Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

#1 It took until late February for the first patient to come to the South Side ER, a flight attendant named Terri who came with a cough and a story. She had shaken hands with clients in Seattle, where the ICUs were overwhelmed with infected patients.

#2 As the nation continued to collapse, I was unable to make decisions for my friends regarding when to take their kids out of school or whether to take their planned vacation to Jamaica. I did not withhold information from them, but I did not offer them any comforting predictions about how many people would die.

#3 The South Side was hit hard by the virus, and I knew that the onslaught was inevitable. I expected to be infected before it was over. The only question I had was: how sick will I become.

#4 I announced to my family that I would not see them for a while to protect them from infection. With primary-colored helium balloons floating to the ceiling, my announcement turned it into a going-away party.