Later, I awoke more calmly. I was very groggy, moving as though there was lead in my veins instead of blood. My head was pounding, and I had a thirst such as I had never felt. Opening my eyes hurt. I was clearly medicated, which slowed me down greatly, and took the edge off whatever pain I had been feeling. However, it did very little for the anxiety that crept over me as I began to become more and more aware of my surroundings.
I was in a small hospital room, and I was alone. No nurse, doctor or other patient was in sight. I was attached to a monitor and an IV. And I ached from head to toe. Weird, that cat attack couldn’t have caused this much pain. I replayed the events of the day in my bleary brain: Woke up to a weird little boy tagging me and disappearing. I had a huge and ugly spider under my car door handle. I had been savagely attacked by a stray cat. OK, the spider thing, that was unusual – I had seen that before… but it was still weird. Yet, not nearly as bizarre as the other two. And now I was here, bringing my super-weird count to 4. What a day. And yet, I know that it was not over. The weirdness was just beginning, I knew this. I had no idea how I knew that, but I did. It was like a cloud had been blocking the sunlight, and was now slowly moving out of the way. The bright sunlight of awareness was gradually coming to me at what felt like a glacial pace. There was something in that sunlight that I did not want to see, and still I was going to see it. I sensed it danger. Something in the depth of my stomach turned at this awareness. Soon, the light would be fully ablaze, and I would be forced to stare into until my retinas burned at the sight of it. And this awareness was something the medication dripping into my body from the IV could not dull.
At that moment, a young man walked into the room. He seemed nervous, hesitant. And oddly, he wore a surgical mask. Was I contagious? Was that it? Am I just feverish and hallucinating from eating some bad mushroom or something? That would explain so much. None of the weird happenings would have actually happened; it would have all be figments of my twisted imagination.
“Miss Walker? How are you feeling?” he asked, his voice muffled through the mask.
“Thirsty.” I replied, my voice croakish. “And achy”, I added.
He took some notes on his clipboard. He kept a safe distance.
“Umm, why are you wearing a mask?” I asked.
“Miss Walker, I am Dr. Howell. I’m sorry for the confusion, and for the mask. We need to take all precautions. Now that you are awake, is there someone you would like us to call?” he asked, again from a safe distance.
“No.” There was no one. I was alone in this city. Except for Thomas of course. Thomas! Oh crap, I have to call Thomas! He will be freaking out, I missed my important meeting!
“Where is my cell phone?” I asked. “I have to call my business partner”.
“Not yet, Miss Walker. You need your rest. But give me his name and number, and I will call him directly.”
So formal. So very cold. What was happening here?
“Doctor, what’s going on? What is happening?” I asked.
“Miss Walker...”
“Ally.” I interrupted.
“Ally. OK. Ally, we suspect that you may have a virus of some sort. We are keeping you under quarantine until we can confirm if you have something, and if you are contagious. It is a necessary precaution. I am sorry”.
“What? I am not sick, that’s crazy! I am here because I was attacked by a stray cat. If anything, that damn cat might have had rabies, but even so, I had all my vaccinations for a trip out of the country last year. And –“
“Ally,” he interrupted, “yes. You were attacked by a cat. We understand that. But that can’t explain the symptoms that people are getting when they are around you.”
He paused, seemingly searching for the right words.
“Ally, you were brought in here 2 days ago. Since that time, 4 people who came in direct contact with you got very sick within minutes. VERY sick. High fever, flu-like symptoms. This includes the 2 EMT drivers and 2 members of the ER team.” He stopped, and he looked past me. He did not want to make eye contact.
He continued, “Ally, 2 of them are in critical condition. And 2 of them… 2 of them died”.
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