No Dawn Without Darkness
I tackle him. He falls onto the reception desk. I pin his arms with my knees. His head hits the window frame Heath broke forever ago. I crawl on top of him. This all started because of him. My hands wrap around his neck. Everything was fine before his people started the stupid war. I have him over the edge of the window frame. I had a gang before he broke them apart. Shards of broken glass cut his skin, and his blood runs over my fingers.
He’s glaring up at me.
Then his face changes.
His eyes widen. Mouth falls open.
He’s afraid.
Knife-fist, afraid?
Of what?
Of me.
I start to sweat. He’s not moving. His head lolls over the edge of the window frame. I’m sweating so much, it’s running off my scalp, down my forehead, across my nose. Drops fall onto Knife-fist’s dead face. I hate this guy. He tried to kill me. And yet I pull away so I don’t drip on him. The sweat hits my burned cheek and the skin flares anew. Snot runs out of my nose.
I crawl off Knife-fist and stumble back into the mall.
Then somewhere outside, thunder booms.
An explosion?
Does it matter?
Glass shatters. Light, brighter than a thousand headlamps, shines down from above.
The central skylight has dropped inward. Black smoke belches out into clear blue.
It’s sunlight. It’s blinding.
• • •
The sick guy I dragged from the back has risen from the dead and finds me.
“Is it—?” he asks, arm shielding his eyes from the strip of sunlight. I guess he’s too afraid to say over.
It doesn’t feel over.
“Attention, shoppers.” The voice is alien, shouting down at us like a god.
Can they seriously be calling us shoppers?
The sky is so blue, it seems fake. Using my hand as a visor, I scan the rim of black ceiling and find a person clad in a blue hazmat suit holding a megaphone perched on the edge of the roof.
“May I have your attention.”
Like we’re paying attention to anything else.
“The quarantine has been suspended. Emergency fire and rescue personnel have been brought in to control the blaze. Please make your way to the central courtyard. We are working on an exit strategy.”
Mike.
I need Mike.
I stumble forward, out of the mall offices, down the escalator, and run for the food court. I step over a girl whose leg is bent the wrong way. Two kids stand frozen mid-fight, fists gripping each other’s clothing, and stare up at the tear in our universe.
“Smell the air?” one says.
“It’s cold,” replies the other.
“Mike!” I yell.
Some people are crying. Some are running toward the escalators, racing to the central courtyard, desperate to be processed. Some reach a hand out to help those who can’t run on their own.
“Mike!” I scream.
He’s not near the carousel or the twisted remains of the Ferris wheel. I look across the food court, past the stream of people. A shadow moves in the billowing smoke on the other side.
“Mike!”
The smoke and flames blow sideways, first one way, then the other, as the clean air flows down and the hot, dead air of the mall rushes out. A cloud separates and I catch Mike’s legs, then his body, then his elbow, bent.
Glock barrel against his head.
“Don’t you dare!” My words catch. Tears shred my face.
He stumbles deeper into the smoke.
I chase him into the atrium.
“Get away from me,” he says, still holding the gun to his head.
“We walk out of here together.”
He pushes me away. “Tell them I had the flu.”
I punch him in the gut, and make a grab for the gun.
The gunshot is deafening. My hand feels like it’s been ripped in two.
“What the hell?” Mike rasps.
I fall to my knees, tuck my hand into my belly. So much pain. But also no pain, just a fizz, my whole body dissolving.
Mike grabs my shoulder, shakes me hard. “I only had the one bullet,” he yells. “I was saving it!”
“You shot me,” I say.
“I was fucking saving it!”
The smoke is thick, and I can’t see his face.
“I can’t walk out of here without you,” I say.
Mike lets go of my shoulder. I hear footsteps. He’s leaving me.
Then the smoke shifts. And Mike is wrapping my hand in something. He didn’t leave. I drop my head against his chest.
When I come to, he is dragging me, my arm slung across his shoulders, out into the light.
TRANSCRIPT
WSCL Channel 9 News
November 22, 20— 09:30 A.M. EST
KYRA HUNTLEY, WSCL REPORTER: Good morning, I’m here at the Shops at Stonecliff to witness the demolition of what was once the twenty-fifth-largest mall in the country. With me are hundreds of observers, including some of the people who only three weeks ago were trapped inside this gigantic structure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP: Exterior Perimeter, Shops at Stonecliff 11/22/-- 08:34 A.M. EST)
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: I had to come back. I had to see the end of this.
HUNTLEY: Did you lose someone inside?
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Didn’t we all?
(END CLIP)
The quarantine inside the mall officially ended on Tuesday, November first, after nearly three weeks of continuous confinement for the thousands of innocent workers and shoppers who were inside when a bomb went off, releasing a deadly virus. Government officials terminated the quarantine after being notified that a fire was burning out of control in the top floor of the complex. Families camped outside the perimeter fence, this twenty-foot tall, electrified and razor-wire topped wall behind me, were uprooted to allow entry to scores of fire trucks and emergency vehicles. Helicopters dumped water on the roof above Baxter’s Books, where authorities indicated the fire started. The government maintains its denial that this fire was part of a plan to exterminate the quarantined people, thereby eliminating the deadly flu.
