Author's Note

When I first proposed this idea to my bosses on the editorial board of the Fairfield Union-Times, the response was mixed. The idea was simple; as people were allowed to return to their homes after the declaration of safety here in the New England, why not remember the people and events leading up to this day of celebration?

The first proposed candidate was Dr. Rachel McAllister. As Chief of Staff of Mercy Hospital, she was a pivotal player in the first phase of the infection. The discovery that the disease was transmitted through biting was discovered at her hospital, and Mercy was the last evacuation center in the city of Fairfield to be overrun.

At first, the board was skeptical. "Surely the soldiers who cleared out the last pockets of infected would be a better choice," said the arts editor.

"Or the Mayor?" asked the sports editor.

But then the metro desk editor spoke. "I was at Mercy Hospital during the last hours of the evacuation. That woman saved my life, and it is the least that we the survivors can do to remember her."

So it was decided. I had a few leads and set out to track them down. Here are their stories.