Miracles Read online

  VIRAL

  MISERY

  Book Two

  MIRACLES

  ..

  THOMAS A. WATSON

  TINA D. WATSON

  Copyright © October 1, 2019

  THOMAS A WATSON

  TINA D WATSON

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Credits

  EDITED BY SABRINA JEAN

  www.fasttrackediting.com

  COVER ART BY CHRISTIAN BENTULAN

  This book is a work of Fiction. People, places, events, and situations are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or historical events, is purely coincidental.

  This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the written consent of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Thank you for acknowledging the hard work of this author. If you didn’t purchase this book or it wasn’t purchased for you, please go purchase your own copy now.

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  Viral Misery Cast

  at time of outbreak

  ^Arthur Steele (poppa/Pops)

  ^Wendy Steele

  Joseph Steele – 24 Naval pilot

  Kit(M) and Kat – Black labs.

  Donald and Daisy – Rottweilers.

  Mickey and Minnie – Persian cats

  Gloria – Wendy’s baby sister

  Alicia – Wendy’s friend

  ^Shawn (14) & Beth Byrd (5)

  ^Lucas (4mo) - neighbor of Shawn

  ^Tony (11)

  ^Kirk (10), Pat (8), Jim (6) Willis –had older sister and younger brother.

  ^Andrea Fox (dirty blonde-18) Shelia Meyer (redhead-13) Betty Owens (10) Tony Johnson (11)

  ^Nicole Bryant (blue eyes, very blonde-2mo) first with Arthur

  Tammy & Ted- Nicole’s parents

  ^Vicki ( ‘Little Momma’-10) Jodi (7) Robin (brown hair-2) Pam (6mo)

  ^Jo Ann & ^Sally Payne (8) twins

  ^Ryan (7mo) Wendy pulls info sheet in nursery

  ^Noah- (2) Wendy finds searching houses.

  ^Starlie & Jack Wright – closest neighbors

  ^Dr. Scott Sutton – CDC assistant director

  Director CDC – Ernie Ostimer

  Leading Virologist- ^Dr. Richard Skannish.

  ^Sarah- intern assigned to Sutton.

  Kercher Farm- where they hide road

  Logan Lancaster LL-

  Dean-16yo evil kid that tried to join

  Dedicated to the Memory Of

  This book is dedicated to all my friends and family. Don’t consider yourself just a fan; you are either a friend or family in our eyes if you are reading this book.

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you to all of you that helped with this one: Sabrina Jean, Leslie Bryant, Yalonda Butler, William Beedie, Jim Broach, William Allen, Deb Serres, Jon Spielman, Arthur Maybee, Anna Shirley, Joseph Ruffolo, Sara Andrews, Cora Burke, Fleur Wilkinson, Cheryl Deariso, Rebecca Larsen, and Robert Launt. Tina has helped with all my books in one way or the other, this one we did together. I’m so proud of her.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter One

  May 23

  Work is never done

  Hearing the whine of the chainsaw go idle, Wendy turned to watch Shawn back up while another tree fell. Revving up the chainsaw, Shawn walked along the tree, pruning off the branches and other kids came over to pull them away. Making an instant headcount, “I’m missing kids,” Wendy mumbled and turned around.

  They were on the west side of the house, but she couldn’t see the house a few hundred yards away through the trees. Arthur had marked out a perimeter for a chain-link fence that would enclose roughly twenty-five acres around the house.

  What Wendy didn’t understand was why Arthur was on a dozer leveling the area just outside the marked lane where the fence was going to go. It literally looked like he was putting in a highway around the fence. The paved area outside the marked fence line was completely level the entire way around the house. She knew how to use that surveying equipment, there wasn’t even a one inch difference in elevation from one side to the other. The fact Arthur had been that precise was what bothered Wendy.

  Letting out a sigh, Wendy headed over to her work group. “Jo Ann, Sally,” she called out and the twins ran over. “I’m going to check on the others because I’m missing kids.”

