Pale Horse (A Project Eden Thriller) (12 page)

“Sanjay! Come quick!”

He looked at her, confused, but she’d already disappeared back through the door. He paid the boy for the fuel, and jogged over to the hut.

Inside were several tables full of food items for purchase, and two coolers stuffed with drinks. But Kusum wasn’t looking at any of them. She was standing near the back corner, staring at a TV on a table. Three other people were also crowded around, watching.

A BBC news anchor was framed in the center of the screen.

“…dozens of locations around the globe,” the man said.

“What’s going on?” Sanjay asked.

Kusum and one of the others shhh’d him, their attention never leaving the screen.

“Last evening local time, in the US state of Georgia,” the anchor went on, “firefighters in the city of Athens attempted to relocate one of the boxes. This resulted in a fiery explosion that killed five firemen and three civilians. Several more similar incidents have been reported from elsewhere in the States and in Europe. Officials in most countries have now suspended all orders to move the boxes, and have begun evacuating persons living anywhere near suspected containers.

“There has still been no word on what the container’s purpose might be, or who is behind them. Several helicopters—both news and police—have flown over boxes to get a look inside.” The image switched to a downward shot of one of the boxes. It was rectangular in shape, large. While the top was open, there were two large circular areas side by side near the lip, each shimmering slightly. “Analysts have determined that what you are looking at are two exhaust-type fans that seem to be pushing whatever is inside into the air. Speculation has been focused on the possibility that the contents are biological in nature. Investigative teams in many nations have taken the precaution of wearing protective gear within a half-mile radius of the boxes.

“Several groups have put forward the suggestion that this is a hoax meant to send the message of what
could
happen. One Latin American organization is even taking credit for doing just that, but officials are saying the claim is baseless.”

Sanjay couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Mysterious boxes shooting something into the air? Something
biological
? Today? The timing was too coincidental. This had to be linked to the spray Pishon Chem was unleashing on Mumbai.

Kusum looked over at him. He could see in her eyes she believed him completely now, and was thinking the same thing.

“Come on,” he said, grabbing her hand. “We have a long way to go.”

“My family?”

“We’ll try.”

“Thank you.”

They retuned to the bike, and raced west for Mumbai.

__________

W
ITH EACH PASSING
kilometer, the traffic seemed to be getting lighter and lighter. At first Sanjay didn’t think anything of it, but when it got to the point where he and Kusum were only one of a handful of vehicles on the road, he began to wonder. It had to have something to do with the news—people captivated by the reports and staying home, worrying that the same containers would be found in the areas around Mumbai.

But while there
were
fewer people about as they entered the city, Sanjay did start to see many of the boys and men walking through neighborhoods spraying Pishon Chem’s “mosquito-killing” poison. The public was so focused on the troubles abroad, it couldn’t even see the one right under its nose.

Each time Sanjay saw one of the people doing the spraying, he was tempted to pull over and tell them to stop, but he knew no one would listen to him. More importantly, any delay getting to Kusum’s family could be the difference between life and death.

They went directly to the fruit stand her parents owned, where Sanjay had first seen Kusum. But when they arrived, there was no fruit on display, and no one standing behind the cart. The stand was closed.

“No,” Kusum whispered.

Without even looking at her, Sanjay knew she was thinking her parents and sister might already be sick. But the spraying had been going on for only a few hours, and even if her family had been exposed, Sanjay doubted there had been enough time for them to fall ill.

“It’s okay,” he said. “They’ve stayed home like everyone else. Look, most of the shops are closed.”

He could feel her moving around on the back of the bike, scanning the area. “Yes. Yes, that must be it.”

“Tell me where your home is.”

__________

O
NCE MORE, AS
they drove along the streets of Mumbai, they saw more of the army of sprayers delivering the deadly liquid, neighborhood by neighborhood.

I should be shouting
, Sanjay thought.
I should be screaming for everyone to run
. But again, who would listen?
Save who you can
, he told himself, ignoring the question of how.

