Containment - The Complete Series
Containment: The Complete Series
Matthew Staggs
Published by Matthew Staggs, 2018.
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
CONTAINMENT: THE COMPLETE SERIES
First Edition. October 11, 2018
Copyright © 2018 Matthew Staggs.
Written by Matthew Staggs.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Containment: The Complete Series
CONTAINMENT | BOOK 1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
QUARANTINE | BOOK 2
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
59
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
ERADICATION | BOOK 3
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
ZERO | A CONTAINMENT STORY
ZERO
About the Author
Before you begin...
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Be sure to check out an exclusive short story set in the world of Containment at the end of this book, available as a bonus with this box set! And remember to head over to Amazon after you’re done and leave a review. It does me a world of good and helps to get my books in front of more readers’ eyes.
Enjoy!
CONTAINMENT
BOOK 1
1
Martin Gratz blasted the heater in the minivan, as much for his benefit as it was for the three kids in the back. The sky was overcast, denying them the benefit of the sun’s warmth through the windows, and the wind made sure no object was left untouched by the November air. As much as he knew it was a combination of the chilly wind and clouds in the sky, he couldn’t help but notice how gray it made the small town seem.
The twins, Caleb and Alex sat in the far back seat, both glued to their respective tablets, but were not above annoying each other with the unwanted tap on their counterpart’s screen. Jaylynn sat contently strapped into her car seat, looking out the window with a smile that reminded Martin of how young and innocent she was.
Aside from the other cars, the street was generally empty. Not surprisingly, the chill kept most people indoors, and those that weren’t bothered by it were still wary of strangers or anyone that might be carrying The Spot.
Martin turned onto Main Street, lined on either side by old-looking shops meant to evoke the nostalgia of yesteryear. On the right, he passed Luigi’s Pizza and Pasta and noticed that the normally-bare brick wall now had a large advertisement on it. Times were tough for everyone, but it was a surprise that such a popular restaurant was feeling the effects as well.
As he drove closer, he saw that it wasn’t an advertisement so much as a public service announcement from everyone’s favorite federal agency. The poster was plastered over the brick in bright yellow, with red words outlined in black. It took up the entire side of the wall, nearly fifteen feet, and read: “Stay Aware. Stay Safe. Be Vigilant At All Times.” Below, in a smaller font, it continued: “Be on the lookout for any signs of The Spot. Inform your local CDC office if you see any indications of the disease. Don’t stay quiet and let The Spot take hold again.” The fine print, if you could call six-inch letters that, read: “Property of the Center for Disease Control,” and listed the obligatory phone number and website where they could be reached if you encountered any suspicious persons.
He gave a slight shake of his head and tapped the steering wheel as he passed. Who were they kidding? No one would ever rat someone else out unless they were an evil bastard with a vendetta. Anyone who knew anything about the CDC knew that just mentioning someone else would put them under the spotlight, too. It was so contagious that whenever there was an outbreak, all neighbors were investigated just to be safe. And the CDC was not known for taking chances.
Martin stopped at the red light, and looked to his left as a squad car pulled up next to him and rolled down the window. He quickly saw that it was Officer Ga
rrett, a friend, and rolled down his window as well.
“Martin, how’s it going?”
“Doing just fine, Gerry. You?”
“Can’t complain. Haven’t seen much of you around lately. Everything going all right?”
“Just work. Been working late some nights. Plus four kids, you know how it is.”
The officer chuckled. “I won’t hold it against you, then.” With another wave, he pulled away as the light turned green.
Martin let him pull away before rolling out into the intersection. Garrett was a friend, and someone Martin felt like he could trust. But after passing the glaring CDC sign, anyone with a badge made him that much more nervous.
A few minutes later, the van pulled into the Gratz’ neighborhood. It was a nice street and a nice community, which stood out against the less-hospitable rest of the town. While they hadn’t yet gotten snow, the leaves were falling off the trees in droves, and Martin waved as the elderly Mr. and Mrs. Sipowitz raked leaves on their front lawn. They smiled as he waved, without slowing their pace gathering burn piles.
