The Weapon

"Where you headed?"

"Baltimore. My sister's birthday, and then in a week my parents' anniversary. We're squishing them into one weekend, you know."

"Sure."

"You?"

He coughed once into his hand, glanced surreptitiously at his palm before answering, "Washington."

"Business?"

"Testifying. Then meetings on the hill." He shrugged. "Maybe the White House."

"Exciting!"

"Pretty routine, actually." He fished a handkerchief out of his pocket, coughed into it.

"Coming down with something?"

Ebola. "Hope not, lot of work to do."

"I'll probably end up with a cold, Emily's kids always give me something."

He smiled. "Children, they're little walking disease vectors."

16 comments:

  1. A scary thought - the frequent flyer spreading his viral plague.

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  2. Didn't I just read something in the news along these lines or was that 30 years ago and AIDS?

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    1. Yeah, there's an Ebola outbreak going on right now.

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  3. ugh. too close to home - especially with the American who just died of it before he almost got on the plane to come back home for his kid's birthday.. Randy

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    1. Too close to home is where good fiction lives. :-)

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  4. Dear David,

    In light of current news, terrifying. Believable dialogue and scenario.

    shalom,

    Rochelle

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  5. Gods! I hope I never sit next to someone like that!

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  6. David, That's a scary thought. I hope they come up with something to stop that disease before something like that happens. Plagues are still possible. We just don't like to think about it. Well written and too realistic for comfort. ---Susan

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  7. Great story David, and smack on with current events. I guess everyone kind of thinks twice when they hear someone coughing now. Good job! Nan :)

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  8. Good use of the prompt. Also, good choice of title. It drew me in for the read.

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    1. Thanks :) I try to choose titles that add meaning to the body, or that make subtle implications in the body clearer.

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