Other than the coronavirus itself, the CDC is the closest thing in The Premonition to an antagonist. The CDC is the US national public health agency, the organization with the most direct responsibility for preventing and containing disease. Charity Dean quickly realizes that the CDC won’t be helpful. She says, “The root of the CDC’s behavior was simple: fear. They didn’t want to take any action for which they might later be blamed” (40). Like the politicians in The Premonition, the CDC is reluctant to take actions that might affect its influence and credibility.

An escape fire is a technique used by firefighters in the wild. It refers to the practice of setting a fire amidst a wildfire, creating a safe, burned spot that can halt the wildfire’s advance by leaving it no fuel to burn. During the Mann Gulch fire, Wag Dodge invented the practice, and it saved his life. Carter Mecher later views the technique of escape fire as analogous to many of the prophylactic measures that the Wolverines recommended during the pandemic.