  “Pops took ‘em,” Jo Ann smiled. It was the twins who’d started calling Arthur ‘Pops’ instead of Poppa the day they’d arrived, and it had quickly caught on.

  Rolling her eyes, “When?” Wendy asked.

  Shrugging, “A while ago,” Sally offered.

  “You were helping with the woodchipper,” Jo Ann told her.

  “Stand back when Shawn starts chopping the next tree. Don’t let anyone start the woodchipper till I get back,” Wendy said, adjusting the baby sling carrying Ryan.

  “Want us to watch Ryan?” Sally beamed.

  Thinking for a second, Wendy nodded and pulled the sling off. “Take him to the babysitting area and feed him. Ask Vicki if she needs me to take one of the babies.”

  “It’ll be our turn to babysit next,” Jo Ann told her. “We’ll just bring one if they’re awake.”

  “Thank you, girls,” Wendy smiled and leaned over, kissing each on the head.

  “Okay, Momma,” they said together, and Wendy gave a glance back toward Shawn to see him motioning the other kids away, then started cutting the next tree in the path of the fence.

  Satisfied no lives were in danger, Wendy headed toward the house while walking past the greenhouses their fruit trees were grown in. Glancing at her watch, Wendy saw it was only an hour until lunch and was thankful. She still wasn’t anywhere near her normal strength even almost two months after the flu, and she tired quickly. That’s why Arthur had put her on supervisor duty. In truth, Arthur had wanted her inside watching kids, at least until she was in better shape, but Wendy had quickly shown him the error in that thinking.

  When she saw the back porch or ‘babysitting area’, Wendy grinned. It didn’t take her long to see why Arthur called Vicki ‘Little Momma’. There were two babies in swings and Vicki was playing with Noah, Beth, and Robin. Seeing Robin in pink cowboy boots and nothing else, Wendy let out a sigh, “That child hates clothes.”

  While she stared at the kids, Wendy realized she heard the hum of a generator and the popping of a welder. Her brain quickly informed her that was a problem. The problem was, she also heard the sound of a bulldozer on the east side of the house. That meant Arthur was running two projects and not supervising them both. “They aren’t Joseph, Arthur,” Wendy growled.

  Spinning around, Wendy’s eyes got big at seeing four kids and Andrea
on a large metal sheet, welding. Cycling through the list of what kids she’d been missing, Wendy knew there was one seven-year-old welding with Andrea, along with a twelve-year-old and ten-year-old. “I’m going to hurt him,” Wendy whispered, then checked on Vicki.

  Not surprised to find Vicki was fine, Wendy headed over to the welders. Coming to a stop, Wendy could swear it looked like the kids were welding metal sheets together to make the main bridges. Three I-beams ran the length of the bridge, and sheets of four-by-eight metal were welded together on the I-beams connecting them. Across the sheets, the kids were welding three-inch-wide, half-inch-thick strips across the sixteen-foot-wide bridge. What the hell they needed a twenty-four-foot-long and sixteen-foot-wide metal bridge for; Wendy had no fucking idea, much less two.

  “Andrea!” Wendy shouted, and the five stopped welding before flipping up their welding helmets.

  “Yeah?” Andrea smiled.

  “Why does he have you welding on bridges?” Wendy asked, and Andrea looked down at the assortment of welded metal in a new light.

  “OH! That’s what they are,” Andrea grinned, then turned back to Wendy and shrugged. “I’m just doing what Pops told me to do. I really hate asking because when he explains, I feel stupid as shit.”

  Letting out a huff, “I see. I’ll take care of that,” Wendy said, and Andrea held up the thick welding glove covering her hand.

  Clearly worried that she had gotten Arthur in trouble, “I didn’t mean Pops does it on purpose,” Andrea defended Arthur.

  Shaking her head, “I know, trust me,” Wendy chuckled. “I’ve been with him for nearly three decades, so I understand.”

  Dropping her hand in relief, “You need some help?” Andrea asked.