On the steps of their house stood his oldest child, Judy-Anne. Hardly a child being a senior in high school, but he couldn’t help but think that she looked cold, wrapping herself up in her jacket on the steps. She was looking across at their neighbors, the Blackstones, where his friend Jesse was ushering his son into the house. He had a serious look, and Aiden didn’t look particularly happy either.
He pulled the van into the driveway and leaned over to wave to Jesse. It went unnoticed as the two hurried into their house and shut the door.
Not forgetting the serious look on their neighbor’s face, Martin set about unloading the kids from the van. Unstrapping Jaylynn from her car seat, he looked over his shoulder to ask Judy-Anne for a hand, but when he turned she had already gone inside.
Inside, Lisbeth was already working on dinner, and he was at once overwhelmed by the warmth and smells of his home compared to the chilly air outside. The twins ran up the stairs to their room while Jaylynn made a bee-line for the refrigerator.
“Did Judy-Anne say anything to you when she came in?” asked Martin. Lisbeth looked over her shoulder and shook her head, giving him a confused look. “She was standing outside when I pulled up. Jesse and Aiden looked like they pulled up just before me and didn’t look happy. I thought maybe she had mentioned something to you.”
“No, didn’t say a word, just headed upstairs.”
Martin walked up behind Lisbeth and placed his hands on her shoulders. He gave her a quick peck on her cheek and looked over her shoulder at what she was making.
Lisbeth, aside from being an excellent homemaker and mother to her four children, was an exceptional cook. Each of her children had their own favorite meal, made for them and the rest of the family to enjoy once a month, and on birthdays. The Gratz children were different from most other kids, in that given the choice between having a home cooked meal and delivered pizza, they always chose their mother’s cooking.
It was the first Friday of the month, and Judy-Anne’s turn to pick the meal. Before leaving for school in a rush that morning, Lisbeth had pressed her oldest daughter for her choice. Despite the hurry, Judy-Anne had yelled out “Mexican lasagna” before bolting out the door.
When the family finally gathered around the table, both Martin and Lisbeth noticed their daughter’s lack of appetite, despite her favorite meal in front of her. She sat at the kitchen table, staring down at the casserole, pushing the bits of tortilla, kidney beans, and ground beef around with her fork. She was so absent-minded that when Lisbeth tried to pull her into a conversation, she had to be reminded what everyone was talking about.
“Honey? Did you hear me?”
Judy-Anne sat up straight, still holding her fork in her hand, and placing the other in her lap. “I’m sorry, no, I wasn’t listening.”
“I asked why you weren’t eating? This is your favorite. Are you feeling okay?”
Judy-Anne took in a deep breath and gave her mother her best-contrived smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s great, mom.”
“Great? I appreciate the compliment, but you haven’t taken one bite. Are you sure you’re not sick?”
“Maybe she’s got The Spot!” blurted Alex with a big smile, fighting to contain a mouthful of food.
Judy-Anne’s heart sank, and her eyes went wide. She stared at her brother, who sat unfazed, kicking his feet beneath his chair.
“Shut up, Alex!”
“Judy-Anne!”
“Hey,” Martin finally chimed in. “Alex was only kidding, don’t tell your brother to shut up. And Alex, that’s not funny. That’s not something we joke about. Not in this house, not anywhere.”
Judy-Anne dropped her fork onto her plate and sat back against the chair. Much more quietly, Lisbeth followed suit. She turned in her chair to fully face her daughter. “Honey, if something’s wrong, you know you can tell me, right? Are you sure nothing’s bothering you?”
“Mom, it’s fine. I feel fine. Okay?” She gave her mother a harsh look, and instantly felt ashamed when her mother’s demeanor slumped, shriveling away almost physically from the conversation. She wanted to apologize to her mother, but something kept her mouth shut, kept the words from bubbling out. Carefully picking up her fork again, she stabbed at a piece of the food, and took an unwelcome bite. She wasn’t hungry anymore, but knew that she needed to stuff something in her mouth for the sake of appearances.
That evening, with all the children off in their own worlds, Martin and Lisbeth sat on the couch, the television so loud they didn’t hear Judy-Anne creep up. She stood in the doorway to the living room toying with her fingers, unsure of how to broach the topic. If the television wasn’t on so loud, perhaps just the sound of her footsteps on the wood floor would tip her parents off that someone had come downstairs, and they would be hurled into conversation. Accepting the fact that this wasn’t going to happen, she cleared her throat, loud enough to be heard.
