit held up his hand speaking strongly to the occupants, trying diligently to remain calm. “Don’t even think about getting out of the car.”

The window wound down revealing a rather meek-looking man behind the wheel.

“License and goddamn registration. Eight miles!” Kit blasted. “Eight fucking miles I chased you and you wouldn’t pull over. Where the hell were you going in such a hurry and with such blatant disregard?”

“Here. Griffin,” the driver said.

“You were coming here to this town?” Kit asked. “And you couldn’t pull over any time beforehand. Did you not see me?”

“I did, sir,” the driver said, “but we had to get here. You’ll thank me.”

“I’ll… thank you? I should throw you in our jail until the County Judge comes.”

“That’s fine,” the man said. “We’re fine with that. As long as we’re here in Griffin.”

“And why is Griffin so important?”

“Well, you’ll find out soon enough,” the man said. “The world… the world as we know it. It’s about to end.”

Kit paused. “I see. And um… when is this going to happen?”

The man looked down to his watch. “No sooner than twenty minutes, no longer than eight hours. I know—wide window.”

“It is,” Kit said. “With the way you were rushing, I would think it’s happening now.”

“In some parts of the world.”

“But not here?” Kit asked.

“We’re good here,” the man replied.

Kit nodded, stepped back, bobbed his head a few times, then approached the car once more. “License and registration.”

“Wow,” Walt exhaled and tapped Lena on the shoulder. “Looks like you picked a good time then to be stuck in Griffin.”

Lena and Ada laughed at Walt’s joke, making fun of the man’s excuse to Kit.

Cass didn’t.

Maybe it was the reporter in her or the bit of her father’s curiosity that was embedded in her soul. But with the crazy deer and the sudden sickness, Cass truly had to wonder if maybe something really was going on and Griffin was so far removed, they were just blissfully unaware.

Crete, Nebraska

Dr. Everette Caine was the chief resident at the hospital. He wasn’t a hotshot, didn’t pretend to know it all, but he was good with emergency medicine. Most of what they saw in the medical center were injuries and mild illnesses, nothing major.

He knew exactly what it was when he was called to the ER. He was taking a break and a nap in the quiet back room, when the head ER Nurse, Jan, barreled in.

“Caine, I don’t mean to bother you,” she said. “We have issues. People are just pouring in.”

Caine sat up on the cot, trying to catch his wits. “Pouring in. Was there an accident?”

She shook her head. “They’re sick.”

Caine paused. “Sick?” he asked then started walking.

“Well, something, they range from mild to severe. Caine, I think we had a chemical attack.”

It sent him into a panic and just before arriving at the emergency room, it hit him.

He knew exactly what it was.

Or believed he did.

He opened the chart on the computer for his first patient and looked at the symptoms. Inflamed skin, eyes burning, difficulty breathing.

“Jan, are they all like this?”

“Mild to severe.”

“I know what it is. It’s a reaction.” He hurried over to the main board. He remembered hanging the flyer by it. It still remained and he took it from the wall. “They sprayed the entire county today. Twice in some parts. Everyone was told to stay inside and wait an hour.”

“I find it hard to believe that this many people didn’t listen,” she said.

“I think they listened; I just think the advice was wrong. I think it lingered longer. I’ll get…” He paused, looked at Jan, and his eyes cased her wrist. “Were you outside?”