The NC 719 checkpoint was minuscule compared to the massive I-85 blockade just a few miles away. The NC 719 checkpoint consisted of two soldiers, two halogen flood lamps, and two Humvees. Concrete highway dividers and rolls of barbwire blocked off both lanes of the small road. A sign in the middle of the road read ‘Road Closed – No Thru Traffic’. Even at the height of the outbreak, the checkpoints along on the rural routes hadn’t seen much activity. The distant glow of the massive controlled-burn forest fire, that corralled the ‘red zone’ in its entirety, gave the midnight sky an ominous red glow and filled the air with the stench of smoke. One of the soldiers manning the checkpoint slapped an Ace of Hearts down on the hood of the Humvee, grinning. The other soldier groaned and tossed down his cards. He pulled out a crumpled five dollar bill from his pocket.