  “No, but don’t start any other projects Arthur puts you on until you talk to me,” Wendy told her. “He’s bouncing,” she stated and spun on her heel, heading back to the house.

  “Where’s Pops bouncing?” Kirk asked.

  Watching Wendy head for the back door, Andrea just shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  The group went back to welding while Wendy headed inside and over to the sink. Looking at the small shelf below the window, Wendy let out a sigh while picking up an empty medicine bottle. “I knew it. He’s out,” she mumbled and went back outside.

  Rounding the swimming pool, Wendy headed for the sound of the diesel engine. Walking through the trees, Wendy’s pace slowed when she saw Arthur was on an excavator and not the bulldozer. She came to a complete stop when the shock hit, realizing Arthur was digging a ditch just outside where the fence was going to be, in the leveled path he had made. “What the hell?” she mumbled.

  Moving closer, Wendy saw the ditch ran all the way to the north corner of where the fence was going to be. Racking her brain to try and figure out what was going on, Wendy eased closer and saw the ditch was well over fifteen feet wide and at least six feet deep. “We don’t get that much rain,” Wendy finally said, and then a light bulb went off. “A moat,” she smiled proudly, then the smile fell off when she looked at the wall of dirt piled outside the moat.

  “Why in the hell do we need a moat?” she wondered out loud. “It’s a chain-link fence going up, not the stone walls of a castle. What the hell is he trying to stop?”

  Wanting answers, Wendy headed down to where Arthur was digging and saw he had dug the moat along the west side and was now on the north side or front of the house. “Oh, he’s got some explaining to do,” Wendy mumbled, waving her arms.

  Noticing movement, Arthur stopped digging and saw Wendy waving her arms at him. Glancing at his watch and seeing it was close to lunch, Arthur turned the engine off. Adjusting the baby sling holding Nicole, “Let’s see what Momma wants,” he smiled down at the sleeping Nicole.

  Watching Arthur cradling the baby sling, Wendy shook her head. “Oh, that is going to be one spoiled little girl,” she mumbled.

  Glancing around to make sure they were alone, Wendy waited until Arthur stopped in front of her. “You need to make sure you’re not showing favoritism. I don’t think you’ve put Nicole down once today,” she told him.

  Pushing his fedora back, “I beg your pardon,” he snapped. “I had Lucas, but he took a dump that nearly gagged me in the cab of the excavator. I thought my shit could stink, but Lucas won that award. I took him and changed him. Vicki wasn’t satisfied with that and changed his clothes, but wouldn’t let me have Lucas back.”

  “Oh,” Wendy said with relief, looking down at the sleeping baby. Stroking Nicole’s cheek with her finger, “Just wanted to remind you. I never would’ve dreamed we would ever have the problem of so many kids,” she admitted. “I’m starting to like your idea of getting the kids to wear name tags. At least until I can get their names down.”

  “Humpf,” Arthur scoffed. “I want tags now just so I can tell Jo Ann from Sally.”

  Remembering Arthur telling her about Nicole, Wendy gave a soft sigh. Arthur had told her, he had been leaving the farm to just wander off. But Wendy knew in time, Arthur would’ve become one of the crazies. The people wandering around lost. Their minds snapped from all that had happened around them.

  But Nicole had given Arthur purpose again, and then he’d kept finding kids to take care of.

  Pulling her fingers away from Nicole’s cheek, “A moat?” Wendy blurted out.

  “Yeah,” Arthur huffed.

  Glancing over her shoulder, “A person can wade across that, and a chain-link fence isn’t that much of an obstacle,” Wendy told him, looking at the moat.

  “Duuhhh,” Arthur dragged out. Seeing a glint in Wendy’s eyes from the smartass response, “I have other plans for people,” Arthur added quickly. “The moat is for insects; mainly ants, and small animals like mice and rats. But it will also keep out dogs and other large predators, just not the two-legged variety. It would only slow them down.”

  “Ants?” Wendy blurted out, stumbling back.

