In his deep-seated fear for Payton, he hadn’t thought of that.“Is there some kind of test to see if people have it?”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.Trying to think of which herbs would allow us to determine who are carriers as well as those who are infected.You should also call other nearby packs and warn them.”
“Okay,” he agreed.“I’m going to have everyone shelter in place.”
She nodded.“That’s a good idea.”
“Let me know the moment Niall gets here.”
“I will, Alpha.”
He marched out of her store and back up the street.It didn’t take him long to get to his office, and by then Ledger was waiting for him.
“Come on,” he said.
His beta followed him and closed the door after they reached Jericho’s office.
“What’s going on, Jericho?”
“Remember when Ezra Parson’s died?”
“Of course.”
“We just had another death.Gladys Smyth.Turns out they died from a virus.A very old virus that I’ve never heard of.Something called the red death.”
“Oh, fuck,” Ledger said, his eyes going round.“That was like the bubonic plague that wiped out half of the shifter population.What’s it doing here?”
Jericho frowned.“You know about it?”
“Yeah, learned in school.I had to do a report and that was one of the topic options.It sounded cool so I chose it.”
Jericho took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing thoughts.“This could be really bad, Ledger.”
“What’s the plan?”
“First, all non-essential businesses need to temporarily close.Second, people need to shelter in place until we figure it out.I don’t want to lose anyone else.”
Ledger pulled out his phone and started taking notes.“Okay.”
“Savannah said Niall is on his way.They plan on placing a safety ward around Sheridan in hopes of containment.There’s a girl named Kadie who came from Brinnah’s old pack to warn us of the plague.She’s currently at the medic center, so we’ll need to monitor her.”
“Could this virus already be rippling through other packs?”
“I don’t know.There are a lot ofI don’t knowswith this situation.”He ran a hand through his hair.“I have to contact them.”
“Do you want me to set up a panel to have people call?”Ledger asked.“I’m sure Anais would help.”
“That’s a good idea.Coordinate with my assistant, Leesha.She can take that role on.”
“So, we’re telling people about this?”
“We have to,” Jericho replied.“This virus is too deadly.Remind anyone on patrol, or who might have been exposed, what to look for.Make sure they’re aware of quarantine procedures.”
“Jericho,” Ledger said solemnly.“Is there a cure besides the horn of a unicorn?Or are we looking at a ticking time bomb?”
“No cure.Not unless Niall and Savannah find one.”
“Have you talked with Asher Reidman?His bar is called The Unicorn.We’ve always wondered why he named it that.”
