Day 9: Immune

Song: Be Still by The FrayDay 9:

Day 9 of QuarantineDear Hannah,Yesterday I told you that Katie and I had a small fight. Last night before going to bed we apologized to each other, now we are back on good terms. Jake and I have been getting closer each day but I don't think he likes me back. He never shows signs of it...  So Katie is saying that Dr. Cannerts is lying. The real Patient Zero is either those two people that Jake, Katie and I saw when we were looking for Quentin and Thomas. I believe her, they died before the reported 'Patient Zero' died and now we all are trying to prove it. Wish me luck! Love you guys!                             Forever and AlwaysIris

I closed the journal and put it back in my bag with my pencil. "Hey Iris, let's go talk to Jake." Katie said as she walked up to me. When I woke up Jake wanted to go poke around so we both let him. "Sure." I said as I lifted up my mask and walked out with her.

"I hope you didn't get caught snooping around Dr. Cannerts office." I said once I saw Jake putting stuff in his duffel bag. Crossing my arms, Katie and I walked over to see him"No, no... But you know that guy who died before Patient Zero? The one with Dr. Sanders?" Jake asked both of us as he stood up.I nodded my head. "Her boyfriend?" Katie asked him. "Yeah, well I figured I could check out the stuff I sorted with his remains." I was about to ask him what he does with the dead's belongings when a nurse walked into the hallway. "Katie, Iris?" Said the nurse. We both turned to see a middle aged bond nurse walking towards us. "Someone's here, says they want to talk to you both." "Let's go then." I said as the three of us started trailing the nurse. "Just ashes, no effects." Jake said to Katie. "His body was like Dr. Sanders. No wallet, no phone-""Like no one wanted to know who he was?" I cut him off quietly so the nurse couldn't here us."Well that's not suspicious." Katie said as we turned a corner and the nurse slid her key card into the panel and the door opened. As we walked into the room that held everyone inffected, I heard people coughing and sneezing. "I'm gonna ask Lex if he would check the video cameras. I'm hoping it will show us the guy was with Sanders before she saw Patient Zero. If that's the case, one of them could be the real Patient Zero." Jake said lowly between us. "It's gross, they pinned this on a middle eastern guy." I muttered as we walked past the windows showing us all the infected people."Yeah but why pin it on him? Why lie about the original patient?" Katie asked before we heard a girl shout our names. We all stopped to see a dark skinned infected girl around thirteen. "She just came in this morning, says you two know her little brother Thomas." The nurse informed us."Thomas? Yeah he's my student, went home with his dad." Katie said worriedly. "....my dads dead. I started coughing so I ran, I didn't want to get him sick." Said Thomas' sister sadly. "But now he's out there alone, you could find him right?""Of course." I said without hesitation. "Of course we'll find him. You did the right thing okay?" I reassured her as she started coughing a lot."I'll be out in a few minutes, I have patrol anyway." Jake said as Katie and I turned to face him. "Good, we can all go together." Katie said making Jakes eyes widen. "Let's go to the room." She said to me before leaving Jake and Thomas' sister behind.

"Stay here Quentin, I am going outside to find Thomas and I don't want you coming." I heard Katie say as I quickly opened my journal to today's page.

Ps. Thomas' sister showed up sick saying Thomas is all alone outside. Katie, Jake, and I are going outside the hospital to find him. I promise to be safe so don't worry, but if something happens....you know how.

"Okay I just told Rey and he said he will watch the kids, what are you doing?" Katie asked as she grabbed a plastic bin from the corner of the room. "I um wanted to write down what we were doing, in case anything happens." I replied as I put up my journal and stood up. "Nothing will happen Iris. Now, help me find clothes so we can protect ourselves." Katie said as she set the bin down and started looking around. "I know... Just if anything does happen." I said as I grabbed scarfs, long-sleeved shirts etc.