Even as fire and rescue teams attempted to control the blaze, teams from the Centers for Disease Control worked to save the people trapped inside.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP: Helicopter footage, Exterior Shops at Stonecliff 11/1/-- 2:00 P.M. EST)
The mall’s original entrances were sealed at the start of the quarantine, and so narrow openings had to be punched into the concrete bunkers. Representatives from the CDC donned hazmat suits to receive each person as they were evacuated. Individuals were stripped of their ragged clothing, then escorted into showers where they were sprayed with disinfectant. After leaving the showers, survivors were conducted under a large pavilion of tents set up on the parking lot grounds.
Onlookers were astonished to see the haggard shoppers stagger out into the afternoon sun. Many of those released held hands up to their eyes, as if they’d been in darkness for an extended period of time. The survivors’ skin also looked dirty, like they were covered in soot, and their clothes were black and torn.
(END CLIP)
HUNTLEY: I have here with me Jillian Foster, who survived the mall and came back to witness its demolition. Good morning, Ms. Foster.
JILLIAN FOSTER: Good morning.
HUNTLEY: What brought you back here today?
FOSTER: I needed to see it destroyed. I needed to be here, to witness it for myself. I think it will help me feel like I’m really out of there.
HUNTLEY: Are you saying you still feel like you’re inside the mall?
FOSTER: Some part of me will always be inside that mall.
HUNTLEY: Thank you. Here is another man who has come to witness the demolition. Sir, were you confined in the mall?
KEITH ROSENMAN: (Unintelligible, staring off-camera.)
HUNTLEY: I’m sorry, could you repeat that?
KEITH ROSENMAN: It’s such a big place. They
say they searched everywhere, but it’s so big.
HUNTLEY: Yes . . . sir . . . Thank you. (Walks away.)
For an additional two weeks, the survivors were held for treatment and processing on site in the parking lot surrounding the mall. CDC officials, including Director Lillian Knight, claimed that they were being monitored for any signs of infection. She had this to say at the time:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP: Press Tent, Perimeter – Shops at Stonecliff 11/1/-- 1:55 P.M. EST)
LILLIAN KNIGHT, DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: Although we have deemed it safe to allow the quarantined individuals to leave the confines of the mall itself, we are not yet ready to allow them to have contact with the outside world. Doctors on the premises will monitor all the survivors for signs of infection over the next fourteen days, which is the maximum incubation period observed for this virus.
In addition, any individuals exhibiting signs of illness or injury will be held indefinitely until our doctors clear them for reentry into the general population.
(END CLIP)
HUNTLEY: During this time, visitors were denied contact with the survivors, which led to several altercations with the National Guard who maintained the perimeter around the mall. Many families were angry that the government failed to release the names of the dead as soon as they were identified. Others complained that anyone who had been injured during the course of the quarantine should be visited by legal counsel before treatment so that the extent of their injury could be documented for future lawsuits.
This complaint was addressed by John Fletcher, Deputy Director of the Department of Homeland Security and point person for the quarantine management team.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP: Press Tent, Perimeter – Shops at Stonecliff 11/5/-- 2:30 P.M. EST)
DEPUTY FLETCHER: All of those recorded as having been a part of this quarantine, whether detained in the primary quarantine site, or held under house arrest, have been offered a settlement with respect to any and all legal claims associated with their internment. These reparations are being given on the condition that the individual or their estate waive any and all claims against the government and its agents, and the mall and individual stores, regarding the quarantine, and that the survivors sign a non-disclosure agreement.
In offering these reparations, we hope to compensate these innocent victims of terrorism for any lost wages or other costs incurred as a result of the quarantine, bringing a swift resolution to a trying time in the nation’s history.
In addition, the events of the actual quarantine have been classified as a matter of national security. Participants in the quarantine have been apprised of the sensitive nature of the procedures employed during the quarantine. These procedures will be reviewed to prepare us in the event of another attack of this nature. Maintaining a level of security around this information may help us in that unfortunate event.
(END CLIP)
HUNTLEY: When those quarantined were finally let out of the perimeter, one week ago, it was a scene of overwhelming joy for those families reunited with their loved ones. For the survivors, it was a long-overdue trip home, though some individuals who required continued care were instead transferred to permanent medical facilities for the duration of their recovery. For many, however, the day brought nothing but grief.
Before the detainees were released, families of those who did not survive were contacted privately. A complete list of casualties was later distributed to the public. We will be running the list of those dead at the end of this broadcast.
