Early January

“She said what!?”

“Ugh.” Jessie rubbed her temples, resting her elbows on the bar between her and Alex. “God. In front of the entire family, looking me right in the eye, ‘if you don’t marry that boy, you’re a fool.’”

Alex winced. “… your aunt’s an interesting person.”

“Agreed. Though she had my entire family in stitches laughing, and my parents seemed to agree with her.”

“What did Ryan say?”

“Thank the fucking stars, he was NOT there to hear it. He’d excused himself to the bathroom two minutes earlier.” Jessie dropped her hands. “Christ, that would’ve sucked. Like, thanks Aunt May, that’s what I want my boyfriend to hear when I bring him home for Christmas. I wasn’t stressing out enough already about the trip.”

“Mm.” Alex nodded. “Hey, at least they liked him.”

“You kidding me? They LOVED him. If we break up, they might invite him back for the holidays without me.” Jessie smirked. “I was mostly impressed that he could keep up with my brothers when they started drinking. They’re good people, but they’re also functioning alcoholics.”

“He does own a bar.”

“True enough.” Jessie shrugged. “So, yea. Good holiday all around.”

“Glad to hear it.” Alex nodded. “It’s great to have him back, though. Running this place by myself kinda sucked, even with Riley helping me.”

“I bet.” Jessie looked beside her at Steph. “You got to spend plenty of time with your dad though, right?”

The brunette ignored her, completely absorbed in something on her phone as she scrolled with her thumb.

“Steph? You listening?”

“Mm?” She looked up. “Sorry?”

“I was asking if you got to spend enough time with your dad for Christmas.”

“Oh. Yea, totally.”

Alex tilted her head. “What are you reading?”

“News story that popped up on my feed.” Steph glanced back at her phone. “I’m trying to figure out how concerned I should be.”

“Concerned about what?”

“An outbreak of some kind of virus in China.”

Jessie scoffed. “Sounds like a problem for people a long way from here.”

“The World Health Organization activated it’s incident management system,” Steph countered, as she kept reading. “And there’s reports of the virus spreading to Japan and Thailand.”

Alex frowned. “What kind of virus is it?”

“They’re calling it a… novel coronavirus?” Steph tilted her head. “Weird name. Some sort of pneumonia, I guess. They seem pretty worried about it.”

Jessie considered the information. “… I’ll be concerned about a virus when someone tells me to be concerned about it,” she decided. “I have bigger problems to deal with.”

“Like what?” Alex asked.

“Like trying to plan a new branch of the mine, and figuring out demolition patterns that will help dig the new tunnel while keeping the old one intact.”

Alex smirked. “Well, that’s why you’re paid the big bucks.”

“I think they’re more medium-sized, really.”

Late January

“There’s a confirmed US case.”

Alex looked up from her cereal. “Huh? Of what?”

“Coronavirus.” Steph continued reading on her phone. “The CDC confirmed with a lab test in Washington state. Someone who came into Seattle from a flight out of China.”

Alex leaned back in her chair. While she had initially been skeptical of the situation, Steph had been following it religiously since she’d first told her and Jessie about it in the bar. And the news seemed to be getting worse with every update. “That sucks.”

“Yep. They’re tracking down everyone who was on the flight. And everybody the guy came into contact with.” Steph looked up. “I really think this is going to get serious.”

“You do?”

“I can’t imagine that these guys don’t have better things to do. If they’re going this far, then they must think this is a big deal.” Steph looked back at her phone. “People overseas are dying of this thing.”

“Nobody in this country is. We’ve got one case.”

“How many on that plane did that guy infect? And where did they go?” Steph put her phone down. “Sea-Tac is a hub for people coming in from Asia. Most of the passengers on that plane probably had connecting flights, which means they’re all over the country by now. And that was one guy. Who knows how many people have come to the US from China in the past two weeks?”

She had a point. But Alex was still uncertain. “I’m worried that you might be getting a little paranoid about this,” she said carefully. “Nobody has said that this is an emergency yet.”

“China has.”

“Okay, yes, but we’re a long way from China.”