"Hey!" I called out to Jake who was wearing all his gear and was walking towards the exit. "Katie talked to Rey who's going to watch the kids. We've got protective gear so we should be all set right?" I looked over at Katie who was holding the bin and furred my eyebrows wondering why he kept walking."Sure, if you guys were going." Jake called back to us. We all stopped and Jake finally turned around to face us."We are going, we're adults who make or own decisions" Katie said a little angry at Jake."And I'm a cop. This is my job, not yours." Jake said with his hands on his hips. "He's our student." I said motioning to Katie and I with my hand. "Our responsibility. And we already lost him once, we owe it to his dad to-" Katie and I gasped as we turned another corner to see dead bodies on the floor. I covered my mouth and nose in disgust. "It's been hard to keep up." Jake said looking around. "This..this is what it's like outside." "Then we're gonna need protection, and lots of it." Katie blurted out as she set the bin down and pulled on a long-sleeve jacket. Jake and I walked to the bin and I grabbed a scarf. He grabbed it from my hands and put it over my nose, just below my eyes, and started tying it. "It doesn't matter how hot it gets, keep this on." Katie did the same as Jake turned around to grab his helmet. I looked at Katie who just winked and walked out as I rolled my eyes.

After about ten minutes, the three of us finally got to Thomas' house. "He's not here" Jake said after combing through the house looking for Thomas. Katie and I stopped in the dinning room, looking at the decaying body of Mr. Graham, surrounded by dozens of flowers."He's dead isn't he." Katie asked just as Jake came up behind us to look at the scene. "No, we don't know that Katie." I said trying to give her and myself some hope. "But he did this Iris, he cared for his dad and moved his body. He could be dying somewhere right now." Katie tried to say, her voice cracking at every word."Don't say that mom." A small voice replied behind all of us. Katie and I gasped as we all turned to see Quentin standing there, his eyes fixed on his mother, a hat and scarf on him."Quentin?" Katie breathed out."Jake, we should let them talk on their own." I whispered to Jake before walking into another room of the house, Jake trailing behind me.

"Iris, why are you so hopeful that he will still be alive?" Jake whispered to me from across the small island in the kitchen. "I'm not." I said finally giving up the act. "I just, I keep telling myself this so I don't have to think about... if he isn't." I've seen his dad... and his sister, there's no way he could've survived this."I know it's hard...thinking that way, but we have to. Look around the city and see for yourself!" Jake said raising his voice a little. "I can see! I see everyone dying! People that I would run into in a store are probably dead! No one is following the goddamned rules and that's why! I told Thomas plenty of times not to touch anyone and maybe he listened! Maybe he is out there hiding from the infected people!" I shouted as tears stained my eyes. I turned on my heels and left Jake standing at the island speechless. "I'm sill your mother okay?" I heard Katie say to Quentin as I walked into the living room. "You guys go back to the hospital, I'll keep looking." Jake said as he walked up behind me. I clenched my jaw and folded my arms across my chest a little angrily. "No, I know where he is." Said Quentin causing us all to look at him curiously. "His batting helmet is gone." "And what does that mean?" Katie asked hope suddenly filling her voice. "That means I know where he is" Quentin said proudly as we all smiles happily and went outside, hoping to find Thomas.

"See, there it is." Quentin pointed at a small helmet laying at the pitchers base. "You're right. Ugh, I'm dying out here!" Katie said as both she and I pulled down our scarfs. "I love it, reminds me of the good ol' days." Jake said happily."Same, my sister's best friend plays. We would come watch every game and every practice." I said as memories of having hot-dogs and popcorn in the hot Georgia heat while watching Liam hit home runs."You know what, I think I might have seen you in the stands...did your family cheer a lot when one of the players would hit a home run?" Jake said cocking his head to the side."Well if the player was this guy named Liam, then yes, yes we did." I said as I remembered some of the other family's getting very annoyed at my family."I remember now! Everyone would get-" Jake started to say but was cut off by the sound of engines. I looked around and spotted men on motorcycles and ATVs appear from the trees. "Quentin go and hide!" Katie said frantically causing her son to go running off behind us. The men rode into the field and started to circle the three of us. "Stay close to me" Jake said as we all huddled by the pitchers base. With the engines roaring and sand flying everywhere, it was getting hard to tell what was happening. For a second I heard Katie yelp out in surprise before someone grabbed my arm causing me to yelp too. The sand was making it hard to see but after a minute I saw the men were finally retreating back from where they had come. "What...was that?" I tried to say but starting coughing as I inhaled some sand. "Idiots I think, they're probably high off their asses." Jake said as he watched the men disappear from sight."Quentin, you can come out now!" Katie said turning to where Quentin was supposedly hiding. "Quentin? QUENTIN?!" Katie started to shout. I looked around but didn't see her son anywhere on the field. "They didn't take him, don't worry." Jake said causing Katie to heave out a small sigh of relief. "Let's find him!" She said and broke out into a run, quickly leaving the field to look for her son. Please be alright Quent...

