Chapter Two

When I woke up the next morning, I was greeted by my computer's call ended message. Adam's parents must have gotten in early morning and cut it off when they checked in on him. I yawned and proceeded to crawl out of bed.

Planning ahead, I grabbed my phone to text Adam as I stumbled downstairs to start a pot of coffee. As it was quietly brewing, I swiftly opened the fridge to grab some eggs for breakfast. I cracked three eggs in a pan and scrambled them with a splash of milk. Setting them aside to cook later, I threw on my running shoes by the back door. Then, with a displeased look, I began turning on the family treadmill to work on my cardio. Normally, I would take a couple of laps around the neighborhood for the fresh air, but the emergency alert came to mind and shot that option down.

After a few minutes of warming up, I set up for a light jog until I completed a little over a mile. I slowed down into a walk before hopping off to take a quick shower. Today was supposed to be laid back, so I threw on some gray sweatpants and an old band shirt.

As I made my way back into the kitchen, I turned the stovetop on and started pouring some coffee into a mug. In the middle of plating my eggs, my phone started ringing. I clicked accept without checking the caller. "Good morning," I answered gruffly.

"Good morning, baby. Are you okay?"

"I'm completely fine, mom. How's the vacation going?" I asked offhandedly.

My mom's silken voice poured from the speaker in dismay. "Your dad and I saw the news. We tried to come home early, but they set up roadblocks and won't let anyone through. We booked a hotel right outside of town."

"It's probably just a precaution. Everything's normal here." I said to ease her worries.

"Just please stay inside and lock all the doors until we can get home, honey. It sounds serious."

"I will, mom."

"Thank you, Ciprian. We're just worried. Your dad said he overheard the guards attending to the roadblocks mention that anyone infected is wildly aggressive."

"Yeah, that's what the alert basically said. I'll be careful, though. If it makes you feel better, I'll keep dad's old brass knuckles on me," I chuckled as I attempted to shovel some eggs into my mouth.

"That's not funny." My mom deadpanned.

I sighed feeling guilty. "I know. I'm sorry. I won't joke like that anymore. I promise I'll be careful and have the doors and windows latched." I looked at the clock above the kitchen counter. He should've been up by now.

"I'll keep you updated, mom."

She huffed. "I love you, too!"

I rolled my eyes. "I love you, mom."

I could hear dad yelling in the background. "I love you, too, dad. Talk to you later." Clicking my phone off, I wandered back to my room upstairs to read a couple of chapters in my latest novel. It didn't seem very long after I got swept up in The Hobbit before my phone was ringing once again. It seems I'm just getting increasingly popular these days.

"Hello?" I called out as I put my phone on speaker.

A hushed voice whispers over the phone, "Ciprian?"

I fully put my novel down, wary of Adam's panicked tone. "What's wrong?"

"I'm freaking out, man. My parents never made it home. I keep trying to call their cells, but I can't seem to get anyone to pick up."

"Hey, let's take a deep breath, okay? In....Out." I demonstrated my breathing for him to copy. "I'm sure they're safe. Did you call the hospital?"

Adam groaned. "I tried that, too. My computer died last night, so I charged it and even tried to skype their work laptops. Nothing is going through. All the hospital phone says is that the line is busy and repeats the same thing over and over again. I tried multiple times, and it just does the same thing."

"Okay...okay. What is it saying?" I spoke calmly to keep him from getting more worked up.

"Something about how the emergency service lines are busy. Then it goes on and on about the same advice with virus precautions."

"Your parents must be swamped then. If the virus is that bad, they must have their hands full and can't get on the phone."

"I don't know. This isn't like my mom. She always sends me a quick text even if she's busy. Should I just go up there?"

"Absolutely not. " I rushed out angrily. "Going to the hospital would be a bad idea after a huge outbreak announcement. Stay put and wait." I start pacing. "They're just busy. They'll contact you as soon as they can. I know they will."

Adam gives out a dejected groan. "God, I hope you're right."

I relaxed some knowing he wouldn't be leaving his house. "I am."

After a few moments, I broke a lingering silence, "Hey, Adam?"

"Yeah?" He responded automatically.

"What do you say we spend the rest of the day watching The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and I'll answer any questions you have when you get them. Sound good?"

"Every question?"

With an eyeroll that I knew was invisible to him, I hummed in agreement.

"Alright!" He yelled. "I'll call your computer. Should we split-screen our computers to watch? You know what-I'll just pull it up on my TV. You'll let me know when you get it pulled up, too, yeah?"

"Fine, but I'm going to watch it from the couch. The TV in the living room is better than mine. I think I'll make popcorn too, so give me a few minutes."

"Popcorn actually sounds great right about now. Kettle corn or butter?"

"Does it matter?"

"Of course!" Adam exclaims dramatically. "How else would we be experiencing the movie the same way?"

"...I only have kettle corn."

"Yes! I have some here, too."

I chuckled. "Okay then. I'll hang up so I can bring my computer and charger downstairs to get set up. Are you wanting to watch the director's cut?"

"Absolutely!" He said before the line cut off abruptly.