  Locking his eyes with Wendy’s so she could see he wasn’t being a smart ass, Arthur nodded. “Yeah. Ants,” he repeated. Pointing around, Arthur started explaining his plans. At least that’s what he thought he was doing. Closing her eyes at the rapid gibberish, Wendy shook her head.

  Pulling the empty medicine bottle from her pocket, “Why didn’t you get more Adderall?” Wendy asked.

  For several seconds Arthur just blinked at her in confusion before responding. “Um, civilization collapsed, and the postal service clearly says, only rain, sleet, and snow. They never mention the apocalypse,” he offered.

  “Arthur, I know your prescriptions were delivered by the mail, but you’ve been in town,” Wendy emphasized, then pointed down the slope. “There are mountains of stuff down there to prove it. We’ve been three times since I’ve been back, and even picked up four more kids. You could’ve stopped and picked up some medicine.”

  Seeing Arthur take a breath to protest, Wendy lifted her hand up to stop him. “I know pharmacies were hit, but not hospitals. People avoid those. At least, they will for a little while longer. But there is a distribution center only seventy miles away. And our hospital acted as a distribution center.”

  Feeling somewhat emasculated, “I don’t need that shit,” Arthur grunted.

  Dropping her hand, “Arthur, you’re bouncing. You work on seven tasks at the same time when you bounce and I’m still learning, but the kids can’t. On your Adderall, you stay focused and don’t bounce from task to task. We’re going to town tomorrow,” Wendy told him.

  About to speak again, Wendy put a finger on Arthur’s lips. “I said: we are going to town. I wasn’t asking,” Wendy told him and Arthur slumped his shoulders, giving in. “Thank you,” Wendy sighed.

  Taking her finger from his mouth, “I need to get some stuff before you go into the hospital,” Arthur told her, and Wendy raised her eyebrow at him. “You want me to take that shit, you’re going to get it,” Arthur chanted, bobbing his head side to side.

  “You’ll help clear it, right?” Just the fact that W
endy asked, Arthur knew she wasn’t near her normal self, but it also let him know that Wendy knew she wasn’t up to her former health herself.

  Scoffing, “There won’t be any people breathing inside. I can guarantee you that,” Arthur boasted. “That’s the reason for the supplies I need to get.”

  Nodding, “Okay,” Wendy sighed. “After lunch, I want you to sit down and explain everything you’re building. I’m not saying I don’t agree, but I just want to know. Remember, these kids aren’t Joseph, and we need to watch them as they work.”

  Feeling Nicole squirm, Arthur patted the bundle. “Okay, but it’s going to take a while.”

  Pushing the brim of Arthur’s hat up, Wendy caressed his cheek. “Arthur, I know everything you have planned is needed. I just want to know the plan, and I can offer suggestions.”

  “Hell, your suggestions make me feel stupid. It’s when you make changes on the fly that I don’t like,” Arthur grunted. “You can see a simple solution to a problem much better than I can. But your ‘on the fly’ changes chap my ass.”

  “Sometimes,” Wendy smiled, holding his cheek. “When you explain stuff to the kids, and I know Andrea is a young woman and Shawn a young man, but will you do it so they don’t feel stupid? Shawn wanted to crawl under the table this morning when you pointed out why the trees had to be cut down in a certain order.”

  Sorrow filled Arthur’s face, “I didn’t mean to, I swear,” he gasped.

  “I know,” Wendy whispered, dropping her hand from Arthur’s face to pat Nicole when she squirmed. “I’m just saying, watch how you explain things to them until they truly get to know you.”

  Cradling Nicole in the crook of his left arm, Arthur nodded. “I will. If you see me not doing it, kick me,” he suggested. “Just not in the nuts.”

  Stepping back and shaking her head, “Uh-ah,” Wendy refused. “I’m not having those kids mad at me.”

  “Like that would happen,” Arthur scoffed, stepping over beside Wendy and putting his arm over her shoulders. Guiding her to the house, “The kids look at you like a saint,” Arthur stated.