Jake, Katie, and I turned our third corner before we finally saw Quentin standing as still as a statue, staring straight ahead. Katie ran towards him and hugged him. "You scared me!" She was saying to him as he finally tore his gaze away and looked at his mother. I looked to what he had been staring at and my gaze widened with worry. On a small bench was a man, a very sick man. I noticed a familiar boy coming up to the bench and taking a seat, a cold water bottle in his hand. "...Katie..." Jake said making her look up at the both of us. I raised my arm and pointed my index finger at the man and the boy. Thomas held the water bottle out for the sick man. As the man took the water bottle I noticed his sweat dripped onto Thomas' unprotected hand. "T-Thomas..." I managed to get out.Thomas looked up and smiled widely "Don't worry... I can't get sick!" He said proudly as I looked at the shocked faces of Jake and Katie.

A while later the five of us finally got back to the hospital. Katie took Quentin to the room and Jake told Dr. Cannerts what happened. Two men in suits were currently taking Thomas into a room where he'd be staying in. "Well he doesn't look sick." Jake stated as we watched Thomas get on his bed. "I hope he doesn't get sick." I mumbled biting my lip nervously. "They didn't touch, but the man's sweat dripped on him. He touched his dad too. He has to be immune... Maybe now we'll find a cure for this thing." Jake said expressionless. I looked at him sadly before turning my attention back to the men who were talking to Thomas although I could feel Jake staring right at me. "You can leave." "No... Why not be helpful right?" I questioned as I looked back at Jake. "Life can surprise you sometimes." "You tell him." Jake said before looking at Thomas.

"Officer Riley? There's a call for you from Agent Carnihan on a secure line." A voice said. We turned to see the same nurse from earlier staring at Jake then walking away. I looked at Jake who just nodded at me before walking away to follow the nurse.

Jake's POV

About an hour later I was in the container telling Lex about the events that had happened today. "But we're good, we did it actually." I said with my hands tiredly placed on my hips. "We?" Lex asked curiously from 6 feet away. "Katie, and Iris... It was their student and they called." I responded before seeing Lex practically stare into my soul, I knew he knew there was something I wasn't telling him. I let out a sigh and ran a hand through my black hair. "This is crazy but... Iris, I think I love her." I confessed to my best friend.Lex let out a low chuckle. "Well how does it feel?"I thought about it for a second. "...Disconcerning" I said before we both started laughing. "It'll only get worse." He said before turning around and walking towards the door on his side. "A lot worse." He called out before leaving.

Iris's POV

After taking a quick shower and eating dinner I went back to the room to find Katie playing with her son. I smiled as I pulled out my journal and turned to an unfinished drawing of Katie. I decided to draw a picture of everyone I know on the back of each entry. Yesterday I drew Quentin (who loved it!). "Katie look up real quick!" I said grabbing my pencil. She raised her head and smiled as I quickly drew in the final touches. "Hey why won't you show Jake your drawings?" Katie asked curiously as I was finishing shadowing her face. I just shrugged and gave her the journal for her to see. "It's beautiful Iris!" She breathed before flipping the pages to the beginning. I bit my lip as she got to the first drawing. "I knew it!" She said proudly before throwing the journal onto my bed. "You do like him!" "It's just a drawing!" I defended myself before closing the journal and putting it in my bag. "I'm gonna get some shut eye, goodnight." I said quickly before getting under my covers. "Keep telling yourself that. Goodnight Iris." Katie said before telling Quentin to get ready for bed. As I tried to fall asleep I thought about my feelings for Jake and how this whole situation is messed up. Maybe in a different time. After about ten minutes, I finally let sleep overcome me.