What Remains: Quarantine, page 9
This continued for an hour before they were relieved, and they took a small break, heading back to their tent.
“Do you think it will stay like this?” Asked Arata.
“I hope so, because while its boring, at least we aren't dealing with crazy people attacking each other,” stated Yuuto.
“I guess you are right. Do you think it will be as bad as they said? I meant we haven't even heard any reports of the infected people yet.”
Yuuto looked around to make sure the lieutenant wasn't nearby, “I think it could be, there's no other reason to have us out here. We are deep in the city. I would imagine that we wouldn't see any sign of the infection until early next week. I don't understand why we don't have any sort of protective gear at all. For the matter, we aren't even allowed to talk about it to anyone, all this secrecy about it means something bad is happening. I hope deploying us will help stop the spread. I have faith we will come out of this on top.”
“We will just watch each other’s backs, and we should be fine then,” stated Arata.
✽ ✽ ✽
Isamu sat waiting still for his supervisor to give him something. It was beginning to look like he would never get assigned. After sitting in the lounge room watching TV with the other few bus drivers that hadn't been assigned, his supervisor came into the room. They all jumped up ready to hear what he had to say.
“In a couple of hours, the drivers I sent out are going to need to be replaced, and we are going to start running overnight. I will only need a few replacements, as the curfew is in effect. Is anyone able to work overnight until told otherwise?”
A few raised their hands, six in total. Isamu watched as his supervisor took those six into his office to give them routes. Isamu would have offered, but he didn't like driving around at night. Instead, he chose to wait for another assignment. He had a feeling it wouldn't come today.
Two hours later it was the end of the day, and his supervisor told those who didn't have a route to go home. As Isamu and several others started to leave he saw the drivers that had been sent out return. He followed several others who wanted to ask the other drivers what it was like.
“Hey! You are back. What was it like out there?” asked one of the bus drivers to the returning bus drivers.
The returning bus driver stopped walking and turned to answer, “Where do I begin? They had us driving sick people around for hours, taking them from those checkpoints they have set up and taking them to hospitals.”
“They just had you drive sick people to the hospital?” asked another bus driver.
“They had a couple of soldiers escort them too. The people seemed almost scared. I wasn’t allowed to talk to them, and they weren’t allowed to talk to me. One lady tried to talk to me, and the soldier aimed his gun at her and told her to sit down and shut up.”
“Why would he do that?” someone asked.
“I don’t know, but it made me not want to talk to them. It was weird, the military only gathered sick people though. I thought the Martial Law was because of the riots in nearby towns, and these people were too sick to start a riot. I am sure they had their reasons though.”
All the bus drivers began talking amongst themselves, as the returning bus driver left. They all seemed a little worried by what he had told them. Isamu thought that surely the military had a good reason for ordering people around and taking the sick to hospitals like those that they did. They were put in charge for a reason, and that reason was the public's safety.
As odd as it was, he was happy they were doing something about whatever was going on. It meant his friends and family were safe, and that’s what mattered most to him. Isamu started to make his way home, thinking about how grateful he was the military was here. He made sure to thank the two soldiers who stopped him on his way home.
✽ ✽ ✽
Yuuto sat down for another briefing; he was glad to be off his feet, as he had been patrolling most of the day. He waited with Arata in the main tent for the rest of his squad to arrive. He hoped it wouldn't be a lengthy briefing because he would be allowed to sleep after. The others in the tent made small talk waiting for Diachi to arrive.
The lieutenant arrived a few minutes later, quickly moving into the tent and began his report. They all stood, waiting for him to tell them at ease. He watched Diachi, and he seemed more unnerved than usual.
“I just got off the radio with command... Sorry, at ease,” everyone collectively let out a sigh and sat down, “...it seems that the infection has finally made it to the outlying section of the city, in the north. Now, it’s only a few cases, and most were...uh...handled. They have the city buses already driving people at checkpoints to the hospitals in areas where the infection was spotted.
