The public needed to be told what they faced. But there were no precautions to advice. Duct taping the windows would not keep out something that could dissolve diamonds.
The fact that only evil people seemed to be killed took the urgency out of putting a stop to the epidemic. Right thinking men knew that everyone deserved to be heard in court before being executed. Yet it seemed to be a very expedient way to rid the planet of those who preyed on others. Still Phillip wanted to, knew he must, put a stop to it. What if the dust decided that having too large a carbon foot print was criminal? Everybody was guilty of something. If not stopped the entire human race could be erases. The death toll was mounting quickly. It's hard to ignore over six hundred thousand deaths a day. Thing were not going well.
Where was the all-powerful global nano defense? People were being killed right under its nose — if it had a nose. Apparently, it had been taken over. There were communications with none of the defense cells nor with the alien dust that was solving the world’s population problem in a fortnight.
The president called personally to ask what was going on and what a jittery nation could be told. Phillip spent the day in Washington.
That night the president told the nation about the dust from Jupiter and about the Global Nano Defense Initiative and apologized for its failure and for having lied to the people all this time. They listened to hear about the death of Doctor E Steven Rice. The president explained the complexity of the problem and held back nothing. If the Nano Defense didn’t work, nothing else would. There was definite intelligence behind the epidemic and communicating with this intelligence was our only hope.
The military had tried their thing. But typical military might against a pandemic microscopic enemy is less than effective. Even the latest version of the airborne laser missile defense was a waste of time. The air force could burn a swath through an open and exposed mass of alien dust but the second time they tried it the powerful beam reflected off the target cloud. Fast learners.
The brass has suggested nuking the menace – don’t they always. It was easily pointed out that this action would harm humanity more than it would harm the target and cause more human casualties then the menace was. These were acceptable casualties if it could solve the problem. But it would not solve the problem.
The dust went wherever the wind blew. Presently the wind was coming at them from the South-West at eight to twelve miles per hour. The dust would be here in five hours. There was nothing left to try. Phillip made an announcement thanking everyone for their efforts and telling them they could go home to be with their families. So far, the dust was killing mostly bad people. They might not be harmed.
Phillip stayed; he was the captain of this sinking ship. He had no family. A few others stayed for that same reason.
Phillip was hounded by everybody who had an idea to combat the killing dust. Like UFO sightings, most were crap but he had someone evaluate most of them.
Nan was already at her mother’s house but there was no one home.
These days more people stood by the roadside with a thumb out to catch a ride then would have been seen a decade ago. Unless you had an all-electric vehicle it was expensive to drive. Still the sight of a 68-year-old plump woman beside the road with her thumb in the air is not something you see every day — well not in Pennsylvania anyway. Many people passed her by. Perhaps because they have a policy of not picking up 68 year old plump bag ladies hitchhiking. More likely it was because the scene didn't register in their minds until they were well down the road.
It was getting dark, it was starting to rain and here was a lady with a big smile in a yellow dress with a red-rose print hitchhiking on route 116 headed south toward Maryland.
Emma gave every indication of being a lunatic yet someone did stop. Perhaps they were reminded of their own lunatic mother. She informed the good Samaritans who gave her a lift that she was only going as far as the Presbyterian Church. The good people dropped her at the parsonage and waited until the reverend opened the door to her. But they had already decided that they had done their part and weren't planning to stick around. As Emma waved, they drove off with the wipers flopping on high intermittent speed.
Emma started to speak so quickly the good reverend couldn't make out exactly what she was saying. She was so excited that she would interrupt one of her own sentences to begin another. The good parson's head was bobbing on each raged ended sentence. He got nothing of what the excited woman was saying between her coming short of finishing any complete thought and his multitasking between trying to listen and trying to figure out how to call 9-1-1 without alarming this crazy woman. She needed medical help not clergy. Thinking of what could be done until 9-1-1 could be called the good reverend offered tea or coffee.
“Coffee? This time of day? I wouldn't sleep all night.”
“Caffeine free Tea then? Good. I'll put the kettle on. I'm Pastor Dale Jackson. Pastor Dale to everyone here." said Pastor Dale as he ducked into his kitchen. "I don't remember seeing you at the church." said Pastor Dale loudly from the kitchen.
“I haven't been for years.” Replied Emma, also loudly.
“What is your name? Where do you live?
“Oh. I am so sorry. I am Emma Holt. I live on the old Holt farm 'bout ten miles from here. It was my late husband's family's place. You probably want to know what a crazy old woman is doing at your door. I've been healed! And I don't know what I'm supposed to do."
"Healed?” Said Pastor Dale returning to the room with cups and saucers.
“This morning I had crippling arthritis and taking all kinds of expensive drugs that just makes a mess of your body. But today I was healed! God's healing dust came to my home and was laid upon me. And when I arose, I was healed!
“Dust? “
“It was all over in my house, and then it just flew at me and covered me. Then I passed out.
“Did you fall?” asked the minister turned medic, looking for indications of head injury.
“I must have. I woke up on the floor. And I didn't have the arthritis any more. Halleluiah!"
A relevant scripture triggered Pastor Dale’s memory “Jesus spat on the dust to make clay of the spittle and anointed the eyes of the blind man and commanded him go and wash”
The kettle announced it was ready with a whistle and the parson repeated the news. “Oh, tea's ready.”
As he poured, "and you came here in the rain to do what?
“Well it wasn't raining when I started. I can't drive any more. Couldn't renew my license last time cuz of the arthritis so I let my daughter have the car."
“Does your daughter know where you are?”
“Well no. I guess she don't.”
“You want to call her? “
“I will. But can you tell me what I'm supposed to do? I mean with God and all.”
“You are a very very special person, Emma. Everybody receives blessings and often healings every day and shamefully few ever even whisper a ‘thank you God’. What do you think you should do?”
“I should yell it from the roof tops — something.”
"Ah, the Samaritan leper." Said Pastor Dale. Emma did not give a knowing look so he continued "Jesus healed ten lepers one day. Nine went their way. Only one returned and fell at Jesus' feet to thank him and praise God."
“I praise God.” Said Emma.
“And this happened all at once in a single day?”
“Yes!”
"That does sound like, like a miracle.” Reverend Dale was becoming more interested than he was a few minutes ago.
“Yes! A true miracle.”
“I think you should tell your daughter.”
“You're right. May I use your phone?”
Nan was sitting behind the wheel of her car sitting in the driveway of her mother’s house. The car windows were rain streaked and fogged. Nan was crying.
Tears rolled down her checks as rain rolled down the car windows. She was crying because she was going to die. She was crying because her mother was going to die. She was crying because she wasn't going to be with her mother. She was crying because there was no one to be with her now. She would have needed that even if she wasn't going to die. She tried to force herself to stop crying. Emotion makes you stupid! She needed to be smart and figure out what to do. She took out her cell phone. She didn't have a clue about what to do, or where to look for her mother, or who to ask for help. She had already called the police and was told to call back in 24 hours. She put down the phone and started to cry again. She remembered how good it felt to have Phillip hold her. She tried to hold herself. It helped, but not much. Then the phone buzzed.