The Last Roll

Something's off about how Commander Cortez and his Quarantine Force are locking down all of Chicagoland. What is it about this mysterious new virus strain? Is it as dangerous as the authorities say? Med school dropout turned teacher, John Robinson didn't wait to find out. He sent his wife and kids out of town just before the lockdown fell, but now he's stuck separated from his family. What's worse, his daughter's experimental medicine is with him on the wrong side of the quarantine border. When a visit to his favorite sushi restaurant turns into a series of unlikely opportunities, John starts to believe he might just get one of those coveted Travel Permits. Now, if only he can figure out why Commander Cortez seems to be running a government conspiracy to wreck John's life. Will this heroic dad find a way to reunite with his wife and kids? Will he find out what's really going on with the virus? Or, will Commander Cortez crush him with his masked Quarantine Force troopers? From The Last Roll Chef Hiro lifted a round plate up over the counter and handed it to Georgia. She was speechless. The circular plate had a spider web drawn in brown unagi sauce. Around the outside, pieces of the roll were lying flat, crowned with little piles of tobiko, slices of avocado, and drizzles of sauces. The center of the web had the two end pieces nestled in white threads of daikon radish. The soft shell crab's claws and legs jutting up out of them. Highlights of the sauces and tobiko glittered like emeralds. Georgia stumbled over her words. "I... I can't eat this. This is art!"John tore his eyes away from his new boss's beautiful sushi. He had to see what the Quarantine Force Press Conference was saying. Up on the flat screen, a map replaced Commander Cortez's face. Huge swathes of the city were now labeled "Full Lockdown." People there could only go to the grocery store, pharmacy, or doctor. That was, until the QF Commander decided otherwise. Hiro gave a low whistle at the television. "He just lock up two million people? Just like that?"John was stunned. This was definitely a bad sign for him getting a travel permit out of the quarantine zone to his family. "Could he do that out here? Could he lockdown the suburbs too?"Hiro looked at John very seriously. "What stop him? Only limit on Commander is border of Quarantine Zone, right?"