Public transportation will continue to drive those civilians that fail inspection to hospitals for tomorrow. Command said we should be receiving our transports for the infected soon. Public transit will then begin evacuating those who will be in direct quarantine zones outside of the city afterward.
Now, I want you all to be extremely vigilant out there. Handle any situation with some degree of discretion. We are still keeping this out of the public eye. Things might be more chaotic in the next few days. Dismissed,” Diachi leaving hurriedly.
Yuuto didn't like the sound of more chaos heading their way. What was he to do though? He had a job, and if didn't do it, who would? With that in mind, he retired back to his cot.
Chapter 8
Isamu arrived at the depot hoping today was the day that he finally got his route and had something to do. His supervisor was waiting for them outside the offices, holding a clipboard. He still looked as though he hadn't sleep in a few days.
“I have a few more routes for you all, and replacement drivers so we can keep the buses going around the clock. It seems you will all be getting schedules at some point today; all drivers have been asked in. As I am sure you asked the drivers that I have already sent out, we are tasked with moving civilians to hospitals after the military has asked for a pickup.”
“I will ask you in groups to see me, and I will assign you after that. Any further questions I will answer when I know more,” Isamu’s supervisor said before leading them all inside.
Isamu followed the others inside and waited to have a route assigned. His supervisor called in a couple at a time, assigning one bus driver the day shift, and the other the night shift. They slowly dwindled down until there was only a third of them left. An hour had passed, and he began to wonder if he was going to chosen last, if at all.
“Isamu! Hiro! Come into my office,” the bus supervisor called out.
Isamu felt contempt as he got up and walked into his supervisor’s office. Hiro followed him in, closing the door behind him.
His supervisor let out a hefty sigh as if tired of his job, “So, you too will be the day and night shifts for Meguro prefecture. I have you, Isamu, as day and, Hiro, you as the night shift. Does that work for both of you?”
“That works for me!” Said Isamu.
Hiro nodded in agreement too.
“Thank god, you are the first two drivers I haven't had to switch. Isamu, you will start as soon as you can, I have a rough route for you here,” his supervisor said.
He handed him a printed-out map with a route that followed along all the paths to schools, and hospitals in the area, “Hiro, I want you to report back here at midnight to relieve Isamu.”
“You will have a military escort with you inside the bus, for your protection as you will be transporting civilians that have been detained by the military. If they ask you to deviate from the route I have given you, do so without question. We want these transfers to be as smooth as possible. Isamu take your bus and meet your military escort here,” his supervisor pointed at the route, “and Hiro I will see you later,” his supervisor stated.
Isamu took his leave and climbed into his bus and started it up. He left the bus depot and began his drive to meet up with his military escort. It sounded extremely odd saying that he needed a military guard, but he didn't question orders.
✽ ✽ ✽
Yuuto watched as the bus pulled up to the checkpoint, and a middle-aged man stepped out, looking as lost as a child. Arata and himself had been assigned to be the escorts for the buses that were to drive the sick people to the hospitals. He wasn't thrilled about babysitting sick people, but at least he got to drive around the city a bit. Arata moved to greet the bus driver.
“Hello, we are going to be your escort,” Arata said point back at Yuuto.
The driver nodded, “My name is Isamu. Are…uh…you guys ready to go?”
“Yes, sir. I assume they informed you of the route?” asked Arata.
Isamu nodded again. He looked nervous and almost afraid. Yuuto slung his rifle over his shoulder, climbed onto the bus, and took a seat behind Isamu. Arata sat opposite of Yuuto, and Isamu closed the bus doors. Two soldiers waved them forward, and the bus moved past the checkpoint. They moved slowly down the road, Isamu doing his best to try to avoid certain parts with heavy traffic.
No one spoke the entire ride to their next stop, which was another school. The soldiers waved them into the checkpoint, and they parked alongside the two military trucks next to the tent inside the checkpoint. Another soldier came out from the tent to greet them.