“No, we’re not. With the right flights, you can get from Denver to Beijing in less than twenty-four hours.”

Alex considered that argument carefully. “… what do you want to do, then?” she asked. “If you think this is going to become serious, what would make you feel better?”

“Fuck.” Steph rubbed her face. “I don’t even know if it will become serious. Maybe I am paranoid.”

“Okay, well, what do you want to do that won’t affect us that much?” Alex clarified. “Buy gas masks? Stock up on food? What?”

Steph inhaled slowly. “… I would feel a little better if we started keeping more food around here,” she allowed. “Maybe do an extra-big trip for non-perishable stuff that we know we’ll go through eventually, like cereal or pasta.”

Alex nodded. “We can do that. But we’re not gonna get carried away.”

“Right.” Steph put her phone back in her pocket. “Yea. I’m sure this will all be a footnote in a few weeks.”

February

“I don’t like admitting that your girlfriend was right.”

Alex winced as she sat across the table from Jessie. “That makes two of us.”

“Have you seen this yet?” Jessie scrolled on her phone. “Countries all over Europe are closing their borders. And over a thousand people have died already. The government’s chartering flights to evacuate people from embassies in China.”

“Shit. No, I haven’t seen that.” Alex leaned back in her seat. “I’ll bet Steph has, though. She’s been keeping up with everything.”

“It’s a little concerning.” Jessie put her phone down. “Ryan and I went on Amazon to try and find some face masks, just in case, but they were completely sold out.”

Alex’s eyebrows arched. “For real?”

“Yea, they’re all gone. So he took a trip to Home Depot to get some dust masks, but they’re all gone too. Anything that filters the air is completely out of stock.”

“Hell.” A tinge of worry began gnawing away at Alex’s brain. “Steph was right. This could be bad.”

“Do you guys need some?” Beside her, Charlotte leaned both elbows on the table. “I’ve got a carton of N95 masks in my studio, for when I work with spray paint. I think I’ve got fifty or so left.”

Jessie shook her head. “We have them at the mine, too. I’ll be okay.”

“… we don’t,” Alex admitted. “If Steph and I could have a couple, I’d appreciate it.”

“Any chance I could grab some for me and Nana?” Riley asked from her seat, across from Charlotte.

“Of course. Just swing by on your way home.”

“Thanks.” She sighed. “Hopefully we don’t need any of this stuff. The news said that the elderly were pretty susceptible, and I’m a little worried about Nana.”

“Your grandmother’s stronger than most of the people in this town,” Alex reminded her. “Besides, all the cases so far are on the coasts. Less than a hundred out of a country with three hundred million people. I like our odds here in Haven Springs.”

The music playing over their heads slowly petered out. “Fine citizens of Haven Springs, let’s get some quick updates before we call it an evening,” Steph announced. “I just read some sad news out of California, where the CDC just announced the first death of the coronavirus in the United State, an elderly woman who died at home after recovering from the flu.”

“… fuck,” Riley breathed.

“The CDC has also released new guidelines to determine if you may be positive for the new virus,” Steph continued. “Several symptoms are synonymous to the common cold, including a cough, runny nose, and fever. The coronavirus also sometimes presents with nausea and diarrhea, which are not cold and flu symptoms. And if you suddenly develop a loss of smell or taste in conjunction with any of those symptoms, they are recommending that you get tested immediately.”

“Loss of taste?” Charlotte grimaced. “Great. Well, this can’t get any worse.”

March

“Please, Alex, I really need the work.”

Alex felt the physical pain in her chest as she listened to the phone call, sitting on a stool in the empty bar. “Riley, I don’t have any to give you. Pike told us we had to close too, just like the Brown Bear.”

“I have a tuition payment coming up. And the copays for Nana’s meds. I cannot afford to lose any work right now.” The desperation in the younger girl’s voice leaked through the phone, as Alex closed her eyes. “Please, I will do anything. I can help in the kitchen if I have to.”

“The cooks need work too, Riley, and they’ve got seniority over you.”

“I’ll deliver the food people order.”

“Ryan’s already doing that.”

“Alex, nobody else in town is hiring right now. I am begging you.”

