“Honey, come here! Quick!” My wife’s voice rose from the other part of the house, the part I commonly thought of as ‘hers’. It was good for each of us to have our own space, where we could get away from each other when it was needed. We were blessed in that we didn’t have to use it too often.

I hurried down the hall, somewhere in between a jog and a run. Jessica was standing in front of the flat panel television in her office. She turned the volume up for me as I entered the room and stood next to her.

“Reports indicate that more than eight thousand have died in just twenty-seven days. This influenza strain appears to be completely resistant to all current vaccines and has already spread throughout most major cities. It is incredibly virulent and everyone is encouraged to stay in their homes. Do not, I repeat, do not go to the hospital or see your doctor. Epidemiologists believe this virus has a incubation stage of up to ten days with no visible symptoms, but the subjects are still extremely contagious.”