Description

Panel One: Matt hands Cal a box labelled "Cal's Good Soap" with the note "Do Not Sell!" on the side. "Here's that last box you couldn't reach," he says. Cal thanks him, and off-panel Jan says, "No, thank you!"

Panel Two: Jan is up in the cart, sitting on the side. "You didn't have to give us all of your soap." Cal says, "Well, I'm not about to let it go to waste."

Panel Three: Cal asks Doc, "So... What happens now?" Doc looks over her clipboard. "Well, if Blanche is done packing up her lab and got the Carpathia's water refilled, we're done. We can go."

Panel Four: Cal looks nervous. 'What about the town?" Doc is checking her watch again. "The cleanup crew is going to do their thing, and you don't want to be here for that, trust me." Cal asks, "And the geese?" "The animals are clear. Our farm techs will care for them until the changeover."

Panel Five: Doc continues as she shows Cal her clipboard. "Meanwhile, the clerical division will go over the town records to find next of kin and work out ownership." Cal leans over the clipboard. "Oh! Wow, that's - Thorough, but what about -"

Author Note

In which Doc has yet more answers for Cal (and you!). Cal's questions are based on actual questions that I was asked when discussing the premise. Several people wanted to know what happens when a town is left desolate by a plague. Historically, towns were abandoned because people feared reinfection, but since I have a small population of people who are immune to communicable diseases, what then? They're service-based, so they're not going to claim it, but they won't abandon a perfectly good town. I figured they would have people trained to sanitize and clear striken areas. Not only would they take care of the dead, they would do repairs that needed done, and tend to any crops or livestock left so that whoever owns or claims them doesn't show up to an untended mess. Any other processes that need people to oversee them, like mills, would also be seen to. The crew would probably take anything that can't be 100% cleaned (bedding, clothes, etc.) for their own townspeople, too. Even if some things could theoretically be cleaned, there's little chance the people who come to resettle the town would take items like that. And yes, there would be a bunch of office-type people coming in to do the accounts, make inventories, document the incident... Something tells me this would generate a mountain of paperwork.

The end goal is, once things are sorted, a town that's ready for people to move in and get started with their new lives ASAP. People can move into a mostly-furnished home (no rugs or mattresses, but the dishes and such would still be there) and get things going within a week or two. Personal effects would be carefully packed, inventoried, and sent off to any next of kin that weren't coming to claim a house. Otherwise, they would be boxed up and left in the attic or something, for whenever the family felt ready to go through them. I imagine the nearest Carrier settlement would send a few therapists by to help the new townsfolk get settled in afterwards, too.

And I am still working away on issue 2! ^_^ Wish me luck!

Get Vaccinated If You Can!
- Bran