Taboo Descendants: The Unlikely Heroes (Book I)

Chapter II: The Beginning of the Epidemic

Death could be felt as sure as life even outside thehospital walls. Iparked in the employee garage, got out of my Tesla, and walked at a brisk pacetowards the elevator. I could feel the cold breath of death brush past me as Iapproached the metal doors.

The hospital exuded despair.

I wondered what disaster could have caused the "dozen deaths" Nurse James had alluded to in her message. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as I contemplated the possibilities.

So many dead in so few hours.

Alone in the elevator, I hit the number for the Department of Neurology floor. I braced for the worse, though no amount of planning could have prepared me for what followed.

The inside of the hospital smelled sterile, too clean to be real. The calm inside these walls was fabricated, usually a shield against the chaos of the world, but today was different. This was the quiet after the storm.

"Dr. Jerito! I'm so glad you're finally here!" The elevator doors had barely opened and the night nurse, Shaneequa James, ran towards me in a frenzy.

"What seems to be the problem, Nurse James? Your message sounded urgent."

"It's Dr. Queens. She told me to notify you as soon as you got in that she is waiting for you in the main operating room. She says it's of the utmost importance."

"Just let me put my things down and I'll go there straightaway."

"I'll take them for you. You'll want to hurry."

"Is this about the dozen deaths?"

"Yes. They are trying to prevent number thirteen now."

Dr. Charnesha Queens, my primary best friend, could be trusted without a doubt. She was loyal to a fault, protective, and nurturing. I would do anything for her whether or not work required me to do so.

My second best friend and former college roommate from undergraduate school, Yesenia Arelys Mansi, worked as a professor for the University of Redlands in California. I did not talk to her as often as I should, but our bond stood the test of time. We could talk for hours after months of not speaking to one another as if no time had passed.

Yesenia, who I called 'Ary', now lived in a remote region of Mexico conducting research for her National Science Foundation project. She studied the forestry practices of a coalition of indigenous peoples somewhere in a cloud forest filled with ancient palms.

Who knows when we would met again.

Charnesha and I saw each other almost every day for the past fifteen years. She and I had roomed together in a tiny apartment off campus for six years during medical school at the University of Florida. She had served as the only "father" that JJ knew, playing the role of the bad cop whenever I fell short.

When I graduated from medical and moved back to Miami for my residency, Charnesha, who grew up in Pensacola, decided to move to Miami as well. Charnesha was JJ's godmother and he loved her very much. She was an invaluable piece of our lives.

Rushing to Charnesha's aid, I jogged down the hall towards the double doors leading to the General Neurosurgery Clinic, the 'GNC' for short.

I checked in at the nurse's station before heading around the corner to the first operating room, GNC OR-1. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and pushed through to the double doors determined to be brave.

A scrub nurse was already waiting for me. After I washed, he assisted me with my surgical wear. Once I was sanitized and dressed, I moved over to the sterile field where a huddle of feverish surgeons worked through their tired physical condition and depressed disposition.