viral attack/ part 4 the scam

viral attack/ part 4  the scam

fiction
edward w pritchard

Lillian and I are living in the basement of the old courthouse. We are very comfortable and at night sometimes we take the boarded up stairs up to the new courtrooms and offices and sleep up there where it's heated and dry.

When I asked a few of my homeless buddies for help, Justin a down and out musician stole three cases of the tonic water that is supposed to inhibit the contamination of the body by the virus, known as " the green lady". It's called the green lady because of the telltale greenish foamy liquid that secretes through the skin of infected victims. Lillian, who is seven, complains sometimes about the after taste of the tonic water but remembering how sick she was she always finishes the entire eight ounce bottle. We have about forty bottles left which is about thirteen days worth. I haven't been infected yet and most of the others living here in the basement aren't likely to steal any of our remaining bottles because they think tonic water is a hoax; remembering the ads for it before for treatment of hair loss and later as a purported prostrate cancer cure.

It's very late and Lillian is sleeping for a long time. We are in a Judges private offices on the eighth floor of the new courthouse. I have a nice view of the city and it is a clear starry sky. Tomorrow I have to decide if we should move out toward the country. The rioting is bad and the national guard and police are conducting building to building searches for squatters like us. Harboring an infected victim of the green lady virus is instant death but I want to leave not because of my self but to help Lillian find a place to be safe until she is feeling well.

I guess I have decided to leave the City. I am drinking Judge Ramer's cognac and smoking a cigar I found in his desk. The poor janitor will probably get in trouble so I need to find something to leave in the Judge's office to let him know that one of us homeless types broke into his private office. It's time to move on but first another glass of Cognac and in a few minutes I'll wake Lillian for another tonic water.
end