The building Kusum’s family lived in was down a long, narrow alley. Thankfully, the closest Pishon Chem sprayers were nearly a kilometer away, and by the absence on nearby streets and sidewalks of the residual sheen from the spray, Sanjay knew they had not yet moved through this area.

“Where is everyone?” Kusum asked as they made their way down the alley.

He didn’t have to ask her what she meant. Sanjay had seen hundreds of streets just like this one, usually teeming with people at this time of day. But they’d barely seen anyone, and those they had eyed them suspiciously while hurrying to some unknown destination.

“There,” Kusum said after a moment, pointing over his shoulder at her building.

It was an old and tired-looking place, stained brown where water from the frequent rains had run down the sides for decades. Families would be stuffed inside, ten or more people in every two- or three-room apartment, doing what they could to collectively survive.

As soon as Sanjay pulled the bike to a stop, Kusum leaped off the back and raced for the door. He headed after her, passing through in time to see her running up a set of stairs. He tried to catch up but she was moving fast, and it was all he could do to keep her in sight. When he turned at the midway point between the second and third floors, where the stairs doubled back, she was gone.

“Kusum?” he called.

“This way!” she yelled, her voice coming through the door to the third floor.

Once he exited the stairwell, he spotted her three-quarters of the way down the hall, turning the knob on one of the doors. It seemed to be locked.

She knocked loudly and yelled, “It’s me! Kusum!”

There was a momentary delay, then the door flew open, and her mother rushed out.

“Where have you been?” she asked. She touched her daughter’s face, and pulled her into her arms.

“Kusum!” the voice of her father boomed out of the room. “Answer your mother’s question. Where have you been?”

Kusum pulled back from her mother’s embrace. “I…I…”

She glanced toward Sanjay, who had stopped several meters away. Her mother followed her gaze. Her father stepped into the hallway and did the same.

“You!” her father said. He started marching toward Sanjay. “What have you done?”

Her father was not a particularly large man, but at the moment he seemed like a giant to Sanjay. Fire raged in the man’s eyes, and his nostrils flared in anger.

“I can explain,” Sanjay said, backpedaling.

“I don’t want to hear anything you have to say!”

As soon as Kusum’s father was close enough, he grabbed Sanjay’s shirt with one hand and struck him across the face with the other.

“You have ruined my daughter!”

“No!” Kusum told him. “That’s not true.”

She reached out to stop him, but her mother pulled her back.

“I have not,” Sanjay pleaded. “I was only—”

“Shut up!” The man slapped Sanjay. “You expect me to believe your lies?”

Down the hall, a few doors opened and people peeked out, but none seemed willing to come to Sanjay’s aid.

“Nothing happened,” Sanjay said quickly. “I have done nothing to her. You can ask her.”

As Kusum’s father raised his hand again, Sanjay prepared to be hit once more, but the blow never came.

“Father, please.” Kusum had broken free from her mother, and grabbed her father’s hand. “Sanjay did nothing wrong. He was only trying to save me.”

Her father whirled on her as if he’d hit her, too.

“No!” her mother yelled. “Don’t.”

“He was trying to save me,” Kusum repeated.

Her father’s anger seemed to lose a bit of focus, the tension in his upraised arm wavering. “Save you from what?” he said, his tone all but accusing her of trying to fool him.

Kusum’s eyes moved past him down the hall toward their neighbors, who continued to watch the spectacle. “Please, Father. Let’s go inside. We can talk there.”

For a moment, it looked as if he wasn’t interested in going anywhere, but then he took a deep breath and nodded. Yanking on Sanjay’s arm, he shoved him toward the door. “You first.”

The apartment was predictably small. The main room served as the kitchen, dining, and living area.

In addition to Kusum’s parents, her younger sister Jabala was there, as were three others Sanjay didn’t know. One was an older woman, and two were young children, a boy and a girl who were about five or six.

The most expensive thing in the room was the television. Like the one they’d seen when they’d stopped for gas, it was tuned to BBC International.

Kusum’s father entered last and slammed the door behind him. “Saved you from what?” he demanded.

