Stay Calm
#7 of The Getaway (Thriller)
Stay Calm
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Another chapter of "Getaway" here, hope you find it interesting, and I look forward to your comments!
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Ken seemed quite excited when I came home that afternoon from work.
"We've got mail!" he said.
"Oh?"
He bounced around the kitchen and fetched a brown envelope.
"It says it's official!"
I received the envelope from him and turned it about. The front had my name printed on it, as well as the address of our house, and a big red stamp that said "OFFICIAL!" and "IMPORTANT - READ UPON DELIVERY!". It didn't feel very heavy in my paws.
"Wonder what it is," Ken mused while staring curiously at the letter now held in my paws.
"Well let's see," I said.
I sat down and he stood by me while I used my claws to slice the envelope open.
Inside, there was a plastic folder, thin, film-like material, with a stack of paper within. The impressive abbreviations of "CDC" and "NIAID" and stamps that said "FEDERAL DOCUMENT -NATIONAL HEALTH CRISIS COMMITTEE" and "KEEP THIS FOR FURTHER REFERENCE" covered the top part of the piece of paper that I placed onto the tabletop.
WHAT IS THIS DOCUMENT?
This document is meant to provide you and your family with information about the present national health crisis of the Paraherpes outbreak affecting the United States of America. This document has been prepared by experts and it is meant to help you to protect yourself and your family from infection. Please take some time to read this information and show it also to family members who might be unable to read it, such as the children and the elderly. Translations in other languages are available upon request from toll-free numbers listed at the end of the this document and also online at the home page of the National Health Crisis.
WHAT IS THE PARAHERPES OUTBREAK?
The Paraherpes Virus is a pathogen (a micro-organism that can cause you to become sick) related to the herpes viruses that cause the common diseases genital warts, cold sores, chicken pox and shingles. As of present, the Paraherpes has caused a worldwide pandemic affecting all parts of the world, including all of continuous United States of America, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Guam.
WHERE DOES PARAHERPES COME FROM?
Epidemiological studies about the origin of the paraherpes seem to indicate that the disease originated to the Indian subcontinent, where a large number of cases have been reported. International travel has caused the disease to spread to all parts of the world, including The United States. There is no connection to species, race, or origin of furs to the disease, and hence nobody can be blamed for its spread. Everyone appears to be equally susceptible.
HOW DOES PARAHERPES SPREAD?
Paraherpes spreads through intimate physical contact between a healthy person and someone who has the disease (close touching, kissing, sexual intercourse), through bodily fluids (sweat, blood, semen, saliva, tears, pus) and possibly through air if the patient is coughing during the active phase of the disease. The virus may survive on surfaces that have been touched by a sick fur, especially if they have touched their infected skin before touching.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF PARAHERPES AND HOW TO RECOGNIZE THE DISEASE?
After infection, it may take from 3 to 30 days for symptoms to appear. Initial symptoms include headache, soreness of the muscles and joints, headache, nausea, tiredness and fever up to 104F. There may be sore throat, sore maw when swallowing, vomiting, upset stomach and coughing, too.
After three to five days of initial symptoms, furs affected by paraherpes develop a stinging sensation in their skin, which then develops into a red rash. The rash can turn into little vesicles that can burst and spread clear liquid puss. This rash and pustules can appear over any part of the body, but usually over the chest or the back, and the face. The rash is similar to that experienced during chicken pox or shingles. (See illustration 5 for reference)
WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I OR A FAMILY MEMBER BECOMES ILL?
Regular illnesses are still in circulation, and since Paraherpes causes symptoms very similar to many other diseases, it is important to recognize the cases of this potentially serious disease while minimizing both the chance of exposure of others to the disease and excessive strain to the health care system. If someone develops the symptoms listed above, they should stay at home in a warm room, in bed, and stay there until they feel better, or develop the characteristic rash (see illustration 5 for reference) or other more serious symptoms. The fur should not handle food or have contact with outsiders during this period.
If a patient develops the Paraherpes rash or other serious symptoms, you should contact the local emergency medical center for information. They will provide you with instructions and will give you information about medication and services for those affected by Paraherpes.
_ REMEMBER THAT SIMPLY BEING ILL IS NOT NECESSARILY A SIGN OF HAVING PARAHERPES AND DOES NOT REQUIRE HOSPITALIZATION._
HOW TO RECOGNIZE CASES OF SEVERE PARAHERPES?
Approximately 40% of cases (4 out of 10) develop severe infection with Paraherpes and may require medical attention. If anyone who is sick and appears to have Paraherpes develops any of these symptoms, you should contact medical services immediately:
persistent cough
difficulty breathing, feeling faint, unable to walk or stand up
convulsion, seizures, excessive sleepiness, sensitivity to light or rigidity of limbs, won't respond to being spoken to or being touched
violent, confused, or otherwise unusual behavior
blindness, blurred vision, inability to see, sensitivity to light or loss of night vision
persistent high fever
inability to urinate, eat or drink
a rash that covers more than the area of skin the fur's paws can cover
All patients presenting with these symptoms will be taken to specially prepared medical facilities to be treated by our emergency medical staff.
HOW CAN I STOP MYSELF OR MY FAMILY FROM BEING INFECTED?
