Quaranteam: Mie's Hurdles

Chapter 5

Team Hutchinson

-Mike Hutchinson: 18 year old high school graduate. He is a natural goalkeeper for both his high school and the men's Moscow United team.

-Cindy Lee Jones: 18 years old, Mike's high school crush and star striker on any soccer (football) team she was on. Her non school team was the women's Moscow United. She is biracial with her dad being of Caucasian descent and her mom being Taiwanese.

-Tina Johnson: 22 year old recent graduate from the Air Force Academy in Colorado. The pandemic threw her into the deep end and gave her the opportunity to be partnered to Mike.

-Emma Anderson: 18 years old, played for Boise Timbers for many years and often found herself defending against Cindy's attempts to get past her towards the goal. Her dad is well off due all of his business connections in Idaho especially around the mining operations.

-Sandy Ryan: 26 year old survivor from Deer Park, Washington. She is currently studying to be a nurse due to her experiences after an abusive ex broke her arm. She also worked in retail to help pay for school and has done some side work making content for Onlyfans.

-Brittany Gilbreth: 18 year old teammate and one of Cindy's best friends. She was also at the soccer tournament and got a second round of the vaccine at a later date. She had a crush on Mike as well but didn't want to step on her best friend's toes.

*************

July 24, 2020

"Is everything okay?" Mike asked nervously, his mind starting to spin to worst case scenarios.

"I think you should sit down," his mom's solemn tone came across.

Mike moved to the couch as the laughter and conversation in the dining area and kitchen came to a halt. Mike could hear his heart beating as he tried not to panic or jump to any more conclusions.

With a heavy thump he found himself on the edge of the couch. Taking a deep breath he responded, "Okay, I'm sitting. What's going on?"

There was a lengthy pause on the other end of the line before he heard, "I finally was able to get a few people to head down to Moscow to check out what the status of the population is with the virus. The local police were useless in my request for a wellness check."

Mike's eyes slowly widened as he tried to process what his mom was not saying.

His mom kept going, "Your house was one that I had asked to be checked as a high priority."

There was another long pause where nothing was said. He could hear a deep sigh on the other end of the line.

"Michael, honey... Your dad and step mom didn't make it," his mom finally said.

"What do you mean they didn't make it?" He asked in denial, "They must have gone on vacation if they aren't home. Probably camping to get out of the house. That would explain why they aren't answering and I mean, they have to be right?" Mike's speech seemed to speed up while his breathing became shallow and rapid.

"No, honey. They... I mean we recovered their bodies. They died due to DuoHalo. If I could leave DC I would..." Mike registered that she was talking and trying to comfort him but he couldn't hear her any more.

Time slowed as Mike just stared into space. The rest of the world darkened and blurred. It felt like he was in a box that was slowly closing in around him. His mind tried to process the words that he'd just heard. He knew what each individual word meant but his brain refused to process them together.

Mike barely registered that someone had pulled the phone away from his hand as he fought to control his breathing. The voice of his mother drifted away as the device was taken by one of the girls. He tried to remember if he should breathe with his nose or mouth. His mind spun between despair and the hope that this was all some sick joke.

The next feeling that was registered in his brain was someone pushing him to fully sit on the couch instead of the edge he was on. Then arms and weight. They pushed him further into the couch as he realized that his face was wet and he was gasping for air. Snot clogged Mike's nose.

Different emotions overwhelmed him, shame and embarrassment that he was sobbing in front of the girls, denial of everything going on, a wish to wake up from this fucked up nightmare and dream, and overwhelming grief.

Still gasping for air, Mike slowly regained awareness of his surroundings. Blinking to clear his eyes as he was bent over staring at his knees. The next realization was that four of the girls had dog-piled onto him and hugged him as tightly as they possibly could. Another wave of guilt wracked through his body as this felt comfortable and nice and there was a part of his brain that said he didn't deserve to feel that way. He needed to be strong and support them. Not the other way around.