Sanjay pointed at the TV. “From that, I think.”

Her father looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “What do you mean?”

“Maybe we should all sit down,” Kusum suggested. “Jabala, could you take Panna and Darshan into the other room?”

“I want to hear what you’re going to talk about,” Jabala said.

“I know,” Kusum said softly. “I will tell you everything after, okay?”

Not looking happy, Jabala grabbed the hands of the two children and led them through the doorway at the far end of the room.

“Please, Father. Sit down,” Kusum said.

After a moment’s hesitation, her father did, and the others followed suit.

“I don’t understand what you mean,” her father said, looking at Sanjay.

Sanjay glanced at the floor, unsure how to begin.

“You need to tell them everything,” Kusum said. “Just like you told me.”

She was right, of course. It was exactly what he had to do, so it was exactly what he did.

If it weren’t for the crisis playing out on TV, he was sure they would have dismissed his claims immediately.

“The malaria spray?” Kusum’s father said when Sanjay finally finished, anger no longer underlining the man’s voice. “Are you sure?”

“I am as sure as I can be. It’s what was told to me.”

“And your cousin?” Kusum’s mother said.

“I saw Ayush with my own eyes.” He paused. “By now, I am sure he is dead.”

Both Kusum’s mother and the old woman—her aunt—looked visibly shaken.

“Then why did you come back if you were trying to keep her safe?” Kusum’s father asked. “You are saying they are spreading this…disease through the city right now.”

“The vaccine will protect her.”

“Are you sure?” Her father was starting to become angry again.

“Yes,” Sanjay said.
About as much as I can be
.

Before her father could speak again, Kusum jumped in. “He didn’t want to bring me back. I forced him.”

“But why?” her mother asked. “If he’s right, it’s too dangerous here. You should have stayed away.”

Kusum looked at her with surprise. “I came back for all of you. You are my family.”

“And what could you possibly do for us?” her father asked.

“Warn you.
Save
you.”

“Save us how?”

“We should all leave the city. Now.”

“This disease, it will be everywhere. Do you have vaccine for us?” he asked, sounding as if he already knew the answer. “How are we supposed to stay alive?”

Sanjay leaned forward. “We don’t have more vaccine. Not yet.”

The others all looked at him.

“What do you mean, not yet?” Kusum’s father asked.

“Do you have a car?”

“Do we look like we can afford a car?”

“But you can drive, yes?”

“Of course.”

“Then we will steal one.”

“Steal?” Kusum’s mother blurted out. “We are not thieves.”

Ignoring her, Sanjay said, “I have a plan that I hope will save all of you.”
Plan
was probably a little generous. “Get a car and take everyone out of town.” He looked at Kusum. “Do you think you can find your way back to where we were last night?”

“Yes,” she said.

“Go there.”

“What about you?”

He was silent for a moment. “I will go back to where I found Ayush. There might be more vaccine there.”

Kusum brightened. “Do you think so?”

“There is a chance.”

“I know where we can find a car,” Kusum’s father said, no longer sounding as if their fate was inevitable.

His wife looked at him, wide-eyed. “You can’t be serious.”

“We’re talking about saving our family. Of course I’m serious.”

“What about Chandra and Rochi?” she asked.

Sanjay looked at Kusum, confused.

“My mother’s brother and his wife,” she whispered. “Panna’s and Darshan’s parents.”

With a nod of understanding, Sanjay said, “You’ll have to leave them behind.”

“What?” Kusum’s mother said.

“They’ve been through the city. There’s a chance they’ve already been exposed to the spray. If they have, then they are as good as dead.”

“We can’t just leave them here.”

“We can, and we will,” her husband said. “We can call them, give them the chance to get away, but Sanjay is right. We cannot tell them where we are going. If they are alive when this is over, we will find them then.”

Sanjay stood up. “You cannot wait here any longer. There is no telling how soon it will be before the sprayers arrive.” He also had to get going himself. The sooner he finished, the sooner he could be back with Kusum and make sure she was all right.