Chapter 16
Another week passed in the quiet town of Forks, Washington. Students were home along with all non-essential employees. Ten more people had died with over 100 infected. And that was just Forks, it didn't include the other towns surrounding them, or the rest of Washington State. Worldwide there had been 300,000 deaths, and the number of people contracting the virus seemed to be growing exponentially.
The world economy had tanked. Unemployment was rampant. All air travelled had ceased and many were claiming it was the end of the world. People were scared. They were angry too. Angry at law enforcement for the chaos they were surrounded by. Angry at the government for what they perceived as wrong choices. And angry at each other because of what others had and they didn't.
The grocery store was one of the most dangerous places in town now. Bella absolutely refused to go without Edward or her Dad because of the stories the news had been reporting. There had been allegations of people stealing bags and car loads of groceries, particularly from elderly people, or from mothers trying to corral their children.
Charlie had broken up countless fights between citizens inside and outside stores. People would fight over anything they felt they deserved more than others. Items were snatched from hands and carts alike. In response to this, the local government had ordered no more than 20 people in any store at a time. That way law enforcement could better serve and protect those inside. Many businesses had offered the first few hours of opening to be strictly for people over the age of 60.
This still didn't stop fights from breaking out in the lines surrounding the stores. One of Charlie's deputies has tased a man who had become belligerent and abusive towards them and other patrons. This settled the crowd for a while but inevitably people became angry again.
Bella worried desperately every day when her father left for work. Praying to the stars that he would come home at the end of the day. She didn't know what she would do if he was injured by a citizen, or worse killed.
The Chief's house was still approached everyday by towns folk asking for answers. Charlie had even posted a polite letter on his front door, stating that he was working in town and that his daughter was home. Trying to stay safe. He put his contact information and office hours on it too, encouraging the towns people to come find him or contact him with their concerns. But even then, people still camped out in front of the house, demanding that the Chief do more.
What more they wanted Charlie to do was beyond him. He worked from four in the morning to ten in the evening most nights. Only seeing his daughter sporadically.
The power had also become a problem in Forks, as well as the rest of the country it seemed. People were getting sick and dying so quickly that the power and gas companies couldn't keep up with the job vacancies. Some companies had been hit so hard that homes were without power for hours, if not days at a time. The people who monitored and maintained the hardware were sick at home, with no one to replace them. This made it dangerous for companies to run the electricity and gas as there was no one to monitor the computers.
The effect this was having on people was bringing out the worst in them. Someone had even tried to steal Charlie's generator, but thankfully Edward had caught them in time and scared them off.
Excellent hearing was again added to the list of things Bella had noticed about Edward in the weeks since they'd met.
Charlie floated the idea of getting a guard dog, but Edward insured him that he and Bella were being vigilant. Besides, someone might try and hurt the dog if they attempted to steal something, Bella suggested.
Thankfully the towns water supply was still going strong, although the pressure wasn't great. Even still it was better than nothing. Bella tried desperately not to think about what would happen if the water stopped running. Water bottles had become the new toilet paper in stores. People were stock piling it, hoarding it. There was a limit to how many bottles you could buy per person, but even then, it didn't take long for stock to run out.
Bella also noticed that Edward never really drank anything. She asked him if it was to do with his diet and genetic makeup. In response he smiled and told her that he did in fact drink. He just didn't need very much. She tucked away yet another piece of information.
Bella had surmised that Edward and Carlisle Cullen were the same non-human entity because they had too many physical similarities not to be. They were father and son which meant that Edward was at least half of what Carlisle was. Bella has asked Edward if his mother was like him. Edward had told her no, she was human.
Edward spent most of his time at the Swan's now because Carlisle was practically living at the hospital. They had so many sick people at Forks General that the staff worked around the clock. Stopping for a few hours to sleep and eat before getting back to it. Not that Carlisle Cullen needed much of either of those things.
Edward was home alone because of this, which lead to Charlie offering Edward the spare room downstairs at their house, on the condition that he never try and get into Bella's room upstairs. He knew the pair had declared themselves, but he wasn't prepared to have any nightly shenanigans going on under his roof. At least, not while he was home and could be privy to it.
Something about Edward though make Charlie think he was too respectful to do something like that in his house anyway.