Both Martin and Lisbeth looked up, their eyebrows arched in curiosity at who had crept up on them so late in the evening.
“Judy-Anne?” said Lisbeth, tenderly. “Are you okay?”
Judy-Anne guessed that she must have looked nervous or guilty, or both. She took a deep breath and stepped forward into the living room, opening her mouth to speak, but instead looked up at the television. Lisbeth took the hint and muted the set, while Martin looked on with anticipation.
“Not quite. I think I’m sick.”
Lisbeth rose from the couch. Instinctively, she put a hand up to Judy-Anne’s forehead. She held her daughter’s face in her hands and turned it side to side, getting a good look at Judy-Anne’s eyes and skin for anything that would signal something out of the ordinary.
“Well, you don’t feel hot, but you do look a little pale. Do you feel nauseous, honey?”
Judy-Anne hesitated. “Yes, but I don’t think that’s what’s making me sick.”
Martin had looked back down at his phone while Lisbeth tended to Judy-Anne. Without looking up, he asked “Did you eat something funny at school? They don’t make food there like they used to, you know.”
“No, that’s not it.”
“Well,” Lisbeth said, and lowered her voice to just above a whisper, “is it something you just need to talk to me about? Something that has to do with being a girl?”
Judy-Anne felt uncontrolled emotion rise up within her. It would have been one thing if her parents had been in a bad mood like she expected. But they seemed so happy, so content, without a care in the world. Her mother was acting just like a mother should, ready to take care of her child. She now had to break that peace and tell her something that no mother in the world could fix.
Tears began to pool in her eyes. She turned so that she was standing sidelong to Lisbeth, who took a cautious step back, unsure what was going on. Judy-Anne lifted the left sleeve of her shirt, exposing the skin. She turned and looked the other way, not wanting to see how her mother would react.
Lisbeth gasped, let out the breath and gasped again. Soon it evolved into heavy, panicked breathing, her body convulsing with each breath as she stared at The Spot that had been exposed on Judy-Anne’s shoulder. Her eyes were wide with fear, and her hands covered her mouth as tears flowed down the sides of her cheeks.
2
Martin, who hadn’t been paying particularly close attention, looked up at the sound of his wife’s gasp and followed her gaze to Judy-Anne’s shoulder. His phone dropped to the floor, and he shot to his feet. His body seized with tension and his arms were frozen by his sides, but his knees shook as though powerless. His eyes went wide like Lisbeth’s, but his mouth stayed closed. He clenched his jaw, and stared at the spots on his daughter’s shoulder.
Judy-Anne stood there, silently weeping while she waited for her parents to say something, anything to break the silence. It felt as if she were standing for hours before she heard the shuffle of feet. Martin dashed across the living room to the window, frantically twisting the plastic rod to shut the blinds. When that was done, he raced across to the other side of the house, doing the same. He repeated the process with each window until there was no sign of the night sky from inside the lower level of the house.
Lisbeth collapsed onto the couch, her hands still covering her face, but not tight enough to keep the tears from seeping through and down her arm. She shook heavily as she sobbed, unable to look at her daughter. Not out of shame, but as though she had already lost her.
Realizing that no one was paying attention to her, Judy-Anne lowered the sleeve of her shirt and crossed her arms, the warm house suddenly chilly, and sat next to her mother on the couch. Lisbeth felt the shift in the cushions and looked up at her daughter sitting distraught next to her. Without warning, she threw her arms around Judy-Anne and continued to cry, letting the tears soak her daughter’s shirt.
Martin stepped back into the living room, pausing in the doorway as he watched his wife and daughter crying on the couch. Until now, he had been thinking only of defending his family from what came from beyond the walls of his house, his castle. As a father, he had remained strong, but now the enemy was inside. They had been invaded, and it had taken him by complete surprise.
He could no longer bear the sight of his family so broken and beaten. Martin slowly and cautiously made his way around to the front of the couch and knelt down in front of the women, putting his arms around them both. All three heads touched together in a crying huddle, and together they let their emotions pour onto each other and the floor.