“Stay here, I’ll talk to him,” Arata said leaving the bus to talk to the soldier.
Yuuto and Isamu sat in silence once more, both watching Arata talk to the soldier. Shortly after, Arata walked back towards the bus, and the soldier went back into a tent.
Yuuto finally spoke, as Arata got closer, “How many?”
Arata looked at him funny, and then looked at Isamu, “Only one, shouldn’t be a problem.”
The soldier that Arata had been talking to then appeared from the tent and was escorting a woman whose hands were bound. She looked terrified, and as though she had been crying for hours. Isamu started to feel his palms sweat, and anxiety began to creep into every pore of his body. He began to question whether he was comfortable doing this; his heartbeat drowned out everything else.
The woman tried to push against the door struggling as much as she could, but the soldiers forced her into the bus. For an awkward moment, her and Isamu's eyes met. Her eyes pled with him to help, begging him to stop the soldiers. Isamu quickly looked forward, trying to pretend that he did not make eye contact with her. Arata and Yuuto both sat down staring at the woman.
A garbled noise came from behind Isamu, but he did not hear what it was. He slowly turned around. One of the soldiers was attempting to talk to him.
“We are ready, head to the next checkpoint!” Stated Yuuto.
“Uh...yeah, sure.” Said Isamu, stupidly.
He closed the door and put the bus in gear, slowly moving forward. Everyone, except for the woman, was quiet; she had begun crying again. Isamu drove to the next checkpoint the whole time wondering what the woman had done; maybe she was sick like his coworker had stated. Before he knew it, he was stopped at the next checkpoint and watched as Arata left to talk to another soldier.
“Please...” the woman said quietly.
“Quiet!” Order Yuuto.
“Just let me go...I didn't do anything wrong,” she pleaded.
Yuuto ignored her. Arata started to walk back to them. The soldier he had been talking to walked back into the tent. Isamu waited for them to bring out another pleading person.
“They don't have anyone for us,” said Arata.
Isamu started the bus again, heading to another checkpoint. It was not long before Isamu though about why they wanted these people were being rounded up. It was possible they were criminals, or even they had been exposed to some chemical during one of the riots that he had heard about on the news. Anything to rationalize what was going on.
Again, they were stopped at a checkpoint, and Arata had left the bus to talk to someone. This time there were two men, brought to the bus. One looked fine, the other, looked like he was sick with a fever. Isamu made sure not to look them in the eyes as they boarded the bus. The ill man sat down without a problem, embracing the comfort of the seat, falling over into the seat.
Yuuto moved towards the sick man and picked him up, pushing him back into a sitting position. The other man took his opportunity, while only being watched by Arata to break free. He yanked free and tried to rush past Yuuto. Yuuto was quicker though and swung his rifle at the man. It connected with his face with a crack.
“Don’t move!” said Arata, aiming his rifle at the man.
Isamu stared wide-eyed, at the situation. He knew now that the military wasn’t playing games with the people they had detained. Without hesitation, he started the bus and headed to the next checkpoint. He was fearful of what would happen if he didn’t drive to the next checkpoint.
Chapter 9
It had been a long day, and Yuuto was aching for sleep. They rode a bus around the city, picking up people that each checkpoint had detained for suspicious behavior. He felt awful for the bus driver that he knew they had scared half to death today. However, he was grateful the man didn't ask questions because he wouldn't be able to give him answers.
Yuuto was hoping for an easy day, but instead, he had to be forceful with several people. It didn't necessarily feel right forcing those people onto the bus, but he knew that they had their reasons for being sent to the hospitals. They were saving the people of the city, even if it meant they were sending some off to quarantine. Today they had sent thirty people to the hospital.