Paraherpes spreads very easily, but it can be controlled. Paw hygiene is important. You should wash your paws with warm water and soap several times a day, especially always before and after eating, and after using the bathroom. You should avoid touching your face, eyes and maw. Using an alcohol-based paw wash is important. You should avoid contact with anyone knows to be sick with Paraherpes or who appears to be ill. You should avoid crowds, public spaces, and the public transport, unless you have a pressing reason to do so. You should maintain a healthy diet and get enough sleep to stay alert and functioning.
There is currently no vaccine or medication that can prevent the infection, but these are being developed continuously, and will be made available as soon as possible.
WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT DOING TO STOP THIS EPIDEMIC?
All states and the federal government are working together to ease the burden of the national health crisis. All authorities, scientific and medical systems are working at maximum capacity to give the best possible treatment to all victims of the disease, and to prevent its spread. In order to do so, sometimes civil liberties have to be curtailed in order to protect the general public. These special conditions of martial law will be announced whenever needed to protect the general public and the general interests of the United States.
HOW CAN I HELP?
You can contribute to the fight against Paraherpes in many ways. By continuing your normal life to the best of your ability you can contribute to the nation functioning still. You can provide services needed to support the effort. There is also a growing need for voluntary care assistants. If you think you are suitable, you can call us toll free or take an aptitude test online.
WHERE CAN I FIND FURTHER INFORMATION?
You can call us toll free, contact your local National Health Crisis spokesperson, or seek information online at the homepages of the CDC, NIAID and the National Health Crisis.
And that was it. Besides the couple of pages of text, there were photographs, crudely photocopied, that showed furs with a nasty rash over their bodies, along with some close-ups. This was followed by a list of phone numbers and websites, and then an empty page with a header that said "WRITE HERE YOUR OWN IMPORTANT PERSONAL CONTACT NUMBERS, INCLUDING YOUR LOCAL MEDICAL PROVIDER".
"Did you read all of it?" I looked up to Ken who was hovering by my shoulder still, now that I put the papers down.
"Yeah, I did," he said, "It doesn't make it sound so bad, does it?"
It did. No pictures of hazmat suits, airplanes shrouded in plastic, no furs with flamethrowers burning down huts in some third world Indian village, like the images that spread all over on TV before the virus landed onto American soil and suddenly it became all that scarier and furs were already rushing to buy every surgical mask and Chlorox bottle they could find.
"It's meant to calm you down, not to make you even more scared with this shit," I said.
"So do you think they're lying?" Ken asked.
"No," I said, "I don't think so. I'm just saying that it seems that it's simply no saying everything, or not all of it might be what we think it means, at least at first sight."
"What do you mean?"
I tapped the tabletop. I felt tired, but felt that odd, nervous excitement that came upon me as of late, easily, whenever this danger to out society was being approached.
"Well it says that almost half of the furs who get ill become so sick that they need to see a doctor, or to go to a hospital, or something."
"That's how I understood it, yeah."
"So what does that mean?" I suggested. "It means that there's a lot of furs going to the hospital, a lot more than usually so."
"Well, you know some furs, they hear there's a disease and they think immediately that they have it," he rumbled.
"I didn't mean just that," I said, "I mean, there's going to be a lot of furs who are really sick and need a lot of help."
"Well, that too," he nodded, "it did say 40 percent.."
"And how are they going to treat everyone? How are they going to treat everyone else who is sick? It's not like everything else disappears."
"Well, my aunt's varicous veins operation was cancelled because they need all the beds, they told her, my mother told me on the phone," Ken said.
"They can't cancel everything, though, can they?" I wondered.
"I guess not," he shrugged, "guess we better not get sick, or hit over by a car, or get this herpes thing, either."
"Yeah," I told him, and smiled a bit, and ruffled his side, and he smiled, too.
"How about we fix some dinner and watch some stupid TV to unwind?" I suggested.
"Yay!" Ken beamed.
We did as much, ate nicely, cuddled and nuzzled and watched the TV then, and it showed a world where the biggest worry had something to do about a senior prom dress, and all that really took me away, for a moment. Though Ken was still chuckling, and I still played with his ears, my mind was starting to wander.
They want us to take care of the sick at home, I thought. Homes filled with sick furs with rash over them, feeling terrified they'll get even sicker and die. They can't take them to the hospitals. The hospitals are for the really sick ones.
So how would they define who was sick enough to warrant treatment in a hospital, by doctors, nurses, with all the drugs, machines and equipment at their disposal? What if there was a system...that they'd turn away those who seemed not sick enough, or too sick to be nothing but a strain on the system? Was there an equation, a calculation of odds about whether someone would make it with or without the medicine...what if someone had a 20% chance of survival without it and 25% survival with it...who would make those decisions?
I looked at Ken and he was laughing, and wondered what it'd be like if he would be lying in the bedroom...shivering with fever and resisting the urge to scratch a painful, itching rash oozing with virus...possibly trying desperately to see me with his blind eyes. They said many had gone blind when the virus hit the eyes or the brain...there were rumors of furs going insane...or disabled, drooling and unable to feed themselves, or speak...there had been so many personal stories, back in the time when the cases were counted in single digit numbers and the hysterical wearing of face masks still seemed like just that, hysteria.
Could I do it? Could I wipe his brow and coax him to eat, possibly while I was counting the days when I would get a fever, start coughing, itching and possibly dying.
And would Ken do that for me?
Would someone do it for us if we both got sick at the same time?
Would someone do it for anyone?
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Thank you for reading! Hope you had an interesting time, and I look forward to hearing your feedback"