It felt like time suddenly sped up from the crawl he'd been experiencing. Thousands of thoughts flooded his head, starting to overwhelm him again. The most pressing thought was that he needed to get home. He needed to see his dad and step mom. He needed to, he didn't know what he needed to do and that fear crept more into his head.

The urge to get up and do something was there but the pressure of the group hug prevented him from acting on it. After a while once he had stopped gasping for air he heard Sandy's voice.

"Okay I think it's time to let him breathe. Also do we have any tea? It's a good option in times like this." There was a slight concern in her voice but also a desire to comfort him.

Mike felt the weight of the girls release from him. He wanted to jump up and grab his keys to rush down to his home but there was no energy and his body just refused to move. Once the cup of tea was put into his hands he just stared blankly at it.

The girls didn't even say anything, they just waited for him. There was no rush or urge for him to talk about it. He could sense that Brittany, Cindy, and Emma all wanted to talk but they kept glancing at Tina and Sandy who would give a slight shake to their heads.

With no clue as to how long he'd been sitting, Mike finally spoke up. "I need to... I should go..." His words faltered as he didn't didn't even really know what to say.

He could see Tina take a deep breath before she spoke, "Mike you are not going anywhere. You can barely function and I think it would do you more damage than good to go to your dad's house."

He tried to form any sort of argument in his head but words just failed him. His shoulders slumped in defeat. Part of his brain told him that Tina was right while the other part screamed that she was wrong.

"I have a truck up at my residence in Deer Park, well I guess, my former residence. We could go get that to be able to haul a bunch of stuff up here. I mean before any formal moving process." Sandy stated as she realized that the house needed something to refocus on.

Tina went into work mode with that statement, "Great idea! Cindy and Brittany have you both been to Mike's house before?"

They nodded and explained they had a few soccer parties and study sessions there.

Tina kept going, "Cindy you go ahead and take Mike's car with Brittany and Sandy. Head up to get the truck then caravan down to Moscow. You two can stop by your houses since both of your families are out of town to load up anything you need and spend the night before heading to Mike's place to grab stuff. Later today I'll have him make a list of things he would want from his house. Major priority is clothing as he should probably flesh out his wardrobe from what we bought him and he took to the soccer tournament. It's lacking."

Cindy glanced at Emma and was about to protest something but a realization crossed her face. She nodded and then pulled Emma to the side and whispered quietly enough that Mike was unable to catch what exchange happened between them.

Tina, after giving orders, disappeared for a moment before returning with a blanket to throw over Mike. An overwhelming sense of exhaustion both physically and emotionally came over him.

Tina turned to the three that were leaving the house trying to look as threatening as she could but there was a worried look in her eyes, "Don't forget to mask up and protect yourselves especially at Mike's place. I know you're vaccinated but we need to be careful. Oh, and don't mention the vaccine to anyone. You all have signed NDAs and I don't want to consider the load of trouble we would get into if you talk about it."

Brittany chuckled, "I'm pretty sure anyone we run into is going to be more upset that we're masked up and wouldn't hear a single word about any vaccine. Vaccination is a government plot to cause autism and install 5G radio signals into us to control the population."

Cindy snorted at how ridiculous but likely those comments were.

Sandy spoke up, "So I have my dad's old hunting rifle at the house as well. I know it will do jack shit against any actual person up close but I was going to grab it to hopefully give people a second thought about messing with us while we are traveling. Would there be any issues with me returning to base with it?"

Tina shook her head. "There shouldn't be but I'll make sure the gate knows and you'll most likely just have to surrender it before you can enter."

Brittany, Cindy, and Sandy all gave Mike a reassuring hug before they left after they packed a bit of clothing for the trip. He felt like he should have insisted that he joined them but he didn't have anything in his mental tank to fight.

After the front door closed Emma sat on the couch and just curled up against his side.

Tina let her shell of being in control drop slightly, "I wish I could stay but with everything going on with the attack up north. It's all hands on and I've already delayed going to work as long as my boss will allow. Emma, you have my number; call me if you need anything. Mike, when you feel up to it, it would be great if you could make a list of everything you want the girls to grab and where it is. I'm sure they would appreciate not going in completely blind."

