Finding Utopia

Chapter Three:An Unusual Evening

Sitting at a picnic table, Nina smoked and they talked about their day.

"I had no customers at all tonight. None! Then, on the way here, I didn't see one person, no cars, nothing," Catherine paused, staring off into space. "It's creepy. I've never seen the bar this dead either."

"I know, there was hardly any traffic on my drive here, too. I suppose this summer flu is just keeping everyone at home," Nina looked troubled. "Still, something just feels off to me. Especially with Jim not answering his phone or calling me back."

She tossed her cigarette butt into the battered old ashcan that always sat near the back entrance and they headed back into the bar.

"I'm going to just play deejay music for a while unless you want to sing now?"
"Nah, no point singing with no one here to listen," Catherine sighed. This was looking to be a long, boring night.
She took a sip from her mixed drink and yawned.

"Hey! Who's ready to par-tay!" a familiar voice called out from the back doorway.
"Lisa!" Catherine shrieked. "Oh thank god you're here. We were beginning to think no one was gonna show!"
Lisa grabbed hold of Catherine and gave her a big hug.
"You guys remember my boyfriend, Randy? He's not feeling well, so I don't think we'll be able to stay long." She gestured towards a tall, husky man with brown hair who looked like he really didn't want to be there.

Catherine noticed he was staring at her and pulled her low-cut shirt up a bit.
"Stop pulling it up," Lisa laughed. "If you got it, flaunt it, sweetheart."
"Hey, Randy, you don't look so hot, are you okay?" Catherine took note of the dark circles under his eyes and his pale skin. A thin sheen of sweat beaded his forehead.
"I'll be okay, thanks. Just getting the summer flu, I guess. I told Lisa she could sing two songs and then we're going home."

Randy headed toward the bar to get a Sprite. Catherine turned back to talk to Lisa when they heard a loud groan and felt a thud.
"Oh my GOD! Are you alright?" Edgar yelled.
Randy was lying on the floor, seemingly unconscious.

"Randy? Randy?" Lisa shrieked, running towards her fallen boyfriend, not an easy feat in her 6-inch spiked heels. She kicked them off and somehow managed to kneel beside him in her blue denim mini-skirt. "Randy?"
"I'm calling an ambulance," Edgar called out, cordless phone in hand. "What the fuck? Hello? Shit!"
"What's wrong?" Catherine asked as she tried to find Randy's pulse. "Damn, he's not breathing and I can't find a pulse."
"I keep getting a recording. All circuits are busy, please try your call again later. Since when does 911 not answer?" Edgar's voice rose in pitch. "What the hell is going on?"
"Okay, everyone stay calm. Maybe we can get him into the van somehow and take him there ourselves." Nina was always the calm, clear-headed one. "John, Bob, you guys think you can help lift him?"
"I don't know, Nina. He's a big guy." Bob slurred. John and Bob were both thinly built. Randy, on the other hand, was a big, muscular man. On top of that, John and Bob had been drinking steadily for the past four hours and were not in the best condition.

Edgar tried calling 911 again but got the same recorded message. Fear filled his face as he tossed the useless phone onto the bar.

"Hey, everyone, sorry I'm late!" Nina's business partner and best friend, Jim, called from the back door. "My wife became violently ill earlier and I had to rush her to the hospital."
"You didn't stay with her?" Nina gasped.
"I couldn't. There were guards at all the doors. They wouldn't give me any details, but they did say that the hospital is under quarantine. What happened to Randy?"
"We don't know," Edgar sighed. "He just fell and they can't find a pulse and 911 just keeps giving me a recording about the circuits being busy."

"Let's get him into Nina's van and I'll take him to the hospital." Jim bent down and lifted Randy by his armpits. John and Bob grabbed his legs and the three men somehow managed to maneuver the dead man into the back of the vehicle.