The hospital was no longer an ordinary hospital. Now it was a militarized camp, no one allowed in or out with getting through soldiers. The doctors whisked patients that the soldiers brought in, leading them inside. A few nurses helped civilians who required minor care in small tents outside the hospital itself. They needed all the free space they could find in preparation for the sick the military brought in.
Yuuto had escorted the thirty people into the hospital, while Arata stayed with the bus. He remembered as he walked into the threshold of the hospital, how quickly it seemed odd. The waiting room was empty, and the two doctors at the front led them deeper into the building. A soldier was with the doctors, they were talking about something, but Yuuto couldn't hear.
They passed many rooms that had the doors closed, and inside he could see desperate faces looking out. He felt as though he was walking through a prison; all the inmates locked up. His grip on his rifle tightened as he thought this. It scared him to believe that he was like a guard to these people he passed.
They eventually arrived at an empty ward, and they separated the civilians by how sick they looked. Four people per room and they then locked the door behind them.
“How many people have arrived so far?” Yuuto asked curiously.
One of the doctors looked up from some charts he had, “So far...seventy-two.”
“Are they all...well...” asked Yuuto, but stopped, unsure whether he could speak about the virus in front of the doctors.
The other soldier picked up on this, “It is ok. You can speak freely; the doctors are informed of the entire situation.”
Nodding, Yuuto replied, “So, how many of them are actually infected with the virus?”
“The only way we have to be certain is the obvious signs, bite marks. We have only two confirmed cases here. Most of these people have common ailments, such as a cold. We should have them released tomorrow, but we fear that we may have even greater numbers of infected soon,” answered the doctor, “Now, excuse me I must begin examining these new patients.”
Yuuto headed back towards the front of the hospital, unnerved by the empty halls, but filled rooms with prying eyes. He felt a bit better knowing that they would be releasing the people who weren't infected. As he stepped through the automated doors, the silent halls became a busy tent city, with nurses rushing about. He walked back over to the bus and sat down.
He remembered thinking the whole bus ride over that the entire situation felt off. Something about it didn't feel right to him. He ignored those feelings and told himself he had a job to do.
✽ ✽ ✽
Isamu lay in his bed trying to fall asleep. His stomach was tight, twisting in stress. He desperately wanted not to show up to work the next day. The anxiety was killing him; he was fearful if he didn't show up that the military would have him taken to a hospital as well. He was afraid.
He didn't understand why the military had detained those people, and he knew better than to ask why. It wasn't his place to question the authorities on matters he knew little about. It didn't feel right though, detaining civilians without reason. Something felt shady about the whole situation, off-putting.
Either way, he was now an accomplice to the acts being committed. He felt terrible about it but knew there was nothing he could do. He was just a bus driver; he wasn't made to deal with driving people around that were either criminals or wrongfully detained. That was what had him so worried.
The thing that scared him the most was when they aimed their guns at the man who tried to escape. He could see in their eyes that they would use them to shoot him if they had to. They weren't just threatening the man, so he would obey their commands, but telling him he had no choice. He had never seen such fierce commitment that the two soldiers had to make sure the man couldn't leave.
At first, he was so sure that the people being held were criminals. They had done something wrong and were now being sent away. But the more he thought about it, and scrutinized the situation; it didn't feel right at all. The people were of different lifestyles, clothing, and demeanor.
None of them looked like criminals, but he couldn't remember anyone claiming to bring up charges about them. He recalled one person they had picked up was an old man who barely looked able to walk on his own. What crime could he have committed, that had the military take him away? The faces he had stolen glances at all looked afraid, not somber of those who charged with crimes.
His mind tried to work through any possible answer to his questions, but he found none. Isamu lay awake in his bed, staring at the window trying to fall asleep. Every hour that passed he could hear one of the military patrols drive by in their heavy diesel trucks. The loud rumbling truck passed by slowly, the light from the truck's headlights pierced into his bedroom every time it drove by. It was a reminder that he was still awake, and that tomorrow he would be driving soldiers around again.