Mike just nodded as he still struggled to process what was being said to him. His mind spiraled through all the thoughts that ran rampant in his head.

The rest of the day Emma was glued to his side and even forced him to eat some toast at one point. She made a joke that she never really learned how to cook but she would do her best to make something if he wanted.

They mostly just sat in silence as Mike couldn't bring himself to say anything. He just wanted to scream, cry, and try to fix everything. He just felt alone.

Emma got up to answer a knock at the door. Mike didn't look but he could hear Nathan's voice. "Hi Emma, I ran into Tina and she was a bit distracted. She told me about the call Mike had earlier. How is he holding up?"

"He's ummm well I think. I don't know. He's barely spoken and I can't even imagine what's going on in his head." Emma replied with sadness in her voice.

Mike felt a hand on his back that felt larger than Emma's. It must be Nathan's hand but he just couldn't bring himself to move his head or look up. The presence of the hand did feel a bit comforting as it gently rubbed his back.

There was silence before the hand was removed and Nathan spoke in a fatherly tone, "Mike, if you want to talk you have my number. It may feel like it but you aren't alone, we're here for you."

Mike could hear them move towards the front door and he caught Nathan talking to Emma, "He may not know what to say so why don't you talk to him. Sometimes people in shock just need to hear another voice to distract them from their own thoughts. I have to get back to work but I knew I needed to stop by."

He could hear the front door close and Emma move to the kitchen, after which she quickly came back to her position cuddled into his side.

Emma took a deep breath, "Mike you know we're here for you and you aren't alone."

This statement caught him off guard, especially with how vulnerable she sounded.

"You see, I never fitted in. I was always the rich girl whose dad was always too busy trying to get some business deal or chasing a model somewhere." Emma kept going, not even really caring if Mike was listening. He got the impression that this was something that she'd held in. "Due to my dad being someone who would much rather create connections for money's sake and not real friendships. I was isolated growing up. Anyone who would befriend me often was doing it so their parents could try to get closer to my dad, or then down the line try to get me to cover their fun."

Mike moved for what felt like the first time since the phone call, as he set down the cup of tea he hadn't touched since it was given to him earlier, next to half a piece of toast. More on autopilot than anything else. He then lifted his arm around Emma's shoulder and pulled her into his side more.

She repositioned her shoulders to better fit into Mike's side. There was a moment of silence before Emma resumed talking.

"So I fell into being the rich bratty stereotype, which doesn't allow me to build any strong friendships. There were a few people I could call friends. Mostly on the soccer team. Even then I had to be queen bee, the MVP. Looking back with everything going on, I probably rubbed some of the girls up the wrong way. I always felt I had to put up walls and isolate myself, even where I felt like I could be the most like myself. Again I made a huge point to not bring any friends, particularly female friends home. Not that I really had any to bring home."

She let out a huge sigh as she settled into Mike's side more. There was a tension in the air but it was more due to the conversation rather than the people.

"I knew that I'd be alone. Especially with my dad expecting to find some rich Ivy League lawyer or banker for me to be married off to." Mike could feel the weight of Emma's words regarding her dad's expectations. "But then this stupid virus and pandemic happened and I know all this death is terrible but it was the best thing that ever happened to me."

Mike stiffened in confusion. He turned his head slightly to look at Emma who was looking towards the floor just being in the moment.

"I just... I've never felt like I had a family that loved me for me. And all of you, even Cindy despite our stupid rivalry, have just made me feel like I can be myself. You never pushed to meet my dad or even talk about him. Tina doesn't put up with that fake bratty side of me which has forced me to... grow up a bit. Even just now while your world falls apart you're doing your best to comfort me. I should be the one trying to comfort you."

Emma let out a nervous laugh, "I'm not doing a great job of that but I guess I have a lot of growing up still to do."

From the entrance area Emma and Mike heard Tina speak up, having missed her when she entered. "Hey, don't worry about growing up too fast. We're all learning, growing and figuring out how to live together in this new world. We're all doing our best and I wouldn't trade any of you out for anyone else in the world. We're family."

