Greg and Jerry had exchanged several more texts after we had received the original one on Thursday evening. Greg was adamant that we should not meet him at Mercy. He had snuck away from Mercy during the day on Thursday, and was holed up in an alley around the corner from the Emergency room entrance.
The hospital had been quarantined. Nobody else would be let in, and especially, no one was to leave! The entrances were guarded by the Ohio National Guard.
Greg had snuck out when a family had shown up in an Escalade begging to be let in for treatment. As the National Guardsmen were dealing with the situation, he had snuck out.
As Greg huddled next to a dumpster in the alley, he had texted Jerry to come get him. The agreement was to come later in the evening. Greg texted Jerry not to come anywhere near a hospital entrance, as he was afraid the National Guardsmen would grab him and force him back into the hospital. He and Jerry agreed on a meeting point, two blocks away. Jerry would text Greg when we got there.
I drove. We took Johnny Dog also, as we were still planning on running up to my apartment complex if we could.
Such an eerie drive down I-75. No one on the road. We saw some emergency vehicle lights on some of the exits, but that was about it. Jerry was very nervous, as was I. We both wondered out loud if there was a chance we would be pulled over, although we hadn't heard of any kind of city imposed curfew.
As we took the exit that lead to Mercy, Jerry texted Greg to meet us at the corner of Boudinot and Queen City Avenue. When we got close to Boudinot, we turned out off the headlights. As we reached the corner, we saw Greg, dressed in his orderly whites, jump into the street. He startled Johnny Dog who began to bark.
We slowed, Jerry opened the rear passenger side door and Greg jumped in. I pulled a quick U-turn and we made our way back to I-75.
Greg was visibly upset and relieved.
"Oh man Jerry," he began. "this is not good! You won't believe the shit that is going down!" Realizing that he didn't know me, he stopped.
"Who is this?" he asked.
"This is Dan. We just met a couple of days ago. He's been hangin' with me at the warehouse. And this is Johnny Dog. She is Dan's, luvs Ding-Dongs." Jerry responded.
"Thanks for getting me Dan. Nice dog. Anyway have you guys heard what's going on?" Greg asked.
"Yes Greg, why the hell do you think we have been hangin' in the warehouse since Monday evening?" Jerry responded sarcastically.
Greg, "I mean what's really going on! I assume the reports you are hearing are that there is a treatment for this disease? Well it's all bullshit, there are no treatments. People are dying!"
I was stunned. "What do you mean? The news report are saying there is a treatment, the illness is coming from the Flu shots, and they are even asking people to go to treatment centers in the region."
"I'm telling you, it's all bullshit. I've been at Mercy since Monday. These people come in, sweating, running fevers at 105 and above. The doctors try everything, but within a couple of hours the patients are dead!" Greg explained. "But it gets worse! What did the reports say about the cause?"
Jerry responded. "A batch of flu shots, from Jenter Pharmaceuticals. The reports said that is the source."
Greg continued. "That seems to be true, at least from the first patients that came to Mercy. But it's not the whole story."
Jerry and I looked quizzically at each other. Greg continued. "At first they thought it was just the Jenter batch that caused it, but soon some of the hospital workers were getting sick. They had not had a flu shot, they were just exposed to others. This thing is highly contagious!"
I stopped the car right before getting on I-75 North. I hopped out. "Dude!?!? Get out of the car! You are going to make us sick-you've been exposed"
"No, no! You have to listen. I've been in that place for 4 days, with no symptoms at all. The people who get sick from exposure start seeing the symptoms within an hour, tops. Also, I never touched anything. These other people were exposed to blood, sweat, saliva all that. I steered clear." Greg explained.
"I don't know. You sound like a risk to me. Jerry, what do you think?" I asked.
"I've known Greg forever, I would trust him."
"Ok," as I jumped back in the car. "let's get up to my apartment."
"Why are we going to your apartment?" Greg asked.
"We need to get some food and I want some more of my clothes." I responded.
"I see." said Greg. "Before we actually go there, you guys need to know a couple of other things. First, those treatment center they are telling people to go to...not what they seem. When people get there they are locking them in. As I said before, there is no treatment."
Once again, Jerry and I exchanged concerned looks.
"And second," Greg continued. "the dead patients are coming back to life!"
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