“Back home, they built massive hospitals in some cities overnight. But I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“There’s pictures and videos showing this room full of our people. Everyone hooked up to ventilators. Emergency staff and military personnel flown in to run this center. Complete separation from the community.”

“It’s amazing your government let it get this bad. Our government isn’t perfect but the party was able to control the pandemics quickly, without mass deaths.”

“You believe that?” Bugz scoffed. “And let me guess, that’s proof democracy is overrated, right?”

“Well…”

“Well, don’t be so gullible. Some democracies beat the pandemics too; the problem we had here were the leaders at the time.” Bugz shook her head, before motioning Feng on. “Anyway, the other trailers are more like dorms, where the people who weren’t as sick stayed. Separated from their families.”

“There’s a really spooky vibe in here.”

“People died.”

“How many—”

Suddenly, a ventilator tube came scurrying across the floor at them. Bugz jumped and screamed. Feng jumped higher and screamed louder. Before Bugz could scream a second time her phone’s light flashed off the eyes of a squirrel. The vermin scurried away to the wall, dragging the tube behind it.

Feng and Bugz looked at each other for a breath before bursting out laughing.

“Oh my god, I was so scared,” Feng roared.

“I know, so was I!” Bugz shook her head as a belly laugh took over her body. “But I wasn’t like you. You were all ‘AHHHHHH!!!!’ ” Laughter consumed her.

“Oh yeah, like you were any better.”

Bugz couldn’t stop laughing.

“Okay, come on. Stop now.”

“I can’t help it. You should’ve seen your face.”

“I get it. I was scared.”

“That was too good.” Bugz started walking to the far end of the trailer again. “Too bad I didn’t catch it on video. I could post it in your Clan:LESS group chat.” Feng did not smile but moved to catch up with Bugz. As though governed by an unspoken deal, the two of them walked closer together as they made their way down the aisle between the beds. “We used to come run around here as kids when we’d sneak out of our houses at night.”

“Wow, you guys were bad.”

“No, we weren’t bad. That’s just how it is on the Rez.” Bugz smiled at the memory. “We’d come here after dark and run around and say, ‘You’re gonna catch SARS-3 if you touch the floor.’ Then we’d jump from bed to bed and slide on the machinery racks like skateboards.”

“That’s terrible.” Feng smiled nervously. “I mean, sounds fun…but there’s such an eerie feeling in here.”

“It was fun.” Bugz shut her phone off and turned slowly to Feng, a deadly serious look on her face. “And guess what?”

“What?” Feng sounded scared.