Mike turned and half offered his other arm and side to Tina. She smiled as she pulled off her boots and came and curled against Mike's other side. He still felt numb but the feeling of being alone had started to shrink into the background. He wasn't alone; he felt that he was in a life raft with five amazing women in a storm that had taken over the world. He didn't know how much darker it would be but they were in this together.

Mike watched as Tina reached across his lap and grabbed one of Emma's hands and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

No one said anything for a while. The tension in the air had dissipated as they all just sat in a comfortable silence.

The phone sitting on Mike's lap lit up. Shortly after Emma's and Tina's phones also went off. They all grabbed their respective phones as it was second nature to check.

Mike let out a small chuckle as he looked at a selfie that Cindy took. Next to her smiling were both Bethany and Sandy. He could tell that they were in Cindy's living room. With the selfie was a text, "Made it safe and sound but missing you all."

Mike heard Tina typing away on her phone before he saw her message appear. "Thank you for the update. We miss you too."

Emma spoke up, "Hey let's send them a selfie."

Mike and Tina both looked over at Emma's outstretched arm as she took a selfie of the cuddle pile on the couch. She sent the picture and said, "We are missing you all and can't wait for you to be back."

Mike's face dropped as he had a realization. "Fuck, I'm going to have to figure out a phone plan."

"Don't worry about it," Tina said reassuring Mike, "I'll see if I can move your number over to my plan."

Mike let out a sigh of relief as he knew that the phone was the least of his worries but it was nice to not have to worry about that. He had no clue how to handle the funeral, the house, or finances for his dad and stepmom, but those would be issues he could probably tackle later even though his mind was telling him to think about them now. The more pressing matter was that his stomach had finally had enough and was grumbling loudly.

Emma just started to laugh as her head was still resting on his chest.

"Someone finally decided they are hungry. Good thing Nathan dropped off some food," she commented as she got up and stretched heading to the kitchen to reheat the meal that had been dropped off.

Tina got up as well and went to change out of her uniform and into shorts and a tank top.

The meal was enjoyed on the couch and despite his mood, Mike decided that seconds were needed.

Tina took care of the dishes and had instructed Emma to make sure Mike got the list of stuff he needed and wanted from his house texted to the girls. He kept the list pretty simple, clothing, some bathroom supplies, his PlayStation in case anyone survived that he might be able to connect and play games with. Even though both Brittany and Cindy had been to his house before he still gave them directions to his room and bathroom.

The rest of the evening involved the three of them watching reruns of the Rising Knife via the HDMI cable connecting Mike's laptop to the tv.

Sleep came easier to Mike than he expected. His body was so emotionally exhausted that it just wanted him to sleep while he was sandwiched between Emma and Tina.

July 25, 2020

Mike's eyes snapped open as he felt himself slowly being tilted towards the edge of the bed and a pair of hands on his back. He tilted his head to look behind him to see Emma.

"Morning," he asked, confused.

Her face lit up, "Good you're awake. I was worried I would have to fully throw you out of bed."

"Yes I am awake but why are you waking me up?" Mike rotated his body to now face Emma. He saw that she was in a lime green sports bra and blue running shorts.

"Well... I wanted to go for a run but my usual running partner is currently in another state and I figured we needed to get you out of the house since you didn't do anything yesterday." She stated in a matter of fact tone.

Mike rolled his eyes and laid onto his back, which prompted Emma to jump onto him. He let out a gasp of air as she landed and realized that she wasn't going to take no for an answer. How did he end up with multiple stubborn partners?

"Okay, okay I'm getting up. We can go for a run." He groaned not really wanting to move but he realized that it was useless to argue

Emma grinned from ear to ear as she climbed off of him. He quickly rolled out of bed and made his way to the restroom. Once he emerged he threw on a pair of shorts and checked the temperature. While it would only be in the 60's for the run he figured a shirt would be too warm.

He had hoped that Emma would go easy on him but that was not the case. Even though they cut the run short due to the excessive heat he still felt like he'd done a full work out at the pace she was having him run at. There was a reason he stayed in goal.