The Valley, 1989

The Valley


The Valley (Page 13)
by William Burroughs
"We’ll contact Atlanta."

Gingerly they tossed out some food packages.

A strict quarantine was imposed… Soldiers were stationed around the Valley. Armed helicopters stood by to turn away any attempt to approach the Valley by air. A helicopter chartered by the Press was turned back, having been warned that there were orders to shoot down any aircraft that violated the quarantine.

The entire population of the Valley, forty men and thirty five women, was transported to Atlanta by technicians in protective clothing and placed in isolation. The Valley itself was in Columbia, but the local authorities were glad to turn the matter over to the gringos rather than risk the responsibility for some horrendous epidemic.

The Corners were found to be suffering from some