Alex rubbed her temple. “Riley, I swear, if I had work available, I would give it to you. But without customers coming in, I’m not sure how we’re going to keep the doors open for longer than a few months. Ryan isn’t delivering food because he wants to, he’s doing it because we can’t afford to pay anyone else right now.”

“… fuck,” the girl muttered.

“Hey.” Alex bit her lip. “Look, I’m sorry I can’t help with your tuition. But please tell me if you guys can’t make the copay for Eleanor’s medication, okay? I’ll loan you the money if you need it, I can afford that.”

“Thank you.” Riley’s voice conveyed her dismay at the situation. “Please let me know when you’re hiring again, Alex. I will seriously scrub toilets for minimum wage.”

“I will, Riley, I promise.”

They said their goodbyes as she hung up the phone, setting it on the bar with a sigh.

“That sounded bad,” Ryan remarked, his voice muffled by the white mask he was wearing as he stood behind the bar.

“I feel like a villain in her origin story.” Alex picked hers back up, slipping the elastic bands back over her ears. “Christ, I hate this. It can’t last for long, right?”

“I hope not. You weren’t wrong about keeping the doors open.” Ryan looked back at his laptop. “I ran the numbers. We’ve got enough saved up to pay the bills for two or three months, even if we get no customers. But if this shutdown lasts into the summer, we’re gonna have to dip into our own savings accounts if we want to stay open.”

“Not that I’m selfish, but I’d really rather not do that.”

“Same.”

The music coming from the radio slowly petered out, drawing their attention. “Good afternoon, citizens of Haven Springs. This is your friendly neighborhood DJ at KRCT, and I hope you guys are all doing okay out there, following our governor’s Stay-At-Home order.”

Alex looked at Ryan. “Well, one of us is.”

“Shut up.”

“As part of my information campaign, I’m going to run through a list of your favorite local businesses and let you guys know what kind of restrictions we’re looking at.” Steph cleared her throat. “We’ll start with everyone’s favorite record store, Rocky Mountain Record Traders. While we are currently closed for browsing, call-ins to reserve and order new music are still being taken. The same goes for Lethe Flowers; no in-person visits, but you can call and have a bouquet arranged for your sweetheart. And for an extra delivery charge, they’ll bring it right to your door.”

“Gotta be Riley’s idea,” Ryan deduced.

“The Silver Dragon is still open to browse and fill prescriptions, but masks are mandatory, and only one person can enter the store at a time,” Steph continued. “The Mountain Mart has also mandated masks for everyone buying groceries and will be enforcing social distancing practices by limiting the number of shoppers to fifteen families at a time. Additionally, due to limited supply, they will be restricting the amount of hand soap, cleaning products, and toilet paper that can be purchased at one time.”

She paused. “And seriously, if you’re panic-buying toilet paper, take a deep breath and calm down. Things haven’t gotten that bad yet.”

Alex snorted in amusement.

“Following the governor’s order, the Brown Bear Diner, Avalanche Ice Cream, and the Black Lantern are closing their doors to customers. The Diner and the Lantern are taking to-go orders, and for an extra fee, they will deliver them to you.”

“Sucks for Avalanche,” Ryan mentioned. “All that work to actually try and get their business rolling, and now this.”

“Yea.” Alex nodded. “Hope they can keep their doors open. They’ve got good ice cream.”

“The good news is that, per a statement from the council, essential services are still operating. That includes Sheriff Pike, who will be enforcing the Stay-At-Home order; the Haven Springs Fire Department, providing emergency support as usual; and the heroic workers at our Urgent Care, who informed me that they have prepared a suite of rooms to deal with any potential COVID cases that may come up. Doctor Wyneman asked me to let you all know to wash your hands, stay six feet apart from each other, and wear your masks.”

She took a breath before continuing. “I think the most important thing we can all do is relax,” she stated. “There’s no cases in Haven Springs yet, per Doctor Wyneman; they’re just being cautious, on account of how fast the virus is spreading. Just stay inside, enjoy the extra time with your loved ones, and this will all be over before you know it.”