The list provoked confusion and outright denial, much of this fueled by the CDC’s decision not to release the remains of the victims. Lillian Knight again:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP: Press Tent, Perimeter – Shops at Stonecliff 11/15/-- 12:35 P.M. EST)
DIRECTOR KNIGHT: Unfortunately, to ensure that the original Stonecliff Flu virus remains contained, we have determined that none of the bodies can be removed from the premises. Any individuals who passed away either during the quarantine or post-quarantine detainment period will be cremated on site. The quarantine facility, formerly the Shops at Stonecliff, will be destroyed in its entirety. Given the public health risk, it will not be possible to individually confirm the identities of the dead.
I understand that this will be difficult for many of you. This was a difficult choice for us to make. But the safety of the population at large is of paramount importance. I extend my condolences to all the families receiving bad tidings today.
(END CLIP)
HUNTLEY: I have with me Keith and Debbie Rosenman. They lost their daughter, Diane, during the quarantine. In lieu of a funeral, the Rosenmans invited family and friends to witness the demolition.
(Turns to Rosenmans) I’m so sorry for your loss. I understand your daughter was a college student at a nearby university?
DEBORAH ROSENMAN: Yes, she was studying fashion design. She came to the mall every weekend. She called it studying, and even if it wasn’t the cheapest course of study for us, it allowed her to express her passions. She had her own style, and she was never afraid to show it. (Shows framed portrait.)
My husband and I decided to hold the funeral today, here, seeing as this will be her last resting place. But it was also a special place to her. We wanted to be here for her, to say good-bye.
HUNTLEY: The Rosenmans are not alone in this sentiment. We have confirmed that at least seventy-five different funeral services have been conducted this morning on the grounds.
KEITH ROSENMAN: (Interrupting) Diane played hockey. She was a tough girl—gentle, still Daddy’s girl, but tough. And she never got sick. Diane was a survivor. I can’t believe she wouldn’t have survived.
HUNTLEY: I’m so sorry, Mr. Rosenman. Thank you for your time.
John Fletcher, Deputy Director of the Department of Homeland Security, has stepped up to the press podium.
DEPUTY FLETCHER: Good morning. Since the beginning of the quarantine, the FBI has been coordinating with local and state law enforcement in the investigation of the attack on the mall. Early on, all relevant evidence was recovered from the scene, including the bomb used in the attack and samples of the virus taken from inside the mall’s ventilation ducts, as well as surveillance tapes from both the mall and surrounding buildings. This evidence has been under evaluation by top investigative teams. Preliminary findings have resulted in promising leads that are being pursued by teams in the field.
After the end of the quarantine and the mall’s evacuation, teams in protective suits initiated a room-by-room search of the entire facility with assistance from rescue dogs and thermal-imaging technology. Any survivors were identified and removed from the building. We have confirmed that any and all living people have been evacuated from the structure.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can’t be sure!
HUNTLEY: I believe that was Keith Rosenman?
DEPUTY FLETCHER: Sir, please do not interrupt. Yes, we are sure. We have taken every measure to ensure that every living being has been removed from the building.
With respect to the demolition of the structure itself, the process is two-fold. To ensure that all biological remains within the mall are incinerated, a powerful incendiary device will be set off inside the mall. To demolish the building itself, a second series of explosives will be detonated. These explosives are the more common ones used in the demolition of structures.
To honor those who lost their lives during the quarantine, we invite New York State Senator Dorothy Ross to initiate the detonation. Senator Ross was instrumental in both containing the initial threat posed by the bomb, and in maintaining order during the course of the quarantine. We thank you for your service. The demolition will now commence.
HUNTLEY: The clock behind Deputy Fletcher has lit up with a countdown. Ten seconds, nine.
Wait, Charlie, change the shot, over there! A car has just crashed through the fence near the gate!
MECHANICAL ANNOUNCEMENT: FIVE, FOUR
HUNTLEY: Someone, stop the countdown!
THREE
There’s a man in the
TWO
perimeter!
ONE
(END CLIP)
L
E
X
I
CHAT WITH D-MASTER
Guess who?
If it isn’t Lexi Ross.
You were released how long ago and you’re only texting me now?
I was busy recovering from almost dying. Then my mom had to get me a new phone, and I had to convince the ICU people to let me use it. The Senator had to pull rank, I think. It’s been a whole thing.
I’ll think about forgiving you.
How long is that going to take?
Let’s see. Five, four, three, two—
Forgiven.
When are you coming home?
Not sure. ICU people are all nervous. They keep checking my machines, taking notes, frowning.
Not cool. Want me to rescue you?
Not sure rescuing is the best idea.
Might actually still be in need of medical attention.
Want a visitor?
A visitor would be nice
R
Y
A
N
Bleacher seats suck. Sitting on the hard, cold metal in the November breeze feels like being on a shelf in a meat locker. I haven’t watched a football game from the bleachers in years, and never a Turkey Bowl game.